There’s something satisfying about a gin that actually tastes like somewhere. Spirit Bear, made at Urban Distilleries in Kelowna, is about as Okanagan as it gets — locally grown grain, lavender and apple from nearby farms, and a botanical lineup that feels considered rather than just thrown together.

Ten botanicals total: the usual suspects like juniper, coriander, and angelica root, but then lavender and apple come in and do something genuinely interesting. It’s the kind of thing you notice on first sip and keep thinking about.

The nose gives you floral right away — the lavender is forward but gentle, more like walking past a field than anything cloying or artificial.

On the palate it’s smooth and a little creamy, with citrus cutting through before a soft, almost fruity finish from the apple. It’s not a big punchy London Dry, it’s something quieter and more specific. I mean that as a compliment.

There’s a real balance here that takes some craft to pull off — floral gins can easily tip into dessert territory, but Spirit Bear stays dry and composed throughout.

Sipped neat over ice it holds up well, and it makes a great gin and tonic if you want the botanicals to show off a bit. I’d also imagine it doing interesting things in a Collins or a French 75, anywhere the floral notes have room to breathe.

It’s won a few awards — gold at the SIP Awards in California, Judges’ Choice at the Alberta Beverage Awards — and while. I’m not usually moved by trophy stickers on a bottle, they’re not wrong here.

For a craft gin coming out of the BC interior, this punches well above its weight. If you’re in BC and you haven’t picked this up yet, you probably should. And if you’re not in BC, it’s worth hunting down.

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We are trying a new spot for Indian food today, Delight Street Eats.

I’m not sure if this qualifies as a Chaat House. To be honest I don’t even know what what Chaat really is. But I’ve been a couple times and have always enjoyed it.

Im starting with a Mango Lassi, a yogurt based drink that can come in handy when you have spicy food. And we aren’t ordering white people Indian food today. Ok, we aren’t going full “make it like your in New Delhi spicy” either. Somewhere in between.

We are starting with Chole Bathura.

I’m familiar with Chana Bhatura. Chickpea curry served with a fluffy deep fried bread. We had a very good example of it recently from Rana Catering.

But what is Chole Bhature?

Well apparently it’s the same thing. The name is just a regional difference.

Except in this case.

That bread clearly isn’t fluffy. But it sure is crispy and airy. Reminds me of a papadum. In fact I suspect that it is.

Regardless it was very good. The chickpeas had a rich, intense flavour that the bread sopped up nicely.

Biryani is alone pot meal, fragrant rice layered with a curry marinated

meat or vegetables and spices.

This is one of the finest examples I’ve ever tasted of this amazing dish.

I’ve never tasted a Biryani with this depth of flavour. I could not believe my tastebuds. With “fall off the bone tender” chicken this could have been a meal in itself.

But I wanted to try something different.

So I asked the server to bring us something white people don’t order.

We got this:

Looks great, but what is it?

My first thought was chicken. But wrong texture.

Then I was thinking a dough of some kind. Nope.

Turns out it was a soy product of some kind, kind of like tofu. Though with a denser consistensy that I’m used to.

In the end, while the curry itself was very tasty both of us found a texture of the soy product a little off-putting and it ended up not being our favorite. You win some, you lose some.

Regardless of the last dish though the food here was spectacular.

A great Biryani, yummy Chole Bhature and creamy mango lasis made for a really great lunch.

8/10

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We have been on an Italian wine kick since we returned from our trip and have been working our way brought the local shops offerings.

Tonight we are trying Masi Valpolicella, from Veneto.

It is one of those wines that just gets the job done. It’s not going to make you stop mid-sip and reach for your phone to text someone about it, but you’re not going to be disappointed either.

It’s light and easy drinking with some cherry and a bit of earthiness going on. Pretty classic Valpolicella. You open it, you pour it, you enjoy it. No complaints

Where it lands for me is firmly in the “solid weeknight wine” category. Throw on some pasta, order a pizza, crack this open. It works. It’s not a wine you bring out when you’re trying to impress anyone, but it’s also not a wine that’s going to embarrass you.

The finish is short and the whole thing is pretty soft, which honestly makes it easy to drink a couple of glasses without really thinking about it. Whether that’s a pro or a con is up to you.At the price point it’s hard to argue with.

Decent Italian red, no fuss. I’d buy it again if it was on sale. I probably wouldn’t pay full price when there are more exciting options out there for the same money.

Six out of ten. Reliably fine.

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There’s a new Tiramisu shop near Metrotown that’s blowing up on Instagram. Having recently been to Italy and had some fantastic tiramisu, I feel like I’m in a good position to judge the quality of the dessert here.

However, the last time I visited a restaurant that was blowing up on Instagram it was a bit of a failure. I did not “love” Spaghetti Love Bakehouse at Lougheed Mall, but I had higher hopes today.

You’ll find Tiramisu Republic on the north side of Kingsway, a couple blocks west of Willingdon. It’s small, with just a few seats to sit at. That’s okay, I’m getting them to go.

If I understand it right, they will have six options at any given time. A couple of flavors may rotate seasonally.

I’m going with the classic and mango.

From what I’ve read online, everything is made in-house. I was surprised to see five or six people running around in the very small kitchen assembling the tiramisu upon ordering. That’s usually a good sign. Too often today, desserts just come out of a box.

They also offer two packaging options: a box or a jar. They tell me it’s the same amount of product but the jar is a dollar cheaper. They say the box is easier for sharing, and as I was taking these home to sample with Merilynn later, I decided to spend the extra two bucks. The box is a nicer presentation regardless.

If you’re keeping score, it cost me $23 for two tiramisu.

Honestly, both were great. However, I’m not sure one can call the mango one a Tiramisu. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious. Look at all that fresh mango. But I found the mango flavour so strong it overpowered any mascarpone flavour.

The classic version was right up there with some of the best Tiramisu I’ve had. A perfect balance of textures and flavors that was both rich yet light.

Both versions were absolutely delicious. This time, Instagram came through — I highly recommend it.

9/10

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Popping up on Instagram lately has been Spaghetti Love Bakehouse, a new pasta shop at Lougheed Mall. It’s all the rage apparently.

A friend of mine who is much more online savvy saw it first and suggested we meet after work to check it out.

Well, after my meal I’m guessing all that hype is manufactured.

Spoiler alert; it wasn’t great.

The first warning sign – it’s in the food court. In my personal experience, food court food, more often than not, is about as tasty as the cardboard container it’s served in. I ended up deciding on the lasagne.

While I wouldn’t call it particularly terrible, it would not qualify as good either. Edible? Sure. Once.

The noodles? Fine. The meat? A mystery. Beef, I suppose. The sauce? It’s what ruined it for me. It was a really funny texture. It was hard to put my finger on what that texture was. Something close to the texture of Palak Paneer is the closest I can get to describing it. That’s the one Indian dish I don’t like.

The value? That’s the best part. It was a pretty large portion for $20. Way more than I needed to eat. If you want a big meal and you’re not a picky this might just be the place for you.

But for me, Pasta Polo just isn’t that far away. And for a few bucks more you will get a much better meal.

I suppose if you’re not as much a food snob as me you might find this really good.

If you are a food snob like me, you shouldn’t be in a food court in the first place.

3/10

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I am out for a bit of a walk this morning with my destination being a new tiramisu shop on Kingsway that’s blowing up on Instagram. My plan was to grab a coffee at a Starbucks along the way, there were at least two I knew of, but I passed by Coffizen Coffee Roasters and decided to skip the mediocre brew for something better. (I hope)

It’s a rather pleasant atmosphere. There’s some greenery around the room and plenty of seating. Even a nice wooden bench with cushions in the corner. It feels like somewhere I could spend some time.

I’m only getting a cappuccino today. Hopefully it’s somewhat like all that great coffee we had in Italy.

The balance of milk to foam was a little off, too much milk,not enough foam. The flavour of the coffee was great though — not bitter, just that smooth, rich taste you expect from a great cup of coffee.

The service was very good. The staff were very friendly and brought my coffee to the table. That’s not something you get at the other place.

You’ll find Coffizen Coffee Roasters on Edmonds between Kingsway and Canada Way. If you’re in the area and in dire need of some caffeine, it would be worth your while to check them out.

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We are craving Chinese tonight but not feeling the love for Han Lin at the moment and Neptune, probably the best, is only reserved for some special occasions since it’s so pricey.

So I did a little research and found North King Noodle House on Hastings in Burnaby. Good ratings without a ridiculous delivery fee.

Merilynm specifically asked for sweet and sour pork.

This is one dish I’ve never liked, so I didn’t try it. She reported it very good though.

Oddly enough I couldn’t find a noodle dish I found appealing. From a noodle house. Maybe I’ll have to check out their in house menu. Maybe the online menu has fewer options?

Anyways I pick Chicken Fried Rice.

Glad I did. That was some fantastic fried rice. Right near the top of best ever. Lots of flavour, a little but sticky and lots of chicken. It’s a winner.

And they had King Pao so that’s a must do.

I ordered medium, next time I’ll crank that heat level up some. Kung Pao needs a kick. It was great Kung Pao. The sauce was a little different, a bit sweeter than you’d usually see in a Kung Pao. But it complemented the spiciness well. Lots of peanuts too. If I had one small complaint I’d say trim up the chicken a bit. I had a couple of inedible bi.ts. Easy enough to pick around though.

As for value, 3 dishes delivered to New West from North Burnaby in today’s day is not too bad.

Overall that’s an excellent Chinese. Both the dishes I tried were fantastic. I’ll definitely be ordering from them again.

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This is the kind of wine you open on a Tuesday night without feeling guilty, but that’s good enough to bring to a dinner party without apology.

Bottom line: really enjoyable, easy-drinking red that’s worth every penny.It’s a deep, rich red in the glass. Give it a swirl and you get a friendly waft of dark cherries, dried figs, and a hint of chocolate.

There’s also something slightly earthy underneath, in a good way, like soil after rain.It’s smooth and medium-weight, not too heavy, not too thin. Think ripe plums and blackberries up front, with a savory, almost olive-y edge that makes it interesting.

The finish lingers nicely without being harsh. The tannins are soft and won’t catch you off guard.It goes with pretty much anything Italian, pasta, pizza, grilled lamb, or a cheese board. It loves bold, hearty food.

This is a crowd-pleaser that doesn’t taste like one. It has real personality and actually tastes like it comes from somewhere sunny, rustic Sicily, rather than a factory. If you’re spending $20-25 on a bottle, this is a smart choice.

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I thought the special sounded good. A lobster/crab ravioli.

Served with a Limoncello sauce, fennel, arugula and paprika oil.The sauce was light and creamy with the fennel adding a nice subtle, licorice flavour. The filling was a bit on the rich side with the crab overpowering the lobster. The balance in the fillimg was just a bit off.

Merilynn had the Spaghetti Bolognese.

We’ve had this before, and always enjoyed it. I just wish we could get it without the fungus. The Ragu is a rich, meaty sauce with lots of Italian sausage, veal and beef, (and the shrooms) with tons of flavour. You can tell this is a proper Ragu.

Two very good pasta dishes, though both could be improved slightly. Still, I won’t complain. I didn’t have to cook today.

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We just went through the Galleria dell’Academia and saw what is the finest sculpture ever, Michelangelo’s David

And since the only thing we’ve had today is coffee and gelato we need to eat.

Claude pointed me to Trattoria Dei Servi, just down the road from the Duomo.

One thing I’ll say is that there is no shortage of dining options in this city. We walked by about 20 other Trattorias on the way here.

A typically nice Italian interior.

And of course good Italian wine.

And good Italian pasta.

Tagliatelle with salmon and strachiatelle. A good sized portion with salmon, fresh tomatoes and the cheese, it wasn’t too rich, like a lot of pasta dishes.

And seafood risotto.

Quite the plate of food there, with a good selection of seafood. Clams, shrimp, mussels, baby octopus and far too much Calamari. But delicious nonetheless.

No dessert here tonight, we haven’t had quite enough gelato yet.

Good service, great food and a nice spot.

A great last dinner in Firenze

8/10

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