Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

After a long day’s work, we were treated to dinner on the penthouse floor of the Sheraton Hotel located in the heart of Downtown Toronto.  The restaurant overlooks City Hall and the north part of Toronto and produces quite a spectacular view. 

It was a set menu tonight where there was a soup, salad, chicken and dessert served for the evening.  The waiters brought us towards a slightly more private area where it was a little bit more secluded.  There was a mini bar at the entrance and they had about three tables set up for us. 

Within 5 minutes of sitting down, they brought down the soup of the day. Mind you I really didn’t get the name of the soup however it was almost a like a butternut squash mixed with tomato soup.  Whatever was in it, it was damn good.  The texture was a little bit creamy and the flavor was magnificent.  If I actually get the name of this soup I will certainly update it on any future blogs.  A gourmet salad was also served shortly after the soup was served which contained most of your daily salad vegetables.

Soup

Next served was the chicken.  It was a simple chicken served with asparagus, carrots and potatoes.  The chicken was thick and dry but it came with its own sauce.  The sauce was like a gravy like sauce and it helped put a little moisture in the chicken.  Personally I like my chicken meat to be a little bit juicy.  It was just a tad bland and dry for me.

Chicken

Last was the dessert and again I believe this was Apple Crumble Pie.  If indeed it was then it was not bad at all.  The apple pie was sweet flavor and contained nice sized chunks in the middle.  The pastry was crusty and nicely burnt on the top. This plus the soup was by far the best thing on the menu tonight. 

Apple Crumble Pie

Overall it was a decent meal.  It was simple and tasty for the most part.  The only thing I didn’t like was the chicken being a little too dry and thick.  It didn’t allow the flavor or the sauce to get right into the meat.  I like my meats juicy and this one missed the mark a little bit.  Otherwise it was decent.  The staff took good care of us.  Overall I give it a 3.25 out of 5. 

Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

123 Queen Street West

Toronto Ontario

416 361 1000

 

Moxie's Bar and Grill

I never really had brunch over at Moxie's Bar and Grill before.  I've had many dinners there and although the place is literally a stone's throw away from my workplace, it was a place that I hadn't been to in quite some time.  Having said that, I still decided to head east over to the Scarborough Town Centre location to have brunch over there instead.

We got there shortly after it had opened and we were quite surprised that it was quite busy.  We were however able to get a seat right away and with a little one in tow, we were also given crayons, some paper for the little one to draw on and a booster.

Having not been here for quite some time, it took a little while to figure out what we wanted but in the end I went with the Double Stacked Turkey Club sandwich while my wife got the Scallop and Crab Cake Benedict.  Despite being a more upscale restaurant, they still serve kid's menu and the little one ended up with a Kid's Penne.

The turkey club sandwich came with lightly toasted wheat bread.  It also had some mayonnaise, lettuce, bacon and of course turkey.  I also went with some fries as a side dish to the main course.  The sandwich was a tad bit chewy by the time I had sunk my teeth into it however it was still acceptable.  The problem with slightly toasted sandwiches is that if it you wait a tad too long to serve, the bread becomes chewy as was the case here.  There wasn't anything spectacular otherwise.

Double Stacked Turkey Club

The Scallop and Crab Cake benedict was surprisingly very good. I really didn't know what to expect but one bite into it and one can instantly taste the crab and scallop inside the cake.  The seafood was mashed up pretty good and it was very "seafood" tasting like.  With zero expectations to this particular dish, I have to admit it was surprisingly pretty good and something that I would definitely try once again.

Scallop and Crab Cake Benedict

Not knowing what to get for the little one since she is only 18 months old, we went with the Kid's Penne.  Although she did not really like the cheesy taste to the pasta, it certainly wasn't anything out of the ordinary.  In fact it was delicious.  The meal also came with some chocolate syrup vanilla ice cream and that was quite yummy to the tummy.  It's too bad my daughter doesn't know how to enjoy good food just yet because my wife and I ate all of the dessert.

Overall it was a good experience.  Staff was very courteous and checked on us every ten minutes.  The food was a little bit more pricier than what the previous Moxies use to have but still reasonable somewhat.  The Benedict was certainly something that gave the overall experience a few extra marks. Altogether I would give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Moxie's Bar and Grill
300 Borough Drive  Scarborough, ON M1P 4P5

(416) 296-8803

Kim Po Vietnamese Restaurant

The other evening I went over to Kim Po Vietnamese Restaurant to have dinner over there.  This restaurant is located near the GO Train Milliken Station just at the border of Markham and Scarborough.  It is a rather small Vietnamese restaurant that is served in an isolated house across the street from Pacific Mall. 

The restaurant itself has about 10 tables.  The four of us were given a menu with multiple Phos and rice dishes.  They also had a variety of specialty dishes that one can order and share.  I went with the beef and tendon pho while the four of us decided to share a Shrimp Green Bean Cake. 

Beef and Tendon Pho

The pho noodle was decent and was comparable to the other phos I have had at other Vietnamese places.  The soup base was good and all the meat was well cooked in the soup. 

Shrimp Green Bean Cake

The special Shrimp Green Bean Cake was however a little disappointing.  It looks like a shrimp stuck in a muffin and unfortunately that was about as good as it got.  The entire dish was very dry and although one can smell the shrimp, there was absolutely no taste of it in the cake.  Having said that, one could not even taste the green bean either. This was by far the blandest food I have ever tasted.  I only took one bite into the shrimp cake and put the rest down.  It was not good at all. 

Overall, if I had ordered just the pho, it would be a fairly decent place to go to.  The specialty dish unfortunately was not special at all. The place is isolated from the nearby Chinese malls although one can eat there and walk to any one of the 3 major Chinese malls nearby.  If you isolate the pho, I would have given it a 3.5 out of 5.  With the shrimp cake,  I would not go over 2.5 out of 5. 

Kim Po Vietnamese Restaurant

550 Hwy 7 E
Unit 6162A
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

905) 763-8338

Makkal Chon

The other day we had a chance to check out a Korean restaurant for lunch.  We went to Makkal Chon which is located in the central Scarborough.  We were there shortly before twelve and were basically the only ones there but when the clock struck twelve the entire restaurant was pretty much filled up.  Since I had not been there before, we brought a friend along who helped us with the menu.  We went with a beef wrap, a chicken cutlet and spicy soft tofu stew. 

As we waited we were given a 7 course appetizer.  The waiter came along and placed them in an interesting pattern.  Presentation means a lot to this restaurant so it was something that the waiter definitely took his time in doing.  The chopsticks were also silver metallic and wrapped in paper. 

Appetizers

Chicken Cutlet

All our dishes arrived at the same time.  The spicy tofu stew was spicy but very tasty.  For those who are worried that it is too spicy, one can always let the waiter know to cut back on the spiciness.  The soup had plenty of tofu bits and was presented in a special hot pot. 

The chicken cutlet was surprisingly very good.  The chicken was nicely breaded and there was worcestershire sauce on top of it.  There was a bowl of Korean black rice and cole slaw that came with it as well.  The chicken meat was nice and soft and it sure did not taste fatty at all.  The salad was fresh and provided the "moisture" to an otherwise "dry" dish. 

Beef Wrap

Spicy Soft Tofu Stew

The beef wrap was very good to say the least.  It came with a plate of lettuce leaves of many different types.  The beef itself was simmering in a separate bowl.  A dish of fermented bean curd was provided as sauce.  I have never had this combination before where bean curd meets beef but it was great!! I made a few of them that day as it was something very unique and tasty for me.  I would recommend this for anyone trying this for the first time.

Overall, it was a great place to be.  Again I find many of these wonderful restaurants in some of the most obscure places.  Although it is a strip plaza that I would drive by on a weekly basis, I would never have guessed that there was such a wonderful restaurant here.  The total bill was about twelve dollars per person and it was worth it!  I had a a great time and would give this a 4.5 out of 5.

Makkal Chon
1979 Lawrence Ave E
Toronto ON

(416) 757-3945

Ruth's Chris Steak House

I have been re-visiting many of the restaurants that I had previously posted which is why I have not posted any new restaurants recently.  However as a flashback, I had previously gone to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse which is located in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Here they boast some of the best prime steaks in the city.  We decided to order two large pieces of medium rare prime steaks.  We also got a coupon from one of their postings in red flag deals where you can get X number of dollars off for ordering 2 pieces of steak.

Prime Rib

Butternut Squash

Within fifteen minutes of ordering, out came two large sizzling pieces of prime rib steak.  They had us hold onto our napkins to cover ourselves from the splashing steak oil.  The steak were huge and it appeared the chef simply just sprinkled some black pepper on it.

I was skeptical as to whether one can get such a big piece of meat into the medium rare category but one cut in and it was picture perfect.  The taste was excellent even though the chef did not appear to have done a whole lot to it.  The meat was soft and juicy and it was equivalent to a medium rare steak.

We also ordered a butternut squash soup on the side.  It too was delicious and it was a good way to wash down the prime rib.  It was mildly creamy but not too thick at all.

When it was all said and done we were completely full.  How could one not be?  Certainly at regular price it is difficult to come on a regular basis but if you have good surfing abilities, you can always search online at Groupons or Red Flag Deals to get a deal or two to this place.  I highly recommend this place to any meat lovers out there.  I give it a 4.25  out of 5. 

Ruth's Chris Steak House
145 Richmond Street West
Toronto Ontario

416 955-1455

Blue Ocean Cafe

First of all, I would like to give out a special thank you to all of my readers who have followed my blog religiously.  It has been exactly a year since this blog went up and with over 6500 hits I think this has been a success.  Oddly based on the tracking information, readers from all around the world have hit my site and not just those from North America. 

Moving forward, I will continue to try to hit as many different restaurants in the Toronto and GTA area.  There are so many of them and although I am finding myself going back to some of my favorite old ones, with the presence of this blog, I am eager to try something new every week.

This past weekend I had a chance to go to Blue Ocean Cafe which is another one of these Chinese Hong Kong Style Tea cafés. This place was recently renovated and underwent an ownership and name change.  Although I had been to the previous place numerous times, this was actually the first time I have been back to this place since it undergone its changes. 

Hainan Chicken

The interior has been completely revamped.  The new silver sleek walls and blue interior paint really does give you that “blue ocean” feel.  They have a television that advertises many of their specialty dishes.  Today I decided to go with the Hainan Chicken and Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. 

All of the dishes arrived fairly quickly.  The Hainan Chicken had about 8 pieces, 2 pieces of cucumber and the equivalent of one bowl of rice with what appeared to be dried almonds laid out on top.  The chicken also came with its ginger sauce and red pepper vinaigrette sauce.  The chicken was juicy and the skin of the chicken was smooth as silk.  In comparison to Phoenix Restaurant, another place where I had this meal, this chicken was equally if not better than Phoenix.  As well, just those few extra pieces of dried almond flakes enlightened an otherwise bland white rice.  Overall the meal was very good and I was quite please with this dish. 

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

The other dish was the spaghetti and meat sauce dish.  It looked quite simple yet it too was surprisingly good.  It did not have that heavy grease feeling to it, it did not require any parmesan cheese and the spaghetti was perfectly cooked.  I have absolutely not complaints with this dish. 

Overall it was a good beginning.  With a HK style iced tea, this was almost the perfect lunch to have.  Located in Mong Kok shopping plaza in the corner of Highway 7 and Kennedy Road, this place is an excellent place to have breakfast, lunch or a quick dinner.  Price wise, it was about the equivalent of any other HK style cafes.  I give this place a 4.5 out of 5. 

Blue Ocean Café

8392 Kennedy Road

Markham Ontario


905-604-5200

McDonald's New Cashew Teriyaki Salad

Yes many are wondering why there is a McDonald’s listing here.  Well today for the very first time, I went out and tried a McDonald’s salad, more namely the New Cashew Teriyaki Salad.  If it wasn’t for the coupons I wouldn’t even have known about it but I only went because of the $2.00 off coupon. 

For those who know me, I have eaten a lot of McDonald’s in my days but I have always stuck with the standard meals.  I decided to go with something different today just to see what all the big fuss was about. 

The salad without the coupon is $6.99.  The cashews came in a separate pouch as did the Asian Sesame Sauce.  The salad consisted of red and romaine leaf lettuce, tomatoes, edamame, carrot strips, red onions and peppers.  You also had the choice of either grilled or crispy teriyaki chicken.  I went with the grilled chicken today. 

Cashew Teriyaki Salad

I have to admit that there was quite a rush when taking my first bite into a McDonald’s salad.  Since I never really had a McDonald’s salad before, I really didn’t know what to expect.  After a couple of bites, I soon realized that this was very similar to Subway’s Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich. To me it was completely identical except for the cashews as it gave it just that extra flavor and difference in texture.  It was quite juicy and the vegetables were indeed all quite fresh.  The sauce was mostly vinaigrette and gave the salad just that extra bit of zing to it. 

I was thoroughly amazed actually at the quality of the salad.  However after completing my salad, my only wish was that there was more.  If there were just a bit more vegetables, then it would have been a perfect lunch.  Still it was certainly not a bad tasting salad at all.  Overall, I would give it a 4.25 out of 5.