de Mello Palheta Coffee – Toronto

Located in uptown Toronto, just north of Yonge and Eglinton, this little coffee shop and roaster has been making quite the stir in the neighbourhood. With it’s modern decor and shelves littered with interesting brewing equipment, walking into this shop feels more like a research lab than a cafe. They’ve only been open for a few months and already have a slew of followers in the area. To be perfectly honest, anytime I’m in North Toronto, I’m definitely stopping for a latte.

Brother owners, Felix and Won Cha, have years of coffee knowledge under their belt, specifically from one of the world’s largest cafe meccas, Melbourne (did you know that this Australian city has over 2000 cafes!? – stats come from: http://www.futuremelbourne.com.au). They brew and roast coffees that will please any bean snob and even open their eyes to new flavours or techniques.

The decor is very industrial and modern. Roughly painted walls, refurbished furniture, Edison bulbs and a handful of black umbrellas hanging from the the ceiling in the main room. It actually looks like any of the venues located on the Ossington strip (didn’t want to label anything as “hipster” but you can draw your own conclusions). The flow of the shop is a little strange making it hard for a lot of customers to cram into the narrow space. Their beautiful espresso machine is the focal point of this cafe but it forces the barista to face away from the clientele and therefore making the whole experience a little impersonal. Lucky that their tasty coffee makes up for this!

Also, if you’re feeling peckish, the cafe features some pretty neat looking pastries. They are all made in house by the resident pastry chef (who is often in the front describing the goodies). To be honest, the food is not really the highlight at the locale but its worth it as a companion to your coffee. I can recommend the cheddar scone, it was one of the few items we tried that day and probably the tastiest. It was very buttery, flaky and cheesy throughout (big deal since most places only put it on the top).

Sushi 930 – Toronto

Located just outside the trendy Liberty Village, Sushi 930 (930 King Street West), is a great little place for a quick dinner or lunch. It may not be worth going out of your way for this Japanese fare but if you’re in the area, don’t be shy. The fish is fresh, the rolls  beautifully rolled and the flavours well balanced. I think what makes this place special is the owner, Tomo. He’s there in the back preparing food but also jumps at any chance to greet his customers and have a little chat.

The prices are a little higher than your standard sushi joint but it certainly won’t be more than 25-30$ per person and the fresh fish is worth the extra few dollars. If you find yourself there, be prepared to take your order to go since it’s a very small shop and there’s only room for two crammed 2 seater tables in the window. However, they are aware of their spacial shortcomings and take care that all their orders have a couple little items to ensure returning customers. All orders come with two types of soy sauce (reduced salt and regular), wet naps for sticky fingers and little plastic containers to dip your rolls into (brownie points are certainly awarded for this!). Some more bonus points were awarded to the staff for making my positive experience their priority and slipping me an order of edamame on the house since their debit machine was down.

 

 

Food Art – Shay Aaron

So this is a little unusual since this artist doesn’t use food to create his art pieces but his creations always end up looking like food, in miniature. Shay Aaron is a 24 year old jewellery designer from Israel who creates Mini Food Jewels. His creations are mostly made from polymer clay that has been painted and glazed and they reflect popular food items. Who wouldn’t want banana earrings or a macaron ring?! His art pieces are available for sale (and shipped to Toronto) from his Etsy shop and are quite affordable (maybe a Christmas gift for the foodie in your life!)

All the pictures are courtesy of the Shay Aaron shop on Etsy. (http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/shayaaron)

 

The food of Croatia

To be perfectly honest, while travelling the coast of Croatia from one end to the other, we didn’t really have a chance to experience any real Croatian food because we didn’t find any restaurants offering it. That’s not to say that there weren’t any restaurants, quite the contrary actually, but none that would offer something traditional. All we could find (granted in mostly tourist towns) were “full English breakfasts” and various weird renditions of the cuisines of other countries. Where is the seafood on the coast (duh!?!)? The stuffed peppers (Punjena Paprika)? The cabbage rolls (Sarma)? Where is the slow foods movement I heard so much about?

I will be the first to admit  that we didn’t go off the beaten track in a lot of these tourist heavy cities such as Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar but even the local’s grocery stores had dismal supplies. The produce was scarce and mostly imported, the selections of meat products were always in limited quantities and in some cases questionable qualities and the presence of local products was unheard of. I was shocked since I’ve heard so much about the quality of food in this beautiful country. Also, to make matters worse, the prices were unreasonably high. A meal for two with a bottle of cheap wine came to about 80$ (CAD) on average… that’s close to Toronto prices without the value.

One thing that really did impress us, regardless of the origin of the items on the plate, were the food portions. The basic idea is to feed way past the normal point of saturation and they sure respect this rule. Giant meat portions with about a kilogram of potatoes and a giant bowl of cabbage salad was the norm. Oh and all of this was served with bread! It was this foodie’s worst nightmare having to put my fork down and declare defeat by never ending food.

I hope that the real food culture exists somewhere in Croatia and I am more than happy to return to experience it but first impressions were certainly not as positive as we thought they would be. Can someone give us some pointers for the future?

Baluard Bakery – Barcelona

Located right across from the Barceloneta market in (surprise surprise) Barcelona, this amazing tahona (bakery) serves up incredible masterpieces made of flour, water, butter and love. The croissants served here are by far the most amazing I have ever had: they’re flaky and buttery to their saturation point. Since they bake at various intervals during the day, the pastries are always slightly warm and this certainly makes it an unforgettable experience.

Anna Bellsola is the creator and owner of Forn Baluard and she comes from a long line of bakers. Having trained in Italy and France, Anna has the knowledge to present her customers with over 40 different types of bread, each with its own process, flour and of course flavour. The breads vary from simple baguettes (made with imported French flour) to loaves of white bread, dense rye ,to toasted grains, whole grain options and a few spelt breads.  Her more elaborate breads feature dried fruits, nuts, tomatoes, olives, herbs and lemon zest (perfect to accompany seafood dishes). Chef Bellsola’s motto is that no two loaves are the same so her bakers hand shape all the breads and use a wood fired stone oven in order to create the perfect crust.

 

 

Food Art – Carl Warner

Carl Warner is a famous British photographer whose rise to fame was thanks to his Foodscapes series. These photographs consists of food landscapes made from fruit, vegetables,bread, meat, fish, cheese, herbs and condiments. He assembles these compositions in his London studio using the finest specimens of whatever foodstuff he is currently working with. Each photograph deserves a few extra seconds spent looking at the finer details of the materials used and the amazing play on colours and textures.

All images are courtesy of http://www.carlwarner.com  (check out the “otherscapes” section to see his ingenious use of the human body)

 

 

Food Art – Hong Yi (aka Red)

Hong Yi is a Malaysian artist that likes painting pictures through unconventional methods. She experiments with a certain material for an entire month creating beautiful works of art almost every day. If you check her out, look at her flower petal collection since it’s pretty wild. For our sake, I’m just going to focus on her 30 Days of Food series. Her guidelines for this art project were straightforward: everything on display must be edible and displayed on a simple white dish.

The images are courtesy of http://www.ohiseered.com which is Hong Yi’s personal blog. Check it out for more amazing photographs.

 

Food Art – Beth Galton

I think it’s time we had a little culture on Notes on a Meal so I’ve decided to post some “Food Art” that we can all feast our eyes on. Some of it may be strange but it all sure looks tasty! I hope you enjoy this neat little Notes on a Meal feature and please feel free to recommend artists you may know of.

We’ll start with Beth Galton. She is a New York based still life (focusing on food) photographer with photographs used by food production giants such as: Hellmann’s, Campbell’s Soup, Wendy’s, Nabisco and Kraft Foods. Her photographs are provocative and show an unsurpassed attention to detail. Her new exposition entitled Cut Foods feature mostly liquid items cut in half, exposing their inner core in their natural setting.

Paleo Upside-down Cake

I know we’re all salivating over our Europe pictures but as a little break from all that sugar and flour, I have a quick recipe for a Paleo Upside-down Cake. It’s a very simple dessert to make, takes about an hour from start to finish with about 15 minutes of prep. It’s a perfect dessert for this time of year when all of Ontario’s greatest fruits come into season. I made mine with red plums and peaches (I know these aren’t quite local but the plums were) and it was absolutely delicious. I do recommend using fruit that is a little on the tart side and softer in texture (apples and pears need to be cut very thin – or shaved- in order to cook as fast as the cake part).

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of coconut oil, melted (or butter, oil, any fat you use)
2 eggs
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour (just for a different flavour)
1/2 cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
pinch of salt
Seasonal fruit (about 2 peaches + 3 plums, 2 pints blueberries, 1 lb cherries – pitted, etc)
1 tsp Vanilla extract

 

– Preheat oven to 375F, place the fat in the bottom of the dish and sprinkle the fruit inside, place the pan in the oven as it is preheating and while you’re preparing the topping
– Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl with your hand mixer or if doing it by hand, save the milk for last and slowly incorporate it
– Pour the mixture over the preheated pan (on top of the fruits) and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
– Invert on your serving dish as soon as you can (ideally the cake is still hot but be careful for scorching fruit juices) and leave it to cool covered with the pan it was baked in (this allows all the delicious fruit juices to seep into the batter)
– Serve at room temperature

* I made mine with 1 cup of almond flour and 1/4 cup of milled flax seeds and that’s what gives it that brown colour (I was more interested in the health benefits than the aspect for this one)


The desserts of Spain

Being completely obsessed with anything dessert, I took advantage of our European adventure to visit some pretty neat pastry shops in Spain and enjoy their traditional and not-so traditional treats. I can honestly say that given better ingredients, North American desserts would be on par with what I tried in many of these places. However, our butters aren’t nearly as fatty, our chocolate isn’t created with the same cocoa butter to sugar to milk solid ratio and our fruits aren’t nearly as flavourful so regardless of our skills with the execution, European dessert trump most of what is found on our continent.

My favourite pastry shop by far was Bubo in Barcelona for its sheer creativity and flavour combinations. It’s located in the heart of the Born district of the city and has both a pastry shop and a tapas bar in the same square. It has outstanding packaging which is a must for a any great patisserie (in my eyes anyways). The rest of the pastry shops included the world famous Escriba (located right on Ramblas), the Hoffman School of Pastry, the Chocolate Museum and many more.

Crema Catalana

If I was to be banished on a deserted island and could only take one thing with me, it would be a lifetime supply of crema catalana (may not be the smartest choice but it’s definitely the tastiest). Crema catalana is like creme brulee done right, a lot more in the way of complex flavours and a much better custard to crunch ratio. That’s not necessarily to say that I wouldn’t eat the French version in a heartbeat but I would definitely trade it in for its Latino cousin any day.

Historically speaking this dessert, also known as Crema de Sant Josep, was made by grandmothers in the Catalonia region of Spain on what is the Spanish equivalent of Father’s Day, March 19th – Sant Josep’s day. Luckily this has changed and the crema can be enjoyed at anytime of the year and in most traditional restaurants.

The major difference from a creme brulee is that the Crema Catalana is made with a mixture of milk and cream as opposed to simply just cream. It is a custard made on the stovetop and set through refrigeration and not baking as is the case with a creme brulee. Furthermore, the custard is infused with citrus peels and cinnamon giving the final dessert a very savory taste profile. The sugar that is sprinkled on top is traditionally burned with a scorched iron as opposed to a brulee torch.

Here’s a basic recipe

750 ml cream
750 ml milk
lemon and orange rinds removed from 4 citrus fruits (avoid the white pith on the peel)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 vanilla beans split length-way with the seeds scraped out (or 2 tsp of extract)
160 g sugar (plus what is needed for dusting)
10 yolks

– Combine the milk, cream, citrus peel, cinnamon and vanilla beans in a pot, bring to a boil and strain.
– Mix the yolks and the sugar in a bowl until frothy and pale in colour. Pour the hot dairy over this mixture in three instalments. Return the custard to the stove on medium high heat
– Cook, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon (about 20 minutes). Strain into shallow ramekins and allow to set in the fridge (expect this to take around 3 hours)
– Before serving, sprinkle sugar on the top and caramelize it using the broil setting in your oven (or with a brulee torch or with the traditional Catalan hot iron)

Can Culleretes – Barcelona

One of the main reasons Notes on a Meal returns to Barcelona is the Can Culleretes Restaurant, located in the heart of the Gothic neighbourhood, lost somewhere among the alleyways. It is a magical spot, still decorated and running the same since it first opened its doors in 1786. It is not pretentious, not fancy, not quiet, not necessarily friendly but absolutely charming and the food is pretty damn good.

The decor is outdated, all the way from the terracotta floor tiles to the wood panelled walls littered with photographs and various (hideous) paintings. The restaurant is deceivingly large and spans over a few smaller rooms all seating over fifty guests and since they generally seat everyone around the same time, expect it to be crowded. The staff is to the point, courteous but with poor English skills (but why should they, it is not their country’s language). The service is prompt except when you need to pay the bill, which is a bit of a relief as I hate being rushed after a meal.

The food is definitely the highlight here. Just like the decor, it is completely outdated but it certainly doesn’t matter. Portion sizes are massive, greens or fresh vegetables almost non existent, presentation is similar to what your grandma would plate but the flavours are out of this world. Our go to dish is the Mixed Grill: an entree composed of nothing but meat, grilled – what else would you expect!? Beautifully cooked, perfectly seasoned: rabbit, lamb, chicken, sausages, pork chop and belly served with a garlic aioli on a round orange plate (same as every time we have it, the same as 227 years ago). If that much protein scares you, share it and order two sides (since it doesn’t come with any) and it would be a great meal for two. If the mixed grill doesn’t strike your fancy try wild boar stew (which is a Spanish version of beef bourguignon but with a much gamier flavour), the sole with potatoes and onions, the chicken soup  with a poached egg (similar to a consomme – very flavourful clear broth) and the shrimp and mushroom appetizer (all amazing and thoroughly enjoyed by us). The desserts are all made in house, with love and really good ingredients. They are about as visually appealing as a car crash but they will definitely please all your other senses.

As for value for money, a three course dinner with a bottle of wine (try the house wine – it is very tasty) was generally around the 40-50 euro mark for two people. Those prices are more than reasonable for a city as expensive and full of tourists as Barcelona.

How to order pintxos

If you suddenly find yourself in the north of Spain and enter Basque territory unprepared, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find the process of ordering pintxos intimidating. To ease your stress, the Notes on a Meal crew has sacrificed it’s pride and consumed many tasty morsels  in order to compile this list of tips and tricks for pintxo success:

  • Walk around the block a little before settling down on your first place. As a general rule of thumb, the place that is overfilled with locals (ie. they’re standing in the street with their glasses) is usually that way for a reason. Head in and check the food out, see if it’s to your liking. Remember that most people prefer to stand and the interior gets fairly crowded.
  • Once inside, head straight to the bar as it is the only place you’ll get service. If it’s crowded, find an empty spot or one that allows you to be as close to the counter as possible.
  • Order your beverage of choice first in order to buy yourself more counter time to check out both the menus or the counter offerings. The most common drinks are:
    -“cana” (cahn-yah): a pint of beer while a “zurito” (shoo-ree-toe) is a quarter of a pint
    -“txakoli” (cha-ko-lee): a very young white wine
    -“sidra” (see-dra): a Basque cider that is heavily aerated when poured and has a very pungent aroma
    -“beltz” (belch): the Basque word for red wine but the Spanish “tinto” will also get the point across
  • After receiving your beverages, point to the pintxo of your liking and the bartender will pass it/them to you on a plate. Order all you want from that location at once. If the bar is very busy,  make room for others to order. Grab your plate and drinks, pay and relocate either outside or anywhere away from the counter.
  • If you’re lucky enough to score a space at the bar, don’t pick up the plate with your pintxo and eat with it suspended in the air. It is customary to pick up the piece of bread with a napkin (found in dispensers around the bar) and eat it away from the bar top. Once you finish eating, crumple the napkin and drop it to the floor. The only time you’re allowed to eat with a knife and fork is when the food item cannot be picked up with your fingers (generally the hot items)
  • After you’ve eaten and finished your drink, pay if you haven’t and move on.
  • If you’re not adventurous or confident in your own culinary instinct, do some research as to the best pintxo of each bar you plan on visiting. Each restaurant has a specialty and it isn’t always displayed on the counter.
  • Expect each cold pintxo to cost between 1 and 3 euros while the hot side can go up to 5 euros for a slightly large portion

Hot pintxos

Pintxo basics

To put it simply, a pintxo is any snack served in the bars and restaurants of Northern Spain (the Basque region). They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, generally spiked by a toothpick or skewer (that’s what makes them different from tapas) and often on a slice of bread. They are served after 11 am for the lunch rush and until 10 pm when most people head home or out for dinner. There’s generally an unofficial break between 2pm and 5pm (siesta) but if you really look, you’ll always find a few places that stay open. Most restaurants lay out impressive displays of varying cold pintxos on their bar tops while also running a small “hot” menu featuring a couple specialties.

The idea behind eating pintxos is to socialize over a glass or wine or  beer and refrain from being too intoxicated at dinner. They are absolutely not meant as a meal replacement and the locals really respect this rule. It is customary to walk into a locale, have a glass of something to drink and only ONE pintxo. Once both of these items are finished along with your visit with whatever friend you ran into, you move on to another bar and repeat the process. The locals visit about 4 or 5 different places in an evening before heading to dinner.

Pintxo toppings can vary significantly from bar to bar but there are a few classics that always reappear. Almost every place has slices of crusty bread topped by paper thin and glistening slices of Jamon (ham). The locals seem to enjoy this particular one more than others as it’s always the first to disappear out of the displays. Tortilla de patatas (an omelette stuffed with potatoes) is definitely a staple as are any mayonnaise based salads – fish, ham, egg. Croquettes and lightly seared fois gras often appear on the hot pintxo menus.