Sunday, June 25, 2017

Chakhna

What the hell is that, you ask? Chakhna is the hindi word for snacks, akin to tapas for the Spanish and Izakaya to the Japanese. We dropped by Denman street for the car-free day festival and after a few hours, we both looked at each other and said, let's have some Chakhna. After a quick yelp search, we arrived at Kingyo.

Without a reservation, we had the choice of sitting at the bar or a communal table. We chose the communal table that was divided from the other side with giant bamboo plants; how cute! I appreciate the fact that they have separate seating for walk ins other than the bloody bar; it's nice once in a while not to have your feet dangling while enjoying a meal! The menu wasn't too extensive (#bless), so we settled on some tuna tataki and the hot stone beef tongue. Side note: Order the plum wine here; it's magnificent. I like it on the rocks but you can have it straight up as well. Anyhoo, on to the tataki.


Buttery and fresh with a tangy dressing, this is what dreams are made of. Absolute perfection. They didn't skimp on the tuna either - the portion size was on point with the price. Give me a bowl of this everyday and I will be your slave forever. The hot stone dish was next, which was quite popular since almost everyone at the restaurant was having some version of it.



The idea is that you cook your selected meat on the hot stone and enjoy it with its accompanied condiment. The beef tongue took merely seconds to quick since the stone was quite hot but it does cool down so I would suggest cooking all the meat first and then taking your time eating it. The tongue was distinctively chewy (as tongues are) but the sauce definitely elevated the dish. I wish I knew what was in the sauce but it had a yuzu-red pepper flavour to it if that helps.

With our bellies satisfied for the time being, we hit Guu Kobachi for some takoyaki. If you've been to the other Guu locations, this one is smaller with a less extensive menu and not as rambunctious as the others.


Takoyaki, deep fried octopus balls, is one of my favourite Japanese dishes. Tonkatsu sauce with mayo drizzled over deep fried fresh seafood. What is not to love? The katsuobushi flakes (which is basically flaked dried fish) give this dish that distinctive tangy taste, which I live for. Tooooo good.

All finished with a sip of plum wine (yes, I got it at Guu as well), our chakhna experience was a hit!

Friday, June 16, 2017

Appy Hour

What's not to love about happy hour? Cheap food, cheap drinks = a good time! When we googled the best happy hour bars and restaurants in Vancouver, the same name kept popping up over and over again. Chewies. Alright then, Chewies it is.

As was expected, this place was rammed but we snagged two bar seats and waited for our server to come over...and waited...and waited. There were a bunch of them standing off to the side chatting with each other and looking all buff but none made eye contact with us. Yes, we are Torontonians but we don't bite....unless you keep us away from our freakin' food!!!!! We finally had to flag one down and put in our order. Thankfully, the food was way faster than the service. Blessings.



With buck a shuck on the menu, we couldn't pass on it, so we got a dozen oysters that were accompanied by about 4-5 different sauces. Fresh, local and plump, can't go wrong with that. Our second app was the crocodile and corn hush puppies. The croc had a lovely crunch on it, and the jalapeno jelly and the pickled salad were a perfect marriage of tangy and spicy. The hush puppies were the star of this dish for me. Hush puppies always remind me of doorstops that you could eat, flavourless doorstops, but these were little balls of heaven; they had everything - a banging moist filling, a crunchy exterior and a little bit of a kick. Thumbs up all around.

Since the apps were a hit, we decided to stick around for dinner to continue the festivities happening in my mouth.


Presenting the Gumbo Yaya - fried chicken, andouille sausage, smoked chicken and white rice. Woweeee, is what I wanted to say but this didn't even deserve a wow. Don't get me wrong, everything was cooked well, but the flavours didn't really go together. It all smelled and tasted smokey and bland. So, I basically paid for smokey soup.


On to the jambalaya, a southern classic. This rendition included smoked chicken, andouille sausage, prawns, ham and, of course, rice. Ugh, ugh, ugh is what first comes to mind. Too tomato(ey), lack of any discernible flavour and hastily put together, this is where jambalaya comes to die.

As if we weren't tortured enough, we ordered dessert. Two of them to be exact. Hey, you never know, this could be where they knock it out of the park!


The beignets were massive, like unnecessarily so AND we got three of them! They were awkward to eat and, because they were so oversized, I didn't care to eat more than half of one. I mean, how much fried dough can one person have? On top of that, the coffee anglais dip was watery and came in this tiny cup that we couldn't dunk the beignets into because they were so freaking big!!!! Is anyone else enraged by this? Did anyone even test this out?!

The pecan pie was also a disaster. It pretty much fell apart as soon as you took a fork to it since it was jam-packed with nuts. I appreciate that they didn't skimp on the pecans but baking is a science; a proper bake is all about the exact ratios to hit that sweet spot of flavour and the perfect consistency. Someone clearly fell asleep in pastry school. And if all that wasn't enough, the pastry was not buttery at all and which reminded me of the frozen variety. I have nothing against frozen pastry, I use them all the time (what up Tenderflake!) but this tasted like pastry that may have gotten freezer burn, was defrosted and then frozen again and then defrosted to make this special pie. Ick!

Next time I look up places for happy hour, I think I'll stick to happy hour. Lesson learned...the hard way.




Saturday, June 3, 2017

Tuc Into This

As soon as we walked into the Gastown establishment, memories of Ossington in Toronto flash by. I'm not sure whether it was the industrial/rustic decor or the hipster vibe, but I knew I wanted to be here.

I'm going to do a little detour here. Bear with me. 

We got an early reservation because we were meeting friends at 8 pm for dessert, so after a hot day of frolicking in the city, we thought we'd jet home, shower and change into something decent before our dinner reso. Honestly, why did we bother? We are quickly learning that most people in Vancouver do not make an effort when it comes to their attire, dinner is no exception. I get the whole west-coast chill vibe, but it's dinner, on a Saturday night, I'm not asking you to put on a shirt and tie, just put on something that a) you won't wear to the gym, b) is not a hoodie and c) is not beach friendly. Just make an effort! I can't be the only person classing up a joint! Help me, Vancouverites! Okay, after that PSA, back to dinner.

Elk Carpaccio is the first dish that turns up and, boy, is it pretty! 


The carpaccio was sliced so thin that it was almost transparent. Slow clap chef! The garlic aioli was a natural accompaniment and I loved the pepperiness that came off the greens. I'm not sure what the greens were but my best guess would be arugula. The crispy potato, however, was a bit odd. I understand that they give some texture to the dish, but pairing something fried with something so delicate was strange. And also very awkward to eat - should I use my hands? A fork? I'll try a fork - and now I poked my face. Maybe I'll use my hands or maybe, maybe, instead of these potato weapons, consider using some nuts instead?

For my entree, they were out of my first choice: the pork curado, which I kinda chose because it was part of the MealShare program and I thought I get my good deed done for the day. Well, not today I suppose. I tried guys, I really did. Also, it's 6 pm and they ran out? Hmmm.

Second choice: beef al forno. This was not at all what I expected. I imagined a hunk of beef on top of cheese curds. In all fairness, the waitress explained quite well what the dish was, as did the menu, but my brain just stopped at braised beef (as it usually does). The description on the menu was: braised 1846 beef shoulder, cheese curds, black bean salsa verde, chili parmesan crisp.



This cast-iron pan deliciousness was brought in front of me. OMG, this is EXACTLY what I wanted today and didn't even know it! You get me Tuc, you really get me. First bite of this tender, succulent beef wrapped in cheese curds made me just want to change into my pjs and eat this in bed while watching a Hugh Grant chick flick. It was so comforting, warm and decadent. I really didn't want to share this with Al, but I needed him to feel all the feels I was feeling, and guess what?, he felt it (minus the Hugh Grant chick flick)! Can't win 'em all.

He got the steak and onions, which just sounded like something a lumberjack would eat.


A fancy lumberjack of course. Again, the beef was on point - medium rare and juicy - perched on onion rings and a horseradish and parsnip puree. Individually, great but together, not so much. The onion rings just overpowered the subtle creamy puree. Maybe some braised pearl onions would have done the trick rather than something deep fried. I think with some minor tweaks, this would have been a winner as well.

Nevertheless, I think Tuc is worth a visit - lovely service and a warm atmosphere. Just leave those Lululemon leggings at home. This Torontonian thanks you.