Susur and another birthday

Nothing says I love you bro than a dinner at Susur. Especially when your brother works as a chef in the top restaurant in Ottawa. So, Dolby-boy got reservations for his brother, his girlfriend and myself to one of the top restaurants in Toronto.

I must preface this with my first Susur non-experience. I was to have eaten here two birthday's ago. However, after going bar hopping with the Golden Boy, I was too wasted and too incoherent to show my face at dinner. However, despite having drunk two bottles of wine, several glasses of scotch and smoked a Cohiba, I did somehow manage to exercise enough judgement to call my friends at Susur to inform that of my state of inebriation. The final crowning moment of that evening was throwing up in the taxi ride home.

Thankfully, there are always second chances. So off to Susur's for another birthday dinner though not my own. It was a splendid dinner worthy of the reputation of the restaurant. The Toronto Star's food critic has lavished great praise on the food but sharply criticized the service. This was not our experience as Terence our waiter guided us every expertly through the night's culinary delights without any attitude.

As it was Dolby boy's brother's birthday, we decided on the full six course taster's menu (plus dessert) with wine pairing: Cote du Rhone Syrah and Harbordwine Chardonnay. The appetizers consisted 5 dishes: the egg tofu with pickled vegetable, five spice coated foie gras souffle and tuna topped with diced avocado set the digestive juices following.

Next was the main course. Pork tenderloin in a ginger puree coupled with pork belly stewed to perfection with pouched pear. So tender it melted on one's tongue. There was an alternate version served to the birthday boy, peeled stewed grapes with the pork belly.

The foie gras dish followed with several preparations: a seared form in blue berry sauce, a souffle form in a gamy sauce, another seared on its own, a mousse foie gras with almonds in a waffle roll. This dish also had prosciutto and caramelized apple on a bed of fennel coleslaw.

Then the guava sorbet served with a spiced dehydrated pineapple on a tray with dry ice...lovingly referred to as "smoke and mirrors" by the restaurant staff. This was followed by a very Cantonese style corn and sake soup of lobster, prawn and scallop paired with tempura coated spider crab and plantains. This was followed by my personal favourite, seared tuna topped with edible flowers and Dolby boy's favourite, caramelized black cod (sable fish) with spinach mousse.

The dessert really put things over the top. A two tiered platter medley of chocolate (molten chocolate ball, black forest cake, apple crisps, dark chocolate cup with caramelized cherry, mango creme brulee, apple custard, lime merange balls closed the evening. All served with orchid oolong tea (with a hint of coconut).

Afterwards, there was a tour of the kitchen's of Lee and Susur as well as the private function room at Susur by the general manager. Alas, there was no meeting with the man himself. Although he would make occasional appearances in the restaurant, he was busy with a film crew for the Food Network filming new series called "Over the Top Chefs."And for the birthday boy, there was one last gift: an autographed copy of A Culinary Life, Susur's biography and cook book.

Apocalypse

Judging by the dire warning of climate change scientists, you may think the end is near. Here in Milton, there have been another sent of warning signs of a ominous change to come. First, there was the flood on the labour and delivery ward. This was followed by the "odd" noises in the floating-tile ceiling. This was later attributed to a squirrel when its dropping were found. The creature has never been seen and really, how on earth did the creature get up into the ceiling in the first place? Today, the hospital is beset with a plague of ants. Now awaiting the hailstorm and the river of blood.

Finishing touches on the basement

What to say? Can you really describe the joy that a heated ceramic floor gives you? A walk-in shower with a seat and hand-held shower head that is big enough for two. In the main living room, soft lighting from potlights on a dimmer switch with a floating ceiling to provide access to the plumbing and the electrical. Can't wait for the built in closet and shelving to be installed next.

Spring is in the air

Spring is in the air and nothing sings of spring more than flowers....in this case carved veggie flowers of course. The occasion to make the start of this new beginning was was Ms Crowded House and her hubby, Dictator K, combined birthday dinner at Sushi Kaji. The chef did not disappoint serving up a splendid mix (save one thing).

First, there was a crab croquette with lotus root chip. Then came an appetitzer of cold soba noodles with stewed clam and scallop which was followed by a hot beef and watercress soup. The next dish was a fried fish smothered with shitake mushrooms and snow peas greens. A plate of sashmi dish and penultimately, a medley of nigri from tuna belly to lobster completed the main course.

Alas, the disappointment was a somewhat suspiciously slimy tastless fish egg mousse. This makes the overall experience less satisfying as Kaiseki Sakura or Toju. However, the dessert (a lime merangie with fresh fruit) to a lesser degree and the company of good friends to a greater degree did make up for this.

Everybody's Birthday

The Lunar New Year is not a one day affair. Instead, the chinese have made it a nearly two week celebration. On the seventh day of the new year, "everybody's birthday" is the theme. On this day, everyone essentially becomes a year old at the same time. In honour of this, the traditional noodle dish is prepared (the dish with the tongs). Noodles signifying long life in the ancient chinese tradition. Prawns when said in cantonese is a homonym for laughter...HA! Everyone should celebrate life with joy. The mushroom dish is another new year staple. In cantonese, it is the homonym for Fatt Choy (prosperity). Naturally, the king of the oinkers was also eaten. Actually, given its size, we'll likely be eating the remains of the pig throughout the year.

Wii Wii Wonderful

I am not very much of a videogame player. Actually make that I am not a videogame player. I have tried out various systems from X-box to the P3P and Gamecube at various parties but didn't really understand the appeal. Enter Wii.

I receive the console quite by accident after a colleague of mine chanced upon it at the shelves of the local Walmart. She bought the last two units. One was snatched up by yours truely. The other was purchased by another colleague of mine who is equally disinterested in video games (but who has a four year old boy).

What fun was had that evening at the homestead. Bowling, tennis, boxing....all played with the full furor of competition. Even my father got into the action and turns out is quite a wicked Wii bowler.

Drenched in the sweat, massaging my Wii elbows and wrists, I smiled and gazed about the room. I realized that there was a rabid videogame addict in each and everyone of us.

Week 5 of Renovations.

This is it....the tiles were set in the floor and in the bathroom stall. The vanity and the toilet arrived and the plumbing was hooked up. The trim was nailed in and then columns were constructed around the supporting pillars. The place is just about ready for the big move. What's left....a few nice light fixtures, warm shelving and carpet in the bedroom.

Gong Hai Fatt Choy

Welcome to the year of the Pig! Lots of tasty eats, fat ang pows and good health to all.

Reunion dinner was the traditional fare of juicy prawns, stewed mushrooms and other fungus delights and chili chicken (this is my mother's modification). All washed down with some good Syrah and Port.

Telephone calls were made to various relatives aboard including my brother in law to whom I dedicate these pictures of the snow which fell last Wednesday. Next time he visits Canada to see snow, I would suggest a trip around the Chinese rather than Western New Year.

Week 4 of Renovations

We were blanketed with over 25cm of snow this week. This really slowed the work down for our renovations as the floor tiles could not be delivered until Thursday. The electrician though did manage to install the pot lights and the wiring for the heated ceramic tile floor in the bathroom. The floating ceiling went up and our carpenter Manuel made a bannister for the stairs. The stairs, basement entrance door and bannister were all stained. The countdown to the finish is on.

The anti-Valentine

Now that I have found a love of my own, many have asked if my opinion of Valentine's Day has changed. A hallmark marketing creation designed to sell cards in the coldest month of the year remains a devious holiday.

Those fallen roses (usually of such poor quality they lasted barely a day), discarded candy and chocolate boxes (more pounds to add to that obesity factor), must-have reservations to some romantic restaurant (where the prices are jacked up for this very special day).....all for what? Like Christmas and Halloween, this holiday needs to be rescued from the hands of materialism. Many countries have taken to burning the manifestations of Valentine's day citing them as evidence of the corrupting influence of the West.

This year, Mother Nature was aligned with this view. She blanketed most of southwestern Ontario, the martimes and the Northeastern USA in over 25 cm of snow. This coupled with an extremely frosty wind chill kept the holiday at bay.

Remember those kids who didn't get a Valentine card on February 14th. Another popularity contest designed to destroy self-esteem. This holiday is detrimental for singles and couples alike. The former dubbed this day as Singles Awareness Day and the latter as Extreme Relationship Stress Day. Being single is not a disease although on Valentine's day, the state of one is regarded as that of a leper. Could you go into a restaurant as a single man/woman on this day without being stared down? Couples fair no better. Men and women alike struggle to find that perfect valentine day gift...just like the perfect Christmas present search. Disappointment invariably follows the stress.

Hence, I say "Out with Valentine's Day". After all, the celebration of love (platonic or romantic or otherwise) belongs to all the days of the year and should not be hijacked by the 14th of February.

Week 3 of Renovations

Now the ceiling stucco is applied, the doors and a new staircase are installed.

Week 2 of Renovations

The pumping is installed and the floor in the bathroom is sealed. Then the ceiling insulation goes in followed by the drywall and then the mudding.

Week 1 of renovations

In the first week, the framing was done, the insulation for warmth was brought in and the concrete drilling was done for the installation of bathroom pumping. Finally, the electrician came in to wire the basement for lights, electrical sockets and CAT5e too.

Before the renovations

Canadian winter is here at last. Frigid temperatures and lots of snow on the ground. I really missed the ole girl and was quite worried that she was never going to show up at all. Now, another surprise, the renovations of my basement which started last month are well on their way to completion. The contractors were recommended by my colleague Golden Boy. They built his deck and renovated two of the bathrooms in the family home. They not only do good work but quickly and meticulously.

These are pictures from the first day when the crew cleaned out the basement and then started the framing.

The Ghost of Home's Past

I recently received a card from my former landlady. It was a rather sad note, actually the tone was that of a goodbye note. Her health had taken a very sharp downturn about three years back (specifically her mental health). To quote her, "my mind is not what it use to be and I feel that I must write to you now while I can."

The note brought back a very eerie memory. On the day I moved out, she proceed to tell me the tale of the ghost which she claimed occupied my apartment. This was quite a shocker as you can imagine as this was the first time that she had spoken of this spectre.

It seems my landlady had heard voices of an angry little girl coming from my apartment. This little girl seemed very concerned about her lost pet, a black cat named Whiskers. Whiskers could not be found despite her best efforts and inspite of her rising frustration.

My apartment was one of four that were partitioned from a century's old house . The first owner of this house was a prominent Hamilton family. This couple and their 3 year old daughter lived here for a few years at the turn of the century before a tragic house fire forced them to move. The little girl was known to have a black cat. However, the blaze had consumed most of the first floor and sadly, the family pet was never found.

Co-incidently, there had been a fire in this same house about ten years ago. The blaze started in the basement and spread to the first floor. That same space which had been my apartment for the past three years. My landlady claims she first heard the voices of the little girl after the post-fire renovations were done.

I had never met the previous tenants of my apartment. Did they hear the cries of this little girl searching for her long lost cat? My landlady had an explanation for why I had never seen or heard of this phantom. Naturally, it had to because of Chaos, my own little black cat. Perhaps the little girl felt reassured that her long lost black cat had been found and no longer wandered the house crying for it.

Now that I have moved to Milton, I wonder about the couple who took over my lease. Had they a pet cat? If not, had they seen or hear this little girl? Would she return again now that there was no longer a cat in the house?

The tree comes down....finally

It is true that I love Christmas. In fact, I try to prolong it as long as possible. I put the lights, decorations and the Christmas tree in the first week of December. And I finally took the everything down today. Actually I had to do it as the recycling truck was due to pick up the Christmas trees tomorrow. They are destined for a new life as mulch. In fact, I had this tree so long, it actually started to sprout new tips. Alas, the end of the Yuletide season.

Masterpiece Dinner

Before Nardac and her hubby returned to Paris last Tuesday, they treated the family to a very special Japanese dinner. New York City's Nobu was an excellent culinary experience and Tojo's will always have a special place in my heart for being the first and best Omakase meal I have had. However, I was very pleased to discover that Toronto has its very own Kaiseki restaurant.

Sakura is a very quiet and unimposing restaurant. The Japanese staff were very attentive with serving and explaining each dish. We choose a six course Omakase meal. Nardac, her husband and I chose to pair our dishes with an alcoholic beverage. Nardac faithfully documented the meal in pictures and in words on her Flickr site. The highlight among highlights for me was the sashmi dish: grouper coated with rice crackers and yellowtail with gold flakes....who wouldn't love a restaurant that serves you gold. My favourite cocktail was a cucumber, peach and sake blend called ykuri. Each dish was a feast for all the senses.

I have since read some reviews complaining about the small portions at Sakura. Perhaps these reviewers ordered a few dishes, or maybe they did not take the time to savour the meal. After leisurely consuming the fourth of six courses which was the grilled dish of duck, scallops, shitake mushrooms, I had had my fill. To think I managed to consume the 3-day stewed beef tongue, a bowl of soba noodles and pickled shiso and dessert as well. However, I now have another theory. Perhaps these reviews needed more starch to fill their bellies. My own father declared that he still felt hungry after the meal was completed. But you see, he needs to eat bread with a meal in order to feel full. You could have rolled home the rest of dinner party.

Kudos to my brother-in-law for remaining upright and conscious when the bill came. Many thanks for a masterpiece farewell dinner.

Belated New Year Greetings

Thank goodness Christmas comes but once a year. After a fabulous Christmas dinner and other meals with the sister Nardac and her hubby, I set off to Winnipeg to met Mr. Hippo's family. Considering he has seen most of my immediate family, it did seem rather odd that I am just meeting his after a year of serious dating. The experience was not at all like "Meet the Fockers". It was a touching event and very enjoyable event.

Of course when everyone I knew hear about my coming sojourn to Winnipeg, the knowing smiles and nudges came to light. It is not long before someone who say, "so when's the wedding?" So greatly exaggerated is the importance of the "meeting the future-in-laws".

I was warmly greeted by the entire family. In fact, I saw almost all of Mr. Hippo's relations in Winnipeg (minus two estranged cousins). This is no small feat as two of his uncles are not on speaking terms and avoid all family functions where they may meet by accident. No one really knows how the rift occured. Curious to see that every family has its own estrangements. Another odd realization was that sibilings may not appear related. Nardac and I are rarely identified as sisters. Mr. Hippo and Bubba, his brother look even less likely to related.

I participated in a long time family tradition of welcoming in the new year at Mr. Hippo's parents home. They were engaged on New Year's eve those many years before and so the event is twice significant. So I break with tradition now and post a picture of the party.

I was also coldly greeted by a winter storm which dumped about 36cm in less than 12 hours. So much snow fell on the day before New Year's eve, it threatened most New Year's eve celebrations including my own. Mr. Hippo and his brother in law, diligently, spent most of the day digging out of his sister's home in order to get to his parent's home which awa just a mere 10 minutes away by car and about 50 minutes on foot...perhaps closer to 90 minutes with the snow covered roads.

But alas if this confirms your oldest sterotypes of Winterpeg, the temperature climbed to 6 degrees during the first week of January. Record setting temperature highs were broken not only in Winnipeg but all across Canada in fact. Perhaps there is some truth to that Al Gore film.

A very Family Christmas

It really has been six years since my family all sat down to have a meal at Christmas. My sister now lives in France with her husband and my parents until two years ago lived in Singapore. Hence, geography was not in our favour for the holidays. That all changed last evening with a grand Christmas even dinner prepared by my sister.

Turkey is NOT on our family Christmas menu. This is most unfortunate for my sister's husband and my boyfriend, Mr. Hippo who both simply adore it. In fact, Mr. Hippo cheekly remarked that he was returning home to Winnipeg on Christmas day for the sole purpose for eating this bird. A very expensive meal indeed.

The meal was mostly inspired by french cuisine with a little Singapore side addition. Nardac, my sister, prepared an excellent meal of Roast Duck with a lovely citrus sauce. She then rounded off the menu with beans and asparagus in garlic and butter, wild rice with chanterelle mushrooms, fresh orange wedges and fried bean sprouts favoured with salted dried fish (more singaporean than french of course). The real surprise for me was the apple, potato and leek puree with a hint of Guiness. Yum Yum. Mr. Hippo was slightly appalled to discover the half drunk can in the fridge later.

This was washed down with French Champagne, French Red Wine, Italian Chanti and English Guiness. After the Anglo-French summit was concluded, other strange and bizarre photos were found. Merry Christmas everyone....*hic

VOIP evolution: Skype to Freecall

I may be a late comer to this game but let me express my absolute delight at discovering the joys of voice over the internet phone access. First there was Skype to which my sister introduced me and then Mr. Hippo re-introduced me. To date, computer to landline calls within Canada and USA through Skype have been free but in the new year, a charge of $15 per year will apply in January 2007. Again, this is no big expense considering what long distance companies have been charging for years. Overseas calling of computer to landline or mobile through Skype is quite low at 1-2 cents per minute.

As torrents have overtaken Kazaa/Limewire/Napster, a new kid on the block has appeared in VOIP called Freecall. Free calls from computer to landlines to many countries throughout the world from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, France, etc. I tried it out last night and called my grandmother in Singapore. Wow, the clarity was amazing and she certainly couldn't tell the difference. A whole hour (that was the limit) free long distance calling...so why are we still paying for long distance with Vonage, Rogers, Primus, Bell, etc. With Freecall, you can even choose to take the long distance calls on your home phone (no added technology required).

Google FreeCall and check it out yourself.