Aside from soup-based noodles, a comforting dish I crave in the winter is pork bone soup. There’s almost a primal sense of survival in picking up the massive hunk of bone in your hands and trying to get to as many of the meaty bits as possible, dissecting and sucking until it’s picked clean. Kam ja tang is served in most Korean restaurants, but Owl of Minerva introduced the dish to me and it’s where I return for a fix.

As difficult as it is to transport, Owl does delivery and takeout - the kam ja tang ($10.99) is vacuum sealed so that no drop of the fragrant soup is lost. Without the hot stone bowl, it’s warm on arrival, so we always re-heat it in a pot before tucking in. It needs to be enjoyed in its full glory: blistering hot, burning the fingers, and stinging the tongue. No pain, no delicious gain.

While waiting for the pork bone to re-heat, snack on an order of gu man du ($10.99). The deep-fried dumplings still surprisingly crispy and hot despite also being entombed in plastic. Truthfully, I’d much rather Owl switch to a piece of tin foil to wrap the beef dumpling instead of using so much plastic. We can all benefit from less waste and if someone wanted to re-heat the dumplings in the toaster oven, the tin foil will even save the customer a preparation step.

Back to the pork bone. Once it’s bubbling hot and placed into a bowl, here’s how I like to enjoy my kam ja tang: I help cool it slightly by placing a couple of pieces of kimchi into the bowl. I prefer the fermented cabbage hot and enjoy that extra bit of umami spice that the sauce adds to the broth. Then, it’s a hands-on marathon – first picking off the easy bits of meat with chopsticks, before switching to the primal eating ritual described earlier.

In between it all, I place bit-sized pieces of steam rice on a spoon before adding some broth to the utensil and getting a delicious mouthful of the salty garlicky soup. Some like to add all the rice into the broth and mix it with the meat, creating a Korean congee. I like mine separated, bite by bite. To each their own.

Once the pork bone is done, it’s down to the cabbage with rice. And if I’m feeling particularly ravenous, the hunks of soft potatoes will round out the meal. A meal from Owl of Minerva leaves you stuffed and almost uncomfortably full. It’s my quintessential meal during the winter, where a girl needs to eat to survive. 

The battle cries this holiday season have been to buy local and support small businesses. Sites have sprung up showcase alternatives to Amazon’s marketplace and hashtag surfing through Instagram reveals a plethora of options. Not surprisingly, for me, the food accounts are prominently featured, with so many options that narrowing down where my gift giving would come from became difficult.

As luck would have it, a fellow food lover posted about Scoops n’ Bite’s luscious cheesecake, a favourite sweet for a group of my friends. This is how the Basque cheesecake ($20) soon made its way into the gifting rotation. But, not without purchasing an extra one for my household … to make sure what we were giving was good, of course.  

The Basque-style is so delightful: a cross between the fluffy Japanese cheesecake and the richer dense New York style. It’s a towering creation that has a moist and delicate centre that breaks into crumbs of smooth creamy cheese. For such an innocent looking bite, it’s surprisingly cheesy (still lighter than the New York) and the caramelized top creates a buttery bite, not unlike a graham cracker crust.

We had slices of the cake plain, but it would work just as well with some berries.

Scoops n’ Bite’s menu has a host of other baked goods: cookies, stuffed cookies, and brownies. Yet, it was the empanadas ($13 for four) that intrigued, stuffed with a choice of chicken and vegetables or ham and cheese. We went with the former and were presented with glossy stuffed pastries the size of our palms.

If only the company called out they considered raisins a “vegetable” … it is not. The sole ingredient that knocked these down a peg. For some, they may like the light sweetness and moisture it adds to the filling; I say give me peas any day.

Raisins aside, we still enjoyed the empanadas, with the juicy slivers of chicken mixed with small cubes of carrots and potatoes. There was a lovely earthy spice mixture added to everything and each were well-seasoned – perfect for me but could be slightly too salty for those who like to season lightly. The buttery crust surely stole the show, giving off a lovely aroma and flavour, yet still not greasy to the touch.

It’s nice to have a season to remind us about all the great local talent that’s out there. Still, after the holidays calm down, it’s important not to forget about these wonderful businesses. After all, a Basque cheesecake can be enjoyed on any occasion: New Years, Valentine’s, or even just for a lovely weekend treat.

The moment I lifted the hefty box of fruitti di mare ($17) pasta out of the bag, I knew it was going to be a good meal. The aluminum container was still blistering hot and the dome no match for the lovely seafood aroma that soon filled the kitchen. With bated breath I quickly snapped a few pictures before transferring the pasta to a plate and tucking in… oh my!

While the spaghetti wasn’t necessarily al dante, the pasta was still a great consistency and tossed with ample sauce so it didn’t clump together as some delivery pasta dishes can become. By and large the seafood was still cooked well - the prawns plump and the calamari nicely done – only the shellfish (mussel, clams, and split crab leg) were perhaps a little more shrunken than normal, but still good.

It’s the sauce that keeps me re-ordering this dish. The tomatoes taste so summery and infused with all the seafood flavours with a mellow garlic finish. Don’t let the extras go to waste: it’s perfect for dipping their soft fresh bread into, several slices arriving with the delivery order.

12 Tables makes their own sauces, including the salad dressings. While the Caesar salad ($15) was a bit too saturated for my taste, the dressing was at least a well-balanced concoction combining just enough anchovy and garlic to really create that umami-laced sauce without each element being too prominent.

With this order, my husband and I were in the mood for our all-time favourite 12 Tables pastas and for him, it’s their carbonara ($20). It’s sinfully good, the noodles sitting in a thick creamy sauce (the dish is offered with or without cream) that has a healthy blast of pancetta and just a bit of black pepper. If you’re in the mood for something rich, you can’t go wrong with the carbonara.

Sadly, the missing element was an aperitif shot with the owner – a digestive alcohol and some conversation is such a great way to let the meal sink in. Like shavasana for the stomach. We tried to recreate the experience by having another glass of wine. Don’t judge, you do what you can to keep the tradition alive. 

During the pandemic, pizza has been a permanent addition to our COVID bubble. We frequently order from Maker Pizza and when their delivery times are too long, moved onto chains like Dominos and Pizza Nova. As much as I love Maker Pizza, being a flexitarian meant I had limited options from their abbreviated COVID menu - there’s only so much Margarita or So Mushroom I can enjoy. As luck would have it, we discovered Moto Via while walking around the neighbourhood and they were soon added to the bubble.

Moto Via offers a dizzying number of items, but if you’re looking for something to have right away, order carefully as anything that’s not pizza or part of their “snack table” arrives frozen. Even the Nutella tiramisu ($8.99) arrived as a block of ice and required some thawing before having as a late-night dessert. The creamy part of the tiramisu was nice, a great thick combination of Nutella and mascarpone. But it was a shame the espresso element was missing from the lady fingers, so the sweet ends up more like mousse cake than tiramisu.

Even the Parmigiano nodini ($0.50 each) need a bit of prep. While they are a cheap add-on, they also arrive hard by the evening meal. So, they needed a quick nuke in the microwave to soften enough to enjoy.

What Moto Via does well is their pizza. The calabrese ($20) is a great combination of mild soppressata topped with roasted red peppers and green olives, all bound together with Crotonese cheese. While the olives can sometimes overpower other ingredients on a pizza, these were fresh Calabrese green olives so despite being scattered in large chunks, they weren’t overly salty. Just carefully pick up the first slice - when it first arrives, the hot melted cheese tends to slide off with all the other ingredients.

The deliveries are quick, the pizzas arrived nice and hot., which allowed to the edges of the crust to remain blistered and chewy. Although, the middle does get a little soft with the tomato-based pies. A slightly soggy centre is a trade-off I don’t mind as their San Marzano tomato sauce is deliciously fresh and not too acidic.

It also gives the pizza flavour as I found the Zucca ($18), a white pizza, a tad bland. There isn’t a lot of oil on the crust, which means it’s probably healthier, but with white pizza you need that drizzle of oil and salt on top to make the pie pop. The dish has good bones: lovely fresh mozzarella, ribbons of zucchini, and thinly sliced rosemary potatoes that all blend together nicely. With a bit more oil and seasoning, the Zucca would be amazing.

When in doubt, you can always make your own pizza, there’s tons of toppings to choose from. Moto Via also allows you to customize the crust type between a thin wood burning, Southern style (a thicker crust cooked on a pizza stone), or having it folded into a calzone. One thing’s for sure, the pizza consumption in this household is going to continue throughout the winter, now that we’re blessed with choices abound.  

Patience pays when you’re ordering from Stack. The first time we used Uber, we thought there was a mistake when the quoted delivery time was an hour and a half out. “Surely, this was a case of the restaurant giving themselves a significant safety net and the meal will arrive in no time?” we thought. Nope, it took almost the full 1.5 hours, but then, things aren’t rushed at Stack. After all, their meaty creations spend up to 14 hours in the smoker before it’s ready for a bite, what’s another hour?

The restaurant isn’t about short cuts. Even the patty of the Smokehouse burger ($13.99) is ground freshly on site, which allows them to cook it to medium well so that by the time it’s delivered it’s not overcooked. A non-frozen patty tastes different, the brisket and chuck creation already so flavourful and rich that it’s more than enough on its own. But the Smokehouse is then topped with zesty Carolina BBQ pulled pork and crispy onions. It’s burger that’s made for someone who is HUNGRY.

After having so many toppings, Stack goes light on the spicy ranch so the meaty flavours of the beef patty and pulled pork is the main draw. So, if you’re someone who likes it really saucy, you’ll want to order more condiments to augment the sandwich.

The burgers are served “a la carte” so sides need to be added. The fresh cut fries ($3.99) are large enough to easily satisfy two people. Just some hearty freshly cut potatoes simply seasoned with sea salt.

To describe the ribs & brisket ($31.35) as a “plate” is misleading as it’s actually a platter that feeds two people (maybe even two adults and a child). A half rack of ribs and three slices of brisket goes a long way when it’s so richly flavoured thanks to the many hours in the smoker. And Stack’s meat is much leaner, so while it may not be as juicy as other places, the still tender meat makes for a densely protein packed piece. So much so that three ribs and a thick slice of brisket was all I could handle.

Of course, I also filled up on all the fixings. A lovely jalapeno laced corn bread that starts to soak up the pan juices creating a creamy savoury cake. There were so many fries that we wondered why we even bother with getting another order of it for the burger. And an ample serving of baked beans that’s thick and hearty, but too sweet for our tastes.

Truthfully, some of their sides aren’t the greatest: the apple coleslaw served in the Wednesday wing feast ($32.97) is drenched in a sugary mayonnaise. Consequently, they were also items arriving in a non-environmentally friendly container, so if you’re in the mood to be sustainable, skip the sugary beans and coleslaw.

Don’t let that deter you from getting the wing feast as the smoked chicken wings are tasty. Bite into one and you’ll see smell, taste, and see the lovely smoke ring. I was also surprised by how crispy they were and not oily at all. It’s still a mystery to us … are the wings deep fried or just baked until crispy?

The wings are coated with a lovely earthy rub but not too salty, which makes them perfect for dipping into one of the sauces - my favourite is the creamy garlic dill aioli, but the warm barbeque sauce is good as well. If Buffalo sauce is your thing, Stack’s zesty buttery concoction is a solid choice.

As winter starts to descend on Toronto our barbeque begins its hibernation. Thankfully, Stack’s indoor smokers are still going strong so there’s plenty of feasts and plates to come.  

We all know that COVID has hit restaurants badly. If you’re a newly opened restaurant or one beginning during the pandemic, it’s even worse. O&B’s latest addition, Babel, is unfortunately one of these restaurants that has been affected since operations only began in late 2019, when COVID was a mere whisper.

Their Mediterranean inspired menu relies on the 12-foot open concept hearth, where fires are ablaze and the force for cooking their dishes. It’s a shame, as from our patio vantage point, we couldn’t see it. Babel did try to make up for it by putting two blazing torches on the patio. They are beautiful, adding much needed light to the dark parking lot and an element of ambiance, but they’re more for décor as they don’t release much heat for warming.

Yet, their staff did everything they could to make us feel comfortable and welcomed. First, moving the table from the patio and onto the walkway beside the restaurant to give us more light and blocking some of the wind. The “heating lamp” was pushed as closely as possible; a second one later added until the other reservation for the night arrived. A fuel warmer, something you’d normally use under chafing dishes, was brought out to warm our hands. Pots of boiling water were substituted to the ice variety to warm us from the inside. They really tried to go above and beyond, which certainly helped as despite the frigid temperatures we stayed for two hours and didn’t want the evening to end.

With the dishes made with fire being marketed as a specialty to the restaurant, we had to try a couple. The smoked charred eggplant ($13) is a beautiful plate: the eggplant smeared into a thin layer and topped with pistachios, pomegranate, and edible flowers; drizzles of tahini and date molasses giving it tons of flavour with each bite. While more interesting than the typical dips, the delicate creamy eggplant does get covered with all the other ingredients, so if you really want the flavours of the vegetable, perhaps try the stuffed eggplant instead.

The beef tenderloin kebab ($30) arrives more done than we hoped – closer to medium well compared to the medium rareness described – but likely due to the hot metal cooking skewer being left in the kebab to help retain the heat longer. No harm done as being a tenderloin cut, the beef remained tender anyways. With the beef sitting on the pilaf, the rice becomes well seasoned with the juices soaking into the grains.

Both fire-cooked dishes were good, but so were the deep-fried falafels ($9), a green harissa mixed into the batter giving it lovely green hue and more flavour. Crispy outside and fluffy on the inside this is exactly what falafels should taste like.

They go nicely with the fattoush meets Caesar ($14), a salad that’s exactly as described: take charred romaine and drizzle it with a light Ceasar dressing and some of the ingredients typically found on the salad (parmigiano and filets of anchovies) and augment with other things found in fattoush – cucumbers, tomato, onions, and of course, crunchy pita bits. While it didn’t look overly exciting, it ended up being a decent salad.

We would have liked to see more chicken and less chickpeas in the shawarma ($17), a strange addition making the hand-held even messier to eat. After having shawarma in Dubai, I realize they are best kept simple: tons of chicken, a little bit of lettuce and pickles for crunch, and just enough garlic sauce and tahini for flavour but not to soak the bread. Babel’s probably looks better but is cumbersome to eat, especially when it’s served in a halved pita rather than in a chewy wrap. I’d also reduce the seasoning on the fries, as they were salty even for a person who likes things flavourful.

Truth be told, some of my favourite dishes of the night doesn’t even sound Mediterranean. The Babel wings ($17) was a perfect patio eat, the sole dish that arrived and stayed piping hot. We literally could see the steam being emitted from the wings as we bit into them. And the dry spice rub coating the skin was fantastic – slightly sweet but also bursting with other flavours like sumac enhanced with earthier tones.

The chef had to substitute tagliatelle in the spaghetti aglio e olio ($23), which was fine by me and perhaps worked even better to capture all the oil-based sauce. This was dish that gets cold quickly, but even warm was delicious, the pasta done nicely and just flavourful enough without being overly garlicky. The shrimp were also cooked perfectly and there was plenty of it with the pasta.

Can I have a knafeh ($10) to end? Of course! A thin layer of cheese sat on the bottom, enough to have the toasted crispy vermicelli stick to it with hazelnut and pistachio pieces sprinkled on top. There was just enough cinnamon syrup for sweetness but not to soak into the dessert. It’s one of the lighter renditions of the dish I’ve had. Normally, a small wedge of the dessert is all I can stomach; at Babel, I probably could have eaten it entirely.

Maybe it has something to do with eating outside in the cold, our bodies are burning so many calories just to keep us warm through the ordeal. At least that’s what I tell myself – dining in the cold will help work off all the fried food and carbs I just ingested (those who understand science and nutrition, don’t bother correcting me). Plus, the experience made me feel like a real Canadian. I may not ski, but I can eat in the cold. 

My husband’s officially another year older, and the occasion also marks our annual dinner from Choice of the Orient (COTO).

Sadly, his favourite dish, the Peking chicken ($13.95), was the worst of the meal. It’s an item  that doesn’t travel well, not because it becomes soggy – typically, it’s not crispy anyways, since it’s slathered in a thick sweet sauce – but rather because it’s made from lean chicken breast that’s cut into thick chunks, which after being sealed in a hot container for half an hour becomes SO overdone. My suggestion to COTO is consider cutting these thinner so that even overcooked they’re not quite as tough.

Not being a fan of things like lemon chicken, the orange beef ($13.50) had the same repulsive citrusy meat taste I detest. Nonetheless, I tried a piece and once the fruity flavour subsided, the spicy savoury sauce that was left behind was actually quite tasty.

Give me the beef with Chinese broccoli ($13.50) any day! Wok tossed with some oyster sauce, the dish doesn’t taste like it’s mixed with dish soap and there’s so much of the tender gai lan crammed into the container.

Unlike chow mein, the noodles in the mixed vegetables lo mein ($11.95) are left soft, which you would think is better for delivery. Except, it gets so soft that the dish has no texture at all. Thankfully, we had gotten an order of moo shu pork and the leftover filling went perfectly with the noodles, adding crunch and extra flavours that the lo mein was lacking.

COTO provides four large pancakes with their moo shu pork ($11.95) - you can really stuff these to the brim. Nonetheless, there was plenty of the wok hay laced filling leftover, a delicious addition to other dishes like the lo mein and fried rice.

Despite the chicken fried rice ($8.50) being such a rich hue, the soy taste was rather weak. On its own the dish is too bland, but considering it’s generally eaten in lieu of steamed rice, I can see why it’s left neutral so that it doesn’t become too salty once you add saucy dishes on top.

Choice of the Orient has been a mainstay in Richmond Hill since the late 1980s and the go-to place for my better half’s friends and family when they wanted Chinese food. While it’s not my top choice, I’ve got to give COTO credit, there’s not that many places that have garnered customer loyalty like them. And given the amount of business they had on a weeknight, they’re still going strong.