Mana'e Goods and Grindz ▪ Molokai Island

Mauka Side Hwy 450 East
Kaunakakai, Hawaii
808.558.8498

After a good hike to Haipuapua Falls on Molokai Island, we asked our guide where we should eat and she recommended having the chicken katsu at Mana'e Goods and Grindz. You can't beat the recommendation of a local connoisseur!

Mana'e Goods and Grindz.

Mana'e Goods and Grindz might not look like much of a restaurant, but rather a counter like its name describes; however, its food was awesome. Well really, we can only vouch for the chicken katsu  since we each ordered the Japanese fried chicken dish. The plate included a generous portion of fried chicken morsels, a serving of rice and a salad (there was a choice of potato salad I think too).

Chicken katsu plate.

The boneless pieces of chicken were still moist and so crispy. It was such a treat to dip them in the BBQ sauce. This chicken katsu became a baseline for fried chicken for the rest of our trip.

Chicken katsu.

Mana'e Goods and Grindz is the perfect spot for local fare. We really felt like we got to try some good Hawaiian food! We even drove all the way there for seconds but it was unfortunately closed by the time we got there on Labour Day.

 

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.

Salt Spring Island Cheese ▪ Salt Spring Island, BC

285 Reynolds Road
Salt Spring Island, BC
250.653.2300
website

Before taking the ferry back to Vancouver Island, we had to stop at Salt Spring Island Cheese Company. The company specializes in non-dairy cheese, i.e. goat cheese and some sheep cheese.



Inside was a large spread of different cheeses to try out. They offer a variety of soft goat cheese (or chèvre), which is topped with different ingredients to serve with crackers. The chèvre that stole my heart was the white truffle one (and I have one in the fridge right now!). There were other flavours like the spicy chili oil chèvre and the lemon chèvre that combined very well with a sweet preserve.

Salt Spring Island chèvre.

They also had some hard cheeses like the Montana, an aged sheep cheese, reminiscent of Manchego, and Chevaro, the goat version. Surprisingly, the sheep cheese was milder than the goat cheese. Another one that I brought home was the Juliette, which tastes like Camembert.

Hard and surface ripened cheeses.

If you ever do visit Salt Spring Island, a stop by the Salt Spring Island Cheese Company is definitely worth it. There's nothing better than to try a product that is made right on the spot. I can't wait to try the cheese, with some BC wine that I've brought back.

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.

Tuck Shop ▪ Montréal

4662 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Montréal, Québec
514.439.7432
website

Our blog has had a bumpy start and there is a backlog of posts but we'll try to catch up with lots of food posts, travel posts and even some decor posts to come soon.

My sweet agent and friend MJ invited me out for dinner to celebrate the purchase of my new condo in Montréal (to move in next week!!). MJ suggested Tuck Shop and snagged us last minute seats at the bar for dinner. Tuck Shop is a bistro style restaurant located in the Sud Ouest neighbourhood.

Our bartender/server enticed us with a fish taco as the starter of the day. Unfortunately, when we ordered, they ran out of fish, so the fish was replaced with deep fried buffalo mozzarella. The outside was fried to a golden crisp, while the cheese was still oozing and exhibited stringy mozzarella properties. The taco was also filled with guacamole, beans and fresh lettuce which helped balance out the fried cheese, and made for a great starter.

For a main, MJ ordered the Boston Cod ($32), served with new potatoes, asparagus and fiddleheads. She really enjoyed her dish. When she accidentally knocked her wine glass into her dish, the server was sweet enough to quickly take the dish back into the kitchen and clean it up.

I ordered the fresh crab from Gaspésie ($35), served with asparagus, fiddleheads and sautéed mushrooms. The crab mixture was served into the crab shell, which made it easy to eat, although I did struggle with the crab claw that was served. The crab mixture was very good and I quite enjoyed the mushrooms. My small complaint is that the portion of vegetables seemed small. This seemed like the perfect "girly" dish, with no carbs in sight. I longingly looked at the steak dishes served with a massive amount of frites.

Tuck Shop is a gem in the Sud Ouest neighbourhood. I loved the bistro ambiance. The menu seems to change regularly to accommodate seasonal ingredients, so this would guarantee variety whenever you visit.