I have volunteered at the Children’s Hospital here in Winnipeg for a number of years. Many hours on the job are spent snuggling a baby and staring out the window. In doing so, I have often wondered about Tom Yum Thai that is often within my gaze at corner of Sherbrook St. & William Ave. Recently, the opportunity to discover more about the restaurant, presented itself.

The place is cozy with booths along one wall and delicious aromas wafting from the open kitchen. On the day we visited, they explained that they were short staffed and it was obviously “all hands on deck” with one of the regular cooks taking care of us at our table. This sometimes makes for a disastrous dining experience but not when smiles are genuine and food so authentic and delicious.

First up was a “Lettuce Wrap Salad”. We wondered: is it a lettuce wrap or is it a salad? While we were scooping spoonfuls of sautéed veggies and crunchy rice noodles onto torn lettuce leaves, we realized that indeed both descriptions were appropriate. The first successful bite could be dubbed a “lettuce wrap” but subsequent attempts, kind of fell apart in our hands. We immediately reached for our forks, not wanting to interrupt the delicious tastes, which turned out to be more like eating a “wrap salad”. Don’t let the mess dissuade you. The mushrooms, red and green peppers and onions were perfectly seasoned with basil and proved to be absolutely delectable.

We especially loved the Tom Kha Galangal Soup. Typically my favourite Thai soup, the galangal is an authentic ingredient that definitely gives the soup its distinctive floral flavour. The galangal, which physically resembles ginger (but not in taste), is thinly sliced from raw product. In Tom Yum’s version the galangal appears to have been pickled or at least stored in brine. Cut into very thin little ribbons it holds a prominent place in the texture and flavour profile of the soup. We also loved the sweetness of the coconut broth. Palm sugar is typically called for, but we detected that brown sugar was utilized providing caramel notes.

The large shared bowl of soup along with the starter was the perfect amount for a tasty, light lunch. We would not have known that this had not been a regular day in the restaurant, had we not been apologetically told.

Kath’s quote: “Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort.” Norman Kolpas

Love, that is all.

Another restaurant that I had the pleasure of visiting in NYC.

On our many visits to New York we have always stayed in Manhattan but this time we discovered how easy it is to get in and out of Manhattan and enjoy the more affordable lodging in the Burroughs like Queens. More about this fascinating neighbourhood in a future post. In the mean time I made a solo visit to Thai Son while D was on a Brewery adventure.

The spot was busy with solo diners who I imagined were business people on their lunch breaks. Service was efficient and the dishes were proudly served by the kitchen staff.

I was tempted by the Com Suon Bi Cha (grilled pork chop and shredded pork) that I had seen raves about but in the end opted for my favourite Vietnamese dish-Banh Hoi Thit. This noodle dish (which is then wrapped into clingy rice paper) makes a great little packet that can be eaten on the go. In Viet Nam the dish is a breakfast one-kind of like their version of an egg mcmuffin. Given the two, I would rather have the former, any morning of my week.

Rice vermicelli noodles are lightly steamed and become extra sticky so that the toppings of your choice will adhere together when wrapped into the rice wrapper. The strings of noodles are as thin as a toothpick but the texture is firm enough so the noodles do not fall apart. When topped with what I call “candied” pork, that is thin pork strips that have been marinated in a sugary sauce and then char-broiled, I am crazy about the taste. The sugared peanuts add another dimension and are perfect when offset by the variety of vegetables that accompany: lettuce leaves, cucumbers, cabbage, carrot, mint and pickled onions. When the packet is plunged into fish sauce you are treated to another hit of sweetness.

Sweet/salty is my favourite taste profile.

Thai Son is one of the many ethnic restaurants found in Jefferson Heights-a foodies’ dream come true.

Kath’s quote: “New York is a gothic Roquefort.”-Salvador Dali

Love, that is all.

Sometimes when I am organizing my expenses (which I do quarterly) I realize that I have dined at an amazing place that I have forgotten to write about and share the adventure with you my loyal readers. Such is the case with this iconic place.

On our arrival day in NYC en route to Milan and then Tuscany, we had a picnic in Central Park in the late afternoon just as the sun was “setting” behind the urban landscape of skyscrapers. We stayed in New Port that evening and we were reluctant to leave all of our favourite sites in Manhattan.

So we wandered through the park and decided that it might be nice to stop for a thirst-quenching beer. We thought of crossing the street to the Upper West Side when we accidently came upon Tavern on the Green.

There was a private reception taking place in the courtyard and because we had already had our picnic, we didn’t want to go to the dining room for a full meal (besides we were dressed for a picnic, not Manhattan dining). So we opted for the quaint Beer Garden appointed with picnic benches overlooking the “green” and the beautiful and historic apartments of the Upper East Side (think The Dakota) as the backdrop.

October evenings are still fair in NYC and it was the perfect choice.

I let D do the beer selecting and whatever it was he chose for me was refreshing and delicious. Nothing quenches my thirst like a cold beer. You?

The food menu showcased simple fare and we selected a Polish Kielbasa

and Potato Latkes. The latter were a bit overdone and greasy for our liking but hey, it was our first evening in NYC, we were not inclined to make a fuss and send them back.

Simple food, served in a garden in Central Park in one of our favourite cities in the world. What could be wrong with that?

Kath’s quote: “There is nothing yet which has been contrived by man by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern.” –Samuel Johnson

Love, that is all.

We have enjoyed visiting Basto’s many times that we have been on the island ( see link here, here and here).

At one time the gentleman in the white chef’s jacket operated the restaurant from a tiny kitchen up front with his sons waiting on tables.

But we understand that he is now in partnership with his brother, who was our server on this evening.

The place has been reno’d and the food was still exceptional.

The brightly coloured condiment dishes that I have always loved have changed but not the yummy provided dips which accompany the tortilla chips.

Our next door neighbour Gloria had a flank steak fajita,

and our husbands, the Especial Hamburgers.  We think that these are the best burgers on the island because of the seasoned patty and wedge of grilled onion. The French fries are to die for and it was all very hard for me to resist.

But somehow I did and chose the healthier garlic and wine prepared fish and pasta. I loved this dish so much that I didn’t regret my choice for a minute. Besides, the substantial glass of vino tinto helped….

Bastos always was a great spot and I can enthusiastically recommend it with these most recent changes.

Kath’s quote: “Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”  ~Doug Larson

Love, that is all.

We headed into Centro early hoping to catch a 9 am church service but no luck. So we shopped and strolled Hidalgo. We stopped and met Nash of Nash’s Tapas Bar (a fellow Canadian) and he confirmed that we would be able to watch the Winnipeg Jets game there that afternoon.

By this time it was time for church and we felt perfectly comfortable in the Catholic church in the square.

We walked home along the sea wall and had left over pizza and pasta for our lunch.

We walked back to Nash’s only to find that the game had been blacked out on the station that he received so we went to plan two and headed to Bobo’s (ANOTHER Canadian).  We didn’t want to have too much to drink but wanted to spend something at Bobo’s since we were taking up seats watching the game. As a result, we ordered their Happy Hour Crispy Cajun Wings and beer. We enjoyed a Jets victory as well as meeting folks from home and three gals and a fellow from Boston. We had such a fun time with perfect strangers.

We hung out in Centro until it was time to meet my brother and his wife at the French Bistro.

My family chose chicken cordon bleu and I the garlic snapper filets.

D chose a tuna steak. We were really impressed with the value of our dinners which included veggies, rice, baked potato, bruschetta AND a glass of vino tinto!

We strolled Hidalgo again with Kel and Lorraine, meeting up with our friend Jose who sells baking at the end of the street. We love the pina (pineapple) pie thst he features.  The four of us sat in the square to watch the kids play and noshed our pie. Then it was another walk down the airport road to Luna D’ Miel.

With all the walking back & forth from Luna d’ Miel to Centro, we are certainly looking forward to staying in Centro at Villas San Miquel in 2016. I can’t quite believe that we will have the convenience of Centro, in a private setting and still get chance to enjoy our favourite vista of the Caribbean sea.

Kath’s quote: “The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Love, that is all.