Jul22009

MIA – South Bound to Jamaica

Just wanted to leave a MIA (missing in action) notice here that I’ll be away for a week. I’m going on vacation with Al to Montego Bay, Jamaica tomorrow and will be back next weekend. Pictures will follow of course so check back next weekend!

PS: For those of you that know about my dad, thank you for all the sincere wishes for his recovery.

Jun232009

C Restaurant – A Contemporary Fish Restaurant

Earlier this month on our anniversary Al took me to the C Restaurant. I’ve always wanted to go there because I heard they have very good seafood. The weather was perfect for dining outdoor, so we ordered a couple of drinks and enjoyed the beautiful view of Grandville Island and the sunset while waiting for our food.

For appetizer, I ordered the scallop tataki. I love scallop and whenever it’s on the menu I usually order it. This is probably one of the most interesting scallop dishes I’ve ever had. The jelly fish and the seaweed along with the thinnly sliced scallop really brought the taste of the ocean to my tastebuds.

Scallop Tataki

Scallop Tataki

Al ordered the lobster bisque. It was very rich but slightly on the salty side.

Lobster Bisque

Lobster Bisque

I ordered a scallop dish for main course too. The potato crusted scallops which came with root veggies and spot prawn were really tasty. I really liked the turnip and the scallops were cooked just right. (Sorry photo is a bit dark as the sun was hiding behind the bridge while I was taking the photo.)

Potato Crusted Scallops

Potato Crusted Scallops

I don’t remember what was the fish that Al had but it was very yummy.

Some fish dish [sorry forgot the name...]

Some fish dish [sorry forgot the name...

For dessert we shared the roasted apples and flower. I picked it because it sounded interested and it was very good. The floral flavored cream filled cookies were actually very light and I love the presentation.

Roasted Apple and Flower

Roasted Apple and Flower

I had a great time dining at C Restaurant. There were also two tasters and some interesting bread served at the beginning of the meal. Here are some more photos.

cdinner_01cdinner_02cdinner_03

Oh look! It's spork!

Oh look! It's spork!

This last photo is an inside joke. Please ignore my silliness.

Jun72009

Zakkushi Restaurant – Charcoal Grill Dinner

Last month I treated the twins and their family to a dinner at Zakkushi Restaurant to thank them for take care of me for three weeks during my move to the new place. Usually for Japanese charcoal grill dinners I’d go to Manzo in Richmond but I heard of this place from a friend and since they have a location on Main Street which is nice and close we decided to give it a try.

We ordered a few mixed grill platter which I forgot to take pictures of because they started eating before I can snap a shot with my camera, but I did managed to take these:

Kikizake - a sampler of 3 types of sake. I liked the middle one the most.

Kikizake - a sampler of 3 types of sake. I liked the middle one the most.

Appetizer Sashimi Mori

Appetizer Sashimi Mori

Tuna Tataki

Tuna Tataki

Pirikara Nikomi - spicy beef stew hot pot

Pirikara Nikomi - spicy beef stew hot pot

Bukkake Soba - cold soba noodles

Bukkake Soba - cold soba noodles

Dorayaki Matcha Ice Cream

Dorayaki Matcha Ice Cream

I find the food pretty good but personally I prefer Manzo’s a bit more. My favourite dish (aside from dessert) is their Mochi Maki – grilled sticky rice wrapped in sliced porked. It’s mochi on a stick, very sticky but very yummy especially since it soaked up all flavoring from the pork. The interior decor is very moder and a great place for drinks especially if you like sake.

Before I end this post I want to post some pictures of Zakkushi’s washroom. It’s one of the nicest and most unique washroom I’ve seen yet. Just look at the photos and you’ll know what I mean:

Zakkushi's washroom - the wall have a little waterfall, very nice

Zakkushi's washroom - there is a little waterfall along the corner of the wall (can't quite see it here) and um...something to read if you require extra time in the washroom

The water comes out of the bamboo so you can wash your hands...in style? @.@

The water comes out of the bamboo so you can wash your hands...in style? @.@

The red hands is where you turn the water on/off for the sink. I didn't even notice them at first and was wondering how to turn the water on...

The red handles is where you turn the water on/off for the sink. I didn't even notice them at first and was wondering how to turn the water on...

May262009

Clay Project #5: Cymbidium

The completed cymbidium. The bottom is actually a piece of wood.

The completed cymbidium. The bottom is actually a piece of wood.

My latest clay project from clay class I’ve been taking since March is Cymbidium. They are part of the orchid family. At first I didn’t quite like the look of it so I didn’t put a lot of effort into making the flowers. However when we finally assemble the plant together it turned out nicer than I thought. It is currently sitting in Al’s house along with my two other plants. His mom liked this one the best. Maybe it’s because it’s not a mini plant like the previous two. Our next project will be orchid again. I hope I’ll do well because it was the project that I’ve been looking forward to making and the reason why I’m taking these lessons!

Here are the pictures of the flower (click to enlarge thumbnails):

cymbidium_4cymbidium_2cymbidium_1

May102009

Clay Project #4 – Mini Hydrangea

Mini Mydrangea

Mini Mydrangea

Last month’s clay project was a mini hydrangea. We made about 100 of the flowers, from half opened to fully opened ones. We had put some colour in the clay so it’s pale purple (or pink depending on how you see it) before we coloured it after with the oil paint. As you can see I’ve coloured some of mine darker because I wanted it to give it more depth.

The “pot” is actually a very shallow bowl that I got from the Japanese toonie store. I think the pattern on the side matches with the plant quite well. The only thing I wish I could’ve done better was to make some of the stems shorter so it’s closer to the green patch on the bottom. I’m planning to make another one later after I settle down in the new house.

Here are some other shots of the plant (click to enlarge).

hydrangea_2hydrangea_3hydrangea_4hydrangea_5hydrangea_6