Greek Serendipity

On my latest daytrip to Winnipeg I was actually undecided on where to go for dinner for a while, and I hadn't picked at least figure out a shortlist before my trip.  After a short drive down Osborne and Corydon I decided to give Kristina's on Corydon a try.  I didn't know what cuisine to expect there, but once indoors I discovered it was a Greek restaurant.  It was a small, cozy place, and, on that evening, it was nearly full of diners and abuzz with conversation and laughter.  The only visible indications that it was a Greek restaurant were all indoors with paintings of coastal Greek scenery along the tops of the walls, and two guitars and a mandolin hung on a wall, waiting to be played at any time, not to mention a fiery serving of saganaki at one point, with the flames shooting several feet into the air.

A cup-sized portion of Avgolemono topped with some freshly ground pepper.

Ginger and Green Onion Beef

Like Stir-Fried Shrimp and Eggs, this dish was also reminiscent of my childhood.  However, not only was this a quick and easy dish to make, it was also quite belly-warming.  My mother usually would've used a stovetop-safe earthenware pot to make Ginger and Green Onion Beef, and it would've been served piping hot on the dinner table.

Though I wouldn't (and still to this day won't) eat ginger slices or green onion sprigs, I still appreciated the flavours they brought to the beef.  This dish is great to have on a cool evening.

Combining Three of My Favourite Food Items into One Dish

Some of my favourite food items include smoked salmon, pasta and mushrooms.  With all of them in my fridge and freezer, I decided to combine them into a one-dish dinner, Smoked Salmon Pasta in a Creamy Tomato Sauce.  The smoked salmon I used was sockeye prepared in what I call the "East Coast" or lox style, whose texture is closer to that of raw fish rather than fully cooked fish, a trait seen in the "West Coast" style, though the "West Coast" version could just as easily be used.  Sockeye is a particularly flavourful variety of salmon, and its flavour shone in this dish.  Atlantic smoked salmon can also be used, especially if one prefers a milder taste.

A Quick Dinner Dish from Childhood

I'm sure my faithful readers will have noticed that there has been quite a time gap since I last wrote an entry related to a dish I made or cooked.  Unfortunately time just hadn't been on my side and I mainly cooked dishes that were already made familiar in earlier posts, or variations thereof, or that were probably not worth of mention (yet) for various reasons.  However, a recent splurge on eggs thanks to a sale, along with a relative lull in my schedule, allowed me an opportunity to cook a dish I hadn't had in years, Stir-Fried Shrimp and Eggs.

Bite-Sized Mentions from Vancouver 2011

Eating a fresh Lower Mainland raspberry at Granville Market.

Though I tried quite a few restaurants and eateries, there was definitely more to Vancouver's food scene.  Since the following individual instances were too small for their own posts, I decided to compile the notable "honourable mentions" here.

Bringing "Guangzhou" to Vancouver

In spite of walking all over downtown Vancouver my hunger hadn't returned in time for dinner thanks to the two snacks my parents and I had mid-afternoon.  However, we decided to end our Saturday sojourn with a dinner at a more unsophisticated Chinese restaurant called Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House.  Using the Cantonese pronunciation of the city of Guangzhou in its name, the restaurant naturally features Cantonese cuisine, with a greater focus on congee and noodle dishes.  At least one congee dish was in order for us, as congee is easy on the digestive system and is considered as a food therapy dish.  Though perhaps plain congee was the healthiest choice, it was also the blandest, so we opted for one of the healtheir flavoured ones.

Congee with Conpoy and Dried Bok Choy

Of Street Food and Gelato

Going for my first bite of a Kurobuta Terimayo Japadog.

After a delicious lunch at Motomachi Shokudo, my parents and I continued exploring downtown Vancouver as well as Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.  After some more exploring in the early afternoon we decided to do some culinary exploration as well.  Our first stop was in front of Waterfront Station where we disembarked a Seabus from North Vancouver.  Waterfront Station was one of several locations for the famous Japadog, one of many of the more unique street food vendors in Vancouver.  Vancouver has been a progressive city in opening up street food in Canada.  Street food in Canadian cities historically almost exclusive meant burgers, hot dogs and ice cream products.  However, Vancouver opted to open its doors in recent years for street food vendors selling food of different ethnic cuisines as well as healthier choices.  One sign that street food is successful is that this year Vancouver granted licenses for 19 new vendors, further expanding the diversity of street food in especially the downtown area.

Ramen-ya? Ya!

The storefront of Motomachi Shokudo.

The second Saturday  of my Vancouver trip was my last full day in Vancouver, so my parents and I decided to have the day to ourselves and take on as much of the downtown area as possible.  After spending a good portion of the morning walking along the False Creek waterfront of downtown we managed to time it just right to catch a bus to Denman St. about 15 minutes before the noon opening of a ramen noodle shop, or a ramen-ya in Japanese, called Motomachi Shokudo.  Fortunately we were the first in line at the doorway; which meant that we were guaranteed a table in this small eatery with only about 20 seats or so.

Red Star Revisited

Since Friday was the last day when we could have dinner together as an extended family, we returned to Red Star Seafood Restaurant for dinner.  Of course, it's a no-brainer that one should have seafood when in Vancouver, so this time there was a greater focus on seafood this dinner.  There were some other dishes that were seen in the previous entry for this restaurant, so I only photographed the untried ones as highlights.

Soy Sauce Chicken

More Noodles from Vancouver!

The entrance to Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle in Aberdeen Centre.  The kitchen is visible to all who enter the restaurant.

With virtually another full day spent with the grandparents, my parents and I were admittedly beginning to get tired with the usual haunts my grandparents went for lunch, so my father successfully suggested them to join us and try a different and fairly new place.  It was a bit of a gamble, as the restaurant he had in mind was more casual and budget-friendly than the places my grandparents usually frequented.  Fortunately, partly because it was a newer establishment and partly because it was well managed, my grandparents seemed comfortable to give Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle a try.