賀！臺灣建國壹佰年！

Congratulations to Taiwan's 100's Birthday!




(網路轉載圖片)

Flying pork... I mean pigs

Yup, definitely count on Refuel to do something creative with pork.

Has it been two years?

Yeah... I miss the great white. It is just breathtaking (or I was just out of breath?).

Cafe Salade de Fruits

It is unusual for me to order fish at a restaurant. But for some reason I was really indecisive at the company Christmas lunch, so again I just took the road less travelled. I have to say the dish is well cooked. The sauce is creamy but you can feel the spices kicking through the sauce. Often I hated any rice that is not cooked by Chinese - Greek rice is way too hard and Indian rice is way too grainy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Overall Cafe Salade de Fruits is a great place, you can count on me to post more photos from my future visits.

Hot Cake Breakfast

Woke up this morning wondering if I am capable of making pancake from scratch (only had used mixes before). So I googled on my phone and looked at the first recipe I found - Good Old Fashioned Pancakes on AllRecipes sound good. The recipe worked well, the only downfall is that I don't have any syrup so butter and jam well do.

Re-Up Pulled Pork Sandwich

So finally tried the new Re-Up cart on Broadway and Granville, and I realized really how much I love pulled pork - in a sandwich, in a bowl of noodles, or on a pizza. Crunchy creamy coleslaw matches well with the BBQ sauce. The buns would be nice if it's toasted. But for a roadside stand it is great big meal and a great deal.

Thank you H for the munch, I for the company, and J for the photos.

Grow You Own Sprouts

Why you asked? I am not sure... Healthier? Cleaner? No chemicals, zero food miles!

But it is relatively easy. Soak your beans overnight or till sprouting, lay down few layers of paper towel in a strainer or colander that fits into a larger container, spread the beans evenly on the paper towel, lay couple more layers of paper towel on top, then spray enough water to soak through everything. You keep the beans in a dark place (I used a turned over cardboard box), and soak and drain the beans once-twice a day to keep it moisturized. Then voala! Sprouts big enough to eat in 5 days.

Surely it is not as nice and plump as the store bought ones, and if they start to grow leaves (see pictures) then they are probably too old already, but it makes you feel good? Remind you of your elementary science projects?

Eastside Cultural Crawl

This is my second year of going to the Eastside Cultural Crawl. Although the experience is similar to previous year (visited same studios), but it's interesting to see how each artist has grown. My favorite pieces this year are: knit by Julie Pongrac and painting by Niina Chebry.

As you can see from the picture above, this piece of Pongrac's knot utilized layers of colors that created the illusion of the ocean and the irregularity of the knitting guides your eyes through the complex waves - well, at least that is my interpretation of it.

Niina Chebry's "Hokkaido" (http://www.niinachebry.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1084) is my other favourite. When look from afar, you can enjoy the mix of pink and the calming cool color tone background. With a closer look the layering of acrylic granted the painting life that you can almost see the cherry blossom emerging from the surface of the canvas.

Anyway. I didn't check out how these pieces cost. Real art shall remain priceless, don't you think?

La Taqueria

I have not had a lot of Mexican food experience - beans are not my favourite texture and any rice other than Chinese rice felt undercooked. The only other close to authentic Mexican experience would be Las Margaritas, but the food felt real heavy that I can't have it more than three times a year. But La Taqueria is totally different. Although you can almost call it fast food, you can feel there are lots of thought went into the tacos there. Beef tongue, braised beef, confit pork, grilled fish... everything single item is more than just stuff on soft shell. Could it be the lime or the pickled red onion? All the food felt quite light and refreshing. The high energy of the people at the restaurant made it a very cool experience.

Japadog Revisited

Went back to Japadog today. For some reason for combo you save few cents with Terimayo Dog. Tried the Yakiniku Dog today but I don't think it's the best - too much protein with the beef and the sticky almost soggy rice does not compliment the dog. But the shakes fries are still great.

媽媽麵 ~ hmm yum

Market Day - Baker's Market

Market Day - Winter Farmers Market

Fortuna Bakery & Deli

Fortuna Bakery & Deli located in north Burnaby near Hastings and Madison. I used to only know this place for its cookies. But this time I discovered their baked cheesecakes. A 6 inch (I think) cake for $11 - consider a fruit tart is about $5 the cheese cake is a great deal. The fruit topping is fresh, the creamy center is not overly cheesy, only the crust is a bit thick but people like baked cheesecake for the crust.

North Van Adventure - Arc'teryx Factory Outlet

Sometimes I wish I am 80 lbs heavier so I can buy these XXXXXXL factory outlet clothing. But man, they have some high tech good stuff... almost fashionable just because how high tech it is.