Great grapes

I was at farmers market to look around interesting vegetables that I only can find at the market.

Stoney paradise farm. They are famous for tomatoes, their tomatoes are flavourful and sweet, they have huge line ups when they are at the market.

I saw they are selling coronation grapes - and I was wondering how do they taste like. I tried a grape berry - wow. It was amazing.

The grapes are in our second course, eye ball beets.

Cherry blossom flavoured slow cooked beets. Beets are stuffed with local hazel nut cheese.The grapes are on the centre, it is tiny part of the dish but their flavour is bold, perfect with floral flavoured beets.

Serving with plum seed flavoured dashi broth. The plum pit flavour is from Denmark’s famous distillery Empirical’s liquor.

Flax seed crackers on the side.

Our dinner pop up event at Burdock and co, tickets and details are here. Don’t miss it - this is our last pop up 2022

Trick, or…Dinner

Finalizing the menu ideas for my event on 18th October.

Today is a test for a snack. Planning to make a “black tart”.

My experiment went well. I was originally thinking to make it very thin crusts but, it looks neat and ancient when I made thicker crust with unfinished touch of shapes. It is perfect for my theme.

The dough is made with activated charcoal, Canadian ancient grain red fife flour from Flourist.

The filling is made with local potato with truffle flavour, chestnuts, vegan caviar.

Vegan farm to table dinner vol.11 at Burdock and co “Nightmare before halloween” tickets link is here.

Beets carpaccio

Beets carpaccio. Sounds like ordinary? Ours is special.

10+ hours roasted charred beets that inspired by a dish that Christian Puglisi was doing at Relae.

He charred the beets with a jasper and roasted long hours, with a few process like carefully cut them like sashimi and with unique seasonings, he called it fish.

Our version is the roasted charred beets with a few processes, will serve them with almond crackers, sorrel aioli, salted plum, grapes, pickled chive flower buds.Using elder flower vinegar is also Puglisi’s idea but the vinegar is house made, also the flower is from wild that I harvested in the summer.

You can try the menu at our event, Maest food presents vegan contemporary dinner series Far East vol.9 “Fruits rules” at Burdock and co(2702 Main street).

14th September, 5:45pm seating / 8:00pm seating. Ticket holders only. (you will be required to show vaccine passport at the door, the gouverment order effective from 13th Sep)

The ticket price is including a 7 course tastings dinner, a glass of wine, cold brew coffee and a dessert. We will have a wine bar for your extra glasses of wine.

Ticket order is here. Limited numbers. We only have a few spots left for each seatings.

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 shawarma weekend

Shawarma..yes, its shawarma without meat. Our next weekend takeaway pop up at Harken coffee 338 Powell street. 27 & 28 March, 11:30-4:30. Pre-order basis.

Our House made shawarma and pickles(Blueberry flower pickling liquid), romaine, tomato, avocadoes, fluffy elegant pita from Super baba on Main street.

You can order online.

Super slow cooked celeriac is the mock shredded meat.It took two days to process.

Wrap it up with flour dough - mixed some glutamine-rich flavours.

They look like giant meat balls?

Slice, then braise, then some more process.

Nettles

These are for my weekend pop up at Harken coffee.

Farm and forest chirashi Bento box with miso soup.

Nettles are for the mochi in the miso soup.

We boiled, and mashed, then knead into mochi dough.

For more details of bento box, visit Mæst Market.

Nettles are truly a gift from spring.　Lots of nutritions.

Spring harvest

Harvested some spring wilds. Butterbur, mustard leaves, miners lettuce, stingy nettles.

Spring is busy, exiting time for harvesting and preserve the edible plants.

So finalized the menu for this weekend’s take aways pop up at Harken coffee.

Important: We have to apologize about that we announced as we will be available for dine-ins, however Harken isn’t able to do 100% dining for food service now & this event is basically take out. Still you can enjoy coffee & food in the room but it will be self service basis.

Walk-in purchase is available but the numbers are limited, highly recommend to make pre-orders.

Anyways back to subject. Harvests. Introducing how to cook butterbur in traditional Japanese way.

This plant has a hole inside of the stem. Some says it can be a straw?

Clean the leaves and extra parts, salt.

After salted, boil whole stems and peel the skin little by little.

Voilà.

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 / 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.

Maest food at Harken coffee

Pop up 0.1 : Take away

Maest food (by Tomoko Tahara) will make a ¨To-go style¨ lunch pop up at Harken coffee(338 Powell street).

It will be every weekends 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

Sourdough

Preserves : rosehip jam

Kale caesar salad

$18 before tax

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

Time flame: 12-2:30pm for walk in, pre-order pick up 12-5pm.

More details will be updated on closer day in this blog, also Tomoko Tahara instagram story.

Thank you for everything, and new start.

Minor’s lettuce, common edible plants in BC

Thank you for all guests enjoyed the food program at Harken coffee.

I’m no longer involved with their actual food menu for a while, hopefully until their reopen for their kitchen.

However I am stick around with them with my food project called “Maest”(pronounce like must), that is rebuilt my food project “Cookhatter”. I am doing this project since 2017.

The world is different since pandemic - the word “essential” is taking over everything.

Staying home is basic human life in the earth for now, travelling is banned, meeting people are limited, many of entertainment spots are closed, creative restaurants and some service industries are suffering.

Writing all those reality, feeling terrible, but I don’t want to give up.

We need to keep our creative ideas alive -

Having completely new ideas, or finding solutions that the creative people can survive with their ideas getting along with this world of conservatism.

Anyways, my project’s goal is making our clients smile with unique food experience, that is the same as before. The most important thing to make delicious food - love, not egos.

The menu will be different than the menu I made for the Harken - it won’t be Japanese food menu based. 

More focussing on ingredients and flavours, comfort yet fancy food with a twist of Japanese cooking ideas.

To start, popup 0.1 :

Weekend take away lunch box will be at Harken March 6 & 7th. 

The event will happen every week.

The details coming up very soon.