Dieter's Dream Ingredient - Shirataki Noodles

Fresh shirataki noodles - this type has seaweed in it

Shirataki noodles, also known as konnyaku noodles, are a dieter's dream why? 

Because they are:

- CARB-FREE

- FAT-FREE

- GLUTEN-FREE 

...and oh oh oh wait for it, CALORIE-FREE?!?!!? Say what?! And it's not air? 

They are made from Konjac flour, from the roots of a Konjac plant, a type of yam-like plant. As such, it is also HIGH IN FIBER (glucomannan, a water soluble fiber that helps you feel full), and has a nice chewy texture that allows it to be used as a pasta/noodle replacement. 

Yes, there are some caveats to cooking with it, as it does require a little bit more preparation - you must first pre-boil or sautee the noodles quickly before using them, or else there is a strange odor/flavor to them, however it is completely worth it.

The nice thing about these noodles is that they readily absorb the flavors of whatever they're cooked in - I prefer using them as a noodle replacement in noodle soups.

Shirataki noodles... after they've been accidentally frozen and thawed -____-;;

The other day I realized that someone had made the mistake of putting one of my Shirataki noodle packs in the freezer and look what happened! They became so shriveled and hard that no amount of cooking could restore them, so DO NOT FREEZE!

They are usually sold in Asian supermarkets in wet packages, for a couple of dollars a pack - there are the plain clear ones, and the brown freckled seaweed ones. I find the seaweed ones have a very ocean-y flavor. They are also sold in noodle bunches, or in long cubes, usually marked as "Konnyaku".

Check out http://shirataki-noodles.recipesilove.com/ to see some good tips and recipes for cooking with them.

WARNING: If you are one of those people that will suddenly try to starve yourself by eating nothing but lettuce or whatever, do not try and do that with Shirataki noodles. Having no calories but being able to induce fullness is a double edged sword - a few girls in Japan died after spending a few months eating nothing but these noodles. There is almost no nutritional value!

Tasty Choice

It's nice to see that there are quite a few more bubble tea/snack shops opening up in Edmonton. One of them that has now become one of my favorites is Tasty Choice, near South Edmonton Common, in the same complex as Cora's and Melting Pot.


Tasty Choice offers a broad selection of Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Japanese style snacks, as well as BBT, rice/noodle dishes, and assorted crepes. Drooling yet? I dropped by with MBear, and if you don't know that she's a menu hoarder, now you do. LOVE HER LONG TIME!! (Ya all this food is for 2!)

Left: Condensed milk toast
Right: Icecream with French toast

Condensed milk toast - ahhhh, a simple classic that's always good - nothing more than fresh white toast with butter and condensed milk. I love making this at home, but there's something extra tasty about it when somebody else makes it.  ^____________^''


I wasn't too crazy about the Icecream with French toast, because the French toast itself was already mediocre, and combined with quickly melting vanilla ice cream soon became an oily, mushy mess. Would not order this again... 

Left: Rice rolls with hoi sin and sesame sauce
Top right: Spring rolls with sweet chilli dipping sauce
Bottom right: LYCHEE DUMPLINGS with sweet mayo dipping sauce! <3 <3 <3

The Rice Rolls are surprisingly good, although it is again, another simple dish. The rice rolls are basically flat rice noodles that have been rolled, and are served with hoi sin and sesame sauce. Traditionally, in restaurants, rice rolls served like this are pan fried so that they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, however these are soft all the way through, very similar to the way they are served from street vendors in Hong Kong. I suspect they are steamed and then reheated in the microwave to order, but they retain a very smooth and soft texture without being over cooked. Definitely worth ordering every time!

The Spring Rolls were perfectly crispy, but nothing special otherwise.

NOW, the good stuff. <3 <3 LYCHEE DUMPLINGS <3 <3. These babies have SUPER NOM STATUS, you MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST order them. They are essentially deep fried flat wontons filled with minced shrimp and lychee, but they are SO DAMN GOOD. Seriously addicting. They're served with a sweet mayo sauce, which perfectly complements the savory shrimp and the sweet lychee. Every bite is juicy and an orgasm in your mouth. 

Deep fried honey garlic chicken wings

I don't know how or what, but the people over at Tasty Choice really know how to use their deep fryer. The Deep Fried Honey Garlic Chicken Wings are another favorite of mine - the chicken wings are perfectly fried: crispy and juicy without being overly greasy. While deep frying may seem like a simple cooking method, it's not! The temperature of the oil has to be just right in order to prevent the food from absorbing too much oil and getting greasy, and the quality/freshness of the oil has to be sufficient otherwise the food will come out with a stale flavor. I like that they give the sauce on the side, so the chicken wings stay crispy and you can decide how much sauce you want to use. A warning though - if you don't like garlic, stay away, because this honey garlic sauce is particularly garlic-y (which I personally love!).

Seaweed and pork floss bun

Next up: Seaweed and Pork Floss Bun - another goodie! (This place is on a roll, seriously!) A lightly toasted baguette style bread, lightly buttered and filled with toasted seaweed and pork floss, then drizzled with a sweet condensed milk/mayo type sauce. As you can tell by now, these snacks are very simple, but comforting, and Tasty Choice does them just right. For those who don't know, pork floss (aka "rousong") is just dried marinated pork that has been teased and then dried in the oven. It has a good balance of slightly sweet and savory components that make it a popular addition to things such as toast, congee, rice, or whatever you desire really.

LOOKIT all our plates! NOM NOM NOM!

I forgot to take pictures of the BBT, but overall they're fairly good. In the times I've gone, I've noticed a lack of consistency in the texture of the pearls and the sweetness of the drinks, but otherwise nothing too serious. I'm a big fan of their Calpis selection. So far, in all the times that I've dropped by, everything has been really good. Unfortunately, I can't really comment on their rice and noodle dishes - sorry! -___-;;

Another MUST TRY that I don't have pictures of is the TAKO YAKI, or Octopus Balls. (No pervert, not testicle balls, but rather, Timbits filled with pieces of octopus ;p). Tasty Choice is the ONLY place in Edmonton that has a very authentic version - all other places use the prepackaged frozen ones (which are good too, but not as good as these).

You can see the sign showing all the crepes behind me - and yes, they make their crepes fresh to order! 

Another nice thing is that there are couches and a variety of board games, cards, and other fun little things to keep you entertained in case you decide to stay and hang out. 

So? What are you waiting for?!

xoxo

- nattycat

Happy Easter - Time to stock up on bunny chocorates!

Don't you love stocking up on all the discounted Easter candy?

If only they were actually bunny shaped...

Happy belated Easter, hope you all had amazing Easter dinners! 


xoxo
- nattycat

Cactus Club Cafe

Out of the three restaurants owned by the Fuller brothers: Earls, Joey's, and Cactus Club Cafe, Cactus Club is hands down, the best. Chef Rob Feenie is the brilliance behind the menu, and his signature items marked "R.F." on the menu are all worth trying. While they are not all particularly innovative, they are all clever twists on classic dishes, executed incredibly well, and have dynamic flavor profiles.

Although I have been to Cactus Club numerous times in both Edmonton and Vancouver, this is my first review about them, and like all my previous experiences, it's a good one! Cactus Club's website describe themselves as "Canada's leading fine dining restaurant." While I don't know if this is statistically correct, I absolutely agree - Cactus Club is the BEST chain restaurant I've ever been to, and the most consistent.

Left: Tuna Tataki, Right: Ravioli and Prawn Trio

My absolute favorite appetizer at Cactus Club is the Tuna Tataki. And by favorite, I mean <3 ULTRA NOM NOM STATUS, MUST MUST MUST TRY!!! <3, also known as my favorite appetizer of ALL TIME. The menu describes it as "locally caught oceanwise seared albacore tuna, green papaya slaw, orange, avocado, pine nuts, yuzu vinaigrette." It is also served with tobiko (flying fish roe), mango, and a drizzle of cilantro oil, and topped with some sort of sprout.

I have had Tuna Tataki from Japanese restaurants in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Tokyo, but this one is the best. It is creative, delicious, and just orgasmic. So damn good, I might even turn down sex for this. Actually, I take that back, not might, I definitely would. I crave it.

Another really good one is the Ravioli and Prawn Trio. "Butternut squash ravioli, sautéed jumbo prawns." It is served with sage brown butter and pine nuts, and also very well done. The sage brown butter perfectly compliments the sweetness of the butternut squash, and the prawns were perfectly cooked.

Rob's Hunter Chicken

For the main, I ordered Rob's Hunter Chicken, a skin on chicken breast served with "button, portabello, shiitake and crimini mushroom demi-glace, green beans, and herb fingerling potatoes." The chicken was perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful. The mushroom demi-glace was equally well executed, with a rich mushroom flavor imparted by the assortment of mushrooms and just the right amount of salt.

Instead of the green beans, I substituted asparagus, and in place of the roasted fingerling potatoes, I ordered a mixed green salad. Even the mixed green salad had the perfect balance of flavors, and was topped with julienne beets, strawberries, and feta. 

Blackened Creole Chicken

My friend ordered the Blackened Creole Chicken, a blackened skin on chicken breast served with "spicy creole butter, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables" of asparagus. Of all the blackened chicken dishes I've had, this is one of the best. The impeccably flavored spicy creole butter is also fantastic, it's the yellow ball in the picture above. It melts over the chicken and mashed potatoes as you eat it, and although it's clearly not good for you, I guarantee that it's worth every bite.

Key Lime Pie

For dessert, we ordered the Key Lime Pie. Another <3 MUST TRY NOM STATUS I LOVE IT FOREVER AND EVER <3 item. It's described as "freshly squeezed key limes, graham cracker crust, hand whipped cream." Simply orgasmic. I have tried to buy whole pies of this, but chickened out after realizing that I would surely eat the entire pie within an hour and then itis out for the next week. 

I have brought friends who bake to try this, friends who cook Southern cuisine to try this, and friends who hate dessert to try this. The unanimous decision? IT IS AMAZING. I am drooling as I type.

So to those who think that Cactus Club Cafe is just hype or just appearances, you are dead wrong. Behind that beautiful facade of gorgeous staff and a sleek interior is a menu and a kitchen that not only holds up to expectations but exceeds them.


The only vice I can honestly say that Cactus Club has, and this is only at the Edmonton West location, not at any of the locations in Vancouver, is that the service tends to be a bit inconsistent. While I have had wonderful service at times, it can sometimes be a bit slow or lacking unless you get one of the more attentive, outgoing girls. For example, during my last visit, I had to ask a few times for black pepper, and for water refills, even though the server wasn't busy (I used to serve, so I'm not talking out of my ass). I have only sat in the lounge, so I can't comment on dining room service.

All in all though, food always comes out efficiently and empty dishes are always cleared quickly, so I've never been too bothered by the service that other diners have sometimes commented on.

Check them out if you haven't already! (You can tell I really love this place by how much bolding I've used in the post. I can't hide my excitement, what?!)

xoxo

nattycat

http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/

BATTLE BUN BO HUE pt 2 - Thanh Thanh

Although I eat Vietnamese food quite frequently, I rarely go to Thanh Thanh, mostly because I had once, way back when, had a very westernized, flavorless bowl of Pho. One of my Noodle group members, BuBear, suggested a Noodle Field Trip, and he included Thanh Thanh as one of the places to go for Bun Bo Hue. As shocked as I was, I never turn down BuBear's suggestions, as he's one of the few people I know who not only loves food, but is an amazing chef. Being Vietnamese himself, he is also well versed in what makes a good bowl of Bun Bo Hue.

At Thanh Thanh, the entire menu is in English, and they have Bun Bo Hue listed as "Central Vietnamese Noodle Soup." Although I can appreciate that this makes Vietnamese cuisine more approachable to guests who are somewhat new to the dishes, it can make ordering certain dishes a tad confusing. Luckily, the servers and owners speak Vietnamese, so you can just as easily order the dishes in Vietnamese.

Central Vietnamese Noodle Soup

The first impression surprised me - abundant fragrant chili oil, a generous amount of sliced onion and chopped scallions, and finely sliced beef shank.

Thin vermicelli rice noodles

Another surprise! They use thin vermicelli, rather than the thicker "lai fun" style vermicelli (as thick as spaghetti) typically used in Bun Bo Hue. Personally, I prefer the thicker noodles, so I'd ask for a substitution next time.

You can see the lemongrass!

The soup was incredibly flavorful, with a slight sweetness from the pork used to make the broth and abundant lemongrass. I was also pleasantly surprised by the evident flavor of shrimp paste, which is usually used in such small quantities due to its pungency. The beef shank was perfectly tender, and well prepared.

My only complaint would be that there was only beef shank as the topping, when there should at least be Vietnamese pork sausage and pork hock. Even better, although very rare in Edmonton, there should be pork blood and oxtail. As well, the portion size was quite a bit smaller than other restaurants, which at $8.45 a bowl, is relatively expensive compared to other Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton. However, I'd say this was a small price to pay for a cleaner restaurant and a beautifully renovated restaurant.

Overall, I was very impressed - the restaurant was very clean, service was good (which is somewhat rare in Vietnamese restaurants), and the flavors (even if the ingredients were tweaked) in the Bun Bo Hue were still very authentic. Definitely a pleasant surprise when considering the flavorless Pho I had here in the past.

Although this will never be my first choice for Vietnamese food, because I personally place the most precedence on overall authenticity of dishes rather than dining ambiance, I would definitely consider coming back to try some of the other dishes next time!

http://www.thanhthanh.ca/

Long overdue... Finally, I (heart) NOM NOM on Urbanspoon!

I know, I know, ME, the most glutinous overindulgent fatty in history, without an Urbanspoon account? Preposterous!

So I've set it up under nattycat, and just wanted to let you guys know in case you have an account as well and want to be friends ^__^b

Look at what I got! (I'm a proud food baby momma now!)

Oh, and URBANSPOON ROCKS! (This is me claiming my blog, thanks Greg!)
 

 

xoxo,

nattycat