The visual irony... · Wednesday August 23, 2006 by colin newell
Took Andrea out to an Italian restaurant for dinner after one
of her 10 hour days… which are rare.
Went to Danieli’s in Oak Bay border neighborhood.
The Waitress was an Aussie-Kiwi hybrid…
(who could not pronounce Agnoloti!) [I am not sure I can actually spell it right — but I can pronounce it!]
...and I had my ATOMIC Tee Shirt on…
So – at the end of the meal, I said:
“Do you see the irony here: You are an
Aussie gal working in an Italian restaurant
and I am a Canadian wearing an Aussie T-shirt
advertising an Italian coffee maker!”
Regina, Saskatchewan Coffee - the short report · Thursday August 17, 2006 by colin newell
I had been warned about Regina, Saskatchewan – about their coffee scene at least.
And there are two ways of looking at this folks.
It may be the least evolved urban coffee centre in Canada.
It also provides a golden opportunity for anyone with a lick of business sense to open a cafe concept that will kick ass.
What I saw in Regina could be summed up thusly:
The people running the cafes here…
no wait. Let me start again.
I do not believe I actually experienced Specialty Coffee in Regina, Saskatchewan.
I experienced lunch places, that just so happened to have an espresso machine.
Or Coffee places that thought they were espresso places but were lacking the skill or identity to pull it off.
You see, espresso places should not necessarily sell; art… or stick candy… or jams and jellies… or country art.
This is called an identity crisis.
Regina cafes do not know what they want to be.
Solution: The owners or potential owners should jump on a plane and come to Vancouver, Seattle or Victoria… or Calgary even.
There is a stunningly brilliant opportunity for coffee-house success in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Finally, think about this:
If you were served a bad glass of beer in a pub or a cold meal or raw steak in a restaurant, what would you do?
You would raise a fuss.
How is it then, that a insipid, bitter, battery-acid tasting shot of coffee can be served in a nice little town like Regina without the Barista even flinching or asking the simple: How is your espresso, Sir?
Exactly!
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Bonus Blog - To the Moon Alice! · Thursday August 10, 2006 by colin newell
Andrea and I did dinner at Rosie`s Diner in the Cook Street Village tonight.
Seems it has some interesting regulars that eat there.
At some point an elderly old gent sitting next to us started talking and offered,
- He was a veteran of WW II
- He was one of Canada`s 1st Snow-bird pilots
- He met his wife in London during the Blitz
- He has owned a Rolls-Royce, arguably the World’s best car
- He is 88 and very young looking
- He has been on the mother ship on the dark side of the moon
- And he had been on the moon as well with the Apollo crews
Afterward, Andrea asked me if she heard him correctly.
I said, “Nope, he definitely met his wife in London.
My dairy-free waffle or pancake recipe · Sunday July 9, 2006 by colin newell
Perhaps more than life itself, I love breakfast. If I fail to start my day with lots of carbs and a bit of protein, I might as well stay in bed.
A typical morning for me includes granola, fruit, yoghurt, multi-grain toast and water.
I know what you are thinking: No coffee and no juice? No. Never.
Coffee is a ritual that comes later – Almost always around 10AM.
Lately, I have been doing way more baking. Muffins. Cookies. Waffles.
I sous-chef for 100% of our home cooking, but I tend to nibble more at work. So, in addition to making all of my own coffee and the coffee for the lads in the lab, I make all my own baked goods for my weekdays.
But back to breakfast: I love breakfast and we all know that breakfast tends to include dairy in some form or another. It is hard to find a work-around. But you can. Here is my dairy free waffle recipe. This is not purely vegan, but I suppose with a bit of work it could be.
Ingredients and instructions.
1 3/4 cup of all-purpose unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Egg yolks
1 3/4 cups premium quality Soy, Coconut or Almond milk
1/2 cup cooking oil, ideally canola oil
2 Egg whites
In a large mixing bowl (which will ultimately hold several days worth of waffle mix) stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a smaller mixing bowl beat egg yolks. Add Soy, almond or coconut milk, cinnamon and oil.
Add your wet to the flour mix all at once. Stir or fold until mixed but still slightly lumpy.
In yet-another-bowl whip egg white to form a stiff peak.
Gently fold egg whites into soya-flour-oil mixture leaving a few whisps of egg white visible.
Heat waffle iron letting waffle mix work for about 7 minutes.
Pour batter onto preheated iron. Do not open while the waffles are cooking! Timing will vary depending on your iron.
Serve with butter, maple syrup, fresh blueberries and hot, hot coffee!
Enjoy! This recipe updated September 2016
Colin is a Victoria resident and food lover that is constantly searching for the perfect cup of coffee. His blog has been on the air since 1995… but who’s counting?
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