Left Bank Restaurant and Bar is now open at 751 Denman Street in the location that once housed Le Parisien and previously Cafe de Paris. The revamp was more than just a room spruce up,this time around and both the menu and the interior are very different. While there will still be some of the classic French dishes on the menu, they are now influenced by international flavours and many items venture far from France. 
Restaurateur John Blakely is the proprietor here; he also owns Kitsilano’s Pastis and had Le Parisien previously in this space. Many remember Blakely from his days at Diva at The Met, he is a fixture in the Vancouver restaurant scene and a epic host! In the kitchen Chef Spencer Watts is in charge and front of house is the always charming and attentive Guillaume Cagna; they make a very good team. Pictured above are Cagna and Watts and Chef Rory Higdon. 
Left Bank’s dinner offerings include steamed mussels and crisp pork belly (pictured above) and mains such as duck confit and sockeye salmon (also pictured above) and of course there is the classic steak frites. 
Complete article at: http://goodlifevancouver.com/left-bank-menu-tasting/...

The Royal Thai Consulate General, Sutthiluck Sa-ngarmangkang, is now settled at her residence and invited media into her home for a preview for this weekend’s (August 23/24, 2014) Discover Thailand Festival.Discovering Thailand Festival 2014 (www.worldculinary.net/thailand) is taking place at the Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza.
The presentations included a cooking demonstration of very tasty and not too spicy Pad Thai (of which I really wanted more but didn’t dare to ask) and a mild Penang curry sauce (I think they held back on the heat for us Westerners). Immensely complicated costumes were worn by the dancers during the dancing demonstrations, and a fashion show of modern and traditional Thai clothing again portrayed the importance of colour and sparkle in the Thai culture. A flavourful lunch with many of the dishes that will be served at this weekend’s festival rounded out the afternoon and probably my belly as I left rather full as of course I had to sample a little of everything. It was an honour to meet the Consulate General. Thailand is definitely on my to travel to list for the very near future! 
The festival is the first of its kind in Western Canada. Organized by the Royal Thai Consulate-General, Vancouver, the inaugural festival aims to showcase and celebrate the nation’s rich and vibrant cultural heritage through its performing arts, costumes and tasty gastronomy – as well as to encourage Western Canadians to visit the country’s amazing travel attractions including beautiful beaches, historic sites, fascinating wildlife and experience the fabulous shopping and foodthat dots the country’s landscape.
Complete Article at: http://goodlifevancouver.com/visiting-the-royal-thai-consulate-general/


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