CLOSED: Teara Lab (Toronto)

Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 by


Aside from the stark modern white interior and the employees donned in lab coats, Teara Lab has little in common with science. Rather the technical nature of the restaurant’s name was inspired by their desire to keep inventing new unique menu items; their lead scientist … er head chef … Frank Liu set out to create a menu of sandwiches, which combines hearty ingredients with a Japanese twist.

The Japanese influence was entirely evident in the yuzu teriyaki fish burger ($8.49), a baked basa filet glazed in a citrusy savoury sauce that’s surprisingly tart, in a good way. Such a refreshing sandwich despite having havarti cheese and crispy onions on top. The Ace Bakery black bun makes it stand out, but still tastes like any other bread – how amazing would it be to colour the bun with cuttlefish ink instead?

On the other hand, the red wine braised short rib sandwich ($13.99) didn’t remind me of the East at all, considering it was made up of beef, caramelized onions, and cheese. Really, at first glance it could be a Philly cheesesteak without the peppers. But, as you taste it carefully, the sautéed enoki mushrooms come through … subtle, but the “twist” is there.


In the end, does it matter? The short rib was delicious and flavourful, an unexpectedly thick chunk of it accompanying the sandwich. The soft hot dog bun doesn’t stand a chance holding up against the sheer amount of other ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes and crispy onions), it’s messy but worth every juicy sticky drop.


If the sheer number of toppings isn’t enough, you can really Canadianize any sandwich by adding extra cheese ($1) or candied bacon ($1.50). Plus, for an additional $2, they’ll include hot crispy seaweed dusted fries and a pop.

With all of Teara Lab’s interesting sounding drinks, it’s hard to settle for a Coke Zero. So, my friend and I upgraded to a slush, served in a take-out cup, which made it perfect for walking around with on a hot summer’s day. A drink upgrade, with a combo, is calculated as the drink’s menu price less $1.50.

The mango slush ($4.50 for the large) is fruity and refreshing, not unlike what’s commonly found in bubble tea cafes. I particularly enjoyed the matcha red bean slush ($4.70 for the medium): the cool ice having a rich green tea flavour and sweetness originating from the thick red bean mixture.


Teara Lab’s sitting area is surprisingly elegant for a quick-service restaurant: a clean palette of white marble and simple non-purse friendly black chairs. As you enter the restaurant, place an order than grab a seat, when the sandwich is ready it’ll be brought over.


The establishment’s website predicts it’s going to be the next Japanese trend, attracting throngs of hungry customers. I don’t know if it’s going to elicit ridiculous lines, but a large sandwich stuffed with premium ingredients, surely the crowds will leave at least satisfied.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 181 College Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

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CLOSED: Little Piggy's (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2016 by

This Little Piggy went to the market and the market appears to be in Bloor West. The owners of Thornhill’s Piggy recently opened a second location downtown offering a condensed menu of Korean favourites. When Meet-Up group Eat N’ Mingle organized a dinner to the restaurant, Rey made it sound so delicious I had to try it out. The actual cost for the meet-up was $35 per person; regular prices are included below for reference.

Following traditions, a selection of banchan (side dishes) containing pickled vegetable and fermented kimchi arrives before the meal begins. Prior to the onslaught of meat and carbohydrates, I rather like the custom of eating vegetables first. After all, the salads help to negate the effects of pork belly, right? Aside from the flavourful sangchu geotjeori, a leafy salad dressed in a spicy vinaigrette, the restaurant also serves a mild iceburg topped with a creamy sesame dressing.

Their mixed BBQ combination ($41.95) contains pork belly, Korean-style beef and garlic pork. Personally, I prefer the meat marinated so you don’t need to rely on the garlic oil or bean paste condiments for flavour. Moreover, as the marinade’s sugars cook, they give off such a lovely aroma and leaves a lovely caramelized crust on the meat.


Luckily, Little Piggy’s beef was well infused with flavour: the restaurant uses fruits in their house-made sauces instead of just sugar. On the pork there’s a thick garlic and green onion paste that you can certainly smell as the meat cooks.


The restaurant uses a portable cooking plate, brought to the table only if Korean BBQ is ordered, helping to save space. However, the downfall of it not being built into the table is that while food cooks the juices and oil splash over the edge (sometimes giving you a sting on the arm). You’ll want to ensure drinks are nowhere near the cooking vessel unless you want an oily film on top.

In terms of starches, our meal had the typical favourites:
  • Japchae ($8.95): chewy glass noodles tossed in a sweet soy seasoning and slivered vegetables. The dish was decent and had we not inhaled it to start could have complimented the cooked meat nicely.

  • Tteokbokki ($7.95 additional $2.95 for the fish cake): sticky rice cakes smothered in a sweet gochujang sauce with onions and fish cakes. The sauce was too sugary for my taste – even a neighbouring table described theirs as sweet Ragu sauce. To be fair, ours still had a hit of the fiery kick from the red chili paste, it was simply overpowered by the sweetness. Additionally, we all agreed the tteokbokki needed more rice cakes – with a table of four we each only consumed about two rice cakes compared to the mountain of other ingredients on top.

I’d go for the UFO fried rice ($12.95) instead. Served in a hot cast-iron plate, the fried rice is surrounded by a thin steamed egg. The egg is good by itself or once mixed around into the rice and left for a while, starts to develop a lovely crust on the bottom. The saltiness from pieces of beef and bacon (?) and the crispy potato slivers on top makes for one interesting and tasty dish.



Something I’ve seen all over Instagram is their cheerful cocktails – the sweet fruit punch-like grapefruit soju ($7.95) arriving in a smiling cup that admittedly is infectious.


Additionally, another well photographed signature dish is the Oink Oink soft-serve ice cream ($2.95 for the dessert size) – don’t worry, despite the name there’s no pork in the dessert – a vanilla soft-serve topped with honeycomb. Although it makes for a great picture, the actual product isn’t the tastiest given the ice cream’s cold temperature causes the comb’s wax to harden. In the end, after trying the honey, you’re left with a chewy ball of wax to spit out.


My advice to the owners is to reformulate the dessert. If you’re going to title something “oink oink” why not actually add something pig related to it? A really thin piece of candied un-smoked bacon could pair better with cold soft-serve. After all, if this Little Piggy’s going to the market, it might as well bring something special.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 469 Bloor Street West


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

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CLOSED: Rashers (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2016 by


It’s no shock that Torontonians like bacon … after all, when your city’s nicknamed “Hogtown” its constituents will know a thing or two about pork. Wife and husband duo, Julie and Richard, is fulfilling Toronto’s love for the ingredient with a new Rasher’s location in Ossington.

The restaurant first started when Richard discovered Toronto lacked the beloved bacon sandwiches he ate with gusto in the UK. Sure, there were restaurants that offered peameal versions or others topped with the typical strip bacon, but none offered the British style he craved.  With the ingredient not being produced in the city, the duo eventually convinced Perth Pork Products, a farm near Stratford, to produce the cut for Rashers.

The British bacon is best showcased in the Bacon Butty ($8), a simple sandwich combining the meat on toasted white bread and brown sauce. Thank you Rashers for introducing Toronto to this cut, my favourite of the night! The British bacon combines the meatiness of peameal with some of the belly fat on the strip to add flavour and moisture. The house-made brown sauce is like HP, a combination of 24 different ingredients to give the dish a vinegary Worcestershire kick. Surprisingly, even with the sheer amount of meat, the sandwich doesn’t feel heavy.


Nursing a hangover? The Hogtown ($8) with fried egg (an extra $1) would be perfect for calming any queasiness. Plenty of sliced peameal, a slightly runny fried egg and a soft bun makes for a hearty sandwich. I only wish there was less of the ale mustard – although it’s nice and grainy, I found the sheer amount starting to cover the meat.


If you like your bacon crispy, the Bacon Caesar ($9) crams in ample strips of the smoky variety topped with crisp garlicky romaine laced with parmesan. The ciabatta bun could be replaced with something thinner, but the hard bread could be a nod to croutons.


The Bacon Burger ($11) is definitely for meat lovers: starting with a thick ground beef patty stuffed with diced bacon and then more strips on top! As a warning, the patty is thoroughly cooked so the burger is rather dense - not crumbling and moist if that’s what you prefer.


A great combination is the Brie & Bacon ($10), the crispy strips covered with sweet caramelized onions, gooey melted brie and a creamy garlic aioli. The sandwich is delicious and decadent; what a flavourful concoction despite the plain looking exterior.


Grab the Apple and Maple Grilled Cheese ($9.50) if you’re in the mood for something sweet and savoury. It’s still a fairly savoury sandwich from the salty bacon, melted cheddar cheese and buttery bread. But, the apple chutney mixed with cinnamon gives it a sweet spike … reminding me a cheddar cheese apple pie. Yum!


Don’t even think of ordering a salad - Rasher’s only sides are hand cut wedges ($4) or curly fries ($4). With a choice of seasoning (roasted garlic or smoked paprika), they are hot, crispy and satisfying.


Rasher’s menu boldly encourages substitutions – for me I’d change the meat in any of the sandwiches with the British bacon, what an amazing cut. And maybe if you’re feeling especially adventurous, how about one that combines all three?

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 182 Ossington Avenue

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

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M'Zaar (Toronto)

Posted on Wednesday, July 06, 2016 by

Finally! A place that serves shawarma without rendering the meat into a dry rubbery mess. M'Zaar’s chicken shawarma platter ($11.49 for a large) remains moist, perhaps from using a fattier cut (evident from the oil slick remaining on the plate). Where the dish lacks in healthiness it makes up with flavour, so tasty that I didn’t even need additional condiments except for a splash of hot sauce for heat.


Unlike other restaurants where the garlic sauce is fluffy and the consistency of frosting, M’Zaar’s is runnier and reminds me of a very garlicky baba ghannouj. Mixed into the huge mound of fragrant rice, along the with the chicken’s juices, it was a rich and filling meal. Thankfully, the platter does arrive with green salad and pickled vegetables to add some freshness to an otherwise heavy dish.

The baba ghannouj ($5.29) is silky smooth with a light roasted eggplant essence peeking through. I rather enjoyed the bits of tabouleh sprinkled over top to add a spark of flavour.  Served with a warm pita, the dip is a surprisingly hefty portion for the low price. Sharing the two dishes with a friend, we were more than satisfied and still had a bit leftover.


M’Zaar a laid-back small quick-service restaurant. It isn’t fancy and lacks air conditioning, so in the warmer months try to score a table by the door. Nonetheless, the owner/chef greets you warmly and their food is plentiful and delicious. Their chicken shawarma, from my past experiences, is one of the best I’ve tried. 


Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 668 Yonge Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

M'Zaar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Perfect Chinese Restaurant 雅瓊海鮮酒家 for dim sum (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2016 by

The most affordable dim sum in Toronto has to be at Perfect Chinese Restaurant: on weekdays most dishes are $1.80 rising to $2 in their “VIP” room, weekends all standard dishes are $2. Of course, they do have certain “special” items peddled from the dim sum carts, but theses are still $3 or less. Even the customary tea charge is only $0.60 per person. If there’s a place that’s cheaper, I certainly haven’t found it.

Even with the low prices, the quality of Perfect’s dim sum is good and certain dishes even larger than competitors. So how do they do it? You’ll find out the moment you pull into the old neglected plaza and sit down in their dated dining room – the surroundings aren’t palatial, but the low rent and passé décor means savings in your pocket.

Perfect has such a large selection it’d be impossible to highlight even half of their offerings in this post. Instead, this will focus on the dim sum that’s particularly good, bad or I find special as it’s hard to find elsewhere.    

Stepping away from the “hamburger” method of providing feedback, we’ll start with the poorly constructed dishes. Their nuggets of tofu and fish paste ($2) has an awful mushy and sticky consistency. Save for some saltiness from the sauce, they lack flavour and are forgettable. Moreover, their pork & dried vegetable congee ($2) is gritty from the poorly soaked vegetable, so I’d stick with the chicken & corn version instead.


Luckily, they have a lot of good offerings. When the steamed shrimp and scallop dumpling ($2.20) is hot (a shame they’re not served covered in bamboo steamers), these umami laced dumplings are fantastic and beat the traditional har gow any day. Aside from seafood, the filling contains diced celery adding a lovely refreshing crunch to the dumpling.


If you’re a fan of ham shuy gok, the oval crispy orbs filled with minced pork, the shrimp version is worth a try. Shaped like crescents, inside is a fair amount of shrimp dressed up with chives. The crisp slightly sweet glutinous coating is similar to what’s used in the popular pork dish.


Getting a clay pot of their regular rice ($2) will require luck as they’re generally gone by the time the cart arrives to your table (people go to the cart). If you don’t like hunting down the food, splurge on the baked seafood ($3) one that arrives piping hot with a creamy shrimp, scallop and squid sauce on top of fried rice.


Their fried quail ($2.75) is a steal for a dish that takes so much preparation (brining, drying and then cooking). It’s well marinated for flavour and deep fried giving the skin a crispiness similar to Peking duck but the fowl meat juicier.


You can find pan-fried turnip ($2) or taro cake ($2) anywhere, but Perfect still uses the old fashioned cooking carts giving you a hotter dish. Moreover, they really take the time to allow a golden crust to develop and if you ask nicely you can mix-and-match any three pieces from the savoury turnip & taro or sweet chestnut offerings. 


For dessert you really should try their steamed glutinous dumplings filled with red bean paste ($2). Sometimes it can be hard to rip off the bamboo leaf wrapped around it, but the chewy soft dessert is very tasty. The steamed custard roll ($2.20) is also a nice choice, the fluffy light sponge cake smeared with a thick egg custard – a light but satisfying sweet.


After stuffing yourself with dim sum take the time to walk around the plaza. There’s an eerie quality to the abandoned stores that seem frozen in time: a relic space heater left in one and an entire supermarket filled with empty shelves. 


As a teenager there was even a defunct bakery with its display wedding cakes still featured prominently at the window. Perfect Chinese Restaurant has out lasted them all, survival of the fittest.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4386 Sheppard Avenue East 

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Perfect Chinese Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Smash Kitchen for Brunch (Markham)

Posted on Saturday, July 02, 2016 by


When I don’t feel like trekking downtown for brunch, Smash Kitchen is a great alternative – they accept reservations and have all the typical favourites (egg dishes, chicken & waffles, burgers, etc.). If you’re feeling particularly hungry, their $20 prix fixe is a steal including any main (except the chicken & waffles), dessert, and coffee or tea.

I first discovered crab cake eggs benedict in San Francisco and since craved the decadent dish again. So, when it was on Smash Kitchen’s menu ($15 a la carte), deciding what to eat was a breeze. The thick runny egg yolk pairs nicely with the crispy coating on the cake and its seafood juices. Being denser patties, filled with crab and maybe even shrimp (?), the crab cakes held up against the eggs and hollandaise.


Pico de gallo was scattered over the benedict helping to cut through the richness. If only the seasoned home fries were hotter (albeit were crispy and cooked through), this would have been a perfect dish.

For dessert there’s a selection of chocolate mousse, cheese cake or berries; but, I wanted the vanilla butter waffle. Thankfully, they allowed this substitute and an entire golden Belgium waffle followed (in my defense, I did share it with a friend).


If you enjoy crispy waffles you’ll love them at Smash Kitchen. I found the waffle dry, which may be a result of it being served lukewarm and the butter on top not melting and soaking into the dessert. Nonetheless, with enough maple syrup, it was salvageable and still decent.

Sweet crispy crab cakes smothered in hot yolk, so glad they’re found in Markham. Plus, this time I didn’t even need to trudge up a huge hill to get them.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Markham, Canada
 Address: 4261 Highway 7 East

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Smash Kitchen & Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Harvest Kitchen (Toronto)

Posted on Friday, July 01, 2016 by


I like restaurants that support local farmers, make the majority of their ingredients in-house, and attempts to serve things fresh, so it’s a shame that our brunch at Harvest Kitchen went poorly. It started while getting a table – there’s no reservations and don’t even think about being seated before the entire group arrives. Luckily, even with the two limitations, we snagged a table for six on their pretty rooftop patio by arriving shortly after 11am.

Harvest Kitchen isn’t the only restaurant to introduce strict seating policies during brunch, so the above could be easily overlooked, if our meal was just served together. It’s understandable that there will always be a delay in getting food when you have a larger group; servers need time to go back to the kitchen and pick up further plates. But, to have half the table get their food and the remaining parties not arriving until HALF AN HOUR later, that’s ridiculous. It’s even worse when the neighbouring table, arriving and ordering well after us, get their food before the last of our dishes arrive.

Honestly, I’m not sure the food was worth the wait. Sure, the Pingue’s peameal bacon eggs benedict ($14.95) looked good and the poached eggs were cooked well so the golden yolk remained runny, but the vinegar from the cooking liquid was so pronounced that it ruined the hollandaise sauce. Moreover, the peameal bacon and home fries were lukewarm, it seemed like the dish sat around despite being rushed from the kitchen at their peak like the waiter described.


The best part of the meal was the Florida Sunrise ($8.95), a refreshing cocktail combining Prosecco, Stiegl Radler and Campari. The grapefruit beer was cooling and extra bubbly from the Prosecco, a lovely drink for an otherwise disappointing meal.


Perhaps if our waiter offered an explanation, instead of assuring the three of us to eat first as the other dishes would be arriving in five minutes (lying to customers is never a good thing), the long wait wouldn’t have stung as much. Alas, there was no excuse, no offer to comp the other three meals, not even so much as an apology. For a town that’s filled with eggs benedicts, I’ll happily have mine elsewhere.  

Overall mark - 5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 124 Harbord Street


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:



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