Corn is such a versatile vegetable: eaten simply off the cob; munched on after being popped; or crunched on after being deep fried as in the case of corn nuts. As much as I enjoy these hard corn snacks, there’s always those few kernels that are way too hard and you begin to worry about chipping a tooth.

While scouring the snack aisle at Trader Joe’s, a bag of Giant Peruvian Inca Corn caught my eye. These babies are like corn nuts on steroids, each kernel equivalent to four of the normal ones. Of course, these aren’t the normal North American variety, but rather the choclo stock from the Incas, bred for their massive size.

They still have that trade mark salty crunch, but the inside is hollow providing a crisper break. 

After being toasted the normal sweetness of the corn caramelizes and takes on a nutty flavour – hence corn nuts! What an addictive snack, that almost makes me want a cold malty beer.

Finding authentic Korean restaurants in North York isn’t difficult, every step along Yonge between Sheppard and Steeles presents another option; what’s hard is choosing between all the choices. If it weren’t for a recommendation, I would have never stumbled into Kookminhakgyo – the store front is small and the plaza it’s situated in hidden amongst larger buildings.

Yet, it’s well known amongst locals as the restaurant had a constant stream of customers in hopes of settling into one of their ten circular tables, allotted on a first-come-first-serve basis. Kookminhakgyo’s surroundings is sparse but functional: the stainless steel tables easily cleaned and you can get messy on; the cushion lifts on the seat to protect coats and bags from smelling like food; and décor reminds you of a school or teenager’s room but uncluttered.

Not knowing how long it’d take to receive our food - quite quickly it turns out – we assumed an order of gaeran mari ($8.99) would be required. The Korean omelette was essentially just egg with green onions served with ketchup. I would have thought there’d be something more to it (chopped kimchi, a spicy paste), really anything to make it more “Korean”.  Nevertheless, as a plain omelette it was still tasty with its many layers and slightly gooey center.  

In terms of the actual BBQ, the Kookminhakgyo set ($57.99) will make any pork lover’s heart flutter, a large platter of the animal’s skirt meat, shoulder, jowl (or cheek) and belly (both with and without skin). Depending on your hunger, it’d be sufficient for three to four people.

It was the ideal dish for a first visit, to allow us to try everything and gauge what we like. The large slabs of pork belly were too heavy for me (although the fat renders off on the hot grill) and the jowl desperately needed seasoning. But, the large shoulder slices were a nice balance of moisture from the fat and meat and the skirt meat chewier but at least flavourful.  

I’m always partial to beef so we also ordered some beef skirt meat ($23.99), a decent sized portion cut into strips to allow you to easily wrap in lettuce.

After ordering, a flurry of side dishes, banchan (cabbage and radish kimchi), sauces (spicy and sweet bean paste), add ons (garlic oil, marinated jalapeno & onion) and lettuce appear. For our table of six, we received two orders of the garan jjim (regularly $6.99) a lovely fluffy steamed egg that would be fantastic with rice and a spicy soybean paste soup with bean sprouts.

Other than beer and soju, a popular drink diners ordered was the Bokbunja ($23.99). If you enjoy ice or dessert wines, you’ll like this Korean fruit wine made with black raspberries; as one friend describes it tasting like an alcoholic Ribena. It’s certainly an easy going drink, but awfully sweet to go well with grilled meats, for dessert perhaps.

Overall, it was a fun meal as meat was tossed on the grill, small plates passed around and hot meat wrapped in lettuce and topped with sauce and fixings. Yet, Kookminhakgyo has a limited menu (no kalbi) and the meat isn’t marinated so you really couldn’t eat it plain. Of course, some items such as pork belly can rightfully be left neutral, but the skirt meat and jowl would really benefit from a marinade. The small tables also make it hard for them to offer additional varieties of banchan; these small dishes are a highlight to having Korean BBQ! I was certainly missing the crunchy cucumbers, sesame laced bean sprouts and chewy soy beans.

Nonetheless, they did have fantastic service: staff frequently checked in on us to ensure depleted banchan and lettuce was replenished swiftly. After all, with their limited tables, serving food quickly and getting diners in-and-out is important – the whole meal lasted about an hour. So, you may not get the full experience, but the restaurant is a great option for those who want Korean BBQ but not sitting around for hours.

Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10

Past visits to Cresta (formerly Pastizza) involved sit down meals consisting of plenty of carbs and a drink or two. At their media event this month, my perceptions changed as tables were cleared and the dining room transformed into a spacious cocktail party. With their corner lot and floor-to-ceiling windows, the atmosphere was airy yet still warm and inviting as the smell of food permeated from the open kitchen.

Indeed, there were still carbs; after all, to have attendees not try their crispy light pizza would be a shame. The heirloom tomato version was reminiscent of a margherita – tomato, cheese and basil – except augmented with onion and olives. The funghi was just as delicious as I remembered, the wild mushrooms pieces further drizzled with truffle oil.

The scallop crudo was brilliantly presented, the seafood simply topped with citrus juice and coriander. A surprising twist was the garlic chip on top, providing a sweet earthy finish to the otherwise bright canapé.

Having had their beet salad, I enjoyed their take on the dish for the event skewering the colourful beets with the vegetable’s greens. In fact, I enjoyed it more as the smaller pieces allowed a lovely crust to develop, the sweetness further enhanced with the lemon thyme dressing.  

Of course we had ample opportunity to sample the restaurant’s wines, cultivated from the Cresta Ridge in California. The pinot noir kept the red lighter as to not overpower the food, yet still complimented the tomato sauce and beef.

I certainly had my fair share of the beef tenderloin, soft meaty slices of medium rare steak wrapped around thinly sliced roasted potatoes, garlic and a cherry tomato. A lovely pairing for the wine.

The roasted shrimp paired with an empty ravioli was also delicious … what a great one bite hors d'oeuvre smartly served with a fork. In a spoon, was my first taste of Cresta’s creamy mushroom risotto – it’s hard to go wrong with fragrant truffle oil and shaved parmesan.

Seated in the quiet dining room of Vertical, located on the third level of First Canadian Place, the overlooking view of the elevators provided an interesting people watching vantage point: a glimpse into their lives before rushing off to other destinations following work.

The last time I’d been to the restaurant was years earlier, for lunch, a failed pomegranate kale salad that was too seedy and tart to be satisfying. If it weren’t for That’s The Spread and winning a gift card from their online contest, I may have never returned. And that would be a shame as the dinner menu by Chef Pasquini is good – Italian based dishes that are a far cry from the salad of the yesteryears.

Plenty of thinly sliced finocchina, capicollo, and 24-month aged prosciutto di parma were given in the assorted salumi ($20), a starter that’s great for sharing. The finocchina, a Tuscan salami, was a tad fatty for me but was luckily my husband’s favourite. The leaner neutral capicollo was a better bet and we both enjoyed the prosciutto, which was flavourful without relying on salt.

Accompanying the meat was a small bowl of crunchy pickled vegetables and great grainy mustard, though what it really needed was bread or crostini. After referring back to the menu for the post, I now realize you can request complimentary ciabatta; a reminder from our server would have been nice as I’d certainly would have benefited from one.

My main, a beef tenderloin ($42) was a thick chunk and well prepared – a good sear and left medium rare inside. The splash of salsa verde studded with Jerusalem artichoke, over salted swiss chard and cubes of deep fried polenta made for a beautiful spring-coloured presentation.

Although their mains do have garnishes, it’s not substantial so you’d likely need a supplementary side. We shared the brussel sprouts ($9) which were simply tossed with a good quality olive oil, lemon and a hefty portion of garlic.

The ravioli ($25) were deliciously filled with a smooth parsnip puree mixed with shredded braised short rib and then garnished with a dusting of scorzone black truffle, which goes so well with the creamy sauce.

Given the main courses were rather small, we certainly had room for dessert. The warm doughnuts ($10) were a great way to end: six plump soft pastries that were thankfully not oily. The coffee dipping sauce was rather weak and could benefit from a bit more espresso, but the doughnuts had enough cinnamon sugar coating them that they were tasty on their own.

As a warning, the portions at Vertical certainly don’t follow the Italian tradition of abundance. Nonetheless, after the dessert, we were satisfied without feeling overly stuffed. The dinner was much better than my last visit. After all, I’ve finally learnt Homer’s lesson – you don’t make friends with salad. 

When it comes to a quick breakfast, food court establishments have generally been the go-to and sometimes only option for eaters. For those working or residing in the Toronto downtown core, you now have another choice: Little Fin is currently opened earlier and serving breakfast weekdays from 8-11am.

All are freshly made and in under ten minutes I was presented with a piping hot (Egg) White Wrapper ($5.50); all prepped to go should a dash to the office be in order. In my case, I chose to give myself a break and enjoy the wrap at Little Fin – they have a few tables and numerous bar stool seats in the store.

Wrapped in the well-grilled whole wheat tortilla was an egg white omelette, fresh spinach (normally kale) and a hash brown that added a great crunch. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting the “healthy” sounding breakfast to be very flavourful, but the layer of soft goat cheese and drizzle of slightly spicy sauce (it seems to be the same as what's on the po’boy) made the wrap delicious!  

It was a tough decision first thing in the morning. After seeing the chicken and waffles sandwich ($6.50) on Instagram, the thick piece of fried chicken with the waffles as the “bread” was calling to me. And I was really hungry so the the Ultimate Brek-Fin Sandwich ($7) would have also been nice: slices of peameal bacon combined with a fried egg, hash brown, cheese, avocado, tomato and lettuce on a toasted sesame bun.

Yet with a beach vacation around the corner, I refrained myself and was thoroughly satisfied with the egg white wrap. For those who’d like seafood for breakfast, Little Fin also offers a smoked salmon bagel ($6).

Additionally, to celebrate the launch, Little Fin is running a contest:

When Danna and Adam Caldwell opened their first Menchie’s store in LA, little did they know the frozen yoghurt establishment would become a worldwide name! With a rotating 128 flavours – in April a new one, Skor, will soon be available – customers are able to mix and match the yoghurt bases with more than 50 toppings to create their own custom blend. Moreover, their gluten-free, vegan and Kosher options ensures most dietary restrictions can be accommodated.

Toppings range from fresh fruit (berries, a tropical selection and melons) to candies (chocolate and gummi bears) and other interesting choices (sprinkles, cookies and cheesecake). My favourite are the mini peanut butter cups and popping boba, although not generally part of the same cup.

Not to rest on their laurels, Menchies continues to develop new products including custom made cakes and real fruit smoothies … so you won’t feel guilty about stopping into a store before noon.

This spring Menchies is encouraging Canadians to SMILE! After all, the sun and warm weather will soon be gracing us and enjoying the outdoors is but weeks away. A contest is launching March 28, 2016, where participants digitally scratch and win various instant prizes. Afterwards, you’ll receive a pin number to enter towards the grand prize: a 7-night round trip for two to the 5-star Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa in the Mayan Riviera!

Additionally, check back in a few weeks as Gastro World will also be giving you a chance to win a VIP pass to Menchies - holders are entitled to any cup of frozen yoghurt (no dollar limit)! The perfect way add as many toppings as you want, to create a masterpiece that’s worthy of making you smile.

Good luck everyone!