So, the FoodShed has been in training for a half ironman. Mary (me!) did it over the past weekend up in Vancouver, B.C. Melanie was an amazing support and photographer throughout. It was a unforgettable experience. To celebrate afterwards, we went for a long walk through the streets of Vancouver, down Davie street to Bin 941. What a memorable way to end a memorable day.
Bin 941 in Vancouver, B.C.
Melanie first stumbled upon Chef Gord Martin’s friendly little tapas bar Bin 941 in 2006. She loved the inventive menu and great flavor combinations. So, when we went back, we were happy to see that they’re still kicking ass and pairing unusual and fun ingredients.
Amazing Roe-Topped Appetizer
Dishes are served tapas style. You should share your order, and dishes come out one at a time. For our first dish, we had Digby Scallop Baja Prawn Tournedos. Digby is a little town in Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Two prawns came spooning a scallop, which reminded Melanie of two mating slugs. I am glad she did not share that information with the waitress. Also, they were significantly better than slugs, I’m fairly certain. The prawn/scallops came stacked in a pair, laying in a bed of crazy good bonito butter sauce. It was a tantalizing salty-sweet. The entire affair was topped with a generous helping of crispy tempura’d leeks and a side of cucumber salsa. It was excellent.
A Mushroom Pate ‘Bruschetta’
Next came a ‘bruschetta’ with a wild mushroom pate. It tasted like a delicious vegetarian’s foie gras – rich, special, and earthy. The two long spears of bread were grilled, topped with the pate, then layered with sautéed mushrooms and beautiful curls of parm, and sprinkles of truffle oil. Decadence.
Flank Steak with a Special Glaze
Finally came the flank steak. Melanie’s a big meat eater. I don’t usually eat much meat, and certainly not steak. And yet, for some reason, flank steak seemed like a wonderful final plate to order. So we did. And we were happy. The flank steak came in a spicy-sweet maple syrup chipotle glaze that made me want to lick the dish. We settled for dragging the frites through the extra sauce. It was perfect.
Menu for Magic
It’s a very small establishment, but the staff is very friendly and the decor is quirky and fun.
Fun Mirror!
Here’s what the early morning half Ironman swim looked like, in Vancouver B.C.’s Burrard Inlet. What a gorgeous setting. If you’re curious, you can see some more photos of the Foodshed doing the event (Mary doing it, photography by Melanie) over here.
Half Ironman Vancouver, B.C. Swim
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Wait a minute…AFTER you did a half-ironman then you went for a long walk?! You’re crazy…but I’m very impressed!
Ha! The things I’ll do for the promise of good food…
Did you notice that they spelled hummus as homous? Google says that because it is an arabic translation I have the freedom to spell it phonetically. I’m going to add that to my list of freedoms…along with the freedom to say tamahto or tomato and the freedom to vote.
To say that I am impressed with your athleticism would be vastly understating my admiration. A half ironman is still FULLY impressive. You more than earned this awesome looking meal!
That’s so sweet of you. It means a lot. I really like your blog and read it regularly.
You did a half ironman! That’s like…I don’t even know what to compare it to! It’s so impressive.
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