Monthly Archives: August 2014

Fantastic Falafels at Thirsty Camel in Nanaimo, B.C.

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Ilan Goldenblatt makes his fantastic falafels to order at The Thirsty Camel in Nanaimo, B.C.

Ilan Goldenblatt makes his fantastic falafels to order at The Thirsty Camel in Nanaimo, B.C. Photo: Helen Corbett

Customers sometimes tell Ilan Goldenblatt about the best falafels they’ve ever eaten… elsewhere. But once they’ve sunk their teeth into the tender falafel pitas he painstakingly makes from scratch at little The Thirsty Camel Cafe, in Nanaimo, B.C., they invariably revise their opinions.

It starts with the oil. Most falafel-frying joints change their cooking oil every now and then, perhaps filtering it more frequently. But Ilan begins each day with new oil. He wants it this fresh because his chickpea-based balls are only formed (with a custom, Israeli-made device) when ordered. Into the virgin oil they are briefly plunged, emerging slightly green, from the parsley and cilantro, and with just enough surface crunch to mask the silky tenderness inside. No dry, stale falafel balls these. No siree.

The Thirsty Camel's falafels are smothered in house-made tahini

The Thirsty Camel’s falafels are smothered in house-made tahini and sauce

The six warm falafel balls are then stuffed into a thick pita fold, along with cool cucumber, house-made tahini and a sauce that’s got a camel’s kick if you think medium heat is just that. Ilan and his staff have been pouring love into their falafels and other Middle Eastern fare for 10 years. You can taste it with every mouthful.

The Thirsty Camel Cafe
14 Victoria Crescent, Nanaimo, B.C.
Monday to Wednesday 11 am-3 pm, Thursday-Friday 11 am-7 pm, Saturday noon-4 pm. Closed Sunday
Thirsty Camel on Urbanspoon

If you have a hankering for sourdough bread, best make a beeline for Bodhi’s Artisan Bakery, on a leafy Nanaimo street. They make a good half-dozen varieties of sourdough, including a garlic asiago and an olive. They also produce fine cheese scones, pumpkin muffins and dripping cinnamon buns, if you’d like a sumptuous treat to go with an excellent espresso, crafted from Cowichan Valley Peaks Coffee beans. It’s all best enjoyed on a shady patio, where a half hour slips by as smoothly as the coffee goes down.

The cinnamon buns go down nicely with excellent coffee at Bodhi's Artisan Bakery

The cinnamon buns go down nicely with excellent coffee at Bodhi’s Artisan Bakery

Bodhi’s Artisan Bakery
5299 Rutherford Road, Nanaimo, B.C.
Tuesday to Friday 8 am-4:30 pm, Saturday 8 am-6:30 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday
Bodhi's Artisan Bakery on Urbanspoon

 

Of course, no Nanaimo food review would be complete without the iconic Nanaimo bar

Of course, no Nanaimo food review would be complete without the iconic Nanaimo bar, this delectable one served by Bistro at Westwood Lake

Purebread Baking Up a Storm From Whistler, B.C.

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Amazing fig loaf studded with hazelnut slices from pure bread

Amazing fig loaf studded with hazelnut slices from Whistler-based purebread

At the Sunday farmers’ market in Vancouver’s fashionable Kitsilano neighbourhood, there are short lines for various produce, like plump raspberries and blueberries and crisp beans. But the longest queue is for the baked goods at purebread. I figure people know superior stuff when they see, and taste, it. And purebread’s “lineup” is exceptional. Shoppers can choose from some 16 types of bread, including a fig loaf studded with hazelnuts, a rosemary lavender, a touted sour cherry chocolate and, just for fun, a disfunction ale.

purebread's star-studded lineup at the weekly Kitsilano Market in Vancouver

purebread’s star-studded lineup at the weekly Kitsilano Market in Vancouver

But who can stop there? A cinnamon brioche tempts, a cherry scone beckons, a dense slice of crumbly cornbread melts in the mouth. These treats have vanished down throats, with only a small trail of crumbs, by the time we reach the leafy side street. Usually, success stories like this start in the big city and then perhaps migrate into the surrounding hinterlands. But purebread was launched at a market in the nearby resort town of Whistler. It’s a family enterprise that required the use of eight ovens in a high school home-economics classroom to produce the initial baked offerings. But for five years, the prized goods have been transported to weekly markets in the Vancouver area, with a city bakery set to open this fall.

Yeasty folks serving up breads and baked treats at the Kitsilano Market

Yeasty folks serving up breads and baked treats at the Kitsilano Market

purebread
1040 Millar Creek Road, Whistler, B.C. and nine Vancouver-area markets from spring to fall (Note: Purebread’s Whistler Village location has been closed because of a late 2013 fire) Daily 8:30 am-5 pm (Whistler location)

Purebread on Urbanspoon

Books and Breakfast (and healthy lunch) in Golden B.C.’s Bacchus Books & Cafe

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Owner Niki Dusseault lifts unbelievable chocolate zucchini muffins at Bacchus Books & Cafe

Owner Niki Dusseault lifts unbelievable chocolate zucchini muffins at Bacchus Books & Cafe

I’m expecting to feed my mind more than my body when I walk into Bacchus Books & Cafe, a two-storey yellow building along the Kicking Horse River in downtown Golden, B.C. Things aren’t looking much more promising as I mount creaky stairs to a tiny, open kitchen ringed with a few tables and two walls of used books.

Great, complex salad at Bacchus

Great, complex salad at Bacchus

But this is where the culinary magic takes place. Niki Dusseault and a couple of staff are pulling fabulous chocolate zucchini muffins from the oven and pureeing cooked vegetables to make the spicy sauce for a Buddah Bowl salad atop warm basmati rice. On another counter, a turkey wrap with Brie and apple is being assembled and thick, made-from-scratch soup ladled into big bowls.

It’s all fabulous, healthy stuff.

There are fine books as well as food at Bacchus

There are fine books as well as food at Bacchus

Bacchus Books & Cafe
409 9 Avenue North, Golden, B.C.
Monday to Saturday 9 am-5:30 pm. Closed Sunday

Beautiful B.C. Coast Road Trip

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A dusky sunset along Vancouver's Jericho Beach.

A dusky sunset along Vancouver’s Jericho Beach.

Here are some photos from a great summer road trip to B.C.’s coast, including Vancouver Island and its satellite Gulf Islands. Blog posts on specific great eateries along the way will commence next week.

At Vancouver's Jericho Beach, the sand is just across the water from the downtown skyline

At Vancouver’s Jericho Beach, the sand is just across the water from the downtown skyline

Filling growlers at Vancouver's Brassneck Brewery

Filling growlers at Vancouver’s Brassneck Brewery

Brassneck Brewery co-owner Conrad Gmoser.

Brassneck Brewery co-owner Conrad Gmoser

The guys behind uber-cool Timbertrain Coffee Roasters in downtown Vancouver

The guys behind uber-cool Timbertrain Coffee Roasters in downtown Vancouver

Coffee and a muffin at Terra Breads in Vancouver's Olympic Village

Coffee and a muffin at Terra Breads in Vancouver’s Olympic Village

At Stick in the Mud coffee-house, in Sooke on Vancouver Island, these friendly, caffeinated guys are anything but that

At Stick in the Mud coffee-house, in Sooke on Vancouver Island, these friendly, caffeinated guys are anything but that

Stick in the Mud owner with a vintage sculpture

Stick in the Mud owner with a vintage sculpture

Bear sign near Sooke, B.C.

Bear sign near Sooke, B.C.

In lieu of a Mayne Island taxi service in perfect Gulf Island lingo

In lieu of a Mayne Island taxi service—in perfect Gulf Island lingo

Exploring tide pools on Salt Spring Island

Exploring tide pools on Salt Spring Island

I've always seen "Closed" signs on stores. But on Salt Spring Island, "Shut" was all the rage

I’ve always seen “Closed” signs on stores and restaurants. But on Salt Spring Island, “Shut” was all the rage