R. I. P. Cam Kong

Just as soon as i mentioned my adoration for #705, an era has come to an end.  Why is it all good restaurants must go by the wayside?  Hopefully if this is anything like stoneface, the new tenant will be just as good...

To the point, Cam Kong is no longer - it has been replaced by a similar Vietnamese restaurant called "Fuscian" i believe.  Apparently the owners retired.  We went there a couple nights ago, and were shocked and bewildered for a few minutes before we sat down in a blur and decided to stay. 

They do have a hot n sour vietnamese soup, and were very happy to do a veggie variety upon our request.  The staff was very helpful, and very accommodating.  And the food was pretty darn good.  The soup was not quite like a #705, slightly less tangy and oily, not as addiction satisfying, but good nonetheless.  They told us that we can ask for extra hot stuff for next time, and i definitely will.

When i was in the Dominican, perhaps even on the day they shut their doors, i had a dream.  I had a dream that Cam Kong was closing (i only knew at this point that renovations were occurring), and i actually tried to get a job there in order to learn their secrets.  This is how obsessed i was/am.  I was desperately in need of that soups power, and was frantically dreaming of the 2nd to worst case scenario.  The worst case being, they'd be closed when i go home, no chance to sneak in and steal a peak at their fantastic flavours...

Rest in peace Cam Kong, i'm sure i'll think of you always.

In related news, for lunch i chopped a tomato, an avacado, and a green mango.  To them, i added lime juice, and salt and pepper.  I then scooped it into tortilla chips and had a splendid time.  Thats what i call a goooooooood lunch.

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Tags: foodottawa

pineapple

One thing the dominican left me with was a taste for pineapple. There was an abundance of fresh pineapple down there, and i ate a ton of it. I wasn't a fan until a few years ago when i realized i liked pretty much all foods, and now i can't get enough of it.

I picked up a pineapple for the first time in my life yesterday, a PC organic pineapple for 4.99$. From costa rica i believe. Let me tell you, worth every penny.

I followed this and this about preparing and storing it. Its true what the guy says about the sweet stuff being concentrated at the bottom. Now i understand - in the dominican, i'd learned to eye the sweeter fruit as the fruit that was a brighter, wetter yellow. I cut up this pineapple i bought, very simple, stored all the top rings, and proceeded to make the bottom one very large (almost 2inches). Then i ate it. Damn it was heaven. Then i slurped up all the residual cutting juices - definitely do your cutting on a plate from which you can drink later.

If you want a sweet treat, and some good fruit for a few lunches, treat yourself - for the price of a pint you can have a little chunk of yellow heaven.

after the beach rush

I'm back from the dominican, once again fully submersed in the canadian winter. My tan is not nearly as good as i was hoping, but i did get some reading in which i am very thankful for.

I've noted my food experiences at the very dormant DCFD blog.

Besides the occasional sudoku and kakuro puzzles, i managed to read Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity Is Near. While some of it is far fetched, if even a quarter of it holds true this century will be very interesting. I recommend and future sci-fi looking folks to take a read of it.

There isn't much more to say about it. We did pretty much nothing except eat, drink, sleep and read, it was great. No activities, no excursions, no thrills, it was perfect. We did catch bits of a few of their entertainment shows, most notable was "Dirty Dancing" where their crew reenacted various scenes and showed bits of the movie. Definitely some talented folks working down at the Sirenis tropical suites resort.

Hopefully the cold will be gone in a few weeks and i can get my spring on. Hoping to do some good reno's this spring, kitchen being one of them, front facade transformation the other (red door anyone!!).

le nordik, and then the beach

Just a quick note to say a couple things.

One, go to le nordik spa in chelsea if you have not been. If you don't like pampering yourself, or are awkward, or don't like people, just get over yourself and go. If you have a job with benefits including massage, its a free trip for you. Just go, and from the moment you walk into that eucalyptus steam bath, you won't regret it.

And two, i'm hitting the beach, for a week, real soon. Down south, where the weather is warm, and there is very little snow. Hopefully there won't be much here when i get back.

Bye for now!!!