Breakfast at Stella's

I've always loved the breakfast at Stella's...and apparently so does everyone else in Winnipeg because it is always packed on the weekends. Although I hate the idea of standing in line for 30 minutes on a Sunday morning I have to admit it's worth the wait. What makes the breakfast at Stella's so good? The key to any good breakfast - eggs! They serve the most delicious free-run eggs and they're consistenly cooked well. I like my eggs poached and it's hard to get that perfect runny yolk so there's this risk of winding up with eggs that are too runny (raw egg whites = gross), watery or straight-up hard-boiled. I'm also a big fan of the Mexican breakfast at Stella's which is sunny side-up eggs (I substitute for poached) over soft corn tortillas with refried beans and topped with cheddar cheese, green onions, tomato, salsa, guacamole, and cilantro sauce served with Stella's breakfast potatoes. 

Oh and they're also really good at re-filling your coffee if you're like me and enjoy drinking coffee until you get the shakes when you go out for breakfast. 

DG

Saigon Jon's Vietnamese Kitchen

If I had to describe Vietnamese cuisine in two words they would be fresh and flavourful. Vietnamese food gets its light, fresh taste from its use of fresh vegetables and herbs and every bite is always packed full of flavour - salty, sweet, sour, spicy...it has it all. I've been wanting to check out Saigon Jon's (www.saigonjons.com) for a while because I love the idea of Vietnamese food for the masses where instead of ordering a number on a menu you get to customize your meal by selecting from a variety of meats (or vegan option) and then choose to have it in a sandwich, salad or noodle bowl. While there are many fantastic Vietnamese restaurants in Winnipeg, Saigon Jon's setup makes ordering fast, simple and unique albeit slightly less authentic. I ordered the Banh Mi (Vietnamese sub sandwich) with lemongrass steak and Thai basil aoili. It was delicious! I loved the lemongrass marinade on the steak and the sandwich had all the right toppings I just wish there was more of 'em, especially the cilantro because I am a cilantro fiend. 

If only it wasn't so far away! I'm going to have to start finding reasons to drive down Pembina Highway more often. 

DG

Leftover Turkey Sandwiches

I have always been a big fan of leftovers and would in fact argue that there are certain foods that actually taste better after an overnight in the fridge like chili and curries. Also, although it is a rare treat for me (Chinese people don't really do turkey), I love leftover turkey with all the fixins'. I was fortunate enough to spend a few days over Christmas in beautiful Sandown, New Hampshire (Population: approx. 6,000) where there isn't a whole lot to do other than going for long nature walks and eating yourself into a food coma. Of the aforementioned activities I mostly engaged in the latter. Like I said before, I hardly ever get to enjoy a big, festive turkey which I really enjoy but what I love even more is the turkey sandwiches my Auntie Donna whips up the next day. They are perfectly constructed with the essential components of the previous day's meal being the turkey, cranberry sauce and the turkey stuffing (which has to be rationed out so that we don't eat it all in the first sitting). 

Who needs a knife and fork when you can have it between two slices of bread! 

DG