purebread

Yesterday while walking along the streets of Vancouver, we passed by this bakery that was truly different from the many other bakeries we saw. We went in and when we got a whiff of the  air inside, Mertz and I looked at each other and were both speechless. It was before dinner so buying something was out of the question however we knew this was going to be breakfast the following day.

We walked to 159 W. Hastings in Vancouver. I felt like St. Peter just gave me a pass inside the gates.  We had to have people behind us go ahead while we planned our strategy; which ones to order and share.  We decided to have one savory item and sweets for the rest. The savory item we got was the Bacon Sour Cream Scone with chives.  This was very good though I think it would have been better warm. The second item was a Roasted Apple Brown Sugar Pecan Cream Puff Tart. This was the best item. It was not as sweet as it looked. It was just perfect. So perfect that I started thinking how I could bring a dozen home to Los Angeles. The third item was Lemon Cream Bun which was more like a donut filled with a beautiful lemon cream. Again, not too sweet and another perfect item. I realized later that  I forgot to take a picture of the Lemon Bun in my excitement. I only got a shot of half of it along with half of the scone.

Mertz asked me if we should go back there tomorrow for breakfast. My response was "I don't know about you but I will be there tomorrow". The problem is I don't think I will be able to venture into new items.

Tavola

We took the sky train from the Waterfront to Burrard St. and turned onto Robson St. where we walked several blocks to the restaurant.  Though the weather predicted rain all day, we were lucky that we did not have to open our umbrellas.

The restaurant was very busy at 7:30 p.m. We decided to share a Burrata with sea salt and olive oil for appetizer.  We were going to order the Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe and another type of pasta to split but our server Ryan stirred us towards the special of the evening which was Spaghetti Guanciale with Chantrelle mushrooms, tomato and leeks. The burrata was excellent with the sea salt and we even asked for more salt; there goes the blood pressure! The cacio e pepe was different. It had some greens in it which we both could not  identify. Ryan later told us it was arugula. The spaghetti was very good; how could it not be with all those ingredients.

Nothing excited us on the dessert menu so we passed on that. Ryan however brought us a surprise in honor of both our birthdays.  It was called Lemon Positano.  It was so deeelicious; creamy, light and had the perfect tartness. We especially enjoyed the baked lemon rind that topped this dessert.

Tavola is located at 1829 Robson St., Vancouver, BC in Canada.

Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant

Mertz made a reservation for us to have lunch at this iconic revolving restaurant in Vancouver. We started by going up the glass elevator that almost zoomed us up the top floor. The sun was not out as it has been showering on and off. The view though was spectacular. We both noticed that for a revolving restaurant, this went faster than most. By faster I mean you could see and feel the movement.

We started with warm bread and butter. The bread was nothing to brag about.  Even Sandi would have been able to resist. The menu looked interesting, from salads to pasta and meats. We asked our server for recommendations. She suggested the Lobster Avocado Tower Salad; fresh lobster, avocado, tomato drizzled with spicy lemon vinaigrette for cold appetizer. She also suggested the Stuffed Mushroom Caps; stuffed with crab, shrimp, cream cheese and garlic. For pasta, we thought the Fettuccine con Gamberini Arrabiata would be good to split; pan seared garlic tiger prawns.  The Lobster Avocado Tower was more of a hill. The lobster was good but it had too much raw onion. The Stuffed Mushrooms were served like escargot, cute individual holes for the mushrooms. They were just o.k. The pasta made up for the tower and the mushrooms. The shrimps were nice and plump, pasta aldente and had a nice flavor.

We didn't even look at the dessert menu because we realized that in 4 hours, we were going to have dinner at another restaurant. When we got to our place, we called the restaurant to move our reservation to an hour later.

The Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant is a must for the ambiance but not so much for the food. It might be best to go for drinks at night or perhaps just order a salad for lunch.

El Pollo Inka

My friend Terri was in the area today so we decided to go to the 5:00 p.m. mass at St. John Fisher. It was dinner time when we got out. She's never had Peruvian food so we went to El Pollo Inka. I have never been there when they had live music. It was a small group that played the typical cool Peruvian music which was soothing.

I can never remember the name of of the steak I usually order so I had to refer to my previous blog. We both ended up ordering the Bisteck Montado; thin steak with fried egg on top served with fried plantains and garlic rice. Before that, we were served the usual bread and Aguadito Soup; chicken and rice with cilantro soup.

Everything was delicious. The fried plantains were especially sweet and went well with the tender steak. As our server came to check to see if everything was o.k., I asked him to take our picture. It was evident that God's graces were still pouring on me and Terri via the shining light through the window. Food is more enjoyable when consumed with God's graces and more so when we are able to eat meat since it was not Friday. If you're Catholic, you should abstain from meat every Friday in Lent.

Terri was curious about the dessert so I, being a good friend decided to be a good sport and go for it. We decided to try the Flan and the Mango Ice Cream. Both were quite edible. The flan was better than expected though Terri and I thought the flan we make are better than theirs.

El Pollo Inka has several locations. We went to the one in Rolling Hills Estates in California.

Silog

I am thankful that this Filipino restaurant is not in downtown L.A. but in Torrance which is close to home. We finally got to celebrate Nako's birthday. Both he and his wife Amy have never been to a Filipino restaurant and were not familiar with Filipino food other than Pancit or Adobo.

I took the liberty of ordering the food. We started with 3 appetizers. Lumpia (Filipino eggrolls) with a sweet and sour sauce, Calamari with vinegar and crushed garlic sauce and Spicy Chicken Wings which were spicy but tolerable. We all enjoyed everything.

For our entrées I ordered Sisig which is braised pork belly and shoulder topped with chicharon and garlic creme aioli. This was served over garlic fried rice and a soft boiled egg.  Sandi and I always love this dish. Nako and Amy are now fans of Sisig.

We were all full but I had to have them taste the Turon; fried banana served with Langka ice cream (jackfruit). It's the perfect dessert to end a Filipino meal.

Lemuel, chef and owner took care of us and made sure we all were enjoying our meal. Silog is located at 1555 Sepulveda Blvd. in Torrance, California.

Forma

I've been dying to go to Forma ever since I heard about their excellent pasta dishes that are finished by placing them in a big wheel of a specific cheese.  A bunch of us had planned going over to Santa Monica but because of the different schedules only Sandi and I ended up going. One of our friends just started a diet, one had a yoga class, one couldn't have cheese. So,so sorry for them..."the show must go on" as they say. We got there just as they opened. We could see the wheels of cheeses lined up with a dish towel covering them to keep them reasonably moist.

We were intrigued to see on the menu: Crispy Artichokes; baby artichokes, mache, snow peas, walnuts and goat cheese. Whole fried artichokes we had numerous times in Rome came to mind. Though not whole artichokes, these were wonderful. Sandi and I were so excited and just felt blessed! The artichokes were cut in slivers, fried till crispy. If you've never had them and chances are not too many people have; this alone is reason to go to Forma.

When it was time for the Chitarra Cacio E Pepe to bond with the Pecorino cheese, I went up to the stage to watch the show.  The master of ceremony first scraped some cheese inside the wheel and then dumped the cooked cacio e pepe from the pan, He mixed the pasta and carefully placed them on plates and grated more Pecorino cheese to top the masterpiece. The result was super delizioso! I particularly loved the chitarra as it had more substance than spaghetti.

I later spoke with Mario, the owner who told me he had plans of opening another restaurant. Unfortunately, it will not be in the South Bay. How I wish he would reconsider as there isn't a good Italian restaurant nearby.

Forma is located at 1610 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, California.

Meet In Paris

It's been at least 4 years, possibly 5 that I've been to this restaurant in Culver City. Sandi and I were coming from the valley and we tried to think of where we could stop for an early dinner last Saturday. I have been craving mussels lately and what better place than this restaurant that specializes in all sorts of mussels.  Sandi does not care for them but I knew they had really good Steak Frites.

We got there in time for Happy Hour. The drinks were discounted but more importantly; the mussels and hors d'oeuvres were also discounted. We ordered the Tarte Flambeé; French Flatbread with caramelized onion,blue cheese, lardons and crème fraiche.  These were delicious though I would have preferred more blue cheese.

There were 8 kinds of Mussels to choose from for the Happy Hour; all for $13.00. The regular menu has about 17 sauces to choose from. I chose the Dijonnaise with garlic, shallots, tomato confit, Dijon mustard, tarragon and cream. I had to order the Truffle Frites with aged Parmesan, truffle oil and aioli to go with my mussels. I was in heaven. When I finished all the mussels, I dumped the remaining fries into the cream sauce. The flavors of the mustard, tarragon, shallots and garlic were evident and when the fries soaked up the sauce it was like I was starting my meal over. What an experience.

Sandi was happy with her Le Steak Frites. Steak was cooked to perfection; this came with maitre d' hotel butter which melted onto the flavorful steak. The French fries didn't hurt the steak. I had a piece of the steak and loved it.

Meet in Paris not only has Happy Hour everyday from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm, they also have All You Can Eat Mussels on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays from 5:00 pm to  8:45 pm. They are located at 9727 Culver Blvd. in Culver City, California.