Collaboration vegan dinner event

Exciting news! Folke restaurant and Maest (Tomoko Tahara) are collaborating on a plant-based 8-course tasting dinner.

The event will take place on April 24th with 2 seatings at 5:30pm and 8:30pm.

Tickets are available now at Folke restaurant for $135, 8 courses includes 4 kinds of welcome snacks and drink, a dessert. Drink pairing is also available for an additional $45. Tips are included.

The location is Folke restaurant at 2585 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2E9. Don't miss out on this amazing culinary experience!

*Photos are examples

About Folke : To bring people together- whole communities, friends and neighbours. Folke is a vegetable focused restaurant that strives to highlight local farms and the beautiful produce that they provide us with. Our everchanging menu is composed of a variety of small plates for a shared dining experience. 

Before chef Uyeda’s recent three year-run as the chef de cuisine at Kissa Tanto, he was at Pilgrimme on Galiano Island. Deo is a pastry chef (recently at Tsawwassen Springs). They opened a community-oriented vegan restaurant.  Their concept is something that Uyeda had come across while working at Pilgrimme and the now-closed Relae (Copenhagen)*The sentences from Scout magazine

About Maest food : Tomoko's background as a chef who has been trained by several chefs and worked at good restaurants in Vancouver for a decade indicates that she has gained significant experience in the culinary arts. Her focus on vegan cuisine and the use of locally sourced and foraged ingredients demonstrates a commitment to sustainable and ethical cooking practices.

Her work as a head chef at Harken coffee and writing their menus with original recipes showcases her culinary creativity and ability to develop unique and exciting dishes. Her participation in an internship at Inua, Noma's sister restaurant in Japan, and a class at Mad academy in Copenhagen, as well as her current work at Annalena in Vancouver, suggests that she is dedicated to continuing her education and improving her skills and knowledges as a chef.

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

Vegan Farm to table dinner pop up at Burdock and co

This will be 10th of my Vegan dinner event - I have been doing the event for 5 years, I used to call it “Far East”, but not anymore.

Still I’m using traditional Japanese methods but it isn’t visually noticed when you served the dishes at the table.

This time, foods are European inspired.

I went Denmark in April for joining Mad symposium which is hosting by Mad project, they are doing hospitality related symposiums.It was very inspiring days, but won’t write about this subject here, I will write about it in the future.

Back to main subject, the menu is inspired by the trip. and wanted to do this event light after, but I got long covid symptoms for two month.

.Anyways, it is 6 course, introducing a few of dishes of the menu..Ticket link is here

I will donate 10% of ticket sales to Vancouver farmers market. I saw many farmers are struggling with weather this year, and I wanted to do something to support them.Using local farm veggies as usual.

Kohlrabi.

Kohlrabi-ravioli. Say it three times ',) with smoky potato filling.Pressured lemon. Kelp caviar.Lemon kohlrabi sauce

Carrots.

Carrots are braised with wild ose hip paste, nice acidity and sweetness. Serving with rose hip and almond paste, lentils, aged pickled garlic scapes, carrot crapes.

Squash pave.

The pave is roasted 12 hours with fig leaves, serving with a pie crust, emerald oil that made with wild sorrels and spruce tips, squash sauce.

Event ticket price is $120 including a glass of wine, also non-alcholic refreshment in the end. The gratuity is not included. Ticket 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.