The Art of Making Instant Noodles

What do you do when you only have 30 min for lunch at work, when there aren't too many places to eat around the office, and when you need something cheap???

There is nothing faster and cheaper than instant noodles. I started with the ones that come in the styrofoam container. All you need is 3 minutes and a pair chopsticks. My friend in Hong Kong sends me these ones from Japan. They have flavors ranging from curry to seafood chowder. Some even comes in recycle containers to make it more environmental friendly. But I always find the portion for these styrofoam ones too small... and there always seem to have an aftertaste to them...

Then I remember my friend talking about nuking the packaged instant noodles in the microwave. Not only does it taste better and the portion is bigger, it's even cheaper!!! I usually stick with the basic and the classic, sesame oil or chicken flavor from Nissan. All you need are about 5 minutes, a bowl, and a pair of chopsticks. I heat the noodle for about 2 minutes cause I like them al dente. The trick for a better tasting noodle is to pour out the milky water and fill it with fresh hot water after heating the noodles. This will give you a much tastier broth.

What's your favorite brand of instant noodles?

Comfort Food 2 - Dan Japanese Restaurant

Sometimes you just need to go to a restaurant that you know what you are getting, a place that you are comfortable and familiar with. We tried to go to Dan one night, but they were full and we ended up at DB Bistro... not a night to remember... So, we had to make our way back to Dan the next day. And as usual, such a satisfying experience.

The first thing you will notice when you walk in is the coziness of the place. If you are seated by somebody with a warm, friendly smile, there's a good chance that it's Ken's (chef and owner) wife, Tomoko.

Don't expect Dan to have a large selection on the menu. Like an old Chinese saying, it's the quality that counts, not the quantity. I recommend ordering the daily specials off the hand written paper menu. Chef-owner Ken uses the freshest ingredients to create his daily specials, sometimes traditional, sometimes with a European twist. The dishes are mostly small tapas style for sharing. Dan won't have a lot of sashimi or sushi selections either, but expect the freshest and tastiest choices. On their regular menu, we love their chawanmushi. I challenge you to find a better chawanmushi in town.

After the meal, we always exchanges stories with Ken and Tomoko about the new restaurants that we have visited. Everytime, Ken jokes that we don't go back often enough. Come to think of it, I can't think of a restaurant that we have re-visited more than Dan. It's definitely nice to find a place like home.

Comfort Food - Pourhouse

November was miserable, and we hardly saw any sun at all in Vancouver. Bu and I figured it's a good time to try Pourhouse one late afternoon on a Saturday since the place shouldn't be packed like the Friday and Saturday evenings.

We stepped out of the wet, chilly, and depressing weather and walked into the 1930s. Like Snoopy described it, it felt like you walked into a modern day speakeasy. Don't expect to meet Al Capone, but expect to be amazed by Jay Jones' cocktails. They have a short cocktail list and we started with a Gold Fashioned. Wow! Simply amazing is all I can say! I didn't realize until later that the big, chunky ice actually melts slower in the drinks, keeping the drinks from watering out. If you don't like what's on the list, throw them a couple descriptions and let the bartender's imagination run wild. We tried "fruity", "girlie", and "gin", and we got an amazing Pisco Sour.

The food on the menu are basic. It's like something that you would have at home. I had the Sloppy Joe, and Bu had the Crispy Cheese with House Roasted Tomato Soup. Although a bit heavy, but the comfort food is definitely the antidote for this depressing weather.

Sometimes, instead of dressing-up and going to a fancy restaurant and having fancy wine, you just need to find a place that's warm and cozy, order a cocktail, have some comfort food, and snuggle comfortably into one of its booths.

The 4th Criteria - Fuel

My dining experiences are based on 3 simple factors: food quality, service, and ambiance. For me, I don't care much for the ambiance as long as the food quality and service are good. I expect what I pay for. When I'm going to a Chinese restaurant for a $10 meal, I don't expect much for service or ambiance. But if I'm paying $50 for a main course at a fine dining restaurant, the food better be good and the service better be greater.

I always go to Fuel with the highest expectations, and I never come out of the restaurant disappointed. Since it is about to Refuel (it's new name), some friends and I decided to go for one last dinner... but it was kind of disappointing. The quality of food was not on par with our previous visits. I had the Brodo and the Ribeye steak. Both were so salty that I find myself drinking my wine everything time I took a bite out of my food. Chef Robert Belcham prepares the most amazing scallops in town, but the ones that Bu, B, and Snoopy ordered were overcooked and the doness very inconsistent. - Points deducted for food quality.

We brought it up with the hostess when she asked about the meal. She kept saying the restaurant is known for its heavy flavors, but she didn't seem to want to accept our suggestion that the food could be too salty. All of us, combined together, must have been to Fuel on more than 15 occasions, and I've had my share at various fine dining restaurants that I think I know heavily seasoned food and food that's too salty. To be fair, the hostess was very friendly and nice. - Points deducted for service.

The manager later came by to explain why we may think the scallops were overcooked. The restaurant actually received some fresh scallops that morning. Fresh scallops have a firmer texture compare to frozen and thawed ones. So that explained the difference in texture, but that still didn't explain the inconsistency. I was surprised by the manager's honesty, saying that it's one of those nights where they probably just screwed up. To me, that's better than suggesting that my taste buds are wrong. - Points awarded for service.

Furthermore, he brought us dessert wine, and tons of desserts. Amazing bacon ice-cream!!! - More points awarded for service.

The next day, I talked to a chef from another fine dining restaurant. He said to me, "With so many new restaurants popping up in town, you have to be perfect everyday to keep your customers coming back. You cannot have a day off." ...I thought that is very true. From now on, I think I need to add a 4th criteria before I will proclaim a restaurant is good - consistency.

Stay tune for my next blog on the new Pourhouse in Gastown.

Casual Dining vs Fine Dining - Mis Trucos

Looks like high-end, fine dining restaurants are a dying breed. Mortons, Cannery announced their closings recently. Fuel is revamping to provide food at a more affordable price. CRU, Voya, and Lumiere are all offering 1000 rewards points on Opentable. On the other hand, the smaller, more affordable restaurants like La Quercia or Le Faux Bourgeois are almost impossible to get into without making reservations at least a few days in advance.

Bu and I can never make up our mind on where to go for dinner till the last minute. So we need to find a place that doesn't have a crazy crowd. In comes Mis Trucos, a Mediterranean tapas near the corner at Davie and Thurlow. It's not the most obvious place to find since it's hidden on the second floor, reached only by a flight of stairs on the side of the building. But when you walk in, you'll find a spacious, simple, and cleaning looking room. We love the relaxed atmosphere as it's not one of those crowded and noisy restaurants where you have to shout at each other to have a conversation.

Sitting at the bar has its perks. I have zero knowledge in Spanish wine, so the bartender let us taste two different bottles. We went with a big, full body red that's quite fruity. One the menu, the restaurant added a tapas section recently. These are small, individual bite-size pieces. It's definitely a challenge if you try to share them. They're currently doing a special 3 for $6 between 5pm to 7pm, and 10pm to 12pm. We ended up ordering 4. I'm a sucker for mousse and pâté, so my favorite was the Duck mouse and onion jam on crostini. Before I could finish that, Bu gobbled down the Crispy bread-wrapped wild gulf prawn already.

Last time we were here, we ordered the serrano ham with slow cooked egg from the small plates section. But Chef Kris Barnholden has replaced it by having the slow cooked egg swimming in a bath of melted cheese served with warm, perfectly toasted brioche. Like the bartendar says... it's diabolical. The special was a wild venison carparccio. Its cut is slightly thicker than usual, which gives it a meatier feel. It's definiltey one of the more flavorable carpaccio that we have ever tasted. The roasted pork belly with potato and leek cannelloni, and onion puree in the large plate section, and the house made gnocchi and lamb shoulder are to die for also.

Mis Trucos is definitely one of our favorites at this moment. It definitely separates itself from the bistros and trattorias with its Mediterranean flavors. Less than $140 before tips for a bottle of wine, 4 tapas, 1 small plate, 3 large plates, 1 dessert, 1 dessert wine, 2 fully stuffed stomachs, and 2 happy customers, now that's what I call a good deal! What're your favorite restaurants at the moment?

(Yes... I know... Pictures worth a million words. I think I need to download a flash program for my iPhone so I can get some good pictures even when the light is low.)