Fin Izakaya

The other night a few of us went out to celebrate my wife's birthday at Fin Izakaya.  Although many of my friends had eaten there before, this was actually my first time there.  Most of my friends said that it's not a bad place to eat and they were willing to try some of the higher end stuff to really test out their menu.  We ended up ordering almost a dozen items as we were quite a hungry bunch that evening and really wanted to try everything in style. 

Kubota Senju Honjozo

That evening we ordered one regular Negima ($8.00), one Rare Steak Tuna ($12.00), a regular Ebimayo ($8.50), 3 pieces of  Botan Ebi Sashimi ($8.00), one sea urchin sushi ($12.00), one Sugi ($37.00), one Tobiuo ($22.00), one Nana Ten Mori ($28.50), one Tuna Carpaccio ($9.00) , one Beef Tongue Miso Zuke ($8.00), 3 orders of  Pork Belly Kushi ($3.50 each), 3 orders of Tsukune Kushi ($3.50), one Kinoko (($13.00), one chicken Tatuta ($6.00), one Duck Schichimi Yaki ($8.50), one Bottle of Kubota Senju Honjozo ($70.00) and one Ice de Macaroon (Black Sesa) ($7.50). 

Negima

The first thing to arrive was the Negima which was really three pieces of deep fried tuna placed in a skewer.  The skewer was lightly sprinkled with green onions and all three pieces were beautifully fried on the outside while left nice and soft on the inside.  The flavor was pretty good despite really a lack of ingredients inside the tuna.  The tuna was not burnt and was  actually quite juicy and tasty.  For $8.00, this was certainly well worth the price and a great appetizer to have. 

Tuna Steak

Next to arrive was the rare Tuna Steak.   The raw pieces of tuna were placed on top of 2 pieces of raw white onions with some type of sauce on the bottom of the onions.  The tunas were nice and fat and had a layer of what looked like white fat on top.  Although the sauce was probably more for the onion than the fish, dipping the tuna in the sauce actually made it more enlightening to have.  This was actually one of my favorites of the evening and a dish I would highly recommend to anyone eating at Fin Izakaya.

Ebimayo

They dropped off the Ebimayo soon afterwards.  This was basically shrimp that was dipped into a special Japanese mayonnaise sauce and heated over a grill.  The sourness of the mayonnaise really made this shrimp taste very good.  It had provided a special juice and flavor to the shrimp.  The shrimp itself was fresh and tender and soaked up all the juices of the special mayonnaise sauce. 

Tuna Carpaccio

The Tuna Carpaccio arrived and one had to give full marks to its presentation.  I've seen this dish in other restaurants before and often at times, the thin slices of tuna or fish were stacked one on top of the other.  This one was made like " a fan" and its creativity certainly earned the chef full marks on this one.  The tuna was amazing and mixed with the vegetables and special yellow sauce, it made the tuna even more better tasting than ever.  This too was one of my favorites for the evening. 

Chicken Tatula

 The Chicken Tatula came and basically this was chicken fried in deep batter.  It was the cheapest among all the dishes we had tonight.  Honestly there was nothing really spectacular about this dish.  The chefs did what they could to make a good dish out of the ingredients that they had. 

Botan Ebi Sashimi

The Botan Ebi Sashimi was basically eating six pieces of shrimp sashimi style from the head down.  The shrimp was very fresh and tender and one could still taste that seafood saltiness of the shrimp.  Of importance, if you do choose to order this dish that one has to remember when eating this dish not to suck the brain matter from the shrimp. The shrimp was still raw and sucking the raw brain matter substance could potentially make one sick.  However once you had finished eating the body, you can send the heads back to the chef and he will deep fried the head so that you can eat it afterwards.  In that manner, there was nothing put to waste and the entire shrimp could be consumed by you. 

Nana Ten Mori

The Nana Ten Mori was actually seven types of sashimi placed on one dish that included many types of fish including hamachi, red snappers and scallops.  When one looked at the price for this dish one would probably say wow, this was quite an expensive dish but if one looked at all the different types of quality fish that was presented, one could say that the price was somewhat justifiable.  All the fish presented were fresh and the presentation really made one searching for more.  There was certainly no complaints from any of my peers as everyone thought this was a dish worth having. 

Pork Belly and Tsukune Kushis

The Pork Belly and Tsukune Kushis arrived together on the same plate.  Of the two, the pork belly was by far the better of the two.  The reason was that the pork belly was softer and fatter while the other one was a little bit more stiffer and chewier.  The softer pork belly was able to absorbed more of the oil and as a result was much more juicer and tasted so much better than the meat that was on the other skewers.  . 

The Duck Schichimi Yaki arrived and there was about a half dozen pieces laid out on the plate.  There were some vegetables on the bottom of the duck.  There was really not a whole lot of taste to it as the chefs did not really season it all that much.  As a result, this dish really did not have any particular wow factor to it.  It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. 

Duck Schichimi Yaki

The Kinoko was good and bad.  There was quite a bit of seasoning to all of the mushrooms in the pan however we were not too sure whether we had let the mushrooms sit too long in the pan prior to eating or whether the chefs had dumped extra soya sauce in the pan.  Whatever the case, the dish was extra extra salty.  There were plenty of other vegetables inside the pan but the amount of saltiness in the dish made it quite interesting to eat.  I would say if you have blood pressure issues, this would be one dish you might want to avoid.  Mind you it was still pretty tasty but if someone like me was saying that it was quite over-seasoned, then believe me, it was quite over-seasoned. 

Kinoko

The Sea Urchin Sushi was yummy!!! The sea urchin was nice and fresh and the sushi itself was made with fresh rice.  The sea urchin smelled great and all the pieces were gold in color.  The sea urchin literally melted in ones mouth. One could not have asked for more fresher sea urchin to be placed on top of one's sushi.  

Sea Urchin Sushi

By the time the Beef Tongue Miso Zuke arrived, we were actually getting quite full.  The beef tongue was seasoned and sauteed very nicely and had this dish arrived somewhere at the beginning of the meal, I'm sure we would have finished this dish but because it came late, we were only able to finish about three-quarters of it.  As well since this dish sat for a little while and cooled down, the meat ended up being a little chewier than we would have liked.  This was not the chef's fault at all.  It was just that we were all starting to get full by the time this dish arrived and we were having a hard time pushing more food down our throats. 

Beef Tongue Miso Zuke

Having said that, the two biggest and most expensive dishes arrived.  These were the Sugi and the Tobiuo aka the Flying Fish and there was no way we were not going to finish these two dishes.  When the sugi arrived we were a little alarmed when the head and skeleton of the fish was left for showcase.  Some people might have found that to be disgusting but we thought it was quite cool.  As for both fishes, truthfully they were probably the least tasting fish I had all night.  Neither fish really had a distinct taste to them. They both tasted like regular fish sashimi.  The sugi had a lot more pieces on its plate however one thing I do have to say was that the chefs really deserve top marks for its presentation of the fish. 

Tobiuo

I know I said we were quite full and that was quite true but no dinner is complete without dessert.  Although a couple of us just ordered a simple ice cream for three dollars each, the birthday girl went with the Ice de Macaroon.  This composed of black sesame and green tea ice cream with the green tea ice cream sandwiched in between the buns of a macaroon. The dessert was sweet and delightful and was the perfect dish to conclude the evening. 

Sugi

We all had a wonderful time that evening.  Splitting a bottle of Kubota Senju Honjozo helped washed down the food much more easier.  The staff was great the entire evening.  The waiters and waitresses explained every dish that was brought to our table which to me was great customer service.

Ice de Macaroon

 I know some people complain of not being full because of the small portions one gets for the amount of money one paid for however this is izakaya after all.  One is paying for quality not quantity. Yes we paid about a hundred dollars per person that evening but believe me it was pretty darn good food that we had that evening.  One of my friends said this place was actually even better when it first launched.  My response was that if it did, it certainly did not decrease in value by that much.  I would certainly go back again as these guys deserve top marks. I would give them 4.5 out of 5. 

Fin Izakaya
55 Eglinton Ave E 
Toronto, ON

647 347-3864

Deville Dinerbar

If you have never been to Montreal before and were looking for a place to eat, then you could look no further than going to Deville Dinerbar.  Although many people will say that some of the best restaurants are located in old Montreal, this restaurant is actually located in the heart of downtown Montreal and is steps away from many of the hotels that are located nearby.  Deville Dinerbar provides a mix combination of classic dinners and contemporary food in a fusion type manner.

Of importance, we had tried to make reservations to the restaurant earlier in the day. However, although the online method confirmed my date and time, the restaurant had no record of it being recorded.  Lucky for us, there was still one table remaining that evening and despite have nine of us there, we were all able to fit in nice and comfortably for the evening.  

Steak and Gaufrettes

We went with a variety of dishes that evening so that we could eat and share amongst all of us.  For starters we went with the Steak and Gaufrettes, Salade Neptune au Thon Ahi, Le Jarret D’Agneau, Poisson Frais Du jour, Lettuce Tacos, and Le Burger Deville.  For the non speaking French people, I will translate the choices as I go along. 

The Steak and Gaufrettes is quite simply steak and fries.  Now truthfully I have eaten many, many steaks before but this steak here was quite amazing.  It was a little fattening in the centre and along the edges but it was juicy fattening and although on the picture the steak looked like it was burnt, the steak was just seared perfectly.  I really couldn’t tell what made this steak so good but often at times, even at medium rare, we find the steak to be a little chewy.  This one was very tender, very soft and very juicy despite, quite frankly, a lack of noticeable sauces or juices on the plate.  Sprinkled with some black pepper and some cherry tomatoes on the side and I have to say this steak was one of the best steaks I have had in quite some time.  Even their fries felt different as they were sliced very thin yet they were still nice and hard on the outside and nice and soft on the inside.  It was an excellent dish and one that I would highly, highly recommend. 

Salade Neptune au Thon Ahi

The Burger Deville or their signature burger was huge.  It was like a double decker burger with a couple of patties mixed with some cheese, lettuce and tomatoes in the middle.  I took a side shot of the burger and the mountain of fries beside a drink just to give you an idea as to how big this burger was.  For an extremely hungry person, this burger is definitely for you.  The person who ordered it was quite satisfied with the burger and needless to say quite full afterwards. 

Le Burger Deville

One of my other friends ordered the Korean style lettuce wrap.  This wrap was quite amazing in taste, texture and style.  The only draw back was that there was only like 4 pieces of lettuce to go with the meat mixture.  Honestly I could not tell you exactly what was in this meat sauce mixture but whatever it was it was pretty damn good.  The mixture of pork, kimchi and green onions was a smashing hit and something everyone should give it a try. 

Poisson Frais Du jour

The Salade Neptune au Thon Ahi or Ahi Tuna salad was personally my favorite.  The amount of salad that one gets from this order though was ridiculously astronomical.  I know this sounds weird but there must have been a month’s worth of salad hidden underneath the dozen pieces of ahi tuna.  The fish was amazing but the salad itself was just incredible.  The problem was that there was just way too much of this stuff.  One large bowl of salad was hidden underneath the fish and for one single person to eat all of that I think would be just too much.  If you do choose to order this salad, you will almost most definitely end up sharing amongst all of your friends who are there. 

Le Jarret D’Agneau

The Poisson Frais Du jour or the fish of the day arrived with what looked like cranberry sauce and mash potatoes sandwiching the fish.  The fish appeared to be halibut in nature although I am not able to confirm if that was the case or not.  The fish was very good according to the person who ordered it.  I did not taste this particular dish but from all accounts purpose, it appeared to be above average, tasty and filling. 

Le Jarret D’Agneau or the braised lamb shank was the last thing on our table and it too was quite amazing.  There was a definite strong after taste of the lamb but what really impressed me the most was just how juicy the meat was and how the meat literally fell right off the bone.  The gravy sauce was just perfect and the meat was a tad bit fattening but overall it was still an amazing piece of meat.  There were also some vegetables and a large wad of mash potatoes that came with the lamb.  This is a must try dish for any lamb lovers out there. 

Overall, I found this place to be a very cool place to eat.  They had live television going on and two floors of tables to get all of their patrons in.  The staff was great and the food was amazing all around.  I couldn’t tell you the costs of each item as I didn’t cover the bill that evening but it was quite reasonable if I recall. If you are ever in the Montreal area, definitely drop in and have a go at it.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.  Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.0.

Restaurant Deville Dinerbar

1425 Stanley

Montreal, Quebec

514-281-6556

Origin North Restaurant and Bar

Some good friends of mine decided to take me out to Origin North Restaurant and Bar the other night to celebrate my belated birthday.  Sharing the same parking lot as Bayview Village in the heart of North York, this place boasts of bringing a downtown tapas style restaurant to the northern parts of Toronto. 

Bay Scallop Seviche

We were greeted at the door by some pleasant staff members and were led to our tables in which we had reservations for that evening.  The waitress who greeted us knew the menu well and informed us that the meals ranged from smallest to biggest as we proceeded down the menu.  However, she also mentioned that because of the tapas style food, don’t expect even the largest proportions to be large.  Since it was our first time there we decided to go with a variety of dishes to try to get an overall taste of what Origin North was like. 

Beet Salad

We went with their Bay Scallop Seviche ($17) , Beet Salad ($13), Miso Black Cod ($33), Butternut Squash Risotto ($16), Smoked Pork Lettuce Wrap ($12), Fiore Di Latte ($17) and Spicy Spanish Fries ($12). 

Smoked Pork Lettuce Wrap

The bay scallop seviche was the first to arrive.  The scallops, mixed with lime, coconut and chili dressing sauce was immersed in another bowl of ice.  This cold dish had huge pieces of banana chips that were used to scoop the sauce and the scallops together.  I have to admit the spiciness of the dish caught me of guard a little bit as I was not expecting it to this spicy especially when immersed in the ice bowl.  There was quite a bit of dressing sauce and a fair amount of scallops inside the bowl, so much so that the lady actually had to bring us extra banana chips to help scoop up the sauce.  I personally liked the contrast of the cold dish and the hot spiciness of the dressing.  Although some people would prefer to eat the scallops on their own, the chefs certainly earn top marks for trying to make this an interesting dish. 

Butternut Squash Risotto

Next to arrive was the beet salad and I must say, presentation wise it looked really good.  Covered with goat cheese, red onions, yogurt, walnuts and cherry dressing, it certainly looked like a dish people would love to have, especially for Christmas.  After divvying it up, I have to admit that this was a pretty good tasting dish.  The beets were fresh, juicy and very, very tasty however what I thought really brought this dish to the forefront were the walnuts.  The absence of the nuts would have made this a very ordinary dish but just the extra nuts made it a wonderful dish.  It is a great dish to have especially if there are any vegetarians out there.  

The miso black cod was also quite amazing however the $33 price tag attached to it may turn some people away.  The cod itself was a real fat piece of fish that was still sizzling on its plate along with some baby bok choys and gingers surrounding it.  The fish was very good and there was plenty of baby bok choys lying around.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with the dish again except for the high price tag associated with it. If you can afford it, it is one dish one could certainly give it a try.  You won't be disappointed.

Miso Black Cod

The risotto arrived next where one can tell it was mixed with some pumpkin seeds, walnuts and mascarpone.  The risotto itself was a little soggy, creamy and quite bland.  One could not really taste the butternut in the risotto.  The only thing that saved it in my mind were the pumpkin seeds.  For some reason, there was a strong aroma coming from them and the taste of them being there saved this dish.  Otherwise it was not really a very good dish and not one I would want to try again. If you are a risotto fan, you may not like the method they made this risotto in. 

The smoked pork lettuce wrap was interesting to say the least. I have had quite a number of these in the last few weeks so it was interesting to compare this one from some of the other places   The meat mixture consisted of daikon, carrots, crispy noodle and peanuts.  There were only two pieces of lettuce so sharing was a little bit difficult.  The overall meat mixture was chewy and quite crunchy.  It was almost like eating a granola bar wrapped inside a piece of lettuce.  There wasn’t really a whole lot of taste to it despite the small pieces of pork that was embedded inside the mixture.  Part of the problem was that the lettuce was huge and there was quite a bit of dry crispy noodles associated with the dish.  In my mind, it had overwhelmed the wrap a little bit.  A creative sauce added to the meat mixture would have really helped enhance the wrap.  As it stands, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. 

Spicy Spanish Fries

The spicy Spanish fries was probably my least liked dish of the evening.  It was a mixture of fries and what I believe were olives.  It was made to look like a poutine of sorts however the dish just looked very sloppy.  It was hardly spicy and actually didn’t even taste the greatest.  We only finished half the dish as the grease and slop just seemed a little much.  It was recommended by one of the waitresses however believe me when I say it’s one dish worth avoiding.     

Last to arrive was the fiore di latte.  In essence this was really just a mozzarella bar served with a piece of grilled bread mixed with truffles, mushrooms and spinach.  There wasn’t really anything spectacular about this dish other than the huge wad of cheese that was on top of the bread.  Despite the large piece wad of cheese on top and the sprinkles of truffles on top of the bread, this dish was rather dry and tasteless.  

Fiore Di Latte

In the end all I could say is that it started off well however it ended with a bit of a whimper.  Although it’s a tapas style restaurant, some people will have a difficult time justifying paying so much and getting back not as much.   I personally liked some of the food however it is certainly not a place to be for the super hungry unless one is willing to shell out an arm and a leg.  The atmosphere was good and it would make a great place for a one on one date however some improvements in the food would be recommended.  As such I would give this place a 3.25 out of 5. 

Origin North Restaurant and Bar

2901 Bayview Ave #300

Toronto Ontario

 416-479-8833