Showing posts with label braised beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label braised beef. Show all posts

CLOSED: Teara Lab (Toronto)



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!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:





CLOSED: Ici Bistro (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 538 Manning Avenue
Type of Meal: Dinner



Ici Bistro has a chef that certainly sounds French – Chef Jean-Pierre Challet.  Having been born and raised in Lyon, it’s refreshing to eat creations from individuals who have actually lived and breathed the lifestyle.  At Ici, the menu offer classics with a twist of fushion – think flavourful sauces and rich ingredients synonymous with French cooking but also additions of guacamole, ginger and Asian pear.


To begin, an amuse of salted cod and butternut squash fritters were presented.  Served warm, the fritters were soft, doughy and had a nice brininess from the fish.  






Ici has a fairly limited menu but each dish can be ordered as a small or large portion, allowing you to customize what you want as a starter. With the exception of the scallop, all dishes and prices listed below are for the small option.  Although many of us opted for two small choices (rather than one small and one large) we were more than satisfied as the dishes are so rich that it’d be hard to eat more of it.


My starter of avocado fritter, crispy squid and guacamole ($15) was very tempura like with the various nuggets of fried goods.  The guacamole was extremely citrusy but leant itself to being paired with the fried squid helping to cut through some of the oiliness.  The avocado “fritters” were actually just pieces of avocado battered and fried so I wouldn’t actually consider them fritters.  They were okay, but a bit much when there’s already guacamole on the plate, a different vegetable would have been preferred.


In tasting my friend’s lobster bisque ($16) I found it was very gingery from the minced pieces they put in the oil topping the soup.  It was calmed down once my friend had the chance to mix it into the bisque.  The presentation was nice with the crème fraiche foam (?) and the fried shrimp on top.


Duck is one of those proteins I love but never cook at home.  So, when I’m out and it’s on the menu I love to get it.  The breast in Ici’s duck magret ($22) was rendered well giving it a thin layer of toasted skin while the meat was a nice medium and tender.  The cherry wine sauce covering it was tarte and delicious, I just wished everything could be hotter (although it’s likely because they had to rest the duck prior to cutting). On the side, was a plump duck confit ravioli, though based on the thin wrapper is more like a dumpling, which was filled with flavourful confit meat.  Another strong tasting element was the truffle croquette; as soon as you broke through the bread crumb coating an ooze of chopped up truffle with cheese/cream flowed out.  The creamy truffle mixture actually went well with the slices of potatoes and green beans, the sole elements of the dish that were more neutral tasting.


My friend’s scallops ($36) were exquisitely presented in a tower form, cut in half with a layer of king crab in between then sandwiched in slices of crispy Asian pear.  Overall, was delicious with the scallop cooked well.  I found the pear accompaniment intriguing but the scallop’s flavour was masked by the other ingredients.  On each side of the scallop were a poached lobster claw and a potato and spring onion (?) risotto.


Having been slow cooked for four hours, the braised beef ($21) was tender despite the lean cut of meat. Sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes with a vegetable medley on the side the small portion was still quite a substantial meal.  Little nuggets of deep fried bone marrow mixed with slivers of beef were intense despite their size – I had a quarter of one and as soon as it hit the tongue a beefy fat flavour flooded everything (so watch out before you pop an entire one into your mouth).


For dessert we ordered two soufflés ($16 each) to share - grand marnier and chocolate griottine.  They were beautifully risen and each served with a sauce to pour in - vanilla custard for the grand marnier and a dark chocolate ganache with the chocolate griottine.  The only bad element was the pieces of fruit inside the batter - big pieces of orange rind and drunken cherries.  Personally, I hate fruit in desserts (with the exception of sponge cake, cheesecake, pies and crumble). Especially with the light bubbliness of a soufflé, the harsh pieces of fruit somewhat ruined it and I had to pick them out.


Despite having a relatively lean staff, service was friendly and attentive. The only strange occurrence happened when we asked the server a question about the menu; she had to revert to the lone waitress to answer that instead. Really, everyone who works for a restaurant should really know what they are serving.   Nonetheless, I enjoyed the experience and left full and sedated.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10



Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - 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!