Dylan's Christmas List

Here is a nice sampling of my daily temptations! 

Nobu's Vegetarian Cookbook - This book intrigues me because Japanese food is typically very fish and seafood heavy. I love the idea of Japanese flavours and techniques used with vegetables as the feature! It sounds like something that is so seldom done the results would be unique and interesting at very least.

Taylor of Old Bond Street shave soap, cream and cologne - The Taylor shaving products have really grabbed my attention because they are all made with quality, natural ingredients and they use no animal products or testing. Every single one of their shave creams smell fantastic! I especially enjoy the continuity of scents from shave soap, cream and cologne. I often worry about the combination of too many different products melding into some strange smell that should never have been. 

eShave Linden Shave Soap - I want this automatically just because it's made with Linden. My last name means Linden leaf so I have a hard time getting past anything Linden related. I also have dry skin on my face, and this soap is made with avocado oil to help with that. I'm very excited to see its results.

James Bronnley Men's Aftershave Balm - This aftershave comes highly recommended so I want to pick some up. Yoghurt is to chilli as this aftershave is to razor burn. James Bronnley's company has been making quality shave products since 1884. You can't argue with that kind of history! 

Mcusta Damascus pocket knife - These babies are gorgeous! Not only are they made with VG10 stainless steel, they look awesome too! I can't say I've seen another pocket knife that's shaving sharp out of the box. 

Dovo Flowing straight razor - I've been drooling over this thing for months... If you could combine elegance with brass knuckles I think it would come out something like this. It feels fantastic in my hand and everything about it says quality. Some day little razor... Some day.

Fujiwara Maboroshi Santoku - Every time I pick up some of Fujiwara san's knives I can tell that it is a swordsmith's kitchen knife. The balance is phenomenal! My first Japanese knife is a factory made santoku and it still treats me very well, but there's something special about hand made. When I'm done getting knives I don't have and start working on upgrades, I'm sure this will be one of the first.

Masakage Hikari 75mm Petty - This one is mostly for my lady. Perhaps it's the present of a happy wife that is appealing to me. This little guy would be great for small precision work! Stainless steel brings care free use, so this knife would be great to have around for a compliment to my Koishi nakiri. 

Yoshikane 210mm Gyuto - There is something about these knives that I have a hard time putting my finger on. I didn't pay much attention to this knife until I saw a patina start forming. I'm a sucker for tending my patina and I honestly didn't expect to see one here. The steel these are made from is technically rust resistant so you still get the same silkiness of carbon steel without all the rusting issues. I find they are right in the middle for weight, balance, edge retention and performance. Every time I pick one up it just feels good in my hand. I'd find something to use this for. I simply want to have it!

Happy holidays from Dylan.