London, United Kingdom

BiBi Restaurant

Beetroot dahi puri

yogurt, beets, crunchy crispy stuffed shell

This was a very interesting contemporary creation with a hard shell, difficult to capture in the picture, filled with garbanzo beans. The sweet beet was enjoyable with the yogurt absolutely addicting, the highlight of flavor in my opinion. It was creamy and complex, adding flavor, acidity, and texture.

wookey-hole papad

crispy fried cheese to dip into the refreshing and light mango and chutney yogurt 

The yogurt reappeared in this presentation. The fried strips of cheese were salty and crisp, but simply a mode to allow me to experience the complexity of the sweet, spicy, and creamy layered sauce that popped with color from the bowl.

green chili monkfish

I anticipated a powerful spicy sauce as it was made with chili. Instead, it was restrained, perhaps to not overpower the mild flavor of the fish. I did enjoy the sauce, but a drawback was the thin consistency providing a transient and limited coating to the rest of the plated food, with too much sauce remaining in the bowl due to this.

okra salan 

This okra was clean and simple, soft enough, but not mushy. It was presented on a sauce that was the memorable experience from this plate, a theme from my experience overall. It was enjoyable, but not captivatingly memorable and made me wonder if ordering another dish may have better highlighted the finesse of the restaurant overall as I did not order the dishes touted as being their most popular. 

Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London 

This restaurant felt formal and antiquated. The flavor and textures varied across the meal with some as much more memorable than others. 

mushroom and hazelnut tart and green asparagus tart

The mushroom and hazelnut was a lovely combination of richness and earthy, but sweet, depth providing flavor I wanted to savor slowly.

The green asparagus was crunchy and a thin layer atop the tart, reducing this in being the focal flavor. However, the accompanying apple and sphered cheese was excellent. 

apple tart

Again, this tart was offered as a thin layer, limiting the intensity of the flavor, making it almost too transient in the mouth.

"Lettuce"

salad of red oak lettuce, smoked fish, vermouth sauce

This dish was offered as a highlight on the menu, leading me to anticipate a very memorable experience. The sauce tended to fall to the bottom of the plate rather than clinging well to each bite but the smoked fish was delightful. My experience was memorable for the drawback that the lettuce leaves were awkward to navigate as they were too large to consume without cutting, but were challenging to elegantly manage in delivering from plate to mouth. I found this surprising and mildly confusing.

Beets with salt baked caviar and cream in the background and traditional bread from Argentina in the foreground

The beets were exceedingly delicate in thin strips punctuated with a beautiful rich cream and generously covered in caviar.  Despite their delicacy, the beets were more prominent than the caviar, but a very enjoyable dish to eat. 

lobster and carrot with sauce of ginger bearnaise 

The lobster could not be criticized itself and the béarnaise was a classic representation. However, it absolutely masked the entire dish as it was abundantly dolloped. Had it been served as a light coating or in a side dish to be used at will then the dish would have been even better for my preference. The flavors were all complimentary and balanced! 

duck with kumquat and coffee 

The duck was tender. The kumquat was a triumph of acidity to accompany the rich meat. The coffee added a component of bitterness in a subtle manner. This was enjoyable bite after bite. 

cauliflower dessert 

tonka bean ice cream, pine nut crumble, grilled cauliflower sauce

The desserts were actually the highlights of this dining experience for me. I was enthralled by the choice to serve cauliflower as a dessert. The cauliflower was delicately offered on top of slightly savory ice cream with the earthiness of the tonka bean and pine nuts. It was rich and unique and yet not particularly sweet all at the same time. What a special way to prepare a cauliflower. 

sweet potato dessert 

coffee cream, purple potato ice cream, honey espuma

Although the prior dessert was more unusual and thereby highly memorable, I found the most enjoyment eating this one. The ice creams hidden beneath the thin potato paper were the elegant balance of sweet and savory with mild and delicate sweetness from a honey foam.

mignardises 

pistachio, caramel, ginger, apple

Incredibly clean flavors were offered in each of these bites. There was a balance of crunch to each base with creaminess on the interior, and finally textural elements as toppings. Nothing unexpected, but certainly exquisite classic tastes with perfectly executed form in the details.

Heston Blumenthal

This restaurant has captured the creation of dining as an experience. As a participant, you select the level of information you prefer to be provided, varying from eating and enjoying your meal to exploring the rabbit hole of the intention and ingredients behind each dish. Of course, I opted for the most possible extent of food information as part of my experience, which was optimally given by the person presenting each dish in a clear and entertaining way with each of my inquiries given a very satisfying response.

sourdough bread made with beer instead of yeast

This bread was incredible. It had more complexity in flavor depth while still remaining in the profile of sourdough, but without acidity so much as flavors that illustrated the nuance of dark depth of flavor without a clear singleton flavor rising out as identifiable. Unique. Unusual, Enjoyable. Fantastic. Served with perfect butter. 

hay smoked trout with sorrel, lemon, and gentlemen's relish

The smokiness was mild, but enjoyable. The elevated interpretation of the gentleman's relish spread was addicting in the dollops provided and would have been enjoyed if offered in larger quantity as well. An easy dish to enjoy without much reflection or thought, but clean flavors. 

roast halibut and green sauce with chicory, parsley, pepper, onion, eucalyptus

This green sauce was standout. I wish I would have dared to ask for more. I could have eaten it on nearly anything possible to dip! It was bright like fresh herbs without one flavor overtaking another. The halibut was cooked to perfection, but the sauce was the star of the show. 

tipsy cake basted three times during cooking with spit roasted pineapple

I wanted to enjoy this more than I did, as the description lead me to believe that the cake would be gooey and indulgent. Rather, the pineapple was fairly soft and caramelized, but the cake was fairly dry with a simple sweetness rather than a more dark sugary depth. 

passionfruit 

nicely tart and sweet. perfect texture. fantastically accurate representation true to the fresh fruit

Humo

dried beef

A little something to prepare for the meal! Perfect little bites of beef jerky. Great flavor, but a little dry for my preference, but expected as it was a dried beef presentation. 

brill 6 day aged and cedar smoked with salsify, white sesame, heritage radish and lapsing souchong

This dish highlighted more textural variation than some of the others. The gentle smokiness of the lapsing was detectable with the smoked salsify, delicately in thin slices, only outdone in delicacy by the winding scrolls of brill across the plate, which was primarily a texture rather than flavor for me.

artichoke

black garlic, pecorino, white balsamic 

This may be the most lovely and most memorable artichoke I have ever had. They were tender and deeply flavorful, but pure as a most optimal representation of what artichoke flavor is. However, complimented by the salty pecorino and acidity of balsamic. I was disappointed that the dish did not last longer as it was such a pleasure bite after bite.

scallop 

pear, 20 year aged rum sabayon 

This scallop was absolutely tender like butter. The only complaint was I would have wanted a larger bite! Rather than offered with a creamy butter, the thick accompanying sauce had great depth from the age of the rum custard, which was not overpowering and enhanced by the clean crisp sweetness of pear.  Decadent.

turbot, wild asparagus, carrot, oolong, lemongras, pedro ximenez, shallot ashes

The turbot was perfectly tender, although with a bone found hiding inside. I discovered the carrots to be crunchy and therefore without the sweetness that can come through if more cooked, as well as being a bit difficult to cut without mashing the tender fish. The wild asapargus was a new experience for me to explore, as it was much more nutty and grassy than my association of asparagus flavor. The shallot ash added both texture and flavor, but did not overpower the other tastes. 

passionfruit 

This was another incredibly delightful creation. It was like a custard of the most accurate and soft passionfruit flavor I could imagine without the tart intensity that a passionfruit can deliver, while the experience was elevated by the crunchy brûlée on top. It was not overly sweet, but simply lovely and creamy. My eyes absolutely lit up as I tasted it again and again in tiny spoonfuls lest the treat end too quickly.

chocolate truffle and balsamic caramel filled choux 

This choux was crisp and a perfect mode to deliver a slightly acidic caramel that provided more depth than expected due to the balsamic. Again, balanced in decadence without being cloying. 

The chocolate truffle was perfectly creamy and smooth, but without packing a memorable punch when alongside the other desserts offered. 

grilled chocolate cake

I loved the concept that everything at this restaurant is bouche by fire and hoped for a sense of either roasted, toasted, or smokey flavor. Rather, it tasted like a well made chocolate cake with mildly harder exterior than interior. The server admitted it was "mild", which I would describe as "undetectable" as I would not have any idea that it was cooked over a fire by taste alone. It was cooked on the fire in a pan, which did not impart the essence of grilling to the palate. As with everything at the restaurant, the accompaniments the dish were balanced and enjoyable. 

Me, in my element, tasting cheese with intense focus and delight.

 

Marrakech, Morocco

 Marrakech, Morocco. 

Busy and colorful streets abound!

An Olive shop in the Souk

The congested Souk where taking pictures is discouraged by the residents yelling at tourists lifting camera and phones for snap shots. 

Souk Cafe

gluten free cous cous with very soft cooked vegetables and Kefta. The kofta was mild and the sausage was mostly plan to my taste, but very mild rather than the spiciness that comes to my mind when I hear the word "sausage. However, harissa accompanied the food as well as an assortment of olives that were a variety of saltiness levels. One variety of the black olives was my favorite as they were actually mildly sweet, which I often categorize with green olives. The soup was offered complimentary with meals at this place and I found it addictive. It was a soup of garbanzo beans. 

Royal Mansour Marrakech

Pumpkin soup starter with date cream that was very mild in flavor. For me, it was a nice pumpkin soup, but without the date cream being intense enough for my taste buds to find it a contrast within the bowl.

In the background is a rose flavored butter that is colored with beet juice servcd with bread that had a sesame flavor. The rose was dominant with the beet adding primarily the beautiful shade of pink. Contrasting the nuttiness from the sesame was a nice contrast to the floral rose butter. 

I tired a seafood tagine with rice cooked in a risotto style, per the server. This was an unusual and modern interpretation of a tagine. Overall, the risotto was a drier style as was the presentation and cooking of the fish. I expected more soft textures and fattiness to afford a creamy texture to the fish than what was delivered, but did enjoy the spices on the plate.

Desserts were tasty and most tended to have an orange blossom flavor, as is traditional. There were also bites of coconut and another almond paste with argon (amlou), very nice tiny tastes of classic desserts that I saw in the local bakeries. I was so glad to try them in a small format as I had not tried them in the bakeries.

Nomad

lamb and prune tagine 

I found the meat to be tough in texture which surprised me as I expected very tender and falling off the bone to be the result of cooking in the tagine. Nonetheless, the flavor of the dish was enjoyable with tomatoes and eggplant in addition to the prunes, which added sweetness. 

raspberry rose and berber tea ice cream

The raspberry was dominant over the rose in the pink scoop, but was a zippy acidic contrast to the berber tea. The classic warm spices of berber tea came through with clarity in the ice cream and I could have eaten twice the amount! 

nous nous coffee

turns out that this is a simple half and half of coffee and milk. Enjoyable, but not an unusual combination, but rather perfectly classic mode for serving coffee. 

Le trou Au Mur

Meshui

slow roasted spiced lamb with roasted vegetables and crispy onions. Deeply flavorful and the food that I had that most captured what I had expected to experience from Moroccan fare. It is a traditional dish, but hard to find served outside of the home. 

I could not resist trying ras al hanout flavored ice cream accompanied by an almond pastilla ice cream, which is a popular dessert typically a moroccan pastry with cream. It was sweet and simple, a nice accompaniment to the flavorful depth of the ras al hanout. 

Cafe Restaurant Dar L'Hssira 

berber eggs were so disappointing. They were fine, but I had expected that I was ordering a dish more similar to shakshuka that I was seeing people eat in the Souks. This was really just diced vegetables with egg cooked in a hot tagine, so it was actually somewhat dry. I added harissa to enhance the flavor. 

Argan nuts being ground into butter. This is very traditional, healthy, and tasty to use as a nutty dip! 

Classic mint tea service. Addicting with lots of sweetness in the tea!

The streets of Morocco were mazes to explore for outstanding colors and endless spices! 

Vancouver, British Columbia

What to eat in Vancouver?

I found a few gems that I really enjoyed while exploring the city.

Although I stayed in the Chinatown area of the city, the places that I highlight are finds were adjacent to that area. There were a number of authentic Asian style restaurants in the buildings surrounding me, as well as a vegan store and excellent little cafes, but I did not have time to visit most of them. I happened upon a shop, Eat Van Roasters, when I saw coffee bags in their window. Despite having searched virtually for bean to bar chocolate and coffee roasters in the city, this never popped up as a location for me. However, I found that they are a small coffee roaster serving desserts and bean to bar chocolate. This is the fun in wandering on foot around a city!

As usual, I did wander, walking most of the downtown area with my best friend.

The Farmer's Apprentice

House made calabrian style pickled eggplant. What a fun take on the Spanish tapa, typically a sardine!Very nicely pickled in my opinion, and unique for me to see a pickled eggplant.  

Peach and chicory salad with drunken manchego

with anchovy horseradish yogurt, salted cashew praline 

This was a nice salad, everything that you might want with a little sweet, a little salty, some bitter greens, and a little creaminess. I kept going back for another bite. 

smoked baby carrots with brown butter, hazelnut, coffee, and sumac

This sounded so good to me, as I have had smoked carrots in the past, but this was a little bit of a disappointment, as the smokiness was too subtle for my preference, but still a nicely prepared dish with the spice mix unique, but still subtle without overpowering coffee or citrusy sumac.

Green sea urchin, egg yolk, and potato rosti, pickled serrano, maple syrup, and chives 

I really thought this would be a memorable bite. Although it was good, I did not experience this punchiness of ocean flavor that I expect from urchin. I also anticipated a greater saltiness from the egg yolk. The rosti did have a nice crunchy texture and it was a creative dish overall.

sourdough red fife country bread with pumpkin seed asiento 

The bread was lovely classic presentation of sourdough with the spread being addicting. It was creamy and savory, but also with a richness that had an undertone of sweet, bringing the palate alive. 

nixtamilized corn with brown butter and oregano, black bean, red kuri squash, pickled pepper, and pecorino tartufo 

Delicious corn with the richness of brown butter! Further, the saltiness from the pecorino was an excellent contrast to draw together the squash, beans, and corn. Acidity was offered by the pickled pepper, with the restaurant always delivering on balancing salt, acid, and heat in each dish.

The Acorn

I rarely, or never, say this, but I could eat here repeatedly! Everything had unique combinations of ingredients with flavors balanced beautifully. It was a nice marriage of unique and comforting and I left feeling satisfied, but not overly full. The restaurant was entirely vegan, but without the typical ingredients that I tend to avoid, such a lots of soy or artificially created meats with wheat fillers. 

Starting the meal off, I tasted the non-alcoholic drink "Designated Driver" a combination of sumac, lavender, fresh lemon, sparking water, and housemade sage bitters. Wow. what a delightfully refreshing nonalcoholic cocktail!

sourdough with smoked tomato, great northern bean spread, vancouver island sea salt 

The bread had a pleasant and evident sour presence with the smoked tomato a nice addition to the creamy bean spread, all highlighted by amazing sea salt.

Smoke fried warba, tree salt, fir mustard, kelp ketchup, relish 

The fir mustard and kelp ketchup really drew me into trying this plate. Additionally, I learned that warba is a variety of potato. Since I enjoy smoky flavor immensely, this was a dish I happily noshed on, but otherwise it was somewhat comparable to an elevated interpretation of roasted potatoes with quality made sauces. It reminded me of the toppings offered at a ball park for your hotdog!

Fried oyster mushroom, espelette, savory waffle, koji gravy, serrano, pickle 

This was a fantastically memorable dish. The fry on the mushroom was crunchy and highly flavored with spices that were addicting with spice, but cooled with the savory gravy. The waffle had an excellent soft but not mushy texture and the pickle set everything off with acidity to cut through the heaviness from the rest of the plate. I could eat this repeatedly with the same enjoyment. 

squash, cayenne, coriander root nahm Jim, kohlrabi, hazelnut, shallot, mint

Again, this offering was a diversity of textures and flavors that bounced to each corner of my taste buds. It had mild spice, brightness of mint, warmth of hazelnut, and creaminess of the squash.

Du puy lentil pate de campagne, pickles, fir mustard, tree things

The fir mustard sounded more fantastically unique than it tasted, but I really could not resist giving it a try. It was a gentle mustard with a soft mash comparable to a refried bean texture, but without a notable spice profile for me. This plate was enjoyable, but perhaps the least complex in diversity of flavor, although still very tasty with lots of texture variability, making it fun to eat.

Victoria Island

Be Love

This was a vegan restaurant with a great selection of healthy ingredients on the menu and I was hopeful that they had mastered the careful balance of delicious with excellent textures in addition to touting health benefits.

roasted heirloom tomato sandwich with garlic cashew aioli, sprouts, arugula, tomato pepper relish, smoked nut cheese on house made rosemary focaccia

This was a nice tasty sandwich that tasted exactly as you may expect from the list of ingredients. The nut cheese was particularly enjoyable since it had a smoky flavor and added creaminess. This was also complimented by the garlic aioli and rosemary flavors on the plate.

ZLT

zucchini bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, red onion, sprouts, and honey mustard cashew mayo on house made almond pumpernickel 

This option was another sandwich tasted, but I did not enjoy the textures in the same way as the prior dish. The zucchini "bacon" was a tough texture as was also served with a pumpernickel that was a dry texture without an enticing nor strong flavor to add depth to each bite. The first sandwich was the way to go at this restaurant in my opinion. I also enjoyed Vancouver overall more than Victoria, especially considering it was a day trip to romp there and back taking the ferry ride into account, although the ferry ride did afford beautiful landscape views the entire time!