Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Dine Out Vancouver : Smileys (-:

Dine Out Vancouver 2010 was later and less exciting this year. Limited selection of $18 menus. Smileys is another downtown pub. In summary, cheap beer and mediocre food.





Cajun shrimp tacos. Sounds good, tastes of frozen shrimp.


Beef Carpaccio. A good surprise in a pub. Slightly too heavy on the sauce. Points for presentation.


Halibut is overcooked, and under seasoned.


Roast Beef. Yorkshire pudding tasted a bit stale. We requested medium rare and got a medium well roast instead. Seems standard pub fair.


Bread pudding. Very generous whip cream. Not your regular bread pudding: slices of bread doused in sauce and whip cream.

Verdict: A Yawn. Only the main was worth paying for, in which case $18 is over priced. Won't come back for the food, but may come back for the toonie beer.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Singapore Hawker Delights

A variety of foods that I had while visiting Singapore. There was so much food and so little time.


Roast Chicken Wings, Singapore style. Unlike regular chicken wings, this is flavored with the same spices as the dried pork jerky that is so popular in Singapore. First time I have tasted chicken wings that was so unique. Loved every bite.


Singapore style Ba Kut Teh. Pork ribs in herbal soup. Unlike the Malaysian variety, this is a clear broth, with a mild herbal taste.


Stir Fried Prawn Mee. Thick vermicelli with fresh shrimp cooked in shrimp paste. The Shrimp Paste infuses the whole dish. The banana leaf used to take out the noodles actually adds additional flavor too!


Curried Stingray with stir fried lady fingers (okra) and rice wrapped in banana leaf. This stingray was fantastic.


Chicken Ume R Burger with Lemongrass Ice Tea. A Japanese burger joint that opened in the heart of Singapore's shopping district. The bun is made with marine collagen. The bun is soft and moist. Shiso leaf layered with a slice of radish (daikon) and a chicken patty with plum sauce. This is a perfect Japanese burger, light and perfectly flavored. This was a fantastic find.