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My wife and I tried the Pho Kim yesterday (10 November 2011) and we're both happy to report that we'll be trying it again. Here's a brief rundown on what we had, as it was a surprise to us. We are not terribly familiar with Vietnamese cuisine and I imagine that some others might be in the same boat.
We did takeout. I parked at the liquor store, although had I had my glasses, I'm sure I would have seen the parking to the rear of the restaurant. Inside, there is a small table-seating area with maybe 5 tables, and a cash counter opposite the kitchen. I ordered by standing by the cash counter and scanning through the menu leaflet. I chose four items:
A3, on the menu as "Pork, Shrimp, & Vegetarian Spring Rolls", turned out to be 3 deep fried rolls, as thick as quarter is round and about as long as a standard ballpoint pen. They contained a filling which was tasty and orange/yellow. The outside was delightfully crunchy and the inside hot with a very light spicy finish. I liked them very much. One order would be good enough for two people.
A8, the salad roll order, had two salad rolls in it. I didn't look very closely at what was inside as I'm not much of a raw vegetable guy, but I'd eat these again in a jiffy. There was a bit of cucumber, some cilantro, and other greens inside. The sauce that came with the order was a brown peanut sauce and very good.
P1: I ordered the large Pho Kim Special. Taking it home, it came in two very large, well sealed styrofoam containers. One contained the broth and cooked meats and the other contained the noodles and fresh ingredients like the shrimp and vegetables. I liked it but of all the dishes, it was the one which I would first scratch off my list next time in order to try something else. It didn't have any strong flavour punch. I quite think it didn't intend to. The flavours were more muted and subtle. It was nice but not memorable.
H11 was a memorable hot noodle and meat broth. I'd order this again in a heartbeat. It was spicy - quite spicy - and warmed me up nicely. The flavours were good and the combination of noodles, bean sprouts, shrimps (about 5 reasonably large ones, maybe more) and meats was pleasantly filling. The broth was good but the last little bit was spicier than I wanted to do, so I tossed the last 2 or 3 ounces. Considering it also came in two litre-sized containers too, the little waste at the end was a small price to pay. Of all the four things we tried, this one is my keeper. There were flakes of chilies and cilantro and other tasty flavourings floating in the broth. The next day, the leftovers made for a fine lunch.
The restaurant is located at 5562-C Main Street in Manotick. Their phone number is 613-692-8588.
Take note that I'm knocking on wood, but I want to let people know how fantastic their neighbors are when driving down Potter and kids loom large on the radar. My kids are beginner bicyclists and the number of people who sense this and naturally slow their vehicles appropriately is amazing. If you're one of these people, I say two things to you:
I'm doing my best to keep them from acting unpredictably, but I greatly appreciate your care and attention while they learn the ropes.
Not that I'm in the market for a new crusade, but I caught wind (ptp) that there might be plans in the works for wind turbines to be built in our vicinity. I'm looking for confirmation or details, but I don't like the idea at all. One glance South from the town of Kingston at this blight on Wolf Island and you'll know what I mean. There is so much land in Canada which is out of the view of the people that I have no idea why they feel the need to build these things anywhere near habitation. After the novelty wears off, there is a dull realization that natural beauty is utterly spoiled when littered with a wind farm's worth of these flapping monsters. If you know anything about this, please let me know. Drop me a line using the links to the left.
If I've learned anything this past year, it's that power reliability is a little spotty. Most of the neighborhood can remember the ice-storm, a time when "emergency preparedness" got serious. So I thought I'd start a page to provide advice and coordination guidance for those situations which no one ever thinks will happen. The Emergency Preparedness link is also on the left-hand navigation pane, you'll notice directly to the left of the screen. Please send in advice if you have some!
I spoke with Diane from Waterson Drive yesterday at Shiverfest and discovered something many of you probably already know: someone is floating the idea of establishing an entrance to the new Minto development through the cul-de-sac on the end of Carrison! I don't like the idea of increasing the amount of traffic which will end up going by my house. Cars, vans, and truck aplenty already speed by our place on Potter, meaning I can't risk letting my kids play out front without taking my eyes off them for a moment. Just last month, I drove by a car which had careened off the road and taken out a telephone stand and ruined a neighbor's front lawn. All I need is the traffic from 5000 more people trying to short-cut by my driveway all year long. And what kind of traffic will it be? It won't be neighbors who value the peace in the Potter area. It'll be youngsters with no stake in the neighborhood, and perhaps even a fair share of "community envy". Do you think they'll care if we want them to slow down and keep the noise to a minimum? Me neither.
Let me know if you know of a way to ensure it doesn't happen and I'll put it up here. I'll be getting in touch with the community association, just like Diane recommended and I'll try to pitch in where I can.
We moved to Potter Drive just over a year ago and discovered that it is the most spontaneously friendly community we've ever experienced. To our delight, we were invited to come along on a caroling adventure, our whole family along with several others with kids roughly the same age as our own. What an evening! Randomly choosing houses to mob, we marched up and down Potter, brandishing safety flashlights to slow down cars, and the kids squealed with delight and adventure. Neighbors were surprised to see a sea of little ones backed by their parents, singing Frosty or Jingle Bells when they opened the doors. There were a few false starts when a less familiar carol was selected, but they only added to the fun. Felice Navidad was a blast!
Neighbors, you Rock! Thanks for being GREAT! Of all the things that happened this Christmas, Caroling Night will stand out as the signature event for our family and be remembered for a long, long time.
I've decided to do an ice rink in our back yard. Several others in the neighborhood do the same and those I know, I am approaching for advice. Yesterday I spoke with Dan G. and discovered he lines the bottom of his BYIR with a 60'X100' tarp, which costs between $100~$200. The benefit is that when things melt, you don't lose all your water. Also, he puts a circumference of 2X10's around it, providing good edge support and a strong puck-stopping border, tying them together with some strapping. I'll be going over to take a look. Jackie (of Peter and Jackie) also builds an annual BYIR. I'll pick her brain and collect my experiences with building the contraption here on the Potter Drive Ice Rink Building Blog page. Check back from time to time to see where we're going with it. I plan to include video, which I host on Vimeo, too, so it won't be just borin text all the time. Also, if you're a BYIR maker, please send me your advice. I'd like the kids to get the most out of it and have a few coppers to rub together at the end of the winter, too... Enjoy!
My fridge, a Kenmore 596.62912200) packed it in a few weeks ago, and, being the stubborn "I'm never wrong about anything (until I'm proved wrong) type" , I decided the $1800+ it was going to cost to buy a new one, have it delivered, extend the warranty, and dispose of the dead one,... Well, that 2 grand was better saved. I embarked on Operation Reefer Repair! Click here for more details, encouragement, advice, and chuckles about my adventure: Reefer Repair Page.
Our septic tank's final stage pump stopped working on Thursday before the May long weekend. The system filled to the brim, and had to be repaired and pumped on Tuesday. The job, by Green Valley Environmental, set us back about $1200 and I have no idea if this was a good deal or a poor one because I lack any real reference or experience in this area. Follow this link for more details: Septic Woes
2 June 2010
Last weekend, we assembled Costco's Cedar Summit Rocky Mountain Retreat II in our backyard. Read about this successful project at this link here.
1 June 2010
I would appreciate any ideas you might have for this site. Please comment and discuss as you see fit on the following comment page: Comment Page. Or just say hi to your neighbors...
Allan Haan, the Veterans Services Chairman at our local Legion, is putting together a Soapbox Derby. The idea is to create a little cart which some youngster can pilot that will roll down one of the hills near our arena (maybe that one by the Giant Tiger). There will be performance prizes, things like Best Handler and Longest Roller, Fastest Down The Hill, and Most Accurate Stopper. I'll keep PotterDrive.CA posted with the latest and get more contact info.
I'm looking at getting a proper concert band together here in Manotick, aimed at "the rest of us". By that I mean this: I don't have time to keep on top of my saxophone. The hour-a-day I'd like to use to blow scales and arpegios with, do a bit of site reading, and hone a couple of challenging pieces ceased to exist upon the delivery of our daughter. Three more kid later and I haven't touched the sax in 6 months. I don't want to lose it, though. If I was able to find a concert band which (a) would have me, and (b) was close to home, then I could at least get a couple of hours a week in and enjoy myself. Are you in the same boat? Drop me a line, or visit the site I've set up to help coordinate interest and explain the idea: http://manotickband.ca
As I write this, I patiently wait for electricity to be restored to our neighborhood. Hydro One has had an outage and the entire area is dark, except for those with backup generators.
The sky is delightful! And what an evening to have a power failure! You couldn't have asked for a finer night. But I digress...
Why this website? Well, I thought I'd put together a little contact point in cyberspace for the people in this neighborhood to drop into from time to time, just to catch up on things. You see, I've become very attached to our area. When my wife, our four kids, and I moved here from Edmonton last October, we thought "Wow, what an exclusive neighborhood!" Quickly, however, we found it wasn't exclusive at all. If anything it was more inclusive than I could have imagined. We've enjoyed everyone we've met, and not a soul has been surly or sour. So, in the spirit of giving a little back, I figured this website might be a nice gesture. Hopefully it proves somewhat useful.
When this power failure lets up, I'll see where I can take this site. Stay tuned!
Jim Murphy
1358 Potter Drive
Monday, 1:00 am, 6 April 2010