Showing posts with label salmon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salmon. Show all posts

CLOSED: Calii Love (Toronto)


Special Guest Post by Parv

From the popularity of sushi burritos during the summer, to the proliferation of poké bars around the city in the fall, 2016 has been a fishy one for Toronto foodies (see what I did there?).

Enter Calii Love, the newest poké stop in the city’s King West district, promoting Californian style with a Hawaiian twist. Given that I’m convinced I was Californian in a previous life, the name alone had me reeled in (yes, I could do this all night, folks).

The bright, airy space, with its tropical motif and contemporary decor, emits a feel good, West Coast vibe. The emphasis is on organic, sustainable, vegan and gluten-free options. Grab-and-go, or take a seat and get to know your fellow diners at the communal table.

As I peruse the menu and approach the counter, I’m consumed by the burst of colourful and fresh ingredients and stealth-like preparation of smoothies and poké bowls. Pronounced “poh-keh”, this Hawaiian salad with seasoned raw fish has gained a cult-like status with health-conscious diners, popping up in chic neighbourhoods all over California…and now Toronto.

Each menu item is titled to reflect a feeling – Proud, Awakened, Confident, Grateful and so on – and today I’m feeling Happy and Adventurous – a notion that appeases both, my mental state of mind and my appetite.

The Happy superfood smoothie is a beautiful blend of banana, raw cocoa, coconut milk, strawberry, dark chocolate and raw cocoa nibs…and that’s plenty reason to be happy. It’s a little bit chunky for my taste, but delicious in every form.

I pair my drink with an Adventurous poké bowl stacked with salmon, furikake, kimchee, sriracha, wasabi aioli, jalapenos, cucumber and white rice. This one packs in a spicy punch and I’m immediately happy with the countering effects of my cool smoothie (last pun, I promise).


Calii Love received a lot of love during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with several A-list celebrities making a pit stop, including Joseph Gordon Levitt, Dakota Fanning, Jason Sudeikis, Anne Hathaway, Jane Lynch, Natalie Portman, and Gerard Butler, to name a few. Chef Joe Friday has worked in some of Hawaii’s finest kitchens, including Nobu Waikiki, and was eager to bring that authentic poké experience to Toronto. Our city thanks you, sir.

The spot opens 7am daily, which is great news for those early downtown risers looking to grab a healthy acai bowl, smoothie or direct trade coffee before heading to work. Poké bowls are only available after 11am.



And if you’re lucky, the country’s top-rated latte artist, Barista Brian Leonard may even be around to truly personalise your coffee … with some latte art of your face. Like we needed any more reason to feel good




Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. 


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 367 King Street West

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Browne's Bistro (Toronto)


Tucked in a corner of a stone building off Avenue, you may miss the steps down to Brownes Bistro. Leading to a rather large restaurant, their décor is classic: the dining room consisting of dark wood and cream linens. If you’re a fan of old school restaurants like me, you’re in for a treat.    

Their Summerlicious menu ($28) was equally traditional, with the exception of the vegetable samosa, suitably safe for non-adventurous eaters. Of course, as a food lover, I love trying new things. But, sometimes I get tired of the shared fusion plates, doused in a variety of sauces and start yearning for timeless dishes.

If Browne’s grilled calamari weren’t so salty, the starter would have been good: the seafood was tender with a gentle smokiness. However, this was ruined by over seasoning the calamari when the aged balsamic and shallot sauce drizzled on top was also so flavourful.  


Despite being thinly sliced, the Atlantic salmon was surprisingly moist having been grilled quickly so it was just cooked through. Unlike the starter, the fish was simply topped with a citrus-herb-lime infused butter and seasoned suitably.


Although the presentation of the apple rhubarb crisp could be improved, the dessert was satisfying – plenty of apples and rhubarb baked until soft but still having bite. Not overly sweet, the dish relied on the buttery crumble topping and French vanilla ice cream to make it a dessert.


Summerlicious gets a bad reputation amongst those working in the industry – I understand, they’re often serving a lot more food to a lot more people than they’re normally used to. With the special pricing, bill totals will ring in less so their gratuities are otherwise lower. Encounter dinner guests that are especially demanding (please don’t ask for substitutions) and I can see why it’s a draining two weeks.

Yet, it’s also the perfect opportunity for restaurants to expand their clientele. If it weren’t for Summerlicious, I would have never tried Brownes Bistro, having found it by looking for dinner menus with a specific price point that’s close to home.

Luckily, Theo, our server for the evening, didn’t mind the event. He welcomed us warmly, offered to take pictures, and joked with us throughout the evening … even though we were rowdier than their normal clientele (residents of the areas).

Foodies, I challenge you to look past what’s flashy and new. Sometimes you need to step back and reconnect with the classics. After all, it’s not that often a business survives, let alone lasts over 30 years, there must be a reason.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Is Summerlicious worth it (based on my meal selection)?
Summerlicious - $28
Regular menu - $42 - calamari ($12), salmon ($22) and dessert* ($8)
Savings - $14 or 33%
* The dessert price is a wild guess from me

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1251 Yonge Street

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____________________________
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!


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Browne's Bistro Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Bier Markt (Toronto)

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 58 The Esplanade
Website: 
http://www.thebiermarkt.com/
Type of Meal: Lunch



With three locations across Toronto and off shoots in Montreal and Mississauga, Bier Markt is soon becoming a beer chain empire.  Personally, I still like the flagship Esplanade location best with its sizable venue, convenient location and live music offering (if you like that sort of thing).

In past visits, their mussels have been my go to dish and have always found them delicious – a generous size, full of flavour and great to dip the accompanying baguette ($21; dinner menu) or munch on the hot house made fries ($17; lunch menu). My personal favourite is the Spadina which is a fragrant Thai option made with lemongrass, coriander, ginger, shrimp broth and some chillies.

On this visit, I decided to branch out and try something different. To start, the table shared orders of smoked meat poutine ($15) and smoked chicken flatbread ($13). You really can't go wrong with poutine and Bier Markt doesn't disappoint with real potato fries, melted cheese curds and smothering of gravy. Freshly shaved slices of tender and juicy smoked beef brisket top the fries adding a delicious punch of salt and pepper flavour.  This is a dish made for sharing as just a few forkfuls was enough to satisfy me.

The smoked chicken flatbread had a thin crispy base topped with a liberal amount of smoked chicken, brie cheese, cremini mushrooms and roasted garlic. The brie was a smart addition as it added creaminess to the flatbread, yet stayed neutral against the chicken and garlic. I only wish it had arrived hotter as the ingredients were starting to congeal a bit on my first bite.

My main of grilled Atlantic salmon ($19) was pleasantly delicious. Cooked perfectly to a medium doneness the fish retained a translucent pinkness in the middle and was flakey and tender. Flavoured with a sprinkling of pungent garlic chips, this isn’t a meal you want to have on a first date. Below the salmon were two crispy quinoa cakes which was a nice alternative to latkes; they held up pretty well and had a nice smooth texture. It would be interesting to see if they could be made thinner so they’d begin to resemble a roisti, which would be more in line with the European theme of Bier Markt's menu.  
 With over 150 beers to choose from, the options seem endless. So, it’s a brilliant idea to provide pairing ideas for each dish (match the bin labels on the food menu to the drink menu for names and descriptions). It sure made choosing easier, unless your meal is paired with the $60 bottle of Chimay grand reserve magnum (bin 275) perhaps. 

Service has always been pleasant during my visits, although sometimes the person taking reservations can be a hit or miss. I find their knowledge of the beer menu astounding as they always seem to know how the beer is offered (draft, bottle or can) despite the abundance of options.

In the summer, all Toronto locations have a patio so if you can score a seat it’s a great place to enjoy a pint and people watch.  Just don’t expect to get reservations if you want after work drinks as it seems to be strictly for food eating patrons only.  Overall, Bier Markt is a good reasonably priced restaurant with much better food than the new Amsterdam Brewhouse.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10



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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • - 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!