north shore news

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

CHILLI CHOW ... An entree of hot pepper chicken atop spinach leaves served at North Vancouver's Red

Chilli restaurant.

Kitchen confusion

From page 28

Ginger and Onion); Noodles
(Shanghai Style, Singapore
Style, a host of chow meins);
Pork (Sweet and Sour, of
course, Honey and Garlic,
Garlic and Spicy); Beef (House
Special Ginger, Orange Peel,
Mongolian, Honey); Chicken
(Orange Peel, Mu Shu, Chef's
Chicken with wine, sugar and
soy); and Scafood (Hor Chilli
Fish Fillet, Dry Garlic and
Spicy Black Cod, prawns ina
variety of styles and combina-
tions.

Add to the above a promis-
ing Tofu section for the vegan
crowd (comes in Szechwan
style, with minced beef in chili
sauce, with Chinese mush-
rooms, with shrimp) and vari-
ous dishes marked with hot
and spicy warnings (Garlic and
Spicy Prawis, House Special
Hot and Sour Soup, Spicy
Bean Curd Szechwan style,

Hot Chili Beef).

Oh, and throw in a few
interesting sounding appetizers
such as Jelly fish with Sesame
Chicken and Drunken
Chicken. Promising. But an
initial sampling of the Chilli’s
operation found it far trom
hot — red or otherwise. The
food was not bad — a plate of
Dai Ching Chicken was heavi-
ly cut with red chilies and
thick with chunks of chicken
in a Szechwan-style stir try and
the Wor Wonton Soup was a
hearty stew of wontons, slices
of beef, prawns and vegetables
— but the dining room suf
fered from helter skelter ser-
vice and a badly disorganized
front end.

Dishes were rolled out to
the wrong tables. Standard
accoutrements such as soy
sauce, tea cups and chop sticks
had to be requested.

Patrons ordering take-outs
were left waiting. And some

dishes never arrived.

We ordered, for instance,
Letruce Wraps, but were later
informed that the kitchen had
no lettuce. Gads! What
kitchen anywhere has no let-
tuce?

A request to substitute mu
shu crepes for the lettuce
leaves held initial promise, but
ran into further road blocks
when other wrap ingredients
were also reported to have
gone south.

Table Hopping finally
threw in the towel and
dropped the order entirely.

As to liquid refreshment,
there are few options: basically
beer, tea or pop. Much of the
Chills disorganization could
be put down to its being a
new operation, but unless it is
sorted out soon, the Chilli will
have little chance of becoming
an old operation.

Not much in the way of
dining room ambience, cither.
No reason to linger over

another cup of Jasmine tea.

Table Hopping’s Chinese
food quest continues.
Somewhere over the rain-

Lunch Vaiue $6.00, Dinner value $12.06

I Not vatid Valentine's Oay, Mother's Day or New Years Eve. One coupon per aroup,nd

[| sepazate cheques. if you have two or more items from our bar, desserl or appetizer menu, j
we will cordially invite you and your guest to enjoy a complimentary entree when a second

i entree ol equal or greater value is purchased. Dine in only. Not valid on Specia) Occasions I

THE BRIT 1552 Lonsdale Ave.
Thursday to Sunday 11:30 am to Midnight*
*Earlier Sunday if yer all knackered
THURSDAY
LENNON & MCCARTNEY
A tribute by Mick & Mike from Revolver
Dinner Reservations 904-0166
The rest of the weekend... who knows?
We'll wing it.:. Just show up
NO RIFF RAFF

rrr nn re 4

$10°° OFF DINNER ENTREE

Entrées from $11.95 GOURMET FOOD
Maximuin | coupon per couple AT BISTRO PRICES

Offer valid until Mar 31/98
Be Open Thursday

Friday & Saturday

for dinner

5-10pm

{Open Mon.-Fii, for breakfast
‘ and lunch from dam

OOM
oY “e,

doi Bleu Café |@e~

pers 7
250 E. Ist St, “North Van 987-0789 |_287:0789

Lae as er wee mom ts

LIVE MEXICAN ENTERTAINMENT !

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED AT 985-TACO !

1200 Lonsdale North Vancouver,

se RESTAURANT
Tel: 922-2411

”

“getting back to the clazsies

TOMATO BASIL SOUP
served with créme fraiche

SEAFOOD SAINT-JACQUES AU GRATIN
a selection of white fish, prawns, scallops
and shrimp in @ white wine sauce
or

TRADITIONAL OSSO BUCO
served with lemon tisatto and fresh vegetables

“THE MERINGUE SWAN”

$16.95

Private Room available for Lunch or Dinner

1734 Matine Drive, West Vancouver

Wednesday, February 18, 1998 — North Shore News - 29

Hearty Italians
add good value

APULIA, the hot “heel and hamstrings” of Italy’s south-
2 “boot,” has been steadily outgrowing its image as a
purveyor of jugs of rough thunderclap red, often used in
the past to add body to skinny plonks from further north.

Improved wine-making techniques now produce wines
that have acquired manners without losing their authentic
regional character, endearing them to palates bored by
bland “international style” wines.

On the high side, Pervini’s Bizantino — Rosso Del
Salento 1992 is sulla bargain at $16.95; a big bur supple
and silky monster that
purrs and growls for a
Homeric barbecue of
chunks of spitted lamb
rolled in garlic and
rosemary and grilled
over glowing coats.
Too cold to cook our?
Grab a grill and huddle
around the fireplace.
ienic in the living
room by candlelight.
Excellent value in the top-end of the price bracket for this
region and sophisticated enough to enhance the most ele-
gant dinner part.

Bargain- hunters who like the slightly toasted undertone
of these “hot country” wines should pick up a case of
Casteldrione — D’alfonso Del Sordo 1992 at $9.95 ar
bottle. Apulians take a traditional approach to wine-mak-
ing —- “toss ’em all in and fet God sort it out” — and this
conglomeration of Montepulciano, Sangiovese and Troia
grapes from San Severo proves that the Almighty and old
winemakers know what they're about. Straight from the
bore into the glass, this initially tastes like any cheap and

cheerful litle Iralian portico- -climber; a bit of breathing
room brings out that ropy, raisiny depth that makes it dis-
tinctively a cut above.

Lees & Degs .... ATTENTION BEER NUTS: if your
interest in craft-brewing extends beyond the obvious and a
bit of “hobby brewing” has made you contemplate a
career change, vou can now get some serious education in
the protessional brewing art through a new beer technolo-
gy program being offered by BCIT. The six-week (one
night a week) course, taught by Granville Island Brewery’s
Mark Simpson, begins Feb, 23 and casts $173. The course
is aimed at people who seriously want to start a career in
this rapidly expanding industry.

John Moore
WINE SPOTS

Flavour of India

6 Years of Successful Operation Serving Authentic Indian Gourmet Cuisine,

| BUFFE

Sun. & Mon. 95
2 ee a
TUES.-THURS. DINNER
1 '. ot O20" exp. Fed 2498

purchase 1 entree at reg. price & rec 2nd entree at 50°

>) 06 Open 7 Days a Week 985-5477 |
Sat Hours Tues - Sat 5-10pm. Sun & Mon 5-9pm
175 E. 3rd St,

N. Van. ample parking west side of building

BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT
ON THE NORTH SHORE

1998 North Shore
News Readers
Choice Awards

“Thank you for your continued support

over the years ...
Gamal Hanna
General Manager