Paris - Gelato Treat

My dark chocolate and raspberry gelato cone

We didn't see many gelato shops in Paris, but we managed to find one place that had a queue forming outside, which is a good sign.

Another good sign was that the gelato flavours were in sunken tubs covered by metal lids to protect them from light, air and temperature changes.

The shops that have gelato piled up high reveal they use chemical stabilisers to be able to stand up, as good gelato is soft. 

So the gelato shop we found is called La Crema par Roberta Costa, near the Pantheon.

As we waited in line (and light showers started to sprinkle), we tried to find out what the flavours were and decide what to have.

Luckily the line went quickly and soon enough we found ourselves inside in front of the staff member ready to scoop gelato for us.

I settled on raspberry and dark chocolate (6 euros for two flavours), and he used a flat ladle to scoop out the gelato -- not round like most places. Then he asked if I wanted whipped cream, to which I said no, and then he put a small edible spoon on top of the cone.

This combination of dark chocolate and raspberry worked well, though I wished he had given me two scoops of the raspberry instead of chocolate, which was quite rich. My cousin got a scoop of hazelnut and it was very creamy, while mango sorbet was bright and refreshing.

By the time we came out of the gelato shop to eat our sweet treats, the rain had stopped and we savoured every bite in front of the store as a steady stream of customers continued flowing in and out.

La Crema Gelato

19 Rue Sufflot

75005 Paris 5

 

Paris - Sensational French-Chinese Cuisine

The signature roast duck was a showstopper on the table

Chef Samuel Lee has lived in Paris for over 10 years. He was the head chef of Shang Palace, the fine dining Chinese restaurant at the Shangri-La Paris, which earned a Michelin star during his tenure.

After a decade, Lee wanted to continue living in the French capital but open his own restaurant, creating dishes that paired with wines.

Crispy shrimp croquettes with spicy mayo

The result is SENsation, with Sen a play off of the Mandarin pronunciation of his Chinese name, meaning forest.

I had interviewed him about his restaurant when he opened it last February and found it very intriguing when he described the various dishes on the menu.

So when I knew I was coming to Paris, I immediately booked a table to try his food. 

Sensation is tucked in a residential area in Le Marais, so it's very casual and Lee himself greets us wearing a T-shirt under an apron, while his other chefs in the small kitchen are wearing chef jackets.

We were the first party to arrive just after 7pm, but soon after we sat down, other tables were occupied; by 8pm the restaurant was full.

Mapo tofu, char siu, meagre, and fried rice

The restaurant interior has character, some walls are not finished, the wall by the kitchen has a wooden bookshelf with books and Chinese knick knacks, by the entrance is a Tang dynasty print and above it is the slogan in Chinese roughly translated as "keep the wine flowing."

We started off with some appetisers, shrimp croquettes, crispy and light, with Lee's pairing of spring rolls with finely shaved Comte cheese. He explained it was kind of a riff off of a croque Monsieur, with the cheese melting on top.

The cheese didn't exactly melt, but we thought it was an interesting idea. Same goes for the roast pork marinated not in a sauce made with Chinese rose wine, but Cognac! The char siu was a bit on the tough side (not fatty enough), but had the lingering Cognac flavour and woody finish.

We also had a small bowl with one wonton in a consomme that was like a warm hug.

Sweet "guo ba" and mango cream

Next came the signature roast duck dish called "I am not a Beijing duck!" It was a beautifully roasted half portion French bird with the crispiest skin and tender meat underneath. It came with thin steamed pancakes and julienne of cucumber and scallions. Absolutely delicious, with no fat stuck to the skin.

Mapo tofu heated things up with Sichuan peppercorns, chillis, minced beef and mushrooms, while fried rice featured plump shrimps and bits of char siu. We also enjoyed the steamed meagre, perfectly cooked, and had a topping of not only cilantro, but also fennel.

Craving cooked vegetables, we had a plate of stir-fried mixed greens like choi sum, cabbage and bean sprouts with goji berries.

We somehow managed to finish everything and found room in our stomachs to try two desserts, chilled mango cream with pomelo and tapioca, and the sweet version of "guo ba", with a caramelised rice pudding with crispy rice and ice cream.

When we praised Lee for the quality of the food, he humbly said it was all about getting the freshest ingredients. He said the restaurant was about offering simple dishes, and with so many Chinese restaurants in Paris, he wanted to stand out through getting the best ingredients.

Chef Lee in casual 

And with that, our gourmet experience at Sensation was over and our tummies sated, we waddled back to the hotel, savouring the incredible meal we just had.

SENsation

32 rue Saint-Maur

75011, Paris, France

+33 1 40 31 32 24

Picture of the Day: Baked Sago Pudding

The baked sago pudding before digging in

Sago, or tapioca pudding is a favourite in the summer. Yeung ji gum lo 楊枝甘露, or mango pomelo sago mixed with coconut milk and evaporated milk is very refreshing and citrusy from the pomelo, balanced with sweetness from the mango and sago pearls.

In the winter, baked sago or tapioca pudding, called 脆皮西米焗布甸 crispy crust baked sago pudding (chui pei sai mai guk bo deen) is a warm dessert that is also satisfying, with a meld of flavours and textures. 

It has a pastry crust on top, and underneath is sago mixed with custard, and sometimes has a layer of either red bean, lotus seed, or black sesame paste.

Yesterday we had a massive Christmas feast featuring dishes like giant deep-fried minced shrimp balls, roasted pig, soy sauce chicken, steamed goby fish, pea shoots with yuba, and stir-fried lobster with vermicelli.

For dessert we had the baked sago pudding with a vanilla-flavoured egg custard.

Love the combination of the crunchy crust with the warm custardy filling with sago!

Sweet Sips at Sweet 7

The signature mango pomelo sago drink

There's many bubble tea shops in Metro Vancouver, and we've taken a liking to Sweet 7, which is originally from Shanghai.

Started in 2006 as a dessert shop, there are now over 1,500 Sweet 7 shops around the world, with two here, one in downtown Vancouver, the other in Richmond.

The menu is mostly drinks made in large cups. Back in the summer I ordered the signature mango pomelo sago and the portion was so large, I mixed it and poured it into bowls to share with my parents! We quite enjoyed it as a dessert.

Mango and passionfruit slush

This afternoon I took a friend visiting from Toronto to Sweet 7 downtown and she ordered that signature drink, while I tried the mango passionfruit slush.  It's fruity sweet, it's got passionfruit seeds and slushy ice, making it easy to drink and get a brain freeze.

While the menu features so many different kinds of drinks divided into various sections, to help you make up your mind faster, there are suggestions of which are the most popular drinks: other than the signature mango pomelo sago, there's Oreo cheesecake milk tea, passionfruit green tea, and matcha cheesy smoothie.

Guess that means I need to go back again!

Asian Food Court Eats

Beef rendang and flaky roti at the Aberdeen Centre food court

A friend arrived from Toronto and I picked her up at Vancouver International Airport around 11am and she wanted to eat something Asian.

So we headed to the food court at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond.

On the weekdays this place is quiet, but this being a Sunday, it was busy! It wasn't too hard to find a table, but the vast majority of them were occupied.

We wandered around a bit to check out what was available and settled on sharing a northern Chinese set meal that included spring onion cake, some chive and pork dumplings, stir-fried thin slices of lamb in a slightly sweet soy sauce, and a small bowl of fake shark's fin soup (very thin vermicelli), with ribbons of bean curd skin, and wood ear mushroom.

For drinks we headed to a juice bar, where she had the drink equivalent of mango pomelo sago, while I had a combination of mango and papaya slush that was quite sweet.

Our set meal wasn't quite enough so I headed to a Malaysian stall and ordered the beef rendang. The server asked if I wanted rice or roti and chose the latter. We were not disappointed! The chunks of beef were so tender in the thick curry sauce that wasn't spicy at all. We dipped the flaky roti in there and it was delicious.

That was so filling we didn't need dessert!

Meanwhile there were more people queuing up for food and I was impressed to see practically all the stands doing decent business, with people of all ages dining here.

Good Value Dessert Drink

"Mango ice cream" with puree and ice in a cup

This afternoon I was in Crystal Mall, a Chinese shopping mall in Burnaby. The mall has probably seen better days, as it now looks tired, with many shop spaces closed, or those that are open don't have much business.

However, head to the food court and it's a bustling place even though it's 2.30pm. Some people are grabbing a late lunch, others a snack or dessert.

I wandered around the stalls looking for inspiration. Paradise Juice was somewhat busy, with many people ordering papaya smoothies. 

On the menu there was "mango ice cream" and in Chinese 芒果雪糕 so I inquired about it.

The woman said it was more like a drink and pointed to a picture of a red bean ice drink, but said it was mango instead of red bean.

OK why not? It was $4.95.

Several minutes later I got my drink -- the bottom filled with crushed ice, next mango puree along with small chunks of mango, and then topped with some vanilla ice cream. She gave me a thick straw that wasn't necessary, and a spoon with a long neck.

I ate a bit of the mango and ice cream before mixing the three ingredients together and it was great! Cold, refreshing, and not too sweet. When they make drinks like papaya smoothies, they use whole milk or even cream which makes it very heavy and rich.

This combination with some vanilla ice cream made it creamy, but slightly diluted by the ice. If they used coconut milk it could be a vegan dessert and probably taste even better too!

Apparently mangos are now $12/lb so this drink/dessert is a good deal!

Paradise Juice

2/F, Crystal Mall

4500 Kingsway, Burnaby

604 438 8199

The Last Pavlova of Summer

The pavlova is the signature summer dessert

This afternoon I happened to have dim sum a stone's throw away from Sweet e's Darling Desserts, which had its last day today. The landlord did not renew their lease.

On Instagram yesterday and this morning they posted that they would only be selling its famous pavlovas from 1pm onwards, first come, first served.

As I came out of the dim sum restaurant about 12.45pm, I saw a queue in front of the bakery, and a friend from Pilates class waving her hand at me. She was at the back of the line so I joined her.

She told me she had tried to order the pavlova last week for today, Father's Day, but they refused to take her request. She was particularly annoyed as she knows the two sisters who own Sweet e's from since they were kids. "If I don't get a pavlova I'm going to get very mad at them," she said, and I told her I was keen to watch this interaction.

Waiting in line to get into the shop

Finally when 1pm rolled around, customers went into the shop one party at a time, and soon the pavlovas in the refrigerated showcase were gone. Each time someone came out with a white box, they would say, "They're making more in the back, you're fine."

My friend told me Sweet e's' pavlova is the best -- I told her I'd actually never eaten it before, as my mother makes a pretty good meringue shell which she fills the base with freshly whipped cream and then mixed fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and mango. But since this was the last day to get one from Sweet e's (until they find another location), I had to try it at least once.

Meanwhile I told her the mousse cakes were the best -- in particular lemon, or raspberry. So light, fluffy and refreshing.

After about 20 minutes my friend and I were at the front of the line and walked into the store. She walked straight into the kitchen and got her request fulfilled of getting an 8-inch pavlova, while I ordered a 4-inch one. Mine was almost complete, if I waited another 15 minutes.

Every subsequent customer who came in mourned the fact the shop was closing, and when they were told they would have to wait 30 minutes, 40 minutes for their pavlova, they were very happy to, and made sure they paid before they left and returned for their dessert before 5pm.

Finally mine was ready to go -- good enough for three of us to have a bite of to try.

And indeed it was light, airy, a touch sweeter than my mother's meringue, but for a store-bought pavlova it was delicious. The fresh cream was a delight, and it was topped with sliced strawberries and mango. 

Glad I had a chance to try the bakery's signature summer dessert. And am already looking forward to Sweet e's opening somewhere else (hopefully nearby!) in the next few months.

Picture of the Day: Pedalling Smoothies

Want to pedal for your smoothie?

Around lunchtime today I finished my long 8K trek around Pacific Spirit Park and went to Memorial Park West to see if the Dunbar Little League was playing.

They were in the midst of a game against Kerrisdale and the snack shop was open. I could get a freshly made hamburger (with lettuce, tomato and pickles) for C$7.

As I waited for my hamburger, there was a drinks stand nearby and two stationary bikes with a curious contraption. They were selling strawberry and mango smoothies -- you could make yourself!

For the same price as a burger, you could get fresh whole strawberries or mango chunks with water in a blender, which was placed in front of the handlebars. When you push the pedals, the blender starts to move. Cute DIY gimmick, but don't know if they got any takers! 

Hong Kong-style Diner in Paris

Have a pineapple bun, char siu and milk tea in Paris

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is doing something eye-catching for the right reasons.

At the Art Basel fair in Paris, there's a cha chaan teng pop-up serving Hong Kong-style milk tea, char siu, pineapple buns, mango pudding, and egg tarts. 

"It is exciting to see many visitors coming to the cha chaan teng and enjoy a variety of authentic Hong Kong delicacies. We look forward to continuing to showcase Hong Kong's unique experiences in different ways at Art Basel exhibitions around the world," said Tourism Board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat.

The cha chaan teng is sponsored by the HKTB

The one in Paris is not the first time the HKTB has set up a pop-up cha chaan teng -- earlier this year one was installed at the 24th Biennale of Sydney, an international festival of contemporary art held every two years.

In December a cha chaan teng will be set up at Art Basel Miami Beach from December 6-8.

The HKTB is not only trying to promote Hong Kong as a destination to attendees, but also that the city will be hosting Art Basel again from March 28-30 next year.

This cha chaan teng concept is a good soft power initiative... but what Hongkongers really want to know is, how's the food?

200kg of Mangoes Destroyed

200kg of Taiwanese mangoes were destroyed in Hong Kong

Hong Kong mango fans are in distress after hearing the news that 200kg of the sweet yellow fleshy fruit were destroyed after one was found to have Covid-19 on its skin.

It also just so happens that the shipment came from Taiwan.

The move follows Macau's decision to impose a one-week ban on mangoes from Taiwan as well after traces of Covid-19 were found on the fruit.

How many mango puddings made from 200kg?

Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety said the virus was detected on the skin of one of the mangoes in a shipment weighing 200kg.

CFS told the distributor to stop sales of the distributed mangoes, remove the rest and destroy them.

"Samples of similar products will continue to be tested for Covid-19," the CFS added.

It has been proven over and over that Covid-19 is spread through aerosols, not on surfaces, and yet China, Macau and now Hong Kong are determined to perpetuate this fear that is completely scientifically wrong.

Meanwhile on Twitter, people were upset that the mangoes were wasted, and that if they were triple jabbed, why couldn't they eat the fruit? And besides, they wouldn't be eating the skin anyway.

Imagine how many people would have happily enjoyed biting into the sweet fruit in so many different ways, from slices to topping it on tapioca or on shaved ice, or making mango pudding, or jam, ice cream and smoothies...

Covid-19 was found on the skin of one mango

We're getting hungry just thinking about it.

But all those mangoes have been wasted all in the name of protecting citizens from Covid-19.

The ridiculousness, my friend YTSL reminded me, is on par with the culling of hamsters. Actually what happened to those little furry critters is worse than the destruction of mangoes. But finding Covid-19 on the skin of a fruit that won't even be consumed is totally absurd.