Krystle Chow’s Online Portfolio

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Ottawa Business Journal and on its website.
May 18, 2009 (May 20 on OttawaBusinessJournal.com)

Click here to view this article on OttawaBusinessJournal.com.

An OBJ reporter joins the search for a popular retailer and other peddlers of fashionable wares

Ever since those surreal television commercials began airing in March, depicting a curly-haired blond and swarthy suit-clad man in rooms with ladders and Alice-in-Wonderland doors, I’ve been one of many Ottawans wondering if Swedish fashion retailer H&M is close to opening its first store in the nation’s capital.

Local retail industry observers have been buzzing about the possibility for years, and devoted Facebookers – yours truly included – have bombarded H&M’s discussion boards with pleas to bring the store to Ottawa, especially in the wake of new openings in smaller cities such as Peterborough, Ont. and Dartmouth, N.S.

Posted one online commenter: “Ottawa’s … full of young government workers who have loads of disposable income, and not one store … It’s almost insulting … Maybe one day Ottawa will be deemed ‘worthy.’”

It seems the time is nigh considering that (more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Fall/Winter 2008 edition of Ottawa At Home Magazine.

Click here to view this article on OttawaAtHome.ca.

Chef Bento Sushi’s
Baked Scallop Roll.
Photo by JONATHAN KUNG.

Take a tour of Ottawa’s favourite sushi restaurants

For most lovers of food from faraway lands, sushi is no longer just scary scraps of raw fish that you have to fumble to pick up with your chopsticks.

In fact, it isn’t uncommon to find your standard – but unfortunately oh-so-blah – California roll and salmon sushi at the local supermarket or mall food court. But where can serious sushi samplers in search of more exotic fare find those oases of Zen in Ottawa? Sushi fanatic Krystle Chow went on the hunt for places that tantalize and tempt her taste buds and found these five favourites. (more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published as an Arts Editorial in Centretown News.
Oct. 14, 2005

Click here to view this article on the Centretown News website.

It’s film festival season in Ottawa, and there has never been a better time to be a filmmaker.

Amateur filmmakers are getting involved in what was once considered an elite art form.

And it looks like the lure of movie-making magic has captivated the younger generation as well.

Youth filmmakers – those who are younger than 30 years of age – are getting a chance to get their hands dirty as film production equipment becomes cheaper and more readily available. (more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published as an Arts Editorial in Centretown News.
Sept. 30, 2005

Click here to view this article on the Centretown News website.

The Ottawa International Jazz Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and is just beginning its winter lineup.

On its website, organizers tout the festival as having the “biggest loyal audience of any event in eastern Ontario” and boast about the big-name acts the festival has brought to the Ottawa stage.

But have we forgotten our homegrown talents in the quest for bright lights and big box office hits? (more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Photos by LOW BOON TAT and BONNIE YAP
Published on page 13 of the Weekend section of The Star in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
January 3, 2004

Cards on the table tell the passador (above) if you want seconds. He will then carve the meat or fish at your table.

One may be inclined to think of football, and perhaps samba, when one thinks of Brazil, but what about good food?

If you’re looking to discover Brazilian cuisine and culture for yourself, head on down to Bom Brazil Churrascaria (pronounced cho-khas-ca-khria, which with the rest of the restaurant’s name means “Good Brazilian Barbecue”), nestled in the cluster of elegant eateries and trendy taverns that is Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Step in and you will notice the distinctly informal ambience of the restaurant, from its tables – gaily decorated in the colours of the Brazilian flag – to the soccer paraphernalia that adorns its walls (soccer is, after all, an institution in Brazil), to the curious dolls and figurines on display, each with their own story.

Adding to this charming informality is the fact that there is no menu, since the restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat buffet of barbecued meats that would make the most carnivorous of individuals ecstatic.

Not big on meat? Not to worry as Bom Brazil offers a selection of salads and pasta in the buffet, including the delightful Brazilian dish of rice topped with tapioca shavings (or feijoada) and red beans in a light sauce.

However, the restaurant’s true specialty is the barbecue, and sampling Bom Brazil’s tender cuts of beef and other meats is an absolute must.
(more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published on page 14 of the Weekend section of The Star in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
June 28, 2003

Penang Inn offers more than the swaying palm trees and hawker fare conjured up by its name.

Tucked away in a trendy corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail, the restaurant’s cool decor and serene ambience offers some respite from the heat and energy of KL’s clubs. In fact, its operating hours are tailored to hungry clubbers in search of some tasty grub.

Not only can you expect hearty favourites from the Pearl of the Orient, but also such delights as (more…)

BY KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Apr. 3, 2003

Peter Brown’s Marie-Claude is an album of irresistiby good music, which can either rest on the musical palate like a sinful slice of dark chocolate cake or a comforting spoonful of warm honey. From the deliciously smooth “Cape Verdean Blues” to the mischievous honky-tonk of his vocal tracks, to his remarkably simple yet lyrical arrangement
of “Amazing Grace,” Brown charms with his elegant piano playing and eclectic style.

This guy plays a mean piano, and he’s backed by an excellent jazz/blues band that keeps pace perfectly with Brown’s clever musical improvisations.

It’s impossible to pigeonhole the album into one particular genre, as it flirts with jazz, blues, Latin and even country music. While Brown’s voice seems shaky on some tracks, it has a warm, pleasant quality which particular suits the bluesy feel on tracks like “These Blues You Gave Me.”

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Mar. 6, 2003

Click here to view this article on The Charlatan’s website.

The Bytown Art Group provides a way for low-income and homeless people to create art. But will funding cuts bring the project to an end?

A “deliciously diverse” fine arts group that helps homeless and low income people create art has had its future thrown into jeopardy because of recent funding cuts.

Danielle Raymond says the Bytown Art Group primarily consists of people who are “challenged to purchase art materials,” but it also works with new Canadians, seniors, and art lovers in general. The group provides a space for its members to work and supplies to create their art. (more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Jan. 16, 2003

As if it wasn’t enough being overworked and treated with contempt by male colleagues: in Read My Lips (Sur mes Lèvres, a French film by Jacques Audiard) Carla Bhem (Emmanuelle Devos) also struggles with the fact that she is hard of hearing and is forced to use a hearing aid in each ear. It can’t help that her attractive friend Annie (Olivia Bonamy) describes passionate extramarital encounters over lunch when Carla can hardly find a date.

When her boss asks her to hire a secretarial assistant, Carla jumps at the chance, taking care to request a 25-year-old male with nice hands. The employment agency sends handsome Paul Angeli (Vincent Cassel), out on parole and with no experience in secretarial work.

However, shy Carla gets quite a bit more than she bargained for when Paul gets her involved in a rather elaborate scheme to rob a gang of thugs (one of whom he owes money to).

The first half of the movie is loaded with (more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Oct. 31, 2002

There is a frenzied passion about Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe in all of his dance solos, regardless of the mood and tone of the piece. On the opening night of his Ottawa engagement, the NAC Studio was sold out, with everyone there to see the 29-year-old dancer-choreographer from Johannesburg. (more…)

By KRYSTLE CHOW
Published in the Arts section of The Charlatan.
Oct. 17, 2002

Jazz is an ensemble effort, more so than many other genres of music. In Travelling Mercies, however, the ensemble fails to blend together in a convincing manner. The drums especially are rather jarring, and ruin the laid-back effect of many of the tracks, while the various sound effects are simply annoying.

Potter’s overly improvisational style sounds discordant in many places, and none of the tracks stand out as classics for future generations. The saving grace of this CD is that the guitar and bass work exquisitely well with the sax, softening the overall tone and setting the mood.

Of note is the funky “Migrations,” which abruptly switches from a livelier beat into a slow, almost ethereal sound at the end. Potter’s wonderfully poignant instrumental cover of Willie Nelson’s “Just the Way I Am” leaves out the distracting drums and opts for a romantic piano-and-sax combo.

Travelling Mercies seems somewhat lost in a mishmash of sounds and effects; it might have done better if Potter had found a direction and stuck to it (and lost the drums on the way).