Pho on 7

Date: October 9, 2011

Location: 3621 Highway 7 East #111 (W. of Warden Ave.), Markham

Website: N/A

Meal: lunch

My thoughts:

Came here for a rather late lunch with my family and so I got to try quite a few things.

We also ordered Crispy tofu with chili salt and a Mixed fried seafood platter to start. The tofu was delicious; they were bite-sized, deep-fried (hence crispy), and seasoned with chili salt, which gave it a nice kick. I should say that I personally love tofu, so I may be slightly biased, but I did really think this was tasty. If you haven't really forayed into the wonderful world of tofu, fried tofu is a good place to start. This particular dish was not battered, which as you read on about the other appetizer, turned out to be a good thing. The latter dish was really disappointing and definitely not worth the price of $30. There was a good variety of seafood (namely, squid, mussel, soft-shell crab, fish - not sure what kind, scallop, and shrimp), and an acceptable amount of seafood (approximately 15 pieces). However, the batter was not crispy and seemed rather "spread" thin on the seafood. Also, oddly, both appetizers came towards the end of our meal.

For my meal, I ordered a Transparent noodle in soup with seafood simply because I generally was curious about the "transparent" noodles. While the noodles themselves were really good - thin, fresh, chewy (as opposed to overcooked and limp) and slightly transparent, the soup was a bit of a letdown. It was plain, and although there were a few (~5) pieces of seafood, the soup didn't taste seafood-based; it tasted like beef broth with seafood. On the upside, there weren't pools of grease, which in my experience, is quite common with pho noodles.

My parents shared a Pho with beef tendon and sliced beef. The pho was very thin, and again, chewy, which was very good. I tried a piece of beef tendon, and it was delicious. One sister had a Noodle in Tom Yum soup with seafood, which is a Thai-based soup. I thought the soup tasted funny, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. My other sister had a Pho in soup with sliced lamb. The pho in her dish was very thick cut (~1.5cm wide). She wanted the thin-cut noodles that my parents got and the waitresses said it was too late to make a change - understandable, but they should state in the menu whether the pho is thin or thick cut, as some people have a preference. Anyway, I tried her noodles and they tasted "gloopy" - perhaps an indication they were overcooked. I did like the thin noodles better.

Now for the service. The waitresses spoke loudly, which was understandable because the fans were very loud, but it didn't make for a very good experience (they should look into quieter fans!) However, it was evident that they really did try to service us well. For example, they patiently made note of all the things that my sister, who is a picky eater, wanted omitted from her noodle soup.

The prices were generally more expensive, maybe around $2-3, than most Pho places. Would I come back? All things considered, no. There were a few good elements, but nothing that I couldn't find someplace quieter and at a cheaper price.

Earth

Date: October 7, 2011

Location: 2448 Bloor Street West (west of Jane), Toronto

Website: http://www.globeearth.ca/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Strolling along Bloor, this restaurant's classy lounge-like ambiance and festive fall decor (actually, it was more like a small collection of fall gourds and pumpkins strewn on a pillar) immediately drew us in. We were greeted by a friendly patron and asked if we would like to sit in the dining area or wine bar, and we chose the former.

Our waitress, who was very cordial and polite, explained the daily dishes of the day. We ordered our meal and were subsequently given a plate of freshly made scones. I had about half of one, and while it was very good, it filled me up a lot. (I should've known better than to have one knowing how dense scones are, so a word of caution.)

Our food arrived in a timely manner. I found the east coast lobster bisque to be quite watery in consistency, but quite greasy. There were a few chunks (give or take 5) of moderate-sized lobster. Flavour-wise, I thought this was just a bit salt-laden. This definitely doesn't come anywhere close to The Lobster Trap's bisque. It did, however, serve its purpose of warming me up on a chilly night (the restaurant's doors were kept open and we were sitting fairly close to the door).

We shared 3 sides, which were served in three tall bowl/cups on a serving/platter plate. I'm pretty sure the cook forgot to put anything on the chili honey glazed broccoli because there was no honey, no chili, no nothing. The steam whistle baked beans tasted a bit like your typical canned beans in tomato sauce with a generous splash of wine or vodka that had not dissolved properly - harsh, but true. I was just not a fan. The spiced mashed pumpkin was by far my favourite; it tasted like a less-desserty version of pumpkin pie. I really enjoyed the spices, raisin and walnut pieces. The problem was that it was very buttery/creamy/rich. As if the scone and bisque (and cream-filled crackers that I couldn't resist sneaking just prior to dinner) weren't already filling enough!

Then our mains came. I ordered the seared scallop topped on bak choy, and my first observation was that despite the nice presentation of our plates, the actual food quantity was quite small (mind you, I was already stuffed, so the the quantity worked in my favour in that sense, but I was expecting something a bit more substantial). Anyway, did the taste of the food make up for this? I thought that while the scallops, which were pan-seared, were good, they were slightly overdone, and that the bak choy (this wasn't actually bak choy, but I don't know what it was) was too salty. There was a dilute, milky broth, but it didn't add any flavour to either the scallops or bak choy.

My friend decided on the autumn tian, essentially is a vegetarian quiche, minus the dairy/eggs, wrapped in a wonton sheet with chili oil drizzled over top. It was interesting and frankly, I liked it better than mine. I think I wanted something light and healthy after my filling starters. It was also just really neat to look at; it looked like a giant vegetable dumpling. There was also a little pear-walnut-greens "salad", which paired well with the chili oil. My friend really liked his dish. (Apologies for the shadow in the following photo.)

So my final word, would I recommend this place? I really liked the decor and ambiance, and would probably only come back for drinks. Also, I think they could have really worked on the "earth" aspect. Maybe a lot of the ingredients were locally-sourced, but because this wasn't really elaborated on in the menu nor by our waitress, the whole "think global, eat local" idea seemed like a marketing gimmick. My friend brought up another very good point: because this is a "green" restaurant, why not have more options - vegetarian, vegan, etc.?

Opera Cafe Fine Pastry

Date: October 2, 2011

Location: 2312 Bloor St. W. (half block west of Runnymede Rd.), Toronto

Website: N/A

Meal: lunch
 

My thoughts:

I had the steak and mushroom pot pie, and my friend a vegetarian baguette (not on their menu and specially made for my vegan friend). The pie was delicious! The pastry, which was very light and flaky, was decidedly the best part, and the filling was actually packed with good-quality steak and mushrooms (rather than liquid). 

On a similar note, my friend really enjoyed his baguette, which he said was packful of vegetables, as the picture below shows:

We also each had a latte. I found my latte to be not very well-blended (see first of two pictures below). To be more specific, the foam topping droplets of espresso, which was very bitter (it would have been a different story if they'd at least made the shape of a heart, lol). The remainder of my coffee was rather dilute.

But whatever, they were very accommodating towards my friend, and the pie more than made up for the sub-par coffee. Bottom line: I will return to try their chicken pot pie next time! On a different note, I loved the colourful pastries they had on display, as well as the European flair in the decor/lighting. (I wish I'd taken a picture of the restaurant.) Friendly, helpful staff.

Live Organic Food Bar

Date: October 1, 2011

Location: 264 Dupont St. (NE corner of Dupont and Spadina), Downtown Toronto

Website: http://www.livefoodbar.com/index.html 

Meal: dinner 

My thoughts:

Okay, I cannot lie. I was here, not once but twice, in August and forgot to blog about this place. I hope that doesn't make me a bad blogger : / Anyway, as you might have suspected, I had a very enjoyable experience the first time, which led me to return two additional times. I'll quickly recap what I can remember of those visits before proceeding to tell you about my most recent visit.

On my first two visits, I came for lunch and had the Tofu Omelette (soft tofu, mushrooms, spinach, olives, basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, cashew feta*. Side of Ezekiel + tempeh bacon) and Big Bowl Salad (field greens, kale, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed seeds, avocado, micro greens, sunflower sesame hummus, hemp ginger salad). Both were terrific, so terrific that I have honestly been itching to return with every waking moment since my last visit. 

This time, we started off with a generous-sized plate of baked Sweet Potato Fries, which came with a BBQ dipping sauce. Despite being baked, these were quite crispy, with a hint of spice - just the way I like it. A minor note was that these were thick-cut, which was different. 

I also had a hearty Black Bean Burrito, which consisted of black bean hummus, brown rice, guacamole, salsa, marinated greens and chipotle aioli. I think my favourite part about this wrap was the somewhat thick/layered but crispy wrap, which I should mention is gluten-free and brown.

My friend ordered a Trainers Bowl, which was essentially a salad consisting of steamed greens, pickled cabbage, black beans, chickpeas, quinoa and a sprouted seed breadstick.  

While all the dishes were very good, I found that none of them compared to what I had in previous visits. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely will be returning, but I think I'll be coming for brunch as the menu was more extensive. On a different note, this establishment is slightly more expensive than other comparable joints, with prices averaging about $13-15 per dish. But for what you get, it is worth every penny. Besides, everything is organic and sourced from local farms. Tasty, healthy and environmentally conscious? Yes, please!

The Grenadier Restaurant

Date: September 10, 2011

Location: in the heart of High Park (just outside High Park subway station)

Website: http://grenadiercafe.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
Came here after a long afternoon of hiking, so needless to say, we had worked up quite an appetite. I was so hungry that I ordered two dishes, an omelette (they have all-day breakfast) and a spinach salad. The omelette not bad, albeit quite standard and a tad dry.

However, I really enjoyed the spinach and mushroom salad. It was quite a basic salad, but the ingredients were very fresh and the dressing so light that it was nearly imperceptible. Also, it had a generous amount of raw mushrooms, which I hardly ever have (raw, that is); so it was quite a surprise, but a pleasant one at that! I won't bother listing all the ingredients because - lo and behold - I actually took pictures ;) 

My friend had a veggie burger, which I personally found a bit dry and in need of some mayo or aioli to give it a bit of tang. 

To finish everything off - actually, I lied because we started our meal with this - a warm baklava, which was your typical baklava, delicious and saturated in sugary sweetness. As you can see, we were so hungry that we devoured about half of it before remembering to take a photo. I assure you that it looked quite nice to start off, though! ;o)

While I was not overly impressed with the omelette or veggie burger, I would come here again. Aside from the fact that this is very conveniently located (convenient if you are at the park, that is), it has a very family-oriented, self-serve, laid-back feel, which I like, so I will return. Unfortunately, this place does not have an address. But I believe it is the only restaurant in the entire park, so hopefully finding it won't be an issue should you decide to check this place out.

Divino

Date: September 8, 2011

Location: 1 Balmoral Avenue (S. of Yonge and St. Clair)

Website: http://divinocuisine.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
Strolling through the heart of midtown Toronto, my friend and I were very fortunate to have stumbled upon this place. What a gem of a place this was on all levels of a good dining experience! Great ambiance (classic rock tunes playing softly, dim lights, large windows and a small tea light candle adorning each table), great service and great food! 

We were served complimentary bread with a dip that had a hummus-like consistency, and some olive oil with balsamic vinaigrette for my friend, who is vegan. For our mains, I had the Pappardelle (whole wheat pasta with vegetables and sweet pea pesto) and my friend the Al Funghi pizza (with sautéed mushrooms, fresh thyme and a medley of vegetables in place of cheese). Both were simply delectable. It was apparent that the pasta noodles were freshly made and cooked to al dente perfection; the pesto sauce was unique, tasty and not oily, which tends to be the case for many pesto-based pastas. My friend's pizza was surprisingly very good, surprising because there was no cheese and I am a devoted cheese lover. 


A great place to come with a group of friends because of the ample space, and for patio drinks in the summer. It was quite cold the night we went, so we sat indoors.

Real World Sports Bar

Date: September 3, 2011

Location: 15 York St (S. of Front St.)

Website: http://www.realsports.ca/

Meal: late night snacks/drinks

My thoughts:
Already being in the financial district, The Real World Sports Bar was just a hop and skip away, so my companion and I decided to come here to satisfy a late night craving for greasy munchies. And munch we did. We ordered sweet potato fries, which were served piping hot and with a side of two dipping sauces. The fries themselves had a hint of Indian spices - amongst one of which I think was cumin, but it's hard to say with my unrefined taste palette - which I thought paired very well with the dipping sauces. My friend opted for ketchup to go with the fries, and thought the fries were just okay, but admitted that they were hot and crispy.

We also ordered some drinks of the alcoholic variety. I had a Fruli strawberry beer (Belgium), which I really recommend if you have never tried it, and my friend some cocktails. Service was quick and friendly. We sat at a booth, which had its own TV on the wall (only sports channels were available, of course) - a great touch to set the establishment apart from other bars. Will definitely be making a trip here again (and again)!

The Jason George

Date: September 3, 2011

Location: 100 Front St. (E. of Jarvis)

Website: http://thejasongeorge.dining.ca

Meal: patio drinks/dinner

My thoughts:

I don't have much to say about an otherwise mediocre restaurant. Even for a pub, the staff was not very professional and appeared disinterested and bored. 

I ordered the zucchini and brie sandwich and my friend a veggie burger. I thought my sandwich tasted fresh, but was lacking in a sauce or herbs to give it a kick. It came with a side of a house salad, which consisted of spinach leaves and light vinaigrette, but it was rather plain. I tried my friend's veggie burger, and it was quite bland to me. We both had a glass of red house wine.

Bottom line, I would not recommend this restaurant. You could get so much more bang for your buck elsewhere.

La Vecchia Ristorante

Date: August 28, 2011

Location: 2405A Yonge St. (2 blocks north of Eglinton)

Website: http://www.lavecchia.ca

Meal: dinner

My thoughts: 
This is a quaint, cozy Italian restaurant in the bustling neighbourhood of Yonge and Eg. My companion and I arrived around 5:30 and were greeted by the host. We were seated promptly and our waiter came to greet us and gave us menus. Our waiter was very friendly, but we waited for about 30 minutes and still he had not come to take our order. Finally, we had to signal him over. He informed us that he didn't know that we were ready to order because our menus were open, so a tip to all of you out there: if you ever think your waiter wants you to leave you starving and drooling over dishes being served to your neighbouring tables, it might actually and simply be because your menu is open ;)

Anyway, my guest and I each had a glass of house red wine, which, I cannot lie, is like most other red wines I've had in the past (I'm no wine connoisseur), but it was a nice complement to my meal and it added to the romantic ambiance of the restaurant.

I ordered the Linguini Calamarati, which our waiter informed me was the chef's personal favourite. This is always a good sign for what's to come, of course, and I admittedly had quite high expectations for my meal. According to the menu, this is a seafood linguini and includes a variety of seafood items including calamari, mussels, shrimp and rapini (a leafy vegetable) with a garlic-olive oil-white kidney bean-based sauce. My companion ordered the Pizza Vegetariana, which as you may have guessed, is Vegetarian Pizza; he opted to omit the cheese.

While we waited for our food, which was not a very long time, the restaurant filled up very quickly. I was actually quite surprised, seeing as how it was a Sunday night. Anyway, our food arrived in a very timely manner. When it was placed in front of me and I caught a delicate whiff of it, I immediately regretted not having my camera on me simply because I knew I was going to write a lengthy review. Also, of course, visuals always make written material so much more interesting to read! Returning to my linguini, upon having the first taste of my linguini, I was quite literally blown out of my mind by all the intense deep sea flavours. It was flavourful without being salty. It had a good amount of seafood chunks without it overpowering the pasta; this is important to me, because I love my pasta i.e. carbs! My dish was well-presented, and the portion size just right - I was contentedly full and needless to say, I was very pleased with my selection.

As for my friend's meal, I did not try his pizza. But I was told that it was very good. I'll have to try it next time to give you my take on it!

To top everything off, we shared an order of mango sherbert. It was very light and not very sweet - a nice finishing touch to a hearty meal.

In a nutshell, intimate ambiance, great service and even better food. I highly recommend this restaurant. Two thumbs up!

Lobster Trap

Date: July 8, 2011

Location: 1962 Avenue Road, Toronto (S. of Wilson)

Website: http://www.lobstertraptoronto.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
I was here with a friend to celebrate his birthday. Although the neighbourhood is upscale, this venue is quite casual, but my friend was still very happy with the experience.

I should mention that I have been here a few times (this was his first), so I already knew what the restaurant's specialties are. Every meal comes with complimentary home-style garlic bread, which is very garlic-y and buttery (i.e. delicious, in my books). I ordered a lobster bisque for each of us, and a broiled lobster for him and a steamed lobster for myself. The lobster bisque is nothing short of to-die-for, with its rich and creamy soup base and generous-sized chunks of fresh lobster. It is served piping hot (which isn't always the case with many places) and it compliments the garlic bread very well. The steamed lobster comes with some butter and lemon on the side, but I like to eat the lobster plain, so as to get the full flavour of the lobster. Having said that, though, the broiled lobster, which has a garlic and bread crumb topping, is also scrumptious. I would really recommend going with someone (not by yourself, as in any dining experience) so that you can share your plates! This is definitely is "up there" on my list of favourite restaurants!

Kultura

Date: May 9, 2011

Location: 169 King Street East, Downtown Toronto (E. of Jarvis)

Website: http://www.kulturatoronto.com/

Meal: lunch

My thoughts: 
I was really excited to try this restaurant after learning that Roger Mooking is co-owner/executive chef of this restaurant. If that name doesn't ring a bell, he has a show called "Everyday Exotic" on the Food Network (and he's got this amazing recipe for lamb..) I was slightly disappointed that I did not see him on that visit, but seeing as how it was a weekday afternoon and the restaurant was pretty empty, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

Anyway, the food, however, did not disappoint. This is a tapas restaurant, so all the portions, including the mains, were quite small. What I really like was the unique offerings. I came here with a friend and we shared two appetizers and two mains. We ordered the Chicken Samosas and Goulash Soup for starters, and Shrimp Ceviche Tacos and Steak Frites for our mains.

Chicken Samosas: Definitely my favourite dish this meal. It was a complex medley of spices and herbs, with everything in perfect balance so as the flavours all blend nicely and not one of the flavourings can be identified (at least I couldn't). There were five dumpling-sized samosas for $11. (The waitress told us after our meal that this was one of their most popular dishes, and I can see why.)

Goulash Soup: My companion and I were intrigued upon reading "dumplings" in the description on the menu and decided to give this a shot. This was too salty for both our tastes and the "dumplings" were more like gnocchi in taste, texture and size (and I am not a fan of gnocchi). That aside, the soup itself was far from bland and had wide range of ingredients, all of which must have contributed to the flavour.

Shrimp Ceviche Tacos: If you are not familiar with shrimp ceviche, it is a traiditional Spanish dish of raw shrimp. This was quite possibly my first encounter with this dish, and it was.. interesting. Had there not been the tacos, which were made of taro root, and were thin-cut, crispy and delicately sweet, I think I might have gagged at the sliminess of the shrimp. (I eat salmon and butterfish sashimi regularly, but that's pretty much the entire repertoire of things I'm willing to eat and enjoy eating raw.) There wasn't too much shrimp per taco so the tacos balanced out the sliminess, so rest assured, I did not gag. In fact, I quite liked this dish, especially with the pineapple chutney that came with it. I would recommend trying this, as it is truly a unique dish.

Steak Frites: Nothing special here. We asked for our beef to be medium-rare, and it was probably more medium-well done, but it was evident that the grade of the beef was very good, so the meat was still very tender and juicy. The fries were cassava fries and as my companion and I noted, tasted significantly healthier than regular fries. They were not greasy, surprisingly, and crispy. For the price, I would not order this again. (Actually, we originally wanted to order the Mushroom Orechiette, but we were told this was not available at the time.)

In short, I would recommend checking out this restaurant. Don't expect to really fill up on the food here, unless you are willing to spend a lot. (My friend and I were 'comfortably full' at the end of the meal and we'd spent $50 total, which is significantly more than what people typically spend on lunch.) I would recommend this sheerly because Roger Mooking's culinary and artistic flair really shine through in his dishes, which makes for a great and interesting experience.

Thai Basil

Date: May 6, 2011

Location: 1070 Major MacKenzie Dr E., Richmond Hill (E. of Bayview)

Website: http://www.thaibasil.ca/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts: 
In a nutshell: Great service. The waitresses were very friendly and attentive. My glass of water never stayed empty for very long! Food arrived quick. Reasonable prices and food was excellent! Can't wait for my next visit! Here's a rundown of our meal: 

Thai Vegetarian Cold Rolls ($4.95) - "Rice paper wrapping vermicelli, shredded carrots, cucumbers, green onions, basil & mint leaves". Ingredients were very fresh and it wasn't bad. But I would've liked it better if there was a big shrimp in there (my friend ordered this). Would order this again, with shrimp. 

Grilled Satay Chicken skewers ($2.25/skewer) - "Grilled skewer marinated in Thai spices and coconut milk, served with homemade peanut satay sauce". Mmmm!! Heaven in my mouth. The chicken was cooked just right and juicy, with just the right amount of 'charredness'. Without a doubt, the best part was the sauce, which was a perfect balance between sweet and spicy; it really complemented the chicken. Thai food as it should be! 

Thai Red Curry Duck ($12.95) - "Thai red curry cooked with boneless grilled duck, Thai eggplants, grapes, tomatoes, basil leaves & coconut milk". This was me and my companion's favourite of the night! It has a good level of spice to it, so if you can't handle spice, ask your serve if they can exclude the chilis. Very strong coconut flavour. Some interesting elements here, including green grapes. Who would have thought to put grapes in curry? Cudos to the chefs on their creativity and for discovering something that really works! My only dislike for this dish would probably be the duck, which arguably should be the highlight of the dish, but I found it tough. My companion really enjoyed the duck, though. Regardless, I would most definitely be back again for this dish. 

Mango Chicken ($9.95) - "Stir-fried chicken with mango, onions, green onions, cashew nuts, red & green peppers, dried red chilli". On its own, this was not bad, but it really paled in comparison with the red curry. The chicken was not as juicy as the skewers we ordered, but the mango chunks were sweet and a good size and the cashews flavourful.

The Sushi Bar

Date: May 5

Location: 3369 Yonge St., Toronto (N. of Steeles)

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

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

A typical sushi joint. I mean, the food and service was not bad, but given the number of sushi places that have popped up in the last decade, I think the standard of sushi restaurants has really gone up. Having said that, I don't think this was was anything special.

I ordered Unagi Don (eel on rice), which was $9.95. The portion size was okay, but there was hardly any teriyaki sauce. Okay, I admit that I like a lot of teriyaki sauce on my eel, but there really was hardly any at all. The eel itself was okay. I liked the rice, which was Japanese-style, which uses larger rice grains.

I also ordered an Alaskan Roll and Baikan Roll. The Alaskan Roll has salmon, cucumber, avocado, tobiko (fish roe). Surprisingly, I found this a little bland. The Baikan Roll contains white tuna (aka butterfish for some people), tobiko and avocado. This roll was delicious and very tasty!

Ferrovia Ristorante

Date: April 27

Location: 7355 Bayview Ave., Thornhill (N. of Steeles)

Website: http://www.ferroviaristorante.ca/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I came here with my family and we all agreed it was pretty good, but a little on the pricey side, especially given how the waitress/hostess was dressed. There's more on this after I talk about the food..

Grilled calamari ($12.95) - just okay. I prefer my calamari to be sliced into rings, but this place served ours in 'groups' of about five rings. This isn't a big issue, but considering that we were sharing our appetizers, this made it a tad more difficult. Flavour was on the subtle side, but not bland. Calamari was fresh and came with a side of arugula salad, which was yummy.

Steamed P.E.I. mussels (price stated in online menu is $10.95 but I believe the price at the restaurant is $11.95) - Very generous serving and came with a lot of almost "soupy" (liquidy) sauce, but this went perfect with the complimentary bread. Mussels were quite large but the meat was a little 'fishy' tasting, but it wasn't bad enough to keep me from pretty much devouring the whole dish.

New Zealand rack of lamb ($29.95 for full rack) - Very good. My parents shared the lamb and sea bass. My dad doesn't like to eat meat that is too raw so we ordered it medium-well done. I would have prefered medium or even medium-rare. But the way it was done was still very good. It was apparent that the meat was very good quality.

Grilled sea bass, daily special ($33.95) - Small serving; approximately 4-6 ounces. This was very good and I don't get the privilege of eating sea bass very often, so this was definitely a treat. I really enjoyed the seasonings they used.

Grilled Atlantic salmon ($24.95) - This was probably the best thing we ordered that night. The salmon was made medium-well done and it was very moist and flaky. It came with a lentils dish on the side, which I didn't care too much for, but at least this dish offered an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, carbs and fibre.

Mushroom (fungi) pizza ($14.95) - This was mediocre and I don't think I would order this again. The crust was extremely thin but hard, and there was such a thin layer of cheese that the cheese layer had hardened into the crust. There were a few stray mushrooms on top, which were good, but I need my cheese and for the price, I felt like I was hardly getting my money's worth.

Okay, so now onto the bad part: the waitress, who was wearing skinny faded cargo pants, a ragged drapey top and big hoop earrings; the rest of the staff was dressed in black dress shirts and tailored pants. Did no one tell her that she was severely underdressed? Her attire really brought down the restaurant's class. Further, throughout our dining experience, she was loud, brash and rather unprofessional. For example, when telling us about the daily specials, she didn't take her time to explain everything and rushed through everything. When she was done, she literally jsut turned on her heels and left. My father had to call her back because he wanted to ask a question. Also, she was very pushy with getting people to order more expensive things. For example, after she seated people, she asked people if they wanted something to drink. When people asked for water, she asked, "You want sparkling water?" Maybe you think I'm being sensitive, but her tone was forceful. And there's more. Everytime we asked for her recommendation between two items that were not the same price, she always recommended the more expensive one. Coincidence? I hardly think so.

So, would I come back? Possibly, but I definitely wouldn't be going out of my way to do so. There are so many better restaurants out there with better food *and* service.

Sizzlin' Good

Date: April 19

Location: Major MacKenzie Ave., Maple (W. of Keele)

Website: none!

Meal: Lunch

My thoughts:

Not much to say here. I ordered a shawarma sandwich to go, which was $5 (or 2 for $9). The price was good, as were the portion size and service, but I have had much better shawarmas. My biggest gripe would probably be that the pickled ingredients were 'too pickled', which overpowered the meat and the whole sandwich. Don't think I would be coming back.

Octagon Restaurant

Date: April 18, 2011

Location: 7529 Yonge Street, Thornhill (N. of Steeles)

Website: http://www.octagonrestaurant.com/

Cuisine/Style: Fine dining/steakhouse

Meal: Dinner 

My thoughts:

After reading a number of reviews, both positive and negative, of this restaurant, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the appetizers and garlic bread (so buttery!), and somewhat disappointed by their filet mignon. And I want to say right off the bat that I did not take any pictures as I was with my boss.

For starters, we ordered Bacon Wrapped Scallops ($14.95), BBQ Ribs Starter ($13.95), Shrimp Cocktail ($34.95) and Crab Cakes. My boss ordered and oddly, I don't think the Crab Cakes were on the menu. 

Anyway, I didn't really care much for the ribs, as I found them to be on the dry side. The scallops were really good, but it was the crab cakes that really blew me away. The sauce really complemented it well and the cakes themselves were very fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

For my main, I had an 8-ounce Filet Mignon with House Salad ($39.95) and a side of Mushrooms. The salad was a pretty basic salad with balsamic dressing, but it was really good and not very acidic. The mushrooms were huge and very tasty. The filet mignon was okay, but a bit too charred for my liking. The inside was very juicy and tender though.

For dessert, we had Creme Brulee, Tiramisu and Coconut Cream Pie. The Creme Brulee ($10.95) was definitely my favourite dessert tonight! A tad on the sweet side but the custard was so smooth and creamy... Mm! The Tiramisu ($7.50) was not too bad. I liked the berries that came with this but I thought the cake itself was a bit too moist. The Coconut Cream Pie ($10.95) was a good serving size, but I've never really cared much for cream pies. I found this to be a bit too sweet for my liking.

Tutto Pronto

Date: April 16, 2011

Location: 1718 Avenue Road, Toronto (N. of Lawrence)

Website: http://www.tuttopronto.ca/

Cuisine/Style: Italian fine dining

Meal: Dinner

My thoughts:
I came here with some friends for dinner. Very nice ambiance and decor - dim lighting with lots of candles and chandeliers. Would be a nice place to bring a date.

Anyway, for starters, I ordered Coconut Shrimp, which was not bad taste-wise, but the serving was quite small. It consisted of 3 shrimp and a garden salad (about a handful). Price was around $13. I enjoyed my friends' appetizers much more. One of my friends ordered 'Grilled Calamari' and another 'Fried Calamari'. I normally am a fried calamari kind of girl, but I have to say, the grilled calamari was a lot better. It was cooked in  a tomato-based sauce, which was very yummy. The texture was lightly chewy and it was cut thin. It was very flavourful. The fried calamari was good, but the batter tasted exactly like Kentucky Fried Chicken's batter, which was kind of strange. The price for those were $11 each, I believe.

Pic #1: Coconut shrimp. As you can see, decent-sized shrimp but there were only 3!

Pic #2: Grilled calamari. Sorry for the blurriness!

Pic #3: Fried calamari.

Now onto the mains. My friends ordered mushroom risotto, a seafood risotto, ravioli, a steak with sweet potato fries and I the rack of lamb. Very nice presentation and everything tasted as good as it looked! My favourite would probably be the lamb or the steak. The steak was a whopping 12 ounces and the sweet potato fries were thin-cut and crispy. I asked for my lamb to be medium rare, and it was more medium-well done, but it was still very good and tender.

Pic #4: 12-ounce steak.

Pic #5: Risotto with chicken.

 Pic #6: Seafood risotto. 

Pic #7: Ravioli.

 Pic #8: Rack of lamb.

For dessert, my friend ordered a tiramisu, which looked like a flattened cupcake. Very moist and light. Love! Our very kind waiter also gave me a slice of chocolate cake, on the house, because it was my birthday!

Pic #9: Tiramisu. Sorry I didn't use flash. By this time, the restaurant had dimmed considerably and I didn't want to blind everyone with all my flashes!

 Pic #10: My birthday/chocolate cake! Okay, I used flash for this, obviously, lol.

I would have to agree with what one of my friends said, 'Would come back but would prefer to try other restaurants first'. But overall, a very nice experience and celebration!

Me Va Me Express

Date: April 14, 2011

Location: 9302 Bathurst St, Vaughan (at Rutherford)

Website: http://www.mevame.com/

Cuisine/Style: Fastfood shawarma & sandwiches

Meal: Lunch

My thoughts:
Oh my word! I had a shawarma pita with all the toppings minus hot peppers, and it was honestly one of the best shawarmas I have ever had.

What I liked: the toppings, which included a buttery creamy hummus, coleslaw and sauteed eggplant, among other things. I know, it sounds strange, but trust me, it was an unbelievable combination. Bonus points for the large portion (the pita was about a foot long). Good price ($6.95 plus tax) and quick service.

What I didn't like: the way the pita was filled made it difficult to taste all the different toppings/ingredients in a single bite. Also, the pita was stuffed, but not at the ends. Not a lot of chicken, which didn't seem juicy (it wasn't dry, just not juicy).

Having said this, however, I will most definitely be back. And sorry, I didn't get a chance to snap a picture as I virtually inhaled this thing!

My Place Fish & Chips Restaurant

Website: no website!
Cuisine/Style: Fish and chips
Meal: Dinner

My thoughts:

Came here with some friends and we all shared a calamari rings ($3.95 for a small) appetizer and a platter combo consisting of halibut, shrimp, scallops and fries ($14.95).

We were unimpressed with the calamari rings, which were fried, like the platter, but surprisingly, the batter was very bland. It honestly tasted like they forgot to put salt in it. Nonetheless, the batter was very light and crispy. The platter's batter had the same light, buttery consistency but the flavour was so much better! They did NOT forget the salt for this (odd, isn't it? You'd think the batter would all be the same..) I wasn't crazy about the fries as they were thick cut and not very crispy and the fish was just alright (a little dense), but my-oh-my, the scallop and shrimp were to die for!

 

  

Pic #1: The calamari. Sorry, I didn't remember to take a picture until pretty much the whole plate was finished.

 

Pic #2: The platter, which consisted of shrimp, fries, scallop and halibut.  

Prices were reasonable. Service was pretty good and the waiters responsive (don't you hate it when you try to catch someone's attention and they never seem to hear or see you except when you want to get the bill? Not the case here). They did, however, forget our platter order, but hey, mistakes happen so all's forgiven.

A little funny story. On the menu, you have the option of essentially building your own platter. One of the platters came "with chips" and another was the same thing but "with fewer chips", which was $0.30 cheaper! Yes, that was actually written on the menu, haha. See below.
 

Pic #3: Half of the menu. Wish I'd taken the other side, too, since there is no online menu. Take note of the boxed area!

My verdict: Yes, I would definitely come again. Not sure I would order the halibut or the calamari, although I do think the latter was just an 'anamoly'.

Kenzo Ramen

Date: April 2, 2011

Location: 6180 Yonge St, North York (just S. of Steeles)

Website: no website!

Cuisine/Style: Japanese noodle

Meal: Dinner

My thoughts:

Came here with my family. We ordered a rice dish topped with chicken and egg, a ramen, gyoza and takonomiyaki (octopus balls). In a nutshell, things were a tad on the pricey side, everything was quite salty and service was *horrible*! The service was really, really slow (with the exception of bringing our bill and taking our money) and not only were there no smiles, but it really showed that the waitress hated her job.

Anyway, onto the food. The noodles and rice dish were both $9.99 each - pricey in my opinion. But in all fairness, for the noodles only anyway, the serving size was quite generous, but not so much for the rice. The fam was really impressed with the noodles. I thought it was mediocre. I do have to give points for all the toppings that came with the noodle, though. It was chockful of seafood and veggies. I personally prefer my noodles plainer, with more noodles and less toppings.

The gyoza was really crispy, not very greasy and just plain delicious. I really enjoyed this. Price was $6.99 for 6. I recommend this.

Takonomiyaki was pretty good. If I had not tried Guu's version, I think I would have been very satisfied with this. But that not being the case, I was somewhat disappointed. This wasn't as fluffy as Guu's. Price was $8.99 for 6. Again, pricey considering the serving size.

In total, with tax and tip, the bill came to almost $45 for 4 people, which, in my opinion, is expensive for a simple noodle joint with a very limited menu. Would I come again? Perhaps, if I'm in the area, or if I have a really bad takonomiyaki craving (since I have yet to find a place uptown with takonomiyakis as good as Guu's). But otherwise, wouldn't make the drive out to this place.