G Bruce Stratton Architects

Intouchables (film) - {a MUST see}

2012-05-25T14:31:00.003-04:00

Attended an advanced screening of French film Intouchables last night. When this hits theatres June 1st in Canada make sure you go see it! I wasn't expecting much initially as I did not read into the film but it somewhat blew me away and was surprisingly funny. That might explain why it is the top grossing film in France, Germany and Spain, which netted Omar Sy the 2012 best actor award at the Cezars (the Oscars of France). Although the dialogue is French, there are English subtitles so no worries. You'll also notice that François Cluzet looks like Dustin Hoffman's twin brother while Omar Sy has some resemblance to Lamar Odom. Either way, it's a touching film that will tickle your funny bone and is, in my opinion, one of the best films to come out this year.

"Based on a true story, an unlikely friendship develops between a quadriplegic millionaire injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects who becomes his caregiver and restores his lust for life." - Cineplex

Fun With Lego

2012-05-17T12:52:00.001-04:00

More here...

New Ramen Hot Spot Around the Block

2012-05-17T12:51:00.003-04:00

Toronto's latest ramen joint "Kinton Ramen" recently popped up down the street on 51 Baldwin Street this week. I had the opportunity of trying it out last night during its soft opening. Their grand opening is tomorrow on Friday, May 18th. The owners of Guu Izakaya (Vancouver) opened up this ramen shop with the design curated by the folks at Dialogue 38, who also did Guu Izakaya on Church Street. Below is a shot of the front elevation but the patio was not set up last night.

Credit: Above photo from Biking in a Big City (http://jnyyz.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/kinton-ramen/)

The wait just to get a table was 1-1.5 hours. Seeing that the shop hasn't officially launched, just wait until grand opening arrives as it seems Toronto is always short on acceptable ramen shops. I would pass though if you are on a tight lunch break from work as the whole experience took about 2 hours+. The ramen took pretty long to arrive as well. I had the regular Shio Ramen with pork shoulder. The noodles are kneaded in-house while Kinton provides the option to customers of having the broth in regular or light . This is the Miso Ramen with pork belly in light broth:

The broth was good. The ramen was decent, a bit on the thicker side, and acceptable, but could be better in terms of the intensity of the taste. I still find there to be better options at Niwatei or Guu Izakaya. Although the atmosphere isn't as loud and ballistic as it is at Guu, I will go back next time to have a try of their Cheese Ramen that comes with swiss cheese as I've never heard of that combination before.

Here are the rest of the photos of the space. Speaking to assistant manager, Daiki, he mentioned that Manager, Aki, really enjoyed the tastes of the ramen in New York at Ippudo and David Chang's Momofuku. He wanted to bring some of that to Toronto.

The treatment of the interior walls comprises of mainly wood blocking ends put together in checkerboard patterning to add depth and contrast. The ceiling along with HVAC components is exposed. It's simple and I think it looks great with the exposed concrete floor, which induces somewhat of a rustic look.

Go check them out: http://kintonramen.com/

"Plexi" Picasso

2012-04-27T15:14:00.003-04:00

So the Art Gallery of Ontario puts on a major exhibit of Picasso paintings and they are all behind a sheet a plexigalss. Disappointing.

Library Renovation Update

2012-04-19T16:47:00.000-04:00

Historical Architecture: Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, Macau

2012-04-05T16:11:00.000-04:00

The Façade of St.Paul's Cathedral (Wilhelm Heine, 1854)

Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral (George Chinnery, 1774-1852) - left

Present Day (2012) - right

St. Paul's Cathedral was built in 1602 by the Jesuits and destroyed by a fire caused by a typhoon in 1835. The southern stone façade of this Catholic church is all that remains of the building, which is now buttressed with steel and concrete. Stone carvings done by Japanese Christians who were at the time exiled from their homeland can be seen on these remains.

Macau as a territory was ruled by the Portuguese colonial rulers from the 17th century, having ports settled in their isles dating back to the 16th century. On December 20, 1999, Macau was returned back to the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) with prior arrangements dating back to 1979 and with the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987.

Steel Framing Library Renovation

2012-03-26T12:02:00.000-04:00

Cutting Holes in Buildings- Library Renovation Update

2012-02-25T20:31:00.000-05:00

Subaru Drivers- Design and Personality

2012-02-17T18:56:00.000-05:00

I've been encountering a large amount of bad drivers in the Subaru brand...anyone else feel the same?

F is for...Friday

2012-02-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

The Show...

2012-01-26T11:02:00.002-05:00

Ramie: ecologically-friendly bioplastic chair

2012-01-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

"The company has recently pioneered the use of Ramie, an East Asian flowering plant, into an ecologically-friendly bioplastic—a durable composite that shows excellent potential for sustainable furniture."

More here.