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Mainland Street

Slider Quest – Episode 2 – Chinese Pork Buns on the Executioner’s Block

This is another case of East meets West. The Chinese pork buns of the East is come together with the American slider of the West and the outcome is a delectable dish worthy of praise and admiration . . . and mouth-watering too.

You can download the this week’s edition in PDF format HERE or just keep reading (the unrated version) below…

Episode 2 – Chinese Pork Buns on the Executioner’s Block

Image cutline: Goldfish in Yaletown serves up three types of sliders, the Short Rib Slider, the Kurobata Pork Slider and the Crispy Fish Slider.

Rangelina have slid into a parallel dimension known affectionately as Goldfish in search of the ultimate slider. What awaits them? Read on to find out.

Raj: I’m truly impressed! From the moment we entered Goldfish Pacific Kitchen on Mainland Street in Yaletown and uttered ‘take me to your leader, we want sliders,’ the whole place went into action.

Angelina: We didn’t get to meet their Beloved Leader, Bud Kanke, but his General and Maitre d’, Albert Chee, took care of our every wish and command.

R: Under the watchful eyes of General Chee, my glass of champagne was never empty. When it came close to being empty, he promptly clapped his hands and the subservient bartender immediately went into action and poured some more. It was amazing to see such orchestration.

A: On the General’s recommendation, we ordered all three types of sliders that they had – the Short Rib Slider with Hoisin Mayo, the Crispy Fish Slider with Classic Tartar Sauce and the Kurobata Pork Slider with Sweet Soy, affectionately known as the Chinese Pork Buns.

R: What we got was an army of sliders! They sent out four types of sliders, three of each we ordered, doubling up the quantities of the Kurobata Pork Sliders, one type with regular buns and one type with steamed Chinese buns – all of which were amazing. All 16, that is!

A: Yes but the sad part is they want to do away with the Chinese Pork Buns, they seem to have fallen into disrepute with the Beloved Leader. We have to save them!

R: All the sliders were really special, the flavours were really memorable but the Chinese Pork Buns, with their snow white exterior, are close to our hearts; let’s take to the streets and let them know!

A: United we can appeal to them via Twitter @GoldfishKitchen and use the hashtag #savetheporkbun to spread the word!

R: Power to the people!

Editor: Only you, the reader, can save the Chinese Pork Buns. Connect with @GoldfishKitchen and vote with the hashtag #savetheporkbun. The results will be announced at the end of the six-week quest.

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead

aside 16 Jun

Meatball Quest – Episode 1 – Three meatballs … and a secret one too

“Nothing spoils lunch any quicker than a rogue meatball rampaging through your spaghetti” – Jim Davis

Glowbal’s meatballs are neither rogue nor served with spaghetti, they’re served in style.

Various cultures all throughout the world have their own versions of the meatball, either as a part of a dish or simply served as a dish itself. The unassuming meatball is made up of ground meat and other ingredients such as breadcrumbs, minced onions, and spices, which would then be rolled up into a ball before being fried, steamed, baked, or braised with a bit of sauce. The Austrian call it the fleischaibchen, the Belgians have their ballekes, to the Greeks it is known as the keftedes, and its called the polpette to the Italians. Whichever way you call it, it’s still a meatball – plain and simple . . . well, probably not so plain and simple in the case of the Glowbal Restaurant Group, which has transformed a simple everyday meal into a dish worthy of praise.

You can download the this week’s PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 1 – Three meatballs … and a secret one too

Image cutline: Traittoria serves up the ever elusive lamb-based secret meatball only to those in the know. You didn’t hear about it from us, ok?

The slow start to the sunny season has me turned upside down and I’m craving comfort food. A plateful of meatballs, slathered in a tangy tomato sauce seems fitting for the occasion. This craving brings on a new quest – to investigate Vancouver’s meatball scene. No, I’m not talking about the municipal government and the new bike lanes, in this case the term meatball actually refers to the food we’ll be eating on this quest and not some politicians. With this notable task at hand, it only made sense to bring on Melody Fury, my co-conspirator to give me insight on the finer points of said meatballs.

R: Glowbal Restaurant in Yaletown is known as a destination for meatballs in Vancouver. They have five sister restaurants, four of which offer their own variety of meatball; we had no option but to make this the starting point.

M: We were straight ballin’ out of control. Raj and I chased five types of meatballs each with double the glasses of champagne in one afternoon.

R: No matter which Glowbal Restaurant we went to, balls were everywhere.

M: What was once just rustic fare made with meat scraps and day-old bread, the Glowbal Restaurant Group has revamped the meatball into their lux, signature dish.

I was initially skeptical of whether Wagyu beef was overkill for the humble meatball. After trying their over-the-top rendition (which they automatically serve to every rockstar, VIP and supermodel that rolls through) I instinctively paired the balls with an extravagant sparkling wine.

R: If there’s any place to start a meatball quest, it’s gotta be Glowbal with Italian Kitchen, Society, and Trattoria in tow.

While only selected properties serve meatballs at this time of year, serious ball-lovers should seek out the secret spicy lamb meatball at one of their sister restaurants.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour and a freelance food writer by day, cocktail ninja by night. Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury .

Trattoria serves up the ever elusive lamb-based secret meatball only to those in the know. You didn’t hear about it from us, ok?

aside 9 May

r.tl – a pleasant surprise in Yaletown

It was Groucho Marx that once said, “I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal.” Well, he was only partially right – Vancouver is rife with ‘safe’ places to get fed – whether it be mega-restaurant chain with the pretty girls or the familiar-to many symbols of American imperialism, none of which make a far departure from the oh-so-standard burger and fries.

Last year, on the Urban Mixer blog, I wrote about r.tl in Yaletown and only about the pretty girls, the aesthetics and the opening party but not much about the food. A couple weeks ago, I was invited to check the restaurant out and satisfy my curiosity as to what r.tl was all about.

Firstly, r.tl, other than being a really cool website address (http://r.tl) purchased from a Timor-Leste website registry (very much like .ca names can be purchased from a Canadian website registry), stands for Regional Tasting Lounge. r.tl is located at 1130 Mainland Steet half-a-block down from Goldfish towards OPUS Hotel.

So what’s the food like?
[read more…]

Mainland Street

Slider Quest – Episode 2 – Chinese Pork Buns on the Executioner’s Block

Meatball Quest – Episode 1 – Three meatballs … and a secret one too

r.tl – a pleasant surprise in Yaletown

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