The Pie Hole

Supercalafragelisticexpialidocious!!!!!  That's all I have to say about The Pie Hole. 

I have been dying to try a pie from The Pie Hole for quite some time now, but hadn't had an excuse to buy a full pie.  So, when I was in charge of dessert for a fabulous brunch that I was invited to (it may have been fabulous because the cutest little baby boy ever was there), I decided this was my chance and emailed Jenell to see if there was any way I could order a pie with only 1.5 days notice.  Lucky for me, Jenell was super accommodating...I was able to pick up my pie on the way to the brunch and I was super excited to see that they make my favourite pie flavour: Strawberry-Rhubarb!

I was a little worried that the ladies at the brunch would feel that I had copped out by buying the dessert, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were all excited when they saw The Pie Hole label...they'd been dying to try their pies too!  The conclusion?  Absolutely heavenly!  One of the best pie crusts I've ever tasted and jam-packed full of yummy, fruity goodness.  I swear the pie weighed 8-10 pounds.  It was unbelievable and tasted like it had just come out of your Grandma's oven.  If I had a dollar for every time someone said "This is delicious Shayne" and I had to say "Thanks, but I didn't make it myself"...I would have been a millionaire!  Well, maybe not quite since there were only 8 of us there...but I would have definitely made $8 (I even said it to myself).

Thanks for the fabulous pie Jenell!  I can't wait to try more flavours...especially the savoury ones...Mac & Cheese pie here I come!

Things to note: (1) To order a pie, go to The Pie Hole's website (below) and either email or phone Jenell.  (2) The Pie Hole makes sweet pies, savoury pies, pie pops, tarts and treats, hand pies and pie holes.  All flavours are listed under the menu link on their website.  (3) A variety of stores are now carrying their pies in store.  A list of the stores and what they carry is on The Pie Hole's website.  (4) They accept cash and VISA, but make sure you have enough cash in case the VISA thingy is down.  Those phone swipey things were a fabulous invention but if only someone could invent one that always worked! and (5) I was very happy to discover that The Pie Hole makes individual pies.  Dangerous and fabulous discovery, all at once.

The yummy goodness of my Strawberry-Rhubarb pie when I opened the box.

 

My slice of pie and ice cream.

The X that marks the spot!  Picking up your pie is half the fun.  You'll want to turn East on Industrial from Main.  When you see the purple building, turn left into the parking lot and drive to the very end.

 

Go into the last store of the building and walk to the back right corner.  You'll find Jenell and your fabulous pie!

 

So excited to open this puppy up!

You've got to love it when the ingredient list consists of 12 ingredients, all of which you can pronounce and either have in your pantry, fridge or garden.  Brilliant!

 

http://www.vancouverpiehole.com/

Twitter: @pieholevan

Lemon Waffles

I recently headed out to Calgary for a family visit and was lucky enough to be treated to my cousin's (okay, technically my second cousin's) world famous lemon waffles.  I was ecstatic when she said that she was going to be making waffles, then when she started making a homemade lemon sauce my taste buds started doing a happy dance!  The waffles were dense, yummy and filling and the lemon sauce was so light and refreshing in comparison to maple syrup.  I'd definitely recommend adding this yummy goodness to your weekend breakfast repertoire! 

 

Lemon Sauce

• 15 mL cornstarch
• 125 mL sugar
• 1 mL salt
• 60 mL lemon juice
• 250 mL boiling water
• 15 mL butter
• 5 mL grated lemon rind

Mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt together.  Stir to a smooth paste with a very small amount of cold water.  Add the boiling water, stirring constantly over direct heat until the sauce thickens and is clear.  Remove from heat and add the butter.  Set aside and prepare the waffles.

The infamous lemon sauce.

 

Waffles

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs separated
• Pinch of salt
• Twist of lemon

Sift the dry ingredients together.  Add the egg yolks and milk, and mix thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they're relatively stiff.  Stir half of the egg whites into the batter.  Fold the second half of the egg whites into the batter.  Add the melted butter and lemon and mix until smooth.  Cook the batter using a waffle iron and then spoon the lemon sauce over top.

Action shot!  The folding technique.

 

Making some waffles.

Turkey bacon: the perfect side.

Breakfast!

Kafka's Coffee & Tea (Best Cafés of Vancouver - 5 of 48)

Well I am slowly but surely making my way through Erin Ireland's best cafés of Vancouver and am loving every minute of it!  My latest outing was to Kafka's Coffee & Tea on Main, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The beverages were great and authentic, the prices included tax (nice touch), the artwork was eye-catching and original, the space was modern but hipsterish at the same time (but not to the point so non-hipsters like myself felt unwelcome), they had fabulous bottles of water for free so you could re-hydrate post caffeine treat (another nice touch), and they had neat little things that caught your eye throughout the café (e.g. handles for canning jars to make them into cups, etc.).  The other bonus is they were open until 9pm on weekdays.  Definitely made for a fun evening out!  Now, on to the beverages...

My wonderful coffee companion's wet cappucino.  Very pretty to look at and my coffee companion thoroughly enjoyed it.

My Chai.  I had a feeling this Chai was going to be good when they listed it as "Chai" not "Chai Latté"...and boy was it ever!  Definitely tasted like it was made with fresh spices and it tasted every bit as good as my friend's homemade Chai, and her family's from Goa for crying out loud!  I'd definitely order this puppy again.  ($4.50)

The view of the coffee shop from our table.

 

 

The X that marks the spot.

 

http://kafkascoffee.ca/

Twitter: @Kafkascoffeetea

Cotto Enoteca

I couldn't believe my luck this past month.  The other founder of The Food Club had popped me an email saying that she thought we should go to Cotto Enoteca for our next outing and literally the next week I spotted a Social Shopper voucher for Cotto.  What are the odds?

Needless to say, we bought the Social Shopper voucher, went to Cotto and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  The food was fresh, unique and yummy, the atmosphere was a neat mix of comfy-cozy and modern, and the service was good, friendly and real.  That combined with great company and a lot of laughter, it was a great evening!

Things to note: (1) There is plenty of parking right around the restaurant.  (2) Cotto has quite a long bar and TVs, so it's a good place to go for dinner or to watch the game.  (3) They have quite a few long-tables and sections that could accommodate large groups.  (4) They have the greatest Mona Lisa bead curtain I've ever seen!  It's worth the trip to the bathroom just to see it.  (5) They have an amazing patio that looks like it will be completely open air in the summer time and (6) They take reservations.

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking!

Beet Salad: red & yellow beets, arugula, honey citrus vinaigrette, citrus, fennel, goat
cheese, pine nuts.  I loved this salad!  I wasn't expecting the beets to be sliced thinly but it made the flavours really pop and made the salad a lot more delicate.  I especially loved how citrusy the salad was and the contrast of the pine nuts.  Delicious!  ($10)

  

Tagliatelle Frutti di Mer: prawns, mussels, clams, salmon, halibut, capers, parsley, roasted garlic, lemon zest, white wine, cream.  Very nice dish with an impressive amount of seafood.  ($26)

Chicken Parmesan: breaded chicken roulade, stuffed with fior di latte and herbs, pasta aglio oilo, tomato sauce.  My mouth starts watering just thinking about this dish.  Chicken Parm is one of my favourite Italian meals and this was scrumptious!  Even the pasta that came with it was heavenly.  ($25)

One of the views from our table.

The X that marks the spot.

 

http://cotto.ca/

Twitter: @CottoEnoteca

The Chocolate Banana Cream Pie Cult

So, I recently fulfilled a lifelong food dream of mine: I went for pie at Aphrodite's Café!  The pie was heavenly, the servers oh so kind and real, the restaurant itself was comfy cozy and welcoming, the artwork was fun and funky...I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend an evening.  Such a treat!

Things to note: (1) In addition to amazing pies, Aphrodite's serves brunch, lunch and dinner.  (2) I was amazed to find out that they have six different gluten-free pies.  (3) This part of 4th has free parking, so leave your change at home! (4) If you're planning on going for brunch, there's quite often a serious line, so be prepared to get there early or wait in line, and (5) All items on the menu are made from local, organic ingredients.

The X that marks the spot.

The chocolate fiend's Chocolate Banana Cream Pie.  ($9.25)  The chocolate fiend had it narrowed down between the Chocolate Pecan and Chocolate Banana Cream Pie and then asked our server for her recommendation.  Without any hesitation she said the Chocolate Banana Cream Pie.  We both laughed over how certain she was, to which she said that the Chocolate Banana Cream Pie has a cult following.  Now, I definitely have a mind of my own and never thought I would be convinced to join a cult...but one taste of this pie and I was officially asking where to sign up for the Chocolate Banana Cream Pie cult.  Unreal!  Plus it was massive.  You could definitely share this puppy between two. 

My Raspberry Rhubarb Pie with Mario's Gelati Vanilla Bean ice cream.  ($9.25)  Absolutely scrumptious!

The view from our table.  If you look closely you can see a papier-mache Henrik Sedin hanging from the ceiling...awesome!

 

http://www.organiccafe.ca/

Twitter: @aphroditescafe

East is East

I recently visited East is East's Broadway location and, as per normal, it didn't disappoint!  I'm going to let the food do the rest of the talking, because it most definitely speaks for itself.

My Silk Route Feast: 2 dishes of your choice, dhal soup, organic salad, boulani, roti, garlic pickle, Afghan and basmati rice.  The lovely thing about the Silk Route Feast is you can continue to order dishes until you're full, so you get to try a little bit of everything.  It's fabulous!  There was another lovely lady at my table who ordered the Silk Route Feast so, between the two of us, we were able to try the Afghan Eggplant, Alu Gobi, Spinach Paneer, Mango Butternut Squash, Thai Tofu, Chickpeas, Chicken Masala and Lamb Pan Kebab.  I was going to try and pick my favourites for you, but then realized that I would just list 80% of the dishes from above, so that wouldn't help much!  I'm not going to lie, though, I am a big fan of their veggie dishes.  ($22) 

The most entertaining optometrist that I've ever met's double roti with dhal and salad.  For the life of me I can't remember which fillings he ordered, but he thoroughly enjoyed both of them and they looked darn yummy!  Things that Dr. Double Roti taught me: (1) East is East does not serve alcochol (I had never noticed this before), and (2) you can order two different rotis in a double.  (Approximately $18)

My favourite optometrist in the whole wide world's Silk Route Feast dish.  ($22)

The lady with the greatest haircut ever's single roti with dhal and salad.  (Approximately $14).

 

http://www.eastiseast.ca/

Herb Garden

One of my favourite parts of summer-time is my herb garden.  There's something peaceful about going out and watering it every morning.  It makes me feel like I have a backyard, and I have fresh herbs at my beck and call...it rocks!  This year I planted parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, mint, dill and cilantro. 

If you have been toying with the idea of planting a herb garden of your own, do it!  The pots are a bit of an investment (approximately $7 each for top and bottom) but last for years.  As for the herbs themselves, the entire plant normally costs about $3-4, which is a steal of a deal considering buying a pack of fresh herbs normally costs at least $2.  Add in a bag of soil for about $7 (which would be enough for 3 herb gardens) and watering every couple of days you'll have a summer full of fresh herbs!