Vegan fillet o tofu
Next our pop up at Harken coffee - 5 & 6 June, 11am-4pm.
Fillet o f*sh was a special treat when I was a kid. I was such an 80’s child.
Inspired by the memory - I started researching how can I make it with vegan.
I saw many people tried to make vegan tonkatsu(fried pork cutlet) sandwich with tofu or tempeh, it was good but I felt missing something.
Then researched, think, tried & reached my method. It is 3 days process. I don’t tell this trick but this one has good texture & flavour.
I was also thinking to improve the brioche-sweet bun recipe that I made it for Harken coffee when I was a head chef.
I finalized the recipe. Good richness & crispy outside, soft inside.
Try the burger at our event - limited numbers as usual, a combo with roasted potato wedges & farm salad.
Pre-order on our market page.
The detail:
Vegan fillet o tofu. House made vegan buns, bredded tofu(air fried), house made tartar sauce (original Japanese mayo, original dill pickles), farm greens, Blue heron cheese(Apricot cashew).
The tofu is three days processed to make juiciness and good texture.
A combo with mini house green salad (ginger dressing) & roasted farm potato wedges.
Weekend vegan bento pop up is back
Mæst (Tomoko Tahara)weekend take away at Harken coffee - next one is country style Inari sushi bento box.
Inari sushi is popular Japanese portable food, normally sushi rice is wrapped with puffed tofu pocket. This one is open faced, and special toppings on the sushi. Lots of garden flowers, vegan kinshi tamago, preserved cherry blossom. Enjoy late spring blossoms.A pair with seasonal vegetable miso soup.
Pre- order basis, order and details from here. Photos are ideal. Actual item will be slightly different since ingredients are seasonal.
Mæst food : sweets pop up
Normally we do pop ups at Harken coffee, once in a while, different concept & at different shops.
Today was “Dorayaki- Japanese pancake” pop up at Iktsuarpok coffee stand.
The coffee stand is run by a couple, Kento and Rika. Kento is talented barista, Rika is at the window to chat with customers.
The cafe is doing only window service, their work ethics & beverages are amazing with their strong concept.
Anyways our pop up.
In north America, pancakes must be warm, but this dorayaki pancakes are good even so when it gets cold.
The pancake sandwich is with bean paste, and normally is non vegan, but we made vegan version.
May do it in the future the dorayaki again, however when next one happens, it will be with different item. Stay tuned.
Cherry blossom cheese?
Tomoko Tahara Weekend takeaway pop up at Harken coffee - 8th and 9th May. Vegan charcuterie board kit.
I made two kinds of floral cheese, one is lightly fermented with flowering currants, another one is cashew sake-kasu & cherry blossom.
The last one wasn’t fermented together with cherry blossom because the flagrant is delicate.I was afraid to loose the flavour so I just tried to put fermented cherry blossom petals on surface. Hopefully you can smell the fragrant.
The cashew sakekasu cheese has unique miso kind of flavour from the sakekasu, good matching with floral flavour from the blsooms. Pre-order and details are here, walk-ins welcome at the Harken coffee, but the numbers are very limited.
Vegan Charcuterie and cheese board.
Next weekend takeaway pop up at Harken coffee is ..Vegan charcuterie and cheese board.
Using lots of wild blossoms and farm vegetables.
House made two vegan nuts cheeses, one is wrapped with cherry blossom petals.
Another one is fermented with flowering currants.
For the vegan meats, celeriac shawarma and sprouted lentil pate.
Two kinds of blossom pickles, maple flower and magnolia flower.
The maple flowers have good sweetness and bright yellow colour, the magnolia is unique gingery flavour in a hakurei turnip cup.
Two kinds of crackers, yuzu & fennel pita chips, translucent crackers.
You can enjoy variety of food items. This can feed for one, but good for sharing with other food, too.
Nice snacks for picnic, or mothers day gift.
Pre-order basis, you can order from here.
Vegan sauces..
Exciting small news.
Mæst food will launch two kinds of sauces tomorrow at Harken coffee.
Japanese inspired Worcestarshire sauce. Rich, deep flavour, you will find umami in the sauce.
Apple mustard sauce. Kind of like in between apple chutney & mustard. Sweet, yet spicy.
They both are perfect with Joy Ridos’s vegan sausage rolls.
Available in store. Ask baristas!
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 cereals
When I was working at Harken coffee, Tomoko Tahara made a series of flavoured puffed rice cereals.
Since the menu was dine in basis, the cereal was simple, combination of toppings and flavoured milk made the charactor of the cereals.
This time is packaged so it has flavours in the cereals.
There are two kinds. Tamari candied almonds and seeds, brown sugar oats, raisins and cocoa nibs. Nice variety of flavours and texture, and good saltiness from the Tamari.
An another one is marshmallow puffed rice and almonds, seeds, freeze dried blueberries.
Not only for your breakfast, they both can be a dessert with good creamy “m*lk”. & fresh fruits, and nice with vegan ice creams.
Oh wait! Vegan miso “butter” is new item too.
Available for online pre-orders, as well as in store at Harken coffee (338 Powell street)
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.
Edamame, but..
Edamame, one of my weekend pop up event’s ingredients.
Edamame beans are commonly eaten as a snack with simple method - Just boil with the shell, salted and shelled when people eat.
Also nice garnish for the bright green colour.
We are using it but added extra process - shelled, peeled the thin skin, marinated with herbal green oil.
The details of my pop up this weekend.
Maest food at Harken coffee : Vegan bento pop up 0.2 : Chirashi sushi.
Chirashi sushi is like a poke, this is the quickest answer - it has long history. The Chirashi style sushi 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.
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.
About the process of Rose hip jam
Rose hip jam - it is precious extract from the rose.
The process is a bit extra for other fruits jams - cleaning of course, and blanch, then cook with sugar and citrus or other flavour.
I used Shiso, and Yuzu.
Until this is kind of normal. Straining is the big process for this jam.
I cooked a lot of rosehips with medium high percentage of sugar, and it creates the amount of the jam only 40% amount of fresh ingredients. You can have some from our Mæst food Market website.
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.