Tasty BBQ Seafood Restaurant

With only one hour for lunch and totally famished from a busy morning, a friend and I drove by a Chinese restaurant that was hidden in a plaza.  Tasty BBQ Seafood Restaurant is located just off highway 404 and Finch Avenue and the best way to describe its location is that it is located beside the Ministry of Transportation office in that plaza.  Once inside, the appearance gave it a somewhat newly renovated and sophisticated restaurant with fresh duck and poultry hanging on its rack ready for consumption. 

Although it smelled like a "Cha-Cha Teng", I think the restaurant did boast somewhat of a more complex type restaurant however since it was l2 noon, we were looking for something quick, easy and affordable. After scanning their menu and taking a look around the room at what everyone else was ordering, I decided to go with their BBQ Duck and Noodles lunch meal.

BBQ Duck and Noodles

When it arrived, I noticed that the noodles were served in one bowl while the BBQ duck was served on a plate instead.  The plate itself was rather large and thus so were the proportions.  It smelled great and even the waitress who delivered the glistening duck said it was the hot special for the day because it was nice and fresh and came straight from the oven.   The duck tasted delicious while its meat was moist and its skin somewhat crispy.  Each piece had a small amount of fat in it while 2/3 of it had plenty of meat attached to it. The noodles were made to perfection with each strand nice and thick. My only disappointment was that the soup base did lack a bit of taste and seasoning to it.  

After finishing the meal, both my friend and I were pretty full.  Tasty BBQ Seafood was definitely quite a tasty place to go.  With their huge bowl of noodles and half a duck served to you in perfect condition, it was definitely a well worth the price for a lunch meal.  For $11.00, which included tax, tip and a cold drink and plenty of parking outside, it was like finding a diamond in the rough.  I would certainly go there again for lunch or for dinner.  Overall,  I give it a 4.25 out of 5.

Tasty BBQ Seafood Restaurant

3555 Don Mills Road

Unit 11

North York, Ontario

416-756-7773

Pho Xe Lua Restaurant

One thing I had not had in quite some time was Vietnamese pho.  Once upon a time it was a weekly event however it had been quite some time since we last had it so when we passed by a mall sometime last week, we spotted a Vietnamese restaurant that my wife and I had not gone to for quite some time and since it was just before the noon hour rush, we figured that this was a good idea to have.  When I saw the name, I think the name of the restaurant and thus the ownership may have changed recently.  I'm not too sure, but I don't think Pho Xe Lua was the name of the Vietnamese restaurant when we first had it many years ago.The restaurant itself is situated in a busy Asian Mall on the north east corner of Finch Avenue and Leslie Street.

Curry Chicken and Rice

Despite the ownership change, we still went in and we ordered our favorites whenever we go to any Vietnamese restaurant.  I went with my favorite Curry Chicken on Rice combo while my wife went with the Pho with Tripe, Beef Filet and Tendon.  Both dishes arrived within 10 minutes of ordering.  I can see from the curry chicken that there were about three pieces of chicken and after stirring the curry, there was one piece of potato that was sliced in half.  The rice, sprinkled with green onions, came on a separate dish.  I mixed the curry with the rice and discovered the curry was pretty spicy, much spicier than I had originally thought.  I would probably give it a 7 out of 10 on the spiciness scale.  It actually surprised me a little bit in terms of how spicy it was.  Extra water was definitely needed to finish the meal.  Normally I don't need to reach for that glass of water but this curry had some pretty good kick to it.  There was plenty of curry sauce to go with the rice.  The chicken was cooked well as were the potatoes.  Kudos to the chefs for kicking it up a notch to give a strong flavor to this curry chicken meal.

The pho was rather medium in size in where bigger portions have been seen before however having said that, almost every square inch of the bowl was covered with something.  There were plenty thick noodles that covered the entire bowl.  The meat however was all cooked even though I know my wife had wanted it  to be the rare type where she could cooked it herself in the hot soup.  The soup base's taste was not as strong in flavor and compared to the amount of taste in the curry chicken, this was quite tame and mild.  Despite this, it was satisfactory once the hoisin and hot sauces got into it.

Pho with Tripe, Beef Filet and Tendon

It had been such a long time since I had Vietnamese food that I was almost craving it when we were hungry that day.  Having said that the meal was hot and all of it was goggled up that afternoon.  The food was not overly spectacular but the price was reasonable and there was plenty of parking on a weekday afternoon. Overall I give it a 3.5 out of 5.


Pho Xe Lua  Restaurant
157 Ravel Road
North York, Ontario

416-490-8822

Barberian's Steak House

Barberian's Steak House is one of those fine dining restaurants located on Elm Street in the heart of downtown Toronto.  Oddly enough, it was the last restaurant on that street that I had never eaten at so I was really looking forward to the occasion.  We had a late night dinner reservation for that evening as some of the party members wanted to take advantage of their after ten only souffle dessert menu.

Certainly a restaurant with the name steak house in it would have indicated that this place was clearly a meats only restaurant however they do carry soups and salads, some vegetable sides and fish orders as well. Having said that, we were all here for their special meats including their prime ribs, sirloin steaks and baby back ribs.

For starters, a couple of us wanted to try out some of their fresh Seafood Chowder ($10.75). When it arrived it looked pretty delicious and it came in a rather large bowl.  The taste was spot on and there was plenty of clam inside the chowder bowl.  Although the chowder had the correct taste and thickness to it, I wasn't too sure what other ingredients were available.  Much of the seafood ingredients were rather small and it was hard to distinguish what exactly was in it. 

Fresh Seafood Chowder

Others however decided to go with their Caesar Salad ($11.50) instead.  The salad itself was about the same compared to any of the Caesar salads that I have had at other restaurants before.  The only difference with this Caesar Salad was that their dressing was a little bit more creamier and had a bit of a kick to it in that it was a little spicy.  I wasn't too sure whether they had added more garlic or maybe even peppers to the dressing but one could certainly taste a bit of spiciness to it. A slight twist to an otherwise simple salad.

Caesar Salad

One of those two main courses that we had ordered that evening was the Prime Rib.  The Roasted Prime Rib of Beef ($49.50) looked delicious and it looked pretty red when it sat on the table.  Most of the prime ribs ordered that evening was of the medium rare variety and I think the chefs hit it spot on this time around. When one was cutting into the prime rib, everyone said their meats were made to exactly what they had expected.  The only problem was that other than the pepper seared skin on the outside of the meat, there was little to no taste to it at all.  We actually had to ask the waiter for a bowl of gravy sauce and oddly he brought out one huge of bowl of gravy sauce for everyone at the table.  When we poured the gravy sauce over the prime rib, it was as if the prime rib had come to life.  All the great flavors on of the prime rib came out to the forefront and finally one could see a smile on people's faces as they were munching through their meal.

Prime Rib

I was really looking forward to the Barbecue Baby Back Ribs ($40.75).  I'm a huge baby back ribs fan and after hearing so many great stories from this establishment, I was really itching to give it a try.  When the barbecue ribs arrived, i could tell there was a chance I was going to be headed for some disappointment. The meat was very dry and the barbecue sauce was actually served in the separate bowl.  Usually, the meat would literally fall off the bone however in my case, the end pieces especially, the meat was literally stuck to the bone and the meat was as hard as a rock.  I am assuming that the meat was never steamed prior to being grilled which would explain the toughness and the dryness of the meat. In some cases, I was almost tearing the meat of the bone with my two hands just to get it off.  I hate to say in these terms but it was by far one of the worse baby back ribs that I have had in quite some time.  There was no flavor to it either and with the sauce itself being served on a different bowl, there was no marination of the sauce to be absorbed into the meat.  When your bake potato was the best serving on your plate, you know that this dish was simply not up to par.

Barbecue Baby Back Ribs

A birthday party without some sort of dessert or cake would be an injustice and since they didn't have any cakes on their menu, the banana split was the next best choice. With oven baked almonds sprinkled on top of a sweet chocolate syrup, it gave this dish a bit of life.  The bananas were fresh and the ice creams were scooped with correct proportions. Oddly enough, to me anyways, it was probably the best meal that I had eaten all night. 

Overall, the prime ribs were up to par but the baby back ribs were just simply awful.  We did make mention it to the waiter and he quietly told us that they were working with a new supplier for the ribs which may have accounted for the poor quality of it.  Either way, when a customer is charged the money that they are chard, one expects the best of the best.  Do make a special visit to their wine cellar in the basement.  It would definitely give you a shock and awe effect.  If you do go, avoid the baby back ribs and go with their steak or prime ribs as they are much better choices for your money.  Overall I give it a 3 out of 5.

Barberian's Steak House
7 Elm Street
Toronto, Ontario

416-597-0335

Pearl Bayview Chinese Restaurant

I personally haven't been to Bayview Village in North York for quite some time and when I did go, it would be rare for me to actually sit down and some food there.  Most of the restaurants there I have tried and have eaten there before however Pearl Bayview Chinese Restaurant was a newer restaurant that had opened in that mall approximately one year ago.

There were about ten of us and some of the people that were there had eaten there many times before and said this place came highly recommended.  The food they said was fantastic and they had a little bit of everything to satisfy the tastes for all ages.  Although the prices of the food might be a little pricey, the quality they insisted was there was off we went to give a world.

The first plate to arrive was the Peking Duck.  Like many of the Peking Duck servings in many of the Chinese restaurants, the entire duck is used to make personal hand wraps and cabbage mixtures.  The duck skin and outer meat, its wraps, oyster sauce and onions were brought out first and at first glance, I could tell that the duck meat was of top quality.  The skin itself was nice and thin, perfectly glazed and there was little to no fat in the meat.  Some places just grab any duck and serve it without actually checking the fat content. When one is eating the wrap, the last thing one wants is a mouth full of oil and fat.  By choosing a lean duck, it made the Peking Duck wrap much more enjoyable.

Peking Duck

As mentioned, right after we finished our wraps came the cabbage wrap.  With carrots, duck meat and zucchini in the mix, this was a very refreshing following the regular wraps.  Once again, I really enjoyed how pure the overall texture of the entire mix was and how little grease was inside everything.  The cabbage leaf was grand and crispy and held onto all of the contents.

Peking Roast Duck with Asian Cabbage

The Deep Fried Filet made its way onto our table shortly afterwards.  The fish was crispy on the outside and was enjoyable to see the chefs used as little batter as possible to make sure that the focus was on the fish itself and not so much on the exterior.  There was also a secondary sauce that came with the fish which really enhance the overall flavor of the fish.  The fish meat was steaming hot on the inside and the fish was perfectly cooked.  It was a great dish to have a great alternative for those who did not want to have steam fish for the evening.

Deep Fried Filet of Sole with Sweet and Sour Sauce

The next two dishes that arrived were similar in nature however one was certainly better tasting.  The first was the Ginger Chicken which is very commonly served in many Chinese restaurants.  The skin of the chicken was nice and smooth and there was a good portion of meat on the chicken.  The ginger chicken, albeit ordinary and easy to make was served to perfection.

Ginger Chicken

It's cousin dish was basically the chicken mixed with some hot peppers and onions on top.  I'm not actually too sure about the actual name as I am not 100% if this was on the menu or was this dish just made up off the top of our heads.  It almost had a tangy mango taste to it and there was also definitely some hot peppers mixed on top of the chicken as well. It was a little spicy but not so spicy.  It made the chicken more delicious and juicy. In my mind, this chicken was better than the Ginger Chicken.

Chicken Sauteed with Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

The next one was a very special Fried Eggplant and Pork with Spicy Sauce.  I'm calling it this although again I'm not too sure if this one of their extra special dishes that were not on their regular menu.  Normally, most restaurants would be serving this dish with minced pork meat, however in this dish, the eggplant was there however it was served with pork soft bone.  It was certainly very different than how other restaurants would prepare it.  There was a certain spiciness to it as well.  The pork bone was crunchy where the cartilage was located and the meat was nice and tender throughout.  There was plenty of sauce and the sauce was quite heavy in flavor. It was an amazing dish in my mind.  I just wish I got the actual name of the dish.  If someone out there knows, let me know.  It was certainly top notch and one of the best dishes to have that evening.

Fried Eggplant and Pork Bone with Spicy Sauce

The original rice order I believe was the Fried Rice Mixed with Chinese Sausage and Seafood however I believe that there were people who could eat seafood that night and so it was removed.  Still, what was left was absolutely amazing.  The fried rice was perfectly fried as it was not over fried to a point where it was super dry.  The chefs made special care to make sure that there was still some moisture left in the rice.  Sprinkled with some green onions and Chinese sausage, it provided a perfect blend of flavor of meat and vegetables inside the bowl of rice.  One thing I also noticed was that it was served in a hot pot and not on a plate.  I think this really help preserved the taste and moisture in the rice and made it a much more enjoyable rice to have.  This was one great alternative to a simple bowl of white rice as I would highly recommended.

Fried Rice Mixed with Chinese Sausage

If one is not interested in pork, they also serve a lot of beef dishes and in this case we had a sauteed beef and eggplant served in hot pot.  This dish was made similarly to the pork bowl dish 2 dishes before except in this dish were pieces of beef and large blocks of turnips immersed into a beautiful rich meat sauce served inside a hot pot.  The dish was not as spicy as the previous hot pot dish and was a great alternative to all the non pork eaters.  With all the broth, one could also use the broth to pour some into any rice bowl to give your own rice a more meatier flavor.

Sauteed Beef & Eggplant in Hot Pot

With so much meat, it was great to have a Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce vegetables to go with all the food for the evening.  The only problem I had was that the vegetables were served as the last dish.  It might have been better had it been served somewhere in the middle to go with all the meat that was served however it's always better late than never. With a lean piece of chicken laid on top of all the carrots and baby bok choys, this was quite a marvelous dish to have.  The bok choys were all fresh and crunchy and the broth went well with the vegetables.

Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce

It was certainly a great night with great friends and with great food.  What I really enjoyed the most was the lack of greasiness and MSG in all of their foods.  One could tell that the chefs really tried hard to remove much of the oil in their plates while at the same time still preserving that wonderful taste in the food.  Although some of the foods were simple and really hard to present it with much more flair, I would certainly go back as the decor was nice, the staff was friendly and service was prompt.  Overall I give it a 4.75 out of 5.

Pearl Bayview Chinese Restaurant
Bayview Village Shopping Centre
2901 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, Ontario

416-226-1233

Yummy Cantonese Restaurant

Cruising through the Scarborough area, starving and in need for some food, we stumbled upon Yummy Cantonese restaurant on the corner of Brimley Road and Sheppard Avenue.  The restaurant is tucked inside a newer plaza that was erected on that corner a few years ago.   Since most of the people in the car wanted some rice noodle rolls and noodles for lunch, we decided to stop into the restaurant as we had never been there before.

Once inside we were given a seat in the back corner.  The restaurant had a simple menu with some of the more simpler Chinese dishes contained within it.  After scanning the menu, we decided to go with the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll ($3.25), The Deep Fried Bread Dough ($3.25), The Beef Brisket Noodle in Soup ($5.50) and the Pork Intestine Noodle in Soup ($5.50). I also order a milk tea/coffee to go with my meal however it had taken several inquiries and many unsure waitresses to find out whether there was still any tea left to make me the drink.

The plates all arrived roughly the same time.  The Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll arrive first and I almost laughed at how it looked.  It looked like the shrimp had been "strangled" with the noodle roll and then slapped onto a plate.  It didn't look very appealing and when one took a closer look, it looked like there was so much extra "rice noodle roll" or "extra skin" in the meal.  Despite the sweet soya sauce that came with it, it didn't have a lot of taste to it and not even the shrimp inside could enhance the overall flavor of the roll.  Needless to say, I didn't have much of it as it looked mind boggling to say the least.

Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll

The Beef Brisket Noodle Soup arrived next and it came as advertised.  One can't really fault them because it was exactly what was ordered however there was nothing special to the noodles and the soup was unfortunately just as bland.  The beef brisket meat itself was a bit chewy where the meat might have been either overcooked or that it was just the bad part of the beef that we had gotten.  I had one bowl of these noodles and the best part of it was the green vegetable.

Beef Brisket Noodle in Soup

The Pork Intestine Noodle in Soup was a little better in that the pork intestines provided a bit more flavor to the overall taste of the noodles.  There were plenty of pieces of pork intestines provided and the soup did benefit from the pieces of meat.  Personally adding or sprinkling some garnish in it certainly would not only add flavor but give it a better appearance to it.  The ones in Taiwan were similar but their soup base was a knock out and they had more onions and garnish to really this dish to life.  As it is, there was nothing really spectacular about the noodles.

Pork Intestine Noodle in Soup

Last to arrive were the Deep Fried Bread Dough.  It was probably the best dish of the four in taste, and overall appearance.  Usually this dish comes with sweet soya sauce and peanut sauce but only the sweer soya sauce was provided.  The deep fried dough on the inside was still crunchy although it was rapidly becoming soggy with the rice noodle on the outside weighing on top of it.  It was hot when it came out so that was an added bonus and for $3.25 I guess it was worth the price.  Still what happened to that peanut sauce??

Deep Fried Bread Dough

Not sure what to make of Yummy Cantonese Restaurant.  The rice noodle rolls were somewhat soggy, looked sloppy and didn't have a lot of taste to it.  The soup noodles were a little bit more respectable however it was very simple with the soup lacking little to no taste at all.  Even their ice coffee/milk tea drinks were a little off for my liking.  Not too sure if it was just a bad day or that's how it was in general.  Hard to say if i will ever make a second appearance to the restaurant.  Overall I give it a 1.5 out of 5.

Yummy Cantonese Restaurant
4400 Sheppard Avenue Unit 3 and 4
Scarborough, Ontario

647-352-7087

Rock Lobster

A few of my colleagues had gone down to downtown Toronto to try out Rock Lobster and each and everyone came back with huge grins on their faces.  They messaged me and said it is a definite must try so off we went on a weekday afternoon to downtown Toronto to give Rock Lobster a go.

When we got there, we were literally the first customers to walk through the door.  The waitresses had just opened their doors just before noon hour and we were given a booth table off to the right side.  We looked at their menu and there were plenty to choose from including seafood rolls, steamed crabs and lobsters and much, much more.  We asked their waitress which were the two main signature dishes that they had to offer and she said it was the signature Rock Lobster Roll ($16.00) and their Fish and Chips ($15.00).  For drinks, she highly recommended their Lobster Tail Caesar ($14.00)

The drink arrived first and appearance wise it looked fantastic.  Each drink and a mini lobster where one could poke the meat out to consume.  I dipped the lobster into my drink to give it that extra bit of flavor and it was amazing.  The drink itself was pretty spicy and slightly different than some of the other Caesar's that I have had before.  Part of it as I noticed was that not only do they use peppers on their rims but they also add a bit of garlic to it which really spiced things up.  The drink itself was spot on and absolutely delicious.  Yes it's a bit pricey but that's the price one pays for the good quality food.

Lobster Tail Caesar

The Signature Rock Lobster Roll looked amazing as it landed on our table.  The main ingredients were mayonnaise, lemon, fresh diced lobster and a special seasoning sauce.  The meal is served cold and it was great!!! It actually reminded me of eating a tuna sandwich except it was lobster instead of tuna and all the lemon and seasoning sauces add that extra bit of zing and tangy taste to it.  I could tell you it was gobbled up rather quickly and tasted really good.  The Yukon potato fries were also perfectly done.  This was a great meal and worth the price of admission.

Signature Rock Lobster Roll

Their other signature was their Fish and Chips and I can tell you the picture does not do it any justice.  The fish itself was well over 12" long and was perfectly battered from one end to another end.  The chefs I'm told told use a special beer as their batter and what I really enjoyed about this particular dish was the fish meat was fresh, it was not mushy and didn't stick to the batter.   It tasted very good with every bite nice and crispy.  The size of the fish surprised me although some have reminded me that other places often cut their "12" fish into 2 so that one does not notice how big that fish actually was.  Still it was very good and the tartar sauce and once again the Yukon fries were made to perfection.

Fish and Chips

Overall it was quite the awesome lunch.  On a weekday where there were fewer people on the streets where one could take a nice quiet stroll in downtown Toronto and then have such an awesome lunch was quite the reward.  What was also rewarding was that we were also able to find free side street parking close to the restaurant.  All in all it was a win-win-win situation.  If you're in the downtown area, and your in the west end, do feel free to drop by and have a go at it.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.  Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Rock Lobster
538 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario

416-203-6623

The Owl and Firkin

Sometimes it can be quite difficult to associate great salads coming from a pub or a bar but this was exactly the case when I went to The Owl and Firkin in Markham, just north of Toronto on consecutive weekdays. After being tired of eating the same bar food all the time, I decided to switch gears and try out a couple of salads on their menu. The salads were each from their everyday menu and so on one week I went with the Turkey Cobb Salad ($17.00) while on the following visit I went with their Cider Glazed Chicken Salad. ($15.00)

During the first visit, the Turkey Cobb Salad was the one I ordered first and it was loaded with avocados, sliced up hard boiled eggs, turkey breast and blue cheese.  The salad itself was then doused with a honey lemon vinaigrette giving it a sweet and sour tasting salad.  Appearance wise it looked like there were a lot of items tossed together in one big basket and then dumped onto a large plate.  Taste wise, I thought that the salad was dominated by one particular item, the blue cheese.  I'm not too sure how much blue cheese was in the salad but every bite, the strong taste of the cheese was in your mouth, so much so that it pretty much overwhelmed the taste of anything else that was in the salad.  If you are a huge fan of eggs and blue cheese then this salad is for you.  There were plenty of pieces of white turkey breast meat in the salad, but as mentioned, it was difficult to taste the turkey alone or even the vinaigrette that was used in the salad.  Still, as one can see, it was highly nutritious and very healthy and quite large, so large that after eating the entire plate, one was definitely done and needed not to order any other items for the day.

Turkey Cobb Salad

The Cider Glazed Chicken Salad was loaded with greens and mixed with crispy apples and loaded with bacon and toasted almonds on top.  The chefs certainly did not hold back on the bacon and almonds as much of it was loaded on top of the salad.  There were also plenty of pieces of chicken that were buried in the bottom of the salad.  When mixed together, one could taste all the items in each bite as there was no one overwhelming ingredient. The cider vinaigrette dressing was just perfect, not too sour but not too sweet either where one could still taste the almonds, bacon, or apple in one's mouth.  It's true that this salad was probably not as healthy as the Turkey Cobb Salad with so much bacon in it, however looking at all the ingredients, a little bacon certainly provided more flavour to the salad and despite it, there were plenty of greens and apples to certainly rival the previous salad in the health department.

Cider Glazed Chicken Salad

Truthfully though, the Cider Glazed Chicken Salad was my preferred choice between the two however I know that there are readers of my blog who absolutely love eggs and blue cheese and if you are one of those people then the Turkey Cobb Salad would definitely have been your preferred choice.  At first, the price of the salads almost turned me away however when I saw the proportion sizes, at least one could say that they were of a respectable proportion. The rest of their items are not bad either as I have eaten there and have had a beer or two many times before.  If you are interested in a good salad and would love to have a beer to go with your salad, then the Owl and Firkin is your place to go. The atmosphere is great and they also have a good size patio for those who want to eat or have a drink outdoors. Overall, I would give it a 4.25 out of 5.

The Owl and Firkin
7181 Woodbine Avenue
Marhkam, Ontario

905-513-6611

Kaga by Ginza Japanese Restaurant

We decided to test out Kaga by Ginza Japanese Sushi restaurant in North York the other night as we celebrated my wife's birthday.  It was another restaurant that we had not been before however a group of friends had and it came highly recommended.  We of course had reservations for the evening, brought our on sake and were ready to indulge in a feast of sushi, sashimi and cooked Japanese food.

Before we started, we had to get an order of California Rolls ($5.00) for my daughter.  Since everything else was more or less sashimi or raw, we had to find some sort of vegetarian rolls for her and decided on California rolls for her.  The rolls themselves were pretty good.  The avocados were nice and green and yellow and the roe on top was nice and fresh.  A good dish for my daughter to have as it came as advertised. 

California Rolls

The Fresh Fish Sashimi ($60.00) was our big ticket dish for the evening and it certainly lived up to its expectations.  The chefs were able to produce 40 very fresh pieces of fish out of this.  The fish was not frozen to the core as it was chilled nicely as it sat in a bowl of ice.  Although the price of it might scare some people off, I have to admit it was one of the most purest fish I have ever tasted.  It was so clean, so sweet tasting that yes despite the cost, it was certainly well worth the price.  Each piece of fish was nice and thick and the meat of the fish was not mushy at all.  The presentation was outstanding as the whole dish itself was of masterchef quality.

Fresh Fish Sashimi

The Botan Ebi Sashimi was fabulous.  Also served in a bowl of ice, each shrimp was peeled nicely with no shells in sight and each shrimp was of the jumbo variety.  One could taste the freshness of each shrimp eaten as again there was no sense of mushiness to it at all.  The shrimp heads were all then later fried to a crisp and taste even better in its crispy form.  Overall, it was another great dish to have with no complaints at all. 

Botan Ebi Sashimi

The sashimi bowl was served on an ice boat.  I was very impressed with the presentation as the sashimi was presented on a boat made of ice.  We ordered some of the best pieces of fish on the menu including hamachi, kanpachi and toro.  I was very impressed again with the quality of each fish presented as every piece was nice and fresh. 

Hamachi, Kanpachi, Toro Sashimi

Hamachi Hand Rolls

The hand rolls were exceptionally good.  There were many types to choose from including spicy scallops, spicy salmon and tuna.  Each one looked delicious especially the hamachi hand rolls.  The proportions were all equal with each piece and there was plenty of fish in each hand roll.  Again the quality of the fish in both the fish itself and the type was never in question.  Each one tasted delicious as my hamachi hand roll was one of my favorites for the evening. 

Spicy Scallops Hand Rolls

The Uni Rolls were equal to the task as the uni tasted amazing in their individual rolls.  For $10.00, one gets two pieces each and again, the chefs here at this restaurant did not disappoint one bit.  The uni in each roll were medium in size but what was important was that each piece was of the same size.  The freshness of it all again was never an issue as the best quality uni was served that evening. 

Uni

The first cooked foods started to arrive and the Grilled Salmon Belly ($7.00) was one of the first ones there.  Nicely presented, about a couple of pieces of salmon were placed in a skewer and nicely grilled.  Very few burnt pieces were presented and the salmon was grilled through.  I'm not too sure if the chefs added any special sauces to the salmon while they were being grilled but again they sure tasted pretty delicious.

Grilled Salmon Belly

Grilled Squid ($10.00) was good and decent however the lack of taste to them made it a little plain.  There wasn't anything wrong with it.  The squid was perfectly grilled to the point where it was not chewy or overcooked however there just wasn't any taste to it.  There was no dipping sauce so to me it was a little dry and bland.  I'm sure others found it pretty good.  With four pieces of squid per skewer, there were certainly plenty to pass around.  However if the chefs could come with some spice or dipping sauce to go with it, it certainly could take this dish to another level. 

Grilled Squid

The Grilled Saba ($10.00) was pretty good but just like the grilled squid, it was just lacking a tad bit of taste to it.  If there was a little butter, salt or fish sauce added to it, it might have really brought this piece of fish to another level.  There was nothing wrong with how it was done or how it was prepared but it just lacked a little bit of taste. The skin and some parts of the exterior were crispy and the meat was cooked nicely in the centre. Other than a bit light on the taste, the dish was pretty good.

Grilled Saba

Chicken Soft Bone ($5.00) was made where every piece was sweet, juicy and great tasting.  I believe the chef used a bit of honey or sweet sauce to the chicken soft bone and then slowly grilled the chicken soft bone so that it was nice and tender.  There were about 6-7 pieces of chicken on each skewer and it was one of the best cooked chicken soft bones I have ever tasted.  The honey glistened off the chicken and it looked so delicious.  I would highly recommended for anyone who is a chicken lover and the price is certainly more than affordable.

Chicken Soft Bone

Beef Tongue ($7.00) was a little chewy but the taste was pretty good.  Three pieces of beef tongue were stuck in each skewer and each piece of tongue were cooked and grilled to perfection.  The sauces for the marination got deep into the each piece of meat so that each bite was tasty and juicy. 

Beef Tongue

Clam Sake Soup came next and this was absolutely one of the best soups I had ever had.  The soup was nice and hot and almost still boiling when it came out of the kitchen.  There was a certain tinge to it with the combination of sake and ginger in it.  The claims were small however there was plenty of it in the bowl.  The bowl was huge and all 8 people had a bowl of it.  It hit the taste buds right on and it was not difficult to be asking for seconds and thirds.

Clam Sake Soup

The problem with having such an amazing soup was the slight disappointment of the next one.  The fish soup unfortunately could not out taste the previous soup.  If anything we should have this soup first and then the Clam Sake Soup.  The fish soup had a huge chunk of fish meat in it however one has to be super careful as there were plenty of bones in the fish.  The fish however just could not muster as great of a taste the previous one which was why I mentioned that serving the fish soup first and then the Clam Sake Soup second would have been a much better order to do so. 

Fish Soup

The Rack of Lamb ($12.00) were beautifully marinated on the outside, seared to medium rare on the inside however the inside of the meat lacked a tiny bit of the marination.  The meat was tender and fatty however the marination didn't quite penetrate the meat as well as one would have liked.  The lamb was also pretty good in that the lamb taste was minimal.  The mustard sauce however was amazing and provided some of the missing taste that was lacking in the centre of the lamb meat.  Still it was a decent dish however just a bit more taste in the centre of the meat would have preferential. 

Rack of Lamb

It was by far a great night to remember.  We ate so much and drank so much sake that we could hardly move afterwards.  Service was great throughout the night and the manager made sure the food came out slowly but steadily so that we could thoroughly enjoy all of it.  I will certainly return for round 2, round 3 and round 4.  All of the sashimi were thick, fresh and was absolutely perfect.  Overall, I give it a 4.75 out of 5.

Kaga by Ginza Japanese Restaurant
652 Finch Avenue
Toronto, Ontario

416-512-8882

Grano

A few weeks ago, a birthday dinner in the heart of Toronto allowed me to taste one of the city's best Italian restaurant.  Grano, which has been present for quite some time in the southeast side of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, was our dinner destination that evening.  Needless to say, it was just one of those nights where one knew that everything right was going to fall into place right from the get go.

Although it was in the heart of Toronto, finding parking on the side street on that particular evening had a bit of a lucky theme to it in that we were able to locate a free spot about 5 minutes walking distance away.  When we got in, the restaurant table was already prepared.   Having been there for the first time, I personally enjoyed the surrounding decor with lots of huge pictures of famous movies and actors and actresses of the Italian's past and present.  Some of my colleagues had been there before and absolutely loved it. So going with the experts, we decided to go with the following: Spinaci, Pere E Padano ($14.00), Linguine Al Nero Di Sepia ($20.00), Costate D'Agnello ($27.00), Animelle E Finghi Trifolati ($24.00), Italia Mia E Terra Nuova ($22.00), Bigoli Alle Noci ($25.00) and the Pasta of the Day which was Sirloin Carmelized Onion, Mushroom, Asparagus Fettuccini.

My love for salads brought me to the Spinaci, Pere E Padano which for me was my favorite for the evening.  Fresh spinach leaves mixed with the shaved grana padano cheese turned this simple salad into one very delicious salad to have.  There was really no salad dressing on it and I believe that the only "juices" in the salad were from the pears that came with it.  I was impressed with how great tasting this salad was.  If I hadn't ordered anything else that evening, I would have ordered a second one just to satisfy my taste buds.

Spinaci, Pere E Padano

The grilled lamb chops or the Costate D'Agnello was actually my personal order for the evening.  Three juicy pieces of lamb chops were mixed with a handful of vegetables.  The pork chops were beautifully marinated, the meat inside was medium rare and the outside was seared with perfection.  If you are a lamb chop lover, this dish would be perfect for you.  No complaints at all from me.  It was exactly as advertised.
 

Costate D'Agnello

We decided to split the Italia Mia E Terra Nuova which was basically a mixture of the restaurant's most finest Italian meat.  All of the meats served that evening were thinly sliced, not overly salty and tasted great.  The meat was fresh and mixed with a bit of garnish, the meats tasted even better. 

Italia Mia E Terra Nuova

I have no idea how much the pasta of the day was but whatever it was, it was worth every penny of it.  Small chunks of sirloin steak were mixed with diced up asparagus, mushroom and onions and all of it was mixed with freshly made fettuccini. The taste was unbelievably very good where the meat juices, onions and mushrooms provided the great amount of taste.  One can't really taste the asparagus but you know its there when you eat it.  My only gripe was that the proportions were somewhat small and that I believe we had to order two of the dishes in order to make sure everybody at the table had at least some of it.  

Sirloin Carmelized Onion, Mushroom, Asparagus Fettuccini

Another interesting and tasty pasta that was ordered that evening was the Bigoli Allle Noci.  This wasn't one of the dishes that were shared so I took a scoop from my friend's dish to have a taste to see what this dish was all about.  To my huge surprise, this pasta tasted amazing.  It was a little creamy, the noodles were small and the grana padano cheese once again brought this dish out to the fore front.  It certainly didn't look too impressive when it left the kitchen but it sure tasted like a pure classic. 

Bigoli Alle Noci

I was very happy and very impressed with the service, the food and with the entire experience.  Being my first time there, I wasn't really too sure what to expect.  Having been to Italy before, I have to say that this was very close if not better than some of the best authentic Italian dishes from overseas. I'm always have a hard time finishing my pastas because most pastas are very thick and creamy and I get bogged down with it however I can honestly say I would have no problems at all finishing any of the pastas that were served that evening.  If I am in the area again, I would certainly give it a second go without hesitation at all.  Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Grano
2035 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario

416-440-1986

Ravi Soups

I was asked the other day why many of the places I go to happen to be in the East end or downtown Toronto and quite frankly it's where I live and where I frequent the most.  They asked why I'm never in the west end so a few days ago, I did travel over there to check out some west end's best.  One of the places I went into was Ravi Soups on Queen Street West.  I actually had driven past a couple of these restaurants on my way there and some of the back seat drivers were telling me that it was one of the best soup places in the city.  So naturally once I finally got to my final destination, ironically a Ravi Soup Restaurant just happened to be down the road from where I was, so conveniently it was the place to go.

There was plenty of side street parking and when we went in, we could see that there were about 10 tables available.  If one ordered their individual wraps or soups, it would have cost one approximately $8.99 however if you paid $2.00 more, one could get both a wrap and soup.  Naturally, the combo was the way to go so I went and ordered the Curried Lamb wrap and the Porcini Mushroom Wild Rice Bisque. My friends also order a combo and went with the Flank Steak Wrap and Squash Soup.

Flank Steak Wrap and Squash Soup

The squash soup was very tasty and the squash was perfectly pureed so that it was not too watered down and not too thick.  Adding some crispy strips of shallot gave it that garlicky and salty taste to it while also adding an Asian pear gave it a slightly sweet flavor to it.  The yin-yang effect really made this soup stand out and hit every taste bud in the mouth while tasting this wonderful soup.

Curried Lamb Wrap and the Porcini Mushroom Wild Rice Bisque

The meat for the curried lamb was a little dry for me however the taste was there.  I can understand the reasons why it might have been drier than normal because one would not want to eat a soggy wrap if that was the case.  The porcini mushroom wild rice bisque was very well done.  The mushroom was minced into very small pieces and the taste was amazing.  It definitely had all the true tastes of a fresh mushroom soup put together. I also added some black pepper into the soup just for some extra flavor but honestly one probably didn't even need it because it tasted just perfect on its own.

Flank Steak Wrap 

The flank steak wrap was a little bit more juicier than the lamb.  The steak had some green vegetables wrapped around it and had some sort of sauce that made the overall wrap much more juicier.  If I had to choose between the steak and the lamb, I'd probably lean on the steak more.  The aroma was quite evident and the steak tasted great.  

It was probably one of the more pleasant surprises that I have had in quite some time.  Walking into a restaurant on a complete whim and coming out extremely happy with the service and with the overall quality of the food.  Based on my experience here at this Ravi Soup restaurant, I know for sure I would not hesitate to visit some of the other locations if I happened to be driving by.  If you haven't tried this place yet, certainly go in and give it a try.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.

Ravi Soups

2424 Dundas Street W
Toronto, Ontario

Phone number(416) 769-7284

Cibo Wine Bar

A very successful restaurant in the heart of downtown Toronto expanded and opened up a brand new restaurant in the heart of Toronto.  Cibo Wine Bar, which has successful roots in the core area of Toronto, opened up a new Italian restaurant in July across the street from the old Capitol Theatre.  We took advantage of a groupon ticket that they had posted which offered us lunch for two for $21.  Tips were not included in the coupon.

We made reservations to go last week and chose to go there on a Sunday afternoon.  The place was half full and had its patio opened up onto Yonge Street.  We were given our table right as we had made reservations for that morning.  Upon sitting down, the waitress gave us a mini tour of the place and gave us a heads up of all the foods that were available.

My first stop was off to the seafood station where they were serving sliced salmon and tuna sashimi mixed  with arugula salads. a touch of hot capers and peppers.  This was by far one of the most delicious meals of the day.  The fish was very fresh and each cup was mad with fresh gloves so that one does not contaminate one from the other.  The fish tasted amazing and the combination of the hot capers and arugula greens really brought out all the flavors to make it one of the most refreshing dishes ever.  I believe they also added a bit of lemon juice to really bring out all the flavors exponentially.

Tuna and Salmon mixed with Arugula Salad and Hot Capers

Next we went to the pasta station.  It didn't seem like much however what really impressed me the most was that the pasta was very pure and that the sauce was not just piled on.  The sauce itself was delicious and oily or greasy at all.  It made the pasta very light and enjoyable.  The pasta was all freshly made which made the dish even more enlightening to have.

      Pasta

Next I went for the Arugula salad itself.  This freshly made salad contained arugula greens, sweet cherry tomatoes and a touch of shaved parmigiano reggiano.  I also opted for some balsamic vinegar to bring it all out to the forefront.  The bacon I added on my own but as you can, this was one very delicious salad.  Everything about it was healthy including the bacon.  I actually had two of these salads as it too was refreshing and was a great compliment to the rest of the dishes.

 Arugula Salad

The fruit section contained some of the more exotic fruits in the world which included bright red sweet strawberries, passion fruit and dragon fruit.  The dragon fruit and strawberries were very sweet however the peaches and passion fruits were a bit sour.  I wasn't too sure if it had been a long time since I had either a peach or passion fruit but I certainly don't ever recall having either fruit so sour before.  It could have been just those two that we had, who knows, but we certainly did not have that problem with the dragon fruit.

Assorted Fruits

The meat section consisted of many sliced hams including prosciutto, capocollo and salsiccia calabrese   We also sprinkled some mushrooms, some cheese and some peppers to give it some color. One could pick and choose the meats they want as I believe there were about five different ones that were on display.  The meats were all thinly sliced but oddly, they weren't very salty at all.  I think these were the least saltiest pieces of meat I have ever had.  

Assorted meats

Last thing we tried that day was the Salmon Omelet.  I forgot to snap a picture of it however there was a Spinach Omelet sitting next to it and I ended up capturing that on my camera.  The omelet was delicious according to my wife.  The omelet was served straight from the heated grill which one could clearly observe while standing in line.  There was a huge lineup for them as everyone seemed to have wanted one.  It lwas rather big and after my wife had finished her omelet, she said she was pretty much done.  

Spinach Omelet

A lunch without dessert would have been a lunch that was not fully complete so one handmade fresh creole was ordered to satisfied the last bit of empty space we had in our stomachs.  The cream inside the creole was pretty good although I do have to admit it was not the most sweetest creole I have ever had.   A tiny bit more sugar would have helped.  Having been to Italy before and having eaten a true Italian creole before, one could tell that this one was just off the mark a little bit.  Still it was pretty good and it hit all the right spots.

Creole

It was still a great experience to have.  It was my first time in the new restaurant and they sure did not disappoint.  The staff was very courteous and we were very appreciative of the one waitress who spent a few minutes explaining everything that was being offered at the restaurant.  We had a great time and they even took a picture for us at the bar.  I would go again and for the money conscious people, there is a groupon coupon for a four people up on Groupon so go take advantage of it.  Overall, I give it a 4.5 out of 5.


Cibo Wine Bar
2472 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario

www.cibowinebar.com
416-925-0016