Re-Up BBQ

One of the best things that happened in Vancouver, food-wise, was that the City of Vancouver created a pilot project for new street food carts. Although the carts have been slow to pop up, their arrival brings about a refreshing change from the usual hot dog stands.

Re-Up is probably one of the early success stories of the project; almost from the beginning, there were lineups during lunch hour. The tiny silver cart is located on Hornby near the Vancouver Art Gallery, near the fountains and Olympic clock. My friend Brigid and I went for on our lunch break to check it out. I first tried Re-Up the week after it opened (without my camera), and I was curious to repeat the experience.

The odd thing about Re-Up is that it's not very clear when they open - the first time I visited they opened at around 11:15am, but on this particular day they opened for business a little after 11:30am (generally the opening time is 11:20am). There were a few people milling about, and it was pretty obvious that they were eyeing the little silver truck.

We both had the sweet tea ($2), which was sweet, strong and very refreshing. The tea had an intriguing floral flavour that I couldn't quite place - a little of rose or violet, which was very unusual. It was very good.

Now we come to the goods. Re-Up has only one thing on the menu - the pulled pork sandwich ($6). The pork is smoked off premises and is warmed before serving.

The Portuguese bun is warmed, stuffed full of pork, topped with vegan BBQ sauce and coleslaw. The result is a sandwich that's overflowing with meat and crunchy cabbage. Don't wear your dress clothes with this one, folks. It's a messy bite, but so incredibly delicious. The pork is tender and moist, with a nice smoky flavour, and the sauce is wonderful - slightly spicy and nicely tangy. I've never liked coleslaw, but this coleslaw is surprisingly good.

We sat on the steps of the art gallery in the sunshine and ate our sandwiches, enjoying every mouthful, and sipping cool, sweat tea.

Even though I was full, I felt like I could've eaten another one of those.

Re-Up is addictive, indeed.

Organic Lives

My co-workers are mostly vegetarian and vegan, so we took the opportunity one day to visit this organic, raw vegan restaurant after doing a site visit for work. The day happened to be the wettest day in August since 1958 or something. Can you tell by the picture?

Organic Lives is on the corner of Quebec and 2nd Avenue, and is housed in a big red brick building. Even with the signage, it was a little hard to tell that there was a restaurant inside; in fact, I must have walked by the restaurant every day when I lived in the area.

Okay, when I first heard about this restaurant I was skeptical, because what can there be except salads? But looking at the restaurant's website I was intrigued by the various food preparation methods. Although none of the food is cooked, there is a lot of dehydration, blender use, and some really complicated processes.

The first thing that I noticed about the place is that it is quite warm, despite the lack of stoves. One of my co-workers explained that this was because of the industrial size dehydrators they use. Although the seating is quite limited (around 20ish seats?), the restaurant had a large kitchen/prep area and really high ceilings. There is a bar area on which you can perch and watch the food preparation.

Along one side of the restaurant, there are products that you can take home with you, like coconut water, dehydrated pineapples, and various nut butters.

The menu is quite interesting, because it's very 'normal', with things like lasagna, wraps, sushi, pizza, and nachos. This makes dining here less intimidating for people, I guess. But when you read the descriptions and the food actually arrives, the utter ingeniousness of the dishes is pretty astounding.

Now, on to the food!

Side Earth Salad with Cilantro Lime dressing

Side Garden Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

I had the lasagna with Caesar salad ($14). The lasagna was made with thin slices of zucchini, and tomato, a nut-ricotta like cheese, sun dried tomato sauce, hemp-basil pesto. This was beautiful to look at and even more beautiful to eat. Everything was super flavourful and fresh tasting. The nut 'cheese' had the most uncanny resemblance to ricotta, but tasted even better than the original. However, the star of the dish was definitely the Caesar salad. The Himalayan pine dressing was tangy and complex and utterly delicious. The 'crutons', made from almonds, was amazing. I was amazed at the vibrant flavours this dish had.

The Sicilian Wrap ($12, with side salad)

Thai Curry ($12, with side salad)

Everyone loved their dishes. By all accounts, everything was intensely flavoured and delicious. It was such a surprise for me, because many of the ingredients I had never even heard of! And I was astounded at how good everything tasted. Even though the dishes here are a little bit pricey, it is worth the money considering the organic ingredients and the intense amount of preparation involved in the dishes.

I want to come back and try everything on the menu!

Pique vs. Swiss Chard

Pique managed to rouse herself from a nap and jumped up onto the dining room chair. Her nose must have told her something.

A little nibble....

A little sniff....

The cat always wins.

The Coquitlam Farmer's Market

I have lately become more aware of food systems and food security (especially through work). It is really important to support local growers, and with this in mind, we decided to get some groceries at the Coquitlam Farmer's Market today.

The market is located in the parking lots of the Coquitlam Recreation Centre, and continues until the end of October. There are a lot of produce growers, a few bakeries, a handful of meat sellers, and quite a number of crafts/arts stalls.

I am a huge fan of Gary's Kettlecorn. It is the best popcorn I've tasted: sweet, slightly salty, and most of all, tasting a lot like corn.

Here are our spoils: cauliflower, organic swiss chard and carrots, beats, heirloom tomatoes.

Apples

Green figs, cleverly stored in an egg carton. The inside is beautiful, almost like a pink sea anemone.

East is East - Main St.

Located at the corner of Main St. and 28th Avenue, East is East is centrally located right in the middle of the Main St. bustle. This location offers both a take out option (with a take out window), and a sit-in restaurant experience. The cuisine is Middle Eastern/Indian/Silk Road inspired, and is quite popular with the locals.

Stepping inside the restaurant is an unexpected experience. The walls are hung with darkly colourful Afghan carpets; cushions are placed all along both walls, and the seating is close to the ground, behind low, wooden tables. It was like entering an Arabian Nights fantasy. The only off note was the heavy aroma of burning incense which was smoky and overly sweet.

Upon our arrival for lunch, we were warmly greeted, and were immediately brought glasses of water and a sample of chai in a tiny while espresso cup. The chai was wonderful - sweet, milky, and with an intense spiciness that was unusual. It may be the best chai in the city (sharing the honor with Granville Island Tea Co., perhaps). Of course, the little sample made us want more, so we ordered a whole cup of the beautiful chai.

Both of us ordered the roti wrap. Shane ordered the Peas and Paneer wrap, which came with a side of salad and a portion of the dhal soup. I had the Afghan Nomad, a curried lamb wrap. The Peas and Paneer roti was good and mildly spiced. The lamb was absolutely tender and well seasoned with just enough spice. The rice with raisins gave a wonderful sweet accompaniment to the lamb. The side soup was hearty, and had an unexpected hint of tangy flavour. It was very good. The only misstep was the lack of dressing on the salad, although the greens and beets tasted fresh.

To be honest, I was not expecting to like this place, but the food and decor lured me into its charms. Top that with a world shattering spicy chai, and the restaurant had me in its embrace.

Main St. and Wool

Yesterday we went up to Main St. I grew up in that neighbourhood and we lived right on Main and 12th in a crappy, infested apartment for two years a few years back, so it holds a special place in my heart. However, these days, the main purpose of visiting the area is the wool shops. My favorite wool place is Three Bags Full, between 28th and 29th Avenues. It's a cozy place with a great selection of wool (including Cascade 220 and all sorts of Noro).

I bought quite a large quantity of Drops Alpaca - 4 balls of ruddy cinnamon, and 10 balls of a medium gray. My plan is to one day knit the Still Light Tunic, a wonderful, simple tunic with front pockets. It looks easy, and best of all, really comfortable to wear.

Veera is a genius for making up this pattern. It's beautiful!

Everything in Moderation

Hi folks - I've been awfully lazy with the blog lately. But I will try to do better. Meanwhile, here are a couple of pictures of Pique, doing what she does best.

A note on commenting on this blog: I've had a lot of SPAM posts - weird proverbs and comments in foreign languages, so I've put a moderating function on the blog. If you try to comment and your comment doesn't show up right away, it is in my inbox awaiting approval. I normally don't like to do this kind of thing, but it's gotten to a point where it's become necessary.

Thanks. Keep reading and more to come. Promise.