Make Real Cream Cheese the Norm

I blame my early years spent in the south of England for my gluttonous addiction to all things butter and cream. My visits in recent years have been stark reminders of how far ahead the British are when it comes to food labeling laws and ingredient allowances. Many ingredients we use here in Canada are banned in Britain. Canada needs to catch up, especially when it comes to products high in fat. The thing with fat is, it stays in your body far longer than carbohydrates or protein. If you eat fat with a bunch of chemicals and  artificial ingredients, those too will cling to your organs. I like my fat sources to be pure, so even if I can’t afford a cornucopia of organic groceries, I still choose to pay extra and get organic eggs and milk. It’s in the cream cheese department that I find myself constantly struggling to find an alternative to Philadelphia’s many products, none of which are organic. Cream cheese is an essential in my fridge and so I had to do some research to figure out how I can keep up my mass consumption of the stuff while remaining free of toxins.

I’ve looked at the packaging and noticed that most grocery store brands call their product ‘cream cheese spread’ or ‘cream cheese product’. Imagine a small fraction of cream cheese molecules suspended in an artificial matrix of synthetic ingredients, and voila: cream cheese spread. I’m thankful for the politicians who fight for transparency and who have no tolerance for false or leading labels. Here, we are nearly par with British laws, or at least trailing closely behind. As soon as a company pumps in more than what is necessary to make cream cheese, we start getting into the impostor zone of ‘spreads’ with ten ingredients. These impostors, by law, have to, even in a discreet way, differentiate their product from the real thing. As the consumer, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about which codes companies use to sell food riddled with so many artificial ingredients they aren’t allowed to use the actual food name (even though we shouldn’t have to carry any background knowledge in order to shop for healthy food!). Among the juice “drinks”, “cocktails” and “buttery spreads” we find “ cream cheese product”. 

It doesn’t take much to make cream cheese; just dairy and a certain few bacteria, heated to the right temperature for the right amount of time. The process starts with  milk and cream and by law needs to contain at least 33% fat. To turn the liquid into a solid, we need to add lactic acid bacteria. It is one of a few bacterium that can withstand the acidic conditions of cheese-making.  When the solution has been heated, the proteins begin to coagulate (read: almost nearly cheese now!) and water (well, whey) is squeezed out of the cheese (officially considered curd at this point). Here, we can stop the process, scoop out the soft curd and package it as cream cheese but for the most part, it’s here in the game that manufacturers make the decision to continue the process, essentially switching from cream cheese to cream cheese spread. 

You know how natural yogurt gets that yellowish liquid on top? That’s  whey, which is totally edible!. The same thing happens to natural cream cheese, but we rarely see it (because we rarely have the opportunity to even choose a natural cream cheese in grocery stores). Because the yellowy liquid grosses some people out, manufacturers add emulsifiers to stop the product from separating, even just a little. It’s step one down the slippery slope to create the ‘perfect’ product. It’s obsessive compulsive the way companies insist upon modifying  a natural product to keep it consistent, but sadly, it’s what they have learned they have to do. It makes a profit. It maintains their status as one of the big boys. The manufacturers are responding to the former reaction of disgust from ignorance. We can’t blame them - they just want us to open their product and be enticed, not afraid of pee-coloured substances. They need their food to be appetizing to their customers. North Americans have learned to ignore the multitude of extra ingredients which create a smooth, thick, glossy, white cream cheese because they know the product. It is consistent and therefore they don’t need to read the ingredients. There is trust in consistency. They see the product as a whole and not the sum of its parts. There is nothing inherently evil by acting on market analysis, it’s the way they do it: by pumping a product with artificial ingredients and selling to the uneducated rather than teaching their buyers that they should expect a layer of whey. It’s cheaper to extend the process and increase the volume by adding extras rather than keeping the product in its simplest form. At the end of the production line, a machine smacks on a graphically appeasing label, a familiar brand name or a frivolous health claim (contains calcium! gluten free!) and the tubs get shipped by the thousands into supermarkets, where they fly off the shelf. 

Cheap food sells, which is a bonus for cream cheese companies who already add a multitude of cheap fillers in order to have a consistently smooth and super white product. The further we get from the real thing, the cheaper the product becomes. The product is diluted as much as possible before it teeters from the government regulated ‘cream cheese spread’ into something that isn’t even allowed to be sold legally as food! And still, cheap food sells. This sends the message that a low price is superior to quality and gives the industry the go-ahead to replace cream with modified milk ingredients, skim milk powder and other byproducts of cows milk, because once you’re this far from the original cream cheese, why bother spending money on anything natural at all?

By selling such large quantities, they push out the small guys who somehow stay motivated to produce the real thing. The healthy, natural alternative becomes the ugly duckling, squeezed to the edge of dairy shelves by the towering, familiar labels. The bigger they display on the shelf, they more trust-worthy they appear, the more they sell, the more they produce. Companies like Philadephia have the resources to stock the dairy section for weeks without their product spoiling and with frequent sales that still earn a profit. Cream cheese spread  has become the norm. Let’s tip the scales and even things out a bit. You don’t have to buy organic, or even local, but try to support the little guys who are doing things right, lest we lose cream cheese altogether! 

Some of the grocers in Toronto who sell natural cream cheese: 

1. The Big Carrot 2. Cheese Magic 3. Leslieville Cheese Market  

The ingredients that are used to stretch the product all affect the cream cheese. They also affect your body. The easiest way to eat well, in my opinion, is to eat food that is modified as little as possible. Here’s a quick list about what Food and Drug Administration of Canada allows in cream cheese products: 

Acetic acid (can be labeled as Ethanoic Acid):  used to alter or control the acidity or alkalinity of a food or to prevent a food from drying out. It also adds ‘flavour’ by making things a little tart.  It is a good selling point! Good for up to 3 weeks! It means when there is a sale, you can stock up and enjoy the product in bulk before it goes bad.

Calcium Carbonate: As a food additive it is designated E170;[22] INS number 170. It is used to alter or control the acidity or alkalinity of a food or to prevent a food from drying out. *excessive consumption can be hazardous* (something to worry about if you take a lot of antacids or calcium supplements). But it does help reduce diarrhea!

Calcium Phosphate (can be labeled as Acid Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Biphosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate,Tricalcium Phosphate )

Carageenan ( can be labeled as A171F , carageen, eucheuman, Irish Moss Gelose)

Carob Bean Gum ( can be labeled as locust bean gum)

Cirtic acid

Lactic Acid (can be labeled D-, L-, DL-2-hydroxypropionic Acids D-, L-, DL- lactic Acid, Racemic Lactic acid (Racemic 2-hydroxypropanoic Acid [for DL-form]): 

Locust Bean Gum

Malic acid ( can be labeled as Hydroxysuccinic Acid)

Phosphoric acid

Potassium bicorbonate ( can also be labeled Potassium Acid Carbonate)

Potassium carbonate

Potassium Sorbate ( can also be labeled as 2,4-hexadienoic Acid Potassium Salt, Sorbic Acid Potassium Salt)

Sodium Aluminium Phosphate (can also be labeled as Aluminum Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminophosphate) : up to 3.5% of the solution can contain it.  Works as an emulsifying agent

sodium bicarbonate (can also be labeled as Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Carbonate, Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate)

sodium bisulphate (can also be labeled as Nitre Cake, Sodium Acid Sulphate, 

Sodium Hydrogen Sulphate)

sodium carbonate (can also be labeled as Sal Soda, Soda Ash, Washing Soda):

Sorbic Acid (can also be labeled as 2,4-hexadienoic Acid) 

Tataric acid(can also be labeled as L(+)-tartaric acid)

Xanthum gum

Permitted colour agents: Annatto;Carotene;Chlorophyll;Paprika;Riboflavin;Turmeric, ß-apo- 8′-carotenal;

Ethyl ß-apo- 8′-carotenoate(35 ppm), caramel (1.5%)

Permitted Enzymes: Bovine Rennet (Aqueous extracts from the fourth stomach of adult bovine animals, sheep and goats), Chymosin

(i) Chymosin A ( Escherichia coli K-12, GE81 (pPFZ87A)), Chymosin B (Aspergillus niger var.awamori, GCC0349 (pGAMpR);Kluyveromyces marxianus var. lactis, DS1182 (pKS105)) , Chymosin ( Aspergillus niger var.awamori (pCCEx3)) , Pepsin (Glandular layer of porcine stomach), Renet ( Aqueous extracts from the fourth stomach of calves, kids or lambs), Transglutaminase (Streptoverticillium mobaraense strain S-8112

http://recherche-search.gc.ca/rGs/s_r?st=s&s5bm3ts21rch=x&num=10&st1rt=0&langs=eng&cdn=health&q=cream+cheese+

“only aluminum sulphate (including its potassium and sodium salts) is permitted to be used in Canada as a food additive.” 

CFIA: food additives and permitted synonyms table http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/core-requirements/ingredients/food-additives/synonyms/table/eng/1369857665232/1369857767799#h 

Permitted colour agents:http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/list/3-colour-color-eng.php

Comparing Chicken, Silkie, Turkey, Guinea Hen, Duck and Goose Eggs

At Sanagan’s Meat Locker, we sell all sorts of eggs, but most people opt for the regular ol’ chicken eggs. Here are selling points and information about the others we have: 

Chicken Egg

• per egg (50g) 71 calories, 5g fat, 6g protein
•  a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein and Selenium.

Silkie - good for hors d'oeuvres and small servings

• breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk.
• in cooking, 2 silkie eggs = 1 jumbo chicken egg
• similar in taste to chicken eggs

Guinea Hen - good for baking

• more yolk than white
• similar size to silkie 
• hard shell ( this also means longer shelf life and less chance of egg taking on fridge taste)
• whites cook faster than chicken eggs, so gentle heat is best to avoid rubbery whites
• custardy, rich and creamy taste
• fun tidbit: guinea hens are quite loud when intruders are near so they help farmers by warning of foxes and hawks

Turkey - high in protein

•  similar taste to a free run chicken egg
• 1 egg is approximately  80g ( about 2 regular chicken eggs)
• high in protein : 11g/egg 
• high in iron (18% rdi)
• yellow yolks
• great for fluffy omlettes and angel food cake

Duck - great for savoury dishes (omelettes, steak with béarnaise, carbonara)

• rich taste, double the fat compared to chicken eggs (9.6g/70g egg) which makes for great  carbonara
• stay fresh longer than chicken because of thick shell 
• 6x the Vitamin D, 2x the Vitamin A
• water content is lower than chicken eggs so best not to overcook them ( also means they are great for pickled eggs)
• the whites have higher albumin (protein) so they are more difficult to whip than chicken eggs for merignues and angel food cake, but the higher protein also gives baked goods more lift/height

Goose - high in iron

• 1 egg = 144g, 19g fat, 20g protein
• very high in iron ( almost 30% rdi)
• big, firm, pale yolk
• great for scrambled eggs, eggy breads ( like challah), hollondaise/bearnaise, sous-vide, souflee, quiche, homemade pasta, as the centre piece on a platter of devilled eggs as well as christmas tree ornaments!

White Paper Coffee Cup Culture

There was a time when virtually every coffee cup in hand was from Starbucks. The gap between Starbucks locations is shrinking, but so is their patronage. Starbucks is something for the suburbs, where people have big families and drive big cars. For them, there is no urge to try a new coffee place because there is not enough time, too many options, and really, why bother? 

Totting a white coffee cup is much more indie and appeals to the downtown crowd who is younger, poorer and happy to find a community coffee stop en route to work. We are at the ground level, experiencing the city by its neighbourhoods, exhibits, parks and free movies in the park. We don’t look into the city from a traffic jam on the Gardnier while sipping our brew, we talk to strangers and smile at dogs and experience the city as a part of it. This sense of inclusion is what keeps the coffee shops thriving and the reward for helping your community to develop in your picture is what keeps you coming back. 

Fair trade may not be our daily mantra, but we appreciate it and choose it when the option is given. Sometimes the beans are fair trade, roasted locally and sometimes in the evening the coffee shop turns into a screening room for emerging artists. The main attraction is that the white cup implies sustainability and community. 

There is likely only a handful of employees and you know all of them by name and together you scoff at triple mocha swirl type drinks that barely resemble coffee at all and are marketed to teens who are lured in by sugar. Most indie coffee places have raw cane sugar or setiva - a subtle hint that the place is about the coffee and culture and not about addiction to caffeine and sugar. 

The white cup isn’t just full of coffee, it’s full of hope. The independent coffee shop owners of this city didn’t meet and collectively decide to use non-branded white cups (sometimes with a stamp of the logo), but the unified preference goes with the territory. These are people who oppose mass marketing, who don’t want to expand and who care about the customer more than the profit. 

The white paper coffee cup has become a subtle clue that the carrier may be a hipster. With many definitions ranging from snob to stylish, the main gist of ‘hipster’, I believe, is an awareness (perhaps over awareness) of and connection to the independent music, art, film, fashion, and/or coffee culture scene.

These shops choose to remain independent and small scale and that is what makes them attractive. Owners provide their customers with an environment of enlightenment, not bogged down by 6 word coffee cocktails or seasonal marketing. An independent coffee shop has become a social hub where you can also buy coffee. The popularity of Mac products stems from their marketing strategy; the company represents an idea, and if you agree with that idea, you will buy their products. You drink coffee from independent stores because you see them as like-minded. This is why hipsters on Mac products flood indie coffee shops. Alternatively, Starbucks marketing focuses on who you become, or how you feel because of drinking their coffee. And nobody tells hipsters how to feel or what to drink. 

Ironically, by collectively choosing to remain unbranded, the white coffee cup has become a symbol of independence. The coffee shops fill the streets with their idea, but not their brand. 

So, maybe you’re a hipster for avoiding Starbucks and scoffing at ‘blended’ coffee drinks, but more likely you are just a young adult with not too many bucks looking to drink coffee out of a cup you can be proud to hold. 

Spring Potato Salad

Super easy and healthy:

Ingredients:
about 6 new potatoes, cut in half
about 2 cups of green beans, chopped in half
big handful of organic heirloom tomatoes (found at Lucky Moose in Chinatown)
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pureed

Dressing:
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

1. Put the potatoes in cold water and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender, then add the green beans and cook 1 minute longer.
2. Drain and while still warm, add the tomatoes, dill, garlic and dressing.
3. Serve warm, or chilled. Beef it up with lettuce, or add some boiled eggs for added protein.


So, now you know it's easy to make, this is why it's good for you:

Garlic: promotes heart health, boosts the immune system, and helps circulation and is a natural antibiotic.
Dill: helps digestion by promotion of bile secretion, helps to calm menstrual cramps
Sour cream: yes, it is high in fat, but the body and brain needs fat from natural sources in order to function at full potential.
Heirloom tomatoes: I like to buy organic tomatoes because they are made up of so much water that toxicity can be high in tomato plants that are sprayed with pesticides. 'Heirloom' means these little guys have never been crossbred so the chance of them being GMO is also incredibly small.

Introducing: Square Snacks

Most energy bars have lists of +20 ingredients, most of them unrecognizable. Most energy bars are so heavy and difficult to digest that the package suggests drinking up to a litre of water after consumption! Most energy bars are just plain gross.

But not Square Snacks!

With 2 lines available ( 3pm Snacks and Marvellous for Mom Snacks), these 100-calories bites offer everything your body craves:

•  All natural and raw*   
•  Ingredients sourced from the best, close-to-home farms
•  Locally produced
•  Recipes developed and tested by a nutritionist
•  Easy to digest
•  Delicious ans convient!

Questions, Comments or Orders:              We can be reached at (416) 461-9379 or via email at info@squaresnacks.com

*Honey has been pasteurized 

Seasonal Food Guide Tea Towel

Only one year old, Stuart Gardiner Design products can be found all over the UK.  To stay as green as possible, all textiles and prints are produced in East London. And, as most things coming out of East London these days, they are pretty hip. Their t-shirts are cheeky and a bit bizarre - something you'd expect to see at Magic Pony - and so are some of their tea towels. I especially enjoy the Teat Owl Tea Towel  and the Gentleman's Handshake. 

But a little more serious now. Stuart Gardiner Design also produces a variety of seasonal guides on mugs, aprons and tea towels. You can choose between a seasonal and sustainable guide to British fruits and vegetables; Seafood; Garden flowers; and Wild foods. All production is UK-based, and all cottons are organic in order to keep environmental impact to a minimum. The towels are only £10, and the seasons are fairly similar, so you can still use the tea towel in Canada as a rough guide. (Plus it's a really nice tea towel and you would be supporting the company's green intentions.)

Now we just need someone to make us a Canadian guide to seasonal things, produce it here, and stick it on a tea towel. Perhaps the folks over at Kid Icarus might be interested...

Green in the GTA

Here is a fantastic site to keep updated with all the green events going on in the Greater Toronto Area.

Click here: http://greengta.ca/

Live Green Toronto: my favourite source for green information

This site is easy to navigate and very informative. Live Green Toronto makes it easy to be green:
Check for rebates for being green, see how to get your neighbourhood and school involved, and  keep updated with local Green events. 

http://www.toronto.ca/livegreen

Transition Toronto General Meeting: May 20th

Time: May 20th, 2010 from 7pm to 9pm
Location: Galbraith Building, Room 117
35 Saint George Street ( near College and Spadina)  
Toronto, Ontario 
(click here for a map) 

This meeting is free and open to anyone who is interested in Transition Towns. Transition Towns have emerged from all parts of the world, following Rob Hopkin's guide to sustainable living, entitled The Transition Handbook. 

This is a really great opportunity to meet other Torontonians who are passionate about making a difference and combating climate change by living healthier and inspiring others to do the same.  The meeting on the 20th will go more in depth about the initiatives Transition Toronto has started, and is planning to start.

Agenda:

1) 7:00 - Short recap of Progress to date, discussion of available roles/positions within Transition Toronto, and discussion of subcommittees
2) 7:30 - Showing of "In Transition 1.0" (i.e. the Transition movie, which provides background and overview of the Transition model for anyone new to the concept)
3) 8:20 - Closing discussion
4) 8:30 - Opportunity for subcommittees to meet

Pho Huong in The Junction

One hundred and one years ago, Junction City became a part of Toronto. So called because it is the junction of four railway lines (called the West Toronto Diamond), The Junction is one of my favourite Toronto neighbourhoods.

The majority of my Junction excitement exists between Clendenan Avenue and Keele, but officially The Junction is situated north of Annette, south of the Canadian Pacific Railway corridor, east of Runnymede and west of the Canadian National Railway corridor. Walking along Dundas West, you will see old pubs, antiques and art in window displays and cozy cafes and grocery stores offering fair trade and organic products for Junction residents. The Junction community is young (38% of the population is between 25 and 44 years old), unpretentiously hip and environmentally aware – obvious by the constant bustle inside The Sweet Potato, the Macintosh laptop crowd at Crema Coffee Co., fair trade coffee supporters at Agora and the stroller traffic in and out of The Beet.

In the centre of The Junction, on Pacific Avenue is Pho Huong – my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto.

When we arrive at Pho Huong, my friend and I are always seated in the same place. There are always a few tables taken, but ours always seems to be available and calling us in from the cold. It is a comforting addition to our routine-laden pho experience. We sit along the sand-coloured wall, under brown lamps, I face the bog windows looking onto Pacific Avenue and my friend faces towards the kitchen (and television screen that is set to CP24 at all times). We don’t mind the TV, and I honestly didn’t even mind when I saw the chef smoking, once (in fact, I giggled with the excitement that my food may be nicotine infused – but alas, there was no sign of fumigation when our food arrived).

On my first visit to Pho Huong I ordered P07 Pho Tai Bo Vien (Rare beef and beef ball with rice noodle soup, $5.75 for a small – and a small is large enough). How much I enjoy my Pho Tai Bo Vien is exactly proportionate to the probability of my return. I examine the broth – clear check tastes homemade check and then I try the noodles (they cannot be too soggy from the hot broth). The beef balls have to be flavourful and juicy and the rare beef has to be rare. As long as I get a chili and a lime with my bean sprouts and the sprouts don’t look as if they are mourning their salmonella brothers from 2005, then I’m not that fussy.

When I finished my first bowl of pho at Pho Huong, I did a little tick and tock like a metronome while grinning madly. This is a drunk-with-happiness-dance that I do throughout and after a good meal. I can’t help it, but if I am eating somewhere with dimmed lights and classical music, I try to keep the swaying ritenuto.

Last month I ate out eleven times; Five times at Pho Huong. I have read through the menu of 99 items numerous times and have found my favourites. Once I find a new favourite, it is all I think about until the imaginary white noodles have grabbed hold of me like sea creatures and pulled me back to the restaurant, where I sit down and look at the menu knowing already what I need to eat; It’s a very serious, frequent problem that has prevented me from trying all 99 dishes in the timeframe I would have liked.

When a craving for Bun pulls me to Pho Huong, none of the other menu items will get a chance. I always order the same: B05 Bun Cha Gio, Thit Nuong, Chao Tom (Spring rolls, grilled pork and shrimp on sugar cane with vermicelli, $8). The big bowl arrives quickly and I go straight for the brown crispy bits clinging to the thin slices of pork. Then I rip up my mint and sprinkle it from a gratuitous height – the flare adds more flavour, I think – and squeeze about a tablespoon of sriracha into a corner for my noodles. I pick up my shrimp skewer first, acknowledging and rewarding ‘him’ (my food is always a him or her) for being so delicious. I LOVE the shrimp skewers here; Moist, a bit firm and bursting with flavour, these little hand-shaped cylinders of pureed shrimp are uniform in texture and a pleasure to eat. Even the sugar cane can be chewed and sucked on until all that is left is a little fibrous stick. By the time I finish my Chow Tom, my spring roll isn’t quite so hot and can be devoured quickly with a drink in hand. The noodles are perfectly cooked and only take up the right side of the bowl. On the left, fresh shredded iceberg lettuce helps me forget I’m eating close to 90 grams of carbohydrates.


Up until OSAP began knocking, my friend and I would order appetizers. They are delicious and inexpensive, but they usually unnecessary depending on what you order afterwards. Oh, and that’s another thing with Pho Huong; after you have ordered, and you are reading your newspaper (provided by Pho Huong), don’t expect to look up to the waitress or waiter bringing you your appetizer. Sometimes we get the appetizer first but usually everything comes at once. Not knowing whether it was our fault for mistaking a main for an appetizer or if the kitchen just didn’t ‘do’ appetizers first, we drew a line on our sheet between one dish and the two below it. It didn’t work. I really don’t mind, but it is a struggle for me to be faced with three dishes at once and expected to eat in a methodical or calm way.

Anyways, here are the appetizers I have tried:

A01 Cha Gio (Spring rolls, $3.75). Packed with thin strips of carrots and noodles and who knows what else, these packed spring rolls are delivered (very) hot, crispy and perfectly seasoned.

A07 Goi Xoai Tom (Mango salad with shrimp, $6.50). The bright orange mango is always sweet and ripe and is dressed with a perfectly sour dressing. The shrimp are plentiful and delicate. On top of the salad is my favourite treat: fried slices of garlic that add the perfect bitter crunch. I usually get this salad if I am starving and also getting Bun.

Under Banh Chaou (Steam rice flour cake and rolls), we also order the following as appetizers:

R01 Banh Cuon Cha Lua (Steam rice flour rolls with Vietnamese sausage, $5 small /$6 large). The slipperly, soft rice paper is rolled loosely around the Vietnamese pork sausage (cha lua) and placed in rows, buried under a pile of gently steamed bean sprouts, coriander leaves and those little garlic chips I love so much. I recommend a small because if you are also ordering noodles you will fall into a carb coma.

R02 Banh Cuon Cha Lua, Banh Cong (Steam rice flour rolls with Vietnamese sausage and shrimp cake, $6.50 small/$7.50 large) is the same as R01, but with the addition of a muffin-size shrimp cake. (You can also order three Banh Cong as an appetizer, $6). The cake is undoubtedly deep-fried (cooked in a special ladle to give it that muffin shape) and comes golden brown with a whole shrimp (shell too) fossilized on top. When you break open the cake, steam wafts up like a magic show to expose the golden centre of mung beans, shredded taro and green onions.

Sufficiently full just thinking about all of those steamy, savoury apps, I will move on to the other dishes I have tried:

Under Dac Biet (Special, yes, singular) there is a list of six soups and then D05 Bun Cha Ha Noi (Hanoi style vermicelli, $8). A little bowl of clear – slightly greasy looking- dipping sauce (nuoc cham) is filled with squares of bacon, shredded pork and carrot coins. Served with it, a bowl of plain rice noodles and a plate of lettuce and fresh herbs. Despite the oiliness of the sauce, this dish is light and a tasty change from pho.

I once ordered C12 Com Ga Xao Xa (chicken lemongrass on rice, $7.50). I was pretty disappointed with my artificial lemongrass-tasting overcooked chicken, served with rice and not much else. I haven’t ordered any Com (rice dishes) since, but I often see regulars enjoying C03 Com Tam Suon Nuong, Bi, Cha (Grilled pork chop, shredded pork, egg pancake on broken rice, $7.50).

And speaking of pancake: My favourite healthy option is not on the take-out menu. Banh Xeo (probably around $7 but I can’t be sure) is giant, crispy, omelet-looking goodness filled with bean sprouts and shrimp (on the menu it says ‘vegetable pancake’ so if you’re a vegetarian you might want to mention that you don’t eat shrimp). The pancake actually has no egg in it at all; it is made with coconut milk and (you guessed it!) rice flour. Its sunny yellow colour is from a bit of turmeric. On the other half of the plate there is a stack of fresh lettuce and Thai basil. I usually tear up the lettuce first and then use my chopsticks to wrap the lettuce around pieces of pancake and then very carefully dip my makeshift wrap into some nuoc cham.

In the process of re-reading all the pho options (there are 16) I came across P13 Pho Tai, Ve Don (small $5.50/large $6.50/ extra large $7). The English translation is: Rare beef, Frank with rice noodle soup. Upon further research I have concluded that by Frank they meant flank. I was a bit worried because once I ordered a large pho by accident (or by guttonos optimism, not sure which) and asked for the rest to go. Bad idea. When we got home, my friend and I opened up the bag containing two styrofoam containers. One of them was labeled “female”. We lifted the lid in excitement only to find my noodles had dissolved into a gluttonous mess.

Craving something hearty, my friend once ordered BK01 Banh Mi Bo Kho (Beef stew served with bread, $7). The stew was dark brown, rich with warm spices and served with a warm Vietnamese baguette (banh mi). It was really good and throughout the meal I offered bites of my bun, in exchange for some stew. The serving was smaller than the giant bowls of pho, but by the time the plate had been wiped spotless with some fresh, warm bread, both of us had rosy cheeks and warm bellies.

The drinks aren’t on the take out menu but they are available for take-out and I can guarantee they are delicious. I usually get one of the following: Sapota shake, Soursop shake, fresh lemonade, lychee juice or coconut juice (comes with the bits of coconut as well). The two shakes I mentioned are the best ones; the others taste slightly watery. All the drinks are about $3.50.

Despite the unique timing for appetizers, the occasional spelling mistake and including meat in a dish labeled "vegetable pancake", Pho Huong is my favourite Vietnamese restaurant.

Phil’s Original BBQ

Around 7pm on a weekday, my friend (I call him “Sunny”) and I snag the last table. We are seated at the front of the restaurant, looking onto the not-quite-yet cool section of College Street, a few doors west of Ossington. Reading the small menu, our mouths water simultaneously as we read aloud at the same time, “Pulled Pork Sandwich”. Sunny orders Pulled pork ($6.95) and I order the Small Ribs ($14.50). I look around and notice that I am one of two women in the restaurant. This isn’t a menu for people who get full easily. There are many big men eating big plates of meat. Everything on the menu is cooked slowly with real wood smoke. This slow cooking also translates to tender, juicy meat.
While waiting for dinner, I read the back of the menu. At Phil’s, you can eat and shop too. Souvenirs for sale include: t-shirts, ball caps and two kinds of Phil’s barbeque sauces (Hot & Sassy and Sweet & Savory). Then I dripped drops of a squeeze-bottled sauce marked ‘hot’ onto my finger and tried to guess the ingredients. It didn’t have enough heat to painfully satisfy me, but I decided to appreciate the flavour instead. I couldn’t stop serving myself tip-of-my-finger-sized portions! The smoky tomato base was sweet against the punch of fresh lime juice.
Our food arrived soon after we ordered. The ribs looked juicy and brilliant with dark, shiny sauce. (You can drool over pictures on the website at www.philsoriginalbbq.com.) Brushed with Phil’s own barbeque sauce, four ribs were flanked by coleslaw in a paper cup on the left and beans on the right. I tried the beans first, then the coleslaw before diving into the ribs- saving the most exciting for last. The coleslaw was well seasoned but not anything special albeit strangely yellow and a bit watery. The BBQ Baked Beans ($4.95 for a side order) were a tasty homage to the traditional pork and beans combo, but again, weren’t anything special. Doing a little chair dance of foodie excitement, I moved onto my ribs: Every millimeter of the juicy meat had been infused with flavor and brushed until perfectly sticky. The sweet, slightly smoky, warmly-spiced meat fell right off the bone. It was delicious. Although the menu claims the ribs are “perfect for snacking”, when I finish my “small” 10oz portion I am full, as well as sticky and smiling. (A full order is one pound of ribs for $23.50) My one-ply napkin is in shreds and instead I use my forearm to wipe my mouth. Dainty eaters beware.
Sunny is across from me smiling at his fries. They are hot, crispy, golden and well seasoned with a fluffy centre. I stole “just one bite”- then some more- of his pulled pork sandwich. Pulled pork is sometimes a messy mass of sauce suffocating irrecoverably dry pork- but not Phil’s! His pork was moist and not too saucy but still booming with flavour. My reaction was a mouth-filled mumbling of sounds resembling moans of food-bliss. If you still have room to eat, you have to try the Cachapas ($5.75 for a delicious side of a large corn pancake filled with gooey cheese).
When my friend and I were almost in fully slouched position and slightly giddy, the waitress brought us some delicious Portuguese corn bread accompanied by little packets of butter. I buttered the bread and sopped up the last of the beans.
By dessert I was talking to the food. “Hey there little chocolate pecan pie. I’m going to eat you! The old-school plated Chocolate Pecan Pie (different desserts offered daily and priced accordingly) arrived with a scoop of melting milky ice cream with a maraschino cherry on top.
No doubt Chef Phil Nyman’s years of traveling through “America’s BBQ belt” has paid off. He has been dedicated to barbequing since 1991 and his passion for barbeque is still strong. Sides like coleslaw and beans are disappointing, but easily forgotten about when paired with the mains. The juxtaposition of quality of food makes me think the kitchen staff has also forgotten to pay heed to the sides. However, the ribs, the BBQ Beef Brisket ($16.50) and the pulled pork are all fabulous. When so much love goes into barbequing, you can taste it and love it back.