SUBANG JAYA, Malaysia, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Malaysian reptile enthusiast Yap Ming Yang hopes visitors to his pet-friendly cafe will learn to appreciate snakes and lizards as much as they do furrier creatures such as dogs and cats.
Bearded dragons, leopard geckos, and corn snakes are among the species resting in glass tanks stacked around Yap's cafe on the outskirts of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, species he says are commonly bred in the country.
Customers, including children, hold and pet the scaly animals while ordering drinks and food.
"People only care about furry animals, cats, dogs, but people always leave out reptiles and snakes," said Yap, who has a background in environmental science and is part of a community of Malaysians with an interest in herpetology - the study of reptiles.
"So I hope showing the public how interesting (they) are, we can cause them to have a better outlook on reptiles and less loved animals."
Text description provided by the architects. ULA café is located in the former Yorkshire Brewery Tower in Collingwood and embodies a blend of old and new. The design showcases the coexistence of history, present and future while preserving the heritage building's significance and brewery culture.
The client's vision is to transform a heritage space into a neighborhood café, leveraging the unique opportunities presented by the original building elements. Our design approach aimed to create new gestures in response to existing features and coexist timelessly. The newly built forms reflect individual windows and doors, bridging connections between the inside and outside.
Attention to detail was crucial to ensure the new elements blended seamlessly with the heritage walls and their significance. The counter color and break line detail continue the heritage walls while differing for various uses. The cement render finish brought in solidity and created a sense of timelessness, while the bluestone-like porcelain tiles with a raised floor on the slab continued the external floor finishes and the heritage tower base. This design also created a buffer space underneath, minimizing the moisture and damp impact on the old building structure.
New track lighting sits at the height of the original feature steel beams, adding flexibility to the atmosphere of the space. The new sliding door engages with the feature graffiti pattern on the wall when it's closing, providing a unique touch to the space.
North Interior Elevation
This project showcases the coexistence between historical elements and new interventions through form, materiality, color, and every detail. The coexistence of similarities and differences invites customers to participate in a dialogue that spans the timeline from history to the present and future. The project has taken a thoughtful approach to both celebrating heritage features and future-proofing conservation and protection. The design demonstrates that heritage sites can be respectfully updated while retaining a sense of humility and elegance without conflict or contrast. The continuity of the new space with the existing creates a deeper connection to history and a sense of the future.
The approach to heritage sites emphasizes continuity, coexistence, and timelessness without creating conflict or contrast. This approach is consistently implemented across all design aspects and scales to ensure seamless integration of the new with the old.
The 2023 Saudi Cup has drawn an understandably broad cast of contenders from Europe, Asia, and the US, as we have come to expect of the race over the last four years. But for a special set of reasons, this year there are runners who have relatively good shots at taking down the favorite Taiba, if not also his stablemate and erstwhile second-favorite-and/or-seeming-third-favorite Country Grammer, depending on whose odds you’re following.
As stated, although he certainly proved otherwise in his last outing at Santa Anita in the Malibu Stakes, one of Taiba’s problems lies in his starts. Some are less lackadaisical than others. The Malibu showed a new level of maturity and tactical ability from Taiba, so the Baffert camp is quite confident. But the draw for Saturday added an additional hurdle by doling out a post position on the deep inside — with eleven horses outside him. In a race of nine furlongs with a field this large and tight, it demands a snappy break and a burst of early speed, in neither of which disciplines Taiba’s necessarily considered a master.
Just a step or two higher in the odds are some horses who don’t operate under that historical hurdle, chief among them Cafe Pharoah. Although he is Kentucky-bred and then some — being sired by Triple Crown winning phenomenon American Pharoah — Cafe Pharoah has spent his racing life in Japan where, following in the footsteps of his amazing sire, he has racked up an impressive seven victories in thirteen career starts.
The Japanese racing community is nothing if not tenacious and the owners flock to the meetings in Riyadh and Dubai, but that is not the reason for Cafe Pharoah’s descending odds. Notably, the colt is in some markets the second favorite, edging Taiba’s stablemate Country Grammer down a rung in the touts’ estimation, as we can see in this set of odds from Brisnet, here:
(Program Number, Post Position, Horse, Odds)
1, 13. Café Pharoah, 4-1
2, 10. Country Grammer, 6-1
3, 3. Crown Pride, 10-1
4, 8. Emblem Road, 10-1
5, 12. Geoglyph, 20-1
6, 6. Jun Light Bolt, 8-1
7, 1. Panthalassa, 10-1
8, 7. Remorse, 30-1
9, 4. Scotland Yard, 20-1
10, 2. Taiba, 5-2
11, 9. Vin De Garde, 20-1
12, 11. Lagertha Rhyme, 30-1
13, 5. Sunset Flash, 30-1
(Odds: Brisnet, 2/24/2023)
Jun Light Bolt gets into the mix by a less celebrated, more soldierly route. His sire is King Kamehameha and the six-year-old has had a total of six graded stakes starts, of which he has won three, a very respectable percentage. But for a horse his age, there just are not a lot of races on his card. He’s good at the Japanese versions of this distance, at Japanese tracks but the Saudi Cup appears to be his first real trip abroad His career was heavily punctuated by two pandemic-related four-hundred-day breaks without a race.
Put another way, all told, Jun Light Bolt has suffered an eight hundred day interruption of his racing. That’s two years and then some. All those hurdles noted, is a gritty winner and has bounced back from those two year-plus breaks, with literally one race in between them. That is grit. If he brings that grit to his run on Saturday, he’s going to cause some Taiba believers, along with Taiba, some trouble.
Last year’s surprising Saudi Cup victor Emblem Road requires a different sort of thinking altogether. He’s five, but to say that he is lightly raced is the heaviest sort of understatement, and adding to such matters, of his four lifetime starts, his last outing at King Abdulaziz was an allowance. On the plus side, this is his home track and his notable win last year does earn him some kind of consideration — he’s the Saudi equivalent of the Kentucky Derby’s Rich Strike.
Far more likely than a repeat victory, however, is his role as a spoiler in the middle of the race, as Taiba and the top favorites of Country Grammer and Cafe Pharoah — both of whom are likelier to have conserved energy for the second half of the race — gather themselves for the stretch duel. Emblem Road can be there in the end. But he’s more aptly cast this year as a spoiler in the stretch rather than the hero of it.
"cafe" - Google News
February 25, 2023 at 11:41AM
https://ift.tt/zRJOoWY
Saudi Cup 2023: How Cafe Pharoah, Jun Light Bolt And Emblem Road Can Really Mess Up Taiba’s Race - Forbes
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/pgs1DMu
https://ift.tt/kDAN0eb
The checkerboard floors of Vancouver’s Northern Cafe are warped, the only views are of nearby industrial warehouses, and diners waiting for a table must navigate the hazards of an active lumber yard.
And yet the tottering Chinese Canadian restaurant, with its red vinyl booths and mismatched porcelain mugs, is so busy on a weekday morning that a scattered line forms between pickup trucks and forklifts.
The rickety structure of the eatery, which sits above a hardware store, holds the unlikely honour of being the best place to dine Canada, according to restaurant review site Yelp. Its accolades have led to a recent surge in new customers scrambling for a spot at the Northern Cafe’s 11 tables. But the family’s improbable success also reflects a broader legacy of sacrifice and entrepreneurship that defines many of the Chinese restaurants and diners throughout the country.
After Yelp announced the diner’s steaks and spring rolls had drawn the highest customer reviews of any eatery across Canada, some visitors have waited nearly two hours for a table. And the Mah family, who own the operation, say they’ve done the unthinkable: turning away paying customers.
“We’re super blessed, but it’s overwhelming,” said Richard Mah, who recently gave up a corporate job in Japan and moved his family to Vancouver so he could work alongside his parents and brother in the cramped kitchen. “As exhausting as it is, this beats reporting to the head of a multibillion-dollar company.”
Richard’s parent’s Jimmy and Connie Mah bought the 73-year-old restaurant in 2008 and have long relied on repeat customers.
“We like to think our motto – ‘Our house is your house’- is what helps people feel so welcome,’” said Richard.
But the Mahs, who initially bought the decrepit Northern Cafe as a way of relieving the boredom of retirement, are also able to draw on the expertise of their son Raymond, a former head chef with stints at a number of hotels, who joined them four years ago.
“A kitchen is a kitchen, small or big,” said Raymond of his shift to the cramped cooking space at the Northern Cafe. “The biggest change is learning to work with my parents.”
Like many Chinese immigrant families, the Mahs have a long history in the restaurant business. Jimmy emigrated from Hong Kong in his teens in the 1960s, joining his family in Saskatchewan, where both his father and grandfather were working in restaurants. He and Connie eventually made their way west, managing and owning a string of restaurants and food court franchises in Vancouver themselves, where their own children helped out.
This model, replicated for generations in countless restaurants across the country, requires first generation immigrants start a business, with the hopes of handing new opportunities to their children, said Ann Hui, a reporter with the Globe and Mail and author of Chop Suey Nation.
“They sacrifice and they grind in order for the next generation to not have to do the same,” she said. But with the Mah family, things are different. “The next generation, the children, are choosing to come back. They have that choice. They’ve benefited from their parents working tirelessly so they make decisions based on things like happiness and fulfilment–not just survival.”
The dishes on the Northern Cafe’s menu, a mix of omelettes, sandwiches and burgers as well as Chinese dishes like wonton soup, chow mein and potstickers, also speaks to the unique place this cuisine holds in Canadian culture and history.
Many of the early immigrant-run restaurants in Canadian small towns and large cities initially served familiar diner-style food. But over time, Chinese dishes were slowly added to menus by enterprising owners to give something “special” to diners, said Hui.
“They were really cautious about making the food a little bit unique. They had to offer something that was a little bit different than what people could make for themselves at home,” she said. “As time went on, these dishes that were originally designed to be somewhat foreign and different gradually became comfort food for people. And eventually, this kind of ‘exotic’ food has become the exact opposite.”
Many of the reviews that praise the taste and quality of the Northern Cafe’s comfort-food dishes also read like elegies to the traditional diner, a seemingly endangered entity that is quickly disappearing in major cities as customer tastes change and operating costs rise.
“What’s really stands out about the [Northern Cafe] is how it’s being singled out for its really great food. Because throughout the history of these Chinese Canadian cafes and restaurants, a big theme has been the idea of consistency and of replication. You could go to any of these restaurants in any of these towns and know exactly what’s gonna be on the menu and how it would taste,” said Hui, adding that “That consistency was key to the survival and success of Chinese cuisine in Canada. That a new generation is becoming known for other things beyond consistency is great, because it’s an important shift in how we think about cuisine and food.”
Other than experimenting with the occasional new dish, Raymond says he has little interest in departing from the staples his family have perfected over the years. “These are family recipes. This is a menu my dad created. The wontons are my mother’s recipe. My role here is just to elevate what they’ve accomplished over the years.”
"cafe" - Google News
February 24, 2023 at 06:44PM
https://ift.tt/LSgais6
How a Chinese cafe above a DIY store became the best place to eat in Canada - The Guardian
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3tUJ4Om
https://ift.tt/Rgt2k5Z
LOVELAND, Colo. — Imagine getting your work done while petting a kitty on your lap. That is, if the cat is gracious enough to let you concentrate.
That dilemma is part of the charm at NoCo Cat Cafe, a coffee shop that opened up in August of last year. While you sip your brew and maybe read or type an email, you can also play with more than a dozen adoptable cats.
The cafe works in conjunction with the foster-based organization, Colorado Kitty Coalition, and has helped more than 160 cats get adopted in the last six months.
"We wanted to bring a community together around a love of cats," said co-owner Christopher Sanford, who runs the shop with his wife, Kimberly.
What's That?: NoCo Cat Cafe
In the above story, you can learn more about their operation, but, more importantly, you can see the many cute kitties who are up for adoption.
NEWPORT, Ky. — A Lego café is going in at Newport on the Levee, with doors scheduled to open over the summer.
The Brickery Café & Play will be the first Lego café in the U.S., according to a press release from North American Properties, which owns the property on the Levee.
The new business will go into a 3,100-square-foot space next to Velocity Esports.
"We had originally looked at a different location, but when our broker presented Newport on the Levee as an option, we jumped at the opportunity to join such an eclectic lineup of businesses," said Daniel Johnson, Cincinnati native and CEO of The Brickery, in a press release. "As an extreme fanatic of Lego myself, I'm constantly in awe at how the toy has continued resonating with every generation for nearly a century. My family and I are so excited to join the Levee crew and we can't wait to share thsi new journey with our neighbors."
When it opens, the business will offer a kids play and discovery area, a café that serves light refreshments and a retail space with new and used Legos for sale. The play and discovery area is designed for children 5- to 12-years-old.
For a fee, kids will be able to play in the area with large Lego sets from a variety of series, like Super Mario, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel and Disney. Themed sets will rotate, with monthly entry passes available.
Large-scale and kinetic sculptures out of Legos will showcase local landmarks in the business' windows, accented by a mural painted by Cincinnati-based artist Jonathan Queen.
A private event space will also be incorporated into the space, according to the press release. The space will be used for birthday parties, company meetings, date nights and community activities like Sip and Brick classes and themed build tournaments.
"cafe" - Google News
February 24, 2023 at 04:32AM
https://ift.tt/fVOBMFr
'We Owned a Famous Tel Aviv Café for 26 Years. We Sold It So We Can Do Whatever We Want' - Holylandings - Haaretz
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3tUJ4Om
https://ift.tt/Rgt2k5Z
A new all-day cafe modeled after a kissaten, an old-style Japanese tea house, is opening on Adams Avenue next to the Michelin-starred Soichi Sushi. Called Hatsuzakura, meaning the first cherry blossoms of the season, it’s due to bloom by late spring in the former De Nada Kitchen space.
Owners Sakura Kadoya and Reymond Palisoc previously worked together at a South Bay boba shop and since 2019, Kadoya has been part of the operating team at Soichi Sushi, which is run by her parents Soichi and Raechel.
Centered mostly around tea, including high-grade matcha, the beverages will also include melon soda floats and simple coffee drinks made with beans roasted at the Japanese-owned Bay Park Coffee.
Kadoya’s master sushi chef father is helping to consult on the food offerings, which will include homestyle dishes like yakisoba, karaage, Japanese-style spaghetti napolitan, and omelet-topped omurice. There will also be savory and sweet sandos, filled with katsu cutlets or fruit and cream, as well as a variety of onigiri.
Desserts will include matcha-flavored sweets as well as Japanese pudding, called purin, and a selection of wagashi, delicately-molded traditional confections made with mochi and bean paste.
"cafe" - Google News
February 23, 2023 at 04:01AM
https://ift.tt/bmOdgFI
Lego-themed cafe opening at Newport on the Levee - WKRC TV Cincinnati
"cafe" - Google News
https://news.google.com/search?q=cafe&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
https://ift.tt/Rgt2k5Z
NEWPORT, Ky. — A Lego café is going in at Newport on the Levee, with doors scheduled to open over the summer.
The Brickery Café & Play will be the first Lego café in the U.S., according to a press release from North American Properties, which owns the property on the Levee.
The new business will go into a 3,100-square-foot space next to Velocity Esports.
"We had originally looked at a different location, but when our broker presented Newport on the Levee as an option, we jumped at the opportunity to join such an eclectic lineup of businesses," said Daniel Johnson, Cincinnati native and CEO of The Brickery, in a press release. "As an extreme fanatic of Lego myself, I'm constantly in awe at how the toy has continued resonating with every generation for nearly a century. My family and I are so excited to join the Levee crew and we can't wait to share thsi new journey with our neighbors."
When it opens, the business will offer a kids play and discovery area, a café that serves light refreshments and a retail space with new and used Legos for sale. The play and discovery area is designed for children 5- to 12-years-old.
For a fee, kids will be able to play in the area with large Lego sets from a variety of series, like Super Mario, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel and Disney. Themed sets will rotate, with monthly entry passes available.
Large-scale and kinetic sculptures out of Legos will showcase local landmarks in the business' windows, accented by a mural painted by Cincinnati-based artist Jonathan Queen.
A private event space will also be incorporated into the space, according to the press release. The space will be used for birthday parties, company meetings, date nights and community activities like Sip and Brick classes and themed build tournaments.
Workers at three Somerville cafes ratified a union contract with their shared management team Sunday, cementing the group as one of the first coffeehouse chains in the state to reach an agreement.
Around 60 baristas and back-of-house employees at Diesel Café, Bloc Café, and Forge Baking Company voted to enact a contract that includes a 95-cent raise within the next 30 days, as well as 25-to-35-cent raises twice a year. That bumps hourly wages to at least $15 for baristas, in addition to tips (which typically amount to between $8 and $12 an hour). Bakery and kitchen workers now make at least $20.25 an hour.
The agreement — forged with the New England Joint Board UNITE HERE — also increases workers’ paid time off allowance to 8 hours for every year spent at the company and includes a clearer discipline policy. A number of measures that were in place before the union formed, like health insurance, matching 401(k) contributions, paid breaks, and a $21 daily meal allowance, remain.
Diesel Café shift runner Chris Duncan said the contract puts employees and management on the same page at the Davis Square institution, which is heralded for its espresso and hand-shaped bagels.
“It’s good to have something concrete that will hold everyone accountable and makes the standards of our workplace clear,” he said.
Gaelon Kolczynski, the cafe’s lead shift runner, added that the union has forged “a sense of camaraderie” amongst employees, even though the contract falls slightly short of what he had hoped.
“It’s not the most ideal plan, but it’s a step in the right direction,” he said. “It should be expected for places to unionize now and ask for better wages and working conditions.”
Owners Jennifer Park and Tucker Lewis also lauded the vote Tuesday in a letter to customers.
When employees first organized, “we had little knowledge of what a union was or what it might mean for our business. All we knew, as progressive liberals, was that unions were good,” the letter reads. Now, “we are proud to announce that Diesel, Bloc, and Forge have signed its first Union Contract.”
The announcement makes the Diesel/Bloc/Forge UNITED a leader in the unionization movement that has swept coffee shops across the country. At least six independently owned Massachusetts chains organized in 2021 and 2022, but just two, including Diesel, have finished contract negotiations.
"cafe" - Google News
February 22, 2023 at 01:24AM
https://ift.tt/W18ycHn
Employees at three Somerville cafes approve union contract, among first in Mass. - The Boston Globe
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/4fhlzbE
https://ift.tt/g5jIKJa
A proposal by the Bhadra Tiger Reserve to acquire 4,430 acres of land belonging to the late V G Siddhartha and Cafe Coffee Day has led to suspicion that political pressure has been exerted on the department to help a family in distress.
Documents available with DH show that the director of Bhadra Tiger Reserve had written to the Chief Conservator of Forests seeking permission to acquire the land, by quoting a proposal made by local NGOs.
In a proposal dated February 14, 2020, the director states that owners of “Coffee Day Group were in the process of selling” land adjacent to the tiger reserve in Tanigebylu and Muthodi ranges.
“Acquiring the land belonging to Cafe Coffee Day for the tiger reserve would help in better living conditions of the wildlife in the reserve,” the proposal states.
The letter lists 31 parcels of land belonging to V G Siddhartha and Coffee Day Pvt Ltd in Dandubittahara village and Nandigave village of Narasimharajapura taluk, Chikkamagaluru. Sources in the department said the proposal estimated the cost of the acquisition at Rs 708 crore at Rs 16 lakh an acre, including the value of timber.
However, an activist said the proposal will end up helping the company rather than the department.
“The company has been facing financial problems and was in debt. The revenue documents for the land show that the said lands have been mortgaged. How can the department accept the exorbitant rate of Rs 16 lakh per acre without proper inquiry,” he asked.
Noting that the department has been unable to help tribals stuck in the reserves by making the voluntary relocation plan attractive, he asked, “Why should the government help a beleagured company?”
An official who had gone through the proposal said that it has been kept aside at the department for the time being.
“It was felt that it would be unscientific for the department to consider the proposal. It may be taken up at a later stage at the right moment,” he stated.
A retired official said the priority of the department should be voluntary relocation of people in forests, including tribal households.
“Rehabilitation in Kudremukh began 15 years ago but we are unable to take it up. Voluntary relocation in Dandeli has also been affected by gaps in funding,” he added.
Samaj Parivarthana Samudaya’s S R Hiremath, who had sought an investigation into the death of V G Siddhartha, urged the government to investigate the allegations surrounding land encroachment.
“Several complaints have been made against V G Siddhartha and his involvement in scams. I had made a detailed complaint to the chief secretary of Karnataka besides writing to authorities at the Centres. The government should first begin an inquiry to recover vast patches of forest land in the area, which have been encroached by powerful people,” he
said.
"cafe" - Google News
February 21, 2023 at 05:36AM
https://ift.tt/l6pVDLE
Karnataka: Political push to aid Cafe Coffee Day founder Siddhartha's family? - Deccan Herald
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/4fhlzbE
https://ift.tt/g5jIKJa
❚The products mentioned in this article are selected or reviewed independently by our journalists. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission, but this never influences our opinion.
The retro design has aesthetic and performance appeal
Café du Cycliste has a reputation for making trendy cycling kit, often using Breton stripes that make you look as if you’ve cycled through the set of a Wes Anderson film.
Café du Cycliste’s press release stresses these are indeed cycling shoes, despite how they look, and the gravel shoes we’ve been sent certainly look more like hiking boots than your typical cycling footwear.
These boots are made for pedalling
You can now dress in Café du Cycliste “from head to toe”.Stan Portus / Our Media
These gravel shoes are said to be the missing piece in the brand’s style puzzle, now enabling you to dress in Café du Cycliste “from head to toe”.
The shoes look a lot more like retro hiking boots, particularly those made by Norwegian Paraboots, which have come into vogue in recent years.
The Café du Cycliste gravel shoes share a number of things in common with more fashion-conscious boots, beyond their leather uppers.
The contrast laces extend far down the shoes and are threaded through metal D-eyelets before running under metal hooks at the top of the shoes. There is also a rubberised border around the bottom of the upper. This should protect the leather upper from scrapes.
‘High performance’
There is an elastic loop to hold the lace in place.Stan Portus / Our Media
It’s not just about the looks with these shoes, according to Café du Cycliste. The brand, based in Nice, France, says the gravel shoes are “high performance”.
The leather uppers are said to be robust and comfortable, and the metal eyelets will reduce friction – and presumably wear – on the laces.
The tan outsole is made by SUPtraction, which also provides outsoles for Suplest. The rubber blend was designed for mountain terrain, according to Café du Cycliste. There is ‘Fishgrid technology’ on the heel to minimise slipping.
The rubber sole is said to be grippy.Stan Portus / Our Media
There is a 3K carbon shank beneath the outsole for rigidity to aid power transfer, and Solestar insoles are said to help with stability.
As can be expected from a gravel shoe, these shoes are compatible with two-bolt cleats.
The shoes weigh a claimed 370g in a size 43. They retail for €300.
Latest deals
Authors
Stan Portus is BikeRadar’s content editor. Stan works on everything from content strategy and breaking news to evergreen updates and long-form features on environmental and social issues in cycling. Stan started working in the bike industry in 2018, writing content for some of the sport's biggest brands, including Chris King, ENVE and Castelli. He has worked as a freelance writer and journalist for over seven years writing reviews, essays and interviews for many art, design and literature publications as well as appearing on radio. A road cyclist at heart, he can be found zooming along the lanes and roads of the South West and undertaking foolhardy pursuits such as overnight audax rides.
"cafe" - Google News
February 21, 2023 at 07:01AM
https://ift.tt/P8YxSZB
First Look | Café du Cycliste's first cycling shoes look like hiking boots - BikeRadar
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/4fhlzbE
https://ift.tt/g5jIKJa
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/2PKPF2RVPNNZVFIC2QP5HFU7C4.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25244079/4.png)
