Hanging with Brad and Paris · Monday June 18, 2007 by colin newell
If you are visiting Victoria B.C. Canada for the 1st time and want to get some breakfast (lunch or dinner for that matter too…) without leaving with that empty feeling – then maybe, just maybe Lady Marmalade is for you.
Tucked in at 608 Johnson Street near Government Street, Lady Marmalade appears to be little more than a hole in the wall – but do not be deceived. There is space aplenty within – and once past the front door and the seat yourself sign, you will find 30+ tables. No, I didn’t count them all — but this particular Saturday morning, all of them were filled except one.
I have always thought that the secret to a successful cafe (or diner, bistro, restaurant, etc) is taking the tried and true and putting a quirky spin on it.
You know – flirt with the outrageous without going that catastrophic one step too far that leave diners bewildered.
Lady Marmalade is also that place.
Take the Eggs Benedict – perhaps the best in town.
Take the old recipe you know and trust… and throw it out the window.
Add wild salmon… and sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and arugula… well, you get the idea. It was good. Very good.
Lady Marmalade is popular with the Grunge meets Oceans-11 crowd. Slacker dude Vince Vaughn, Brad Pitt wannabees show up in muscle Tee’s and homemade costume jewelry… big sunglasses… the works.
Girls outnumber the boys in Paris Hilton form; pizza sized sunglasses, mini-skirts/shorts and lululemon is de riguer…
Young people with lots of apetite for carbs after a nasty night out.
Our first visit to Lady Marmalade was during a full house kitchen slam – everything was flying.
The only downside to my experience was cold food.
Ok. So the Benny was room temperature. I can excuse this totally because the place was busier than a train station.
The hollandaise on the Benny was perfect – I have never had better.
My other bone to pick was the bread with breakfast – it was a kind of rye bread from a local bakery “Wild-Fire” that was sliced too thin – as a result it came across more biscotti or melba-toast than real toast.
Oh yea – and who serves a teeny bowl of salad with a breakfast plate?
All in all, I would rate Lady Marmalade on Johnson Street a solid 8 out of 10.
Colin Newell lives and eats in Victoria – He wanders the streets of many Canadian cities looking for genuinely good eats. In this continuing series on food and drink in Western Canada, Colin stresses the point that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Lamb Bhuna Gost · Monday February 19, 2007 by colin newell
Hot Indian curries rate very highly in our home cooking endeavors. As much as I love coffee, I really love hot food. Whether it’s Thai, Hunan, Tex-Mex or East African – if it doesn’t have that zing then it doesn’t have my full attention! Here is a great example of a curry that anyone can whip up. And if you don’t like it hot, you can tone down the heat. It is that simple and I will show you how.
400g lamb steaks cubed
2 Green pepper, de-seeded
2 Tablespoons tomato puree
1 onion finely chopped.
2 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Finely Chopped Seranno Chili (for the heat! — optional)
2 tomatoes, quartered
4-6 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 inches Root Ginger grated
5 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
Garnish with Cilantro, raw whole/diced seranno or thai chili.
Make a paste of the curry powder and chili powder with a little water. Chop the pepper into 1 inch square pieces. Fry the onion until translucent in the veg oil then add the garlic, ginger, pepper and seranno and stir fry on medium for a further 2 minutes. Add the curry and chili powder paste and stir in and fry for a further 30 secs. Add the lamb pieces and sear well on all sides. Add the tomato puree and water and cook on high heat for 15 minutes to reduce the sauce, stirring constantly. Add the garam masala and stir in well. Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, stir in and cover the pan, cook for 3 minutes without stirring. Serve on a bed of Thai jasmine rice. Garnish with whatever is available.
Serve with Nan bread, white bread, french bread or Italian bread and plenty of beer!
Thanks to the CurryFrenzy.com website for the inspiration for this improved take on an Indian classic!
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Mussels with Chorizo sausage · Sunday February 18, 2007 by colin newell
This was the sunday meal served with a loaf of Italian bread and 3/4 of a bottle of Pinot Grigio. The mussels were from Thrifty Foods Victoria (via Prince Edward Island…)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Chorizo sausage, finely chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 cup white wine
2 lbs. fresh mussels, rinsed (see Note)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 chopped roma tomato
Heat the oil in wide-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chorizo and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and cook just until they open. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, the chopped tomato and the fresh basil. Divide the mussels and cooking liquid among bowls and serve.
Note: Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped before cooking, or do not open after cooking. Both are signs the mussel was dead prior to cooking and should not be eaten.
When life gives you lemons... start baking · Sunday February 18, 2007 by colin newell
True confession. I have been lusting after this one kitchen item for years, for over a decade in fact. My first real kitchen appliance was a Champion Juicer that I bought in 1988 or 1989. It is still running like a top. Just not in my kitchen. In my Mom’s kitchen – she pinched it from me just before I got married and never gave it back. Of course, she says, I can have it back whenever I want it.
Right.
Anyway. I digress.
The KitchenAid Artisan mixer is going to make life a little easier for me. I do 100% of the baking around the house and 50% of the chef work. I am the Chef’s assistant in fact. More of a sous chef. A great stir-person. A dicer. A whisker. That’s me.
Anyway. I make all my own muffins, bars, cookies, biscotti, cakes and (lastly) breads. The breads are most definitely at the end of the list because they are the most labor intensive.
Not anymore. Now that I have the KitchenAid Arnold SchwarzenMixer life is going to be that much easier. The 7 watt hand blender will be relegated to omelette duty and my uber-cool Paderno hand-blender will just keep on doing what its doing.
Anyway. I have my mixer. Yipee. Stay tuned for recipes.
Who wants dinner?
