Out & About #160 | The Peanuts Movie + Kenzo Ramen

There are three types of nutty people out there: those that like peanuts, those that don't, and those that are allergic.
Personally, I'm not too fond of peanuts: they're dense, satiating, and generally heavily salted.

But I enjoy cartoons and animations, especially if they feature cute characters such as Snoopy.

Snoopy has been making a comeback lately, earning himself a spot in both clothing and accessory collaborations (GAP, Coach, etc.) as well as debuting on the big screen for the first time ever.

Despite Schulz's popular comic strip ran for a solid fifty years before being discontinued, it wasn't until recently that the Charlie Brown crew was brought to life with the use of modern technology.

I must confess: I've never read the comic, nor had the chance to appreciate the original artwork. But that didn't stop me from taking advantage of Tuesday's half-price movie deal and learning about the characters from scratch.

Perhaps I was one of the very viewers over the age of seven, but it didn't matter. For the first time in three years, I had set foot into a theatre, and realized just how different the movie-watching experience had become. Along with an incredulous amount of advertisements before the start of the movie, there was also the addition of a quiz segment that would allow viewers to earn Scene points by answering the questions via a mobile app.

​The movie was enjoyable; I thoroughly appreciated the efforts put towards accentuating the vibrancy of the tones and enhancing the textures of different surfaces. (Even the cable knit of Charlie Brown’s sweater was made to be noticeably yarn-y.) The focus was unarguably on Charlie Brown and his infatuation with the unnamed “Little Red-Haired Girl”, but I also found that Snoopy played an equally important role in the progression of the story. In contrast to his owner’s clumsiness, the trusty beagle exhibits the courage and wittiness that isn’t seen among other characters. Snoopy is a lively troublemaker, but also a helpful and truly loyal companion, assisting Charlie in his many attempts to make conversation with and impress his elementary school crush.
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It is extremely difficult to animate 1D/2D characters while retaining their original expressions and features, and even more challenging to successfully portray their distinct personalities through voice actors. The plot was anti-climatical and also rather aimless, making the moral of the story is relatively implicit for younger viewers. That being said, the adaptation itself was done well, but maybe just not captivating enough to pique the interest of children.

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After reviewing the ending credits (and watching The Red Baron meet its death by flunging into a lake due to an unexpected malfunctioning), we headed towards Kenzo for dinner.

We arrived to find a full house, and proceeded to write our names down on the waiting list. Browsing through the menu while huddled in their tiny waiting area with other patrons, we were led to a table some five to seven minutes later.

I started with a Matcha Latte, which was more watery than it was grassy. Despite its unmistakable green hue, the standard Matcha flavour was barely there; thankfully though, it wasn't overly milky as with other shops, nor was the cup unnecessarily filled to the brim with ice. Although it was generally average in all aspects, I would definitely prefer Kenzo's rendition as opposed to Chatime, especially if I'm in dire need of a refreshing post-ramen beverage.

A six-piece set of Gyoza was also ordered, along with the Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen and newly-introduced Vegetarian Ramen.

The housemade pot stickers were tasty, but a tad too greasy for my liking. The fact that the pieces were stuck together also caused a drastic drop of visual appeal.

The full album can be viewed HERE !

The Tonkotsu Ramen was satisfying without containing an extreme amount of sodium ("Shoyu" refers to soy sauce, which is generally added sparingly to enhance broth flavour), though nothing too extraordinary. The Vegetarian Ramen actually proved to be more of a pleasant surprise: its broth was creamy and contained the small bubbles of oil commonly found in tonkotsu-based recipes, yet was described to be created utilizing a process devoid of animal by-products. While I'm not exactly familiar with the science behind this concept, my tastebuds welcomed the remarkable pairing of smooth, creamy broth with blanced vegetables and semi-firm tofu.

Kenzo has been known to have unthinkable long lineups during late evening hours, which comes as no surprise seeing that it is currently the only ramen franchise to expand into Mississauga. I tend to find their prices on the steep side, but still very much enjoy returning as their level of service and consistency in quality has never failed me once. (Tip: Calling in advance to place a pickup order is very much suggested on weekends.)

Lastly, I’d like to mention that their Takoyaki is the most scrumptious set of little batter-and-octopus-chunks spheres that I’ve tasted in Vancouver and the GTA (and I’m including my night market (1, 2, 3) experiences!).

Ending off this post is a shot of my mom's Matcha Sponge Cake, styled with matcha-coconut cream and good ol' cornflakes. Hopefully I'll be able to feature my newly-obtained slate piece in the What I Make section soon!

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