I must admit that I had found slight difficulty in adjusting to a lifestyle of complete leisure while many of my friends were still tackling the final few weeks of their work terms. Many of these friends' schedules were occupied with work, whereas I was now the one without much to do.
Two weeks of planning later, a successful meet-up plan was executed in my final week in the city.
On my solo walking adventure downtown, I had unknowningly passed by Laduree's single confectionery outpost in Canada. The Parisian macaron boutique was hidden in a shady section of Robson, situated beside Telus (amusingly enough). Neither of us were particularly keen on sugar paste-stuffed meringue shells, but we headed inside anyway.
Two weeks of planning later, a successful meet-up plan was executed in my final week in the city.
On my solo walking adventure downtown, I had unknowningly passed by Laduree's single confectionery outpost in Canada. The Parisian macaron boutique was hidden in a shady section of Robson, situated beside Telus (amusingly enough). Neither of us were particularly keen on sugar paste-stuffed meringue shells, but we headed inside anyway.
From the mint-teal exterior with gold accessibility push buttons to the ornate jars of jam and cylindrical containers of tea, Laduree was one hundred percent exquisiteness and ten percent affordability. After filling up my SD card to the point of satisfaction, I suggested making a quiet exit, seeing as the individual items weren't of a high degree of interest to us. My partner-in-crime headed towards the counter instead, and picked out Orange Blossom and Rose macarons before leaving. "I felt bad not buying anything." she later admitted.
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The macarons were indeed pleasing to gaze at: uniformly round, smooth shells in subdued warm shades. But there wasn't much else besides that.
We marched onwards to our lunch destination: Spaghetei. Hailing from Aoyama, the restaurant offered Japanese-style spaghetti - not udon - in several select flavour combinations.
The space itself was quite small with minimal lighting and absolutely no windows whatsoever. Decor was simple: brick walls, wooden furniture, and Daiso-style woven utensil baskets. A familiar, comfortable vibe resonated from within; the feeling was reminiscent of dining at a friend's house with parents with extraordinary culinary skills.
The space itself was quite small with minimal lighting and absolutely no windows whatsoever. Decor was simple: brick walls, wooden furniture, and Daiso-style woven utensil baskets. A familiar, comfortable vibe resonated from within; the feeling was reminiscent of dining at a friend's house with parents with extraordinary culinary skills.
Acknowledged promptly by a cheerful waitress with a mahogany half-apron, I immediately gestured for the table closest to the entrance for the sake of access to natural lighting. Laminated menus were shortly brought over and drink orders were placed.
Our plan was to eat light in preparation for indulging in dessert afterwards. Although I had been wanting to order two varities of pasta and share them between us, I eventually settled on one spaghetti dish and two side orders after taking the size of my appetite into consideration.
A unanimous vote was cast for Mentaiko Spaghetti. Garlic Bread and Mentaiko Tofu seemed to have earned significant recognition on social media, so we opted for those exact two sides. Unfortunately, we were informed that the latter was unavailable, thus picked Stir Fried Scallops with Garlic Butter as an alternative.
Our plan was to eat light in preparation for indulging in dessert afterwards. Although I had been wanting to order two varities of pasta and share them between us, I eventually settled on one spaghetti dish and two side orders after taking the size of my appetite into consideration.
A unanimous vote was cast for Mentaiko Spaghetti. Garlic Bread and Mentaiko Tofu seemed to have earned significant recognition on social media, so we opted for those exact two sides. Unfortunately, we were informed that the latter was unavailable, thus picked Stir Fried Scallops with Garlic Butter as an alternative.
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Mentaiko Spaghetti emerged in a round, shallow ceramic bowl some ten minutes later. Strands of semi-firm pasta had been generously coated in a creamy pink fish roe sauce, then topped with dried seaweed strips, blanched shrimp, and shimeji mushrooms. The dish was superb in that it was well-rounded in terms of individual flavours and consisted of enough textures to keep customers on the toes - or perhaps, tongues?
Stir Fried Scallops with Garlic Butter actually turned out to be a tiny dish with a shimeji to scallop ratio of 4:1. Nonetheless, it boasted an extremely fragrant aroma and glossy appearance. Despite the fact that the same species of fungi had been used as a topping in the Mentaiko Spaghetti, the cooking process had bestowed the same ingredient with entirely different flavour profiles.
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My personal favourite was the Garlic Bread.
"Why is it green?" my friend had inquired, slightly taken back by its hue.
"Don't worry, it's not moldy. It's just the seasoning - herbs maybe?" was my hypothesis.
One piece had arrived as part of the Mentaiko Spaghetti, though I had requested an extra order which contained two pieces. This later proved to be a great decision on my part: the baguette slice was crispy and bursting with a truly unique blend of seasonings, unlike the typical cheese-covered fragments of white bread served at Kelsey's. I also found the surface to be slightly sweet, which my dining partner had presumed to be honey. When our smiley waitress came over to check up on us, we discovered it was, in fact, maple syrup.
"Why is it green?" my friend had inquired, slightly taken back by its hue.
"Don't worry, it's not moldy. It's just the seasoning - herbs maybe?" was my hypothesis.
One piece had arrived as part of the Mentaiko Spaghetti, though I had requested an extra order which contained two pieces. This later proved to be a great decision on my part: the baguette slice was crispy and bursting with a truly unique blend of seasonings, unlike the typical cheese-covered fragments of white bread served at Kelsey's. I also found the surface to be slightly sweet, which my dining partner had presumed to be honey. When our smiley waitress came over to check up on us, we discovered it was, in fact, maple syrup.
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Our experience at Spaghetei was exceptional, so it came as a shock when I laid eyes on the sign pasted across the wall of the innermost dining area. The Japanese-style Spaghetti restaurant would be closing its doors on September 10th.
"What a shame!" I was especially puzzled since their original menu and concept were the primary reasons for our lunch visit. Service, environment, and food quality were also of extreme satisfaction.
"What a shame!" I was especially puzzled since their original menu and concept were the primary reasons for our lunch visit. Service, environment, and food quality were also of extreme satisfaction.
On a final note, I believe that there were two additional aspects worth mentioning: their shop name and exclusive use of forks and spoons. "Spaghetei", when read in Japanese, was a cute play on the words "spaghetti" and "tei" - which means an area or spot for residing in, especially one exuding a peaceful aura. I had found it interesting that there wasn't single pair of chopsticks in sight. They would have definitely made the devouring process easier, since the mentaiko sauce was sticky and a tad tricky to twirl around, but I was appreciative of their adoption of Western mannerisms.
The southbound walk to the terminal comprised of an assortment of eateries, followed by fashion retailers. Poke Time had been dealing with an insane lunch rush when we had passed by earlier, but the store was relatively quiet on our return trip.
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We were both highly anticipating the infamous soft serve that was awaiting us in Gastown, which cause us to hesitate whether we should succumb to the desire to try something else along the way. Pineapple Dole Whip, a Disneyland classic, was being served in such close proximity.
The scent of the uber-fragrant marinades reached our olfactory senses as we neared the ingredient bar. Despite having just consumed a delectable meal of spaghetti, mushrooms, and bread, the poke remained to be as attractive as ever.
View the full album HERE !
The scent of the uber-fragrant marinades reached our olfactory senses as we neared the ingredient bar. Despite having just consumed a delectable meal of spaghetti, mushrooms, and bread, the poke remained to be as attractive as ever.
View the full album HERE !
"Getting some good shots there?" a man in Bermuda shorts, presumably a member of staff, spoke in our direction. I nodded, proceeding to slide along the bar in curiosity of the food preparation process.
"You're not a spy from the other poke place, are you?" he piped up from behind the cashier.
"Nope, just tourists." I replied with a smile.
When we finally agreed on sharing one soft serve, the same man came to our assistance. After I had handed over payment to the girl at the cashier, he offered up his "best swirl of the day" to us, the "tourists".
"You're not a spy from the other poke place, are you?" he piped up from behind the cashier.
"Nope, just tourists." I replied with a smile.
When we finally agreed on sharing one soft serve, the same man came to our assistance. After I had handed over payment to the girl at the cashier, he offered up his "best swirl of the day" to us, the "tourists".
My first observation was that the soft serve managed to resist deformation even during our extensive photo-taking procedure. It was icy cold and refreshing even when we finally dug our spoons into the pale yellow coils. Poke Time's Dole Whip walked a fine line between soft serve and sorbet; sweet and fruity, I could predict that it would pair well with their poke bowls and burritos.
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Two minutes of lesuirely walking later, the very last scoop had been savoured and the cup was tossed into a garbage bin sporting "Vancouver" along the inner perimeter.
Continue reading about trying Soft Peaks Ice Cream in Gastown in Part 2!
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