Sassafraz

Sassafraz is one of the most well known restaurants in Toronto and not even a devastating fire back in 2006 could shut this place down.  The restaurant has been home to some of the most lavish parties and is a huge hangout place for many celebrities when they come to visit Toronto from out of town.  Their top of line menu and first class chefs make sure that all of their guests are well fed and that only amazing quality food is served at all times.

Prior to eating, the usual complimentary finger foods were being served by the waiters and waitresses.  There were so many of them that it was actually difficult to keep track of them all.  Needless to say, the food was exceptionally good and it sure did not disappoint.  In retrospect, it was actually good that they had served us a good handful of appetizers because the dinner meals, albeit good, took a while to arrive.  It was almost over an hour after the first soup had arrived before the entrees had begun rolling out.

Once we sat down, the first appetizer I decided to go with was their Ontario Asparagus and Potato Soup ($9.00).  I apologize again for the not so great looking pictures.  The room was very dimly lit and so taking pictures was extra hard that evening.  The soup was made to perfection where it was not too watery and not too thick.  Sometimes potato soups can come out extra thick and can be difficult to make and consume as a result.  However, the chef was spot on for this soup.  There were also some pancettas and cheddar added in the middle of the soup which added that extra bit of flavor that made this soup stand out.

Ontario Asparagus and Potato Soup

After a long while, the entrees began to roll out.  The first of two was the Soy Glazed Digby Scallops ($21.00).  Two rather large pieces of scallops, which were perfectly seared were added with some mini cauliflowers and immersed into a bowl of forbidden rice and dashi broth.  Personally,  I found the rice part to be just a tad bit salty.  I'm not too sure why that was.  The presentation however was very good with the dark rice contrasting very well with the scallops and the cauliflower.  There were also a couple pieces of samphire which were added to give some extra color as well.  The scallops were perfect in taste and in texture as it had that perfect bounce to them.

Soy Glazed Digby Scallops

My other main course that I had chosen that evening was the Ontario Beef Artisan Tenderloin ($37.00). Two pieces of 6 ounce striploin beef were carefully placed and surrounded with potatoes, asparagus and spicy collards.  Truthfully one could not taste the spiciness at all of the collards.  The beef was nicely marinated and had a nice flavor to it.  The only thing I found disappointing was that the meat was just a little bit overdone. My colleague sitting next to me had a perfect medium rare piece of meat while mine was actually closer to being well done.  Unfortunately that made the meat a little bit more chewier than I would have really liked. Otherwise the tenderloin was not bad at all.  

Ontario Beef Artisan Tenderloin

Last to arrive was the Milk Chocolate Mousse with some roasted candied almonds.  This was a perfect way to end off the evening.  The milk chocolate was actually not overly sweet.  It was soft, light, creamy and delicious and mixed with the almonds it really tasted pretty good.  There was also a touch of olive oil ganache added on the bottom of the plate but overall it was not a very thick or heavy dessert despite the amount of mousse that was presented on the plate.

Milk Chocolate Mousse

Overall, it was a good evening spent with great people at Sassafraz.  I understand that when there are about 50 people at this dinner, that making the food all at once would take time so hence the one hour wait from the soup to the entrees.  If the beef tenderloin was just made to my liking, it probably would have scored a pretty close to perfect score.  Oddly, none of the waiters despite being there all evening, ever asked whether my tenderloin was good or not.  Oh well, what can one do.  If one is in the downtown area, do visit one of Toronto's best.   The atmosphere is great and who knows, you might run into a celebrity or two.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.

Sassafraz
100 Cumberland Street
Toronto, Ontario

416 964 2222

Ding Tai Fung, Tamsui FIshballs, Ah Yeung Flour Rice Noodle House

Writing about my experiences in Taiwan was probably about as hard as it could ever get because there were so many amazing great traditional restaurants that it was impossible to go to them all.  While many of the restaurants had opened at the turn of the century, the ones we wanted to target were the ones that had been up and running for almost 50 years.  Some of these places I admit could have used a bit of cleaning, some of them were very cramped and some probably needed some renovations.  However, despite these blemishes all of these restaurants that we went to service amazing and delicious food. I won't dwell too long on each place. Some restaurants probably deserved more attention than others but truthfully one could never go wrong with any of these places. 

Din Tai Fung is probably the most well known place of them all.  The place is well known for its secret recipe dumplings that has people lined up almost by the hundreds when it's not even 10 o'clock in the morning yet.  We ourselves got there around 8:30 in the morning and there was already a dozen people in line.  Even though the restaurant doesn't officially open till nine, they actually flung the doors opened at 8:45 to allow the patrons to go in early.  The pork dumplings and crab dumplings were their signatures dishes and they sure did not disappoint.  Each dumpling was perfectly weighed so that all of them were equal in weight and size.  The dumplings were not oily and its light weight in one's mouth made one salivating for more after each one.  The waitress also educated us and showed us how to make the proper vinegar sauce so that one could get the ultimate experience with their dumplings.  The pork dumplings were my favorite with the crab dumplings a close second.  One could taste the crab however because it was so small, the crab taste was somewhat overwhelmed by the surrounding pork meat.  Still it was quite delicious but my favorite was still their original pork dumplings. One of the other items we had ordered that morning was a chicken broth soup and this was equally as good.  The broth might have been a tad more saltier to one's liking but it was absolutely delicious.  The tea believe it or not was also one very good.  Serving an oolong tea that had cooled, it was perfect fir for the dumplings on a hot sweaty morning.  It was one of the best breakfasts I have had in quite some time.  There are presently three different Din Tai Fung restaurants in Taipei however the original restaurant was where we had gone to. 

Pork Dumplings

Another place we went to was Tamsui which is located somewhere on the west side of New Taipei.  This place is well known for its famous fish balls.  Many celebrities had gone into this restaurant and have eaten fish ball after fish ball from this place.  It was rather inexpensive and they had thousands of fish balls ready to be consumed.  What made it very special was that each fish ball was stuffed with a small piece of pork which gave it that extra bit of juiciness to the fish ball.  The large pots can be seen from the street and each fish ball was freshly cooked before your eyes. I have never tasted fish balls like this before and to me it was what separated these guys from the rest of the field.  One thing to note, there is also a sponge cake restaurant (more like a stand) just a few hundred meters east of this place which had a couple dozen of people lined up for.  Unfortunately we were so full, we actually passed up on it however the locals said the sponge cakes are amazing because they are all freshly made so if you happen to be at this fish ball place, do go down the street afterwards and give that place a try and let me know how it is.

Tamsui Fish Ball House

Tamsui Fish Ball House

Another popular and famous restaurant that both the locals and tourists love to go to while in Taipei was the famous Ay Chung Flour Rice Noodle Restaurant.  Located in Ximen Ding, this restaurant serves fast, cheap and amazing tasting noodles.  The noodles are no ordinary noodles as the restaurant uses oyster vermicelli as their noodles.  It was the first time I had ever seen it being used this way. The noodles were thicker than the customary egg noodles and a very slippery texture to them.  The chef would then add a good quantity of pig intestines to the noodles which gave it the meat portion of it.  Sprinkling it with a touch of parsley leaves, adding a thick and tasty soup and voila their signature noodle was complete.  It was also very affordable, roughly about $3 Canadian per bowl and people were coming in droves.  The only bad part was that there were only about five chairs altogether.  The majority of the people were standing and walking with these delicious noodles but truthfully I didn't see one person complain about it the 50 or so odd people were all happily consuiming their noodles while standing in front of this place.  This restaurant only serves one item and one item only and has perfected it to last the last 50 years.

Oyster Vermicelli Large Pig Intestine Noodles

Ah Yeung Flour Rice Noodle House

Last but not least was the Duck and Traditional Goose Restaurant.  Don't let the name fool you as one will not find a single duck in this restaurant. Goose meat mimics duck meat in almost every way in that the skin and meat are almost very similar in texture however one with great taste buds and feel for food will find the goose meat to me a little bit more tougher while the duck meat would more absorbent and soft.  This Taipei restaurant is famous for serving for its goose meat and sliced goose kidneys.  The kidneys were okay although I found it to be a little dry and if you like drier meat, then goose meat is the way to go for you. There were also a couple of sauces that one could dip their meat in it to give the meat a more enhanced flavor. One could also order a brussels sprouts noodle soup for one to eat the meat with so that one is not just eating meat only.

Goose Meat

Brussels Sprout Noodle Soup

Goose kidney

There were so many great and wonderful restaurants in Taipei that had remained super popular after all these years and the great thing about them all, was that the prices were reasonable and affordable.  It was of course possible to stay in Taipei and eat some of the more fusion or modern day foods, however we wanted the ultimate cultural experience and head to those who have been around for quite some time.  They were not the most fanciest, some times not greatest of plating but it was the fact that they could create such an amazing meal with such simple ingredients. There were also a couple of beef noodle houses that one needs to go to which we had tried where once you've had these noodles, you will never find another better place for beef noodles. In Taipei, some of their beef noodle restaurants used a soup base that had been brewing for months on end from the juices of their beef and it was so rich and tasty that no MSG was ever needed to give it any flavor at all. Everything was natural and absolutely tasted out of this world. If you are in the Taipei area, do drop by some of these more older restaurants and really see why they have been up and running for the last 50 years with no signs of letting up. It was great experience and I can't wait to do it all over again.

Din Tai Fung
No 194 Second Section, Xinyi Road
Taipei 111-0021
+886 02-23218928

中正路232號 (Tamsui Fish Ball House)
Taipei, Taiwan 251
+886 02 2623 3579 

Ah Yeung Flour Rice Noodle House
No 8-1 Emei Street
Wanhua District, Taipei City
+886 02 2388 8808 

Duck and Traditional Goose Restaurant
No 2 Sec 2 Wuchang Street
Wanhua District, Taipei 108
+886 02 2371 3918
 

Wonjo Masan Agwi Jjim and Noryangjin Fish Market

There are so many wonderful restaurants in Seoul, South Korea, that it is impossible to go to them all.  While we were in Seoul, we researched and tried to go to the ones where all the locals and tourists would go to.  We would also try to find those that were hidden in back alleys and in some of the most obscure places.  While there however, we knew that the Korea was known for their huge abundance of fresh seafood.  Knowing that, we decided to head to one of the more well known seafood restaurants in Seoul and their fish market which as far as I know one of the largest in the world.  

Wonjo Masan Agwi Jjim

Wonjo Masan Agwi Jjim is one of the best well known restaurants for serving ganjang gejang.  They have huge posters on billboards, they are in almost every Korean guide book and many tourists and celebrities from all over the world have visited this one restaurant.  Ganjang Gejang is basically freshly caught crab that is marinated in sweet soy sauce, garlic, ginger, onions and peppers. Please note that none of these crabs are cooked so it might not be wised for the young ones to eat.  There are other side dishes that come with it but everyone is here for the crab.  When it came out, everyone at the table was salivating over it.  The bright orange roe mixed with the beautiful greenish colored tomalley would make any crab lover salivate.  When one first tastes it, it almost quite soup to begin with.  Table etiquette does get thrown right out the door but believe it's okay, everyone does it at the table.  The restaurant even offers you aprons and wet naps for you to wipe your hands and fingers afterwards.  The sweet taste of the crabs was absolutely amazing!!  It almost tasted like an enriched sweet wine had mixed itself with the crab and the fact that it was raw gave it a more slippery and intriguing texture to it.  It was one of the most amazing ways I have ever had crab before.  It is definitely a must try if you do visit Seoul.  

Ganjang Gejang

There was so much tomalley that it was unfathomable that there could be much more however there was.  Not all of it is in the Ganjang Gejang.  Some of it and the tomalley was scooped out and placed on top of some rice and with seaweed on its side and an egg yolk beside that, a nice side dish dinner evolved from it.  This was equally delicious when it was all mixed together.  The egg yolk provided a bit of thickness to the rice and the seaweed gave the tomalley even more flavor to the rice mixture.  It was very unique, very tasty and although it probably weighs one's stomach down even more, it was a great rice mix to have.

Ganjang Gejang with Rice, Egg and Seaweed

Another thing one must try is live nakji or live octopus tentacles.    People go nuts seeing these tentacles still trying to crawl itself out of the bowl as one was trying to consume it.  The tentacles weren't really mixed with any sauces as far as I could tell.  The best way to describe the taste is that it almost tasted like calamari except the tentacles were still raw and that they were moving in one's mouth.  There really wasn't any taste to it but just the fact that one had some squirming in one's mouth as one is trying to swallow gave it a very interesting experience.  

Live Nakji

We finished the evening at the restaurant with a seafood hot pot.  Although there was plenty of vegetables in the hot pot, there was certainly not a lack of seafood within it.  We were actually pretty with the amount of vegetables because eating so much seafood in one night, one had to find a balance with the vegetables.  The hot pot was a great complimentary soup dish to have.  It provided the right balance, it was delicious and there was a huge variety of vegetables within it.  Great to have and a great alternative if one does not wish to have rice for the evening. 

Seafood Hot Pot

 We also went with a grilled fish for my little one to have.  With all the raw seafood that was before us, we just played it safe and made sure we gave some cooked food for our daughter instead.  I don't really have any idea as to what type of fish it was.  It was pretty decent, tasting almost like a mackerel.  It was dry however the entire fish was nice grilled from the outside in.  There were a lot of small bones inside the fileted fish where one would still need to exercise caution while eating.

Grilled Fish

The fish market was massive.  If one has never been to Seoul before, one definitely has to check out their fish market.  It boasts over 200 fish booths who all sell pretty much the same thing.  How does one know which ones are good and have the best fresh fish in the market?  Without knowing the fish market well, I would advise people to go a booth that has long lineups in it.  Even if the booth next to it is selling the same thing and has nobody in line, go to the one that has lineups in them.  That way you know there is definite turnover in the seafood and that it hasn't been sitting there for a while. Also, locals know which ones are better and fresher so follow them and see where they go.  They can't be wrong. Once one has picked out you seafood, one can take it upstairs where chefs will cook it for you for a certain price for each item and give you a place to sit and eat.  

We found this one place and just went crazy with their seafood.  We got fish, sea urchin, sea pineapple (which I don't think is served in Canada), clams, scallops, mussels and abalone.  I was a tiny bit disappointed in the sea urchins as they lacked a little substance in them.  There were a few rocks and stones in them as well and one has to be careful not to get spiked as one is eating them as they were still served in its original shells.  
 

Sea Urchin

One of the things that I was highly interested in were the sea pineapples.  Since they are not served in Canada, it was my first time trying them and it did not disappoint.  The meat was very tender especially in the centre of the sea pineapple.  If one ate closer  to the ends, the meat was much more meatier and more difficult to eat.  It was delicious and almost tasted like a raw oyster.   

Sea Pineapple

The scallops were amazing to say the least and they were huge.  The one great thing about the fish market was that one could choose the size of the seafood one wants.  The scallops that we all got were all of the extra large kind.  We ate them nice and raw and they were so sweet and amazing.  These were definitely fresh from the ocean and what a huge delight they were.  Don't eat the whole thing however.  There is a small black sack that one may want to avoid when eating raw scallops. 

Raw Scallops

Last but not least were the abalone.  I'm usually not a huge fan of the rubbery texture and taste of this seafood, partly too because they come mostly out of a can in Canada however when eaten fresh, they are very soft, tender and tasty.  The chef also mixed a little sauce with them and cooked them just right so they weren't overly chewy.  

Abalone

Last but not least, we picked out some large prawns however the prawns themselves were grilled a little bit too long on that particular day.  As one can see from the photos, some of the prawns were blackened and unfortunately because they were grilled too long, the meat became a little chewy.  Still they were pretty delicious despite the apparent dryness in the shrimp.

Grilled Prawns

All in all it was an amazing experience to have in Seoul, South Korea.  The food was amazing to say the least and despite all the raw food that was served and eaten, no stomachs were harmed in the process.  I highly recommend the Ganjang Gejang as it is a staple there in Korea and one of the most sought out dishes while in South Korea.  If one is into seafood, then these are the places to be.  Both the restaurant and the fish market are the place to be.  Overall, I give it a 4.75 out of 5. 

  Wonjo Masan Agwi Jjim (Sinsa Subway Station)
원조마산아구찜
02-544-4304

Noryangjin Fish Market
688 Nodeul-ro, DOngjak-gu
+82 2-814-2211

Cloudland Chinese Cuisine

Hong Kong has so many restaurants that it's almost impossible to try all of them.  However, during my recent vacation over there, I wanted to know where all the Hong Kong locals and celebrities ate when they were there and one restaurant that stood out the most was Cloudland Chinese Cuisine.  Before entering the restaurant, one could see the huge collage of photographs posted on their wall of all the celebrities that had been through this establishment before us.  Boasted by their multi-award winning head chef Paul Wong, this restaurant could definitely belt out some of best dishes in the world.  We were fortunate to have friends who had friends who worked there who could get us in and give us a taste of one of Hong Kong's finest fusion restaurants.

We had reservations for the evening and despite the pouring rain outside that evening, the restaurant was quite packed even on a weeknight.  We handed control of the menu to our hosts who ordered everything for us since they had been to the restaurant many times before.

Strawberry Ribs

The first dish to arrive was the Fresh Strawberries on Ribs.  I'm not actually sure if these are the exact names but I will use them for now.  Truthfully, I've had strawberries before and I've had ribs before but never have I had the two together before.  The strawberries were fresh and sweet and the strawberry juice blended perfectly with the ribs.  The ribs themselves were nice and soft and the strawberries provided gave the ribs a different type of sweetness to them which was something I had never experienced before.  It was certainly fusion and something very different yet remained super tasty.

Assorted Appetizers

This next dish was mind blowing to say the least.  It was a plate full of their best appetizers that they usually reserve to all their high end guests and it sure did not disappoint.  How good was this dish?  Let us just say that I don't eat eggs and even I gave it a try and found the eggs on this appetizer dish to be quite delicious. What appealed to me the most was the meat wrapped vegetable sprinkled with some garlic sauce appetizer. The garlic on top made it extra juicy while the meat was nice and thin and had a great taste to it. The fresh yams with sesame dressing on top were also very tasty and tender as it came with its own sauce to dip it in. Truthfully, everything was nice and yummy on this plate and a definite crowd pleaser for the evening.

Signature Lamb Chops

One of my favorite dishes of the evening had to be their Signature Lamb Chops.  Their lamb chops were beautifully made and wrapped with a piece of tin foil so that one's hands would not get greasy.  There was also a complimentary curry dip sauce (see below) that one could also dip the lamb chops in for more flavor if one so wish to have.  What I really love the most was how tender the meat was and how they somehow got rid of that lamb taste and smell. Some people actually don't eat lamb because of it but on that evening, one could hardly taste it at all.  It was also neat how that had all the pieces were placed in a large bread bowl which had their own logo ironed on the outside of the bread.  Each bite was juicy and the meat literally fell off the bone.  It was definitely one of my favorite dishes for the evening and one of the definite must haves when you go to this restaurant.

Curry Pig Bone

The Curry Pig Bone Sauce was quite the fascinating dish to have.  I thought the curry would be of a normal curry kind that I have had a thousand times before but this was one that had much more flavor to it. The fact that the pig bone meat was well diced and that there were red peppers inside the curry really spiced this dish up quite a bit.  It actually was great for dipping the and blended well with their signature lamb chops.

Steamed Freshwater Prawns With Egg Whites

Another egg dish that was served to us that evening was the Steamed Freshwater Prawns with Egg Whites and again even though I don't eat eggs, this was by far one of the best dishes I have ever had.  The dish was very smooth and it was glistening as it was placed on the table.  The prawns were all large, juicy and tender. What amazed me the most was how smooth the entire dish was.  If all of my eggs were prepared this way, i would eggs everyday.  I would certainly highly recommend people give this dish a try if one is at this restaurant.

Fried Rice with Dried Scallops and Prawns

We did not order any white rice but instead went with one of their other fine dishes in the Fried Rice with Dried Scallops and Prawns.  The entire rice dish was wrapped with lotus leaves and carefully baked and when it was complete it looked amazing.  The seafood was plentiful but it did not need to be because the rice itself was equally amazing.  There was a certain aroma to it which made it mouth watery and it was certainly filling and filled up five hungry stomachs.  It was a great alternative to just a simple bowl of white rice that one could have had.

Snow Pear Fruit Soup

Finally, the night would not be finished without a couple of amazing desserts. We either had a bowl of the Snow Pear Fruit Soup or the 30 year old Citric Red Bean Soup.  Either way, there was no way one could go wrong. The pear soup was very, very sweet while the red bean soup had a special tingle to it.  Both were equally fantastic and both were a great way to end off the evening.  

30 Year Old Citric Red Bean Soup

Overall it was a fantastic night.  The food was absolutely amazing as we now know why so many celebrities come here to eat.  The chef also came out, sat down and introduced himself to us.  He explained to us that the reason why many of his foods tasted so different was that he always got the best ingredients in the world no matter what the cost was and that no corners would be cut.  Even if the ingredients were from a far away land, he would somehow find a way to bring it to his restaurant.  None of the food we ate that evening was super salty and despite the fact that his food had so much flavor to them, very little to no MSG was ever used in his foods which to me sounded was super amazing. This claim was also repeated and supported by his assistants and staff.  Paul was super nice and his entire staff was always by our side.  We felt welcomed and we were certainly very please and very full after the meals.  After this meal, it was very easy to see why he had won so many awards. Overall, I give it an easy 5 out of 5.

1/F, Wah Fung Building, 17-23 Minden Avenue,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong


2722 0156