Tsui Wah 翠華餐廳 (Toronto)

Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2016 by
Tsui Wah is a no-frills Hong Kong style café with a menu offering a variety of baked rice, sandwich and stir fried noodles combinations. However, there is something a little more interesting and rarer, a style of cooking generally not found in other establishments, Guilin style noodles.

A cacophony of crunchy peanuts, pickled vegetables, vegetables and some sort of protein, it’s a more flavourful dish thanks to the area’s Sichuan influences. If you’re into a stronger dish with a variety of textures, you’d want to give this a try.

Of the two varieties at Tsui Wah, the beef Guilin style lo vermicelli ($8.25) provided a richer version of the dish. Lo essentially translates to ‘mix’, the bowl of noodles topped with pickled cabbage, bamboo, peanuts, tomatoes, fried garlic slivers, green onions and cilantro that you mix together. The sauce is soy sauce based with a more potent taste from spices used in it. Unlike the traditional dish, it wasn’t spicy but few drops of the intense chili oil on the table did the trick.


Whereas, the soup version, pictured here is the Guilin style minced pork vermicelli ($7.50) is lighter. Seemingly, they use the same soy sauce base but it’s diluted with a broth to mellow out the flavours. The ingredients used are the same, except in this case substituting minced pork for the stir fried beef.


Although the menu describes both dishes as ‘vermicelli’, the noodles are actually Guilin rice noodles also known as ‘mifen’. It’s about the thickness of ramen and the texture of Korean potato starch noodles – a bit chewy and doesn’t become soggy when left in the broth. There’s a silkiness to these delicate slippery noodles.


Just in case the bowls don’t contain enough vegetables, there’s always the opportunity to add some boiled yu choy with oyster sauce ($3.99) on the side. Tsui Wah provides a decent portion for the price.


Located in a non-descript commercial area down Kennedy Road, who knows how many times I’ve whizzed past the place. I’m glad my father decided to slow down and take a chance on the restaurant; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been introduced to it! Maybe it’s something we should all do more, just drive and stop at small establishments without all the glitz and reading about it first. Something I’ll try to do more of this year – after all, who knows what you’ll discover?

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 3261 Kennedy Road


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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!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Tsui Wah Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Captain's Boil (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, January 10, 2016 by
The Captain's boil

The idea of lobster boils and clam bakes has always been a dream of mine. Living in Toronto, it’s hard to partake in the romantic group dining experience that I’ve always envisioned – sitting outside on a picnic bench, the bounty of the sea thrown on a plastic table cloth covered table and everyone grabbing and nibbling while laughing into the early evening air.

Dining at the Captain’s Boil doesn’t exactly match my vision – you’re inside a cozy two storied building and the bounty arrives in plastic bags that you likely won’t empty onto the table lest you want to ruin the paper tablecloth. Yet, my friends and I were nibbling the night away laughing at what a mess we were making.


At the Captain’s Boil, you pick from a variety of seafood (get there early if you want crawfish or Dungeness crab), then choose a seasoning and spice level. There are also a variety of sides and starches on the menu to help you round out the meal.

Going with a larger group, we were able to score a reservation (minimum of eight people) and also share more items (since there’s a minimum of a pound per order). For all the seafood, we selected the ‘Captain’s Boil’ spice, which is essentially a combination of all the seasonings (Cajun, lemon pepper and garlic). And for the spiciness stuck with ‘medium’ where there was enough heat to already prompt us for water refills … I can only imagine how strong ‘fire’ would be.  

The shrimp ($12.95 per pound) and mussels ($10.95 per pound) are the least pricy options and there were surprisingly a lot of them in a pound – over a dozen for the shrimp and about ten for the mussels. Left with their heads on, the shrimp were able to scoop up more of the cooking liquid which married well with the sweet shrimp. Meanwhile, the mussels were large and meaty, but from the frozen variety so the texture more rubbery than and not as delicate as fresh ones.  


Although the lobster ($29.95 each) was split in half, if you sharing between more than two people you’ll have to break it apart further. Given the seasoning was so strong, it sort of detracts from the succulent lobster meat. Personally, I found the snow crab ($18.95 per pound) better – for sharing and complimenting the seasoning. Along with the shrimp, it was my favourite of the evening.  


On the side, the hot juicy corn on the cob ($1 per half ear) soaked in all the cooking liquid. Also, the Cajun fries ($4.95) were freshly made arriving sizzling hot and crispy – very delicious!


The cooking liquid remaining in the bag can also be enjoyed, garlicky and seeped in the seafood’s essence. The steamed rice ($2) went nicely with it, but hard to share given there were no plates and only one spoon per bowl. In the end, we resorted to making small balls of rice and dipping it into the liquid.

Captain’s Boil, please start offering plain toasted baguettes … these would be perfect for dipping. Although the menu offers garlic bread ($3.99), I’d rather have plain bread given the sauce is already so buttery and garlicky.

I only wish the dining experience was more environmentally friendly – almost everything used was disposable including the cups and the bags the seafood were served from. A clear plastic bucket to present the seafood in would be better … they could even mix different items together to avoid using too many buckets.


Overall, after the meal our table looked like a crime scene … definitely not the most pleasant looking. But, we had tons of fun creating the site and everything was delicious. Grab some seafood loving friends that aren’t dainty and afraid of some spice. You’re in for a messy but tasty experience. 

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 5313 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:

The Captain’s Boil Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


CLOSED: Joe's Crab Shack (San Francisco)

Posted on Saturday, January 09, 2016 by

Joe's Crab Shack
With its prominent tourist location and bright signage, I wasn’t expecting superb seafood at Joe's Crab Shack. Being a cold evening, we wandered into the restaurant to escape the wind … before researching the establishment. After being seated, it seemed rude to leave so we stuck it out despite the restaurant’s 2.5 star rating on Yelp and 3.5 stars everywhere else.

The cup of clam chowder ($3.99) was lukewarm, a big pet peeve of mine, mostly filled with potatoes than clams. You’re better off ordering the bowl ($7.29) and sharing. Since they add bacon bits and small clams into the mix, the soup is cooked again and my friend’s bowl arrived piping hot.


Since most reviews warned against Joe’s steam pots, my friend and I opted to split the Dungeness crab bucket ($37.49) instead. The crab itself was decent, seemingly fresh and not overdone; the Old Bay seasoning used in the “Chesapeake style” option complimented the crab well giving it a salty seasoning without being too strong.


Yet, its shrunken size amongst a large pot was disappointing, especially when compared to our friends’ voluminous orders of steam pot and assorted crab legs. Unlike what most reviews proclaim, not everything is good for sharing, the Dungeness crab being one, since I could have had the whole dish to myself.

Each entrée is accompanied with French fries & hush puppies or an ear corn & baby potatoes. Despite not regularly eating hush puppies, I’d imagine they shouldn’t arrive cold and the texture of stale Timbits (doughnut holes for Americans). The fries were only a step better, at least warm, but lacked seasoning so I had to resort to dipping them in the crab juices.


In the end, I kept my expectations low. After all, it’s a chain restaurant and the menu has pictures on it. All in all, at least the seafood was fresh and cooked nicely. But, if sharing, I’d stick to the larger steam pots, because a few crab legs isn’t nearly satisfying enough.

Overall mark - 6 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: San Francisco, USA
 Address: 245 Jefferson 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: Mean Bao Delivery from Uber Eats (Toronto)

Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2016 by

Mean Bao delivered with Uber Eats

As Uber enrages taxi drivers, they may soon add fast food delivery services to the list. In late 2015, the tech company launched the Uber Eats function, using their drivers to provide food delivery for numerous restaurants across the city.

Already being an Uber rider, I decided to test out the new app to take advantage of the $10 credit and free delivery being promoted during the 2015 launch. As fate would have it, Mean Bao (a place I’ve been wanting to try for a long time) was delivering during lunch.

Like Uber’s car service, the app was easy to navigate and already linked to my existing account and credit card. In a minute my order was placed with the system providing updates and revised delivery times (earlier than what was originally quoted before ordering). Surprisingly, the driver even met in the lobby of my company’s building; I didn’t need to wait at the nearest intersection as earlier Uber Eats pop-up days had done.


The braised beef bao ($3.95) was still warm containing a hefty slab of tender meat garnished with boiled bok choy, Taiwanese pickles, crushed peanuts and cilantro. Even with the pickles and nuts, the bao was rather soft, I would have liked more textural contrast (perhaps some carrot slivers or crunchier pickles would help). Nevertheless, the beef was well flavoured and the bao fluffy without becoming mushy.  


To make it a full meal, the cold noodle salad ($4.95) was a good addition and lends itself for delivery since it’s already cold. Along with the vermicelli were plump fried tofu puffs, julienned carrots, red cabbage and pickled daikon. The soy dressing was extremely garlicky with a hint of chili in the background. Overall, it would have been good if the garlic was toned down as the raw tang simply overpowered everything.


At this point, the majority of restaurants are in the downtown area, which is a shame when I need to return home to the suburbs. There has been the occasional juicing service or healthy eatery available during the weekends. Sadly, neither of those appeal to me. For those who are working late or too lazy to venture out of their building, a new savior is in town – let’s hope this doesn’t lead to additional protests and gridlock.

Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 

 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:



Smash Kitchen & Bar (Markham)

Posted on Sunday, January 03, 2016 by
Literally tucked away in a corner of an old suburban strip mall, Smash Kitchen’s large restaurant is unexpected. The dining area has a cozy recreational room feel, swathed in dark hunter green and browns. With a separated smaller room near the entrance, it’d be an ideal location for large groups and parties.  

It’s certainly a family friendly restaurant, but doesn’t look like one; during Friday evening, most tables appeared to be groups of friends. Their menu is a safe one, offering classic comfort food with a bistro twist.

After a huge lunch, I stuck with the seafood salad ($19) for the evening. The spring mix base is pretty plain, simply topped with grape tomatoes and onion. What made the dish was the trio of seafood offerings: a meaty crab cake that incorporated decent old bay seasonings, cool cocktail shrimp and seared ahi tuna. Neither were that amazing – the crab cake could have been warmer and the seared ahi tuna needed a more flavourful crust – but they were still satisfying. Plus, it’s a dish for people who love condiments, as each had their own including a honey dijon vinaigrette for the greens.


The stick-to-your-ribs entrées is where Chef Isaac Co’s passion obviously lies. A brilliant idea to incorporate a rosé sauce base in the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese ($22) so there’s a bisque taste to the dish. I loved the scoobi doo pasta used within which is great for picking up the sauce and gratin cheese crust.

Smash Kitchen

Trying a piece of my friend’s ribs in the half rack and mac ($22), they were flavourful and had a nice smoky crust despite not touching a smoker. It’s certainly a hearty dish that’d make any Southerner happy, with a side of bacon laced mac 'n' cheese and roasted corn kernels with coleslaw on the bottom.


Despite looking rather impressive, the crust on the buttermilk fried chicken ($19) was too hard, lacking the flaky crispiness I love. When the crust separates from the chicken, you realize it hasn’t been bound properly. Yet, it offers good value and you’d surely be full after having the cheddar and bacon biscuit, chipotle lime corn, and sausage gravy that’s so thick it had a grits feeling to it.



Smash Kitchen takes their time making the meals and is large enough that you don’t feel you’re in a rush to leave. It’s a great hidden gem amongst the suburban offerings, you’ll just need to find it. 

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Markham, Canada
 Address: 4261 Highway 7

 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:

Smash Kitchen & Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Cactus Club Cafe (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, January 02, 2016 by


Cactus Club Cafe
Let’s be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for Cactus Club Café. Undeniably, it’s because the restaurant is part of a chain and perhaps I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to chains – their food is safe but generally not exceptional.  Worse still, it’s hard to get reservations (they limit the number of tables daily) and there’s always a wait … time that comes between me and food is never good.

Nonetheless, my friends and I ventured into the pack on a weekday before the holidays in hopes of escaping the wait. Despite getting there just after 5pm, there was still a 20-minute queue – not bad compared to the hour long ones that is a regular occurrence during lunch and other nights.

Indeed, the restaurant is popular for after hour drinks; the 500-seater an ideal venue to accommodate large groups. The single serve bottle of a Cordorniu brut clasico cava ($12) helped to satisfy my recent infatuation with bubbles, the dry sparkling wine perfect for ringing in the holidays.


Chef Rob Feenie, best known for a win while competing on Iron Chef America, is all over the menu and specifically developed a “Toronto-inspired” one exclusive to the First Canadian Place location. The two dishes we ordered off the menu served only in the Rob Feenie dining room (how lucky we happen to be seated here), were both delicious… although it’s unclear how they’re connected to Toronto.

The duck confit ($26 with an extra $9 for a second leg) was succulent, pulling easily off the bone as anything poached in oil should. While the dish had a lot of flavour, the duck itself was left neutral so you could taste the fowl. Whereas, the complimentary ingredients originated the flavours: braised lentils mixed with pieces of salty smoked bacon and an aromatic truffle laced vinaigrette heightening the dish’s richness.


Sablefish ($34), which I recently discovered is another name for black cod, is my type of dish: a moist piece of firm marinated fish sitting in a fragrant Peking duck broth. Resting on a bed of shitake mushrooms, asparagus and fingerling potatoes, even without the fish this would work as soup or vegetarian entree.


Rest assured, even if you’re not in the Chef’s namesake dining room, his creations are all over the main menu – just look for a “RF” in a black circle beside the item.

I highly recommend the tuna stack ($16). Cool chunks of albacore tuna tossed with sesame oil, soy and ponzu. Sitting on cubed avocado and topped with tempura bits, daikon radish sprouts and micro cilantro, you can already imagine all the textures in the starter. Rather than use pieces of nori, Cactus Club provides an adequate number of fried wonton chips – large enough to hold the tuna without being messy.


On the restaurant’s website, their blog explains Feenie’s inspiration for creating the tuna stack. It was from meals spent with Japanese neighbours that he was introduced to the ingredients and influences his creations today. Certainly, it’s an appetizer that can be found at other restaurants, but Feenie’s recipe balances the variety of flavours and textures so nicely.   

Some will find the veal and porcini pappardelle ($23.50) too salty. Indeed, the pasta doesn’t lack flavour with the creamy porcini sauce and flecks of grana padano grated over top. The sauce coats every ribbon of perfectly al dante pasta and plenty of tender braised veal cheek is swirled into the dish. To cut through the pasta’s decadence, fresh arugula is loaded on top and works well as it’s mixed into the hot pasta and starts wilting.


Sadly, the Feenie magic didn’t continue with the desserts. The velvet underground ($3 per shot glass) was like eating syrup, sickeningly sweet with each layer: a caramel foam, crunchy sponge toffee and chocolate mousse. If only one ingredient was sweetened it’d be enough (likely the sponge toffee), I’d much rather have that with a bitter dark chocolate mousse and light vanilla cream.


Although tired and done, the white chocolate cheesecake ($8.25) was a better combination. The cheese cake was dense with the white chocolate peeking through. The bottom chocolate cookie crust a nice even layer and the raspberry sauce incorporating pieces of fruit throughout.


Given Cactus Club is a chain originating from the West, I hear it being compared to Earls – another restaurant popular with the Bay Street crowd. For me, the food is better and Cactus Club is best described as casual fine dining while Earl’s would be more upscale comfort food. It’s a slight but important difference – the dishes at Cactus Club don’t feel as mass produced and the atmosphere (despite being large) is sectioned into homelier rooms.  

A second location is set to open at Sherway Gardens in 2017 and I don’t doubt will be equally as popular. Only time will tell if Feenie will make another exclusive “Mississauga inspired” menu to this location. Too bad the second establishment will be too far away to alleviate the crowds of the downtown location. Such a pity, I guess a return visit will only materialize when I can score a reservation … likely a month in advance.  

Overall mark - 8.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 77 Adelaide Street West

 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:

Cactus Club Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Kinka Izakaya North York (Toronto)

Posted on Friday, January 01, 2016 by
Kinka Izakaya North York

Kinka Izakaya, formerly known as Guu, continues to churn out Japanese shared dishes amongst a jovial environment. At the North York location, the shouting becomes too much: not only occurring when people enter and leave, but also for communicating orders and announcing dishes are ready for pick-up. I’ll admit, I needed a glass of Taiheizan Chogetsu sake ($10) to take the edge off and settle into a mellower mood.


Luckily, Chef Ippei Iwata’s creations makes it worth it to suffer through the screaming. The takowasabi ($4.50), which I first had at sister restaurant Yakatori Kintori, may not look photogenic and somewhat drab, but the flavour couldn’t be further. You may be put off by the jelly like consistency of the marinated octopus, yet before you can decide if you like the dish, a powerful hit of wasabi stem washes over you. It’s shocking, but so delicious.  


Having the kaisou and tofu salad ($7) with the takowasabi would be smart – the cool pieces of tofu helping to mellow out the flavours. The sweet marinated seaweed and citrusy ponzu soy vinaigrette topping the spring mix readjusting the taste buds for the following savoury eats.


Kinka first marinates the chicken used in the karaage ($7.80) so that the meat itself is well flavoured. Coating it in enough flour to form a crust but not too much to become overpowering, the chicken is simple but tasty.


I founded the tontaro ($7.50) too salty (coming from a person who loves salt). The yuzu pepper sauce accompanying the grilled pork cheek skewer was just too well seasoned, which is a shame because the tender pork is devoid of flavours and really requires a condiment.


If you’re a fan of oysters, the kakimayo ($8.50) is the dish to order. Plump, large oysters are filled with mushrooms and spinach in a creamy garlic mayonnaise. It’s baked with cheese and served piping hot, Kinka’s version of an oyster Rockefeller.


The flaky gindara ($12) is one of my favourites: the miso marinated black cod grilled to perfection with a crispy skin but the fish’s meat still moist.


Kinka’s gyu carpaccio ($7.20) is a stunning plate, the seared rings around the beef sashimi so fine and even. Sitting in a ponzu soy and covered with wasabi mayo and garlic chips, it’s also a flavourful and refreshing selection.


With the rise in popularity of aburi offerings, Kinka’s North York location also offers blowtorched salmon oshizushi ($12.80). The pressed sushi incorporating a nice ratio of smoky salmon against rice. Personally, I prefer the typical jalapeno garnishes, but the green onion and ginger topping wasn’t bad either.


The end, the hojicha brulee ($5) had a thin sugar crust, enough to add sweetness but not overpower the faint roasted green tea essence within the crème brulee.



Kinka has been having events assuring eaters that nothing has changed except for the renaming (resulting from the end of a franchising agreement). This was certainly highlighted in my experience – the food just as flavourful, menu options still abundant, and prices equally wallet friendly. Lastly, depending on your opinion, their staff just as energetic … to the detriment of my ear drums.  

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in the mission statement, I will always provide my honest opinion. 
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4775 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:

KINKA IZAKAYA NORTH YORK Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


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