Oden – Japanese Stew

Oden - Japanese Stew

Back in 2010, Tomiko and I spent all of April visiting our high school friend in Tokyo. Her mom had just left a day before we arrived, and she had prepared oden, a Japanese stew, for our first dinner. Oden is a stew that consists of a dashi-based broth and contains a variety of ingredients, such […]

Udon Noodle Soup

Udon Noodle Soup

Our new family tradition of going to a nice restaurant for our birthdays started when I would ask to go to the only Japanese restaurant in Riyadh, the Tokyo restaurant. The restaurant had large private rooms (restaurants were divided into sections for men and for families/women), so we could often dine with other families from […]

New York City Eats: P.J. Clarke’s

P.J. Clarke's, New York

On our first night in New York, we dined at P.J. Clarke’s because it was right by our aunt’s apartment. Established in 1884 and named after its Irish bartender, the restaurant is a traditional American saloon that seems to be the equivalent of an old French bistro. It serves classic dishes and is great for kids […]

Toronto Eats: Pho at Golden Turtle Restaurant

Pho at Golden Turtle Restaurant

On a sunny weekend in April, Ryan and I walked down Ossington for pho in Toronto. Golden Turtle Restaurant, or Rùa Vàng, is one of two Vietnamese restaurants on the Ossington strip, and our brother says it’s a front for the Vietnamese mafia. Could be, since they only take cash. But the pho is amazing.

Cheddar Cheese Butternut Squash Soup

Cheddar Cheese Butternut Squash Soup, Kiku Corner

This is a lovely, silky, smooth soup that is enriched with cheddar. Get the oldest cheddar you can so you get the richest flavour without adding so much cheese. I first made this soup when I was in university completing my undergraduate degree. I would walk to the year-round farmers’ market in Guelph every Saturday, in […]