créme brûlée topped with a scoop of sour cherry ice cream

Ah, June. It’s that time of year when I’m feeling particularly restless. The sun lures me outside to patios, open-air restaurants, and I’m always thirsty for a cold beer or a crisp glass of white wine. Or red-wine sangarias. Or ginger beers. Or ciders. I guess I get particularly thirsty in this heat and haze.

June also happens to be my birthday month. I celebrated it this year at R&D with a piña colada bubble tea! Hmmm, the infusion of summer and Chinese flare.

The restaurant was open and airy with high ceilings and contemporary and rustic touches throughout the space. We sat at the bar near the DJ booth and were immediately entertained by the witty bar staff.

We decided to share the lobster chow mein, the sweet and sour pork ribs, General Sanders’ chicken, and Eric’s curry.

sweet and sour ribs with pineapple ginger slaw

I couldn’t convince anyone to order the seafood on the menu, which all sounded amazing. The next time I’m there, I’ll sample the ceviche, salmon belly, octopus, oysters, and scallops. I might even let someone else have a bite.

The dinner culminated with my favourite dessert: créme brûlée. This concoction was coconut flavoured and topped with a scoop of sour cherry ice cream. The balance of sweet and sour gave it that particularly ingenious flavour profile seen throughout the menu.

It’s exactly what I wanted for my birthday: time with people I love and good food and drink. As we ate the very last bites of dessert, we raised our glasses to another beautiful night in the city and for all the nights that are still to come.