Chairman & Yip Restaurant

Chairman & Yip Restaurant

After attending a reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres, myself and the rest of my colleagues weren't quite in the mood for a large, heavy meal. One of the locals suggested Chairman & Yip Restaurant, where some good appetizers could be had.

Heading over, we were seated and proceeded to order (for the six of us) two rounds of three appetizers. A very nice duck pancakes, amazing scallops (served in a scallop shell), and dumplings (with a very good and spicy sauce).

Meal: Light Dinner
Date Visited: 3 June 2010
Rating: ****
Address: 108 Bunda St., Canberra City Australian Capital Territory 2601
Website: http://www.thechairmanandyip.com

Sushi, Brasilian Style

Sushi, Brasilian Style

After a couple of days of all steak, all the time on my trip to São Paulo, I was in the mood for something a little different. There was a sushi place across from the hotel and another that I'd found on a walk around the neighborhood.

So, after the like-clockwork afternoon thunderstorm, my colleague and I took a stroll down Rua Borges Lagoa towards Gendai. The restaurant was very nicely laid out “Japanese style”, lots of wood, low seats, etc. We chose a quiet (meaning away from the tv screens with futbol on) outside.

After looking at the menu for a bit, I realized that Gendai was a chain of some sort. Not that there's anything wrong with that! An interesting menu, with a variety of sushi and other Japanese offerings.

Not being a sake connoisseur, my colleague offered to order for us and we got, what seemed to me to be a nice cold sake. I got some of my staples (avocado roll, gyuzo). There was also a good miso soup that came with the meal.

My next sushi stop was after a few nights of steak were again on my menu. My co-worker, who had made it out of Brazil between  the snowstorms on the East Coast that trapped me, had eaten lunch at São Paolo – Toky and gave the sushi only a mediocre review. I was tired of steak, however, and didn't want to go back to Gendai, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I avoided the sushi and got a mushroom stir fry and fried gyoza (and some tasty miso soup). No sake on this night, but had a nice cold beer. The restaurant was crowded and lively. I had a good seat to people watch by and enjoyed a tasty (non-sushi) meal.

Gendai-Vila Mariana
Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 6 February 2010
Rating: ***
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 245, São Paulo, SP, 04038-030
Website: http://www.gendai.com.br

São Paolo – Tokyo, Gastronomia Japonesa
Meal: Dinner
Date Visited: 10 February 2010
Rating: ****
Address: Rua Borges Lagoa, 1.172 - Zona Sul - (11) 5081-6444
Website: http://www.saopaulotokyo.com.br

Shabu-shabu Doo! ... in Vancouver

2009-11-09-IMG_5190
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Shabbusen Japanese Yakiniku House

The first time I had shabu-shabu was in Taiwan; where exactly it was or what the name of the restaurant was remains a mystery to me. The food, however, was simply fabulous.

While in Vancouver to attend a conference, I was awed by the number and quality of Asian restaurants. When the group I was with asked where we should go, I said I didn't really care, but it had to be some type of Asian food. The rest of my group readily agreed and we quickly chose Shabusen, located right near the conference hotel and also receiving good word of mouth at the conference.

Our group of five was early enough to not need a reservation, but the restaurant quickly filled up. We were seated – by the efficient and brusque staff – in a booth designed as a small dinghy. We had some trouble climbing “aboard” (only realizing too late you should take off your shoes and just walk on the seats). Once settled in, I started to examine the complex menu. There were lots of choices, all arranged around various pan-Asian options. The rest of the group settled for the Chinese version of the bento box, but I opted for the shabu-shabu, partly to satisfy their curiosity and also to compare to my Taiwan experience.

Shabu-shabu, for those of you who don't know, is a variation on the hot pot idea. You're given a pot of broth that is heated at your table, and plates of uncooked food. In my case I had beef, various cabbages, mushrooms, tofu, etc. There is also a sauce or two for you to add to the blend.

You throw everything in the pot and stir and wait.

The non-meat options were a little heavy on the cabbage (none of the tofu variations or fish add-inn that I had in Taiwan). Also, there were only two sauces, a peanut sauce and a thicker, not too spicy sauce.

The boxes were a hit with the rest of the table (quite large servings by the way) and my shabu-shabu was good, if not great. I think it will always be hard to match that first shabu-shabu experience.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: *** 1/2
Date: 9 November 2009
Address: 202-755 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6, Canada
Website: http://www.shabusen.com/