Sushi Village

As I would expect, there should be some great seafood in Whistler.  The presentation was definitely up to par. The hamachi salad was fantastic. However, I made the mistake of ordering two very similar items, the deep fried tuna karaage and the tuna kfc roll.  I think I prefer my tuna lightly seared, or raw. Both dishes were adequately seasoned, but the tuna tasted over done and dry. The pumpkin roll was very tasty and flavorful. Service was prompt and quick, but the server was young and could have been more professional.

HAMACHI SALAD
Hamachi sashimi on a bed of greens with
jalapeños, cilantro and special dressing
TUNA KARAAGE
marinated deep fried tuna pieces
served with ponzu sauce
PUMPKIN DELIGHT ROLL – pumpkin, takuwan, cilantro, enoki
mushroom, beets, sesame mayo and wrapped
with tempura pumpkin, drizzled with balsamic reduction

Sushi Village on Urbanspoon

Elements Urban Tapas Parlour

Tapas is a style of food that is beginning to grow on me. I’ve tried Spanish tapas, Korean fusion tapas, and now urban tapas?  The food was fresh and brimming with flavor. Service was attentive, but not obstructive.  I really enjoyed the salmon and tuna tempura. Pork belly with pickled cantaloupe was delightful. The greasiness of the pork belly was offset nicely by the acidity and sweetness of the pickle.  The mini beef burgers and two tone frites went well. Although the frites was more than enough for the two of us and a bit over salted.  Moderately priced and definitely worth another visit.

grilled vegetable antipasto, olive tapanade, hummus, breads, spicy pickled radishes
red salad, radicchio, tomatoes, peppers, blood orange vinaigrette
wild bc salmon & ahi tuna tempura roll, wasabi, tobiko, ponzu
pork belly bites, canteloupe pickle, honey & chilli glaze
two mini burgers, smoked gouda, crispy onions, dijonnaise on sourdough rolls with Pemberton beef & re-up bacon, and two tone frites, with truffle & white balsamic aiolis

Elements Urban Tapas Parlour on Urbanspoon

Crepe Montagne

Ahhh crepes, seems to be a trend that has staying power. Judging by the number of restaurants in Whistler that serve them. I love food when it is fresh, or as they say not out of a jar or can. We liked it so much we came back the next day for breakfast. Service was top notch and the atmosphere does remind me of what a French cafe could be like. I like their super healthy options such as smoothies or juices with choice of protein powder or ginseng.  The cafe is tiny, but they seem to turn over fast. We did not have to wait very long for a table. I love their variety, would like to come back to try their sweet crepes or fondue sometime.

Eggs benedict florentine
Creme anglaise with muesli, strawberries, bananas, almonds and a side of ham.
Crepe with eggs, tomato, ham and three cheeses
Mixed berry smoothie

Crêpe Montagne on Urbanspoon

Last CSA Delivery

You know fall has arrived when the last fresh vegetable delivery is here. This week brings me potatoes, pumpkin, green tomatoes, garlic, jerusalem artichokes, onions, carrots, peppers, beets and dill weed.  They have a winter share, but neither hubby or I feel like venturing out to pick it up.   I don’t know if I will be able to survive without freshly picked veggies all winter.

Where's the beef?

Obviously not on supermarket shelves.  Everyone has an opinion on this, and for what it’s worth, here is mine. There has a been major recalls from beef produced from the XL Foods plant here in Alberta.  Well, it hasn’t affected me.  That’s because for at least a few years now, I have chosen to only consume naturally raised or organic beef.  Just making this choice does not guarantee that it will be free of things such as E coli. But at least it is butchered locally and processed at different locations. I choose naturally raised or organic beef because it is free of antibiotics and hormones.  I also like to eat locally.

From what I have read, E coli is more likely in a large facility where all it takes is the processing of one animal to cross contaminate everything else.  At least in smaller facilities, if this were to happen it would not cause such far ranging consequences.  I also read that provincially run abattoirs have different standards compared to federal ones.  Such as if an animal was brought in by a farmer for their family consumption, it does not need to be inspected. Interesting how the system works.

On a larger scale, makes me wonder about the other large processing facility in Alberta, Cargill, which has ramped up their production because XL is closed.

I do wonder about food safety in this country…

This Week's CSA Delivery

Well I have been very bad about posting about CSA. I was on the way out of town 2 weeks ago, forgot to take picture and gave away half of it.  Last week, hubby forgot to pick up so no veggies. 🙁 This is the second last delivery of the summer season.  We have quite a bounty. Mixed salad greens, potatoes, parsley, celery, a very large kohlrabi, green peppers, carrots and fava beans.

This Week's CSA Delivery

Double the fun this week… One of my friends is on vacation and she generously offered me her half share.  We have potatoes, carrots, spaghetti squash, fennel, garlic, cucumbers, mixed greens, yellow beans and broad beans.  I think I’m going to have to give some away… What to do with spaghetti squash? I see some fennel frond pesto in the future.  I also have some gojujang in the cupboard.  Let’s spice up some veggies.

Anju Restaurant & Eecha Lounge

Anju serves Korean tapas meant to go along with drinks.  Similar concept to an Izakaya in Japanese cuisine. Korean fusion with a nice dash of urban vibe.  The charming house that is home to this restaurant has changed hands over the years. When I last lived downtown, it was a coffee and tea house called Caffeine and Leaves. Tuesday night, early, we had no problem walking in without reservations. We sat upstairs in the lounge with a table facing the window. Cozy. Music was being piped in the other room, but it was not so loud that we couldn’t chat.  It’s probably not like this most nights.

Onto the food. It was fantastic.  The service was a little slow to start, but was good. I asked for a virgin cocktail based on a mojito.  The bar put together something sweet, tasted like guava juice, infused with Thai basil. Lovely and a nice counterpoint to some of the spicy dishes we would have. I love their liberal use of gojujang, a red chili paste in their recipes.  The base flavor was in many of the dishes we ordered, but tasted different enough for my liking. I loved the KFC, much better than Colonel Sander’s version. The fried anchovies were a nice trip back into childhood where Mom would serve fried dace with steamed rice and black beans. Except these are honey garlic.  Mmmm.  The salmon tacos were delish and I loved the gojujang sauce with the pulled pork tacos.

This place is popular.  Reservations highly recommended.

Anju Restaurant & Eecha Lounge on Urbanspoon

Oysters and Pickerel

Dinner from the Billingsgate Seafood Market.  Pan fried pickerel (Manitoba Walleye?) with a Cobs bread country grain roll.  The seafood market and bakery are almost next door to each other. Perfect. I had the pickerel for the first time earlier this week at Big Fish.  It must be in season as they have it at the market.  It is a very delectable white fish and sustainable from what I hear. There are some concerns about mercury content, so eat in moderation.

Click to access mercury_in_fish.pdf

The oysters were from Komo Gway in BC. I prefer west coast oysters if eating them raw, they seem to be less gritty than the east coast ones. Broiled with bread crumbs, butter and cheese… the second best way to eat oysters.

http://www.chefs-resources.com/Komo-Gway-Oysters