Tag Archives: Victoria

Like a dog with a bone

8 Jul

If you enjoy Caribbean food, specifically roti, I am hoping you already know about Trini to D Bone, but if not then please stop by ASAP. And tweet or call so I can join you, ok? I haven’t been back since Mr. ST and I discovered it the first week we moved to our new place and I am dying to see someone else’s face light up as they tuck into some of this toasty, earthy lentil and potato mixture; or this spongy light roti and goat curry; and this tart chutney full of vinegar and chilli battling for dominance and coming together to somehow refresh and set fire to my tongue all at once.

As I slurped it up, it only made me want to jam more of that creamy chicken and chickpea mixture into my mouth. It reminded me almost of the cool sambal at Ayo Eat.

Trini to D Bone can be found on the quiet end of Burnside Road near the Spectrum, Colquitz, Marigold cluster of schools in Saanich but it might as well be miles away. It felt a bit like being on vacation, when you find that charming little hole in the wall and you can just tell by the smells, and the people, and the anticipatory energy that you are somewhere special. That and Mr. ST found that it had a wicked awesome rating on Urbanspoon ;-)
Trini To D Bone on Urbanspoon

We plopped ourselves down at one of their outdoor picnic tables with a malt soda one sunny Saturday afternoon and just let time stop for a while. A lunch date is one of our favourite ways to kick off the weekend and reward ourselves for getting all of our errands done early in the day. I highly recommend it! Luckily we’d been especially productive already that day, because this was one nap-enducing delight!

I had the dhalpuri-style roti with chicken. Between two stretchy layers of roti is a dusting of ground cumin, yellow split peas, garlic and sometimes other spices and seasonings. The roti was rolled burrito-style around a mixture of lentil, chickpea, chicken brought to life with turmeric and coriander. Mr. ST’s rich goat curry wasn’t served rolled up because it had bones in it, so he got to use his roti skins like a scoop and just ate with his hands. Plus it was called “buss up chop” which was just fun to say and ridiculous to hear him order.

Trini to D Bone is a bit like dining in someone’s home and having them make you their time-tested and perfected family celebration meal. Except it’s not fancy or pretentious – it’s unique, comforting and takes you on a mini mouth vacation for less than $10 (and without all the tourists!). We will definitely be back.

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The Soup Peddler

25 Mar

313-321 Cook Street
Victoria, BC

If you didn’t already know, we’re a tad fanatical about the powers of soup. It soothes the soul, warms the body, and calms the mind of any anxious or overly analytical prep chef (not that I would know anything about that….). It also has a few basic techniques that, once mastered, can offer any home cook who holds tightly to recipes the encouragement to branch out and play. If soup had a personal ad, it would read: forgiving, moderately self-sufficient, improves with minor tending and lots of independent stewing.

The sign went up at The Soup Peddler months before it actually opened, and we’ve had our noses pressed up against the glass more than once, trying to assess just how soon it might open so we could meet this soup-loving kindred spirit. After one of our usual Saturday mornings at the Downtown Winter Market, we finally nipped in for a light lunch.

Like Lee’s Donuts on Granville Island, or La Fogata Latina, or La Taquisa, The Soup Peddler is passionate about its single concept and demonstrating its endless variability with humble and inspiring combinations. It’s the latest venture of local chef Cosmos Meens of Mo:le and Cafe Bliss and one of Western Living Magazine’s top 40 foodies under 40.  He’s known for putting sumptuous and nutritious next to each other on the plate, whether raw, cooked or juiced into a glass –and now, in a bowl! I had the classic green lentil soup, infused with clove, rosemary and pepper, and studded with thick-diced organic bacon.

Never one to turn down offal, Mr. ST. had the pozole blanco: a thin and light broth with Mexican oregano, lime, cabbage, chillies and hominy corn along with pork trotter/shank/shoulder pieces and tender chicken. Both were served with housemade organic spelt foccacia bread for just $5.

The bread was chewy and plenty airy, with lots of little pores for our soup to sink into, without breaking the the bread down or turning it soggy. Bread like this is a delicious giveaway that you are in the care of people who have taken the time to think through every detail of the experience and how to elevate it. Considering their ingredients are organic and locally sourced, it’s probably one of the highest quality meals at the lowest price point in Victoria right now.

You can also grab soup to go from their cooler.

The Soup Peddler can be found on lower Cook Street, next to Island Seafood and Meats, across the street from Serious Coffee.

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More Market Discoveries

5 Feb

Every time I got to the Downtown Winter Market, I find something new and exciting.

The spot prawn ravioli from Cowichan Pasta.

The mesmerizing chorizo sandwich from El Guapo.

And just a few weeks ago, the Bacon Apple Fritter from B-Red Bakery.

Seriously, go! But wait until February 18th because you missed Saturday already, ok? Not only was it a gorgeously sunny day, the kind that makes people in Victoria all smug and delighted to live here, but it took about 2.5 seconds to find something still-warm, handmade and amazing.

Organic, freshly baked goodies in the French boulangerie style; I have instant nostalgia for my semester abroad in France when I look at this stuff. I am officially smitten.

These pretzels were chewy and eggy, punctuated with those intense bits of coarse salt.

I’ve only made pretzels once myself, but if anyone has inspired me to try again, it’s these guys. They were also the makers of the pear almond brioche from my ladies’ brunch.

As if the pretzels weren’t good enough, serendipitously the other mind-blowing discovery this week was this mustard from Fat Chili Farm in Cobble Hill.

Mr. ST comes from solid German stock and we have been known to have 3-4 different mustards actively in the rotation. Given what a versatile staple mustards are for cooking from scratch, I love having the variety too. We’ve had mustard with dill before but never combined with saffron and chillies. This stuff has an extended tang, almost like citrus, that would be incredible on pretty much any kind of sausage. Or, say, one of Fry’s pretzels! Even if traditional varieties of hot mustard aren’t your thing, you’ve got to give this one a chance.

The other ways I can’t wait to try this stuff? Folded into scrambled eggs, slathered on a crocque monsieur sandwich, in a salad dressing, as part of a marinade for roasted chicken legs….

Kudos to this guy – he encouraged me to sample pretty much EVERYTHING, which is a key technique to gauging your customers’ spice-o-metre and making appropriate suggestions. As a vendor, being attentive and passionate about your goods is so critical to drawing people in. If my habits are any indication, offering samples/snacks is highly effective as well ;-)

I also took home some of their creamy, spicy hummus and I can’t wait for Mr. ST to come next time and try their habanero and hot chocolate (mole) sauce. He’s a sucker for anything spicy and has been a sad man ever since we ran out of the habanero mustard sauce we bought from Garrison’s Brewery in Halifax.

Do you have a favourite chili or chili product? If you really can’t wait until the next market day to give them a try, you can also order from them online!

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Latin Lunch in Victoria

2 Feb

749View St
Victoria, BC

If you read the Best Bites of 2011 post, you probably noticed we have a thang for street food. Victoria is home to exciting portable food from some passionate purveyors. Frankly, we are both genuinely perplexed that some people still go to places like Subway. Just—why? I have to assume they haven’t discovered La Fogata Latina yet.

La Fogata Latina bills itself as authentic Colombian street food: three different loaded hot dogs, a variety of arepas, and the classic Cubano sandwich. If you’ve never had an arepa, they’re a pillowy corn tortilla pocket with cheese worked right into the dough, stuffed with goodies like shredded beef or chopped chorizo with bell peppers and onions and a number of colourful, lively sauces. Arepas are griddle cooked to order so they have a crunchy exterior but a soft, creamy interior. When we last went, I tried the Ceviche Arepa with plump cooked shrimp cocktail, avocado, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, lemon, pepper & hot sauce.

This guy was busted full, and the contrast of warm, sautéed veggies with fresh cool shrimp, tomatoes, and avocado was positively addictive. I chose to add a healthy squirt of their pineapple sauce to it as well because shrimp and tropical fruit work soooo well together. Last time, I had the Chorizo Arepa and it too was dreamy. Satisfying, salty, and just the right size for lunch!

Mr. ST had the Guacamole Dog, a hot dog made all the more special by the use of finely crushed potato chips.

Potato chips are popping up between bread all over the place! We saw them last week on an episode of Unique Eats that featured No. 7 Subs’ Zucchini Parm Sandwich with barbecue kettle chips. Then Deb from Smitten Kitchen wrote a post about putting potato chips on your pb&j AND in her cookies. Sure, it’s decadent and weird and déclassé to foodies who ban processed foods from their diets but damn if it doesn’t add great texture. Then again, if you’re that kind of foodie, you probably already left at the sight of a giant hot dog anyway.

We love cuisines with a wide variety of condiments that encourage customization and at La Fogata Lantina they have a whole range: in addition to the pineapple sauce, they also have a creamy garlic sauce, a smooth and mild guacamole, and the very necessary and authentic “pink sauce”.

Try as I might, I haven’t found definitive public opinion on what “pink sauce” is exactly but I can confirm it is ubiquitous in Colombian hot dogs and it is tangy and sweet. I am sure for some places that just means just ketchup, lemon juice and mayo but in my online searching I also found references to ginger, cumin, and cayenne.

The food here is a curious change of pace and among the best meals under $10, served with love and pride. Your lunch break might never be the same again!

La Fogata Latina Restaurants on Urbanspoon

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I Scream, You Scream

29 Jan

When I first came across Cold Comfort Ice Cream on Becoming Something, I was immediately intrigued. Most commercial ice creams are so wretchedly sweet, I can feel my molars eroding just reading the flavours. And while that has made me more partial to gelato, most are one-note flavours. Reading the Cold Comfort flavour archive, I couldn’t help but be curious. Strawberry Balsamic? Pear Amaretto? Malbec, Sour Cherry, Almond?? THIS I had to try.

Ok, so $12 is a lot to pay for a small tub of ice cream, but you’re paying for hand-made, small-batch creativity and organic ingredients so to my mind it’s a fair price. You can find the Cold Comfort truck at the Moss Street Market or the Downtown Winter Market, but we bought ours at Ingredients, a fabulous whole/health/hipster store down on Store Street kiddie corner to Sports Traders. Have you been to this place?! As we wandered the aisles, my eyes danced across all the product labels. They’re stocked full of neat stuff big, urban bloggers are always tempting me with. Lentil chips? Coconut oil? Don’t mind if I do! You can also buy Cold Comfort at Aubergine in Fernwood, Niagra Grocery in James Bay – check the web site for a complete list, or just follow the Cold Comfort Facebook page and you’ll know when they last made a drop to the store nearest you!

The flavours available at Ingredients were Rosemary Sour Cherry, Coconut and Matcha Green Tea, and Blueberry Earl Grey. As daily black tea drinkers, we couldn’t resist the Blueberry Earl Grey.

It had a strong bergamot flavour right up front, with a lingering sweetness from the blueberries and a prominent black tea aftertaste with each bite. The texture, however, needs work. At first it had a buttery mouthfeel, but after a few minutes, I noticed a film on my spoon and coating my mouth. I don’t know what’s up with that, but it ain’t right. Handmade ice cream is all about the meticulous churn, mixing and breaking up ice crystals as they form. With organic, high-quality ingredients, and impressive originality of flavours, I’m hoping this is just a matter of perfecting technique and determining how to substitute the stabilizers and fillers commercial ice cream producers use (word is, the flavours with booze in them don’t have the same consistency). And so, I’ll just have to keep trying the other flavours to know whether it’s characteristic of all of them or not. For scientific accuracy and such ;-)

I’m hoping to snag one of their ice cream sandwiches at the Downtown Winter Market on Saturday. According to the blog, the current flavour is chewy chocolate walnut ice cream sandwiches with caramel coconut ice cream! Have you tried Cold Comfort yet?

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