We started with chicken lettuce wraps and a very spicy sweet and sour soup. To quote Kenny, “these might be the best lettuce wraps I’ve ever had.” Coming from someone with a Chinese background where you’re bound to have had a million lettuce wraps by the time you reach 30, this was quite a compliment. They were pretty good. I’m not sure if I’d say they were the “best”, but I could say with confidence that they’re in the top percentile. The wraps had a kick and included a medley of finely chopped vegetables and those crispy rice noodle strands that are so simple, but give the wrap a nice semi-crunchy texture. The soup didn’t receive the same reaction as the wraps since it was way too spicy to be a starter (I’m still not sure it should be called a sweet and sour soup — it’s mostly just spicy with a bit of sweet tanginess), but there was a general consensus that it was good. I especially liked the water chesnut in the soup.
Tag Archives: Vancouver
Dinner Club: Memphis Blues
Apart from the beef brisket and sausage, the meat was overcooked, dry, and boring. The only taste you could get was from the mini tub of BBQ sauce that it comes with and I don’t really like BBQ sauce so that didn’t help much. The sausage was alright, but nothing special. The beef brisket was moist, but tasteless. The dry ribs though, were the absolute worst. There’s only one way to describe meat like that: PLASTIC. Ang usually likes ribs (and she makes fantastic ribs that just fall off the bone) but even she didn’t want a second piece.
Yesterday’s Rain
The rain in Montréal was the kind you want to walk in. It was warm and complete, would drench you in a second, and it felt like you were being given the biggest hug by the whole sky. The great big dollops fell gently, and walking through it was more like wading through a pool; you would hardly even notice when you walked through a puddle. I couldn’t help but smile the whole way from the Mont Royal Metro to the little room I was renting on Rue St-Urbain. If only Vancouver’s skies could borrow its clouds from Montréal…
Film: Last Train Home
To be honest, this film isn’t something new. There are dozens of films like it that address the issues that arise from satellite / non-existent parenting, daily struggles of families in rural China, and all the other thoroughly depressing aspects of Chinese culture. If you want a happy ending, this is the film to avoid. It’s long, at times painfully frustrating, and sometimes just plain sad. Still, it struck a cord. And yes, there were moments where I got teary-eyed and clutched my tissue. I even sniffled a bit.
Mktg 101: Coca Cola Olympic Pavilion
While the thousands of blue uniform volunteers were working long hours and sometimes ridiculous back-to-back shifts (hearts out to Angie and Bee), SFU and UBC students had a couple weeks off of school to “study” since Transit would be off schedule servicing the games. I hope one of the requirements for all Marketing students was to visit the Coca Cola pavilion!
Where Do You Dine?
I was at a social entrepreneurship conference this past weekend where I met a very tall young lady who was looking to open a vegan bistro in Vancouver for non-vegans. We talked for all of two minutes because I think I offended her when I said “…like The Foundation. I love that place!” No, her bistro isn’t going to be like The Foundation at all. It’s going to feature uber-healthy nutritious vegan dishes targeted towards regular Joes who won’t know that what they’re eating isn’t actually meat. “Hmm” I thought, “I don’t know what you’re planning on putting in there to make the average Joe think they’re eating non-vegan, but I think you’re missing a major target market if you’re opening a vegan restaurant but refuse to target the vegan crowd.“