El Rincon Mexicano Restaurant

Date: September 26, 2012

Location: 653 St Clair Ave W (west of Bathurst), Toronto

Website: http://www.elrinconmexicano.ca/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I came here with two friends whom I hadn't seen in awhile, and we were looking for a fun, lively environment. I was in the mood for Mexican and used my Google skills to find a good Mexican restaurant.

Guacamole Ranchero ($9.95): I consider guac to be a pretty simple dish to make, and to attest to that, I make it on a regular basis. But this doesn't taste like the guac I normally make. This was oh-so-creamy, with just the perfect amount of lime juice to give it some major kick and some other seasonings that made the flavour very intense (in a good way).

Here is a picture of the coke my friend ordered. I just thought the addition of the Mexican flag was cute.

Enchiladas Mexicanas with green (mild) sauce ($12.95): The salad was very basic (I'm not a fan of lettuce salads and they aren't nutritious) but the enchiladas were really good, especially with the refried beans. The sauce turned out to suit out tastes perfectly. My only gripe is the serving size was quite small for the price.

For dessert, my friends and I had:

Churros: ($3.50) This is a Mexican deep-fried specialty. If you've ever had Tiny Tom Donuts, this is what this reminds me of. Light and crispy, with a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar. Yum.

We all loved this place. The place was clean and the decor warm and inviting. There was some lively Mexican music playing in the background, which added to the fun atmosphere.

Momiji Sushi

Date: September 15, 2012

Location: 2111 Sheppard Ave. E. (east of Hwy 404), North York

Website: http://www.momijis.com/

Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Came here on a Saturday night and decidedly made the smart decision to make reservations, as it turned out to be very busy. I was not surprised, as the food was amazing and there was live music, which served as a nice backdrop to our dinner.

We decided to share three rolls, which turned out to be too much, even for two very hungry adults. The serving sizes are huge and the food came pretty quick, so I would recommend ordering a little at a time. This is what we had:

Yam tempura roll: ($7.95) Our least favourite roll of the night, but that's not to say this wasn't good - because it was! I just like things that are 'saucier,' especially if the sauce is mayo-based. Even better if it is spicy!

Spicy crunch salmon roll: ($9.95) This is not far from your typical spicy salmon roll, but with some cucumber and tempura bits. Our second favourite roll.

Salmon sashimi sushi pizza: ($8.95) Omg, this was soooo good. This was our favourite dish of all three. Essentially, the 'crust' is a deep-fried rice patty. Then there are avocado slices, a cucumber, salmon sashimi and crab salad, tempura bits and this delicious house spicy mayo. Mm-mm!! You have to at least try this.

Red Tomato

Date: August 10, 2012

Location: 321 King Street West (east of Spadina), Downtown Toronto

Website: http://www.redtomato.ca/

Meal: dinner and drinks

My thoughts:

I'd heard so many good things about this place/Freddy's Not Here and was so glad to finally make it here! This was Part I of our girls' night out that night :) 

My friend and I both had a baked lobster and crab soup ($8.00), which was simply divine. I would not recommend sharing this! Not only is it socially awkward to share a soup, it is so delicious that if you were to share, whoever gets the first sip would definitely not want to share this with the other person ;) The only downfall is the massive puff pastry gives you the false impression that it is a big hearty serving; the layer of pastry is actually quite thin and there is not a whole lot of soup. That aside, a pastry-topped soup is a pretty neat idea and I thought it was worth the price!

 

Next, we shared three appies that night from the "small dishes" section. (Be warned that the "small dishes are indeed very small...)

The first was the Maryland style crab cake with corn and black bean salsa and chipotle remoulade ($9.00). My friend, who had previously never had a crab cake, loved this. I've had quite a few and thought it was okay. I just felt it needed more flavour. Very expensive for just one mediocre crab cake.

Next, we shared the crispy coconut shrimp with Thai dipping sauce ($8.00). This was probably my favourite appetizer discounting the soup. The shrimp were fresh and very crispy, and I just loved the combination of the sweetness of the coconut and the tang of the dipping sauce.

Lastly, we had the baked stuffed calamari wth seafood risotto and marinara sauce ($7.00). This both liked this the least. The risotto stuffing was very bland, and did not resemble risotto at all. The calamari was also very tough and dry. Yuck.

We both had a lemon martini ($8.00), with lemontini Vodka and lemonello. My friend loves this drink and suggested it to me. We both agreed that it wasn't anything exciting or special for that price. Oh well, this is King West after all.

On a final note, Red Tomato and Freddy's Not Here have the same owner. They're located at the same address, but the former is located downstairs. The former is also more of a casual restaurant and the latter is a more formal steakhouse. There are a few dishes, such as their famous soup, that are offered by both restaurants, but have a higher price tag at Freddy's. If you are going for solely for their soup, save yourself a few bucks and go to Red Tomato!

Hopper Hut

Date: August 9, 2012
Location: 880 Ellesmere Road (west of Kennedy), Scarborough
Website: N/A
Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
I came here because I had a really bad day at work and felt like consoling myself with some unhealthy comfort food (at least compared to home-cooked food). I was in the Kennedy and Ellesmere area and had heard that the area had a lot of good eats, especially shawarma, and decided to make a stop somewhere as it started to rain really hard. I stumbled upon this place nestled at the back of a strip plaza.

I had a chicken roti wrap and a rice dish that one of the employees called 'Panu.' (All the staff there did not speak much English, and when I pointed through the glass sheltering the food that was arranged in a buffet-style manner and asked what the name of the dish was, the employee helping me took a long pause before finally saying 'Panu.' I am doubtful that he knew the English name for the dish. I checked with one of my Sri Lankan co-workers the next day if there was such a dish in her culture, and sure enough, she said no.) 

Anyway, henceforth, I will call this mystery rice dish Panu. This is a take-out restaurant, and so the rice was packed in one of those large rectangular Styrofoam take-out containers - just to give you an idea of the portion size. I was told this was a rice dish, but the 'rice' actually tasted more like a medley of mashed potato and some form of starch. There was also an array of mixed vegetables. The dish also had a strong, fragrant onion flavour to it. It was delicious. The best part was that it was only $4.00!

The chicken roti was good, but quite frankly, there wasn't much chicken to this taste-wise and visually (I couldn't make out any discernible chicken pieces.) I wasn't a fan of this, but considering the reasonable price tag of a $1.50 and the large portion size, this was not a bad deal. I liked that it was quite spicy, which gave the wrap a nice kick and the numbing feeling feeling I felt on my tongue served to temporarily distract my mind from work (clearly, I can't handle a lot of spice.)

Taste of the Kingsway (Street Festival)

Date: September 9-10, 2012
Location: Bloor St. W., from Islington to Prince Edward, Etobicoke
Website: N/A
Meal: snacks

My thoughts:

Okay, so this isn't a restaurant but you should know my motto by now.. if food is involved, then it's worth blogging about! I was working this weekend - I know, what a treat, right? Working at a food

I had a potato torpedo ($5) from a food truck whose name I now do not remember (it is December now.. yes, I've been bad.) There were various seasonings to choose from, and I chose the sour cream and onion. The torpedo was pretty tasty (i.e. the seasoning powder), but to my dismay, it was not nearly as crispy as it looked. 

I also had a Portuguese-style barbecue chicken with a red onion chutney ($3 for a leg). It was soooo good that I got 5(!) that weekend - 2 of which fell on the city street and I dusted them off and still consumed (hey, I am a firm believer in the 5-second rule, okay? At least when it comes to good food.) Yes, it was that good. I asked one of the cooks if they have a restaurant. He said they do not but they are at most food festivals in Toronto, which provided mild relief.

Joey's

Date: September 6, 2012

Location: 15 O'Neill Road (or 1090 Don Mills Road), mid-town Toronto

Website: http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/

Meal: dinner and drinks

My thoughts:

I came here with two old college classmates for drinks and some good food (so we heard), and at the end of the night, were we ever glad we did! We ordered everything to share. 

We started with the Yam fries  ($8.99). Now, being a huge sweet potato/yam fries fan, I have tried them at countless establishments, and this is definitely the best I've had! Loved the parmesan shavings and amaaaazing truffle lemon garlic aioli! 

Baja fish tacos ($13.49 for three) with fish & shrimp, white corn tortillas, guacamole & Mexican hot sauce. I love fish tacos, and it's such a shame that they're such a scarcity here in Canada. The last time I had one was three years ago in San Diego. I highly recommend this. Very flavourful with just the right amount of kick, no 'fishy' flavour whatsoever - loved these!

Steak & sushi ($22.99) - soy marinated tataki style top sirloin and a 

rainbow roll. The steak was not bad - well-marinated and well, just not tough. That's all I can really give it. The roll, on the other hand, I didn't like. There was a lot of rice. The rice also did not taste like Japanese rice, nor did it taste like it was cooked with vinegar (as all sushi rice normally is). Thumbs down.

Pizzaiolo

Date: September 6, 2012

Location: 104 Yonge Street (north of King St), Downtown Toronto

Website: http://www.pizzaiolo.ca/

Meal: lunch

My thoughts:

I know that I've blogged about Pizzaiolo a number of times now, but I really love Pizzaiolo :P My friends and I planned a day to the beach and collectively decided that Pizzaiolo would be the perfect snack/lunch food. And because there were four of us, we ordered four slices, each with a different topping ($3.99 per slice, or 1/4 pizza). We had:

Gianna Ola - pepperoni, fresh mushrooms, real bacon, mozzarella and tomato sauce. Salty. Not a fan of meat on my pizza.

Sicilian - bacon, Italian sausage, red onions, mozzarella and tomato sauce.  Same comment as above.

Fredo - Yukon Gold potatoes, olive oil, rosemary and oregano. If you read my old posts on Pizzaiolo, I mentioned that the golden slices of potato arranged in a neat annular order looked really good and that I wanted to try it. I finally tried it today, and it was so dry and bland!

Spinotta (whole wheat) - fresh spinach, herbed tomatoes, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmigiano, olive oil and oregano. Same delicious toppings as the non-whole wheat version, but this crust was definitely very dry.

Can you guess which one I ordered? ;) If you guessed Spinotta, you are correct! I think I have done enough experimenting now to say with affirmation that Spinotta (the non-whole wheat version) is my favourite!

Ice n' Cake

Date: September 6, 2012

Location: 30 Clock Tower Road (at Shops at Don Mills Plaza), Toronto

Website: http://www.icencake.com/

Meal: dessert

My thoughts:

After dinner, my friends and I were craving some dessert to satisfy our sweet tooth and we happened to stumble upon this place, which conveniently was just a few places down from Joey's. The place was very crowded and bustling that day - I suppose this should come as no surprise, seeing as how it was a pretty hot (late) summer day.

Anyway, my friends had gelato, something that I've never minded but not crazy about, so I decided on blueberry cheesecake. My friends (guys) paid for me and I didn't bother asking how much everything was. I tried a bit of everything and of course had my own cheesecake, which was very rich and dense; I prefer my cheesecakes to be light in texture. 

I found out from their online menu that they have crepes and waffles, but I don't remember the place smelling of fresh crepes/waffles. Maybe these were newly added to their menu? 

Anyway, all in all, this place was nothing spectacular. It did, however, provide some nice photos and I have to say this is a nice place to hang out with friends.

Planet Bakery

Date: August 8, 2012

Location: 1416 Centre Street (east of Dufferin), Thornhill

Website: N/A

Meal: on-the-go snack

My thoughts:

I was in a pinch for time and was in dire need of some food in my system. Not wanting Tim Horton's food (I try as much as possible to avoid places that are ubiquitous/chains), I decided to give this little bakery with somewhat tacky signage a try.

I had a cheese pastry, which was basically a feta cheese filling wrapped in phyllo pastry. At $1.25, it wasn't bad, but it was the service that was somewhat lacking. When I entered the bakery, there were two female workers seated at a table, both looking bored. Neither of greeted me or seemed to fancy the idea of getting up and serving a customer. In fact, they pretty well ignored me, and for a few moments, I actually thought that they were customers. For a place that was completely deserted and where you could practically hear the sound of crickets, you would think they would jump at the opportunity to actually do some work. When I was ready to order, one worker finally got up to help me; she was pleasant, but it wasn't enough to make up for my initial thoughts of the lack of servicing. For a bakery, I suppose poor service isn't a deal breaker. I mean, at least they weren't rude. I won't be going out of my way to come here.

Here is a picture I took in my car. (As I said, I was pinched for time!)

Smmmoked Stack

Date: July 27, 2012
Location: 3265 Yonge Street (south of York Mills Road), Toronto
Website: http://stackrestaurant.ca
Meal: drinks and snacks

My thoughts:
Upon repeated recommendations by my coworker friend for this restaurant's 'amazing' rum milkshakes, we both finally coordinated our schdules and made the trek here.

The restaurant was well-lit and spacious (it has two floors), and had a simple and modern decor, all of which gave me a very inviting feel. I had

We shared the Sweet Potato Fries ($6.99), which were probably some of the most crispiest and hottest (temperature-wise) fries I've had in a very long time. The fries came with a chipotle ranch dipping sauce, which was not bad but nothing spectacular. 

We also each had a milkshake. I had the Apple Crumble, which had big chunks of apple crumble in it, and my friend the Moose Tracks. The milkshakes are $5.99 without alcohol and $8.99 with; we both had alcohol in ours - yum. And they did live up to my friend's raving reviews - every sip was full of sugary and rich (i.e. fatty) deliciousness. Indeed amazing. As an aside, I am sad to inform you that I just called the restaurant and was told that the Apple Crumble was recently taken off the menu due to insufficient demand. What a shame :(

I had a great time that night. A fantastic casual place for friends and family alike with great food offerings.

Spring Rolls

Date: July 8, 2012
Location: 1800 Sheppard Ave E (inside Fairview Mall, east of Don Mills Road), Toronto
Website: http://www.springrolls.ca
Meal: drinks and snacks

My thoughts:
I came here with a coworker friend of mine to unwind after work. Neither of us were terribly hungry, so we each ordered a drink and a sushi roll.

I had the Tropical Martini ($6.50) and my friend the Blue Cosmotini ($6.50). Both were very good.

For food, I had the Firecracker Dream Roll ($5.99), with raw scallop, tempura flakes and spicy mayonnaise. I have never been a big fan of raw scallop, and I honestly don't know why I ordered this knowing there was some in the roll. I guess I wanted to try something different. This wasn't too bad, but rather bland. I definitely had to use a generous dab of wasabi to give it a good kick. My friend had the Dynamite Roll ($5.99) with shrimp tempura, avocado and mayonnaise. I've had this roll many times in the past; this was nothing special.

So no big dining discoveries made today as far as good eats go. This was more of a catch up and hang out session, and this was certainly a good place for that. (I have been to Spring Rolls at Yonge and Sheppard a number of times recently with my department. Because my boss was there, I didn't want to bust out my camera, but I have definitely discovered some good dishes on those visits!)

Fuzion 99 Restaurant Lounge

Date: July 7, 2012
Location: 810 St. Clair Avenue West (east of Oakwood Avenue), Toronto
Website: http://www.fuzion99.com
Meal: snacks

My thoughts:
A friend and I went to the Salsa on St. Clair festival this weekend prepared to have a feast but were disappointed at the scant offerings, especially at a large street festival.

Anyway, I had a fried plantain ($3) and some pulled pork on a cornbread tortilla ($8). Yes, street food at festivals is very pricey, but I think physically seeing food being prepared before my very own eyes is a fun and visually-stimulating experience and I find myself more experimentative in my food choices, which in turn at times leads to some really great food discoveries!

Unfortunately, there was no such 'great food discovery' here. The fried plaintain was so dry that I had a hard time swallowing it; it definitely needed a sauce or dip. The pulled pork was even worse; the meat was very fatty, yet it was dry and tasted like pork jerky. The cornbread were also dry and nothing short of gross!

I know that a restaurant's street offerings might not be a true reflection of restaurant's true quality and calibre. I mean, I understand that street food is prepared en masse, but to say that the food I had today was a disappointment would be a gross understatement.

Sorry, Fuzion 99, two thumbs down.

Cafe en Passant

Date: June 29, 2012

Location: 10133 Yonge Street  Richmond Hill, ON L4C 1T7

Website: http://www.cafeenpassant.ca/

Cuisine: French

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I brought my family here as a going away dinner for my sister, who was leaving for China for two months for school. Of course, if you've read my previous blogs, you would know that I've been here a number of times, but because most of my family had never been, I thought this was a good time to take everyone here for a try.

We came on a Wednesday night, the night before my sister was set to leave, and I decided to make reservations to ensure we would get a table off to the side, since my mom is very sensitive to noise and commotion. This proved to be unnecessary, as the restaurant was quite empty, but I always like to plan ahead and avoid any chance of waiting.

So to start, we shared a Fried coconut shrimp ($11.95), which was served with a sweet corn, cranberry and mint chutney on baby arugula. This was delicious! I was really glad to have finally tried this. My previous visits here were mostly with my ex, who is not a big fan of coconut shrimp, and I never want to eat all those fried morsels in one sitting (I'd have to be at the gym for hours to burn them off!) This time, not only does everyone love fried shrimp, there are five of us and exactly five shrimp - so we  all get to have a taste. We all loved the chutney; it was a very unique (in a good way) pairing with the shrimp.

My mom also had a Butternut squash soup ($5.95), which was one of the daily specials. My mom is able to take liquid-based foods a lot better, so the pureed texture was perfect for her. This was flavourful, although a tad salty.

For our mains, my middle sister ordered the Penne with grilled portobello mushrooms ($17.95), which consisted of penne noodles with sautéed portobello mushrooms, fresh spinach and goat cheese in a rosé sauce. Definitely very palatable, but very rich and thick - I would only recommend this if you can stand to gain a few pounds!

My youngest sister ordered the Penne Arrabiata ($18.95), which came with ten (or so the menu claimed - questionable if there were actually ten) black tiger shrimp sautéed in garlic and cayenne spiced tomato sauce. This was a tad spicy, but nonetheless very, very bland and overpriced for what tasted like something that came straight out of a jar of tomato paste (not even spaghetti sauce, so it really lacked flavour of any kind.) The shrimp was also very small. Needless to say, none of us was a fan of this.

And I had the Crêpe St. Tropez ($19.95), with large shrimp, sautéed baby spinach, in a rosé mushroom sauce. I am not normally a fan of savoury crepes, but this was delicious! Twenty dollars is pricey for a crepe, yes, and the portion size doesn't really justify the price, but the taste and quality are really top-notch. The sauce was creamy but still maintained the perfect consistency - not too thick or runny. The seafood was fresh and bursting with flavour. I already know what I'll be ordering at my next visit to this restaurant and look forward to trying their other crepes!