Showing posts with label take out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label take out. Show all posts

Maker Pizza (Toronto)


Have you ever wanted to complete an eating challenge? It all started when my husband read an article naming a nearby pizzeria the “best” pizza in Toronto. On a particularly sunny day in early June, we visited Maker Pizza for the first time, and that’s when a challenge was determined: to try all their pizzas by the end of the summer.

Maker Pizza is more of a grab-and-go establishment, although they do have a dine-in area, which expands outdoors when the weather is nice. Eating at the restaurant is key, as by the time the pizza travels home (for us a 7 min drive) that slight crispy bottom disappears. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great pizza, just not nearly as good as it tastes when it’s fresh from the oven. 

It all started with the Tea With Broccolini ($17) and with that first bite I knew I’d want to come back again and again. You can feel the difference of their crust: the bottom is dry, slightly uneven in texture, and as thin as a cracker. It’s a crust that can’t go to waste… a perfect combination of crunchiness and chewiness, the consistency fluffy but still dense.


As I bit through, I heard that satisfying crunch and my mouth erupted with flavours: a spicy kick from the chilies, garlicky greens, a mellow bitterness from the rapini, and the bright lemon zest finish. To cap everything off, there’s the delicious creamy egg yolk.  It’s also a white sauce pizza (so there’s no tomatoes), instead there’s plenty of fragrant olive oil that drizzles onto your hands – grab a nice wad of napkins and a couple of wet naps, you’ll need them. 

The Dr. Pepperoni ($18) is filled with the salty cured meat, to the point that some pieces overlap. Using smaller pepperoni slices is a genius idea as it creates more of the crispy edges and ensures the meat is cooked through. Of course, with all the meat, there’s a real salty oiliness to this pie so you really need to enjoy pepperoni to love this pizza.


A more toned down version is The Real Pep God ($17), where the pepperoni is balanced off with more cheese - double orders of the mozzarella so the cheese just pulls and pulls. Pools of sauce are dolloped over top and garnished with fresh garlic and chili flakes to add extra boosts of flavours.


Maker Pizza's tomato sauce is delicious. Replacing the usual tanginess for a really fresh tasting sauce – it’s almost like they just take plain canned tomatoes and crush them. In fact, everything about Maker's is fresh; you can see them prep the ingredients on site, chopping things down into smaller pieces. There’s no vacuum sealed pre-prepared plastic packages here.  

My favourite red sauce pizza is the Little Deuce Coupe ($18), where the ingredients aren’t overly strong so you can really enjoy the tomato sauce. It also seems lighter: the chicken in bite sized chunks and the buffalo mozzarella replaced with ricotta so even though there's a lot of cheese on the pizza, it doesn't seem too rich. It could use more of the red onion and basil, as the bites with both ingredients were great, while the others seemed plain.


Maker Pizza creates New York style pizza, where the crust is thin and the slices are cut large so it can be folded. For the Little Deuce Coupe, because it's a milder recipe, it actually tastes better unfolded, so the ingredients have more of a chance to meet the taste buds. Conversely, the Return of the Mac ($24) needs to be folded. Overflowing with fresh crunchy lettuce and onions and so much mac sauce it's impossible to eat flat.


It is also the sole pizza that's dine-in only, given the fresh lettuce wilts quickly and you need that fresh crunch to balance off the other saucy ingredients. The Return of the Mac is Maker’s version of the Big Mac, the pizza topped with ground beef, cheddar cheese, and diced pickles along with the lettuce and onion. While it's exciting to see, there's too much of the Thousand Island dressing and with the crust being much thinner than a bun, the toppings are too overwhelming. It’s a pizza where one slice is enough.

The closest thing to a dessert pizza is the Frank’s Best ($17) topped with dollops of caramelized onions, ricotta, sesame seed and honey. However, it's not completely sweet, the Parmesan, rosemary and goat cheese adding a savouriness to the pie. For long time readers of the blog, you'll know I rarely like sweet and savoury combinations, this was certainly a challenging pie for me. 


If you know their menu, you’ll notice this post is still missing some options: the Tropic Thunder and Porky’s, to name a couple. Some just didn’t appeal to us and little did we know they do add new items occasionally (has anyone tried the new So Mushroom yet)? In the end, we didn’t successfully finish the challenge, but we already feel like winners from discovering such a tasty pizza place in the neighbourhood.

Who are you going to grab to take the challenge?

Overall mark - 9 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1537 Avenue 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:



Sushi Bong (Toronto)


If you live in the Yonge and Finch/Sheppard area, chances are you’ve heard about Sushi Bong, a small eatery that’s attached to the base a condo complex. To call it a restaurant would be a stretch, there’s three tables that could fit 10 people total so most customers will just get takeout. Online reviews generally credit the place for great food at cheap prices; I’ve been meaning to go for years but never made it in during their limited weekend hours. On a chance weekday lunch, the opportunity finally presented itself… an opportunity I wish never happened.

Being a first visit, I decided to “go big” with the Sushi Bong Special ($10.62), a dish that turned out to be a behemoth platter filled with a California roll, 4 pieces of salmon roll, and 5 pieces of sushi. The salmon looked a bit soft, but otherwise everything was presented nicely.


Then, I noticed a stack of boxes from a delivery that just occurred. On the bottom, sat two big boxes marked with ESCOLAR. If you don’t know why I have such an adverse reaction to seeing this word, pick up a copy of Larry Olmsted’s Real Food Fake Food, a must read for every food lover. Or you could just refer to Wikipedia that describes the escolar’s wax ester content, which can cause “fish poisoning” with symptoms ranging from “stomach cramps to rapid loose bowel movements, occurring 30 minutes to 36 hours following consumption.”


To make matters worse, they began unpacking the boxes of frozen fish, hoisting the vacuumed pack fillets on the table behind me. Aside from the queasy feeling in my stomach, I also felt the ominous chill escaping from the unpacked fish. I gulp down an entire cup of hot tea.

I managed to get down the California roll and a couple of pieces of the salmon roll, but had to leave the rest – especially the white fish that was sure to be escolar. There was a sense of guilt from wasting food and seeing them look over at my half-eaten plate, but I couldn’t do it - each bite became harder and harder to swallow.

In reality, how was it? The rice to toppings ratio, if you don’t factor in the quality of the toppings, is great. Sushi Bong’s California roll is much heartier than other restaurants, even incorporating a piece of salmon - in my case, more of disappointment than joy. While everything looks good, the fish tastes terrible – a soft spongy texture that’s a telltale sign of dethawed frozen fish. If it weren’t for the crunchy cucumbers in the California roll, the experience would be even worse.

In reading recent the online reviews, most people still comment on Sushi Bong’s big portions and low prices, both accurate descriptions. Just remember, there’s a reason for it, and that icy escolar chill is one that I won’t forget.  


Overall mark - 3 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 5 Northtown Way

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:

Sushi Bong Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Le Cartet (Montreal)



Don’t be surprised to see people waiting outside Le Cartet before the restaurant’s even opened. During the warmer months there’s several tables outside, so having a pre-brunch drink (sourced elsewhere, of course) can easily be accommodated before the doors finally unlock at 9:00 am. Available during weekends until 3:30pm, the restaurant’s a popular place for brunch – locals and tourists alike.

Accompanying their brunch mains is a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and an amuse-bouche: a lovely creamy bread pudding square that’ll convert those who normally complain the dessert’s too mushy. Instead, it’s a soft cakey delight, a wonderful way to tide over anyone who’s hungry, but if you can resist scarfing it down right away, a lovely sweet ending.

Le Cartet’s take on eggs benedict is the brunch toscan ($19). The poached eggs, spinach and English muffins are topped with Mornay sauce (a cheesy béchamel) instead of customary hollandaise. Yet, it’s the ham that’s the highlight – no sad deli meat slices here; instead, you’ll discover thick hunks of flavourful smoked pork that meaty and delicious. The duck fat roasted potatoes aren’t overly heavy, having been lightened with a spritz of lemon, and finished off with a hefty side salad the dish makes for a well-rounded meal.


For carnivores, the scrambled eggs in the brunch des cantons ($19) is accompanied by an even bigger hunk of the aforementioned ham, sausage and bacon! A sprinkling of baked beans and more duck fat roasted potatoes promises you’ll be well fed for a day of sightseeing.


With a no reservation policy, arrive before 10:00am to get a table – Le Cartet’s dining room is fairly spacious with a number of long communal tables that can accommodate groups of varying sizes.


If you do have to wait, take time to wander around their market area that’s stocked with so many artisanal delights. With a variety of chocolates, confections, baked goods, and sauces it’ll definitely keep you entertained – although some hungry impulse purchases may result.


Otherwise, Le Cartet also has a fair selection of grab-and-go salads and sandwiches available for those who just cannot wait any more.



But, maybe just hang in a little longer … that bread pudding and ham would just be a shame to miss.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Montreal, Canada
 Address: 106 Rue McGill

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:



Le Cartet Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato