Pho 88 (North York)

Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2014 by
Location: North York, Canada
Address: 5197 Yonge Street
Website: http://www.pho88.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner 

 There’s no hiding it … I love pho. Something about the rich but not overly heavy broth, thin noodles and simple ingredients makes me happy. It’s the first thing I crave when I return home from a long vacation. There’s an abundance of it around the city and prices are unbelievably low for something that tastes so good! But, not every place makes it great – you can refer to this post for my top picks.

One evening my friends and I needed a quick dinner and found the line at Kinton Ramen way too long. Luckily, Pho 88 was just doors away and held promise for the same thing we craved – a big bowl of noodles and broth. Until this occasion, I’ve only been to Pho 88’s Scarborough location, which has always satisfied me. But, after eating at the North York location I wonder if they are even related given their menu and taste differs so much.

The spring roll platter ($11) was an enticing starter. Included were a good selection of the traditional favourites: deep fried chicken spring rolls, deep fried shrimp rolls and fresh cold shrimp rolls. On the side, a trio of sauces: peanut & chili, sweet chili Thai and a Vietnamese vinaigrette.


We weren’t impressed with the platter. The two fried versions could have been hotter. It’s either because it wasn't cooked long enough or there being too many layers of wrapper, but there was a doughiness to the roll’s inside. Additionally, there was too much filler (taro and yellow beans) such that the chicken was barely recognizable and even the shrimp rolls contained some. The cold roll was worse – the noodles were hard and the shrimp not at its freshest.

My pho, the plain rare and well-done beef ($6.75 for the small shown below; $7.75 for medium or $8.75 for large), was a touch better. But, it was really was just a hair better. The broth was a tad watery lacking that deep beef bone essence you’d expect. The beef was decent and lean but there was but a few slices and for a bowl that’s supposed to contain rare and well-done it arrived looking the same. The noodles were fine and the one saving grace to the meal.  


So, yes, I love pho. But, I’m definitely not in love with Pho 88’s North York location.

Overall mark - 5.5 out of 10

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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!



Announcing Kanpai Snack Bar an upcoming restaurant in Toronto!

Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2014 by

Taiwanese street food is gaining international attention with more travel sites declaring Taipei a food mecca and its street food the thing to try. Luckily for Torontonians, Kanpai Snack Bar is bringing a taste of Taiwan to us and thankfully it’ll be indoors – I don’t care how good something tastes, I won’t be standing outside to eat it during the winter.

Set to open at 252 Carlton Street, Kanpai will serve lunch, dinner and late night eats. It aims to be an approachable place where patrons will be welcomed and can get a satisfying meal without paying a fortune. Dishes will of course follow the street food theme being served in single or double portions allowing tables to customize orders to their tastes. While the menu is still being finalized, Kanpai will have a traditional Taiwanese yakitori grill creating delicious skewers.

Fried rice (1)

Other offerings include cold and hot dishes, wok prepared specialties and nose-to-tail delights (for all you ear, tail and cheek lovers). There will be no official stinky tofu yet. But, Kanpai is experimenting with a recipe that is more approachable to the western palate yet keeping the integrity of having authentically Taiwanese components
Taiwanese tofu (1)

Patrons will also be treated to reasonably priced drinks along with happy hour and beer/spirit promotional specials. There will be multiple craft beers, house wines and pre-mixed artisan cocktails all offered on tap. You heard right – there will be pressurized cocktail on tap. Trevor Lui, one of the owners of Kanpai, notes these cocktails have an interesting flavour profile that changes as it’s kept in the keg.

So, if you’re intrigued about trying Taiwanese food and would rather not travel north to Markham and Richmond Hill, then Kanpai Snack Bar is the place for you. It’ll open this winter and could be as early December 2014. 

Rest assured the partners at Kanpai have experience with the Toronto food scene. They’re also running La Brea Food, which has served Mexican and Asian mash ups for over a year. They’ve frequented food festivals (the latest being a week long gig at the Royal Horse Show) serving fusion creations such as Japanese shoyu pulled pork tacos and Tijuana sushi rolls. I’m intrigued to try their guacamame one day a guacamole made with edamame!

Sadly, La Brea doesn’t have a permanent location yet, but they do offer private catering.  Trevor teases that a restaurant is under consideration should all the stars align.  For now, the attention will be focused on Kanpai Snack Bar, but I say it wouldn’t hurt if a yakitori taco topped with guacamame makes it way on the menu. Secret menu item perhaps?

UPDATE: Kanpai is now opened! Read more about them in my dinner experience review.


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Photo Sources:
  1. All photos are courtesy of Kanpai Snack Bar. From their Instagram account (http://instagram.com/kanpaisnackbar/)

CLOSED: Mesa Grill (Bahamas)

Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2014 by
Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas 
Address: 1 Casino Drive West (inside The Cove at the Atlantis)
Type of Meal: Dinner

 During our last visit to Atlantis, a conference was taking place and snapping up reservations at many restaurants across the resort. Mesa Grill was one of those spots that was booked solid for dinner. It was a bit disappointing I wouldn’t be able to eat at Bobby Flay’s 6th restaurant in his budding empire. I enjoy the Food Network – not as a learning mechanism, but rather to salivate at the dishes being displayed. Chef Flay’s creations, to me, had always seemed down-to-earth but promised to be packed of flavours.

Five years later, during a brief return visit, my chance to dine at Mesa Grill was fulfilled. Moreover, this time we were staying at the Cove (one of the many buildings at Atlantis), so dining there was even easier since it was but steps from the elevator bank. The stars couldn’t align any better.

The restaurant is spacious with tables everywhere – which made it that much more surprising we weren’t able to secure reservations last time. Perhaps they saw me shivering from their over air conditioned lounge/waiting area or they knew I’d appreciate seeing action, but we ended up being seated at the table directly in front of kitchen. People were bustling and the stone pizza oven was ablaze adding some much needed warmth to the chilly restaurant.

On the advice of a friend, my husband and I both started with the crab and corn chowder ($12). He raved about it and warned it would be a dish that we wouldn’t want to share. Since we didn’t try other appetizers, it’d be hard to confirm it’s indeed the best starter. But, we both thoroughly enjoyed the soup and it was my favourite dish of the meal.


The corn puree base was sweet, thick and had just the right touch of creaminess to it. Clumps of crab meat were dotted throughout along with chives and tortilla chips to add crunch. But, it’s the drizzle of chilli oil atop everything that’s the most surprising, adding that kick that Chef Flay is known for. The complementary jalapeno corn bread and doughy bread knots were great for wiping up chowder remnants from the shallow dish.


After such a strong start our mains were disappointing in comparison. The sixteen spice chicken ($39), although tender, was much too tame for something promising sixteen spices. The dry rub really didn’t add much so most of the flavour came from the much too tangy tamarind barbecue sauce on the plate. As a saving grace, the bits of red cabbage and jicama slaw topping the chicken was delicious and could easily be made into a side dish for purchase.


The pan roasted shrimp ($45) would be a better choice with three huge prawns cooked nicely. The sweet corn puree on the bottom was also delicious but became overwhelmed by the smoked chile butter and cotija sauce. There was simply too much of this rich oversalted sauce that it covered the subtle sweetness of the shrimp and corn. In my opinion, the sauce would be better suited for the leaner chicken instead.


For sides, we shared the Southwestern fries ($9.50) and a sweet potato tamale ($9.50). The fries, although crispy and fresh, lacked anything special to classify them as “Southwestern” or warrant the price.


The sweet potato tamale ($9.50), albeit much too sweet for my liking, at least showed some creativity and skill. The tamale was smooth and flavourful, infused with corn kernels and topped with a crushed pecan butter sauce. You could even consider ordering this as a dessert as it was certainly sweet enough and satisfying.


Instead, my husband and I had the churros ($13) to share. It’s hard to go wrong with freshly deep fried dough dusted with sugar and spices. These were enjoyable by themselves or dipped into the chocolate sauce on the side. Thankfully, the star anise was only subtly added so the licorice flavour wasn’t too pronounced and went well with the sauce.


The service was efficient and friendly, but lacked the flair you’d expect for a restaurant classified as “fine dining”. If you were only going to have one nicer meal at Atlantis, I’d suggest Café Martinique instead. Prices are a touch higher but the dishes better executed (the duck was delicious) and the atmosphere more refined.

In the end, I’m happy I had the chance to try Mesa Grill and Chef Flay’s menu. But, as with most celebrity chef restaurants, too often you’re paying for the name rather than substance.

Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10

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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Patria (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, December 13, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 478 King Street West
Website: www.patriatoronto.com
Type of Meal: Dinner

 Patria is hidden away amongst a condo building making the environment eerily calm. Look for a wall with a decorative "478” on it and turn into the roundabout driveway to avoid missing the place. 

The surroundings is not Barcelona with its bustling streets and daintily furnished dining rooms; Patria is large and stunning with high ceilings and carefully strung cleavers. But, there’s also a warmth to the restaurant – both in terms of décor and service. Thankfully, music also plays at a reasonable level to allow conversations to flourish across the table.

Since the paella is freshly made, we started with some tapas to wait out the 45 minutes. The seleccion de embutidos ($16) was promising containing four thinly sliced meats: iberico lomo (dry cured pork loin), iberico chorizo (a spicy sausage), jamon Serrano (dry cured ham) and macron salami (a fattier sausage cut). It was a thoughtfully curated charcuterie board with pork of different flavours and fattiness. I tend to like the leaner cuts where the meat’s flavour is more pronounced so the iberico lomo and jamon Serrano were the highlights for me.

Patria meat platter

Be sure to get a side of toasted bread ($2) which is wonderfully flavoured with a liberal douse of olive oil and salt. The bread lover in me rejoices and wanted a second helping; but then memories of the paella returns so I curb my enthusiasm.

Patria bread

The croquetas de manchego ($8) appeared to be a popular dish order amongst many tables. It was creamier and lighter than expected, reminding me of well mashed potatoes mixed with hints of cheese. It was okay, but could have been hotter.

Patria croquetas

After a precise 45 minutes, the hot pan of paella del patria ($49) arrives. Mixed throughout was a liberal portion of seafood - bay scallops, shrimp, mussel, cuttlefish and monkfish. For me, with the exception of the shrimp, everything could have been cooked less as I found the seafood overdone. But, the rice was creamy and flavourful having soaked up the seafood juices, tomato and saffron. 

Patria paella

My suggestion is to be patient and wait five minutes before digging into the paella. The first bites were decent, but the later ones even better after the rice had a chance to settle down and develop a crust on the bottom.

Patria also has an enticing dessert menu. We couldn’t help but order the leche frita con helado de azafran ($7), cubes of silky fried milk encased in a crispy coating. The saffron ice cream was a highlight adding an element of savouriness to the dish, bringing back the seafood flavours of the rice we just had. The sweet drizzles of thick honey and floral petals tied everything together so nicely. This is a dessert I highly recommend ordering.

Patria fried milk

I had my doubts about Patria, worried it’d be another restaurant known more for its atmosphere than food. But, I was proven wrong. The food was delightful, the service was friendly and yes the atmosphere one to behold. All in all, a wonderful experience. 

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10

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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

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CLOSED: St Andrew Poultry Foodie Bar Tasting (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, December 07, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 17 St. Andrew Street

You may have visited St Andrew Poultry in the past while walking around Kensington Market. It’s been in business  since 1962, first a processing plant while later expanding into a retail store specializing in raw meats. In 2012, Dr. Jerry Jesin, son of the former owners, took over the place and completely revamped the business. In September, it was re-designed to add a gleaming take-out and eat-in bar area for those who want to indulge in fresh meat but not prepare it themselves.

 Of course, you can still get every cut of chicken imaginable. But, they also offer a wide variety of other meats like beautifully aged steaks – the bone-in ribeye, my favourite cut, grabbed my attention. Josh, the person who curates this section, explains they only use triple AAA Alberta meat which has been wet aged for 29 days. Its then dry aged for at least a week before they're sold. During my visit, the ribeye was $14.99/lb a steal when non-aged versions can easily cost the same at grocery stores. St. Andrew simply doesn't want their customers paying extra for being able to enjoy a nicely aged product.


However, it's likely their Foodie Bar that will entice you – certainly it was the reason for my visit. Situated at the store’s front, it'd be hard to leave without picking up something to go. Chef Bernadette Calpito, formerly of Kultura, was brought in to define this area. Her vision: create take-out that's delicious and makes people want to say "yum"! Everything is prepared fresh daily without skimping on ingredients; Chef Calpito wants to redefine how customers view take-out.


Chef describes the menu as soul food ranging from fried chicken ($5.99) to steak frites ($12.99). The joy fried chicken is inspired by Jollibee, a famous chain from the Philippines. The plump pieces catches my eye and appetite, they are nothing like the scraggly pieces you'd find at KFC despite being priced similarly ($5.99 for 2 pieces and fries). 


Indeed, it tastes nothing like it as well. The chicken is juicy and tender with a crispy coating that’s not overly oily. To achieve this they first cook it in chicken stock allowing some fat to melt off and the meat to soak up juices. The batter is also not too salty so you can taste the chicken, if you need more flavour I highly suggest the house made Chef's hot sauce. Generally, I find hot wing sauce too pungent and vinegary acting only to sting the tongue and nose. But, at St Andrew's the vinegar ratio is lowered and the chilies bearable so you actually taste the sauce's flavour while not overpowering the chicken. 


If fried food is not your thing, there's also a lamb ($6.75) and chicken shawarma ($5.75) roasting away. The lamb is more flavourful while the chicken more tender, it'd be a hard choice to choose one over the other. Pictured below are half orders. 


With tons of ingredients to choose from (coleslaw, tabbouleh, corn salad, pickled beets, eggplant, etc.) mine was filled to the brim.  Luckily the soft pita held up and I was able to enjoy every bite. The Chef admits some ingredients such as the corn salad isn't exactly authentic; but, I like the deviation which adds some sweetness and crunch to the wrap. Certainly the delicious bourbon fries sprinkled on top also doesn’t hurt.


If you’re thinking of visiting regularly, consider joining their Supper Club. For $20 you’ll receive a lifetime membership that gets you 20% of prepared food section between 5:00-6:30pm.

If Kensington Market is too far, St. Andrew’s also offers catering to the downtown area. You can order any of their regular take-out items or other specialty catering ones as well. One being the corporate lunch favourite – sandwiches (a platter serving 8-10 costs $55). I know, sandwiches doesn’t normally excite employees but having tried two that evening I’d be happy to have either of them any day. 


The first was a cold grilled chicken sandwich topped with creamy coleslaw and avocado. Generally, I’m not a fan of creamy coleslaw but St. Andrew’s lighter version with ample pieces of vegetables help. I also enjoyed the shaved red onions which added an extra zip to ithe coleslaw without being overwhelming.  


One of my favourite things of the event was their hot baked crispy chicken breast sandwich. A take on an Italian sandwich, it’s slathering with homemade tomato sauce, a mushrooms medley (king oyster and shiitake) and caramelized onions. In between two pieces of soft airy Black Bird French bread it was a satisfying sandwich.


Since St. Andrew offers catering services we had a taste of a canapé as well. How can one bite be filled with so many flavours? The main part of was a stuffed mushroom pasta topped with a sweet pear chutney, truffle paste, a baked cherry tomato and aged cheddar. It was sweet, savoury, fresh and rich all at once.


If you’re feeling lazy this holiday season, you may want to consider picking one of their holiday dinner packages. Each includes soup, turkey and/or ham, trimmings, stuffing and vegetables ranging from $225 for ham or $249 for a medium turkey (feeds 8-10) to $349 for a ham and turkey dinner. Throwing in a few canapés would certainly impress the guestsas well. 

There’s also a retail area offering an extensive selection of items. Below are but a few things that grabbed my attention:

A beautiful array of house-made sauces. I tried the BBQ sauce ($5.99) using it to make a pulled pork sandwich. It's less tangy and more savory reminding me of the cha shu BBQ sauce. 


Salad in a jar ($7.99). Comes with a dressing and once poured out could feed up to two people. Being environmentally friendly, if you bring the jar back, you’ll get $1 towards another purchase. 


An area Chef Calpito calls the “jewelry case”. Instead of earrings and bracelets there’s cooked and raw sections. The cooked section contains items such as maple glazed salmon and garlic shrimp which are inspired by the shrimp trucks from the Chef’s Hawaiian background.  


Meanwhile, on the raw side, there’s pre-marinated meats if the chef in you wants to try your hand at cooking. There’s the Miami ribs (also served at the Foodie Bar), roasted red pepper Cornish hen and chipotle line quail just to name a few items.


To please a sweet tooth, there's a bakery area with scones, pastries and some delicious granola loaded with nuts. We tried the banana bread during the event and some cookies to bring home, both are not overly sweet yet still satisfying. 


Even Fluffy or Fido can get fed with a line of pet food and treat items. I was advised this is just the start and this section is expected to expand over the following months.


Aside from being introduced to St. Andrew’s food at the event, I also had the opportunity to speak to numerous individuals working there. Undeniably, they could have been grouchy, having to stay after closing and prepare even more food for us. But, they were friendly and welcoming, never shying away from answering all our questions. Some even live in the neighbourhood and have experienced the evolution of the store. They were a great group of people who genuinely seem to love St. Andrew’s, its food and each other.

It’s a camaraderie not normally experienced while visiting large chain grocers. Certainly, most employees wouldn’t be as knowledgeable about the products as St. Andrews’ is. If you’re in the neighbourhood (or can grab a group of 8 to order delivery), have a taste of St. Andrews and see how they are putting the “yum” in take-out.

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Fresh Burger Grand Opening Event (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 542 Church Street
Website: http://www.fresh-burger.com/


Fresh Burger recently opened their second location downtown and to mark the occasion not only threw a media party, but also gave out free burgers to anyone else! I'll admit, I felt guilty sneaking past the long line wound around their building ... but then the promise of warmth and comfort food got the best of me.

 They have a simple menu with two sizes of burgers - a "fresh" (4 oz) and a "prime" (6 oz). If that isn't enough meat, patrons can also order double patties as well. Each are dressed with lettuce, tomato, cheese and their special sauce. You're also welcomed to add onions and pickles (free of charge) or caramelized onions, bacon, sautéed jalapeño, mushrooms or other cheeses for an extra $1. 

 For my first experience I decided to keep it simple and have their Freshburger combo - a 4oz patty with the classic fixings. Admittedly, it's a little plain, I'd suggest at least adding the pickle and onion to it. The combo normally comes with fries but the smell of their poutine was intoxicating so I had to make one upgrade. 

The patty was tender and beefy thanks to the lean Canadian AAA sirloin they use. The fresh version was a decent amount of meat, but for the bun I think the prime version would be more suitable. I personally enjoyed that they didn't add too much spice mixture on the meat so that its natural flavour was pronounced. The bun was soft and fluffy, unfortunately its delicateness makes it look manhandled after I took it out of the wrapper.

I thoroughly enjoyed the poutine. Piping hot fresh fries, copious amounts of gooey cheese curds and layered gravy so there was plenty on the top and bottom of the container. It's well worth it to add the extra $2.99 to upgrade the fries. Like their burger, the portion size is huge and can easily be shared amongst two. 


Indeed, you can tell their fries are freshly cut in house. If you can't tell from the potato taste, the skid of potatoes by the cash register surely will help.


Although it wasn't available during launch night, Fresh Burger also has a secret menu consisting of an Aloha burger, bacon mushroom melt and California fries. The sound of the fries continue to intrigue me, so I'll have to go back one day to try them! Likely when the weather warms up so I can enjoy their spacious patio out front. 

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The Beech Tree (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 924 Kingston Road
Website: http://www.thebeechtree.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner 

When you think of a quaint neighbourhood restaurant, The Beech Tree certainly looks the part. Its cozy dining room is wrapped in dazzling damask wallpaper and bright wainscoting. There’s a sophisticated homey charm to its décor.

But, it’s small size has drawbacks – one being waiting 25 minutes after our reservation time to be seated. It’s unclear whether they have limited dishware, but 10 of the 25 minutes was spent setting the table. Irritatingly it was a slow and inefficient process - three separate individuals bringing out dishware at varying times (one cups, another cutlery and the last napkins?). After each you think it’s done only to find the person go serve another table. The Type A in me cringed making me want to go help. If setting a table is going to take that long, I highly suggest just having a plate and napkin done, seat everyone and worry about the wine goblets and cutlery afterwards.

Alas, once seated I ordered a cocktail to calm the impatience. The Osborne ($10) sounded delicious made with cucumber infused gin, cucumber puree, Thai basil, lemon and lillet. It’s light and refreshing, a good drink to start with.


Thankfully, their food impressed. The pan-seared gaspe scallops ($14) was fantastic and beautifully presented on a platter. The scallops had a nice seared crust and was just cooked through. Even the items accompanying it were great – the tender house-cured ham and what I thought were soft creamy potatoes which turned out to be Jerusalem artichokes.  This is an appetizer that’s great for sharing.


The arctic char ($25) was cooked perfectly with a very crispy skin. The fattiness of the fish (less than salmon but more than halibut) went well with the heavier accompaniments – a thick butternut squash puree and a sweet curry corn patty. I also enjoyed the hit of chilies that was thrown in somewhere. Topping everything was a refreshing vinegary slaw that worked well to balance the sweet squash.


I was looking forward to the roast breast and fried leg of chicken ($22). Sadly the breast was overdone and dry. I salvaged it with the sauce verte drizzled around the artic char, using the oil to rehydrate the meat. The leg was much better with a crispy cornflake coating, which was well drained so wasn’t greasy at all. On the side were parsnip, brown butter, quinoa and a great smoked swiss chard (I would have loved more of the greens).


My other friends at the table decided to go with beef and that evening they had two options to choose from. On their regular menu was the grilled sirloin steak ($24). It arrived cooked well and beautifully presented with fingerling potatoes dusted with kale powder, mushrooms and a vegetable fritter.


Beech Tree was also offering a bone-in ribeye special for two ($60). Essentially a huge hunk tender meat rustically served with thick wedges of large mushrooms, potato gratin and creamed spinach. The steak looked fantastic and so did the sides – but the portion of sides given could be upped since it was meant to feed two.


The Beech Tree’s food is delightful and the surroundings cozy and comfortable. I’d hope our experience at being seated with an anomaly, but to be safe grab a smaller group or opt for an earlier sitting so the table is already set upon your arrival.

Overall mark - 7.5* out of 10
* Food wise it would have gotten an 8. But, the pitiful table set-up at the beginning lost them half a point.


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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!


Han Ba Tang (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 4862 Yonge Street
Website: http://m.mainstreethub.com/hanbatang
Type of Meal: Dinner


Han Ba Tang isn’t the easiest name to remember, unless you’re Korean perhaps, so look for a light green sign amongst the strip of ethnic restaurants along Yonge and Sheppard (you’re close when you’re at the Frog). It’s a jovial atmosphere attracting younger patrons and is more reminiscent of downtown than the suburbs of North York. 

As a warning, you may not want to visit if you’re planning to go out afterwards as ventilation is poor and your clothes and hair will reek of food.

The taco fad continues on their menu. Since Estrella Taqueria closed across the street, North York may support another restaurant trying their hand at it. Han Ba Tang has five flavours available (kalbi, chicken breast, spicy pork, chilli shrimp and asparagus) in single ($4-$5) or trio formats ($10-$11).

If you want to try more than one flavour (and get the trio deal) there is the HBT Tacos deal for $10 including the kalbi, chicken breast and asparagus. The restaurant should just considering charging $11 (the most you’d pay for three of the kalbi tacos) and allow patrons to customize to their liking as the sound of asparagus tacos just doesn’t appeal to the carnivore in me.

My friend and I ended up sharing the kalbi ($5) and chili shrimp ($4) tacos. For me, the kalbi was the highlight with tender strips of beef in a sweet flavourful sauce. The crunch of the coleslaw and sharpness of the raw onions went well with it. The chili shrimp was too over battered for my taste and lacked the spiciness I’d expect from its title.


The kimchi fries ($10 for the small size shown below) is a starred and circled dish on their menu. Presumably, this means it’s the chef’s recommendation as a “must-have” item. Regrettably, this shouldn’t be the case. If you want saucy fries, then sure try out the dish. There’s plenty of gravy, mayo, mild kimchi and green onions on it. But, it’s a far cry from the sour spicy fermented cabbage taste I was expecting.


My favourite dish (and the sole one I’d consider ordering again) was the spicy seafood soup ($10 for a small with an extra $2 for adding instant noodles). Of course, there's nothing fusion-like about it but sometimes tradition wins. The broth was filled with a deep seafood essence and had just the right amount of heat to cause you to sweat a little. Filled with a generous portion of mussels, shrimp, blue crab and vegetables everything tasted fresh and made-to-order. Who knows, I may come back and just order a bowl of this to myself – a satisfying and comforting meal on a cold winter’s night.


I'm also glad there’s now a place nearby that offers inventive cocktails rather than bottles of beer or soju and ginger ale. We watched as the bartender intensely crafted the HBT old fashioned ($10) by cutting up fresh citrus, heating up the peel and swiping it across the lip of the cup.

But, what caught our eyes more was the canisters of soaking soju. What a beautiful display in front. So, we decided on the soju flight ($15) giving us a choice of three of the six flavours (pineapple, strawberry, apple cinnamon, cucumber, citrus and ginger). 


Our waiter suggested the pineapple, strawberry and apple cinnamon. These babies are dangerous as they’re so easy drinking! The apple cinnamon was surprisingly good and would be such a great after dinner drink over the holiday season – wonder if Han Ba Tang could legally sell me a bottle?


Service is friendly but disheveled despite being opened for months now. Getting seated was a bit chaotic. No one seemed to know where to sit guests – at least three people became involved before someone finally decided how to sit three tables of two.

Moreover, promised sitting times don’t appear to be communicated amongst staff – the gentlemen who seated us noted they’d need the table back after two hours but the women (who appeared to be the owner) came over after just over one hour to pressure us to get the bill. Luckily, we had received and finished our food by that time; but, my friend who just received another beer had to finish it hurriedly. To avoid all the confusion, I strongly suggest making a reservation before heading to the restaurant.

Other than the seating fiasco, everyone was pleasant throughout the evening. Food and service came at a good pace and individuals frequently checked on us to ensure needs were met. In the end, I’m glad Han Ba Tang opened up in the neighbourhood and wish more non-chain, not completely ethnic restaurants will join suit. 

Unlike downtown, you won’t pay $15+ for a cocktail or be subjected to ridiculously small portions. But, there also won’t be the fancy phone charging stations seen at Speakeasy 21. I say who needs something that fancy when an outlet, plug and hand drawn sign works just fine?


Overall mark - 7 out of 10

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Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!
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