Asuka Fusion Sushi Restaurant

Date: November 21, 2012
Location: 142 Main Street Unionville (north of Highway 7)
Website: http://www.asukasushi.ca
Cuisine: Japanese
Meal: lunch

My thoughts:

I came here with my mom, and this restaurant didn't have a website at the time, so I took pictures of the menu. (They have a website up now, but still no menu.) So as you can see, they don't have a lot of offerings, but what they do, they do well! Here, take a look!

My mom and I shared:

Vegetable Udon ($9.95): Very chewy noodles, as opposed to limp. If you grew up on noodles, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The soup was flavourful but not salty. 

Unagi Roll ($7.95): BBQ eel, cucumber and avocado. Soooooo good. I loved the eel and everything was very fresh. The roll was packed quite firm, which was good. Nice presentation. Also, as my mom pointed out, the rice was very "sticky," which is regarded as a good thing in our culture.

Jumbo Dynamite Roll ($9.95): Shrimp tempura, crab meat, fish egg, cucumber and avocado. Also "soooooo good!" Same comments as for the Unagi Roll.

In hindsight, it's a good thing the establishment didn't post the menu online because their small selection would have likely discouraged my mom and I from going. We went in with major doubts upon looking at the menu and prices and left pleased and highly satisfied.

On a final note, check out their website for a 10% coupon off dine-in or take-out! I discovered this after we went, unfortunately, but I'm sure I will be back. Hopefully the promotion will still be around.

Chinese Dumpling House

Date: November 11, 2012
Location: 3290 Midland Ave #2 (at Finch), Scarborough
Website: N/A
Cuisine: Northern Chinese
Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
My family has been to this establishment on numerous occasions. In fact, it is quite possibly one of my dad's favourite restaurants. I came here with my parents, and we had the usual:

Sweet and sour fish with pine nuts ($6.99): My dad's favourite dish. 

Chive and egg dumplings (15 for $5.99): A lot of delicious food for a great price. 

Bitter melon and beef stir-fry ($4.99): We had meant to order another beef dish, but our waiter messed up our order. This was actually really good, if you can stomach the taste of bitter melon, that is - we all grew up on this food, so we can.

Chinese vegetables with garlic ($8.99): Comparatively speaking, this dish was very expensive, considering the quantity and how much less work is required. Still good, though.

La Cocino de Dona Luz

Date: November 10, 2012

Location: 807 St Clair Ave W (east of Oakwood Ave), midtown Toronto

Website: N/A (not in service)
Cuisine: Peruvian

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
I had purchased a voucher from one of those flash-buy sites for this restaurant. I decided to take my parents here since none of us had ever tried Peruvian food. I called ahead to make sure this would be okay, which we were told it was, so long as the third person orders. 

I paid $34 for the voucher, which entitles the holder to a 3-course meal for two worth $72. For your reference, this is what was stated in the voucher:

One appetizer (up to a $20.95 value)

Two entrées (up to a $22.95 value each)

One dessert (a $6 value)

When we arrived, we were given a 'special' menu for voucher holders. Actually, it was a limited menu compared to their regular menu, which we were not very happy about. Most of the appetizers were under $12, so I don't understand how they came up with the numbers stated in the voucher. 

Anyway, for starters, we got the Guacamole ($11) - which was nothing special - and the Seafood soup ($14) - which was my favourite that night. I was really impressed. It was creamy and the perfect consistency.

For our mains, we had the Red Tilapia ($22) and the Lamb Shoulder ($18). The tilapia was fried, and my dad loves fish and almost anything fried, so naturally, he loved that. He thought it was very soft and flaky, and while I do agree, I thought it was in dire need of some seasoning. The lamb shoulder was also bland. The best part about both entrées was the side of white beans, which actually tasted like it came straight from a can. Does that give you any idea of what this restaurant was like?? Here's a picture of the lamb, but I unfortunately forgot to snap a pic of the fish!

For the finale, there was only one option: a Custard ($6). I've never been a big fan of flans, and especially not this one, because as you can see from the pic, it wasn't very smooth and creamy as flans are supposed to be. My dad seemed to think it was all right.

All in all, while I loved the soup and the white bean side in the entrées was  not bad, we weren't very happy with the service. Not only was a 20% gratuity automatically added to our bill without us being informed (luckily, my dad had to ask our waiter something else and he so happened to ask that question), but as I had mentioned, we were given a limited menu just because we had a voucher and the numbers don't quite add up to the claimed voucher value. The purpose of offering those vouchers is to let customers sample your offerings. If you try to rip them off or to pull a fast one over them, they will know and won't be happy, nor will they return. Our waiter, a middle-aged man, was also quite stand-offish. An elderly man who I assume was his father, was really nice and friendly, although he didn't seem to speak a word of English. So will I be back? No, but I definitely want to try more Peruvian dishes at other restaurants.

The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

Date: November 9, 2012

Location: 92 King Street South, Waterloo

Website: http://www.worksburger.com/

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I was in Waterloo to visit my good friend LL and she suggested this place. She'd never been but had said that she'd heard it was a popular place in town. We got there around 6. It was already quite busy, but we were promptly seated. We sat in one corner of the restaurant, where it was a bit too dark, and our waitress was more than accommodating, but we were just too hungry to care.

We decided to share the Poutini Martini ($8.61) my friend knew full well that I had been craving a poutine for god knows how long! I personally found this to be the highlight of the meal. The best part was the battered onion rings; it was an interesting addition (in a good way). There was also a good amount of cheese curds and gravy, and a heck of a lot of fries! This was big (and pricey) enough to be a meal on its own, but I would recommend trying this at least once, or at least the onion rings as an appetizer.

The burgers are create your own. You choose your own patty, bun toppings, bun, add-ons and side. The prices are based on what bun toppings you choose. Certain things come at an extra cost, such as the elk patty. 

I had a ground beef patty with the Uptown toppings ($12.96) on a whole wheat bun and sweet potato fries.

My friend had a ground beef patty with the Smokey Mountain toppings ($12.93) on a white bun and sweet potato fries.

I later found out that there are a few locations in Toronto, which I'm really glad about, because Waterloo is more than a bit out of my way! I stumbled upon one in Etobicoke a few weeks ago at Windemere and Bloor, and I hear there is another one on the east end on the Danforth. Yippee!

Okonomi House

Date: November 8, 2012

Location: 23 Charles Street West (near Bay and Bloor), Toronto

Website: N/A

Cuisine: Japanese

Meal: lunch

My thoughts:

We finally made it here! And by 'finally' I am referring to the fact that all my previous attempts failed because the restaurant was either renovating or not open for whatever reason. In fact, on our way here, I said to my sister, "Wouldn't it be funny if this place is closed again today? On second thought, maybe that wouldn't be so funny." When we arrived at the plaza, there was major construction taking place in the parking lot, and we were afraid our okonomiyaki craving would have to be put off yet again. But a quick peek at the store front and our suspicions were dismissed. The place itself is quite small, but perhaps not that small compared to most restaurants in the area and considering the fact that is a family-owned establishment.

I suppose we had missed the lunch rush since we arrived around 1:30pm and the restaurant was empty except for one other table. We decided on the scallop okonomiyaki ($6.35) with bonito flakes and seaweed powder, which were an extra $0.50 each. I know, pretty ridiculous that they charge extra for something as standard as bonito flakes and seaweed, right? But I knew this going in, so this was no surprise. The okonomiyaki was not bad, but not nearly as good as Guu's. (I know I frequently reference Guu. It really has become the gold standard for many things, and for that reason, it has been a huge eye-opener in many regards.)

We also had the Suno Mono Salad ($3.45), which was a clear noodle topped with crab stick, seaweed, vegetable and sesame seeds in a rice vinegar "soup." We were unimpressed by the tiny portion size and the simplicity to the "dish" - it was extremely plain. We also ordered this not knowing this was cold.

I, for one, came here starving and ready to devour an entire animal. My sister was pretty hungry as well. The two things we shared didn't quite fill us up, but for the price point, this wasn't bad. I will come back if I'm ever in the area and want something quick, but this won't be something I'll go out of my way for.

I took some pictures of the menu for you all since I knew this place doesn't have a menu.

Moxie's Grill and Bar

Date: October 25, 2012

Location: 4950 Yonge Street (north of Sheppard), Toronto

Website: http://www.moxies.ca/

Cuisine: Canadian

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

I came here with my former coworkers - AE, MM and AB - because it was a central location for all of us.

AE and MM each had a Classic Beef Burger, with different sides. I didn't try these but I was told everything was really good.

AB had the crab cakes. Again, did not try but heard they were very good.

 

I had the Spinach Salad with Champagne Strawberries ($12.95). This was okayyy, albeit expensive for what it's worth. The name definitely is deceivingly fancier than the dish itself. The "champagne strawberries" tasted like regular strawberries to me, or maybe my taste buds aren't very refined (I doubt it). In fact, I don't even recall there being any strawberries, and I have a picture to prove it! Take a look below; the picture says it all!

Kenzo Ramen Japanese Noodle

Date: October 9, 2012
Location: 6180 Yonge Street (south of Steeles), North York
Website: N/A
Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
My family and I came here for my sister's birthday. We've all been here before and my sister was in the mood for ramen. 

We had gyozas ($5.95) and squid takoyakis ($7.95) for starters. The gyozas were really good - hot, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The takoyakis, on the other hand, left something to be desired. I am by no means a takoyaki connoisseur, but I have had quite a sampling of Toronto's selection of takoyakis ever since I experienced my first one at Guu. While the takoyakis were hot, they weren't nearly as fluffy as the ones at Guu.

Of course, this being a ramen restaurant, we each ordered a bowl of ramen (my parents shared). I've been here on multiple occasions with my family in the past. To this day, it has yet to make an impression on me, especially considering the price point (they're all in and around $10), but the rest of my family loves this place. I find the soup bland and the ramen not chewy enough. All things considered, however, this is a quiet restaurant with decent service that I'm sure my family will continue to frequent in the future.

Lemongrass Restaurant

Date: October 9, 2012
Location: 633 Silver Star Blvd. (Steeles and Midland), Scarborough
Website: http://www.lemongrass.ca/
Restaurant: Vietnamese-Thai-Chinese fusion
Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
It was my sister's birthday, and she chose this place to celebrate. While the meal was pretty good, the service was terrible. Through her mannerisms and tone, our waitress was very impatient throughout our meal. It got to the point where my dad finally called her out on it; she apologized and stopped serving our table afterwards. Awkward? Indeed. But we didn't let it put a damper on our evening!

Just a side note: When we went, we were given about 3 or 4 different menus. The online menu seems to be a condensed compilation of these menus, so some of the dishes I talk about may not be listed. Just a head's up if you decide to check it out! Anyway, this is what we had to share:

Lemongrass beef with rice ($9.50): Very good, but much too high of an onion to beef ratio considering the price, especially considering that most people don't actually eat the onion anyway - at least I don't. The beef was very tender.

Traditional pad thai noodles ($7.99): I have never really cared much for pad thai because all the constituents in the whole dish are so.. soft. I mean, I don't mind it, but to me, it is akin to eating baby food or something. But to each their own, I suppose. Everyone else enjoyed this.

Beef brisket curry ($7.99) and roti ($1.99): The curry was mildly spicy and flavourful and the beef tender, but this was nothing special. It paired well with the roti, which was delicious albeit very greasy.

Stir-fried bok choy with garlic ($7.99): Standard Chinese dish. We needed something nutritious to balance out the rest of our meal!

Grilled salmon belly ($4.99): We ordered this off of their specials menu. This was probably the highlight of the meal. Not only was it cheap, but it was very juicy and flaky. If you've never had salmon belly, make sure you do so at least once in your lifetime. It is very fatty but oh-so-good. Besides, salmon fat is good for you! It is a great source of omega-6 and an even more so of omega-3.

Mom's Rotisserie

Date: October 7, 2012
Location: 2573 Victoria Park Ave. (south of Sheppard), Toronto
Website: N/A
Meal: lunch

My thoughts:
I was literally starving at work and was having the worst craving for something hot, salty and greasy. I was initially looking for Greek or Persian restaurants, but after driving around the area for a bit, I could only find this place. 

It was pretty well deserted, but it being a Sunday afternoon and Thanksgiving, I was not surprised. I decided on one of their lunch specials, 3 pieces of fried chicken for $3.99. I asked for it to go. I was so hungry and the aroma of piping hot, greasy chicken tempted me to steal bites while driving back to work. 

The chicken was very crispy - that I was impressed with. But it seemed that the teenage workers on shift must not have been paying attention in the kitchen because they clearly forgot to put any salt whatsoever on the chicken. That aside, it did fill my stomach and I felt much better... 

For a couple of hours anyway. After a while, I started to feel really sick in the stomach and I am convinced it had to be the chicken because I did not eat anything else that was out of the ordinary earlier that day. Blech. Never going back.

Momiji Sushi

Date: October 5, 2012

Location: 2111 Sheppard Ave E (east of DVP), Toronto

Website: http://www.momijis.com/

Meal: lunch

My thoughts:

So the recent dinner experience I'd had was so good I decided to take my sister here after she mentioned she wanted Asian food. 

We were given some complimentary noodles to start, which was good albeit greasy:

For our meal, we decided to share two things, one of which was the spicy salmon pizza ($8.95) that I'd had last time. She loved this.

We also had the Unagi Kani Tempura Roll ($8.95), with deep fried shrimp, BBQ eel, crab meat and unagi sauce with rice skin paper, which was recommended to us by our waitress. This was da bomb! Everything complemented each other very well, and the rice paper made this a step up from being 'just another sushi roll.' This was even better than the pizza! Love!!

The place was about a third full. This was a nice quiet place to go for lunch without having to shout over others' conversations to be heard or worrying about someone spilling something on your jacket because it is so crowded.

Taste of the Danforth

Date: August 11, 2012

Location: Danforth Avenue

Website: N/A

Meal: dinner

My thoughts:

Okay, okay. So the Taste of the Danforth is not a restaurant. But because I tried a few food vendors, I figured it would be easier to group it under a common title rather than make separate posts.

Anyway, as per usual, our first stop was at Ella Meat Market, at the southwest corner of Pape and Danforth. I love their famous juicy, tender, well-seasoned lamb chops ($3.50 for one chop). This is the reason why I make the trek here every year!

Next, I went to Astonia for their pork souvlaki ($3 for a skewer). I'm not even a big pork fan but this was really good and juicy. Prior to coming to the festival, my friend suggested I check out this place. Very good recommendation.

Our final stop was Pizza Pizza. Sorry to disappoint, but my friend really needed to use the restroom! Feeling guilty, my friend bought me a pepperoni canzone ($5). This might very well have been my first canzone experience, and I didn't really know what to expect. Overall, it wasn't bad, but there was quite a lot of dough and it tasted very greasy - almost fried. My friend, who is Italian, insisted that canzones are baked. Don't think I'll order this again.

Beer Bistro

Date: August 10, 2012
Location: 18 King Street East (east of Yonge), Downtown Toronto
Website: http://www.beerbistro.com/
Meal: drinks

My thoughts:
Part III of our girls' night!! We tried all of the fruity Belgium-import beers that night (hey, we are girls after all!) My favourite was definitely Fruli, the famous strawberry beer. I have provided a few pictures below but don't remember which was which now!

We shared a plate of wood-smoked buffalo wings ($12.95). Very tiny wings, but very nice smokey flavour and juicy. Came with celery and blue cheese dip (not a big blue cheese fan.)

Great atmosphere! Slightly more mature (mostly 20- and 30-something year olds) crowd. Just busy enough to be hip but not overcrowded. Of course, their specialty is beer, and their selection really is very impressive. Had such a great time!