Spotted - La Cucina, Ottawa

This month's Spotted is a long story. I had someone lined up, and then I didn't. I had another person lined up, and then I didn't. I hate to point fingers, but in both cases, I have to blame CK's laziness. I told him that if my Spotted Interviews don't work out this month because of him, he would be the one interviewed. Well, here we are. CK is extremely camera shy, so the picture below is the next best thing. Don't feel jipped because the character...

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Theo Chocolate

One of my addictions while travelling is buying exotic looking chocolate. This is somewhat ironic because, personally, I don't even like chocolate all that much.Nonetheless, I gravitate towards the cocoa treats when I'm away from home, and I'm especially vulnerable to smart packaging and designs.My latest discovery is Theo Chocolate. I saw these cool choco bars while perusing through my favorite grocery store, Whole Foods, in Houston. Theo chocolate...

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The Whalesbone Oyster House, Ottawa

My sister in-law was sweet enough to surprise CK and I with a gift certificate for The Whalesbone Oyster House, a small casual seafood restaurant on Bank Street. She bought us the gift certificate so that we could celebrate all of the important dates we missed over the course of the year such as our birthdays, and our wedding anniversary. CK and I celebrated by ordering as much food as we could eat ;-) Whalesbone Oyster House not only has fresh...

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Skittles Citrus

Now that the holidays are officially here, I have a bit of time to breath again. I have a small mountain of goodies in my kitchen that I've been meaning to check out when I had free time. My goodies are mostly food gifts I have received from people, i.e. Oz goodies from CK, and Malaysian and Taiwanese goodies from his sister from a recent Asia trip she took. One of the things CK brought back for me from Oz were Skittles Citrus. It has become...

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Roasted Chestnut, Mushroom, and Currant Stuffing

Christmas has been at my cousin Stephanie's place for the last 7 years. She makes a huge, elaborate holiday meal for the entire extended family, and her dinners are a lot of fun. Her Christmas dinner is the one event that CK looks forward to every year. Sadly, she has decided to spend her Christmas out of town this year, which means we're all on our own. Because we've relied on her so much, we're all scrambling trying to figure out what to do. My...

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Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Houston

When I was in Houston, I got to experience Texas' "bigger and better" motto first hand. For example, I ordered granola and a boiled egg for breakfast one morning, and ended up getting my order PLUS four pieces of toast, a large serving of roasted potatoes, and hot peppers on the side. I thought I had received the wrong order until I looked at the bill. Oh, and Texans mean business when they serve hot peppers. I threw a whole pepper in my mouth...

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Bo Bi Rice Paper Rolls

The Bo Bi rice paper roll is a unique Chiu Chow/Vietnamese fusion dish that is commonly eaten by the Cantonese population who migrated to Vietnam. The name 'Bo Bi' is Chinese, and translates to 'thin pancake'. The original Chiu Chow Bo Bi dish uses a thin pancake instead of rice paper, but because rice paper is more commonly found in Vietnam, the Chinese who tried to re-create this dish started using rice paper out of convenience. The ingredients...

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MBCO (Montreal Bread Company), Montreal

Another place I visited in Montreal was MBCO (Montreal Bread Company). I have to admit, I had gone to Olive and Gourmando first, but I learned that they close on Sundays and Mondays :-( MBCO is a little European-style cafe serving morning and afternoon eats such as croissants, brioches, hand carved sandwiches, and thin crust pizza. They always have funky world music or jazz playing, and I love the warehouse feel of this establishment. CK...

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Nocochi Cafe Patisserie, Montreal

I was recently in Montreal for a training course, and I was very excited because I hadn't visited Montreal in what felt like, forever! Montreal has a special place in my heart. This is where CK used to live, and was also where I spent all my weekends for a few years. My short trip to Montreal was a blast from the past! I loved walking through the busy streets of downtown Montreal, and it was a nice change from the Ottawa suburbia culture. Being...

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