On the lovely dry fall evening of October 17th, my impromptu field reporter Drew Taylor walked into the
O5 Rare Tea Bar in Vancouver as part of a birthday gift from me.
Some readers may recall Drew from a
previous post, when my coffee drinking friend joined me at the Urban Tea Merchant for their Sakura Westcoast Tea Service. Little did he know what he was in for as
he took another leap into the world of fine teas.
What happens when you add a rare tea hunter, a creative mixologist, and a talented chef?
A collaboration of fine teas, cocktails and culinary delights! Pedro Villalon of O5 Tea, Lauren Mote and Chef Jonathan Chovancek of
Kale & Nori Fine Culinary Arts joined together to combine each of their special talents and showcase the beautiful teas of
Yunnan, China.
You can find the full menu and tea influenced cocktail recipes
here.
Drew's impression of the evening, in his words:
"The drinks took the edge off
the gathering and allowed the ensemble of tea enthusiasts to relax and
meet while enjoying succulent dainties, all infused with many fine teas.
All the hosts were passionate, articulate and informed. For the ticket price of $50, people definitely got their money's worth."
Photos by: Drew Taylor
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| That's a matcha tea grinder on the left |
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| Pistachio crusted turkey marble, Moondog spice, apricot - Moonlight tea puree (paired with the "Moonlight Desires") |
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| "Moonlight Desires" (Gin & Marigold Flower Cordial with O5 "White Moonlight" tea syrup) |
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| Kombucha Squash-tea emulsion, sherry-maple-pecan glazed pork belly (paired with the "Hekou-Lao Cai") |
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| "Hekou-Lao Cai" (with Bison Vodka influenced by "Golden Curls" tea) |
hmm, this must have been good, Drew had seconds!
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| O5 Tea Hunter - Pedro Villalon and Kale & Nori Chef - Jonathan Chovancek |
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| Silver needles braised mushroom and rice croquette, wild ramp kim chi, green onion tofu aioli (a vegetarian addition to the menu paired with the "Misterios") |
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| "Misterios" (Mezcal with Silver Needle & Rosemary Syrup component) |
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| Silver Needles tea steamed Gulf Island mussels, Chinese sausage, Indian carrot pickles (also paired with the "Misterios") |
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| Sakekasu beef kababs, sweet & hot peppers, rockets, coronation raisin (paired with the "Ushky") |
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| The "Ushky" (with a pu'er component) |
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| Kale & Nori mixologist - Lauren Mote |
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| O5 Tea Server (Kendra) and Event Photographer (Issha Marie) | |
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| Teas from Yunnan - the Inspiration |
Oh snap! I should have been there! Maybe
next time...
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