Su-zu-raaan, su-zu-ran so far away
And the people want toilets
After I hit publish on yesterday’s newsletter, I got a very exciting notification that literally made me sit up straight. The title?
SUZURAN OMAKASE.
First some context.
There was a time when sushi was not an abundent food item in this city. While today we have at least one place to buy raw fish in pretty much every neighbourhood, a couple dozen years ago there was just one. Fortunately, it was delicious. For many people living here, Suzuran was the gateway into sushi and I will easily put it on par with anything I’ve had in Vancouver or elsewhere.
However, it closed down — my understanding was because the chef moved into a different career. But among many, the desire to have that sushi again remained. And unlike me, some of them actually had the power to do so. This popped up in my feed earlier this week and I won’t lie, I was jealous:
But then, days later, I got this notification, from Chris Dias (who once had a blog reviewing every restaurant in the city). Here is what it says:
Over the past ten years, I have been slowly trying to convince James Bahng to return to sushi making.
That time has finally arrived.
We’ve conceived a sushi pop-up with James and Warren from Birch & Boar.
Suzuran Omakase
This will be a one-evening affair, bringing back what is considered not only one of the best sushi restaurants in Prince George has ever seen but one of the best anyone could find in Western Canada.
As expected, there will be cocktails and Omakase-style serving, where sushi is delivered individually throughout the meal. This is not low-end takeout or something bought in plastic from a grocery store. This aims to be a premiere culinary experience.
Please voice your support below and share. Eventually, we will advertise this en masse. For now, I am just gauging interest. Date and more details to follow.
So. Here is the post. I have liked it and shared it and now so can you.
The people want toilets
At Monday’s council meeting, elected officials will receive the results of the civic core review plan, or more simply, a survey of what people want to see happen downtown. The process kicked off almost exactly a year ago and you can read what I wrote about it then over here. You can also read the results of what was said here because it’s actually a pretty short report so there’s not a whole lot to synthesize. Shops, housing and a performing arts space were top choices for permanent features, festivals and a skating rink for seasonal features and way up there on the list of other amenites are: Toilets.
Mr. PG got the fewest votes as a necessity, downt at 16 per cent.
Anyhow, who knows? As Darrin Rigo points out we went through a bunch of this with the Smart Growth on the Ground plan back in 2009 and it still seems like that’s not exactly in place, either, so we’ll see if any of this gets implemented, or when.
Will burning food waste keep the bears out of town?
As the city of Prince George reviews its waste collection practices and people worry about an increase in bears, let’s look at Churchill, Manitoba — the “polar bear capital” is considering burning its food waste to try and reduce the number of bears it sees in the city.
Quick news:
Sad updates on both the Highway 97 closure north of the city on Monday and the closure in the Hart on Wednesday: Police have confirmed a fatality in both cases.
Following that incident in the Hart, businesses are calling for improved traffic safety in the area.
And an update to the fire in College Heights: Not only was it an explosion, it was a series of explosions, caused by “unauthorized heating and cooking devices.”
McBride's Tanner Molendyk will be playing for Canada at the World Juniors.
Today’s song is Stage of Love by Mary Jane Dunphe. Get to the two-minute mark. It scratches a very particular itch, for me.
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As I said yesterday, people have been clamouring for improved safety on the Hart Hwy for literal years, but the province has yet to respond. Interestingly, there was a fatality some years ago at the Hwy 16 / Vance Rd intersection, and as I recall, Shirley Bond got better lights installed there within weeks (and made a point of letting us know that she was involved in that action). Several people have died on the Hart Hwy in that small stretch alone. So far, nothing. Mike? Shirley? Where ya be?
Suzuran!! In the words of Obi-Wan "there's a name I haven't heard in many years." It was truly some of the best sushi, not just for Northern BC, as you said Andrew, but comparable to Vancouver. My friend and I used to use our spare block in high school to go get sushi there and then look through CDs and DVDs at London Drugs (2008! What a time). Although I adored Pho U and Me which moved into that spot, I missed Suzuran deeply. I would absolutely be interested in eating Chef Bahng's sushi again!