Rodneys Oyster House

When someone mentions, "Oysters" the first thought that comes to mind would be Rodney's Oyster House. Being located so close to the ocean and other bodies of water, Vancouver has some of the freshest seafood around. I have been to Rodney's in Yaletown once for my birthday last year with B, and couldn't stop talking about how amazing the oysters was to my sister. So after a year of hearing me constantly refer to Rodney's every time we have seafood, my sister took me out for dinner there for my birthday again - because I loved it and she's never tried it.

The decor inside followed a maritime theme, with lots of white-washed accents and wood planks. They also have an oyster bar which displays all the fresh oysters market style on ice (and you can watch them shuck 'em by hand) as well as an open kitchen. Not too long after being seated, our server greeted us with some kind of rye bread - which we all thought was way too hard - and light conversation while taking down drink orders. The atmosphere at Rodney's is very lively and the servers are friendly with personality - not your average cheery-how-is-everything type of cheery. Some are cheeky like they have known you for a while, while some like to joke around and kid.

When it came time to order, we got half a dozen oysters each: a mixture of Kusshi, Kumamoto, and Fanny Bays, two plates of steamed clams and crab cakes. We got our oysters first, along with all the sauces. What I like most about Rodney's, aside from the oysters itself, is the fact they serve their oysters with so many sauces - not just your standard Tabasco and lemon. Our server introduced each sauce, and also gave us some suggestions of what he liked the most: a raspberry vinaigrette mixed in with a bit of the Jalapeno Tabasco. First bite of a Kusshi and I was transported to seafood heaven. The oyster was buttery and smooth; ice cold and crisp; and just tasted fresh.When it comes to raw oysters, Rodney's will never disappoint in my eyes. Next came our two plates of steamed clams. Those disappeared within minutes. Piping hot and juicy, and with a little lemon.. yum. Our crab cakes, served with a sweet and spicy sauce and a side salad, came last. We divvied up the crab cakes and the salad was big enough so each of us got a nice portion. The cakes were definitely made with real crab - crispy on the outside, not oily at all and chocked full of crab. I thought it tasted best with just a little lemon, sans sauce, because the sweet and sour sauce seemed to take a way a bit of the crab flavor. Everything we had at Rodney's tasted fresh and delicious, albeit the hard bread. And of course, what else makes fresh-out-of-the-ocean seafood even better? Hot servers. 'Nuff said.

I would come to Rodney's more often, except it's a bit on the pricey side. They do however, have a high-tide special from 3PM-6PM - where their raw oysters are half off.

Quick update!

Have you noticed the difference in writing styles between the last couple of posts? If you have then congratulations! - You can tell the difference between my writing and my sister's! From now on, I will be collaborating with my sister, Lisa to expand and bring more to the Munchzilla blog. We will soon be adding a link to recipies we have tried and loved, and also giving you guys a glimpse of the events we attend to - such as catering events, salsa festivals, movie premieres! 

We will keep everyone updated and like always, see you when we see you!

The Wooden Shoe

I would say my favorite meal of the day is breakfast, but the only issue I have is waking up... I adore dim sum but the whole waking-up-part-on-a-Sunday morning just doesnt seem to work for me. Thus the backup plan is to go to The Wooden Shoe. The first time I was there I had no clue what to order, the menu was HUGE! The place specializes in serving Dutch breakfast and if it weren't for our friend Ryan I would of ordered everything on the menu!

I was first introduced to the Bavarian Sausage Breakfast Platter by Ryan who has always ordered it. The platter consisted of thinly sliced Bavarian sausages, pan-friend eggs dont to your liking (mines is always done sunny-side up) raisin toast, a side of home made apple sauce and real hash browns diced up into little ity bity cubes and pan-friend to perfection. Oh I almost forgot the best part, everything is drizzled with the most creamy Hollandise sauce ever! It is definitely a very good breakfast to wake up to after a lonnnnngg night of partying.

Even though I've been to The Wooden Shoe several times and trying Dutch pancakes, waffles, eggs benedict, etc... I still love the Breakfast Platters. The decor is quite unique the walls are all lined with pictures of previous diners and different types of beer bottles and shot glasses... and we cant forget the wooden shoes! The servers are always friendly and the restaurant is a very chill place to hang out for a hard Dutch breakfast.

*a lot of my pictures got deleted on some of my blog posts... so I am trying to upload all the missing pics - November 17 2012*

Benkei on Thurlow

During the last few weeks of February, Vancouver has been hitting sub-zero temperatures paired with the kind of weather that makes you just want to stay at home and sleep from morning to night. And as much as I would have loved to be permanently glued to my bed all day, I had to drag myself out for a date with my Economics textbook. How fun. After 3 grueling hours at the Central library, B and I made the desicion to brave the cold and walk down to Robson for a nice, hot, steamy bowl of Ramen. Nothings better than hot soup and noodles to warm you up from the inside out!

As much as I really wanted to try the new Ramen place in downtown, it was a bit too far, especially since we couldn't feel our noses five minutes into walking - so we settled for the Benkei on Thurlow. I have been to the Benkei on Robson, but never the Thurlow location and in a way, I guess it still counts as trying some place new! It was nice and warm when we walked in and was immediately greeted by the servers shouting something in Japanese - probably "Welcome", or something of that sorts. What I really liked about the Thurlow location was that the larger space allowed them to have a sort of ramen "bar": a long bar that winds in almost a U-shape - which was where we were seated. Since the last time I have been to Benkei, they seemed to have added a few new items to their menu such as a curry ramen and curry rice. I stuck with my usual Shio Ramen with an egg, but B was feeling a bit more adventurous and since he was a fan of curry, he opted for the Curry Ramen and also added an egg.

For some strange reason, B's food always seems to taste better than mine and this time was no different because after trying B's noodles, I wish I got the Curry Ramen! The curry "soup" was really more like a watered down curry, but it was still full of flavor and delicious. Japanese curry is different from Indian or Thai curries in the sense that it is a bit on the sweeter side. This curry had a hint of sweetness that doesn't distract the palette from all the other flavors and had a really, really, mild-barely-even-noticeable kick of spice. The only bad thing about the Curry Ramen was that the chicken it came with was a bit dry, but you can substitute it with chasu. With so much flavor going on in B's noodles, mine tasted a little bland after - which is unusual since I usually love Shio Ramen.

With our belly's full, the cold didn't seem so cold anymore - but next time, for sure, I will be ordering a curry item on their menu!

cake-in-a-box

When I first started baking, I relied heavily on boxed cake mixes. Actually, everything I baked came from a box - brownies, cookies, muffins, you name it: boxed. The time I said I would make homemade cupcakes for our sixth grade bake sale? Well, Betty Crocker made it, I just added eggs and water. There I said it! I have been keeping that secret for years. Whoo, now that I've got that off my chest...

And while I can finally make things from scratch, meaning I actually add more than eggs and water, I still like using boxed mixes every now and then. It saves a lot of time or when you're short on ingredients and tastes just as good with some googled techniques. This year was the first year I ever made an actual birthday cake - because although my baking skills have improved, my decorating skills are pretty much non-existent.While I still have a long way to go before I have a Martha Stewart magazine cover worthy cake, I was told it was enjoyed by many! I'm not a professional baker, and my techniques might be a bit, or really, off - but this is whatever works for me. Feel free to give me some tips! 

Cake-in-a-Box

1 box of Duncan Hanes extra moist: chocolate fudge cake mix (or any other flavor you like)
3 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
milk


Whip-Cream Icing
1 container of Cool Whip
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup icing sugar

Additional: 

12-15 strawberries, set aside enough strawberries to go around the circumference of your cake and cut the tops off; try to keep these selected strawberries all the same height and if not, cut it to size. Take the left over bits and a few extra berries and dice them up.

Cake: First of all, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I always forget this step, so I usually end up waiting a while after I'm done the batter.

 Instead of cracking all the eggs into one bowl, separate the whites into a smaller bowl and the yolks into a larger mixing bowl. With a balloon whisk - if you're feeling the need for a work-out - or a electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites first until stiff peaks form. Set that aside in the fridge and then mix the egg yolks until creamy. In the same bowl as the yolks, pour in the milk (I don't remember how much I used, but I followed the box amount), oil, and the cake mix. With a spatula, cut into the mix to break up any lumps. Using a whisk or hand mixer on medium speed, blend all the ingredients together. When there are no lumps are left - it took me around 2 minutes - gently fold in the egg whites in two parts.

Lightly grease your baking pan with butter and then pour in your batter. I used a springform pan, so I didn't line it with parchment paper but if you're using a regular pan, it might be a good idea to. Give it a quick tap and pop it in your oven on the middle rack for however long, depending on the size of your pan. For me, it took around an hour to bake a 9-inch cake. It sounds a bit excessive and I think it was because my oven temperature was off, but that's how long it took me. If you're not sure, stick a wooden skewer or chopstick into the cake and if it comes out clean with a few crumbs, it should be done.   

When your timer rings, take your cake out. If you are using a spring form pan, remove the ring and let it cool for a few minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. If you are not using a spring form pan, let it cool for a few minutes in the pan then run a knife around the edges and flip it onto a cooling rack. After about 10-15 minutes, cut the cake in half horizontally to get two layers. 

Whip-Cream Icing: While your cake is cooling, prepare the icing. Using an electric mixer, soften up the mascarpone and then add in the vanilla and icing sugar and blend until combined. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the cool whip in two parts until thoroughly mixed. If you want a thicker and denser icing, use less cool whip. I used cool whip because it was convenient, but you could also make your own whip cream. Instead of adding the icing sugar to the mascarpone, add it gradually to the cream while whipping. Cool in the fridge for a few minutes before using.

Assemble: Make sure your cake has completely cooled down before assembling! Spread a thin layer of icing on the bottom of one layer with a metal spatula. This collects all the crumbs and "glues" it down on the cake and keeps your strawberries from rolling around later. Arrange the whole strawberries you set aside earlier around the outer edge of the cake.

Take the diced up strawberries and sprinkle it evenly in the middle of the strawberry ring you created earlier. With your spatula, drop a large amount of cream in the middle and gently push it out. Keep repeating this step until all the cracks between the strawberries are filled. Once done, take the second layer of cake and place it on top. If your strawberries are all equal in height, the second layer of cake should lie evenly across.

Scrape the remaining cream on top, in the middle of the cake layer you just added, and push it out with your spatula. Run your spatula on top in a wiggling motion to get a nice soft-peak/wavy pattern. You can serve it right away, but I think its better to chill in the fridge for a few minutes (10-15) to set the cream a bit more.