Captain's Boil

Captain's Boil opened up about 5 months ago but a few nights ago was the first time I had a chance to venture into the restaurant.  The restaurant is located in the heart of North York on Toronto's most popular and Canada's longest street Yonge Street and located just south of Finch Avenue.  The restaurant specializes in seafood served in some of the most amazing sauces imagined.  From cajun sauce, lemon pepper sauce, garlic sauce to their signature Captain's Boil sauce, each one of those sauces can also be topped off anywhere from mild to super spicy to the liking of the eaters that evening.

We made reservations for the evening however in order to do so, they need a minimum party of eight and that every member must be present to be allowed into their restaurant.  The rules are strict and there are no exemptions.  Failure to do so will mean forfeiture of your table.  Punctuality is a must and there is about a 2 hour eating limit.  Prior to placing our order, the waiter explained to us that lobster was about $36 a pound, the crab was about $23 per pound and the crawfish was about $16 per pound for the evening.  We ordered a little bit of everything and tried every sauce possible to get the full experience of Captain's Boil.

First thing hitting our table was the Mussels mixed with Garlic Sauce.  Before I go any further, one must know that most of their food is served in plastic bags.  They provide gloves and bibs for you to eat and you will need it because it will get super messy.  The seafood was all marinated thoroughly inside these plastic bags according to the sauce that you had ordered.  We went with the garlic sauce with the mussels and believe me when I say they didn't hold back on the ingredients.   There was a ton of garlic inside the bag and the mussels themselves were pretty big as well.  Each mussel was caked with garlic and every mussel was steaming hot.  Everything tasted wonderful and the combination of the garlic and the mussels were absolutely perfect match.

Mussels with Garlic Sauce

The next one to hit the table was the Crawfish with Mild Captain's Boil Sauce.  The sauce was delicious but the crawfish had a slightly bitter taste within it.  I haven't had crawfish for quite some time but I remembered the taste could be a little funky with or without any sauces.  It was either a hit or miss with each one.  Some of the crawfish tasted fine, some were a little bitter.  If I had to do a redo, I might have gone with a cajun spicy sauce to try to repel some of that funky taste or just skip the crawfish altogether.

Crawfish with Captain's Boil Sauce

The Fish Teriyaki with Rice was next and they were one of two dishes that we had ordered that was not served inside a plastic bag.  For the non-spicy loving people, this dish was for you.  The fish was nicely cooked and the rice was moist and tasty.  I actually enjoyed the rice as there were also some green onions and corn inside the rice to give it that extra flavor.  A hidden secret but the rice tasted even better if you mix the rice with some of their Captain's Boil sauce because when you do so, the entire dish actually comes to life even more.  Try it next time if you haven't done so the  next time you are at this restaurant. 

Fish Teriyaki with Rice

The clams were also eaten with their signature Captain's Boil sauce.  It was a good thing that the seafood was mixed inside a bag because without it, the clams would not have been completely marinated.  The clams themselves were tiny so having them inside the bag really made sure that every clam was drenched in its sauce.  We also had the sausage tossed in there with the clams as well.  The sausage themselves tasted a little cheesy which led me to believe that there were stuff with a little bit of cheese inside them as well.  Not sure if that was the case or whether it too had just absorbed large amounts of Captain Boil's sauce but it was the sausages were saturated with taste.

Sausage and Clams with Captain's Boil Sauce

The other non seafood dish we ordered that evening was the Chicken Tender with Fries.  This dish was actually more for the kids as they really can't dig spicy foods.  However, it looked really tasty and it came with about four rather large pieces of chicken tender so a couple of us actually tried the chicken as well.  The breaded part was nice and crispy and the meat inside was well cooked and tender.  The fries were a tiny bit spicy although one could also request it to be made without the cajun sauce if one really wants non-spicy fries to go with their chicken tenders.  

The last two dishes were my favorites for the evening.  We ordered two different types of shrimp.  The first one was the Shrimp mixed with Cajun Sauce while the second bag was Shrimp mixed with Lemon Pepper Sauce.  Both were equally good. The Lemon Pepper was more pure and less gunky while the shrimp that was mixed with cajun sauce was much more savory in its taste.  I enjoyed both of them and the shrimp themselves were medium in size.  You really couldn't go wrong with either ingredient.  

Shrimp in Cajun Sauce

The last dish to arrive and the best dish of the evening in my mind was the Crab mixed with Captain's Boil Sauce.  This dish was fantastic in that by doing it the way they did it, the entire crab was perfectly steam and had sauce covered in every nook and cranny of the crab.  For those who love to eat tomalley, they actually even took the time to remove the membrane and tomalley part under the crab head shell for you, have the that entire part cooked and marinated and have the entire portion served inside the crab head.  I love eating that part of the crab, more so than the arms and legs as it was incredible.  Kudos to the boys and girls in the back for getting that part right. 

Crab mixed with Captain Boil Sauce

Overall, it was a fantastic night with fantastic food eating with fantastic people.  The table next to us ordered a king size crab and I can tell you it was absolutely huge.  For that dish, I didn't see it being served in plastic bags although they would have needed garbage bags to get the entire legs marinated.  Despite being on Yonge street, sneak into the 24 hour Metro store to get two hours of free parking. Everything tasted great and a head's up, the cajun sauce is super spicy so watch out.  All of the seafood tasted great with the exception of the crawfish.  As mentioned it was a hit or miss.  If you were to avoid one seafood, that would have been the one.  We didn't go with the lobster as we thought $36 a pound was a bit much plus we had plenty of other seafood to go around.  We will certainly go again in the near future.  Overall I give it a 4.25 out of 5. 

Captain's Boil
5331 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario

647-348-7808

Sansotei Ramen

A brand new plaza opened up very recently in the newly developed downtown Markham area and up popped up a Sansotei Restaurant which specializes in hand made rice noodles with very tasty additions and ingredients in every bowl of noodles one orders.  Their sister restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Toronto and I have had the chance to have been there a few times and have loved every minute of it.  People who know and have been to the downtown location know how busy that restaurant was and how crazy lineups were.  Unfortunately, even though this place just opened recently, this restaurant was humming with people lined up outside the door at five-o-clock on a weekend evening.  After about a twenty minute wait, we were finally crammed into the back somewhere where three of my friends and I finally sat down a table.

With so many great noodles to choose from, many of my friends and I each finally settled on their Tonkotsu Black ($9.45) while others took up the Tomato Seafood ($9.45). I also decided get a side order of Spicy Slow Cooked Chicken Wings ($6.00) to feed our empty stomachs.

The chicken wings themselves appeared to have been marinated with sweet soya sauce and then once the wings were fully cooked, they were sprinkled with chili oil.  The wings themselves were rather of the small variety and each wing was spicy, but not overly spicy.  There were five of them served in a wooden bowl. 

Spicy Slow Cooked Chicken Wings

The Black Tonkotsu arrived and it looked wild.  The black pepper sauce mixed with the green onions and pork belly soup made this dish look radical.  There was also one soft bowl egg, some corn, thick noodles and several pieces of pork belly in the bowl.  Of note, one gets to choose between thin, thick or vermicelli as their choice for noodles.  The entire bowl tasted absolutely amazing.  The pork belly was half lean and half fat and had plenty of taste to it.  The pork belly soup base really brought out the entire pork taste to this dish. Unlike its sister restaurant in the downtown area, the pork and pork belly soup base was not overwhelming and not as salty.  This time around it was just absolutely perfect.  Everything tasted just about right!!

Black Tonkotsu

The Tomato Seafood combination also tasted pretty good from all accounts.  Although not as wild looking as the Black Tonkotsu, the Tomato Seafood I was told was equally tasty.  I mainly tried the soup base and found it to be very strong and condense with the sense tomato truly captured within the base itself.  It was certainly not watered down and one could also sense a bit of seafood in it.  There was also a small piece of scallop and I believe there was also some corn in the bottom of the bowl. 

Overall, it was a wonderful experience and for sure I would go back for round 2 and round 3.  The noodles were fantastic, service was fast, and as I looked up, the lineup never seemed to have wanted to end.  If you really love ramen, then this is definitely one of the better stops in Markham.  Overall, I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Sansotei Ramen
3987 Highway 7
Markham, Ontario

905-604-7118

Primary Taste Yunnan Rice Noodle

On a cold winter night and unsure of where to go to get some nice warm comfort food, one should look no further than Primary Taste Yunnan Rice Noodle Restaurant located in North York.  The restaurant has been in existence for quite some time and focuses on a few of their signature rice noodle dishes.  It was like minus 20 degrees outside and my friend and I were in high demand for some good old fashion hot rice noodles.  Looking at their menu, they had about 10 bowls of rice noodles and about a dozen appetizers as well.  I decided to go with the Tomato Sauce Rice Noodle with Specialized Meatballs while my friend went with the Spicy Sauce Rice Noodles with Seafood.  We also ordered a side dish of Vinegar Peanuts as an appetizer to share.

The Vinegar Peanuts ($3.99) were the first to arrive and there were certainly plenty of peanuts on the plate.  Despite the price, the peanuts were carefully roasted and marinated with onions and a sweet vinegar sauce.  I love peanuts and have never had it in this manner before so this was quite delightful and a pretty good appetizer to have.  The price might have been a little steep but if you love peanuts then this was well worth the price. 

Peanuts with Vinegar

My friend's spicy rice noodle bowl looked very delightful to have.  The soup base was red with spiciness and there were 2 rather large pieces of shrimp within it  There were also some mussels as well to give it that seafood manner.  There were ten extra small bowls of condiments that one could add to the rice noodle bowl and the noodles themselves came in a separate bowl.  There were also 2 extra raw pieces of pork that came with the condiment tray.  The soup was still boiling as it was still bubbling when served.  Since her dish was same as mine, I only gave the soup base a try.  It was spicy, tasted pretty good but not as spicy as one would think. 

Spicy Sauce Rice Noodles with Seafood

The Tomato Sauce Rice Noodle with Specialized Meatballs looked great.  Just like my friend's noodle bowl, the noodles and raw meat came separate from the bowl of meatballs.  The noodles and the raw pork were as is but what made this bowl so interesting were their "specialized" meatballs.  Each meatball was not the regular meatball  but instead each one were individually stuffed with a mixture of what I believe to be a green onion/pork stuffing.  It actually made the meatball taste better however for a couple of them (the white ones), it made the meatball more oily and starchy like.  The soup base was meat base but lacked the really strong flavor that would make it a standout. I actually like my friend's spicy soup base as there was flavor and zest to it 

Tomato Sauce Rice Noodle with Specialized Meatballs

Still it was a pretty decent meal and on a cold winter night, this was certainly good noodles to have.  The extra condiments and their do it yourself style of creating your own hot rice noodle bowl certainly made it more enjoyable although as mention I wished a couple of the meatballs tasted better and that there was more flavor to my soup base.  Still I would go back again as the place was packed on this cold weeknight.  Overall I give a 3.75 out of 5.

Primary Taste Yunnan Rice Noodle
109 Ravel Road,
North York, Ontario

416-499-3836

Mizuki Sushi

Food for Thought went on hiatus for a couple of weeks due to a very busy schedule however now that things have settled down, we are back at it, exploring the many restaurants in the Toronto and Greater Toronto area.  Japanese was squarely on our minds so doing a quick drive through in the North York area, we spotted Mizuki Sushi hidden in the corner of a plaza.  We drove in and were pretty quick to find a parking spot.  Even though it was lunch hour, we were able to find seats readily available without any reservations needed.

I scanned the menu and because I was looking to try something that it had a little bit of sushi and curry, I ordered the Red Curry Chicken and California Roll ($8.95) while my friend decided to order the Dynamite and Avocado Roll. ($8.95). Our dishes arrived within 15 minutes after ordering.  For starters, although the chicken was crispy on the outside, the meat inside was pretty dry and had very little taste to it.  It was very difficult to describe the quality of the red curry as it was sour and didn't taste like curry at all.  It was almost as if they had added some sort of vinegar to it.  Instead of adding flavor to the curry, it actually almost inedible.

Red Curry Chicken and California Roll

The dynamite and avocado rolls were well interesting to say the least.  Hard to describe it but the the rice was mushy and the sushi was cold.  The avocado, although green and and appearing fresh, was probably the only thing that tasted good.  The shrimp was cold and was poorly fried.  My friend only ate about 4-5 pieces and was done with the dish.

Dynamite and Avocado Roll

Overall, maybe not the best sushi place that we had been to .  Their curry had a funky taste to it, their sushi was not cold and mushy and was hard to eat.  I only was able to consume half the chicken and rice before it to rest.  I hate wasting food but it was just difficult to consume.  I'm not too sure about their dinner menu however on paper it looks better than their lunch menu.  Personally it would be difficult to have a return visit at this restaurant.  Overall I give it a 2 out of 5.

Mizuki Sushi
3555 Don Mills Road Unit 5
North York, Ontario

416-492-8880

Lucullus Bakery

It is rare that I would walk into a bakery restaurant and give a report about them but Lucullus Bakery opened a new restaurant in Markham area and with its splendid decor and a above par experience, I figured I give them a good write up as a result.

Known for their famous butter pineapple buns and reasonably priced pork rib rice dinner at their other locations, this Lucullus Bakery just recently opened in the Birchmount Road and Enterprise Road area which is in the heart of downtown Markham.

When we went in, the place looked huge and the interior decor looked splendid.  It looked much bigger than the other 2 locations and had a sense of British grande to it.  We got there on a Sunday morning around 11 and there seemed like there was no one around.  Only about two tables were occupied and we thought that it was probably a new establishment and required time for it to build up.  After we ordered, approximately 10 minutes after we had sat down, about 15 people came in and pretty much ordered everything off the menu. The place was bustling.

Bo Lo Bao (Pineapple Bun)

I ordered their famous fresh from the oven pineapple bun.  What is making this bun so famous is that they add a slice of butter to the inside of the pineapple bun, re heat the bun so that it melts perfectly inside the bun while maintaining the crunchiness on top of the bun and serve the bun nice and hot to the customers.  The bun would not taste as good if it was taken home so it has to be eaten on the spot.

The butter they used I have to admit is not quite as good as the ones that they use in Hong Kong. I'm not really too sure what type of butter they use over there but honestly I have yet to find a bakery that serves the perfect pineapple butter bun that tastes as good as the ones in Hong Kong.

Overall it was still a great experience.  We did feel a little rushed when the crowd rolled in as it just got super busy all of a sudden.  Many of them ordered the pork rib and curry dinners that was on the menu.  I have had them before and when served hot, they are a delightful meal to have.  If you have yet to visit a Lucullus Bakery, then go find one and do so.  You could be pleasantly surprised.  Overall I give it a 3.75 out of 5.

Lucullus Bakery
8110 Birchmount Road
Markham, Ontario

Chloe's Garden Restaurant

One could argue that there are so many "Cha-Cha Tengs" in Toronto and its surrounding areas that another one is just one and the same.  It would have to have a significant wow factor to lure customers, otherwise it is just another one of these types of restaurant.  We always knew that there was one of these types of restaurants in downtown Markham however it was only very recently that we had a chance to go visit it.  The restaurant is tucked in the back and can't really been seen on the main streets but people who are familiar with the neighborhood will know where it is.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

I ordered a popular dish in the Hainanese Chicken Rice where I could compare this restaurant's quality with its competitors.  When the dish arrived, the rice itself was of the ordinary type however the chicken was very smooth however there was plenty of fat within the skin.  The chicken actually tasted pretty good and all the pieces were nice and big.  There were about 8 pieces on the plate and after the meal, there was no denial that I was pretty full.

Although I was pretty full, there was nothing spectacular that made it above the rest of the restaurants.  Some of the other noodles and rices that my friends had ordered that day were respectable but not remarkable.  Parking could be of a potential issue however there is an underground parking should more parking is needed.  With a cold drink to go with the meal, the entire meal could be had for less $10.00.  If you are in the area of downtown Markham, give it a try if you haven't done so yet.  You might be pleasantly surprised and the again maybe you might not..  I give it a 3.25 out of 5. 

Chloe's Garden Restaurant
3621 Highway 7
Markham, Ontario

905-604-4770

Jake's Bistro and Bar

There is always a fear that just when you go out and find that hidden gem of a restaurant, sometimes you might end up being disappointed as the restaurant will just vanish as it has become so hidden that no one else could ever find it.  We were invited to Jake's Bistro and Bar up in Richmond Hill where the restaurant served crab legs, seafood, steak and ribs.  Although the restaurant faced a major street in Richmond Hill and was conveniently located at the end of a busy strip mall, the restaurant itself appeared somewhat hidden to the point that I would never knew that it would have existed if my friends never mentioned anything about it.

When we got inside, the restaurant itself was pretty packed for a Friday night.  Oddly the only person that I could see working was the owner himself and no one else.  I was told the owner was the waiter, the chef and the bartender.  He had let go most of his staff, however my friends had eaten there all the time and it was pretty much their hangout place. They recommended the King Crab ($21.00) and the 12 ounce medium rare New York Striploin Steak ($24.00).

King Crab

The King Crab came out and it looked like everything came out as advertised.  The crab legs were all previously cracked however the owner did give us the cracker just in case we needed it.  The crab itself was surprisingly fresh as the meat tasted really good.  The crab was steamed to perfection and with a some garlicky butter added to it, the king crab actually tasted very, very good.  We were all actually taken aback at the quality of the crab as it certainly was unexpected.

New York Striploin

The New York Striploin steak was equally good.  I had asked that the meat to be medium rare and seeing that there was one person working all night, I thought for sure my steak was going to be well done however when the steak arrived, we were all pleasantly surprised to see that he had made it spot on.  It was nice and red and the meat itself was not chewy at all.  The only disappointment were the waffle fries which were highly recommended by the owner but just came out a little cool and mushy. 

With a couple of Caesars and a couple of beers to go with the meal that night, I thought it was quite the treat. Because it was a one man working crew, don't expect service to be snappy.  There were also some beers that were missing on tap despite being advertised in the restaurant.  It would not hurt to have one extra staff member to help with the overflow.  The food was excellent and I certainly will give it a second go around as long as it is still standing.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.


Jake's Bistro and Bar
138 Major MacKenzie Rd East
Richmond Hill, Ontario

905 237-9192