Top Patios in Vancouver: Joey Burrard / September 3, 2016 by Jenn Chan

Have you ever had a Bellini? It's on most menus around Vancouver, nay the world, but your average guy will poo poo the notion of such a girly drink, à la Marshall from How I Met Your Mother. Should we though? The short answer is hell to the no. The recipes can vary, but generally it tastes like those peach slice $0.5 candies, Slurpee style, with a dollop of champagne. Do yourself a personal favour and get one the next time you go out!

We posted up on the Joey Burrard patio and ordered a Bellini, hence the opening rant, and a Blueberry Mojito. Joey Burrard holds a special place for the JCP family. It is where Jenn and I first met! On a lark we decided we'd try and replicate the meal we had after we struck up a conversation at the bar while waiting for our friends. After 10-15 minutes of very engaging conversation we both texted our friends and told them we wouldn't be able to make, a little white lie seeing as how we were already there, and proceeded to grab a table and our impromptu first date commenced :)

I acted aloof on our first date like getting a bunch of appies and splitting them buffet style was a regular thing, but it wasn't. It is now :) We ordered a Rainbow Roll, Gyoza, Chili Chicken Bites, Sushi Cones and, after some debate since I don't believe it was on the first date curriculum, Hot Wings with blue cheese. As a rule I try not to get sushi at a pub. It's generally a good rule. Throw it out the window at any Joey's! The rainbow roll is in my top 10 for sushi rolls in Vancouver. Ahi tuna, salmon, crab and avacado accentuated by a Srirachi Aioli. I know that sounds good. You can pick this blog post back up after you get back from Joey's. Go ahead, I'll wait.

I have had on occasion bad Gyoza. Sadly it's a fact of life. I'm sure a place or 2 has served me pre-packaged, frozen Gyoza with its rubbery texture and chemical rich preservatives. Those are bad experiences, this was an excellent experience. Hand made pastry cradling deliciously prepared pork and served with a spicy mustard. It's amazing! Their Chili Chicken Bites were just the right amount of tangy and the chicken was plump and juicy. This is not McDonald's "chicken" this is the real deal. Come to think of it they are similarly priced. Why on Earth does anyone go to McD's!? The sushi cone is in the same boat as the Rainbow Roll. Usually avoid, but at Joey's dive in! Prawn tempura with avocado, spicy mayo and tobiko. Even the 12 year-old at McDonald's could make a tasty meal out of those ingredients! It's so nice! The chicken wings, of which I purport to be an expert, were really good as well; 8/10. Tasty, not too steroidy chicken, with a good medium hot sauce.

Did I mention that we got to Joey's thirsty? In between our buffet style appie extravaganza a couple tequila sunrises snuck their way in, a few sangrias with Bellini slush, yes as good as it sounds. Then our entrees came out. Don't judge us we were very hungry :) A divine lobster ravioli and a succulent 12 oz New York Strip steak. The lobster ravioli, a regular order of mine, was as good as many of the high end Italian restaurants in Vancouver that specialize in them. A near perfect 9/10! The steak came out the perfect medium rare, first box ticked as I like to say, and the meat was high quality AAA beef. I would go back for a steak anytime!

12oz New York Strip with peppercorn & mushroom jus

The incredible patio setting, extremely attentive and congenial staff and the myriad of drink and food options makes Joey Burrard, or any Joey's for that matter, a must dine! Head over and tell them Jenn Chan Photography recommended them and you just might be able to skip a line or, at very least, get a crisp high five. Both are good!

Photos: Jenn Chan

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French Cuisine in Vancouver: The Stable House / August 13, 2016 by Jenn Chan

Ahhh the leafy, tree lined streets of Fairview. I've long been a fan of the decadent, posh suburbia right across the bridge for where I'm nestled comfortably in the Downtown core. As soon as you cross the Granville Street bridge and pass the shops and restaurants that dot the road you are transported into a world of mansions and old growth Maples and Pines. Take a left or a right off of Granville before the mansions start and the apartments and heritages homes and condos peer out from behind an envelope of leafy green trees that blot out the sky. The air is fresh, the people friendly and the restaurants, oh the restaurants, are special.

You may have passed by the Stable House Bistro before and not even noticed. Unassuming. I like my wine to be unassuming, inoffensive, I like my women to be unassuming, unpretentious, and I like my restaurants to be neighbourhood secrets. The owners originally started the Stable House as a wine club for their friends, but, after Chef James got his hands on the menu, word got out.

Charcuterie boards are unmistakably French. Pair them with a nice sparkling wine, or if you're at the Stable House actual champagne from the champagne region of France, take a bite of cheese, have a swallow of the champagne and let it melt the cheese in your mouth. Let the salty, cured meats zap your tastebuds before you bathe them again in cheesy, sparkling goodness. And repeat ad nauseum.

Before our board arrived we, as we often do, decided to test the Stable House's offering on the patent pending Jenn Chan Photography Caesar Meter. I ordered mine as they make it and JC ordered hers mild. I found mine to be tangy, spicy and very flavourful. JC loved hers as well and said she gave it a 9 on the JCP Caesar Meter, and I liked mine similarity; 9's around! Solid score Stable House crew!

The board arrived laden with a house made terrine of juniper scented pork; absolutely amazing! Also along for the ride was a delightful chicken liver paté and pickled plums. A unique and entertaining assortment and it all soon disappeared. It was paired masterfully by our server Matthew with a full bodied Chianti from the Carpineto winery in Italy.

Housemade Characuterie - Juniper Scented Pork Terrine and Chicken Liver Pate with pickled plums & aioli

2014 Domaine Bott-Geyl Gentil d'Alsace, Alsace France

After the board our second course came, a refreshing watermelon and radish salad with shaved fennel. It was a nice light palate cleanser and again paired perfectly with Alsace from the Domaine Bott Geyl winery in Alsace, France. Pampering at its finest, a talented sommelier can be such an incredible addition to a meal. Matthew informed us gleefully he was heading to France the next week to undertake further wine study. Wine study in France I thought, tough job.

Local Watermelon Radish Salad - Shaved fennel, compressed fennel stem, micro peppercress, crushed almond and balsamic cream

I ordered the Confit Chicken Thighs. Chicken cooked in a duck fat reduction. Yes, it is as good an idea as it sounds. Served with local baby carrots, roasted potatoes and English snap peas it was the best chicken I have eaten in 2016 and I laboured to think of a better piece of poultry in my lifetime. Simply delicious! JC order a seared Newport Steak with a barley and black trumpet risotto and pickled enoki mushrooms. I thought they had spilled dish soap on it until I was informed politely that it was Grana Padano foam. Good save guys. Regardless the dish soap, for whatever reason, tasted great and the risotto was light and flavourful. The steak came out the perfect pink and the meat was tender and delicious! Both entrées were outstanding and both worth a visit on their own.

Maple Hill Farms Confit Chicken Thighs - Roasted new potatoes, glazed local baby carrots, english peas, snow peas & wasabi pea dust

Kettle Ridge Farms Seared Newport Steak - barley & black trumpet risotto, pickled enoki mushrooms, gran padano foam, and black garlic coulis

Dessert was an adventure all on its own! Anytime meringue is involved I am there. It reminds me of my dear granny who would make the most light, airy meringue in the world. Or so I thought. We were presented with a plate of lemon custard, chantilly cream, raspberry coulis, meringue and fresh, local raspberries. We couldn't pinpoint our favourite item, but both have the platter a 9/10. Heady scores if you're fans of our blog!

Lemon Custard - chantilly cream, raspberry coulis, hazelnut praline, merangue and BC raspberries

Looking back the Stable House is a must! Pleasant staff, an incredible wine selection and an eclectic ambience. Head over there and tell them JCP sent you and get yourself the Chef's choice and let them pick your courses and sit back and relax. Cheers!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Meals made easy with Chef's Plate / August 11, 2016 by Jenn Chan

As many of you know, I love eating, and I love eating out. Trying new restaurants, new dishes are amongst one of my top 5 things to do of all time. But when I heard about Chefs Plate now being available in BC, I was very excited to see what I could possibly whip up in my OWN kitchen!

Chefs Plate is a Canadian web-based company that has recently become available to people living in BC. Their idea is quite simple, you get to pick your menu from their "2-person plan" or "family plan", and they deliver it right to your door! They offer a new menu for you to choose from every week so you won't find yourself getting bored of the "same old recipe". All dishes are nutritious and balanced, which is awesome, because we all know I need more of that in my life! You get to pick the day and time that works best for them to deliver all the ingredients to your door, and even if you're not home, they'll drop it off in a refrigerated box, so you don't need to worry about the ingredients going bad.

When my box arrived, I was extremely excited, but who am I kidding, everyone gets excited when they receive a box in the mail! The inside of the box was well packaged, everything had its place, and was very organized - it even came with an apron (which made me really feel like a chef)! The 2 meals I picked were in its own bag, with everything portioned and ready-to-go.

One of the meals I chose is the Chicken Stroganoff! It's one of those meals that I love but have never successfully made on my own! To my relief, it came with an easy-to-follow instruction card, accompanied with pictures. As I mentioned before, everyone came portioned, so all you have to do is chop up the vegetables! I didn't even have to cut up the chicken since it came perfectly cut into the appropriate sizes.

The finished product! I made THIS! I could hardly believe it myself! I couldn't wait to dig in, and when I did, it tasted heavenly! I could taste every ingredient I've prepared and put in there, it was all so fresh! Really, if I can do it, anyone can! I can hardly wait for my next meal!

The next night came, and with the success of my meal the night before, I was ready to jump start my second menu choice of the week - The Korean Beef Bulgogi. This dish was a little more difficult to make as compared to the last, but the easily laid out instructions made it easy to follow. It actually wasn't very "difficult" to make, just more steps and preparation! One of my favourite moments making this dish is the amazing smell of the bulgogi beef marinating!

After the beef was marinated, all vegetables chopped up, and all the sauce containers were open, it was time to cook! This process wasn't hard at all, and it didn't take long before my meal was once again ready to be devoured.

Ta-da! Here it is, the finished product, my very own homemade Beef Bulgogi on rice. I have to tell you, this dish was absolutely amazing! As I'm writing this now, I am drooling over the taste in my mouth! I know everyone says their food tastes better when they made it themselves but boy, I did not imagine to like this so much!

My experience ordering with Chefs Plate for some delicious, healthy, homemade meals was exceptional - from the picking, to delivery, to cooking up the meals. Not only did I get to have 2 amazing meals, I also gained some tricks and skills in the kitchen, and a little more confidence with cooking.

I'd love for you to try this as well, and they're kindly providing your first 3 meals FREE! Referral tag is #JENNCHANPHOTOGRAPHY , or CLICK HERE! Happy cooking!

Words & Photos: Jenn Chan

Terroir Kitchen, West Vancouver / August 8, 2016 by Jenn Chan

Terroir is a true gem of West Vancouver! As soon as you are seated in their modern, sleek restaurant a sense of serenity flows over you. Whether you're seated inside or on their lovely deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean there is a place for everyone at Terroir!

Our adventure started with a lovely Rotari Trento Brut Rosé which went perfectly with a couple appetizers recommended by our lovely hosts: Zucchini Parmesan Carpaccio and a Seared Albacore Tuna. I rarely eat zucchini, but the combination of it with the cheese and a light smattering of oil and I ate almost the whole plate. Much to the chagrin of my zucchini loving dining partner. The tuna was fresh and delicious, lightly kissed with the perfect sear job.

Rotari Trento Brut Rose | Mezzacorona | Trentino, Alto adagio

Seared Albacore Tuna | Warm fennel salad, cipollinni onions, olives, crispy artichokes, roast garlic & parsley sauce

We cleansed our palates between courses with a lovely Pineau des Charest from Chateau de Monifaud. It's a delightful French aperitif and did the job perfectly and then the fun really started! Out comes, unbeknownst to us as we left everything up to Chef Kassan's, one of my favourite dishes: bone marrow! Expertly prepared and so flavourful. We always enjoyed a delicious pork belly, think bacon's overweight, delicious cousin, and paired beautifully with a robust Pinot Noir from the Meyer winery in BC's beautiful Okanagan Valley. Rounding out the dishes was a sublime Potato Gnocchi, the best over had in my life, with venison ragu and paired with a Barbera d'Alba, one of favourite Italian wines!

Pineau des Charentes | Chateau de Monifaud Vieux Pineau | France

Pork Belly paired with Pinot Noir | Meyer | Okanagan Valley

Potato Gnocchi | Venison Ragu, Crispy Sage, Saffron Pecorino, Cocoa Nibs, paired with Barbera d'Alba

Already wobbly as we sat back in our chairs, dessert would be next. Can we handle it? Ought we? We didn't get a chance to answer as a dessert platter glided silently to our table: Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Tart, Poached Pear, Biscotti and a lovely Chateau de Bourgogne. We ate almost all of it even given our now food pregnant frames and thanked Chef Faizal Kassam on our way out and had a lovely conversation about the direction of the relatively new Terroir, had a nice tour and some behind the scenes tidbits. Terroir is divine and we will definitely be back!

Chocolate Tart | Pistachio Brittle, Rosewater Cream

Chateeau de Bourgogne | Cassis Poached Pear, Burnt Almond Biscotti

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market / August 3, 2016 by Jenn Chan

If you know me, you would know that I'm a huge Shellfish fan, specifically Raw Oysters! It made me extremely happy to see Fanny Bay Oysters have opened up a Restaurant in Downtown! The Bar is beautifully decorated, and have photos of their Oyster Farm all over their walls. I find them to be very interesting! There's something about ordering Oysters from a Restaurant that started off with have many years of Oyster Farming under its belt, it's like ordering wine straight from a winery!

Our server, Emilia, gave us many suggestions, such as this - Oyster Shooters! I'm not typically a shot type of girl, but these were delicious! There are 2 different ways you can take a shot: Slurp the Oyster, lick the rim, shoot it, then bite on the lime OR lick the rim, squish lime into the shot, do the shot, then slurp the oyster. The shot is basically a mini-Caesar and it was an absolute delight!

Of course, we ordered a dozen Oysters. We had a Variety of them: Kumamoto, Kusshi, Raspberry Point, Fanny Bay & Shigoku, from the Pacific, to the East Coast - they all tasted amazing and went well with the Apple Cider Mignonette

We were curious about trying the Geoduck on their menu and to our excitement, Emilia took us over to the tank and showed us a live geoduck. I got to say, it was not what I expected! It looked like an elephant trunk with nostrils at the end of it and was rough to the touch, it made me second guess my decision to order the Geoduck Sashimi. We decided to order it anyway, since there wasn't many restaurants that served geoduck. The dish was beautifully plated, chopped up and served in its shell, in watermelon radish, complemented with pickled ginger & horseradish. To our surprise, the texture of the sashimi, when it came out to our table, was great! It wasn't at all rough, and tasted like raw scallops to me. If you have never tried geoduck before, I highly implore you to try it!

We ended our dinner with splitting a Bouillabaisse, another dish that was suggested by Emilia. I'm glad we listened to her since this dish was absolutely amazing! Mussels, Clams, Prawns, Ling Cod, and Scallops bathe in a fragrant white wine saffron butter broth. The broth was slurped up, and the dish disappeared quickly! I highly recommend ordering this when you visit Fanny Bay Oyster Bar!

Words & Photos: Jenn Chan

Bodega on Main / August 1, 2016 by Jenn Chan

In the restaurant business mistakes are made; it is as inevitable as death and taxes. Hair falls into food, women lose, on average, 50-100 strands per day, orders get mixed up, loud patrons disturb us convivial customers and things get dropped. Smart managers know these happenstances can actually be a chance to make a lifelong customer. Food was cold so the food is free and here's a gift certificate for next time. A beer was dumped in your lap by the usually stalwart waitress so all the drinks at the table are on the house and the first bottle of wine is on us next time. Both of those customers will be back and chances are very good they'll tell someone how well they were treated!

While it is less fun to be the cause of another patron's stress, cameras and lighting are a lifestyle blogger's constant companion and can apparently sometimes annoy neighbouring tables, it was refreshing to watch how the situation was discretely handled; meals comped, drinks comped and a GC for their next visit. A common sense courtesy in a world where common sense is far from commonplace!

Our culinary adventure started with a couple of cocktails while we perused the menu. The Santi is a gin and sherry based cocktail with a refreshing cucumber garnish. It is a nice light, easy-sipping offering and worth a second visit. The Smoke on the Water is Laphroig and Aperol mixed with lemon juice and orange bitters. A definite smoky taste accented by the sharp orange bitters. You might breath a bit of fire after this one so make sure you have a safe ride home!

Santi - Oloroso Sherry, Gin, Simple Syrup, Cava, Basil, Cucumber Garnish, topped with Pimento Bitters

Smoke on the Water - Quarter Cask Laphroig, Aperol, Lemon Juice, Gomme, Orange Bitters, Lemon Twist

The Membrillo y Queso is an absolute homerun! Aged Manchego cheese with a decadent Quince Jelly on top. I could have eaten 50; no joke. The hyperbole police aren't coming after me, I could have. Our second appetizer was the Pulpo a la Parilla. Expertly grilled octopus with a Piquillo Romesco. The Piquillo is a robust pepper found mostly in northern Spain. It's got a kick and paired very well with the fresh, soft octopus.

Membrillo Y Queso - Aged Manchego Cheese, and Quince Jelly

Pulpo A La Parilla - Grilled Octopus, Piquillo Romesco

With preliminary snacking over we moved onto the Paella Mixta. Have you ever had Paella? Good Paella? It's generally a melange of meats over rice. Thats oversimplified, but that's the general idea. Bodega wasn't satisfied with traditional Paella and elevated it starting with an incredible Saffron rice and tossing in prawns, clams, chicken, chorizo and pork. Worth a trip all on its own I give the dish a solid 8 1/2 / 10! And I never give 10's.

Paella Mixta - Saffron Rice with Seafood, Chicken, Chorizo and Pork

Followed close behind was their Pincho Moruno and Conejo Riojana; beef skewers and slow cooked rabbit. The beef skewers were lovely cuts of AAA beef and were tender and flavourful and the rabbit was yet another homerun! Swimming in a tangy Tomato and Wine sauce and hunched beside a small mount of roasted potatoes Bugs Bunny made his last stand. Yosemite Sam must have finally got his man and I got my favourite dish of the night! I'm a spice guy, I love Sriracha, I love curry and I loved this dish. Nowhere near the heat of the aforementioned weapons of mass deliciousness, but holding its own was the tomato and wine sauce. I am a little ashamed to admit it, but we ordered all our plates to share and I was unable to let this incredible rabbit out of my sight! I would walk an hour and a half to get it. In the rain. Uphill. Both ways. A near perfect 9/10!

Pincho Moruno - Grilled Skewers of Marinated AAA Beef

Conejo Riojana - Slow Cooked Rabbit, Tomato and Wine Sauce

A friendly battle erupted when the freshly made Churros with hot dipping chocolate and vanilla marscapone came to the table. 2 guests and 3 Churros... Whomever eats their first churro first will, by social convention, have first right of refusal to the third and final remaining delicious stick of dough and cinnamon. Usually. I was outranked and outgunned. The venerable Jenn Chan decided she needed that Churro in her life and who am I to deny her pleasure! Better than you'll find a the PNE or amusement park by a country mile!

Churros - served with Hot Dipping Chocolate and Vanilla Mascarpone

Each dish came paired with a lovely white wine, most from the divine Okanagan Valley. Each was carefully considered and proffered by our incredibly lovely waitress who was the picture of decorum even as seat after seat started being snapped up and soon everyone was elbow to elbow as Bodega reached capacity. Happy faces, laughter and a lot of oooo's and ahhhh's. This room is electric, good for a drink after work or an anniversary meal; it is simply not to be missed!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan