Good Taste Casserole Rice 知味煲仔饭 (Markham)

Posted on Saturday, January 14, 2017 by

If you’re looking for a filling meal for about $10, fast food restaurants isn’t the best choice. In the corner of a busy Chinese plaza sits Good Taste Casserole Rice. Here their combos are so large that sharing three amongst four people is perfect. Aside from the hefty pot of rice, each also arrives with soup and boiled vegetables.


The soup is piping hot after being steamed in individual pots. Inside the clear broth holds cubes of pork, papaya and white fungus. It’s unsalted so you’ll need a liberal sprinkling from the shaker at the table.

With dozens of casserole rice options to choose from, what to order depends not only on your preference but also the amount of crispy rice crust you prefer - in my opinion, the best part of the dish. Otherwise, you're really just eating baked rice with meat; why wait half an hour for that?

Although the preserved meats is normally not one of my favourite toppings, for casserole rice it's the best option as there’s less moisture resulting in a thick golden crispy crust. The assorted preserved meat ($10.99) contains lap cheung (sweet Chinese cured sausage), preserved duck, pork and fish so you get a bit of everything to sample. Good Taste doesn’t skimp on the ingredients with plenty of each.

With the salted fish and minced pork ($8.99), there's still a layer of crust on the bottom, but the thickness diminishes and isn't quite as crispy. With a fair amount of salted fish chunks, the casserole let’s off a pungent aroma – heavenly if you enjoy the ingredient, like dried sweaty socks if you don’t.


By the time you’re having a casserole rice topped with something like pork spareribs and black bean ($7.99) the crust becomes non-existent and tends to be hard and chewy. Of course, the spareribs is meatier and there’s a decent serving of it for the low price.


In the end, weather you enjoy a thick and crunchy crust or just a pot of soft moist rice, there’s an array to choose from at Good Taste Casserole Rice. Plus, the sheer amount of food you receive will be healthier and more filling than a burger combo any day.

 Overall mark - 8 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Markham, Canada
 Address: 8392 Kennedy Road (Unit A9)
                  

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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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Good Taste Casserole Rice Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Kub Khao Thai Eatery (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, January 08, 2017 by

Don’t let their location at an independent gas station scare you, the Thai food at Kub Khao is legit. The store front dining room may look dingy, but the seating area at the back is colourful and cheerful, the tapestry reminiscent of the lovely woven textiles across Thailand. Accordingly, if décor is important, ask to be sat in the back.

Sadly, their moo ping ($6.95) wasn’t the slightly spicy version I found at Destination Thailand, but still decent. The grilled pork skewer are glazed in a sweet tangy tamarind sauce with more on the side. They’re hot and tender, served quickly so they’re almost as fresh as a street vendor handing you one fresh from the grill.


The chicken pad kee mao ($11.95) uses wide flat rice noodles stir fried with egg and vegetables. It may look like your run-of-the-mill noodles, but watch out for the whole green peppercorns hidden throughout, which adds an earthy heat to the dish (albeit more subdued that the strong black peppercorn).


With the shrimp paste coating the rice kernels, the smoked chili fried rice ($10.95) was delicious – something I’d definitely order again. This works well as a vegetarian dish incorporating tofu puffs that add a soft crunchiness against the tender rice. Even though there was a chili on the menu, the rice wasn’t spicy, rather having a nice savoury essence.


As you scoop the beef green curry ($11.95), get to the bottom of the bowl as the chopped banana peppers settles there. For the first serving, I found it was just creamy and sweet from the coconut milk – still good but far too commercial tasting. I even had to ask for hot sauce just to give it heat. However, the second serving, after reaching the chili sediments at the bottom, we felt the tinge of spice, which really makes the curry. Although the dish already comes with steamed rice you should opt for an extra order ($2), why waste any of the lovely sauce, the best part of the curry.


Perhaps it was due to the holiday season, but there were only two people working at the front of the house during our week night visit. Even though service was slow (due to the sheer size of the restaurant that needs to be managed by two workers), I must commend how quickly they were operating.

The mom and pop operation means stir fried dishes come out slowly, so I’d suggest getting some appetizers if you’re hungry as they arrive quicker. Moreover, the noodle and rice dishes aren’t overly large so a couple of starters amongst a table of four isn’t a lot. Just be patient. Eating at Kub Khao may not be speedy, but what you’ll get is much better than the ketchup-laced pad thai of the suburbs any day.  

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 3561 Sheppard Avenue East
 

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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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Salad King (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, January 07, 2017 by
Any University student from Toronto’s downtown core has likely visited Salad King – in fact, Ryerson students even get a 20% discount if they go during the off hours of 2-5pm. Their meals cater to price conscious hungry students with affordable price points and fairly large portions.

Take their crispy spring rolls ($4.80), it arrives three to an order and each are a fair size. Even though they were predominantly filled with bean vermicelli, there was still ample flavour from the oyster sauce laced vegetables and bamboo shoots. Since they were freshly out of the fryer, they arrived scorching hot; crispy and satisfying.


The tom yum soup ($3.80) was also a decent sized bowl. Containing little in terms of ingredients (merely sliced white mushrooms and coriander), nonetheless, the broth was nicely spiced without being overly acidic or powerful. It’s a similar base that’s used in the street noodle soup ($9.25), a delicious main I’ve had in the past when I was craving the soup in a heartier meal form.


Having had their chicken phud thai in the past ($9.95) (a decent version although not as “authentic” as places like Pai), the kari noodles ($9.95) proved to be an interesting rendition of the rice noodles – still incorporating egg, vegetables and bean sprout, but the sweet and sour tamarind sauce replaced with curry.

The kari’s only flaw is the curry powder itself, which sticks to the rice noodles making it hard to stir fry evenly. It’s not the most appetizing when you end up with a mouthful of the strong spicy and slightly bitter powder. Perhaps diluting it with a bit of water and making a slurry will help ensure a more even coating on the noodles.

You can really disregard the number of chilies on their menu as they allow you to customize spicy dishes from medium (a little kick) to a range of chilies starting at one (nice) and ending at twenty (may cause stomach upset - at least you’re warned).

I’ve never gotten more than three chilies (start mopping your brow) because that’s spicy enough. I’ve also never left hungry … with $20 you’re bound to be sedated or even leave with doggy bag in tow.  

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 340 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!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Salad King Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Love Me Sweet (Thornhill)

Posted on Monday, January 02, 2017 by

 How does it compare to Uncle Tetsu’s? It’s unfair – after all, Love Me Sweet is its own bakery – but, that’s the first thing on anyone’s mind.
In terms of taste, the original flavour ($11) is similar but more cake-like, when freshly out of the oven, at Love Me Sweet. While Tetsu’s reminded me of a smooth airy gelatin, Love’s seemed like a creamy angel food cake. Although I still find it better the next day, after an evening in the fridge, becoming denser, creamier, and full bodied.

If you’ve never had Japanese cheesecake before, definitely order the original flavour to get a better taste of the light buttery dessert. However, for a second or third cake/visit, you should try Love’s chocolate and coffee flavours. Even as you open the box, the cocoa and coffee aromas let you know something special is coming.

Having sampled all three at a party, most guests seemed to prefer the sweet milk chocolate ($11) version, which has enough cocoa for interest without being heavy. Chocolate cheesecake is a familiar flavour, with a dollop of whipped cream on top would be even better.


Personally, my favourite is the coffee ($11), letting off an intense smell and flavour of the drink. Indeed, its richness masks the cheese, yet its creaminess reminds you this isn’t a crumb cake and offers a unique spin on the dessert.


While comparing Love Me Sweet with its famed downtown counterpart, the best part of the uptown establishment is the ability to “reserve” cakes. Simply go online or call to place your order and they’ll ensure they make enough cakes for you. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll all be ready when you arrive (I had to wait five minutes while the coffee one was finishing off in the oven), but at least you’re not waiting in line (there was no line at Love’s) just to be disappointed.  


How To Find Them
 Location: Thornhill, Canada
 Address: 7181 Yonge Street (at Shops on Yonge)

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Love Me Sweet Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Bindia Indian Bistro (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2017 by
Bindia aims to serve Indian food within an airy brightly lit bistro. Their dining room doesn’t have an ounce of red or gold, instead there are calming blues and warm wood tones. The well ventilated restaurant means you can even go out afterwards without being perfumed with the aromatic aromas.

The vegetable pakora ($9) was a rocky start. The plump chickpea flour fritters arrived a lovely golden brown with plenty of crispy edges, but should be smaller as the inside was mushy and mealy, instead of the airy puff you’re expecting.

Luckily, the heaping lamb biryani ($19) redeemed the restaurant, incorporating flavourful spiced basmati rice where even the medium spice level already had me reaching for the raita (a thin cucumber yoghurt that really helps sooths the tongue). Tucking into the mound you’ll find chunks of tender lamb, not nearly as flavourful as the rice, but helps the mild lamb taste remain and distinguish itself from beef.


If a powerful lamb dish is what you’re craving, their vindaloo ($19) is also extremely tender despite containing even large pieces of meat and sits in plenty of their house-made sauce. The dish is great for slathering onto an order of basmati rice ($5) or tucked into a piece of warm crispy naan ($3).


Bindia’s paneer is the softest I’ve ever experienced, definitely closer to a cheese consistency than a firm tofu. Within the paneer tikka masala ($16) were large cubes of Indian cheese, stewed with onions and green peppers in a lovely masala cream sauce. Despite not having an ounce of meat, the dish is a rich and hearty.

With a big dining room, Bindia can accommodate large groups – certainly, during our holiday visit seems to be hosting many corporate lunches. Their dishes are great for sharing, so pass them along and break naan with your colleagues.

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 16 Market 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:

Bindia Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


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