culinary events: cinema to savour

Living in a resource-rich land like British Columbia, it's quite easy to be blinded by the plenty. We have rainforests teeming with mushrooms and wild game; seas and rivers teeming with a world's envy of seafood; and tracts of farmland offering produce and crops that bless us with a level of self-sufficiency. Unfortunately we must always keep our minds to the past, our feet in the present, and our actions to the future. History demands we respect our natural gifts by protecting them so we can enjoy their fruits for generations to come.

The Chef's Table Society is an organization of like-minded professionals from BC's food industry which exists specifically to educate restauranteurs and the public alike on sustainable food selection. They hold events throughout the year which highlight our natural bounty, which oft times, get sent overseas for others to enjoy as they're not as accepted locally (eg. spot prawns/amaebi, geoduck...). They also recently hosted the 2nd Canadian Chefs' Congress conference in September. To throw these events, they do some unique fundraising throughout the year.

requiem: the corner suite bistro (vancouver)

It's always sad when a new friend leaves us. After a bumpy opening earlier this year, The Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe was beginning to gain some traction and traffic. It all came to a quiet end when they went on vacation on New Year's Day, and never came back.


I'm glad I got to experience their dinner service on Christmas Day. Props to them for even opening on December 25, and they were rightfully packed (I tipped 30% that night). It will also be known as the meal where I had my first cocktail. I asked the bartender for a bourbon drink and he gave me this tasty creation called an "Old Fashioned."

No review today - just a pictorial of my meal on that blissful winter eve.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Slif-ers!

Hope you're spending some quality time with your family and friends, and taking the best of the season! Eat well, sleep tight, and have fun!

That being said, my friends were AWESOME this year! My very first All-Clad pan!!! I can't wait to break it in tomorrow! I'm thinking freshly made sausages for breakfast...



What cool culinary gifts did you get this year?

culinary events: vancouver christmas market

An interesting happened to Vancouver after the Olympics - people started getting the idea that Vancouver is an actual city with denizenry who like to have fun! It's been almost a year since the five-ring-circus closed down, and suddenly there have been more and more fun events occuring in town. One of the more recent ones is the Vancouver Christmas Market.

Designed to emulate a small Bavarian town in the midst of the festive season, the Christmas Market features stalls selling Bavarian food and other items. A large tent by the entrance showcases a wide array of beautiful hand-crafted Christmas decorations. Closer to the theatre-side is a children's mini-market with handpainting, chocolate-making, and wooden toys, as well as a chance to meet the Market's mascots. All of this is centred around a gazebo featuring music from traditional bands, to something more offbeat-yet-infinitely-Vancouver like a Japanese drum band. The entertainment schedule is available on their website. As this is Bavaria, several "warming festive refreshment" stations are located throughout the area.