Kamei Royal Baru


Now that's an interesting name. It's located downtown right next to the Scotiabank Theatre. We were downtown for a movie preview (World War Z!...it was ok) and needed a quick bite to eat. I think it used to be the former location of Ensemble Tap, but anyways onto the food!

I normally never head to a Kamei restaurant as I used to think of it was a low quality Sushi restaurant. But I have to admit that this place was beautiful! And it seems to be authentic!

We happened to be there during happy hour and the restaurant had more of a bar menu which was a nice change, the wings were 25 cents each!

First we ordered the Spinach Gomaee. Very pretty! And tasted very fresh, the lotus root chip was a nice touch

Then came the Volcano roll....Basically a fake California roll topped with a huge amount of  fried Tempura bits, avocado and some spicy sauce... Nothing special, and not worth $10. I do like the Tempura bits though, but fried batter is always good!

Agadashi Tofu, another pretty looking dish. Debbie enjoyed it, and was only $6, very fancy looking!

The main course was there Mojo Hambagu steak with cheese, rice and a fried egg! First things first, I love Japanese Hambagu steak! It is like the best Salisbury steak you've ever head. This place really nailed the recipe down. The burger was amazing and the demi-glace sauce that came with it was awesome. I would order this again!

 



Overall a decent meal, and great place to stop by for dinner and a movie.

Another Quickie!


Hello folks! Another quick one here. This is Longtail Kitchen inside the River Market at New West (right next to where the old River Boat Casino used to be!). There is a also a Wally's Burger there too!

Remember Wally's Burger?

Well I thought they had closed down completely a few years back, but they've re-opened at the River Market also. $5 for a great Mushroom Swiss burger... Forgot to take a picture DOH!

Anyways back to Longtail Kitchen.

Spicy Fried Wings with a Thai Papaya Salad. The Wings are pretty good, close to the fried wings at Phnom Penh in Chinatown, but without the long lineups for a table! Debbie liked the salad, but was a bit salty, we'll dine in next time.


Time for the Mondays!

Vij's, so much fun in one meal!


Here's the thing, we've been to Vij's multiple times and we love it, so if your not in the mood to read, just go there already! We give it an overwhelming thumbs up. For those of you who have yet to try this place, read on.

Vij's is a dining experience, not just a place to eat, with great service and probably the most charming restaurant owner in town. It is simply a fun place to go and have a wonderful meal.

First off you are given a Chai tea when you are seated, and while you wait for your order, the service staff are constantly feeding you free appy's while you wait (Yuca Fries, Fresh Chickpea chips with Chutney, Pakora's, etc.)

We started off with the Sautéed Portabello spiced mushrooms with a vegetable fritter. We both really enjoy this dish with the spicy mushrooms and really spicy fritter all served with fresh Naan bread.

Did I mention that the Basmati rice and Naan bread are unlimited, and refilled without ever needing to ask?

I ordered a Spoon of Braised pork Belly with Apple Mint chutney... It was OK, nothing to write home about.

Debbie ordered the Braised beef shortribs, with Okra & Walnuts and....Jellybeans on top (it works!). This was very tender, and actually a real shortrib cut! Very tasty!

A general warning though, a lot of other restaurants have "Braised Shortrib" on their menu, but in reality they serve a cheaper chuck steak cut as a replacement. It really pisses me off when some restaurants do that.

I had my personal favourite dish on the menu, Marinated Lamb Popsicles in Fenugreek curry on Spinach & Potatoes. I love this dish. I won't even bother explaining why. I want you to experience it yourself.


After all the free appy's, Unlimited Rice & Naan bread we were only able to finish half of our meal! Plenty to take home. No room for dessert this time!

Again we love this place, Vikram is fun to chat with and we will come back soon. I would STRONGLY recommend that you get here early (doors open at 5:30pm) and lineup, because if you miss the 5:30pm seating you will have to wait at least 2 hours for a table to open up. No reservations accepted!

A Quickie! The Roaming Dragon


Was at the Farmers Market at Kits, and a couple of food trucks were there. Most are overpriced, and this truck is no exception!

Pork Belly slider, and Miso marinated fried Ling Cod. The Slider was $5!!! And not for a full sized burger, but a small slider...Hence the name!

The Ling Cod was $6... Which actually isn't too bad. We liked it so much, I ended up getting another order!

Did I mention that both items are pretty darn tasty!! Get them! Despite the cost both items are worth completely it.

Canelé de Bordeaux, and my attempt at making them


I've decided to take on a new baking challenge! One time at a local cafe we happened upon this unusual dessert called a Canelé, a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust (basically think of it as a Creme Brule cake).

Of course it turns out to be more difficult to make, than to buy!

The ingredients are just flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, etc. You also need to wait 24-48 hours before baking! And there is one odd in ingredient...

Wax... Bees wax that is



You need to baste the inside of your baking molds with a wax and butter mixture, but this helps the mahogany crust form. But be warned, cooking with wax is extremely messy!

 

Here is a lovely silicon baking tray I picked up ($9 at the Gourmet Warehouse), before I start baking

 

...And here are the failures that came out soon after. They taste good, but they shouldn't look like this! So saggy...

 

 

Luckily I also purchased two tin baking molds ($3 a piece) to try (the professionals prefer metal/copper baking molds). But I only purchased two.

 

And here is my successful attempt!

 

 

Here's a cross section, looks and tastes good!

 

And the comparison... No contest here!

 

 

Moral of the story, try not using the cheapest option. You sometimes get what you paid for.