chow: blueberry picking
the other week went blueberry pickin’
i didn’t have a clue what I was doing, but the owner said to go in the back and hollar for the old man.
so I did…
and now I know. we hauled in 7.5lbs in an hour!
ching!
Archive for August, 2007
chow: afghan horsemen
“beware the kiss of the buzzer”
#202 — 1833 Anderson St, south granville
hey it probably looks like i’ve been eating out all the dern time, but this is a series of overdue updates.
so just outside “the market tonsil” of granville, in what is basically a clustered strip mall sits a HUGE umbrella on the second floor - ever walk across granville bridge on the west side? you can’t miss it with it’s brown grass strips sticking out - that’s the horsemen, moved from fairview area to anderson which gets TONS of foot traffic - nice.
we had the pleasure of eating with buddies, and if you do, my recommendation is to get the room with pillows, sit on the floor and share a platter or two, take your time to eat and recline like a happy slob. careful not to get lamb drippings on your button down. oh yeah - order a buzzer - they bowl/giant lip cup with arm-length straws make it worth it. i kept thinking a belly dancer was going to burst in at any second, but that’s my amusement. the only difficult part about the place is having to stand up from the floor to leave! the baked eggplant and lamb shoulder make bellies happy.
bus: the new sweater
first there’s johnny canuck, then a stick, then there’s a v, then a zooming-by skate, then a killer whale “c”, now there’s a killer whale “c” whose water (or ice?) changes color and the stick is back with the stick jersey colors and there is a “v” in the word VANCOUVER which is spelled out . new design? isn’t that called un-designing something?
happy birthday grandma!
she’s 98! and i got to see her a few days ago where she gave me a summer hat to wear that she crocheted herself. happy birthday!
chow: spicy vegetarian cuisine
“you’ll feel like you’re in a video game”
#132—4200 3 road, richmond
so this is a story of what happens when you are going to the airport late (after 9:30p), maybe arriving flight is delayed a bit, maybe luggage or *cough* c-ustoms is holding up your style a bit. you’re right near richmond yes? and with gas $50-60 a fill maybe it’s worth swerving over to the island-by-nature. well, if you find yourself in the quasi-cambie mess on 3 road, there is this little chinese bistro north of kusshi and hon’s and all of the others - spicy vegetarian cuisine.
i’m not going to say this place is a gem, infact i was tired and quite starving, so this should be taken into consideration. however, the restaurant was closed at 9:30 and we trickled by around 10:15p curious about a strictly vegetarian restaurant in richmond. i was totally expecting the “we’re closed just haven’t turned off the open sign” - there was only one other lady eating in there and she was chatting on her cell tell, sucking in air and burping quite a lot. instead we got a set of welcome smiles to come in and make ourselves at restaurant.
now here’s why i’m raving about this place. it was an hour after closing time. after we ordered our food and got drinks, the last lady in the place left which is usually when the service turns up their “i wanna go home we’re soddy closed” attitude, however it was contrare. i almost equate it to having a chef’s meal - we let them point out what was still good and they went to town. some shanghai noodles and cashew stir fry (with lots of mock ham and basil) we moved onto the recommended fried avocados - normally an appetizer, were sweetened and citrusized to form desert. it was very enjoyable, you could tell they were enjoying the fact that we were enjoying their food. enjoyment orgy.
the cashew dish was full of flavour and i recommend. it’s not fine dining here. there was a unique soundtrack that made me feel like i was in final fantasy vii upping my hit points ala river city ransom. the bathrooms probably had the cutest door signs i’ve seen - everything there was happy. and so full belly and with leftovers, i left a later dinner, satisfied and glad i didn’t suck down a bunch of grease.
so a plug for this place. it’s quaint and very conversiony feeling in there, no brownie points for fanciness, but most tables are set up for family style and the people who run the place deserve a raise.
alison & ryan wedding
last (last) weekend was alison and ryan’s wedding and it was amazing!
highlights include:
1) beauty beauty everywhere - i didn’t even recognize alison as the bride (she got all fit and tiny)
2) reception at the great one’s club (see below) - apparently he was downstairs earlier that day
3) meeting some extended family and friends
4) the happiness of the couple throughout the night - along with their rehearsal dinner video
5) noticing all of the little details that alison and family did to turn an otherwise fancy and stuffy place into a really cozy pretty place.
they gave everyone water bottles on their way out - so cute! plus they had a wonderful band, which has solidified in my head that bands make the reception fun (they kept playing rolling stones songs, but resurfaced with my hump).
congrats to the newlyweds!
chow: sanafir
1026 granville st, granville strip
oh my god, someone turn off the music from their website!!! went to eat here and some party cancelled (skipped) their reservations up in the sacred $600-minimum-bed-suites upstairs, so like cheeky little monkeys, we slid right in and lived like VIP’s (with frugal waybill). highlights were of course the exotic atmosphere with tapestries and small narrow water glasses. oxtail cappelletti was to die for, but also was so rich that my heart stopped for about 4 seconds of gastric delight. not bad for a no show. the beds were luxurious, but also sanitary, so really kind of sticky like a wrestling mat. people in them were obsessed with their privacy which consisted of a see-through pasmeena. we ended up eating in a bit of a chilly dining hall with a huge armoire that piqued my interest - was it a backless gateway like narnia? did it hold riches? sacred goblets? no. it held napkins yo. bleh.
chow: ukrainian village restaurant
“stuffed cabbage, really”
815 denman st, west west end
you can’t miss this one on denman! well, i had lunch with some mates there recently and would like to announce that lunch was under ten and they split the bill up! wOOt for interac! the cabbage rolls, however, were not splittable - infact they were dense - knife was needed. drinking soda from a straw while looking at an igloo of artifacts was spinny-fun though! and getting sprayed in the chest on a warm afternoon while waiting for my atm card to process was a bonus!
