Showing posts with label cheap eats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheap eats. Show all posts

GB Hand Pulled Noodles (Toronto)


Torontonians have an affinity for noodles. Whether it be pasta, pho, udon, or ramen; as soon as the weather gets cold, a hefty portion of the comforting carbs is something I yearn for. The new kid in town is the Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles. Chefs take a giant ball of dough and slam it onto a hard surface … fold, pull, and then repeat until it gets elastic and forms into long strands.


They’re then pulled to various levels of thickness. At GB Hand-Pulled Noodles, it ranges from super thin to extremely wide with five other options in between. Hearing people order before me, I decided on the medium wide, which is one notch under the widest side of the spectrum.

Visiting during a weekday lunch, the place already had a queue of ten at the door. But, the line moves fairly quickly since they have streamlined operations that would make many automated facilities proud. However, the waiting process is a bit haphazard given they don’t give out numbers – you just wait in line and remember who is before and after your table. Once you get near the front, they will ask for the number of guests and as a table is about to clear, you’re handed a laminated menu so you place your order before even being seated.

Within minutes of taking our seat the appetizer arrives. The Lanzhou spicy beef shank ($8.99) consisted of seven long slices of tender lean beef are tossed in a peppercorn laced chili oil, which looks fiery red but has a very mild heat. My coworker describes it perfectly – you taste the spice on your tongue but not in the throat.


Since we visited on a Friday, I ordered the braised beef tendon noodles ($13.99), a dish only available Friday-Sunday. Perhaps it was the first day of the weekend, but about a quarter of the pieces were still hard to bite through and didn’t offer that lovely chewy gelatinous texture. The smaller pieces were well braised and tasty.


Nonetheless, it really doesn’t matter as I was there for the carbs. GB’s noodles are one of the better options I’ve had in Ontario, the dough evenly pulled so even the medium wide noodles didn’t become chewy in the centre but mushy around the edges. Moreover, they stayed fairly chewy throughout the meal as it took me a while to attempt to get through the huge portion … alas, I had to just finish the beef and leave the noodles, a practice my parents have engrained in me as a child.

The broth itself was fairly simple and clear, most of the beefy flavours coming from the braised tendon liquids that get spooned into the bowl. Adding some of the chili oil at the table and it became a rich soup that went so nicely with the doughy strands. The bowl is finished off with blanched bok choy, turnip slices, and a sprinkling of scallions.

I love all the hot steaming bowls of noodle options we have across the city. With the cold weather descending upon us, I’ll be tucking into bowls of the stuff for weeks to come.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 66 Edward 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:



GB Hand-Pulled Noodles Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Beef Noodle Restaurant 老李牛肉麵 (Toronto)



Tucked in the far corner of a small Scarborough plaza, Beef Noodle House isn’t the easiest place to find. The only tell-tale sign of the business is their stand-up sign out front. It will lead you into a dark corner where you’ll enter a place that’s not much brighter. The dining room looks dated, but is larger than what you’d expect from a place serving noodles. Moreover, you won’t feel like you’re in a Chinese restaurant … just go with it.

What comes out of the kitchen is truly Asian. Given their name, you can’t visit and not try their braised beef noodles with brown sauce ($9.95). A sizeable bowl arrives filled with thick doughy noodles and generously sliced pieces of tender beef. While the noodles don’t appear to be the hand pulled variety, I like their firmer texture and the broth is strongly flavoured – salty and with a hit of heat – to hold up against it.


Add on a “one-person” combo and a plate of vegetables and it’s more than enough food for three people. The combo is an amazing deal, for $9.95 there a variety of dishes to choose from, each arriving with a bowl of steamed rice and a large bowl of diced vegetable, tofu, and mushroom soup (it could use more salt).


The three cup chicken in casserole pot arrives with that signature caramelized ginger and onion aroma. Well braised, the chicken has a stronger rice wine taste than expected: after all, the sauce made from equal amounts of soy sauce, sesame oil, and the rice wine. Indeed, the generous portion of sesame oil does mean the sauce gets a little greasy, but also makes for a fragrant dish, especially when combined with the ginger, garlic, and Thai basil.


Similarly, the General Tao chicken is a heaping plate of lightly battered diced chicken that’s barely coated with a sweet and savoury sauce – despite looking bare, the flavours were rich enough. Using the darker leg meat, instead of chicken breast, helped deepen the dish and keep the chicken moist.


On most visits, a plate of garlic stir fried A choy ($8.95) completes our meal. The stir fried greens look rather limp and lifeless but has a nice crispy texture and smells of wok hay.



The menu also offers a variety of Shanghai style dim sum. The onion pancake roll with sliced pork ($6.95) is what I like to think of as a Chinese sandwich. A well toasted chewy pancake flecked with green onion gets a smear of sweet hoisin glaze before being wrapped around hot lean pork. It’s a sandwich you’d like to eat in the winter. It’s not fancy, but it hits the spot.


Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4271 Sheppard Ave 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:



The Patrician Grill (Toronto)


When you’re hung over and hungry, a big platter of food from a diner is oh so satisfying. The Patrician Grill has been satiating appetites since the 1960s; their retro sign and dining room surely makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Maybe it’s me, but the fact that there’s no lines and they serve big portions for low prices – sometimes it’s great to be old fashioned.

The dining area isn’t fancy but comfortable, the well-padded vinyl banquettes overlooks the kitchen and if you really want to be where the action is, there’s a row of stools for couples and single diners.


What makes the kitchen’s proximity great is everything arrives fresh and hot. The fluffy vegetarian omelette ($11.75) was packed with diced tomatoes, onion, green pepper and enough cheese to give it that signature gooey pull. With a choice of home fries, French fries, or mashed potatoes (yes, it can be a hearty breakfast), we’re advised the home fries are cut in house and then the diced pieces are slowly cooked over the flat top developing a golden crust without feeling greasy. I ate every single piece.


Interestingly, breakfasts also come arrive with a small cup of coleslaw, the vinaigrette based greens adding a nice refreshing crunch and splash of acid against the heavier breakfast.

As a table, we decided to forgo the toast that comes with breakfast and shared an ordered of cinnamon French toast ($10.50) for dessert. It was an amazing idea as a slice of the custardy hot toast was an ideal sweet ending. They’re also thin enough that it wasn’t too filling. If only it was served with maple syrup, instead of the thick artificial corn syrup variety, it would be even better.



Toronto has a great variety of brunch spots: from fancy affairs with bottomless bubbles to simple eggs and bacon. I’m glad we stumbled upon The Patrician Grill when another spot down King Street had a queue. In less time than we would have had to wait, we were warm and deliciously fed.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 219 King Street 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:





CLOSED: Miya Bhai (Toronto)

All pictures are courtesy of Parv.ca

Like many family-run businesses, Miya Bhai is a cozy restaurant. Tucked away on Bathurst, just a quick walk from the station, the store front has discrete signage so look for their brightly coloured tables instead.


The menu consists of dishes based on their mother’s recipes, incorporating all the flavours they love and grew up with, but lightened so customers leave feeling satisfied but not overloaded. Even the sauces used in the dishes are made in house, to ensure the tastes are on par with momma’s creations.


The build-your-own menu allows customers to customize creations to their liking. For first time visitors, the options may seem endless so there is a Signature selection menu where there are pre-built combinations. I tried their best seller, the vegan butter chicken tacos ($11), where the “chicken” was actually marinated tofu  prepared tandoori style, which it ends up getting a lovely flavour and texture that truthfully doesn’t taste like chicken but seemed like paneer.


With crunchy lettuce and kachumber (a refreshing salad made with cucumber, tomato, onions, lemon and chili peppers) the tacos were messy to eat, but all the ingredients mixed with the avocado mayo made for a tasty creation. A light heat lingers slightly on the tongue afterwards, but not overwhelming hot.

After the two huge tacos, you likely won’t need any more food, but for a small add on, the vegan samosa ($2) always hits the spot. A thin pastry is stuffed with well spiced potatoes and vegetables to create a palm sized samosa. I liked that they kept the potatoes in cubes, rather than mashing it, to help add texture to the starter. Just make sure to pour the spicy tamarind sauce into the samosa to avoid having everything fall out.


For something to stave off the spiciness or even as a sweet ending their house made drinks ($3.50 each) are delicious choices. The vegan mango refresh (also offered in a non-vegan format) takes mango, with its pulp, and mixes is it with a creamy non-dairy milk – it’s a very full-flavoured lassi. Meanwhile, the strawberry yoghurt drink is silky and sweet that it almost tastes like a milkshake.

For meat lovers, don’t worry! Miya Bhai also offers a host of non-vegetarian options including beef seekh kabobs, butter chicken, lamb kofta, and tandoori salmon (the beef seekh kabob roll, $11.50, is shown below).  


While the signature selection was a great start, I highly recommend building your own and making a vegan butter chicken biri-rice bowl ($12.50). Having tried a bit of the rice on its own, it’s a flavourful base that’s salty and spicy – even by itself the rice was delicious. Once covered with paneer like tofu, sweet corn, crispy onions, and smothered with cilantro garlic aioli, I can just imagine how delicious it could be!


As the weather turns cold, I crave a bowl of something hearty and filling. At Miya Bhai, thankfully the bowl is also filled with flavours and won’t leave you feeling gluttonous.

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: 938 Bathurst 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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Wong Ming Hee 黃明記粥粉麵家 (Hong Kong)


There’s something about the wonton noodles in Hong Kong that’s better than our options in Toronto. While stopping in Wong Ming Hee for lunch, their owner offered a hypothesis to my observation – they use fresh noodles made with eggs (rather than other binding agents) so they don’t have to add gan suy to them to give the noodles a springy consistency. That additive alters the taste of the delicate noodles.

Of course, she warned, this does mean their boiled seasonal vegetables, in this case Chinese broccoli ($16), isn’t as crisp. It’s true, but the sizeable portion makes up for it.


Wong Ming Hee’s brisket noodles in soup ($33) was delicious – the beef tender, well seeped with flavour, and incorporating an even marbling of fat. The broth arrives hot and just salty enough to pair with the aforementioned springy egg noodles.


It’s much better than the squid and fish balls noodles in soup ($33). The squid balls are floury while the fish ball’s consistency a bit to bouncy for my taste. They get better as I leave them in the broth, which isn’t as flavourful as the brisket; maybe they need to be cooked longer.


While Wong Ming Hee doesn’t grace any travel guide lists of must-try noodle places, I was more than happy with their brisket noodles and not having to wait, even during the lunch hour rush. They were also one of the friendliest casual dining places we visited, the owner even asking if we wanted an extra bowl of broth when she saw ours was half depleted. A great find for stopping at after a walk-through Kowloon Walled-City Park.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Kowloon, Hong Kong
 Address: 80 Kai Tak Road

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:

  • On Lee Noodle Soup


La Cubana (Toronto)

Having been to Cuba twice, it’s a shame I’ve never had authentic Cuban food. Right or wrong, I chose to eat at the resorts, whose food is mediocre at best … I like to joke it’s the vacation you can go on without worrying about gaining weight.

One thing I do remember are the strong cocktails. La Cubana is no different, the el Paraiso ($12) is probably the lightest, a tasty combination of gin, muddled basil, and grapefruit juice.


Lucky to dine with someone of Cuban decent, she explained the difference between a cubano and medianoche ($9.99) is merely the bun, the later on a softer kaiser that’s not pressed so the pork version looks like a pulled pork sandwich. The restaurant doesn’t skimp on the meat, along with gruyere, red onion, cornichon, grainy mustard, and a chipotle mayo the sandwich is filled with flavours and the bun doesn’t stand a chance at holding in everything.


The medianoche’s filling is very similar to the pork shoulder ($15.99), so in hindsight we should have ordered either a different sandwich or main. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the slow cooked pork, which is nicely smoked and has a slightly sweet taste. I especially enjoyed the crunchy vinegar coleslaw on the side - just watch out for the rounds of jalapeno, the heat can really sneak up on you!


Main plates also arrive with hot tostones (pressed plantains that are deep fried) and rice with beans. The tostones are rather bland, a bit of the hot sauce helps, but the beans and rice goes perfectly with the meats. 


Especially the guava BBQ beef short rib ($16.99), tender and tasty with its sweet glaze. Topped with an herby chimichurri and frizzled onions, it was my favourite dish of the evening.


Although already filled, we decided to share a natilla ($4.99), the only dessert I’ve never had before. Described as chocolate pudding, it’s much better, the light creamy chocolate custard incorporating a balanced sweetness.


Although it’s disappointing that Cuban resorts don’t serve more local fare, I understand they’re faced with limited ingredient availability (since meat and fresh vegetables are scarce) and it could have been ill received from previous resort guests. Therefore, we’re blessed in Toronto to have La Cubana, somewhere you can sample a taste of Cuban cuisine. 

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 92 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!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:


La Cubana Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Crazy Don (Toronto)

If you’re starving and deep-fried pork products don’t faze you, Crazy Don may satisfy the hunger. Their combos offer the crispy donkatsu with either bacon kimchi fried rice or udon (both $15.95), a reasonable price for the ample portions. Aside from the main, the meal also comes with passable miso soup and a selection of crispy banchan (vegetarian side dishes)


The namesake pork cutlet could be better: ideally served on a cooling rack so the bottom doesn’t touch the plate and become mushy; more seasoning is required so that the only flavour doesn’t stem from the thickened Worcestershire sauce; and the meat cut thinner so it’s not as chewy.    


As for what to pair it with? It’s hard to go wrong with bacon kimchi fried rice – smoky bacon and spicy fermented cabbage goes so well with rice. The side isn’t even greasy, likely the bacon fat used in lieu of oil.


However, I prefer a bowl of udon; it doesn’t feel as heavy and the hot salty katsuobushi broth a nice respite against the dry cutlet. The bulgogi version arrives unadorned with beef, but push to the bottom and you’ll find a few slices of the thinly sliced meat. The meagre protein didn’t bother me too much, since there was already a fair sized donkatsu to get through. What I did find odd was the uncooked Shanhai bok choy on top – luckily the soup is scalding hot so a few minutes in the bowl helped wilt the vegetable. Thankfully, Crazy Don doesn’t skimp on the noodles, which are lightly cooked so they stay chewy throughout the meal.


In lieu of the donkatsu, LA kalbi ribs ($18.95 with fried rice or $19.95 with udon) can also accompany combos. While it doesn’t quite have the smoky barbequed taste normally found at Korean restaurants, it’s nonetheless tender and flavourful.


Out of the two proteins, I found the kalbi was better executed than the donkatsu. Who knows, maybe Crazy Don should consider rebranding itself Crazy Kal instead.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 5175 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:




Yummy Cantonese Restaurant 老西關腸粉 (Toronto)

It takes a lot for someone to stay in a restaurant when it’s freezing inside. During our lunch, when the weather outside was below thirty degrees Celsius, staff and customers alike remained in their jackets as Yummy Cantonese Restaurant’s heater was broken. Their dining room was still almost full at 11am and people were staying to eat in these chilly conditions! So, I re-zipped my jacket and remained seated as well.

Luckily, the congee really warms you up, and for their low price is one of the better bowls in the city. The congee base had a lovely smooth texture and the seasoning was spot on – flavourful enough without being overpowering. Sticking with my go-to preserved egg and pork version ($5) the pieces of egg were rather small, but made up by the big chunks of pork. Personally, I find the combination goes perfectly with fried dough fritters ($2), too bad these arrived after I was half done. Yummy Cantonese needs to ensure the sides arrive with the congee, since what’s the point of having the fritters when the congee is finished?


If you don’t mind having the fish’s skin left on, the sliced beef and fish congee ($5.50) incorporates fresh pieces of seafood (compared to the frozen variety found at other places). Ample ginger slivers are added to ensure there’s no fishiness in the broth. This is one bowl that has a lot of ingredients.


Despite the restaurant’s Chinese name, their rice noodle rolls are average. While they are better than what’s served at dim sum, the actual pastry is suitably thin, it just doesn’t incorporate enough filling. Perhaps it’s due to the vegetarian Taiwan bok choy and egg rice noodle roll ($4.50) we ordered, while the vegetable provided a nice crunch against the soft sheet, everything was just so tasteless. Luckily, each table contains an array of sauces and with a bit of sweet beany hoison and sprinkling of sesame seeds, the dish was better.


While eating in a parka is not the most comfortable act, the food arrived fairly quickly and in less than an hour we were warmed inside and full.  

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4400 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:

Yummy Cantonese Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Coffee In (Toronto)


Perhaps I watched too much Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in my youthful years, but I love visiting little holes-in-the-wall restaurants that create delicious dishes and are little known to anyone but locals. Without a doubt, Coffee In fits this description. Firstly, it’s not even a coffeeshop - the name a relic of its earlier years – as the hot table and kitchen cooking Filipino food is what keeps people visiting. 

Well known for their batchoy ($7.99), a bowl of salty soup that’s hearty and rich from all the roasted pork pieces melding with other offal, the thin egg noodles are too soft for my taste but does soak up all the broth’s flavours.


The pig is supreme at Coffee In and their grilled pork belly is tasty as well ($14.97). After ordering slices from the hot table, they’re returned to the kitchen where they’re re-heated and cut into bite sized pieces that’s great for munching on. The dish tastes a bit like Korean kalbi, except not as saucy since there isn’t a sweet soy glaze and it’s also more tender.


If you’re strapped for cash, you can get a lot of food for less than $10. Such as their combos where you select two “ulam” items from the hot table and receive a sizeable plate of steamed rice for only $6.99. Since I was dining with someone who couldn’t eat beef, we stuck with pork and there was plenty to choose from. Despite looking spicy, the stewed pork and curry pork hock were both neutral; while the stewed pork cooks in a tasty tomato sauce and could pass for a lighter stew, the pork hock lacked any curry aroma or taste and was way too bland.


The wonton soup ($4.99 for a large bowl) is another budget friendly choice. Contained in a sizeable bowl, each wonton has a hefty portion of pork filling with additional chicken thigh pieces strewn throughout the broth. While the soup has a nice flavour, especially with a sprinkling of fried garlic, the texture takes getting used to as the dumplings are left in the chicken broth so the wrapper gets mushy.


While not freshly fried, their spring rolls (2 for $1) are tasty. Despite being cold, it’s still crispy and the pork filling is juicy and nicely herbed. At the size of a cocktail wiener, the spring rolls are dangerously easy to just have one more. 


Just a warning, despite the colourful sign stating that halo halo is available, it’s a summer only treat… I couldn’t try their rendition of this famous Filipino dessert. While there were other pre-packaged dessert items along the counter, our table of four was stuffed so we were satisfied even without a sweet. If Coffee In were to be featured in Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, it would fall in the dive category. Yet, if you don’t mind the dated décor and lack of service, you can get some decent Filipino food for under $10.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 2181 Lawrence Avenue East
 Website: http://coffeein.ca/

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:


 Coffee In Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato