Honest Weight (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, August 12, 2018 by

Simply prepared fresh seafood is one of my favourite meals. Sadly with pollution and over harvesting, opportunities to enjoy truly sensational sustainable seafood are decreasing. Hence, when I heard about the rave reviews on Honest Weight and their co-owner John Bil’s commitment to using sustainable seafood, the restaurant made it onto my “must visit” list.

It’s only at a reputable seafood establishment that I get raw shucked oysters ($3 each). Indeed, every table at Honest Weight seemed to have a platter of them. Deliciously clean and salty, they were served with the customary red onion mignonette and shaved horseradish. A bottle of hot sauce is also included for an extra zip, but unnecessary for me.


What I wouldn’t do for another bowl of the Honest chowder ($12) a fantastic combination of lightly creamed broth with tons of clams, a few mussels, potato, fennel, and a hint of white wine. The seafood is left whole and appear to be freshly added to the soup, so they remain plump and sweet. It all comes with warmed Forno Cultura seeded sourdough, which has a nutty curry flavour. You must start with a bowl!


On a rainy day, the albacore tuna tataki ($17) was a welcomed ray of sunshine… if the sun is made from glorious pink tuna. The fish is seared on a low temperature so there’s only a slight ring around the tuna; the border between cooked and raw barely discernible. While the house-made ponzu could be saltier, the horseradish gives it a lovely kick and the sesame seeds and green onion simple garnishes.  


With four options for the pick yer fish ($29), the delicate local pickerel seemed like a great summer choice. Although the fish had a beautifully seared crust, it was too salty and overdone – luckily, pickerel is a forgiving fish. The smashed potatoes had such a lovely caramelized crispy crust they put hash browns to shame. Is it wrong I enjoyed the starchy side more than the fish?


A light meal calls for a light finish with a buttermilk panna cotta ($11), which was nice and creamy. There was plenty of garnishes to add flavour: macerated strawberries, candied pine nuts, basil slivers. Everything worked.  


You even get a taste of the east coast charm at Honest Weight - it’s an intimate environment and our waiter was candid and friendly. Just make a reservation; even on Sunday they were busy with patrons being turned away it they haven’t already secured a table. At least there’s a fish counter attached to the restaurant, worse comes to worse they can purchase something to go. While the dinner did take longer than normal (our waiter advised they were slammed at lunch so didn’t have adequate prep time for dinner), it’s such a tranquil environment that it didn’t matter. Just enjoy the easy breezy “seaside” dinner.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 2766 Dundas 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:
Honest Weight Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Going back to Akira Back (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, August 11, 2018 by

When Chef Back visited Toronto in July, I returned to Akira Back to sample their “new” menu. My first visit to the restaurant was fine, but it wasn’t impressive. Surely things will be better when the head honcho is in town? After all, he has his name to protect.

Upon cracking open the menu, I was disappointed to see not much has changed. Indeed, a couple of dishes were added but by and large everything remained. The only surprised for the evening was a special lobster 4-ways menu for two ($100). Our waitress noted they’re testing the dishes to see if there’s interest, so what’s detailed in the post is subject to change or may be discontinued all together.


I think most of us coughed on our first sip of the lobster miso soup as we weren’t expecting it to be spicy. The initial surprise aside, the rich hot broth was delicious, the lobster legs infusing the salty and spicy soup. Plump little mushrooms were strewn throughout and a nice addition with the seafood essence.


Having had lobster sashimi a couple of times, Akira Back was the best experience - the lobster tail lightly torched to take away any gumminess, but the meat left raw and sweet. A bit of the freshly grated wasabi and house made soy sauce was all it took to flavour the dish.


The lobster tempura was okay, but since the batter was dense (where are the wispy crunchy bits of tempura?) it ended up tasting like fish sticks instead of chunks of lobster claw. Akira Back needs to work on the batter’s consistency and frying temperature of the oil as the sea urchin tempura ($18) was no better. The creamy urchin wrapped with citrusy shiso leaves was a good idea, if it weren’t for the heavy coating that completely covered the seafood.


What arrived with the fourth course seemed too small for two people - a small sliver of poached lobster with nori butter sauce. In general, this menu for two would be insufficient, tables will need to add on a couple of items to round out the meal. Perhaps a bowl of the wagyu fried rice ($14) for some grains? While it is a tad oily – not surprising with wagyu – the rice had such a great wok hay essence. It’d be even better with more scallion.


Akira’s miso black cod ($31) incorporates the traditional sweet glaze but I’ve had better (and for more reasonable prices compared to the dainty portion of fish). Regardless, it was decently prepared, the black cod having a light smokiness and the glaze slightly caramelized for an extra bit of texture. At least it was better than the wagyu short ribs I previously had; although hot izakaya dishes are not Akira’s forte.


Their cold dishes are much better. The Hokkaido scallop kiwi ($23) was no exception. Sliced raw scallops are layered with kiwi and flavoured with an onion salsa and yuzu soy. The dish is refreshingly delicious and shows restraint, so the scallop’s sweetness isn’t overtaken by the other flavours – even the onion salsa isn’t too strong, adding flavour but not sting.


With Chef Back’s visit there was also a special dessert… date ice cream with a mango mousse ($15). A plate of granita first arrives with an egg carton in tow. Our waitress proceeds to take out an “egg”: the shell made from candy; the whites a date ice cream; and the yolk mango passionfruit sorbet. Luckily, I took the picture before everything was crushed into the sweet ice, creating a dessert reminiscent of bing su. The light dessert was a beautiful and whimsical finish. Maybe things are better when Akira Back is back.


Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 80 Blue Jays Way, 2nd floor

 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:

Xin Jiang Restaurant ่ฅฟๅŸŸ้ฃŸๅบœ.ๆธ…็œŸ (Markham)

Posted on Monday, August 06, 2018 by

Xinjiang is a region in northwest China that shares its borders with Tibet, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and India (amongst others) and after centuries of migration is now home to several ethnic groups. This multiculturalism makes its way into their cuisine, with a host of preparation methods and ingredients that’s unlike the food in other parts of China.

A common dish for the region is roasted kabab. At Xin Jiang Restaurant, the Xinjiang style BBQ lamb kabob ($2.49 each) is probably their most popular dish - every table seems to have a plate of gleaming metal skewers. It’s not something I normally gravitate towards but decided to try it anyways given Zomato/Yelp reviews say it’s one of the best in the city. The skewer was smaller than anticipated, but well prepared so the lamb was just cooked through and tender. Not surprisingly, there was a gamey taste, but it wasn’t overpowering given the meat was covered with enough slightly spicy and curried dry rub.


The wrapper on the steamed lamb and onion dumplings ($9.99) was too thick and  still cracked, allowing the juices to escape. For such a popular dish to Northern Chinese restaurants, it was poorly executed. Their menu had limited flavours to choose from; if I had a choice, I would have ordered something else. Aside from the onion, the filling could really benefit from other herbs or vegetables to compliment the lamb.


Xin Jiang’s menu is vague on what’s in the handmade noodle with beef ($12.99). An Uyghur dish, based on lamian, it uses a similar flour-based pulled noodle that tends to be thicker. The dish ended up consisting of boiled noodles tossed with a spicy soy meat broth and chunks of bell peppers, tomato, hard onions, and beef. The chewy noodles were enjoyable, I just wish there was more of it compared to all the other ingredients.


Seeing the spinach with firm tofu at a neighbouring table, it looked refreshing compared to the heavier dishes we ordered. Being a last-minute add on, I didn’t read the menu description and was greeted by a cold dish incorporating a tangy vinegar taste … sort of like spinach with pickled tofu. While refreshing, it’s best in smaller quantities, as like pickles it’s also very salty.


Given Xin Jiang is a smaller restaurant, all the aromatic smells co-mingle in the rectangular dining room - you will reek of food afterwards. However, they surprisingly have a lot of staff working, so customers are well attended to. My palette hasn’t quite developed for Xinjiang cuisine yet, but with a menu that rivals Pickle Barrel, maybe I’ll have to go back and explore more.

Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Markham, Canada
 Address: 3636 Steeles Avenue East (in Metro Square)

 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:
Xin Jiang Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Fresh on Bloor (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2018 by

Fresh is one of the original vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Toronto. While there are numerous choices in 2018, five years ago yielded few businesses (other than ethnic restaurants) who were willing to go meatless.

Remembering their veggie burger was too mushy for my taste, the squash tacos ($11) seemed like a better choice and I was awarded with delicious grilled tortillas STUFFED with hot deep fried squash nuggets (absolutely delicious), tomato, onion, and a host of other vegetables. A cool creamy jalapeno and lime sauce was generously drizzled over everything, the pepper adding a bold bite to the tacos.


In retrospect, had I known there were so many vegetables in the tacos, I wouldn’t have needed to add a side of the superfood salad ($5.25). Of course, my body and immune system probably enjoyed the extra heaping of greens; the lettuce salad packed with microgreens, cabbage, edamame, herbs, cucumbers, and pistachios. The turmeric mint tahini dressing tossed into the salad made everything tasty - although I couldn’t see it, I could taste it.


Asking our waitress how large the tacos were, she noted they were small and mimicked a circle about the size of a hand. What arrived was at least 50% larger, which rendered the plate of dragon fries ($9) to share unnecessary. Thankfully, they weren’t good, the miso gravy too thick so it tasted like bean flavoured Cheese Whiz and left a sticky consistency on the tongue. Aside from the sauce, the predominant flavour was the tangy hot banana chilies, we would have been better off the plain spuds.


Since my first visit to Fresh years ago, the chain has also expanded and they are busy – having a small queue at the door even during a weeknight. It’s becoming popular to go meatless.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10



How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 326 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:

Fresh Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Love Chix @ Assembly Chef's Hall (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, August 04, 2018 by

Dining with a group with very different tastes? Assembly Chef's Hall combines a number of Toronto's restaurants into one area… sort of like Harrod’s food hall or Eataly. Laid out as two seating areas with the restaurants in the centre, make sure to specify the zone you’re sitting in when meeting friends, otherwise finding each other may be difficult. The dining rooms offer comfortable leather chairs and sturdy wooden tables; it feels like you’re eating in a restaurant, you’ll just need to get your own food. Each room also has a bar, where drinks are also grab and go.


In terms of eateries, The Good Son’s freshly made pizza was popular during a weeknight visit. The mini Kao San Road and Los Colibris stalls also peaked my interest, but I decided to go with something I haven’t had before. That’s when Love Chix’s colourful sign and fried food aroma lured me over. Indeed, it may have also been due to a monstrous fried chicken sandwich sitting at the pass. It looked so good that I had to get my hands on some fried chicken.


The three-piece ($14) with a side of French fries ($3) arrived freshly made with thick house-made ketchup.  I loved the sauce on the chicken, the hot and sweet sauce melted into the juicy chicken meat. Be forewarned, the pieces are small (the three-piece consisted of two drum sticks and a boneless wing); if you’re even remotely hungry, go with the five-piece. While the fries were good at first, after 5-minutes they got stale fast. It made me have eater's regret for not ordering the fried Brussel sprouts.


My friends opted for Resto Boemo instead. The rich truffle gnocchi ($18), which was a hefty portion, was too soft for my taste. If the pasta isn't your thing, their burger with truffle Parmesan fries smelled heavenly.


Overall, Assembly Chef’s Hall is a great concept, but a few improvements would make it even better.
  • Sadly, many restaurants still used disposable containers. With a shared space like a food hall, I would have thought they’d invest in communal plates and cutlery – if Eaton Centre can do it, surely it is possible at Assembly! Mother Nature will thank us later.
  • There’s no way of indicating a table is occupied, which means unless it’s the winter and you have coats, someone needs to stay behind to claim the space. Since looking around and waiting for your food to be prepared takes time, it generally means a full half hour passes before everyone is back at the table. A simple vacant/occupied sign at the table, like Marche, would help.
  • Lastly, for an eatery connected to Google, I would have thought it’d be more technologically advanced. It was a bit annoying you pay at each station (including separately at the bar). They have launched an app, but judging by the reviews, it hasn’t been helping with the ordering and payment process. Tweeks are required.
It is nice that you’re able to stay for as long as you please; while there are staff who clear the table, no one bothers you to leave. Hearing it gets very busy during lunch, it wasn’t too packed in the evening (easiest for tables of four or less). Although on my next visit, I’m aiming to go back for Tachi, the stand-up omakase sushi bar from Chef Jackie Lin. For that, you don’t even need a table.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 111 Richmond 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:

Planta (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, July 29, 2018 by

As an animal and food lover I feel torn: indulging in food seems to mean harming my other love. While I admire those who are vegetarian, it’s a dietary change that swings too far to the left for me. For now, my concession, to alleviate some guilt, is to go meat-less Monday to Thursdays, with some exceptions. Having done it for a few weeks now, it’s not difficult to accomplish. Especially since Toronto has been graced with several meatless restaurants over the last few years. 

Planta opened back in 2016, making news as it was started by Chef David Lee, who’s other restaurants Nota Bene and Carbon Bar (the later he has since split ties), don’t exactly scream vegetarian. It was one of the first of the first meatless restaurants that was trendy, with the higher price points to match. Their menu consists of sharable options, also main plates and salad bowls for those who want their own meal. Most dishes are very small, so for a table of two, you’ll want two mains plus a couple smaller dishes.


To get to the citrus soy used in the watermelon poke ($13.95), you really need to dig to the bottom; without the sauce the dish merely tastes like you’re having watermelon salad with avocado. Even with a bit of the soy it doesn’t seem poke-like - ours arrived missing the shredded nori, a pretty but stale rice paper chip substituted instead. Perhaps with crispy shredded nori, some seaweed salad, and sesame seeds the dish would be more reminiscent of poke. For now, it’s best described as a refreshing watermelon salad.


Having had coconut ceviche ($14.25) at a second location now, it seems strange that no one cuts it into cubes, which would be closer to how actual ceviche is made. Instead, the young coconut is served in slices making it difficult to combine with other ingredients. While I enjoyed the restrained acidity and dusting of corn nuts in the dish, there was way too much cucumber on top that it felt like I was eating a cucumber and coconut salad versus ceviche.


A must-order dish is Planta’s cauliflower tots ($10.50). They are fantastic crispy hot nuggets of cauliflower mixed with a truffle nut “parmesan” with a truffle almond cream on top. If you’re a fan of arancini, these are similar bite-sized tastes of creamy heaven.


The heart of palm used in the “crab” cakes ($20.50) gives the dish that flaky consistency you’d expect from crab cakes. Of course, they didn’t have the seafood essence of real crab, but still delicious with the light crispy panko crust and delicate texture. A lovely creamed lentil mixture sits at the bottom, infused with coconut milk for a hint of richness.


While the smoked tofu ricotta sounds interesting in the eggplant lasagna ($22.95), the smokiness throws the entire dish off. Moreover, it had a strong licorice flavour along with an earthy spice (perhaps cinnamon or cloves) that wasn’t called out on the menu. Having a distain for licorice, this is one dish I’ll pass on in the future.


The awful seasoning aside, the lasagna could have been good, the dish switching out noodles for thinly sliced eggplant and the tofu does mimic the ricotta texture with cashew crema added to smooth out the texture. I also enjoyed the tendrils of zucchini noodles, providing a refreshing crispy texture to the dish.

A healthy brunch calls for a healthy drink. Sadly, I think I went too far with the fields of green ($8.95) cold pressed juice. The menu notes it contains apple and lemon but the entire mixture really tasted like a salad in drink form – one that has tons of celery and could even pass as a Bloody Mary. Next time, I’ll stick with the suggested Planta punch instead.


With plant-based dishes as good as Planta, I could make do without meat. Alas, it’s impossible to eat at the restaurant for every meal; but at least it makes Monday to Thursday (and even an odd weekend) much tastier and saves an animal friend.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1221 Bay 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:
Planta Toronto Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Rosalinda (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2018 by

It’s getting easier to have a plant-based meal in Toronto. Newly opened in the spring, Rosalinda serves vegan Mexican cuisine and is probably the fanciest meatless eatery you’ll find in the Financial District. Their airy dining room feels carefree and is polished and pretty enough for business lunches and socialites alike. The love child of Grant van Gameren, Jamie Cook, and Max Rimaldi, these owners know a thing or two about creating trendy hip restaurants.

Their multigrain chicharron ($9) provides a tasty nibble while waiting for the other dishes. You’ll want to gently spread the thick tangy guacamole onto the crispy multigrain crackers as they're not nearly as strong as pork rinds. But, they do have that puffy crunchy texture, the various seeds giving it a nice nutty flavour. 


It’s not often you’ll find fritters light and moist. Rosalinda’s veggie fritters ($7) contained plenty of shredded vegetables bound together with a bit of chickpea flour, enough to hold it together without forming a lump of dough. Accompanied by a tamarind-ancho dip, to give it that Mexican flavour, I could have easily eaten them plain if there was a bit more salt in the batter.


If I didn’t know Rosalinda’s menu was vegan, the young coconut in the ceviche ($14) could almost fool me for squid. There’s the blast of acidity you’d expect from ceviche, but the dish lacked the herbs and onion to balance out the lime juice. Moreover, if the coconut was cut into cubes, it’d combine better with the diced apple and celery for contrast. With the coconut slices, the dish felt fragmented as it’s difficult to get all the elements in one bite. 


Our waitress described the chilaquiles rojos ($15) as “nachos”. While not entirely untrue (since the dish is made with a base of tortilla chips), my friend described it better as “soggy Frito Lays”. You really need to get to the bottom of the dish for the ones soaked in sauce for flavour; the ones on top merely taste like moistened chips. With nearly half a dozen ingredients listed on the menu for the dish, it was still bland and uneventful, even just a drizzle of crema on top would have been nice.


Not surprisingly, there are a variety of tacos and tostadas on the menu. I’d skip the roasted cauliflower tostada ($7) - the fried shell was brittle (not crispy) and breaks into shards with a slightly bitter finish. Although the cauliflower florets were nicely roasted, the sikil pak (a pumpkin seed spread) and herb salsa verde were all colour and no flavour. The chorizo verde taco ($14) was better, at least the corn shell was warm and soft with great flavours seeping through from the poblano tomatillo salsa and cucumber pico de gallo. Just don’t order it expecting the salty spicy taste of chorizo as the filling tastes more like spinach paneer than sausage.


In fact, the taco led us into a conversation as to why vegetarian restaurants insist on naming dishes after meat to begin with. If it’s their way of appealing to meat eaters, anyone who orders these tacos expecting chorizo would be sorely disappointed. However, if they called them paneer verde tacos, it’s closer to the reality and would be just as appealing. I, for one, wish vegetarian restaurants will just showcase vegetables, legumes, and pulses proudly; not trying to disguise them as imitation meat.

The dish I was most excited for was the roasted Japanese eggplant ($16), which when done well can be so good. Rosalinda’s version was almost there, with plenty of flavours and textures from the salsa macha, sikil pak, cashew crema, cilantro, and pomegranate - I especially enjoyed the spicy kick from the salsa macha – it just lacked salt, something the spongy eggplant needs a lot of.


Thankfully, the Casare aioli on the Tijuana-style broccolini ($14) saved the day – adding it to the eggplant made the dish sing. Consider ordering both dishes together as a bit of the crunchy roasted broccolini paired with the softer eggplant is a nice combination.   


Although the spiced churros ($8) with cinnamon sugar and chocolate banana caramel looked and smelled great, they were so dense it was felt like we were eating fried bread sticks. Where is the airiness of churros? Since the recipe doesn’t call for eggs, it’s not as if making the dessert vegan is to blame.


Go for the rhum roasted pineapple ($8) instead. While the pineapple is a little sweet and there’s no rum flavour, the coconut whipped creamy is heavenly and the toasted coconut chips adds a nice crunch.


Even with my love for Mexican food, I don’t love Rosalinda … it simply doesn’t do the cuisine justice. Mexican fare has so many vibrant sauces and ingredients. While Rosalinda’s menu lists many of these, what shows up on the plate looks pretty but tastes bland. All pomp, but little substance.

Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10



How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 133 Richmond 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:
Rosalinda Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


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