Date: September 29, 2013
Location: 808 York Mills Rd #14 (east of Leslie), midtown Toronto
Website: http://www.viacibo.com/
Cuisine: Italian street food
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
I came here with my fellow Triple D friends (inside joke) - AB and her husband, and AE - to celebrate AE's birthday.
AE had been raving about this place for awhile and I was very excited to try it out. He said that the owner used to own Subway and another major food chain (he thinks it may be Mucho Burrito), sold them and opened this. This is an "Italian street food" joint, so everything is very reasonably priced and for the most part self-serve.
With a steely grey walls and red accents, the décor is definitely very modern and inviting. It seemed to be the highlight of my whole experience here, though. The ordering procedure was somewhat confusing and the fact that there isn't a host at the doorway to explain it seems to imply this place is catered to regulars. Anyway, you place your order near the front of the restaurant, are given a number (one number for your entire party if you're coming with others), and as you walk over to the back of the restaurant, the restaurant's computers sync up and you pay for your order at the cash without having to tell tell the cash what you ordered. Neat albeit confusing to one who's never gone through the whole sh'bang.
And then the food. Disaster would be putting it mildly. I had the Calabrese Sausage Piadina ($8.99), which was a flat bread wrap with Italian Sausage, roasted peppers, onions, pomodoro Sauce, provolone and chilli aioli. While the description may sound harmless enough, the offence lay in the fact that there was so much grease in my wrap that within 10 minutes, there was a large pool of it on my plate, in which the half of my wrap was soaking in. It was disgusting! Needless to say, the sight of that alone made me lose my appetite (a hard feat to achieve) and I didn't eat that second half - and I hate wasting food.
My friends didn't seem to have that problem. I didn't try their food, but they seemed to enjoy it. Based on my experience, I'm not willing to try this restaurant again and risk having to waste so much food again.
Sunday, 29 September 2013
Sunday, 22 September 2013
Pfannkuchen Koln
Date: September 22, 2013
Location: 3345 Yonge St (north of Lawrence), midtown Toronto
Website: https://www.facebook.com/creperiekoln
Cuisine: German creperie
Meal: brunch
My thoughts:
It isn't often that I have a day off. No, it's more like it's once in a blue moon that I get a day off. And I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy it than over brunch.
I met with my friend CM who was moving to her hometown of Vancouver in a few days. I did a lot of research on selecting this place, since she is a former sous-chef, so while she may not be vocal about her thoughts on food, I know that inside, she is.
We arrived at 11am and the restaurant was empty. We were greeted by a lady, whom I recognized from their website as the owner, who was very hospitable and friendly. The decor was quite, what I would call, different and "chic." Everything was black and fuschia.
I ordered a green lychee pomegranate tea ($2), which had a surprisingly strong lychee taste to it and was not sour, as I was expecting it to be. I really enjoyed my drink. CM had a latte, which was rich and frothy - i.e. delicious - but it looks like the chef/barista needs more work on creating the foamy milk heart in the centre. See below:
For crepes, I *started with the Lachs ($11), which consisted of smoked salmon, fresh chives and dill cream cheese, with a side of mixed greens salad. (*It was so good that I later ordered a second crepe.) My crepe was soooo amazing. There was a generous serving of smoked salmon (lots tucked neatly inside the crepe and isn't visible in the photo), and the crepe had the perfect level of sweetness. It also had a great, almost chewy, texture. My own complaint, and really it wasn't that big of a deal, is I would have preferred the crepe to be hot, which it wasn't. It was at room temperature. The salad had a sweet balsamic vinegar sauce, which has been my obsession as of late.
CM had the Wild Beeren ($8), with mixed berries and whipped cream, so it is a sweet crepe. Again, the chefs were very generous with the fillings. I nearly drooled as I watched CM cut into her crepe and big globs of whipped cream oozed out. She let me have a small taste of the crepe, and it was also delicious. The cream was fresh and the berries sweet. Yum. Mee.
But I wasn't ready for dessert yet. I still wanted another savoury crepe, and so I ordered the Pilz ($9), which consisted of mushroom, chicken breast, garlic, crème fraiche. This also came with a side of salad. While the presentation was comparatively plain, the taste did not disappoint. The garlic was partially raw, and before you wrinkle your nose and say, "Ewwwww," let me tell you: I think this really made this dish. The flavour of the garlic was quite strong, but in an aromatic, good way.
The portions are generous, which the photos don't really illustrate. And don't let my ordering two crepes fool you. The crepes are seriously filling. At the office, I'm notorious for being a small girl with a big appetite and my boss has literally called me a 'pig' in jest before.
Oh, and the restaurant/cafe filled up within 30 minutes after we arrived, and when we left at around 12:30pm, a small line had formed at the entrance. So a word of advice, arrive early!
So all-in-all, I absolutely loved this place. I will definitely be spreading the word on the place and will be back soon - if not to have another crepe, then to ask how to pronounce the name of the business!
Location: 3345 Yonge St (north of Lawrence), midtown Toronto
Website: https://www.facebook.com/creperiekoln
Cuisine: German creperie
Meal: brunch
My thoughts:
It isn't often that I have a day off. No, it's more like it's once in a blue moon that I get a day off. And I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy it than over brunch.
I met with my friend CM who was moving to her hometown of Vancouver in a few days. I did a lot of research on selecting this place, since she is a former sous-chef, so while she may not be vocal about her thoughts on food, I know that inside, she is.
We arrived at 11am and the restaurant was empty. We were greeted by a lady, whom I recognized from their website as the owner, who was very hospitable and friendly. The decor was quite, what I would call, different and "chic." Everything was black and fuschia.
I ordered a green lychee pomegranate tea ($2), which had a surprisingly strong lychee taste to it and was not sour, as I was expecting it to be. I really enjoyed my drink. CM had a latte, which was rich and frothy - i.e. delicious - but it looks like the chef/barista needs more work on creating the foamy milk heart in the centre. See below:
For crepes, I *started with the Lachs ($11), which consisted of smoked salmon, fresh chives and dill cream cheese, with a side of mixed greens salad. (*It was so good that I later ordered a second crepe.) My crepe was soooo amazing. There was a generous serving of smoked salmon (lots tucked neatly inside the crepe and isn't visible in the photo), and the crepe had the perfect level of sweetness. It also had a great, almost chewy, texture. My own complaint, and really it wasn't that big of a deal, is I would have preferred the crepe to be hot, which it wasn't. It was at room temperature. The salad had a sweet balsamic vinegar sauce, which has been my obsession as of late.
CM had the Wild Beeren ($8), with mixed berries and whipped cream, so it is a sweet crepe. Again, the chefs were very generous with the fillings. I nearly drooled as I watched CM cut into her crepe and big globs of whipped cream oozed out. She let me have a small taste of the crepe, and it was also delicious. The cream was fresh and the berries sweet. Yum. Mee.
But I wasn't ready for dessert yet. I still wanted another savoury crepe, and so I ordered the Pilz ($9), which consisted of mushroom, chicken breast, garlic, crème fraiche. This also came with a side of salad. While the presentation was comparatively plain, the taste did not disappoint. The garlic was partially raw, and before you wrinkle your nose and say, "Ewwwww," let me tell you: I think this really made this dish. The flavour of the garlic was quite strong, but in an aromatic, good way.
The portions are generous, which the photos don't really illustrate. And don't let my ordering two crepes fool you. The crepes are seriously filling. At the office, I'm notorious for being a small girl with a big appetite and my boss has literally called me a 'pig' in jest before.
Oh, and the restaurant/cafe filled up within 30 minutes after we arrived, and when we left at around 12:30pm, a small line had formed at the entrance. So a word of advice, arrive early!
So all-in-all, I absolutely loved this place. I will definitely be spreading the word on the place and will be back soon - if not to have another crepe, then to ask how to pronounce the name of the business!
Friday, 20 September 2013
Dumpling King
Date: September 20, 2013
Location: 3290 Midland Ave #2 (just north of Finch), Scarborough
Website: http://www.dumplingking.ca/
Cuisine: Chinese
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
My coworker and I were commuting home together today and we happened to come to the topic of dumplings, which we are both big fans of. She said she loves this place and that it is better than Chinese Dumpling House (at nearby Midland and Finch) but slightly more expensive. After she got off at her stop, our conversation left me with dumplings on my mind, and curious that there was a place in existence that someone dared claim to be better than my beloved CDH.
And so I called up my dad and invited him to join me to see just how this place fared against CDH. We ordered the cabbage and pork dumplings (12 for $5.79), which were very good and a steal. I do, however, based on the filling, prefer CDH's vegetarian dumplings over this. I generally don't like meat in my dumplings/samosas/spring rolls/etc., but my dad chose this one.
We also ordered the braised beef noodle soup ($6.99). The flavour took a bit of getting used to. At first taste, I thought it had a pungent smell, but I quickly got used to it. I enjoyed the noodles itself, which tasted very fresh and were chewy in texture.
Altogether, the bill came to less than $20. Despite the dingy decor, you really get a lot of bang for your buck here! I'll be back to try more of their dumplings, in particular their vegetarian and bok choy dumplings, so that I can see how they compare with CDH's.
Location: 3290 Midland Ave #2 (just north of Finch), Scarborough
Website: http://www.dumplingking.ca/
Cuisine: Chinese
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
My coworker and I were commuting home together today and we happened to come to the topic of dumplings, which we are both big fans of. She said she loves this place and that it is better than Chinese Dumpling House (at nearby Midland and Finch) but slightly more expensive. After she got off at her stop, our conversation left me with dumplings on my mind, and curious that there was a place in existence that someone dared claim to be better than my beloved CDH.
And so I called up my dad and invited him to join me to see just how this place fared against CDH. We ordered the cabbage and pork dumplings (12 for $5.79), which were very good and a steal. I do, however, based on the filling, prefer CDH's vegetarian dumplings over this. I generally don't like meat in my dumplings/samosas/spring rolls/etc., but my dad chose this one.
We also ordered the braised beef noodle soup ($6.99). The flavour took a bit of getting used to. At first taste, I thought it had a pungent smell, but I quickly got used to it. I enjoyed the noodles itself, which tasted very fresh and were chewy in texture.
Altogether, the bill came to less than $20. Despite the dingy decor, you really get a lot of bang for your buck here! I'll be back to try more of their dumplings, in particular their vegetarian and bok choy dumplings, so that I can see how they compare with CDH's.
Ema-tei
Date: September 20, 2013
Location: 30 St Patrick St (near University and Queen), downtown Toronto
Website: N/A
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
I had such high expectations for this place after reading a number of reviews on the authenticity of this place's decor and food.
As far as the latter goes, yes, I can vouch that its decor is indeed very traditionally Japanese and all the staff there appear to be Japanese (with the heavy accents and difficulty communicating to boot).
Now onto the food. Things were generally 1/4-1/3 times more than what you would pay at most sushi joints. The most expensive was the unagi don (eel over rice at $25!) When I saw the prices, this only inflated my belief that the food was going to be extra-ordinary. Sadly, it was not.
I had the udon noodle in soup with tempura bits ($7.95?), a kalbi skewer ($2.95), and a grilled eggplant ($6.95). The udon was not bad. The broth was very light and the noodles thick and chewy - if you've read any of my previous blogs, you'll know that 'chewiness' is my most important criterion in assessing noodles. I was unimpressed by the kalbi. It was small, thin in terms of thickness, and tough. The eggplant was more of the same 'nothing spectacular.' All in all, nothing was worth the price I paid for.
My friend DQ had the chicken katsu, which I believe was $9.95 or $10.95. He was it was okay, but that he wouldn't come back. He has the chicken katsu at half the price at The Grange on a daily basis and he said they taste identical.
The verdict? Let's just say that next time, I'm taking my hard-earned money elsewhere.
Location: 30 St Patrick St (near University and Queen), downtown Toronto
Website: N/A
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
I had such high expectations for this place after reading a number of reviews on the authenticity of this place's decor and food.
As far as the latter goes, yes, I can vouch that its decor is indeed very traditionally Japanese and all the staff there appear to be Japanese (with the heavy accents and difficulty communicating to boot).
Now onto the food. Things were generally 1/4-1/3 times more than what you would pay at most sushi joints. The most expensive was the unagi don (eel over rice at $25!) When I saw the prices, this only inflated my belief that the food was going to be extra-ordinary. Sadly, it was not.
I had the udon noodle in soup with tempura bits ($7.95?), a kalbi skewer ($2.95), and a grilled eggplant ($6.95). The udon was not bad. The broth was very light and the noodles thick and chewy - if you've read any of my previous blogs, you'll know that 'chewiness' is my most important criterion in assessing noodles. I was unimpressed by the kalbi. It was small, thin in terms of thickness, and tough. The eggplant was more of the same 'nothing spectacular.' All in all, nothing was worth the price I paid for.
My friend DQ had the chicken katsu, which I believe was $9.95 or $10.95. He was it was okay, but that he wouldn't come back. He has the chicken katsu at half the price at The Grange on a daily basis and he said they taste identical.
The verdict? Let's just say that next time, I'm taking my hard-earned money elsewhere.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Jack Astor's
Date: September 16, 2013
Location: 10 Dundas St E (at Yonge St), downtown Toronto
Website: http://www.jackastors.com/
Cuisine: North American
Meal: dinner and drinks
My thoughts:
I came here for dinner with my good friend CM who was moving to her hometown of Vancouver. She wanted to come here because there aren't any Jack Astor's in her city. We arrived at around 4:30 and already the place was abuzz with a mixed crowd of tourists, students and business folks - which is a good sign!
For drinks, I had a red sangria ($12), which was delicious, and my friend had a beer.
We decided to share two apps. We had the Jack's golden calamari ($10.94), which came with a yummy roasted garlic lemon aioli and cocktail sauce. It was served hot and batter was very crispy, but I thought it was overcooked. That, combined with the fact that the calamari pieces were rather small, made it a little bit tougher than I liked.
We also shared Jack's Macho Nachos ($14.44), with a side of beef chili and guacamole (which were an extra $2.59 each). The portion size is huuuge and fully loaded with cheese, tomatoes, peppers, onions and jalapeños. I could have done without the beef chili, but definitely try their guac. You definitely get a lot of bang for your buck with this one and it's a good plate for sharing!
Service was amazing. My friend had told our waitress that she was moving to Vancouver and our waitress wrote "Good luck" on my friend's receipt. How sweet!
Just a word of caution. If you have a fear of heights, as my friend does, take the elevator or avoid this location altogether. This place is on the top floor (fourth or fifth, I don't remember) of the building. Since I don't have that problem, I'll be back! :)
Location: 10 Dundas St E (at Yonge St), downtown Toronto
Website: http://www.jackastors.com/
Cuisine: North American
Meal: dinner and drinks
My thoughts:
I came here for dinner with my good friend CM who was moving to her hometown of Vancouver. She wanted to come here because there aren't any Jack Astor's in her city. We arrived at around 4:30 and already the place was abuzz with a mixed crowd of tourists, students and business folks - which is a good sign!
For drinks, I had a red sangria ($12), which was delicious, and my friend had a beer.
We decided to share two apps. We had the Jack's golden calamari ($10.94), which came with a yummy roasted garlic lemon aioli and cocktail sauce. It was served hot and batter was very crispy, but I thought it was overcooked. That, combined with the fact that the calamari pieces were rather small, made it a little bit tougher than I liked.
We also shared Jack's Macho Nachos ($14.44), with a side of beef chili and guacamole (which were an extra $2.59 each). The portion size is huuuge and fully loaded with cheese, tomatoes, peppers, onions and jalapeños. I could have done without the beef chili, but definitely try their guac. You definitely get a lot of bang for your buck with this one and it's a good plate for sharing!
Service was amazing. My friend had told our waitress that she was moving to Vancouver and our waitress wrote "Good luck" on my friend's receipt. How sweet!
Just a word of caution. If you have a fear of heights, as my friend does, take the elevator or avoid this location altogether. This place is on the top floor (fourth or fifth, I don't remember) of the building. Since I don't have that problem, I'll be back! :)
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Montana's Cookhouse
Date: September 14, 2013
Location: 2910 Steeles Ave E (east of Don Mills Rd), Thornhill
Website: http://www.montanas.ca
Cuisine: barbecue/steakhouse
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
I came here with a date and it was an overall pleasant evening. All night, only about 20% of the restaurant was full, so it was pretty quiet, especially given the fact that it was a Saturday night. We opted to sit in the bar area, where it was more casual.
We shared an order of sweet potato fries ($5.99), which were very crispy and had a nice spicy kick to them. We also had an order of 2 garlic shrimp skewers ($4.99), which were very tasty but the shrimp were small.
Pretty standard fare but in all fairness, that is due in part to our choices in what we ordered.
Service was quick and friendly. Decent selection of beers on tap. Nice (livelier) alternative to a humdrum coffee date.
Location: 2910 Steeles Ave E (east of Don Mills Rd), Thornhill
Website: http://www.montanas.ca
Cuisine: barbecue/steakhouse
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
I came here with a date and it was an overall pleasant evening. All night, only about 20% of the restaurant was full, so it was pretty quiet, especially given the fact that it was a Saturday night. We opted to sit in the bar area, where it was more casual.
We shared an order of sweet potato fries ($5.99), which were very crispy and had a nice spicy kick to them. We also had an order of 2 garlic shrimp skewers ($4.99), which were very tasty but the shrimp were small.
Pretty standard fare but in all fairness, that is due in part to our choices in what we ordered.
Service was quick and friendly. Decent selection of beers on tap. Nice (livelier) alternative to a humdrum coffee date.
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Mykonos Grill
Date: September 12, 2013
Location: 881 Yonge St (south of Rosedale Subway Stn, downtown)
Website: http://www.mykonosgrill.ca/
Cuisine: Greek
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
My work was throwing a goodbye luncheon for my boss, who was leaving our team. We decided on Mykonos as a team, and it happens to be owned by one of my coworker's son, so we got free delivery.
I had the hummus dip ($7). The hummus was definitely the best I've ever had. When I ordered it, I had intended on bringing it home, but once I had a taste, I couldn't stop. It was amaaaazing! It had a very strong garlic flavour (which I loved), and was smooth and creamy. My only complaint was that it was very oily. There was actually a thick layer of oil on top, but I convinced myself that the oil used in Greek cuisine is olive oil and so it is healthy.
I also had a chicken pita wrap ($9), which was so-so. One look at the sea of Chicken Caesar Wraps and Chicken Greek Wraps, which were only $2 more than mine but about 4 times larger, made me wish I'd ordered that instead. Taste-wise, the contents of my wrap weren't bad. But the pita was too thick. Also, my coworkers said their wrap was really good, and if it tastes anything like it looks, I believe it.
My wrap also came with a mixed greens salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing. The salad was very simple and fresh, and the dressing sweet, just how I like it.
I'll definitely be back for more hummus and to try the Caesar and Greek wraps! I also promise to snap some pics next time!
Location: 881 Yonge St (south of Rosedale Subway Stn, downtown)
Website: http://www.mykonosgrill.ca/
Cuisine: Greek
Meal: lunch
My thoughts:
My work was throwing a goodbye luncheon for my boss, who was leaving our team. We decided on Mykonos as a team, and it happens to be owned by one of my coworker's son, so we got free delivery.
I had the hummus dip ($7). The hummus was definitely the best I've ever had. When I ordered it, I had intended on bringing it home, but once I had a taste, I couldn't stop. It was amaaaazing! It had a very strong garlic flavour (which I loved), and was smooth and creamy. My only complaint was that it was very oily. There was actually a thick layer of oil on top, but I convinced myself that the oil used in Greek cuisine is olive oil and so it is healthy.
I also had a chicken pita wrap ($9), which was so-so. One look at the sea of Chicken Caesar Wraps and Chicken Greek Wraps, which were only $2 more than mine but about 4 times larger, made me wish I'd ordered that instead. Taste-wise, the contents of my wrap weren't bad. But the pita was too thick. Also, my coworkers said their wrap was really good, and if it tastes anything like it looks, I believe it.
My wrap also came with a mixed greens salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing. The salad was very simple and fresh, and the dressing sweet, just how I like it.
I'll definitely be back for more hummus and to try the Caesar and Greek wraps! I also promise to snap some pics next time!
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Sushi Bar
Date: September 8, 2013
Location: 3369 Yonge St (
Website: http://www.thesushibar.ca/
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
So obviously I have been here on a number of occasions, and for good reason: this place serves the best eel sushi in town!
Anyway, so I met with my usual companion to this place, my dear friend AD, and I had my usual avocado and eel sushi with brown rice - 2 actually. (I didn't bother taking a picture since I have already done so for most if not all of my previous visits here.)
I was feeling particularly hungry today and decided to try their salmon sushi pizza ($9.95). I've wanted to try it ever since I saw it on the menu years ago, but was never hungry enough to have both the eel sushi and this.
When it arrived at our table, the array of bright colours haphazardly arranged on the disc-shaped crust of pan-fried(?) rice piqued my interest even more. Here, take a look:
And then I took a bite.
While the toppings were hearty and delicious, the rice "crust" was a major letdown. Not only was it not crispy as sushi pizza crusts should be, it was mushy. I convinced myself that I should be glad because it was probably not deep-fried and as such I saved myself a load of calories at the small expense of a less enjoyable sushi crust.
Oh, who am I kidding? I am a foodie at heart, and I like me some good, unhealthy food from time to time, and I have to face facts, this was not up to the level of standard that I had come to expect of the great Sushi Bar! There was also not enough sauce for all the rice that there was. Well, at least now I know. This won't be something I order again here.
Just to put it out there - this place has shortened hours of operations on Sundays. They're only open from 5pm to 8pm.
Location: 3369 Yonge St (
Website: http://www.thesushibar.ca/
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: dinner
My thoughts:
So obviously I have been here on a number of occasions, and for good reason: this place serves the best eel sushi in town!
Anyway, so I met with my usual companion to this place, my dear friend AD, and I had my usual avocado and eel sushi with brown rice - 2 actually. (I didn't bother taking a picture since I have already done so for most if not all of my previous visits here.)
I was feeling particularly hungry today and decided to try their salmon sushi pizza ($9.95). I've wanted to try it ever since I saw it on the menu years ago, but was never hungry enough to have both the eel sushi and this.
When it arrived at our table, the array of bright colours haphazardly arranged on the disc-shaped crust of pan-fried(?) rice piqued my interest even more. Here, take a look:
And then I took a bite.
While the toppings were hearty and delicious, the rice "crust" was a major letdown. Not only was it not crispy as sushi pizza crusts should be, it was mushy. I convinced myself that I should be glad because it was probably not deep-fried and as such I saved myself a load of calories at the small expense of a less enjoyable sushi crust.
Oh, who am I kidding? I am a foodie at heart, and I like me some good, unhealthy food from time to time, and I have to face facts, this was not up to the level of standard that I had come to expect of the great Sushi Bar! There was also not enough sauce for all the rice that there was. Well, at least now I know. This won't be something I order again here.
Just to put it out there - this place has shortened hours of operations on Sundays. They're only open from 5pm to 8pm.
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