are you ready for the sublime

So Mr. Grumpypants and I were in Toronto in January, and when in Toronto anytime, one MUST go to Rikishi Japanese Restaurant (Bloor Street near Shaw).

Mr. Grumpypants becomes Mr. Happypants if he can have Uni.

Yujin, the sushi chef is the best and his wife (forgive me for not knowing her name) creates the most spectacular dishes in the kitchen. We have always had the most amazing sushi, and everytime we go, there are new and exciting dishes to try. The latest and outrageously good was the shitake mushroom wrapped in a shiso leaf then tempura battered and deep-fried. Oh the flavours, oh the textures, oh the colours!!

Go there at once and try it!

Whoa, asparagus is in season!

So, I have a friend that doesn't like a certain celebrity chef- says his tongue is too darn big for his mouth, that he probably drools all over the food and can't really play the drums, BUT I really like Jamie Oliver and I recently made his Tray Baked Salmon (from his first cookbook). The recipe calls for green beans, but I opted to substitute asparagus and it was fabulous...(you can't go wrong with asparagus and anchovies)...and the salmon is so succulent!

Ginger Kitties

'tis the season to make Gingerbread cookies...this year I looked to my lovely kitties for inspiration. Mere seconds after this picture was taken, the cookie with the orange dot lost its head to the rapid swing of a tail.

Garlic Festival

So, this is a little work avoidance. Trying to get a paper finished but my head is swimming with thoughts of food. My sister gave me a string of 10 different types of garlic that she picked up at a garlic festival in the Kootenays. I've been meaning to sample them slowly, but some of them had started to dry out, so Mr. Grumpypants, Captain Bacon and I sat down and ate the works. I roasted them with some olive oil drizzled on top and we drank a lovely bottle of Rhone wine - thank you Captain Bacon (more details Cap'n??- http://vitaminw.vox.com/). Now, the problem is, I've forgotton most of the names, but a clear favourite was a variety called Fauquier with White Max in second place. Some had lovely hints of musty apple, but the Fauquier was a subtle, creamy flavour.

It's Shintori Time

I talked about this crazy
(alien loading dock)
Japanese restaurant in Shanghai
so here are some pictures
this is an inside shot of
the "tatami rooms"








You think you've had tempura,
but have you had this...shrimp in taro coats - whoa - yum!
The taro is cut into strips and wrapped around the shrimp.










One of our dinner companions suggested that this dish was called
Beef over the River Kwai - that's a mound of shaved ice
under the bamboo bridge
under the amazing beef!









Need I say more - sashimi...when you're in Shanghai and getting weary of the oily food (though it is delicious) - try something RAW!

...more Beijing Food

In Beijing there is a fantastic shop that sells relishes, hot sauces and pickles. The place is full of blue and white ceramic pots containing odd and wonderful foodstuffs for creating their specialties. This is just a sample of what they have...




Bok choy with black mushrooms! Pay attention food stylists - this food was completely edible - it looks shiny and delicious because there's lotsa oil-yum!








Seaweed salad - a little crunchy, a little spicy and very fresh.



mmmm fava beans, kidney beans and "I know not what else" (the leafy herbs may have been parsley, mustard greens or hmm?)

Peking Duck

This is the delicious Peking Duck - the steamer in the background holds the crepes (pancakes) and the head of the duck has been cut in two and is beneath the slices on the plate to the back right. Oh yeah - we ate everything!
Oh - and the dish on the left is pickled cucumber - nice and sour!




Can you see the lovely ducks in a row - (hanging inside the oven!)

The moment we've been waiting for...some pictures of the food - just in case the description wasn't enough!


Pig's ear - I was told it's kinda rolled into a terrine kinda thang - the white bits are chewy and the pinky bits are deliciously porky!




MMMMMM dumplings! Careful, there may be soup inside and you don't want to miss a drop.