Jules Bistro

I walked by this place a couple of times shortly after it opened in Gastown, and it was packed with the fashionable. Basically, it looked like one of those restaurants that the trendy "oh, there's a new restaurant!" crowd descends upon initially, and then moves on its way, like a ravaging hoard of well-dressed army ants eating up everything in its path. Same reaction I got when I happened to pass by Italian Kitchen during its VIP grand opening...ick. So I waited a bit for Jules (216 Abbott Street, just off Water St. and Trounce Alley, Gastown: 604-669-0033), but heard good things in the meantime - a bargain prix fixe, and general good value. Well, they were right. I tried this place out in August, on a relatively quiet night, with Potato Salad Boy, and we had lovely, down-to-earth service, genuinely tasty food, and were pleased with the value. They do indeed have a cheap prix fixe of steak frites ($21 for the salad starter, steak frites and a chocolate terrine dessert, that time), which is what I was in the mood for all week, but wound up opting for another steak dish they had because I'm not really a fan of thick, rich chocolate desserts (chocolate terrines, paté's, flourless cakes)...plus the sides on the dish I wound up getting sounded great. Filet de boeuf Poele a la Crème aux Morilles - beef tenderloin with a morel cream sauce, ratatouille and scallop potatoes ($22). It was yummy. Potato Salad Boy was very happy with his Filet de Thon mi-cuit a la Provencale - slow cooked rare ahi tuna "Provencale", eggplant caviar and roasted vine tomatoes ($17). Potato Salad Boy was also very pleased with his rice pudding and rhubarb compote dessert ($6) and I enjoyed my melty centred chocolate fondant ($6) but must admit the steamed mushy texture of the cake itself was not really to my liking, and prefer a slightly drier cakey texture. I wasn't able to figure out if this was how it always was or something went a little wrong, so I'd be willing to give it another go at some point. If we had been hungrier, there are a number of starters that sound good too. I'm sure I'll be back. They're closed Sunday and Mondays, but open for lunch and dinner Tues - Sat.

Beef tenderloin with a Morel Cream Sauce, Ratatouille and Scallop Potatoes

Slow Cooked Rare Ahi Tuna "Provencale", Eggplant Caviar and Roasted Vine Tomatoes



Rice Pudding and Rhubarb Compote

Melting Chocolate Cake, Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream

I'm Ba-ack!

Just a quick note to say that I've returned from Europe, and that I'm sorry for turning Nancyland into a ghost town this last while. I'm ready to eat and blog again, so thanks to any of you who are still hanging around! Well, it's not like I've ever stopped eating... And if you thought that Vancouver was a great foodie town, you all need to go to Barcelona, Spain and the surrounding area! It blew my mind. I will going off the topic of Vancouver food for bit and I'll be posting a few highlights from Spain in the future just because the food was so wonderful.

I was literally in tears (of joy) waiting at the train station in Girona for a ride back to Barcelona because of the surprise tasting meal that I had in El Celler de Can Roca, a highly acclaimed restaurant (11th on the Restaurant magazine's 50 Best Restaurants in the World list ain't too shabby, eh?) in a smaller city a couple of hours from Barcelona, run by three brothers, right next to their parent's traditional Catalan restaurant (which unfortunately, I did not have time to try). These brothers are third generation restaurant people; dividing the roles of cuisine, wine, and dessert among them, and together they produce a very exceptional experience. It was certainly one of the best meals I've ever had, and the best service I've ever encountered. This grand nine course (plus "snacks" and petit fours) lunch capped off a mind blowing five days worth of exploring Barcelona on my own, before meeting up with my family for the rest of the vacation, so of course, as always context has so much to do with making a meal a special experience. The tears at the train station were about the amazing meal, including experiencing the warmth and exceptional craftsmanship of all of the staff there, but also about how the travelling had touched me, and the melancholy of having the trip end. I soaked up every bit of Barcelona I could in the week that I was there, and I want more. Eating out is a huge part of the culture there. And I've read that for Catalans, it is more usual to meet up with friends out at a restaurant than to invite them to their homes, unless they know each other very well. Barcelona was the only city outside of France to be named the Gourmande city of Europe by Michelin. Design and architecture are also huge parts of the psyche of the city. And the people are generally very friendly. This all makes for a really fun restaurant town - the decor, atmosphere, food presentation, food taste, food innovation or alternatively respect for tradition, wine, service and attitude of the restaurants all come together in a package. My dream job right now would be to start up a gastronomic tour company in Barcelona. That's it, I'm taking more Spanish classes. Who wants to go to Barcelona with me? We'll go to one of the best markets in the world, and we'll dine at a restaurant where you can get a six course menu of dessert dishes, and I'll show you this great little tapas restaurant I know...

A Little Food Porn to Tie You Over

Wow, that post title came out naughtier than I was expecting. Anyhow, just wanted to write a note to say that I have LOTS of good eating to report, and posts are in the works (including positive experiences at Mistral, Gastropod, and Jules Bistro. Also, I'll report on positive return visits to some older places: Kedah House and Nu). In the mean time, join me in my Spanish food fantasies, as I prepare for my Europe trip. Here is a beautiful little slide show from Restaurant Cinc Sentits, in Barcelona, Spain.

Travels in the Land of Giants

Hey, everyone's had mini-marshmallows at some time or another, but most people do not realize their enormous potential. Mini-marshmallows are actually just the tasty seeds used to grow larger marshmallows. For us humans, we like to harvest most marshmallows at their nice handy 1.5" long size (also known as "baby marshmallows"). But venture out into the land of giants around this time of year, and you will see the spectacular harvesting of giant marshmallows from the fields in which they grow. I caught one of the giants' little minions operating the specialized harvesting equipment, collecting the precious confections at their peak. Oh, imagine the s'mores you could make with these babies!

"Now THERE'S a marshmallow!"


A field full of marshmallows ready for harvest time.

The marshmallow farmer carefully moving the freshly picked marshmallow.

Loading up the truck, very gently. Note that some of the vines are still attached.

Speed Blogging

It's summertime, it's hot, and who wants to be in front of their computer all day? So here are some quick 30 second impressions from a slew of restaurants that I've visited in the past, but haven't fully blogged. Whether any or all of these are a match to your own tastes is up to you.

Lolita's South of the Border Cantina (1326 Davie St., 604-696-9996). Delicious, genuinely tasty and interesting food, with very long waits for said food. Hugely busy, cramped, and popular with the cool kids, which makes the wait often just not worth the trouble unless you catch it at a less busy time. Great big glasses of Sangria will help with the waiting. Pricey for Mexican food, but fair for the quality of food. Go there when you have very good company, a lot of time to kill, and when you're not starving.

The Secret Garden Tea Company (5559 West Boulevard, just North of 41st, 604-261-3070). Home of my favourite tea - Creamy Earl Grey. Wonderful little treats for high tea, in a setting perfect for when you have a hankering to feel girly. Demi High Tea (12.95) is also available. I always leave this place happy.

Tacos Mexico Rico (309 West Pender, at Hamilton St., 604-688-7426). Cheap, tasty, and what I can only guess to be authentic Mexican fare in a friendly little quiet hole in the wall.

Kingyo (871 Denman St., near Robson, 604-608-1677). Great izakaya food that will appeal to the foodies who enjoy things like detecting the differences between the three kinds of salt served with their chicken karaage. Take their fresh fish of the day recommendations. I had the best Tai (snapper) that I've ever had there when I visited, but this is the kind of thing that varies constantly. Service is eager, yet sadly inexperienced, and when I went, almost a bit overbearingly attentive, but again, that's something that can vary considerably too. Stunning presentation on some sashimi served in a half-pipe of bamboo and decorated with Japanese Maple leaves. Worth a try, but expect to spend money on it.

Hamilton Street Grill (Yaletown). My second visit there, and my second experience where I had another lovely dinner foodwise, but had some service issues. Can't tell if it's because they're doing the "I'm only putting effort into the service when the customers look like they're going to spend big" or if they are just a bit disorganized in assigning tables to servers. At any rate, it's a good restaurant, with a nice owner/chef, but could do with some front of the house tweaking.

Danny's Wun Tun Restaurant (11666 Steveston Hwy #3050, Richmond, 604-277-3317). If you ever find yourself hungry while at the Ironwood Plaza Shopping Centre in Richmond, this is a nice little wun tun house. The real reason they are noteworthy is because the owners are just totally charming hosts, making this place popular with the Asian and non-Asian crowd.

Milestones, White Rock (3085 152nd St. in the South Point Exchange Shopping Centre of Highway 99). Just a note of caution that not all Milestones are created equal, despite their efforts to standardize. The kitchen at this one just does not seem up to snuff. Recipes must be fairly strict, but I have had over-vinegared, and over-salted food there that is barely edible. I've had mushy vegetables. I've had their spinach dip served in a bowl with tonnes of crusted over spinach dip clinging to the outside of their bowl that makes you wonder if it was from the contents or from another day. I've had a dirty mug brought to the table for my tea. Yes, I'm sure you're about to berrade me for going there in the first place, but it's really the only sit-down restaurant (aside from the new Cactus Club around the corner) in that shopping area, and it just happens to be a convenient stopping point on one of my routes. I have stopped going there. I have not given up all Milestones though. I go to the one on Robson St. sometimes.

Orchid Delight Restaurant (2445 Burrard St., north of Broadway, 604-831-0221). Nice, attractive Malaysian restaurant that shows Vancouver that you don't have to dine in a dive to have good Malaysian food. Solid renditions of tofu goreng ($6), spicy sambal kang kong ($11, it's a green veggie), and roti prata ($4.95) were presented. Good service. Only glitch that night was that I got the spicy sambal, even though I ordered mild, and thought throughout the meal that the spicy must REALLY be killer, if I was having trouble with the mild. Found out from the bill that it was just a mix-up. I was fine though.

So, tally up. Would you like to have dinner with any of these? At the risk of sounding terribly bitter, it seems as if there is almost always some sort of trade-off; do you want beauty, brains, authenticity, "sex appeal," attentiveness, boldness, adventure, and a good heart all in one (restaurant) package, or are you willing to settle for some combination of these? For me, I seek different combinations for different moods, but secretly, I am always questing after the whole package.

Do Chefs Have Groupies?

Okay, just when I start really latching on to Zin (on Robson, near Bute), Chef Chris Whittaker decides to move across the street to O'Doul's at the Listel Hotel. On one hand, I'm thinking, will I still be able to get beautifully executed food at Zin, like the special of the night I had a couple of weeks ago - sablefish, big California scallop, and arctic char, served with a beurre blanc sauce, new potatoes, greens, and so many wonderful oyster mushrooms ($26). Absolutely delicious, and of course perfect service to match. On the other hand, I'm thinking O'Doul's would be such a nice spot if the food, menu and drinks were up to snuff. I had one terribly mediocre experience with pricey, unsatisfying food and somewhat odd service at the bar from the bartender (a menu item promised a trio of appetizers paired with a flight of wine, and the bartender just seemed unwilling make pairings, and made no effort to consult anyone else on the pairings either, and in fact seemed rather against the idea of pairing food and wine in general) one night at O'Doul's long ago, and I haven't been back. There is live jazz there, which could be a lot of fun. I'll check it out once the chef gets settled in.

Our Curry is PROBABLY the Best in the World

Right on! I hate those "Best Whatever in the World" signs, but this I can live with. I thought this sign was a hoot when I passed it, then I realized it was a new express version of the restaurant I was just about to post about anyway. I'm enjoying some leftover curry from Mui Garden, North Road location (4327 North Road, just South of Lougheed Highway, 604-421-8838), as I work on this post. This was my parents' pick for some recent casual family dinners. The best thing about these dinners was not their specialty - free range Hai Nam chicken, but these fantastic live prawns (kept alive in the tanks until just before cooking), deep fried and then tossed in soy sauce.


I must admit I really enjoyed their curry. When I first tasted it, my thought was "wow, this must be really bad for you in some way, because it is damn tasty!" I think it's pretty rich in coconut milk, which is quite fatty. We were having the curry beef brisket, which is a pretty fatty cut of beef too. And to top it off, we were having it with the "Hai Nam style rice" which is cooked in a lot of chicken fat rich stock, so it has an oily sheen and a wonderfully fatty taste. But it's not something to make a regular part of your diet, I suppose. We had their fresh oysters, cooked on the half shell too, at the North Road location, which were quite nice too, and I've had the satays at the Victoria Drive location, and they were good. If you go for the Hai Nam style chicken (steamed with the skin and bones on, cut into chunks), take note that the restaurant uses both free range and non-free range chicken, so be sure to request the free range. If you are used to non-free range chicken, this will be leaner. It's not really my favourite dish, but my parents seem to like it. The decor is very simple and casual. Go for the food, not the ambiance. Or get some take out on Robson, and head to the beach. They all take cash only. There are four restaurants total (Victoria Drive, Main Street, North Road in Burnaby, and Minoru Blvd. in Richmond) plus the new little one at the Robson Public Market (1610 Robson at Cardero, 604-683-7983).