Chantecler (Toronto)

Posted on Friday, January 24, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1320 Queen Street West
Website: http://restaurantchantecler.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner
Right in the middle of racking my brain on finding a suitable restaurant to celebrate my mom’s birthday, a coworker introduces me to Chantecler.  It was perfect, Asian inspired dishes for my mom and an interesting twist to excite the inner foodie in me.  Booking about a month in advance, I was able to secure one of the 16 coveted spots sitting bar side to experience Chef Poon’s creations, which are only offered on Friday and Saturday with two seatings each night.

Placed directly in front of the open faced kitchen complete with an antique stove and mishmash of very non-industrial looking gadgets, I kept my eyes peeled for the young upcoming chef.  Alas, he only appeared ever so briefly before the meal began to grab something and the rest of the meal he worked in the back, out of site.

Chantecler’s tasting menu changes seasonally and on our visit was $85 per person, with an optional wine pairing for an additional $45.  Given I was driving and my mom isn’t a big dinner we ordered individual glasses, starting with a fancy bubbly cocktail ($12) and later a glass of wine ($11).  The cocktail is an easy going drink – sweet, citrusy with a hint of floral (from elderflower) and topped with prosecco.

Having arrived ten minutes early, we got settled and watched the chefs preparing food for the a la carte diners.  Popular dishes that night included popcorn shrimp (breaded in real popped corn and deep fried), the braised beef and pork shoulder lettuce meal and chicken wings.  They all looked delicious and made us hungry for what was to come.

Chantecler brings in the Asian concept of sharing dishes. The items pictured below are a two person portion (placed in the middle of each duo) with the exception of the scallop, duck and ice cream where we each received our own dish.

To start a tri-tip beef tartare, diced by hand and mixed with jalapeno, wasabi oil, pieces of cashew (?) and topped with a raw egg yolk.  Deep fried shrimp chips, often found with crispy chicken dishes in Chinese restaurants, accompanied it as a substitute for crostini. The beef was tender and cut into such finely diced pieces so that it blended with all the other ingredients.  It was fairly salty from the soy sauce (?) and the heat from the jalapeno and wasabi were a nice addition. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of nuts mixed into non-dessert dishes, but the pieces of cashew were actually were quite nice adding a bit more crunch.

Next, timbit sized gougères (cheese puffs) were served warm.  Inside a molten compound seaweed butter melted throughout the puff, which actually went quite nicely with the gruyere.

Having seen so much lettuce as the front of the house chef painstakingly cutting each leaf to the perfect size, we were glad we got a taste of it next.  The lettuce wraps were filled with ground pork, roasted seaweed (?) and topped with puffed wild rice. Instead of the typical hoisin sauce, these wraps were flavoured with a smear of tangy Miracle Whip in between the lettuce and pork mixture. I enjoyed the nuttiness the crispy rice kernels added and overall was a decent dish.

Instead of an oyster shooter, Chantecler served theirs in shell with citrusy yuzu, spicy sriracha, a bit of fish roe and raw quail egg on top.  Having had a similar dish at Yuzu No Hana, I wasn’t overly excited about the slimy concoction, but Chantecler's was clean tasting and much easier to get down. Likely this is on account of the chef’s attention to detail. I watched as he diligently smelt and inspected each oyster for impurities as he shucked them - a couple that didn't meet his standards were thrown away.
XO sauce is a spicy and savoury flavouring agent used in Hong Kong cuisine, typically stir fried with seafood, meats or starches.  In Chantecler’s case they topped their house made sauce on shrimp and steamed it. It contained quite a bit of dried scallop and shrimp and some sort of meat (perhaps Chinese sausage) as well. This flavourful sauce with cooking wine and the shrimp juices soaked into the vermicelli on the bottom, my favourite part of the dish. Of course, the perfectly cooked shrimp were also good; but, I seriously could eat a whole bowl of the cooked vermicelli and be happy.  

Another traditional Cantonese dish was served next – pan fried turnip cake. It was good, made with lots of shredded turnip (as opposed to flour), big pieces of Chinese sausage and fried until it had a crispy coating.  A dollop of sriracha rounded everything off.  It’s a nice dish but to be honest wasn’t overly exciting … nothing brought this to the next level. I would have like to see it made with a twist – perhaps mixing taro and turnip together or substituting the Chinese sausage with chorizo – something to make it worthy of being served on a tasting menu.
The next dish may looked like pieces of uncured bacon, but hidden underneath the thinly sliced melt-in-your-mouth pork belly were two impeccably poached scallops with a layer of julienned zucchini and prince mushroom (?). It all went quite nicely together with the savoury sauce that had just a hint of vinegar in it that cut through the heaviness. I enjoyed the inventive dish and liked the addition of the vegetables in between which brought a freshness to everything.

My favourite dish of the night was the last one - double smoked duck breast and stir fried crispy kale. The duck was a flawless medium rare and the skin wonderfully crispy and flavourful. A light sugary sauce went well with the smokiness of the fowl.  Meanwhile, the kale was roasted in the oven and then coated with the same sauce so that it had a nice crispy texture.
The simple scoop of ice cream pictured below seemed underwhelming until you taste it... it seriously one of the smoothest ice creams I've ever eaten. Topping it were sweet buckwheat flakes adding a toasty nutty crunch against the neutral not overly sweet ice cream. The slices of apples around it were perplexing for me, but actually something my mom appreciated as she felt it helped lighten the dish.

Dessert wasn’t over, next arrived hot freshly fried donuts rolled in sugar with a pot of creamy grapefruit (?) curd on the side.  I thoroughly enjoy made-to-order donuts and these were great by itself or with the condiment.  The consistency reminded me of the Shanghai donuts made with egg whites … these were slightly denser but still airier than other varieties.

To end were chocolate truffles filled with a café latte like sauce. Our friendly and attentive waitress for the night warned us to eat it whole given the liquid filling. They were a nice sweet finish to the meal.

Prices have gone up considerably from the $45-$55 per person since its launch in early 2013.  But, in reviewing past menus there are a few more courses and in the laws of economics, it’s all about supply and demand. At $85 it’s still a reasonably priced option and one I’d suggest to tasting menu lovers like myself.  So, find someone you don’t mind sharing food with and call soon to secure a spot soon. With this calibre of cooking, I don’t see demand dying anytime soon.

Overall mark - 9 out of 10

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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!
    •  

CLOSED: Robot Restaurant ロボットレストラン (Tokyo)

Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 by
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Address: 1-7-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku
Type of Meal: Dinner 


Make your way through the maze of bustling streets in Shinjuku, look for a building that hurts your eyes if you stare directly at it and you will have found Robot Restaurant.  Despite four shows on Saturday night (three every other day) and rain during our visit, the 100+ seat arena was still full. To avoid disappointment, I suggest making a reservation – although as a warning it doesn’t help you get through the line any faster. Nonetheless, even their entrance is entertaining enough with two ladies sitting in moving robots and one drumming away.
After making your way down endless flights of stairs to the basement the showroom and “restaurant” awaits.  You hand in your ticket (chosen upstairs) and are given a meat or fish bento box.
The ¥5,000 charge per person certainly isn’t spent on food costs; my chicken and pork were a tepid temperature and made me feel squeamish about food safety. To play it safe, I decided to stick with the tasteless balls of rice mixed with pickled vegetables to tie me over until a follow-up dinner can be had. Luckily, the bottled green tea provided at the seats were cold and refreshing and draft beers were available (believe was ¥500) if you get there early enough. 
Any visitor will tell you, what makes you want to go back is not the food.  In fact, they should just consider doing away with the horrible bento and provide rice crackers and nuts instead.  What makes you want to return is the sheer unbelievable experience of an hour filled with huge props, flashing lights and beautiful skimpily clad women.  From robots, sharks, bulls and everything in between each set becomes more outrageous than the last.

The minute the show is supposed to start, the beer cart is whisked away and people ushered back to their seats where a safety demonstration is given.  Individuals occupying the first row are warned that these floats and robots will come inches of you.  Immediately, the lights dim and twenty girls on drumming floats burst out with dragons woven in for good measure.
Having only visited once, I can’t be sure on whether the show changes.  But, when we visited over Christmas, the following pole-dancing sequence was set to Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”. So, I sense they do try to change things up somewhat to make the show applicable to the season.

Afterwards, things start getting jumbled.  A robot, shark, bull and mermaid battle break out where every time the black curtain lifts something else unbelievable flies out into the middle of the room.

Glow sticks are given out and the audience is encouraged to cheer and pump their firsts as a cacophony of robots, circle bikes, Segways and giant robots circle the room – all done to Psy’s “Ganganam Style”.

Just when you think it’s over and disappointment starts seeping in, giant lit robots come out … certainly every Transformer’s fan’s dream come true. Soon, the women flood the room again with each one getting a shout out and doing a dance move in the middle of the robot crowd.  Think of it as a high school dance gone astray… with robots of course.
To end, a brightly lit tank, plane and barrels (trust me it sounds weird but all works) float around the room with a crazy amount of cheering.  The groups of young business people, giggling girls, couples, tourists and rowdy teenagers alike seem to be enthralled with the spectacle. At this point, you can’t help it but you’re bopping around in your chair and waving the glow stick like it’s your job. At least that was my experience.
Consequently, although I ate a “meal” at this “restaurant”, I can’t give Robot Restaurant a mark – how do you a rate something where the food is a zero but the experience a ten? Unless you’re sensitive to flashing lights, I highly recommend you check out Robot Restaurant. It’s here where you’ll truly get a sense of that wild Japanese game show experience and wonder where you’ve been transported to. It’s here where you have stories to tell your friends when they asked you what you did in Japan, only to have them look at you like you’re crazy.

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Kimuraya 木村屋 (Tokyo)

Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 by
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Address: 4-5-7 Ginza, Chuuou (beside the Wako department store by exit A10 of Ginza station)
Website: http://www.ginzakimuraya.jp/bakery/index.html  

Few businesses last for decades let alone for centuries. Kimuraya is one of these rare companies that started in 1874 and still exists today, right beside the Wako department store near exit A10 of Ginza station.

Yasubei Kimura, the founder of Kimuraya, also invented the anpan a sweet bun filled with red bean paste. The dark red paste is common in Asian desserts where azuki beans are mashed and sweetened. Today, Kimuraya also sells buns with various other fillings including sesame, white beans, chestnuts, etc.
The oldest bakery in Japan is fairly small and busy during my weekday visit. Prefilled bags of bread and rolls were prepared on shelves and cakes & other pastries sit in the back in a display case. But, the busiest section lies at the front of the store – wooden boxes filled with dozens of rolls and women stand bagging them to order. Since there was no English signage, it was difficult for me to decipher what was bagged, so I played it safe and waited in line at the front where the wooden boxes at least display buns so you can guess at what fillings were inside.
Keeping with tradition, I purchased two red bean and two black sesame buns for my husband and I.  One was ¥150 per bun while the other ¥170, which is fairly expensive for a scone sized roll. 
You may be wondering, other than the history, what makes it so special? From what I can gather, it has a higher filling to bun ratio and the filling is set perfectly in the middle of the bun for even distribution rather than off to one side like competing products. Moreover, the filling itself is thicker and uses a lot of the ingredients so you really get the natural taste of the red bean and sesame without it being overly sweet. Sorry for the poor picture quality, but I just remembered to snap a photo of the filling while gobbling down my second bun.

Aside from sweets, Kimuraya is also known for their tofu bread, but I wasn’t able to find it due to the lack of labels. Overall, if the queue isn’t long and you’re in for a snack, drop by Kimuraya when you’re shopping around Ginza to try out one of these historical baked goods.

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Hishinuma 日本料理 菱沼 (Tokyo)

Posted on Saturday, January 11, 2014 by
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Address: 5-17-1, Roppongi, Minato (in the Axis building B1 level)
Website: http://www.restaurant-hishinuma.jp/
Type of Meal: Lunch 

Hishinuma provides a tranquil environment against the busy Roppongi street with it being located on the basement level of the Axis Building. We had a particularly intimate experience, while visiting during the Christmas holidays, since we were only one of two tables. Upon arriving, there was no one at the door so we tentatively walked in and found the chefs preparing in the open concept kitchen. Luckily, they noticed us and shouted out greetings to alert the host (also the waiter for the day) to show us to our table.


Their lunch menu consists of three, four or five course options; we went with the four course version (¥5,000 per person). In reality, we received seven courses when it was all said and done. The first amuse bouche was a thick pumpkin mousse, the consistency of custard, with a rich savoury pumpkin taste. Granules of coarse sea salt were sprinkled at the bottom of the dish enhancing the natural sweetness from the squash.  
The second course was the most challenging of the meal for me - marinated cold sea snails. Personally, I’m squeamish when faced with bugs and lizards, so when the bowl of four of them were presented, my stomach dropped.  Luckily, they were cooked!  The hardest part of eating the dish was extracting the meat from the shell – a toothpick is given and you essentially need to stab it and rotate the shell until the snail is freed.  Honestly, they tasted decent having been marinated in a slightly sweet soy sauce.  The meat is firm and the texture and taste resembles abalone (another type of crustacean common in Asian cuisine). In the end, I was able to stomach three of the four. 
Arriving next was a simple braised daikon adorned with carrot slices and green onion slivers.  Upon lifting the lid, you get a whiff of smokiness that wasn’t present in the food itself. Poached in a relatively light consommé, the vegetables were soft but still held their shape.  It’s a nice neutral dish where the sharp green onion is what really adds any flavour. After the first two comparatively more flavourful dishes, this helped calm the taste buds prior to the sashimi course.
Kampachi (the red fish) and another unknown white fish comprised the sashimi and was my first experience in Japan.  The fish is firmer and has a more distinct flavour compared to the various sashimi I’ve had in Toronto. This could be on account of the freshness where restaurants regularly purchase the fish from the nearby Tsukiji fish market.  In fact, we were having great difficulties getting reservations after December 29th as Tsukiji was slated to close and move so specialized sushi restaurants ended up closing for the holidays as well.
Perhaps what I’ll miss most is the freshly grated wasabi we received adding heat to the tongue but not hitting your nose. Hishinuma’s soy sauce was also fairly neutral with neither saltiness nor sweetness being overly prevalent.

The steamed shrimp dumpling was my favourite dish of the meal. Although it was presented as a “dumpling” it was wrapperless with the shrimp paste being light as air with small pieces of shrimp mixed throughout to add texture. Accompanying was a light shoyu dipping sauce but was watered down so the sweetness of the shrimp still shone through. I would happily order this dish by itself again if I can ever find them elsewhere.

Alas, the final course is presented and you’ll know it’s the last as rice and soup arrive with it.

The fish was a beautifully grilled piece of yellowtail tuna (jaw portion of the fish); its skin was crispy while the meat tender and juicy with just the right amount of fat to give it flavour. The jaw portion is actually great for people who aren’t skilled with eating fish with bones as they are in large pieces so you won’t risk choking on anything. A plate of wasabi mixed with miso and marinated seaweed accompanied the fish for flavouring but I found the salt lightly coating the fish sufficient.
The miso soup also differed from the Toronto versions given it wasn’t overly salty and the paste didn’t settled or have any graininess to it. Moreover, it retained heat really well with plump soft mushrooms and herby leaves of some sort giving some meatiness to the soup.  
To end a hunk of strong coffee jello arrived in a sweet vanilla custard cream.  It was surprisingly flavourful compared to the natural tastes of all the previous courses. All in all, a good way to end the meal and helped ward off a food coma.
Dishes at Hishinuma may seem simple and understated (no heavy sauces or garnishes in sight) but it really allows the quality of the ingredients themselves to shine through.  Overall, I was pleased with my first Japanese style meal in Tokyo. 

Overall mark - 8 out of 10

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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!

CLOSED: Boots N Bourbon Saloon (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, December 21, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 725 Queen St East
Type of Meal: Dinner 

 Since I loved my experience at Rock Lobster, when the announcement of their new restaurant came by, I immediately rounded up friends, crossed my fingers for no lines and braved the winter weather warnings to visit Queen East.  While one focuses on the sea, Boots N Bourbon Saloon pays homage to the land in all its deep fried glory. Despite the horrible weather, at 7:15 the bar area was crowded but luckily we were still able to score a table in the dining area.  Tip, we realized they do take reservations so you may want to call ahead.

 If you’re a die-hard Chef Pettit fan, here is your warning – stop reading this now and go check out my Rock Lobster post instead, unfortunately it gets a little ugly.  But, before we get to that, let’s start with the positive – their uniquely concocted cocktails. From left to right in the picture below is the Desert Pete, Rusty Albertan and General Lee (all $10).

Boots N Bourbon cocktails (1)
The Desert Pete resembles a margarita (made with tequila and mint) but sweeter (thanks to the pineapple juice) and has an interesting kick from the jalapeño agave syrup; the best drink of the night for me.  Meanwhile, the Rusty Albertan is better for those who like to mask the taste of their alcohol; with the addition of maple syrup, ginger beer and rootbeer bitters the cocktail was fairly sweet and the rum pretty much covered. 

 Lastly, the showcase Caesar arrives in its crowning glory - at Boots N Bourbon a pepperette and pickle in place of the lobster claw. Delicious and spicy if you like Caesars and with all the condiments certainly could be a meal in itself.

For our second round I tried Tommy’s margarita slushie ($10) which in hindsight was very similar to my first drink – strange for a person who normally doesn’t like tequila. This drink has a sour tang to it from the lime and grapefruit bitters.  If you’ve ever been to Rock Lobster and have had their Tomba-grantia, this is fairly similar.    

 My friend opted for Grandma’s Texas lemonade ($10) which is another safe bet drink made with vodka, lemonade, vanilla and peach bitters. I did enjoy the addition of vanilla which calmed down the traditional tartness of the lemonade.

Chef Matty fans, this is your last warning because now comes my opinion on Boots N Bourbon’s food.  The pickles in the deep fried McClure’s pickles ($7) were great - juicy and not overly briny with an interesting hint of spice to it. But, the beer batter was thick, doughy and soggy; a huge disappointment when you’re craving something crispy and deep fried.  If only the crust was thinner and had some texture to it (perhaps a cornmeal based coating) these would have been much tastier.

On the other hand, the fried chicken ($16 for 4 pieces) was crispy and had a nice Cornflake crust.  However, the meat was dry and overcooked not holding an ounce of juice that you’d expect for something soaked in buttermilk. We had to use so much of the buttermilk ranch sauce (quite good) to add some moisture to the chicken.  Until the kitchen can get a hang of cooking bone in chicken properly, perhaps they should consider changing this to become chicken strips instead?

Not everything was horrible, the flank steak ($15) was better.  Cooked to a lovely medium it was very tender for flank steak and tasted good on its own or with the thick bourbon BBQ sauce that accompanied it. Topped with tons of house-made hickory sticks it reminded me of the childhood treats that I could eat forever given each individual stick was so small. The fried egg topping the dish certainly added to the presentation but was a bit awkward to eat as a sharing dish and ended up making the hickory sticks soggy. 

The screaming crab ($14) was my favourite dish of the night and perhaps because it resembles the jerk shrimp and crab of Rock Lobster. The sauce’s combination of jerk sauce, cilantro and lime was packed with flavours and just the right amount of heat.  But, the snow crab pieces, although cut apart, were very difficult to eat without lobster crackers or forks. I certainly made a mess that night, thankfully wetnaps and extra napkins were available.

With all the protein, we thought an order of spicy coleslaw ($6) would be prudent. This was decent and is a light cream based coleslaw with sriracha mixed into it.  I only wish the menu would point out how many of the dishes already come with it (fried chicken and pickles) so that we could have gotten another side to try instead, like the Cajun fries!

Not entirely content, we ordered a dessert to end.  With a choice of chocolate brownie mousse or banana pie pudding ($8) both didn’t sound spectacular but we settled on the banana version.  Oh boy we were pleasantly surprised as it was good.  The pudding must have been made with mashed bananas as it had such an authentic flavour and natural sweetness to it.  The crumbled graham crackers and light whipped cream rounded everything off quite well.

We must commend the staff there, everyone was friendly and helpful, giving you a sense that they actually liked to work there and cared about your experience.  Even Matt Pettit himself mingled throughout the restaurant stopping by at tables and the bar to make conversation and ask about our experience.  

 Alas, this is where my dilemma starts … should I be honest and tell him about the subpar pickles and chicken or just smile and say everything was fine?  I went with the “fine” route, but note to chefs – unless someone answers that it’s great or amazing, it’s really not that good. My sense is Boots N Bourbon will come more of a drinks and light eats place – Cajun poutine and sliders may soon grace the menu? 

 On our Friday night visit we were hoping to join in on the line dancing or brave the mechanical bull.  Unfortunately, the bull was safely stowed away in its stable but we were advised the dancing should start around 9pm.  By 10 there was still not a yeehaw in sight and after sitting on uncomfortable metal stools for 2.5 hours we decided to cut our losses. Personally, I’d suggest starting something like line dancing earlier – maybe even doing it twice.  If you can get someone hooked and having fun they are more likely to continue ordering drinks and staying for the night. 

So, unfortunately I didn’t realize my cowgirl potential that night.  Oh well, I’ve always preferred the ocean to a ranch and it looks like my taste buds feel the same way.

 Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10



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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!

 Photo Sources:
  1. Special thank you to my friend for this picture! 

Is That It? I Want More!

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CLOSED: Chinese Dumpling House 真東北餃子館 (Markham)

Posted on Sunday, December 15, 2013 by
Location: Markham, Canada
Address: 3636 Steeles Avenue East
Type of Meal: Lunch
Although Chinese Dumpling House specializes in the doughy pockets of joy, they still have a pretty extensive menu of other Northern Chinese favourites. The ordering sheet is written in Chinese (without pictures) and on the side a printed menu with English translations and pictures is provided. Ordering can be somewhat difficult as it requires matching characters from the sheet to the menu and the menu doesn’t seem to encompass everything so certain dishes will remain a mystery if you can’t read Chinese.

With about a dozen varieties of dumplings to choose from I had originally wanted the leek, pork and shrimp version (found in the English menu).  Unfortunately, we could not find it on the order sheet so settled on the pork, chive and egg steamed dumplings ($4.99) instead. Fifteen of them were made to order by two ladies constantly wrapping at the store’s entrance and within 15 minutes arrives at our table steaming hot.





The wrapper was an ideal thickness - thick enough to have some elasticity to it but still thin enough to not overwhelm the filling.  Be careful when biting in as they’re quite juicy and the hot liquid could spray your companion!  The meat mixture was a bit bland so you’ll need to rely on the condiments left on the table to give it flavour (red vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, salt and a small bottle of something that smells like wasabi).




Another Northern China dish I love are soy sauce braised brisket noodles ($5.99). Strangely, although the literal translation is “red roasted beef noodle” the dish isn’t red or roasted at all.  Apparently, anything cooked with soy sauce is often labelled as “red roasted”. Chinese Dumpling House’s noodles are also made in house and one of the better ones I’ve had.  There’s a nice bite to it and held up quite well despite having sat in the broth for a while waiting for us to finish up the dumplings - dumplings are best eaten hot or the wrapper starts to get hard.


The brisket itself was pretty dismal - not flavoured enough and extremely fatty so about a third was inedible. Like the dumplings, the soup was pretty bland when it’s supposed to be a fragrant and rich broth. Needless to say, I had to add quite a bit of hot sauce to the noodles to give it some oomph.  Chinese Dumpling House does have other soup based noodles which I’d suggest trying instead; the neighbouring table ordered pickled vegetable with slivers of pork which looked better than ours.  

The order of sautéed snow pea shoots with garlic ($6.99) was a reasonable price.  You may find these look different from the dark green leafy ones found in other restaurants as these are cultivated in a greenhouse (understandably since we visited in the winter). Personally, I find the leafier non-greenhouse variety tastier as they have a stronger pea taste, but if you want to eat this year round this is a good alternative.


We ended off with a pan fried red bean pancake ($2.99) which was brought out near the end of our meal - I was pleasantly surprised as sometimes Chinese restaurants don't bother timing dishes and bring dessert out early to just finish up an order. The dough was rolled thinly and cooked to a lovely golden brown with crispy air pockets throughout.  There was also a fair amount of red bean paste in it - which was thankfully sweet enough - and quite delicious.  For the low price the pancake was surprisingly big and we ended up taking half to go.


For my dumpling cravings I’ll still likely go to Dumpling Restaurant to satisfy myself on account of their easy to understand menus and somewhat improved eating conditions.  Nonetheless, Chinese Dumpling House is still a good alternative offering budget friendly prices and does have better noodle consistency.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10



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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!

CLOSED: MoRoCo Chocolat (Toronto)

Posted on Thursday, December 05, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 99 Yorkville Avenue
Type of Meal: Tea

Hidden off of Yorkville Avenue, MoRoCo is combination retail store and restaurant.  At the entrance is their chocolate and macaron shop; your eyes are in for a treat with the brightly lit, sterile looking, white and pink room.  After passing the retail front, you’re greeted with the restaurant which is completely different – dim, dark grey & purple motifs and a cozy environment.

Indeed you can come here for a meal since MoRoCo offers an extensive brunch, lunch and dinner menu.  We visited after dinner just for some herbal tea and something sweet.  After pursuing their extensive menu I settled on an artisan tea the Cream of Avalon ($10) which also came with a macaron.  The tea was decent, sorry I can’t remember anything memorable about it, but the macaron quite delicious with a thicker cream filling and chewier texture.  You weren’t given a choice of flavours but my mint and white chocolate one was lovely. 


For $18 you can get an artisan tea accompanied with three small scones, clotted cream and lemon curd. The plain scones were passable but we found the chocolate one too chalky. The clotted cream was good; we just needed more of it! In terms of the lemon curd although it is a unique offering, I’d much rather just have the regular strawberry preserve given a tart lemon cream is an acquired taste. 

Overall, I quite enjoyed the experience and glad to have found a place where you can have a cup without having the entire high tea experience.  Coffee with desserts is very popular in Toronto, but my preference will always be for a nice pot of steeped loose leaf.

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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!

Pho Mi Asia (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, December 01, 2013 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1008 Wilson Avenue
Type of Meal: Dinner 
Having only visited pho places in Scarborough, I was delighted to find on Blog.TO information about a decent establishment located a short drive from my place.  Pho Mi Asia is like many other restaurants – situated in a strip mall with sparse but functional furnishing.  None of that matter since pho is not about the atmosphere but rather tastes.

Sticking with my regular small well done beef and tendon ($5.50) it arrived looking rather small.  Admittedly, I was a bit surprised as in reading reviews most people comment on their huge portions of meat.  During my visit, I found this really wasn’t the case and the bowl was actually tinier than the other places I visit.  Nonetheless, the noodles were cooked well and not overdone, the soup base decent & not too oily and the beef lean & tender.


The spring rolls ($4) were too dense, in my opinion, due to all the yellow beans added to the filling.  So, despite the wrapper being crispy and thin, the spring roll felt heavy.  Additionally, they were very hard to find on the menu so we ended up ordering the wrong ones (rice paper rolls instead) and had to ask them to switch; luckily they were nice about it and were willing to replace the order.

Not being entirely satisfied after the bowl of pho, we decided to order a slushy drink.  I opted for the sweet red bean, coconut cream and jelly ($3.50) hoping to reconnect with the taste of my childhood.  Arriving in a plastic cup it didn’t look the most appealing on account to the green jelly and dark bottom – I sort of felt like I was eating dirt and grass.
Strangely, in lieu of the smaller Asian red beans that are normally used in desserts, Pho Mi Asia used gigantic kidney beans.  Sure, they were still soft and slightly sweet from the syrup but it was a bit off putting.  The only highlight to the drink was that they did add thick coconut cream (instead of ice cream and evaporated milk) which did care a nice luxuriant feel.
All in all, it’s an adequate establishment to visit if you happen to be in the area. But, not good enough that I’d make it the place I go to.  For all my pho cravings, I’ll still be heading to Pho Metro or Pho 88. 

Overall mark - 6 out of 10


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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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