Eat Well: #yycfood #yardarm #12yearanniversary

YYC FOOD

Yardarm
107-535 8 Ave SE

Oh hello beautiful people!  It has been YEARS since our last blog post on my other site that no longer exists.  A little bittersweet because I chose not to transfer the many posts I had on there to this OG site.  I actually did not plan on blogging this, but it was such a memorable meal, I had to share with you guys.

Forgive me guys, because I was not planning on blogging, some of the drinks that were part of our meal, I forgot what they were (sorry @mayabartha).

We decided to go to Yardarm, a cocktail bar located in East Village, for our 12 year anniversary!  A couple months back we made our reservation and decided to go with their God Package.

I really like how they have different tiers of tasting menus.  

Mortal which is $50 per person, you get 2 cocktails an 4-5 bites of food per person.

Demi-God is $70 per person, you get 3 cocktails, 4-5 bites per person and a charcuterie board to share.

Lastly the God Tier which is what we purchased is completely custom to what we wanted!  John and I were talking to Anthony Fiorentino, their maitre'd (@aint.aint.a.word), about what we liked.  We came to talk about Japanese cuisine which is something the chef Alejandro Buzzalino specializes in.  We were sold and so excited! 

GOD TIER

  

Second Drink- Dassai 50 Nigori Junmai Dai Ginjo

For our first drink we started with a refreshing glass of rose.  Clearly I was too excited to snap a photo.

I was actually surprised at first because I was expecting one of Maya's amazing cocktails!  Side note, the reason we went to Yardarm in the first place was because we were following our favorite bartender in the city.  She helped open Shelter YYC and has now moved on to Yardarm.  This sake was so refreshing.  Thank you to my friend Judith of Sukiyaki House for educating me on Sakes!  I have definitely learned to appreciate them more.

Lobster Carpaccio- with sesame oil, ginger and chives

So simple, yet so delicate and delicious!  I can't even describe guys. It was so enjoyable; if you know me, you know I inhale my food!  I was trying to savor this dish as slowly as possible because I was sad to empty my plate!  The lobster melts in your mouth and all the flavors complement each other and with the pairing of the sake, so harmonious.

Lobster Miso Soup- served with noodles

Forgive the lack of descriptions guys, I'm just going by memory now.  This was so delicious and aromatic and flavorful!  I was worried it would be too salty, but was seasoned perfectly.  The saltiness of the broth with the sweetness of the lobster and the noodles were an excellent addition.

"White Boy Sushi"- not my words!  The chef's! 

These bites of omakase were so delicious!  The cones if I recall correctly had salmon and also Korean inspired flavors of Gochujang and Siracha which created the "roe", the middle was beef tartare that they usually serve on their regular menu with house made chili sauce.  Lastly of course, how could you go wrong with those strips of beef tataki with chimichurri!

I can't remember this one- even though I can't quite remember what were in these cocktails, they were all so good, well made and balanced and paired perfectly with our courses!  There were two more cocktails that went with the meal, but because it got dark, the pictures were unacceptable =).

I actually remember this one! - Calvados, Apple Cider Vinegar and Sherry

Foie Gras Spring Roll- need I say more?

This was so rich, delicious and melted in your mouth!  So much flavor and the duck was so good.

Cheese Course- added on top of the God Tier

The Best Carrot Cake

I must agree.  Both John and I dislike desserts and this was not sweet at all and the texture was so great.  Crisp on the outside and oh so moist and soft in the center!  A great end to our meal!

A Sweet Surprise

Not only is the food and drinks amazing at Yardarm, but the staff are exceptional that go above and beyond to make your experience the best.  They surprised us at the end with their honorary VIP Salty Dog key chains, which we appreciate so much and can't wait to attend their future VIP events!

MORTAL PACKAGE

Here are some more photos from our previous visits.  For their Happy Hour (5-7pm), they have 50% off their Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and Martinis!

Mortal Package

This was such a lovely course.  It was SO refreshing!  A fresh oyster with a beet shooter.  I can't quite remember the full details of the cocktail, but it contained a hibiscus gin and sage.  It was so tasty, herbacious and refreshing!

Duck Breast with Barley Risotto

This was so tasty!  We did not know what to expect with a barley risotto, but the texture was so good and pleasant and the duck was cooked perfectly!

Coffey and Cigarettes- Mezcal, Butter washed Nikka Coffey Whiskey, Coffee Vodka, Fernet, PX Sherry, Lapsant Tea, Salt, Smoke

Definitely one of my favorite cocktails on their menu!  Think a delicious smoked coffee.  I won't ruin the surprise of how they present their cocktail, can't reveal all of their secrets.  You'll just have to experience it yourself!

Thank you Yardarm for making our anniversary dinner so memorable and special!  Can't wait for our future visits.  Keep an eye out friends for their special events.  I believe they have something for Halloween and New Year's Eve coming up!

Enjoy!

Yardarm YYC

Eat Well, Feel Well: #summersalads

 Summer Salads: Cucumber Salad w/ Citrus Dill Dressing and Watermelon Grapefruit and Blackberry Salad w/ Honey Mint Dressing

So I was contemplating what to make for a friend's farewell dinner and instead of the usual baked good, I decided to make some salads.  These are delicious, fresh and super simple and oh so good for you.

Recipe from Nutrition Stripped

Cucumber Salad

2 cups English cucumbers, cubed 

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 cup red onion, diced

Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl. 

Citrus Dill Dressing

**note: I found that there was a lot of dressing and you could probably half this recipe

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced and 1 TBSP of zest

1 orange, juiced and 1 TBSP of zest

1 TBSP dill, fresh (you can use the dry stuff, but use the fresh stuff if possible!)

2 tsp of sea salt

black pepper to taste

Whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed.   

Toss the salad in the dressing and voila!  Refreshing and delicious.

Recipe found here

Watermelon Grapefruit Blackberry Salad

1 lb of watermelon, cubed

3 red/pink grapefruits, peeled and sliced into round (I segmented them)

3 cups blackberries, whole

So I decided to segment them because A. I had the time and B. This was actually one of my exams in butchery class way back in Culinary school. 

Squeeze the remaining juice out of the pulp that was left from segmenting/slicing.  

Cut up that fresh watermelon!

Throw in them blackberries. 

Honey Mint Drizzle

1 cup fresh grapefruit juice (left over)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 TBSP fresh mint, chopped

1 TBSP of honey

1 tsp sea salt

Chiffonade the mint which is done by stacking the leaves together and roll it up length wise and chopping it thinly.  Whisk everything together until well combined.  

Ta da!  Two delicious, refreshing and healthy salads to bring to your next BBQ or gathering of some sort before the summer ends.  These were a hit, how could they not be!  Mother Nature's candy.

Enjoy!

Eat Well: #yycfood #anju #brunch

YYC Food

Anju (Brunch Edition)
344 17th Ave SW

A beautiful Saturday where Kim did not have to work!  We took full advantage of this situation by visiting Anju to try out their Brunch menu!

Omu- rice- Kimchi fried rice, prawns, egg crepe, ketchup, nori, hash browns

Love the canopy of egg on top!  The hash browns provides a great crunchy texture with a hint of sweetness.  Only thing in our opinion, was that the rice was a tad under with some harder grains here and there.  Overall, a lovely dish.

Pork Belly Eggs Benny- pork belly, kimchi, kimchi hollandaise, hash browns

The perfectly poached eggs oozed out as you cut into it.  The flavours were wonderful and came together great as the Kimchi provided a punch of acidity without overpowering the dish.  the level of heat was definitely too light for John, but his heat tolerance is rather skewed.  Overall, great considering John does not usually enjoy eggs benny!

The food was tasty and plated beautifully.  The dishes presented a wonderful assortment of flavours and textures.  There were so many more delicious sounding items we want to try!  Definitely have to bring some friends next time so we can try a little of everything ;). 

P.S. The house made hash browns are soooo crunchy and delicious.  Highlight of the meal :D.

Enjoy!

 

Eat Well, Feel Well: #blissfulblueberry

Blissful Blueberry Banana Muffins
Vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free

My apologies for the lack of posts friends, I've finally caved and started Netflixing... so bad. 

Anyway...

Blueberries, bananas and walnuts oh yes please!  I was browsing Oh She Glows website one day and I stumbled upon these delicious looking muffins.  I was ecstatic when I saw that I had all of the ingredients (I was low on groceries).

Recipe By Oh She Glows

Yields: Approx 12 regular and 12 mini (I only have one regular sized muffin tin) OR 18 reg or 36 minis

3/4 cup Mashed Bananas (approx 2)
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp Unsweetened Almond milk
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (the good stuff!  Not the Aunt Jemima madness)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted
2 cups Spelt Flour
6 tbsp Coconut Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1.5 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Fine Grain Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Walnut Pieces, chopped
1 cup frozen or fresh Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease the muffin tin (if you don't have parchment cups).  If you do, just use parchment cups

On a small cutting board, mash your banana with a fork.  I find this a lot easier than fumbling around the bowl.  Place the banana into a medium bowl with the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and vanilla.  No need for stirring at the moment.  Set it aside.  

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.

Stir the coconut oil into the wet mixture.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until JUST combined!  You do not want to over mix this.

Gently fold in the walnuts and then the blueberries, again do not overmix.  The right picture is what my batter looked like before I added the walnuts and blueberries.

Spoon about 1/4 of the batter into each parchment cup; it'll be about 3/4 full.

Found him like that while I was baking haha #boss .

Bake for 23-27 minutes (I did approx 25) until you prick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.  I only had one large muffin tin, so I did end up making some minis too and I stuck some chocolate chips inside them.  Cool in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

These were quite delightful and make great snacks!  I did use fresh blueberries but if you do only have frozen blueberries, make sure they're kept in the freezer right up until you add them into the batter to prevent bleeding.  They were moist, cakey and burst from the blueberries.  As you can see. I took some before taking a picture hehe.  They were hard to resist.

Enjoy!