Laissez Faire (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2019 by

You do you … the modern day equivalent to living a laissez faire lifestyle. It’s a romantic thought, being able to live as you please, be as you please - and at the new Laissez Faire – eat as you please. Their menu strays from their French name and also offers Italian dishes for good measure.

It’s not always done well, the porcini truffle arancini ($13) are the worst I’ve ever had: the risotto so dry that the ball starts to crumble and the mixture bland so everything relies heavily on the marinara (thankfully, fresh and delicious). As a plus, since it is deep fried rice, even being the worst it’s still edible, but certainly not one you’d want to serve a true Italian.


The squid ink tagliatelli ($21) is 100% better. Dark ribbons of pasta encompasses a seafood flavour but not in a fishy way. It’s covered in a sauce that’s not overly thick but salty enough to really give it a briny sea essence. Plump sweet clams and crunchy bread crumb provide a nice contrast to the pasta, while there’s just enough dill fronds to add a hint of freshness without morphing the dish’s earthiness.


Safer sharing plates are some of the cold seafood options. While we weren’t advised what the oysters were that evening (only that they were from PEI), the dozen ($32) tasted clean and fresh, accompanied with the traditional vinegary onion mignonette and grated horseradish. 


Meanwhile, the albacore tuna ($17) has a real nuttiness from the black and white sesame crust. It’s slowly seared so the seeds are just lightly toasted and the tuna wrapped in a thin cooked ring and warmed through. Really swipe the fish around the plate to get all the herby aioli on the plate.

For something incredible, you have to be willing to dive all-in … calories and cholesterol be damn! Just bite into the pork belly ($17) and enjoy the crispy skin that’s the perfect ratio of fat for flavours and skin for chewiness. A thin sherry gastrique and bits of pomegranate add a slight sweetness against the otherwise savoury dish. It’s so good that a table of four may want to double the order so you can each have another piece.


The duck confit ($21) was another strong dish with the traditional crunchy skin encapsulating soft rich meat. Pairing the fowl with salad was a great idea to keep it lighter and allows a diner to still enjoy some starters.


Aside from the food, two things really stuck out for me. Firstly, the odd portion sizes at Laissez Faire. While the small and large plates weren’t overly big, the sides like roasted Brussels sprouts and parsnips ($14) were massive. Who knows, maybe it’s their way of making diners eat their vegetables. Yet, there’s so much bacon incorporated into the dish that vegetables seem secondary. Moreover, the sauce is way too sweet and the pickled mustard seeds, while a great idea, needs to be applied with a lighter touch. Maybe it’s me, but I want my vegetables to actually taste like vegetables.


Portion sizes were wonky in the dessert department as well. The apple tarte tatin ($11) is barely sharable compared to the brioche panna cotta ($14), which actually resembles a regular-sized dessert.

Nevertheless, both are decent – the apple tatin served as a deconstructed version consisting of well-poached apples with a thinned caramel sauce on top of a piece of really buttery pastry. The flavours are bang on, just the form was a bit disappointing as I was actually hoping for the traditional tarte format. The panna cotta has the requisite creamy texture with a strong vanilla flavour. I could have done without the bits of crunchy brioche crumbles, which takes away from that lovely silky texture; yet, I can see some liking the contrasting texture and hint of saltiness it adds to the dessert.


The second thing that stuck with me, albeit I didn’t realize until I was writing the blog post, was how wildly inaccurate the prices charged for the desserts were from the published amounts. On the menu, it’s listed as $9 for the apple tarte tatin and $11 for the panna cotta, while what’s actually charged is $11 and $14, respectively. Perhaps a $1 difference is reasonable when there’s a last minute change, but to add $3 to each dish is terribly inconsistent. Sadly, the caliber and size of the desserts definitely aren’t worth the augmented price.

Maybe it all comes back to the laissez faire attitude – who cares if prices are incorrectly charged, the Italian dishes aren’t necessarily the strongest, or the sides are the same size as mains? Just go with it and pop another bottle of bubbly to forget about the situation – oddly, we did end up getting a BOGO 50% off deal for the Prosecco without realizing it. After all, it all works out in the end… just chill out.

 Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 589 King Street West

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
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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!

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The Chase (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, April 06, 2019 by

Being a Toronto Life Insider has its perks. As a foodie, members can attend R&D dinners where restaurants offer a special menu, often showcasing new dishes to come. It was almost comical when dozens of us descended downtown, on a snowy Sunday evening, to visit The Chase to try their spring menu. With the blanket of snow pelting the city, it certainly didn’t feel like spring.

The 7-course menu ($155) included wine pairings from producers across Ontario, including a focus on Big Head, a little known winery from Niagara-on-the-Lake. I was excited for the evening… we were surely in for a treat given the restaurant is known for its luxurious menus drawing corporate crowds flushed with spending accounts.

Indeed, our first bites fit the bill: a truffle beignet and raw oyster. The beignet is nothing like the puffy pastry from New Orleans, instead akin to a savoury crispy falafel. The truffle scent floods the mouth with a bit of creamy freshness from the crème fraiche and chervil.


This was followed with a single smoked oyster - Taylor notes spring is a great time to enjoy the seafood as the waters are still cold. The smoked oyster was in fact refreshing, especially after the heavier truffle falafel. It was simply flavoured with a wild onion mignonette that had just a hint of spiciness to tingle the tongue. Generally, mignonette can be heavy on the vinegar. At Chase, the condiment is balanced with Chardonnay so the tanginess is mellowed and melds better with the seafood’s natural briny juices.


The shrimp and grit’s aroma proceeds the actual dish… if only I could capture the smell to share with you. Taylor explains it’s a dish he’s been tinkering with for years to really highlight his commitment in using ingredients that can be sourced within 100km of the city. K2 Milling’s red crow grits sits in a sea buckthorn hot sauce, rosemary oil and pork stock; each grain filled with so many flavours, then taken to another level with chunks of melt-in-your-mouth smoked pork hock strewn throughout.


Crowning the dish was a single shrimp grown in Stratford, Ontario, the local farm raising Pacific white shrimp sustainably. The sustainability theme is in each element of the dish – even the garnish of deep fried wild onion roots, which adds a delicious sweetness instead of getting wasted.

A dish that looks like spring is the bison. Indeed, you don’t normally think of this wooly game meat during a flowery season, but all the beautiful garnishes makes the plate seem like a flower box. The bison is quickly cured and served carpaccio style with dollops of smoked buttermilk, pickled ramp, wild watercress, and toasted hemp hearts. Each bite is interesting thanks to the varying flavours and textures.


The raviolo arrives like a bright sun, plump from being stuffed with an egg yolk and thin layer of truffle. In lieu of a cream sauce, it’s topped with truffle gastrique sweetened with maple syrup and chervil water.


Of the meal, it’s perhaps the most educating dish as Taylor explains how the herbs are cultivated using hydroponics (a new technology that raises herbs using water and fish in a closed loop system) and even provides diners with tips on how to ensure the pasta is cooked while the yolk remains molten: insulate the egg, regulate the pasta’s thickness, and never let the water temperature drop.

While the raviolo looks impressive, as soon as you cut through the pasta, the yolk is so runny it simply gushes out and mixes into the other liquids. Which could be okay, but there’s perhaps too many elements and flavours that it just didn’t tie together. Sadly, the mild truffle really didn’t stand out. If anything, aside from the egg, a sweet herby flavour was most pronounced.

I enjoyed the boozy palette cleanser, a tonic and cucumber granita with unfiltered Dillion’s gin poured table side. It’s definitely not your typical sweet granita and definitely more fun.


You can’t create a Canadian seafood dinner without cod – in fact, Taylor tells us in Newfoundland fishing means catching cod – everything else is known by name (such as going trouting). In line with his sustainable beliefs, the meal featured the limited line-caught Fogo Island cod.


The fish is sous vide with morel butter, sautéed morels, sprouted legume, and a maple vinaigrette. A lovely aromatic dashi (a concoction of bull kelp, morels, and wild onion tips) is then poured on top. While it looks like there’s a lot happening on the dish, the elements are rather mellow so the cod remains the predominant flavour with a hint of earthiness. Overall, the fish was cooked beautifully, and was a tasty dish, but a touch more seasoning will help.

Dinner ends with a lovely Ontario lamb wellington wrapped in the traditional crepe, chicken liver duxelle (heavy on the liver and light on mushrooms), and a thin layer of Swiss chard. The lamb saddle is a flavourful but tougher cut, so the Chef ensures it’s tender by sous viding it first. It was absolutely delicious and even more commendable by featuring pasture raised lamb.


Child-like gasps and giddy laughter erupts as a behemoth plate of buttermilk panna cotta is set down - we’re all astounded by the sheer size of the dessert, yet plates are cleaned amongst our table. The panna cotta is creamy and rich, but lightened with compressed candied rhubarb and dollops of rhubarb gelatin. It certainly provided the relaxing and soothing exit Chef Taylor intended.


When I first heard about the Chase’s R&D dinner, I was excited to visit the restaurant to experience the luxurious seafood creations. Yet, what surprised me the most (and has me returning) is learning the Chase cares about using ethical and sustainable ingredients. In fact, dishes aren’t about fancy exotic inputs, but rather supporting local whenever possible. It’s a restaurant that’s proud to feature garnishes from ingredients that may otherwise be thrown away… take that corporate accounts.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
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How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 10 Temperance Street (penthouse)

 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 Chase Fish & Oyster Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Dim Sum Queen (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2019 by

Aside from being an opportunity to gather friends and family, dim sum is also an excuse to gorge and indulge. Steamer-after-steamer and plate-after-plate of the small bites get placed on the table… just as quickly, it seems, things disappear. Who can keep track of what actually gets eaten?

When Dim Sum Queen opened in the neighbourhood, I had my doubts about its authenticity. From the outside, it looks nothing like a traditional Chinese restaurant and even the name seemed dubious. Yet with the limited dim sum options by my place and the fact that they accept reservations (!), we tried and we conquered (the steamers and plates that is).

Dim Sum Queen does not offer an early bird special, instead, dishes are always charged at the same rate: M ($4.50), L ($5.30), and XL ($6.50). While they don’t have any dishes sized as small, there is a fair selection at the medium range (for example, most of their buns). I'd opt for the BBQ pork (M) ones over the pan fried pork and vegetable (M) as the filling is much tastier. While the BBQ pork is stuffed with large pieces of meat in the traditional sweet sticky sauce, the pan fried buns lacked flavours and needed more vegetables. Moreover, weren’t fried long enough to develop a nice crust.


In general, a lot of the pan fried items could use more time in the pan. Their grilled turnip cake with preserved meat (M) was actually made really well with tons of ingredients and big chunks of turnip, but its lukewarm temperature couldn’t do it justice. The pan fried chicken pot sticker (L) was rather run of the mill, but with the right crunch against the soft filling, it could have been better. Out of all these types of dishes, the pan fried chives shrimp & cake (L) was the tastiest, maybe because its thinner wrapper requires less time on the flattop.


The wrapper on the shrimp dumpling har gow (L) is thicker than I typically like, but the shrimp was well-cooked so it retains its sweetness. For tables with odd numbers, the shrimp and snow pea leaves dumpling (L) may be a better choice as you get a similar shrimp filling but it’s balanced by the vegetables to give it an extra texture and flavour element.


While the pork and shrimp dumpling siu mai (L) doesn't look quite as nice as competitors (lacking that pop of colour on top), it tastes just as good. Dim Sum Queen is made for those who don’t eat pork as they also offer siu mai in tangerine beef (M) and chicken shitake (L) alternatives. The chicken has a similar texture but milder taste and I rather like the slight earthiness from the mushroom. Meanwhile, the beef is in a paste form and has a springy texture – similar to the steamed tangerine beef balls but denser.


Dim sum wouldn’t be the same without an order of rice rolls, the BBQ pork (L) was tasty and contained enough filling. For something different, the vegetarian spring roll version (M) uses a crunchy deep fried spring roll, which makes for such a great contrast against the soft silky wrapper.


While the steamed sticky rice with meat in lotus leaf (L) could use more filling, for what was there, it was flavourful. 


A bowl of the shrimp dumpling in soup (L) (sometimes known as Shanghai dumplings in other restaurants) is also great during the cold weather as they’re steamed in the bowl arriving piping hot. The plump shrimp are further enhanced by crunchy black fungus slivers.


Dishes that should be taken off the menu are the green onion pancake (M) and red bean pancake (M). The dough is much too dense, especially for a green onion pancake that’s normally known for the flaky layers. Moreover, the filling in each is so sparse that they really don’t taste like much.


On the other hand, dishes you should order are ones consisting of a sticky glutinous flour exterior that’s deep fried. The sesame seed and lotus paste balls (M) made fresh so they’re piping hot. What makes them stand out is the glutinous dough – it’s rather delicate so it’s not too dense but still has a lovely crispy crust. In the sesame seed ball, you bite through to be greeted with a lotus paste that’s thinned so it has a silkier texture but still a nice amount of sweetness.


For a savoury version, the deep fried meat & shrimp dumplings (M; 2 orders shown below) is similar but instead filled with bits of pork, mushroom, and shrimp.


While I wouldn’t say every dish at Dim Sum Queen is a hit, what I love that you’re able to visit on a whim and not have to wait. On busier days (think holidays), they still let you book reservations so it’s a great option for larger tables. Having been twice, on busy and slow days, the food and service quality remained consistent.

 So, I take back my initial judgment. Maybe their name, signage, and dining room doesn’t look like a typical Chinese restaurant, but their food tastes just as authentic. 

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 3241 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:

CLOSED: Awai revisited for their new menu (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, March 24, 2019 by

Awai first launched as a vegetarian restaurant offering tasting menus without a price – customers eat as many dishes as their stomachs can handle and set their own price. After a number of years, they decided to scrap the concept citing diners felt awkward figuring out the “value” of food offered. Instead, the restaurant now offers menus in 5-course ($48 Sunday - Thursday; $62 on Friday & Saturday) and 7-course ($75 Sunday - Thursday, $95 on Friday & Saturday) options – still in a plant-based format.

I’m happy to see the creamy mushroom soup stayed on the menu as it’s something Awai creates beautifully. The smoked porcini and cauliflower soup gets a kick from jerk spice, but is still silky and decadent with puréed mushroom pieces and truffle oil. My only complaint was the portion wasn’t big enough.


A coca flatbread also makes an appearance, a chewy bread prepared in their wood burning oven so there’s a smoky essence. That evening it was topped with a white cauliflower and truffle cream sauce, which would have made it similar to the soup, but in the flatbread there was a tangy herb drizzle for differentiation. I love the big chunks of artichokes topping the bread, but could have done without the chewy figs – although for those who like a sweet, savoury, and sour element, it does work.


Cauliflower continues the meal with pieces of it mixed with sous vide beluga lentils and a potato string nest. The deep fried potato balls were so hard that they’re impossible to bite through – instead, I resorted to breaking it up with my hands to mix into the lentils. Overall, the dish was too fussy with textures that didn’t exactly work with each other, the miso and lemon vinaigrette a little off with lentils, and the temperature too cool.


Luckily, the last savoury course ends strong with a tortellini filled with sunchoke, amaretto and almond butter. It’s a lighter dish with pea foam topping the butternut squash. Pasta is another item that Awai does superbly, the dough thin but still chewy. The only slight flaw was the snap peas didn’t have their ribbing removed making them difficult to chew through and detracted from the otherwise crunchy vegetables.


Before dessert, we added on the faux-mage cheese board ($25) - we’re told all the vegan cheese is made in-house. While I’m not a plant-based cheese expert, I’m told by a friend who eats it regularly that there are much better options available for sale. Overall, we found the texture - whether it be the cheese ball, cashew-based blue cheese, or the truffle cheese made with almonds – tasting like spread. So, it felt less like you’re having cheese with crackers and more like flavourful hummus.


Two desserts were presented at the table for sharing: on their own not the greatest but worked well together. The coconut butter pudding had a rather odd texture since instead of being being dense it was very fluffy. The chocolate ganache was understandably rich and dressed with a lot of cocoa powder so it was overpowering solo. Once blended together, the two desserts were better balanced and reminded me of a tuxedo royale cake.


With a set procession of dishes, the meal did seem longer as there was a lag between each plate – perhaps the kitchen’s way of timing a 5-course and 7-course meal to similar durations. True to its purpose, I enjoyed not having to conduct a strategy session amongst the table at the end of a filling booze-filled meal. The process of settling the bill and leaving was definitely easier and less labour intensive. Mission accomplished.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 2277 Bloor 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:

CLOSED: Smith Bros. Steakhouse Tavern (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, March 17, 2019 by


Aside from The Keg, Torontonians don’t have a lot of options for reasonably priced steakhouses, especially those where weekend reservations aren’t painful to secure. Hence, when pictures of Smith Bros. Steakhouse Tavern prime rib starting flashing across my Instagram feed, I vowed to visit the Scarborough restaurant the next time I was craving beef.

Indeed, the prime rib platter ($35) arrived looking just like the pictures I’ve seen. A behemoth 12oz slab of medium rare beef with just a small drizzle of au jus placed on when it arrives so that it doesn’t completely cook through the meat while transporting the dish. Don’t worry, a generous ladle arrives on the side so that there’s plenty of salty beef sauce for dipping prime rib or Yorkshire pudding into. The pudding, although has a lovely taste, was a bit too hard.


Smith Bros. also has a selection of 28-day aged steaks. The seafood sirloin ($35) looks much smaller than the prime rib, but since it’s a rather lean cut (less wastage) and topped with a rich poached lobster and shrimp in brandy cream sauce, it’s a rather rich, so being smaller doesn’t hurt. It’s served with a choice of potato (fries, garlic mashed potatoes, or baked potato). Their fries even makes the shoestring variety seem fat - it’s sort of like a softer and thicker Hickory Stick. While I would have preferred them thicker, it’s not too bad.


While all the mains arrive with starches, there’s nothing green and healthy, so an order of the seasonal vegetable for two ($8) helps to balance the meal. It’s nothing fancy: large hunks of broccoli with little done in terms of preparation other than steaming.


Smith Bros. Steakhouse follows a similar model to the Keg – spacious restaurant, serves hot fresh bread, and has warm and friendly service. Except you’re able to make reservations on weekends without blackout periods and the dining room is brightly lit, so perhaps a better option for families. I left satisfied and feeling like I had my fill of beef for at least a month. Best of all, I got it all without having to pay $55+ for a steak.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 880 Warden Avenue


 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:

Yunshang Rice Noodle House 云尚米线 (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, March 16, 2019 by

My first impression of Yunshang Rice Noodle involved the nose – it smelled SO comforting. It’s difficult to describe without experiencing it, but the dining room is encapsulated in a fragrant but clean smell - almost like tucking your nose into freshly cleaned sheets that comes out of the dryer. That is, if a Bounce sheet was replaced by slow cooked bone broth.

The aroma made me even hungrier for the bowl of crossing-the-bridge noodles I was about to tuck into. A popular dish from Yunnan in China, Yunshang is serving it from March 15-31, 2019 to celebrate the grand opening of their newest North York location (unfortunately, at the single location only). It’s limited to 50 sets per day with the exception of the first weekend where they will be giving out 100 sets for free on the 15th and 16th, so if you want to experience the dish, head in early - the giveaway starts at 6pm!

Undoubtedly, heads turn as the large wooden platter is set on the table. Each step of the Yunshang bridge rice noodle ($19.99) is filled with something to enhance the bowl: half a lobster tail, shrimp, French kiss oyster from Diana’s Seafood, a plump scallop, sliced beef, quail eggs, fish cakes, imitation crab sticks, enoki mushrooms, Chinese lettuce slivers, and egg tofu.


Similar to the traditional noodles, a large bowl of boiling broth is brought out along with raw or lightly cooked ingredients. Diners are then supposed to add all the ingredients into the broth, allow it to cook for a minute, then add the noodles and stir to create a hearty bowl filled with varied ingredients.


Yunshang has changed the recipe to adapt to Canadian taste buds. Firstly, the traditional layer of chicken fat floating on top of the soup, which is used to insulate the heat is eliminated for health reasons. Secondly, while the typical dish tends to be more meat based, they’ve added seafood to create diverse flavours.

With a choice of five soup bases, I highly suggest having one bowl with the original base. It may sound plain compared to options, but I really enjoyed that deep bone broth taste.

Michael, store manager of the North York location, explains that as soon as chefs arrive in the morning, a large pot is filled with pork and chicken bones, seafood, and other spices and cooked for 12 hours to create this broth. After skimming off the fat, they allow the broth to sit overnight so that the sediments settle to the bottom and they’re left with a clear consommé the following day. Yes, it takes an entire day to create the broth, therefore to not try it in its simplest form would be a shame.

If you’re dining with someone else, I’d suggest getting one of the other bases to mix into the perfect combination. For a second bowl, we ordered the Yungshang rice noodle soup with spicy sauce ($9.99). It would have been much too spicy on its own (despite being only two chilis) but diluting it with some of the original base allowed us to create a base that had pronounce chili flavours without inciting a coughing fit.


While the ingredients in the regular noodle soup are not nearly as luxurious as the bridge noodle, there was nonetheless a nice mixture of meat, seafood, and vegetarian products – the corn a great sweet contrast in the soup. Even with all the cold ingredients added, the broth remained really hot, thanks to the heated stone bowl.

The rice noodles (lai fun) can get a bit soft in the soup, so if you like them nice more al dante, I suggest adding them gradually as you eat the noodles. Being fairly neutral, it really takes on the flavours of the soup base and the ingredients you’re eating with it.

Despite coming with a sizeable portion of the silky noodles, Yunshang offers free refills for anyone who’s really hungry or just wants to have noodles with every last drop of soup. They are serious about making sure customers leave full, noting the hungriest eater tucked back seven bowls in one sitting! If you find the soup is getting depleted, you can order more of that for an extra $2.


While the noodles are the draw, their menu also has a variety of cold and hot dishes. Sure they’re labelled as “snacks”, but the portions are fairly large and can easily be shared amongst four people. While I found the batter of the salty popcorn chicken ($6.99) too powdery and dry for my taste, the deep fried squid tentacles ($6.99) really hit the spot and were tasty enough that I didn’t need the spicy mayo that arrives on the side.


For those who prefers something lighter, there’s also a selection of cold dishes such as offal’s in chili sauce or vegetarian items such as fresh seaweed tossed with soy sauce and shredded cucumber with garlic.

Being my first experience having bridge noodles, I was intrigued on how its name was derived. Unfortunately, there’s no definitive origin for a dish that’s been around for over a century, rather Wikipedia offers two suggestions:

The first being a wife crossing a bridge to bring her husband his daily noodles found that the soup became cold and the noodles soggy. Therefore, she separated the ingredients and ensured there was a layer of oil on top to ensure when her husband ate the noodles, they were at its best.
A less dreamy explanation suggests the “bridge” is actually just the act of transferring ingredients between small containers to the bowl. Call me a romantic, but I’m going with the devoted wife.


While Michael thinks they will offer the dish on “special occasions” – perhaps during the opening of their next five stores (the closest being a Mississauga location) – due to the prep work and food costs it’s definitely something that won’t be regularly available. Whether you’re a romantic or just someone who wants an awesome food pic, make sure you head to Yunshang’s North York location before March ends.

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 5285 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:

Yunshang Rice Noodles Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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