It’s quince season

I love smell of quince. I’m looking forward to have it this time of the year. Conversely to the aroma, they are tuff, dry taste when you try it raw.

I cooked them as savoury with yuzu, Mexican mint, organic sugar, vegetable dashi broth and salt.

Additional, Mexican mint has great aroma, it smells like tarragon and mint, a hint of vanilla.

You will try this sauce with a rulade dish, at my vegan dinner pop up at Burdock & co. 18th October.

This is the last pop up 2022. Don’t miss it. Tickets link is here

Cheese board, green walnut

Finished for a test for one of a menu for vegan contemporary dinner series vol.9 Far East.

We will feature Vancouver vegan’s favourite, plant based cheese shop, Blue Heron’s products.

We call it “board”, cheese samplers are on a pear compote(the cheeses on the pear are ideal, we don’t have actual products yet since we need to serve them fresh).

Pears.When I saw the pears at a farmers market, I bought it right away.

They looked like a treasure that I found in a cardboard, beautiful product.(And actual taste is perfect too)

Green walnuts. I received them from a farm where I took a field trip to, and then preserved in pickling liquid in mid summer.

I’ve tried the taste of nochino before but not pickled green walnuts.

After fermented a few days, the liquid got so black and I was excited how strange they are. Then left it about a month.

When I tried them two weeks ago, it was slightly too bitter and I thought I can’t use it for the event. Then I tried it again this week -happy surprise! It wasn’t bitter. Food science and time made a magic. Wonderful fragrance, unique texture and taste. Great addition for cheese & wine snack.

Shiso. Found them at a farmers markets then made an extract, then jelly. Very unique flavour, in between anise, basils, and mint.

Try them at our event. September 14th at Burdock & co. 7 course tastings dinner with a glass of wine, cold brew coffee & a dessert. The details are here.

Vegan weekend pop up -country style Inari bento

This weekend’s vegan takeaway pop up is “Inari bento.”

And it is country style. Foraged cherry blossoms and blackberry shoots, fiddle heads - Lots of fresh spring taste from the forest.

About the main item, “Inari” sushi is sushi rice in a puffed tofu pocket.

This version is open faced Inari sushi with foraged, wild vegetable toppings.

The highlights are Salted cherry blossoms, almond pulp miso pickled fiddle head, Espresso miso roasted eggplants.

Every content is made with thoughtful method to balance the each flavour, cured or marinated, etc.

A set with seasonal vegetable miso soup.

Pick up 24 & 25 April at Harken coffee, 338 Powell street.

Pick up time : 11-4pm.Limited numbers. Pre-order from our market site.

More photos and descriptions Tomoko Tahara instagram

Vegan bento pop up: Chirashi sushi

Maest food at Harken coffee : Vegan bento pop up 0.2 : Chirashi sushi.

Do you know Chirashi sushi? It’s basically like a poke, this is the quickest answer - it has long history. It have been commonly eaten in Japan since late 1800s, normally fresh fish (sashimi) on sushi rice.

This is vegan and artistically made- no fish at all, but variety of mocked fish and coulourful farm vegetables on the rice.

Ikura, marinated tuna, smoked salmon, kinshi tamago(shredded crape style egg) - all house made with vegetables.

Every content is made with thoughtful method to balance the flavour and texture, cured or marinated, etc. 

The chirashi sushi is in a beautiful wooden box, and also with Farm red potato Miso soup.

Available 20th & 21st March at Harken coffee 338 Powell street. Very limited number, highly recommend to pre-order online.

Take a glance look for vegan take away lunch box pop up on 6th & 7th March / Kale caesar salad

Our pop up 0.1 : Vegan takeaway lunch box at Harken coffee.

Introducing one of menu items -

Kale caesar salad. Sounds standard again?

What is special about the salad?

The kale is from organic farm, then the dressing is a big key.

It is sort of Japanese & vegan version caesar dressing.

Using Yuzu for the citrus flavour, a few of umami ingredients are also in it.

Toppings are buckwheat bread crumb and almond gremolata, dehydrated chick pea and capers, sliced olives.

The full menu of the lunch box :

Confit carrot, sunflower seed “cheese”, Crushed candied Tamari almonds

Charred broccoli with yuzu salt, shichimi, evo

Marinated, compressed Tempeh steak

Buckwheat Sourdough slice

Preserve sampler : Shiso rosehip jam

Kale caesar salad

$18 before tax

Limited number. Pre-order from Maest market, or just simply walk in to Harken coffee 338 Powell street.

Take a glance look for vegan take away lunch box pop up on 6th & 7th March / Tempeh block steak.

Our pop up 0.1 : Vegan takeaway lunch box at Harken coffee.
What is in the box?

Introducing one of menu items -

Tempeh block steak.

Tempeh steak sounds ordinary?

The secret is our marinade sauce.

Using Harken coffee’s espresso(decaf) & tamari, also infused smokiness from some umami ingredients.

The full menu of the lunch box :

Confit carrot, sunflower seed “cheese”, Crushed candied Tamari almonds

Charred broccoli with yuzu salt, shichimi, evo

Marinated, compressed Tempeh steak

Buckwheat Sourdough

Preserves : Shiso rosehip jam

Kale caesar salad

$18 before tax

Limited number. Pre-order from Maest market, or just simply walk in to Harken coffee 338 Powell street.

Take a glance look for vegan take away lunch box pop up on 6th & 7th March / Confit carrots & seed cheese, tamari almonds

Our pop up 0.1 : Vegan takeaway lunch box at Harken coffee.
What is in the box?

Introducing one of menu items -

Confit carrots and seed cheese, crushed caramel tamari almonds.

Confit carrots, using local farm carrots, I choose kind of ugly ones, they are flavourful and cute look, those carrots are my favourite. I used them often when I did my dinner pop up.I also added Daikon radish for the confit, Daikon sounds Japanese a lot, but it works for mediterranean or middle eastern food too. Confit with some oil, plus buttery richness of a secret ingredient.

The sunflower seed cheese(the pink saucy thing on the bottom) is fermented, orange flavour.

Caramel tamari almonds, it’s a rich flavour from the tamari soy sauce, let’s say - it tastes like salted caramel plus more flavour.

Anyways. All layers of flavour will make you happy.

The full menu of the lunch box :

Confit carrot, sunflower seed “cheese”, Crushed candied Tamari almonds

Charred broccoli with yuzu salt, shichimi, evo

Marinated, compressed Tempeh steak

Buckwheat Sourdough

Preserves : Shiso rosehip jam

Kale caesar salad

$18 before tax

Limited number. Pre-order from Maest market, or just simply walk in to Harken coffee 338 Powell street.

Take a glance look for vegan take away lunch box pop up on 6th & 7th March / Rose hip jam

Our pop up 0.1 : Vegan takeaway lunch box at Harken coffee.
What is in the box?

We introduced about the artisan bread on the last post.

The preserve for the bread.

Rosehip and Shiso jam.

Shiso is one of Japanese herbs. Tastes like mixed of basil, licorice, and mint.

The tanginess of the rosehip and the distinctive aroma from the Shiso herb are matching very well.

The taste of the jam reminds me plum jam, then I researched about those two plants - plums are a part of rose family. Probably that is because I reminds the taste of the plum jam?

Anyways.

Surprisingly, many of fruits such as pear, apples, cherries, strawberries and almonds, and more are Rosacae(rose) familly.

Ok, ok..back to the subject.

A mini sized jam is with the lunch box, also available full size at Maest market .

Our full menu on 6th and 7 th March.

Confit carrot, sunflower seed “cheese”, Crushed candied Tamari almonds

Charred broccoli with yuzu salt, shichimi, evo

Marinated, compressed Tempeh steak

Buckwheat Sourdough

Preserves : Shiso rosehip jam

Kale caesar salad

$18 before tax

Limited number. Pre-order the lunch box from Maest market, or just simply walk in to Harken coffee 338 Powell street.

Glance look of vegan take away lunch box : Maest food pop up 0.1

We are so excited to launch our take away pop up at Harken coffee.

Introducing one of the contents of the lunch box - sourdough bread.

Joey Ridos will make us Buckwheat sourdough bread!

I’ve asked him to make it before when I was planning dinner pop up, however the restriction was changed at the time, the pop up was cancelled.

So this is sort of re-collab with him. His buckwheat bread is perfectly matching with Japanese flavours which I am going to use them for a hidden seasonings.

¨To-go style¨ lunch pop up at Harken coffee(338 Powell street).

It will be every weekend from March 6th with a weekly rotation menu .

The menu for March 6th & 7th :

Confit carrot, sunflower seed “cheese”, Crushed candied Tamari almonds

Charred broccoli with yuzu salt, shichimi, evo

Marinated, compressed Tempeh steak

Buckwheat sourdough

Preserves : rosehip jam

Kale caesar salad

$18 before tax

Limited number. Pre-order from Maest market, or just simply walk in to Harken coffee 338 Powell street.

Maest food at Iktsuarpok coffee stand

Our Vegan hojicha chocolate chip banana bread is available at Iktsuarpok coffee stand (425 Carrall street )from Saturday, 27th February.

This banana bread is all about flavours, good smoky bitterness from hojicha tea & bitter sweet chocolate, aroma of caramel, fruitiness of banana..

Available by slices.

Vegan Hojicha chocolate chip banana bread.