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When it’s guuuud

18 Sep

We have been to Guu twice this summer and both times we were delighted to find an exceptional variety of cheap and creative Japanese small plates to share. I happen to love dim sum but it is really not acceptable as a dinner option, so Guu is a great substitute when I want the bustling, shared, Asian food experience. Plus, just like dim sum, you can get your dining pals to be a bit more adventurous than usual given that many items are just $4-$6.

They also make their own Guud Ale, which has a mild caramel flavour and a smooth finish – plenty of personality but unlikely to conflict with the diversity of your order.

Some of the items we tried included: octopus balls with bonito flakes, duck salad with mushrooms, beef tendon soup, fried octopus with ancho mayo, and chilli sweetbreads.

Octopus balls with mustard and bonito flakes

Duck salad with roasted mushrooms

This beef tendon soup looks unappetizing, I know! But I promise you that it is melt in your mouth tender, and the broth has the purest beef flavour we have ever tasted. That big gob of yellow stuff is Japanese mustard, which you can add for a spicy kick as you see fit. It’s kind of like having miso soup as a starter – it’s only $2, give it a try!

Beef tendon soup

Octopus with ancho mayo

These sweetbreads are tasty, and they definitely convinced me to keep trying intestines, but I cannot tell a lie; after a few bites, I knew I was eating something that has a prior life involving poop.

In Spain and Portugal, plates of small whole fried fish are quite popular, and we ate a lot of them on our honeymoon so we wanted to try these fried silver fish. I would describe them as fish and chips in a single bite. Mr. ST said they reminded him of pork rinds. You know when you learn things about your partner’s life before you that just don’t fit with the person you know? Pork rinds are among the skeletons in Mr. ST’s closet.

Fried silver fish

We also tried a tofu and kimchi hot pot and the most incredible egg dish that was like a vegetarian scotch egg. Where the hard boiled egg would normally be surrounded by sausage meat, this one had mashed pumpkin, coated in panko bread crumbs. I was getting deliriously full by this point in the night, so unfortunately I have no photographic evidence.

Bring a date, or bring a crowd, and be ready to have fun with your food. Guu is noisy, casual and doesn’t take itself too seriously, something we could all stand to try once in a while!

A Spicy Adventure

20 Jan

Ever since Primastrada, Saturday lunch dates are becoming a bit of thing for the STs. We take a break from the weekend errands to do a little food exploring in our own city, indulging in the small delights of downtown that we wouldn’t stop into on a work day –like Ayo Eat Indonesian in Market Square.

This little hole in the wall – literally – at the Johnson Street entrance to the square feels at once like an old friend and a first date. The dishes sound familiar, thanks to the popularization of Thai food and include green curry, spring rolls with peanut sauce, chicken satay, but every dish had small new tweaks that intrigued us. Admittedly, this meal was a carb bomb, but that’s no criticism. After running 12K through mostly blowing rain that morning, I had room for an insulin spike.

We started with the spring rolls and peanut sauce which I would have liked better if they had more herbs in the roll or an acid or citrus note in the sauce. Most places jam their salad rolls with a bland, cold pile of rice vermicelli, but not here! It’s the only place we’ve been to that uses japchae (Korean sweet potato noodles) in their rolls. If you’ve never tried them, japchae have a chewy, slippery texture, kind of like shiritaki noodles but more durable, and they were a great contrast to the hard-boiled egg, tofu and veggies. Much hay can be made about peanut sauce so naturally it can’t go unmentioned. Ayo’s is on the thicker side but that’s about all there is to say about it. It tasted like peanuts with a mild spice so, while unremarkable, it did the trick and I lapped it up. Reviews of its chicken satay are pretty glowing so maybe we just need to try it slathered on a skewer of chicken next time. (For others who are peanut sauced obsessed, our favourite remains Little Thai Place.)

The presentation of the meal and the various accompaniments show Chef Bana’s history of working in five star restaurants and the care and thought he puts into your enjoyment of his food. Many of these recipes are special meals, some from his own family, and it matters little that we were eating them on paper plates, over the railing in an open air market. He took the time to present it artfully, with sides that played off each other for maximum enjoyment.

For instance, the main dishes are served with homemade potato chips and a spicy, cold sambal sauce (think Indonesian version of chips and salsa). These were an incredible combination – the chips stayed crunchy despite being drenched in the sauce which was almost a little bit sour. The more we ate, the hotter our tastebuds got , but the sour flavour just kept us coming back for more! The pickled veggies on the side were crunchy and fresh and added just a hint of relief from the chillies when needed.

Each dish was also served with rice, drizzled with a coconut sauce simmered-to-order. My spicy hard-boiled egg was a great match, as the bits of crumbly yolk turned creamy and sweet, almost reminding me of custard, in the sweet rice.

Mr. ST had the beef rendang, which was fork-tender and smothered in the whole spectrum of Indonesian flavours: clove, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, galangal, lemongrass, shallot, coriander, tamarind, garlic. It’s no wonder this dish is a typical Indonesian wedding meal, according to Chef Bana. It’s the kind of dish where any home cook would admire, and immediately recognize, the significant time it takes to prepare it, the long list of ingredients blended in just the right amounts, and the years it probably takes to perfect.

Finally, a tip! I never really understood the use of prawn crackers until now – why would you want to eat something fishy that immediately soaks up all the saliva in your mouth? Because when you can’t stop eating chips and sambal sauce, it will also absorb that the oil from the chillies so you can go back to eating that yummy, milk coconut rice and actually taste it! As someone who usually maxes out at a Western medium spice level, I found myself completely enthralled with this meal even though it was above my normal comfort zone and that’s definitely because of Chef Bana’s mindful composition.

Ayo Eat is yet more evidence that some of the best food in Victoria is served from a truck, a stand, or even a converted shipping contain on the docks! Sure, Ayo not fancy first date fare, but it is worth stepping out for!

Ayo Eat on Urbanspoon

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Use Your Noodle!

17 Jan

If you could only have noodles or rice for the rest of your life, which would it be? And don’t say rice pasta—that’s cheating. If I had to pick, I would always pick noodles. NOT pasta—noodles. Soba, udon, japchae, and my main squeeze, ramen. And during a week when Victorians are all a-twitter about this slushy-windy-icy bedlum (because naturally, we are the warmest, wimpiest place in Canada so we’re obsessed about how this will impact our lives for days), a big bowl of ramen would surely go straight to your bones and leave its warm bliss right there.

I really can’t say whether it’s the stock that makes authentic ramen so amazing or the noodles. Each will make you want more of the other. The stock is usually made from pork, fish or beef bones and then flavoured with onions, mushrooms, and either miso or soy sauce. A pork miso broth like the one above is the most commonplace and also one of the most dreamy.

I am not sure where the fresh bites of corn come from, but they are definitely common enough to be considered a ramen staple. I suspect it may have something to do with the American influence on Japanese foods in the second world war but I am no armchair historian –I just think Anthony Boundain might have said it once, ok? All you need to know about why they’re there is right there on the spoon. The miso broth has hints of clove, anise, and pork which compliment the sweetness of the corn and the crunchy tang of fresh scallions to perfection.

My first authentic ramen experience was at Kintaro Ramen in Vancouver with Brother ST. this past summer. We waited in line for a good 25 minutes, but once the bubbling vats of fatty pork flank and broth were in sight, there was no turning back.

Be courteous to your fellow dinners if you come here– know what you want when your butt hits the seat and slurp earnestly once it arrives (though I admit we paused for far too many photos). No one will rush you of course, but it’s pretty hard not to inhale ramen, and a dish this good will inspire charity when you look over and see the longing face of those line and remember that you were one of them just a short time ago.

Kintaro Ramen has some bad reviews out there, but in my experience it was completely worth every last bit of hipster hype I heard. In addition to a wickedly delicious pork miso ramen above, where the pork flank shreds apart as soon as you nudge it with your chop stick, Kintaro introduced me to cold ramen.

This bowl was full of julienne scallions, Japanese radish, carrots, tofu, cucumber, and a sweet cold vinaigrette very similar to a Japanese sunomono salad.

Apologies for the blurry photo. Blog FAIL.

There’s a huge audience of homemade, Ichiban-lovin, ramen-hackers out there, and I don’t deny the satisfaction – heck, I encourage it. Because until recently, I thought I’d have to wait for another trip to Vancouver to get my fix. Not so friends.

I Kyu Noodles is a quiet, humble joint serving BBQ pork buns, assorted basic dim sum items, and handmade udon and ramen noodles made fresh daily, from scratch, from a trained noodle-master. Their pork miso ramen was a huge portion for just $10 and it is easily shareable (unless you want leftovers). It came out piping hot with a strong anise/clove flavour. While Kintaro’s tender pork flank is a superior cut of meat and a more involved preparation, the ground pork at I Kyu had a deeper chinese-five-spice kind of flavour and it was a nice change to have little nibbles of pork nestled in each bite of noodles, rather than eaten as a somewhat separate component.

As with most Saturdays, I had started the day with a long run in the fresh air and a caloric deficit to make good on. And boy did I. I managed to stop myself before the end of the bowl, but there was some deep inner turmoil over that.

The temperature in Victoria tomorrow is supposed to be a balmy -7 degrees Celsius – perhaps it’s time you visit I Kyu and warm up awhile!

I Kyu Noodles on Urbanspoon

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The Best Bites of 2011

2 Jan

This was not the biggest year of travel for the Savoury Traveller household but it was plenty savoury. And we did have quite a few major milestones too.

I finished by MA in Professional Communications.

And we took an epic three-week trip through the East Coast to celebrate, after I presented my thesis at a major conference.

Sister and Brother-in-law ST added the most wonderful ray of sunshine to our lives with the birth of our first nephew Caleb.

I ran my first half marathon (with my Mum who ran the 8K!)

And we started this here blog. This being a blog about the pleasures of the palate, I thought it apro pos to wrap things up with the best bites from 2011.

Best post-workout breakfast

Nature’s Path flax oven waffles topped with natural peanut butter, sliced bananas and a dollop of Krema lemon passion greek yogurt. I can get downright religious in my love of post-workout breakfast food and unlike most of them it even photographs well! The world of running/healthy living/fitness blogs has already given us more than enough internet photos of oatmeal:-)

This little meal set off my major craving for WannaWaffle.

Most creative and inspiring meal

If you are in Halifax, I have one word for you: Gio.

Forget everything you’ve ever thought about hotel food. Yes, this restaurant is located in the Prince George Hotel in downtown Halifax, but it is also a place you will find things like beet risotto with wild mushrooms and edamame (above).

Pork belly and fois gras steam buns with homemade potato chips.

A rhubarb sorbet palate cleanser!

Every bite of this meal was courteously orchestrated by their staff and passionately planned by the kitchen.

Best meal from my own kitchen

What’s the first food that popped into my head instantly? What I want to make right-this-second? Homemade Bibimbap.

Best holiday meal

Brined turkey with curry spices and cranberry chutney at my Dad’s house for Thanksgiving. Brining is where it’s at! The turkey was well-seasoned and was the most moist I’ve ever had—a true accomplishment given the size of this beast. My tastebuds are a bit biased since I ran that half marathon the day before!

Best local restaurant discovery

Although we were romanced by our recent trip to Prima Strada, it couldn’t rival the decadence of our anniversary dinner at Brasserie L’ecole. I am so ashamed that we live less than ten minutes from this place and it took us five years to visit. Shame on us.

You know it’s good when you still want to take a picture after you’ve half-desecrated the food.

Best food truck/stand experience of 2011

At the November Downtown Winter Market, we sampled El Guapo’s chorizo sandwich with roasted red peppers, arugula and golden-baked-sunshine-in-a-bottle-olive-oil.

A chilly and sunny Saturday morning is a perfect time for chorizo, and what other sandwich of this quality costs just $5 in downtown Victoria? I think you should get one–they’ll be at the market again on January 21st!

I wanted to say La Fogata Lantina, the new Columbian hole-in-the-wall occupying Pig’s former spot over on View Street, however every time I’ve tried to go back to document it for the blog, it’s been closed when it is supposed to be open. So you’ll have to settle for a recommendation that if you see it open, go in. Get a chorizo arepa with extra pineapple sauce. I stumbled home with a goofy grin on my face and that feeling of almost yogic clarity that all is right with the world. If you’re still not convinced, check out Liz and Adrian from the Guilty Kitchen’s post!

Also, JapaDog.

Also, La Taquisa Mexican food in Cook Street Village.

Ok, I failed at this category. I like street food, ok?

Best burger of 2011

Jackalope convinced me of the virtues of the soft bun and that apples have yet another purpose in life. Mr. ST’s vote is for Relish Burger in Saint John.

Best junkfood of 2011

It’s a tie between chocolate covered potato chips and lobster flavoured potato chips—both came from PEI! The former combines salty and sweet and the latter has a shamefully long list of true junk ingredients.

Also, deep fried pickles?

My ass did not need to know about these.

Best Seafood of 2011

If you make it to Cape Breton, do the entire Cabot Trail.

If these views aren’t enough to snag you, then perhaps the fact that the best lobster roll ever and these super light and crispy fries can be found at the only restaurant at the veeeeeery top.

This recommendation comes with the experience of about seven lobster rolls in less than two weeks…..Mr. ST took on the task like it was his life’s calling. He even sampled the McDonald’s lobster roll available in only certain locations within Nova Scotia. I found this to be a bit like how old saggy yogis in India twist and bend their tender bits around sticks and do lunges and such to strengthen the mind and demonstrate commitment. I am not sure which would be more painful—that or a lobster roll made three days ago to McDonald’s standards? The pain Mr. ST will go through to gross others out is truly senseless. But it DOES make me laugh.

Most Bizzare Must-Order Food

Two words: Corn Cheese.

In an empty Korean restaurant in a Halifax strip mall. I tell you this so that if you find yourself at a Korean restaurant with something similar, you please take the chance.

It was delivered to the table sizzling and crunchy and totally confusing. “Embrace weird things on the menu of life” I think I found my tombstone statement. Sorry, it must be all this dang cheese.

What are your favourite food memories of 2011?

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New Year’s Eve: Vietnam Style

1 Jan

When I unwrapped this beauty on Christmas morning, I only had to thumb through a few pages of stunning images and accessible recipes to decide exactly what I was doing for New Year’s Eve this year.

My brother knows the next big trip Mr. ST and I are planning is South East Asia, so this gift wasn’t just thoughtful but hugely practical (my favourite kind!).

My love of Asian flavours is well-documented on the blog (here and here, so far!), but Vietnamese is just not one I’ve played with before.

Vietnamese food is often described as light and fresh in comparison to Thai, Indonesian and other South Asian cuisines. Vietnamese food is playful and umami-laden. Chillies play off the heavy use of fresh herbs like mint and cilantro. Fish sauce forms the basis of most dishes, along with sugar, garlic, and vinegar. A variety of pickled veggies, simple dipping sauces, and garnishes like sliced chillies and extra herbs are served table-side so everyone can adjust the dishes to suit their particular palette. This takes the pressure off the cook; as long as you’re providing a range of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty tastes, your guests can figure out new and interesting ways to put them together.

This being my first attempt at making Vietnamese at home, I wanted to choose restaurant classics that didn’t require a major pantry overhaul and got at least a few servings of vegetables into our systems. Let’s just say that after three weeks of shortbread, brownies, chocolates, and/or egg nogg on a daily basis, our bodies have begun to whimper for some freakin folate, fiber—anything that grew in the ground and isn’t a starch. If you’re looking for a new cuisine that keeps you somewhat nutritionally virtuous, Vietnamese is a great option. Although some dishes can be heavy on the sugar and sodium, they aren’t meant to be eaten as a complete meal on their own. Many dishes rely on steaming or stir frying in a small amount of oil.

Lucky for us, Rootcellar had Vietnamese Razor Cilantro and green peppercorns when we went shopping!

Mmmmmm, green stuff

We made: Prawn on Sugar Cane, Chicken and Herb Salad, and Stir Fried Beef on Watercress Salad

Prawn on Sugar Cane

Chạo Tôm

The mixture was wet and delicate, making it a challenge to form around the sugar cane sticks and keep intact. After wok-steaming for 10 minutes, they were easier to handle for their last minute dip in the wok.

We served them with a basic seasoned fish sauce and a lemon and white pepper sauce.

Biting and sucking on the sugar cane releases their juices and heightens the sweetness of the spot prawns so that together they stood up well to the tart and salty flavours of the sauces.

Chicken and Herb Salad

Gà Xé Phay

This is a perfect base for making a “junk” salads with whatever pantry veg is around. It’s basically a chicken slaw and could absorb shredded carrot, cucumbers, red bell pepper in addition to the shredded cabbage, thinly sliced red onions and herbs that make-up the base. The chicken was far too tough (my fault in adapting the technique – not the recipe) but adding ginger and half a chopped onion to the poaching liquid infused it with great, subtle flavour and I will definitely be doing that again!

Can we just talk about crispy-fried shallots for a second? I’ve had these before as a garnish but for some reason I have never endeavoured to use them myself. They added a smoky, rich flavour to the freshness of the chillies and the fattiness of the crushed peanuts.

I served it over a bed of rice noodles with extra crushed peanuts because I require noodles to be happy in this world and when have peanuts ever made an Asian salad WORSE?

Beef with watercress salad

Bò Lúc Lắc

This was a satisfying and light finale to dinner. I was heavy handed with the sauce—as I am wont to be pretty much all the time in the kitchen—and I forgot about the impact that would have on the wok/oil temperature. As a result, I didn’t get a good browning on the beef. Proper stir frying technique does not come easily to this saucy gal.

I’d never had watercress as a salad green before and it matched perfectly with the lemon-white pepper dressing. A bit like Italian parsley transformed into flower petals, it lacks the bitterness and peppery signature of arugula.

The charm of Little Vietnam is that the author’s expertise as a chef shines through and so does the resourcefulness of the Vietnamese people. Throughout most of the recipes, he explains how poor families like his own stretched their ingredients – like serving chopped up chicken bones atop the Chicken Salad so every last piece could be sucked off and savoured.

We ended the night with a few chocolate covered pretzels while watching UFC 141 before turning out the lights to the sound of neighbourhood fireworks and cheers.

And how was your new year’s eve?

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