The Toronto Life Garden Party (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, July 27, 2019 by

Toronto Life’s Garden party is in its fifth installment and continues to sellout as guests descend on the Toronto Botanical Garden for an evening celebrating summer. We were so lucky: the day began with rain, but stopped just before the event… even Mother Nature wanted us to party!


Quite frankly, with so much booze flowing from Belvedere, St-Germain, London Dry Gin, Diplomatico Rum, Storyteller lager, and wines care of NZLighter, most likely no one cared about the weather anyways. 


Having made my way through the vendors sampling the refreshing vodka cocktail from Belevedere; just sweet enough mojito from Diplomatico; and the crowd favourite, the St-Germain spritz, they were perfect concoctions for a garden party. As a keepsake, drinkers went home with a metal straw / stirring spoon from St-Germain.


The giddy feelings were balanced by delicious eats from Eatertainment where I indulged in panko crusted tofu in a colourful steam bao, fried chicken sandwiched between chive biscuits, and even a poke bowl.


The beef brisket with veggie mash definitely hit the spot and was my favourite bite of the evening. If there wasn’t so many things to try, I would have definitely gone back for seconds!


Aside from more drinks, the evening ended with beautiful desserts from The Tempered Room. At first, I was going for a scoop of gelato from Love Gelato, but after hearing the gentlemen describe the various tarts and puffs, I ended up trying the Love-in-idleness potion (a light lavender crème brulee tart) and the fantastic Mad Hatter, a dessert that’s magically fluffy and tasty.


The night wasn’t all about the food and liberations. We also were serenaded by Honey Jam and Jesse Gold and watched Passmore from ZimSculpt painstakingly turn a stone into an artform.


I also took way too many pictures amongst all the beautiful flora and in the photobooth, a crazy RV from Betty Loop. 

As an attempt to burn off calories, we challenged each other to beanbag tossing in the garden games area. Plus, the endless supply of sparklers to end the evening left me feeling like a child.


My friends and I left full and slightly tipsy, but not without a book of our choice from the Penguin Random House. Thank you, it’s sure to come in handy at the cottage weekend in August and remind me of a lovely evening partying in the gardens.
Want to become a Toronto Life Member? If this event sounded great, don't miss out on the fun. Toronto Life is providing Gastro World readers a $15 off discount code to become a member!

Just use discount code GASTROWORLD at the Toronto Life Member checkout and the discount will be automatically applied.
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    Daikaya (Washington)

    Posted on Sunday, July 21, 2019 by

    On the ground floor of Daikaya sits their ramen bar – a few booths and communal tables where diners can enjoy a bowl of noodles, small eats, and a drink. A process that starts and ends in about 45 minutes.

    Even as I was ordering the mugi-miso ramen ($14) I had a feeling I should just stick with the shio (where the soup is simply seasoned with salt). But, the description on the miso was so detailed heralding “savory aromatics” and reassured me that it would be “lighter than a traditional miso”. Surely, if I was only going to dine at Daikaya once, I’d have to sample their signature dish.

    The first spoon of broth was good, it was certainly rich in flavours, but wasn’t oily like some ramen bases. Then, after a handful of sips, it became too salty… by the end, I simply ate the noodles and whatever soup clung to them. The noodles also could be better. At the beginning, it starts off chewy but really softens in ten minutes. They should consider plating them less cooked so that the springy bite continues throughout the meal. To combat the softer noodles, they could have also left the bean sprouts rawer, to add more crunch.


    There’s plenty of meat in the bowl: slices of tender chashu and also ground pork strewn throughout so they end up working itself into the noodles. Bits of green onion and, strangely, white onion is added for a bit of freshness. Ramen just isn’t the same without a soft boiled egg, so it was added ($1.50) and at Daikaya arrives with the lovely lava-like orange molten centre.


    The ramen was so substantial we really didn’t need the gyozas ($5.50), which incorporates a dark crust, thin wrapper, and plenty of filling. Sampling it after the salty broth does means the dumpling tastes rather bland.
    I really need to, quite literally, trust my gut when ordering food. After hearing all the praise for Daikaya, it was a shame I may have ordered the wrong soup base that’s caused the experience to be less exceptional. At least we arrived early enough on Sunday to avoid the wait (11am for those who want to replicate). Always look on the bright side.

    Overall mark - 7 out of 10
    How To Find Them
     Location: Washington, USA
     Address: 705 6th Street NW 

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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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    Other Gastro World posts similar to this:
    Daikaya Izakaya Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


    Raku (Toronto)

    Posted on Saturday, July 20, 2019 by

    Right after my first bite of Raku’s udon noodles, I knew I would be back within a month. It didn’t matter that summer was approaching or that the appetizers were merely satisfactory, that bowl of hot comforting broth and silky chewy noodles was something special.

    For my first visit, I kept it simple with the nameko ($16) where it arrives with a clear refreshing broth that’s still richly flavoured so it’s like you’re sipping on consommé. The bits of delicate Nagasaki nameko mushrooms were perfectly paired with the soup and I finished it to the last drop.


    Adding on a poached egg ($2), it arrives on the side to keep it from cooking more but also means it’s absolutely cold. I threw it back into the hot soup to attempt to warm it up a bit, but at least it was done quite nicely where the insides were solid but still has a bit of runniness to it.


    But, it’s the noodles… oh that udon … that makes me realize I should have added an extra serving to the bowl ($3). While most udon is cylindrical, these are oval. Maybe it’s something to do with this slightly flattened shape, but it has such a lovely silky texture while still incorporating a chewiness that’s retained to the last bite.


    The broth is also amazing and what makes Raku different is that with so many options, the soup actually varies as well. Having a sip of my friend’s bowl, the niku ($20) is salty and beefy complementing the short ribs and tripe. It’s one you’ll like if you enjoy Shanghai braised beef noodles.

    On a follow-up visit, I went completely in the other direction with the kani ankake ($26) where the broth is made of a thickened egg drop soup with pieces of crab strewn throughout. It’s a bowl for those who are sensitive to salt as I found it much blander than the other soups. I was really hoping for something savoury but all the toppings – spinach, scallions, and even the crab – were also rather tepidly flavoured.


    Maybe it was the mochi ($4) I added to the bowl… it just sounded so intriguing that I had to try it! The two large rectangles of rice cake were soft and sticky, but really doesn’t go with this soup. I can see it working really well with the tan tan noodles: topping one of the cubes with my friend’s spicy miso pork really helped to give it a much needed saltiness.


    Raku also offers a great selection of appetizers to tide you over as the noodles arrive. Of course, there’s the traditional gyozas ($8). The wrapper is nice and thin and arrives with a lovely crust. However, both the vegetable and pork ones are too delicate for my liking. The vegetable filling is made from micro finely shredded vegetables that would be better if they incorporated some meaty mushrooms. Meanwhile, the pork was forgettable and needed something (chives or scallions) to give it pizzazz.


    Truthfully, it could be the ordering of the apps, since after having a piece of the chewy smoked atsugiri bacon ($8) anything could taste bland. While at first I thought it was strange to eat… literally, it’s thick slivers of well roasted slightly sweet bacon. Washing it down with a sip of Sapporo I understand the appeal – it goes remarkably well with the bubbly cold bitterness of beer.


    For something lighter, their chicken tatsuta-age ($8) is very lightly battered, a bit crispy, but mostly juicy and tender. Or opt for cubes of agedashi tofu ($7), which are so light and pillowy that it almost feels like having a savoury marshmallow. It could use a bit more textual contrast as the generous layer of bonito flakes are also quite soft. At least it’s well flavoured sitting in plenty of sweet soy and garnished with scallions.


    The yaki nasu ($8) is such an interesting starter: a thick slice of eggplant with a raw quail egg on top. Slice into the soft vegetable to allow the egg to meld into the hot eggplant and and spicy miso pork in the centre. This appetizer was not what I expected from deep fried eggplant, but delicious and really grew on me with each bite.


    Raku continues to intrigue and delight with each visit. With their extensive menu, I feel like there’s still so many things to try. Will I ever get to the don buri or cold udon?! Those will be a hard, as their bowls of steaming chewy noodles are just way too delicious to pass up. 

    Overall mark - 9 out of 10
    How To Find Them
     Location: Toronto, Canada
     Address: 456 Queen Street West
     Website: http://rakunyc.com/

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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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    Kinship (Washington)

    Posted on Saturday, July 13, 2019 by

    Kinship is a restaurant where they want diners to feel connected. There are aspects to the environment that help: a quiet atmosphere so you can actually have a conversation; and the tables are narrow enough that you’re physically closer to each other. Of course, the act of breaking bread already creates a connection. Especially, if dishes are shared amongst the table - there’s a “for the table” section of the menu dedicated to this.

    It’s also a Michelin starred restaurant that doesn’t feel stuffy. You feel welcomed in jeans and they actually offer an à la carte menu with enough choices that you don’t feel forced into a tasting option. They’ll walk you through the menu’s layout, the dishes arrange into sections such as ingredient, indulgence, craft, tradition, and for the table. Truthfully, I don’t remember the nuances of the segments other than tradition is the historical favourites.

    The best dish of the night was a “craft” selection. The short shell crab tempura ($24) was stuffed with a bit of herb puree, delicately battered and cooked to perfection. The batter was crispy but seasoned with just enough flavour to not cover the crab. With the seafood being so hot, the coolness of the relish made from garlic chives, shiitake, chili pepper and jicama was such a great contrast – refreshing and spicy. 


    Having worked at the French Laundry and Per Se, Chef Eric Ziebold is no stranger to sauces. You’ll find a variety of them used in the spring chickpea falafel ($16) dish: a light yoghurt lebneh, rouille mousee, and a bright cucumber vierge. You’ll need these sauces as the falafel itself, albeit a fluffy texture, doesn’t stand out much in terms of taste.


    Meanwhile, the cauliflower terrine ($15) is thick and remarkably tastes like chicken liver mousse. Yet, the accompanying crunchy carrot and fennel salad was much too sweet and didn’t really add to the dish. A long lentil cracker covers the plate, but with the richness of the terrine you really needed more than one.


    The chilled ponzu braised celtuce ($16) is a love it or hate it dish, which for me fell into the later camp. The main ingredient, the celtuce (a celery lettuce) was sparse and so fried that it could have been any leafy green. The crunchy daikon slices were the most prominent taste and sadly the rice cakes were hard cubes of rice (not unlike a stale sushi pizza) instead of the chewy Korean rice cakes I was expecting.


    Luckily, the meal ended off strong with a huge slab of grilled piri piri beef ($74). With different thicknesses along the tri tip, it naturally creates a selection of meat with varying doneness. Like it medium? The middle piece is for you! A bit more well done? Go for an end piece. While the cut of meat is a bit leaner than I normally like, it’s nonetheless flavourful and tender.


    It’s stunning to look at as well, sitting on a bed of bright braised yucca studded with sweet peppers and carrots. For some extra flavour apply a liberal spoon of the red chili chimichurri, it’s delicious. A bowl of creamy polenta also come with the dish – silky and creamy it’s made even better with, you got it, more chimichurri.


    If that isn’t enough, warm house-made Parker house rolls sits on the side. They are soft and buttery, eat them while they’re hot.


    As my first dinner in Washington, Kinship was decent but lacked the well-rounded impressiveness of other Michelin restaurants. The soft shell crab was absolutely delicious, but then the celtuce is such a bipolar dish that didn’t really excite the table (except with one guest). Yet, Kinship is centrally located and as Michelin starred restaurants go, offers an affordable menu with a fair number of options. And that first meal, did make me feel more connected with my colleagues before the start of the conference. I guess Kinship achieved its purpose.

    Overall mark - 7 out of 10
    How To Find Them
     Location: Washington, USA
     Address: 1015 7th Street NW

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

    The Good Son (Toronto)

    Posted on Saturday, July 06, 2019 by

    Have you’ve heard the positive sayings “look on the brighter side” and “things always happen for a reason”? Sometimes, they’re true. During a recent staycation, our outdoor day trip was dampened with rainy weather so we decided to stay in town and check out close by destinations. We first visited Oomomo (it’s definitely no Daisho) and then headed to the Shops of Don Mills down the street.

    It just so happens, the newest outpost of The Good Son also opened at the Shops so we stopped by for dinner. It’s then we realize the food gods were looking down upon us. Firstly, we made it there in time for happy hour where all cocktails and draft beers are half off. Score! I wanted to try the Little Priest (normally $13) anyways. It’s a refreshing concoction that tastes like a lighter Long Island iced tea – while I couldn’t really taste the vermouth Amaro, it was a fitting spring drink.


    Since it wasn’t a busy in the restaurant, we took our time with the meal, ordering appetizers to nibble on with the drinks. Of course, the burrata ($19) was soft and creamy, but The Good Son adds a bit of roasted garlic on top. While this may sound overpowering against the mild cheese, the roasted garlic provided mostly aroma versus bite and the balsamic reduction creates some sweetness. It’s a tasty burrata.


    In the future, I’d stick with the Italian dishes and steer clear of the sea bream ceviche ($16). The fish became lost under all the avocado, pear (?), pomegranate, and tomatillo sauce so it tasted like eating chunky salsa versus ceviche. Plus, incorporating both pomegranate and pear in the dish made it too sweet and it lacked the chili bite I like with ceviche. On the bright side, the corn tortillas were tasty and abundant.


    Regardless, the food gods continued to bless us. Wednesdays also means $10 pizza day! It would have been our choice anyways given The Good Son is known for their wood oven pizza… the large station in the corner certainly entices you to want to bite into the smoky pie.


    Craving a hearty pizza, the capricciosa ($20) fit the bill with big chunks of mushrooms, mild sundried olives, artichokes, fior di latte, and layers of Prosciutto cotto. Understandably, under the weight of all the toppings, the pizza is impossible to pick up but the crust is well-toasted on the bottom so it’s not mushy either. If only they left off the balsamic with the mushrooms – don’t sneak a sweet and savoury combination on me please!

    Normally, I likely would have ordered the spicy sopressata ($21). Simply adorned with slices of cured meat and little chunks of Anaheim chili strewn throughout for a manageable heat.



    In the end, the rain did not put a damper on the day and we ended up saving quite a bit on dinner. But as a good customer, just remember to tip a higher percentage. The restaurant workers are doing the same work, even though you’re saving a bundle. 

    Overall mark - 7 out of 10
    How To Find Them
     Location: Toronto, Canada
     Address: 11 Karl Fraser Road (in Shop of Don Mills)

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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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    Garleek Kitchen (Toronto)

    Posted on Sunday, June 30, 2019 by
    Garleek Kitchen momos

    If you like intimate family run restaurants, Garleek Kitchen will definitely provide that cozy experience. The dining room consists of less than ten tables, and on a weekday visit, the entire operations was run by a single person - quite a feat to be host, waiter, and chef. To keep things simple, their menu is displayed on a television and cutlery & key condiments are found on the table.

    Meanwhile, most of the time, the proprietor is in the kitchen, making everything to order including the momos. These dumplings are the delicious pouches I remember most from past Tibetan meals. With the option to steam, pan fry, or deep fry the dumplings, we tried them two ways – pan-fried and steamed.   

    The chicken pan-fried momos ($8.99) definitely hit the spot. The toasted crust adding a nice contrast compared to the soft top of the dumpling. While the nub in the middle of the dough was a bit too thick, the white meat chicken filling was juicy and savoury. So good the spicy dipping sauces weren’t even required.


    They were needed for the steam vegetables momo ($7.99). While the chunky chili sauce added heat and extra flavour, the dumplings could still use more salt. Nevertheless, the filling consisted of an interesting combination of vegetables, which Garleek should consider leaving some less cooked (everything was rather soft) so the texture will vary.


    Nepalese chicken chow mein ($8.50) is made from thin chewy noodles cooked on a hot flattop so it develops a crust on some strands. Like Cantonese chow mein, there are the crispy and soft bits within the plate, but Garleek’s is less oily and isn’t topped with sauce allowing the noodles to remain crunchy. I loved the aromatic wok hay of the dish, but the chicken needs less time on the grill as it was overdone and dry.

    Garleek Kitchen chicken chow mein Toronto

    Despite running with only one person, Garleek provides attentive service. Along with the noodles, the chef brought out a chilled bottle of hot sauce and warned that it was “crazy spicy” – heed the warning but you’ll want to try some anyways. He also checked on us at regular intervals and was around when something was required. This warm intimate experience is what makes dining at small proprietors a great event.


    Overall mark - 7 out of 10
    How To Find Them
     Location: Toronto, Canada
     Address: 1500 Queen 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:

    Garleek Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


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