Jingle Bells Rock

As fall draws near you can hear them whispering about it in the office hallways, you catch the end of conversations over the mid-morning coffee: the subject on everyone's minds is the always-anticipated office christmas party. Where is it going to be this year? Will the food be as bad as last years? Will whats-his-name from accounting bring his mother along again?

For christmas 2006 you need look no further than LK Dining Lounge. With our versatile space, innovative chefs and fully stocked bar, we can help you create a christmas party that is as unique as your fabulous staff.

A Little Taste of Tarantino

The was a little taste of Tarantino in the air when Chef Alex turned up for his photoshoot for Taste of Yaletown last week. With the sun behind them and the cobbled streets slick with the early morning dew, an unsuspecting passer-by could have mistaken them for the infamous Yaletown Kitchen Mafia. But not to fear, oh boutique-hopping one, the chefs have now been returned to the kitchens where they belong and shackled to the stove-tops so their culinary urges cannot hurt the general public any more.

It was all to promote the upcoming Taste of Yaletown which is launched on October 13th and runs for 17 days. We are running our tastetastic three course menu for $35 a head, 5 days a week (we are closed Sundays and Mondays). Visit www.yaletowninfo.com for full details of the event. All restaurants will be donating a portion of the proceeds from this event to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

Highlights of the LK menu include the Adobo Grilled Duck with balsamic pear mojo and roasted vegetable quinoa and the Baja Chicken Wings with blue cheese dip and ancho hot sauce.

Call early to get the best tables and maybe catch a glimpse of the master of the flames himself.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Last weekend we were entertaining the stars of the screen and the people that put them there at the kick-off party for Case no. 39, a horror film that is being shot in the wilds of Vancouver.

Has anyone noticed how there seem to be a lot of horror movies being filmed here? I know quite a few Vancouverites who specialize in horror movie production (and I don't know that many people in Vancouver). Maybe it is the rugged, chiseled landscape (no I am not talking about Kitsilano Beach) or the predominance of raw fish that drives Vancouverites to all things horror? But I'm just speculating.

So last Friday the room was buzzing with the cream of Canadian and American film talent, including the starlet of the film herself (no names mentioned.) Typically I had retired to my bed to write my diary before she arrived.

I have realised over the years that I am not destined to rub shoulders with the stars, having lived in Notting Hill for 10 years and never ONCE bumped into anyone remotely famous. My mother, however, regales me with stories like "that nice man John Cleese was picking out his onions at the grocery store today" and "Madonna always hogs the best seats in Starbucks" almost every other day.

My only braggable encounter to date has been my serving the Queen (I know you Canadians love her as much as we do!) at a charity do at St James' Palace. She looks a bit like my grandmother actually - short with curly grey hair, although my gran doesn't quite have the posher than posh voice to go along with it. Obviously when I say "serving" the Queen, she didn't actually take anything from me. Apparently she is not allowed to eat or drink at these events - something to do with people trying to poison her. Now why anyone would want to harm a little old lady like her I have no idea, it's not like she has any real power anymore (controversial!). So I just held a tray of drinks while she slowly went down the row of important guests. And when I say "slowly" I mean "come on Queenie get a move on!" - I had cramp in my arm from holding that tray for 2 days afterwards. Maybe I could have got compensation for an injury caused by the royal personage..........

So come one come all you stars of screen, stage and royal bloodline. I need to have something to talk about when I throw my next fabulous dinner party. You are all welcome at our humble abode, all I ask is that you SHOW ME THE MONEY!

City Dine September 18th-29th

For the next 2 weeks we are taking part in City Dine, a dining out event sponsored by San Pellegrino. We are offering a tropical-inspired 3 course lunch ($20) and dinner menu($35), Monday to Friday (sorry, menu is not available on weekends).

The best part about this event (other than the lip-smackingly good food) is that for every menu sold San Pellegrino will donate $1 to the Canadian Association of Food Banks. So not only can you enjoy a great meal, you can do so knowing that you are helping others at the same time.

We tasted the menu items last week and we were all blown away by the bold flavours and colourful presentations. Staff pick at the moment is the Citrus-Chile marinated Halibut, wrapped in a banana leaf and served with a pineapple-orange salsa. The fish stays wonderfully moist as it cooks inside the banana leaf and the fresh, tartness of the salsa creates great contrast. It is served with a roasted vegetable quinoa. The nuttiness of the quinoa and the sweetness of the roasted vegetables combines perfectly with the delicate fish.

As for the desserts - words cannot do them justice! I honestly cannot choose between them. On the one hand you have the Coconut Creme Brulee served inside a banana caramel canoli. Crunchy, toasty banana combined with sweet, creamy goodness - heaven! On the other hand you have the Dulche de Leche Cheesecake served with Guava coulis. Soft, sweet caramel (think banoffi pie without the banana but with more toffee) with a crunchy biscuit and cool guava - mmmmmmm.

See the City Dine website for full menus: www.citydine.ca

Reservations are coming in fast, so you had better get on the phone!

I might just go and check those desserts one more time - you can never be too careful.

Very Vegan

I have been told that the number one thing that drives vegetarians back to meat is the smell of bacon cooking.

The first Canadian person I ever met was a hardened vegetarian/recycling nazi who could not understand our British obsession with all things meat ( I mean she was up against hundreds of years of haggis and black pudding consumption). As a result I had this image that Canadians were a tofu-eating, bottle-hoarding, hemp underwear clothed bunch - so totally incomprehensible to my British sensibilities. After 6 months of working in a chalet in France, cooking breakfast for 15-20 hungry British skiers who wouldn't know a refried bean from a tofu dog, my new Canadian friend succumbed to the powers of the bacon.

Of course it also helps that our bacon is highly superior to Canadian bacon. My Irish friend used to take 2 hour round trips to the British butcher in North Van in order to get hold of the "good stuff" when he was living over here. For his birthday his mum airmailed him 5 Ibs of vacuum packed bacon straight from the land of the leprechauns (don't ask me how much it cost her!).

This week we had a family phone up the restaurant and ask if we had any Vegan options, as they were thinking of coming in for a meal. Chef Alex had the great pleasure of coming up with a vegan dish which blew their socks off (pictured). We got to have a taste of the creation and in all honesty it was pretty damn good - and that's a big compliment coming from someone who normally wouldn't go within 20 feet of a black bean. Now, if you added a few bits of chorizo to that........