Lifestyle_NovDec2023_Final _Online

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THE BUZZ Culinary Community Notes New and Notable By BRYAN LAVERY We are pleased to revive “The BUZZ” and share news, including upcoming events, from our local culinary community — as much as we can fit — free of charge. Email your item to chris@eatdrink.ca with “BUZZ” in the subject line. Food Media Before the pandemic, I was the principal writer and food editor for Eatdrink magazine for 12 years, helping to shape the magazine under my byline and behind the scenes. I am happy to see the return of Eatdrink in this new and updated format because there is so much good news to share and great food and drink stories to tell in upcoming issues. Good food media are necessary members of the culinary community. Like any considerate patron, we want to bring appreciation and sensibility to the table, but the food media’s mission goes beyond that. We must pass our unbiased impressions on to readers, while alerting the dining public to the diversity of choice on the culinary scene without hyperbole, airbrushing or white lies. Good reporting furnishes the reader with enough information and insight to make informed decisions, while helping arbitrate eating-out standards. If you don’t have good vital International Cuisines Food, identity and culture are bound together, so inadvertently insulting customs and cuisines you don’t fully understand is offensive. Personal opinions have their place, but those writing pseudo-reviews online should meet specific journalistic standards. Writers who make sweeping statements and articulate strong opinions but don’t have the broader knowledge or context to provide an argument with merit and weight are not credible sources of information. Furthermore, we don’t need lists segregating the restaurant diaspora. We must avoid the notion that “white” and “western” are the base standards. Capricious listicles used to fill a quota for representation are meaningless despite becoming ubiquitous among the influencers hired to promote our culinary scene. This is lazy and insulting to the restaurant community. The ravages of these last few years have reminded us that food and drink can confer status and entitlement to the economically and culturally privileged. We must take care not to perpetuate social inequality, offensive stereotypes or support cultural appropriation. When we write about food, the vagueness of the term “ethnic” and the expectation that it doesn’t food media, you don’t have the same degree of interest, enthusiasm and accountability. The Changing Scene The pandemic seems to have impacted acceptable behaviours in many facets of our lives, including dining out. Restaurant etiquette is straightforward: servers and other restaurant personnel deserve respect and should be treated with dignity, as should customers. Behave as any guest would, and don’t think it is your right to move the furniture around, take the flowers off the table home or tell owners how to run their business. Patrons should comport themselves with how they wish to be treated by restaurant staff. During the pandemic, five times restaurateurs were mandated to close their dining rooms and shut down their catering operations to prevent apply equally to people and cuisines associated with Europe or white Canada should give everyone pause. It is wholly subjective and nonsensical. Ethnic to whom or to what? Ethnic is a catchall term for non-white food used to devalue immigrant cuisine, and its associated stereotypes are derogatory, insensitive and unacceptable. Assigning lower prices for cultural foods undervalues those who cook it and their culinary heritage. One significant constraint is the perception it is only genuine if it is inexpensive. Until recently, immigrant cooks on the lower echelons of the social hierarchy were held captive by the insistence on cultural authenticity (read: cheap cuisine) and all that term implies. How a culture’s cuisine is valued is often seen in the status of those who cook it. And we must ask who decides what is “authentic cuisine?” There should be no distinction between immigrant and non-immigrant cuisine. Like its people, what is considered Canadian food is a wide-ranging mix of appropriated indigenous and immigrant cultures, traditions and tastes that have adapted to the people who have immigrated here and call this country home. At its best, authentic cultural exchanges are based upon a willingness to respect and value another culture’s traditions. the spread of the coronavirus. For employers, this meant laying off workers several times and many staff left the industry permanently. There remains a shortage of qualified people ready to join the restaurant labour force. Many establishments are still struggling, as business volume has not returned to prepandemic levels. Friends and colleagues who work at independent restaurants continue to operate carefully since reopening their doors to the public. For some, this meant reopening their dining rooms and patios with less seating. Many restaurants have opted to continue to offer contactless curbside delivery takeout or have pivoted to augment business by retailing specialty and grocery items. Restaurant closings are not unheard of, and there are always several factors involved. We can’t ignore the heavy impact of the current homeless crisis on restaurants, with such a large number of unhoused people in London’s core. I am cautiously optimistic that the City of London is on the verge of initiating transformative change for the most marginalized homeless community members. London Despite grave challenges, our culinary community continues to demonstrate their resilience. Since the last issue of Eatdrink, a number of new highconcept restaurants and cafes have emerged or been reimagined, including ANNDining, Sagi of Wortley, One on York, Pizzeria Madre, Yasmine’s, Lucy’s Pizza & Cocktails, The Mule (in the former Black Trumpet premises) and London Bicycle Café. There are more exciting changes in the works. Sadly, among the many changes to the local scene, some businesses have been shuttered. Perhaps most notably, we lost the beloved Budapest, and more closings are anticipated. Congee Chan Restaurant is a favourite known for its Cantonese dishes and congee. Shrimp dishes are a notch above most. This is traditional Chinese cooking combined with Canadian Chinese cuisine with Americanized versions of modern Asian specialties like deepfried, sweet and piquant General Tao chicken. They offer more than just congee and noodles. 54 LifestyLe LIFESTYLE November/December FEATURING EATDRINK 2023 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
Order the lobster with ginger and green onion chow mien and the clams with black bean sauce. congeechanrestaurant.com Restaurateur Jess Jazey-Spoelstra continues to deliver cutting-edge and quality food experiences combined with extraordinary service, her forte and 30 | hallmark March/April as owner 2020of North Moore Catering, River Room and Rhino Lounge and co-owner of ingredients. The chocolate flavours change by Craft season, Farmacy or, just with because! chef Andrew Wolwowicz. We We anticipate educate that people Jazey-Spoelstra with their tea will choices make as an all exciting teas are announcement not the same. soon We are if all passionate goes planned. about the craftfarmacy.ca region and telling the local food story through our chocolates. Quality, Gnosh freshness restaurateur and authentic Joe Duby ingredients and partners make have opened our chocolates a second unique. location This at London’s paired with West 5 development. sustainable, high We expected quality Belgian the longtime chocolate downtown allows location us to offer will cease a truly operations unique product. this fall. Customer satisfaction is key! We enjoy gnoshdining.com chatting with travellers and locals alike. Collaborating Behind the scenes with Kathy I love McLaughlin to experiment at the with new flavour combinations in the chocolate. Downtown London BIA, we are working to develop some unique Downtown Experiential Culinary Maryam Trails. Yaro Our first Wright offering is a self-guided Scratch Chef/Owner Bakery of and YaYa’s Patisserie Kitchen, Trail, London which includes yayaskitchen.ca Jill’s Table, Saisha’s Patisserie, Reverie, Rhino By Bryan Lounge, Lavery Pastry Culture, Happiness, Photo: Phong Tran Cofounder Maryam Yaro and Wright chef/owner Maryam Yaro Wright of YaYa’s Kitchen arrived in Canada in 2014. Earlier After this year, three Yaya’s weeks Kitchen in Toronto, won she and the her Ontario husband Southwest were off 2022 to Baker Innovative Lake in Nunavut Experience for five of the years, Year where Award she for their worked as a Lands Administrator. It was a culture shock coming Afro-Caribbean from Tula, Culinary Gombe Experience State, Nigeria, at the where Southern daytime Ontario temperatures Tourism Conference can exceed in 45 Hamilton. °C degrees, Yaya’s to Nunavut, Kitchen is where a curated winter culinary temperatures space hosting can weekly drop Afro-vegan to 50° C. dinners. It Maryam was in and Nunavut Malvin that provide Maryam an opportunity learned how to delve into vegan culinary history within the global Black experience. A four-course tasting menu showcases foods of the African Sahel while sharing, connecting and preserving the history and culture of the African diaspora by showcasing their language, cuisine, traditions and heritage through food with its tastes, aromas, sights, sounds and preparations. yayaskitchen.ca ED82 2-28-cm.indd 30 eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag Dinner Tues–Sat 5–10 Sometimes Lunch people Friday are 11:30–2:30 skeptical until they try it! Lime Sunday and Pre-order basil are Ready-to- a combination that puzzles many. Heat & Serve Menu Chocolatea 432 Richmond just celebrated Street our 5th anniversary. I recently at Carling started • London Truffle Camp which ALWAYS has a 3-course become a hit. We have been nominated prix and fixe I menu am a finalist with Ontario’s Southwest for option an Innovation davidsbistro.ca Award. Without trying I have created a following that has people driving from other areas strictly for my chocolate. I would Grace say, Restaurant, you love Grace what Bodega, you do and Black have Walnut a personal Bakery support Cafe, London system, Bicycle take the Cafe leap and of Covent faith. Translate the love into your business and your Garden customers Farmers’ will Market. love it too. Next will come a Holiday Traditions Trail, which will dovetail with a “Downtown for the to fish. Holidays” With her campaign husband, in she November started and hosting December communitybuilding dinners highlighting local fish and this also year. game downtownlondon.ca hunted by her husband, which Speaking she prepared of the with Black authentic Walnut Bakery Nigerian/ Cafe, the Sahel spices for community dinners. much-lamented original location in London’s After five years in Nunavut and with Maryam Wortley pregnant Village with will be her rebuilt third after child, a the devastating family fire relocated earlier this to year. London blackwalnutbakerycafe.com and purchased a house, sight unseen. They decided to continue hosting Since their I last traditional wrote for Eatdrink, dinner and my posted company, the event Forest on City Facebook. Culinary The Experiences, response won was surprisingly the Culinary positive Tourism and Award 20 people of Excellence attended their just first as dinner. the pandemic This was began. the beginning We are back of YaYa’s ( forestcityculinaryexperiences.ca) Kitchen, which has since evolved after into being a chefdriven, communitybuilding popup featuring put on a hiatus multicourse for two meal years. for More 40 recently, people. I The returned experience to the is kitchen unique at because Blackfriars it features Bistro and a familystyle Emporio. communal blackfriarsbistro.com table and storytelling, with an elevated dining atmosphere where patrons My former dress semiformally. Eatdrink colleague The focus Terry-Lynn of the(TL) evening Sim is opened on food Mamasim and conviviality. at Adelaide You’ll and be Grosvenor introduced Streets, to beside each course The Pristine by the Olive. host of TL the and her popup. husband Maryam Dave and offer a team quality of comfort volunteers foods cook from and serve heat-and-serve the meal based one-pan on meals the authentic such as lasagna, Black experience. The bimonthly cultural cottage pie, • mac Family-owned experience takes place and at the cheese & London and operated chicken Food pot pies Incubator smoked in Old • proteins Beautiful East Village. like patio baby on back Thames ribs, meatloaf, River Wright brisket is and the • pulled eldest Catering pork. of four and mamasim.ca 2 siblings well-appointed and now has four children private of function her own. rooms YaYa’s available Kitchen At T.G.’s means Addis • “older Family-friendly Ababa sister’s Restaurant, kitchen” (Kids chef/owner Menu in Available) Hausa, T.G. one guides of over the 300 uninitiated Nigerian to select languages. from a menu Wright of outstanding has been cooking and perfectly since she prepared was eight Ethiopian years specialties old and grew that up are surrounded elaborately spiced. by the Some of diverse flavours of Nigerian/Sahel cuisine. my favourites are flavoured with a rousing darkred hot and sauce specialties (berbere.) from Selections the hundreds include of fan- The dishes find inspiration in the diversity of cuisines ethnic tastic groups pulses that (such comprise as red lentils, Nigeria. chickpeas Maryam and explains, yellow “You split can peas) go and from exceptional one village plant-based to another, dishes or seasoned just down with the complex road, and spice the blends. food is entirely Sharing different.” platters are presented as ensembles and eaten with pieces of injera, a crepe-thin spongy flatbread with an enticing sourdough flavour. tgsaddisababarestaurant.com 2020-03-03 12:50 AM Chef Brian Sua-an recently partnered with chef Joseph Tran to reimagine and reboot Reverie so he can focus on his latest endeavour, Saisha’s Patisserie, which features French-inspired patisserie, croissants, cakes and great coffee sourced from Norway. Look for exquisite offerings such as Private Second Floor Party Room Available Simply the finest authen available in th NOW OPEN! serving locally sourced food since 2017 HAPPY HOUR FEATURES Half Price Oysters, Select Drinks & Apps Tuesday–Friday from 3:30–5:30pm TUES–SAT • Family-Owned Lunch & Dinner & 11:30am Operated to Close SUNDAY Brunch 11am & Dinner • Beautiful patio on Thames River • 449 Catering Wharncliffe and 2 well-appointed Road South Private Function Rooms available 519.914.2699 • Family-friendly (Kids Menu Available) 231 King Street W fleur de cao, plaisir sucrè, pistachio Paris-Brest, Basque cheesecake, Framboise, and chou-chou. Tran, a skilled chef with experience and competition wins worldwide, features Pacific Rim cuisine in 519-360- Open for Dinner Daily / Lu the recently renovated premises, where he blends foods and cooking methods with mammamariasr influences from Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Eastern Asia. Tran’s creative menus showcase a combination of multicultural and hybrid influences, resulting in unique and flavorful fusion dishes. reverierestaurant.ca One on York is situated in the building long occupied by the former Michaels On The Thames. Billed as a unique fine dining experience, they offer classic dishes with a twist, fresh ingredients and excellent customer service. The renovated NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 November/December LIFESTYLE FEATURING 2023 EATDRINK LifestyLe 55
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