Congee Wong 天皇名粥 (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, August 09, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 10 Ravel Road
Website: http://congeewong.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner

Congee and noodle restaurants are the casual family restaurants for Chinese individuals. Their menus are usually filled with tons of options at bargain prices and dishes arrive as ridiculously large portions. Congee Wong is one of my favourite such restaurants and their location at Finch and Leslie has been a popular spot for years.

Having visited since a child, there are tons of tried and true dishes we frequently order off their menu. I recently realized that despite visiting every few months, I've never written a post about it. Such a shame, as they are such a great option for quick and affordable meals.

Their menu has over a hundred of items on it so its impossible to even touch upon a portion of it in one visit.  But you can certainly find something for everyone with all the great options. 

During every visit, we can't help but order a bowl of congee - after all this is their namesake dish. Congee could be considered Chinese porridge made from rice that has been boiled for hours in water or broth. What you'll find at restaurants tend to be thicker and silkier feeling compared to what's made at home as they will often add rice noodle fragments to it which changes the consistency and texture of it. 

With over 40 varieties to choose from the options seem endless. My favourite congee they offer is the seafood with wintermelon super bowl ($8.75) but given its large size is difficult to order with less than four people. During one visit, we ordered another seafood based one -  Lai Wan style congee ($4.75). Containing octopus, shrimp, rehydrated pork rind, pieces of roasted duck, peanuts and shredded lettuce on top. Typically this dish wouldn't include roasted duck but for some reason its a staple at Congee Wong. 

During the winter visit, the lettuce looked a little haggard but still did its job. Lai Wan congee contains various "crunchy" textures from the various seafood and pork rind, a hint of freshness from the lettuce and a richness from the duck. I'll warn you, its not for all individuals as can sometimes feel like a mishmash of whatever's leftover.



Congee Wong is known for the substantial portion sizes for the rice and noodle dishes. Their house seafood and mixed vegetable fried vermicelli ($11.25) may not be incredibly colourful but is still chocked full of flavours and textures. There's quite a bit of seafood in it including shrimp, baby scallops and pieces of squid. The addition of bean sprouts, diced bell peppers, fresh green onion and egg rounds everything out. The vermicelli isn't as oily as other fried noodle/rice dishes and doesn't have much of a sauce on it so better if you're in the mood for something lighter. 



One of my favourite dishes offered by Chinese establishments is the salt and pepper spicy fried squid ($6.95). The price at Congee Wong is hard to beat with so many pieces of deep fried squid included with it. The batter is a bit thicker and sometimes may be a little softer than I like. But, its generally dry enough and quite flavourful with its saltiness and just a hint of heat from the diced chillies. Just be careful when they first arrive as they are very hot but its hard to resist tucking into the fragrant dish.



Given my father regularly visits he often gets a complimentary dessert made from grass jelly, red beans and sago pearls in a sweet soup made from coconut and evaporated milk. I can't really tell what this may be as part of their menu but could be the house special dessert ($2.95). For a Chinese dessert its actually quite sweet but a cool refreshing way to end the meal.


Congee Wong has varies locations throughout the GTA, as well as a sister chain called Congee Queen. But, something about their Finch and Leslie location will always be held dear in my heart and the one I choose to visit.


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!




Yasu (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, August 09, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 81 Harbord Street
Website: http://www.yasu-sushibar.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner

 Yasu tops my list for traditional sushi in Toronto. No, there's not going to be dynamite rolls but you will find a train of nigiri served piece-by-piece so each one is fresh and at the optimal temperature. Chris Nuttall-Smith, the Globe and Mail’s food critic, gave it a rave review. Nonetheless, I set my expectations low as the only point of comparison to Yasu I have is Jiro Roppongi (a two Michelin star restaurant in Japan where they live and breathe sushi).

I’m happy to say my expectations were blown away! To be fair, Jiro was still a better experience (the deftness/evenness of the fish slices, the flavouring of the rice and meticulous preparation of each ingredient). But, for less than half the price, Yasu was absolutely amazing! If Canada ever awarded Michelin ratings they would be at least a star.

With only two 12-person seatings per day (at 6pm and 8:30pm) space is limited. With the exception of a table for two, all other spots are located around a sushi bar so patrons can watch the two chefs prepare each piece in anticipation.


It’s an omakase menu ($80/person), meaning you essentially eat what you’re served.  They will inquire about allergies at the onset but I discourage visiting if you have aversions to seafood, rice or seaweed. We eagerly waited as the 18 pieces were crafted in front of us. Each prepared with a recommended amount of wasabi and sauce so once placed in front, all you need to do is try not to make a mess gobbling it down.

To begin striped jack (shima aji) a neutral white fish that was great to warm up the palette.


Next a beautifully coloured salmon (sake), which was lean so that the fish oil taste was not over whelming.


My husband and I both agreed the horse mackerel (aji) at Yasu was much crisper tasting than the ones we’ve had in Japan. So, if you’re normally turned off by the strong fish essence of mackerel you may still enjoy this.


A vibrant piece of marinated lean tuna (maguro) arrived next. It was just ever so lightly seasoned so that the delicate fish took on a bit of sweetness.


Yasu lightly blow torches their scallop (hotate) rather than serving it completely raw, helping to counteract the gummy texture.  Topped with just a pinch of yuzu pepper it was already spicy enough to warm up our mouths. I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a picture of the scallop in its fully dressed glory.


The fifth piece consisted of monk fish foie gras (ankimo) with shiso leaf. Another excellent combination with the creaminess from the liver balanced by the citrus basil element of the shiso leaf.


This was followed by a piece of sea bass (suzuki), another crisp, clean and mild fish which is a nice contrast after the richer liver.


Although the Chef removed the skin from the sardine (iwashi), this tends to be a fish that has a stronger taste. Luckily, Yasu tops it with some ginger and green onion to counteract the fishiness and make it milder.


The marinated salmon roe (ikura no shoyu zuke) was quite nice and served make-your-own hand roll style with a sprinkling of freshly grated lime zest. I appreciated the extra big piece of toasted nori to fully encapsulate all the roe so I could take smaller bites (with no fear of making a mess) and really enjoy the briny flavours. 


Indeed, the snow crab (zuwai gani) was good but, in my opinion, would have been better if the crab was boiled and removed from its shell just prior to serving. In the end, it lacked the sweetness that I expected from crab meat.


The following sea bream (tai) was soft and had a surprisingly creamy texture that was quite enjoyable.


Another piece of mackerel was served next (except not the horse version) so was more intensely flavoured. The large slice of pickled daikon and sprinkling of green onion helped to counteract its essence.


Fatty tuna (otoro) is always a treat. Yasu blow torched it to let out some of the oil’s essence and topped with freshly grated wasabi. An absolutely delicious piece of sushi.


After the rich otoro, the yellow tailed amber jack (buri) almost acted as a palette cleanser with its refreshingly light taste.


Another one of my favourite pieces of the night was the stunning looking lightly charred bonito (katsuo). The fish itself was delicious and fresh and had a kick to it from the pepper rub used.


Each individual was offered a tuna hand roll next. The seaweed (nori) was lightly toasted on the oven then filled with chopped tuna, shiso leaf and wasabi. It left my eyes watering and me breathing heavily to rid my nose of its burning sensation.

 

Sadly, I was too anxious to eat the eel (unagi) that followed and forgot to take a picture. Trust me when I say there was a nice big piece of it. It had been roasting on the grill during our dinner then topped with a thick sweet glaze complimenting the tender meat. I can still taste it now…

Our last piece of sushi was egg (tamago) without rice, a light and slightly sweet ending.


Yasu offers a choice of desserts at the end of the meal. The sesame ice cream was the popular choice amongst the diners that evening. It was delightful with a fluffy texture but still had an intense black sesame flavour.


Meanwhile, the green tea panna cotta was much richer and creamy. I enjoyed the addition of maple syrup drizzled on top as it added sweetness but also masked the subtle green tea flavour of the panna cotta itself. All in all, not a bad dessert.


Yasu’s drink menu is one area that can be improved. With only Chardonnay offered by the glass it presented limited options for single wine drinkers. My husband and I ordered beer instead (Asahi and Kirin) and they arrived in frosted glasses. He believes they were stored in the same fridge as the fish, as when it first arrived, he found a faint fish smell on his glass, but not something I noticed.

Do yourself a favour and make reservations soon before it becomes impossible. I was able to score our spots two weeks in advance but overhead the waitress telling another couple that smaller tables now have a month lead time and large seatings even more. If you want to eat traditional sushi the way it’s meant to be prepared, Yasu is definitely the place to visit in Toronto. 

 Overall mark - 9.5 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!

Is That It? I Want More!

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The Frog (Toronto)

Posted on Thursday, August 07, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 4854 Yonge Street
Website: http://firkinpubs.com/thefrogandfirkin/
Type of Meal: Dinner
My husband is a loyal customer of the Frog and has been trying to convince me how good their food tasted. Admittedly, I was skeptical, as pub food is often greasy and frozen tasting. Nonetheless, one night I succumbed to his recommendation and visited the Frog for a proper meal. I was pleasantly surprised with the freshness and caliber of their food, so much so that a post seemed to be in order to share the experience. From the clean atmosphere, friendly & attentive service and piping hot dishes the meal was a success.

Firstly, a stuffed yorkie ($8) shared between us. It was delicious and if paired with a side salad could make a satisfying meal. A crispy Yorkshire pudding was stuffed with mashed potatoes and smothered with a rich gravy filled with cubes of tender beef. The gravy was already flavourful but the horseradish sprinkled on top added a great zip; if only there was more of it as not every bite incorporated the great flavour.


The maple BBQ pulled pork sandwich ($14) was one of the best I've ever had.  The pork was mostly shredded but there were also large intact pieces incorporated into the filling. Aside from the sweet BBQ sauce there was also a smoky flavour akin to honey glazed smoked ham.  But, what made it special were two tempura battered apple slices laid on top between the toasted ciabatta bun. As you bite through the soft bun you're met with a juicy crunch before reaching the meat itself. With plenty of hot fries (were okay and a bit dry) and a wedge of fried pickle (very crunchy) this was a filling meal.


An equally large sandwich, the turkey and avocado club ($15) also arrived with plenty of fries and a pickle. I enjoyed the thick slice of turkey (rather than thin deli meat slices), which was tender and smoky; but would have been even better if it was heated slightly.  Topped with thick slices of smoked bacon, creamy avocado, shredded ice burg lettuce, tomato and parmesan mayonnaise it’s a very hearty sandwich.  The toasted multigrain bread was fresh and soft with just a hint warmth from being toasted.


For something the lighter, the grilled vegetable and seven grain salad ($14) was still satisfying. It contains a variety of grains with tons of textures and flavours tossed with a light curry spice. From what I can tell there was quinoa, couscous, lentils, small white beans, wild rice and barley. The grains sits on a bed on spring mix with balsamic vinaigrette and is topped with goat cheese and slightly warmed grilled vegetables (onion, zucchini, peppers and eggplant). 

But, when you need to indulge the poutine ($8) fits the bill. Arriving in a cast iron skillet it's piping hot so all the cheese curds are completely melted. The gravy was beefy, salty and rich, what you want in a hearty poutine.
During my second visit, we entered from the back of the restaurant and this is when I discovered the great outdoor sitting area (on the top and bottom). The parking lot view aside, I'm sure it'd be a great venue during the warmer months.


In the end, I can see why my husband and his friends enjoy the Frog so much. So, if you're a skeptical foodie like myself, I urge you to try new things as you may have a pleasant experience. On the other hand, if you like pubs certainly give this place a try as it receives my stamp of approval.

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: Xiao Long Bao 小籠包 (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 175 Commander Road, Unit 1
Type of Meal: Dinner
Xiao Long Bao, the phonetic spelling for soup filled dumplings, is the new branch of Ding Tai Fung located in Scarborough. Situated in the newly developed portion of Chartwell Centre, there’s plenty of space with tons of tables and a comfortable distance between each.

However, being a newer restaurant (opened in June) their operations require fine tuning. The first two dishes served were incorrect – the wrong meat with the noodles and two orders of the steamed dumplings when we only ordered one. But, the staff were apologetic and quickly rectified the situation so the small mishaps were negligible. 

You can’t come to Xiao Long Bao without ordering their namesake product - steamed pork soup dumplings ($5.99 for 6).  It’s a skill testing dish as the wrapper needs to be translucent yet strong enough to hold the filling and its juices.  


Xiao Long Bao passed the test as the dumpling could be picked up without breaking. It was juicier than most and had a nice balanced saltiness to it. All in all, a good version of the dish. 


However, what was most impressive was their pan-fried pork dumplings ($5.99 for 5). Arriving crusty side down the plain white dough appeared lackluster, but upon turning the dumpling over you're greeted with a lovely golden crust. Using the same pork mixture as the steamed dumplings, these also stayed sealed capturing a fair amount of juices inside.


The soy sauced braised beef noodles in soup ($7.99) had delicious chewy noodles and tender beef. Garnished with Shanghai baby bok choy and green onions with a dish of minced preserved vegetable on the side to add another salty element if you so desire. The broth was rich and flavourful, if only it were hotter the noodles would have been even better.


For you information, pictured below is the beef tendon version of the same noodle. I managed to snap a picture before realizing it wasn’t what we ordered.



To round out the meal an order of stir fried Chinese broccoli with garlic ($9.50). It was well trimmed, crisp and fresh. Surprisingly, their vegetable dishes tended to be more expensive than others (an entire bowl of noodles is only $8). But, the portion size was decent and only the top thin tender portion of the Chinese broccoli was served. 


Overall, Xiao Long Bao offers tasty renditions of traditional Shanghainese comfort food. Their Chinese only menu may make it harder to order (likely they have an English cheat sheet); luckily, I had my mom to help with ordering. I do enjoy their large restaurant offering comfortable seating and plenty of tables so chances are you won’t need to wait.
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!


Patois (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2014 by

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 794 Dundas Street West
Website: http://www.patoistoronto.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner

 Patois recently opened in the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood, just a stone’s throw away from Bent. And like its neighbor, Patois offers Chinese fusion inspired dishes, except in their case, the tastes of the Caribbean (predominantly Jamaica).

 According to their website, the restaurant’s philosophy is simple - to offer delicious affordable dishes so customers will return weekly. Although prices aren’t suburban cheap, they are reasonable for its downtown Toronto local. Cocktails cap at $10 when $15 seems to be the new norm. And for $35 you can get a whole teapot of it – a bit fancier than the “cold tea” of the China Town days.

Patois

Patois’ whole vibe is down-to-earth from the simplistic décor, to the top 40 in the background and friendly staff. Despite not being a huge dining room, they were still accommodating taking large group reservations and manipulating tables so we would all fit. Admittedly, I’m not an expert when it comes to Jamaican Chinese cuisine, so luckily I was able to bring a couple of friends who were to sample the creations. One friend’s subject matter expertise (“SME”) has been supplemented with my thoughts below.

To start, “pierogi style” kimchi pot stickers ($11) made with tender ground pork and diced kimchi which is enveloped in a chewy dough before being pan fried crisp. The wrappers are thicker than other Asian dumplings (much more than a gyoza from an izakaya or even the pan-fried variety from a Shanghai restaurant) but then these are modelled after pierogi. Topped with sweet caramelized onions, crispy salty bacon, a spicy sour cream and scallions this was a tasty dish merging many textures and flavours.

Patois pierogies

Between my husband and me, we shared the yard bird special ($32) with a half order of juicy jerk and O.G. fried chicken, dirty rice and coleslaw. Indeed, the juicy jerk was aptly named as moisture just permeated from all pieces (even the often dry white meat). Patois notes that they rotisserie roast the chicken rather than using a BBQ or smoker. The result, is tender succulent pieces of chicken that are even moister than any rotisserie version I’ve ever had.

Patois jerk chicken

However, it lacked the in-your-face boldness of jerk. Perhaps it’s because Patois uses a dry rub rather than a wet marinade. Or maybe it’s because I had it after the strong kimchi pot stickers and fried chicken. In the end, the flavours were too subtle for me. I was expecting that spicy tangy heat with an earthy kick to it. Alas, there was none of that, just a spicy habanero yoghurt on the side.

The SME agrees and compares the spice level to what tourists would be served in Montego Bay. Except there restaurants use similarly spiced sauces which compliments the chicken rather than the disparate habanero. However, he did like the jerk seasoning rubbed on the chicken skin finding it had great authentic tastes.

Interestingly, Chef Craig Wong had told The Grid that “[jerk] has to have flavour that lingers on your palate. It’s definitely not a subtle taste … because jerk just blows your head off. Jerk chicken should be spicy and isn’t mild.” I encourage Chef Wong to go back to that philosophy and not dilute the flavouring to please all palettes. At the very least, offer two levels of spiciness so patrons can experience jerk the way it’s meant to be.

The O.G. (Original Gangster) fried chicken was the hit for me. Although not to the level of Willie Mae’s Scotch House, Patois’ offering was nonetheless delicious - pieces of tender, moist meat surrounded by a crispy crust. I loved the various condiments: cubes of watermelon with Thai basil, a spicy sweet sriracha sauce (like tamarind sauce accompanying samosas) and what I believe were pickled watermelon rind and cucumbers (tart and crunchy).

Patois fried chicken

In the end, it was a satisfying fried chicken meal. But, if I could offer one suggestion, it’s to bring it up to the next level. A lot of Toronto kitchens offer well done fried chicken – with Momofuku selling one that is similarly Chinese inspired. To date, restaurants keep the chicken simple with the cultural twist coming from the condiments. But, why not change the chicken itself? Something simple like dusting the “golden sand” that’s used on Luckee’s spicy squid on top of the batter would be delicious. Or I’m sure there’s other great Caribbean choices available such as a tropical pineapple glaze.

What may keep my husband and I coming back is the dirty fried rice. The menu describes the dish as rice stir fried with the Cajun trinity (onion, celery and bell peppers), sweet cured lap cheong sausage, peas, scrambled eggs and sweet soy sauce. But, there must be something else as the dish had an underlying richness to it. Traditional Cajun dirty rice also mixes in chicken liver so perhaps that was used here as well. Whatever it was, we loved it and polished off every grain.

Patois dirty fried rice

And the last dish of the yard bird special was a creamy coleslaw mixed with carrots and scallions. Made with napa cabbage, this slaw was softer and had a subtler taste than the traditional green cabbage variety.

Patois coleslaw

Other eats that were ordered amongst the table included the Jamaican patty double down ($7) consisting of two mini beef patties sandwiching bacon, melted cheese and a drizzle of sriracha.

Patois beef patty

Another dish ordered by the SME was the ackee n’ saltfish fritters ($14). Unfortunately, it was the shape of the fritters that disappointed – typically like a pancake rather than a ball - so the textures seemed off. Additionally, it lacked the characteristic scotch bonnet pepper flavours often accompanying the dish.

Patois ackee n saltfish fritter

The spaghetti vongole ($14) presented the distinctive pungent black bean aroma mixed with tarragon, little neck clams and sweet cured lap cheong sausage.

Patois spaghetti

As a whole, Patois should successfully accomplish what it’s set out to do – to offer delicious affordable dishes. Certainly, the yard bird special was a great combo with plenty of food; more than enough to satisfy me and my husband. My only hope is that Patois doesn’t try too hard to please the masses and ends up mixing into the melting pot rather than creating a distinct identity. After all, crispy and juicy chicken is fine (and will satisfy) but daring in-you-face flavours is what will wow.  

Overall mark - 7 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!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

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