Hungry girl’s guide: Ramen Santouka

I realized I get, well, hungry… a lot, and my adventurous stomach often guide my feet to interesting food places that I want to share with you.  Remember, my stomach guides my adventure, so I can’t tell you why I end up where I do.  Most of the time by convenience and sometimes it is because I remember I wanted to try a certain place.

Ramen Santouka - Exterior

Santouka was on my list of places to try, only because I am a HUGE ramen fan.  Fancy ramen, instant ramen, ramen in a cup, ramen in a Styrofoam bowl… doesn’t matter, I eat it all.  Santouka was out of commission for a while due to “mechanical problems” so I was pleased when I heard they re-opened.  I made the special effort to walk from the Dragon Boat festival to Santouka.  It is a quaint tiny little place near the end of Robson; if you blink you might miss it.  Today though it was hard to miss as there was a small waiting line to get in, now I am not much for line up because I am impatient about getting at my food (hence hungry girl’s guide).  But I made an exception today, also because I had a few grilled Korean BBQ from Jang Mo Jib at Dragon Boat festival.

Ramen Santouka - Interior

It is tiny inside but they made good use of the space with a large communal table at the front and strategically placed table line the narrow back of the store.  Decor was simple and pleasing with jazz music playing in the background.  Took us only 10 minutes to get seated so it was not bad at all, Hungry Girl approves!  Curiously, there was a small section of the menu that serves limited quantity of very special simmered pork jowl – this might not sound delicious but it is the kind of meat that literally melts in your mouth.  I decided against the limited quantity items as I just wanted to see how their usual regular ramen measure up to other ramen restaurants that is only a block from them. I got Kara Miso Ramen, which is a pork broth seasoned with hot spices and miso.  My dinner companion got Shio Ramen combo with grilled salmon on rice and a small dish with hard-boiled egg and some purply pickled veggie.  The ramen was DELICIOUS!!!  The broth was good but it wasn’t anything unusual for me, what stood out was the noodle and the char shiu.  The noodle had the perfect amount of chewiness and the char shiu was melt in your mouth tasty.

Ramen Santouka - Kira Miso Ramen

Ramen Santouka - Shio Ramen combo with Grilled Salmon on Rice

Ramen Santouka - Chewy Ramen Noodle Goodness

The excellence of a restaurant is in the details and Santouka is amazingly meticulous. Now between taking breaks from my oodles of noodle delight and trying to finish this super filled bowl of hearty broth, I was extra pleased with this amazing spoon that you can hang up on the side of the bowl!  Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?  Lost spoon to full deep brothy bowls will never happen again.  Ingenious I say! My order of Coke came with an ice cold cup with tiny little ice cubes, I have never had any restaurant pay so much attention to my pop order.

Ramen Santouka - Amazing hanging spoon efficiency

Ramen Santouka - Ice cold Coke cup

I shared the extra side dishes that came with my companion’s combo, alright correction… I launched at his bowl of grilled salmon on rice before an invitation was offered.   The grilled salmon was amazing!  It was salty and had a slight smoky taste to it so it went well with the sticky Japanese rice with flakes of seaweed on top.  I didn’t care much for the hardboiled egg and the pickled veggies, I had a bite but it wasn’t anything special.

Ramen Santouka - Grilled Salmon on Rice

Ramen Santouka - Boiled egg + purple pickled friend

The food was plenty and the bill was very reasonable.  Warning: Once you finish eating… the tiny hill to get back to Robson Street seems like an uphill climb up a mountain.

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Kitty Candyland: The Official Kitty Card Launch Party

More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject – Peter Drucker

As entrepreneur, it is very easy to stay in the confine of your office and spend endless amount of hours at work but it is important to remember we need to go outside of the four walls to talk to potential customers, users and partners.  It is also a well-deserved break that is oh so very necessary after a long hard working day.  We will be covering networking events around Vancouver that are fun, affordable and presents opportunities to build your network.  Get to know some of the faces of the people we are highlighting, they are doing great things in Vancouver and you probably want to get to know them.  Tell them you met them through The Network Hub!

Kitty Candyland is the launch party of Vancouver’s only luxury lifestyle membership for women – The Kitty Card.   With The Kitty Card, you can spoil yourself with discounted deals from different stores.  Kitty Candyland was exactly what was described on the invite – carnival-style cocktail party!

The candy bar – all pink of course!

Jeff Swan (@jeffswan18) from The Kitty Card and the kitties at The Kitty Card booth

Yvonne Lum (@ylizabeth) from The Network Hub, Anna Ou, Cindy Guan

Alisha Mann (@amventures) of AM Ventures and Robin Dhir, VP of Twin Brook Developments

Amanda Panes and Victoria Wong – the ladies of themodline.com (@theMODLINE)

Congrats The Kitty Card on your launch!  Best wishes from our team at The Network Hub!!!

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Coworking with coworkers

This blog post originally appeared in techvibes.com as part of a series about Coworking around North America.

These past few weeks we have been talking to the owners of various work spaces throughout Canada that have embraced Coworking, the act of working in the same space alongside other independent professionals. However, the best way to explain what coworking is all about is to hear how members of coworking spaces feel about the concept from their own experiences. So, this week, we talked to a few members of our own space, The Network Hub, to hear how their experiences have been from coworking at the Hub.

“Coworking provides a relaxed atmosphere with extremely smart people. For early stage companies and small businesses it really helps to have an office that is not inside of your home,” Kenshi from A Thinking Ape says.

In a casual, shared space, Carlos of Bloom Marketing says, “I do twice as much at the Network Hub than at home or at a coffee shop.”  This is partly due to the fact that the Hub grants all full-time tenants 24/7 access. “[For me], that is the primary reason,” says Ganesh, a software developer who is fairly new to the space. “[Plus], there’s usually someone around who knows someone who can help me.”

“The Hub is a brilliant place and source for inspiration, ideas and for making new friends or business ties,” says Chet, a former tenant who has experienced growth at the Hub that he has now moved into his own office to accommodate his new employees.  Paul Preibeisch of B3D Multitech and a member of the Hub, jokes that he initially came into the space for “sanity’s sake”. As a programmer, he sits in front of the computer screen for most of the day.  “A lot of my work requires creativity. In order to do that, I need a balance and some sort of social interaction. When I want to go on a break, I can actually talk to a human. And when working alongside other entrepreneurs, available work is referred to other members of the space,” he says, “so, everyone helps each other.”

“I [also] like the social aspect. I get to meet some very cool people who are self employed,” adds Carlos.

“The monthly meetups are great; I have actually met new clients at those events,” he points out.  Minna Van organizes the Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup – a monthly networking event aimed towards freelancers and entrepreneurs. “[She] is a fantastic networker and the events she organizes are top notch.”

“[It’s a] great influence and stimulation for start-ups,” advises Yuri of Shine Canada.

The casual environment at the Hub helps to build a spirit of community. “It’s Friday and nice, nobody really wants to work and every so often, a few people would gather in the main area and talk. The conversations are usually business-related but very organic, those times felt like being in a small business think tank/incubator,” says Chet. Just last Friday, members of the space enjoyed an impromptu barbeque on the patio.

Co-founder, Jay, encourages anyone interested in coworking to come down and take a look at the space.

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Dao Tea: “Farm-to-table” Tea Movement

Last month, Pedro Villalon came by The Network Hub for a tea session. He brought along a whole set of teas and tools to inform us about all the different aspects of tea – sustainability, health benefits, preservation of leaves, properly brewing it to bring out the most flavour.

From the couple of hours he was here, you could instantly tell that he was passionate and dedicated to tea which is exactly what lead him to form Dao Tea.

Pedro started learning about tea in small shops across Guangzhou, where he lived for two years and invested much of his time learning about tea. “I travelled across the province of Zhenjiang (Hangzhou, Anji, Changxing, Qian Dao Hu) to learn about green and flower teas; Fujian (Anxi) and Northern Guangdong (Phoenix Mountain) to learn about oolongs; Yunnan (Yiwu, Menghai and Xishuangbanna) to learn about Pu Ers and to the village of Hwagae in South Korea to learn about Korean green, herbal and balhyo teas.”

His reason to focus on tea came naturally after his travels; “I love Asia, its culture and its people. I’ve always wanted to be a farmer; working with farmers is close to that. I learned to love tea. It’s an art, it’s good for health, and it’s good for Earth (low impact agriculture).”

With Dao Tea, the concept is simple: “from farmer to table.” This is what makes Dao Tea so special – there are no additives in the tea. Pure tea leaves from farms on the mountains of Asia are put straight into the eco-friendly package.

In the end, the tea is good for you and the earth. “The package is eco-friendly while preserving tea in optimum condition. The recyclable aluminum foil bag keeps the leaves fresh and protects them from light; the recycled cardboard keeps the leaves from breaking,” Pedro explains, “my friends at Webb Scarlett deVlam (recently re-named Webb deVlam) in London designed both the identity and package. They graciously supported my new upstart company.”

Dao Tea has been in business for a few months now and Pedro described the process as fun, challenging and something completely new. “The great news is that a large community in Vancouver celebrates life and great food.”

He plans to make Dao Tea the choice for foodies in BC and reach out to yoga communities. “I’m working to create distribution in gourmet food shops like Capers and Meinhardt, fine restaurants (Nu, C) and boutique hotels. And Pedro has a concept in mind for 2011: to open Vancouver’s first farm-to-table tea shop where all food and beverage ingredients can be traced to the famers who produced them.”I believe that it’s critical to maintain a close relationship with the farmers and artisans who are the heart of the company.”

In a longer term, he sees business opportunities related to sustainable energy in Canada, Asia and Latin America. For aspiring entrepreneurs, Pedro leaves a piece of advice: “Drink a lot of tea.”

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The Undisputed Queen of Turntables

While most business owners are stuck in their office from 9-5, Leanne Bitner gets to entertain crowds all over Vancouver and sometimes even around North America. A typical day entails hitting up the gym, answering emails, event & wedding client meetings, and prepping for events. Most days she isn’t known as Leanne Bitner – just call her DJ Leanne. She started her own events entertainment company in 2008 called Girl On Wax. Her hectic career gives her opportunities to be part of some amazing events. Last week, she was in Las Vegas hosting xradio.biz and writing back to me!

Leanne turned her overwhelming love for music into her profession. “I was the girl that requested all of the songs that in-turn, annoyed the DJ’s,” Leanne admits. “Why don’t you go buy the track if you love it so much?” DJs would ask. Why not? So, from there, she began her collection of records – vinyl records to be specific.

With about 15 years of experience DJing and entertaining large crowds under her belt, she has mastered the art of turntablism so Girl On Wax came naturally to her. “GOW came out of having access to so much amazing talent. It was only appropriate for her to hand pick the talent. “They are all professional DJs with experience in nightclubs, weddings, and corporate events. Besides skill, they all have fantastic charisma and are excellent in any musical situation.”

Building up a name for her company with all the talent was one of the harder tasks, she admits, “It was not just me as the voice anymore; I had to be a part of making them heard.” Her hard work and passion for music definitely paved ways for the specially chosen group of talented musicians. 

The lineup at Girl on Wax not only includes DJs but singers, drummers, saxophonists and more. The tremendous amount of talent under one roof has already caught the attention of celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Goldie Hawn who have used Girl on Wax for their private parties. 

The most recent event was spinning for 3 weeks straight during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. “We had 15 DJs and musicians spinning every single night. It was the best time of our lives. From DJing and playing in the Athletes’ Village and meeting athletes to spinning at BC Hydro’s Club Energy for thousands of people each day,” Leanne proudly tells me.

Girl on Wax has a long resume and that may be because they call themselves DJ Chameleons, spinning whatever styles the events call for. “We don’t discriminate; It’s a ton of fun playing Motown, Top 40 , 80’s and Dance Remixes all in one night!”

Starting her own company was a huge learning process for Leanne. “[I] kept at it, followed my passion and found a way to be unique in the industry.” She also adds “stick to your niche and be kind to every person you come in contact with!”

Right now, you can catch DJ Leanne at Milestones in Yaletown on Fridays and Saturdays, and various Joey’s locations. Soon she’ll be at 560 Club on Fridays from 5pm-10pm and watch out for her at Fleuri at Sutton Place and Society!

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Vivian Kooch: Wink Beauty Lounge

We see trends come and go all the time because once a celebrity flaunts in on the red carpet, it’s in stores within the week. But there’s a trend that celebrities have started that seemed to have stayed: eyelash extensions. The need to make their eyes pop in an HD photo is enough reason for women to want them for themselves. There’s been much buzz surrounding it but not many services for it.

But Vivian Go Kooch came around and launched Vancouver’s first specialty spa that offered semi-permanent eyelash extensions. She started her business in 2004 as a mobile service and gave it the short, sweet and appropriate name – Wink.  The mobile service then turned into a little studio in 2006 for the public to go to. “I opened it for all my equipment and for those who didn’t want a house call.”

And finally, in 2008, it became an open-concept retail boutique beauty lounge in Gastown. The two floors include space for waxing, facials, manicures, pedicures and many other beauty needs. In addition to that she also offers a range of services as add-ons or alternatives to the lash extensions such as lash tinting and brow shaping. Vivian recommends having your manicure, pedicure done at the same time as lash extensions. “It is a great time saver because you are lying comfortably anyways in our recliner.” But having something stuck so close to your eye may be a little scary. “Lash extensions are painless and easy to maintain with proper care,” Vivian ensures, “there are also full strip lashes or alternatives like serums for natural lash growth.”

As a leading specialist in Vancouver, “all the beauty professionals are certified and licensed. We do extensive training on the girls we choose.” Vivian, herself, runs wink with over a decade of experience. “I’ve been in the industry since 1996 so, make-up, hands, feet, removing hair and adding hair to ladies’ faces is fascinating.” It’s not just the service she loves. “What is interesting is the ability to really connect and meet some great people. You learn a lot about the human mind and about yourself when you’re with a client for a few hours. The beauty industry is 50% cosmetology and 50% psychology!” she admits.

Being in the beauty industry may look like a breeze but she admits there were some tough times. “The hardest part about opening [the lounge] was trying to transition from a sole proprietor to incorporation. I highly recommend to anyone to start by incorporating from the get-go. A rapidly growing company should be incorporated in the early stages. Paperwork is rough! [Also] I found out later in my business, that you really have to step outside of yourself and be the cause for others to be leaders in your business. As the “Master Organizer”, your job is to organize and re-organize that machine you call your business until it runs the way you want. Throwing a bunch of money at it also won’t make it run any faster or better. However, inspiring people to be leaders in your project and organizing the money coming in, will allow your business to really grow and florish.”

With that said, her focus is to set an example. “This year’s theme is all about community, compassion and contribution, so we are spending time supporting our local Gastown businesses by combining forces for special events but also doing volunteer work to help out the less fortunate in the Downtown Lower East Side area.

We are also working on a training program and distribution for lash extensions and in talks with the Cosmetology Association of BC to introduce the single lash extension products to future beauty professionals at schools and tradeshows. Also a web-store and second out-of-town location is in the works.”

Be sure to stay updated with Vivian on her Twitter and Facebook. Keep your eyes open for a hot pink Wink car around town!

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Coworking: The freelancers’ sanctuary

This blog post originally appeared in techvibes.com as part of a series about Coworking around North America.

The popularity of the coworking movement in Canada is gaining ground. An alternative to working alone from home or in noisy cafes, coworking spaces allow freelancers to work independently alongside other professionals in a casual environment designed for work. This week we are highlighting one of Canada’s latest coworking spaces, Calgary’s CoworkYYC.

CoworkYYC was launched late last year by a trio of men: Nik Thierry, Jeff Gibson and Quinton Rafuse. Nik, originally from London, England, arrived in Calgary in March 2009 and worked out of his mother-in-law’s basement. “[I was] becoming even paler than in the damp climates of the UK,” he adds.  Jeff is a freelance graphic designer who worked out of his office for a few years. “[I] slowly [started] going stir-crazy with the solitary confinement. But after CoworkYYC, “[ I’ve] been successfully re-learning to speak out loud (and get responses).”  Last but not least, Quinton Rafuse; an oil & gas professional who is interested in innovation and technology worked downtown before CoworkYYC opened. He situated himself at the space to house his energy start-up.

Their reasons for opening up a coworking space are just as diverse as their backgrounds. Through a spectrum of reasons, in the end, it brought them to the same place. “After discussing the idea, we decided that the only way to get things underway was to look around and create the space ourselves. If you want to stay fresh and involved in your work you need a routine, and it really helps if you have a dedicated work environment,” agreed the entrepreneurs. “Our main goal is to create a working environment that gives people the space and social interaction that you can’t get from being home alone.”

Freelancers will find that discipline, focus and productivity are present in a coworking space. “We have discovered here is that people are finding they are getting their work done more efficiently, as the distractions of home (the pile of dishes to be washed, the unmade bed, that 10 minutes of bad morning TV) are being LEFT at home,” Nik points out. “With CoworkYYC based on the edge of the city’s centre, we’ve found that some workers can walk to work, and for those that drive, there isn’t ever any gridlock on the journey in.”

This easily accessible space houses a lot of different skill sets. “The majority are in the creative field, as the world of freelance fits in very well with the creative set,” explains Nik, “We’re pleased, though, to have quite a bit of diversity in our clients’ professions and skill sets – we have graphic designers, front and back-end web designers, an interior designer, a structural engineer and advertising/marketing people. Alongside these we’ve got an HR specialist, two international vocational trainers, a grad student and a communications professional specializing in emergency management plans.” On the whole it seems that almost anyone can use the space. “Though we’d probably draw the line at heart surgeon,” jokes Nik.

With a dynamic collection of creatives in one space, the first collaborative project started just a couple months after their launch when one needed a brand identity, printed stationary and a website. “The people who could do this work [were] sitting only a few desks away. It was a nice short trip across the office to talk the job through and get things underway,” explains Jeff.

The space is almost filled up after half a year into business. “We’ve only got six desks left until we reach capacity in our current floor plan, so we’re already drawing up options for the space to make it more efficient from a business perspective as well as for our clients’ needs,” says Quinton. The most recent announcement at CoworkYYC is a daily drop in rate for people that aren’t able to commit to a whole month or simply want to try the space out. There’ll definitely be a great vibe with the light-hearted and laid-back creative bunch behind it all.

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