Culina Mill Creek

Culina Mill Creek
9914 89 Ave
780-437-5588

Today's post was a joint contribution by me and my dining companion Garson. We met up at the Mill Creek location for brunch one Sunday as an early birthday celebration.

brunch.menu

I encouraged him to order the bacon caesar ($6) as he loves all things bacon. It came garnished with a thick strip of smoky bacon. We both liked the taste of the caesar. It was suitably spicy with the right amount of kick to it. Garson thought that there may have been some notes of shrimp cocktail sauce in the drink. While a bacon strip was part of the drink, not much of the bacon flavor infused into the drink and we both agreed that it would be even more awesome of the liquid portion had some bacon flavor to it.

bacon.caesar

When I asked about what types of tea they had, I was given the choice between a black tea infused with bergamot and rose petals, or an oolong chai. I chose the black tea ($4) and it was brought to me in a cute and stumpy metal teapot. As adorable as it looked, I would not be trying to search for one to purchase as the entire pot (including the lid) got incredibly hot! The tea itself tasted like an above-par black tea, but I wasn't able to taste much of the bergamot nor rose flavoring.

Cute but hot teapot

We both couldn't decide the Famous Bacon and Eggs ($17) or the Huevos Rancheros ($13.50), but then we agreed to each order one and share. Garson being the b-day boy, I let him have his choice which was the the bacon and eggs. It included slow braised bacon, a fritatta, potato hash, and toast. The meal was served with a mushroom cream sauce which we loved. We found the frittata to be a bit too salty and otherwise unremarkable. On the other hand, the potato hash was delicious, and the added slices of mushroom were a fabulous touch. However, our favorite part of this platter was the bacon. There was minimal fat and it had an amazing smoky flavor to it. The texture of the meat was almost like ham, but it was much better. We both agreed that there was an ample portion of meat on the plate and liked how the pieces of bacon were bite-sized and easy to share. Also on the plate was a dollop of homemade ketchup. I didn't think it was necessary considering there was the mushroom cream sauce on the other side of the plate and that there was no lack of flavor from the potato hash nor bacon (which is what the ketchup was placed next to).

famous.bacon.and.eggs

I'd like to call Huevos Rancheros a Mexican eggs benedict. There were two homemade tortillas topped with a tomatillo sauce, poached over easy eggs, fresh avocado chunks, refried beans, cheese and arugula. I wouldn't order this dish again. Part of the reason is based on my preferred taste of the traditional breakfast foods, but I also thought that the tomatillo sauce was very powerful and was the dominant taste on the plate. I also believe that there was too much of it on there to enjoy the flavors of all of the other toppings and even the tortilla itself.

huevos.rancheros

No birthday meal is complete without dessert, and we ordered the special of the day: the Tres Leche Cake with Strawberries ($8). "Sososososoooooo good" was my description for its taste. It is a sponge cake soaked in three different types of milk. The cake was a perfect balance between light and dense, and was moistened by the milky topping. The cake itself was fragrant and not too sweet. The leche sauce was creamy and also not overly sweet. It was garnished with an abundant amount of strawberries, a gooseberry, and a couple of sweet orange slices. All paired well with the cake and cream. This cake will be something that I will be searching for a recipe to try to recreate!

Yummy tres leches cake with strawberries

Next time I return to Culina, I will definitely order their bacon and eggs. I guess they don't call it their famous bacon and eggs for no reason! I also highly recommend the tres leche cake if they have it on their menu again!

Culina Mill Creek
4/5

Delish Custom Cakes and Sweets

Delish Custom Cakes and Sweets
9510 107A Ave
780-761-3227
Open Mon-Sat from 9 AM-5 PM

I went to this bakery thanks to a Groupon from my friend Adrionne. The deal was for 4 cupcakes. I wasn't initially planning on getting 4 different flavours but after seeing the multitude of flavours on display, I wanted to try out as many as I could. There were no labels for the cupcake flavours in the display case, but the lady helping me out verbally and patiently pointed out what each flavour was. The 4 cupcakes I decided on were red velvet, apple cinnamon, banana chocolate chip, and coconut creme.

Clockwise from top left: coconut creme, banana chocolate chip, apple cinnamon, and red velvet

Upon getting home, I quickly photographed the treats and cut a quarter off of each to sample while they were still fresh. My first bite was into the apple cinnamon cupcake. The cake portion had a tart and fruity apple flavor, a suitable amount of cinnamon, but a heavy buttery aftertaste. The texture also felt a bit dense (almost muffin-like) and chewy, as if the batter has been overmixed. I did like how the cake wasn't extremely sweet though. The cinnamon-sprinkled buttercream complemented the cake portion well as that wasn't overly sweet either. It just felt a tad dried out.

The coconut creme was made with a vanilla cupcake as the base, topped off with a coconut buttercream frosting. The vanilla cake was tasty. It was moist and light. I found the icing to be very sweet with a weird aftertaste. It was supposed to be a cream cheese icing, but I couldn't taste any cream cheese. The sprinkles of coconut on top were yummy and added an interesting twist to the texture, but overall, I could do without this icing and just eat the cake portion.

Apple cinnamon and coconut creme

The next sample was the red velvet. It was soft, moist, fluffy and had a subtle cocoa flavour. Every time I bite into a portion of red velvet cake, I have to make a strong effort to not think about the extreme dose of artificial coloring I'm ingesting. The cream cheese icing was topped with candy hearts which added a tasty crunch. I love cream cheese icing and this is one of the few icings where I don't have too much trouble eating the entire portion covering the cupcake.

Lastly, the banana chocolate chip cupcake was alright..for something that had artificial banana flavor. Mini chocolate chips were baked throughout the cake portion and were also added on top of the frosting for esthetics. The banana buttercream tasted and felt fresh, and made a nice addition to the banana flavored cake.

Red velvet and banana chocolate chip

Overall, my favorite cupcake out of the bunch was the red velvet. I thought that the cake portions were overall satisfactory (I'm negatively biased against icing as I'm not a big icing person to begin with). Delish is also to be applauded for their creativity in flavors (one I was afraid to try was the peanut butter and jelly!).

In addition to cupcakes, Delish also creates custom cakes and pastries (including but not limited to biscotti, cinnamon buns, and pies). I was given a business card at the end of my visit and shown a few samples of the cakes they've created. After seeing the 4 cakes they had on display, I wasn't very impressed as the decorating appeared to be novice decorating at best. Based on what I've tasted in the cupcakes I'm sure the cakes taste pretty good, but cake decorating is an art form and the esthetics of cakes shouldn't be overlooked.

A couple of other things stood out in my mind about this bakery. The employees wore scrubs instead of aprons. As a health care professional, it bothered me to see people preparing food while wearing a uniform frequently associated with patient care. Another thing was the overall uninviting atmosphere of the bakery. Upon walking in, there appeared to be more emphasis on the large, sterile-appearing decorating/assembling area than the viewing/purchasing area. There were two display coolers at the front end without much warmth or welcome. While the cakes were acceptable, there isn't enough of a draw for me to go out of my way again to return.

Delish Custom Cakes and Sweets
3/5

Mushroom Phyllo Pouches

The first time I tasted these was when our friends Leeann and Lisa hosted a Christmas gathering in which they prepared all of the amazing food! The most popular item on their menu were what they called "Feliz Navidad Phyllo Mushroom Pouches". They looked professionally made and they tasted amazing, but L&L were adamant that they were very simple to make.

I was hesitant at first, having never worked with phyllo pastry before and hearing about how finicky it is, but one day I decided to try it out myself. I combined their recipe and tips with another recipe I found online, and after successfully making a test batch, I decided to make them for a work potluck. They were well-received!

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Mushroom Phyllo Pouches
Adapted from friends Lisa and Leeann, and The Pioneer Woman

INGREDIENTS:
1 package (1 roll) phyllo dough
½ cup butter
4 cups chopped mushrooms (any kind you like)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
½ can mushroom soup
Splash of dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt half of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add white wine, mushroom soup and seasonings. Leave on heat until the mushrooms have been cooked and the liquid volume has reduced. Add parmesan cheese to help soak up any excess liquid.

2. Melt the other half of the butter in a bowl.

3. Unroll phyllo dough. Working quickly, place 1 sheet on a flat surface (on top of a sheet of tin foil makes for easy clean up) and brush lightly with melted butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter. Repeat this until you have four sheets of phyllo. Do not brush top layer with butter.

4. Cut this buttered stack into twelve equal rectangle/squares (about the size of wonton wrappers, approximately 3x3”). Using a pizza cutter works well. Keep all unused phyllo pastry under a damp paper towel until ready for use.

5. Place a teaspoonful of mushroom mixture in the middle of each square. Gather each square into a neat little bundle, pinching the neck so that it remains as closed as possible when it bakes.

6. Place bundles on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet, pressing lightly so that they’re flat on the bottom.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
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Suitcase Souvenirs: Arcachon, France

La Teste-de-Buch, France
May 2011

While in France, we rented a car for 5 days to tour around the little towns that would otherwise be inconvenient to visit if we had travelled by plane or train. On one of our road trips, we drove from Bordeaux to the southwest coast of the country, the Arcachon Bay area. One of the stops included a trip to the Dune du Pilat, which is a giant sand dune that formed in the 17th century. It is nearly 3 km long, 500 m wide, and 105 m tall. There are stairs that people can use to climb to the top but we opted to climb up the sand. On the other side of the dune was the beach area and the Atlantic Ocean (or the Bay of Biscay if you really want to be technical). On the beach side, we dipped our feet into the refreshingly cold water an then headed towards the townsite where we had an icy cold treat while relaxing next to the water.

We then drove to Arcachon for lunch at a place called la Bouée. Their house white wine was fabulous, and it was only 4€ for 500 mL! Most of the places we've been to in the larger cities charged us 2-3€ for a 125 mL glass. The most memorable part of this meal was my appetizer: baked Camembert drizzled with honey. Yum yum! Apparently the thing to eat in Arcachon are oysters but I didn't get a chance to try them.

After lunch, we walked around the shops in Arcachon and then strolled along the beach next to the Bassin d'Arcachon (Arcachon Bay). We noticed many topless women here.

La Teste-de-Buch and the rest of the Arcachon Bay area are popular weekend getaway locations for many residents in the Bordeaux region. We did our day-trip on a Sunday and our return back to Bordeaux was slooowww. There were numerous signs on the highway saying "Risque du bouchon" which I later found out to mean "risk of traffic jams". They did not lie.

Danbo soaks up some sun

If you're ever in Bordeaux, consider visiting La Teste-de-Buch and the Arcachon Bay area for a slower-paced, relaxing beach break!