A lifestyle blog documenting my move from the city to the country (and back to the city) as well as my daily inspirations, including food, fashion, travel and love. And celebrities.
As parasocial relationships are all the rage these days, let me take you back to my buddy Bourdain (!) for the low-down on one of his favourite foods, and mine, pho. Before we start talking pho though, let's talk about how to properly pronounce it. Fuh. That's right. You heard me. Or maybe you didn't.
Now that we're on the same page, linguistically speaking at the very least, let's get our pho on and find out what it is that makes Tony and I cuckoo for cocoa puffs.
"Early warning sings of great things to come: I got my lime... chunks, got my chili paste, tissue box, very important... this is where the food porn really is, okay?" Well okay then Anthony... glad to hear you're "quivering with desire." Ahem.
"A textural Disneyland" indeed! While I may not be able to go on a tour of Vietnam to find the best pho I can do the next best thing and go on a tour of Gatineau and Ottawa to try and find the same. Or not. While I had some decent pho in Ottawa at Cafe Indochine, in the Byward Market, and some very quite good pho at Pho Bo Ga 777 in Gatineau, the best pho I've had in the Outaouais was actually at yours truly's. This time I know you heard me! While my version of pho is far from traditional (for starters, I use linguini instead of rice vermicelli) it is very close to deee-luscious.
I start by warming a little chopped onion and garlic on canola oil before adding equal quantities of organic chicken and beef broth. Next, I add a couple of star anise as well as the 4 C's (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and coriander) and some fennel, sugar, salt and pepper. Once the broth has come to a boil and simmered for as long as you can handle it (the smell is beguiling!) prepare a big bowl with cooked noodles (linguini in my case) and raw, thinly sliced beef. Add piping hot broth and stir. On a side plate, prepare some chunks of lime, Thai basil (the smell is also beguiling) and bean sprouts. Dress your bowl with a little of each and add as much chili paste (Sriracha in my case) as you can handle. Now you understand why the tissue box is so important. While I absolutely love traditional pho, and would kill for jump for the opportunity to try it in its native homeland, I can't actually recreate it at home.
So instead of recreating it, I've reinvented it. Let me know what you think Anthony! PS. For Bourdain's take on Quebec cuisine, scroll down here and check out what he has to say about being food%#&@ed (ahem) by chefs Martin Picard, David McMillan and Frederic Morin... food porn indeed!
I made a (recent) commitment (to myself) to post everyday.
Cue applause.
However... I've already spent a lot of time making changes to the blog today, search engine-wise.
But I refuse to let myself down, so here you are... the latest installment of more pretty pictures.
I recently took (most of) these via Instagram in Montreal and Ottawa. I really like the way the Amaro filter makes things look vintage.
Most of my friends and family take pictures of people. I almost always do my best to make sure no one is in a shot. Another commitment I want to make (to myself) is to take more pictures of people.
And by people I don't mean randoms. I mean friends. And family. And my beau.
Because time marches on and I want to be able to look back one day, literally, and see how lucky I was.
As part of a recent mother and daughter day which included a delicious meal at The Wellington Gastropub, a divine, hour-long massage at Renu Spa and a mouth-watering maple bacon donut (among, ahem, several others), courtesy of Suzy Q, the mum and I stumbled upon what I now consider my favourite boutique in Ottawa: Victoire.
Located on Wellington Street in the trendy Westboro/Hintonburg area, the shop is a virtual incarnation of the kind of store I would open if I were ever to open another store (R.I.P. one-eleven). Full of unique, one-of-a-kind clothing, jewellery and accessories, the boutique is a vintage lover's dream.
From the incredible, flower-patterned wallpaper to the cozy, old school-house style dressing rooms, the shop is as much a work of art as it is a great place to find an incredible dress, ring or even a bow-tie. And now, for another donut...
Before a good friend left Ottawa for parts unknown (also known as London) for an undetermined amount of time, we decided to paint the town red (or something similar) and send her off in style. Being huge fans of dim sum (generally) and pork buns (specifically), we started our long kiss goodbye with a well deserved trip to Chinatown.
The reason the meal was so well deserved was that the trip to Ottawa was the first that I made on my own, in my very own car (insert applause here)! I graciously picked up my muchacha and impressed her with my driving skills (or not) while she skillfully (or not) guided the way to crispy, fried goodness.
After a satisfying meal of dumplings, rolls and more tea you could shake a stick it, we made our way to Westboro, and then Hintonburg, where we perused hilarious greeting cards at Heavens to Betsy (a, in their own words, nic nac bonanza), bought vintage champagne glasses at the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul thrift shop and stumbled upon one of the coolest record stores I've ever visited, Legend Records.
While on our recon mission, we also came across a seemingly very cute, very delicious restaurant, Burnt Butter and a quaint (ahem) tavern to celebrate my friend's final farewell the following night; The Elmdale House Tavern.
While my friend is now gone, living a new and exciting life on the other side of the pond, I know we'll always have Ottawa.
The reason I decided to go to Hull this week, or old Hull more specifically, is because I saw it from the bus on my way to Ottawa the other day and it looked really cute. Cute in that small, quaint, old-fashioned way that I'm so fond of. I also thought it would be a fun little adventure; going somewhere that I've never been before - and on foot, to boot! I used Google directions to find the best route but in retrospect, I think I can safely say that Google was wrong. On my way home I opted for another route, one with sidewalks and people as opposed to warehouses and that funny, lingering chemical smell.
It took close to two hours to get there and I'm not ashamed to say that I considered turning around and going home more than once but I persevered... and made it! As I ignored the blisters on my feet and the pain in my lower back, I marveled at the wonder of old Hull with its hilly streets and, well, chipping paint.
I stopped in at a nice little chocolate shop and picked up some home-made ice cream which i enjoyed while sitting outside, looking at this odd spectacle:
That's one way to lock up a bike, I guess.
So after taking in the sights I gave myself a little pep talk and walked home. There's something magical that happens while walking, something about the left and right sides of the brain, I've heard, and I have to admit that I felt pretty good when I got home.
Lately, it seems as though everything in my life has revolved around food. From watching television about it to taking pictures of it, with eating it, of course, somewhere in between. Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, which I now watch daily, started the obsession I think. Or maybe it was simply the fact that I love to eat good food.
I also love mustaches.
On a day trip to Ottawa the other day I happened upon, or rather, my friend walked me into, a delightful Mexican restaurant called Ahora. Located on Dalhousie in the equally delightful Byward Market, Ahora is a small, colourful, authentic, delicious cafeteria-style restaurant. Which is why I took pictures of it in black and white. I'm funny like that.
I knew that it was authentic when I saw that it served tortilla soup, one of my all-time favourite dishes, I once bribed a waiter in Mexico, I kid you not, to get into a restaurant that served tortilla soup. To-die-for tortilla soup. Made with fried tortilla strips, chicken broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic, pasilla, epazote, avocado, sour cream and lots of lime, tortilla soup is one of those life-changing discoveries, flavour-wise.
What are some of your all-time favourite dishes, or dining spots?
