Firepots: A place to enjoy a hot pot

The following story was recently published in the Burnaby Now.

Hot pot with a twist

By Alfie Lau, Burnaby Now May 16, 2012

Charlie Xu isn't your typical 25-year-old. Sure, he enjoys snowboarding in the winter and longboarding in the summer, but he won't be doing much of that now that he recently opened Firepots, a new restaurant at 4455 Lougheed Hwy. in the Brentwood area.
Xu is trying to bring the concept of traditional Chinese hot pots - but with a modern and Western twist - to the Lower Mainland.
"I was on vacation in Beijing when I saw this in a mall," said Xu. "It was a much different setup because it was trying to appeal to more than just the Oriental (diner). This is hot pots for a new generation. This is hot pots for people who don't have two hours for lunch. This is for people who want to eat a healthy meal with healthy ingredients."
On a recent weekday, I sat down with the Xu family to sample some of their offerings and was impressed by the variety and complexity of many of the dishes.
We started with the pan-fried gyozas, which had a great spicy kick courtesy of the smart choice of cooking with chili oil.
We followed with the spicy cashew chicken wings, which were spicy indeed, courtesy of another great use of chili powder and chili oil.
To cool my taste buds, we had the soup of the day, a great broccoli and cheese number that you won't find at many Asian restaurants.
The soup was delicious and a perfect prelude to our three signature Firepots dishes.
Our first dish is the Crown Daisy steak firepot, featuring steak slices, Crown Daisy, needle and oyster mushrooms, Yakisoba noodles and a satay spicy soup broth.
What makes the meal even more fun is you can hold a conversation while you're cooking, and you can cook at your own speed.
And for those people a bit scared of their cooking ineptitude, you can order any dish and have the kitchen prepare it for you instead.
Our second dish, the coconut curry chicken, includes chickens, potatoes, carrots, cloud ear mushrooms, jasmine rice and a tasty coconut curry south broth.
We also try the seafood medley firepot, which includes fish cutlets, prawns, scallops, spinach, tomatoes, seaweed, cilantro, lemon grass and rice vermicelli.
The portions are ample, and because the meals feel so light, there's plenty of room for dessert - the restaurant offers both hot and cold desserts.
Firepots is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights). See www.firepots. ca or call 604-293-9955.

© Copyright (c) Burnaby Now

Pasta Amore: A place to eat Italian food

Pasta Amore, located at on Dawson and Willingdon, was mentioned in the following Burnaby Now article that also ran in The Province.  Having eaten there with my wife and kids, I must say that Pasta Amore is one of the better Italian restaurants of North Burnaby.

For the love of pizza

BY ALFIE LAU, BURNABY NOW OCTOBER 11, 2011 10:39 AM

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Claudio Magagnin, left, supervises as Amedeo Paniccia bakes up another pizza at Pasta Amore Pizzeria, just off Willingdon.

Photograph by: Alfie Lau, BURNABY NOW

The sign is hard to miss. Head north on Willingdon Avenue and just before you hit Dawson Street, the sign for Claudio Magagnin's Pasta Amore now has the word Pizzeria attached to it.

And adding the one word doesn't mean just adding to the menu, as Magagnin has brought in authentic Italian thincrust pizza cooked with an authentic Italian flair.

Magagnin had brought in an authentic Italian pizza chef to do the cooking, but after he had to leave because of a family emergency, Magagnin conscripted an old friend, Amedeo Paniccia, to work the pizza oven.

"I've known Amedeo for many years," said Magagnin. "He's from Rome and we used to work together at Portofino (restaurant). When I asked him for help, he was right there."

Paniccia has known Magagnin for more than 20 years, and there was never a doubt what he would say.

"We're friends so when he asked me to help, I said sure. I love making pizza, pizza like it's made back in Italy," said Paniccia.

"I've been in (the Lower Mainland) for a long time, and I haven't had a chance to make pizza the Italian way. . That means a light crust, less ingredients, but an emphasis on the best ingredients, the best sauce and the best dough."

Magagnin recently invested in a new pizza oven and special dishes from Tuscany, which have diners already raving.

Magagnin, who I talked to in the spring about his pasta dishes, is so excited by his foray into pizza that he held several tasting nights recently to introduce his pizza to Burnaby.

With more than 25 different pizzas on the menu, there is a little something for everybody, including a mouthwatering dessert pizza.

As I sat down with my dining companions, my older sister Hayley and her husband Stuart, along with Burnaby NOW salesperson Cam Northcott, we were warmly greeted by Claudio's wife Maria.

When last we talked, Maria marvelled at her husband's risk-taking: "He's always trying something different," said Maria.

And our first pizza was certainly that, as the artichoke pizza was a unique twist on vegetarian pizza.

My sister isn't a vegetarian but she loved this pizza, which was light and flavourful.

The surprises continued with our next pizza, the Napoletana, which features anchovies and oregano.

The 30-cm pizzas - which range in price from $10 to $16 each depending on the toppings - are a perfect dinner size.

But the best was still yet to come.

"I've only got a couple of slices of the Nutella and coconut pizza," Maria tells us. "But, I'll be back with more."

Within minutes, there she is, and we can all try the unique dessert pizza.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a Nutella fan, but I absolutely adore coconut. I bite hesitantly into the pizza, and suddenly I like Nutella lot more. The dessert pizza is something you won't find at most places, and once I got over my fear, it ranked as one of my favourites of the night.

Pasta Amore Ristorante Pizzeria is at 4502 Dawson St. Call 604-298-3135 or go to www.pastaamore.ca.

© Copyright (c) The Province

Read more:http://www.theprovince.com/life/love+pizza/5533096/story.html#ixzz1aUuTKXiL

A place to have a veggie burger: White Spot

The old White Spot at Gilmore Ave and Lougheed Hwy has been there since I was a kid and probably longer.  Just as I don't know how old the White Spot is, I don't know how many times I've either eaten in, driven in, or just taken out a veggie burger from that place.

I've eaten lots of veggie burgers from different places and I must say, the best one is at White Spot.  To wash down a delicious veggie burger and fries with a Coke is one of the few things that can take me to an elevated state of contentment.

I've noticed that Browns Social House at Rosser and Lougheed inside the Motif at Citi building has opened and has a veggie burger on its menu...

Sushi Garden: A Place to Eat

Yesterday, craving sushi and not having enough time to eat in, my wife and I decided to try take-out at Sushi Garden at the corner of Lougheed Hwy and Madison Ave. Sushi Garden sits next to the Church's Chicken where, despite the rain, LiWen Tan was unfailingly plying his trade as a shakerboarder for the fast-food chicken outlet.

The food is not only good but well-priced for the budget-conscious sushi lover. Another positive about Sushi Garden is the fact that it is open all day everyday. For those of you that have felt the frustration of craving sushi on a Monday or between 1:00-4:00 pm when most decent sushi restaurants are closed, you know what I am talking about.