VanEats: Features

SteakCamp at Brave Bull tonight - Vancouver then and Now

Roland AtRolandTanglao.com Tanglao — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:40:39 GMT

Check out SteakCamp which is tonight at The Brave Bull at Clark and Hastings (join them if you wish), organized by Raul. However good or bad the food is, I love Rebecca's and others meta reflections on how we could be losing a certain Vancouver "essentialness" as neighbourhoods like Brave Bull's gentrify and change.

Now updating on Twitter as well!

Roland AtRolandTanglao.com Tanglao — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:41:29 GMT

Fallen in love with "micro-blogging" 140 character or less updates for VanEats and my personal stuff. I've added them to the right sidebar. You can also:

surf to http://twitter.com/vaneats
subscribe to: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/14463833.rss

The Great Food Challenge

Barb Wong — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:38:37 GMT

I love a good food challenge. Not that food should be challenging. I just like to push myself a bit, think out of the box and try out new ingredients, cooking methods and flavours.

We have been thrown the ultimate challenge. The Kid has undergone some preliminary allergy testing and we have to put him on a 2 week food elimination trial:
-no shellfish
-no wheat
-no rice
-no eggs

No shellfish, no problem. We're not huge shellfish eaters.

No wheat. OK...

No eggs. Fine.

No rice. What?! He's Asian! What's he going to eat?!

Actually, after some initial research, there are plenty of grains he can eat. Luckily we have a varied diet and the Kid is receptive to trying new things. It's all a matter of being creative and open to experiment.

Hopefully the Kid won't be bored and won't feel deprived. I'm sure we'll have some interesting items to post as we undertake this challenge.

Tableland - a film about Sustainable Food

Roland AtRolandTanglao.com Tanglao — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:37:53 GMT

Michael Ableman, Michael Stadtlaender, Heidi Noble, Brent Petkau aka The Oysterman, Sinclair Philip: These are just a few of the people and personalities across North America who are building sustainable food systems and sustainable food is what Tableland (a film by Craig Noble featuring these people) is all about.

I was lucky enough to see the screening on Sunday at The Ridge and was able to record the dialogue and Q&A with Chef Jeff Van Geest (9:16 5MB MP3 file for your iPod or MP3 player) of Aurora Bistro (one of the first restaurants in Vancouver that uses primarily sustainable food) and with Craig Noble (20:39 11MB MP3 file).

The film is a gentle, convincing case for sustainable food and leaves you hungry and wanting more. Hungry for more sustainable food, more food with great taste and more knowledge about how we can all move to this in the future because of course a move to a world where everyone eats sustainably will take many years just as it has taken decades to invent and globalize industrial food production.

Highly recommended! A perfect Christmas gift for everyone interested in food. The DVDs will be on sale for $20 at Edible BC at Granville Island and other locations.

Progressive Dinner November 2007

Barb Wong — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 04:39:24 GMT

Roland and I live in a townhouse community with some great food lovers. A few years ago we started having progressive dinners. Tonight's theme was small plates.

Heather and Andrew's (Spanish tapas):
-sauteed prawns and scallops with roasted pumpkin puree and spicy sauce
-Spanish beet salad
-olive bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dipping

Barb and Roland's (local, seasonal):
-roasted kabocha and pear soup with homemade cracker sticks
-a "deconstructed" streudel filled with wild mushroom and duck confit ragout accompanied with salad of pea shoots and celeriac in truffle honey vinaigrette
-homemade focaccia

Sharon and Alex's (desserts galore):
-tiramisu
-gingerbread biscotti
-brie with pistachio honey drizzle

Of course our meal was accompanied by lots of great wine, sherry and dessert wine.

Martine Paulin on Lili's on the Greens, Catering, Next Steps VIDEO

Roland AtRolandTanglao.com Tanglao — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:22:05 GMT

Martine talks about upcoming events at Lili's on the Greens restaurant on Galiano Island, Catering and her Next Steps

She also mentions:

Last Jazz Night with four course meal this weekend
Pam Frier reading from Laughing with My Mouth Full

Click To Play

Eat Vancouver 2007 Highlights

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 28 May 2007 02:25:35 GMT

We only had time to make a brief trip to Eat Vancouver this year; it was short but sweet. We managed to have a brief chat with John Bishop (he's a friend of dear friends and we've been lucky to hang out with him a couple of times over the years) about his new cook book, Fresh (which we of course snapped up!), Mama Margaret (she designed our fab honyemoon trip to Italy), Jo Wilson (part of the "tribe" of Vancouver Lindy Hop dancers and fantastic person as well as phenomenal dancer) of Granville Magazine, and Anne Garber (a great writer, kindred spirit and beautiful person) of Evalu8 and the Canadian Food Museum.

At Eat Vancouver Today

Roland Tanglao — Sun, 27 May 2007 16:54:36 GMT

We'll be at Eat Vancouver 2007 today. Check it out from 11a.m. to 5p.m. More later.

Dining Out for Life: March 29, 2007

Barb Wong — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:10:54 GMT

Join the fight against AIDS while enjoying great food during Dining Out for Life this Thursday, March 29. If you eat out only once this month, this is the day!

Olive Oil Tasting and Amelia Olive Oil

Barb Wong — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 06:07:06 GMT

At our Slow Food Vancouver meeting tonight we had an olive oil tasting hosted by Rachel Black. Rachel shared her knowledge and insight into the fascinating and complex art of producing quality olive oil and her personal connection to olive oil production.

A couple of key things to remember when buying olive oil are place of origin and production date. The origin of olives used in oil has as much impact on flavour as the origin of grapes in wine production. For best flavour, olive oil should be used within 12 to 18 months from production. Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age.

The extra virgin olive oils we tried were produced in Australia, Italy, Spain and Morocco. All but one had a date of production. Flavours ranged from mellow and one dimensional to sharp, metallic and bitter.

My favourite oil was Amelia--it was by far the most exquisite and fresh tasting. Probably so because the olives were harvested just this past November and the oil was bottled just last month! It had the most complex taste--very green to start, then a slight bite to finish with lots of body.

I was lucky enough to scoop up a bottle of the fresh 2007 Amelia oil. The shipment is almost sold out so if you want to try this fabulous oil contact Rachel at ameliaoil@telus.net soon!

Gung Haggis 2007 is tomorrow

Roland Tanglao — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 05:35:56 GMT

Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2007 is tomorrow at Floata with the reception starting at 5:30 and the dinner at 6:30. It's going to be great! I believe a few tickets are still available. See you there!

paisia warhaft loves Sensational Suppers

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 07:46:53 GMT

paisia warhaft loves Sensational Suppers. Anybody else tried it? Love to know what others think!

Dine Out Vancouver 2007 picks

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:55:50 GMT

To follow on from my Dine Out Vancouver 2007 CBC Radio chat last Thursday, here's the places I'd recommend for Dine Out Vancouver 2007:

$35 (in no order)

$25 (in no order):

As I said on the radio, have fun with it! Try a new place! Get out of your comfort zone. Order something extra like a glass of wine. Enjoy! Remember: everybody wins, you get a "deal" and a nice intro to the restaurant's cuisine and the restaurants get people in at a slow time of the year and potentially a new regular customer.

Finally if the place you have been dreaming of is fully booked, no worries, you can usually get a deal at other slow times of the year or if you eat early! And don't forget the hundreds of "hole in the wall" restaurants in Vancouver that have great deals year around.

Dine Out Vancouver talk on CBC Radio

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:43:49 GMT

I'll be on CBC 690 between 5:30p.m. and 6p.m. today speaking about Dine Out Vancouver 2007

Happy 2007!

Roland Tanglao — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 04:16:20 GMT

I'd like to think all of our readers (and especially those who navigated the gauntlet of our registration system and left comments) for their support and for checking out the site. Have a great 2007 and eat well!

TOP SPOTS FOR SURFING AND SIPPING

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:37:22 GMT

As seen in Today's Vancouver Province (link will die due to the Province's antiquated website policy and infrastructure). I added links, addresses and phone numbers.

QUOTE

Top 5 Wi-Fi cafes in Vancouver, according to Roland Tanglao, who runs vaneats.com with his wife, Barb:
1. Take Five Cafe at 429 Granville St., 604 697-9090: "Great food and great ambience," says Roland. "Their Wi-Fi worked from day one and they have power strips and they're really friendly about people using them."
2. Trees Cafe, across the street at 450 Granville, 604-684-5060: "More students and a little less posh -- but nice."
3. Blakes (221 Carrall Street, 604-899-3354) in Gastown: "They have great sandwiches and you see all kinds of people using the free Wi-Fi."
4. Wicked Cafe, 604 733-9425 on West 7th (1399 W. 7th Ave): "Great coffee and very relaxing."
5. WorkSpace Cafe (21 Water St., 604 637-2252) in Gastown: "You're supposed to be a member to use the Wi-Fi but they don't mind you going there for coffee. There's also an iMac that anyone can use."

ENDQUOTE

Breka is new name for Fraser Bakery and Konditorei

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 03:38:44 GMT

Breka (6533 Fraser Street, 604 325-6612) is the new (new to me, I think they have had the new name for over a year!) name for the Fraser Bakery and Konditorei. They are now open 24 hours and have the same bakers so you can still get mohnkuchen (as yummy as ever, still highly recommended!) and European style bread.

ChocolaTas photos

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 02:37:39 GMT

A picture of ChocolaTas is worth a thousand words!

Gurth Pretty - The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal and Fine Cheese [VIDEO]

Roland Tanglao — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 06:47:05 GMT

UPDATE: If you want, check out the bigger (640x480) Google Video version of Gurth's interview and the insider tip Gurth mentions in the video is Sylvan Star Gouda from Sylan Star Cheese in Red Deer, Alberta (telephone 403-340-1560)

Click To Play Video

Gurth Pretty author of The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal and Fine Cheese gives us 4 minutes and 43 seconds (you can get the original MPEG 4 video file over on blip.tv) of his insight on cheese.

Recorded at Finch's (353 Pender, 604 899 4040) in downtown Vancouver November 21, 2006.

WorkSpace has the best coffee in Gastown!

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 05:40:29 GMT

It's a bit of an insider's secret, but I think WorkSpace (21 Water Street, Suite 400, 604 637-2252) has the best coffee in Gastown. JJ Bean. Yum. And inexpensive (hint cheaper than Starbucks and lots of other places). You can't hang out and work if you are not a member, but they warmly welcome people dropping by for a coffee. Check it out. Say hi to Bill and tell 'em Roland sent you :-) and check out Workspace as a place to work and have off site meetings. It's a great place for free agents and consultants who normally work at home!

Ricardo cooks Chocolate Risotto at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks - Video

Roland Tanglao — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 22:59:25 GMT

Here's a brief 41 second video of Ricardo cooking Chocolate Risotto (it was yummy by the way, as Ricardo remarked later it would be perfect paired with an after dinner espresso) Tuesday at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks:

Ricardo at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks last night - Video

Roland Tanglao — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 18:54:04 GMT

Here's a video (shot at the fab Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks on 2nd!) of Ricardo Larrivée speaking about his new food magazine and how it's the only magazine 100% about food in Canada:

Ricardo talks about his new magazine on Video.ca

Got a food or hospitality Web 2.0 success story? Let me know!

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 05:04:06 GMT

I am speaking on at the the BC Hospitality Industry Conference and Exposition on November 20th at 1:45p.m. on 'Web 2.0' (e.g. flickr, blogging, podcasting, videoblogging,etc.) in the hospitality industry. I'd love to hear more about hospitality related Web 2.0 success stories. Email feedback @ VanEats.com or call me at 604 729 7924 and let me know yours and I'll feature it in my talk .

Google Ice Cream Sandwiches - I am sure Midnight Kitchen's are better

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 02:53:25 GMT

I am biased and I mean no disrespect to IT'S IT but I am sure Midnight Kitchen's ice cream sandwiches are better!

From I scream for (Google) ice cream:
QUOTE

And indeed the Google version is no ordinary IT'S IT. Google chef Nate Keller worked with the fine folks at IT'S IT to produce a natural, locally sourced, trans-fat-free rendition of their excellent treat. Served only in our Mountain View cafe, it's even got a Google logo on the wrapper. Now, if I could only figure out how to keep a few from melting on my drive home to San Francisco.

END QUOTE

Midnight Kitchen at Caper's today 11a.m.-3p.m.

Barb Wong — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:29:55 GMT

Join Glo and myself and try out our Midnight Kitchen cookies at Caper's on 4th in Kitsilano from 11a.m.-3p.m. We can talk about food in general, not just Midnight Kitchen stuff :-) !

Didn't make it to City TV's Taste of the City 2006

Roland Tanglao — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 06:51:20 GMT

Barb was sick so we missed City Tv's Taste of the City 2006. Oh well, next year!

CityTV's 4th Annual Taste of the City is tomorrow July 29, 2006 - noon to 8p.m.

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 17:03:25 GMT

Barb and I will be at CityTv's 4th Annual Taste of the City in the afternoon (VanEats' CityTV Taste of the City 2003, 2004, 2005 reports) after the West End Farmers Market (gratuitous plug: Midnight Kitchen will again be at the West End Farmers' Market). See you there!

FROM CityTV Taste of the City 2006:

QUOTE

Vancouver -- July 24, 2006 -- Over two dozen of Vancouver's most popular restaurants will take part in the 4th annual Taste Of The City -- a one-day tasting extravaganza Saturday, July 29th at the Plaza of Nations from noon till 8:00 pm. Admission is free.

Visitors at Taste Of The City are welcomed to purchase "Taste Tickets" in .50 cent denominations and exchange them for sample-size portions of signature menu items from more than 25 of Vancouver's best restaurants. Items range in price from .50 cents to $3.00.

Participating restaurants at Taste Of The City reflect Vancouver's growing ethnic influence, while still catering to traditional appetites. This years' list include: Ashiana Tandoori, BC Chefs Association Jr. Chapter, Beaches Restaurant at Coast Tsawwassen, Burgers etc. BBQ House, Cassis Bistro, Century Restaurant, Chutney Villa, Feenie's Bistro, Fiddlehead Joe's Eatery and Bar, Habibi's, Joeys Restaurant, Kelsey's Restaurant, La Gavroche, Maurya Indian Cuisine, Memphis Mikes, Milestone's Restaurant, Mosaic Bar & Grille, Mouse and Bean Antojerio Mexicana, Nando's Flame Grilled Chicken, O'Doul's Restaurant & Bar, Patisserie Lebeau, Relish, Sate Satu Restaurant, Senova, Slim'z Barbeque & Steakhouse, T.G.I. Friday's Restaurant and Bar and Vera's Burger.

Taste Of The City sponsors include, Sunrise Soya Foods, Canada's leading tofu company; Pacific Bottleworks, makers of the last great soda pop and Goldilock's Cakes, Pastries and Asian Cuisine.

On the Sunrise Soya Foods Stage, Simi Sara, along with other Citytv personalities, will host an exciting lineup of Vancouver's most acclaimed chefs as they demonstrate preparation various tasty creations.

Taste of the City is fireworks for the taste buds, a fitting entrÃ©e for Vancouver's traditional celebration of light launching later the same night.

END QUOTE

Midnight Kitchen ice cream sandwich pictures!

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 20:05:27 GMT

I am biased but Barb and Glo's Midnight Kitchen ice cream sandwiches and cookies are some of the best I have ever tasted.

The photo below doesn't really do them justice but it will have to do!

Check them out at West End (July 22 which is tomorrow!, 29, Aug 12, Sept 16) and East Vancouver (Sept 9 and 23) Farmers Markets this summer.

More info as always at:www.midnightkitchen.com

Raincoast Launches 3-Part Podcast on Anthony Bourdain

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 03:30:58 GMT

Awesome podcast with Anthony Bourdain and my EverythingCasting partner in crime Robert Ouimet. Can't wait for parts 2 and 3. And I hope to review The Nasty Bits soon (I bet I'll like it like I liked A Cook's Tour and Kitchen Confidential)

From Raincoast Launches 3-Part Podcast on Anthony Bourdain | RAINCOAST BOOKS:

QUOTE

Listen to Raincoastâ€™s special 3-part podcast of Anthony Bourdain, celebrity chef, traveller and author of the bestsellers Kitchen Confidential and The Nasty Bits.

The Schedule: 3-Part Podcast on Anthony Bourdain
Part 1 starting July 4: Bourdainâ€™s World (Play Now)
Part 2 starting July 11: The Book Signing
Part 3 starting July 18: Not All Nasty Bits

UNQUOTE

Midnight Kitchen Launches!

Barb Wong — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 20:08:08 GMT

Midnight Kitchen, Gloria and my new food venture, is launching this Saturday at the West End Farmers Market!

Midnight Kitchen produces artisan cookie dough and other decadent treats. Our cookie dough is hand-crafted in small batches using natural and organic ingredients. At the market we will be selling our simply sophisticated doughs and ice cream sandwiches featuring our cookies and decadent ice cream fillings.

So on July 1 come and check out Midnight Kitchen at the West End Farmers Market. Our website, www.midnightkitchen.com, will be up and running on July 1 so check us out there if you can't make it to the market!

VanEats is 6 years old!

Roland Tanglao — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 03:51:19 GMT

Happy 6th birthday VanEats! Yup, it was June 10, 2000 when this site was launched.

Thousands of blog posts, lots of great discussion with the VanEats community, hundreds of recipes and even a few restaurant reviews. Thanks to all who have read the site, and contributed to the discussion.

What's next? Lots of ideas :-) ! I think more video and audio for sure! Hope I can actually find the time (between raising a kid and work, it has been a lot more difficult) to implement them.

If you have ideas on where VanEats should go, let us know by leaving a comment or sending an email.

World Cup 2006 Noshing at Mexico Taco Rico and Case Verde

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 06:09:28 GMT

Many, many Vancouver restaurants and bars are opening early (9a.m. or earlier since the matches typically start at 18:00 German time) so that people can watch a World Cup 2006 match and eat at the same time.

For example Taco Mexio Rico (604 688 7426) will be open for breakfast when Mexico plays. As well, Casa Verde at 3532 Commercial Street, 604 876-7647 will be open for breakfast when Portugal plays. As always, we recommend calling these small family run "hole in the wall" restaurants beforehand to make sure that they are indeed open! Yum! I wish I was a soccer fan and had time to check these breakfasts out!

Eat Vancouver 2006 Part 2 - Anne Garber on the Canadian Food Museum [VIDEO]

Roland Tanglao — Sun, 28 May 2006 01:28:33 GMT

UPDATE:

Anne emails in with the actual info:

"Here's the actual site on evalu8.org where people can join the CFM (assuming you didn't join at Eat Vancouver 2006!): http://www.evalu8.org/staticpage?page=review&siteid=10176 .

There's a lot of info available in the Canadian Food Museum category: http://www.evalu8.org/browse/1126"

I

Watch the Video
Support the Canadian Food Museum by coming down to the evalu8.org booth at Eat Vancouver 2006 or by emailing anne at evalu8.org. It only costs two bucks and you will be contributing to preserving and documenting Canada's unique food culture past, present and future! We joined and so should you!

Eat Vancouver 2006 Part 1- Bob Blumer, Surreal Gourmet, serves BBQ Pizza [VIDEO]

Roland Tanglao — Sat, 27 May 2006 15:20:46 GMT

Click here to play my 60 second video of Bob Blumer presenting his BBQ pizza at the Weber pavillion (Flash player required, here's the MP4 version if you are flash challenged)

Heather and George Angeard have again organized a wonderful consumer food event, Eat Vancouver 2006, on yesterday, today and tomorrow. Congrats! I know how hard it is to organize a 100 person event like MooseCamp or a small 200 person conference like Northern Voice. Can't imagine organizing something that fills up BC Place.

I was lucky enough to chat with Bob Blumer, The Surreal Gourmet for a few seconds. Unfortunately I didn't have time to do a proper podcast or videoblog with him since I had to go back to work, but Bob is gracious, friendly and warm. Just like most bloggers: even better in person!

The pizza that he cooked for the pre-opening media event (check out the 60 second video above for a glimpse of it) at the Weber pavillion was delicous: crunchy, warm and savoury. Mmmm! Luckily Bob will be at Eat Vancouver cooking numerous times on the stages: e.g. on Saturday at 12:30p.m., 5:30p.m. and 8:00p.m (and of course there are other chefs like Rob Feenie and Chef Wan from Malaysia cooking as well!). Download the PDF schedule (could we have the schedule in HTML format as well next year please?) for full information and times.

Eat Vancouver starts today

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 26 May 2006 17:57:40 GMT

I'll be at Eat Vancouver for a media event before it opens today at 2p.m. More later!

Feeding Junior: Adventures in Whining and Dining

Barb Wong — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 16:45:29 GMT

People have been asking us what it's like to raise a child from a food perspective. It's a culinary adventure all to itself and so far it's been a pretty positive one. Here's my account on raising a foodie.

Chow Times - another great Vancouver food blog

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 18 May 2006 05:27:29 GMT

The Chow Times (RSS feed is here if you wish to subscribe) is another great Vancouver food blog. It covers a lot of the suburbs which is fab since Barb and I don't have the time to go to Burnaby, Richmond, etc. to cover their burgeoning food scene.

Industrial Brand's Food Blog

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 18 May 2006 05:22:55 GMT

[UPDATE] Mark Busse of Industrial Brand Creative pointed out in an email that the actual name of the blog is actually In the Kitchen, not "Industrial Brand's Food Blog"! Apologies for the inaccurate naming!

Industrial Brand's Food Blog is another great Vancouver food blog, check it out! The RSS feed is here.

Janice Cake Shop in Richmond - Delicious Black Sesame Swiss Roll

Roland Tanglao — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 03:42:15 GMT

Barb and I really enjoyed the Black Sesame Swiss Roll ($5.50) that we picked up today at the Cantonese bakery, Janice Cake Shop (1106-8328 Capstan Way, Richmond, 604 303-7718) after dim sum at Gala Seafood. Not too sweet, just the right texture and yummily moist. Highly recommended as is their sponge cake which is available in a nice sampling portion for about a buck!

[VIDEO] Take 5 Cafe - Pete, Manager of 429 Granville, the original

Roland Tanglao — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 04:33:54 GMT

Pete and I discussed (recorded April 10, 2006, 15 minutes 33 seconds MP4 file):

How the 429 Granville Location is Bryght's 3rd place or "2nd office". Thanks to the great WiFi and electrical outlets that Alex Collins of Handprint Systems designed as well as the warm and cozy space and friendly Take 5 staff.
How unlike some cafes in Vancouver and San Francisco, Take 5 has never had any problem with "Happy Hackers" (my term for us laptop bearing folks) overstaying our welcome. Perhaps due to this Take 5's unique location and mixture of clientele (the aforementioned laptop happy hackers, stock brokers and ESL students)
The new Take 5 Central kitchen (and cafe) scheduled to open on May 1st at Clark and Venables
Take 5's plan for a Breakfast club similar to the "Soy Luck Club" mentioned by Seth Godin (i.e. for about $40 a month, get unlimited coffees and breakfast stuff for certain hours duriing the morning say 6-9a.m.) and how this could be a great way for unintended/serendiptous networking between the happy hackers and the stock brokers and the ESL people and normal people

Watch the Video

Simi Sara on CityCooks

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 06:33:00 GMT

[Cross posted from Dogma Radio]

Simi Sara, co-host of Breakfast TV and host of CityCooks talks about how Prem Gill came up with the concept behind the show, their 500 shows and 1500 recipes, how her mother was a serious foodie and how she and Dave Gerry had fun exploring food well before the show started and how I want a CityCooks DVD, cookbook and video podcast!

Check it out (6.3 MB MP3 file, 13 minutes 43 seconds, recorded March 22, 2006)

Stephen Wong's 10 favourite Chinese dishes in the Straight

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 05:02:46 GMT

Stephen is simply the finest food writer in Vancouver when it comes to bridging the non Chinese speaking world and the Chinese speaking world and explaining and interpreting the magnificence that is Chinese cuisine. Bravo! Please Georgia Straight, more Stephen Wong please! How about a weekly column in the Straight from Stephen? In the meantime, read the whole thing!

From Straight.com Vancouver | Golden Plate Awards | Chow down on Chinese best.:

QUOTE

The takeout menu at Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House on Main Street-numbered for your convenience-tops out at 288 dishes. They could probably have gone on, but 288 is an auspicious number (it means "double prosperity"), so they stopped there, presumably for luck.

Though not always quite so prodigious, Chinese restaurants are notorious for huge menus that read more like compendiums of modern Chinese cuisine than what a menu should be: a list of dishes that showcase what their chefs do best with available ingredients. I have no doubt that this shotgun approach is taken with the best of intentions-to provide variety-but too many choices can quickly turn into vexing tyranny even for the most experienced diners.

To help you navigate the vast menu of Chinese food in this city, I humbly offer my personal 10 favourite dishes and where you should seek them out.

UNQUOTE

Podcast with Simi Sara of CityTV and CityCooks tomorrow - suggested topics?

Roland Tanglao — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 03:09:18 GMT

I am recording a podcast about food (naturally) with Simi Sara of CityTV and food program CityCooks tomorrow. If anybody has any topics or questions you'd like us to discuss, please leave a comment or email feedback AT vaneats.com.

WiFi Cafes - don't discourage laptop people, innovate!

Roland Tanglao — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 06:09:46 GMT

No need for minimum purchases in my opinion. Here's two ideas that idea and change agent Seth Godin blogged in February: 1. a breakfast club - $40 for a month of breakfasts 2. "For a flat fee, you get all the WiFi and lattes you can handle"

Lots of room for creativity here in my opinion.

From Peace, Love, and Coffee: Coffeeshop Campers & the Honor System (Roland's NOTE: CTTP is Coffee to the People, a Cafe with Free WiFi in San Francisco).:

QUOTE

Which brings us to the question, what is a reasonable amount for us to expect a person to spend at our shop? After some thought, it seems to me that if every student or senior spent $3/hr, every working person spent $4/hr, and every professional spent $5/hr, we would be a lot closer to meeting our monthly costs without placing an undue burden on our customers.

What do you think? Do you have any ideas for addressing the freeloader problem that are in keeping with the spirit of CTTP? How much do you think is reasonable for a person in your situation to spend per hour spent at the shop?

Postscript: Right after I posted this blog entry, I stumbled across a post by one of our regulars, Kevin Burton, on the subject of free-wifi in coffeeshops. He makes some terrific points about how businesses should stop trying to discourage laptop users and start offering them other useful paid services to defray overhead costs. I think this is a great idea, but I would like to hear some suggestions about how to do this at CTTP while still remaining accessible to our lower income clients. What kinds of services could CTTP conceivably offer that would be of value to the laptop brigades?

UNQUOTE

Caffe Artigiano - Strong coffee and great breakfast wraps

Roland Tanglao — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 06:53:25 GMT

To the Drupal software developers, users, and people who are in town for the Open Source Content Management System and Blog Tool Summit starting tomorow Feb 7, 2006 (which I am helping organize):

If you need some excellent strong coffee and some great food like the breakfast wrap above, I highly recommend Caffe Artigiano (763 Hornby Street, 604-694-7737) which is about 2 minute walk from UBC Robson, the conference venue. Of course, we have coffee at 9:45 a.m. too, but this is a great way to start your day.

Wingnuts, Green Lettuce, Century, Chili Pepper: On the Coast Notes

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:05:55 GMT

Had a great time on the radio yesterday on CBC's On the Coast with the knowledgeable Andrew Morrison of Waiterblog and the wonderful host of the show Priya Ramu.

Here are some notes:

Wingnuts (on Main) sounds like a good place for wings. Never tried it and it may not meet the caller's requirement of 25 cents a wing, but it sounds like something in the right direction.
A caller mentioned that Green Lettuce is wonderful (and Barb and I agree); a similar Indian Style Chinese food restaurant is Chili Pepper House
Century is the new Latin restaurant that Andrew mentioned

Gung Haggis Fat Choy Photos

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:43:54 GMT

I can't wait until next year's Gung Haggis Fat Choy. In the meantime I have the memories and photos!

Gung Haggis Fat Choy - Our 5th great dinner in a row!

Roland Tanglao — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 06:56:55 GMT

[Having technology problems :-( ! So photos and audio will come later]

Check out our Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2006 report for insights on why we loved this years's events and why we will be back for 2007!

Going to Gung Haggis Fat Choy Tasting tomorrow

Roland Tanglao — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 07:12:21 GMT

And will give a full report here. Have you bought your Gung Haggis Fat Choy tickets yet? Hope to see you there this Sunday January 22, 2006 at Floata.

TasteOf604 Founders: Gen Chang and Tom Ng

Roland Tanglao — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 16:47:00 GMT

[Cross posted from dogmaradio]

In this VanEats radio segment, I spoke with two of the founders of TasteOf604, Gen Chang and Tom Ng about their vision of an inclusive Vancouver food community.

3.8 MB MP3 (8 minutes and 11 seconds), RSS Feed for this podcast) - Recorded Wednesday December 21st, 2005

Got an idea or a person who should be on this show? Email me roland AT rolandtanglao.com or call me at 604 729 7924

Show notes and Links:

French Laundry Reservation Saga
Northern Voice Feb 10 and 11, 2005 - A non technical blog conference (blogs, podcasts, videoblogs, wikis, RSS, knitting bloggers, etc. You don't have to be a blogger to come! We want both beginners and experts from all of the "big tent" of blogging to be there!) Cheap and cheerful only $CAN 25/day!
Northern Voice MooseCamp Feb 10, 2005 where I hope to get Gen and Tom to speak about nurturing an online food community