I just had a very cold shower. A very fast, cold shower. I turned on the hot water heater in the bathroom around 8 am thinking that I would have enough hot water by 9 am to wash my hair. I was wrong. First, I couldn't figure out how to get the hot water out of the tap. Did you know that, in India, hot is to the right? In all my years of travelling here, how did I not know that? Maybe because our old house had separate hot and cold taps instead of a single faucet? Maybe because of the old school bucket baths? I don't know. Anyway, the hot water ran out before I even finished rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. I turned off the water while I soaped thinking that maybe it would come back. Nope, no hot water. I may not have completely rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. Fortunately I have a heater in my bedroom. I sat in front of it for a few minutes to warm up. Ahhh India!
Anyway, onto more important things. Food. I had rasmalai and very milky tea for pre-breakfast. I plan to have rasmalai for breakfast every day that I'm in Delhi. Because it's my favourite and I can do that. Go ahead, call me a princess. I'm going to have yoghurt (with my doctor-prescribed wheat bran) and a samosa for breakfast. It might be closer to elevenses though. Yesterday when we arrived, we went to the local plaza to top up the minutes on my dad's Delhi SIM card and picked up a loaf of bread and yoghurt and a bag of milk from Mother Dairy. The yoghurt and milk were about the equivalent of C$1 and the loaf of bread was around 30 cents. I forgot how much the mishti (Bengali for desserts or sweets) and samosas were. We picked those up on the way "home" from the airport. I think it was around Rs 110 which is around C$4. How can you beat that?
We have a cook here and he's pretty good. His name is Ram Krishna. So far we've had chapati (or roti), dal, fish, mutton (only Indians call goat "mutton", apparently), cauliflower, some other random veggies and rice, of course. I'm happy to eat this way for the rest of the trip. I'm sure we will go out for dinner tonight. Some friends are picking us up in about an hour. I don't know what we're doing yet. Probably some shopping and stuff. My facebook horrrrrorrrrscope says that today will be filled with my favourite things. I'm excited to see how true that is. I already had my favourite dessert for breakfast and a cup of tea. All I need now is a newspaper, some friends, some conversation and some laughs. I'm fairly sure I'll get all of that. And maybe play with a puppy :)
You know what else was good? The food on Cathay Pacific. My dad got the omelette. The sausage and hash brown I stole from him were good... by plane food standards, obviously. I chose the vegetarian option which was idly sambar (see Indian food post below) and it was good. It was actually as good as anything I have tasted in India. I was very impressed. Cathay's service was good too. They accommodated every single one of my dad's grunted requests for water or newspapers or whatever. The fruit was a little soft but that's inevitable on aircraft. And there was a small cup of plain yoghurt. I should probably start carrying around one serving of wheat bran at all times in case I randomly run into yoghurt in my travels.
One last note on food. I was a buffet for a mosquito last night. It figures that the only mosquito in Delhi in December would find me. I got bitten three times: twice on the chin and once on my right arm. Now I'm all puffy and itchy and swollen and irritable. I have been sensitive to mosquito bites my entire life. When I was little, I used to get them around my eyes and it looked like someone had given me a shiner. My parents used to send me to school looking like that. I remember when I switched schools half way through Grade 5, the nurse called my parents looking like I was the victim of some horrible kind of child abuse or something. My dad told her it was fine and to send me back to class. Hazards of being a doctor's daughter. Anyway, fortunately I only have a triple chin today and not a black eye. I hope that little bugger died trapped in my room.
Anyway, it's time for breakfast. Stay tuned for today's food summary either late tonight or early tomorrow morning (my time, naturally).
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Hong Kong Food Phase I
I have been in HK since Thursday afternoon and I haven't done that much eating out. However, two places are worth noting.
A couple of nights ago, some family friends took us to Tung Choi (Ladies Market).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Choi_Street
It was a lot of fun to see all of the stuff for sale to random tourists and locals alike. I didn't buy anything but I will probably go back for souvenirs.
Afterwards, we went for dinner at the Temple Street night market.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Street,_Hong_Kong
We went to the Spicy Crab place on the corner and sat outside with the locals and ate what was basically glorified "street meat". It was fun, fast, tasty and cheap. We ate for around HKD$85 per person (less than CAD$15). Admittedly, this type of eating is not for the faint of heart or squeamish tourist. But if you like cheap Chinese food and authentic experiences, this is a hit.
This afternoon, a friend from high school took me to Isola at IFC mall. It was lovely.
http://www.isolabarandgrill.com/about.html
We just had coffee (I had hot chocolate) and sat and caught up on the last 15 years. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, it was surprisingly quite considering how busy it was, the service was great and our foam came with pretty designs (hearts and spiderwebs). There is even an outside seating area but we decided not to bother with it because it was a little muggy and overcast today. I will definitely go back there again.
A couple of nights ago, some family friends took us to Tung Choi (Ladies Market).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Choi_Street
It was a lot of fun to see all of the stuff for sale to random tourists and locals alike. I didn't buy anything but I will probably go back for souvenirs.
Afterwards, we went for dinner at the Temple Street night market.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Street,_Hong_Kong
We went to the Spicy Crab place on the corner and sat outside with the locals and ate what was basically glorified "street meat". It was fun, fast, tasty and cheap. We ate for around HKD$85 per person (less than CAD$15). Admittedly, this type of eating is not for the faint of heart or squeamish tourist. But if you like cheap Chinese food and authentic experiences, this is a hit.
This afternoon, a friend from high school took me to Isola at IFC mall. It was lovely.
http://www.isolabarandgrill.com/about.html
We just had coffee (I had hot chocolate) and sat and caught up on the last 15 years. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, it was surprisingly quite considering how busy it was, the service was great and our foam came with pretty designs (hearts and spiderwebs). There is even an outside seating area but we decided not to bother with it because it was a little muggy and overcast today. I will definitely go back there again.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Long overdue update
So, a couple of things.
1. It has now been so long since we visited The Olde Curiosity Tea Shoppe that I doubt I can do it justice anymore. Highlights include the jam and cream-filled shortbread cookies which only come with Tea for 2 but are well worth it. The tea selection is impressive. There were almost one hundred different types of tea on the menu. Also, the service was excellent, considering the large size of our group (eight plus baby) and the small size of the establishment. The waitress brought each of us our tea selection to (for lack of a better word) smell. As a result, most of us ended up changing our tea choice. They were very accommodating all afternoon. I'm fairly certain that I had the darjeeling (I know, I'm nothing if not predictable) but I can't remember anymore. It might have been the Windsor Castle something or other. Finally, the owner was very friendly and gracious. I will definitely be going back in the new year.
2. Since the other tea ladies don't have time to blog (husbands, babies etc), I am commandeering this blog for my travels to HK and India. I won't be able to blog frequently but I will try to compensate for lack of predictability with length and detail. I am hoping to have high tea in Delhi and Calcutta but my schedule is rarely up to me. Look for updates on facebook as well.
I have eaten at some really great places so here are some shout-outs if you're looking for places to try in 2009:
My favourite Thai place - Golden Thai, Church and Richmond
http://www.goldenthai.ca/goldenthai_home.html
>Great service, good food, decent price - Hit
Recent date place (or maybe it wasn't a date?) - Rain, Mercer Street
http://www.rainrestaurant.ca/rain.htm
>Great decor, excellent service, decent food, very pricey - Hit if you're willing to spend the money. My "date" called it "food on a diet". The menu appears to have changed since I was there a few weeks ago but the mushroom tasting was excellent, as was the black cod. The salmon/tuna pairing was good but the salmon was a little fishy. I ate it anyway but I wish I hadn't.
As a caveat, I think that they served me something with egg in it after I specifically told them about my allergy. I didn't complain as I thought at the time that I was on my first real date with this person. I now wish I had said something because I'm starting to think it wasn't a real date at all. Didn't have dessert and there's a story behind this. Ask me if you're interested.
Recent rehearsal dinner - Asian Legend, Yonge north of Empress
http://www.asianlegend.ca/webe/menu.htm
>Surprising nouveau decor, good food, typical Chinese restaurant service, good price - Long time hit. Has been here for ages and the food is as good as I remember from their hole-in-the-wall days
Recent dinner with family and friends - Dynasty, Bloor west of Bay
>Overpriced Chinese food - Miss and go to Pearl at Harbourfront if you can't stomach the thought of eating at Chinatown. Looking forward to Chinese banquet this Saturday at Pearl for Andrew's wedding!
http://www.pearlharbourfront.ca/
Low key dinner with Jay on a weeknight - Jack Astor's, Dundas Square downtown
>If you're looking for something predictable and fast, by all means go to Jack Astor's. The food is significantly better than the Pickle Barrel or Milestone's (although Milestone's has great ambiance and a kickass patio) if you're looking for a safe, generic place to take your visiting cousins. However, this Jack Astor's is very small and you will likely have to wait for a table and may even end up at a small, bar height table as we did. Service was fast and good, as always. Food was exactly as it always is. We had two screens to watch basketball and hockey which was exactly what we needed: to sit, have dinner and not be too sociable (gotta love guy's night :). But it was loud, loud, loud. Good place for quick dinner, a beer and the game. Not a good place to take the girls for a catch up session.
Okay, that's all folks. Next post: overseas!
1. It has now been so long since we visited The Olde Curiosity Tea Shoppe that I doubt I can do it justice anymore. Highlights include the jam and cream-filled shortbread cookies which only come with Tea for 2 but are well worth it. The tea selection is impressive. There were almost one hundred different types of tea on the menu. Also, the service was excellent, considering the large size of our group (eight plus baby) and the small size of the establishment. The waitress brought each of us our tea selection to (for lack of a better word) smell. As a result, most of us ended up changing our tea choice. They were very accommodating all afternoon. I'm fairly certain that I had the darjeeling (I know, I'm nothing if not predictable) but I can't remember anymore. It might have been the Windsor Castle something or other. Finally, the owner was very friendly and gracious. I will definitely be going back in the new year.
2. Since the other tea ladies don't have time to blog (husbands, babies etc), I am commandeering this blog for my travels to HK and India. I won't be able to blog frequently but I will try to compensate for lack of predictability with length and detail. I am hoping to have high tea in Delhi and Calcutta but my schedule is rarely up to me. Look for updates on facebook as well.
I have eaten at some really great places so here are some shout-outs if you're looking for places to try in 2009:
My favourite Thai place - Golden Thai, Church and Richmond
http://www.goldenthai.ca/goldenthai_home.html
>Great service, good food, decent price - Hit
Recent date place (or maybe it wasn't a date?) - Rain, Mercer Street
http://www.rainrestaurant.ca/rain.htm
>Great decor, excellent service, decent food, very pricey - Hit if you're willing to spend the money. My "date" called it "food on a diet". The menu appears to have changed since I was there a few weeks ago but the mushroom tasting was excellent, as was the black cod. The salmon/tuna pairing was good but the salmon was a little fishy. I ate it anyway but I wish I hadn't.
As a caveat, I think that they served me something with egg in it after I specifically told them about my allergy. I didn't complain as I thought at the time that I was on my first real date with this person. I now wish I had said something because I'm starting to think it wasn't a real date at all. Didn't have dessert and there's a story behind this. Ask me if you're interested.
Recent rehearsal dinner - Asian Legend, Yonge north of Empress
http://www.asianlegend.ca/webe/menu.htm
>Surprising nouveau decor, good food, typical Chinese restaurant service, good price - Long time hit. Has been here for ages and the food is as good as I remember from their hole-in-the-wall days
Recent dinner with family and friends - Dynasty, Bloor west of Bay
>Overpriced Chinese food - Miss and go to Pearl at Harbourfront if you can't stomach the thought of eating at Chinatown. Looking forward to Chinese banquet this Saturday at Pearl for Andrew's wedding!
http://www.pearlharbourfront.ca/
Low key dinner with Jay on a weeknight - Jack Astor's, Dundas Square downtown
>If you're looking for something predictable and fast, by all means go to Jack Astor's. The food is significantly better than the Pickle Barrel or Milestone's (although Milestone's has great ambiance and a kickass patio) if you're looking for a safe, generic place to take your visiting cousins. However, this Jack Astor's is very small and you will likely have to wait for a table and may even end up at a small, bar height table as we did. Service was fast and good, as always. Food was exactly as it always is. We had two screens to watch basketball and hockey which was exactly what we needed: to sit, have dinner and not be too sociable (gotta love guy's night :). But it was loud, loud, loud. Good place for quick dinner, a beer and the game. Not a good place to take the girls for a catch up session.
Okay, that's all folks. Next post: overseas!
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