Author Archives: Ed Sum

01.26.22
by

Yummy: The History of Desserts Book Review

Yummy: A History of Desserts (A Graphic Novel): Elliott, Victoria Grace: 9780593124383: Books - Amazon.caRandom House Publishing
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Everything you want to know about those sweet confectioneries but are afraid to ask is all covered in Yummy: The History of Desserts. This graphic novel by Victoria Grace Elliott was published last year. Although I had a digital copy to read at first, I was also gifted a hardcopy over the holidays. After reading it multiple times, I feel a lot more informed by Peri, a food sprite, giving readers a fairly detailed look about my favourite after dinner treats. She also has fellow fairy type pals assisting.

The first chapter is a solid look at ice cream’s origins. I can’t help but wonder if there are more regional versions because one part of the world–South America–isn’t known for this treat. They are known for Calzone Rotos and Picarones (a version of the doughnut), pies and cookes, but not really anything else. 

Continue reading →

01.12.22
by

A New Ramen Player in Town, and It’s All Arashi

20220111_1426402950 Douglas St Unit 222
Victoria, BC

Hours: Tues to Sun 11:30am to 8:30pm
Phone: (778) 922-2950
Website: www.ramenarashivictoria.com

Sugoi! Victoria ni atarashī totemo oishii rāmen-ya ga arimasu yo. As for whether that’s grammatically correct, I think I got my statement right and insert a pun for good measure.

Ramen Arashi is a diner that opened over the holidays. I’ve been keeping tabs on when they’d open since they’ve been making noise mid last year on the social media front. They’re not competing in the busy downtown area, and I think they’re likely to carve a niche in Burnside. They’re located a few blocks south of Mayfair Mall and I’d visit this operation in a heartbeat. Their bone broth has a nice additional peppercorn flavour.

Continue reading →

12.15.21
by

Strange Fellows Brewing Has A Krampus in their Midst!

Krampus - Abbey Dubbel | Strange Fellow BrewingI’m tempted to grinch out and hoard as many bottles of Strange Fellows Brewing‘s Krampus Abbey Dubbel beer as I can for this holiday season. That’s because this drink was a limited run drink once upon a time, but due to demand, it’s back! Be it Halloween or Christmas, these are the seasons to warm yourself with a good drink. Although the Sasquatch in another brand is no longer as prominent, I recall a time those commercials graced the television. These days, I think the white haired mascot has gone into a hiding.

I’m generally not a fan of chocolate in beer. This flavour tends to creep into seasonal drinks often and I’ve learned to avoid them. The caramel notes in this nosh does a better job to keep me thinking of sugar plum fairies. Yes, when I was at Hillside Liquor a few days ago, I saw a drink using those fruits too and I may try one closer to the 25th.

Continue reading →

12.01.21
by

A Return to Miku and Extravagance

20211102_211550Miku Restaurant
200 Granville St #70
Vancouver, BC

Hours: 11am to 10pm
Menu: https://mikurestaurant.com/
Phone: (604) 568-3900

During the pandemic, Miku Restaurant really scaled back. They limited the amount of items available to order, and depending on what the latest regulations entail, this can mean them becoming a mostly take-out operation or closing their doors. The plan is to offer a wider variety of choices as patrons become comfortable dining out again. The present menu is scant; not even three dishes out of the twelve or so item list is enough to fill me up.

I finally ventured off the rock because it was needed. When A Filthy Lot, a film studio, invited me over to see what they’re all about, I was excited. They’re an online streaming content creation entertainment company with an immense love for Dungeons and Dragons and pop culture. They have three different channels to distinguish their material. The main one focuses on nerd culture, second on gaming and third on comedy. Some talents are from Victoria too!

Continue reading →

11.03.21
by

Come Back Anytime… for Ramen

Come Back Anytime (2021) - IMDb

To find local showings, please visit the official website.

Next screening:
Doc NYC Nov 12th, 2021

Masamoto Ueda is a ramen master in the documentary Come Back Anytime, and this title is perfect to reflect his attitude and love for his regular customer base. He’s the owner/operator of Bizentei, a shop located roughly between Shinjuku, Bunkyo and Chiyoda City (municipalities of Tokyo). It’s not too far off the beaten path, and he gets his regular customers and the occasional newcomer.

Ueda became a legend in the forty years since he’s been in business, and when he’s not tending to the shop, he’s gardening. Everything he offers in the diner is handpicked by him. From pears to bamboo shoots, he’s very particular. And this documentary is an excellent profile. It doesn’t reveal his cooking secrets, but instead shows just how loved he is by the local neighbourhood community. We get to see what he does in his spare time, and this look only rounds out who he is. He’s sometimes a grand father too.

Continue reading →

10.22.21
by

[Interview] The Mission Behind Tanagokoro: A Culinary Portrait

BushwickFilmFest I Home Plays with the Feature Film, Come Back Anytime

Location: Online
Date: Sunday, October 24, 2021
Time: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Price: $15 – Buy Now

Long time readers of this blog will know that I love sushi. After watching Tanagokoro: A Culinary Portrait, I don’t think I can look at many local Japanese restaurants the same ever again. The practice of Ikejime is not everywhere and this short documentary really extols the virtue of what it means to be an ethical chef. That is, to harvest the food in a way that won’t stress the product so that you’ll get the best flavour hitting those taste buds. In this work’s case, it’s all about how to best catch that fish, keep it alive and slaughter it before hitting the dinner table.

Victoria Fistes and Masashi Nozaki are both the directors and producers of this work. They produced an excellent look at the man who’s trying to revolutionize an industry, one country at a time. Victoria is a filmmaker who has worked on commercials, short films and documentaries. She’s best known for “Being Ernest,” which shares the experiences of a young blind boy. More recently, she has worked as an Assistant Producer on the documentary “Misha and The Wolves“ and as a Production Assistant on “The Reason I Jump” which won the Sundance Audience Award in 2020.

Masashi has an immense passion for culturally connecting Japan and the world. He is a producer/director who provides consultation to national companies and collaborates locally on projects with creators.

I had a chance to correspond with the team about this work:

Continue reading →