Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

Housed in what looks like a Chinese restaurant called Lung Shan is actually a restaurant called Mission Chinese Food. Once upon a time, Lung Shan and Mission Chinese, two different restaurants, shared the space offering two different menus with two different kitchen set ups under one roof. Today, Mission Chinese Food has pretty much taken over.

Mission Chinese Food is a Chinese restaurant that serves Chinese dishes with a unique Americanized twist. The Chef, Danny Bowien, is a Korean born American raised by non-Korean parents who ironically actually never cooked Chinese food a day in his life until the restaurant opened in 2010. All of the dishes on the menu are the chef's own interpretation of traditional Chinese dishes that have now become all the craze in San Francisco.

In reading reviews of this place, anything bad written about this place was mainly due to the fact that people expected traditional Chinese dishes, which is far from what you're going to get here. Despite the name of the dishes, ditch your preconceived notions of what these dishes are supposed to taste like and just embrace the creativity put into the food.

The atmosphere of the restaurant adds to the whole experience. It is a little hole in the wall that is walk-in only. You fill out your name on a piece of paper taped outside of the restaurant and you are forced to wait outside until your name is called. When you walk in, the resturant is dim and the ceiling is strewn with tacky Chinese decor such as fluorescent streamers, paper lanterns and dragon.

Our meal started with  a bowl of Szechuan Pickles - salted pickled napa cabbage with carrot, roasted peanut, fresh coriander and chili oil. A Chinese version of Kim Chi.

Szechuan Pickles

Next was the cold savory egg custard served with sea urchin, scallop, winter melon, and citron. I was excited for this dish because I love anything with eggs but I have to say I didn't enjoy it. No matter how much I try, I just can't take in a lot of sea urchin. It's too overpowering for me. Sea urchin is what makes this dish unique but this dish was definitely a miss for me.

Savory Egg Custard with Sea Urchan and Scallop

Next was the thrice cooked bacon. A dish of fatty tender bacon pieces with starchy rice cake slices, bitter melon, tofu skin, scallion, black bean, and chili oil. I have no idea if this is even a Chinese dish but it was delicious! Flavorful, tender, fatty, starchy, spicy, sweet, salty and crunchy all in one dish. It's true what they say, everything does taste better with bacon!

Thrice Cooked Bacon

The broccoli beef cheek was really something different! They spruced up the oyster sauce with real poached oysters and the beef cheeks added a nice twist. It was also nice to get some veggies into our system after the heavy thrice cooked bacon dish. This was definitely our favorite dish!

Broccoli Beef Cheek

Massive chunks of tender beef cheeks and lots of oysters were hidden under the gai lan.

Beef Cheeks

I wanted to see what their ma po tofu was like because this is one of my favorite Chinese dishes. Their rendition included ground kurobuta pork shoulder, Szechuan peppercorn and chili oil. No shortage of flavor in this dish but there was just too much sauce for my likings. The sauce, tofu and pork balance was just way off. It was more like a thick soup.

Ma Po Tofu

Our last dish was the Taiwanese clams. There are a few dishes that are only offered if you dine at the restaurant and this was one of them. It was a large plate of steamed clams with Thai basil, garlic,
black bean and Chinese sausage. This was a mild dish and would have been a very nice dish to start our meal with. By the time we got to the clams, our taste buds had been blown away with the chili oil and peppercorns, leaving very little room in our palate for these clams.

Taiwanese Clams

The huge craze for Mission Chinese is with reason. The dishes were definitely creative and flavorful. As long as you don't expect traditional Chinese, you'll really enjoy this place.

Mission Chinese Food
2234 Mission Street
San Francisco, California USA
Telephone: 415-863-2800

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Egg Avocado Salad

This is a healthy spin on regular egg salad, and is great to serve in a sandwich. What's great about this egg salad is that it is really filling, and it keeps you full for a long time. I find too much avocado is overpowering sometimes, but the lemon juice really lightens it up. I added paprika to this for a bit more flavor, but it makes the avocado mix a brownish greyish color. If you are put off by the color, just leave it out!

This recipe yields 4-6 servings.

Egg Avocado Salad
- 2 small ripe avocadoes
- 6 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup of red onion, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, juice
- 1/4 tsp of paprika (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a bowl, mix the avocado, cilantro and red onion with a fork. The fork will break the avocado as you mix.

2. Add paprika, eggs, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Continue to mix until even. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve cold with bread.

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Griffintown Cafe, Montreal

Wow, so I haven't been excited about a place like this in a long time! I have to admit, I'm pretty uninspired with what is out there. Don't get me wrong, there is lots of good food out there, but I think that is exactly what the problem is. It is so hard to set yourself apart these days because EVERYONE does it well.

What I love about Griffintown Cafe is that this place has got soul and character! Not only is the food great, but they've really created this atmosphere that isn't easy to replicate. This place has got this old funky saloon type feel that makes it a lot of fun. They are open for lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner, and have live music three nights a week.

Fresh cold water was served in Bulleit Bourbon bottles. I loved the idea and want to do that at my house. Like I said, they make it fun!

I ordered the huevos divorciados with corn tortillas, poached eggs, cheddar cheese, black beans, avocado, Mexican crema, and salsa verde y roja. For an extra $2, you can add pulled pork which is well worth your money. I was absolutely in heaven with this dish. It was substantial, flavorful, fresh, and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Huevos Divorciados

The eggs were cooked rare, and it was a perfect dish to mix up and eat all mushed together. I was so satisfied with my dish that I didn't even look at anyone else's, which is rare for me. I always have food envy and want to try every dish on the table, but not this time. I was faithful to my dish.

Huevos Divorciados

S and P had the eggs benedict served on home baked biscuits with hollandaise, potatoes and mixed green salad. S had hers with homemade bacon.

Eggs Benedict with Homemade Bacon

 And P had her eggs benny with house cured organic salmon.

Eggs Benedict with Salmon

J opted for something sweet and had the brioche french toast with bourbon, vanilla bean, cinnamon fresh berries, sweet cream and maple syrup.

Brioche French Toast

Griffintown Cafe

1378 Notre Dame Ouest

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Telephone: 514-931-5299

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Roasted Vegetable and Spinach Lasagna

Everyone needs a good lasagna recipe in their repertoire. Growing up, my mom tried hard to make a good lasagna, but no matter what she did, it would always turn out soggy. I was always envious of my friends whose moms knew how to make soggy-free lasagna. Well, I finally perfected a recipe, and can now enjoy soggy-free lasagna whenever I want!

Roasted Vegetable and Spinach Lasagna
- 1 (375g, 13oz) package of uncooked oven ready lasagna noodles
- 2 cups of parmesan, mozzarella, and provolone cheese mix
- 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into thick slices (4-6 slices each pepper)
- 16 oz mushrooms
- 475g light ricotta cheese
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 (156 mL, 5.5 fl oz) can of tomato paste
- 2 300g packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed with water rung out
- 2 eggs
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 (739mL) jar of roasted red pepper and garlic tomato sauce
- Extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper

Method
1. In a small bowl, cut the zucchini in 1/2 inch slices, and lightly coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

2. Place the zucchini and red pepper slices on a baking tray and broil low for 25 minutes. Half way through, turn the zucchini and red peppers so that they are evenly cooked on both sides. Let it cool, peel the skin off of the red peppers, and roughly chop the zucchini and red peppers.

3. In a pan, saute the onions and garlic with some olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms, basil, oregano, and thyme and continue to saute until the mushrooms are cooked. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, paprika, zucchini, and red peppers and saute for another 10 minutes. Add some water if the mixture is too thick.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/175C. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, spinach, and a large handful of the cheese mixture. Layer the lasagna: coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with the sauce mixture, place the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce until the dish is covered, spread a thin layer of the spinach mixture over top of the noodles, sprinkle the cheese mixture over top, and cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Add a layer of the tomato sauce mixture, sprinkle the cheese mixture over top, and cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Repeat until the baking dish is full and your ingredients used up. The last layer should be the tomato sauce with some cheese sprinkled over top.

5. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and broil high (2-5 minutes) until the cheese on top becomes a golden brown. Let it sit for 8-10 minutes before serving.

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Mirza Ghasemi (Persian Eggplant Tomato Dip)

I am slowly collecting my Persian recipes, and this is the latest one. This is a fresh and easy dip that is great for dinner parties. If you like eggplant and garlic, then this dip is for you.

Some recipes call for eggs and onions but that is not how my mother-in-law makes it. I like to add a bit of paprika for extra sweetness, which is entirely my addition and not traditional in any sense.

Mirza Ghasemi (Persian Eggplant Tomato Dip)
- 10 Chinese eggplants
- 1 (156 mL, 5.5 fl oz) can of tomato paste
- 1 fresh roma tomato, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp of paprika
- 4-5 large cloves of garlic, minced
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. With a fork, poke holes into the eggplants, cut off the stems, place them on a baking tray, and broil low (approximately 15-20 minutes) until they are tender and the skin turns a light brown color. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Peel the eggplants with your hands (the skin should come off easily), discard the skin, and roughly chop the eggplant.

3. In a frying pan, heat the garlic on medium heat with a generous amount of olive oil for 1 minute. Add the eggplant, roma tomato, turmeric, paprika and tomato paste, and cook for another 15 minutes. Once all of the flavors are blended, add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Refrigerate and serve cold. If the dip seems a bit dry, add some olive oil and mix well.

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Corner Room, London

Tucked away in London boutique hotel, Town Hall hotel, Corner Room is a great place to go if you're in the mood for a casual, but upscale meal. Corner room is the low key version of Nuno Mende's Michelin-starred restaurant, Viajante.

To keep things moving, there is a no-reservations policy here, and your stay is limited to 90 minutes when it is busy. The menu changes weekly.

My appetizer was the beetroot with butternut squash & stracciatella. I loved the presentation of this dish. The salad was a mix of pickled and fresh beetroot, which provided a nice contrast.

Beetroot with Butternut Squash & Stracciatella

C had the venison in ash with salsify & date. Again, another beautiful presentation. The venison was delicious.

Venison in Ash with Salsify & Date

CK had the octopus with smoked potato & hazelnut milk. The octopus had a nice crunch to it, and the overall dish had a nice salty and smokiness flavor.

Octopus with Smoked Potato & Hazelnut Milk

I originally ordered the duck but they had run out, so my second choice (with much encouragement from C) was the Iberico pork & Portuguese bread pudding. I wasn't brave enough to get my pork rare, and had it cooked medium instead. The bread pudding, paired suprisingly well with the pork. My plate was spotless by the time I was done.

Iberico Pork & Porguguese Bread Pudding

CK + H ordered the short ribs with mushroom caramel & pak choi. The short ribs were melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Short Ribs with Mushroom Caramel & Pak Choi

C had the onglet steak with celeriac & pine.

Onglet Steak with Celeriac & Pine

After our meal, the four of us split two desserts. The first was the blueberries with goats cheese caramel, brioche & shiso. The shiso and goats cheese were two very strong tastes that somewhat clashed with each other. I didn't love this dessert.

Blueberries with Goats Cheese Caramel, Brioche & Shiso

The other dessert was the rhubarb with white chocolate & buttermilk sorbet. A nice blend of tastes but nothing that really stood out.

Rhubarb with White Chocolate & Buttermilk Sorbet

By the time our coffee was ready, our 90 minutes were up, so they gave us our coffees at no charge and politely shooed us out.

Corner Room
Town Hall Hotel & Apartments
Patriot Square
London, UK
Telephone: 0207 871 0461

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Beigel Bake, London

Montreal has smoked meat, New York has pastrami, and London has salt beef. What I recently discovered was the salt beef part, and I'm so glad I did!

While all three are Jewish deli meats made of beef brisket that is cured in brine, each has its own distinct characteristics and flavors. If you are not familiar with the term salt beef, it is pretty much the same thing as corned beef.

After a long night of pub hopping, our friends from London took CK and I to Brick Lane for a hot salt beef beigel sandwich. A bagel you ask? No, I said beigel.

Brick Lane hot salt beef beigel sandwiches are especially popular with the late night crowd. After a long night out, and if you are in the area, the salt beef beigel is what locals turn to for that 2 am hunger fix.

There are 2 main places that serve salt beef beigel sandwiches on Brick Lane: Beigel Bake and Beigel Shop. The two establishments are literally right beside each other, and both are just as popular. Our friends are loyal to Beigel Bake, so that is where we ended up.

As you walk by, you'll see the sandwiches being constructed with the words hot salt beef etched on the window.

When we arrived, there was a huge line up going out the door. We waited patiently as we moved along the queue. Once you get inside, you can get a peak of the beigels being made.

The bakery is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While I focus on the salt beef sandwich, the bakery offers so much more than that. Aside from beigels, you can also get fresh rolls, breads, and pastries. If salt beef isn't your thing, you can have your beigel filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese, chicken, salami, or tuna.

Alas, the wonderful mouth watering hot salt beef beigel sandwich! Along with the salt beef, you can also get thick slices of dill pickle and loads of Colman's hot English mustard stuffed into the sandwich. Each bite cleared our sinuses and made our eyes water. The spiciness combined with the saltiness of the beef, sourness of the pickles, and sweetness of the beigel made each bite more addicting.

I debated on eating this for breakfast the next day, but CK talked me out of it.

Beigel Bake

159 Brick Lane

London, UK

Telephone: 020 7729 0616

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Schwartz's, Montreal

I can't believe it took me almost 10 years to try a Schwartz's smoked meat sandwich. Shame on me. My husband has been trying to get me to try Schwartz's forever and for some reason, I always rejected his suggestion. I finally tried Schwartz's when we brought a friend to Montreal for the day. I'm totally slapping myself for not having tried it earlier.

Schwartz's is FAN-TAS-TIC! Mouth watering, make-the-hair-on-your-arm-stand-up GOOD! I had no idea and had I known what I know now, I would have eaten here every weekend when I had the chance.

We drove here on a Wed afternoon, around 2pm and we were shocked to see how packed this place was. It was absolutely chaotic, and we were lucky enough to grab 3 seats at the end of a table beside a couple visiting from New York. They chose Montreal as their honeymoon destination and one thing on their must-do list was to go to Schwartz's.

Open since 1928, Schwartz's was founded by Jewish immigrant, Reuben Schwartz. Schwartz's meat is smoked in-house in the most traditional way, with no chemicals or preservatives added.

There are 3 things one must try at Schwartz's.

1. Smoked meat sandwich. You can order it fat, medium, or lean. Medium is probably as lean as you should go. CK had the lean to be healthy and he totally regretted it. Lean was too dry. I prefer the medium, which was a perfect mixture of fatty and lean.

Medium Smoked Meat Sandwich

2. Fries. I love the fries here because they remind me of chip wagon fries. Fresh, not too crispy, kinda soft, and a beautiful golden brown color.


Fries

3. Dill pickle. They are massive and perfectly crunchy.

Dill Pickle

Schwartz's

3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Telphone: 514-842-4813

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Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar, Ottawa

I finally got a chance to check out Taylor's Genuine Food & Wine Bar, chef John Taylor's second successful eat-local restaurant in Ottawa. Much like Domus, everything is either made in-house or brought in from local farms. However, unlike Domus, Taylor's Genuine has a very cozy, casual laid back, and intimate feel.

J and I dropped in for dinner, and had a great meal over great conversation.

We started with a charcuterie plate of Elk Ranch salami, house smoked Mariposa duck breast and local cheeses, served with pickled carrots, shallots, beets and Jerusalem artichoke. The charcuterie plate is a create your own where you can mix + match from a list of terrines, pâté, sliced meats, fish, and cheeses. Each item on the menu is $7 and you order as little or as much as you like.

Charcuterie & Cheese Plate

J had a plate of simple field greens while I ordered the Juniper Farms salad, a salad of roasted and pickled beets, greens, pickled carrot, Fleuron blue cheese, and sherry shallot vinaigrette.

For mains, we both had the elk flat iron: pan seared Elk Ranch flat iron steak drizzeled with jus and served with beer braised cabbage, dauphin potatoes and brown butter celeriac parsnip puree. The server recommended to have the elk cooked rare as anything more than that would result in the meat being tough and chewy. The elk steak was cooked perfectly.

 Elk Flat Iron

For dessert, I had the lemon bar served with meringue, lemon sorbet and an apple cranberry compote. The dessert was fresh, tart, and not too sweet which was just perfect for me!

Lemon Bar

The only one thing I found was that the service was a little bit slow. Luckily, we weren't on a time budget that night, but if you're in a rush, be sure to let the waiter know.

Taylor's Genuine Wine & Food Bar

1091 Bank Street

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Telephone: 613-730-5672

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