Planta Yorkville (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, April 18, 2020 by

Planta’s meatless burger was once the talk of the town, admired for its “likeness” to the beef version, thanks to the tinge of pink in its patty. Chef David Lee was ahead of his time, creating a string of plant-based restaurants at a time when Meatless Mondays was a stretch for most people.

Oh, how times have changed. Vegetarian burgers are now a dime-a-dozen with fast food chains joining the party. Even the patties have been upgraded – having a hint of pink is now the norm. Which is why my first experience with the Planta burger, prominently featured on their Winterlicious menu ($33), was such a bust.

After hearing about how great it was - so much so that burger-only restaurants were spun off - one bite into the mushy patty left much to be desired. There were some good qualities: it was hearty with the thick queso and truffle mushroom sauce; and generally, it tasted nice. But it lacked texture… everything was so soft that my 90-year old grandmothers would have no trouble biting through these babies.


The soft bun and delicate lettuce didn’t make it any better – maybe if either an element of crunch it would help the main. At least the fries were amazing: hot from the fryer, crispy as ever, and tossed with just enough salt. We hungrily devoured these.

Overall, it just wasn’t an impressive meal. While the warm rapini salad tastes better than it looked, when the plate of butter lettuce topped with chopped wilted rapini arrived, I was momentarily taken aback that a restaurant would be okay with serving a dish that looks like one I’d make at home. Looks aside, it was an okay salad, the warm rapini enhanced with olive and sun-dried tomatoes so the greens were actually flavourful. I just wished there was more of it to go around.


The only dish I’d get again is the young Thai coconut dessert. The passionfruit sorbet was a great balance of tart and sweetness and the coconut &chia seed pudding added a lovely creaminess. Although it appears fairly simple, the tropical flavours were such a blessing during the dead of winter.


If you’re going to visit any restaurant in the Planta chain, the Asian menu of the Queen location is much better, in my opinion. Maybe it’s time for David Lee to reinvent the menu again. Burgers are so overdone… and being done so much better than Planta.

 Overall mark - 6 out of 10
Is Winterlicious worth it (based on my meal selection)?
Winterlicious - $33
Regular menu - $50 - salad ($18.25), burger ($19.75) and young Thai coconut ($11.95)
Savings - $17 or 34% 
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1221 Bay Street

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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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Operation Falafel (Dubai)

Posted on Saturday, April 11, 2020 by

What’s the one thing we wanted as soon as our plane arrived in Dubai? Shawarma! Those strips of meat, slathered in sauce, and tucked into chewy pitas – come to me now!

View of the courtyard from our seats on the patio
For our first experience, my friend suggested we try Operation Falafel, located at JBR Walk, a strip that reminds me of a longer and glitzier Cumberland (for those from Toronto). We weren’t going to find the cheap and casual sandwiches that’s so popular in the city, but we would dine on shawarmas and see tons of exotic cars – like Yorkville, they also drive down a street to end up sitting in traffic for half an hour, rendering the speedy machines to move slower than pedestrians.

Operation Falafel’s shawarma open platter (AED36) attempted to satisfy the cravings. A mixture of chicken and beef arrives with essentials like pickles, onions, and warm soft puffy pitas to make our own sandwiches. The meat was fairly tender, but the sauces so subdued that I couldn’t taste the difference between the garlic aioli and tahini. Two sauces that are generally strong in sesame or garlic flavours, and Operation Falafel’s tasted like mayo with a sprinkling of seasoning. Sure, they’re okay to dip fries into, but couldn’t stand up against shawarma.


At least the soft puffy pitas were on point and the pickles tangy enough to add interest to everything. The thinly slices onions were a bit of a miss: it’s nice that they are soaked in water, so the strong onion flavours mellows, but not to the point that it’s all crunch and no taste.



In the end, the shawarma plate was a bit like the cars along JBR Walk – beautifully plated and fancy to look at yet doesn’t get the engines revving. 

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 Address: Jumeirah Beach Residence 2

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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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Skyview Fusion Cuisine (Markham)

Posted on Saturday, April 04, 2020 by


In the GTA, there is no shortage of restaurants serving dim sum. But, where do you find the best? For me, I favour places with clean dining rooms, menus with enough choices, reasonable wait times, and of course, where the food tastes delicious.

At Skyview Fusion Cuisine, even though their early bird specials are only available Monday to Friday, based on reviews, the restaurant still gets busy on weekends – perhaps due to its proximity to a Costcos. However, the wait times seem manageable: arriving at 9:30 on a Saturday, we were seated right away and even while leaving at 11am there were still available tables.

Their regular menu prices are small for $3.90, medium for $4.90, and large for $5.90. Even without the weekend early bird special, Skyview’s menu includes a lot of small category options: pan-fried turnip cake, deep-fried sticky pork dumpling, and steamed beef ball with chestnuts, which may be considered medium at other establishments. As a result, the bill total isn’t too bad, even without the discount.

Their steamed beef ball with chestnuts (S) was a bit dense for my taste, but the addition of cilantro, water chestnuts, and sweet corn does help to add further flavours and textures to an otherwise monotone item.


I would have liked the pan-fried turnip cake (S) to be cooked longer, to enhance the crust, but otherwise it was a decent consistency and incorporated enough turnip and lap cheong within the cake. Similarly, the deep-fried sticky pork dumpling (S) could have used a bit more time in the oil to really create a crunchier exterior but was still a solid version of the dish.


Both their steamed shrimp dumpling or har gow (L) and steamed pork dumpling or siu mai (M) are solid renditions and sizeable portions. While most people welcome the golf ball sized dim sum, I personally prefer them smaller so there’s a better ratio of wrapper to filling.


With all the seafood dumplings, it seemed like a bit of over kill to also have the seafood dumpling (L), which truthfully pretty much tasted like the har gow with a tiny bit of chives, scallop, and fish roe on top. It’s a good dish, but I’d pick one or the other.


Their steamed sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf (L) is a great option. The glutinous rice is not overly thick and there’s enough filling to keep it interesting.


The ‘vegetable and bean sprout and shrimp rice rolls’ (L), may more concisely be labelled as shrimp and snow pea shoot rice roll. It’s fine, the rice wrapper thicker than it needs to be.


One of my favourite dishes, assuming its prepared properly, is the steamed seafood dumpling in soup (L). At Skyview, they are one of the best. The dumpling’s wrapper is thick enough to withstand getting too soggy and there’s tons of ingredients (scallop, shrimp, mushroom) in it. The broth is salty enough for flavour and is kept hot with the candlelit warmer. It was amazing when it was first brought to the table, and still decent enough to finish half-and-hour later.


The sitting around factor of a dish may also be considered an important criterion for a good dim sum experience. After all, it’s an occasion to eat, but also to catch up with family and loved ones. Sometimes you want to sit back and actually just yum cha (drink tea). Converse, drink more tea, and then dive into a dish later.

Overall mark - 9 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Markham, Canada
 Address: 8261 Woodbine Avenue

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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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India Palace (Dubai)

Posted on Saturday, March 28, 2020 by

Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel sorry for people who travel with me. Visiting another city means an opportunity to try new restaurants, indulge in other cuisines, and taste something different from what we have at home. So, while visiting Dubai, I had three requests to try Emirati cuisine, local Indian food, and non-fancy shawarma.

After a couple of days of ‘friendly’ reminders, an opportunity finally presented itself to have Indian food in a residential neighbourhood. We would be visiting a friend of my travel companion (“M”) and after begging for something Indian, she suggested Indian Palace: the restaurant has an extensive menu, it’s delicious, and it’s ‘safe’ for our foreign stomachs.

Set in a strip plaza, off a highway, the large flashing signs and ample parking spots brought me to an area of Dubai that already felt homier. Things weren’t opulent and glitzy. Don’t go expecting valet services, although you can still get a car wash from proprietors lugging buckets.

M wasn’t kidding when she said there’s a lot of choice at Indian Palace… it took forever to get through the menu and settle on four dishes. We decided to start with the tandoori lal jhinga (AED69) or a skillet of grilled shrimp marinated with herbs and tandoori masala. It’s a simple but tasty dish, although I would have liked more of the kashmiri chillies, noted on the menu, for something spicier.


The dum ka zafrani murgh (AED42) had more pizazz. Pieces of chicken were cooked with a saffron almond sauce in a sealed pot. The nuts were finely ground, so it adds a creaminess to the gravy as well as a light nuttiness. It’s a dish in the same vein as butter chicken, but without the tomato sauce and heaviness, so you don’t feel bad having seconds and thirds.


I could have an entire order of the murgh biryani dum wala (AED44) to myself. At Indian Palace, they cook the rice in a vessel covered with bread, creating a dome that seals in juices so the biryani is moister and remains hotter than normal. It’s aromatic and flavourful, two things I was craving that evening, so this dish fully satisfied.


The biryani had everything the dal tadka (AED22) lacked. The lentils may have incorporated a bit of cumin and garlic, but otherwise was flat and boring, hardly adding a dent of taste to the rice or naan.


For dessert, the shahi tukda (AED19) was a nice change from the typical sugary choices. To clarify, the rabdi (a saffron and rose water syrup) the rectangles of dense bread sat in was, of course, sweet. However, the sweetness was controlled, and the slivers of pistachios added a nice savoury crunch.


At the end, the meal starts and ends the same way: with a golden vessel filled with things to taste and try. In the beginning, it’s filled with chutneys and pickles to smear onto crispy papadum. To end, it’s filled with licoricey seeds, sugar, and fenugreek to calm the stomach and promote digestion. Finally, the tastes of India I hoped to experience was at last checked off the list.  


Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 Address: Al Garhoud, Near Le Meridien Fairway

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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!

Casa Imperial Fine Chinese Cuisine 名門金宴 (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, March 21, 2020 by

At first glance, you wouldn’t think Casa Imperial is a Chinese restaurant, much less one that serves authentic dim sum. Set in an altered mansion, the baroque details, gilded frames, and sparkly chandeliers suggests the place would serve more high tea than jasmine tea.

Even though they do not offer an early bird special, the restaurant is still fairly busy, especially on holidays and special occasions – skip Mother’s Day unless you like waiting around and fuming. As for their pricing, it’s in line with the regular menus found elsewhere: $3.80 for small, $4.80 for medium, and $5.80 for large with $1.50 per person tea charge.

My must-have dish is a siu mai (L). The conpoy (dried scallop) topping the pork and shrimp dumpling adds little to the experience and gives the dish a boring beige appearance. Nonetheless, the siu mai itself is tasty; a balanced combination of filling to ensure it’s hearty but not hard.


For something a little more Instagramable, the scallop and spinach dumpling (L) has a nice pop of colour. It’s also fairly flavourful with enough seasoning added to the shrimp filling and wrapper, compared to other places.


Casa Imperial certainly isn’t afraid to lay on the spice, there’s plenty of it in the curry sauce marinating the steamed baby cuttlefish (L). The seafood is enveloped in salt and heat, to the point that you may want to ensure there’s a neutral rice dish to pair with the cuttlefish.


Something like a steamed rice pot, as the sticky rice with conpoy and chicken in lotus leaf (L) already has a lot going on in the fragrant parcel. Aside from the chicken and dried scallop, there’s also pieces of Chinese cured sausage and salted egg yolk, traditional fillings that have been substituted by cheaper minced pork at other restaurants.


The crispy bean curd rice roll with shrimp and pork (L) is such a great combination of textures. Soft silky rice rolls surrounds a shrimp and pork sausage like filling that’s encased in a crunchy bean curd sheet. It’s a little heavy, so make sure there’s at least four of you to share.


Our meal seemed to include a lot of things that spent time in the deep fryer. The crispy meat dumplings (S) and chicken wings with lemon grass (L) both arrive hot, hot, hot! While they’re nothing to rave about, they’re still solid offerings, especially when they’re so fresh from the fryer.


It’s not every day you’ll find fruit mixed with shrimp. In reality, the peach in the crispy spinach nest shrimp roll with peach (L) is simply the puree dipping sauce on the side. The puffy spinach laced batter is pretty, but also fairly oily… I personally still enjoy the plain Jane bean curd sheets. Yet, this combination was better for my denture wearing grandmother, who had no difficulties biting through the airy crust.


Same with the soft black sesame dumpling coated with cashew nut (L), a ball of sticky glutinous rice filled with a warm oozing black sesame paste and covered with powdered and crushed cashews to keep everything from sticking together. It’s a nice way to finish after all the deep fried dishes that graced the second half of brunch.



If you’re not a fan of leftovers, Casa Imperial’s portion sizes are larger than normal, so you’ll want to order less and add on later. Or you’ll just have to get a bigger group together – four or six works best – so that each person gets a mouthful of the dishes. It’s the sampling and varied bites that makes dim sum such a great experience. Even if the oil-based paintings doesn’t make it feel like you’re in a Chinese restaurant.

Overall mark - 9 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4125 Steeles Avenue East

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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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Dhow and Anchor (Dubai)

Posted on Saturday, March 14, 2020 by

During my travels to other countries, I only occasionally dine at hotel restaurants, preferring places that are (hopefully) more local or not teeming with tourists. In Dubai, this preference goes out the window. That’s because, it’s mostly in hotels where I’m able to have an alcoholic drink with my meal. And a glass of chilled white wine simply makes the experience of dining al fresco so much better. After all, if you’re going to view the Burj Al Arab closely, why not do it from a sunny patio with a glass of vino?

So, this is how we found ourselves at Dhow and Anchor, a British restaurant located inside the famed Jumeirah Beach Hotel. It seems strange to go to Dubai to have British food, but with the number of expats in the country, they make good British eats – way better than the Chinese options we tasted.


The British coast fisherman’s pie (AED130) was fantastic incorporating big chunks of salmon, cod, and prawns, in a lovely leek gravy and covered with rich mashed potatoes that is more buttery than what you’d normally find on Shepard’s pie. Topped with a bit of cheese gratin, it makes for a heavenly pie that’s simply intoxicating, in taste and aroma.


So much so that it seemed to really draw in the flies. In fact, any dish seemed to attract the pesky buggers. The fly situation at Dhow and Anchor was horrendous with a huge pack of them descending upon the table as soon as our food arrived. We had to constantly have one hand waving in front of our plates, while eating quickly, and finally using our napkin to cover the dishes before they could be whisked away.

The restaurant really needs to invest in table fans that flitter around to help keep the flies away. As it stands, the fisherman’s pie was tasty but actually ingesting the dish was frustrating and rushed. I felt like I was having fast food when the meal should be savoured. Al fresco dining can be great, but I guess that’s the perils of outdoor eating.

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 Address: Jumeirah Beach Hotel

 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!

Planta Queen (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, March 07, 2020 by


I don’t often have sushi in a restaurant whose menu isn’t entirely Japanese, but Planta Queen’s nigiri is so inventive that you should try it once. As the ahi watermelon ($5.25 for two) and unagi eggplant ($5.25 for two) are placed before us, I’m marveled by how much they look like lean tuna and mackerel. In reality, the consistency and taste doesn’t resemble fish – the watermelon has a strong ginger flavour and the eggplant a slight smokiness – yet, it also doesn’t taste like the fruit or vegetable it’s made from. It just works!


The ahi watermelon makes its way into the rainbow roll ($15) and spicy tuna roll ($15) as well. Of the two, the rainbow roll has more interest: the soft pressed watermelon paired with creamy avocado and mayo, crispy romaine, and a sliver of bright shiso leaf. The spicy tuna roll is fine, but relies a lot on the spicy aioli for flavour.


You wouldn’t want an entire order of gomae ($12.25) for yourself. Even though it’s essentially just boiled spinach tossed in a sesame dressing with crisped rice thrown on top, the nutty sauce is also what makes it fairly rich as well. Yet, when shared, it’s a nice way to start the meal or even to finish off with something refreshing.  


On the other hand, I could easily down an entire bowl of the mushroom dashi ($8.95). It’s everything you want during the winter: a warm bowl of rich consommé, enoki and shiitake mushrooms peppered throughout, and cubes of delicate tofu sitting at the bottom. It’s simple and heavenly.


Planta’s Hakka rice noodles ($17.50) doesn’t really taste like anything I’ve ever had at a Hakka restaurant, but it could easily grace the menu of a Thai establishment. The coconut green curry base has a lovely aroma and a hint of heat, but could use more salt. As it stands, the dish of rice noodles with tofu and Chinese broccoli (gai lan) was fine but didn’t overly excite.


The udon ($18.75) was a hundred times better. In this case, the rice noodles (since we were having the gluten free version) was tossed in truffle oil and coconut milk creating a creamy base that would make Alfredo weep. There’s no shortage of mushrooms in the dish and is finished off with some snow pea leaves for colour and freshness. Would this dish paired with a bowl of mushroom dashi be too much fungi for one person to handle? Challenge accepted.


In general, Planta Queen uses a lot of truffles, whether it be the infused oil or the real deal. Even the maitake mushroom fried rice ($28) comes with shaved truffle on top, which truthfully doesn’t add that much to the experience. Overall, I expected the dish to offer more – something bursting with wok hay and an umami essence galore. Instead, it was pretty average fried rice with shaved truffles on top.


After the heavier mains, we thought the lemon curd ($12.35) would be a lighter finish to the meal. It certainly was a refreshing end, but the combination of lemon custard with passion fruit gelato makes for such a tarte finish that I’m puckering up thinking of the bite. The meringue needed to be sweeter and the matcha powder dropped all together as the combination of acidic citrus with bitter powder wasn’t necessarily the greatest.



For those who are celiac, you’d be happy to know every dish in this post is celiac friendly and vegan. Planta Queen certainly has an impressive menu of options for various food sensitivities. Best yet, they’re actually tasty and makes you realize that Asian food could easily forgo all the meat, eggs, and gluten and still be fantastic. Mushroom dashi, until we meet again.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 180 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!

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Al Mallah Dhiyafah (Dubai)

Posted on Saturday, February 29, 2020 by

I truly believe restaurants don’t need to be fancy or expensive to serve delicious food. This proved to be true when I bit into one of Al Mallah Dhiyafah’s chicken shawarma (AED9). My eyes momentarily closed so I could really savor the delicious chewy pita filled with moist lightly-spiced chicken.


The soft pita was thin enough that the filling’s flavours really came through: nutty tahini with pickles and lettuce for a bit of texture. I immediately started thinking about ordering another one after that first bite… but, thankfully stopped myself as after getting through all the sides was thoroughly stuffed.


Did I regret having the fattoush salad (AED17), when I could have saved room for another meaty log? Not a chance, as the salad was a great way to balance out the otherwise carb and meat heavy meal. Having had fattoush a handful of times, Al Mallah’s is the best with small pieces of chopped lettuce and cucumbers tossed with herbs and really crispy thin fried pita. It was refreshingly citrusy.


I might have skipped the hommos (AED18), which while tasty, was really just well-pureed chickpeas with oil drizzled over top. There wasn’t any other ingredients – tahini, lemon, or even much salt – just a bowl of thick and earthy hummus. There was also a sense of guilt when having another pita as each one was wrapped in a plastic bag – hygienic, but not very environmentally friendly.


If that weren’t enough, there’s even a complimentary plate of pickled vegetables and chilies. They are really salty, so not necessarily the greatest to have plain, but tucked into some pita with the neutral hummus was pretty good.  



Sit (outside or inside) or even grab-and-go, there’s tons of options for dining at Al Mallah Dhiyafah. Just do yourself a favour and go and try one (or two) of their shawarmas.

Overall mark - 9 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 Address: Al Dhiyafah Road (2 December 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:

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