Stomachs on legs are proud to present

Courtesy of Hock at Xmas NZ '10 after one very worthwhile trip to Portland, Oregon and Podnah's Pit...Thanks Andy for helping to make our Xmas even yummier

Greeting from the slob of the century with a day off! You should see my apartment - cookie boxes I cant read and empty bottles of milkis and orange juice everywhere. Im in a scruffy not working zen, Legally Blonde just came on cable with voice-overs.

For those who don't know I am living in Ulsan, just outside of Busan - basically I now live in the coastal hippier mellow regions of South Korea and in Feb will be doing alot of pop-cultural travel between here and Seoul. I am also 2 hours away from Fukuoka Japan by boat (FYI Fukuoka is my hometown Manukau's sister city and when I was 12, the Manukau City Council had me represent South Auckland as a 'promising youth' kicking off my love for Asia. They definitely didn't have a crystal ball adolescence-wise but hey, thanks!) I really like the vibe here. There is a huge river at the back of my apartments and the local skyscrapers are all casually pushed up against mountains which I really like, its like a thrifty Asian Monaco.

So i thought I'd drop another culinary bomb on you.

Have been watching Korean food television, utter kitchen pornography OBSESSED.
Mellow old ladies (ajuma) run circles around their hotter younger spikier co-hosts who are only put in there to sex the shows up a bit (totally uncalled for when you see the amazing shit these doddery mums are making). Cuisine here is all about creating a selection, creating it quickly and it has to be HOT. I loved spicey food before, but once you go spicey here, i dont know if you can ever really go back. i better have a spicey friend or 2 when i get to Berlin just sayin. On these cooking shows they make it look like all you need is a deadly knife and a pot, they make everything look delicious but so easy. Korea has a respect for soup that I didnt get previously but now am totally tuning into.

Tonight i went out and grabbed a standard $5 meal which when I weigh up the experience with the price, is always enough to seduce me for life. Included was a super spicey beef soup, and dumplings that we made ourselves (fresh cabbage, onions, bean sprouts and lots of Gochujang ie. the Korean hot sauce slathered with almost everything. Warning: it is addictive, raises your metabolism and is not for the faint-hearted). Naturally all meals are served with banchan, the experience of what feels like thousands of tiny side-dishes. Restaurants will bring out cold pickled radish of every colour, shape and cut (these often help cool down the gochujang and robust kimchi) seaweed, potatoes, sprouts in sesame oil and seafood infiltrates these side-dishes subtly, sometimes with a thinly stewed squid on the side or anchovies being tucked into the kimchi paste.

At my Hagwon (english school) there is the mind-blowing aspect of everyone being able to order food anytime while we teach. Everyone eats constantly as it is a huge sharing and feasting society (no one needs to teach Korean kids how to share, their luch times are generous touching moments that'd make a Hallmark card or Anne Geddes puke).

Delivery is not just a sloppy burger or pizza slice (although admittedly alot of kumara/sweet potatoe + sour cream pizza does get ordered). This is anything. I order dolsot bibimbap a bit, dolsot means stone pot and bibimbap is a signature Korean dish. It is rice, vegetables and meat with a raw egg that fries itself when one stirs it in against the hot stone. On top of that, the sesame oil which lines the bowl will cook the rice until it is crunchy and golden. (We leave these dishes in a metal suitcase for the mysterious delivery men to collect later, its like 'The Saint').



In junk food news, I saw a hot dog stand and froze the other night while shopping, both metaphorically and literally. I swore this hot dog (stick format) had croutons fused to it. I stepped closer in my bundled-up glory to see, and while local hipsters and old men were eating the standard skewers or shu-cream fish (a dessert of crunchy waffles shaped like fish with custard inside sold only in sets of 3) I had to taste it for myself. What I got was a vertical chip butty. The outside was cubed hot chips, the batter was infact a toasted slice of bread all encasing the sausage which was of the high-end wurst variety.

When it comes to the language not so much, but when it comes to the food - this country understands me. Heres a photo of one of my favourite students Billy as a touching closer.



Love Coco

The Chip Group a partnership between local industry groups and the New Zealand Heart Foundation focused on improving the nutritional profile of chips or chups.

Judging from their website* and giveaways they have received some serious funding.

*Note awesome chip wallpaper.

If you do decide to join up like me you will be privy to some pretty spectacular videos covering topics such as optimum "chip size", "oil temperature", "basket drainage" and of course "salt"

After watching seven amusing clips which cover topics such as THUCK cut CHUPS are BUTTAR for your HELF and that you should not use SKUNNY CHUPS. I aced the tests (sorry modules) and received my certificate for which I am very proud.

The Chip Group recommends printing your certificate off and showing your work mates. Which is exactly what I did but Chalong my sous chef burnt it on an open flame. Where is the respect.

The Chip Group is now busily sending my two nieces in Auckland (I used their address as I thought it would be asking a tad much to send the goodie bag to Bangkok)

1 bottle of Kiwi Style Tomato Sauce (6 muthafucken liters!!!)
1 bottle of Kiwi Style Tartar Sauce (Also 6 ltrs!!! BURP)
1 Jar Kiwi Style Deep Frying Baking Powder (2 kg!)
1 jar of Kiwi style Chicken Salt Seasoning (2.5 kg!!!!!!!!)
1 apron and t-shirt (hopefully size XXXL as the girls little Hello Kitty t-shirts will not fit them after eating 12 liters of heavily processed condiments)

It was not a complete waste of 30 minutes. I learnt that 2.5 thousand tons of fat is equal 632 elephants. WTF? Actually this is the total amount of fat that they wish to remove each year from the NZ populations diet by cooking a better chip which is not a bad idea if you have ever seen Maytels dads tummy.

Anyway the password for my membership was horsefat which the website never once referred to which is a shame really as it is a nice middle ground, bridging the worlds of high and low saturated fats and producing a pretty good chip.

Anyway...Ella and Liv enjoy the 2 kg of Kiwi Style Deep Frying Baking Powder.

Prep photos from a little side project.

Most chefs need a drink after work.

If you are wondering why. Ritchie explains.

While a good 800 people line up to get into our work place after our dinner service.

We the cooks can't wait to get the hell out.

Usually staff drinks are held in front of the local 7-11 but thanks to Chef Shaggy and Chef Dan we have found the delights of frozen beer.

I know when you come come to Thailand you think it is cool to drink the local beers but trust me they are shit.

As shit as Heineken. So freezen the contents only adds to the pleasure. Especially as we build up to the end of the hot/dry season.

It's really hot here.



Bring on Songkran.

In the four months of taping, contestants are given a calorie budget, recipes and a list of forbidden foods: no white flour, white sugar, butter, or anything that contains them. From there, they have to learn to feed themselves.

“It wasn’t pretty,” said Mr. Brantley’s wife, Heba Salama, who began the show as the heaviest woman ever to compete, at 294 pounds. “The kitchen was full of weird ingredients like quinoa and kale. It was the blind leading the blind.”

Source: NYT

More on The American Stomach

There's something about the iPhone camera that gives a flattering pallid glow to winter skin.

As I sit in a shadowy office, most of my colleagues departed to small snowy villages, it's an opportune moment to post a few quick photos from before and during our company schnitzel outing.

Think of it as a tribute to the ghosts of schnitzels past.

The schnitzel spot was Brauhaus Sion in Sülz.







You have to squint to see the salad garnish. Mine came topped with preiselberry sauce and camembert, a heart attack bomb.

Next time I'm passing on the schnitzel and sticking to my usual blood pudding with mashed potato & apple sauce, aka 'Heaven and Earth'.

So when you go to Shake Shack and stand in line for 30 mins to an hour and finally order your order hamburger, shroom burger, and frozen custard.... and before the staff hand you over the vibrating electronic device that "shakes" when your order is ready....ummmm.......you might want to try doing a little shake yourself a la Homer Simpson. If for instance, you wiggle yourself and your fat continues to wobble say five to ten seconds after you've stopped exerting yourself......well you might want to rethink your lunch choice, just saying...you know...for your health and vitality.



I'm not being mean, just honest, really.

If your wobbles are minor to non-existent, if say you are a Japanese tourist, go for it. Get the lot, guzzle down a shake burger, fries and custard. Why not try a shake shack shake too while your at it. I'm sure the shakes are great.

If however, your not quite hideously obese but could stand to loose a few squishy bits, as in my case, and if you promise to atone big time, then my advice is skip the fries, (they're just fried potatoes you know, you can live without them) order a 'shroom burger and share a small tub of frozen custard. Hock's shake burger is just a burger in my view, but the 'shroom burger was crispy mushroomy, cheesy and good. The frozen custard was dense and delicious. Follow with brisk walks all over NYC.

Wowwww.
The plot thickens like Gong Bao sauce with Kingsfords 'expressly for food' cornstarch!

There have been a few interesting Gut Feelings discussions of late on personal eating choices vs societal implications.

As Maytel pointed out, there are so many different sets of circumstances under which, say, a Walmart may open, it's very difficult to say definitively if it will be a good or bad thing.

England is still fizzing with rage over Jamie Oliver's school dinner campaign, and omnivores get ever more obsessed with the origins of their food, calculating how much energy they expend per footstep to reach their seed store to buy a tomato plant. Meanwhile, as we noted in April, a study in the USA showed that vouchers that permit low-income women to shop at a local farmers’ market increased fruit and vegetable consumption in poor families.
it feels like the developed world is caught in a massive tangle of environmental and social/governmental concerns versus free will concerning what one puts in one's mouth.

Here is a fascinating article about how Los Angeles has imposed a one year ban on new fast food franchises in Southern LA.

Are we at a dietary tipping point? People's dietary choices being controlled by well-to-do city planners!! The coining of the term 'food desert'!!
Are healthy choices a type of imperialism, or is fast food a type of social ill that should be legislated against? It seems clear that in certain senses & situations people are not capable of making choices that are good for themselves.
But is this food-equivalent of Giuliani's draconian nightlife laws going to make LA people healthier and happier?
And is it a big deal if a few pupusa vendors are sacrificed along the way?

"Jonathan Gold, the LA Weekly food critic who won a Pulitzer Prize last year, said he understands the spirit of the freeze, which is an urban planning measure meant to keep the neighborhood, South Los Angeles, from being swallowed up by drive-though fast food restaurants. (A separate measure by the city provides economic incentives for new grocery stores and restaurants with table service.)

Fast food chains, he said, are like jellyfish in the ocean: with too many in one area, nothing else can thrive.

But he worries that the law could keep out places of more culinary interest. South Los Angeles has the best barbecue in the city, he said, and it has a growing number of cooks from Mexico and Central America making lamb barbacoa and pupusas. “Anytime you try to ban something, there’s a lot of bycatch,” he said.

The moratorium’s definition of a fast food business is any stand-alone restaurant that dispenses food, to stay or to go, and that has “a limited menu, items prepared in advance or prepared or heated quickly, no table orders, and food served in disposable wrapping or containers.” It is up to the city’s director of planning to decide which places fit that definition.

The councilwoman behind the moratorium, Jan Perry, says its intent is not to crush food choices, but to encourage variety and give residents more nutritious options. Making healthy decisions about food is difficult when people have small incomes, the grocery store is five miles away and a $1 cheeseburger is right around the corner, she and supporters of the ban say.

The moratorium doesn’t mean that people who live within the affected 32-square-mile zone will be cut off from the pleasures of an inexpensive cheeseburger and hot fries. More than 45 percent of the 900 restaurants there — the highest concentration in the city — are fast food chains.

The idea is to bring new eating options to the city’s food deserts, the term now in vogue to describe poor neighborhoods whose residents have few places to buy fresh groceries.

“People do not understand what happens in a disenfranchised community,” said Councilwoman Perry, who represents neighborhoods in the area. “The fact remains, there are not a lot of food choices in South L.A.”

Since there is not much land left to develop in the area, the moratorium will allow city planners time to determine what kinds of businesses would be best in an area where rates of obesity and diseases related to it are disproportionately high.

“What we’re beginning to see is almost the monopolization of our dietary intake by a handful of corporations,” said David Zinczenko, editor in chief of Men’s Health magazine and the author of several diet books, including “Eat This, Not That! for Kids!” (Rodale, 2008).

“Add to that the financial reality of feeding ourselves today, where a single grapefruit from a corner fruit stand costs two or more times as much as a few Chicken McNuggets,” he said, “and I think you can begin to put together a case for governmental intervention.”

But not everyone agrees, including Joe R. Hicks, a radio talk show host who was the executive director of Los Angeles’s Human Relations Commission under Mayor Richard Riordan a decade ago. The two now work for a think tank that focuses on race relations.

“The crime in all of this is that people are sitting around meddling into the very minutiae of what people are putting in their mouths,” he said.

He argues that the ban assumes the 500,000 people who live in South Los Angeles are intellectually incapable of deciding what to eat.

“There is not a single public health crisis in the history of mankind that has been solved by handing out brochures,” said Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

In South Los Angeles, the burgers continue to fry.

“There is a sentiment here that it is a little anti-American, but people forget government tells businesses where to go all the time,” said Eddie North-Hager, a blogger who runs a community bulletin board focused on his neighborhood, Leimert Park, which is about 90 percent black and within the ban area.

He says there are 10 McDonald’s restaurants within three miles of his home. “It seems like a lot,” he said, “and that’s just McDonald’s.”

PORTLAND, Ore. — A New York man who pleaded guilty to murder in Oregon in exchange for buckets of fried chicken will get calzones and pizza to go with his life sentence.

Tremayne Durham, 33, of New York City, admitted last month that he fatally shot Adam Calbreath, 39, of Gresham, in June 2006. Durham wanted to sell ice cream and ordered an $18,000 truck from an Oregon company. He later changed his mind, but the company wouldn't provide a refund.

The would-be ice cream man came to Oregon and killed Calbreath, a former employee of the company, while looking for its owner, authorities said.

Durham agreed to plead guilty to murder _ but only if he could get a break from jail food. The judge agreed and granted Durham a feast of KFC chicken, Popeye's chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, carrot cake and ice cream.

After Wednesday's sentencing, Durham was to get the rest of the deal _ calzones, lasagna, pizza and ice cream, his defense attorney confirmed. They will pay the tab.

Durham also got married Wednesday in a civil ceremony at the Portland courthouse. The wedding to Vanessa Davis, 48, also of New York City, was not part of the plea deal that will give Durham a chance for parole after 30 years.

Deputy District Attorney Josh Lamborn said Multnomah County Judge Eric Bergstrom made the right call in allowing the unusual plea agreement because it saved the expense of a trial and possible appeals.

link

Coffee & Donuts

OMFG those donuts look killa.

Driving from Munich to Salzburg the other week, we stopped at a gas station to pay tolls. A faded sign promised RRrrrrrreally huge sausages (above). In the area where one paid for tickets and gas, a big glass cabinet displayed a few lonely tins of leberwurst paté. The restaurant went a few steps better, with its steam trays of nameless vegetables, and bread rolls with boiled eggs for breakfast, and the type of melancholic capuccinos served by highway gas stations the world over.



When diesel doesn't provide enough get up & go......fuel up on ham noodles.



A blousey, bosomy lady and her moustached husband ate standing up at an outside banquette, partaking of the wiener schnitzel with fries, as chalked on the sign above. The sky was acid blue and hints of the Austrian alps glinted on the horizon.

Photo: Carl Parks

As some of you may know, when Thailand's new right-wing conservative prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, isn't passing draconian internet censorship laws, defending the military junta of Burma (and cooking them dinner), or underhandedly supporting extra-judicial killings via the "war on drugs", he can be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

On his show Cooking and Complaining, Samak shows viewers how to make pigs legs in coca cola and fried rice.

Samak told the Guardian

"The constitution does not restrict a prime minister from talking about food. I think I’ll have a one-hour programme on Sundays,’ Mr Samak said. ‘Even the Prime Minister of New Zealand can be a tour guide to promote the country’s tourism. I may host a similar tourism programme in the future.’

I shudder to think what that will entail.....given that Thailand's tourism still relies heavily of boozing sexpats looking to score a good time with young Thai women from the provinces....It's not exactly white water rafting but quite possibly just as perilous


Samak's Pigs' leg in Coca-Cola

Ingredients (serves five):
Five pig legs
Four bottles of Coca-Cola
Three tablespoons salt
Fish sauce
Garlic, chopped
See-uan (a sweet, dark sauce)
Four to five cinnamon sticks
Coriander root
Ground pepper
Five tablespoons "pongpalo" powder
Shitake mushrooms

Method:
Place the pig legs in a large pot. Pour over the Coca-Cola and bring to the boil. Add the coriander root, garlic, pepper, salt, fish sauce, "pongpalo" and cinnamon sticks.
Add sufficient water to cover. Cut the stalks off the Shitake mushrooms and add hot water to soften. Then add to the main pot. Bring to boil and simmer or at least three hours. Make sweet sauce with see-uan. Serve chilli and vinegar sauce.

Samak's Fried Rice

Ingredients (serves 8-10):
500g chicken pieces
500g chopped ham
Six tomatoes, chopped
Six onions, chopped
10 chillies (hot northern Thai variety)
One cup mushrooms
Five to six kale leaves
Eight small cucumbers
20 spring onions Boiled rice

For the sauce:
Fish sauce
Pepper
Oil
Butter

Method:
Fry the chicken and ham. Fry all the vegetables except the spring onions and cucumbers, which are for garnish. When vegetables are softened add the chicken, sauce and ketchup, along with the rice. Stir-fry.


Either way it seems there is no escaping the truth of the matter.....Samak is bad for your health

Being white means that I like difficult beer. Really hard to find beers rank highly on my list mainly so I can impress the likes of Phil and Austin when we sit around and talk beer.

Below are most of the beers that I drank while back in NZ, each comes with a fancy tasting note stolen from Rate beer of course.

Emerson's Organic Oatmeal Stout


Here is what NoiZe from Zeist, Netherlands has to say

"I’ve had this one in New Zealand on my honeymoon. I was looking forward to this one, but it turned out to be a decent, but avarage stout."

If Noize was in front of me I would punch him in his newly married mouth, for me this beer is rated in the "fucking great" category. Shouldn't you be looking forward to something else on your honeymoon, nod nod wink wink, aye.



Emerson's 1812 India Pale Ale



Grandmaster from, Auckland, NZ offers

"Bottle, a clear orange copper, carbonation and a bubbly head. A juicy hop aroma thats good, but good (sic) (I think Grandmaster has had few) be stronger. Deliciously fruity (fruit salad) at first, but then becomes more bitter and malty (piney) through the swallow. The finish is long, but too dry. A well balanced and subtle IPA - the type I like to drink."

What are you drunk Grandmaster? The late Michael Jackson has a picture of this IPA in his beer bible of what he considers to be one the best IPAs EVER crafted! (note capitals) I don't get this review Grandmaster sort of slags the beer but kinda likes it. Personally this is one of my favourite beers to swallow.



Emerson's Weiss Bier


Austinpowers from New York, New york writes

"If you stir the annoying fizz out of it, it’s a really good Weisse - on par with the German ones. Light and herbal with some spice. Enjoyed at Plato in Dunedin, NZ."

I say

"What would the Germans know."

Emerson's Pilsner


Madquacker of Canberra, ACT, Australia is full of praise with

"Truely glorious. A head of epic proportion. Balanced citrus and ale flavours. Not sure where the pils was though. Brilliant."

You're not so mad Madquacker 'cause I like this too.



Emerson's Taieri George




Kempicus from Wellington, NZ writes

"I was surprised by this, i’m not a big fan of spiced ales, if i want to drink christmas cake i’ll liquidise one but this was good, it’s definately a ’mood’ beer and i was in the right mood for it. It’s spicy but not over the top spicy and instead of a harshness that sometimes comes through with less accomplished examples this is deliciously smooth. my only minor critisism is that it could possibly do with more body but other than that a great beer."

Kempicus reminds me of Phil..."Liquidised Christmas cake" possibly on a stick?



Epic - Award Winning Pale Ale


TimE from Tokyo, Japan slurs

"Light amber color. Very fragerant nose of peaches and apples with a solid caramel malt profile. Beautifully balaned with malty front to the mouth and then hops tickling the back of the throat. Moderately bitter finish. Well done."

Well done indeed for writing that after obviously knocking back one to many Epics.


Munchner Dunkel


Sully, Stanmore , NSW, Austalia

"Interesting label with a jolly aviator there, having absolutely no connection with the beer as far as I can discern. This is a malty sweet style of dunkel with toffee and hazelnuttiness and a muted hop presence. It drinks pretty well and certainly caals for another"

Sully Sully Sully you drunk bastard.



Founder's Organic "Long Black"


NoiZe again

"I’ve had this one in New Zealand on my honeymoon.
Black of course ;) Smooth roasted flavor. Nice."

Wink wink alright.


Elemental Porter Ale



Cconners, Tauranga, NZ says

"This is my favourite beer style ,what a great 4 pack from this brewery. The bottle poured an inky black with a fluffy tan head, very tight bubbles. The scent of this beer was coffeeish and chocolaty with hints of ripe plums. The creamy rich head was followed by an intense flavour dominated by roasted notes and sweet caramel, finishing with a lovely chocolate sensation. The lingering flavour was still around well after the bottle was gone. This beer is truely a stand out in their range and accordingly this is the brewers favourite style."

This is New Zealand's highest rated beer on Ratebeer, it really was a special beer.






No rating on these Bluff oysters other than please leave them in the shell (I hate NZ baby boomers and their acceptance of poorly shipped seafood), they went really well with the beer none the less.



One particular sunny NZ day while Maytel was whacking out her phd, I went for a walk down to the Macs brewery flagship pub to get a little bit of a buzz on. It was great to drink their selection on tap, but for me the Macs gold (not pictured) still tasted like crap, Top Notch their seasonal offering rocked (even for a low alcohol beer).

Top notch





Great White

There are the wings (from Duff's, the Toronto branch of the Buffalo restaurant which claims to have invented the things), now here's the prayer: please god never make me have to eat a Buffalo chicken wing again.

I love good junkfood as much as the next guy – but I'm not so much into breaded or deep fried things that are then coated or drowned in sticky-ass sauce. Sweet & sour chicken, no thanks. General Tso, I'll make an exception if done well. I'm also not into macho food that's so spicy it makes you cry (unless it's like, from fresh chillis or sambal or something).
I guess Buffalo wings and me just weren't made for each other.
Even if a huge bucket of them does look kinda cool.

Spot my place at the dinner table: the pansy drinking wine instead of beer and a burger instead of buffalo wings. (The burger was damn good actually). Sometimes I think I just like to be contrary.



And another thing: shouldn't these Buffalo wings really be called drumsticks?

Most days I cycle the 400 meters to work. This short trip always takes me past my local grilled meat dealer, often I will be tempted to pick up a few assorted sticks to chow on for a linner snack. What is impressive about this particular vendor is his dedication to quality, he does not sell the processed shit that most of the other hawkers pass off for grilled goodies in my neighbourhood, obviously it takes time and effort to do the butchery, prepare the marinades, sauces etc. This dedication to quality has paid off. Initially business was slow as the narrow soi is low on foot traffic but over the year that I have been working in Bangkok and making this daily commute I have noticed that day after day business has slowly picked up and now there is a constant stream of moto drivers and other customers (yes mostly men) who drop by for their meat fix. Masta Grilla (as I like to refer to him) and his smoky charcoal stand has become so popular that much to my amusement other vendors have now tried to cash in on his trade by setting up stands next to his but with little success.
Today was a first for me in that Masta Grilla was open when I was travelling homeward bound (I slipped out early from work as the kitchen crew seemed to have everything under control) so I grabbed a chicken wing, some gizzards and a few livers and headed to the pool on the roof of my apartment. This plus some street corn and a Phuket beer made for an indulgent afternoon snack.

Having eaten our way through many spots of both fancy schmancy and hole-in-the-wall varieties, we were left in no doubt of the culinary charms of Toronto. I must say that this city would definitely benefit from one reliable Sietsema-type reviewer though. (I urgently recommend Sietsema to begin research on a Toronto version of his books like 'Good and Cheap Ethnic Eats in New York City': he would have a field day in Toronto no doubt). You can easily find short, vague reviews on sites like Torontoplus or Toronto-ourfaves.com, but the best bet is to google the cuisine or restaurant you're interested in with 'Now magazine'. But not even Now has a complete (or completely reliable) catalogue of the city's offerings. And trying to figure something out from Chowhound is like playing darts in the dark. Oh la! Nothing to do but make sure you have a few reliable recommendations if your time in Toronto is limited.

Toronto's circa 220,000 strong Jamaican community largely came to the city after various dubious immigration policies ended in the '60s. Some of these immigrants contributed to Toronto’s hip hop, reggae, rocksteady, soul and funk scenes since the late ‘60s: including Jackie Mittoo and veterans of the Studio One and Trojan labels. Today the legacy continues with people like Kardinal Offishall, Canada's premier hip hop artist, who brings reggae roots into his beats.

Speaking of roots & beets (bada boom!), of course the West Indian community also brought with them some culinary fiyah. Albert Wiggon came to Toronto the mid 1970s, first as a factory worker, but by age 18 saving profit to open up his own business and practise the kitchen secrets taught him by his mother. His restaurant on St. Clair Avenue West spawned the smaller branch on Queen West West.

Albert's was the spot generally recommended to us by Torontonians of Jamaican descent. For me the allspiced rice 'n' peas and oxtail gravy (always ask for extra!) outshone the actual chicken, which was juicy and falling off the bone (island-style), but we should have got spicier (there's hotsauce on the counter).

Albert's also got the thumbs up from the New Yorkers who were in town. It was from Harlem-based DJ/writer Chairman Mao that I learned how to order the ultimate late night drunk food: a patty (or two, if you're a boy) on coco bread.

Jamaicans.com says

Ah, a warm, buttered piece of coco bread and a sandy beach... no one could ask for much more than that."

Fair enough, if eating a soft, white oversize hamburger bun on the beach is what you're into. And if that's your ting, along with your patty-on-coco-bread, you drink a bottle of grapefruit flavoured -yes - Ting.

The spicy meaty warmth of the patty and its pie-like suet pastry shell, the fluffiness of the bread soaking up the spice and the juice, the sting of the ting, combine to make it a late night drunken treat par excellence. And it's not bad by daylight either.

(Here is a recipe for a vegan version of patties with coco bread).





Next time we're in the vicinity of Albert's, I hope to try an oxtail dinner with caramelized plantain, salt-cod fritters, gongo-pea soup and dumplings with gravy.


Albert's Real Jamaican Foods

542 St Clair Avenue West
Toronto - (416) 658-9445

558 Queen Street West (tell the cab driver Queen and Bathurst)
Toronto, ON M5V 2B5, Canada
(416) 304-0767

Krispy Kreme's at the airport!