Satisfactory Sushi on Roncy

Spicy Maki Roll Combo B - Sushi on Roncy

I had 'okay' sushi on Roncy.  Yup.  That's about all I can say about it.  I think though that I may be tainted because I'm big big big on respect of the customer and customer service and I'm a tad unhappy (euphemism here).  On the menu, they have a Lunch special.  While I am accepting of the annoying caveats about price on printed menus, I do not have the same level of understanding on the the same menus on websites.  I think websites are instant and if you change anything you should update.  So this wasn't a simple thing like an additional couple of quarters on a bento.  Their lunch special SPECIFICALLY stated that it came with Miso soup, Salad, Crispy Rice Noodle, and Rice.  I only received Soup and Salad.  When I asked for my Rice noodle and Rice, the server had NO idea what I was talking about OR was faking understanding and hiding behind language barrier so I would let it go.  I moved on because I still needed to pick up stuff for dinner.  I also didn't hold back on her tip because again, I just wanted to go.  But I'm telling you here.  They do not honour what is printed on their menu.  Your Lunch Special will NOT come with all the accoutrements stated.

I bought the Spicy Maki Combo B.  It came with a Spicy Crab, Spicy Yam Roll and California.  While the Rice was well flavoured and well cooked it was applied so sparingly it was very notable.  I mean, no one likes a 'too ricey' roll so you're all bloated and stuffed after.  But there is a happy medium if the Rice to Filling ratio is decent.  However, you have to respect the skill of this chef to be able to apply the Rice in a SINGLE layer!  I mean it.  Literally, a single layer.  Not only was it a single layer but it was more of a stippling.  You could see the Nori between the grains.  The Yam was warm and not too breaded.  The Spicy Crab was also tempered and crispy but not bready.  The whole thing, the whole plate was doused in a teriyaki or takoyaki sauce and weird spicy mayo.  It was too much.    The plate was well presented though.  Much nicer looking that a typical casual sushi place.

The music that was BLARING was weird 70s pop elevator music.  They have a patio in the back during nice weather.  Service was one girl at lunch running around like a maniac.  Surprisingly, she still didn't ignore you.

Price: $$
Ambiance: Casual sushi diner
Service: okay but didn't honour special

Sushi on Roncy
293 Roncesvalles
Toronto, ON
Roncey

Househunting in Roncey - Barque Smokehouse

Barque Smokehouse - Salmon Wrap

I have friends moving to Toronto from Cancun.  Actually, they're from Mallorca.  They did a whirlwind tour of Toronto in 4 short days.  I took them to Roncey on Thursday and they fell in love.  I knew they would.  The homes have character and you don't have to get into the car to buy a carton of milk.  That was what I had asked him they wanted in a lifestyle.  Did they want the big yard but then have to get in a car to pick up necessities.  After visiting a house, we went for lunch at the Barque.

It's funny what you take for granted in culture.  I told them that one of the features that was nice about Roncey was that many of the restaurants, if not all, are family friendly.  I knew it was important to point this out because they have 4 small kids and in Spain you take your kids with you.  It's not unusual to be on a terrace at 10pm and see a kid sleeping in his stroller.  They're immediate reaction was of course, 'What do you mean family-friendly?'  I replied, 'I mean, it's okay if you bring your kids for dinner.... or other meals.'  they replied, astonished, 'What?! you mean? you can't bring them everywhere?'

D and I have been to Barque for brunch before.  They have decent on theme brunch.  I'd never been there for lunch before.  I will say, for people with diet restrictions, there are not many alternatives to cow.  Yeah yeah, I go to a smokehouse and I'm surprised? No, don't get me wrong, I knew and it was their choice.  Actually for lunch, there's only 1 option, the Salmon Wrap, which I had.  My friends, opted for the highly recommended Burger.

The Salmon was nicely cooked, a tad ruby in the middle with a nice crust on the outside.  Some might actually have considered it a bit underdone but that's the way I like it.  The fries, as I have had before, are seasoned, and VERY SALTY, TOO SALTY.  My friends both had the burger and loved them. He had the soup of the day, perfect given the drizzly weather we had.  It was Red Bell Pepper.  She was worried that it would be spicy and Spanish, contrary to popular belief, do not like spicy food, not even liberal use of black pepper.

For families, they have lots of boosters and offer crayons for the kids.  Everyone there is used to having kids so no one blinks if you have them.  The staff are super cool about kids too.  I think next time I'll skip the fries.

Cost: $$$
Ambiance: comfortable, bright but cozy mercantile feel
Staff: helpful and friendly
Family friendly but tight for strollers

Barque Smokehouse
299 Roncesvalles Ave
Toronto, ON M6R2M3
 

.

Hogtown Cafe - this Place will NOT help the Vegan movement

Dry Dry Unchicken and Floppy Waffles

I first heard of this place on the TV show You Gotta Eat Here!  I've found the places recommended on that show to be VERY hit or miss.  When we lived on the west coast, we used to visit a lot of places on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and for the most part, the places lived up to the hype.  The show tries to find places that go out of their way cook real food despite outward appearances.  Whereas, I think, You Gotta Eat Here! is largely based on visitor reccos.  Well, I visited and I would not recco.  I specifically even tried the dishes they covered on the show and feel like the show was describing another restaurant.

I got the unChicken and Waffles and lil T got the Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast w Fake-on.  D had hoped he could order the Philly Cheese 'Steak' from the lunch menu but they won't serve anything but the brunch menu during brunch so he, reluctantly order the BLT.  It was difficult enough trying to get him to go to a Vegan restaurant so he wasn't a happy bunny when he couldn't have the dish he thought he was willing to try from the show.

Service was PAINFULLY slow.  They were very friendly and nice when we saw them but that was like never.  We waited well into 'lunch' for our order.  There was a lady sitting next to us who was a tourist who had come because of the show too.  She heard lil T complaining for his food and she had ordered the PBnB French Toast as well and hadn't touched half and offered it to us for lil T.  Since we had waited for ever and she seemed okay, we took it.  He was well into his brunch before our actual food even arrived.

The Fake-on or fake Bacon was like plastic.  Yes yes, carnivores, are rolling their eyes and shaking their head saying 'duh', it's fake on.  But I've had decent faux Bacon and this was NOT it.  Lil T loves bacon and bacony things and he spat this out.  It was worse than jerky.  The portions are huge but in a bad way.  The bread on the French Toast was very very thick and not well soaked and the fresh natural Peanut Butter was laid on thicker than plaster.  We will be scraping from the roof of our mouths for days.  We all tried and barely at a third of it and the extra the nice lady offered T.  The unChicken and Waffles were not enjoyable either.  That said, the Potatoes that came on the side were quite tasty. Again, I can hear the likes of D moaning. What were you thinking Vegan.  I like Vegan food.  Though I will admit, I prefer Vegan food that doesn't try to be fake something else.  Anyhoo.  The Waffles were doughy, rubbery and bland.  The unChicken was tough and also BLAND!  D's BLT would have been somewhat okay if not for the aforementioned Fake-on.  Again, with the bread cut slightly too thick, it was too dry and tough.  The side salad was uneventful premixed greens.

Thick, pasty, dry PBnB French Toast

The place itself is like a dive which I'm not fussed about if you can bring the goods with the food.  This place did not.  The service was excruciatingly slow so if you have kids, do not come here.  Or if you value your weekends, do not come here.  The staff was friendly and nice but it didn't redeem how long we waited for our food.  Oh side note,  I know it goes without saying that a Vegan place had no milk for lil T but they didn't even have any Soy as beverage.  Plan ahead.

Service: SLOOOOOOOOOOW
Food: Bland, flavourless and well, bad. (and I love Vegan/Vegetarian food)
Ambiance: Dive

Hogtown Vegan
Dufferin Grove
1056 Bloor St W
 Toronto, ON M6H1M3

Odd Oddseoul

Overdressed, scarcely any Avocado having Avocado Salad

My cousin had a big birthday at a burlesque bar in the Ossington area aka #Hipster mecca and so my other cousin H and I took advantage of the opportunity to go eat out without the kids.  Oh you thought I'd let the burlesque thing slide?  No, that is accurate.  Birthday drinks after dinner was at the Painted Lady and it got burlesque but with less Cher and no singing.  Just a pasty young lady stripping down to her pasties on the bar.  Still the music was good and the bar service quick.  Anyhoo, I'd been meaning to try Odd Seoul on Ossington for over a year.  I'd heard good things about the Korean fusion place.  I mean, I'm all for the mainstreaming of my own 'soul' food.

I have to say, I was generally disappointed.

The place is very small and they don't take reservations so go when you're not in a rush and never in a large group.  Cuz H knew this so she went ahead by 15 to grab us a table.  Love her!  We were seated at a tiny little two top and served by a bearded white hipster with an indiscernible  accent.  It was rather loud in there so a ridiculous sequence of shouting and repeating transpired for our whole meal. We ordered a bunch of stuff but I could  not order a stone bowl since there were not vegetarian or seafood options.  And I absolutely could not pay over 20 bucks for a small bowl of Japchae.  My mom would have disowned me.  It was rather amusing to have the ...i want to say kiwi waiter but again his accent was just unplacable, try to describe to us what Japchae was when I said 'WHAT?!' because he pronounced it CHAAP-CHAI.

We ordered the Buffalo Tofu, Torched Mackerel, Spicey Scallian and Avocado Slaw, Tempura Prawn and O.S. Wings.  We also ordered a bottle of Cucumber Soju.  The Soju was lovely.  Lightly perfumed with Cucumber and not to big a punch.

The Slaw was a rather mundane.  It was over dressed and there was scarcely any Avocado which is really taking the piss since the ingredient is listed in the NAME! The Torched Mackerel was nice, though the portion a bit laughable for a Korean table.  The Korean's have a tradition much like the Portuguese, that pride themselves in a bountiful table.  This portion of Mackerel was slightly bigger than one sashimi portion of Mackerel, sliced and torched at the table.  It is a oily fish but the fine slicing and the dipping sauce were nice.

Tiny Portion of Torched Mackerel

The Tempura Prawn were in short disgusting.  If it were a shared plate where everyone got barely 1, maybe it would have been tolerable.  But sharing this dish with two people or having the dish to yourself will leave you feeling heavy.  The Prawn are coated in a very heavy pancakey batter which is doused in a strange mayonnaisey sauce.

Smothered, mayonaissey mess of Tempura Prawn

Then came the Buffalo Tofu.  Even worse than the prawn.  The Tofu came in domino sized pieces.  They are deep fried so that the centre is all but obliterated and hollow.  What is left is this tough shell that is coated in a terrible vinegary, sugary batter.  The after taste will haunt me for months to come.

Disgusting Buffalo Tofu - Vinegary Oddness

The wings were all for H.  They were dark and looked over cooked.  They were very dry and she ate less than half the plate.

Overall, I found the service negligible and haughty.  Though we tipped the standard expected even though the attention was lacking, he was visibly displeased and made no effort to conceal that he expected more.  It was very very loud and you have to shout to be heard across even small tables.  Though we enjoyed our house made Soju, we did not enjoy the food.  I would not recommend you eat here EVER.  If you fancy Korean food, go to Christie or ask me where you can get decent homemade Bibimbap or Japchae without being gouged by hipster prices or attitudes.  I hate when place guise traditional food as 'fusion' or 'modern' but it isn't really and thus justify over pricing or just bad flavours.

Oddseoul
90 Ossington Ave
 Toronto, ON M6J2Y7

Serendipity in the form of Tapas - Portland Variety Café

Brandade - Portland Vareity Cafe - Toronto

We don't get out to nicer places as we used to.  In Vancouver we were out upto 4x a week. With two kids under 3, it's alot to ask of a grannie nou nou.  In any case, when opportunity comes knocking, we make it happen.  We got Gala tickets to TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) this past weekend so I decided to make us dinner reservations at a Susur Lee restaurant too.  Madness I know.   What restaurant even remotely near TIFF would have tables available on a Saturday night right?  Well, not many.  So I booked at Bent, the sons' restaurant a bit further away.  We love the food there.  That said they had changed the menu and D was disappointed when I told him.  But in the end it didn't matter because our Movie ran longer than we had anticipated with the speeches from TIFF, the director and the primary actors.  We stood out on the busy King Street TIFF zone at a loss of what to do.  We wandered over to Lee, hoping for bar seats.  They were full for another half hour even at the bar so we decided that we'd try the other restaurants on that intersection and if nothing, we'd head home to a west end place.  Valdez was full and Buca had already gone too bar-ey.  We stumbled into Portland Variety because it looked the least busy.  That said they were packed but the least packed.   I was unarmed with reviews or writeups.  In fact, when the hostess sat us at a last minute, early departure, and she asked how we heard of them, I said, honestly, we stumbled out of TIFF without a plan.

Garlic Shrimp in Pil Pil - Portland Variety Cafe - Toronto

We took a peak at the menu before being seated in case it was an all steak or charcuterie place that I would not stay for.  It was tapas.  Now, if you're a regular reader, you'll know a couple of things about me and Tapas.  1. I lived in Spain for over 2 years so I know a thing or two about Tapas. 2. I am annoyed by Western restaurants over charging for small plates under the hospices of Tapas.  The second is particularly irksome because it goes against the very spirit of Tapas.  Yes you can get expensive food in Spain but it is very high end and usual the size of a substantial main and you aren't paying for Pan con Tomate.  But when you charge high end prices for what should be casual fare.. booo and then list yourself as moderately priced because each dish is less than a 'real' main, I'm going to be bothered.  I call it 'Tapa' fatigue.  That said, it wasn't a charcuterie so we stayed because I was starving.  Glad we did.  I stayed when I saw Cassava fries on the menu.

Cassava (Yucca) Fries - Portland Variety Cafe - Toronto

More South Am than spanish, but we honeymooned in Ecuador and Cassava or Yucca was everywhere next to corn so Yummo!  We sped ordered, the guy came over to say hello and I shot four orders at him.  It was so busy that I thought it was the best thing to do.  Yucca came first.  It was piping hot, a tad on the dry side and there was no dipping sauce. Still overall, good but could have done with an Aioli or something.  Next came the grilled Artichokes which I have not seen done properly since Barcelona and still haven't.  They were the size of halve ping pong balls and under seasoned.  Served hot, which I'm always happy about in a place where I'm worried that because of the crowds, things may sit too long at the pass.  They did not.  Still, it was a meagre plate, so I started to worry.  Then came the Garlic Shrimp in Pil Pil sauce.  OUTSTANDING.  I mean OUTSTANDING.  I have not been that please with a dish in a restaurant for years.  The flavours, the spice were great and the Shrimp where cooked perfectly.  We were sopping up the oil with the bread, which we had to go out of our way to ask for.  D had half a Cornish Hen with Piri Piri sauce.  He dipped his fork in the sauce and smiled.  We'd recently had some bad store bought Piri Piri and this was miles above.  We will never touch that jar again.  As his Hen arrived I noted the table nearby received their Marrow.  Now I am not a fan by any stretch of the imagination but D is and he rarely gets to have it.  It was a nice portion cut along the length and I told D he should order it but thankfully, our server did say it would take a while and knowing we had not alot of time, we decided to wait for next time.  Our last dish was the Brandade which we make very well from scratch at home.  We scraped every molecule from the bowl.  It was very good.  It wasn't overly Potatoey, which lots of restaurants do to 'stretch' the saltcod.  It was piping hot.  Our meal was eaten with a decent Garnacha.  They ran out of glasses so we did wait abit.  That said, they had only opened a few months ago so perhaps a bit ill prepared for the TIFF onslaught.  I saw a table outside had ordered the Patatas Bravas and they looked delicious.  I know already, what I'll be ordereding next time.

Cornish Hen with Piri Piri - Portland Variety Cafe - Toronto

Now, I have no idea why this place is called Portland Variety except for the 1890s style aprons and bowties on the servers.  But the food was excellent, service congenial and we'll be back.  I enjoyed the Tapas here more than Patria which we visited a few months ago.

Empty Brandade - Portland Variety Cafe - Toronto

Food: Fantastic
Price: $$$-$$$$ (higher if you order a proper main)
Ambiance: modernised deli upfront and typical King West buzzy in back.
Wine: Decent selection, could use more by glass variety since tapas
Service: kind, helpful, happy to help
Family friendly: maybe during the day, tables far too close together but bathrooms are on ground level!!!

Portland Variety Café
416-368-5151
King West
587 King St W
Toronto, ON M5V1M5

Roti Mission Stop One - Mother India - Piping Hot East Indian Style

Eggplant Roti - Mother India - Parkdale

I needed Roti.  There's nothing more to say than that.  They're not very easy to come by in Vancouver but in Toronto, there is a ridiculous supply.  I went down to Queen West to see one that I had seen on Restaurant Makeover.  It had received really good reviews but was reputed to be quite a bit more expensive than the average in town, ~$15.  Well, they were closed for vacation.  I didn't need to worry because on that block in south Parkdale, there were at least three more.  D wanted to try Ali's because there's a place he goes to regularly in Port of Spain with the same name, where he's working right now and he thought it was funny.  I chose Mother of India because I'd read of them as well.  After sitting and ordering, D mentioned he was surprised that I wanted East Indian style rather than West Indian because that was what I was craving.  D'oh.  I wasn't thinking that far ahead nor was I truly aware how different they'd be.

The West Indian style is different both inside and out.  Inside, the filling tends to be alot more stodgy, (dry and thick), the base is often Chick Peas and Potatoes.  The wrapper is also quite different.  The West Indian yummoriffic style is huge.  When they've wrapped it all up, you see quite a few layers of wrapper around the filling.  The wrapper is quite a bit more pliable and tender.  It is lined with cornmeal which it's cooked and stretched on.  The East Indian wrapper is more like a bready crepe.  It's a bit drier and crisp.  It tends to only be large enough to encase the filling.  They're both amazing styles and you can be in mood for either or but they're quite different experiences.  I was really craving the West Indian but here we were in Mother India.  Thankfully, since it was East Indian based, there were alot more variety of filling.  You could basically get any curry in a Roti.  I chose the Eggplant which was like a spicy Baigan Bartha.  mmmmmm D chose the Chicken Tikka Masala.  I also ordered a Mango Lassi to wash it back.

Roti and Mango Lassi - Mother India

The decor is not worth mentioning.  It was almost dismal enough that I was going to suggest takeaway but we were there and T didn't want back in the car just yet.  It felt like a church basement both in lack of light, dropped ceiling and metal framed chairs with rickety tables.  I don't think I would eat in again.  That said, I would eat there again.  The Roti were piping hot.  Even though the server admonished me against spicy since it was 'indian' spicy, I wish I had ordered spicy.  The medium was just okay in heat but I am not complaining.  The Eggplant filling was plentiful very fresh, piping hot, not at all greasy and well seasoned.  The Roti it self was quite large.  D's Tikka was very good as well, there was a sauce which you don't always see if you order the dish but in a Roti I guess they do it differently.  The sauce was bright, fresh and hot.  We thoroughly enjoyed the food and the price.  Bacchus at 15$ is like 40-50% more expensive.

While we sat, there was a regular takeway flow.  Even though the dark dining room sat empty except us and a creepy father and small girl who sat holding hands across a table.  That's creepy right?  Their conversation was oddly adult too, about plans for the coming long weekend and she couldn't have been more than 9.  Anyhoo.  I'll be back to that block to have more Roti or Dosa...mmm they had Dosa on the menu at Mother India.  A paper thin crispy lentil crepe around a curry filling, southern. 

Cost: $-$$
Food: Hot, fresh, tasty and well seasoned
Ambiance: I would suggest takeaway. Church Basement. Clean but not cozy.
Family Friendly: well, yes, the staff were cool, there was a dingy high chair, I guess.
Staff: Friendly and quick.

Mother India

 (416) 588-4634
Parkdale
1456 Queen St.
Toronto, ON M6K

 

.

Tasty Local Sushi - ASA Sushi - Bloor West

Asa Sushi - Tempura Appetizer is Vented Takeaway Box

I am bit cautious about suburban sushi in Toronto.  I find that since the quality in Toronto for Sushi in general is quite poor, primarily because of quality and price of fresh seafood, I have to be picky.  So I have decided to take precautions to avoid mushy, flavourless sushi by trying to only eat more expensive Sushi unless I'm having a craving at lunch.  Thus, when it comes to affordable suburban Sushi, yeah, I have pretty high doubts.

My neighbour recommended ASA.  He touted that it is because of him that the pieces of fish are larger than average.  He had said he had gone right at the opening and complimented the owner on the size of the seafood in their rolls and how that differentiated them from the other places in Bloor West.  They have kept that up, I'll agree.  Plus, they have a lunchtime Sushi box!  Woohoo.  So working from home and having a sushi craving, I hauled myself down to Bloor and Jane.

I called ahead and ordered the Sushi Lunchbox and an appetiser portion of Tempura.  They told me 15 - 20 so I timed my departure.  It was hot and ready for me upon my arrival.  It's located in the business mall on the corner with the movie theatre.  It's a typical japanese storefront restaurant decor.  Clean and cozy.  It was nearly half full at lunch which is great sign.  The staff were friendly and fast and the price was reasonable.

Asa Sushi - Sushi Lunch Special with a LARGE Miso

The Lunchbox comes with a California Roll and a Salmon Roll with a Miso Soup.  Bear in mind the container you see is the size of a hamburger box and not a full meal box.  The Tempura is a 5 piece serving with 1 large Prawn.  The rolls were very fresh with, as I said, a decent sized amount of seafood.  The Rice could have had a bit more seasoning but it wasn't bland and was cooked to a nice texture.  The Tempura was great.  I love the box it came in.  Yes, I'm sorry to say, it was a styrofoam container but it is of recyclable grade.  The cool factor was that it was vented.  I was concerned when I ordered the Tempura for Take Away it would be wilted by the time I arrived home.  Now it wasn't as crispy as it would have been if I had eaten on site but it was crispier due to the vented box.  The batter was light not as light as at Ematei but it was good and not too oily.  The Miso was hot but there wasn't any Tofu or Seaweed which is always a nice add.  It was a large bowl though.  The one thing I will miss about my favourite lunch Sushi place in Vancouver, Bay Sushi, is the fact that they include a small dipping pot for the Soy Sauce.  They gave me a small container of Tempura dipping sauce so I reused it for the Soy, which they provided.  It's odd that they wouldn't include one for the Soy Sauce if they're going to provide it.  No where in Toronto do they provide it.  How wonderful would it be not to have to dribble on Soy from foil packets at lunch.  Longos has them to hand for sampling if you ask for one.  

They have their own website which is updated regularly.  They let us know they were on vacation last week which is always nice.  Who likes to show up without knowing right?

I will be going back for Lunch here regularly when I work from home!


Cost: $$-$$$
Ambiance: typical japanese diner
Staff: friendly
Kid friendly: room for stollers but there are stairs to the front door.

Asa Sushi
(416) 604-3001
Bloor West Village
18 Jane St
Toronto, ON M6S
www.asasushi.com
 

for Lunch Sushi

(my cost ratings are relative to type of restaurant and quality of food, i.e. is it good value.  that said if you see $$$$ you're looking at 30 for a main dish and even if it's a 'tapas' place, the cost rating will be what an individual would order as a main and not each dish which is a rating scam in my books.)

.

Regular Toronto Thai Noodle Craving - Salad King - Downtown Toronto

Very Oily Spring Rolls - Salad King - Toronto

When I am living outside Toronto and come back to visit the folks, there is slate of cravings I need to sate while I'm home apart from mom's awesome Korean food.  Whilst living in Vancouver, the foremost is good Thai food.  Vancouver is not very good for Thai food.  Sushi yes.  Quite a few years ago, I went to the Salad King with a friend who chose it, confused by why she would drag me to a Salad Bar for lunch.  That was at the previous address down the street from Ryerson before the dodgy fire allegedly set by the landlord.  As I read the menu salivating, I saw a lovely coconutty noodle dish heaped with Tofu and Vegetables.  I asked the diners what that was.  They told me it was the Islamic Noodle.  I scoured the menu for it because I still like to read the description even if I've seen the dish.  They stopped me and told me it was not on the menu.  How odd.  I simply ordered it without a secret password or hand signal.

Disappointing Cold Islamic Noodle - Salad King - Toronto

It was wonderful.  Luscious, piping hot and a wonderful portion with lots of Veg and Tofu.  It's not the fanciest of Thai restaurants in Toronto but it's a, dare I say, trendy place that sort of reminds me of Wagamama in London.  I make a point of going there at least once a year when I'm back, if not every other year.  I've managed to do that for almost ten years now except the year of the fire whilst I was preggers and dying for an Islamic noodle, waah.  Over all those years, I get the same dish and in all those years, they have not put it on the menu.  Funny.

Bangkok Stir Fry - Salad King Toronto

I went recently with my cousin and our friend A after work at the new location right on Yonge.  I ordered the usual without hesitation and added a Spring Roll.  If I had written a review on any other occaison, it would have been a glowing one.  Always prompt service though not the friendliest and the food has always been hot and generous but not stupid.  This time, the food was lack lustre.  Everything came in odd succession.  The Spring Rolls were very very oily.   My beloved Islamic Noodle was room temperature and not at all luscious and coconutty.  I was rather disappointed and for the first time in nearly a decade, I left quite a bit on the plate. My cousin had the Bangkok Stir Fry with Bean Thread Noodle.  She rarely complains but I'll note for you she left at least half her plate.  I tried it and it was okay but again, rather cold.  I'm actually hesitating going back if the change in location has also changed their cost structure and staff enough to result in what I had that night.

Ambiance: chaotic buzzy, modern, loud
Service: usually prompt but indifferent, tonight, slow, inattentive and indifferent
Cost: $$-$$$
Family friendly: There were kids, high chairs available but place is loud for dinner and lunch.


Salad King
(416) 593-0333
Downtown/University of Toronto
340 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M5G1H1
http://saladking.com

Room Temperature entree

#Toronto, #Thai
.

Identity Crisis in the Danforth - the Factory Girl

Lack Lustre - Jerry's Famous Tira Misu - the Factory Girl

My good friend K was in town and since she is the queen of keeping tight with her friends, she has to organise group nights when she visits.  After much consultation, it was democratically decided that we would eat in the Danforth since more than half of us were in the east end.  Someone recommended Factory Girl based on the reputation of the dude on the Grill, Jerry, for whom the Tira Misu is named.

I checked out the menu in advance as I do when I'm not familiar with a place that I know I cannot leave because we're a group.  I pick something on the menu before going just in case.  I'm glad I did.  Factory Girl is one of those restaurants that is trying to please too many people.  That generally means to me, that you're not super at any one thing.  A Pizza place that has great BBQ? or a Sushi place that's great at Burgers? No right?  Well, Factory Girl suffers from such an identity crisis.  I mean, it has the menu of a TGIFridays or Jack Astor's.  Why would a place that has fresh Pasta and housemade sauces need to have Batterfried Calamari, Poutine, Nachos and Thai Shrimp on the Menu?  I honestly couldn't tell you what kind of  restaurant it is.

Rib Special - the Factory Girl

It definitely had a pubby feel with a prominent bar in the middle of the dining area and large arm chairs strewn about.   Thankfully for K, that meant they had a very good draft beer selection including an Organic Ottawan beer.  The wine selection was not so great and oddly enough the by the glass selection was broader than the by the bottle.  When I see Kenwood listed for ~10/glass, I know I should be looking at the cocktail menu. We weren't there for the food per se.  I was very happy to see K so I don't want K to feel bad about the selection.  I mean it was a nice place to linger and the server was very patient without being absent.  She was always around when we needed a top up but didn't hover despite taking ages for us to order.

After a few questions about the menu, for which she had to go check with the kitchen, I settled on the Agnolotti.  I was suprised how unfamiliar she seemed with the menu.   Not a good sign because then you cannot ask for opinions with any certainty.  The folks on my end of the table ordered the Rigatoni Al Vodka and  Rigatoni Napa.  K ordered the Rib Special.  I asked about the pizza because I'm always looking for GOOD pizza.  The website said their pizza was Italian Thin Crust style but when I asked what kind of oven, she said it was a regular oven, I knew it would never be as crispy as it should.  One person at our table did order it and the crust looked a tad tough and she only ate half.  I did come away with some great recommendations from the folks at the table for some #Toronto pizza places with woodfired ovens to visit though, yay!

Spinach and Ricotta Angolotti - the Factory Girl

None of us ordered starters because we'd all had a few drinks already and the appetisers were priced rather high versus the mains and so we decided to go straight for the mains instead.  I think they would really benefit if they dropped their apps a buck or two.  Higher end places can afford to have apps and salads at 12$ but not a pubby joint.

Rigatoni a la Vodka - the Factory Girl

All said, the Pasta was very good.  The Sauce was well seasoned and balanced, not to heavy for a cream sauce.  It's so lovely to get fresh Pasta in a restaurant.  I will never understand places who's focus is Pasta and you get boxed stuff (i.e. Trattoria, Vancouver, you can recognise it a mile off.  Boxed Linguine is not pliable and always wants to straighten out.)  I though K's BBQ was too sauced and did not look like authentic BBQ.  She said the sauce was interesting and tastey but the dish was cool on arrival so not the best for ribs... and it came first. 

Phyllo wrapped Cheesecake - the Factory Girl

I ordered the Tiramisu for dessert because that's what I do when it's on the menu.  J across from me, said she's had so many bad ones.  Me too but that's the risk I take.  I just can't help it.  So she and I both ordered the Jerry's Famous Tiramisu.  hmmm We both agreed, Jerry should stick to the BBQ.  It was very lack luster.  It was not at all moist, very little coffee flavour.  It did not 'pick me up'.  It was very very very messily plated.  I mean there was cocoa powder everywhere.  S ordered the Banana Cheesecake in Phyllo.  It was not easy to eat and was not  very Cheesecake-y if you know what I mean.  It looked very much like carnival food.  You really should have been given a knife to eat it as well or be told to pick it up.

In all, if I'm in the area and fancy Fresh Pasta or a chilled drink with friends, I will go back.  I would not go for the grill or the 'za.

Ambiance: pubby
Service: Excellent, friendly, patient yet present. Could have been more informed about menu.
Cost: $$-$$$

Factory Girl
Greektown/The Danforth
193 Danforth Ave 
Toronto, ON
M4K1N2
(647) 352-2799

.

Stinky T&T Toronto Waterfront Nightmarket - Stinky Tofu and Heatwaves DO NOT MIX

Sloppy Takoyaki with Dodgy Mayo - TnT Waterfront Nightmarket

I was psyched when I found out that Toronto may have something similar to the Richmond Nightmarket in the Vancouver area.  It is awesomeness.  Squeezed into an industrial area roughly the size of a football field, it is a wall to wall Asian Street Food and trinket bonanza.  It's about half half on the Food to 'flea-market' and a small area for a stage which we normally bypassed since it was usually some amateur singing event.  We zipped in and out armed with pockets full of loonies and twoonies, filled up on about half a dozen of our faves, bought some random smartphone accessory, cartoon socks and stocking stuffers for Christmas and zipped out before it became unbearably crowded.  It is very popular so if you're not a crowd person, you should try to go to the Richmond Nightmarket before 10pm.  The Toronto T&T Nightmarket? Well that one, you can give a miss entirely.

BBQ Scallops - TnT Waterfront Nightmarket

What a disappointment.  Who would have thought that a city nearly 10 times the population would have such a pitiful Asian nightmarket.  It's located out by the Docks just east of Downtown.  The location isn't bad if you want a large space but unfortunately, instead of using the very large parking across the road from the T&T, the squeezed it into the T&T small parking lot and charged for parking across the way.  The entire market could have fit into the endzone of a football field.  The situation was seriously exacerbated by the 35degC weather and the half a dozen Stinky Tofu kiosks.  Oh yes, Stinky Tofu is what it is called.  I was not using a euphamism.   It is a Fermented Tofu that is cooked and served hot.  Are you gagging?  Well, imagine it wafting into your nostrils aggressively no matter which way you turn.  Is it that bad you ask?  I am not exaggerating when I say, the best way to imagine the smell would be to take the strongest Blue Cheese you've ever come across, place it into your kitchen composter on pick up day then take the bin and drop it into an outhouse and then heat the whole thing up in your tumble dryer.  It was simply revolting.

Dodgy Mayo Takoyaki kiosk - TnT Waterfront Nightmarket

We tried to steer around them and buy some food.  I hunted for some Takoyaki which I always love in Asian streetfood markets.  There were only a few choices and I sadly chose the first one in an attempt to avoid the Stinky Tofu.  They were terribly small, dressed really sloppily and their Mayo was left sitting out on the counter in the blistering sun.  D tried some Vietnamese Shrimp kebobs on Sugarcane.  They were deep fried which was a bit disappointing for D.  They were okay but quite small and very expensive and oily.  H, my cousin, bought some BBQ'd fresh Scallops.  Simple BBQ seafood turned out okay.  After walking around like a game of Pacman trying to avoid the Ghosts that were Smelly Tofu, we decided to call it quits and go inside to eat in the T&T food area instead.  I bought some bad Sushi and H bought some cold Dim Sum.

BBQ Kebobs - TnT Waterfront Nightmarket

We went back out to look at the trinkets.  There was only really two-three stalls.  One dude selling toys and one selling some of the stuff I like.  I bought an iPod tether and surrendered.  We left soon after.  I would NOT recommend this to anyone or take any visitors.  We really should have hit the Spicy Food fest at the Harbour Front instead and if we didn't have lil T with us, we probably would have gone after.

Ambiance: stripmall weekend carnival, the sad kind
Cost: $$$ for streetfood

TnT Nightmarket

222 Cherry Street
Toronto
www.waterfrontnightmarket.com

ZERO / 7.  I don't even have a graphic for ZERO / 7.


#Toronto, #T&TWaterfrontnightmarket

Coffee Tree Roastery - Inconsistent and Pricey

D needs his coffee.  It's not a morning shot for him, it's a ritual.  We have a coffee machine that occupies a good portion of our kitchen counter.  It took me weeks to figure it out.  He's moved it all over the world with him.  So when we moved in to our new place and we were stocking up on our pantry items, and I suggested grocery store beans, he looked at me like I had suggested he go Vegetarian.

Good coffee beans needn't be expensive.  Don't assume that the high price tag is any indication.  On average, some of the best coffee beans we've bought cost around 14-15$/lb.  So it was a bit surprising that this little place on Bloor West would average 18-20 / lb for their standards and more for their specialty beans!  We've tried two types so far, their Espresso Beans and a Costa Rican drip Bean.  The Espresso Beans were VERY bitter and a tad burnt.  The Costa Rican has been pretty good for drip but at 20$/lb, too expensive for my goto drip.

A customer side note, for a place where the beans are so chaching, it was very annoying to have creditcards requiring a minimum 20$ purchase and a debit minimum  of 5$.  Come one.  I'd sooner go to Starbucks, yeah I said it.  D on a mission to get me off the supermarket stuff when he's out of town went in and bought it on his debit since I walked out on principle :D cost of doing business as far as I'm concerned!

Service: aloof and annoying to be told I could go down the block to an ATM if I didn't want to use my debit.
Ambiance: cozy coffee shop
Cost: $$$$

Coffee Tree Roastery 

Bloor West Village
2412 Bloor St W
Toronto, ON
M6S1P9
coffeetree.ca
(416) 767-1077

.