Izakaya Tomo For Beer and Tasty Food

My accountant originally told me about this place and we had an okay visit the first time we went, but it was awhile before we went again.  We have been back several times after that and the food / service has been consistently better than the first visit.  I really like this place for the atmosphere, food, beer, and will be back again.  The Japanese owner recognizes a Zaku (from Gundam)  when he sees one!

There is a nice selection of Japanese beers and I don't have a particular favourite, but it all goes good with their dishes, of which there is a nice selection of things you don't find in most Japanese restaurants here.  The restaurant has been around for more than a few years and is a great addition to the Japanese food scene in Edmonton.

Beers!  A couple of the rarer Japanese imports here.

Simmered pork belly.  Savoury goodness at its best.

Tuna Yukke with fresh quail egg and tuna tartar.  Break the egg, mix it up for creamy goodness.

Kinpura, Burdock and Carrot Salad.  Quite tasty with plenty of crunch to the two type of roots involved.

Tuna Tataki.

Takoyaki or octopus balls (double order of 12).  This is a real Japanese treat!  The takoyaki are crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, then covered in sauce, bonito flakes and mayo.  Yum!  This is one of the dishes I order every time I visit.

Closeup of the Takoyaki

Udon Aglio Olio E Peperoncino udon with octopus and squid.  I like this simple, yet flavourful take on an Italian dish.

5 Gyoza cooked in a pan, flip it over to see your dumplings.  Cool presentation.

I'm always saying I want to drop in for some takoyaki and a beer and I've never done it, but one of these days...   This is a great place to go to sample some Japanese food both traditional and inspired.  They also have sushi, but we usually order mainly the cooked dishes with the odd roll to supplement our meal.  As Arnie says,  "I'll be back."

More takoyaki.

Yummy Ramen in Edmonton at Kazoku and Prairie Noodle Restaurants

In November and December of 2015, two new ramen restaurants opened up in Edmonton.  Kazoku was first, followed by Prairie Noodle.  I had to try both of these new places as I love ramen and eat lots of it every time I've been to Tokyo.  Ramen is basically soup, noodles, and toppings.  It is cheap, easy, fast food that could be quickly prepared and quickly eaten.  It has become more glamorous these days with chefs and such making it, but it is still one of these things that a hole in the wall can do really well as it isn't exotic (if you know the time consuming prep process to make it).

• A post on yummy ramen from my Tokyo Excess blog about Japanese Pop Culture

One of the most important things about ramen is the soup part.  To me, the soup needs to grab the attention of your taste buds on its own as it is what warms the soul.  I've had ramen with broth like this savoury nectar of the gods in Tokyo.  The odd time, I've had really good broth here too in Calgary or Edmonton, but most of the time it is just passable or pretty good.  The noodles have to be firm, maybe a little chewy, and definitely not soggy.  The toppings, with roasted pork of some sort must be tender and flavourful with lots of umami, and the ramen eggs need yolks that are still soft or a little runny.  If you have these things, you have an awesome bowl of noodles.  So, onto the restaurants.

Kazoku Ramen
Kazoku is a nice little restaurant way out on Stony Plain Road near West Edmonton Mall.  It is a little far for me to go for a ramen fix, unless I'm in the area.  The restaurant has free parking which is nice, and has a nicely done interior with the Ramen Rex focus wall.  I was there with a large group and we ordered the tonkotsu ramen, the shoyu ramen, and the Kazoku Special Ramen.  We also ordered the katsu curry, some tempura, and an order of gyoza.

 The service was okay, and the food was pretty good overall, but we did have a few hiccups on our visit.  I'm not sure I like the tempura as much since the batter reminded me more of Chinese deep frying for chicken balls or shrimp rather than a tempura batter.  The broccoli batter was still not completely cooked in the middle, but they quickly fried up a fresh one for us.  The tonkatsu curry was pretty good, with the curry being tasty with a nicely fried up pork cutlet, and a fluffy egg omelet underneath it; all on top of the rice - very filling.

Assorted tempura

gyoza

katsu curry with a fluffy omelet underneath the cutlet.

Tonkotsu Ramen.  You have lots of the traditional things for ramen happening here with naruto, soft boiled egg,  the pork belly, green onions, dried seaweed, and pickled bamboo shoots.

The ramen soups were pretty good and I was pretty satisfied with my meal.  The couple of us who ordered the Tonkotsu ramen enjoyed it the most, with the soup being thicker, more robustly flavoured, and saltier.  The Kazoku Ramen was a lighter, thinner tonkotsu broth, but the person who had it said they would have the regular tonkotsu next time as the flavour was more intense.  The gyoza weren't piping hot when we got them, but they were good with lots of garlic like I like it for Japanese gyoza.  The roast pork belly was pretty tender and tasty, but one edge (the outside edge was on the tougher side and probably should have been trimmed off).

Overall, I'd try them again for sure and I'll have the tonkotsu or the katsu curry!  It's always great to have another ramen eatery around.

Prairie Noodle
Boy, this place can be hard to get into as it is so busy.  They've even sold out of their various types of ramen on particular days.  I'm sure the crowds will eventually die down, but they sure were off to a great start after a great social media campaign with popup restaurants and all that.  This was the place I was really eager to try after some local food bloggers raved about it.  The first time I went it was like a 45 minute wait, and we had to pass on it, but the second time, I walked in the door to get a seat after they had just opened for the day.  There were already more than half a dozen customers in front of me.

Sitting down at the counter I could see them preparing all the food and you can tell they have an eye for detail here.  The restaurant is small, but has a nice modern decorated theme to it.  I like the fact that they have coat hooks under the bar, like in Japan to hang a bag or your jacket.  They are not doing traditional ramen, and I like the fact that they are doing something different with locally sourced ingredients.

Pork Ramen - nicely presented with a good portion size.

I ordered the Pork Ramen here as pork and ramen are like fish and chips for being two peas in a pod.  I also want to see what their take on a classic combination was.  When the ramen arrived it was very nicely presented with the shredded roast pork, the pork belly, and the crispy pork skin.  I tasted the broth first and it was light with a flavourful undertone, but it didn't knock my socks off or anything.  The soup was good, but it really shone when I had it with a mouthful of the shredded pork to provide that big kick of umami.  The noodles were nicely done by being firm and chewy and went well with the soup.  The pork belly was tender and tasty with the umeboshi egg surprising me with its tartness (but there is pickling involved)  The egg was done nicely though.  Overall, it was a pretty good bowl of noodles.  I'll try the chicken ramen next time, and the miso ramen (with cheese - so it should have lots of flavour) after that.  I didn't have room for appetizers, but the ones I saw pass by looked pretty good.

Crispy pork skin on top of the egg in the middle.  Lots of green onion and roasted corn.

I'll definitely be back to try more of their ramen with the local/regional touch, which is something that is a plus everyone.

Starbucks In Different Countries

I enjoy having a grande bold in a venti cup in the morning before I start work.  I guess I've been going to Starbucks pretty much since they arrived in Canada years ago and I'd say they've done pretty good to bolster their food offerings along with their coffee.  Some people say the coffee tastes burnt, and I'd agree (I avoid the Sumatra myself) in some cases, but I do like my coffee strong, so to each, their own.  When I decided to write again, I typed my first short story in 10 years sitting in a Starbucks couch.



Starbucks Japan
I'd have to say my favourite Starbucks are the ones in Japan.  Starbucks does know how to pick some premium locations for their shops.  The first Starbucks I went to in Japan was the one at the super busy Shibuya Crossing.  Their shop is in the Q-Front building there looking across the intersection to Shibuya Station.  I ordered my latte and had it by the time I paid and cleared the counter.  It was memorable as it was ultra efficient (it felt like I paid and they handed me a latte).  You then could go upstairs sit at the window (if you could find a seat) and view the crossing with the thousands of people.  They have some nice locations in Ueno Park and my favourite one is one the roof of the Tokyu Plaza in Harajuku with its rooftop garden/deck.  The food they have in Tokyo is a cut above North America as I think the coffee shops and bakeries are way more competitive with quality offerings.

Caramel Frappucino

They have different sandwiches and quiche in Tokyo.

Quiche and cakes!  They even have a tasty sakura cake in the spring.

Waffles and pastries.

Starbucks For Sale
 This is the equipment and furnishings for a Starbucks up for sale when the Target stores closed in Canada.  I think the bids started at 30 K and the food oven was like 5K or something (it was expensive).

Starbucks Canada
Where I get my regular fix.  Nothing like a hot coffee on a cold morning (not that is is always winter in Canada).  Prices keep going up, like everything else these days, but I'm a coffee and not a latte drinker most of the time, so the hit is only half as bad.

Snowy day

They have added a nice variety of baked goods with their new bakery line.  The croissant breakfast sandwiches are pretty darn good, and a good go to for a quick bite.

My breakfast one morning.

Theses savory spinach pastries were okay, but not my favourite. 

Their little bento style snack boxes are a good idea.  They aren't cheap, but are good in a pinch and pretty healthy.  The boiled egg one is probably my favourite of the bunch.

Pastries.

Starbucks Paris
Starbucks is everywhere.  This is their take on the sidewalk cafes of Paris and having a coffee there isn't nearly as affordable as back here in North America.  Still, it is great to get a consistent product and service.  I haven't been to enough of these to compare anything though.

I like the sidewalk seating.

All kinds of baked goodies along with the regular drinks.  Some different sandwiches and more.

Baked goods.

That's all for now.

Edmonton Heritage Festival Fun in the Sun

The Edmonton Heritage Festival is a fun event that runs over the three day August long weekend.  It has 60 tents/pavilions that cover 85 different cultures, showing the diversity of immigration in Edmonton area.  I try to get out to this every year and also eat some ethnic good food.  Brought a big donation for the food bank too and took the bus down there from the University of Alberta Campus.

This event is pretty amazing as it takes a ton of volunteer hours to put together and man these pavilions.  The pavilions usually have some information about the country or culture and often have crafts for sale and a kitchen that cooks up some regional specialties.  You have to buy food/drink tickets at booths on the grounds and you should make sure that if there is a long line, to check the back side of the booth which might have a teeny line.

There are also many folk dances and regional arts performances and one of the things I like the most is the music.  It is almost like flipping channels on a global radio station as you walk through the different pavilions as the music shifts.  A fun time and anything sausage-like is almost always tasty!

So learn something about the world, enjoy the diversity in the city, and eat lots!

Free Science Fiction Anthologies From Microsoft and the Atlantic Council

I'm going to be paying for some roof repairs, but I'm going to save a few bucks on some science fiction reading.  There are a couple of new SF anthologies just released this fall for free as ebooks.  One is sponsored by Microsoft Research and the other by the Atlantic Council, a  think tank.  Both have some big name authors such as David Brin, Linda Nagata, Ken Liu, Greg Bear, Nancy Kress, etc.  These fine writers were commissioned to write and hopefully both educate and entertain you with their future postulations.

Inside of a construction site.  The scaffolds go on and on.

The first book is War Stories from the Future (created via the Art of Future Warfare Project).  This book explores the future of armed conflict and social conflict via science fiction stories instead of essays or papers about how things could be.  There is also a bunch of writing up on their project site that is interesting to peruse.

Download here: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/books/war-stories-from-the-future

The second book is Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired by Microsoft.  This book had Microsoft Research invite eight SF writers in to see and then write about their favourite research projects.  Some very big name SF authors like Nancy Kress, Robert J. Sawyer, Greg Bear, David Brin, Elizabeth Bear, etc.  It might be a bit of a PR effort from Microsoft, but it should be interesting to read about the Microsoft tech in action.

Download here from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0182NCTWS

You may have to select your national Amazon store.  I had to change to Canada.  On a parting note, Microsoft Singapore release this really cool anime short about the IE Browser as personified by a Browser-Tan cute girl character.  Quite entertaining to watch.