The Dish

MEAT CUTE

it’s been a messy two years, so can you blame us if we just want something that’s neat and orderly and packaged so gosh darn cutely that we have a tough time even digging into it? These little bundles of joy are the brainchild of Yuzu, which is a store within a store of the always-solid Shiro Sushi on Cambie and 15th. But within the confines of a modest restaurant in a nondescript strip mall, magic happens. There’s a softly rotating selection of sandwiches (please don’t call them handhelds), but there’s a core group that are noteperfect: a pork katsu that’s the perfect mix of lean and fatty; an ebi with prawn tempura and Kewpie mayo; a beef with teriyaki and American cheese that melts after 3 seconds in the microwave (to name but a few). They’re all packed as charmingly as Pokémon cards—if Pokémon cards were $4.50 and you ate them immediately after buying them.

by Neal McLennan photograph by Leila Kwok

DRINK THIS

VEUVE CLICQUOT LA GRAND DAME 2012 X

YAYOI KUSAMA , $216 This collab between the prestige bottling from the house that Mme. Clicquot built and the legendary Japanese artist is not a bottle that sits quietly on the gift table—it’s the perfect marriage of iconic polka dots and some juice that is off-the-charts good. It’s pinot dominant but never overbearing, with elegant notes of white flowers followed by crisp apple skin and tied together by almost 10 years of bottle age.

ALBERTA PREMIUM CASK

STRENGTH RYE , $66 It was two years ago that this unassuming bottle from Calgary’s unassuming Alberta Distillers took home World Whisky of the Year honours, and in true AP fashion they underplayed the achievement. But the latest incarnation this paragon of rye may be even better than the first go around. A spicy, cereal crunch jumps right out of the glass and even at a whopping 66% alcohol it still feels manageable. But mellow arrives with a splash of water and the beast is tamed (a bit). If this rye were American it would be twice the price, half as good and sold out everywhere.