On Friday afternoon, after work, I took Katie to the new Kenzo Ramen (owned & operated by the old Kenzo crew) on Dundas, just a little west of Bay St. I've been to the original Yonge/Steeles location on numerous occasions, but hadn't realized that the ownership changed last fall.
My colleague pointed out an article reviewing the new location in Thursday's edition of Now.
I wasn't that hungry, so I ordered a basic sho-yu ramen, and it was just as yummy as the uptown version. However, the highlight of the meal came after the meal proper.
I got to chatting with the owner, Daniel Park (yes, he's Korean) about his business and the economics of ramen. He explained that the reason there are so few ramen houses in Toronto is because it's horrendously expensive to make genuine ramen. Here's a summarized breakdown of some of the things he mentioned:
Ramen. Japanese Ramen, specifically Japanese Ramen as it is understood by Japanese people in Japan with respect to ingredients, manufacturing, taste and texture, is made in very few places in Canada - most establishments import it from Japan. There's actually only one place that makes ramen that Daniel knows of - his own kitchen. Five years ago, he invested in a ramen machine, so that he wouldn't have to import frozen ramen from Japan. This led to an 80% cost savings on ramen.
Soup base. Soup base is made from dried fish. Specifically, dried mackerel and/or 'flying fish.' Incidentally, won-ton soup is supposed to be made from the same stuff. In any case, dried fish also commands a premium price due to low availability and high demand. So, in an effort to keep bringing down that bottom line, he started making his own dried fish. He bought an industrial drying oven, buys the fish frozen, and dries it himself.
Lastly, he invited me on a tour of the kitchen and showed me the soup bases, ingredients, and ramen.
Pretty neat stuff. Check it out when you get a chance.
-d
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The new 'do
My Dad's reaction: "ho-ho-ho-ho-ho..."
He took it as a challenge. He will now grow his sideburns out like mine.
-d
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Roots Footwear
The Toronto Star last Saturday featured the return of Roots footwear in early August.
Since I wasn't alive during the glory days of Roots boots, I can't say I can associate with any strong feelings of nostalgia. Still, I am curious to see what Roots will have to offer. I regard Roots Leather highly for several reasons:
1) Style. The Canadian identity was born out of the frontier. Plaid flannel, touques, and muk-luks. Frugal simplicity and un-pretentiousness have been the key ideas of this country growing up, and are reflected in the designs at Roots. Tough raw textures combined with functionality resonate with our values and traditions as outdoorsmen and naturists. No wait, not naturists... those are something else. Pioneers, builders, hunters, and if need be, warriors.
2) Quality. Made by Canadian Unionized Labour in Toronto. Not to be confused with Chinese Socialist Labour in Guangdong. Built tough like Ford, but also actually reliable, like Toyota. Case in point - it's been about two years and My Roots Raiders bag has yet to fail me.
3) Price. In terms of bags, you won't find better value anywhere else. Any comparable leather bag is designer-branded and will cost you twice as much. Where jackets are concerned, they're double the price of what you can get at Danier, but almost twice as well made, and twice as tough.
4) Cowhide. It's all about the toughness and stiffness of cowhide. Soft lambskin is for ladies and soft skinned Italian men who switch to the winning side when the outcome of a war is becoming quite clear. If you've been watching the highlights of the Stampede, you'll know where cowhide comes from. It's all about the hyper-masculine Canadian cowboy image. Think Brokeback Mountain but with real men who don't show their emotions and rely on a sense of humour to deal with problems.
Now, if the new old Roots footwear sticks to the model they've painstakingly created over the last couple of years, I'll be really interested in what they have to offer.
-d
Since I wasn't alive during the glory days of Roots boots, I can't say I can associate with any strong feelings of nostalgia. Still, I am curious to see what Roots will have to offer. I regard Roots Leather highly for several reasons:
1) Style. The Canadian identity was born out of the frontier. Plaid flannel, touques, and muk-luks. Frugal simplicity and un-pretentiousness have been the key ideas of this country growing up, and are reflected in the designs at Roots. Tough raw textures combined with functionality resonate with our values and traditions as outdoorsmen and naturists. No wait, not naturists... those are something else. Pioneers, builders, hunters, and if need be, warriors.
2) Quality. Made by Canadian Unionized Labour in Toronto. Not to be confused with Chinese Socialist Labour in Guangdong. Built tough like Ford, but also actually reliable, like Toyota. Case in point - it's been about two years and My Roots Raiders bag has yet to fail me.
3) Price. In terms of bags, you won't find better value anywhere else. Any comparable leather bag is designer-branded and will cost you twice as much. Where jackets are concerned, they're double the price of what you can get at Danier, but almost twice as well made, and twice as tough.
4) Cowhide. It's all about the toughness and stiffness of cowhide. Soft lambskin is for ladies and soft skinned Italian men who switch to the winning side when the outcome of a war is becoming quite clear. If you've been watching the highlights of the Stampede, you'll know where cowhide comes from. It's all about the hyper-masculine Canadian cowboy image. Think Brokeback Mountain but with real men who don't show their emotions and rely on a sense of humour to deal with problems.
Now, if the new old Roots footwear sticks to the model they've painstakingly created over the last couple of years, I'll be really interested in what they have to offer.
-d
Monday, July 06, 2009
Frye vs Car
As some of you may recall, I have a pair of western boots - Frye Harness Boots, to be exact. Anyway, I've had these boots for about 2 years, and after almost daily wear, through winter, spring, summer, and fall; I wore out the soles and had them resoled this past spring.
On Saturday, my sister had her engagement party, and to save some space in the drivew, my brother-in-law-to-be parked in the garage. On top of my boots. So, after being run over and parked on for 8 hours, they looked pretty FUBAR'ed. There were tire tread marks embossed in the leather, and the hard square toe cap was crushed flat. Figured I'd take a shot at DIY repair. I jammed my car keys into the boot and popped the toes back out, hammered the flattened parts straight again, and stuck a shoe tree in overnight. All-in-all, other than looking a little scuffed up at the toes, they're no worse for wear.
The leather uppers are virtually unharmed apart for a few scuff marks and some extra wrinkles. The left toe is a bit more rounded than the right toe, but I think I can fix that with a piece of wood and a mallet.
Anyway, if you're looking for a solid boot that'll last a long time and a lot of wear, I'd definitely recommend Frye.
-d
On Saturday, my sister had her engagement party, and to save some space in the drivew, my brother-in-law-to-be parked in the garage. On top of my boots. So, after being run over and parked on for 8 hours, they looked pretty FUBAR'ed. There were tire tread marks embossed in the leather, and the hard square toe cap was crushed flat. Figured I'd take a shot at DIY repair. I jammed my car keys into the boot and popped the toes back out, hammered the flattened parts straight again, and stuck a shoe tree in overnight. All-in-all, other than looking a little scuffed up at the toes, they're no worse for wear.
The leather uppers are virtually unharmed apart for a few scuff marks and some extra wrinkles. The left toe is a bit more rounded than the right toe, but I think I can fix that with a piece of wood and a mallet.
Anyway, if you're looking for a solid boot that'll last a long time and a lot of wear, I'd definitely recommend Frye.
-d
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