Entries categorized as ‘Himalayan’
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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Tagged: restaurant, cuisine, Vancouver, culture, travel, ethniceats.ca, degan beley, world, dining, dine out, project, Vancouver52, 52 in Vancouver
September 15, 2008 · 1 Comment
Commercial Drive is an obvious destination for ethnic food and while that’s not the reason I moved there, it definitely keeps me from moving away. And what I love about is that (being the Italian and Portuguese enclave) there are a lot of comfortable ethnic foods, but there are also places that you just won’t find anywhere else. Cafe Kathmandu, for example, which is one of my new favorite restuarants. I’ve never had Nepalese food before, so when my friend suggested it for dinner, I wasted no time in rushing up the street.
What a treat! Pictured above is a dish we had called bhatmaas – toasted soy beans fried with fresh ginger, chiles, garlic and coriander. The white flakes on top are chiuraa, a fabulous invention involving rice that has been booked and beaten flat, then toasted, and which adds a delightful element to the dish. Served crunchy and cold, it was like nothing I’ve ever had before and was an excellent appetizer for the dishes to come.
Next came the goat, marinated in spices and pan-fried. This dish is also available with chicken or tofu if goat isn’t your thing. If it is, you’re in luck. I’ve had curried goat before and enjoyed it, but this dish is spicier and boneless. Chunks of tangy goat meat have a heat and saltiness offset by the fresh peppers of onion and lime and of course a squeeze of lime doesn’t hurt either. Delicious.
To add some vegetables to the meal we had kaauli, tumeric-infused cauliflowers with fenugreek potatoes. It comes with rice and chutney and pickled daikon and although there are similar dishes in Indian cuisine, the spice mixture is just a little bit different here.
Throughout the meal, Abi, the owner (and out server), took time to explain the dishes as well as some informtation about Nepal. We were the only ones in the restaurant at the time, but he was so friendly and affable that I suspect he would have made some time for a quick chat even in a rush.
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Cafe Kathmandu
2779 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Categories: Himalayan · Nepalese
Tagged: cauliflower, Commercial Drive, goat, Nepalese, restaurant, soy beans, tumeric, Vancouver
Wonder Bread aside, anything with “Wonder” in the title of it begs to be tried, so I wasn’t very surprised when I found myself in the checkout line at IGA holding the groceries I came for and a bottle of Kombucha the Wonder Drink. If you are missing amazement and awe in your life, then some sparkling fermented tea may help fill the gap.
The flavour I chose was Jasmine Niagara Grape and while it may have fallen short of wonderful, it was actually pretty good. Like the love child of an unsweetened grape soda and iced tea. Turns out the “wonder” isn’t in the taste of it anyways, but in the reputed health benefits. Hailing from Asia around 250 B.C., Wikipedia tells us that ‘the Chinese called it the “Immortal Health Elixir,” because they believed Kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (Spleen and Stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing,” while also mentioning that no clinical studies have been made to actually prove this.
Because it’s fermented, there is sediment at the bottom that needs to be shaken up before drinking it and there is also a distinct fermented smell to the drink. It’s not exactly off-putting, but there is something not refreshing about drinking something that smells like old socks with sludge in the bottom and the fact that I don’t really like fizzy drinks means I’ll be unlikely to have it again. I would like to try the Rooibos Red Peach, though. Maybe in a highball with a shot of vodka and peach schnapps.
Categories: Asian · Himalayan · Indian
Tagged: degan, drink, fermented, fizzy, grape, Himalayan, juice, kombucha, pop, soda, tea, wonder
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