Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Caffe Zucchero-Brunch

Name: Caffe Zucchero-Brunch
Address:
Hours:
Contact:
Parking: Not Available (Street Parking)
Price: $15-25

With the aroma of coffee you enter the lovely Caffe Zucchero. The colour and environment is very welcoming and the service is well.
Located on one of the busiest street in Ottawa, it is unusually quite on this Saturday weekend. They only serve Saturday Brunch until 2:00pm.


Nice little design touch, their table is covered with vintage picture of celebrities.

For just $11 you get so much out of this.
The bread is a big hit with all those multi-grain goodness in it. The chocolate waffle is a nice little touch. The chocolate dip they use is definitely nice dark chocolate and not some cheap brand. The Italian ham and sausage is also really well done. Although the sausage can be a bit more juicy, but it is good enough for me.
The vegetarian omelet is well done. The egg is not over cook and the vegetable is nice and fresh. Again the bread and the potato is very very good.
The killer of all diet. This course has so much in it the potato, the bread, the sausage, the pouch egg, and the waffle fruit, and it's only $13. I usually avoid tomato sauce. Personally I find it to strong that I can't taste anything else, but this I like! It is a bit spicy, like a sprinkle of pepper, but it is what makes it delicious. I will so go back to this place.
This I did not try, but having asparagus in their omelet cannot go wrong. I'm sure it is just as delicious as all the other dish.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Farm Boy Desserts


Name: Farm Boy Supermarket
Address: Various Location
Parking: Usually Avalible

Farm Boy Supermarket is a local grocery shop, so far I have only spot it in Ottawa. Their merchandise is said to be a bit pricier then Loblaws, but when they are on sale sometimes cheaper. They have better quality and fresher produce than Loblaws, perhaps that is what makes the price so different.

Their bakery section are name differently. I am not sure if that is own by another company. I have decided to try 3 of the items this time. Three for $7
Lemon Meringue Tart
It is very lemony and very sweet. I would prefer they take it easy on the citrus. The crust is nice and the filling is creamy as ever. It has exceed the expectation of grocery backery.

Apple Crumble Tart
I think the crust is the same as the Lemon Meringue Tart. It looks lovely, but I do not like apple crumble. Not to say it is not good, it is pretty good actually it live up to its look. Apple crumble is just not my thing.

Key Lime Tart
What can I say, it is Fabul-ious! The cream is fluffy, and not heavy at all because of the citrus twist. Like other Key lime tart very well balance. The sweet creamy filling paired together with coco tart crust is an amazing combination.

Pelican Fishery & Grill -Take out

Name: Pelican Fishery & Grill
Address: 1500 Bank Street, Ottawa
Contact: 613-526-0995
Hours: Mon thru Thur 11am to 8:30pm, Fri thru Sat 11:00am to 9:00pm, Sun 11:30am to 8:00pm
Parking: Mall Parking
Price: $15 - $30 pp

This time around I tried their take out menu. It is practically the same as the eat in, except it is not as fancy. For example their soups and famous Fish&Chips are exactly the same as eating in, but it's cheaper in price for some reason, and you do not have to pay tips.

Clam Chowder $5
Very lovely soup. They pack in a lot of ingredient besides the regular seafood. The bacon is a nice touch to add a very savory flavor. I give it a go for this delicious soup.
Fish&Chips (Halibut)
What can I say, the Very Famous Fish&Chips! Well, it does not cut it for me. I will never order this again, it is indeed very disappointing.

First off the good stuff. The fish, I have to admit, they are very fresh. There is no doubt the fresh quality you will get from Pelican, and the batter is actually really good too. However, it is not good enough for me to order again, there are better ones out there.

The Chips, definitely not crispy at all, and there is a sourly taste to it. They are extremely bad when comparing to the Chip Wagon on Merivale and Hunt Club, Ottawa. Not at all sweet or tasteful.

The Salad is alright, but as you can see it is very small. Personally with such a heavy dish I would expect them to serve a slightly bigger portion of greens.

Overall: This place is too pricey for its quality of cooking. The first time experience is better, but not the best. The service is very good, but it is a restaurant, and food is important at this case. The meat is fresh, so I suggest just purchasing from the raw section.

Malaysia Trip 2010

After the horrible Ottawa Malaysian Food experience I feel like posting some real Malaysian Food. This is from a trip I took early this year to KL Malaysia.
Everything taste so good and cheap.Unfortunately, there public transportation system is not the best. Without a vehicle it would be hard to get to some of the most local hang outs, so we got a local friend to take us around to places.

Durian Slushy-Crushed Ice topped with
Durian is the King of Food very sweet and delicious, but it takes a tough person to give this babe a bite because it is perhaps the stinkiest thing you would ever put in your mouth. However, for others it can be the best smell in the world.

Every city has their own McDonald twist. In KL they have the most Asian burger ever "The Prosperity Burger". A lot of Black Pepper sauce with hamburger topped with onion. The meat is surprisingly juicy and tender. It is nothing like the ones in North America. I can picture myself having this everyday.
The have a popular franchise over there call Old Town. The food is alright but their Kopi (coffee) is one of the best. They also sell instant coffee mix for you to DIY at home. It has become more popular around the world. In most Ontario Asian supermarket they usually carries Old Town Instant mix product.

One of Malaysian Special Soup Noodle.
I had this at a very famous Chinese Malaysian Food Court call No.10 Street Allyway.
I would describe it as Chinese thick soft Shanghai noodle in Japanese thick Ramen soup base. As you can see this one is topped with an egg, some big fresh shrimp and various vegetable. They also added a lot of green and deep fried chopped onions to heighten the scent, very tasty indeed.
In the China Town of KL, this lady is making one of the best Sesame (Chi Ma) Candy. It is soft and chewy, much like the Asian rice cake. Cut fresh right in front of you with all kinds of flavourite like peanut, strawberry etc.
When we were there there was a camera crew filming her. We were curious so we purchase a box. Just as there name Slippery Smooth. I have never tasted any Sesame Candy as soft as this.

This is all over the town. Lobster, Chicken, and Beef Jerky made fresh right in front of you. The best snake ever. It is different then the north American Jerky. It is marinated with different kind of sauce from from fruity to spicy. They are mince and made into flat sheets instead of chucks. They are also very juicy.
These fruit juice stations are all around the subway exits. They look very good with real fruit inside, but as a tourist you always want to be careful of the local water. Especially cold beverage.

Durain-King of Fruit
They are one of the best fruit in the world. The most sugar content and the most nutrient. However, the smell of one of these thing has restricted them from any public transportation and hotels. If you are a durain lover be ware of the local codes. You do not want to be sued.

There are different type of durain. The different between the Malaysian ones are their size and taste. They are much smaller than the ones from Thailand, but it does not mean they are less fruitful. These little ones are stuffed with big fruits and small seeds. Taste-wise they are sweet but with a bit liquorish taste when you really take the time to taste it. Pleasure to all senses, for the people who loves it.

Coconut are sell and crack for you right there. Available in most exotic country.
DIY street venders with their own home made sauce. Different colours at the tip of the stick mark the different prices.

Very popular stir-fried carrot rice cake (Asian style)
They put a lot of eggs and is dress with a whole bunch of sauces. Very delicious!!!

These are ice-cream on a stick.

Like I said, these street market usually located besides residential area. It is quite difficult to get to if you are a tourist. Plus, you need a place to enjoy your food and they usually do not have any seating area available. It is more like take home and enjoy kind of deal.



Distance local area restaurant serve some of the best noodle. It is very interesting because this noodle comes in as a sheet of thick paper. Then the chef just shred and peel it apart to cook this delicious noodle dish.
Tri-Colour Kopi. It is silky smooth and strong with Malaysian coffee. The most unique thing is, it has a hint of malt taste which combine with the coffee taste irritable
.
Kaya Toast- Kaya is a famous local spread. Often prepared with margerine or butter on toast, cracker or bread. Different restaurants like to customize their own Kaya which is made of eggs, sugar and coconut milk and flavored with pandan (a type of aromatic plant).



Durain Pancake
I guess because durain is everywhere in Malaysia they do not cheap out on ingredients. This little bite size pancake is a durain it self. Rich with durain fruit and perfectly sweetened wipe cream.
The creamy texture of the durain is perfect with the wipe cream. Fills your mouth with thunder.

This Fat Dude Stir-Fried Crab Restaurant is own by our host's high school friend. They made the best chicken wings and the best crab ever. Malaysian crab's shell is a lot harder then the Vancouver crab. It is cooked with a lot of sauce and flavor, but at the same time the taste of a good fresh crab is still very noticeable.


Fresh Curry Stir-Fried Crab.

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp (Tom Yum Style)


This is the local Assam Laksa.
I had this at a couple of different places including the street market they all serve it with this clear noodle and with pineapple and cucumber to lighten the strong soup base. Malaysia is near the coast that is why fish is one of their main ingredient.

Various types of drinks. Interesting design!

Malaysia is a religious country, so for all the pork lover sorry Malaysia is not kind to you. They practically have no pork served.