Rare

I've heard about Rare, I've read about Rare, so I thought it is about time I tried Rare.
Rare has been the talk of town since last year. Its intimate setting and tasting menus enhance the sophistication to the dining scene in Vancouver. They incorporate little details like amuse bouche and palate cleansers into to their menus. Now, some people may think that is just a bit too chichi, but I love being tickled by little bites of culinary delight.

There is also an a la carte menu, but my dear friend Carm and I both opted for the Seasonal Menu, which costs $45. I think it is a reasonable price since we got a total of 6 items out of that menu. I thought the wine pairing ($40) was too expensive, but the accommodating waitress agreed to do a pairing for $25 with less costly pours.

While you are perusing the menu, the wait staff will start you off with an amuse bouche. We got smoked sablefish on an anchovy laced potatoe salad. It was a good start and tempted my tastebuds. Then we got some warm, moist, crusty bread with herb butter. One thing I always judge a restaurant on is by its bread basket. Score if the bread is warm, double score if the bread is warm and the texture is right. When the basket is filled with cold bread, it usually dampens my appetite because if a restaurant does not pay attention to the first thing it serves the guests, what makes me think that they will put that much thought into my food.

Okay, back to business. We then had the Sweet Pea and Mint custard on a buttermilk cracker. The combination was excellent, although the cracker is a tad stale. Then we moved on to the Baja Scallop served with a caper viniagrette and cauliflower puree laced with truffle oil. It was good but not exceptional. Then we moved onto Rabbit Saddle with proscuitto. Carm and I were both not too fond of this dish as it was not that flavorful. We washed that down with a little shot of hibiscus seltzer and moved on to the main entree. We both opted for the duck instead of the halibut. It was delicious. I think the combination with orange rhubarb was used to convey duck l'orange but I prefer the duck by itself. It was tender and tasty. Between the pre-dessert of Earl Grey Tea Sabayon and Deconstructed Lemon Pie, I prefer the Sabayon. It was served with a Fennel Biscotti that is used to scoop up the delicious creamy Sabayon. The combination of the floral Earl Grey and the licorice undertones of fennel was perfect.

Was it a good dining experience? Yes.
Was it exceptionally remarkable? No.

Taste: 7 out of 10
Creativity: 8 out of 10
Apperance: 8.5 out of 10

Rare Restaurant
1355 Hornby Street, Vancouver
604-669-1256

A Foodie's Day in West Vancouver

With the warm weather coming, what better time to go travelling around our delectable country than the Spring and Summmer? I don't know about you, but when I plan a trip, it usually revolves around eating. Of course, it is even better when the designated restaurants are close to the places I want to visit. I thought it is therefore my obligation, as a Vancouver native, to welcome fellow foodies from around the world to my beautiful homeland with a food friendly itinerary.

Vancouver is well known for its beautiful mountains and ocean, so what better way to sightsee than to head over to West Vancouver and enjoy tourist traps such as the Capilano suspension bridge, Grouse Mountain and Horseshoe Bay?

I would start my morning off with a visit to the Bakehouse in Edgemont Village and have either one of their breakfasts or my favourite, the Pumpkin spice muffin. Then take a little stroll around Edgemont Village as it houses two other noteworthy places: Delaney Coffee and Cobs Bread. I only ever drink Mochas at Delaney because they are simply the best, with the chocolate whip on top.

I suppose you would then head off to Capilano suspension bridge enroute to Grouse Mountain. They are both highly renowned for scenery and walking tours. After all that excercise, I would definitely recommend a casual sushi lunch at Sushi Station. I mean what kind of visit to Vancouver would be complete without lunch at a sushi spot? We have almost as many sushi restaurants as we have Starbucks. If sushi is not your thing, West Vancouver is also known for its Persian and Iranian food. A good place to sample them is a cool little place called Arian, where the nice woman behind the counter would give you little samples of the sauces and patiently tell you what is in each dish.

After lunch, there are several places you may want to visit: Lonsdale Quay, Horseshoe Bay or Lighthouse Park. They are all beautiful spots where you can see the Ocean. In between, you may want to visit the Savary Island Pie Company or Yaas Bakery for a snack.

You have a multitude of choices for dinner. For casual food, you have Mythos (great Greek food). For something hip, you have the Ocean Club Restaurant and Lounge where they serve up cool appies like mini shortrib burgers. And for something special, there is The Salmon House, which serves our famous salmon in one of the most scenic restaurants in the city.

I hope you enjoy Vancouver as much as all the tourists I see milling around our beautiful city!


The Bakehouse 1050 Queens Road, West Vancouver 604-980-5554
Delaney Coffee House various locations
Cobs Bread various locations
Sushi Station Japanese Restaurant 1643 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver 604-990-8897
Arian Food and Bakery Corp 1412 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 604-922-9599
Savary Island Pie Company 1533 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 604-926-4021
Yaas Bakery 1860 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver 604-990-9006
Mythos Greek Taverna 1811 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver 604-984-7411
Ocean Club Restaurant and Lounge 105-100 Park Royal South, West Vancouver 604-926-2326
Salmon House On The Hill 2229 Folkstone Way, West Vancouver, 604-926-3212

Easter Feasting

I think Foodies love the holidays because our hours of seeking goodies, planning menus and practice in cooking finally comes to fruition. This Easter, I will be roasting home brined pork picnic shoulders, asparagus flan and lemon dill orzo. Okay, who am I kidding. I never know what I'll be making until I hit the grocery store and see what inspires me. But one thing I know for sure, we will be having Hot Cross Buns for dessert.

I grew up in Hong Kong in the eighties and attended an International School. We learned all about the Easter Bunny and sang that silly song about hot cross buns. However, I thought this Easter stuff only happened at school because the rest of Hong Kong did not decorate their windows with bunnies and eat chocolate eggs. Hence the fact that I had never came across a hot cross bun until I came to Canada.

Now, I have never been very fond of these cinnamony buns crammed with various dried fruits because I detest currents and raisins. But when the CBC radio was searching for the best hot cross buns in the city, I went on a mission. I realize that people were nominating their favorite bakeries and vouching for their buns. Places like Uprising Bakery, Terra Breads and Savoury Island Pie Company all got honorable mentions.

I looked and pondered, and finally found just the right buns for me. And the winner is......Chocolate Hot Cross Buns from Cobs Breads. The Aussies (a couple of them founded the bakery) are geniuses.

The Chocolate Hot Cross Buns are little delightful treats that are filled with miniature chocolate chips instead of currents. The buns have a bit of cocoa in them to bring out the cinnamon and clove flavours. And it was shown in Wikipedia that Australians came up with the idea probably from the popular association with chocolate at Easter.

Traditionally, hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday because they are made without eggs or dairy products, so people can eat them during Lent. Though the best way to eat them is to slather them with butter and warmed up in the toaster oven.

So guess what I had for breakfast today?