The Hungry Nomad - Food, Travel, Lifestyle

Canada, Food Truck, Gourmand, Sandwich Shop, Vancouver

La Brasserie Street Food Truck (Vancouver, Canada)

January 24, 2012 No Comments

What an amazing chicken sandwich. I have never tasted anything like it. I am really impressed with all the creative culinary dishes around town and feel inspired that I am a part of this amazing city.

This sandwich is itself a creative masterpiece: a combination of beer brined rotisserie chicken, fried crispy onions and chicken gravy. It is so heavenly…and ever so filling. The fried crispy onions mixed with the tasty gravy and juicy chicken…oh I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

I highly recommend this food truck to all of you out there who enjoy a good and tasty sandwich. These guys know how do it right. Also make sure to try their butter tarts for dessert. Amazingly fresh and delicious as well.

Word’s Best Butter Tarts

Mmm Crispy Onions

La Brasserie Street (West Georgia & Granville) on Urbanspoon

Gourmand, New Orleans

Eat like a President at Commander’s Palace (New Orleans, USA)

January 20, 2012 2 Comments

Around since 1880, Commander’s Palace is history served on a platter. The restaurant is located in the Garden District directly across from the famous Lafayette Cemetery. It is my most favourite spot for Sunday brunch in the city. Imagine yourself walking through doors back in time. At first you are greeted by the friendly staff and escorted to your table. If you are lucky enough to go for Sunday brunch you’ll immediately be serenaded by jazz musicians. Then it is time for the food. Chef Tory McPhail creates a combination of haute Creole and Louisiana inspired cooking on every plate (see menu). During the week you also get 25 cent martinis! Really!

On a foggy day in late December the Count and I embarked on a a culinary journey through time to Commander’s Palace. As soon as we sat down, we were served martinis, warm bread and butter. For our starters, of course the turtle soup (that is one of the main reasons we keep going back), its creamy with the right amount of spices and sherry making every spoonful heaven in your mouth.

For our main dishes, we had the Quail and Gulf Coast shrimp pasta. Both delicious as always. If I had to choose between meals, I definitely choose the restaurant’s brunch menu over their lunch and dinner menu. However, that is not to say that I don’t thoroughly enjoy lunch each and every time. The best part as always is dessert: this time we ordered the strawberry shortcake and their world renown bread pudding souffle which is truly to die for.

Strawberry Shortcake delight!!!

Vanished in seconds 🙁

Bread Pudding Souffle

The Hungry Nomad’s Must-Try Suggestions:

1- Turtle Soup

2- Bread Pudding Souffle

3- Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake

Gourmand, New Orleans, Spanish

Authentic Spanish Food at Lola’s (New Orleans, USA)

January 19, 2012 1 Comment

If you ever crave Paella and other authentic Spanish delicacies, then I highly suggest you check out this small and quaint restaurant in Bayou St. John. Living by City Park made Lola’s one of our favorite spots to visit for a nice meal.

On our last visit we started off with the usual: a bottle of their red wine sangria with mixed fresh fruits and a loaf of their freshly baked warm bread served with the most amazing garlic butter on earth.

Next, an assortment of their tapas: calamari salad, oysters, garlic mushrooms and crab meat salad. The Crab meat is tossed with their homemade alioli sauce served over avocado on a bed of lettuce. Yum! And for the main dish the obvious choice is always the seafood paella which is really delicious and tastes just as good if not better than some paella dishes I tasted while travelling in Barcelona a few years back (of course the setting and views are not comparable). To finish off, we never leave without sharing a piece of their flour less dark chocolate cake which is to die for and leaves us usually fighting for the last piece. (see menu)

Sangria perfection

Crabmeat tossed with our homemade alioli , served over avocado on a bed of lettuce

Marinated calamari tossed with calamata olives, tomatoes, & toasted almonds

Shrimp, fish, calamari, scallops, mussels and vegetables, well seasoned with garlic, saffron and herbs

Chocolate Cake

The Hungry Nomad’s Must-Try Suggestions:

1- Seafood Paella
2- Ceviche
3- Chocolate cake

Breakfast, Gourmand, New Orleans, Sandwich Shop

Il Posto Cafe (New Orleans, USA)

January 16, 2012 No Comments

I am so happy I finally got a chance to try this amazing spot. Its nestled in on Dryades street away from street traffic and therefore hard to find if you don’t know about it.

Il Posto is definitely my new favorite sandwich shop in New Orleans. They have an amazing sandwich and salad selection. It is so refreshing to have some quality, delicious, tasty and healthy salads in New Orleans. Trust me I’ve searched around the city and can confirm that a healthy salad is hard to come by down here. There is also a wide selection of meats and cheeses served on your choice of bread either as a traditional sandwich or grilled panini (see menu).

The inside is a bit cramped (due to popularity) but its a great spot for a quick and healthy breakfast and/or lunch with friends.

Breakfast, Gourmand, New Orleans

Bagels at Artz Bagelz (New Orleans, USA)

January 15, 2012 No Comments

Finally! A New York Style bagels and cream cheese shop opens in New Orleans…with a southern twist of course. Everything from spicy Cajun to pecan praline flavor cream cheese is available. Healthy salads and sandwiches for those looking for something different then bagels are also offered on the menu.

The bagels are tasty and I thought reasonably priced…although others seem to disagree. We tried the spicy Cajun and garlic herb and both were happy with our meal. The shop is located just off of Magazine street with both indoor and outdoor seating available. A casual, smart clean atmosphere awaits you for your quick bagel break.

Uncategorized

Ayoubs Dried Fruits and Nuts (Vancouver, Canada)

January 12, 2012 No Comments

Ayoub’s is a specialty Vancouver based company offering nuts, dried fruits, spices, tea, and more. It started off with a store in Little-Iran or better known as Londsdale street, however, due to great success has now expanded downtown with its beautifuly designed store on Denman street. Ayoub’s interior takes me back to the motherland with its crystal chandeliers, marble, and persian style trimmed out cabinetry and displays. The nuts and dried fruits are presented in beautiful silver standing bowls which I was told was brought from Iran.

If you are a lover of saffron (and lets face it who isnt?) then try their high quality Iranian saffron offered in various sizes. If you want sweets, make sure to also try some of the persian sweets including gaz, koloocheh and sohan which line the walls.

Ayoub’s is located at:

North Vancouver:

1332 Lonsdale Ave
North Vancouver, BC V7M 2H8
Neighbourhood: Central Lonsdale

Downtown:
986 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G2M1
p: 1-604-732-6887
f: 1-604-683-6884

Athens, Greece

Sunday Gold (Athens, Greece)

January 8, 2012 No Comments

Plaka

I’ve grown very fond of our sunday strolls around the old town of Athens and thoroughly enjoyed capturing the mood for you all. So I’m a bit sad to say today’s has been the last of the Sunday series for now, as I’m leaving Athens for a while. I hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as we have!

Breakfast, Brunch, Gourmand, New Orleans

Brunch at Surrey’s Uptown (New Orleans, USA)

January 2, 2012 No Comments

Happy 2012 to all my readers. I have been away for the past week down in New Orleans eating some good food, drinking mint julips and sazerac and listening to some amazing brass bands. The next few posts will therefore be dedicated to the New Orleans dining scene I discovered on my most recent trip.

First stop, Surrey’s Uptown! On a lovely spring-like day in December the Count and I decided to walk along Magazine street to discover the long stretch of shops, restaurants and art galleries. Along the way we discovered Surrey’s Uptown. Not having heard about it before we were curious to try it for ourselves since the line up seemed long and everyone seemed eager to eat.

The next day along with our friends we visited Surrey’s Uptown for breakfast and I was not only impressed but wanted to go back every day for the rest of the trip (sadly my request was denied by the Count).

They make their own fresh juices which you can blend to make your own creation. I had the carrot, orange and apple juice which was lovely. We all ordered different dishes and tried a bit of each. Mine was the Miga- scrambled eggs mixed in with all sorts of delicious goodies including crispy tortilla chips. The Count had the huevos rancheros deluxe which included smoked salmon. He absolutely loved it! I on the other hand didn’t like the mixture of the black beans and the smoked salmon. Smoked salmon to me is best served with cream cheese, capers and onions. However, to each their own I guess. The best part of the meal had to be the stuffed banana french toast which was truly like to no other I’ve ever tasted. The mixture of flavors and the rich sauce was to die for.

They have a really large selection and I definitely will have to go back to try out the rest. If you ever happen to be in New Orleans definitely check this place out for breakfast/brunch- if one is busy (which I guarantee you it will be) there are always two locations: one Uptown and the other in the Garden District.

Uncategorized

Cafe Zen on Yew (Vancouver, Canada)

December 27, 2011 No Comments

Many of my friends have been telling me that I ‘MUST’ try Cafe Zen in Kitsilano. Well I finally did and can confidently say that I did not like it. They are known best for their Eggs Benedict- which to my horror I saw were all pre-made sitting in the kitchen. Therefore, it doesn’t matter how you order them since they all come out the same. The hash browns were pre-made (assuming from Costco) and the hollandaise sauce was off and tasted too strong and salty. I for one will not go back. The food was average and the service less than average. We were double charged and when we brought it to the servers attention, she angrily tried to explain the amount on the bill to us twice. The second time she realized she was wrong and went away to re-calculate the bill with no apologies.

However, I’m sure there is a reason there are long line ups on the weekends. I guess if you are looking for an average breakfast for reasonable prices in this area then its a reasonable spot…other than that it beats me.

Athens, Greece

Christmas Sunday (Athens, Greece)

December 25, 2011 No Comments

Merry christmas to our friends who are celebrating today!