We’ve moved!!

Hello all you really good looking fans! We’ve merged with SurreyIsTheBomb.com to become WFLBC.com, West Coast Food and Lifestyle!! All of the content from this blog has been transferred over as well as all the Surrey posts from SurreyIsTheBomb. Check out our new home at http://wflbc.com/ We’ve also changed out Twitter/Facebook account to relfect the change, if you already follow us don’t worry, you still do, there’s no need to find us again!! We’re now @WFLBC.

You will have to subscribe to the new site if you’d like to receive email notification when we post something new.

Cheers!!

Scott.

Be’wiched Cafe

You guys know I like Surrey so it’s no surprise that when I find a hidden gem here I have to tell you about it. Be’wiched Cafe is a nondescript looking sandwich shop in a typical suburban strip mall, the same strip mall that houses Big Ridge Brewing Co. It’s modest appearance is in no way a reflection of the food.

I had heard about Be’wiched from a few people but mostly it was my cousin Kurt (author of the Bibo post) who kept telling me I had to go. I did and I’ll definitely be back. I ordered the Cubano Caliente, a spicy twist on the classic Cubano. It had roasted pork, ham, Swiss Cheese on pressed ciabatta. The classic Cubano has pickles but they were replaced by banana peppers hence the “caliete” (spicy) annotation. The pork was great, so was the ham. The bun was crisp and fresh, pressed just the right amount and just soft enough to not fall apart. The peppers added a nice little kick to this classic sandwich, it’s REALLY hard to find a good Cubano in the GVRD, this one might be one of the best.

The sandwich came with a side of Orzo salad which is made fresh, actually almost everything Be’wiched sells is house made, even their meats. The salad was a great version of a traditional pasta salad. I’m seriously impressed with this place.

I’ll be back soon to dig deeper into the menu, stay tuned for another post!

Twitter – @bewichedcafe

Facebook – facebook.com/be.wiched.cafe

Scott.

Bibo Brunch Party

Introducing our good friend Kurt who is a Seafood salesman, husband, father and singer. Loves food, and is a cousin of the father who birthed WFLBC. 

Arriving at BiBo

When Scott asked if I could attend a launch party for Bibo’s new brunch menu, I believe I may have said “YES” before he finished asking the question. With my beautiful wife on my arm, I headed to Bibo at 1835W.4th Ave. in Vancouver.

Bibo is owned and operated by Andrea Bini and Lorenzo Bottazzi (hence Bibo). Their mission is to present the most authentic Italian dishes possible, and I have to say I was impressed.

When I arrived there was wine and Antipasto aplenty. The wine is from their 400 year old family winery. The cheese and meat were great (I am looking at you Chili Gorgonzola), but the star for me (and maybe for the whole night) was the Bagna Cauda. Although it is a very common dish of the Piedmont
region, I have never had it before. It is a warm dip made from olive oil, butter, garlic, and anchovies. Served with fresh vegetables for dipping, it was everything I need food to be. Rich, deep buttery flavor, and a little salty kick from the anchovies. I think I stood in front of it for a while so that
nobody else could take any (I am like that).

The focus was on the Farinata and the Foccaccia Al Formaggio Genovese. Farinata is a flatbread made from chick pea flour, and cooked in a wood burning oven. Foccacia Al Formaggio is a thin Foccacia with cheese, also baked in the wood burning oven. Farinata and Foccacia joints are as common
in Italy as pizza joints are in North America (This according to Lorenzo Bottazzi). Matteo Ortu owned one such restaurant in Italy, and is now part of the Bibo team. Unfortunately I did not get to try the farinata, but I can give you the low down on the foccacia.

Focaccia di Recco… or baked heaven

The particular foccacia that came out was a focaccia al formaggio di Recco. It is made by dotting soft cheese between two thin sheets of dough then baked in the wood oven. This dish was much anticipated and it barely hit the table before it was gone. Imagine dropping a sack full of free Coach Bags in a mall on Black Friday, it was kind of like that. Even though I elbowed my way past a few very attractive girls that were all taller than I (I am 5’11”), I only managed to
get my hands on one sad little piece. Looking back, I should have let my wife have some of it, but it didn’t occur to me at the time. It was crispy, cheesy, and oh so delicious. It had a slight fried cheese flavor that reminded me of saganaki (Greek fried cheese). With one tiny piece left in my hand, I knew what I had to do……I gave it a bagna cauda bath and deposited directly into my pizza pie hole. Perfection!!

I finished off the meal with a nice house-made chocolate gelato, and I was out the door. Although I was bit bummed to not get my hands on the farinata, it gives me a good excuse to go back. I definitely will, and I can already taste the bagna cauda.

Matteo and Salvatore

Pho Tao Bay – Langley

Pho is a source of heated debate among those who love it. People will swear up and down that their favourite Pho place is better than your favourite Pho place and it quickly escalates into a “my dad can beat up your dad” school yard shouting match. Pho Tao Bay in Langley is probably one of those places I’m going to argue with people about. It’s a contender for top Fraser Valley Pho, right up there with Pho Tam in Whalley, one of the best Pho joints in the GVRD.

I realize this opens me up to great amounts of criticism from the Pho elitist community but I can take it, plus I had my Pho Jedi Master, Sheldon, with me to back me up. I had a large bowl of the rare beef/well done beef with the usual plate of bean sprouts and herbal goodness, I added a TON of hot sauce and chili oil, probably a bad move on the hottest day of the year (sweaty). The beef was tender and awesome, the broth is out of this world, it’s some damn fine Pho yo!

I also had a spring roll, pretty average to be honest but I’ve had way worse. The restaurant itself is that magical kind of “almost unclean” that makes you feel right at home, the service is pretty good for a Vietnamese place and the prices are average.

Go check it out and tell me I’m wrong, I dare you.

Scott.

Pho Tau Bay – 5790 203 Street, Langley

The Park at English Bay

Ya ya I know I said I wasn’t posting any more but when Bodhi Jones asks you to come check out the place he works at you don’t say no! The Park at English Bay is located in the Best Western Sands Hotel on Davie St. just off of Denman in a space formerly known as Checkers. There are few similarities between The Park and Checkers apart from its location, the renovations have transformed an out of date room into a very contemporary space.

The beer list is probably the best in the West End and it is still evolving with manager (or “Park Ranger”) Jamison Prystay at the helm. I had a Driftwood Farmhand Ale and a Howe Sound Devils Elbow IPA. Jamison and his food and beverage team are always looking to add new and interesting beer to the list which is great to see in an area not known for craft beer.

I sampled the Charcuterie plate ($15), it was awesome and could easily be on the menu for $18-$22. The quality of the pate, meats, bread and olives is very high. The ingredients are sourced weekly from the Granville Island Market by the chef and are always changing. Charcuterie always pairs well with craft beer so make sure you explore the beer menu while you enjoy this dish.

Next up I tried the Park Sliders ($7.50), 2 house made Angus beef sliders with horseradish mayo, Jalapeño jack cheese and banana peppers. Normally I’m not a fan of sliders but these were great. They had a nice amount of heat to them and the Angus patties were very flavourful. According to the menu “They’re a little spicy, so you’ll probably want to order another beer.” Those are wise words, beer makes everything better.

Last but most certainly not least was the Georgia Straight Fried Chicken ($15). This dish looked like it was going to be heavy and greasy due to the dark colour of the batter but it was quite light. The batter is thinner that it looks and the chicken is VERY tender. The fact that it’s boneless is a plus for me, I’m not a huge fan of chicken on the bone. There’s a honey drizzle that adds and nice sweetness to this savoury dish and it’s complimented by some garlic mashed potatoes with crispy onion straws and steamed veggies. Overall a very good dish.

I have to say I’m very impressed with The Park at English Bay. The food and drink menu are a perfect match to it’s beautiful location. For all of you die hard Checkers fans fear not, THEY STILL HAVE KARAOKE!! There’s now live music as well and it would be a great place to catch your favourite sporting event!

Scott.

For the record my meal and beers were provided by The Park at English Bay but the fact that it was free didn’t change the way it tasted 🙂 Go Check it out!!

Twitter – @ParkVanCity

Facebook – www.facebook.com/TheParkVancouver

What’s for Lunch Global: Shanghai Airport Edition

May I introduce a new guest blogger, Russ. This marks his “writing anything, ever” debut. He’s a systems engineer and he’s currently working abroad in China. His crepes are soooooo good he puts me to shame, I’m hoping he’ll do a guest post for those one day. Oh, and I’m married to him 🙂

When in need of some fast food when I first arrived in China from Vancouver, I stumbled upon a KungFu restaurant at the ShangHai Pudong Airport.  Intrigued, I thought I would try it out, as an alternative to vastly more accessible and familiar KFCs.   If you have ever been in a lineup at fast food restaurant in China, you will know it’s not really a line up. When one person has finished ordering everyone else tries to be the next person to order, and it can be a little overwhelming if you find yourself at the front of the line and you have not really decided what to order.  You are not allowed to take up space at the front of the line if you are not ready to order.  Orderly line-ups just take too much time…  I found myself hastily pointing at a picture of a meal and ordering a beef rice bowl combo.

The beef and onion steamed rice bowl was decidedly satisfying.  It was served with a side of boiled lettuce salad dressed with slightly salty and vinegary dressing.  I had never had boiled lettuce before, but surprisingly, it was very tasty, and I definitely could have used a larger portion.  A cool lemon iced-tea drink was a good choice when the outside temperature was more than 35 degrees …. and to top it all off, a nice view of Bruce Lee… Going head-to-head with Colonel Sanders of KFC right next door.  While you can find KFCs in China like Starbucks in Vancouver, a rice bowl is nice change from chicken burgers and fries when you need something quick.  And I do mean quick.  My order was filled before I had even thought I finished deciding what I wanted.  In fact I did change my mind once, and they quickly swapped what was on the tray in front of me.  The decor is like that of most fast food places, but with a nice inspiring Bruce Lee keeping watch.  So if you ever find yourself passing through the Shanghai Pudong international airport, take a short stroll to this restaurant section near the Maglev train station.  You’ll find 2 KFCs, and of course KungFu.  You won’t be disappointed.  (pictures attached)

Bruce Lee is watching you

Beef Rice Bowl with Steamed Lettuce

Kungfu

Bruce Lee looks tense

 

 

 

Time for a break

One week ago I posted about love, birthdays and family. Today that post is a distant memory no longer taking up space on this site. The truth is I’ve screwed up, you guys. This blog has given me tons of great opportunities and I’ve met some amazing people through it over the last two plus years but is has ended up costing me more than I could’ve ever dreamed.

This little townhouse once filled with the infectious laughter of my beautiful daughter and the radiant smile of her mother is now empty, quiet and dark and it’s all because I let this blog take over my life at the expense of the two most important people in my world. The saddest part is that I was so wrapped up in my own little world I didn’t even see it happening until it was too late.

It is with a heavy heart and a broken heart that I’m stepping away from WFLBC for the time being to focus on fixing what I have so carelessly destroyed. I’m not sure how to fix it but I will spend the rest of my life trying.

To all those who’ve supported me and this blog I’d like to thank you. I’ll be back one day but only after I figure out how to balance my real life with blogging life. Until then the lovely Rochele has the keys, sorry to spring this on you Ro, I’m sure you understand.

Don’t ever lose sight of what’s important in your life because one day you’ll turn around and it will be gone. Take the time to accept the love you are given and to give the love you have inside to your partner, don’t end up like me.

Scott.

Maurya’s Spice Dining Pass from VANEATS.ca

The joy of living in a temperate rain forest sometimes means that your heat turns on in the middle of the day on July 2^nd, and the weather resembles late October. Originally I was scheduled to go to Maurya later on in the week, but all the rain and grey and yuck outside prompted me to seize the moment and move up my reservation.

I had the luxury of obtaining a complimentary dining pass for Maurya’s Spice through VANEATS before they went on sale to the public. I thought the restaurant was beautiful with its high ceilings and subtle, but elegant décor. It was the perfect place to go for date night.

The service was impeccable. Moreover, I was seated promptly, the wait staff was polite and intuitive, and I never had to ask for a thing. Our meal started with Papadum, which is a thin, savoury, crispy, wafer-like appetizer.  We casually broke off small pieces, and dipped it in the mango chutney and the cilantro paste that was provided while we waited for our food.

We’d been given the heads up by a fellow food blogger that this dining package is a lot of food to eat on your own, so we decided to share the meal. When it arrived I was a little skeptical about the portions, but it actually worked out well for us.  Included in the dining pass was:

1. Garlic and Basil Naan, Indian leavened bread flavored with chopped garlic and basil
2. Mixed greens & beets salad, lightly tossed with vinaigrette
3. Seekh Kebab, minced lamb mixed with spices & skewed in charcoal oven
4. Mixed Vegetables, seasoned and pan fried broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, zucchini
5. Chicken Chettinad, Marinated chicken in South Indian chettinad paste of coconut and poppy seeds – 2009 Dine Out Vancouver Award Winner!
6. Daal Maurya, Maurya’s Pride! Black lentils cooked overnight. A real accompaniment to an Indian meal

Some of the Garlic Basil Naan, I started munching before I took a pic. So typical.

The Garlic and Basil Naan bread was so amazing with the Chicken Chettinad and Daal Maurya heaped on top of it. We ordered another basket of the Garlic and Basil Naan (at an additional cost) at the end of the meal to sop up the remainder of the sauces, and that put us at a comfortable level of full. It’s no wonder that the Chicken Chettinad won a Dine Out Vancouver award. The lovely flavours of coconut and Indian spices and poppy seeds blend together for rich flavours; there were big smiles from both us after our first bites.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Daal Maurya, and I’m glad that a very traditional element was included in the meal.

Chicken Chettinad, award winning for sure!

Maurya Daal- spicy, delicious lentils

Salad, Veggies, and Lamb Kebab

Perhaps I would have had more of an opinion of the Seekh Kebab if I wasn’t sharing, but I did enjoy the texture which was less like lamb and more like sausage meat and the spices were quite fragrant. It was nice to cleanse our palette with the mixed vegetables and the salad, but the stars of the meal were definitely the Chicken Chettinad and the Daal Maurya.

That concludes the VANEATS portion of our meal, but we decided to prolong our date and went ahead and ordered us each of a cup of Masala Chai and the Ras Malai to share. Please do yourself a favour and try real Indian Masala Chai. The stuff that is sold in grocery stores and cafes all over Vancouver doesn’t hold a flame to the real thing.  You’re missing out on the bold flavours of whole spices and tea that have been simmered together, rather than ready to use syrups or bags for steeping. I had Ras Malai for the first time not too long ago, and I will confess that it has grown on me big time. I have fallen in love with the sweet, spongy dessert. This delicate, milky dessert has silky flavours of rose water, pistachios, and saffron.  I highly recommend that in addition to your VANEATS package that you try these items, your tummy will thank you!

Ras Malai, minus one bite because again, I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a picture beforehand

Be sure to get your Maurya’s Spice Dining Pass from VANEATS, there are limited passes available for a limited time, so don’t wait. Happy dining!

The Dominique

This place is by invitation only and if you’re so lucky to be invited, you have to help make dinner and you might have to help name the creation. 

May I present to you The Dominique, aptly named for its creator, the lovely and oh s0 talented (and tall) Dominique Fricot. Does his name sound familiar to you? His voice has been gracing the airwaves from 100.5 The Peak, and he was recently announced as one of the top 20 contenders for this year’s Peak Performance Project. He and his former band, The Painted Birds, were in the first Peak Performance Project back in 2009 and he credits a lot of his knowledge of the business to his experience in the PPP. He confessed that one of the reasons he entered the PPP last year was so he could go to Band Camp at Rockridge Canyon, and I don’t blame him. Don’t follow the other bands’ Twitter accounts, it will lead to heartbreak when you read about how much fun they’re having and the beautiful setting of Rockridge Canyon. I and many others are scheming to get ourselves to band camp without actually being in a band.  This year he’s back as a solo artist. His song Haunted by  Love is getting quite a bit of airplay and he just released his EP ‘If Baby Could Walk’ which is available for purchase here.

The Dominique   – serves 4-5 hungry people, 25 mins to prepare

Rotini Pasta

½ lb bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 chicken breasts, cubed

White cap mushrooms, sliced

1 jar of Blue Cheese Dressing

The Salad:

Greens – your choice of mixed greens, leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, even spinach would have been good

Mango chunks

Grated beets

Vinaigrette of your choice

Combining two of my favourite things- cooking and music, which happen to be two of Dominique’s favourite things, we set out to make a meal together. I asked Dominique what we were going to be cooking and he confessed that the dish didn’t have a name, and since Bacon-Chicken-Mushroom-Blue-Cheese Rotini is a mouthful, we settled on The Dominique. Apparently Fricot is already a soup; I imagine The Dominique Fricot is a pasta and soup combo with a side of soulful lyrics and a dash of charm. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

Cutting the chicken into cubes

I chopped the bacon into one inch pieces while he cut the chicken into cubes. In my opinion, everyone can cook with a recipe, it’s when you start to make a recipe your own that the magic happens. That’s how Dominique started cooking, too. His mom’s friend gave him his first cookbook after he graduated, and he initially he followed the recipes. These days he finds his inspiration online, looking at the comments at the end of recipes for the tips and tricks of those that have cooked before him. However, this dish was unwritten, one that was passed down through friendship, trial, and error until now.

Did I mention he’s tall?

The chicken went into a hot wok with a little bit of olive oil, and after a few minutes the bacon was added. Meanwhile, a pot of water was boiled for the pasta and Dominique got down to business preparing a simple summer salad. I stirred the wok every now and then to ensure that the bacon was cooking evenly, and at the ¾ mark he tossed in some sliced mushrooms and we let those cook down.

Messy and delicious addition to a salad

Dominique prepared a lovely summer salad with greens, mango chunks, and shredded beats. Yes, shredded beats are as messy as they sound, but I think they taste really great in their fresh state. You can do it yourself by peeling the beets with a potato peeler and then using a cheese grater to shred. It adds an earthy, sweet flavour to the salad and it looks beautiful against the orange hue of the mango. Easy like Sunday morning, and a fresh accompaniment to the pasta. Once the pasta was cooked and drained, the bacon, chicken, and mushrooms were added and a jar of blue cheese dressing was stirred in. Voila! Dinner was ready. The pasta was creamy and rich, and surprisingly not dominated by the bacon. This was an easy meal to prepare, and it was delicious.  Definitely a recipe I will keep in my back pocket for unexpected guests which seem to happens at my house fairly often.

Rochele stirring the goods

You know what made the meal fantastic, though? The chef. Do yourself a favour and go check out his music. His tunes are so smooth and mellow, perfect for afternoon cups of tea and lounging. Scott’s daughter even has Dominique’s East Coast Girls on her iPod which she listens to every night at bedtime. Looking forward to Dominique’s musical journey over these next few months as he plays his heart out for an opportunity to win $100,500.00 in the Peak Performance Project. Best of luck and thanks for having us in your home, Dominique. Follow him on Twitter and check out his Facebook page for shows and updates.

The chef being his charming self and his creation, The Dominique

Texx Big Burger in Surrey!

Finding new places to eat in Surrey is always awesome! Texx Big Burger is located in a nondescript  strip mall on the corner of 148th street and 108th ave in Bolivar Heights, right between Guildford and Whalley. It was recommended to me by one of my Twitter followers, thanks Anthony! This place is only a few months old and when I visited it was pretty empty, time to give them a little press!

You order by grabbing an ordering sheet and a pencil from the counter, you check off what burger you want, what you want on it and what sides/drink you want. Bring your filled out sheet back to the counter and start your countdown to a very full stomach.

I ordered the double bacon cheeseburger with red relish, mayo, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, lettuce, green peppers and pickles and a “regular” sized order of fries. This is a damn good burger, VERY similar to Five Guys. The beef is hot, fresh and juicy, the bacon is fresh and cooked just right, the toppings are awesome and the bun is great!

The similarities between Texx and Five Guys carries over into the french fry department, they fill the regular sized container up and then pile a bunch more into your brown paper bag making you dig for your burger. The fries are hand cut in house and quite good.

The food is where the Five Guys comparisons stop though. I found the customer service to be a little…lacking in enthusiasm, ahem. I asked the woman at the counter how long they’d been open and she snapped back “over three months or something” and walked away. I found out later she’s one of the owners! But the food is good enough to bring me back despite the unfriendly staff.

Go check this place out!

Scott.