April 2016 - West Coast Food
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April 2016

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Recipe: Tomato Basil Quinoa Muffins

By Alex Abley, Pastry Chef, Railtown Cafe Yields 12 muffins. INGREDIENTS Quinoa (1 ¾ cup) Raw spinach (3 cups, chopped) Onion (1 large) Cherry tomatoes (2 cups, halved) Basil (2 sprigs, chiffonade [chopped long]) Salt (1 tsp) Cheddar cheese (2 cups, diced) Garlic powder (1 tsp) Chili flakes (1 tsp) Rice flour (¼ cup) Eggs (5) DIRECTIONS Chop the large onion and cook low and slow until caramelized. Set aside. Bring 3 ½ cups water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover and cook on low heat for 12 minutes. Turn heat off, and allow quinoa to steam while covered for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Toss cooled quinoa with garlic powder, chili flakes, salt and rice flour. Whisk eggs and combine with quinoa mixture. Add spinach, caramelized onions, tomatoes, cheese and basil. Portion the mixture into a greased muffin tin (or half-sphere silpat mold as they do at Railtown Café).…

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Asian

Richmond’s Food Court Face-Off: Parker vs. Yaohan

By Visit Richmond BC Chowing down at a food court in Richmond is somewhat different compared to the typical North American mall food court; you’ll find incredibly unique mom ‘n pop stalls serving tasty curries, warming noodle soups, creating mouth-watering dumplings, barbecuing meats – you name it, you’ll probably find it in Richmond. Each and every food court in Richmond has a hidden treasure waiting for you to discover it. It can be slightly overwhelming on your first visit; there are so many options to choose from that you may not be able to decide. To help you out, here are some insider tips about two popular Asian malls and their food courts, including where to go for the best eats and how they compare to each other in the ultimate face-off! The Contenders Parker Place Established in 1993, Parker Place Mall has become a shopping landmark in downtown Richmond.…

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Cocktails, Wines & Spirits

Locally made Amaro Uses Vancouver’s North Shore Ingredients

by Catherine Dunwoody Canada’s premier craft and micro-distillery festival, BC Distilled, showcased 27 BC-based artisan distilleries to nearly 500 fans of locally made gins, whiskies, liqueurs, vodkas and more this April. Clearly the show-stealer was The Woods Spirit Co.’s homegrown Amaro. If you’re the cocktail-culture type, or familiar with this Italian herbal liqueur because it’s been around for centuries (respect!) – you’ll likely be aware that Amaro in Italian means ‘bitter’ and brands like Aperol, Campari and Fernet-Branca are a few well-known names. Amari (that’s plural Amaro, folks) tend to be sipped straight up after dinner, soothing digestion with their balance of herbal, botanical, elixir-like properties. And in the land of classic cocktails? A Negroni would not be a Negroni, nor a Sprtiz a Spritz – without Amaro. Joel Myers and Fabio Martini, co-owners of The Woods Spirit Co. tell us the secret to their Amaro recipe is found on Vancouver’s…

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Vietnamese

Chopsticks on Pho: A Love Story in Surrey

By Joanne Sasvari Long before they met, Lynn Le and Steven Lee knew they wanted to open a restaurant. But it took a long time – and an even longer journey – before they would see their dream become reality. Reality it is, though. On Aug. 1, 2012, the couple opened Chopsticks on Pho in Surrey. They’ve since developed a loyal following for their fresh, healthy and flavourful Vietnamese fare. They’ve also become proud members of their community, even though it is a world away from where they started out. Vietnam is where they started, back in the bad old days that followed the end of the war in 1975. Many Vietnamese, especially in the south, feared retribution from the Communist government of the newly unified country, and rightly so: It is estimated that a million Vietnamese were sent to brutal prison camps after the war and some 65,000 executed.…

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Latin American

Rio Brazilian Steak House in Coquitlam

By Sheliza Mitha & The City of Coquitlam When Maurio Ramos and his family emigrated from Brazil to Canada in 2001, it was with the hope of achieving a better quality of life. While the family immersed and settled themselves entirely in their new chosen home of Metro Vancouver, there was one thing they couldn’t and wouldn’t leave behind: the food and flavours of their native country. With extensive restaurant experience in their hometown of Aracaju, which sits in the north-eastern part of Brazil, the decision to venture into the food service industry here was an easy one. “About one year after we arrived in Canada, we were approached by an investor to open a Brazilian Steakhouse, which became Samba,” explains Felipe Ramos, Maurio’s son and a trained chef. “Maurio and I were the only two people involved in the restaurant, and I was one of the first chefs at…

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Indian

Fill your Plate at Burnaby’s Indian and International Buffets

By Tim Pawsey Somehow, amidst the never ending tsunami of trends and the revolving door of openings and closings, the buffet endures. An array of tastes and flavours offered at a reasonable price is tempting to the eclectic diner and to parents of choosy children, but to really be a hit, a good buffet needs to not only offer variety but also be well tended, with dishes kept warm and replenished as needed. Perhaps because it remains a bastion of family dining, frequently served only on weekends, the buffet is the one holdover from times past that we not only tolerate but celebrate. In Burnaby, which neighbours Vancouver with a thriving community of families and multiculturalism, there are many to choose from, with a strong focus on international cuisine. In Burnaby, Indian buffets rule. Four blocks west of Metrotown, contemporary toned Saffron Indian Cuisine yields both lunch and dinner extravaganzas.…

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Farms

Gojoy: Goji Berries of the Fraser Valley

By Kathy Mak The latest point of pride for Peter Breederland is a berry that is virtually unknown in North America but lauded as one of the most nutritionally rich foods on the planet. The ellipsoid, jelly-bean shaped berries are bright orange-red in colour, 1-2 cm long, tart-sweet in flavour, and are most commonly referred to as ‘goji berries’. Breederland, based in the township of Langley, is considered B.C.’s first commercial grower to cultivate and harvest fresh goji berries. Already a successful horticulturalist in the Fraser Valley for the past 23 years, as owner of Topgro Greenhouses (specializing in mini-bell peppers), Breederland jumped at the challenge of growing goji berries when he was looking for a new and unique crop to expand his farm. With little to no existing information to guide him for goji berry farming, Breederland had to pioneer his own growing practice from scratch. After five years,…

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Shops & Markets

A Tea Tutorial from New Westminster’s River Market

By Catherine Dunwoody Photos by Nicol Spinola Photography With over 150 types of tea sold, New Westminster’s Great Wall Tea Company, located in the River Market since 2010, has one of the most impressive selections in the lower mainland. With that much choice however, teatime could make your head spin a little. We asked co-owner of the shop, Lauren Bowler, for some tips on what tea can offer, so we can choose what suits us best. Catherine Dunwoody: First off, how did you get into the tea business? Lauren Bowler: I work primarily as an actor, but I was very intrigued by the idea of operating a small business. My business partner, Sean Smith, was also very interested in small start-ups and we knew we wanted to operate in a public market environment. I’ve had a passion for tea since high school, so when we brainstormed businesses we thought would both…

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