If you’re an indecisive person, don’t go to Arisu. Their menu will start giving you heart palpitations as you realize you may never make it to the halfway point. Korean barbeque, Korean dishes of many kinds, sushi, and even more are displayed in full glory. Move over Pickle Barrel, this menu has you beat.

Let me try to help you out here. With cooking stations at every table, Korean barbeque is a natural choice. Go for the porky and piggy set for two ($59.99) that offers three cuts: pork belly, shoulder blade, and honeycomb (like pork belly but more tender). Grill up the pork and tuck slices into the lettuce wraps along with sauces and a bit of the scallion soy.

The set even comes with a host of sides: a puffy egg custard that needs to be eaten quickly; corn smothered in cheese and butter; a host of traditional banchan, steamed rice, and even fresh vegetables for grilling. You’ll have all the bases covered.

You’ll want to start off with a set before adding on extras like chicken ($18.99) to Korean barbeque. There’s not much that arrives with it, just a piece of marinated chicken leg. After all, to miss out on the steamed egg custard is a shame.

If you’re dining as one or don’t like the idea of having to cook for yourself, order Arisu’s porterhouse steak ($41.99 special price; regular is $46.99). Obviously, it wouldn’t rival a steakhouse, but I found it was prepared better than HK café places – the steak was a thick cut and cooked to a rare / medium rare. And it’s a hefty portion complete with mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, and a bowl of spicy tofu soup.

For those dining as a group, getting a bunch of dishes to share is ideal. The seafood pancake ($35.99 for large) was one of the better ones I’ve had - the batter airy and pan-fried forming tons of crispy edges. Large chunks of seafood, scallions, and vegetables are strewn throughout so there’s a great ratio of pancake to filling.

The cheese tteokbokki ($31.99 for large) consists of soft chewy rice sticks and fish balls tossed in a mild spicy sauce (Arisu also offers a spicier version). The rice cakes are surprisingly delicate (perhaps they use the frozen versus dried variety) and being covered in cheese gives the dish an almost creamy finish.

Only the fried chicken breast ($33.99 for large) was a bit disappointing. I liked that it was freshly prepared to the point it was burn-your-mouth hot. But it also wasn’t overly exciting… a simple salt and pepper seasoning with the breading almost too light so it wasn’t very crunchy.

Unlike other Korean barbeque places along Bloor, Arisu also wasn’t too busy, which is surprising because their food was decent and the service great. Perhaps it’s because they’re further away from the bar area, but our Friday visit was relatively quiet, and they could even take walk-in clients.

The separators used in the dining room, provided some privacy to allow our group to get boisterous without becoming disruptive. After all, it takes time to order, so you can get through a bottle of soju before a lick of food arrives. Who knows, two bottles in and you may just be ordering the full menu.

A lot has changed since I first visited Black + Blue during their opening month in 2023. Toronto’s Financial District was booming on a Tuesday evening; the restaurant’s dining room, upstairs, and patio was filled. It’s summer and people were out and wanting to spend.

I was back for a special TL Insider wagyu tasting menu ($125 for 4 courses, side dishes, and three drinks). This post includes regular menu prices beside dishes, where available. Maybe because the dinner was a Toronto Life event and preceded by Executive chef Morgan Bellis, but the food was delicious.

To begin, the special menu simplified the carpaccio ($26) to a “Harry’s Bar” version. The thinly sliced wagyu was simply adorned with a mustard aioli, pepper, and shaved parmesan. Gone were the pickled shimeji mushrooms, crispy shallots, and fried capers that were too salty and overpowering. Instead, I could taste the meat’s sweetness and the seasoning was enough to flavour and the carpaccio and enjoy it without bread. Chef Bellis should consider adding this version to their menu.

The prized beef was also used in the Japanese A5 wagyu roll ($34), stuffed inside and also as slices on top. Combined with avocado, cucumber, and crispy shallots, the roll was tasty on its own, with a bit of the gochujang (?) glaze, or soy sauce. Although, it would be even better with an acid element… perhaps the pickled shimeji mushroom?

As the trio of 3oz striploins arrived at the table, diners started to buzz with excitement. And to my surprise, the medium rare doneness was what I generally expect (pink with a slightly rare centre). Has Black + Blue received enough complaints and send backs that they cooked their steaks longer to meet the Torontonian palette?

We’re advised to start with the Canadian beef before moving onto the Australian and ending with the Japanese. In fairness, the Canadian contender was not wagyu, rather a prime striploin ($84 for a 14 oz) hence it’s understandable why it’s leaner than the other two pieces. Additionally, it was cooked more, which also didn’t help with the beef’s tenderness. Still, if I had received this as a striploin (and not expecting wagyu), I wouldn’t complain.  

Black + Blue should consider adding the Australian wagyu striploin to the menu - it was my preference for the evening. It was well marbled, juicy and flavourful without being overwhelming. You could easily go through 3oz of this without feeling glutinous.

Meanwhile, the Japanese A5 wagyu striploin ($31 per oz) was just too fatty. The outer seared sections were rich like butter, but once you cut into the centre it’s like having chewy blubber. The striploin needed to be cut into strips or smaller cubes and seared off to give it a caramelized crust. As it stood, it’s like having bacon that’s not crispy enough.

To accompany the steaks, we were treated to a trio of sauces ($15) that I found weren’t required (béarnaise, truffle jus, gochujang mayo) and a host of side dishes. Of the sides, the wagyu fried rice ($32) is normally found on their menu. The Japanese A5 wagyu toned done as it’s cut into small pieces, its fat mixing into the rice and egg. If that weren’t flavourful enough, it’s further enhanced with garlic, scallions, and chili oil for heat. I could easily visit just to have a bowl of the rice with a side salad.

To conclude, a special dessert created by their pastry chef from Vancouver. The mandarin orange, made with crème anglaise and white chocolate, was filled with a refreshing clementine jam and really looked like a fruit, dimples and all. Sitting on sponge cake and a toffee cracker, all the elements paired nicely forming a great bright ending to the heavy meal.

When the speed of change is breakneck, it’s refreshing when a restaurant steadfastly beats to their historical drum. I referred to my 2015 post on Jacobs Steakhouse before revisiting and other than a rise in prices (the $19 Caesar salad is now $34), not much has changed.

We still received a detailed menu walk through, but Liam made it informative rather than lecture-like. He pointed out the grass-fed steaks but also explained what this meant for the fat content and taste, to make sure we weren’t disappointed with our choice. Don’t worry, I’m sticking with the tried and true 45-day aged Guelph Hereford.

The table-side prepared Caesar salad ($34 for two) was still a hit with enough dressing to adequately cover the lettuce without being saturated. A mouthful of garlicky umami, the splash of Tabasco  was perhaps a bit more heavy-handed this visit so there was a noticeable kick to the salad. The bacon was still served in chunks, a bit too hard for me. I wish they'd change this to strips so it’s crunchier… they could even place a strip on top (like the sliver of anchovy) as a garnish. Making the croutons from leftover cheese buns, rather than regular bread, could bring the salad to new heights.

Thankfully, no low-carb vegan diet has influenced Jacobs, their cheese buns still make an appearance. One of the highlights of the meal, it’s really a Yorkshire pudding with cheese, slather on butter and these are perfection.

Remembering how tasty the T-bone steak looked previously, we substituted our typical rib eye order with their Guelph prime Hereford bone-in T-bone ($175), a hefty 25oz (when including the bone) and was more than enough to share amongst two.

While not as marbled as my beloved ribeye, it’s a great cut for contrast as you receive a piece of tenderloin and striploin. Both are leaner cuts: the striploin full-flavoured and tenderloin swoon-worthy as it's soft and juicy. The steak's crust was flawless and the seasoning perfectly. For those who find it needs more salt, complimentary condiments – a bacon blue cheese spread, shoyu, chimichurri, and selection of salts – are available.

Amongst our table of ten, we shared five side dishes, and it was more than enough. We ordered two roasted rapini ($22) as the simplicity of the greens – lightly tossed in anchovy butter – is an excellent pairing with meat.

A huge platter of heirloom baby carrots ($22) arrives slathered in a refreshing maple dill crème fraiche, so the vegetable didn’t become too sugary. Just roasted through, they were the perfect consistency and not too mushy. Even though I normally detest roasted carrots, I liked these.

The sauteed mushrooms ($24) were surprisingly tasty thanks to the parsley butter and I preferred the smaller sized mushrooms as they didn’t taste spongy.

Still, there’s something about combining meat and potatoes… a luxurious option being the potato gratin ($24). Uber rich with the layers of cream, cheese, and spuds, you don’t need more than a spoon to satisfy.

The take-home muffin finishes us off but its recipe was tweaked as it was tastier than I remembered. Within the cakey vanilla batter lies a dark chocolate core where the chocolate chunks melt throughout the muffin. The pastry is an ideal sweetness with just a dusting of streusel for an elegant, albeit messy, finish. Hats off to the pastry chef.

Sadly, even Jacobs Steakhouse isn’t immune to change. We learned that they need to vacate the Brant location because of developments and move into the shiny CIBC Square. So slow run to Jacobs now if you want to experience a nostalgic dinner that reminds you of the good old days.