V2 Ramen Izakaya

Congratulations to the City of Scarborough for being named the best ethnic food city in the world.  With its vast and diverse population, the city contains quite an array of multicultural people and restaurants.  Speaking of which, I had passed by this one restaurant quite often on a weekly basis however it was just very recently that I finally stepped foot into the restaurant.

We actually got there on a Sunday morning and just happened to get there just as the doors were opening.  As we got in, we noticed that the chefs were already inside busy preparing their lunch menus.  With no one inside but us, we were given a nice corner booth to sit.  Their menus contained a large number of ramen dishes and izakaya appetizers.  It also contained a New Zealand Black Curry Stone Pot Dinner and as much as I was tempted to try, it was just too early in the day to indulge in such a big bowl of rice.  Instead I opted for the Pork Belly Ramen ($9.00) to be made in a pork bone soup base. 

Pork Belly Ramen in Pork Base Soup

The dish smelled delicious when it arrived at the table.  There were three large pieces of pork belly, one half of a soft-boiled egg, some onions, ramen and black fungus.  The pork belly was fatty yes but it was absolutely tasty.   The noodles were nice and stiff and the soup base was magnificent.  The only thing that was missing I thought was a little bit of corn.  Even though the absence of corn is only a very minor ingredient relative to the entire dish, most ramen places have a little corn in them to give it that extra bit of color and taste.  Since the pork belly was pretty heavy, a bit of corn to counter the fatty pieces of pork belly would have been good.  Having said that, it still very filling and the pork bone soup base made extra tasty.  My wife order a similar ramen however she went with the miso soup base instead. We both personally like the pork bone soup base more as it was way more tastier as the miso soup base was bland.

It was a great first time experience and the staff was ultra nice.  Had it been dinner or even a later lunch, I probably would have tried that black curry stone pot signature dish of theirs.  For sure, the next time I'm there I will give that dish a try.  There was plenty of parking outside and one could certainly go to Pacific Mall or Market Village after their meal.  Overall, I give it a  4 out of 5.

V2 Ramen Izakaya
4733 Steeles Avenue East
Scarborough, Ontario

416-293-5885

Ruelo Patisserie

Due to its popularity from overseas, high tea places are popping up all over the place here in Toronto.  Some of them are quite pricey and are out of reach for the average person however there are now some that are more reasonable and can be enjoyed by all.  One place that has opened up for a couple of years now is Ruelo Patisserie which is located in the eastern part of North York.  A few of my friends had been there recently and said it was pretty good.  I personally never fully enjoyed high tea as I always found this time of setting to be expensive and not very filling to the stomach.  However there was a Groupon coupon that we had purchased from a while back that even though it was expired, it was still being honored here at the restaurant so hearing that, I decided to give a try and see whether a newer setting will give me a different perspective on high tea restaurants.

From the exterior, one would have never ever guessed that a high tea restaurant had existed at this location. It was in a plaza that was probably more fitted for non-restaurant commercial use however as I have mentioned many times before, sometimes the best restaurants are the ones that are hidden or in the most oddest of places.  Upon entertaining the establishment, it was very modern, quite clean and did not have that certain royal elegance to it.  It was more like a fusion high tea place that was catered more for the modern times.  We had reservations and were given a seat by the window.  Since it was a set course, there was nothing to choose from except for the teas.  The clear glass window behind the cashier allowed one to give a glimpse to their expansive kitchen in the back which revealed a number of chefs making beautiful cakes and pastries.

Our tray arrived shortly after we sat down.  In the tray contained creme brulees, cheesecake, macarons, scones and mini shrimp and smoked salmon sandwiches.  There was a jar of sweet blueberry jam as well for the scones.  The blueberry jam I had to admit made a world of difference for the scones.  I'm not a big fan of dry bread to begin with but the jam was sweet and made it much more tastier for us to enjoy.  The chocolate croissant pastries ( I will say croissant even though they weren't) were also quite good.  The chocolate inside was sweet as well but not overwhelming.  The proportions were just perfect which made the scones quite enjoyable.  My wife who was with me absolutely loved the quiche that day as it hit all the right spots while my personal favorite was the grilled pepper wrapped by a thinly sliced prosciutto meat.

I actually had a pretty good time there.  The interior decor might not give you the impression of a royal British high tea place however it's not really their main specialty.  They make a lot of cakes in there including wedding cakes which was really where more of their business was centered on.  The tea selection was probably a little bit on the weaker side with some of the more high end teas not in existence at the restaurant. Still a nice hot cup of jasmine tea had satisfied me enough for the afternoon.  The cost was $27.50 for two with the Groupon coupon and $51.98 without.  If you like high tea and don't like all the fancy hats and dressing up and just want to go in and relax and lounge then this place is the place for you.  I would visit it again one day or go up to Richmond Hill and give their sister restaurant a try.  Overall I give it a 3.50 out of 5.

Ruelo Patisserie
463 McNicoll Avenue
North York, Ontario

416-486-1800

Oh Geul Boh Geul Korean Restaurant

North York is the home of many popular and authentic Korean restaurants that populate much of busy Yonge Street in north Toronto.  Although I had driven past many of them in the past, I admit it was a rarity for me to sit down and enjoy a nice relaxing meal in one of them.  Part of the problem was parking as looking for free parking along one of Toronto’s busiest streets could be quite the adventure.  If one didn't work in the area, more time would have been spent driving and looking for parking rather than sitting down and enjoying a  nice meal.  

However, the sun was shining and even though it was smack dab in the middle of lunch time, a friend and I ventured out to give OhGeui Boh Guel Korean Restaurant a try.  The restaurant has been there for quite some time and fortunately was one of very few restaurants along Yonge Street that had its own free parking lot in the back.  When we got there, we were equally fortunate to find the one and only parking spot that was left in their parking lot.  The restaurant has both a front and back door entrance.  Despite the fact that the restaurant was three-quarters full, we were able to get a nice booth seat right up at the front.  

Banchan Assortment Side dishes

Their menus contained special lunch, dinner and a la care menus that one could choose from.  There were quite a few of them to say the least and all of them appeared reasonably price. After having a good look at their menu for a few minutes, I decided to go with their DolSot BiBimBap ($7.95) which was basically vegetables, beef,  egg and rice that was baked in a very hot stone pot. 

Complimentary Green Onion Pancake

Prior to our main meal arriving, we were treated to a complimentary green onion pancake for starters.  The pancake was nicely fried and tasted pretty good however it was just a tad bit on the oily side.  The waitress also gave us 8 complimentary banchan assortment side dishes for us to munch on.  This included brocolli,  potatoes, sprouts, tofu and kimchi.  The funny part about it was that our main courses had already arrived by then and the banchan assortment sides came after we were already eating our main dishes.  Nonetheless, the sides were decent with the potato in some sort of spicy sauce as one of my favorites. 

DolSot BiBimBap

The DolSot BiBimBap was sizzling when it arrived at the table.  It smelled great and looked delicious.  It also came with a complimentary soup.  One could clearly see the egg, carrot slices, seaweed, bean sprouts, cucumbers, turnips and spinach in the pot.  The hot sauce came separately which was great as one could apply their own amount of spiciness to it.  After mixing the whole pot up, I had to admit it tasted pretty good.  All the ingredients complimented each other well.  The only problem I had was that it was just a tad bit dry overall.  The egg yolk wasn’t very creamy or liquidy and the heat of the hot stove pot really dried up the rice mixture rather quickly.    However having said that, the dish tasted amazing and with the addition of the complimentary side dishes and pancake, I felt I surely got a great deal for myr price.  Drinks were not included however hot tea was just perfect for this occasion.  It was a great preview for my trip to Korea in a couple months time.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.  

Oh Geui Boh Geul 

5320 Yonge St, 

Toronto, ON

416-733-3385

Kim Tao Hot Pot

Kim Tao Hot Pot restaurant is another restaurant I have not been to in a very long time and after suggestions from friends that I should have a look at the place after their most recent renovations, I said why the heck not and give the place a try again.  It had been almost three years since I had been there and the place did look a little bit different from the last time I was there. It seemed like they had better ventilation inside the restaurant, the place looked cleaner, and the newly renovated area in the back looked pretty spiffy.

They basically had two different types of selections to choose from, a beef selection and a seafood selection. The seafood cost about $2.00 more and one could get oysters, shrimps and mussels in addition to the beef selection menu.  There was crab and lobster as well on the menu but I believe that additional cost applied. One could also choose from a variety of soup bases with no extra cost and drinks were also part of the price.  The food came out fast and furious and one thing I really appreciated was that the food was all pretty fresh when it came out.  None of the food tasted stale and everything seemed to be well chilled and well presented.  They also had about 4-6 sauces that one could choose from to compliment one's meal.

I was told that the restaurant opened till 3 in the morning and that the place was always busy which was good because it meant that there was most likely a high turnover in their food allowing fresh food to be served to their customers all the time.  Some of the food I really enjoyed oddly enough was their spam, the squid and the shrimp.  The latter two because of its freshness and lack of mushiness to it.  The spam we believe was actually their own custom made spam but don't quote me on it. Whatever it was, it was pretty delicious, maybe a tad salty but very good tasting meat.

Service was pretty good throughout the evening although in the future it wouldn't hurt to have a bell that one could press for service. There were periods of time when a waiter or two could hardly be found for over 5 minutes.  Otherwise, even though it's hot pot and it's food that one cooks instead of the chefs, I do sense a vast improvement from the restaurant since the last time I was there 3 years ago.  The price per person was also reasonable at $18.99 per person for the beef menu and $20.99 for the seafood menu.  I certainly would go again in the very near future as it was a treat especially on a cold blustery winter night.  Overall I give it a 3.75 out of 5.

Kim Tao Hot Pot
10 E Wilmot St 
Richmond Hill, ON 

905-882-8877