Food Goals

I've decided to set some new goals... it's good to have direction, to live life with a purpose. Here's some of my new food goals

1 >> Discover who has the best steamed buns. At first i will concentrate on the China Town area.. We have such a large asian community in Vancouver, and the steamed buns filled with black bean or spicy pork are always tasty.

2 >> Search out the best cheap samosas. Besides having a large Asian community here we've also got a large East Indian community in Vancouver. Samosas are everywhere, in corner stores and restaurants all over the greater Vancouver area.

3 >> Who has the best Americano in the GVA? I think i already know, or at least i know where i like to go right now. But i'm convinced that i'm missing a hidden gem.

For now these are my new goals. I'm sure i'll think of more. Stay tuned for updates on these 3. If you've got suggestions, let me know.

Homemade Halifax Style Donairs

Over the years i've come to accept that there are things i love to eat that i will not be able to create at home. And that's fine. That's why there are places called restaurants. Now granted i have overcome this a little bit as i get older and more comfortable in the kitchen. I now make a super delicious lasagna. One of the meals i've thought was impossible to create at home is donairs. I just can't envision some meat on a stick cooking away in my kitchen. So imagine my surprise last weekend when erin (my partner in crime) says she's going to make donairs at home. Of course being from out east she wasn't just making any kind of donairs, but Halifax style donairs. If you're from that area, or have visited, or know someone from there, you've no doubt heard that not only are donairs different in Halifax but they are also better. (on a side note the bowling is different out there as well. It's pretty ridiculous actually) The difference is this sauce they put in it. My first Halifax donair wasn't as mind blowing as i had hoped, the sauce changed the taste that i was used to.

Anyways, the donairs that erin made were incredible!! And the sauce was much better than the one i had on Pizza Corner in downtown Halifax. To say my mind was blown would be an understatement. I'm not really sure how she did it, but i can tell you that there was no mystery meat cooking on a stick in our kitchen.

The day after she made them I found myself in the grocery store picking up provisions for the week ahead when my mind started wandering, and thinking about the left over donairs in the fridge at home. I couldn't concentrate, random items were being thrown in my basket because all i could think about was racing home and making myself another donair. Over the course of a couple days i think ate 3 or 4, and trust me... if there had been more i would've ate it.

Worst Mexican Food Ever

I was hoping to only post good things on this blog, to only talk about food that was tasty, or fun, or interesting. But today i feel a need to spread some bad vibes about a meal i had this week. Me and a friend went to the Topanga on West 4th here in Vancouver earlier this week because i heard from some people that it served up some tasty vittles. But those people are wrong!! Holy crap does this place ever suck!!

After ordering our meals the server brought us a bowl of chips with some salsa, and a small bowl of guacamole that we paid extra for. The salsa was bland and flavorless, as was the guacamole. I could've went to 7-11 and bought a jar of Old Dutch brand salsa and enjoyed it more. There was no flavor or spice. And it wasn't fresh, or homemade.

Next up was the main course. I got a chicken burrito with rice and beans on the side. For some reason Topanga smothers their burritos in this sauce that is a bland, runny mixture of sour cream and guacomole. If this sauce had been flavorful i wouldn't be complaining, but it was bland and kinda gross looking. I wish i had brought my camera so you could see this mess. I prefer when a burrito is smothered in cheese, some tasty salsa and a small dollop of sour cream. The burrito itself was also flavorless. Nothing jumped out at you. The pinto beans on the side were dry, and slightly overcooked. And the rice was overcooked and bland. I won't bother going into details on what my friend ordered, but it had eggplant inside and from what i gather her meal wasn't that shit hot either.

Let's end this review on a positive note... here are some things i did like about Topanga; the server was pretty good, answered our questions without being a dick.... there was alot of food on the plate (too bad it wasn't tasty)... and at one point I could hear Jay Reatard being played on a stereo in the kitchen.

Avoid this dump. I know i will never go back.