Hemingway's

Date: November 25, 2011

Location: 142 Cumberland Street (east of Avenue Rd.), Toronto

Website: http://www.hemingways.to/

Meal: drinks/snacks

My thoughts:

We ordered some bruschetta ($5.49) with some house wine. The bruschetta was really good, albeit on the buttery/greasy side. I think there were 6-8 decent-sized pieces. I would order again.

Busy, busy place. Luckily we didn't have to wait, but we were sqeezed into a tiny table at the back of the restaurant. Our main waitress was a little bit curt, but another waiter (guy) was very nice - we asked for some extra bread and he gave us an entire plateful (I'm talking one of those extra long oval plates).

Guu Izakaya

Date: November 25, 2011

Location: 398 Church Street (north of Gerrard St. E.), Toronto

Website: http://guu-izakaya.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I've been here a number of times, but if my memory serves me, this is the first time I am blogging about it - which is a shame, because I love this place! From you moment you step into this restaurant, it will be hard not to notice the fun and lively atmosphere. Upon entering the restaurant, you will be greeted by the loud and animated (and sometimes somewhat quirky) staff in Japanese. Please note that this place does not serve sushi, but not one of the friends that I have brought here has been disappointed after their meal.

Anyway, I came here with two of my girlfriends to celebrate a birthday. We ordered the usual:

Okonomiyaki ($6.80) - a deep fried Japanese-style savoury pancake with squid and tonkatsu sauce and karashi mayo drizzled on top. Delish!  

Takoyaki ($5.00) - takoyakis are sometimes called mini octopus balls. This dish were quite similar in taste to the okonomiyakis, except that they had octupus instead of squid (tasted the same to me though). This was also deep-fried and served with tonkatsu sauce adn karashi mayo. Very soft and moist. Yum! 

Unagi doria ($9.30) - I liken this to risotto, Japanese-style and with eel, mixed mushrooms and cheese (mozzarella, I believe). This might just be my favourite dish at this restaurant. It is very unique because you would never think that cheese (and no, I'm not talking parmesan) and rice would pair so well together (at least I wouldn't), yet somehow it works. Every time I have this, it tastes just like.. the firrrrst tiiime. Haha, I'm losing it. Anyway, just try this and let the dish speak for itself.

We also ordered some dishes we'd never tried before... 

Ikapiri ($6.50) - deep-fried calamari with spicy ketchup and wasabi mayo. This was really good and crispy, but this was nothing special. I've had similar tasting calamari at dim sum restaurants. 

Karubi ($6.80) - salt and pepper grilled beef short ribs with scallion soy sauce. These were really, really salty, even without the soy sauce. The meat itself was sliced thin, and a bit burnt. Was not a fan.

As for drinks... 

Sapporo ($5) - a smooth draft beer from Japan. 

Bamboo ($6.00) - melon liqueur, whtie wine, lychee juice, soda. I love the taste of alcohol and lychee together. 

Macha Coco ($6.50) - malibu, matcha, milk, whipped cream. This drink was okay, but a little too rich for my liking. Won't be ordering this one again. 

Seven samurai ($16) - this was on their specials menu. This was essentially a tower of sake shooters. We ordered this for the birthday girl, and the restaurant staff all sang happy birthday. It was fun. If you've never had sake, it is a rice wine and most people either love it or hate it.

The Sushi Bar

Date: November 18, 2011

Location: 3369 Yonge Street (north of Lawrence Ave.), Toronto

Website: http://www.thesushibar.ca/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Alaska roll ($5.00 + $0.75 for brown rice) - salmon, cucumber, avocado, tobiko. 6 pieces per order. $5 for a roll of sushi might seem like a good deal, but don't be fooled - there are only 6 pieces. That aside, this is amazingly tasty. Also, I would really recommend upgrading to brown rice. I think it makes a world of a difference. But I would recommend trying a roll (any roll) with white rice first so that you can draw a fair comparison.

BBQ eel and avocado roll ($5.00 + $0.75 for brown rice) - 6 pieces per order. This is probably my absolute favourite roll at this place. I find myself craving this roll all the time. Again, like the Alaska roll, this roll only comes with 6 pieces, but it is a must-try!

Unagi don ($11.50 + $0.75 for brown rice) - BBQ eel on top of steamed rice. Mm.. can you tell I love BBQ eel? Bursting with flavour with a sweet teriyaki sauce. Again, "brown rice is a must" as my friend would say.

Ice cream ($2.99) - 2 scoops per order. There were three options: black sesame, green tea and red bean; I opted for the first two. What can I say? It's ice cream. Of course it was good ;)

Mochis ($4.00) - 2 mochi balls per order. Eh, not as good as the ones you can buy at T&T supermarkets. If you've never tried one, I recommend that you jet-set over to one and try this delectable dessert out! Originating from Japan, these are essentially little soft and chewy glutinous rice balls with an ice cream filling. They come in a variety of flavours, but this restaurant only carried green tea (and the glutinous rice exterior had a weird texture - a disappointment, but everything else totally made up for this!)

So would I come back? Yes, yes, yes! My best friend and I often meet here, and I guess we could be considered 'regulars'. A quick note: you may notice that they don't offer a very extensive menu, but don't pass up on this one! They really specialize in what they do offer. Ingredients are top-notch quality and everything tastefully done. To top it all off, quick, friendly service.

Phuket Paradise

Date: November 11, 2011

Location: 7771 Yonge Street (south of Highway 7 Ave.), Thornhill

Website: http://www.phuketparadise.ca/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I came here on a Friday night with my parents. I'd driven by this place a number of times and was excited to try this place. As soon as we stepped foot into the restaurant, it was apparent from the set-up, lighting and decor that this was a rather more upscale Thai restaurant, which was also reflected in the smidgenly-higher prices. We learned from the menu that this is a Thai/Chinese-fusion place.

Shrimp Thai Lemongrass Soup a.k.a. Tom Yum Soup ($2.99) - Soup with lemongrass, lime leaves, lime juice, galanga, chili and mushroom. A favourite of my mom's, she ordered this as a starter. I had a taste and thought it was "meh" - I never was a big fan of this soup, partly because I don't like sour things.

Thai Grilled Calamari ($7.50) - Baby squid sprinkled with Thai spices, grilled and served wtih Thai house salad. The squid was deelish! It was well-marinated and had a nice soft chewy texture. I didn't care for the salad because it consisted mainly of iceberg lettuce (has virtually no nutritional value) and had an odd not-so-fresh seafood taste. (Au contraire, the squid didn't have this problem even though it was served on the same dish.)

Red beef curry ($9.99) - sweet pepper, zucchini, onion with lemongrass, lime leaves, Thai basil, bamboo shoot, chili and pineapple cooked in Thai red curry. This was really good, but then again, I don't think I have ever been unsatisfied with Thai curry. A very thick sauce with a very strong coconut and basil flavour (yum!), which made this a perfect pairing with rice. I also loved the variety of vegetables.

Eggplant with black bean sauce ($8.99) - stir-fried eggplant with black bean sauce with assorted vegetables. As big eggplant-lovers, we all enjoyed this common Chinese dish. Again, I would highly recommend white rice to accompany this dish, as the sauce was very thick and flavourful.

Overall, not a bad Thai restaurant with a nice, quiet atmosphere. A good place to dine if you want to avoid large boisterous crowds on a Friday night. You also definitely wouldn't have to worry about line-ups or having to make reservations. I would come back again, but for the prices, you can get better bang for your buck elsewhere. Case in point: Sweet Basil at Major MacKenzie and Bayview.

Paramount

Date: October 17, 2011

Location: 7315 Yonge Street (north of Steeles Ave.), Thornhill

Website: http://www.paramountfinefoods.com/ 

Meal: dinner takeout

My thoughts:

Let me tell you - I was so excited to check out this restaurant because I'd heard wonderful things about this place. I ordered a chicken shawarma wrap ($5.95). I was not asked what I wanted inside my sandwich and assumed that I was going to "everything" - lettuce, parsley salad (tabbouleh), pickled radish, hummus, hot sauce, jalapeno peppers, etc. When I bit into my sandwich, I realized that not only did I not get "everything" (only lettuce, garlic sauce and pickles), but there was no hummus! I have never had a shawarma without hummus. I was severely disappointed by this - go ahead, call me a drama queen, but I love my hummus in my shawarma, lol!

Despite this major letdown, however, the service was speedy and very good. While taking in their impressive display of sweets and pastries, a restaurant patron offered me a piece to try. While I appreciated the kind gesture, the pastry itself was too sweet for my liking.

The atmosphere was very comfortable, laidback and family-friendly. The decor reflected the Lebanese culture, which was an inviting change for me. So would I return? Yes, mainly because of the environment and good service. I would not order the shawarma again; I'd probably try some of their appetizers. And sorry, no pic :(