CLOSED: Ryu's Noodle Bar (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 33 Baldwin Street
Type of Meal: Dinner
Baldwin Village just keeps getting more diverse with every visit making me want to go back for more. For this occasion, my friends and I checked out another Toronto Common event - the Tokyo cafe style ramen tasting at Ryus Noodle Bar for $20.

There’s not much to say about Ryu’s interior – it’s small and sparse, has a fair amount of seating and decent enough conditions. Before the ramen came out we each got a platter containing various meats with sauces, gyozas and a chicken sunomono salad. Essentially, a condensed portion of items normally offered on their regular menu – the meat platter and gyozas priced at $15.75 and $4.95, respectively.


We were treated to sous-vide beef & chicken and slow simmered pork belly. Indeed the beef had a beautiful pink centre while not a speck of blood thanks to the tempered water bath it was cooked in. Yet, the meat itself was a tad tough and not as tender as you’d expect. The chicken was nicely cooked but the star was the pork belly (or cha shu) which had a decent flavour even without any sauces. Otherwise, on the side were XO sauce, sweet & spicy ginger paste, yuzu pepper paste and truffle oil allowing us to personalize what we wanted with each meat. For me all were a delight with the exception of the truffle oil; although it smells very aromatic it really didn’t add much to any of the meats.

The middle bowl contained a pork and a vegetable gyoza, both had thin wrappers and a fair amount of filling. Juicy on the inside and a nice developed crust on the outside, they were what you’d hope for with pan fried dumplings.

Lastly, the chicken sunomono salad was filled with chunks of sous-vide chicken and thick seaweed. Conceivably it was due to having so much of the sauces accompanying the meat but I found the salad itself quite bland, especially the chicken. However, with the condiments on the side I was able to flavour it myself and possibly Ryu’s didn’t care to highlight this dish given it’s not a part of their regular menu.

Onto the main event. In succession a miniature bowl of each noodle (typically $10 a bowl) was brought out and to begin the traditional shio ramen. Immediately what stuck out was Ryu’s soup, it is thick and intensely flavoured! Ryu boasts that dried various seafood (scallop, shrimp, clam, cuttlefish and bonito) are boiled for 50 hours to develop this umami filled broth. You can definitely taste the essence and thankfully wasn’t salty at all - just enough to balance against the thick springy noodles, white fungus, bamboo shoots and meat accompanying the ramen.


Although the shio was good, my favourite was their new cold noodle salad that will be offered in the summer months. Although not the most beautiful looking, the taste is delicious. Cold al dante noodles are tossed within a sweet & spicy sesame sauce, topped with more pork, chicken and crunchy black fungus. The sauce hits you in succession – first the sweetness, then the nuttiness and finally ending with a hit of heat. I can see this being a hit during the hot months when hot steaming broth isn’t appealing.


The edamame potage noodle arrived next, another summer addition. In this cold version the noodles are sitting in a thick tofu milk with blended edamame giving it some texture and a beautiful light green colour.  One for the vegetarians it simply contains sweet corn and white fungus. For me, the natural sweetness of the corn and edamame almost made it seem like dessert (yet still having a bit of a savoury element). Although light and refreshing at first, as I ate more of it the taste became a bit flat. I’d suggest offering it in small portions as an ending or marketing it as a “healthy” choice for those who’d rather watch calories than indulge in taste.


Lastly, a hot spicy miso ramen which flooded our mouths with a mix of chili and spices. Using a spicy bean paste the broth had a real depth to it – although personally too spicy for me to really drink on its own. Yet, when combined with the chewy noodles, diced tofu and minced pork it was delicious. If you like the Chinese dan dan noodles or the Korean ja jang myeon, you’ll likely also like this offering.


To end, a miniature mason jar containing Rieko's Japanese style creme brulee. There’s a thin layer of brulee made from large crystals of raw sugar, some still intact adding a crunchiness to the dessert. The custard is cool and creamy with a nice vanilla flavour to it. All in all, not a bad way to end the meal.


Overall, the ramen tasting was quite enjoyable and I love trying different types of noodles so you never actually get sick of having too much of the same thing. Perhaps Ryu should offer it as an ongoing menu item (or even just a cold and hot offering) as I’m sure it’s something other customers would love to try.

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!

Sugar Marmalade (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 5322 Yonge Street
Website: http://www.sugarmarmalade.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner
Sugar Marmalade is situated on Yonge in between two popular Korean restaurants. Although it’s a rather large restaurant, its one I’ve never noticed until my friends introduced it to me. With a name containing “sugar”, it’s not surprising that they specialize in desserts. Regardless, we decided to go there for some savoury dishes to start as well.

With various types of chicken wings available, we chose the house special Swiss style ones ($5.99). The “Swiss” sauce was actually a Chinese Master stock (also known as “low siu”) a popular braising broth made with soy sauce, sugar, water, rice wine, star anise and a variety of other spices. In most restaurants the broth is used over and over again becoming increasingly concentrated and ingredients are braised in the flavourful liquid until they reach a deep brown colour. Sugar Marmalade seemed to have done this as the wings were richly hued and had a great sweet and savoury flavour.


The description for the stewed beef brisket on rice noodles with special sauce ($5.99) was deceiving. The "rice noodles” weren’t the flat kind I was excepting rather than the dried “lai fun” variety; they were almost impossible to pick up with the forks. Meanwhile, the "special" sauce was just stewed tomatoes with egg. The strange combination of tomatoes and eggs aside, the noodles could have been good – the brisket was soft and delicious. However, everything arrived lukewarm with the tomato mixture bordering on cool which ultimately ruined the noodles. 


The Taiwanese style popcorn chicken ($5.99), a surprisingly large portion compared to the chicken wings, were tender and well-seasoned. Although it didn’t happen to me, my friends each had a piece that was cold throughout, which was odd as all the other pieces were scalding hot. There were a couple of pieces with hard cartilage in it so you may want to be careful before chomping down too hard on the meat. Served with a sweet Thai chili sauce it's not a bad snacking dish and can also be ordered with rice if you’d like to eat as a meal.


Another nice snack dish were the steamed rice rolls ($4.49). Served fresh and piping hot the soft rice rolls were drenched with sweet hoisin sauce, nutty sesame sauce and some sesame seeds. If only there was a light drizzle of chili oil over everything it would have been even better.


Most of the other tables that were in there for the night went straight to dessert. We decided to order a few to share amongst the table and this is a good idea as by themselves each would have been too much of the same flavours and texture.

First to arrive was the mixed golden sago ($5.99). Sago is a starch based product which tastes and looks similar to tapioca and can sometimes be found in tapioca pudding.  The creamy mango juice base was very sweet and a bit soupy for my taste. The restaurant did try to balance it out with tart grapefruit pieces but personally I found the dessert didn’t work for me, although the real pieces of mango mixed throughout were nice.


Having heard about the wonders of snow ice, we decided to order the strawberry one ($4.99). Unlike snow cones, the base isn’t icy but rather like ice cream except it’s shaved off in layers to make ribbons. The texture is waxy and has a gluey after taste, perhaps from gelatin mixed into it. Additionally, the strawberry flavour very fake so we felt like we were eating strawberry Pocky sticks. It's only saving grace were these pieces of fresh aloe on top adding a juicy bite to it that I could have easily eaten by itself.


Thankfully, not all the desserts were bad. The house special black grass jelly mix ($5.49) was great and definitely something I’d order again. There were so many different ingredients within it. First, yoghurt bubbles filled with Korean yoghurt drink that explodes in your mouth as you bite into it. This juicy surprise then contrasts with chewy tapioca balls (generally found in bubble tea), neutral herby tasting grass jelly (actually made from boiling a plant to get its extract rather than grass) and smaller sago balls.  The liquid flavouring everything was a light milky coconut mixture and wasn't as overpowering as the other desserts. Of course the huge scoop of vanilla ice cream also helps - but was hard to dig into without making a mess. 


In general, the dishes are pretty average and with the exception of the mixed house special black grass jelly dessert nothing outstanding. However, Sugar Marmalade’s prices are more than reasonable and will allow any visitors to get their salt and sugar fix for under $15.


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!

CLOSED: SpeakEasy 21 Revisited (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 21 Adelaide Street West (street level)
Type of Meal: Lunch

 It seems like every time I return, something is changing about the place - read about my first two visits here. Just a month since opening they've already revamped their lunch menu with new offerings - albeit increased prices for their tacos (previously 3 for $15 and now $6 apiece). The good news is the changes, in my opinion, are in the right direction - they've earned an extra 0.5 on their Gastro World mark. With various shared plates, it certainly makes it easier to mix and match to your stomach's content. My friends and I are huge fans of sharing; ordering two small plates, a taco each and a sandwich was more than enough to satisfy the three of us.

SpeakEasy's beef tartare ($15) is one for those who like the taste of raw beef but not necessarily the texture. Served flat and topped with tons of ingredients (dried egg yolks, chives, horseradish, capers and Caesar aioli) it's packed with flavours and a great way to start the meal. However, I sense that if you're a tartare traditionalist, this may not be the one for you given the beef does become lost and almost secondary in the dish.


The pork belly skewers ($14) were a hit with us covered with a sweet bourbon glaze. Although the flavour was fantastic, the evenness of the cut of meat needs improvement as there was a skewer which was almost all fat (quite frankly these pieces should simply be discarded rather than served). But, the skewers where the meat and fat ratios were more balanced, the combination of melting chewy fat and tender meat was delicious


We all opted for the baja fish taco ($6); it holds up to the other fish tacos around the city (although the fish could have been a larger piece). Battered and deep fried then covered with guacamole, lime crema, mango chutney, pickled slaw and hot sauce there was enough flavours and textures within the taco to make it interesting. I would suggest the chef considering using two tortillas as the ingredients easily broke through making it messy to eat – we unanimously agreed these are not first date or business lunch friendly.


Entrée salads and sandwiches are on the menu for those who simply don’t like sharing. The fried chicken club ($18) contained a good sized piece of crunchy deep fried chicken breast, which could have benefited from being cooked a little less as was starting to border on dry. Luckily, there was plenty of guacamole and smoked chili aioli on it to add moisture and flavour. With the breading and crispy pieces of bacon the texture of the sandwich was spot on, pairing well with the soft brioche bun.


As with previous visits service was friendly and pleasant. Lunch continues to be a safe time to visit as they aren’t overly packed and dishes appear in quick succession. Here’s hoping the improvements continue with each visit!

Overall mark - 7.5 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!

Nola (New Orleans)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: New Orleans, USA
Address: 534 St. Louis Street
Website: http://www.emerilsrestaurants.com/nola-restaurant
Type of Meal: Lunch
Shortly after hopping off the plane, we went over to Nola for lunch, one of Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant that takes the latest reservation. It was going to be our first taste of Creole cuisine and would set the benchmark for meals to come. Indeed the bar was set high as the classics we ordered were great and left us wanting more.

Nola’s rustic exposed brick dining room is opened and laid back. Despite arriving late into lunch service, many tables were still occupied with glimpses of dishes to come. To begin, we couldn’t help but order a mint julep ($10) a quintessential Southern drink, made with sweet bourbon, simple syrup, water and muddled mint. Nola definitely doesn’t skimp on the bourbon!


Shortly after ordering we were brought a selection of warm breads. The first a jalapeño cornbread was delicious with specks of jalapeño and soft without being oily. The simple ciabatta was fluffy and soft, great for wiping up the appetizer's sauces.


The first to arrive was the pork cheek boudin balls ($10) and is what I’d like to think of as Southern risotto balls. Rice and sausage meat are mixed together with a variety of spices. Deep fried so that it has a crispy exterior and soft moist interior these were very good. Topped with sweet marinara and a slightly spicy creole mustard aioli each ball packs a burst of flavour.


While the shrimp in Emeril’s barbequed gulf shrimp ($12) were only average (a bit small when it’s supposed to be the star ingredient) the sauce shines through. It’s sweet but has a hint of spice at the end, it was enjoyable with our ciabatta bun or the soft doughy rosemary biscuit which accompanied it.


The shrimp and grits ($19) was amazing and a must try in my opinion! Certainly, the grits were so well done that I was sadly disappointed when they were ordered a second time with breakfast at another restaurant. Nola’s grits were thick and creamy with dollops of smoked cheddar melted throughout to make the grits rich and decadent. The dish was further topped with pieces of toasted applewood bacon (adding salt & smoke) and small pieces of crimini mushrooms. The slightly spicy red chili butter glazed shrimp were also delicious, its plump meat going well with the smooth grits.


The duck confit pizza's ($12) crust was light and airy almost like naan mixed with Neapolitan dough. For a dish with duck confit topping it the pizza wasn’t too strong with just a bit of oil on it. It was also surprisingly flavourful, from the addition of truffle oil and parmesan cheese, despite looking sparse and bland when first brought to the table. Nonetheless, I would have liked more duck on it as there wasn’t much on each slice. The egg was satisfactory but really didn't add much in this case except for a nice pop of colour.  


To end we shared a trio of crème brûlée. It was a number of desserts in one as each brûlée had another mini dessert topping it - fresh sweet berries with the vanilla, a chocolate almond biscotti with the mocha and a coconut truffle with the coconut. Normally, the mocha would be my favourite but this one was too strong and reminded me of Reisin candies (something my grandmother always had at her house and I detested). Meanwhile, the vanilla bean, made with real vanilla pods, was nice and flavourful my favourite of the three. The coconut added to the last brûlée is something I normally wouldn’t like but actually turned out to be quite delicious. All in all, a good dessert for sharing.



Service at Nola was friendly and efficient; our waitress Fallon was a pleasure bringing out sharing plates as required. Overall, Nola was a great introduction to Creole cooking and made us look forward to the bold rich flavours to come. 

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - 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!


McEwan All Access 3.0 (Event)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: McEwan at 38 Karl Fraser Road
Website: http://mcewan.mcewangroup.ca/


When AbbySharp informed me I was selected to attend the McEwan All Access 3.0 event I was ecstatic! The news made my week. To think, not only would I be sampling some delicious food and get to meet Mark McEwan himself but I would do all of this with 29 other people who talk about and love food as much as myself.


To say I enjoy food would be an understatement. You can ask my husband, vacations generally are centered on eating - after all, the Michelin guide even says there are some restaurants offering “exceptional cuisine and worth a special journey”. I reflected back to see when this obsession started. Sure as a kid I enjoyed eating out and having good meals but it didn't consume that much of my thoughts. And then it hit me, this all really started after university when I landed my first role in the Financial District and was suddenly surrounded by some of the best restaurants in Toronto.

Over the course of the first few years of my career I began to eat some really nice meals. Mark McEwan's restaurants were not an exception and helped to introduce me to the joys of simple but professionally cooked food using quality ingredients. At Bymark, I had the most perfectly cooked salmon for the first time in my life. Prepared to a 70% doneness with crispy skin it was everything salmon should be – tender, moist and with enough fat to flavour the fish but not feel overwhelming. At North 44, I discovered what dry aging a steak for 60 days could do for flavour, it wasn’t disgusting but rather brought a good cut of meat up to another level. And lastly, at One found that delicious fries can become orgasmic when freshly prepared and paired with a flavorful truffle aoili. 

When the day finally arrived I rode up in a cab, compliments of Hailo, in front of McEwan at the Shops on Don Mills. Despite being ten minutes early, the party was already in full swing with tasting stations pumping out food and participants snapping pictures & eating to their heart’s content. 

My first stop was the Makaron station tantalized by the pretty coloured macarons all waiting. After trying three of the flavours I really couldn’t decipher a favourite. Luckily, our gift bags had a box for us to try at home complete with pistachio, raspberry, passion fruit with chocolate, blackberry and coconut. From those, the pistachio was the one for me – light as air, not too moist, not overly sweet and had a subtle nuttiness to it.


Making my way towards the back of the supermarket, the olive oil display caught my eye. McEwan’s private label bottle, actually produced by Rallis Olive Oil, boasts that it’s the only raw cold pressed oil available. The representative explained that an olive, like any other fruit, loses the purity of its taste as it’s heated, so ice pressing the olive allows it retain more of its natural fragrance and flavour. Another addition to our gift bag, I used it for lunch one day (as a dip and drizzled on bocconcini) and found the taste lighter and without any bitter after taste, while the colour a vivid golden hue. 

Seeing a swarm of people at the Hot Bunzz oven, I made my way there next where they offered a choice of three flavours – St. Lucia jerk wild boar, Brazilian red eye BBQ beef and king mushroom ragout. Based on the vendor’s suggestion, I went with the BBQ beef and really enjoyed it. The bun is a soft egg brioche and packed on top and inside with slices of tender beef, corn and mushrooms. Despite being packed with ingredients it wasn’t too messy to eat and there’s an extra kick from a horseradish sauce that hits you at the end. Although I didn’t have a chance to try the jerk wild boar, many other bloggers were raving about it so I sense it will be another crowd favourite when these are sold at McEwan soon.


Stopping off for some drinks we had a choice of Vineland Estate wines from Mark’s restaurants and beer from Beau’s Brewery. Generally I enjoy wine with food but was pleasantly surprised with the beer. Not being a huge fan, I asked for something lighter and if I remember correctly tried the Lug Tread lagered ale. This organic beer was remarkably crisp and smooth tasting. Best of all there was no bitter aftertaste at all. With the summer months coming soon, it will be a perfect choice for enjoying at a BBQ. 


Next, I tried some of their crostini (sorry the salami and Itaca prosciutto picture didn’t come out well) where I sampled a thinly sliced salami and great smooth parmigiano reggiano drizzled with a balsamic reduction. Unfortunately, the crostini were too hard to bite through and had to be discarded but that meant I could just save room for all the other food to come.


One of my favourite stations of the evening was the Island Beef offering beautifully cooked striploin steak. With only a simple rub and expertly charred cooking the meat simply melted on the tongue leaving a light beef flavour behind. I was surprised to hear the beef came from PEI where they are raised outside drawing upon the unique environmental properties of the sea, soil and pastures that the land has to offer. Whatever it was, the striploin was one of the most tender ones I’ve ever had despite being so lean. I can’t say for sure I’ll give up bone-in ribeye anytime soon, but could be tempted to eat striploin if it tastes this good.

Chef Shen Ousmand, the Executive Chef for McEwan, was on hand to cook pots of Fabbrica’s gnocchi for us. Simply stewed with san marzano tomatoes and topped with shaved parmesan and dollops of house made ricotta, they were soft and flavourful. Chef McEwan had tons to say about his appreciation for this dish – although admits to loving the octopus salad at Fabbrica even more.


Oysters and olives are two items I hated in the past but are slowly acquiring a taste for. McEwan was offering freshly shucked oysters during the event with a selection of varieties. I stuck with the smaller ones and with the addition of some shallot or onion vinaigrette and fresh horseradish they went down very easily.

 

To end, I had about six doughnuts from Von Doughnuts, I couldn’t help it there were just so many flavours to try! My favourite was the margarita (a nice sweet citrus with a blast of salt like you just licked the rim of a glass) and the lemon curd (where the donut is piped with a tart lemon cream and glazed). So what made them different from your regular Tim Horten’s variety? I found the dough less oily and the toppings plentiful and weren’t too sweet to allow other flavours (citrus, salt, bacon, toffee) to shine through. All in all, they weren’t too heavy, which could have accounted for how I had six of them!


But, the stations were not the only food items available. Plates of passed food were also offered all night including lobster tacos, grilled cheese, curry chicken salad and smoked chicken spring rolls. The tacos were delicious but that’s generally expected from anything containing lobster. The grilled cheese a pleasure filled with gooey brie and a sweet pear compote. 


But it’s the smoked chicken spring rolls I want to highlight; they were so packed with ingredients and wonderfully flavoured that I didn’t even need any of the tamarind dipping sauce.


Included with our $60 ticket was a take home bag filled with various items offered at McEwan. Some of the items, such as the macarons and olive oil, we were able to also sample at the event itself.


Others I was able to enjoy throughout the week to come. To date, I’ve also tried Nomz pecan energy bites. These little nuggets look like a truffle but are actually made with various gluten-free and paleo-friendly ingredients. Despite containing no refined sugar, the bites were decadent and almost like a Ferrero Rocher except without the crispy layer, less sweet and moister.


McEwan All Access 3.0 was my first visit to the upscale McEwan supermarket. Taking a tour around at the end of the evening the shelves and displays were just so beautifully put together.

From teas…


Oils …


Spices ...


To even bags of chips!


Plenty of ready-made food is available and when the second McEwan location opens at the TD Centre in March 2015 it will certainly draw in the Bay Street crowd for lunch and dinner. 


So, what did I learn about the man of the hour? Other than his crush being Michelle Pfeiffer, his favourite dish from Top Chef Canada the chicken noodle soup terrine and one of his earliest attempts at cooking being goulash (he burnt the bottom). Well, that he is friendly and personable – he truly made us feel welcomed and hung out with us all evening. Alas, what a great night! Hopefully, I’ll be invited back to 4.0 next year?


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