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