Mamajoun, Please Come To Vancouver

Mamajoun

209 Ellesmere Rd., Unit 206

Scarborough, Ont.

mamajoun.com

I was impressed with this Armenian Pizzeria before I walked in just based on its name.  I Lahmajoun, I gathered, is the name of the delicious spicy Armenian thin and light crusted meat pizzas. Mama is mother. 

As soon as I walked in, I was dazzled with the cleanliness of the place and the friendliness of the welcome. I was salivating when the baker (I think he was the owner) walked out with the trays of freshly baked Lahmajoun.

Their menu goes beyond meat. The Manakeesh are the best I tasted in Canada. A cheese or spinach toppings options are also available.

You see Mamajoun, I travel to Lebanon twice a year to eat Manakeesh every day for 15 days. I think I alone can keep a Vancouver Mamajoun busy enough.

The Five Stages of Granadilla

Stage 1: Discovery

Stage 2: Excitement 

Stage 3: Confusion

Stage 4: Fear

Stage 5: Disappointment 

My Adventure With Siddhartha

Siddhartha's 

2066 Commercial Drive

Vancouver, BC

siddharthaskitchen.com

Looking for peace in the chaos of a working day, I walked into Siddartha's expecting to be welcomed by a sari dressed beauty, smells of freshly made curries and soft chants.

Instead I was welcomed by an Asian woman, blasting Ofra Haza songs and big screen TV on CNN.

The food, described as healthy Indian soul food, included a salty North American style salad with cranberries surrounded by Aloo Tikki and chaat with cucumbers and red peppers.

I walked out feeling I did not conquer a break to myself nor win a restaurant discovery battle.

My Sweet Niece

My sweet niece is one-fifth my age. She lives on the other side of the land, so we do not have lots of chances to hang out. But when we do, she treats me well.

After school, she prepares a snack for us. Today's was juice in a mug, toast with jam and cheese. All in matching plates and mugs and brought to my lap.

But wait till she sees my treat - a cinnamon buns cake; only found on the other side of the land.

Thank you my sweet niece.

Miku Or Minami

Miku Restaurant

70 - 200 Granville Street

Vancouver, BC

mikurestaurant.com

I simply cannot choose decide which one I like more Miku or Minami - please help me decide by leaving a comment to this blog article. But first, a visual tour of my Miku feasting session.

Corfu Perogies

Six months ago, to the day, Replacement Chef made a Corfu Lasagna. Six months later, my empty-freezer-fridge-experimentations led themselves to creating Corfu Perogies.

I am sure no one will try the recipe, but why not, here it is hoping that someone out there in the world is adventurous enough to try it. First, layer, in a greased baking dish, uncooked perogies.

Mix in some cooked meat. I had pre-cooked chicken pieces which I mixed in. But I am sure cooked steak, ham or bacon will work very well too.

Add a Corfu-style sauce toppings - in this case canned tomatoes, olives, oregano and sprinkled feta cheese - and bake for 30 minutes in a 375 oven. Crunchy tasty perogies; and they still go well with sour cream.

Caffé Brixton Still Unique

Caffé Brixton
212 East Georgia

Vancouver, BC

www.caffebrixton.com

I visited Caffé Bixton almost 2 years ago. At that time I fell in love with it for how unique it is.

Today, Caffé Brixton is still its unique self. The interesting furniture is still there, the quality of food and service is still very good. 

Even the unique vegetarian meatloaf with whisky bbq sauce and crispy onions I loved last time is still waiting for me.

The Raincoast Kombucha was an added unique offering that is definitely worth a try (I wonder where they distribute this stuff; their website is quiet scarce).

But nothing will beat the uniqueness of Caffé Brixton's Washrooms!