beer cheese

My travels in 2013 gave me some very memorable eating memories. Here are a few of the many great things I ate while away this year.

San Juan: Mofongo

Having now tried the national dish of Puerto Rico, I wonder where mofongo has been up to this point in my life. This is a dish made with fried green plantains that are mashed with olive oil, garlic, some fried pig bits and then filled with meat. While in San Juan I tried two versions. The one on the left from Cafe Manolin, a 50’s style diner, was filling and delicious as I waited out a torrential downpour. The one on the right from Restaurante Airenumo was a more upscale version and the best meal of the five days in Puerto Rico.

Mofongo

Vancouver: Vij’s

Vij’s was a bucket list restaurant for me. For years and years, I’ve known I would eat here once I got to Vancouver. This meal was perhaps the best overall meal from the year of travel. Exceptional service and feeling like you were dining in someone’s home only made it that much better. The food was sublime: flavourful, perfectly spiced, interesting and inventive. Making this the perfect evening was getting a chance to say hi to Vikram Vij himself.