Sunday, December 16, 2012

China Airlines Business Class: YVR -> TPE

A little over a month ago I flew from Vancouver to Taipei on my birthday.  I took off 12am on the morning of my birthday and landed 5am the day after.  Because I spent the entire birthday in the air I decided to splurge a bit and treated myself to business class.  

With my business class ticket I got access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at YVR.  A bunch of airlines share it and it was actually quite busy even at 11pm at night.  So what do you get at this private lounge?


Instant Noodles!

Coffee!

Booze!

A stocked fridge with more booze, yogurt, and vegetable sticks

There is also hot food.  For example there are buns.

Spring Rolls

Fried Noodles

Congee

In the lounge there is also a private room where you can take a nap.  An attendant will come in and wake you when it's time to board your flight.




What's business class like on the plane?  One thing is that the flight attendants address you by name.  They also quickly learned that I preferred to communicate in English and made sure that they always spoke to me in my language of choice.  Since you board first they start attending to you immediately by offering a beverage while you wait for the entire plane to board.

The chairs in economy are so cramped and don't have a lot of room to lean back.  On the way back I took economy and I was seated next to this big burly guy that was not gracious with sharing the middle arm rest with me.  The chairs in business are a lot different.  Look at all the buttons that you have to adjust your chair!  The backs can lean all the way back and the legs can come all the way up so that you are lying completely flat.  And there's also no sharing a middle arm rest!

The entertainment system is the same as what the economy seats get.  You get access to a PVR like system where you can get view a lot of different movie and television programs in both english and chinese.

The display unit though is larger than what you get in economy.  It folds out of the arm rest.

Here are the meals that you get.  You get a meal soon after takeoff, and another meal 2 hours prior to landing.  For the first meal I got an Ahi tuna and duck pâté starter.  Fried halibut in oyster sauce as the main.  You also get real china, linen and utensils.  The wine they serve is also quite good.

Fruit, cheese, and dessert platter.

Breakfast!  The omelette is surprisingly good for something that must have been cooked in a microwave.  Too bad they couldn't get the bacon really crispy.


Here are the menus that you get.  At the start of the flight you make your selection for both meals.


You also get a small little kit with a toothbrush, toothpaste, a sleep mask, and slippers.  You can take home the kit after the flight.  Also any baggage you check in are specially marked and will be offloaded first at the destination.

Overal I fairly enjoyed the business class perks!  Is it worth the extra cost?  It's really hard to say.  Business class tickets can be 2x - 3x more than economy class tickets.  I have a hard time saying that the experience I had was 2x -3x better than what you get at economy class.  However when I returned to vancouver sitting in economy I struggled the entire flight (as I was seated next to a big burly guy) and couldn't wait for the flight to be over.  I had no such thoughts on my flight to Taipei.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

L'Abattoir Restaurant

Hi Guys!  It's been a long time since my last food blog post.  I was actually out of town for the past month, experiencing the exotic cuisine of Australia and Taiwan.  But I'm back now and ready to share my food adventures with you guys again!

A good friend of mine had his birthday last week and it's always been tradition that we'll go out to a fine dining restaurant for his birthday.  This year we tried "L'Abattoir" in Gas Town.  


Slow roasted Pork Belly with poached egg.  I love pork belly (it's the same cut of meat where bacon is from).  This is a fairly rich dish but the chef wisely used a brighter vinegar based sauce to help cut through the richness.  
Crispy steelhead trout salad.  This was a great starter.  The trout was served raw and had the texture and fattiness of salmon.  The plate was really well put together.  Crispy fondant potatoes adds a crunchy element and smokey soft/medium boiled egg really adds to the dish.  Arugula and dill completes the dish.  By the way my friend is a professional photographer so you can see how well he uses an iphone camera compared to my own pics!
Lamb 3 ways.  On the left there was a portion of the lamb the server called the 'Cap'.  The middle is 2 pieces of tenderloin.  The right is a sausage made from lamb meat.  Accompanying the dish is a celery root pure, some sort of slaw made out of celery root, and pickled red onions.  The sauce was some sort of red wine reduction.  I enjoyed this dish tremendously.  The gaminess of the lamb did come out but it was balanced by the tartness of the pickled sides.  Each lamb portion was super moist and tender and seasoned and flavoured excellently.







Poached pear and peaches in vanilla syrup.  Accompanying it is a quenelle of cream cheese mousse.  The cream cheese mousse was surprisingly light tasting which was unexpected as cream cheese can feel heavy.  The cake that the fruit was sitting on had an interesting cardamon spicy flavour.  I've never seen micro greens added to a dessert before but in this case it added a citrusy lemon element that was very interesting.















Overall I have to say that I'm very impressed with the chef at L'Abattoir.  Each plate was very complex and was composed of many parts that balanced each other out.   For each rich or gamey element of a dish, there was a corresponding bright or tart element that contrasted it.  Being a foodie I really enjoyed trying to piece together the chef's thought process on how he put together each plate.


Here are some more glamour shots that my friend took of the evening!



L'Abattoir on Urbanspoon

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Halloween Marble Cake





My company had a baking competition today and I had to enter.  I decided to go with a marble cake as it has been a special request from one of my co-workers for a long time now!

I basically used a modified version of: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-orange-marble-cake/



1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons orange extract
Orange and Black food colouring



First cream together the sugar and butter.  I was using special jelly like orange food colouring which should be worked in earlier.


Beat in the egg and yogurt, then carefully fold in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).  Usually recipes tell you to mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls and then fold them together.  I cheat but if you're not comfortable with baking cakes yet you should follow that method.


Divide the mixture in half and add the cocoa powder and black food colouring to one side, orange extract to the other side.
Carefully add the batter into a greased mold by spooning in a spoonful of each batter from both bowls.

It's tedious but keep working until you fill the mold.  Then swirl it a bit with a knife.

Bake at 350 F for 50 min.  Then let cool.
Flip it out on a cooling rack and spoon on a standard glaze.  (2 cups of icing sugar mixed in a couple of tablespoons of water).
It ended up pretty good!  The chocolate and orange flavours was subtle but there.  And I won first place at work!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Cat Cora's Chicken Stroganoff

Woot!  Another free evening.   On the way home tonight I was racking my brain on what to make for dinner.  It's fall and the weather starting to turn which makes me crave comfort food.  Then I remembered watching a video online of Cat Cora demonstrating her chicken stroganoff that's supposed to be warm and comforting.  Let's do it!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39521937/ns/today-food/t/cat-coras-chicken-stroganoff/


 Ingredients:


  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup minced shallots
  • 1/4 cup Marsala
  • 3/4 cup rich chicken stock or low-sodium stock
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon, plus 6-8 sprigs for garnish
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • noodles or rice


Instead of buying boneless chicken thighs, there was a sale on drumsticks so I decided to go with that and do the deboning myself.  The 5 chicken drumsticks costs $3.28 when a package of 6 boneless chicken thighs cost over $10.  Plus you get the personal satisfaction of being able to exercise your butchery skill!  The only thing about the drumsticks is that there are a lot of sinuous which is annoying to remove.  Cut up the chicken into bite sized chunks, season, and then set aside.
Here's the rest of the "Mise en Plas" (Fancy French cooking term for prep).  I basically sliced up some mushrooms and shallots and a 1/4 onion.  The mushrooms and onions is not in Cat Cora's recipe but I had a leftover 1/4 onion I wanted to get rid of - and mushrooms is traditional in Stroganoff.  I rip the leaves off some fresh tarragon and gave it a rough chop.
Heat up some olive oil and soften the shallots, onions, and mushrooms.
When the shallots, onion, and mushrooms are soft (around 5 min) create a well in the middle and throw in the chicken.  The middle of the pan is the hottest so it's where you want the chicken to be.  Your instinct is to start stirring it around but leave it to sear for a couple of minutes, then flip the chicken and sear the other side, and then you can start stirring it all together.
 After you cook the chicken set aside.
In your pan, pour in the Marsala wine.  Use your spoon to deglaze the fond on the bottom of the pan.  Then pour in your chicken stock and reduce for a few minutes.
Stir in the dijon mustard and tarragon.  After the mustard is disolved, throw back in the reserved chicken / shallots / onions.  Then stir in the sour cream.
After you let it simmer for a few minutes (don't let it boil or the sour cream may split), you're done!  Serve on some plain noodles.  It was pretty yummy!  The fresh tarragon was interesting.  The herb gave it a bit of a different element that I'm not used to - but kinda acts as a counterpoint to the richness of the dish.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Pad Thai vs Pad Thai

Hi Guys.  Sorry for the long stretch with no blog entry!  People have been bugging me - "Ed, why aren't you updating your food blog!!"  Ok Lorna, get off my back - this entry is for you!!  Just to let my readers know I've recently accepted a new position at my company and I'm doing a lot of work in the evening - so unfortunately I'm not blogging as much as I want to.  Tonight I happen to have a free night - so no more excuses, here's my next blog entry!

Next to where I work on Broadway and Granville, 2 competing Thai restaurants opened within the same month.  "Jitlada" and "Bob Likes Thai Food".  Both restaurants are located on the north side of Broadway, but on opposite sides of Granville street.  I'll be writing food blog reviews on both restaurants but as a teaser I thought I'll better get something in for the meantime:  A 'Pad Thai' vs 'Pad Thai' throwdown!  So my co-worker and I each went to a Thai Restaurant and ordered their Chicken Pad Thai to go - then brought it back to the office for a taste off.

First a couple of notes on service.  I went to 'Bob Likes Thai Food' and my co-worker went to Jitlada.  I walked in, sat at the bar and had to wait several minutes to be waited on.  But almost immediately after I placed my order they brought me my meal and I was on my way!  It gives me a suspicious feeling that they might have a big pot of Pad Thai in the back and that it wasn't made to order - but I'm not sure.

My co-worker who went to Jitlada reports that she had very attentive service and was given a glass of water while she waited for her food.

The second note is price.  The Pad Thai at 'Bob Likes Thai Food' costs $8 for their lunch special.  The Pad Thai at Jitlada costs $12 for their lunch special.  So that means that for us to rule in favour of Jitlada, the quality of the food has to overcome a $4 handicap.   If all things are equal 'Bob Likes Pad Thai' will win due to being cheaper. 

First let's look at "Bob Likes Thai Food".

It comes with a fried wonton skin wrapper drizzled with sweet chile sauce, a small salad, and the Pad Thai.  We really like the fried wonton skin.  But the salad was pretty disappointing.  Just a couple of leaves dressed in the same sweet chile sauce.   The Pad Thai was fairly good - no ketchup taste which is a sign of an un-authentic Pad Thai.  BUT my co-worker says she tastes BBQ sauce.  I didn't get that initially but after the thought was put in my head I keep tasting BBQ sauce myself!  Authentic Pad Thai must be made with tamarind paste and Ketchup or BBQ sauce is a big no no.


Jitlada's Pad Thai

Jitlada's Pad Thai lunch special comes with a simple house salad dressed in a creamy dressing and a spring roll.  The spring roll is filled with rice noodle and vegetables.  If you eat at the restaurant, you also get a sweet chile dipping sauce which is apparently not available for take out.  The salad is also bigger than 'Bob Loves Thai'.  The Pad Thai itself is also very good.  It's a little bit more tomatoey and also sweeter than Bob Loves Thai.  I don't think they use ketchup but some sort of mix of tomato sauce and tamarind paste.  I wish the flavour of the sauce isn't that sweet so I give Bob Loves Thai Food a slight edge for flavour.  They give you more chicken and tofu than Bob Loves Thai Food, and the chicken is cooked more tender.  

So here's the score card:
Price: Bob Loves Thai Food
Service: Jitlada
Speed: Bob Loves Thai Food
Salad: Jitlada
Fried Accompaniment: Jitlada
Quantity: Comparable
Tofu and Chicken: Jitlada
Flavour of the sauce: Bob Loves Thai Food (slight edge)

Verdict: Jitlada

So after weighing all the factors my co-worker and I both judged in favour of Jitlada!  It was a fun exercise taking the same dish from 2 restaurants and doing a side by side comparison so you might see more of these in the future.





Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Le Crocodile

Long long time ago when I first started trying to learn what 'fine dining' is like, I decided the only way to learn is go to the fanciest place in town and start eating.  So I went knowing nothing about french food.  I remember feeling disappointed as I imagined french food was supposed to be plates and plates of little tasting bites but that wasn't what was served.  It's been over 5 years since then and I've grown a lot in my knowledge and understanding of food, so when one of my good friends who accompanied me to the first Le Crocodile meal was celebrating her birthday I decided it'll be fun to go back and try the restaurant again!


Crab Tart
For our amuse bouche, we were served a crab tart.  The crab tart was very good.  Creamy.  Savory.  Rich.  But not crabby.  What? A crab tart not crabby? Nope, not this one - couldn't taste the crab.  But it was good though!  If I never knew it was called a 'crab tart' I would have thought it was outstanding.


Dungeness crab cake, baby lentils, pickled red onion, tobiko, olive, spinach & basil aioli.
This was served to my friend (the birthday girl!)  She says it was full of crab meat without a lot of bread crumb filling.





Pan Seared Fois Gras in Reduced Red Wine Sauce topped with a scallop
I liked the sauce on this dish the best.  This fois gras was from Quebec duck livers and not from forced fed geese.  It still had a offal taste that I wasn't a big fan of.  Maybe forced fed geese taste better?


Escargot in Garlic Butter
The garlic butter sauce served with the escargot was sooooo good!  It's served in these very light and delicate pastry cups.  The escargot were perfectly cooked - not rubbery at all.

Oysters in a half shell with shallot Mignonette
I didn't get a chance to sample this but my friend who had this enjoyed it.  It was his first time eating fresh raw oysters too!
















Chilean Sea Bass in Lobster Bisque sauce
This was one of the specials that was offered.  I've read a lot about Chilean Sea Bass.  It's supposed to be even more tender and soft than my favorite protein: the sablefish.  And it didn't disappoint!  This fish was so soft and succulent it had the texture of soft tofu.  Not to the point of mushy though.  Lots of flavour and very yummy.  












Steak Au Poivre

Steak in peppercorn sauce is such a classic french dish.  It's actually one of the first french dishes I've ever learned to make.  Although this wasn't my entree I got to sample it - and it had a way more stronger peppery flavour than what I'm used to.  The steak was also supposed to be medium and was more to the medium rare side.












Caribou
This was another special that's normally not offered on the regular meu.  The caribou meat was sooo tender!  I have no idea what they did to it as wild game meat is usually pretty tough.  The gamey flavour was slight but there.  If you don't mind the gameness I would definitely recommend this dish.












Palette Cleanser: Pear Sorbet in Pear Liquor
Very refreshing and delicious.  Sets us up for the dessert course of our meal very nicely.  My friend who's birthday we were celebrating actually remembered it from the first time we ate at 'Le Crocodile'.














Tiramisu
This was for the birthday girl.  I didn't get a chance to ask her how it was - I hope it was good!
















Grand Mariner Souffle
The souffle was good but I prefer the souffle at Bigga at the Banks.  Not quite as light and fluffy.  

















Crème Caramel
My friend who ordered this dessert did so because I recently made this for her.  She says mine tasted better.  hehehe.

















Hazelnut Crepe
My friend who ordered this dessert seemed to like it except for the ice cream that accompanied it.  I can't remember why but for some reason he didn't like it and left it on the plate.

Overall I thought it was a great dining experience.  It's interesting how much more I appreciated the food there now that I'm a lot more educated in fine dining.  And I hope the birthday girl had a great meal too!


Le Crocodile on Urbanspoon