Seared Scallops on Potato Pancakes

Well, the advantage of neglecting writing the blog is the embarrassment of choices for my next post. One of my favourite recipes I made over the holidays was this seared scallop on potato pancake recipe. Sometimes I get inspired with what is on sale; in this instance, giant sea scallops. I googled a few recipes and found one served on a potato pancake. Not only is it a winning combination but it's also a very nice looking starter, sure to impress your guests! It requires 3 main steps but they're not too hard to make and well worth the effort.

Seared Scallops on Potato Pancakes - Serves 4

Pesto sans cheese
I only made pesto without cheese because my mom doesn't eat dairy. One could argue that cheese is unnecessary when serving seafood. Feel free to add Parmesan to make pesto!

* 1 pack of basil
* a few toasted pine nuts
* 1-2 cloves of garlic, grated
* salt to taste
* olive oil

Place in a processor and pulse until smooth.
Set aside until ready to plate.

Potato Pancakes - makes 8-10 small panccakes
From Smitten Kitchen.
I benefited from Elle's experience making latkas. The trick she learned from Smitten Kitchen is to use a cheesecloth to get all the liquid out of the grated potatoes for the most crispy latka.

* 2 potatoes, grated
* ½ onion, sliced thinly
* salt to taste
* ½ egg, beaten
* 2 Tbsp flour
* olive oil

Mix the grated potato and onion slices.
Season to taste with salt.
Strain the potatoes of any liquid using a cheesecloth.
Mix in just enough egg so the mixture holds together.
Add the flour so the mixture is not too wet.
Heat oil in a pan on high heat.
Form small pancakes, a little bit bigger than the scallops, and fry on each side until golden and crispy.
Place on a baking sheet in the oven at low heat until the scallops are ready

Frying potato pancakes.

Seared Scallops
There are three important steps to follow when searing scallops: 1) the scallops should be dry, 2) the pan must be very hot and 3) do not overcook the scallops. Otherwise, it's fail safe!

* 8 large scallops
* salt and pepper to taste
* olive oil

Pat dry the scallops with a paper towel.
Season each side with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a pan on high heat.
When hot, add scallops to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side depending on the size of the scallops - you want the scallops to be just passed the stage of being translucent (you can check the sides of the scallops for this).

Searing scallops.

To plate

Place two potato pancakes on each plate.
Top with scallops and a spoonful of pesto.
Tada!

Nobu Waikiki ▪ Waikiki

2233 Helumoa Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.237.6999
website

Another evening in Waikiki, another restaurant at a hotel. We decided to have dinner at Nobu, which I have heard of from celebrities coming out of the LA and London locations. We picked Nobu for its happy hour special, the Nobu "Three-some": any three food items and dessert for $32. Unfortunately, we either came in on the wrong day or too late. If you want to take advantage of the deal, call ahead. We still decided to stay in the lounge area so we could order off of the tapas menu, which is not available in the main dining room.

Nobu.

The tapas menu is broken down into hot and cold sections. We ordered from a bit of both. We decided to share the Wagyu beef and foie gras gyoza ($10) from the hot section. It was a treat of a dumpling due to the richness of the filling and we all loved the squash purée underneath each gyoza.

Gyoza.

E decided on a threesome of her own. She ordered the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno ($9), the sea bass tempura ($9), and the pork belly kushiyaki ($10).

Sashimi, sea bass tempura and pork belly skewers.

Cee ordered Bigeye tuna sashimi salad ($26) off of the main menu. It included generous slices of tuna.

Tuna sashimi salad.

I ordered the black cod with butter lettuce ($16) also from the main menu. I have been obsessed with black cod ever since I tried it at Imadake. This one also did not disappoint, even though the two pieces were pretty small. I liked that it was served in lettuce adding an element of freshness. The steamed clams with pancetta, kale in a miso dashi broth ($9) was nice and hot. The broth was extremely savoury. It was a light dish that warmed me up. Once I ate all of the clams, I slurped up all of the beautiful dashi broth.

Black cod and Steamed clams.

I'm sure the main menu at Nobu is just as good but I enjoyed my meal at Nobu mainly because of the tapas menu. Small plates always win in my book. It gives me a chance to try a variety of dishes without breaking the bank. The dessert selection was ho-hum so we skipped it. (We gained a habit of walking down Kalakaua, the main street in Waikiki full of stores and stopping by Honolulu Cookie Company. There are several and each store has samples of their shortbread cookies. I just needed one piece of the dark chocolate dipped one and I was happy for the night!)

Mike's Huli Huli ▪ Honolulu

47-525 Kamehameha Highway
Kaneohe, Hawaii
808.277.6720
website

I had read that while driving to the North Shore, we would encounter shrimp trucks. However, after grabbing a healthy lunch at Whole Foods in Kailua (Whole Foods is a bit of a big deal since we don't have many in Canada), Cee and I didn't need more food. Even though we didn't search for one, we had to pull off the highway when we saw a sign for a shrimp truck.

Mike's Huli Huli.

Getting closer to the truck, we noticed that Guy Fieri had visited. Even when we're not looking for Triple D spots, we run into them! We shared a small order of garlic shrimps. The four shrimps were very large and sat in a pool of butter. There was enough garlic to keep the vampires away for a lifetime. Some lemon slices and hot sauce accompanied the shrimps. While the shrimps were sweet and juicy, the butter overwhelmed the shrimps. So much so, that Cee could only have one, and I was left to eat the three others! You definitely have to get dirty for  these shrimps, as they are shell on. Thoughtfully, there was a sink and soap to wash your hands.

Garlic Shrimps.

If you're driving to the North Shore, it's worth a stop for a bite to eat. That's what that drive is all about anyway: stopping to look at sights, turtles, beaches, etc. If you miss it, just keep driving as we did see other shrimp trucks later on.

Nico's at Pier 38 ▪ Honolulu

133 North Nimitz Highway
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.540.1377
website

Another meal inspired by Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. This time, Cee and I headed for lunch to Nico's at Pier 38, just outside Waikiki, for fresh fish. Nico's is headed by a French chef. It is set up like a large cafeteria. You order your dish and are buzzed when your food is ready. You seat yourself inside or outside.

Nico's Pier 38.

Cee was greatly disappointed that the opa fish featured on the Triple D video was not on the menu. We had to make do with ahi tuna, more specifically the furikake pan seared ahi tuna steak ($12.95). The dish came with two sides and we went the healthy route with brown rice and a salad.

Furikake pan seared ahi tuna steak.

I absolutely loved the ahi steak crusted with furikake (Japanese seaweed) and sesame seeds. The coating imparted great flavours to the fish. The ahi steak is cooked to order; mine below is probably medium rare. I also loved the dressing on the salad.

Medium rare ahi steak.

While ordering our lunch, we eyed the dessert counter which included cookies and cheesecake. While Cee went for a cookie, I had the passion fruit cheesecake that I enjoyed tremendously. The cheesecake was light and smooth, and the passion fruit topping was so, so fragrant. One might as well enjoy anything passion fruit in Hawaii!

Passion fruit cheesecake.

Nico's at Pier 38 offers fresh, local fish at affordable prices. The food was well executed and tasty. My only complaint is that I cringed when I saw that we were given styrofoam containers. This is actually discussed on Triple D as a good point "You serve fancy food in styrofoam?!" However, seeing such a large room full of diners, my environmental side really wished they used dishes.

The Chart House ▪ Waikiki

1765 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.941.6669
website

On our first night in Waikiki, still feeling jet lagged, we decided to go downstairs and have dinner at The Chart House. The Chart House is a seafood/steak place and was packed on the Friday we were there.

The Chart House.

Cee ordered a Hawaiian dish, ahi limu  poke ($11.50), which is a raw fish salad. I am not the biggest eater of raw fish but I figured I should learn quickly if I was to be in Hawaii. I ordered the black & blue ahi (lite: $8.50). I actually enjoyed it very much, and it was the first of many ahi that I had rare. I especially liked the spicy wasabi sauce and the accompanying creamy avocado.

Ahi Poke; Black & Blue Ahi.

To accompany my ahi, I also ordered the crab & shrimp stuffed mushrooms (lite: $8.50). For some reason, I expected something light but it was nothing but light. The mushrooms sat on mashed potatoes, and a hollandaise sauce was doused on the stuffed mushrooms. It was very good!

Crab & shrimp stuffed mushrooms.

Finally, E ordered a main of seared tuna that she seemed to enjoy.

Seared tuna main.

Maestro S.V.P. ▪ Montréal

3615 Boulevard St-Laurent
Montréal, Québec
514.842.6447
website

My friend Cee is obsessed with oysters and asked me if I wanted to check out Maestro SVP to have their oyster special: a dozen Beausoleil oysters from New-Brunswick for 16$.

Maestro S.V.P.

I'm no oyster expert but the small oysters, accompanied with lemons and a mignonette, were briny and tasted of the sea, just as they should be.

Beausoleil oysters.

A dozen oyster wouldn't fill me up, so I orders two dishes from their small plate section: crab cakes ($13) and bruschetta ($5). Although they were meant to be small plates, I was rather disappointed by the size for the price. The crab cakes were good but small. The bruschetta was just one toast. Cee ordered a salad and roasted asparagus that only consisted of 4 stalks. asparagus

Crab cakes, bruschetta & asparagus.

Maestro SVP offers the best oyster deal in Montréal. So if you're an oyster lover, go check it out. Otherwise, the dishes that I ordered were rather on the small size for the corresponding price.

Blackfish ▪ Truro, Cape Cod, MA

17 Truro Center Road
Truro, Massachusetts
508.349.3399

Hubby has been going to Cape Cod every summer with his family for years.  When we started dating I would join the family on this lovely tradition and we really hope to continue it with our own family some day. Three summers ago, he surprised me with a proposal on the beach at sunset.  I accepted, and we decided to have a small wedding on the Cape with close family and friends the following summer.  Needless to say it is a special place for us.

We were not able to fit in a visit last summer but made time to go this summer.  It was the first time we went by ourselves, packed the car, set up the camp site, etc.  We stayed for 3 days and planned a day and a night in Boston.

To celebrate our engagement, we had tried to go to Black Fish but it had been fully booked.  This time I called and made a reservation in advance and we were well rewarded.  The restaurant is really tucked into the brush and has no other sign other than this ironwork black fish.

The service was very attentive. We were brought delicious warm bread with a garlicky hummus.

We started with the seared scallops with Parmesan fondue. The sweet scallops were seared perfectly and paired well with the savoury Parmesan fondue sauce. The crispy tuiles added the perfect textural foil to the soft scallops and velvety sauce.

As a main, Hubby ordered the house specialty of tuna bolognese over papardelle with lemon confit mascarpone. The mascarpone was served cold and I thought it was a successful cold/hot pairing.  The bolognese was delicious but I'm not sure if it's the nest use of tuna (fresh tuna... slow simmered in sauce).  Hubby ate the lemon confit in his first few bites and thought the flavour was a bit strong and would have belonged better with a dessert.

I ordered the butter poached lobster over gnocchi with morels and fava beans in a lobster beurre monté. The dish came topped with pea greens tips that wilted perfectly in the beurre monté (sauce composed of hot butter).  The lobster was perfectly cooked and plentiful, I was sure to have at least a full lobster.  The gnocchi was soft and pillowy and all the elements came together well.  There was a rather strong garlic presence but I would just say to at least add it in the description so it's expected... and also more gnocchi please!  The portion really was perfect given the decadent nature of the dish.

We chose to share a dessert being pretty full and chose the chocolate tartlet in a pretzel crust with hazelnut custard and candied hazelnut. This dessert hit every checkmark I'd give a perfect dessert.  A dark chocolate ganache. Check.  A salty crunchy component. Check.  Toasted hazelnut. Check.  It was an A+++.

What a perfect celebratory meal.

Cyn at Night ▪ Ucluelet, BC

1536 Peninsula Rd
Ucluelet, BC
250.726.2449
website

After hiking the Wild Pacific Trail, Trapezista and I had dinner at Cyn at Night. We read about the restaurant on the FEAST! Tofino festival site. We were slightly surprised to find a coffee shop that turns into a makeshift restaurant at night. It took a while for someone to greet us and one of the patrons gave us a menu. No one came to see us for another while which was surprising since there weren't that many patrons. When the server finally got our order, she was very knowledgeable and answered our questions very well. It was a bit disappointing though to see patrons come in after us, and be told of specials that no one shared with us.

Cyn at Night.

The menu on the FEAST! Tofino site, which was to highlight spot prawns, was not offered, and no one seemed to really know about it. So we ordered from the regular menu, which changes depending on what food is available locally. Trapezista and I decided to share the scallop and shrimp ($13), served with rosemary bread. I had been very curious about spot prawns and the server informed us the shrimps were not spot prawns but were smaller shrimps, fished nearby. The shrimps were very tasty and sweet and I very much liked the herb seasoning. It was disappointing to only get one scallop for $13. It would have been nice to at least get two.

Shrimp and Scallop.

For her main, Trapezista ordered the ribs ($16) which were chosen as the best ribs in BC and Saskatchewan in 2010. She really liked her ribs but the ribs were more on the dry side than a saucy one. I tried her dish and my absolutely favourite item was the homemade pickles. They were just pickled enough to have bite but they weren't over-pickled and so still crunchy.

Ribs.

I debated between the BBQ pulled pork and the pulled pork & polenta dishes. The server shared that the two dishes were very different and I decided to go with the Bolognese style pulled pork with seared polenta ($14). I tried the pork first and thought it was under-seasoned. I then tried the polenta, which was generously salted. So I figured if I ate both together it would balance out. The pulled pork was well cooked and fell apart. I really appreciated the originality of the dish.

Pulled pork & polenta.

While we felt a bit neglected when we came in, the chef did come out a few times close to the end of our meal to check on us, so that was very nice. Cyn at Night is relatively new, so I think they still have to work out a few kinks. I do love all these BC restaurants  who focus on offering a local menu.

Sooke Harbour House ▪ Sooke, BC

1528 Whiffen Spit Road
Sooke , British Columbia
250.642.3421
website

While researching restaurants near Victoria, I read up on Sooke Harbour House, which offers a 3-course local seasonal menu for $49 on Friday and Sunday evenings. So I made reservations a few days after I booked my flight to Victoria for myself and Trapezista. Like Red Fish Blue Fish (our earlier meal in the day), Sooke Harbour House has a Top Chef Canada connection. This season's winner, Carl Heinrich, is from Sooke and worked at this restaurant! (A propos, just because Trapezista and I loved TCC.)

View of the back where the dining room is.

Sooke is a little town by the water in the south of Vancouver Island. It has its own garden and uses a lot of its own produce for its menu. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was raining so we did not get to spend a lot of time outside. Sooke Harbour House also offers a great view of the water, that would make a perfect romantic night out.

View from the dining room.

The menu changes daily. To start, Trapezista picked the smoked beet, leek & potato soup. I had a taste of the soup. The smokiness of the beets added another layer to the soup while not overpowering it, which is always a risk with smoke. I ordered the stellar bay Kusshi oysters, a small size West Coast oyster. I enjoyed the small oysters and the toasted dill seed mignonette. Trapezista tried her first oyster and was not too impressed by the texture.

Starter: Beet soup and oysters.

For the main course, Trapezista ordered the grilled Berkshire pork tenderloin, that looked perfectly cooked. Trapezista thoroughly enjoyed the locally sourced pork, on a bed of spaetzle and accompanied by cauliflower. She also ordered a glass of the 2009 Meritage, Lake Breeze that was the recommended wine to the pork dish.

Grilled Berkshire pork tenderloin.

I ordered the panfried silver grey rockfish, which our server informed us was quite ugly but delicious. The server also recommended the 2010 Noble Blend, Joie, for a fruity white wine that I thoroughly enjoyed – I even bought a couple of bottles to bring back home. He described it as a perfect summer wine, that tasted similarly to Gewrustamminer. While I did enjoy the fish, my favourite part of the dish was the smoked tuna, potato and quinoa fritters. The smoked tuna really added a nice smokey touch to the fritters and quinoa makes for an interesting filler for fritters. I also really liked the asparagus and bok choy as accompanying vegetables.

Panfried silver grey rockfish.

For dessert, Trapezista ordered the crème brulée that was infused with mable grey geranium with a strawberry square. When I tasted the crème brulée, I thought it tasted like lemongrass and we remembered the geranium infusion; I didn't realize geranium had such flavour. (On a side note, I think lemongrass could be an interesting touch to crème brulée, just like the pandan flavoured one at Nonya).

 

 Crème brulée and strawberry square.

I debated between the dark chocolate butter sponge cake and the cheese plate since the desserts didn’t interest me much. The dark chocolate cake and bittersweet chocolate ice cream was good but didn’t wow me. Complimentary sweets were a nice end note.

 

 Dessert.

I really liked that Sooke Harbour House focuses on serving local food and sources from their own garden. All the dishes looked very nice and were well executed. The restaurant is quaint and the views cannot be beat and is a great place for a special dinner. The four course menu is offered daily I believe for $74.