Ethnic Eats – Sampling the World’s Cuisine Without Leaving Vancouver

Entries categorized as ‘German’

Around Vancouver in 52 Restaurants

January 10, 2010 · 17 Comments

Photo Credit: ecstaticist.

So I’ve dedicded to start a new project for dining in 2010. The tagline of this site is “Sampling the World’s Cuisine Without Leaving Vancouver” and so instead of of traipsing around Vancouver’s culinary delights in the random way I have been for the last (almost) 2 years, I am going to present my finds country by country.

I still have a bit of a backlog of reviews, so I may post those interspersed with the project and if I feel really keen, I may even post some recipes.

First stop on the grand tour: North America. Got any favorites you’d like to recommend?

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La Brasserie

September 20, 2009 · 2 Comments

La Brasserie
The last time I had dinner with my grandmother, we ended up at Denny’s on Davie, and I choked down whatever I ordered while staring longingly across the street at La Brasserie and imagining the beautiful bistro food being prepared. Surely someone was tucking into the simple elegance of steak frites, or nibbling delicately at a nicoise salad while I was not even entirely sure I was eating food.
bread and butter

I started with a Lillet, an aperitif like delicate liquid marmelade, while my friend ordered a Lillet d’ete. This is Lillet blanc mixed with homemade lemonade and thyme. True to its name, it tastes like sunshine and grass; summer in a glass.

We were unanimous in our decision to share the duck confit to start and fell upon it hungrily, the textures and tastes of the tangy frissee and succulent, soft duck.
steak frites
Then our paths diverted a bit. La Brasserie is not a French bistro but a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Alsace. So there is also suckling pig with schopfnudel on the menu, and other German delicacies. I stayed on the French side of the border with the 7 oz steak onglet and frites while my dining companion switched sides with an order of bratwurst. Simple food done well is both comforting and special and this was both. Swirling burgundy in my glass and looking out onto the street (in the vastly preferable direction) I had no complaints. You have to squint hard to pretend you’re not in Vancouver but the food is authentic and sometimes that’s enough to transport.

On Sunday, October 4 from 5 pm – 7 pm, La Brasserieis is having a 1-year anniversary party and  Oktoberfest bash. They’ll have complimentary German beer and wine, as well as traditional Oktoberfest fare, including bratwurst and suckling pig sandwiches.

La Brasserie on Urbanspoon
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La Brasserie
1091 Davie Street, Vancouver

Categories: French · German
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Schnitzel Sandwich; King of Sandwiches

January 26, 2009 · 8 Comments

schnitzel-sandwich

I have found a new King of Sandwiches. And rather than being set up in a castle, it’s been hiding out in a tiny mall in Yaletown. Yes, head down Mainland until you find a place called the Euro Pastry Shop and then order the Euro Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich. Make sure you’re hungry. And make sure you’re sitting down, because this sandwich is impressive.

Breaded chicken schnitzel with fried eggplant and zucchini nestled in with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and lettuce. Your choice of bread is light rye, sourdough, dark rye, marble rye, white or wheat and while my coworker chose wheat bread (for some semblance of health), I gave up and went with plain white in the hopes that I might be able to finish it all.

This is an enormous sandwich. You bite into it and then you keep biting, through all the delicious layers, until you have a mouthful, then you do it again. It seemed like a losing battle to me, except that I was propelled forward by how good it all was. The schnitzel was savoury and meaty without being greasy (the peppers especially are provide a grease-cutting tang) and the addition of eggplant and zucchini made it simply a sandwich that cannot be competed with. Delicious.

It is possible to get the schnitzel sandwich without the eggplant and zucchini, which I will likely do on any day that doesn’t preceed me being lost in the woods for a month before, and of course they have many other sandwiches on the menu as well that are begging to be sampled.

Euro Pastry House on Urbanspoon
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Euro Pastry House
#114 – 1058 Mainland Street, Vancouver

Categories: German
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German Old Bavaria Haus is All About Schnitzel

July 17, 2008 · Leave a Comment

schnitzel champignon

OK, I am really behind here. When was I at The Old Bavaria Haus Restaurant in New West? A while ago now, but I keep dreaming of the rich meaty schnitzel goodness, so I’m going to post about it anyways. Schnitzel is apparently not the national dish of Germany (that honor falls to either Sauerbraten or Sauerkraut, depending on sources), but you wouldn’t know that from surveying the room at the Old Bavaria Haus.

There are other things on the menu (Filet Mignon, bratwurst, Chicken Cordon Bleu for a few examples), but the thin slice of veal or pork coated in breadcrumbs and fried seems to be what comes to mind when we think of German cuisine and so that’s what we (I’m speaking for the majority of the restaurant here) had. I had the Schnitzel Champignon ($16.95) and it was delicious. Aromatic and hearty – especially with mushrooms sauteed in butter and coated in a creamy sauce – the schnitzel also managed to not be greasy, which is a huge plus in my books.

We also had the Baked Camembert appetizer ($8.95), which we could have probably done without. It was good, as only cheese can be (sorry vegans, but it’s true), but not extraordinary and somehow seemed not particularly German. One of the spatzle dishes would have probably been a better choice. Spatzle is a type of homemade German egg noodle and at the Old Bavaria Haus, it comes in 2 varieties; the Spatzle “Jaegar Art” ($6.95) which comes with wild mushroom sauce or the Spatzle Nordsee ($7.95), which is shrimp, scallops, crabmeat in a Riesling sauce.

old bavaria haus

One of the most charming aspects of this place is that it is actually an old home, converted into a restaurant, so you can feel a bit like you’re dining at your granny’s house, with the lace curtains and German knick-knacks.  Well, if your Granny is German and makes excellent schnitzel that is.

Photos courtesy of Travis. Thank you.

Old Bavaria Haus on Urbanspoon
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The Old Bavaria Haus Restaurant
233 6th Street, New Westminster

Categories: German

2 Strange Drinks; BibiCaffe and Karamalz

March 30, 2008 · 2 Comments

bibicaffeBibiCaffe advertises itself as “the bubbly espresso”, which I guess is true, but what struck me about this little Italian drink was more the caffeine than the carbonation.

I was first intrigued by the size of the bottle (only 6 ounces) and then turned on to the idea of a caffeinated pop that I may actually like. I find most American pop to be either too sweet or too fizzy (or both), but the Europeans tend to be on the same wavelength as me on this one, so I had hope.

At first blush, the drink was tasty, like coffee for people who hate the taste, or maybe for those who can’t decide whether they want a coffee or a pop. The vanilla and caramel flavours vied well with the natural espresso taste and subtle carbonation.

I was about to give it a perfect score until about 10 minutes after drinking it, I realized that I was having a great deal of trouble sitting still, figeting around and coming close to actually twitching a couple of times! I have a pretty high tolerance for caffeine, so let me tell you that that 6 ounces sure packs a punch. I like this drink a lot, but I may need to save it for road trips.

All Natural ingredients: Water, Neapolitan espresso, Sugar, Caramel, Vanilla and Carbon dioxide.
Bought at: Marketplace IGA.

karamalz

If BibiCaffe is bubbly espresso, then Karamalz is surely the German non-alcoholic dunkelbrau (dark beer). In fact, on the Wikipedia list of soft drinks by country, it is listed as a “beer for children without alcohol”. Interesting.

There are also apparently some vitamins and minerals included, but I don’t think I got very many in my three mouthfuls. This drink is seriously disgusting. It has a skunk, malty fermented smell as soon as you open the bottle and that taste follows through with slight flavours of sweet caramel. Like cotton candy stored in a dank basement, or old socks with butterscotch candies stuck to them.

Like the BibiCaffe, there is only a subtle carbonation, which I was grateful for because it allowed me to gulp down 3 mouthfuls before I was completely repulsed and there was thankfully no burping.

Ingredients: Water, barley malt, glucose Fructose syrup, carbonic acid, coloring material E 150c, hop excerpt.

Bought at: Mediterranean Specialty Foods (1824 Commercial Drive)

My final analysis is that I think I prefer my espresso hot and un-carbonated – although I will have this one again, maybe in summer – and I definitely prefer my beer with alcohol.

Categories: German · Italian