I remember the first time I had a Vietnamese spring roll. I was still living in my home town and a Vietnamese family moved to Saint John to open up a restaurant. That was in the early 1990’s. Prior to this family moving here, no one was serving Vietnamese food. The restaurant’s primary business was…

A light Middle Eastern salad which could easily be turned into a main course. Bulgar has been used as a major food staple since around 4,000 B.C. Bulgar is used in soups, salads, breads and desserts. With its high nutritional value, bulgur is an excellent addition to a vegetarian diet as it is rich in…

Who says it’s difficult to get the daily recommended servings of vegetables? This dish covers off 4 vegetables in just one serving. Eggplant is a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper and thiamin (vitamin B1). It is also a good source of vitamin B6, folate, magnesium and niacin. Zucchini is a good…

This is a classic Italian dish with a bit of fiery twist. There are many recipes using squid but this one has to be the easiest and fastest to prepare! This recipe is based on the April issue of Australian Good Taste magazine. For more delicious recipes on this humble cephalopod, click here. Serves 4650g…

This is an incredibly easy dish to prepare and the flavors make one ask, “more please”! This recipe can be used as an appetizer or as a side to a main meal. Figs are among the tastiest and most versatile of fruits being rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium (to help control blood pressure).…

As promised, here is the continuation of the food tasting from the new menu of Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor Restaurant. Before starting onto the entrée degustation, we drank a concoction of pineapple juice with Malibu (coconut flavor) mousse. This was an enjoyable drink as it awakened our taste buds for the next round of signature…

People I meet back home often wonder how safe it is here and I tell them that I am at ease any time of the day. I am sharing with you an incident that happened to me tonight. I was entertaining some friends from Canada and while out, the question arose as to how safe…

Harvey Nichols Hong Kong opened its doors in 2005. This is the first exclusive store in Asia and occupies 60,000 square feet in the Landmark Building. Harvey Nichols is well known for showcasing many of the world’s most prestigious brands. The Fourth Floor Restaurant occupies 3,000 square feet. The entrance to the restaurant is on…

One of my all time favorite salads to make! As always, when selecting loose salad leaves such as baby spinach and rocket (arugula), leaves should be crisp and not wilted with a good, dark green color. Stems should be dry and not discolored. A salad makes a lovely light starter or an accompaniment to a…

I enjoy trying different quiches and this one allows for a generous serving of vegetables all neatly packaged into one dish. Sometimes it’s difficult coming up with new recipes to try and ones that you think your family will enjoy. So I am happy to report that this dish didn’t disappoint as they asked for…

Basmati, meaning fragrant, is a small but long grained aromatic rice with a nut like flavor and aroma. Basmati rice is of Southeast Asian origin and has been cultivated in India and Pakistan for over 8,000 years. North Indian food was influenced by Persian cuisine. Biryani (a savory rice dish) and naan (flatbread) both came…

The meaty, woodsy flavor of the dried porcini mushroom combined with the heavy cream make this a rich tasting dish. The porcini (aka cepe) is known as the king of wild mushrooms. Since the porcini mushroom hasn’t been successfully cultivated, the alternatives are dried, canned or frozen. Mushrooms are low in carbohydrates, calories, sodium, cholesterol…