Cooking at Fishworks: Handmade Ravioli

Here it is, an eternity in the making... my ravioli video! It will soon be posted at www.fishworks.ca, and with Allah's blessing there will be many more Fishworks inspired instruction forthcoming. Bon Appetit!

My Reviews

After discovering photography and videography, I've moved away from writing, but it is something I've always found joy in. Here are a sample of restaurant experiences I've documented since starting this blog... so if you happen to be launching a dining website anytime soon, bear in mind that I wrote these reviews primarily for my own entertainment, not for any specific publications. Bon appetit!
The District
Cactus Club Cafe: Global Dining Lounge
Kim Penh Pho Xua
Suki Sushi
Quattro on 4th
Moja Roaster Cafe

La Regalade: The Soul of French Cuisine

I arrived at the West Vancouver bistro in search of the soul of French cuisine: regional and seasonal produce, simply prepared. With its reputation well established, and having just read La Regalade’s eponymous 2005 cookbook, I had a feeling that this restaurant had what I was looking for.
With today’s menu up on blackboards, this rule was mostly followed. Duck, oysters, rabbit, beef, pork, lamb, scallops, and steelhead salmon all earn their place on the fresh sheet, but I found myself confused why the caesar salad and tomato tart were chalked up. These out-of-season items were out of place, and belong, if anywhere, on the single laminated sheet of house specialities. This menu must have been static since the restaurant was decorated, apparently sometime in the mid nineties, but I had already planned to order some practiced dishes from the cookbook.
One should first be aware of the intense nature of a French winter meal. This food has evolved over centuries to nourish peasants and aristrocrats alike through the cold, dark Gallic months. One should prepare one’s self for a serious meal. I found the classic pear and blue cheese tart an appropriate warm up to my main event of boeuf bourguinon, and though its presentation left something to be desired, this example offered a skilfully stimulating balance. Rich and light, with subtly sweet pear slices and savoury, smoky blue cheese. Its temperature and texture were, however, particularly uninspiring, and would have benefited from some oven time, rather than having been plated seemingly straight from its tupperware home.
The boeuf bourguinon was exactly what I wanted it to be. Arriving in an enameled cast-iron tureen, a generous portion of comforting stew. Any dryness was compensated for by abundance of braisage, textured with a dice of soft carrots and toothsome mushroom slices. The sauce was expertly thickened, ever so lightly with veloute, not thick enough to be called gravy, but enough to luxuriously coat my side-order of pommes gratin.
The wine list is composed of a few selections of each major style, and divided into two sections, France and BC. Selections by the glass range from $6.50 to $14.50, with some bottles as low as $30. The average markup from BC Liquor prices was about 125%, about average. The list was, however, very wisely chosen, with some great value wines. Wild Goose BC Riesling paired magnificently with the blue cheese in my tart, a $42 bottle well spent, but I was truly impressed by the 2007 Crozes-Hermitage “Les Brunelles.” For a $60 bottle, this is exactly what I want in a French Syrah. Spicy, medium bodied with generous but well-balanced tannin, with subtle herbs and leather. Did I mention spicy? This wine is driven by pungent black pepper and plum, an absolutely ideal pairing with my rich bourguinon. Kudos to the sommelier.
I had their very last tarte tatin, a gorgeously executed classic, with deeply caramelized apples and praline ice cream. As with all of their desserts, I found the presentation leaving much to be desired... but at this point of the night, it was past midnight, and they were probably being plated by the dishwasher. All the same, I think the whole table had simultaneous spasms of pleasure.
When the plates were all cleared, all of us were absolutely stuffed after 3 courses. And everybody was immensely contented by the food. As a cook, I admire the practiced simplicity and execution of every single dish I tried, although I was disappointed at most of the presentation. What really impressed me was the service. As a waiter myself, I admired the patience of our servers, as we all knew that we were that party everybody hates serving. We arrived more than half an hour late, ordered more than an hour late, and kept their chef in the kitchen past his bedtime. It is hard to be patient and composed as a server, balancing the interests of your kitchen and your guests, but I must say that the veterans at La Regalade are masters of their craft. This restaurant is not fancy, and this restaurant is not pretentious. It is not perfect, and it is not polished. But it is honest. It is the product of years of culinary mastery, if a bit sloppy. It is very clear, however, that this is more than anything else, the product of a family that really cares about food. And that is truly the soul of French cuisine.

The Story of the Curious Oysters

Inspired by Kaoru and Dave's fantastic oyster party, motivated by Nicole's amazing mignonette recipe, here is the latest Knights of the Corner Table presentation: The Story of the Curious Oysters!

Video: Quiche Lorraine

This video actually has a cooking demo! I'm making a reasonably classic quiche Lorraine here: although, I'm adding leeks and Gruyere, and I'm inverting the pastry onto the top, to make it like a quiche pot pie! These turned out really well. Try it yourself! I'll show you how to make the pastry later, so stay tuned :).

The Cooking Show

Here it is! The moment the world of culinary media has been waiting for... Knights of the Corner Table: The Cooking Show! The product of countless hours of cooking, filming, and editing, and blowing the entire stack of tips saved under my mattress in order to do so, this is just the beginning! Maybe the next video will be about your dinner party... please, enjoy!


Link to 5 minute YouTube trailer...

Just Words

I was just looking over my previous posts, and thinking about the people who make this culinary life worth sharing. I've spent the night drinking wine abundantly and making merry with some fantastic people, and have come even closer to my inevitably fruiting realisation that life is nothing if not for the people we live it with.
Life is about creating the world we would like to share with people, and shaping that world with the people we would best hope to share it with. Such a creative life is limitless, if you create it in trust with limitless people. I'm increasingly coming to realise how blessed I am to be surrounded by such people.
Shallaw and Tyler and Robin and Sean and all of the staff at Fishworks are wholly exceptional souls. Not very often does an idea experience the synthesis of this breadth of experience and interpersonal harmony. Not only is Shallaw's concept and execution of the highest order, but his social intuition is able to bring together a very unique and exciting group of people. This is what makes me the most hopeful for Fishworks -- I think everybody knows that this is about more than business.
So I think it is important to recognize the people who make us who we are. None of us exist in a vacuum -- for better or for worse, we are created by the people we let in. And my life has become infinitely richer for allowing myself to open up enough to let in some very genuine people that I have come to trust.
Life as an old man can be rewarding, after all.