Sushi
At the risk of sounding overly sushi-addicted, I cannot leave this area without recommending Taka’s Take-Out Sushi in White Rock!
This tiny, spotless gem is quite probably the place to go in the lower mainland for takeout sushi. Everything is prepared fresh to order and is beautifully presented.
Tonight I had a spicy tuna cone (big surprise) and I decided to try their ‘mango’ roll. I’m looking at the menu now and Googling ‘masago’, which I suspect is the fish eggs I’ll be picking out of my teeth for a week! Yup! This roll is really yummy, a refreshing alternative to California roll as it combines a comparable blend of textures and tastes.
The last night my friend was here, she wanted one more sushi meal but did not want to go out. I ordered two kinds of teka maki (tuna rolls), a spicy tuna cone for myself, California rolls (theirs are different, with a creamy filling), and ‘dragon’ rolls which are essentially roasted eel wrapped in avocado. We had both wanted to try eel, but were not fond of the dragon rolls; she because the eel did not tickle her taste buds and me because I’m not nuts about avocado. I’m going to have to try eel again to get a firm feel for whether or not I like it. Their miso soup is also divine and it’s very telling that I slurp it all down without frowning when I say that tons of mushrooms float in that heavenly broth and I abhor mushrooms!
What a lovely Tuesday dinnertime it was to sit at my picnic table, enjoying the warm weather and sun, listening to the birds chirping, and munching on such good grub!
Gelato
Dolce Gelato on Marine Drive (right across from the pier) offers the best ice cream I have had in my life. It is made onsite, Italian-style, and and you can just taste the quality of the ingredients. It took a few tries for me to come up with the perfect cone, but I did–bacio and coffee. I used to buy Blizzards at Dairy Queen that set me back 5$ and change for a small with two ingredients when a generous gelato from this place (please indulge in two scoops!) is just 4.95$. Gelato is denser than American-style ice cream, the perceivably smaller scoop really amounts to the same thing and feels so much more satisfying for its light richness (gelato’s wonderful oxymoron!). Other combinations I tried were coffee and hazelnut (bacio gives you that plus chocolate!) and hazelnut and white chocolate (the latter of which has little chunks in it making it feel all the more rich).