Taiwanese Night at Buoys Eatery

When I  moved to Manitoulin Island in 2004, aside from my friends and family, one of the only things I missed the most was the variety of different types of cuisine available.  In order for me to enjoy international cuisine, I had to cook it myself.  Thus the birth of “International Dinner Nights” came about.  A group of friends and their families would take turns hosting International Dinner Night and in the off-season (Winter months), we’d get together once a month.  We’d enjoy authentic Mexican, Swiss, Filipino, Hungarian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Greek food, and we even had a Quebecois night!

Being of a mixed cultural background, I grew up with food cooked with love and with layers upon layers of flavour and interesting spices and ingredients.  I really wanted my daughter to be able to explore different cultures and different foods.  She is now six years old, and to date, she has a very adventurous palate.  The kid will try everything and anything.  She has a voracious appetite for good food.

When I discovered that Buoys Eatery was having a Taiwanese night, I jumped at the opportunity to check it out.  I really enjoy dining at Buoys and though it’s at the opposite end of the Island for me, it’s really worth the drive.

Chef David Hillyard prepared some dishes he learned during his culinary internships in Taiwan.

David cooked a variety of his favourite Taiwanese dishes including Taiwan’s national dish! 

I was really excited about the menu offerings.  Scallion pancake happens to be one of my favourites.  When I taught English as a Second Language in Toronto, one of my Taiwanese students taught our class how to make scallion pancakes.

Sadly, I didn’t take any photos of the scallion pancake because we consumed it before any of us thought to take a photo!

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

This is one of my favourite comfort foods.  It’s very similar to soup my Dad makes.  The flavours that immediately popped out for me were the anise, garlic, ginger, and the mustard greens.  I absolutely love this combination. It reminds me of my childhood.

No photo of the sauteed spinach with garlic and bacon, as we consumed that dish immediately!  I venture to say that the sauteed spinach with garlic and bacon was a favourite at our table.  Again, this is a dish that I grew up with and one my Dad used to make for us often when we were kids.  It also happens to be one of my six year old daughter’s favourites.  She even takes it to school in her lunch box sometimes!

Chef David had a treat for us.  He asked if anyone had ever tried Century Egg before.  It’s a Chinese delicacy in which duck, chicken or quail eggs are preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for serveral weeks to several months.  Growing up, I was never really a fan of Century Egg before, but I remember my grandmother (on my Dad’s side) always had some to offer whenever we’d go visit her in New York.

It was interesting seeing the reactions from my friends upon sampling the Century Egg.  I sampled it as well and found it to be more palatable than I remember it being when I was a kid.  That shows you how often I eat Century Egg!

Taiwanese Dessert

David talked about how Taiwanese food was all about textures and flavours.  His Coconut Milk Jelly and Mango Puree was the perfect finish to a wonderful meal.  The Goji berries added a lovely crunch and contrast in flavour.

It was a fabulous evening with friends.  Lots of laughter and good food, and I am looking forward with great anticipation for the next dinner/theme night at Buoys.

Disclosure –  This is NOT a sponsored post or a restaurant review.  I just love promoting all local Mantioulin Island businesses and want to let others know what events, activities, products, and services are available on Manitoulin Island.