Giovane

The only thing that makes me happier at lunch than a good sandwich, is a good sandwich that comes with a surprise side of assorted pickled goodness. Giovane made me very happy.

La Taqueria- Cambie St.

I am a huge fan of La Taqueria on Hastings. One of my favorite places to go. I had been trying to get to newest location on Cambie Street since they opened, but I kept trying to go on a Sunday when they are not open (I forget every time!). It finally dawned on me that I am across from the Canada line and since La Taqueria Cambie is located directly across the street from the Broadway-City Hall station, it is now a lunch time destination!

Restaurants: Favorites Edition- The Clubhouse

First, some back story.  Big M took some holidays and he came downtown to take me on a lunch date.   I had bought some boots at Army and Navy the day before which I couldn't fit in my bike bag, so I drove the car to work.   Big M rode his bike to meet me.  He rode his bike down the same bike path that I rode my bike down every other day that week.  Except for today. 

Why is that a big deal?  Aside from the obvious health and environmental reasons, it is because on his way home he found $120.00 LYING ON THE BIKE PATH!  I ride that path every day and never have I found any money.  Jealous- Yes.  Jealous x 10 000.  Who was the fool that just stuffed $120.00 in his back pocket so that it could fall out?  If I have $120.00 in cash on my person, it is very safely tucked away in my wallet in a place that I can' t lose it.  Not this guy.  So Big M wins, buys himself some weird keyboard-y synthesizer thing, and takes me to one of our favorite restaurants, The Clubhouse for some sushi.

For years, the Clubhouse has been in the middle of nowhere, but now is in the middle of the Olympic village and hipster town on west 2nd beside the Party Bazaar. I am not really sure what it was before the Clubhouse, but from the decor on the inside, I would guess some sort of Italian, golf theme restaurant. There are golf murals on the wall and great Italian style pillars throughout the restaurant.



I would describe it as eclectic. Big M says the owner of the restaurant was the guy who opened the Eatery. They added a signature wall by the bathroom and a wall full of patron photos to the golf murals and called it good. I like it.

Restaurants: Favorites Edition- Les Faux Bourgeois

Les Faux Bourgeois most likely doesn't need another raving review, but they sure are going to get one.

Big M and I visited last Thursday for date night. I had been to, as Big M calls it, Faux Bou once before with Wendy and fell in love. With the restaurant, not Wendy although she is lovely. I am currently infatuated with French food and LFB is my current restaurant of choice.

We arrived for our 8:30 reservation, and you must make reservations if you want a table, and the restaurant was packed. The hostess decided that one table had lingered there long enough and off she went to tell them to leave. I was half worried that they were going to be mad at us and the other half was pleased that we were important enough to be seated at our reservation time. Excellent customer service experience.

We had rode our bikes there (no bike racks!) so I decided to have some fancy cocktails. I love that the cocktail list has old school cocktails on it. I had the Tom Collins. Big M thought the beer offerings could have been better.

We started out with one of the specials, mussels with frites.


The sauce had fennel and it was delicious. The mussels were very fresh and the fries were crispy and not over salted.

The first time I was there I had the lamb stew. That wasn't on the menu anymore so I went with sausage:
LES TOULOUSE 17
Toulouse Sausage with tomato chutney and port pan jus. Choice of pommes purée or green salad. I chose the salad as the mussels came with potatoes.



Awesome. The sausage were very good. Upon returning home I looked the description of a Toulouse Sausage: "This exquisite French sausage is usually made with pork, smoked bacon, wine, and garlic. It's a great sausage for a cassoulet." Exquisite is not a term I have used for sausage before, but I will go with it because it was that good. I love that the pan jus was served in a little teacup. I need to learn more about salads because this one was seasoned so well.

Big M ordered the duck:
CANARD CONFIT 17
Crispy duck leg confit, fingerling potatoes, frisèe, green beans, port jus


He said the duck was crispy on the outside and nice and moist on the inside. He really liked the sauce.

We ended the meal with the Creme Brulee recommended by my friend Nick. When a French man makes a recommendation for a french restaurant it is probably best to take it. And it was.



I love cracking the top of brulee with a spoon. I need to buy one of those little torches so I can do it more.

A great place to go for date night. The service was prompt but casual and the atmosphere is happy and bustling. Vous pouvez être sûr que je serai de retour, mes amis. Jusqu'à ce que nous nous reverrons ...

Restaurants: Favorites Edition-Sha Lin Noodles

When I find something I like, I stick with it. I watch movies over and over, read the same books and order the same things at restaurants. I know that I should be more adventurous, but when you really love a dish, what if the new item does not live up to the awesomeness that you could have had? Do you want to risk that? Case in point, Sha Lin Noodles.

I first stumbled across the restaurant in the late 90s when I was working down the street at Office Depot. I had just become a vegetarian and was looking for lunch time places to eat. My first meal there is the meal that I have been eating ever since. Cutting Noodles in Soup with Tofu and Vegetables in Vegetable Broth and Pan Fried Vegetarian Dumplings. I have strayed from time to time by trying the pork dumplings or the soup with chicken or a different type of noodle, but I always come back to you:



And the dumplings. I dream about the dumplings. Sometimes at work when I should be paying attention, I think about the dumplings. If I could marry food, I would have married these dumplings. The most awesome specimen of food wrapped in dough (my favorite food of all)


They come to your table so steaming hot that we have to poke holes in them to cool them down. I always end up burning my mouth because I cannot wait long enough and eat them piping hot.

Big M eats in much the same way, he orders the curried cutting noodles with chicken.


The Sha Lin is not glamorous. A bunch of tables in a room with pictures of the food on the wall for decoration and waitresses pulling an amazing amount of food out of the kitchen. Watching the cooks make the cutting noodles for my soup is a highlight. The cooks are shaving perfect strips of noodles off a round of dough held on their shoulder with a curved piece of metal, and they never miss the water. Very fun. You need to show up early, or you will have to wait. They only make a certain amount of the vegetarian dumplings everyday so if you come too late, you might not get any. I hate when this happens. There is a scary parking lot in the back for parking that lets you come in the back hallway.

If I like you, I have taken you here to eat. I have cut down on my appearances here since discovering JC. Big M used to know when in his bike ride to call so that the food was ready when he rode by. Awesome.


UPDATE: Dec 1, 2010.  Fire bad.  Sad news today as Sha Lin Noodles has been closed due to a fire in a neighbouring restaurant.  I really, really, really, really, really hope they are able to open again either there or a new location.  I don't want to think of a world that is without Pan Fried Vegetarian Dumplings.  Fire took Special #2 from Buddist Vegetarian from me, don't take my dumplings too.