There are a lot of passionate people in the Team Liquid community. Everyday we see threads about StarCraft cooking, GSL statistics, or recent global events. It is the people who make these – people like you – that perpetuate Team Liquid culture and make it a cool community. We are lucky to have many contributors to inspire us, teach us, and be comrades, of a sort. Ninety-nine percent of these people are not part of the handful of personalities you see on streams, or even part of Team Liquid staff. They are people that you correspond with everyday on the forums, chat with in IRC, and bad manner on B.net. Unfortunately, with the mass of active Team Liquid users and eSports fans, it is not always easy to appreciate these unsung heroes, and too often their work goes unnoticed.
With Community Interviews I am going to put the spotlight on some of the contributors, artists, and fans that have made the Team Liquid community interesting and warm. If you guys have any suggestions or demands(!) for questions or interviewees, please post them. I know that a lot of people have slipped under my radar. The only people that I will not interview are super-popular community figures, like Day[9] and Hot_Bid.
Why he was interviewed: Cambium is Team Liquid's resident food connoisseur. Additionally, he is a true veteran, registered since 2004 with over 10k posts under his belt.
In 2010 he started focusing his blogging skills on the merits of fine dining and a refined palate, and has become what myself and many others consider to be one of TL's best bloggers. In his blogs he has shared his experiences at some of the world's best restaurants and introduced thousands of us to the "food scene" and a piece of Japanese culture. Reading his blogs can be an educating experience - or at least, a vicarious one - and it is always a pleasure. If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to read his blog. He has many great, non-food posts about Japanese culture, as well.
<style type="text/css">.lightbigbox { margin: 0 auto; width: 540px; padding: 20px; background: #ebeff2; border-radius:8px; -webkit-border-radius: 8px; -moz-border-radius: 8px; } .Q { color: #00005D }</style><div class="lightbigbox"><span class="Q">Hi, Cambium! Can you introduce yourself? Tell us where you live, what you do, that kinda thing.</span>
Cambium: Hi! I was born in China and grew up in Canada. During my studies I spent roughly a year in Japan and around two years in the States, and I'm currently living and working in Tokyo. I build proprietary applications (read: software/systems engineering) for a global financial services firm. I’ve posting here on TL since 2004.
<span class="Q">You have written a number of blogs about the food "scene", giving readers a taste of some of Japan's best restaurants. What motivated you to start writing these blogs, and to continue to write them?</span>
Cambium: I genuinely really enjoy food, and I enjoy learning about food. When I was living in Canada and the U.S., I would almost always watch the Food Network and the Travel Channel, because I enjoy their programmes the most.
I started my blogs when I first lived in Manhattan, back in 2008. It was more or less a brain-dump at the time. Immediately after NYC, I did an exchange to Japan (my first visit), which gave me a near-infinite number of topics to write. I initially wrote on various topics: sceneries, festivals, school, and, of course, food. Over time, I realized that food is something I really enjoy writing about (all those shows that I watched, haha) and sharing. Also, it seemed to me that people responded particularly well to my food blogs. And more importantly, to me, food is the best way to experience a culture, and naturally, I like to share it through food. Tokyo has the most number of Michelin stars in the world, and the food culture here is great. Now that I live here, it's easier to find good restaurants and write about them.
Motivations… I mostly see these as my minimal contribution to this site. I get a lot of mixed reviews from my blogs, but at least some people enjoy them, haha. They also serve as an archive of the things I’ve tried. It’s pretty neat for me to read these past posts from time to time to see whether/how my preferences have changed.
<span class="Q">In the movie ratatouille, the protagonist makes a simple meal for a top food critic, which saves his restaurant. It seems that many well reputed restaurants serve dishes that are essentially quite simple. How are these restaurants that feature sushi, for example, able to distinguish their food?</span>
Cambium: I love that movie!
Good restaurants typically care a lot about their ingredients and execution. This is particularly evident in Japanese cuisine, you often see a shop that sells only one thing, for example, something as trivial as pickled plum, and they've been in business for over a hundred years, and people line up to purchase it.
This is even truer for sushi. First off, sushi chefs must go through a rigorous training process and work from the very bottom. Each well-established sushi restaurant has their secret recipe for sushi rice (blend of rice, seasonings, etc.), fish source, and various other things. They really strive endlessly for perfection, evident by the fact that they obtain these recipes through tens if not hundreds years of trial and error. I haven’t had really good sushi yet, but these subtle differences supposedly separate the men from the boys.
This is a video on one of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo:
<span class="Q">Some people would consider the food you have written about "weird", "not something that they would try", or even "disgusting". Are they philistines? How would you convince someone to broaden their horizons and eat something new?</span>
Cambium: “Less adventurous” is what I would say. A lot of it has to do with culture, and I completely understand their decisions for not liking "disgusting" things; there are lots of things, like insects, that I wouldn't willingly eat under normal circumstances.
Having said all that, I do feel that they are missing out on a lot of interesting experiences by living very conservatively. "An open heart and an empty stomach" is a good motto to live by with regards to trying strange foods.
Additionally, I think learning and understanding the culture helps a lot. I find that the more I understand about the Japanese culture, the more I appreciate their food. Your millage may vary!
<span class="Q">Food aside, how can the experience of entering an establishment, sitting down and eating a meal be influenced? How important are these ancillary factors?</span>
Cambium: Different restaurants offer different kinds of decors, and I think the decor sets the expectations before the food arrives. If I go to a hole-in-a-wall, I expect really rustic, bold-flavoured food; whereas if I walk into a really quiet restaurant with music playing in the background, I expect the food to be much more subtle and elegantly presented. Either one of these can be great depending on what you want at the time, as long as the food doesn't clash with the expectations set by the decor.
Your own mood is another big one. If you are in a good mood, you are bound to enjoy your meal more. Slightly tied to that is your company. If you are having a date with a superbly hot girl, as long as she's enjoying the restaurant/food, you could be eating the most distasteful thing ever and still have a wonderful time. Along that line, I usually eat out with my girlfriend, who loves food more than I do, so it’s always great fun.
<span class="Q">You have been to a number of renowned restaurants. Which ones are your favorite, and why?</span>
Cambium: Lots! I think it's easier if I list them by region. I'm probably going to miss quite a few, so don't be offended if you favourite restaurants aren't listed!
NYC: Di Fara's -- This is probably the best pizza I've ever had. Katz -- Amazing pastrami sandwich. Given how easily accessible this place is, I really think everyone who visits Manhattan should try it. Jean Georges -- If you come here for lunch, it's really affordable (under $50), and it's a great way to experience a three-star Michelin restaurant without having to rob a bank. The execution here is amazing.
SF: Pearl's Deluxe Burger -- Probably the best burger I had in the U.S. Bakesale Betty's -- Amazing fried chicken sandwich Swan's oyster depot -- Cheap and fresh oysters and free kani miso (top half of a crab)
Toronto: Lee Restaurant -- Restaurant by Susur Lee, great Asian fusion.
Chicago: There a lot of great brunch places (check my blogs!) like M. Henry, Milk and Honey, etc. All are very affordable and casual. Puprle Pig, and Girl and the Goat offer a lot of great tasting plates tapas style. Overall, Chicago is a great food city.
Tokyo: Obana -- This is one of those really old Japanese restaurants that only sell one thing. In this case: eel. They've been doing it for a very long time, and it's actually my favourite 'casual' restaurant in Japan. Tsukiji sushi -- There are three that I really like: Sushi Bun, Sushi Dai, and Daiwa sushi. These are relatively cheap, you can get a set for 4000 JPY, similar quality sushi elsewhere in Tokyo will probably run you at least 10,000, and you probably can't find better sushi outside of Japan. Quintessence -- this is the only three-star Michelin restaurant I've been to in Tokyo, and it totally blew me away.
<span class="Q">What restaurants are on your bucket list?</span>
Cambium: Of the really well-known restaurants, I really want to try the following, given their locations and how expensive they are, I probably won't complete this list for a long while. This is more or less a wish, rather than a goal. Jiro -- the chef is thinking about retiring soon, so timing is very important L'Osier -- a traditional French restaurant in Tokyo Noma -- the best restaurant in the world The Fat Duck -- opened by Heston, I loved his show In Search of Perfection, so I'm really anxious to try his food as well
There is good food literally everywhere you go (even in Waterloo Canada), and I'll be looking for them when I'm there.
<span class="Q">What are some of your non-food, non-StarCraft hobbies?</span>
Cambium: Lifting weights is a big one. A big shout out to TL Health and Fitness forum!
Cooking is another hobby of mine. I've always enjoyed cooking. When I was doing my master’s, I would actually cook three meals a day. Now I try to cook most of my dinners. It's a lot easier to eat healthily if you cook your own meals, and it's not as costly, so I can have money to eat out occasionally
I used to also do yoga and play basketball, but that hasn't happened much since I moved to Tokyo.
<span class="Q">What's a reasonably simple dish that your readers could make at home?</span>
Cambium: Steak. It's my favourite thing to eat when I cook, and it's super easy to make. Get a nice piece of rib eye or NY strip, add salt and pepper, cook it stove top with butter, and dinner is served.
Gordon Ramsay has a great video on how to cook steak:
<span class="Q">Thanks, Cambium! We're looking forward to more of your blogs in the future. Any final words?</span>
Cambium: Thanks a lot for the interview, I really enjoyed this opportunity.
To the people who enjoy my blogs: Thanks for your support! And to the people who don’t enjoy my blogs but read them anyway: Thanks for reading!
Also, I know my girlfriend will be reading this: HI!!! <3
Fun interview He gave me a really nice PM about where to try to eat in Tokyo - really appreciated ^^
Edit: I've started the process of getting a 3* booked for May19th. I had never heard of the Michelin star rating but I said three stars to my friend and his eyes got wide. Apparently there isn't even a single three star restaurant in Canada
On January 17 2012 01:37 blubbdavid wrote: Whoa makes me hungry. What does it take to become a gourmet?
The art of eating, I don't just mean enjoying the food, but taking the time to appreciate it. Really from then on, it becomes a matter of being able to recognize the various flavours that the chef is trying to present. Knowing a bit of cooking really helps ;D
This is great by the way, I never knew about TL's resident gourment :D, will defiinitely be checking out your old and your new blogs!!
Why he was interviewed: Cambium is Team Liquid's resident food connoisseur.
If connoisseur was referring to connaisseur in french, i'm very surprised. Connoisseur is old french, nobody says things like that anymore. Is it oftently used in english or did you mean connaisseur and made a mistake? Reminds me of this : http://www.lyricstime.com/helium-vola-je-chante-par-couverture-lyrics.html :')
Also, he only speaks about his favorites restaurants, what is your favorite food sir ? (like french food, oriental food,...)
As a direct result of reading this interview, I put a pizza in the oven, I do love people that appreciate food in all its tasty glory. Also I must comment that Sliversky's graphic looks great. :D
Ooh, a foodie blog on TL? I think I've found a new source of reading material.
I don't know if you'll see this Cambium, but I suggest visiting Din Tai Fung in Taipei Taiwan (that's not too far from Tokyo, haha ). They specialize in a dumpling called xiao long bao that is pretty much amazing. Some other foreign branches of it have received one Michelin Star each, but those restaurants aren't even as good as the originals in my opinion.
Hi cambium, you know that I consider you the ONE TRUE FOODIE on TL and loved all your blogs bro. Really glad you got spotlighted here
What are your thoughts on~
Au pied de cochon - Montreal [ Have you had mutual friends been there? Want to go there? L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon - [ any of the locations, probably hong kong or france ] Thoughts on Joel Robuchon? El Bulli - How do you feel about it closing as a traditional restaurant? What do you think about the Adria brothers? Foie gras or bone marrow?
On January 17 2012 01:32 Chill wrote: Fun interview He gave me a really nice PM about where to try to eat in Tokyo - really appreciated ^^
Edit: I've started the process of getting a 3* booked for May19th. I had never heard of the Michelin star rating but I said three stars to my friend and his eyes got wide. Apparently there isn't even a single three star restaurant in Canada
oh i totally have to ditto the tsukiji / tsukijishijo places mentioned above. i would go to that area of tokyo every morning for breakfast when i was visiting japan. you can't have a better start to your day than a fantastic bowl of sushi and some miso and rice tea. and it's not that expensive considering the amazing quality of the fish.
in the NYC section: did you ever try per se? i've heard it's the best in NYC but it's pretty damn expensive and booked 3 months out
I can't believe I haven't seen your blog before, i will definetly be keeping an eye out for updates from now on.
I want to try The Fat Duck too. I'm friends with a Chef who has a general hate of TV chefs, but even he said the food was really good there. Its a shame you can only book 2 months in advance and they book up quick. Its also too expensive for me to bring more than 1 person so I need to wait for the right occasion before I go.
Why he was interviewed: Cambium is Team Liquid's resident food connoisseur.
If connoisseur was referring to connaisseur in french, i'm very surprised. Connoisseur is old french, nobody says things like that anymore. Is it oftently used in english or did you mean connaisseur and made a mistake? Reminds me of this : http://www.lyricstime.com/helium-vola-je-chante-par-couverture-lyrics.html :')
Also, he only speaks about his favorites restaurants, what is your favorite food sir ? (like french food, oriental food,...)
Anyway, going to read the whole article now.
The word connoisseur was borrowed into English in the 1700's, that's why it's used even though it's archaic in French.
Why he was interviewed: Cambium is Team Liquid's resident food connoisseur.
If connoisseur was referring to connaisseur in french, i'm very surprised. Connoisseur is old french, nobody says things like that anymore. Is it oftently used in english or did you mean connaisseur and made a mistake? Reminds me of this : http://www.lyricstime.com/helium-vola-je-chante-par-couverture-lyrics.html :')
Also, he only speaks about his favorites restaurants, what is your favorite food sir ? (like french food, oriental food,...)
Anyway, going to read the whole article now.
The word connoisseur was borrowed into English in the 1700's, that's why it's used even though it's archaic in French.
Arrrghhhhaaaaaa saw this thread at like 1:30 am watched he sushi and steak video twice. Read the entire interview and now off to YouTube to find more. Poking vids so hungry and really makes me want to try some really good food some day :O
On January 17 2012 01:32 Chill wrote: Fun interview He gave me a really nice PM about where to try to eat in Tokyo - really appreciated ^^
Edit: I've started the process of getting a 3* booked for May19th. I had never heard of the Michelin star rating but I said three stars to my friend and his eyes got wide. Apparently there isn't even a single three star restaurant in Canada
A 3* restaurant is likely to be booked about a year in advance.
I actually think NOMA here in Denmark has 3 stars.
EDIT: only 2 stars, but has been declared the worlds best restaurant in 2010 and 2011
On January 17 2012 02:15 Doctorbeat wrote: What about elBulli? Was it ever on your bucket list? What do you think about the molecular gastronomy thing?
See below on El Bulli.
W.r.t. molecular gastronomy, I think it really depends on how far the chef takes the concept. The show I watched by Heston, "In Search of Perfect", he draws from a lot of molecular gastronomy principles, but still uses classic cooking techniques, I think I prefer this style of cooking.
I've seen lots of programmes on Alinea, WD~50 and a bunch of others, I think they must be really cool to try, but I would still prefer classic cooking over molecular gastronomy.
That being said, I love watching these things on TV, and I was rooting for Richard Blais all the way in season 8 of Top Chef.
On January 17 2012 03:33 ticklishmusic wrote: Ooh, a foodie blog on TL? I think I've found a new source of reading material.
I don't know if you'll see this Cambium, but I suggest visiting Din Tai Fung in Taipei Taiwan (that's not too far from Tokyo, haha ). They specialize in a dumpling called xiao long bao that is pretty much amazing. Some other foreign branches of it have received one Michelin Star each, but those restaurants aren't even as good as the originals in my opinion.
Oh that's interesting. I know the HK one received a star for it. There are quite a few in Tokyo, and the reviews for them aren't very good on the Japanese yelp (which is amazing btw). I've been to a couple in Beijing, and I wasn't very impressed, which is why I've never visited any in Tokyo.
I will deifnitely try them in Taiwan if I find myself there, thanks for the recommendation!
On January 17 2012 04:27 Ack1027 wrote: Hi cambium, you know that I consider you the ONE TRUE FOODIE on TL and loved all your blogs bro. Really glad you got spotlighted here
What are your thoughts on~
Au pied de cochon - Montreal [ Have you had mutual friends been there? Want to go there? L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon - [ any of the locations, probably hong kong or france ] Thoughts on Joel Robuchon? El Bulli - How do you feel about it closing as a traditional restaurant? What do you think about the Adria brothers? Foie gras or bone marrow?
I shoulda done this interview fuckkkk
I've never gone to Au Pied De Cochon because I've never been to Montreal. I will most definitely visit if I find myself there, which should be within months. I'll let you know then! I lived with someone who studied at McGill and went there a few times. He said it was "very good", but I didn't ask too many questions.
There is actually a L'Atlier de Joel Robuchon in Tokyo, I think it has 2 stars. There is also a 3* Le Chateau de Joel Rebuchon and a 2* La Table de Joel Robuchon which are literally a stone's throw from where I work. I was going to go to La Table over Christmas, but decided to go to somewhere else instead (blog to come!) I have been to his bakery however, and it's quite amazing, from which I can easily infer that his food will at the least have execellent execution. I don't know much about his cooking other than it's French, and that he has the most number of stars in the world. I do think of him more as a restauranteur than a chef, however I don't have his restaurant on my bucket list because they are everywhere, and I don't think I'll find the experience as enticing as dining at somewhere like L'Osier or the Fat Duck. I will probably try one of them at least at some point, and hopefully in France.
It's a shame that it has closed. I know El Bulli was Spanish, and it was the best restaurant in the world for many years before and after the Fat Duck. Other than that, I know even less about it than Joel Robuchon.
Bone marrow.
On January 17 2012 06:46 price wrote: oh i totally have to ditto the tsukiji / tsukijishijo places mentioned above. i would go to that area of tokyo every morning for breakfast when i was visiting japan. you can't have a better start to your day than a fantastic bowl of sushi and some miso and rice tea. and it's not that expensive considering the amazing quality of the fish.
in the NYC section: did you ever try per se? i've heard it's the best in NYC but it's pretty damn expensive and booked 3 months out
Nope, never. I've looked into it, but it's really damn expensive, some day haha. I would prefer to go to the French Laundry if I were given the option though.
On January 17 2012 10:31 Mobius_1 wrote: What a delicious article. A condensed Cambium with a generous dash of enthusiasm and a side of global experience.
Also, your blogs have more stars than the best restaurants, how do you feel about that?
Great!!
On January 17 2012 11:34 decafchicken wrote: Nice cambium! Any recommendations for detroit/michigan??
For those of you that don't know he's also a monster in the gym!
Nope, sorry mang, I've never been to Detroit/Michigan Also, my numbers dropped so much during the holidays
Hey man, this Jean-Georges lunch time tip looks very inviting since I will be going to New York in the summer and it looks ridiculously affordable . I was kinda wondering, what is the dresscode for going to such a restaurant? How casual can you dress? Then I know whether to pack a suit or not :p. Edit: I already found out via google . Wow, google can give you all the answers..
Great interview. As I am also a food specialist I follow your blogs with a lot of attention. Interesting to hear that the Jean Georges in NY is good, the one in Shanghai really sucks.
Try Michelin starred restaurants in France if you have the occasion !
EPT
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He gave me a really nice PM about where to try to eat in Tokyo - really appreciated ^^
