Vancouver raj

Vancouver

Vancouver City Council Off the Deep End?!

Okay. We got bike lanes. We got chicken coops. Now, with Vancouver’s City Council’s help, organized labour can prevail over the evil ruling overlords.

‎”We are socialists, we are enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions.” –Adolf Hitler

I’m talking about Rocky Mountaineer Railtours (RMR) here. It’s a small, 100 man operation that is one of the gems of BC’s Tourism Sector. In February, the on-board attendants changed their union from the Canadian Auto Workers’ Union to the Teamsters (Local 13 – sidenote: anyone find Jimmy Hoffa yet?), which was mostly seen as a move to muscle more out of RMR for the workers (yay).

That’s fine and said but then fast forward to June, a couple weeks after RMR’s owner, Peter Armstrong, announced that he was going to Chair Vancouver’s Non-Partisan Association (NPA), things really went haywire.

First Teamsters Local 13 advised RMR of their intent to strike (uh oh!). Then RMR locked them out and hired replacement workers (double uh oh!).

Apparently by all reports, things are going alright onboard RMR’s trips right now. Customers are satisfied and RMR is having an okay high season minus the slanderous remarks and fake reviews being posted online regarding the company.

Anyhow, that’s not where things get weird. This is:

(click the image or the link HERE to view the original letter in full or keep reading)
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aside 9 Jan

Chef Ryan’s going for the Gold

The Bocuse d’Or is a biennial culinary competition among the finest culinary masters in the world. The event was named after famed nouvelle cuisine chef and creator of the competition, Paul Bocuse. Aside from giving young, up-and-coming chefs the unique opportunity of weaving their gastronomic artistry in front of the crème de la crème in the culinary world, the Concours Mondial de la Cuisine or World Cuisine Contest has also created a global community of chefs and culinary masters dedicated in attaining excellence in every facet of their chosen profession.

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

Chef Ryan’s going for the Gold

Photo cutline: All hot chefs in their own right, mentor Scott Jaeger, assistant Talib Hudda and Ryan Stone are ready to do battle in Lyon, France, on January 25^th and 26^th to take home the gold for Canada.

A chef isn’t the type of person to back down from a challenge. They will stop at nothing in order to be perceived as the best. This makes for really scary encounters should you ever bump into one of these people in a dark back ally.

Fortunate for dark back ally-goers, BC’s own Chef Ryan Stone from the West Coast Fishing Club has channelled his energy into something much grander. He’s going to Lyon, France, this month to compete in one of the world’s most prestigious culinary competitions.

Chef Stone has been preparing his entire career to represent Canada on the world stage, and with the goal in sight and having been chosen as our country’s delegate, he’s now putting in insane 16 hour days to perfect the game. Given his dedication, mentorship and the team he’s assembled, Canada has a really good chance at winning this year.

At a special media tasting this week, Chef Stone presented a meat platter and a fish platter so beautifully presented, you know no money could ever buy the experience. What’s equally amazing was that the dishes were prepared from scratch in less than five and a half hours, the maximum allowable time for competitors to present their dishes to the judges.

This year, the Bocuse d’Or Culinary Competition will pit 24 countries’ best chefs against one another in a quest for gold. On January 26^th, only three chefs will be deemed worthy of being able to step up to the winners’ podium.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, part entrepreneur, part social media thought leader and part foodie. You like amazing food photos? Check out his photos at flickr.com/photos/urbanmixer. His twitter username is @tinhead.

aside 18 Oct

Slider Quest – Episode 1 – Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, Rangelina go to Revel Room.

There are numerous claims on how the ‘slider’ came to be, from the grilled patties of the U.S. Navy, sliding about during the heavy seas, or the claim that White Castle invented the ‘Slyder.’ Whichever claim is true. one thing’s for sure, a slider is not a mini-hamburger. The meat of the slider is cooked on top of a bed of onions that allows the juices from the onions to permeate into the meat itself. This distinctive cooking method makes the slider a truly unique gastronomic experience.

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

Episode 1 – Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, Rangelina go to Revel Room.

Image cutline: Revel Room in Gastown serves up three types of sliders: Double Smoked Bacon and Beef, Black Bean Lentil and Avocado, and Pulled Pork, our favourite!

Into the wormhole they go, Raj Taneja and Angelina Rai are transcending cross-dimensional boundaries in search of a slider… but not just a slider, the real slider sorta like that search for Earth Prime in that mid-90s TV series, Sliders. The journey begins in Gastown.

Raj: So, what is the real slider, anyways?

Angelina: Well, it’s like a mini-burger, but not. It’s small, maximum three inches in diameter, the meat is cooked on a griddle, sautéed onions and pickles go well but the possibilities are endless; if you found the ultimate slider you’d know. Like Harold and Kumar’s trip to Whitecastle, we’re on a quest for the truth or at least cure a craving.

R: So, this place they call Revel, located at 238 Abbott Street in Gastown, has sliders on the menu.

A: Not only that, there’s a lot of history in that place. Add a large collection of Stay Puft Marshmallow Men figurines and a bartender by the name of H which I think stands for ‘Hot Bartender,’ …

R: With drinks called Caligula and Secret Garden on the menu, I think I know where this fantasy is going really fast, but back to business… Revel has not just one, but three sliders on the menu. They’re only available after 11pm so your bedtime better not be early. Pulled Pork and Beef with Double Smoked Bacon and I’m forgetting one…

A: The Black Bean Slider with Avocado Salsa and you’ll taste a hint of butter!

R: Ahh, but that pales in comparison to the refreshing flavour of meat. The Pulled Pork slider really stood out considering that this little piggy was braised for 11 hours.Add in a nicely toasted bun and a little bit of coleslaw, the only word that comes to mind is awesome.

A: I agree but it’s so good to see a slider that’s worthwhile for our Vegetarian pals, too.

R: A menu fit for someone seeking a wide range of possibilities…

A: Including sophisticated drinks specially crafted by bartender H.

R: He’ll even serve you a freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie at last call. It’s their thing, you know.

Editor: What parallel universe will Rangelina slide into next? Who will they meet? What will they eat? Tune in next week for Episode 2 of Slider Quest.

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead

aside 22 Sep

Cocktail Quest – Episode 6 – Sampling summer cocktails at the Shangri-La Hotel

“Here’s my hope that we all find our Shangri-La.” – Lord Gainsford

Shangri-La is a mythical paradise isolated from the outside world. The name evokes the idea of utopia where happiness abounds and people live to near immortality. This is an appropriate location for the end of the quest for the ultimate summer cocktail. With its lofty status as a “destination” restaurant, the Market at the Shangri-La Hotel certainly has some skilled bartenders who allow you to think out of the box and create your own concoction. However, despite all of this creativity, it seems that the ultimate summer cocktail, like the legendary earthly paradise described in the 1933 James Hilton novel, has remained as elusive as ever.

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

Episode 6 – Sampling summer cocktails at the Shangri-La Hotel

Image Cutline: Explore beyond the menu when in the hands of a skilled bartender.

After tornado-ing through the city’s finest cocktail establishments, sampling menus from head to toe, and pushing bartenders to their limits, Raj and Melody Fury prop up on Market by Jean-Georges’ marble bar inside the Shangri-La hotel. They’re on a mission to see what all the fuss is about.

Fury: Raj, of all places to conclude our quest, you lure me to a hotel bar? If it weren’t for the big name behind Market, I might have thought twice…

Raj: Big names only amount to so much. Remember that crazy night in Vegas after poppin’ bottles of bubbly, you insisted that you must eat something to hold your liquor down?

Fury: Wolfgang Puck was the only place open and I was horrified at what flew out of his kitchen! Nevertheless, back to Market. Jean-Georges’ team out in New York designed this summer cocktail menu. Upon first glance, their signature menu looks pretty dated and lacked substance – was it really created in a trendsetting city?

Raj: As a rule of thumb, I avoid any drink that involves flavoured vodkas. And what’s up with the passé lychee and passionfruit? The bartenders served up the Lychee Raspberry Bellini and Vodka Thyme Lemonade in hidden embarrassment.

Fury: As professionals, we gave their signature menu one more shot. After trying the flat and heavily sweetened Ginger Margarita and Sour Cherry Caipirinha, we decided to take matters into our own hands.

Raj: The beauty of a place that purports to being high-end is that they at least have some great spirits behind the bar. Given this opportunity and nothing that was working on the list, we completely sidestepped the menu and looked beyond…

Fury: Right to the wall where we requested they construct some great well-documented classics using their premium spirits. The Americano, for example.

Raj: Sometimes the ultimate summer cocktail is as elusive as the season. The Americano on the other hand has been around for ages. Mix Campari, sweet vermouth and soda, it’s easy as pie and works better than those other drinks we saw that night.

Editor: Summer’s over, you’ll have to mix your own Summer drinks from here on in.

—

Raj Taneja is part technologist, entrepreneur, social media juggernaut and foodie. He runs urbanmixer.com and publishes a miscellany of musings at raj.jp and on twitter @tinhead. Melody Fury is the founder of Vancouver Food Tour. Follow this YVR lifestyle ambassador on twitter @GourmetFury.

aside 21 Sep

Cocktail Quest – Episode 5 – Keefer Bar serves up Eastern Medicine

This is a case of East meeting West right in the heart of Chinatown. The marriage of modern Western cocktails with traditional Chinese medicinal herbs has resulted to a summer cocktail that soothes both the mind and body. With its apothecary-styled drinks, the Keefer Bar has, without a doubt, developed a unique flair of creating cocktails that are not only chic but beneficial to one’s health as well.

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

Episode 5 – Keefer Bar Serves Up Eastern Medicine

Image Cutline: Dani Tatarin will cure what ails you with her TCM inspired cocktails.

Raj: A drink to improve your health!

Fury: Raj, didn’t we already cover that a couple weeks ago?

Raj: When you’re in the heart of Chinatown, the concept of Western medicine, molecular mixology or, like many other things from this part of the world, are foreign.

Fury: Speaking of foreign, it’s always entertaining to sit on The Keefer Bar’s glass-fenced patio during Chinatown’s Summer Night Market.

Raj: Ahh… Watching shoppers gather around stalls selling random things from underwear to black-market DVDs from the safety of the boutique hotel’s bar.

Fury: What isn’t random are Dani Tatarin’s well-articulated concoctions. Every ingredient in The Keefer’s Asian herbal-infused cocktails are calculated for flavour and health benefits. All too familiar ground given what we learned on our recent visit to The Refinery except Dani comes from the Traditional Chinese school of medicine.

Raj: Thorough research, shopping for cocktail ingredients at neighbourhood Chinese herbal shops to infuse into the bitters and spirits, I think she’s on to something. The house-made magnolia bark tincture in the Dragonfly sends your body’s “chi” downwards to calm your nerves. Then dragonfruit-infused gin, pearl sake and ginger galangal syrup are shaken into a balanced and soothing drink that’s ideal for the heat on a hot summer day.

Raj: Imagine, guests arriving at the bar, bartenders take their pulse and prescribe the ultimate healing summer cocktail for their ailments…

Fury: That’s no fun! It’s about Dani’s in-depth knowledge of spirits, a little bit of Eastern knowledge and an end product with well-developed flavour profile. I especially love the combination of Gosling black rum with the ginger galangal syrup in the Peach Sling. This twist on the Dark and Stormy reminds me of sipping a spiked peach iced tea at a barbeque party. The peppery bite from the fragrant roots has a surprisingly refreshing and cooling effect.

Editor: Woody Harrelson was recently seen onsite double-fisting the Dragonfly. It didn’t last long, though – the first round calmed him right down.

- – -

aside 20 Sep

Cocktail Quest – Episode 4 – Cocktail Revolution at The Di6mond, Gastown

“Charm is a product of the unexpected.” – Jose Marti

For Wil P Taylor, the product is a cocktail that may have had a hand in sending Fulgencio Batista from the garrison to the seat of power in Cuba during the “Revolt of the Sergeants.” The Hotel Nacional Special is not your common, everyday, rum-based cocktail since it brings a certain sophistication that evokes memories of the old glory days of this island nation in the Caribbean.

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

Episode 4 – Cocktail Revolution at the Di6mond, Gastown

Image Cutline: Ron Oliver tells a story to each classic cocktail he shakes up.

It’s1933.Cuba is undergoing another revolution and the Hotel Nacional in Havana is under heavy artillery fire. The expats, huddled around Wil P Taylor’s bar, ask the barkeep to invent a new drink – something special – after all, this might be their last.

Fury: Going out in style like it’s my last night on earth is how I usually roll. So after hopping through a few Gastown cocktail joints, the Hotel Nacional Special at The Di6mond stopped me in my tracks.

Raj: You mean those three Hotel Nacional Specials stopped you in your tracks. Great choice of venue though. Located at the epicentre of Gastown’s summertime hoopla, the second storey room somewhat removes you from the roaming crackheads below. Yet, the large bay windows let summer in all its glory.

Fury: As a rum-aficionado, Wil P Taylor fired back under pressure and concocted this sophisticated summery drink with a jigger of rum, dry apricot brandy, some fresh pineapple juice for sweetness and a touch of lime. This blend goes down so smoothly – can you blame me for slinging back three in a row?

Raj: Plenty of credit has to go to barman Ron Oliver, who I first met at a seedy undisclosed Gastown location during Hopscotch a few years ago. He’s so knowledgeable that when I need info about Scotch, he’s my go-to guy. But now he’s shifted his efforts and has become equally successful behind the bar. In Wil P Taylor style, he didn’t miss a beat.

Fury: They didn’t even see us coming. We totally blindsided them exactly like that artillery fire in 1933.

Raj: And somehow, Ron just nailed it. If anything is a perfect summer cocktail, it’s the Hotel Nacional Special, a daiquiri tasting like a dry fruit punch with pineapple and apricot flavours, it’s sooo smooth going down.

Fury: If it takes a surprise or an uprising to push bartenders to make fabulous, timeless drinks, I say viva la revolution!

- – -

aside 19 Sep

Cocktail Quest – Episode 3 – Cocktail Therapy at The Refinery

“Muppets labs, where the future is being made today” – Dr. Bunsen Honeydew

In this case, it’s more than just the future to look out for whenever Lauren Mote, The Refinery’s resident Mixologist, weaves her magic and concocts the finest cocktails this side of town. With its award-winning cocktail program, recognized as the most innovative in Canada, The Refinery is definitely a place to have a cocktail or two on a hot summer night.

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

Episode 3 – Cocktail Therapy at The Refinery

Image Cutline: Lauren Mote lights up the bar at The Refinery on Granville St.

A visit to The Refinery is like a visit to a Mad Scientist’s lab. Enter Raj and Fury and things that you’ve never even dreamed about take shape in strange forms.

Fury: Doctor’s orders – sling back a cocktail right now!

Raj: A drink to improve your health?

Fury: Lauren Mote is the first mixologist I know that owns a lab coat, and for good reason. She does much more than merely mix spirits.

Raj: You’re right, she’s taken the science of food and medicine and applied it to cocktailing. Voila! Molecular Mixology! It’s like a trip to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s lab from the Muppets.

Fury: You just want to be Beaker!

Raj: Well we kind of were that night. Amongst the numerous drinks that we sampled, two drinks really stood out. Except I didn’t enter the bar like Beaker would, mumbling “mememememe!” What’s he saying anyways?

Fury: Raj, focus. On our quest for the ultimate summer cocktail, we’ve encountered the good, the bad, and the ugly. I really took a shining to L’Épice Verte where Lauren counterbalanced crisp, cool cucumber water with the essence of fiery jalapeño… and a good measure of gin for health, of course.

Raj: My vote goes to Provençial, concocted with gin, lemon juice, and lavender-lilac syrup. It was like drinking a whole bouquet of flowers and was equally therapeutic.

Fury: Another way The Refinery pushes the envelope is …

Raj: Meat chips!!

Fury: No, Raj, focus! Remember the strange flasks that lined the bar, like some evil experiment?

Raj: Ah yes, nothing evil about it. Lauren enjoys making high quality additives for her drinks, with everything from house-made bitters to a special cocoa vermouth, and right down to the garnish.

Fury: The dehydrated mango chili salt that dusted the rim of my margarita was something spectacular.

Raj: Meat chips and a healthy cocktail to wash it all down!

Editor: Beaker, we’re embarrassed that you made the kitchen run a whole charcuterie plate through their pizza oven that night.

- – -

aside 8 Aug

Meatball Quest – Episode 6 – Surprise Taste on the Finale of Meatball Quest

“Life is a paradox” – Nancy Cartwright

A paradox is something that reveals a seemingly opposing nature and Sweeney’s has an item in their menu that is a paradox of sorts – a vegetarian “meatball.” This fitting finale on the meatball quest will definitely give vegans and health-conscious food junkies alike something to look forward to when they grab a bite to eat at this “slow-fast food” place along Hamilton Street in Yaletown.

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

Episode 6 – Surprise Taste on the Finale of Meatball Quest

Image cutline: When it comes to good karma, Raj and Fury believe the balls at Sweeney’s of Yaletown have it nailed.

Can’t really put our finger on it…

There’s something amiss about a humble sandwich shop that opens in the city’s swankiest culinary district. Right next door, Blue Water Cafe features champagnes such as Salon’s Blanc des Blancs at $1000 a pop.

Raj: If you check under the hood, Sweeney’s of Yaletown is by no means average.

Fury: What confounds me is that their menu is Ocean Wise, local, and organic. Even their containers are bio-degradable but there are no signs boasting of it. No stickers, no symbols, no hint of it on the menu.

Raj: I’d have to say that they’re believers in good karma. They make good, honest food, use quality ingredients, and hope the universe is benevolent enough to send some customers their way.

Fury: Perhaps it’s the universe that has guided us here for the final chapter in our quest. The thought of conquering their meatball sub has held me captive ever since I found out about it on twitter.

Raj: It’s a good start that they serve these meatballs on a torpedo bun. To enhance the flavour, they add a bit of homemade tomato sauce and Provelone cheese, just like what they use in Philadelphia.

Fury: The meatballs were soft, kinda gummy, and I definitely tasted mushroom and thyme. Even under the tangy sauce, I still sensed a little je ne sais quoi.

Raj: I couldn’t put my finger on it either –

Editor: You guys know that those were vegetarian meatballs, right?

Raj: There you have it, good karma! No animals were harmed in the creation of these meatballs and they were pretty darn good.

Fury: Considering all the meat we’ve consumed on our six-part meatball quest, I’m just thankful that we found a meat-free alternative that doesn’t suck.

—

aside 21 Jul

Meatball Quest – Episode 5 – Japadog Eat Your Heart Out!

The Land of the Rising Sun usually evokes images of sashimi, sushi and other raw sea products that bring out the natural flavour of food. However, there is another side of Japanese cuisine that has been quite popular among the young professionals of this highly-developed yet deeply-traditional nation in the western part of the Pacific.

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

Episode 5 – Japadog Eat Your Heart Out

Image cutline:The only word that can describe Zakkushi’s legendary chicken meatball aka Tsukune is … ‘YUM!’

If you ever wondered how the creators of Japadog got inspired into making their acclaimed street meat, look no further than your local Izakaya.

Fury: An Izakaya is a Japanese after-work drinking and unwinding destination that serves up small dishes in a communal atmosphere. Uncomplicated, fast, and fun.

Raj: When I lived in Japan, ultimately my coworkers and I lived for one thing – getting to the Izakaya for a dozen after-work bevies. Heck, most of our business entertaining was done in Izakayas.

Fury: You mean when the clients weren’t taking you to hostess bars, right?

Raj: … You mean… Karaoke bars…

Fury: I know you love public humiliation… anyways, back to Izakayas. There many types of Izakayas out there. Yakitori, literally translated to “barbequed-bird” is essentially meat and vegetable skewers that are grilled to perfection over a charcoal grill. Zakkushi’s topmost chefs take this whole charcoal grill business to a new level in their quick-paced open kitchen-bar.

Raj: If there’s one thing that Zakkushi is really known for, it’s their Tsukune (pronounced skoo-nay), a Japanese chicken meatball that’s grilled over intense heat generated from special charcoal imported from Japan. Retaining up to 1000 degrees of heat, even the charcoal in Japan has an outrageous work ethic!

Fury: They grill their chicken-ball skewers from raw as opposed to par- boiling them, resulting in a much juicier and more flavourful meatball. A squeeze of Japanese mayo, a hit of seaweed, a two-litre bottle of Asahi’s “Bigboy” beer, and you’re ready to rock!

Editor: Raj and Fury also enjoyed the newly launched Kobe beef-ball skewers on their beer-fueled rampage that evening.

—

aside 12 Jul

Meatball Quest – Episode 4 – Raiders of the Lost Meatball

“Adventure is a worthwhile in itself” – Amelia Earheart

Indeed, it was a worthwhile adventure into the Land of the Sleeping Dragon right in the heart of Vancouver. The ‘Lion’s Head’ is a customary dish in Shanghai, which usually has pork as its main ingredient, and is normally boiled or steamed. There is also a Cantonese version of the dish, which makes use of beef instead of pork and is considered a dim sum dish. Another variant of this dish is made of pulverized fish instead of meat. This is definitely an appetizing dish which more than a billion people would never go wrong with.

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

Episode 4 – Raiders of the Lost Meatball

Image cutline: The leafy green vegetables surrounding this delicious meat-boulder represent the mane of the Lion’s Head.

The quest for Vancouver’s ultimate meatball has taken us to many foreign culinary lands and this episode is no exception.

Raj: Legend has it that there’s a mystical meatball known only as the “Lion’s Head” in the Far East.

Fury: Hailing from the heart of China, we dared to try this specialty at Shanghai Village on Cambie Street. Traditionally, the Lion’s Head is a dish comprised of several meatballs in a sizzling claypot.

Raj: What was initially just a quest for a new flavor played out like the most famous Indiana Jones scene ever! Picture this: you’re in a booby-trap filled temple, and all of a sudden you’re running for your life to avoid being crushed by a two ton boulder.

Fury: To our amazement, Shanghai Village only serves one prolific meat-boulder. You can’t stuff the whole ball into your mouth here!

Raj: Aside from the size, this was the first pork meatball we’ve tried on this journey. It tastes like it’s infused with some sort of tea.

Fury: That would be the preserved cabbage that brings a touch of sweetness and smokiness to the mix.

Raj: And what about that mystery brown sauce that they slather on everything? What’s up with that?

Fury: Don’t diss it until you try it mixed into a bowl of steamy rice. It’s the ultimate comfort staple, yo.

Editor: Fury and Raj completed this voyage unscathed and lived to write about it.

—

Next Page
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Vancouver

Vancouver City Council Off the Deep End?!

Chef Ryan’s going for the Gold

Slider Quest – Episode 1 – Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, Rangelina go to Revel Room.

Cocktail Quest – Episode 6 – Sampling summer cocktails at the Shangri-La Hotel

Cocktail Quest – Episode 5 – Keefer Bar serves up Eastern Medicine

Cocktail Quest – Episode 4 – Cocktail Revolution at The Di6mond, Gastown

Cocktail Quest – Episode 3 – Cocktail Therapy at The Refinery

Meatball Quest – Episode 6 – Surprise Taste on the Finale of Meatball Quest

Meatball Quest – Episode 5 – Japadog Eat Your Heart Out!

Meatball Quest – Episode 4 – Raiders of the Lost Meatball

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