Chez Meme Baguette Bistro (The Heights, Burnaby, BC)

I am a huge fan of The Heights neighbourhood in Burnaby. I love the small businesses, I love the community, I love the murals, and I love the history behind the Heights. Their annual Hats Off Day (taking place this year on June 5) highlights this sense of community while celebrating the history. It was the Hats Off Day of last year that I wrote about Heavenly Bites, an Indian restaurant that served tiffin boxes / set meal that came to under $10.

Unfortunately, due to a medical situation, Heavenly Bites closed up suddenly. Almost as suddenly, a couple months ago, Chez Meme Baguette Bistro opened up in its place. M spoke about it a couple times, as he passed it on his commute.

He mentioned it enough that the name and location stuck. However, when we tried to visit them, they were always closed. Reason? Their limited hours - as the restaurant is run by a couple with younger children, Chez Meme is only open during 8am-3pm, Monday through Friday. As of writing, they have plans to open one Saturday a month, but will have to work out the scheduling and babysitting. :)

So how did I manage to visit Chez Meme Baguette Bistro? Well, the bossman gave me a whole day off this year for my birthday. ...And, well I literally had a doctors appointment that ran into lunch!

The first time I visited Chez Meme was with FMace, cousin Nate, and Chez Henri. "Chez Henri", you say? Well its suitable that I introduce Chez Henri in this particular post. He lived in France for a period of time before he came to Canada. One of the first times he went into MacDonalds in Canada (for breakfast, no less) he was under the impression that everyone spoke French. So Chez Henri (who didn't speak an ounce of English at this point) walks up to the counter at MacDonalds and orders a "Jus D'orange". The stunned girl (I think this was in interior BC or something) hesitated, then continued with the order.

Chez Meme concept is simple - French bistro food in the form of omelettes, baguette sandwiches, and other offerings like a duck confit and brioche french toast. A fresh batch of soup / potager is prepared regularly, and it shows!

The first time, I ordered a Bourguignon baguette. All the sandwiches come with your choice of salad, soup, or fries. The soup of the day was the spinach, fennel and apple. While the portions may look small, I was pretty stuffed. Upon viewing the photos at home later that day, M got some "lunch envy". He was a little upset that I'd gone there without him! For good reason though - the baguette was crisp with a slightly chewy interior, and the pulled beef short rib was complemented well by sharp horseradish and slightly sweet carmelized onions. The soup was a light accompaniment to the meal. I was surprised that the soup was so fresh. It was pureed, but the quality showed through.


Fmace had the Sarladaise - an omelette with duck confit, potatoes and onions.This is a French omelette: moist, tender, and no colour on the omelette. The filling was rich - shredded duck meat and onions. The bite that I sampled did not have potato... As the restaurant name implies, the omelette was served not only with potatoes, but with crusty baguette as well. The baguette was fresh and crisp, but the potatoes could have been crispier and seasoned better.

Cousin Nate settled on the Brioche French Toast, banana and maple syrup option. Honestly, if Nate wasn't there that day, I would have ordered the French Toast. The slices of brioche were light and fluffy. When I asked Nate whether he liked his (Chez Meme) french toast or his moms' French toast better, he thoughtfully sighed out a long, "moms...." with a long sideways look at his mom.

Chez Henri ordered a Jambon-Brie baguette, also followed by their daily soup. Although you cannot see it in the photo, the baguette was full of oozing, melty cheese.

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro is a fairly small operation with about twenty seats. It was packed at lunch hour, for good reason. There was even a couple people  waiting for seats when we left!

On a subsequent visit, M and I had a chance to savour more of Chez Memes' baguettes. M ordered a Cordon Bleu sandwich, while I (on my meat ban) ordered a From'ton.


The Cordon Bleu was a ham, chicken, and emmenthal sandwich with dijon mustard on the side. M thoroughly enjoyed this, and would order it again. My From'ton was a sandwich of brie, pear, and walnuts. When it came, I was excited that they didn't go cheap with the cheese; however, upon finishing my meal I was ready to take a nap. :p While I enjoyed the combination of melted, creamy brie, sweet pear, and crunchy walnuts, I would have liked to have more pear (it was canned, I believe), and for the walnuts to be roasted / toasted. It said toasted on the menu, but the walnuts looked like they were out of the bag when I got my sandwich. Even so, I got a euphoric foodie high when I had the odd bite that included brie, walnut, pear and baguette!

We both went with the soup of the day, a fresh tomato, fennel, and Italian parsley soup. Once again, it was a nice medley of flavours. I think Chez Meme has convinced both of us to start using more fennel in our cooking.

Overall, we liked Chez Meme. It is unassuming, delicious and food is prepared fresh. I only wished their children would grow up faster so that they'd be open on weekends. ;p Chez Meme Baguette Bistro is a nice addition to The Heights community.

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro
4016 Hastings Street
Burnaby BC
P: 604-299-1141

Isaac & Agatha (Bridgeport, Richmond, BC)

Isaac & Agatha recently reopened on Bridgeport under new management / partnership (if I remember correctly, it was Isaac & someone else prior). The eateries in this area cater to the "grab and go" crowd in this industrial area of Richmond, and Isaac & Agatha are no exception. They have a spacious seating area and are only open for breakfast and lunch.

That being said, they only offer a limited selection of breakfasts. Their lunch options are more varied, from pastas, sandwiches, Filipino fare, to souvlaki, burgers and grilled items. On this occasion, I stopped in for a quick breakfast as it was my "day off from the gym".

As I have been trying to avoid meat in a (desparate?) bid to eat healthier, I have been looking for veggie / lighter options in my eatings. Alas, aside from their lunch menu, there are no vegetarian-friendly substitutes in their breakfast, and every breakfast option includes meat and eggs. I settled on the bacon mushroom omelette. It was prepared fresh and delivered to my table with a free, fresh coffee (not sure if the owner / attendant thought I was a food blogger - she hadn't seen my camera yet, or that she just thought I needed one. :p).

I did have to run back up to the counter to grab some utensils, condiments, and napkins, but I'm sure seasoned patrons to the establishment are aware of this. Another note was that the creamers brought to the table with my meal were ice cold - something my "inner health inspector" appreciated. (Personally, the small amount of creamer within each tiny package, along with the method of packaging - pasteurized aseptic leaves little health safety concern, but on a "potential hazard" level, many health officials *love* to scold restaurant operators on keeping the creamers on ice or at refrigerator temperatures. Don't get me started.)

My bacon mushroom omelette came with two slices of brown toast and fresh fruit. Again, I appreciated the fresh fruit (many other "truck stop" joints around this area do not include this), and also the unbuttered toast. This made for a slightly healthier meal - quite often I leave toast on my plate as the cook has put too much butter on it; the way Isaac & Agatha presented it allows the customer to regulate the amount of butter. While I enjoyed my meal the loneliness of Isaac & Agatha resonated with me. The place was deserted for the entire duration of my stay - perhaps people only show for lunch?




The reason could be that Isaac & Agatha lack an identity. A glance at the rest of their menu is greatly varied. There are sandwiches and burgers, but also pastas, chicken, calamari, souvlaki, and seafood. In addition to this, there is a small separate menu advertising Filipino lunch at the counter. Is this an instance of "Jack of All Trades" gone wrong? Time will tell.

Service was prompt and indifferent, but little really appeals to me about Isaac and Agatha to make a return visit, unless I was in the area and looking for a quick bite that *wasn't* fast food.


Isaac & Agatha#101 - 11911 Bridgeport Road
Richmond BC
P: 604-276-0201

Cafe Medina (Vancouver, BC)

This post was actually a long time coming - seeing as it is now February and I went to Cafe Medina when I was noshing for waffles around the time that I visited Patisserie Lebeau and Damien's Belgium Waffles.

Upon seeing Frank at Vanfoodies at the East is East dinner, he questioned whether I was done writing Cafe Medina. I remembered that I had, in fact, bumped into him there. (Rather - we were milling about in the "waiting crowd" outside on a weekend morning for brunch.) I was reminded again as he posted about it a couple days later.

I visited Cafe Medina with two of my favourite ladies in the world, MYY and F-to-the-Izzo (my favourite Izzo of them all, that is. :) (Fine, lets make that FMace, as in favourite Mace of them all, while we're at it.) Cousin Nate was also along for the ride and be still your hearts, his six-year-old-full-of-frenetic-energy body actually lasted the long 20-30 minute wait he had to endure!

We started off with an assortment of hot beverages (clockwise from top left): a matcha tea latte, a mocha, hot chocolate, and a London Fog. Pretty and delicious at the same time!



Cousin Nate ordered a duo of waffles with milk chocolate lavendar. We were a little afraid his pint-sized tastebuds wouldn't appreciate the lavendar, but he liked it just fine! It kept him busy for...about ten minutes.

What'd the ladies have? We ordered the Les Boulettes, the Tagine, and the Fricasse. As per the menu, the Les Boulettes includes "2 poached eggs, spicy Moroccan meatballs, cilantro, hummus cucumber tomato salad. Grilled Foccacia.", while the Tagine had "2 poached eggs on spicy tomato stew and red pepper, merguez sausage, sundried black olives, and cilantro. Grilled Foccaccia.". Meanwhile, the Fricasse had "2 fried eggs on braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, arugula and smoked applewood cheddar. Grilled Foccacia."

It was a lot of egg, and a lot of meat. That being said, it was flavourful. The Les Boulettes (F'maces' choice), shown above, had perfectly poached eggs that were perfect for dunking the foccacia into. The meatballs, although billed as being spicy, were lightly spiced and were a touch dry. The sauce was spicy, though, and made up for the lack of spice in the meatball. The sauce was also enjoyed on the focaccia.



The Tagine (above, left) was ordered by yours truely. the sausage was a little on the dry / lean side again, but the dish was executed nicely with spicy sauce and the occasional olive. Poached eggs again on this one.

The Fricasse had to be the heaviest meal of them all. Roasted potatoes, onions, cheddar, and braised short ribs. The meat was the best by far in this dish, and although Fizzo tried her hardest...she couldn't finish it.

What? Did I forget something? Yes, I went there for waffles, right? The waffles were, as rumoured and enjoyed by many, were delicious. The accompanying dipping sauces were yummy as well. 

While Nate had ordered the milk chocolate lavender early on, we finished with a single white chocolate pistachio rosewater dip - to share. *That* is how full we were from our meals. While the milk chocolate sauce was light on the milk chocolate, the latter had nice white chocolate, hints of pistachio, and just a whisper of rosewater. I'd order the latter again.

In light of the Olympics, Cafe Medina will be open late every night during the Olympics, and will also have a take-out window for all your yummy street-eating needs!

Cafe Medina
556 Beatty Street
Vancouver BC
P: 604-879-3114

Damien's Belgian Waffles (Steveston, Richmond, BC)

I've been craving a great waffle - and no, not the stale, freezer-burned "Eggo" waffles of my childhood, a waffle that is fluffy and warm, crisp yet chewy. After a brief "googling", I discovered several options and embarked on my journey.

First up, Damien's Belgian Waffles set in picturesque Steveston Village in Richmond. Yes, it is *extremely* out of the way, but on the afternoon that I visited Damien's Belgian Waffles, I *extremely* needed to be removed from the workweek. (It was just that kind of day week. Don't make me get into the details.)

In the recent downpour (read: Pineapple express) that the Vancouver area has been having, it was a real relief to have a dry, slightly sunny patch in the afternoon. I stopped by Steveston Village and found Damien's in a small strip mall. It is located near a cake decorating store, so for you pastry chefs out there, it might be worth a stop to pick up some supplies and a treat as well!



Damien's offers single waffles to eat in or to go ($2.25 - $2.50) as well as some waffle treats with ice cream, chocolate, whipped cream and/or fruits (~$5). There is also a selection of tea and coffee to go with your waffle treat. For those wanting to enjoy the waffles at home, there are packs of waffles to go (singles or mini waffles!). The waffles are made from wholesome ingredients and utilizes honey or maple syrup as a sweetener instead of refined sugar. Okay, so they use imported Belgium pearl sugar as well, but that is a necessity of the recipe, so why fight tradition. :)

The waffles come in a variety of flavours such as original, matcha, maple, and cinnamon. The vanilla flavour also comes dipped with a milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate.



I tried their Melba Magic creation, which consists of a vanilla (original) waffle warmed slightly, with ice cream, whipped cream, raspberries, and a white chocolate garnish on top, as well as their ginger raja tea, which was freshly brewed in a tea press (nice touch!). The waffle held up nicely to the ice cream and the sweetness of both the waffle and ice cream was paired nicely with the tart raspberries. What I didn't like were the disposable plates and cutlery. Not only are they not environmentally friendly, but it's tacky and impractical. Trying to saw through a waffle with a plastic knife is not fun. :( Flavour is there, the experience is not.

Waffles for a late lunch (I got there at around two-thirty in the afternoon!)? Why not! It was relaxed and laid back in sunny Steveston. :)



I bought a matcha and milk-chocolate dipped waffle to go. They're packaged in small leopard- print paper bags - it was like a little present!

Damien (I am assuming...) instructed me to warm them in the toaster or toaster oven on a low to medium toaster setting. I found my waffles warmed to my liking, slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside. On the odd occasion, there was a slight crunch from the pearl sugar that was cooked into the batter. Nice!

While the matcha flavour left a slight bitterness on the tongue, the milk chocolate was a simply sweet (and selfish! :) breakfast the next morning.



It was a nice reprieve from work - I'm glad of that. If you don't want to make the trek out to Steveston Village to visit Damien's Belgian Waffles, try catching them this weekend at the craft show at Nikkie Place in Burnaby, or Steveston Buddhist Temple. There's also some winter and craft markets that they'll be participating in, check out their event calendar for details.

I felt much more relaxed after Damien's. Let's hope they stay around for a little while!

Damien's Belgian Waffles

#2 - 3891 Chatham Street
Richmond BC
P: 604-304-2884

Recipe: Solo Breakfast - Eggs Florentine, Hold the Sauce!

M had to go to work on Easter Monday, so I was left to my own devices. (Not that I couldn't handle it! :)

In the essence of the holiday, I made a simple "fancy" breakfast - poached eggs with spinach, on toast. Eggs Florentine, my way!

I'm not one to drown my breakfast in oil, lard or grease - my Eggs Florentine is minus the heavy mornay (cheese bechamel) sauce, or the hollandaise sauce that usually accompanies poached eggs. I wanted to go for a jog after my breakfast!



Ingredients
1 egg
1 slice bread
salt, pepper to taste

1 T minced onion
2 handfuls spinach, washed thoroughly, drained, and trimmed of stems
pinch of thyme
pinch of nutmeg
salt, pepper to taste

Tomate concasse to garnish

Method
Bring to a boil a 3" deep pot of water. Put a couple drops of vinegar into the pot to help poach the egg (vinegar helps the egg white coagulate).

In a small pan, heat a small amount of oil on medium heat. Saute minced onion, stirring until onion is opaque.

Add spinach to pan (don't worry if it looks like a lot of spinach, it will wilt down to a beautiful glistening green!) and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat in oil; season with nutmeg and thyme. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the bread and poach the egg. Crack the egg into a small dish or ramekin first. (This prevents me from steam burns, and also from getting shells into the egg or breaking the yolk. Murphys law.) Slowly pour the egg into the boiling pot of water and turn the heat down to a simmer. Allow to poach 1-2 minutes, until the white has cooked but the yolk is still runny. Remove from the water and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Butter the toast. Place cooked spinach onto the toast. Top with the poached egg and garnish with tomate concasse (tomato that has been peeled, seeded, and diced).

Yum!

More photos available at my flickr photoset.

FYI: Starbucks Freebie

I forgot to note that today and tomorrow, Starbucks is having a special promotion for those with registered Starbucks Cards - when you use your Starbucks card today, January 27 or tomorrow, the 28th, you can get a free portion of their oatmeal!



I just tried their plain oatmeal this morning when I ordered a small hazelnut latte to go - I swear I have the most common face or just blend in with all "Asian" looking women. The girl at the cash register, even though I've seen her probably two to three times a week since she's started, couldn't recognize me. I live upstairs!!!

...She has no problem remembering M though, she even gave him free coffee one time and said "don't worry about it! I know you come here all the time!"

Hello! M is usually with me, what's up with that?!?

Anyways, the oatmeal was good, although plain. I might try their Fruit medley flavour, or Nut medley flavour tomorrow. Today I just poured some of my latte into the nifty little "incubator bowl" that the oatmeal was served in, and enjoyed it on my way to work. Definately better than the instant packets I have at home, and creamier too.