Ghana! The start of something new...

Oh boy, oh boy. My food blog has been neglected and it’s crying out for any attention at all. Well, I’m tempted to post up pictures and all of another restaurant review, but I guess for now I should try my best to describe what I’ve been eating in Ghana so far, eh?

I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t been very adventurous in eating street food yet. Some of it seems perfectly fine (like rice porridge that they put into plastic bags, which is still boiling when you get to it… while perhaps not exactly the most appetizing presentation I’m sure it tastes fine, though I’d be surprised if it tasted like congee).

However, my hostess Vida Crentsil is one of the *best* cooks I have ever had the presence of coming into contact with. Her jollof rice (some kind of combination of rice with cabbage, chicken, tomatoes, and spice that is reminiscent of jambalaya) is amazing and really does kick the pants off of many rice dishes of a similar nature. Similarly, her soups and stews are amazing – they fit into them some very odd pieces of meat (I think I had beef skin or something once… I recognize the taste and thought it was liver but realized it was a little too tough to be liver) but it ends up tasting harmonious, blended into it a special African spice blend which is not bitter at all. It’s remarkable because it tastes a little like jerk spice, only it has managed to get rid of the elements of jerk spice that I don’t like at all.

The soups and stews are mostly tomato and chili-based as far as I can tell, though one of them has some green-leafed vegetable which reminds me of a combination of spinach and sui choy blended into it. While that doesn’t exactly sound all that appetizing, it’s remarkable because like saag, it manages to subside into the dish well and incorporate its vegetable elements into the character of the dish. There is also one red stew that has chopped tilapia thrown into it and boiled up, which really adds a great sea flavor to the broth; add lemon grass and cilantro and I think you’ve got a great Thai fusion dish right there.

Starch sources tend to be this jollof rice I speak of, boiled yams (no butter). They’re still slightly sweet. Though having been raised in a semi health-conscious (yes yes, I’m a bit too round to really be a great example of it) Chinese household I think I’m much better equipped to appreciate bare hints of flavor than most. In some cases roasted or boiled plantains accompany (which, while tasty, don’t seem to make much sense when accompanying a spicy, salty stew or fried chicken… yeah).

The biggest challenges I’ve had to eat so far are likely fufu and banku. In the case of both, imagine a large, shapeless lump that looks like unleavened bread (and no, it’s not like tofu) that sticks to your hands when you try to split it into pieces (though, apparently you’re supposed to eat it with your hands). Then, you take this broken off lump and place it into a stew that is given as accompaniment to give it further flavor and eat it. I’ve never had problems with eating with my hands so that’s not a problem, though in Africa I am a little more leery until I’ve had a chance to put Spectro on my hands and have it seep in a bit. However, dipping it into a red-colored stew is a bit annoying because that red color doesn’t wash out well at all. Of the two, I have to say that I like banku a whole lot more than fufu. Fufu is made from mashed cassava root and some kind of thickener called gharri, and I swear that it almost inflates in your mouth and overwhelms your senses with a very dough-like texture (it also doesn’t help that its taste is quite remniscient of warm dough with whatever sauce you put on it). Banku is made from grated maize with some kind of salty beans in the middle of the lump, to give it a bit more flavor. I don’t really care about the flavor, but because it doesn’t have the same rising-dough texture of fufu it’s already better in my eyes. It also helps that the first time I had banku, the stew was amazing in that it held a piece of fried tilapia and a blue crab. Fresh blue crab, so tasty and succulent, and the shell so soft that the only way to really eat the legs (shell and all) was no problem at all.

In thinking about it, I think I am fine with Ghanaian food and I like it. In many instances it reminds me of Indian food (the stews, in particular, remind me of curries, with their thickness and major use of turmeric and spices). However, in others, it carries notes of Chinese (the rice really does seem more Chinese in style than jambalaya, but that could just be my delusion). Finally, it carries its own purely African elements (fufu, banku, boiled plantains… very hearty and good sources of energy, very utilitarian to the region). What I am glad about, though, is that since I live in Osu, I live about ten minutes walk from the main drag which includes all manner of restaurants. I have seen pizza joints, pasta trattorias; I’ve espied more than one sushi place (though one also offers Chinese food), more than five Chinese restaurants (sorry Gab! Though, I should go eat at one to tell you if I think you can do better), an Indian restaurant, Nando’s, American food, and all sorts of others. I will have to break down and confess that for Vida’s birthday I bought her slices of cake from Frankie’s, the American food restaurant/bakery/hotel (yes, it really does close to everything), and that I have bought ice cream for myself as well. Oh well, six slices of cake from Frankie’s is still cheaper than a kilogram of nectarines at the import grocery store Koala ($17 for the cake slices… yes, highway robbery but you don’t want to know what a smaller whole cake cost; vs the lovely $18.99/kg on nectarines, and no, I’m not kidding).

What is Accra missing? Well… I haven’t seen a Starbucks, or even the golden arches. Maybe Gab, you could open up a branch of Spago. Yeah, that’s what you and Joanna should do… actually, when thinking about it, there are no pho, izakaya, Peruvian, or Singaporean restaurants. Given what I just said about Ghanaian food I have a suspicion that a Banana Leaf-esque restaurant would go over quite well – not just with tourists but also with wealthy locals in Osu.

Well, that’s about it! I am kicking myself for not having more food photos but I promise that those will come in abundance soon. Until next time!

Review #1 - Serra Ristorante, Toronto

It was after an early-morning flight to Toronto, a dayful of meetings the next day, and a nice walk from downtown through Chinatown (well, as nice as a walk through *that* Chinatown can be... it's like the Vancouver one, albeit slightly cleaner, and more than 40% Vietnamese) and past the west side of the U of T, my feet were hating me (bad choice of shoes that day), that I found myself parched since the weather was warmer than normal that day, and beyond that, I was hungry. And not just simply hungry, but in the mood for something tasty, refreshing, invigorating. Something classier. Ravenous, I suppose, would be a decent description.

And so I happened upon the unsuspecting awning that was Serra. Intrigued (mostly because Vancouver is in dire straits for mid-range price good-quality Italian food), I wavered for a bit: did I just want to grab a bi bim bap (which is almost uniformly filling and refreshing, and at least so-so wherever one goes) just down west on Bloor, or did I want to risk it? I looked inside, and saw a few people sitting down and enjoying what seemed to be dessert. That was particularly intriguing, since by my watch it was only 4:30. Finally, I shrugged and said whatever, what doesn't give me listeria sounds good at this point. Let's try something I didn't see anything about anywhere.

And what can I say but that the restaurant was nicely air-conditioned, fresh, and that I had one of the best meals I've had in my short duration of ever visiting Toronto (this being my first time to the city)? The overall experience was very nice, and it is with this segue that I can begin my review in earnest:

Decor: 8/10. When you step in, you are struck by the nice, warm colors of the paintings in contrast to the dark, almost formal nature of the furniture underneath. I can see it creating a cozy feeling at night or in the winter, but in the summer it already made for an already pleasurable experience, particularly with the beautiful gusts of cool air I could feel lightly brushing against my slightly damp skin. Overall, it isn't much special but the general air inside had some kind of wonderful, happy air. I would've given a 9 if not for the fact that the ventilation pipes in the ceiling were still exposed (but to their credit, were tactfully painted over) as well as the more serious problem of the stairs to the downstairs bathroom being very short, and so I almost fell down a flight. That, though, seems to be a rather endemic problem in Toronto with almost all of the buildings.

Service: 8/10. I was greeted by the hostess almost immediately upon entering, and she and another waiter were attentive, continually replenishing my water (which depleted with alacrity every time). The hostess also was very knowledgeable about the menu and recommended both the limoncello I enjoyed with the meal, as well as my dessert. She was attentive and friendly, but her picks did leave a bit to be desired. Nothing over the top or super-special about the service; just good, solid, friendly dispositions and knowledge, as well as good timeliness with presenting food and processing the bill.

Food Taste: I had a limoncello soda to begin my stay at Serra, and my entree was their daily special of a squid ink fettucine, with grilled salmon and tiger prawns, served in a white wine cream sauce with a touch of tomato added. I was very intrigued, since this was the first time I'd ever had a squid ink pasta (and so I also kept my thoughts to myself about how I might accidentally OD on eledoisin if they'd not cooked the pasta properly, if that could be done). Dessert was a honey creme brulee served with almond biscotti and a berry reduction, which the hostess told me was the "house special and secret".

A trio of breads (sorry, I'd already eaten one before remembering to take pictures) was also served with an olive tapenade. That bread was actually very nice, because of the three distinct textures (one soft, one crispy, and the third a flaky wafer which was the one I'd devoured in my senseless haze of hunger pangs) that left me eagerly anticipating the entree.

Pasta: 33/35. I honestly was unsure as to what squid ink pasta would taste like. I was pretty certain it wouldn't taste like a Bic Pen (don't ask me how I know) but I couldn't help but wonder if it had a very numbing, or bitter taste on the mouth, given what I know of its chemical composition.

I was so surprised! What squid ink does is add a clam-like flavor directly into the noodles, so that instead of soaking up flavor, they actually impart flavor onto the other components in the dish. The clam flavor is very fresh-sea aroma, but also with a slight hint of sweetness as an aftertaste. When balanced alongside perfectly cooked salmon and a beautifully light cream sauce, it worked well with the bits of tomato as a citrus counterbalance. This would've rated even higher, if the prawns had had a bit more flavor (they actually were the least tasty component of the dish) and hadn't been overcooked (a slight bit of stringy texture). The parmesan cheese grated freshly before me added an extra taste to the dish which helped to create a conflux of wonderful tastes.

Dessert: 12/15. When I have creme brulee, I tend to expect the burnt sugar shell on top, followed by a steaming custard of sort underneath (or something lukewarm). What was interesting was that the creme brulee was actually somewhat cold underneath. In one way, that helped it to match better with the fresh berries used in the compote to the side, but in another, I think it made it so the biscotti didn't soften if one dipped it into the custard (as I could see the latent steam of a hot creme brulee potentially moistening the biscotti enough to make it a crunchy, yet moist texture). The biscotti and fruit actually stole the show: the slight tinge of citrus flavor in the cookie itself, when combined with the slivered almonds inside, made for a wonderful balance that I only wish was in a softer cookie that I could enjoy. The fruit balanced each other perfectly and the orange sauce tied them together very nicely without the use of any excess herbs (mint, anise, etc). The creme brulee was actually quite standard, though I was expecting something a little sweeter since honey tends to have more of a molasses/caramel taste compared to normal sugar. It wasn't bad per se, but for a principal component of a dish, it was remarkably obscured by its substituents.

Food presentation: 8/10. I can appreciate the inherent difficulty of making squid ink pasta look attractive, and they at least didn't do it an injustice by making it look more like long black strings. The dessert did look cute, but the triangle plate effect is lost if the three points aren't actually used for separate things. However, everything looked good in that light.

Price: 13/20. $17.50 for the pasta was quite reasonable for what I was expecting. The Limoncello at $3 and dessert at $6.25 were a little more debatable, particularly because of the very formulaic nature and taste of the dessert. For a restaurant of that decor, the price was about par for what I was expecting, though the portion size of the pasta wasn't completely satisfactory (though that might've been because it was *so* good).

Bonus: +2 points. Because of the exceptional bread and tapenade.

Grade: 84/100, or a very high A- .

An intro to my food reviews...

Hey! Okay, so here's me trying to talk about food. This blog is devoted to food in all forms - homemade, restaurant, recipes, discussion of ingredients, etc. I'll post up pictures as I get them!

Hoanna Wang... it's a bit of a joke. It's nicknames two of my good friends (who are also the most gourmand-ish people I know) have. I'd throw in Elvin as well, for the other person I know who has the knowledge of all 4 Japanese Iron Chefs (the American ones don't count at all in my opinion) and more.

So, in order to understand my restaurant reviews, the breakdown of points is given as such (with some possible further tweaks in criteria):

Food quality: /50 - this is determined by how the meal itself tastes, and whether it satisfies the appetite for the purpose it intends. The meal will often be divided into components which are each assigned points by me arbitrarily, but the following rules will be included:

• Mains are accorded more weight than other dishes (except perhaps dessert).
• All items which might be considered a separate food item will be considered as separate elements to be evaluated.
• Quality will not solely be determined by taste and quantity. Other things to be considered will include potential after-effects I feel, or sometimes how the the dishes match up to one another (this might have even more added weight if a server recommends particular pairings)
  

Food presentation: /10 - basically, if special effort has been taken to improve the look of the food, that will merit further points. If it has an is presented in what I feel is an acceptable manner, it will make a passing to half-decent grade. Basically, the more artistic or appetizing it looks, the better the presentation mark is.

Price level: /20 - I think this may be where people find my reviews most controversial. However, I think it is warranted to grade the full potential of a restaurant. No matter how great presentation and taste may be, if it really is exorbitant for price level, it won't rate as one of my best restaurants, since the price in itself has a major effect on the experience. What needs to be noted, though, is that not all restaurants are judged according to the same standard - restaurants with higher decor and food requiring more preparation will have a "reasonable" standard of a price higher than, say, a McDonald's clone. Granted, this is a *very* subjective part of the evaluation, but I feel it is important. As it is, the whole idea of evaluating restaurants is subjective, so...

One thing to note is that special restaurants with high prices will not necessarily get super-penalized. The overall experiences at them may translate into bonus points that I award at my discretion. Likewise, if the price is high and the restaurant a real disappointment as well, then it might get a penalty subtraction.

Service: /10 - for me, if a staff takes my orders, delivers food and processes things in an efficient manner, it generally will get a 7 for service. Knowledge of the menu, disposition, time waiting for service-related items, and other possible variables can help to add or subtract to that base score. To this, bonuses can be added overall if the service really contributes to other components and makes for a richer experience, or penalties if it really becomes the key hindrance. However relatively small this component is, it actually is the trickiest balancing act of how to be efficient and unintrusive, but helpful and memorable.

Decor: /10 - for this, all restaurants will be judged along the same standard of a 10 being a clean, open atmosphere that may or may not be intimate, that has elements that add a good degree of comfort, that minimizes all distractions to potentially enjoying food, and perhaps adding elements that contribute to a positive experience.

Bonuses/penalties: this is the most subjective area but I think it's important to have this section, in order to either reward a restaurant for really providing a great experience in sum, or somehow having so many deficiencies that I can't help but feel that the deficiencies ruined other components in addition.

Overall, the grade is /100 and I think it will be a maximum of 100, minimum of 0 even with the extra bonus/penalty considerations.

In terms of a grading scheme, one has to keep in mind that when I was a TA, I was probably one of the hardest graders my professor has ever had. That being said, if one wants to give them grade lettering, it also doesn't follow a US scale, but I'd think the UBC standard is a good application:

A+ - 90%+
A - 85-99%
A- - 80-84%
B+ - 76-79%
B - 72-75%
B- - 68-71%
C+ - 64-67%
C - 60-63%
C- - 56-59%
D - 50-55%
F - 49%-

Generally, an average restaurant will get a C under my ratings. A good restaurant will get a B, and it takes some very special things to get above an A- .

Hopefully, when I manage to post up reviews, you'll see what I'm talking about.

I hope this will be entertaining to those who like food!