Divino on the Drive
3 Comments
Degan Beley
September 14, 2009
When Divino opened on the Drive, I was so excited. I went ito check it out immediately and then never went back. Not because there was anything at all wrong with it – I love their zebrawood tables, bright windows and delectable wine list – but I lived only a block away from it and while I’m sometimes lacking in groceries, I always have wine and cheese. So it’s been a while since I’ve been in. Now that Commercial Drive is a destination for me, I think I’ll be back a lot more.
I settled on a glass of the 2004 Muga Rioja Reserva, a peppery, almost chewy Spanish red that was perfect for an overcast afternoon. To eat, we had a bruscetta sampler plate – five different bruscettas all with different toppings, from caramelized onion and brie to carpaccio – and antipasto. The antipasto, pictured above, was a picnic-like plate of soppressatta, proscuitto, olives, gherkins, peppers, mustard and a litle jar of salad. It was all very tasty and summery and while the wine would have paired better with red meat, I certainly had no complaints.
Divino Wine Bar
1590 Commercial Drive | Vancouver
(604) 258-0005
www.divinovancouver.com
Categories: Commercial Drive, Food, Restaurants, Wine
Visual Bites: Café Kathmandu
4 Comments Tiny Bites ConsultingFebruary 12, 2009
Degan of Ethnic Eats recently organized a night of food worship at the temple of Café Kathmandu.
In attendance were like-minded Vancouver food lovers: David of Loud Murmurs, Roland of VanEats, Eagranie of The Well-Tempered Chocolatier, and Raul of Hummingbird604 (even though his broken tooth prevented him from partaking in the nibbles – mon pauvre).
I sat back with camera at the ready while the rest of the group ravaged the menu for the choiciest items.
Selection of 3 tipan tipan (small plates), served with hot sauce and chiuraa – a crunchy beaten rice, lightly toasted.
Left: Choilaa, $7. Pork simmered with a distinctively Kathmandu-style spice mix with lemon, garlic, onion, and fresh coriander.
Middle: Aaloo achaar, $6. Chilled sesame-lemon potato salad flavored with timmur (Himalayan peppercorns) and fenugree.
Right: Bhatmaas, $6. Toasted soybeans, quick-fried with fresh ginger, garlic and chili and garnished with fresh coriander. By far the favourite of the table. The crunch could wake the dead; the beans felt hollowed out. Never encountered a texture quite like this.
This month features the momo for $9. We ordered a plate each of vegetable and pork steamed dumplings, served with hot sauce, tomato sauce, and cilantro chutney. I made the mistake of dolloping a teaspoon of hot sauce on half a momo. Luckily, this searing off of my tastebuds occurred at the end of the meal, after we all had our fill of Nepali cuisine.
Gently fried soft tofu curry sautéed and cooked with green beans in tomato sauce. $10 for a cereal-bowl serving, spiced at medium.
Khasiko massu for $12 – goat meat in curry sauce whose heat was also set to medium.
Medium spcied daal jhaneko for $10. It’s a lentil puree accented with caramelized onions, ginger and roasted red chili seeds.
I was feeling cold from the winter weather, so I opted for Nepali tea served with milk and steeped with fennel seed. Reminds me very much of chai, but despite the unlimited refills that I was privy to, my lactose intolerance didn’t trigger. Hooray!
The rest of the group ordered thick and frothy mahee. Looked like a mango lassi to me.
We exchanged food pleasantries and delved into topics gastronomic and tech well beyond the last bite. Eagranie even provided dessert in the highly appropriate form of mini chocolates.
If you’d like to see what Himalayan food can offer your palate, make sure to come down to Café Kathmandu the next time you are on The Drive.
Café Kathmandu
2779 Commercial Drive | Vancouver
(604) 879-9909
cafekathmandu.com
Categories: Commercial Drive, Food, Restaurants, Visual Bites
An evening of food and photography with a Coffee Geek
4 Comments Tiny Bites ConsultingAugust 24, 2008
Lately, I’ve been following the Twitter musings of Mark Prince, founder of CoffeeGeek.com. It’s the site that my food blogging mentor points me to in my quest to educate myself about the world of coffee.
I had the opportunity to hang with Mark at JJ Bean a few days ago, along with 2008 Western Regional Barista Competition winner Sammy Piccolo of Caffe Artigiano. As I had missed out on the regionals a couple weeks back, Sammy and Mark gave me a run-down of the event, complete with iPhone photo sharing and a showing of Sammy’s “barista hands”. It was a pleasure to talk coffee with these two and to observe their easy camaraderie as they gave me a glimpse inside the industry.
Notable take-away: are you curious about the volatile history of coffee? Check out the 2002 documentary Black Coffee, as I will soon do. [Sammy was featured in the 2006 documentary Black Gold, which I will also check out in the near future.]
As our coffee meetup drew to a close and Sammy took his leave, Mark and I moved over to a nearby El Salvadorean restaurant for an early dinner. Topics shifted to food, restaurants, wine, and photography as we delighted in tacos with homemade chorizo and a selection of pupusas.
At $2.75 per pupusa and warm service from the husband-and-wife proprietors, I am definitely paying a repeat visit to Rinconcito.
Many thanks to Sammy & Mark for an educational coffee break and again to Mark for introducing me to another great food stop along the Drive.
Rinconcito Salvadoreno Restaurant
2062 Commercial Drive | Vancouver
(604) 879-2600
Categories: Commercial Drive, Food, Restaurants
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