With two children under 10 attending germ factories all day and me with an infants immune system, getting laid out with a debilitating cold is an annual inevitability. This year, I ran the gauntlets of September and October without incident but the odds caught up with me last week, when a sore throat quickly turned to congestion, fever, chills, sinus pain, and bed. While my boys have almost bounced back from the same bug to full form (after gifting their contagion), Im still adrift in an awful sea of lame, incapable of tasting all but the strongest of flavours and spice.
Which brings me to marriage, which is awesome. I could be bleeding out of my eyes and Id still have my wife to show me the way. She has exhibited the patience of a glacier this past week, and has done everything Ive asked before Ive even thought to ask. That includes dragging me out for (or bringing home) dishes that restore and cheer. The following 10 elixirs certainly arent control-tested cures, but theyve been mighty convincing placebos.
These take-away bags of hearty beef stew made two steaming appearances between fever chills on my kitchen table this past week. Chef Nico Schuermans of Chambar makes it with root veggies and big chunks of braised beef, but the real star is the deep, dark brown and aromatic gravy, which he has brightened with a healthy infusion of Chambar Ale.
Chef Joel Watanabe has this dialed to a point where it could prove addictive. The hot broth is redolent with complex Chinese spicing and concentrated duck flavour. My only disappointment with the dish as a whole is that so much liquid is displaced by duck and mushroom wontons. Theyre tasty, for sure, but they take up room that could be filled with more consommé!
The Gastown cafe/bakery did a brisk trade in non-sugary bottles of housemade lemonade when it opened at the start of this past summer, but it was only recently that I discovered their hot version. Its the same tart, delicious vitamin C-packed lemonade, only theyve heated it up and side-saddled it with honey. Think of it as NeoCitran without the pharmaceuticals. Revelatory.
The smoky flavour and low-grade heat of this magic soup poked through my sinus cloud like rays of sunshine. Get your nose in there and breathe it in like its a horses feedbag full of VapoRub. Beneath the red surface youll find pulled chicken, Mexican cheese, a flotilla of fried tortilla slivers and fat chunks of fresh avocado. Delicious.
Though studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption reduces our susceptibility to colds, its of no use once the sickness has taken hold. But this list is all about things that stand to comfort, and two fingers of this extra peaty Scotch soothe me like no cough syrup ever could. Alternatively, do the same with a lesser blend but add hot water, lemon, and a pinch of cayenne.
I have yet to set foot in the brand new Bel Cafe in the renovated Hotel Georgia. Its scratch-made, restorative chicken noodle soup found its way to me by way of a thermos. Think piping hot, intensely flavoured yellow broth studded with beans, carrots, toothsome chicken and ribbons of soft pasta. Worked wonders on my olfactories.
I cant resist The Juice Truck whenever I see it parked at Abbott and Water in Gastown. I made a special, heaving effort to get out of the house and shoot back this aptly named mix of pineapple, cucumber, wheatgrass, mint and ginger when my symptoms were at their most tedious, and felt much the better for it.
The freezers at Les Amis du Fromage on East Hastings are warmed with all manner of comforts like shepherds pie, mac and cheese, beef Stroganoff, lasagna and coq au vin. The take-home soups are all winners as well; my favourite among them being an unapologetically indulgent cheddar and broccoli number. Its thick, hot and as I like it: loaded with more florets than stalks.
They change up the soups at this West Side gem quite a bit, but you really cant go wrong with anything they serve here. The classic Minestrone is often represented, and makes for a well balanced nourisher for those who are out of sorts. Its thin, slightly herbaceous broth comes loaded with nice chunks of perfectly cooked vegetables, and the seasoning is flawless.
Im not much a tea man as Ive long assumed it would interfere with my intravenous coffee drip, but Im sure this stuff had a hand in flushing out some of the nasties in my system. The heady mix of juniper berries, red clover blossom, nettle leaf and the roots of dandelion, marshmallow, burdock and ginger smells delicious, and if bought in bulk, could make for a memorable bath.
