Another sunny morning (Hey!! Vancouver is going to lose its rep for incessant moisture). Heartened by the rays, HG/BSK drove to the University of British Columbia Botanical Gardens. Founded in 1916, the Gardens cover 110 acres and contain some 12,000 plants. Only a few of the rhododendron were in bloom but HG/BSK gloried in the magnificent magnolias (largest blossoms the duo had ever encountered). Strolled through a forest of soaring (almost skyscraper heights) trees from British Columbia as well as exotic trees from Eastern United States and Asia. The forest floor was carpeted with lush ferns and the sun dappled greenery revealed new visual wonders at every turn. Sun disappeared. Misty rain appeared. HG/BSK spent the afternoon in a Mt. Pleasant coffee shop taking care of various chores on HG/BSK’s laptops. Dinner with Jamie S. and ever-elegant Karen St. John at Pidgin, an inventive restaurant in the Gastown neighborhood (still edgy on its fringes but now a center for trendy fashion and dining). Had some daring (but delicious) things like kohlrabi “dan dan” noodle salad with tofu and almonds; raw scallops with “piquant” radish; pork belly rice bowl with Asian pear kimchi and quail eggs. Only loser was the salmon with apple pistachio puree. The “sous vide” cooking method reduced the salmon to mush, giving it a strong resemblance to Gerber’s Baby Food. But, the misdemeanor was forgotten as the table dipped into a creative dessert of crisp pastry, fruit and sorbet. Atmosphere and service were pleasant with very attractive lighting. (Postscript: In a previous post about Annalena Restaurant, HG noted–with a question mark–the word “panagrattato” as an ingredient in a dish. Bilingual daughter Lesley R. pointed out the word means “breadcrumbs” in Italian. A pretentious flourish by the Annalena menu writer).
