raj

A gift from the Land of the Sleeping Dragon to the Land of the Rising Sun has now reached the shores of Canada.

Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish that originally came from China. The word ‘Ramen’ has several etymologies, one of which states that it may have been the way the Japanese pronounce the Chinese ‘la mian’ which means hand-pulled noodles. Another says that the original word was ‘laomian‘ or ‘old noodles’ while a third one states that Ramen was originally called ‘lumian‘ or noodles cooked in a thick, starchy sauce.

Whatever its origin, Ramen is definitely the greatest Japanese invention of the 20th century, not to mention tasty as well.

Ramen Quest – the search for Vancouver’s hidden Japanese Ramen.

You can download the this week’s PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 1 – What legends are made of

Image cutline:Kintaro’s Spicy Garlic Ramen is loaded with garlic and spice and is accompanied by bamboo shoots, green onion, bean sprouts and a couple of egg halves – it’s only on the menu for a short while, until the chef decides he wants to serve something else.

It all started somewhere in the 17^th Century – Tokuguwa Mitsukuni (best popularized by Japanese TV series Mito Komon,) discovered Ramen which quickly became his favourite dish. It only took about three hundred years for the tasty noodles to take the world by storm. Today, dozens of variations have spawned from the original ‘Shio’ ramen which is made with plenty of salt and any combination of chicken, vegetables, fish and seaweed.According to consumer trends, ‘Tonkotsu’ or pork bone ramen seems to be the most popular variety, so let’s start this quest off on the top and find the ever-revered Tonkotsu Ramen.

In Vancouver, ask anyone who knows about ramen where to go for the good stuff, and they all seem to point in one direction – the iconic Kintaro restaurant on Denman Street. The 26 seat diner is known for lineups out the door and a limited menu featuring several varieties of one main dish – ramen, and that’s it. They have their business down to a science.

Having eaten there many times since their opening ten years ago, I can say their rendition of Tonkotsu ramen is addictive and great value for the money. From time to time, they like to deviate a little from the master plan and offer a special variety of ramen, something to break the monotony. This time around, they had a Spicy Garlic Ramen which looked supremely appetizing and certainly didn’t disappoint. Loaded with enough garlic to keep the vampire population at bay and enough spice to burn any zombies another one, I didn’t have to travel to the Eastside tonight to get a fix. Thankfully, I’m not a creature of the night and not only did I satisfy my craving, but with all that garlic and spice, I surely boosted my metabolism and lifespan. If Mitsukuniis out there lurking as a vampire or decides to come back as a zombie, this one might be his undoing.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media juggernaut and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” – Lao Tzu

And so the journey, or rather, the quest for Vancouver’s finest crème brulée has taken me to familiar and unfamiliar places.  The single step that started the journey began at the Glowbal Restaurant with their Crème Brulée Shooter – an alcoholic crème brulée dream come true. Bacon on a crème brulée? Well, that was what Pastry Chef at Society had to offer – the Maple Bacon Crème Brulée. On my third stop, French pastry chef Thierry Busset used Italian amarena cherries for his creation the Amarena Crème Brulée. The Citrus Crème Brulée proved to be my toughest assignment to date, after demonstrating my negotiating skills, I was able to taste this Christmas-inspired crème brulée at the Terminal City Club. During my last crème brulée quest, I went back to a place that evoked a lot of memories as well as a crème brulée made from sake kasu – the Sake Kasu Brulée.

My latest quest leads me to East Hastings in a local restaurant that was sticking to its traditions in creating their own version of the crème brulée.

You can download the this week’s PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 6 – Grand Marnier Finale

Image cutline: Chef Brad Miller delivers the perfect ending to the six weeks of the crème brulée quest

Years ago, I embarked on the journey to create Vancouver’s comprehensive guide to crème brulée. After some investigating, several tastings and a little bit of scribbling, it became apparent that no guide would ever be complete or accurate. Crème brulée recipes tend to change on a whim – be it a change in season, or a change in the chef’s twitter status and compiling such a guide would be an impossible task. When I found out a local restaurant was sticking to their original recipe and had no plans of change, I was intrigued. I figured we’d seen enough ‘change’ with Obama’s administration.

Au Petit Chavignol, is a wine and cheese bar based on the beloved ‘Les Amis du Fromage’ cheese stores around town. Located on East Hastings, eight daunting blocks past Main, the tale of a stable and much lauded crème brulée was worth the travel through the junction of Main and Hastings and subsequently Cracktown. When I arrived on scene, the Vancouver Table Tennis Club across the street put me at ease. This was no longer the neighbourhood where you roll up your windows and pray for a green light, I was just outside of Japantown one block East of the Astoria Hotel in enchanting Strathcona.

The restaurant, the fare, the grower champagnes, all exquisite (how can you go wrong with wine and cheese?) For the grand finale, the Grand Marnier Crème Brulée delivered what was expected. A one-two punch of Grand Marnier and orange zest, balanced with vanilla, topped with sugar and burnt to perfection. The best part? This one isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media juggernaut and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

Denman Street is home to Kingyo, a Japanese Izakaya-style restaurant that serves their own exquisite version of the crème brulée. The location is memorable to me since this is where the small bistro Enthuze used to be located – the place that inspired me to create Vancouver’s comprehensive guide to crème brulée many years ago.

In this quest, I’m back to my old devices – seeking a crème brulée worthy of worship, and I think I’ve found one – at Kingyo, of course.

You can download the this week’s PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 5 – Didn’t See That One Coming!

Image cutline:  On a shadowy corner of Granville Island, famous Sake maker Masa Shiroki conspires to create a new batch of his craft sake. What’s intriguing about the sake brewing process is that nothing is wasted. Not even the slightly gritty paste which is left over from the fermentation process. It’s called Sake Kasu and has long been used in Japanese cuisine and now, in this crème brulée.

A quaint little spot along Denman Street brings back memories in my search for the best crème brulées in Vancouver. A couple of years ago, on this street stood a small bistro called Enthuze, whose enthusiastic owners wanted to share their love affair with food to the world. This was one of the few places where I first tasted and enjoyed the Matcha Green Tea Crème Brulée – an eye-opening experience that led me to believe that somewhere in the world there is a myriad of crème brulées yet to be discovered and not just one as some may argue. After its owners left to study in a world-renowned culinary school, a Japanese Izakaya-style restaurant, Kingyo, took its place in the same exact locations along Denman Street. The location must have good food karma as I’ve always gleaned something amazing upon each visit there.

This Sunday evening, I eagerly awaited for the new crème brulée creation that Kingyo had in store for me. Following the Japanese tradition of enhancing or adding their own unique twist to an original work, Kingyo has created their own renditions of the crème brulée. Their remarkable line of crème brulées ranged from a green tea crème brulée to its more recent sweet potato rendition.

Tonight, Chef Makoto Kimoto unveiled the Sake Kasu Brulée, a creation made from sake kasu – “sake lees” – the left over from the production of sake. This crème brulée rendition is similar to the typical creme brulee with an infusion of the Japanese sake taste. With the pudding covered with a delicate caramelized sugar coating, this rendition of the crème brulée has a rich, exquisite and unique taste akin to the Amazake – a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. It had a hint of nutty aroma about it but the crust was a bit soft. The brulée was not quite smooth and almost had a similar complexion to kasu. The brulée was garnished with sesame crackers like the French sour cracker with a Japanese twist making it semi-sweet. Priced at less than five dollars, this is another brulée you’ll want to place up on a mantle.

Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media juggernaut and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

The Terminal City Club is one of the world’s most respected private business clubs. The members have a multitude of facilities at their fingertips – a full-size pool, fitness facilities, snooker room, grill, wine bar, fine dining and more.

The Club’s Pastry Chef, Fumiko Moreton, recently gained some notoriety by competing in the International Culinary Exhibition aka the Food Olympics in Erfurt, Germany, as part of the team which placed third overall in the World and gained three gold medals.

As usual, I’ve contributed my thoughts relating to Creme Brulee and featuring a creation by Moreton in Friday’s edition of Vancouver’s 24hrs. You can download this week’s version in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 4 – The Private Business Crème Brulée

Image cutline: Pastry Chef Fumiko Moreton likes her crème brulée simple – no fillers, no fruit, no fuss; it’s all about the creamy and smooth texture of the sweet sweet custard.

The search for Vancouver’s undiscovered crème brulée can sometimes be a daunting one. Secretly plotting against Vancouver’s food community, standing in alleys hoping to get a glimpse of the kitchen, recording every intimate account and photographing the evidence certainly lives up to the name of cloak and dagger.

My toughest assignment yet was to infiltrate the guarded walls of the Terminal City Club in the heart of the financial district – the private business club founded in 1892 features an admirable wine bar and some of the city’s finest dining all built for the sole entertainment of members and their very lucky guests. Deep within its luxurious recesses, Fumiko Moreton, Pastry Chef Extraordinaire concocts her next great dessert. Convincing Moreton, part of the crack team that recently earned a Gold Medal and third place in the world’s most important cooking competition, the Culinary Olympics, was no small feat. I had to look the part, talk the part and even smell the part.

After some smooth negotiating (begging), Moreton imparted to me, a taste of her Christmas-inspired Citrus Crème Brulée. Topped with a raspberry, some blueberries, a couple orange slices, a snowflake-like sugar garnish and a mini cranberry and pistachio biscotti, the crème brulée’s presentation  was elaborate enough to make me feel like a giddy youngster, all excited to unwrap a new gift.

Below the delicately caramelized top crust lay simple elegance. The uncomplicated custard infused with lemon and orange zest and lightly flavoured with real vanilla bean invoked the kind of euphoria that is usually incited by illicit substances available on the other part of Hastings Street, far from the club.

It’s no wonder that if you want to join the Terminal City Club, two members in good standing have to vouch for you. It’s just that good.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

It’s a song from the 90s and it’s come back to haunt you. Well….  not really. The folks at CinCin put together a crème brulée with a type a cherry that sounds kinda like it. What’s better is the crème brulée is pretty kickass and when the food is kickass, through some mystic power, my thoughts get published in the Friday edition of Vancouver’s 24hrs newspaper. This week we’re talking about the Amarena Cherry Crème Brulée prepared by Thierry Busset.

You can download this week’s version in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 3 – Hey Amarena

If hearing the name ‘Amarena’ isn’t cause enough to get up and dance to a familiar and similarly named 90’s tune, the tale of this crème brulée will.

On a recent pilgrimage to France, seeking to discover the Country’s nascent cocktail culture, what consistently evaded me was a drink composed of the world’s finest sweet vermouth – the Italian made Antica Carpano. What I discovered was that the highly nationalistic French don’t necessarily look outside their borders for excellence, even if you are drinking at what’s supposed to be an authentic Italian spot.

When I heard that French pastry chef Thierry Busset from CinCin Ristorante was using Italian amarena cherries in his crème brulée, I thought of the move as an enlightened one. These wild cherries, soaked in amarena syrup using a secret 80 year old technique, have made them the most sought-after cherries in Europe, and for good reason: the small, dark, slightly sour cherries, grown mostly in Bologna and Modena resemble olives in texture and are addictive, delicious and bursting with flavour.

Back to the brulée, Chef Busset undoubtedly experimented long and hard to get the right mix – three halved amarena cherries, masterfully inserted into the dessert gives ample opportunity for all good things crème brulée to stand out – a crisp caramel crust, the perfectly consistent custard and the cherries, the sweet sweet cherries, will make for you to want to kick your chair back and yell “Hey Amarena!”

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Image cutline: Pastry Chef Thierry Busset’s Amarena Crème Brulée is so popular that he’s seeking to open up his very own bake shop on Alberni Street within the next year. The crème brulée will definitely be on the menu.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

Bacon. It’s the greatest food in the world and after this episode of my quest, I’d say it’s one of the most versatile, too! So what the heck do bacon and creme brulee have to do with each other? Well, in Brulee Quest, we’re searching for Vancouver’s undiscovered crème brulée. It’s published every Friday in Vancouver’s 24hrs newspaper and this week features a Maple Bacon Creme Brulee that Amanda Goats of Society created for me.

You can download this week’s version in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Episode 2 – Even goes good with Bacon

It’s rumoured that the custard which is essential to the creation of crème brulée has its origin in the fining of red wines.

Winemakers, wanting to clarify their wares, used egg whites to complete their task – what was left over was egg yolks a plenty which, with the addition of some cream, sugar and heated ever so slightly, produced the sweet yellow custard that you’d find in the base of any conventional brulée.

So what happens when brilliant young minds go to work? Bacon, the world’s greatest food, gets added into the mix and the result is no ordinary crème brulée!

Amanda Goats, Pastry Chef at Society, Yaletown’s newest hotspot, felt that the best of Canadian flavours was sufficient muse in the creation of her Maple Bacon Crème Brulée.

What I tried one fateful Saturday morning was dyn-o-mite – the custard reminiscent of scrambled eggs in texture, lightly sweetened with the flavour of maple and containing delicious bits of the finest bacon was suitable for any meal of the day, whether it’s just dessert, just breakfast or something more.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

It’s here, the last of the Mohicans has arrived. A relic or collector’s item right out of the box, the E72 is probably the last Symbian S60v3 FP2 phone that will ever be built by Nokia.

With the recent dismantling of S60.com, N-Gage.com, Widsets.com and other websites, plus the lacklustre performance of the E75, one’s gotta wonder if someone who picks up this phone isn’t some mindless automaton who buys whatever shit Nokia slings.

What’s worse is that if you look at history, the E61 was a pretty good phone, the E61i was an even better phone, the E71 rocked. The E62 was introduced by companies like Fido and Cingular and was essentially carrier branded garbage (sort of like the E71x which was released by AT&T). Nokia would have been smart to stick with the name E71i or the N71i as previously whispered through the blogosphere but they dropped the ball when they let AT&T release the carrier-branded FP2 variant of the E71 as the E71x.

Well (after a rocky start), I can report with great certainty that I probably won’t be smashing my E72 and thus far I’m pretty happy. Or at least, perhaps my time with the E75 has taught me to cope.

I’m not the average user and my needs are directly correlated with my business interests, but keeping that tall list aside, stability and responsiveness should rate really high on the scale what makes or breaks any phone, right? Right!

The E72 is a responsive phone. The hosted Nokia Email solution actually loads up quickly (not in the blink of an eye but still tolerable) and transitioning and loading other software isn’t so bad.

My setup (aka the testbed):

• Nokia E-Mail with Mail for Exchange

My primary mail client – the new ‘Mail for Exchange’ is Nokia’s attempt at shoving bloatware down peoples throats. Thankfully the fast processor in the E72 can cope and synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Servers is pretty tolerable. Nokia E-mail also uses FP2’s network destinations feature which replaces access point groups that was available in the E61i.

Shamefully, Nokia E-mail doesn’t give you the ability to select folders for synchronization and doesn’t give you access to all of your top level folders.  Instead, Nokia E-mail syncs all the folders within its grasp based on a single setting – if you ask for it to sync all of your email, you’ll fill up your phone’s memory (imagine a million sent items) and will have to use the three-finger salute to wipe out and reset to factory settings.

The older (downloadable) version of Mail for Exchange (available in the E71 and previous) strikes me as a more stable and mature product.

• DataViz RoadSync

RoadSync is another mail client that syncs with Microsoft Exchange. Setting it up is a bit of a pain since it takes control of your email key, sets itself to the default email program, etc. and whch all has to be undone. Once it’s going, it’s solid and responsive.

In FP2, RoadSync really shines. The same software installed on an FP1 phone can’t see most of the top-level folders and brings up an annoying send dialog if you send immediately (when installed as the secondary e-mail client). Once you’re on FP2, the send dialog has been hidden and RoadSync magically has access to all of the top-level folders.

DataViz – I apologise for all the mean things I said to you in the past, all this time it’s been a limitation of the operating system.

• emoze

emoze is another push email account. It’s a hosted solution that can interface with your POP3, IMAP4 or can also connect to an Exchange Server using Outlook Web Access. emoze also brings view as HTML support to users running the older version of Microsoft Exchange Server (2003) but still has some viewer kinks to be worked out.

In fairness, Nokia E-mail does allow you to set up multiple accounts (one Mail for Exchange account and multiple POP3 and IMAP4 accounts) but falls flat in the ease of setup and stability department. After beating my head against the wall over intermittently receiving emails, I said fuggetaboutit and installed emoze. emoze is lightweight, uses Nokia’s old mail interface and simply works. Thumbs up emoze people for making a stable and lightweight product!

• Killer Mobile TotalRecall

In my E71, I used VoxTalk to record all my incoming and outgoing phone calls. I bill for my time, so it’s important to keep track of phone calls. Well, VoxTalk doesn’t work on the E72 so I’ve installed TotalRecall which is a similar application and thus far, it works like a charm.

• Birdstep SmartConnect

I’m using the European version of the E72 which means the fastest Internet speed I’m going to get is whatever EDGE is capable of. I’m surfing in the kilobits not the megabits (until I purchase an E72-2 which comes out in a few days). To make things worse, most S60 software isn’t aware of network destinations, so I’m stuck using simple access points.

Birdstep launched SmartRoaming in the era of the E61 which allowed for seamless Wifi roaming. Smartconnect is the same software for the E71 and thus far it works perfectly for me E72, too! So now I can have third party programs (like RoadSync and emoze) automatically switch between my various Wifi access points I have at home and in the offices and also roam onto Fido’s GPRS/EDGE network when I’m away. I get to save battery power and improve performance automatically.

• Google Gmail, Google Maps, Google S60 App

The new Google App for the S60 has voice recognition built in and it’s pretty accurate. Kudos to Google.

• Nokia Conversation

Threaded SMSes strike me as a must for any smartphone nowadays. It’s odd that this piece of software has to be installed like a third party product. Rather, it should be installed by default. It’s been a graduate from Nokia’s Beta Labs for some time.

• Gravity

Twitter and facebook status update program that doesn’t suck.

• Escarpod

Okay, I’m fine if Nokia doesn’t want to include N-Gage in the E72. Really, I’m fine with the fact that they want to force all game makers to publish their games to the Ovi store. I’m fine with being penalized for having purchased games in prior iterations of my Nokia phones staring with the N95. I won’t talk about how useless the Ovi store is either. What’s baffling, though, is that Nokia ripped out the Podcasting client that’s been built in their E-series phones for at least three years. Instead, we have t install ‘in-development’ software like Escarpod.

Overall, the E72 does what I need it to do. I’m not craving any additional features and I’m no longer excited about what’s next from Nokia. I’m happy with this phone and its stability but I’ve been beat up too many times. Maemo and S60v5 just don’t turn my crank anymore.

Side note, I hear the Palm Pre will support multiple Exchange accounts.

According to the latest press on the newest flavour of Raincoast Crisps, the ‘cinnamon raisin crackers’ pair a hint of cinamon with sweet golden raisins and go well aged cheddar, manchego or asiago cheese.

So we took that, tossed it out the window and tried our own nutty* concoctions: buckwheat honey, rhubarb & vanilla artisianal preserve and a gourmet mustard.

How did they rate?

Round 1 – Buckwheat Honey – slightly bitter, this monofloral honey is more effective than over-the-counter cough syrup at treating childhood cough.

Result? Well, I don’t have that cough anymore. Crackers took well to the honey, I’d say about a 5 out of 10 on the Raj scale of yumminess.

Round 2 – Rhubarb and Vanilla Artisianal Spread – one of my friends has a theory that the addition of Vanilla to anything makes it better. He cites Vanilla Coke as one of the examples of this triumph. Considering the raging market success that Vanilla Coke has had on the market, maybe he’s talking about a different coke… the South American variety, perhaps? Either way, I ain’t buying it.

Result? Not bad at all. The Artisianal Spread is actually part of Vista d’Oro’s Spring Line. So we’re mixing a fall flavour from Lesley Stowe with a spring flavour from Vista d’Oro and whaddya get? Pure summer! 7 outta 10 on my made up scale of culinary greatness aka the Raj scale of yumminess.

Round 3 – Extra Hot Gourmet Mustard – there ain’t nothing like gourmet mustard. When one old boy points at another old boy and says “he’s got the mustard,” usually giving a slight nod of approval, it isn’t something to be taken lightly. SO here we have it, now Lesley Stowe, or rather, Lesley Stowe’s cracker has the mustard.

Result? POW! I nearly burnt my freaking face off with that extra hot mustard. Note to self, use less! I think I need some sparkling spring water… or buckwheat honey…  hhhhoott. I can’t say this one even makes my scale – the mustard totally overtook the cracker and then burnt a hole in my desk and the floor below it, so we put that in the unrated category and then called the local hazmat team at the fire department.

I spose the sane should stick to aged cheddar, manchego cheese or asiago cheese. Lesley Stowe’s Cinnamon Raisin Crisps – now available in stores but beware!, highly addictive.

Find out more on her website, HERE.

* no nuts were harmed nor were any used in the creation of this blog post (yet)

For background on the delicious little crisps, keep reading, after the jump.

Read more »

A new week, a new quest – this time we’re searching for Vancouver’s undiscovered crème brulée and it’s published every Friday in Vancouver’s 24hrs newspaper. You can download this week’s version in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

Brulée Quest – the search for Vancouver’s undiscovered Crème Brulée.

Episode 1 – Sugar on top, party underneath

This week, as we transition from one celebrated food to another, you can’t deny the global appeal of Crème Brulée – one of the world’s most popular and versatile dessert dishes. So popular, that throughout Vancouver’s restaurant scene, you can find a myriad of flavours ranging from brulées filled with mundane vanilla custard to magnificent chocolates, green teas and even lavender.

A crème brulée can be more than just custard sitting in a bowl topped with a layer of hard caramelized sugar. Ideally, the sugary top has to have just been caramelized – so it’s warm to the touch, and it can’t be too thick otherwise you can’t break it with your spoon. It is gratifying to simply chip away and consume the crust but really, the prize is still what’s beyond the wall. Think back twenty years ago to when you saw the Berlin Wall fall. Some of you were probably thinking to yourself, man that’s a wild party. Well, in the same bent, what’s beyond the sugar wall is almost always a party.

Take Glowbal Restaurant’s rendition of crème brulée or the Crème Brulée Shooter as they call it: hand-crafted in small batches by Glowbal’s skilled kitchen staff, the Crème Brulée Shooter possesses all the characteristics of a great brulée – a freshly-toasted caramelized sugar cover hides something similar to a china white shooter. Crack the sugary top and what’s underneath is a great start to the Crème Brulée Quest.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp and can be found on twitter with the username ‘tinhead.’

Snif! That’s it. This is the last of the Bacon Quest. It’s been a good six weeks writing this piece for 24hrs news. A great opportunity to talk about something I love. You can download the published version in PDF format HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below. Stay tuned for a new subject, next week

Bacon Quest – the search for Vancouver’s undiscovered bacon.

Episode 6 – The Final Bacon

My journey to discover new and exciting bacon isn’t just the six week stint you’ve read in this newspaper, but a lifelong journey. Like anything, it has its ups and it has its downs.

I recall in 2007, there used to be a place in Yaletown called Lucky Diner. Lucky was the place for breakfast if you were in the area as, at the time, it was owned and operated by the experienced restaurateur, Sean Heather of the Irish Heather, and if there’s anything the Irish know, it’s breakfast. Well, that and potatoes but we’ll save that for another quest.

So, as the story goes, I’m experiencing Lucky Diner for the first time and I order breakfast from Mr. Heather’s sister, Roisin. Breakfast includes bacon or as they called it on the menu, ‘belly bacon,’ which is really why I ordered it in the first place. So breakfast finally arrived, I look down and am greeted with two strips of bacon.

Two freaking strips, I think to myself. What? They couldn’t spring for the third?

Then I started to analyze the situation a bit – I’m thinking to myself, do these people not like me?

Is Ms. Heather still angry with me for finding out the secret location of Salt before they launched? Am I going to taste bitter almonds next and wind up in an Eastside dumpster?

I bit my tongue and didn’t say a thing and am glad that I did. When I finally did try the belly bacon, it became immediately clear that this is bacon unlike any other – the bacon of the gods, tiny but so rich and salty that eating more than two strips would indubitably be a sin.

I found it, the holy grail of bacon, and I lived to tell about it.

Today when I spoke to Exec Chef Lee Humphries at the Irish Heather, he informs me that they still have access to such a treat. I’ll be there soon, I’m sure.

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Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com, publishes a miscellany of his musings at raj.jp.