Jeanne Beker: Pattern play with modern and classic graphic prints

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9:54 am

Jeanne’s pick (A)
Oscar de la Renta at Holt Renfrew,
50 Bloor St. W., $3,395
“This is all about fun and frivolity! Feathers have become a classic, and tiny sequins add that extra amount of dazzle. This could be worn by a woman of any age.”

Trippy tribal (B)
Nicole Miller at Andrews,
Bayview Village, $350
“Nicole Miller really knows women’s bodies. The ruching makes it very flattering across the belly.”

Make a mark (C)
Soia & Kyo at Sense of Independence,
511 Eglinton Ave. W., $300
“I love this Canadian label — they do beautiful coats. It’s a scuba fabric, so it has great body to it and a really nice weight.”

Optical tricks (D)
Ohne Titel at Intermix,
130 Bloor St. W., $565
“Oh, I love this flirty little skirt! Such great stretch in this knit; there’s lots of movement to it. Wear it all year round.”

A playful soul (E)
Jil Sander at Gravitypope,
1010 Queen St. W., $385
“These remind me of sandals I wore when I was a little kid. They have a European vibe to them. It’s a heavier look for sure; it’s a funkier look. Wear with boyfriend jeans, shorts, a sundress — anything!”

A zig with a zag (F)
Nicholas Kirkwood at Davids,
66 Bloor St. W. $875
“The minute I looked at these, my eyeballs fell out of their sockets because this is op art at its best. They just scream, ‘Look at me!’ I love them. Fabulous.”

So sportive (G)
Town Shoes,
Promenade, $150
“These are great because they’re what you wanna run around in. They’re an ultra casual sporty shoe, but there’s a great level of styling to them. There’s a lot of design value for your buck.”

Sharp lines (H)
Judith & Charles,
Bayview Village, $475
“They do great career dressing. You could do serious business in this. It’s gonna be very slimming because of the black panels on the side.”

French affair (I)
A.L.C. at Hudson’s Bay
Yorkdale Shopping Centre, $740
“This is great. It’s that fabric that reminds me of those Azzedine Alaïa dresses — for 8 million dollars! Very body-hugging, great for travel.”

Gamely graphic (J)
Ksubi at Room 2046,
1252 Yonge St., $235
“You can never have enough sunglasses. These look like stained glass windows — incredibly graphic. They’re very flattering on.”

Sneak-y spirit (K)
Toms,
toms.ca, $75
“These are just fun little high-tops with a really beautiful satiny fabrication and a great digital print. You could wear them in a myriad of ways. Great value.”

Not a square (L)
Balenciaga at 119 Corbo,
119 Yorkville Ave., $695
“These are so gorgeous. They look like old bistro floors. It’s a great quality jean with a bit of a low rise — not for women of a certain body type. If you’ve got the body, wear them!”

The night Paris Hilton played matchmaker in T.O.

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10:35 am

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Roz Weston, co-host of The Roz & Mocha Show on KiSS 92.5 and senior reporter on Entertainment Tonight Canada, is not a fan of crowded nightclubs and neither is his girlfriend, photographer Katherine Holland. However, that is exactly the setting in which they met a decade ago.

How they met
Roz: Neither of us likes to be out late. We also hate clubs and Paris Hilton equally. That said, we met at 2 a.m. at an overpacked nightclub party in Toronto hosted by Paris Hilton. Two minutes after we first met, we were hand in hand looking for a way out. Which we found. And found each other. There was almost a foot and a half height difference and a 10-year age difference, but our hands fit perfectly. I love holding Katherine’s hand.

The first date
Roz: Honestly? I don’t remember where it was. We drank somewhere. This was the night after we met and was simply a way to see each other as soon as possible. I’m not even sure we finished our second round before we left together.
Katherine: Ha! I also barely remember our first date, but I’m pretty sure it was over sunny cocktails at the Drake Hotel, and I think I brought a wingman.

The courtship
Roz and Katherine: We each lived in small places, and we both had roommates, so we spent a ton of time in bed. We actually spent ALL our time in bed. We ate in bed. Talked for hours in bed. Bonded over movies in bed. Napped in bed. Drank in bed. Laughed in bed. It was very hippie and very intimate.

Their daughter
Roz: Her name is Roxy Alabama Weston, and she’s just the greatest. She’s five and she’s funny and kind.
Katherine: She fills our life with this magical energy. It’s hard to express what a privilege it is to see someone learn everything about the world for the first time. It makes you feel five years old again, and sometimes that is exactly what you need. It’s very hard to see your own child objectively, but she has a real fire in her belly, and it’s contagious.

Their lives now
Katherine: When we first met, we BBM’d like crazy during the day and were happy just to watch hockey and eat in bed every day after work. And honestly, very little has changed since then except that now we have a lovely five-year-old girl who drags us to the park for swing rides, and I traded in hockey for HBO. I am very spoiled in that Roz is an absolutely excellent cook, so it’s difficult to find the motivation to go out to restaurants together.

Secret for success
Katherine: We both love really hard and do our best to never take advantage of that quality in the other. You never fall in love with one person, really. You fall in love with everything that person was and everything that person is going to be. You have to give each other enough room to figure that out and not too much room, so that they always have that core, that support, the feeling that they are truly loved, and accepted.

Relationship advice
Roz and Katherine: Save your best for each other, don’t waste it on people who don’t matter. You can never say, “Welcome home,” “I love you” and “Damn you’re sexy” too many times. Eat together, fall asleep together and always keep the bathroom door closed.

Taste Test: Vikram Vij helps us pick Toronto’s best north Indian food

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Andrew Mannsbach

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9:31 am

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Vancouver’s celebrity chef and TV star Vikram Vij joins us in tasting Toronto’s top north Indian dishes. Straying away from favourites like butter chicken and samosas, he gives us the inside scoop on the city’s most traditional Indian cuisine.

CHEF VIKRAM VIJ
Indian-born Canadian chef Vikram Vij says, when tasting Indian food, your palate should be slowly exposed to more complex flavours with each bite.

FAVOURITE MAIN (pictured above)
AMAYA THE INDIAN ROOM, 1701 Bayview Ave., $22.95
“I do like this dish, I’m actually quite impressed,” says Vij of the lamb shank in saffron and rosewater curry. “I absolutely love the presentation. I’m a big fan of full on lamb bone like this.”

TOP APPETIZER (pictured above)
JAIPUR GRILLE, 2066 Yonge St., $10.95
“This is okra done in a flour that is not just made with chickpea flour,” says Vij of the deep-fried okra dish that also uses dry mango powder. “Okra thinly sliced like this tastes delicious. I’m a big fan of anything battered.”

Aloo gobi
BANJARA INDIAN CUISINE, 164 Eglinton Ave. E., $9.99
“A traditional aloo gobi is slow cooked cauliflower and potatoes,” says Vij. “What I like about this dish is it’s very traditional and very mainstream; an entry level dish that you would find in a buffet.”

Dal makhani
PUKKA, 778 St. Clair Ave. W., $12.90
“I love it and I love the fact that it is less salty so all the other flavours are coming up. The richness is there, and the acidity from the tomatoes is coming through,” he says of the creamy black lentils.

Classic rajma
ADRAK, 15 Wertheim Crt., Richmond Hill, $10
“Rajma is one of those recipes where everyone’s mother makes a great one,” says Vij. The dish consists of kidney beans and tomato gravy. “It’s delicious,” he says. “It’s well done and well executed.”

Baigan patiala
THE COPPER CHIMNEY, 2050 Avenue Rd., $10.95
This dish consists of eggplant stir-fried in tomato, garlic, ginger and dried mango. “The eggplant itself is cooked well. I love the fact that they used green eggplant like this,” says Vij.

Chicken tikka masala
LITTLE INDIA, 255 Queen St. W., $13.50
“Chicken tikka masala is basically cubes of chicken that are technically marinated and then put in spices,” says Vij. “I particularly love the little bit of sweetness that’s coming through.”

Lamb korma
BOMBAY BHEL, 230 Commerce Valley Dr. E., Thornhill, $14.25
This dish consists of lamb in a creamy cashew nut sauce. “The lamb is nice and tender. I do like it. Korma is meant to be slightly sweet,” says Vij.

Saag paneer
UTSAV, 69 Yorkville Ave., $10
“I personally love the idea that the paneer has been fried first so it doesn’t crumble and take away from the saag itself,” says Vij. The paneer (Indian cheese) is smothered in seasoned and tempered spinach.

Malai methi murgh
THE HOST, 14 Prince Arthur Ave., $14.95
This dish is chicken in a creamy curry with fenugreek. “Overall the dish is done well, the visual is quite appealing,” says Vij. “It looks natural and the chicken is nice and tender.”

Food Crawl: Five fabulous food finds in Leslieville

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12:55 pm

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Leslieville denizens are a fiercely proud lot. If you say you’re supping at a Leslieville eatery, it best be located east of the train tracks and west of Coxwell. And don’t you dare conflate Leslieville with its just-to-the-west neighbour Riverside; that’s sure to garner a stink eye or two from the locals.

The neighbourhood traces its origins back to the mid–19th century, when George Leslie set up his 150-acre nursery. At the time, it was the most diverse nursery in Canada, growing everything from fruit trees to grape vines. The area already had a bustling brick industry, but Leslie’s nursery attracted a whole new cohort of workers, gardeners mostly.

By 1868 the village’s 450 residents had almost no need to trek two miles west to visit Toronto. Leslieville boasted two schools, a church, a post office, a brewery, a distillery, a brickyards and a vinegar factory. There were even three hotels and a newspaper. Here are five must-hit food hot spots while spending a day exploring Leslieville.

Start the day with one of Mercury Espresso Bar’s lattes, made from George Howell beans. For almost a decade the plaid-clad crew at this nine-year-old café have been pulling some of the best espresso shots east of the Don. If you’re lucky, the baristas might bless your mug with some funky latte art — a flower or swan are a sure sign spring is in the air.
915 Queen St. E., 647-435-4779

Lady Marmalade is synonymous with two things: fabulous all-day brunch and long queues for said fab nosh. This cheery joint offers your standard morning plates (eggs with bacon), but it would be a sin to miss out on their signature dish, huevos migas: a heaping plate of rice, perfectly scrambled eggs, cheese, sausage, smashed beans and pico de gallo. For the egg-averse set, the lunch options (like a spicy wild salmon sandwich with mango salsa) are equally scrumptious.
898 Queen St. E., 647-351-7645

For a mid-afternoon perk-me-up, Bobbette & Belle has one the prettiest displays of macarons in town. If your sweet tooth is hankering for something more substantial, a slice of carrot cake is sure to sate — its cream cheese icing is cloud light, and the cake is perfectly dense and moist.
1121 Queen St. E., 416-466-8800

For dinner, head over to the always-welcoming Eastside Social, a recent addition to the local dining scene. The two-room, maritime-themed restaurant serves up homey favourites with a dash of panache. Poutine, for example, swaps out gravy for demi-glace and adds a Yorkshire pudding to the saucy mix. The liver ’n’ onions plate looks nothing like your grandmother’s: a brick of brûléed chicken-and-duck liver pâté is served with scones and caramelized onions.
1008 Queen St. E., 416-461-5663

There’s perhaps no better spot to cap off the night than at the Céilí Cottage. Pull up a seat in the all-too-charming yurt, which occupies the patio from October through May, and order a pint of Irish brew. If Guinness, Harp, Kilkenny or Smithwick’s aren’t to your taste, then perhaps something from the five-page whisky list will appeal.
1301 Queen St. E., 416-406-1301

Pillow talk: Thousands set to descend on Nathan Phillips Square for annual feathery faceoff

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12:44 pm

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On a crisp spring afternoon, you gaze up at Toronto city hall. You take it all in — the blue sky, the sounds, even the smells of our frantic, ever-moving city. Whack. You’re struck — hard — but not hurt. Chaos erupts as thousands of Torontonians pummel each other. There’s screaming, but they’re screams of joy and delight.You’re at a giant pillow fight.

These pillow fights are organized by Newmindspace, an organization founded in 2005 by U of T students Kevin Bracken and Lori Kufner. Their first event was an Easter egg hunt out in the streets of Toronto.

“We’ve always considered ourselves to be a more playful element of the public space movement,” says Bracken. “A lot of people lend themselves to the movement by attending public consultations on things like parks and billboards, but we think of ourselves as that playful, joyful element.”

Newmindspace has organized various one-time events in Toronto and elsewhere, such as giant fights with cardboard tubes and massive games of capture the flag throughout the Financial District. But their signature event, International Pillow Fight Day, takes place on April 4.

Pillow Fight Day kicks off at 3 p.m. in Nathan Phillips Square. This year marks the event’s 10-year anniversary, and Bracken anticipates that it will be the biggest yet. More than 15,000 attendees have issued their RSVP on Facebook, and Bracken says even more are likely to show up.

“The first 15 minutes are incredibly intense,” says Bracken. “When people gain their second wind around the 30-minute mark, that’s when it’s most magical for me.”

Though Bracken and Kufner are the masterminds behind the pillow fights, they encourage others to start their own public space revolution.

“We’ve heard now of hundreds of different events around the world that emulate what we do,” says Bracken. “Toronto’s a bit of a chilly city, and there’s always a desire to embrace our public space, but not a lot of ideas of what to do with it.”

News Focus: Many Eglinton Avenue businesses in survival mode

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12:43 pm

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The $5.3 billion Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line is probably necessary for the overall good of the city when it is finally operational in 2020.

But as Metrolinx crawls along Eglinton Avenue, tearing up the road and closing more lanes, businesses in the area are nervous about the prospect of surviving the years-long project.

So it isn’t difficult to find a business owner along Eglinton with an opinion to share about this ongoing construction as it moves slowly but steadily toward Avenue Road from Bathurst Street.

It’s messy; noisy and disruptive to traffic; and right now, it is absolutely bad for local businesses.

“I’ve been here 46 years, and I have another year to go on my lease, and I don’t see it getting any better. There is basically no foot traffic in the area,” said Jim Tanner, owner of Angelo Rosso Custom Tailor.

Post surveyed 50 businesses in the area, ranging from salons to restaurants to clothing stores, and found that 32 per cent are already considering the need to shut down or find a new location out of fear that they won’t survive the construction period.

Another 16 per cent are unsure if they will survive the construction and are very worried — having already experienced higher than a 50 per cent drop in their revenue.

Although there are business owners who remain optimistic that they will survive, nearly all businesses said their revenues had been affected.

“I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better. It’s certainly not going to get any better. Once it’s done, it’s certainly going to be a lovely street, but I don’t know if we will make it,” Tanner said.

Over 90 per cent of businesses agreed the City of Toronto should compensate them for lost revenue that occurs during the construction period, which is only expected to get worse.

“They must give us at least a serious break on taxes because the construction is happening over such a long time. We might not even be around when it’s done,” said Barry Chaim, owner of Edo restaurant, who has been on Eglinton Avenue for nearly 28 years.

Chaim said he has watched other businesses in the area close and is very worried this could happen to him.

Some owners pointed to businesses that were forced to shut down during the long construction period on St. Clair Avenue and were never able to reopen.

“If we close down, we’re gone,” Chaim said, explaining that moving would not be an option.

“The biggest thing the city can do is give us a break on taxes because we are going to need that help to get by,” he said.

Many Eglinton business owners agreed that tax breaks could help and said they are hoping new mayor John Tory keeps good on his campaign promises to help small businesses in the area.

Others said they would be happy with something as simple as relaxed ticketing in the area.

Parking enforcement has often been accused of being ticket-happy along Eglinton, where so much parking has already been taken away.

A few businesses said they have been able to find new ways to accommodate their customers.

Prairie Dog shoes said they’ve upped their online store to accommodate customers not wanting to come to visit the location.

“We’re lucky because it is a destination store and we’ve found ways to make it work,” Prairie Dog general manager Nathasha Lisoos said. But even Lisoos agreed that lost revenues should be compensated for other businesses who are suffering.

SupperWorks has started bringing their pre-made meals to the customer.

“The service that we offer is that we will allow people to drive up, and we run the product out to them, so that has helped,” Margaret Warman said.

Although the city might try to make the area more livable while the construction goes on, 82 per cent don’t want to see bike lanes as part of that plan, and some even called the idea “ludicrous.”

“They would only be doing that to appease some people. I’d rather see them find parking for my customers,” said Rob Beben, owner of Eunice Denby Flowers and a Business Improvement Area (BIA) member.

“Right now people can’t even see the front of my store. They are 25 years too late with this project,” he added. “But there is nothing we can do.”

For now, construction is an unfortunate fact of life in many parts of the city, and the hope from everyone is that the result will be worth the struggle.

Until then, they will all have to do what they can to survive.

Police board: Good people who seem to be doing a lousy job

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10:57 am

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I sometimes think there can’t be a worse manager of a public service in Toronto than the Toronto Police Services Board.

The board oversees the city’s single most expensive operation, the police service, which spends almost $1 billion a year, but it seems to devote little attention to police spending.

Last November it approved the spending allocation for 2015 without seeing the detailed budget. It made its decision on the basis of a summary report from the chief, a report significantly at odds with the detailed budget that was made public three weeks later.

The budget states that each of the 17 police divisions would lose an average of 10 front line officers — a total of 172 officers — something neither the chief nor the Toronto Police Association had mentioned. I concluded that the budget was not a realistic description of expected 2015 spending and that there was never any intention of cutting so many staff. I wrote an op-ed article in mid-January on that and other discrepancies between the chief’s report and the detailed budget.

Mayor John Tory left a message on my home telephone to thank me for the article, saying the board was reviewing the detailed budget. Yet nothing more has been said about the matter. This is hardly paying attention to money issues.

Then there’s staffing. The board has been involved in negotiations for a new collective agreement with the police association since last fall. These negotiations are never easy: the association always uses tough tactics to get a contract it wants. One pressure is lost revenue: in 2014 officers gave out many fewer tickets for traffic violations, so the city received $35 million less than the $75 million it had expected. The board needs all the muscle it can muster for these negotiations.

Having Chief Blair on board for the contract negotiations seemed like a no-brainer, but the board decided (for reasons never publicly declared) that it would not extend his contract, which expires in April. He’s leaving in a few weeks, and there’s no new contract in sight. Then board seems to have forgotten a cardinal rule of management: never stab yourself in the back.

The members of the police board are all honourable people. The chair, Alok Mukherjee, was impressively active in human rights before being appointed by the provincial government a decade ago. Dr. Dhun Noria has a strong resumé as a senior member of the medical community and is a successful business person and an active citizen. Marie Moliner is a lawyer, a senior federal bureaucrat in the field of heritage, with a long list of accomplishments. For the city, Mayor John Tory and Coun. Shelley Carroll are new this year. Coun. Chin Lee served some years ago. Andy Pringle, of the financial community and president of the Shaw Festival, is city council’s citizen appointee.

All honourable people, but as a group they do not provide good oversight of this service. When it comes to policy matters, the board often operates in the dark. The police service has announced it will soon begin a pilot project with lapel cameras, but the board has not publicly reviewed the terms of reference and assessment and won’t allow the public to address these issues at a board meeting.

The Privacy Commissioner for Canada has expressed concern over the use of lapel cameras, concluding that the board “should establish written policies and procedures that clearly identify the program objectives and set out the rules governing the program.” That has not been done.

The police service decided to encrypt police radios. Until now, police radios were accessible to anyone with a scanner and used by the media to attend incidents and report on what happened, as we know from the shooting of Sammy Yatim on a streetcar.

The media is now shut out. Police promise to report on incidents, but it would be folly to think they will report on cases where officers make mistakes or overreact and shoot someone.

The board has refused requests to schedule this on a public agenda so that people can ask that Toronto police follow the Regina example and give the media the codes to break into the encryption. Why ensure less transparency?

The picture is clear: the board may just be the worst public manager of the city’s business.

Post City Magazines’ columnist John Sewell is a former mayor of Toronto and the author of a number of urban planning books, including The Shape of the Suburbs.

Work Out with Monika: Surf's up

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10:04 am

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Monika Schnarre, is no stranger to fitness. She is a supermodel after all. So she’s dishing out the inside scoop on the city’s newest fitness trends. This month, she heads to Yonge and Eglinton to hit the waves at Surfset Toronto to find out if this surfboard workout really does whip you into shape.

Have you been surfing before?
Yes, I tried surfing while living in Australia (filming The Beastmaster). Unfortunately, I was not very successful. At six-foot-two, I am vertically challenged as far as balance is concerned.

How did it feel stepping onto the surfboard?
The surfboard rests on a contraption that simulates surf in the ocean. It looks much easier than it actually is! Stepping onto the board feels exactly like trying to stand on a real board in the ocean. Just try not to quiver back and forth at first — it’s impossible! However, eventually you find your sea legs.

How was the workout flow?
We started with slow movements to get the muscles moving and the joints ready. We then worked in intervals of high and low intensity, always incorporating core flexion and full-body work. After the workout we did a cool down, starting with slower movements to ease the heart rate and moving into deep stretching and calmed breathing.

Which part was most difficult?
Completing your workout while at the same time maintaining balance. Imagine doing your entire gym routine on a board in the ocean.

What did you enjoy the most?
The challenge was the best part. I consider myself athletic, but this was really out of my comfort zone. I looked very uncool during most of the exercises … but that was OK! It was fun to try something new and get out of the gym. Keeping your workouts fresh and new is essential to enhancing your fitness level.

Where did you feel the burn?
Your core or abs are engaged throughout the entire workout, and that’s good because that’s where this post-baby body needs it the most! I also felt the burn in my quads as you are constantly trying to maintain balance.

Was your instructor helpful?
She was engaging, knowledgeable and supportive. She helped me achieve the correct positions without making me feel silly or awkward.

Were you on the surfboard for the entire workout?
We used a combination of on- and off-board movements, but we generally incorporated the board to provide the added challenge of instability in roughly 95 per cent of the movements. They also incorporate resistance ropes and dumbbells in Build and Blend classes and sometimes in Burn classes for an added challenge.

Was this like any other workout you’ve tried before?
It was unlike any workout I’ve done before. I have been paddle boarding at the cottage, but this was nothing at all like that except for the board.

Monika Schnarre is a model, actor, entrepreneur and television personality. She has appeared in over 50 television shows and films and on over 100 magazine covers.

Uptown Dinesafe infractions from March

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11:04 am

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Marcello’s Market & Deli
Located at 4100 Yonge St., this establishment received a conditional pass following a Feb. 27 inspection. Of eight infractions observed, four were considered significant, three minor in severity and one was a municipal code infraction that resulted in a ticket issued. It passed a March 3 reinspection.

Manchu Wok
Located at 2300 Yonge St., this establishment received a conditional pass following a March 3 inspection. Of three infractions observed, one was considered significant (operator fail to provide adequate pest control) and two minor in severity. It passed a March 5 reinspection.

Refuel Juice & Salad Bar
Located at 1633 Bayview Ave., this establishment received a conditional pass following a March 6 inspection. With one infraction observed (operator fail to provide separate handwashing sinks), an order for reinspection was issued.

Aji Sai Sushi
Located at 813 Yonge St., this establishment received a conditional pass following a March 9 inspection. Of six infractions observed, two were crucial (with one resulting in a ticket issued due to inadequate pest control), two significant and two minor in severity. It passed a March 11 reinspection.

All information is from the DineSafe website, City of Toronto Public Health’s Food Premises Inspection and Disclosure System.

Post Interview: The man who could save the CBC

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2:44 pm

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We all know the sordid history of CBC Radio’s now-infamous show Q. At one time, with now disgraced host Jian Ghomeshi at the helm, it was thought to be a big part of the public broadcaster’s future. Then it happened, and the CBC has been scrambling to right the gigantic ship. Instead of just ditching the show and starting fresh, there was a long line of guest hosts. One such guest host was hip-hop musician Shad, and last month, the London, Ont., native signed on as permanent host of Q. We talked to the affable artist about the pressure that will come from being asked to basically save the day for the CBC.

This show is under the microscope and is coming out of a bleak period. What is job number one for you to help usher in a new era?
What I have to offer, really, is my energy. I’m coming in completely green, completely optimistic. And, really, the team has been amazing at least since I came in as guest host. They are really passionate and full of bright ideas. I think the cloud is starting to dissipate without me doing anything, to be honest with you.

Why did they hire you?
It’s a unique job. I don’t think about who is better than someone else. It’s just the right fit for a very unique thing. My experience and everything I’ve lived up to this point kinda fits. It’s pretty broad culturally, as far as working in arts and culture, and a pretty broad education and the curiosity I’ve been able to cultivate over the years. The sum of all that happened to fit pretty well.

Do you think it helped that you were from “away” — not just with roots in Kenya, but being raised in London and just away from the Toronto media craziness of late?
Yeah, for sure, I think, just a bit of a broad experience. I’ve been living in Vancouver the last few years, too, grew up in London, like you said, and even touring across the country multiple times. I’ve seen a lot of different places and met a lot of different people. So I do think that will be helpful to not be too Toronto-centric.

There was some controversy when you were guest hosting over your use of slang. What did you think of that criticism and also how that might be an indication of the unique challenges of this position?
It was funny the way I experienced that. Music obviously prepares you for that, but I experienced it in a different way. My analogy to that is like a sports fan, turning on the game and yelling at the TV. It’s part of watching the game, and sometimes it’s completely out of proportion. But it’s because they care and want to be part of the fun and part of the conversation. I didn’t expect that with radio, that was a surprise. But, yeah, that doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind being that guy.

What do you have to get better at?
Everything. I’ve only been doing this for five days, so there is ample room for improvement.

Coming back to Ontario from the West Coast, are you ready to handle the winter weather again?
Oh man, Vancouver made me soft man, real soft. Yeah, that’s gonna be a real thing, but there’s an MEC around the corner, so I’m just going to give them my Visa and say, “Please don’t take advantage, but I’m scared.”

Food Profile: Alvin Leung, the new heart of Chinatown

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2:31 pm

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Last winter, Toronto was plastered with giant posters advertising MasterChef’s Canadian spinoff. Two of the three faces were all too familiar to locals: Michael Bonacini and Claudio Aprile. The two have both shaped Hogtown’s dining scene. The third MasterChef Canada judge was unknown to most: a blue-haired chef sporting a look of mild disdain named Alvin Leung.

It’s Leung’s contemptuous stare that the first crop of Canadian MasterChef hopefuls had to contend with whenever their dishes failed to meet his exacting standards. MasterChef Canada challenges amateur chefs through cooking competitions that test contestants’ creativity, ability and their mettle under pressure. With $100,000 on the line, the stakes are high, and Leung stokes the already smouldering reality TV powder keg.

Unless you treat the Michelin Guide as scripture, you’ll be forgiven for not knowing who Leung is. He’s made a bigger splash worldwide than at home: a three Michelin–starred chef with two very successful restaurants in Hong Kong and London. But in the early aughts he was an acoustics engineer with a fondness for throwing elaborate dinner parties.

“I have had a passion for cooking since I was 11. But at that time, coming from a family full of engineers, it was difficult to imagine pursuing my passion as a career,” says Leung.

In 2003 he left engineering, at age 42, to pursue his long-sublimated culinary passions. Sans professional kitchen training, Leung took over a friend’s unlicensed speakeasy in Hong Kong, originally called Bo, quickly earning him the nickname God Chef. As a pious Christian, it didn’t appeal to Leung, so he christened himself Demon Chef, a reference to classic Greek “dæmons.” At Bo Innovation, Leung’s style of cooking was like nothing Hong Kong had ever seen. The self-taught chef prepared what he called “X-treme Chinese,” which is, essentially, a style of cooking that blends molecular gastronomy (à la elBulli) with fusion — although Leung abhors this reductionist explanation.

Leung explains: “The ‘X’ stands for modern, exciting and pushing to the limit, as in X-sport, X-factor. X also represents experience, which I wish to take my clients through in a new innovative interpretation of Chinese cuisine.”

Perhaps the most shocking of Leung’s X-treme Chinese creations is Sex on the Beach — although the divisive plate has nothing to do with the cocktail. “I was looking at some of my fellow chefs’ creations and saw a trend in creating scenic plates with names like Road Kill and Ash Tray,” Leung says. Chef challenged himself to plate the most outrageous scene imaginable. The latex-free dish features a faux-prophylactic made from konjac (a root veg) and kappa; — it’s even filled with a dollop of white mixture originally made from honey and Yunnan ham. The edible rubber is plated on a pile of “sand” (powdered shiitake mushrooms), mimicking a discarded condom.

X-treme Chinese was so well received that two years after he took over Bo Innovation Leung went on the straight and narrow and moved his restaurant to Wan Chai, Hong Kong’s original nightlife district.

After opening Bo London in 2012, the cyan-coiffed chef has teamed up with MasterChef Canada, Season 1 winner, Eric Chong, to open his first Canadian restaurant, R&D. Although both Bos serve up very similar avant-garde fare, R&D will stray from the mould.

“I will be exposing customers to some of my X-treme Chinese at R&D, but you won’t quite get the full monty of it just yet. I will just tickle your taste buds with a hint of it first,” says Leung.

It’s not that the Demon Chef doesn’t think Canadians are ready for X-treme Chinese, but this is a collaborative effort.

“R&D will have about half of my DNA since Eric is involved in the creation process, too,” explains Leung, who aims to open the restaurant in the heart of Chinatown this month.

After the first MasterChef Canada season wrapped up, Leung flew Chong to Singapore for help with a pop-up before asking his soon-to-be protege if he’d like to open a restaurant together.

“It took me by surprise, but how could I say no,” says Chong.

Over the past six months the duo has travelled to the likes of Shanghai, Xiamen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong seeking inspiration. Menu picks will include modern dim sum, such as Little Dragon Buns with spicy Szechuan lamb alongside sharing plates like General Sanders’ Chicken with kung pao sauce and HK egg waffles. As for more X-treme dishes, Leung promises a “special creation” for R&D.

“We do have so much in common, both being engineers, Chinese, growing up in Canada and having parents that disapproved of becoming a chef,” says Chong. “It feels like he is creating a path for me to follow.”

If you thought R&D is a coy reference to Leung and Chong’s engineering origins (research and development), you’d be wrong. It’s an acronym for Rebel and Demon.

“I was once a rebel before I became the demon,” says Leung, evidently seeing a lot of his young rebellious self in Chong. The duo’s engineering background will affect the food. “We are more methodical in our approach and know how to express our ideas in a logical and analytical method. The science background helps in inventing our menu,” says Leung.

Leung and Chong are kindred spirits brought together by a reality TV show. Hopefully, their culinary marriage will outlast any nuptials manufactured on The Bachelor.

MasterChef Canada, Season 2 airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CTV.

Kitchen Confidential: Anthony Rose’s $45 caviar bagel vs. Rose Reisman's waffle sandwich with smoked salmon

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Chef Rose has to be one of the most creative restaurateurs in our great city. Owner of Rose and Sons, Big Crow and Fat Pasha, he now has Schmaltz Appetizing, a Jewish deli that puts a modern spin on traditional items. Anthony doesn’t have the word “healthy” or “light” in his vocabulary, but oh, is his food ever finger-licking good! His $45 bagel (yes, that’s right!) has 50 grams of American sturgeon caviar with sliced eggs and cream cheese on a Kiva’s bagel (I went with an everything bagel). You’re downing around 40 per cent of your daily calories, 50 per cent of your fat and 80 per cent of your sodium. With this price tag, I’m certain you won’t be indulging too often!

Everything bagel with caviar and sliced eggs

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1 bagel (298.9 g)
Calories 741
Total Fat 29.6 g (46%)
Sodium 1871 mg (78%)
Carbohydrates 79.5 g (27%)
Protein 38.9 g

ROSE’S HEALTHY TAKE:

Waffle sandwich with smoked salmon

For an at-home option, try my waffle sandwich with smoked salmon, avocado and cheese.

Serves 2 • Prep time 15 min • Cooking time 6 to 8 min

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 cup lower fat milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
2 romaine lettuce leaves
4 thin slices tomato
8 thin slices cucumber
2 oz smoked salmon
1⁄4 cup avocado, diced
1⁄4 cup red onion, diced
1 oz crumbled goat cheese or light cream cheese, softened
1 1⁄2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp capers (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

2. In another bowl combine milk, oil and egg. Add to flour mixture just until blended.

3. Preheat a 4” waffle iron and lightly coat with cooking spray. Spoon one half cup of the batter over the pan, covering it completely. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat with remaining batter. Makes 4 waffles.

4. Divide lettuce leaves, tomato, cucumber, salmon, avocado and red onion over top of two of the waffles. Combine the goat cheese, mayonnaise and capers if using. Divide goat cheese mixture over top salmon and vegetable filling. Top each with the two remaining waffles to make two sandwiches.

Nutritional analysis (per sandwich): Calories 510, Protein 22 g, Carbohydrates 64 g, Fibre 3 g, Total fat 18 g, Saturated fat 5 g, Cholesterol 130 mg, Sodium 870 mg

Post City Magazines’ culinary columnist, Rose Reisman. is a TV and radio personality, a health and wellness expert and the author of 18 cookbooks. Visit Rose at www.rosereisman.com.