I got a lead on a very unique dining opportunity via Chowhound.
Fuel, a top restaurant in town, does a spot prawn boil each Saturday night
only for a few weeks in May-June. 12 people, one seating. I called weeks ahead
of time and was delighted to get a reservation. The locals were quite
impressed that I even found out about it – it is kind of the local
equivalent to Hungry Cat’s annual crab fest. (Speaking of, they
just opened up reservations for that, hurry if you haven’t already signed
up)
This was an absolutely phenomenal meal. We sat up at
the bar with 10 others. They spread out newspaper all over. The
Amuse was a beautiful and delicately flavored tuna tartare. Then came a clean
and brightly-tasting arugula salad with homemade ricotta served over a squash puree.
Then onto the good stuff…
The chef brought out the alive and kicking spot prawns for
inspection. They were some of the most largest and lively prawns I have ever
seen. They were boiled in a flavorful blend of spices that included
fennel, sausage, potato, radish, wine, lemon, and paprika. He poured them all over the
bar and we just dug in. Wow. So succulent, so bursting with
subtle shrimp flavor.
At one point I sort of complained to Scot that I wished I had
something to dip the potatoes in; he told me to “Dip it in Head.”
Well, that is just what I did. The juices that came out of the prawns
were so sweet and perfectly accentuated with the cooking broth. It made for a great
dipping “sauce” for the potatoes.
Scot and I both agreed that this dinner so raised the
bar for spot prawns that we think it will be tough for the rest of the
restaurants to even come close. We shall see…
BEFORE…
AFTER!
___________
Fuel Restaurant
1944 West 4 Ave
604-288-7905
TheFoodieTraveler 