Giddy Up,

I some how survived 2014 and made it safe and sound into 2015. I've been sick over the holidays and have finally started turning a corner recently. Since we're entering the New Year and I'm finally starting to feel healthy I wanted to celebrate a little by trying something new. Unfortunately on this day was when a storm hit Toronto, heavy snow fall and frozen rain (oh the fun). 

For this little foray I decided I would head north (not too north), Yonge and Eglinton.  This area is quite densely packed with a variety of different kinds of establishments to choose from. For my visit to the infamous Yonge and Eg neighbourhood I stopped at "The Korean Cowboy." 

The Name of the bar is one that is cause for a double take but so is the space itself. "The Korean Cowboy" looks like your typical Sports bars with flat screen TV's decorating the walls but with an asian twist with its wood paneling. "The Korean Cowboy" is fairly spacious, claiming to be able to hold 100 patrons in its main area with big long booths.

The menu at "The Korean Cowboy" has a lot of creative twists on western and Korean classic bar foods, such as kimchi poutine and octopus on top of pears. The dishes at "The Korean Cowboy" are small plates like tapas. The prices for their bar fare is very reasonably priced, on average the price for a small plate of food is about 4 to maybe 5 dollars, which is very wallet friendly. 

To start my meal I decided to order the most wallet friendly item on the menu "Fried Spaghetti" at whopping one dollar. 

Fried Spaghetti

as advertised they brought to the table golden sticks of fried spaghetti rolled in sugar and salt. This is not a dish for everyone. There really isn't much flavour to the pasta itself but does have an additive crunchy texture when you bite into them. I'm glad I tried this but I'm not entirely sure I would order this again but I definitely recommend this to other people to try.

Following my pasta course I ordered Pepper Pork.

Pepper Pork

This was one of my favourite dishes of the night. The thinly sliced pork belly is wrapped around a green chilli and is then fried crispy and served on top of lettuce. The pork belly is salty and crispy while it complements the fruitiness of the pepper inside. I recommend taking a piece of lettuce and eating it together with the pork because it adds another dimension to the eating experience with the crispiness and freshness of the lettuce.

Next is the sawdust chicken.

Sawdust Chicken

This dish is a little disappointing for me because it didn't really compare to the pork dish. The pieces of chicken are battered and deep fried and then stir fried with vegetables and topped off with panko (hence the sawdust). The vegetables were crispy and fresh tasting but the main star of the dish, the chicken, was coated with too thick of a batter and not as moist as I would've liked. 

Now its time for me to dine on an animal from the sea, Octopus on top of pears.

Octopus and pears

This is a really odd combination but some how this works. The dish is served cold and dressed lightly with with sesame oil and green onion. The octopus is soft and tender, almost like it is melting in your mouth. When you combine the octopus with the pear it creates a very delicate flavour combination in your mouth. The pear adds a bit of crunchiness but it doesn't overwhelm the octopus but complement it with its sweetness. 

Going back to the land I ordered the Korean beef lettuce wraps.

Korean beef Lettuce Wraps

This dish was definitely a home run for me. The lettuce is absolutely loaded with rice noodles cabbage and Korean Beef. The vegetables were fresh and crispy and had a nice snap to them as I bit into them. The beef was cooked in bulgogi marinade which made the meat taste sweet and savoury. this definitely a must order if you are visiting for the first time. 

I really enjoyed my visit to the "Korean Cowboy" and I still can't believe I barely made a dent into menu. I look forward to coming back here again and trying their other offerings. 

For more Information:

The Korean Cowboy

Thar she blows matey....

On one cold fall weekend I decided to venture outside of my comfort zone and travel to the east side of Toronto with my trusty side kick. The majority of my time is usually spent on the west side or central part of Toronto. East of Yonge street always seemed like such a mysterious place to me. I rarely go further then Church, mostly  due to laziness. My partner in crime was always telling me that I'm missing a lot of the Toronto food scene because there a lot new places and great institutions in the area.

I'm really glad I put on my big boy pants early in the morning and made the trip to find a great brunch place, "Eastside Social". "Eastside Social" is a seafood restaurant with Caribbean influences in Lesliville.  The restaurant is quite spacious and looks like a very nice country club space where I should be sipping scotch. There is also some nautical touches and warm inviting touches like the large book case filled with a random assortment of books (law books and twilight??), that makes the space feel comfortable. It almost felt like I was dining in the captain's quarters on an old ship.

On this initial visit to this eatery, I decided to have to have my usual brunch meal, eggs benedict.

Calling "Eastside social's" version of an eggs benedict hearty and filling would be an understatement. The perfectly poached orbs are nestled on top of a delicious peameal bacon cut into strips which hide an english muffin underneath all that meat and golden sauce we call hollandaise. There was a lot of peameal bacon on the plate and dare I say...... may be a bit too much.... I'm a huge carnivore but eating so much peameal bacon at one sitting was a bit too much salty goodness even for me. The hollandaise and the eggs did pair quite well with the peameal bacon. There was a nice contrast of salty, savoury and a little acid to tie it all together.  

My partner ordered salted cod on bake.

Bake, for those that don't know, is a Caribbean style fried bread. The bread surrounding the precious filling was light, airy and crispy on the outside. The filling was seasoned salted cod, slaw and picked onions. The fish was prepared beautifully which harmoniously paired with the slaw and pickles. This was definitely the dish that stole the show for our brunch.

The brunch definitely had some room for improvements but just from sampling some of their menu items is more then enough to entice me to come back again try the specialty(seafood).

For More Information:

Eastside Social

Vancouver Ramen

What would you do for a good bowl of ramen? How far would you go to find that perfect bowl of noodles and soup? My epicure  quest for a great bowl of ramen has lead me all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia. I crossed the country and ended up at "Ramen Santouka" where I found the best tasting bowl of ramen I've ever had. 

"Ramen Santouka" is a pretty well known chain of ramen restaurants with locations around Asia and the west coast of the United States but there is only two locations in Canada, Vancouver and Toronto. The ramen "Shop" was bustling even in the late afternoon with people still ordering piping hot orders of ramen at 2 pm in the afternoon, which is a great indication that this place is going to serve a great bowl of ramen. 

The space is pretty small with a very simple black theme through out the restaurant. The restaurant was very clean but it is not a place where people would hang out for a long extended period of time. I got the feeling that its more of a place trying turn over as many tables as possible, like your typical ramen shop.

When I first sat down I was starving and dying to eat anything they would put in front of me. The servers quickly brought over the menu and I scanned through the menu and immediately spotted the perfect combo like an eagle ready dive and catch its prey.

Kara Miso Ramen + Ikura Gohan

To be more specific I ordered a spicy miso ramen and a salmon roe rice. I was a little worried that the ramen might be too heavy handed with the spices but those worries soon went out the window when my order arrived at the table. The ramen had nice clean tasting broth that wasn't oily and had nice punch of spice. The ramen was topped with tender slices of pork and a variety of vegetables that complimented the spices and the broth. The noodles were cooked perfectly and had a nice texture that a lot of ramen places can't seem to get right. 

The salmon roe rice was a dish I've never had before and wanted to try since it looked so interesting. When I think of salmon roe I conjure up the image of small pin sized spheres that crack and pop in my mouth. The Ikura gohan quickly changed the way of how I looked at salmon roe. The salmon roe that was served to me were soft and the size of pearls from a necklace. When I bit into the salmon row the liquid would explode in my mouth, filling up my mouth with a salty smooth salmon flavour.  The lightly seasoned rice paired really well with salmon roe by helping offset the saltiness and adding another texture in my mouth.

The food was really tasty and very filling. I walked in dying of starvation but ended up walking out one happy (full) camper. I enjoyed my experience at this Vancouver location so much that it has me thinking about tracking down and visiting its Toronto location. If you are in Vancouver I highly recommend visiting "Ramen Santouka."

For More Information:

Ramen Santouka

And the Eagle has Landed....

Spring is here! spring is finally here! its been weeks and months of sub ten degree temperatures and nothing but rain (sometimes snow!) and dark skies lately but finally in late May we get to have beautiful beautiful sunshine. Along with beautiful weather and warm temperatures comes patio season!

On this sunny weekend in May I decided to sit on a patio and have weekend brunch with my favourite dining companion at "Hunter's Landing" in City Place. "Hunter's Landing" is situated right in between the many condos in the area and has a massive unobstructed patio with lots of sunshine. Their patio offers a nice relaxing atmosphere where I was able to just sit back and soak up the rays with a cocktail in one hand.

If this is your first visit to "Hunter's Landing" for brunch I would highly recommend you to order their monstrosity of a caesar, "Landing's Cure".

This giant mug of all things great comes in a stein and pretty much has every animal from the animal kingdom on a stick! Theres assorted house pickled veggies, a lobster tail, thick cut bacon, sausage, and even a slice of pizza on a stick! The caesar was little light on vodka for me but I think it was because of the large of amount of Clamato that was poured into the stein. The caesar overall had a nice flavour and I really liked the touch of horse radish. It is difficult for me to call this a cocktail since this was more a meal in a glass.

For the non-liquid portion of my meal I decided the to have the pulled pork eggs Benedict.

This was a very filling dish especially when I accompanied it with their signature caesar. The pulled pork was moist and tender and paired up very nicely with the poached egg. The only complaint I have was that the pulled pork contained large amounts of fat that are usually discarded but somehow found its way to my plate.


My dining companion ordered the ahi-tuna Sandwich on a multigrain croissant.

The ahi Tuna was nicely prepared to a medium rare and had a nice little kick of spice from the chilli peppers. The choice of using a multigrain croissant was a little odd for me. the croissant was a little denser then your normal croissant and wasn't as flaky as its regular counter part. I think if they served the ahi-tuna again on a regular croissant it would definitely taste much better.

This was a very enjoyable weekend brunch on a nice patio which makes me want to come back again. There  are still a few items on their brunch menu that I would like to come back and try and I might even challenge that monster caesar once again.

For More Information:
Hunter's Landing

What a Bagel? (actual restaurant name)

There are countless places to eat around the city for brunch but on this particular mid-day brunching hour I decided to finally visit "What a Bagel?" on Spadina. As the name suggests, "What a Bagel?" specializes in bagels at this jewish eatery. On your visit to "What a Bagel?" you can expect quite a bit of wait for table because I had to wait twenty minutes before I was seated at a table, which is not an uncommon occurrence from what I heard from other diners.

The dining area was quite cramped and uncomfortable. I was quite difficult to listen to what my dining companion was saying because it was quite loud and we were seated about six inches away from another couple. This wouldn't have been a problem if the day was warner and they opened their spacious patio but it seemed liked they tried to cram as many people they could in what little space they had. 

The food menu was quite large and had a lot of jewish speciality items you would expect such as matzo ball soup, cream cheese and lox.  "What a Bagel?" also sold a variety of Bagels for take out if you were hoping to bring home next days breakfast or be an office hero.

Avocado Turkey Bacon Club. 

After scanning through their menu I decided to order their speciality of the day, Avocado turkey bacon club.  The fries appeared to be double fried and were crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside like how good fries should be. The club, was stacked quite high with fresh tasting ingredients  on their home made bread. The avocado was a nice touch to the club because it added a nice creamy texture to the sandwich.  I wasn't so sure about the turkey bacon because I personally love the salty swine counter part more. 

lox (smoked salmon), chive cream cheese, tomato, 

red onion, capers 

My lovely dining companion ordered the "Big shot" which was lox (smoked salmon), chive cream cheese, tomato, red onion, capers on their signature bagel. This was a massive serving of food, which this picture does not due the dish justice. The lox was packed full of the smokey flavour everyone loves and combined with the chive cream cheese made it a match maid in heaven.... or on Spadina. 

The one take away for me is the massive amount of cream cheese on the bagel. The amount of cream cheese on the bagel was almost more then the amount of lox placed on the other side.

This would be a nice sunday brunch spot if I was sitting outside on their patio but unfortunately cramped space on the inside was quite distracting, especially when they seated us next to the heating pipes which made our dining experience quite warm. I'm looking forward to coming back to try their food and have a better dining experience.

For more information:

What a Bagel?

Going Greek on King

One of the latest offerings on King street is a small little establishment called "The Greek." "The Greek" is not your sit down and order type of restaurant but a "fast food restaurant." The space they occupy is a small space with a few tables and a counter where you place your orders.

The counter is surrounded by chalkboards listing all the different options. The menu is small and quite affordable with options starting from 3 dollars. This is quite an oddity because food offerings around this part of Toronto don't start at 3 dollars.

The seating space is bright and warm and would be a nice place to sit down and enjoy a meal and if you ever forget where you are, there is a big sign over the seating area to remind you.

On my very first visit to "The Greek" with my usual partner in crime we decided to order 3 different items off their menu: Pork Souvlaki on a stick, keftedes, and their greek poutine.

For the low low price of of 3 dollars you get a pork souvlaki, pita, tzatziki and slice of lemon. The pork was moist and hot right off their grill and went wonderfully with their garlicky tzatziki. This was quite a bit food for 3 dollars when you think about what 3 dollars can buy you. you can't even get a slice pizza or a burger at most places.

The keftedes were la lamb meat ball and were 4 to an order with tzatziki. The meatballs were well seasoned and packed full of flavour. The keftedes also came with an order of pita, which help make this almost a full meal.

My side kick and I decided to both order their greek poutine, which consisted of a large box of perfectly fried french fries smothered in pulled pork, tzatziki and feta cheese. This was quite the interesting take on poutine, the saltiness of the feta and the creamy garlic taste of the tzatziki really created a nice greek spin on the great canadian classic. It may be hard to tell from this picture but the serving was quite big and could possibly feed 3 people.

This was a pleasant surprise for me to find a spot on King Street West that makes affordable and delicious greek food. On my first visit I ordered mostly off the snack menu and enjoyed it so much that it makes me want to go back try some of their larger items off their menu. Its hard for me to recommend the Greek just yet but I would definitely recommend this place to satisfy any cravings for greek food.

For More Information:
The Greek

Valentine's Day!

It was that time of year again, Valentine's day! which means a big romantic dinner with my lady. For this lovely commercially produced day I decided to travel to "Soos" (still trying to figure out the pronunciation). "Soos" is a Malaysian restaurant that kicks it up a notch in terms of style and sophistication.

Usually when I think of asian style restaurants such as Chinese restaurants, Hong Kong cafes and various other asian establishments I think of places with cheap furniture and no frills in terms of food presentation. "Soos" breaks the mould of what most people think of an asian restaurant and presents themselves as a modern eatery with Malaysian style dishes with a twist (won't find Chinese take out boxes here). "Soos'" decor is very modern with lots of vintage touches in their various private dinning rooms. There is even a very large and well stocked bar, which they make delicious cocktails from their expert mixologists.

One of the first things I need to mention about "Soos" was the amazing service. The staff was friendly, helpful and always ready with fresh cutlery and plates when we needed them. My water glass was never half empty for longer then two minutes, which is a great indication of how attentive the staff was through out the night.

To start off the meal we decided to order cocktails.

my lovely date ordered their "Nagasari" which was amalgamation of Tanqueray gin, muddled dragon eyes, kaffir lime leaf, sparkling wine. The "Nagasari" wasn't too boozy and was refreshing and light tasting.

I, on the other hand went the other direction and ordered something that contained booze, booze and more booze, "The Lochness Mobster." This elixir contained blended scotch, martini bianco vermouth, lillet blanc. Even though "The lochness Mobster" is a strong drink, there are many different flavours to be enjoyed with its mixture of different liquors. Be forewarned "The Lochness Mobster" definitely packs a huge punch and is a drink you should slowly sip. 

Our appetizers were very quick to arrive to help us enjoy our wonderful cocktails.

Keropok

Our first appetizer were house made shrimp crackers with a house made peanut sauce (Keropok). The shrimp chips were light, airy and crispy like the perfect potato chip. The shrimp crackers almost packed a lot of shrimp flavour, almost as if you were being slapped in the mouth with a piece of shrimp. The peanut sauce a savoury and had bit of spice which complimented the shrimp crackers beautifully.

Red Chili Wings

For our second appetizer we ordered the "Red chili wings." Even though this dish is meant to be eaten with your hands like a cavemen, the dish was beautifully presented on a perfectly cut piece of banana leaf. With a name like "Red chili wings" most people would imagine flames coming out of their ears because of the spice but in reality the wings were more of a mild spice with loads of flavour. Each Drumstick/Flat was big and juicy and covered with their secret blend of spices that went off like fireworks in my mouth, tickling all my taste bugs (if only they served these wings at bars). 

For her main dish my lovely lady friend had what was labeled as "Sea shell",  scallops, squid and other pieces of seafood in a curry bouillabaisse. There was a nice variety of sea creatures on the dish in a flavour packed curry bouillabaisse. The bouillabaisse contained a lot of different spices and packed a bit of heat. It was a little odd for me to eat this dish with slices of baguette because usually Malaysian curries are served with a side of rice or on top of rice. The spices were a little overwhelming and I think a serving of rice would've been a better choice.

For my main I ordered off their specialty menu, a surf and turf. The surf part was a nicely grilled jumbo shrimp. The turf part of this dish was a medium cooked sliced piece of steak with a spicy sauce on top. This was a little bit of a disappointment: the steak was overcooked for my liking because I believe steaks should always be cooked rare to medium rare. The sauce on top of the steak overpowered the steak and left the taste of spices in your mouth. This was an "OK" take on the surf and turf but I've definitely had much better around the city.

The food at "Soos" had its ups and downs. The appetizers were fantastic and I still drool when I think of them but specials of the day were not so impressive. However, there were still a couple of dishes on their regular menu that I do want to try. This was still an impressive first visit and I would definitely come back again to try their delicacies.

For more information:

Soos

Winterlicious!!!! part deux!

In this never ending winter I went to my second Winterlicious event of the season, Momofuku. Momofuku quite widely known in the culinary world for its ramen, various other asian inspired dishes and its celebrity chef David Chang. This well known ramen establishment is located in one of Toronto's luxury hotels, Shangri-La.

Momofuku seems to have built itself quite the following in the states and in the media, which really surprised me when I walked into the restaurant and everything was quite unassuming. Inside looked like your typical Ramen place in Toronto. The decor was simplistic, clean, and really didn't have anything that made it stand out. There wasn't a lot of private tables for patrons because it was more communal tables to help feed the massive crowds that seemed to never really stop streaming into the restaurant. The communal tables can be off putting to some but I was perfectly fine with it because I've been to other ramen restaurants and other places which had the same kind of setup.

To start my meal at Momofuku I had their Kimchi in a jar and my dining companion I had their steamed pork bun.

Kimchi is exactly like it sounds: Kimchi stuffed into a large glass jar. The kimchi was actually quite tasty and was better then the kimchi I would get at korean restaurants. To be fair to the korean restaurants, the kimchi I get at restaurants is free and the jar I got here is something I paid for, which hopefully means Momofuku did something special with their kimchi. The Kimchi I had exploded with flavour and was spicy and sour.

When the pork bun arrived, I was a little surprised because it wasn't what I imagined.  I thought the bun would be your traditional steamed pork bun. The "bun" was good but it didn't really stand out too much.

Dan Dan Mein

The Robin to my culinary experience at Momofuku ordered the dan dan mein, a dry spicy pork noodle dish. The noodles used in the dish were the same noodles used in the ramen, the pork was seasoned well and was not as spicy as advertised. The noodles were tasty and went well with the pork but again this dish didn't really stand out from similar dishes I've had in the past.

Smoked Chicken Ramen

I had their smoked chicken ramen, also on their regular menu, which had a nice broth with tons of toppings. There was crispy chicken skins, a barely poached egg, mushrooms and all sorts of goodies. There was a lot of flavours going on, the broth was nice and there was an earthiness from the mushrooms. There was also a variety of textures to be enjoyed: the crispy chicken skin, the silky poached egg and of course the ramen noodles. This was a great ramen dish and I really enjoyed this as part of my 3 course meal.

 Chocolate Pudding

For the finale I had the chocolate pudding. The chocolate pudding was the highlight of the meal for me. The pudding was smooth and creamy like how great puddings should be. Floating on top of the pudding were chunks of the "compost cookie" and what I think were were chocolate covered malt balls. This wasn't a very heavy desert and was the perfect way for me to end my meal.

Compost Cookie

My dining companion ordered the compost cookie as recommended by the wait staff. The name might not sound appealing but I can guarantee you that it is one of the best cookies you'll ever have. There were chocolate chips, what I think was granola and oatmeal. The cookie was chewy on the inside and had a really nice crispy caramelized outside.

Here was the full Winterlicious menu form Momofuku:

This was a very filling meal and a great value for 15 dollars for 3 courses. Normally I would never go to Momofuku because the regular menu is quite steep but I'm glad that Winterlicious provided me the opportunity to have a Momofuku experience. I can't say I will be back anytime soon, but I will jump at another opporunity to come back for Summerlicious or Winterlicious.

For more information.

Momofuku

Winterlicious!!!! (Cibo)

To those that have no idea what Winterlicious is all about; It is a glorious time of year, much like Christmas,  when restaurants all over Toronto offer a price fixe menu to gluttonous people (like myself) at very affordable prices. For my very first foray into this wintery culinary adventure I braved the cold and traveled all the way to Cibo wine bar for some fine Italian fare.

Cibo wine bar, (pronounced Chee-Bo) is one of Toronto's latest addition to the wine bar scene. The wine bar is separated into two sections: one dining area and a one cocktail/bar area. The full menu is still available in both areas; the only difference between the two sections is the atmosphere. The dining area is just as it sounds, quieter then its counter part and well suited for a romantic night out with your significant other. The cocktail/bar area has more of club atmosphere with load music and a younger vibe.

Winterlicious restaurants usually offer two different price fixe menus: one for lunch and one for dinner. The lunch menu is often the better deal of two, which is why I went to Cibo for lunch. For 15 dollars at Cibo I was able to order a 3 course meal for lunch, pretty good deal considering its about the cost of 2 value meals at McDonalds.

Fresh bread with Olives

One of the best things at Cibo is their fresh baked bread, the bread is chewy, fresh tasting, and is topped off with some toasted herbs and salt (just drooling when I think about it). The olives were fresh tasting and looked like they were marinated in a chilli oil, too bad I hate the taste of olives.

For my first course I decided to see how they would handle the Caesar salad. The lettuce was fresh, the dressing was nice and the salad was not over dressed. The salad wasn't the greatest salad in the world but it was a light and a nice way to begin my meal.

My compatriot for this meal ordered the baked Eggplant. According to Cibo's menu the roasted eggplant had melted bocconici, parmigiano, with a light tomato sauce. When the dish first arrived to the table we both thought this dish was going to be heavy like a lasagna; we were very surprised that the dish was very light when got our grubby little mitts on it. The combination of the tomato sauce, egg plant and bocconici wasn't heavy but tasted fresh. Personally, for me the dish was a little bland a could have used a touch of salt and pepper.

Now for the main event of my meal, Quattro Stagioni (according to the menu). The delicious disk of food was topped with red peppers, mushrooms, olives, zuccini, and eggplants. The pizza was a thin crust neapolitan style pizza. Each slice of pizza packed a ton of flavour and loads of tasty veggies. Topping the slice of pizza with a little bit of their chilli oil creates a little bit of heaven in the palm of your hands.

The other main dish that arrived at the table was tagliatelle with shrimp, pesto, pine nuts, mascarpone in a touch of tomato sauce (again according to their menu). This was a little misleading because as you can see, it is actually tomato sauce with a touch of pesto instead of the other way around. The tomato sauce was creamy with a little bit of tartness and the shrimp was cooked perfectly and fresh like it was just fished out of the ocean. The tagliatelle was house made fresh pasta; cooked perfectly al dente. It was hard to stop myself from leaping across the table to consume this dish because it tasted so good.

To help me finish off my food coma, I ended my meal with a tiramisu martini. This was a very pretty dessert, which made it hard for me to want to plunge a spoon into it (for about 10 seconds). This was not an overly sweet desert but more of mature desert because you could really taste the espresso to compliment the nice cake beneath the whip cream instead of tasting tons of sugar and chocolate.

The vanilla bean panna cotta with candied blood orange and tangerine arrived next. This was a fantastic dessert, which wasn't overly sweet and had an amazing texture. The vanilla bean really stood out and combined with the candied blood orange sauce created a flavour explosion in my mouth. 

The meal here was quite amazing and the price here for Winterlicious is tough to beat. Cibo has extremely friendly staff and amazing food, which makes me want to come back soon and try something on their regular menu.

For more information:

Cibo Wine Bar 

Lobster, Lobster, and more Lobster

Lobsters are always considered to be one of the super elite foods that people eat at very haughty type restaurants, which is funny considering at one point in time lobsters were considered peasant food. On a very very chilly night in January I decided to visit Rock Lobster Food Co. to feast on delicious lobster and other creatures from the sea.

You may have heard of Rock Lobster Food Co. as they specialize in seafood and have made quite the effort in promoting their wares at a lot of food events in Toronto. Rock Lobster Food Co. Even has multiple locations; one located on the Ossignton strip between Dundas and Queen, and one around Queen and Bathurst (their step to ruling the Toronto seafood scene). For this entry I'll be talking about my visit to the Queen and Bathurst location.

The Rock Lobster Food Co. located on Queen and Bathurst is the newest addition to their empire and currently occupy the former neighbourhood favourite "Shanghai Cowgirl." When you first walk into the restaurant you feel like you've walked into an eloquent fish market (similar to Rodney's, if you've ever been there). There is fresh seafood right at the bar and the place brightly lit through out the restaurant.

On this cold winter night I decided to start my meal with one of Rock Lobster Food Company' s daily specials. Deep fried okra stuffed with shrimp, rolled in cornmeal and served with a donair sauce. I wasn't expecting a mountain of food but when it arrived to the table I was a little surprised at the diminutive size. However I can't be too upset about the portion size considering that it was only 6 dollars (when was the last time an appetizer in Toronto cost 6 dollars?) The okra halves were nicely fried and held a nice shrimp surprise in the middle. The donair sauce was something I've never seen before, which I discovered to be sweet and sour (upon further research, I discovered donair sauce is just condensed milk, vinegar and garlic) and complimented the tiny morsels nicely.

 For the main event of the evening, I feasted upon Rock Lobster Food Company's Lobster burger. This delicious creation is essentially a surf and turf between a burger bun. The burger patty was juicy and cooked to a beautiful medium (which is what all burgers should be cooked to). Now to make a good thing even better, the restaurant decided to top my burger with delicious lobster meat. At first I thought the taste of the lobster would be totally lost because of the beef's strong taste, but I was wrong. As I chomped into the burger and savoured my food, I could distinctly taste the lobster along with the beef. I thought the beef was still had a stronger taste than the lobster but both proteins did compliment each other really well.

Rock Lobster Food Company on Queen and Bathurst was unexpectedly good. I had my reservation because I thought the food was going to be too expensive and not live up to hype that Rock Lobster Food Company was building around their brand. The food was priced right and they were really really creative with their offerings. I personally can't wait to go back and bring my partner in crime.

For More Information:
Rock Lobster Food Company

Home of The Brave (no witty title needed)

One of the newest locations in Toronto that is starting to create a little bit of a buzz is a little spot located above Lou Dawgs called "Home of The Brave." I did have a few expectations of the place and I can safely say after my visit that it does exceed my expectations and does live up to its hype.

One of the first things you'll notice is the speak easy vibe that seems to surround the place. One of main eye catching pieces that I think most people will notice is the beautiful bar that sits at the front of this fine establishment; it is big and combines a western theme with the style of a prohibition bar. The space itself is not that big but is quite long and has quite a few booths spread through out the place, which indicates that this would be a great place for a few friends to enjoy some great food and drinks.

"Home of The Brave" lives up to its speak easy vibe by offering a nice variety of cocktails that are carefully crafted by their expert mixologist. On my visit I ordered their Bourbon and Beer, which does sound quite boozy but I can assure you the name is quite deceiving. Bourbon and beer actually consists of bourbon (of course), vanilla, femet (no idea what this is) , and root beer. This was one of the best concoctions that I have ever had. The cocktail wasn't overly sweet but was refreshing and i could pick up all of the flavours of the different ingredients (which is how a good cocktail should be.)

Looking over the menu you can immediately see that "Home of the Brave" focuses on home style comfort food with a twist; tater tots, and boloney sandwiches. For my dining pleasure on this visit I ordered one of their daily specials (and one of their best sellers) the chicken and waffles. This southern US dish was served with a savoury herbed waffle topped with crispy spicy fried pieces of chicken .......... (lost my train of thought for a moment).  The pieces of chicken were quite tender and when combined with with the savoury waffle and hot sauce honey..... well you just booked yourself a one way ticket to "flavour town" (yes i know a Guy Fieri reference.)

My culinary Side kick ordered on this visit another one of their best sellers, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Hand shake sandwich. This was quite the massive sandwich; the sandwich contained a massive seasoned and deep fried chicken quarter which was 90% deboned. Why was it 90% deboned? because they left the end with the chicken feet still attached to the chicken quarter, hence chicken "hand shake." I though this was quite amusing, unlike my slightly disturbed dining companion. After I helped my partner surgically remove the extremity from her sandwich, she dug in. This sandwich again displayed the virtuoso skill that seems to be working the deep fryer. The sandwich was seasoned like a piece of KFC chicken and was crunchy without being too oily. This was definitely a sandwich that surpasses one that could be offered by the original colonel.

I really enjoyed the vibe of "Home of The Brave," which created a nice dark ambient environment that wasn't too loud for me to enjoy. The home style food was a really big hit with me and always surprised me with their twist on things. I definitely want to head back and try their other menu items and bring my friends for a great night out on the town.

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Home of The Brave

Beef tasted better corned

You may call me simple but I cannot deny that I love sandwiches. Sure sandwiches can be simple but they can also be as complex as launching a NASA space shuttle. There always seems to be a never ending list of vegetables, meats, breads and spreads the can be used to assemble the perfect sandwich. However, sometimes the simplest sandwich can often be the best sandwich, just the like the sandwiches at “The Corned Beef House” in Toronto.

On another oh too familiar “had to stay late at work” kind of day I decided that I would venture through the concrete jungle in the entertainment district and scavenge for my dinner. My hunt didn’t seem to last too long as I found my prey on the corner of Adelaide and John, The Corned Beef House. I pushed open the glass doors to reveal a nice bar setting inside and walked up to a very pleasent server at the bar and handed my magical parchment to her, a coupon for 50% off a huge and a pop.

I quickly scanned through the menu and narrowed my decision to two choices. a voice inside my head said to me “a placed called the corned beef house, how could you not get corned beef sandwich?” but the more dopey voice inside of my head whispered “Montreal smoked meat” like sweet nothings in my ear. Well of course I made the obvious choice and picked the montreal smoked meat sandwich at a place called “The Corned Beef House”. It did seem a little blasphemous to be ordering a montreal smoked meat sandwich in Toronto and I did wonder if i was breaking some kind of law that I would need to take shelter from to hide from those montreal smoked meat purists.

The sandwich was assembled promptly and I assume with lots of tender loving care. The sandwich was quite basic; rye bread, 7 oz of delectable meats and mustard. One of the first things I noticed when I was served the sandwich was the delicious aroma emanating from the plate that remind me of sitting at the counter of a montreal deli. The food looked so good that I immediately dislocated my jaw to clamp down on my meal like a snake devouring a mouse. The bread was tasty and very sturdy, which it had to be in order to hold the mounds of deliciousness. The ambrosia like meat was very moist and salty and hit all the right taste buds in my mouth.

I hope nobody from montreal reads this but I think the montreal smoked sandwich could stand up toe to toe with the sandwiches from montreal. The flavours were there and “The Corned Beef House” kept it traditional by keeping it simple. After Sampling one of “The Corned Beef House’s” wares, i’m anticipating another visit to try what I assume is their specialty, the Reuben.

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Corned Beef House

Spain Invasion Part 1

For my summer vacation I decided to cross the ocean and into a new continent to help satisfy my craving for authentic paella. For my summer vacation my companion and I hopped around five different spanish cities in two weeks. During our travels, we feasted on traditional cuisine, fleeced at tourist traps, and dined on some of the freshest seafood in the world.

For the first stop of the trip, I went to Barcelona. Barcelona is a big bustling metropolitan city that has a fun party atmosphere around the clock. One reason why I think Barcelona is party city is because there seems to be a ton of small restaurants and bars spread around small streets on every neighbourhood (They also seem to be never closed).

Tagliatelle in a Bolognese Sauce and Spinach Tagliatelle in a cream sauce.

What do I eat when I first arrive in Spain? Italian Pasta of course! When I finally arrived in Barcelona, it was during their siesta and not that many restaurants were open. One of the few restaurants that were open was a pasta bar in Barcelona called "La Maquina."

"La Maquina" is a pasta bar that makes all of their pastas from scratch and uses nothing but fresh ingredients. "La Maquina" must like lumber because their walls are covered with wooden planks, which gives it a feeling of eating inside of a log cabin. The space was fairly large but still cozy enough for me to just have a few beers or a glass of wine (Vino as they say in Spain) and relax. 

I decided to order the tagliatelle in a bolognese sauce. The pasta dough was made from scratch and the pasta was boiled to order, which was a very nice touch because I knew I would be getting the freshest pasta possible. The tagliatelle was cooked perfectly al dente and it could've rivalled any pasta that can be found in Italy. The bolognese sauce didn't contain a lot of meat in it like other bolognese sauces that I've had before but it still complimented the pasta and was avery nice pairing. The pasta dish tasted fresh and tasty, which was a pleasant surprise because I just flew half way around the world to eat pasta in Spain and was enjoying it.

My partner in crime decided to go a slightly different direction with her meal choice and chose to have spinach tagliatelle in a cream sauce. The pasta dish was cooked perfectly but I personally found the cream sauce a bit too heavy. This plate of pasta was difficult to finish because the portion size was quite large and the heavy cream sauce filled us up even faster.

If I was a local, I would definitely come to "La Maquina" and have a meal because they make everything from scratch and use nothing but fresh ingredients. However as a tourist I find it difficult to recommend an Italian restaurant in spain because you don't really get to experience spain's rich culinary culture at "La Maquina"(unless you count Barcelona craft beer). 

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La Maquina

Little spots around the city (Chicago) Part 3

While I was visiting Chicago, I would wander around the city in the morning looking to find a good place to eat for breakfast. One morning I walked by a place that looked like a diner that was attached to a sub way station. Subway restaurants are not really known for their culinary delights or for having the best sanitary conditions but despite all that I decided to let my stomach lead to "Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House".

"Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House" is definitely a unique restaurant. At one end of the restaurant there is a subway exit (which is located right next to the diner style kitchen) and at the opposite end they have tall diner booths. Ronny's is not going to be winning any awards on on interior decorating but did appear to be a local favourite spot. The walls of restaurant are adorned with pictures of local celebrities and members of the city Council.

While I was standing in front of the menu board trying to decide what to have for breakfast, a local Chicagoan suggested to me that I get the steak and eggs special before they stopped serving the dish.  Heeding to his advice I placed my order for the steak and eggs special.

Steak and Eggs

When the food arrived in front of me, the first thought came to mind was "Wow, I think I'm going to get my money's worth". I don't think the picture does the food justice on the sheer size of the servings. This was an 8oz steak, 3 eggs, mountain of hash browns, giant texas toast and a slice of watermelon (to make sure the meal was healthy) for breakfast. 

This was not the best steak I've ever had but I was great steak. The steak was cooked to a nice medium rare, and was very juicy. The Eggs were also cooked perfect over easy, which allowed for a runny yolk to be spread on top of my hash browns like an avalanche on a mountainside. 

I really enjoyed the food here. It wasn't anything amazing or special but simple food done right. I almost forgot to mention that the heaping pile of food cost me a whooping $6.50.

If you are on a budget and looking for what appears to be a local hangout then I highly recommend that you head over and have a meal at "Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House."

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Ronny's Original Chicago Steak House

Little spots around the city (Chicago) Part 2

So to continue on with the theme of little chain sandwich shops around Chicago, we make our way to the "Corner Bakery Cafe." The "Corner Bakery Cafe" serves a variety of sandwiches, pastas, salads and coffees much like other chain cafes you may be familiar with.

The space for the "Corner Bakery Cafe" doesn't have anything in particular that makes it stand out. The space is nice and comfortable and decorated with a wood decor.  The cafe has your typical coffee shop vibe, where you can buy a cup of java and you can sit around and write your autobiography.

Sliced Meatball Sandwich and Chicken Noodle Soup

On my visit I decided to order a soup and sandwich combo, the sliced meatball panini and a bowl of their chicken noodle soup to warm me up. The panini was well made and was nice and crusty on both sides. The cheese was warm and gooey and the meat was plentiful. The meatballs themselves must have been the size of a small fruit because when I opened up the sandwich, large discs of meat were staring right back at me. The soup wasn't really anything special, it was your typical chicken soup that can be found at almost any typical sandwich shop in north america.

The "Corner Bakery Cafe" was quite popular with the locals because the place quickly filled up with patrons while I was chowing down on my panini. The "Corner Bakery Cafe" is the perfect place for picking up a quick bit to eat or if you were looking for a quiet place to finish up your essay.  It isn't a place to expect anything amazing or special but is safe bet for something familiar and comforting.

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Corner Bakery Cafe

Little spots around the city (Chicago) Part 1

On my trip to Chicago I decided that I would try to go to as many Chicagoan type places as possible during my stay there. Unfortunately I was only there for a short while and there were a lot of hidden Gems around the city. So I thought I would share some of the little spots I visited to grab a sandwich or a quick bite to eat while I was acting like your typical tourist.

On my very first day in Chicago I decided to fill my stomach after the long flight with a sandwich from "Pot Belly's". "Pot Belly's" is a chain of sandwich shops specific only to Chicago. This sandwich place isn't your typical run-in-run-out sandwich place that we are all accustomed but actually offers a comfortable eating space and a few things you wouldn't expect from a sandwich shop. "Pot Belly's" looks and is decorated like your neighborhood deli and makes use of a lot of wood for it's decor. It's pretty spacious and while it's no fine dining restaurant, it is still a very comfortable and inviting place to chow down on your sandwich. While I was eating my sandwich I noticed that there was live music playing, which was a nice touch to make the place more of a neighborhood hang out.

Italian Sandwich and Dill Pickle

Roast Beef Sandwich

On my visit here I had their Italian sandwich and probably the largest dill pickle I have ever seen or consumed in one sitting. The Italian sandwich was well made and quite tasty but wasn't really anything special or out of the ordinary. The sandwich contained what you would typically would find in an Italian sandwich. The pickle on the hand was quite good, I say that because I like dill pickles. it was huge and packed full of juicy dill pickle flavour (like a punch to the face). My traveling buddy decided they would dine on a roast beef sandwich. As you can see from the expertly taken picture, the provolone cheese on the sandwich was nice and gooey. The beef was not dry and juicy and was delivered on a low calorie bread. Again this sandwich was not spectacular but very satisfying and well made.

The sandwiches here are not anything special but they do deliver a tasty sandwich that hits the spot when you have munchies while wandering around the street. The best thing about this place wouldn't be the food but the atmosphere. The place is warm and inviting and the live music just adds to the vibe of a neighbourhood hang out.

For More Information.
Pot Belly's

Who's House? Chef's House

On a cold wintery night I decided to have a nice warm meal at the "Chef's House." The "Chef's house" is a student run culinary restaurant by George Brown College. The culinary students are the ones that cook your meal, take your order and even pour your beer, which is something I can appreciate because I know the money I spend on the meal will be going directly back to educating these young future chefs.

The space is decorated to be modern but not pretentious. The kitchen for the restaurant is large and long  and is actually a feature point for the restaurant. The restaurant is covered in TV monitors while the kitchen is covered with cameras directed at the students chefs in action. The restaurant's space was decorated very well and you would've never have known it was school building (at least not until you start looking for the bathroom). The wait staff were attentive and very courteous (though it was kind of fun to see how nervous the student wait staff were).

The Menu is small, which I believe was done so not to overwhelm the young chefs. There was a choice of three starters, three mains and three deserts. On this particular cold winter night my companion and I decided to order one of each. 

Before any of our courses were served a roasted sweet potato leek soup, with coconut cream, spiced walnuts came out first.

Roasted Sweet Potato

This soup was more of a puree then a thin soup. The sweet potato soup was a sweet soup which really didn't suit my tastes. I personally don't like sweet soups and I thought this soup was particularly sweet. The texture was smooth but the sweet potato was sweet and the coconut cream was sweet, which I thought was too much (Food show judges say it all the time, "too sweet because it was sweet on sweet"). The spiced Walnuts were a nice touch, the walnuts had a little bit of spice and added a crunchy element to the soup.

Next up were our starters: a house smoked trout, picked Cookstown beet, candied olives and a baked three‐mushroom strudel, spinach puree, Woolwich goats’ brie cheese.

House smoked Trout

The smoked trout with pickled beets and candied olives was a very enjoyable dish. The fish delivered a nice subtle smokiness to compliment the acidity of the pickled beet. The portion size was perfect too as to leave you with plenty of room for the next two courses.

Three‐Mushroom Strudel

The mushroom strudel had loads of flavour packed in between the flaky crust. The mushrooms were delicious and had a nice earthy taste. Combing the strudel with the creaminess of the brie and the freshness of the spinach puree creates an amazing tasty bite which I highly recommend everyone to try. 

Next up to bat were out main courses: braised beef short rib, Yukon gold pave, glazed cipollini onions and Butternut Squash & Ricotta Agnolotti, Hazelnuts, Brown Butter.

braised beef short rib.

The braised beef was expertly prepared by the young chefs. Some restaurant that serve a braised beef short ribs sometimes sacrifice tenderness for having a moist piece of meat or vice-versa but the braised short rib I was served was not only a generous portion but was extremely tender and moist. The Yukon gold pave was something I haven't heard of but was a delicious side (beef and potatoes, what not love?). The best way I can describe a Yukon gold pave would be a side dish of scallop potatoes. The potatoes were not too soft and still maintained a nice texture of sliced potatoes stacked on top of each other to compliment the tenderness of the beef.

Ricotta Agnolotti

The ricotta agnolotti like the roasted sweet potato soup really didn't suit my tastes. This was not a savoury dish and was on the sweet side. the pasta was cooked right and was al dente and the hazelnuts added another dimension to the texture but the dish as a whole didn't work for me. After having a sweet soup and then getting a sweet main to follow really was not a very good combination (at least for me).

and finally we have our deserts:

.....

well it was a little better then that.

My Associate and I had the mixed berry crumble with sour cream gelato and the flour less chocolate cake.

Mixed Berry Crumble

The mixed berry crumble was a really tasty desert and had a really nice balance of flavours. There was the sweet and sourness from the berries, and the cold, and creamy sour cream gelato. The only change I would suggest is to make the shell that held the berries less dense. I thought a thinner pastry shell would've helped highlight the berries a little better.

Flour less Chocolate Cake

The flour less chocolate cake was beautiful presented on an off centered plate and a splash of raspberry coulis. If I was a bigger chocolate lover I think I would've looked this desert better. This desert was more like a brownie and packs loads of chocolate flavour. I've never been a very big fan of brownies and thought this desert packed too much sugar on one dish. The raspberry coulis was a good way to cut through the sweetness with a bit sourness.

The Chef's House had a lot of hits and misses for me overall but I enjoyed the experience.  The student servers were all very attentive and tried their hardest to make sure we enjoyed our food. I would like to comeback again to the chefs house and try their new menu because I know the service will be top notch and the chefs would be trying their hardest to make the absolute best dish.

For More Information:
The Chef's House