new fad:

The delicate little morsel is authentic sushi, but instead of a slather of raw fish slapped on top of a handful of rice, there's only a single, tiny grain of the Japanese staple used.

That leaves only enough room for the fish to no bigger than about 1 centimeter-by-2 centimeters at most.

seems rather labour-intensive, i couldn't find any pictures of it...
original article: http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/news//20061019p2g00m0dm034000c.html

posted at 2006/10/20 5:29 PM by Amy   0 comments

I'm not a food snob. I'm a fussy eater.
I get excited over 50cent Japanese style an-pan I can get at the local bakery. With the exception of sushi, dinner over 20$ is too much for me.

posted at 2006/10/19 6:40 AM by feistydaichi   2 comments

Get your minds out of the gutter, people! Here are some great food blogs that I hope will inspire our own blog. The photos are fantastic (and fat free)!

Cha Xiu Bao (http://chaxiubao.typepad.com/chaxiubao/) detailing the food scene mainly in Hong Kong. I only wish I had this person's passion and photography skills.

Chubby Hubby (http://www.chubbyhubby.net/) is a blog from Singapore created by a man who is a food photographer who is married to a food editor. What a combo team. I am partial to Singaporean food, especially the hawker stalls, so this is the closer I can get while in Ottawa.

The Traveler's Lunchbox (http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/) is another favorite from Scotland created by another husband and wife team who obviously love food. Amazing pictures and excellent writing.

The Accidental Hedonist (http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/): This is no accident! Yummy! Great writing and interesting discussions. I particularly like "How the French Ruined Cooking: Margarine" which is about the origins of margarine. You will never find such an awful artificial product in my kitchen. It's pure 100% delicious, natural, animal fat butter for me!

posted at 2006/10/18 8:15 PM by Deviline   1 comments

Welcome to everyone, especially the Ottawa bunch! How sad to realize this past weekend that out of a group of 10 friends, 6 of us have left our beloved city of Montreal (Canadian capital of gluttony and good taste) - 5 of these for the much less greener food pastures of our nation's capital.

However, there is some sliver of bright light on the horizon. Check out the Wellington Gastropub which opened in the trendy neighborhood of Westboro 5 weeks ago: http://www.thewellingtongastropub.com. One of the owners was formerly the chef at e18hteen (http://www.restaurant18.com - another upscale restaurant in the Byward Market). We went there on a whim last Thursday evening. It was nearly 9pm when we arrived, and the place was actually full and getting fuller (quite an accomplishment by Ottawa standards). The decor is decidedly trendy but low key. The floors are a warm dark hardwood, and the ceilings are high which creates some reverberation of voices so that the restaurant's noise level is just high enough to keep your conversations private. There is an open concept kitchen. The dress code is casual trendy. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and friendly without being pushy or snobby.

The appealing aspect of the Wellington Gastropub is that the menu changes daily based on the freshest food the chef buys at the market.

ENTREE: I had a delicious, freshly made (less than 10 min old) crab cake. The portion was large and the meat was 100% pure, wonderful crab. My partner voraciously inhaled a warm confit de canard salad. The confit was sliced and served on top of the freshest most perfect greens. We were eagerly awaiting the main course.

MAIN COURSE: I ordered mahi mahi served with a creamy white wine sauce over a bed of finely diced potatoes and fresh shitake mushrooms. The portion was so big that I could not finish it and had to donate it to my partner. In fact, at home, I would probably prepare a portion this size for both of us. My partner was feeling particularly carnivorous and ordered the slow braised beef short ribs which was moist and falling off the bone.

DESSERT: After such a big meal, we were not contemplating dessert at all until our server mentioned the homemade ice cream. We ordered one bowl which was composed of 3 scoops of green tea, cranberry, and cappuccino ice cream. The ice cream was decadent, and the flavors exploded on the palate. The next time we go, I hope the banana crepe with chocolate sauce will still be on the menu.

In the last week, we also savored the tasting menu at Beckta (http://www.beckta.com) , reputed to be Ottawa's finest restaurant (I hope to post a review of this place soon). It was the staff at Beckta that recommended the Wellington Gastropub to us (and for this, we will be forever grateful). In fact, the owner and staff of Beckta dine at the Wellington Gastropub approximately 3 times per week which is high praise for it indeed.

Other local establishments on my "to try" list in no particular order:
- L'oree du bois in Gatineau (http://www.oreeduboisrestaurant.com/)
- Le Baccarra at the Casino du Lac Leamy (http://www.casino-du-lac-leamy.com/lacleamy/nav/en/restaurants-bars/baccara)
- Juniper (http://www.juniperdining.ca/)
- Le Sans-Pareil (http://www.icihull.com/lesanspareil/index-accueil-e.html)
- West End Station Bistro (http://www.ottawaplus.ca/portal/profile.do?profileID=672774)
- Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar (http://www.absinthecafe.ca/)
- Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro (http://www.sweetgrassbistro.ca/index.html)
- Les Fougeres in Gatineau (http://www.shopdaddy.com/hws/fougeres.php?lang=en&pn=fougeres_welcome)
- Domus Cafe (http://www.domuscafe.ca/)
- Signatures Restaurant by Le Cordon Bleu (http://www.lcbottawa.com/English/signatures/index.cfm)

I'm salivating already...
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posted at 7:39 PM by Deviline   0 comments

Welcome to FoodSnobsUnite! Feel free to post your interesting restaurant finds, if you want to review it, rant or rave or poo-poo it...

free style format, no rules.
















(d & r did not come for ice cream and this is their temporary photo place holder)

posted at 2006/10/16 9:20 PM by Amy   1 comments

'December 2006'