I’m preparing myself to embark on a journey making what is widely considered to be one of the most difficult pastries in the world to make.

I have been working tirelessly perfecting my croissant dough with some amazing results.

I have successfully made the Canalé from Bordeau on more than a few occasions.

I have even undertaken the precise and finicky French macaron successfully, though I do need to make some improvements. The macaronage is still my nemesis.

Even the daunting puff pastry is just another walk in the park for me now.

One pastry though scares me to the point of nah, it’s just easier to buy one. But if I hope to be an instructor in the art of baking when I retire from my current job I must improve my skills. I can do that with the challenge of the sfogliatelle.

This is a “lobster tail” from Gastromia Italia here in New Westminster.

It’s a great little shop selling Italian products. The selection isn’t as big or as varied as Ciofi’s or Bosa but it’s only a 5 minute walk down the street for me so I go there when I know they have something I need.

It’s a good opportunity to start my research before I attempt to make sfogliatelle myself. I’ll be in Italy in a few weeks and will do lots more research there.

I’m not sure if they make them here from scratch. But based on the crispiness of the layers I am pretty sure they bake them here. They put different fillings in, today it’s a chocolate cream. It sure was tasty.

However that’s not the traditional filling you’ll find in Italy. That’s a semolina/ricotta filling flavored with citrus. I’ll have an opportunity to try that in Italy I’m sure.

And then when we return I’m going to give making them a go.

Unitl I am more familiar with the Sfogliatelle though I am sure happy with this version.

Hopefully the ones in Italy don’t spoil it for me.

8/10

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It’s Dine Out Vancouver time. Today I plan to get out there and give one of the special menus a try.

When I looked through the restaurant list it looked like there’s around 400 different establishments offering special deals on their lunch and dinner menus.

It did not take me long to choose today. Once I saw Hawksworth on the list it was a done deal

I had dinner here in September to celebrate a birthday and it was fantastic. Read that review here.

My daughter Amanda is joining me today. I suspect this is the first time she will have been in a Michelin quality restaurant. Hopefully her palate can handle the more complex dishes she will experience today.

As we are here for Dine Out Vancouver there is a set menu with fewer choices than the usual lunch menu.

My comments follow, I asked Amanda to give me her thoughts on her first fine dining experience. I will add them at the end of my review.

On first glance of the menu I was mildly disappointed. None of the options offered were anything I was too excited about.

For a starter I decided on the Celeriac soup. Celeriac, or its other name, celery root, is a root vegetable I am pretty familiar with, having had it a few times over the years in various dishes. I also use celeriac puree as mashed potato alternative occasionally or throw it in some soups. It’s quite versatile, with a mild celery like, earthy flavour. I’ve never had a Celeriac soup though.

The bowl arrives at your table with a few greens and roasted hazelnuts presented nicely in the bowl and the soup is poured in front of you.

The soup was excellent. The hazelnuts surprised me most, not only with the textural component, but their nuttiness enhanced the natural nutty flavour of the Celeriac.

I went with the Rockfish for my second course.

it was coconut crusted and fortunately wasn’t too coconut forward. It’s not my favorite flavor. It certainly raised a simple white fish to another level. The kitchen cooking it perfectly also made this an excellent choice. The crispy noodles added a nice crunch. There also was a few Enoki mushrooms in there too. Mild and slightly crunchy, it’s one of the few fungi I actually like.

Dessert wasn’t much of a choice. Carrot cake or sorbet.

Those little blobs are pineapple jelly, the quenelle is Mascarpone ice cream and the ribbon cream cheese icing.

The ice cream was perfect, the cake was light and the cream cheese icing not overly sweet. An amazing treat to end a lovely meal.

Now I’m typically of the opinion that carrots belong on your dinner plate, not your dessert plate.

But if it’s always Carrot Cake like this one I’ll have to change that opinion.

And so while at first I was a little disappointed with the dine out menu, in the end it turned out to be a delicious meal. And so well worth the measly $36 charged for such fine food.

10/10

Amanda’s comments

The celeriac soup was delicious—well balanced and a little salty, but in a good way. For my main I had the ricotta cavatelli (with no mushrooms) and loved it; the sauce was bright, lemony, and herby, and made the whole dish feel fresh and comforting at the same time. I finished with the carrot cake and mascarpone ice cream, which was excellent, and a Rum Jungle cocktail that tasted like banana and pineapple. Yum!

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We are downtown celebrating Merilynn’s birthday and we are on our way to lose $100 at the casino but both of us need some caffeine first.

I try to avoid Starbucks whenever possible so we are on the lookout for a local coffee shop on our way.

We happened to walk by Rocanini Coffee Roasters just before they were closing.

When you’re in a good coffee place you don’t need to get anything put in your lattes. Not like Starbucks. A plain latte there is almost undrinkable nowadays.

But at a place like Rocanini you let the coffee shine.

Now that’s a good latte.

Smooth and creamy, not bitter at all. That’s as good as it gets.

Will definitely keep this in mind next time I’m in this part of town

10/10

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We have heard from friends that Frankie’s Italian Kitchen is worth checking out.

So to celebrate Merilynn’s birthday she decided it was time to check it out.

Inside we found a warm atmosphere and welcoming staff. It was busy but noise levels were well within easy talking levels. It was a bit dim due to all the dark furnishing and what seemed like more than a few light fixtures not working. But not so dim you couldn’t read the menu.

If you’re a fan of Jazz they also have a club right next door that is served by the same kitchen. Shows are roughly 4 times a week at 8pm. We do plan on coming for a show sometimes. But tonight is just dinner.

Im gonna start with an ale, Hoyne Appleton’s Finest British to be precise.

“Quaffable” is the adjective used to describe this Ale. Ok, I’ll be honest. I had to look that one up.

Pleasant, easy to drink and in large quantities is the definition.

And it certainly is. It’s hoppy with a nice caramel color. Some coral notes on the nose with a hint of caramel.

I’m really stuck with what to have for an appy.

It was between deep fried pizza dough pillows with marinara or polenta fries. The server swayed us to go with the polenta fries.

So not what I was expecting. But in this instance it turned out well.

i imagined a “fry” more dense, to hold the shape you’d expect a fry to be. But these were very crispy on the outside and soft, moist and light in the middle. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around how they made these. My first thought maybe they were in some kind of wrapper. Maybe it’s just cooled and then cut and then air dried?

Regardless these were fantastic. They are served with a garlic aioli which was a nice complement.The idea could be greatly improved though if they added a marinara sauce for dipping as well.

It was nice to see something different on the menu though. I may have to try mucking around making these one day.

On the feature menu tonight they have a encrusted Halibut with risotto. That’s right up her alley.

This was not what she was expecting. But in this situation it wasn’t a good thing.

Lets start with the fish. The taste was quite good actually. But it was overcooked. Not by a lot mind you. But enough that made me shake my head. When I was 20 I didnt cook fish well. I do now. So when we get it poorly done it stands out. And that’s halibut. That’s too much money sitting on that plate to overcook it. Rookie in the kitchen tonight? Remind me not to get the filet next time we are here.

But the major disappointment for her was the risotto. It was Fregola risotto. Something neither of us knew about. Fregola Risotto is made with a bean sized pasta, not rice. So the texture and flavour are nothing what you’d expect from a rice Risotto.

I personally didn’t mind it. It does have a similarly creamy texture from the starches releasing from the pasta. But they are much bigger and if you’re used to good rice risotto this is a departure from that.

So Merilynn had about three bites. Then I took over.

It the fish had been better executed this would be an okay dish. Yeah of course I wouldn’t eat the olives, eww, the capers did add a nice brininess to the overall impact. The almond crust on the fish was great, too bad they had overcooked it though and spoiled the good parts.

I really wanted to send it back. That’s not Merilynn’s thing so we ate as much as we could. And we will be a little more observant reading menus going forward.

They brought us some Focaccia.

Focaccia is something I know well. I’ve spent hours perfecting my version at home.

This one is lacking in a few areas. It was dry and flavourless. My preference is for a high hydration Focaccia, on the 110% range. This is closer to 60%. No salt on the top either. One bite, you know the rules. 1.2. One bite and I’m done.

I went with the feature Chicken Cannelloni.

I enjoyed it. The sauce was delicious and they’re filling tasted great as well. If I had one thing I complain about they could have used bigger chunks of chicken in the filling. It was ground up too much. But overall a nice dish.

Dessert tonight is an affogato.

First time for both of us having an affagato.

And we both really liked it. Why have I not tried one of these before?

The intense espresso with the sweet gelato and fudge made a great combo. One of these on a hot summer day on a patio would be fantastic.

Unfortately though the overall experience for Merilynn’s birthday dinner wasn’t the best.

Yes we enjoyed the polenta fries, the affogato and I was good with my meal. But she was very disappointed with hers.

Will I be recommending Frankie’s to any of my friends?

With caveats.

6/10

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Anyone who knows me knows I’m a foodie.

Good food is definitely my weakness.

So when I found out that there is a local pastry chef who specializes in Pannettone getting my hands on one wasn’t even an option.

The genius and talent behind Antise is Emmidio, a highly trained pastry chef from Italy. Though my brief description does not do his CV justice. To get the full story visit their website.

Antise

One does not just pop into Antise to pick up a Pannetone. They don’t have a storefront in the way you normally think of.

You have to pre-order online. Then a week later you go during a 4-hour window to pick it up.

As I’ve only ever had a traditional pannetone, I decided to try out their chocolate version.

Very nice presentation. High quality packaging.

So we have the traditional pannetone dough, but with chocolate chips rather than the raisins and dried fruit.

The chocolate version is a little richer than I’m used to. Pannetone is already very rich, what with all the butter and sugar in it. But they add lots of high quality chocolate, making it even richer. There’s also a chocolate spread on the top. Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

Moist, buttery, chocolatey goodness. Very addictive.

Pro tip: Eat this with a big glass of cold homogenized milk.

At $50 each this isn’t something you’re going to order often. But at a 10/10 it’s a nice treat to have once in a while.

Next year, I’ll try their traditional Pannetone.

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We are in town picking up a Pannetone from Antise. They specialize in making this Christmas treat, and Antise is invited to participate in the World Cup in Italy next year. Read my review here.

Yeesh this is not the best part of town though. Not sure why they settled on this area to put down roots. Have to watch your back around here.

Just up the street is Six Acres, a restaurant that I’ve wanted to try for some time now. If we can avoid the needles and other paraphanalia anyways.

I’m not really sure what genre Six Acres fits into.

It is not a cafe. Gastropub doesn’t fit the bill. Upscale casual isn’t quite right either, though I suppose that’s the closest I can think of.

It’s small. Around 10 tables in a small space plus a few seats at the bar. In the summer they have a nice patio. But it’s November. So after killing 15 minutes with a walk through Gastown a table cleared up for us.

It’s a cute place, proclaiming the best table in Vancouver. It’s a table at the front of the place on a bit of a raised platform. Considering your view is likely to be that of a drug addict taking a poop on the sidewalk I’m not so sure about that claim but we’ll just go with it.

But we aren’t here for a view of the crackheads are we?

I’m starting with a drink. A peanut butter cup.

It’s s just Kahlua, whiskey and Baileys on ice with a peanut butter cup thrown on top. But pretty tasty.

Merilynn had a gin drink. I cannot remember for the life of the crackhead outside what’s in it, but it was very refreshing.

Boy did it go down easily. Could easily get as hammered as the vagrants in no time.

Fish tacos are on order for Merilynn today.

A very generous portion of cod with coleslaw, avocado and a spicy sriracha mayo. Crispy and not too heavy, a really nice take on the fish taco.

Since there’s a lobster roll on the meno my choice was very easy.

And a good choice it was.

The brioche roll was very fresh and soft, clearly made very recently. Tons of lobster in there, in smaller pieces sure but there was no shortage.

I’m not a big sandwich fan generally. Two pieces of bread with something in between. But that’s pretty fantastic.

So if you find yourself in Gastown and need something good to eat, and can get in, try Six Acres. It’s a really great lunch spot.

9/10

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This has to be right at the top of my favorite coffee shops in Vancouver.

I know, it would be sacrilegious to even mention that other place (the coffee shop from Seattle that shall not be named) in the same conversation. I only bring it up as Aperture reminds of what Starbucks used to, many years ago.

A cool place to hang out, listen to some great jazz and have a great cup of coffee.

The front lounge and coffee bar.

The even better back room. I could live here.

A motorbike.

And the coffee is fantastic.

A large here is 4 shots of espresso.

Boing!

And it’s delicious. A smooth balance between the espresso, vanilla and whole milk.

Come for the coffeee, stay for the vibe.

Aperture coffee is caffé buonissimo!

10/10

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Mediterranean Fire Pizza on Commercial Drive used to be just that, fire.

There were many a 3am on a Saturday night, on the way home stops, for a late dinner in the past.

I thought it is some of the the finest pizza in the city frankly. It wasn’t, strictly speaking, Neapolitan. It was a bit of a hybrid between Neapolitan and New York I suppose.

Well things have changed. How the mighty have fallen.

It now ranks right up there with Freshslice and Pizza Pizza

In other words, absolute shite.

They seem to have roughly the same variety of pizza by the slice.

There’s about 10 options there in front of you.

But the quality has declined. Considerably.

The cheese was greasy and flavorless. The toppings, meager as they were, very poor quality. My Capicollo looked like no Capicollo I have ever seen before. Didn’t taste like Capicollo either.

Sophia’s Chicken Caesar pizza had the same awful cheese and way too much of a way too garlicky sauce.

The Ephasus, a Mediterranean inspired pizza with olives, artichokes, tomatoes and spinach also left much to be desired. The flavour combination just didn’t work.

When asked about her opinion on her slice Merilynn’s reply was “I regretted breaking my fast for it.”

I am not sure what’s happened here. Did they get new owners and they have changed the recipes? Has inflation caught up to them and they switched to cheaper ingredients rather than raise their prices?

Whatever the case, the fire at Fire Pizza has burned itself out.

One bite you know the rules:

Merilynn 4.0

Greg 3.7

Sophia 5.0

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Hawksworth had been on my culinary bucket list for a few years now but somehow a visit has been overlooked, until now.

David Hawksworth is a local Vancouver chef who trained in some of Europe’s top kitchens before starting his own venture, Hawksworth, in 2011.

Quickly becoming known as one of Canada’s, nevermind Vancouver’s, top restaurants, it is now on the Michelin recommended list. Soon to be followed by a Michelin star I’m sure.

And while you will find the food near the top of the quality spectrum, you won’t find any of the pretentiousness or stuffiness that often comes with the “fine dining” experience. It’s not quite come as you are, but it’s not far off.

We have eaten at Nightingale, his other Vancouver restaurant a few times, enjoying each experience. The food has always been amazing and the service top notch.

We especially enjoyed the Chef’s Table experience there. The pizza at Nightingale is amazing!

And while the food at Nightingale is wonderful, it isn’t at the level you’d expect in a Michelin star restaurant.

Hawksworth however is at that level.

The menu is surprisingly diverse with a larger selection of starters and mains than I would expect in a higher end restaurant.

As usual we try different dishes and share them so we can have as varied a meal as possible.

I’m starting with mixed Heirloom tomatoes while Merilynn went with a favorite of ours, Ceviche.

This “salad” is a selection of different tomatoes topped with feta cheese, green olives and shaved green peppers.

What was particularly surprising about this was the olives, which I actually enjoyed. Normally I can’t stand the things, but the flavour of hese olives weren’t overpowering like I find most olives.While tomatoes can often be acidic, these were not. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the shaved green peppers juxtaposed nicely with the salty feta.

The Ceviché was absolutely delicious.

The particular fish changes from day to day depending on availability, and unfortunately I don’t remember the variety on this particular evening. Regardless it was fantastic.

Fresh citrus flavours with a slight kick from the jalapeños. In my experience Ceviché is usually served with tortilla chips. I guess that doesn’t really fly at a high end restaurant. Endive is the choice here, and it really elevated it to another level.

Not only is it healthier than fried chips, the slight bitterness adds a beautiful contrast to the sweet/citrus flavours of the fish, with a nice added crunch for texture.

Here at Hawksworth they take an interesting approach to the main course, a bit like a steakhouse. Main dishes focus on the protein. Sides are ordered separately. In one way I like this approach, I can customize my meal to my preferences. On the other hand, is it a bit of a cash grab?

But whether you think it’s good or not, one thing you cannot complain about is the amount of choice you have to pick from. There were so many appetizing dishes that it was actually quite difficult for me to make a final decision. In the end I settled on the Sablefish from northern BC coastal waters.

Marinated in miso, it was perfectly cooked, moist, shimmering almost. The inexperienced would call it undercooked. It wasn’t. The slightly sweet and tangy glaze complimented the fish very well.

Salmon Cake with Lobster bisque was Merilynn’s choice.

Normally served on a bed of wilted spinach, we skipped this due to allergies. The cake was tender and moist, and paired very well with the bisque. Was as delicious as it was beautifully presented.

Then we had to choose a side, which there were many delicious looking options to choose from. We went with the crispy rice.

Not exactly what I was expecting, brilliant nonetheless.

A crispy, crunchy exterior, soft interior and slightly spicy, these were hard to stop eating, somewhat addictive. While they were hot anyways. Less so as they cooled. Is crispy rice the fad right now? I’ve seen it twice lately now that I think about it.

How to finish off what is turning out to be a fantastic meal? Dessert is something I often skip after an average meal. I don’t need the calories. But for a Journeyman baker in a restaurant such as this it’s almost mandatory. The opportunity to see creativity elevated to levels this high in one’s chosen field is always fascinating.

And lofty levels it was.

Caramelized Okanagan peaches on a Financier with marscapone in a browned butter sauce.

To say this was nothing short of spectacular would be a disservice. Fresh Okanagans peaches are a treat unto themselves. Juicy and bursting with flavour. Add a Financier and some browned butter and you have dessert perfection.

And as amazing as this evening has been it’s not over yet.

A trio of mignardises, or to the non French speaker, small bites.

A caramel, a fruit jelly and a chocolate. The fruit jelly being particularly special, bringing back memories of Christmas and my Grandparents. Treats to finish a wonderful meal.

A delicious latté with our mignardines.

The big question of the evening, did Hawksworth live up to what were admittedly high expections?

Often restaurants don’t. But Hawksworth certainly did. Exceeded them even.

Excellent food and top notch service made for a wonderful evening.

10/10

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Its a boys trip to the Okanagan. There’s going to be lots of wine. Lots of beer. Lots of Gin. And lots of food.

Tonight is dinner at the Hooded Mergancer. Named after a bird, if you don’t know.

We tried to go here on one our boys trip a year ago, but it was full thanks to the Canucks who were in town. This year they are in Seattle. No problems getting a table tonight.

The restaurant is located right on the lake behind the Penticton Lakeside Resort. It’s a contemporary, comfortable space with a wrap around patio and big windows that open right up giving the whole place a airy, almost outdoorsy feel.

Needless to say it has some pretty amazing views.

Anticipation has been building for a year now. I hope I haven’t made expectations too high.

We have a lovely table on the patio, and it’s a beautiful warm evening in the Okanagan. A perfect night for a lovely meal.

For dinner I am having Parmesan crusted Halibut with a buerre Blanc sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables, which turned out to be zucchini tonight, always a good choice.

Almost everything was perfect about this dish. If I had one complaining it’s just the presentation. Not a lot of color going on here.

However everything was amazing. The fish was cooked perfectly. The zucchini still had a bit of a bite to it. The potatoes were not gloopy at all. The buerre Blanc added a nice acidic finishing touch to everything.

But even as good as the halibut was the best was still yet to come.

Dessert, a lemon curd, was another mind blowing moment for me.

A fresh lemon curd is one of those great joys for me.

And this one was incredible.

The Italian cake was delicious and complemented the curd so well. The fruit and citrus was another outstanding pairing. Throw a little mint to jazz it up a little. Add some baked meringue droos and you have an absolutely perfect dessert.

That’s gonna be on my list to copy cat very soon.

9.5/10

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