Jailhouse on the rocks, anyone? Elvis will probably find this variation of one of his more popular songs a bit on the culinary side. A couple of former inmates working as the kitchen staff of a swanky resto will definitely raise the eyebrow of some people but reality bites . . . reality shows that is.

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

Episode 1 – Edgy Summer Cocktails at Conviction Kitchen

Image cutline: Simon concocts cool cocktails under the hot film lights.

Summer is upon us.  Vancouver, very much like our mayor, is two-faced.  One week, we feel like we’re in bone-chilling November when nobody’s on the bike-lanes, the next, it’s frickin’ Summer!  It’s time to enjoy a refreshing cocktail and relax in the sun.

Raj:  So what about a bunch of sweaty ex-convicts in a kitchen?

Fury:  Yes folks, they’re filming the second season of “Conviction Kitchen” at a Westend icon, Delilah’s.  Reality shows usually irk me but I’ve really warmed up to these boys.

Raj:  Well, that’s because you fed them a bunch of vodka shots and bonded with them in the kitchen!  But Simon and Stephen, the management, are here to handle any drama.  Imagine a group that’s mired in tardiness, lacking in attention to detail, and are overall nonchalant about work.

Fury:  You mean they perfected their hustle in jail. So back to Simon, the head-bartender.  He started off in Australia, found a job at the faux Earls on Alberni… what do they call that place?

Raj: Oh ya, Town Hall.  I vowed once to never ever go back, but then I discoveredSimon, who’s graduated to a legendary establishment that actually suits his talents.

Fury: After six cocktails, we agreed that the Cherry Caiprinha is the money shot.  For one, he utilized the best of B.C. to concoct the signature drink, including sunny Ranier Cherries and organic Okanagan honey.

Raj: As a well-travelled bloke, he’s experienced both goodness and grit. Take, for example, his contribution of African teas to the beverage, add the complexity of his work environment and the possibility that the wrong cocktail might leave him with a shank in the back. Working at Conviction Kitchen can be perilous, I’m sure!

Fury: No mis-steps on Simon’s part yet. The team’s unique characters, the restaurant’s historic charm, combined with that Caiprinha made for an entertaining start in our search for THE ultimate Summer cocktail.

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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.

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.

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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.

Going organic in a ramen house, anyone? For a number of people when the word ramen is mentioned, the image of steaming bowls of noodles filled with a fat-laden meat soup base comes into mind. This doesn’t have to be the case all the time. One such ramen place along Denman Street breaks the tradition. It’s a place health-conscious food junkies would want to sit down to have a bite to eat. It’s a place where healthy eating can be a delectable alternative.

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 6– Pièce de résistance

Image cutline: The Spicy Miso Ramen at MotomachiShokudo starts off with an innocuous chicken soup base and is built to perfection with two distinct miso pastes, loads of vegetables and a more delicate noodle than what you’d expect at other ramen shops.

A hand-scrawled note recently landed on my desk indicating that I was to then meet an unnamed informant at a relatively new ramen shop on Denman Street. A new Ramen Quest feature, I thought, and I was up to the challenge!

I started to do my research and my stomach dropped – queries that came to mind included, “what type of madman opens up a restaurant in direct competition half a block away from his original restaurant?” I’m sure that there were answers if the questions were to be phrased correctly, but then if I failed to be unentertaining, perhaps in this situation, it would be curtains for me. I decided to get my affairs in order and inform friends and family of my plans.

Fast forward to entering the place, I was greeted by two relatively sharp looking secret agent types dressed completely in black including black berets. I’m thinking to myself, uh oh – MI6 or Mossad or hired assassins?! Thankfully, they were brandishing gyoza, not guns and I was immediately put at ease when they showed me to a well-lit table in the center of the restaurant. Seated there was a man known only as Taku-san and it became immediately clear that he was willing to answer any question I put forth.

As we chatted, I learned that although Motomachi Shokudo and sister restaurant Kintaro share some ingredients from time to time, Taku-san’s people pride themselves on serving up ramen with a smooth chicken soup base composed of mostly organic ingredients. The original Tokyo-style ramen, he proclaimed. It’s lighter than and not as rich as the popular pork soup based ramen that are de rigeur at other shops.

Upon concluding our discussion, the meal they served to me was something else – Butchigiri Gyoza which was a winner by a long shot and the Spicy (Kara) Miso Ramen served with a ton of vegetables for good health which proved to be the pièce de résistance. With fond memories of this meal and other previous quests, I thought to myself, “another meal enjoyed – another quest done, and so far no price on my head. A good day indeed.”

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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.’

“There’s no limit possible to the expansion of each one of us. ” – Charles M. Schwab

In the business world, nothing beats expanding a business with franchising and in franchising, the name of the game is how good the product is. In the case of the Suntouka Japanese Ramen, the product is something to rave about. Billed as having the most authentic Japanese ramen in Vancouver, this is definitely a franchise you would want to invest your hard-earned moolah on.

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 4 – The New Kid in Town

Image cutline: Santouka purports to offer the most authentic ramen this side of Tokyo. Flavours include yummy, super yummy and for those searching for the real deal, oishii!

Imagine if Jimmy Pattison knocked on your door, told you that you should keep what you’re doing and he’d market and franchise your business. Pretty neat to be attached to such a juggernaut, don’t you think? Well, that’s essentially the case with the new Suntouka Japanese Ramen shop that recently opened on Robson Street slightly east of Bidwell.

Headquartered in Hokkaido, Japan, the Suntouka and Kamei companies struck a deal some years ago. Kamei, which derives over 4 billion in annual revenues from other ventures including those in the natural resource industry decided to become the company that oversees the franchising of Suntouka Ramen. The company which has stores in the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong and now Canada, has ambitious plans to show locals what authentic Japanese Ramen is.

The restaurant has four varieties of the standard ramen – Shio Ramen (salt), Shoyu Ramen (soy-sauce), Miso Ramen (fermented soy bean paste) and Kara Miso Ramen (hot spices and fermented soy bean paste) and a number of specialty items and a single item on the menu that can be turned into a vegetarian dish, which is already head and shoulders ahead of the mere mortal ramen joint.

The Ramen that I chose for the purpose of this occasion was the plain Shio Ramen, served warm, not piping hot like other ramen I’ve tried. It was accompanied by braised pork slices topped with sesame seeds, bamboo shoots, green onions, wood ear mushrooms and a single pickled baby plum that is supposed to be nibbled on, one bite at a time during, the enjoyment of the meal. Although the first thing I devoured was that little pickle, it’s absence during the rest of the meal didn’t have any bearing on my absolute enjoyment of the dish from start to finish. I ate the soup to the last drop and will be coming back for more soon. Very soon.

As for the company known only as Kamei, congrats to them on a solid bet with Santouka.

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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.’

Korea has its own version of the ramen called ‘ramyeon’. ‘Ramyeon’ is a popular Korean instant meal and is well-known for its chili pepper goodness. Adding their own style to this traditional noodle dish, Korean ‘ramyeon’ comes in beef, seafood and even kimchi flavor. The quest for this Japanese cultural icon has brought me once again to a man whom I met years ago on a different quest.

Some like it hot but this one’s definitely hotter.

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 3 – The Emperor’s Dish

Image cutline: The Sundubu Ramen at Sura is one of the tastiest ramens you’ll ever taste. Pair it with a Soju cocktail to quell the heat, either that or a fire extinguisher.

Michael Kim, the owner of SURA is certainly well known in the Korean community. I first met Kim a couple of years ago at his previous venture, Chung Dam Anh, a Japanese-Korean Izakaya-style speakeasy on Cardero Street just off Robson. If you weren’t in the ‘know,’ chances are you would have never entered through the doors of Chung Dam. Fast forward to today, Kim has opened an equally-mysterious restaurant on Robson Street slightly East of Cardero. You may have a hard time locating a sign on this block that says ‘SURA’ – the majority of their sign is written in Korean and has a small stamp and the word SURA in small letters on the side. Thankfully we’re not in the French Province which has draconian sign laws – or I’m sure by now they’d have lined up the proprietor and subpoenaed him senseless.

Back to the restaurant, it’s an elegant 70 seater that has a descriptive and informative English menu, serves up tasty Korean cuisine and also sports a nice Sake and Wine list. Very accessible. The Sundubu Ramen they list is a spicy soup endowed with soft tofu, your choice of seafood or beef and of course, ramen noodles. On the occasion of this review, I ordered the beef variety of the dish but have since eaten both. The soup is certainly spicier than any Japanese Ramen I’ve ever had but that’s what I’d say is to be expected with Korean cuisine. The noodles are plentiful and at just under ten bucks, given the ambience, the unlimited refills on the complimentary ‘banchan’ (side-dishes including Kimchee) and the superb quality of the ingredients, there’s as much value built in as there is burn-off-your-face heat.

Next time it will be Ramen first, Korean Bar-be-que next and we’ll wash it all down with their innocuous Soju-cocktails.

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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 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.’

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.’

On Friday, 24hrs News published yet another episode of my Bacon Quest – the search for Vancouver’s undiscovered bacon. You can download the original PDF HERE (or grab the full newspaper HERE,) or just keep reading (the unrated version) below.

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

Episode 2 – Porkbelly Beer House

Can you keep a secret? Well the Koreans certainly can. For years I lamented at the possibility that while there were dozens of great steak houses to choose from, nobody had ever decided to venture in creating a restaurant that celebrates bacon. Was I ever wrong! In fact, at the time of writing this article, I’m on the phone to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and putting my money where the meat is. As soon as the word’s out, the price of pork belly futures are on a rocketship to the moon.

Here’s the backstory: while stumbling through the West End one night, a beautiful scent filled the air, but to which cooked meat it belonged I had no idea. I investigated and what I found was a discovery more monumental than what conspiracy theorists call the New World Order. I observed a pair of Korean men perched on the patio of a restaurant cooking strips of what appeared to be bacon on a portable gas-powered grill. It turned out to be love at first sight and her name was ‘Samgyeopsal’. The restaurant was aptly named ‘Porkbelly Beer House’ and as the owner explained, uncured strips of pork belly, cut in quarter-inch slices are put on a gas-powered griddle and cooked. The customers at the restaurant cook their own meat and then eat directly from the grill, usually wrapping the delicacy in lettuce stuffed with a soybean paste, kimchi (Korean pickles), fresh garlic slices and green chilli. Since that fateful day, we’ve come together on many occasions and I’ve enjoyed my forbidden love. Now that the word is out, I’m keeping my eye on those futures.

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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 is probably the least qualified person in the world to ask for financial or investment advice.