Fortune House Restaurant

The other night we went out to Fortune House Restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday.  There were about ten of us and being on a weekend, reservations were in order.  We got there right at six and our table was ready to go.  Oddly that evening there were quite a lot of kids present and the restaurant actually ran out of high chairs for the two kids that we had that evening so we had to settle on getting a booster instead.  This place boasts some of the best authentic Chinese seafood so we decided to go check it out.  It was a good thing that we made reservations because shortly afterwards there was a huge lineup at the door.  Tonight we decided to order some baked oysters, pigeon, a couple of vegetables, a fried rice, seafood and ox tail. 

Pigeon

Snow Peas with Garlic Sauce

All the food arrived rather quickly despite it being a very busy night for them.  A complimentary vegetable and meat soup was also given to us as starters.  The baked oysters were one of the first to arrive and it was very delicious.  The oysters were nicely cooked and a nice seafood sauce glistened on top of the oysters.  Highly recommend eating this dish while hot as eating lukewarm or cold will certainly decrease the taste, the value and the experience.

Fried Squid and Shrimp

Ox Tail

The shrimp arrived next and it too was good.  The shell of the shrimp was still attached to it and there was a soya sauce like dip that went with it.  Although it was a little messy separating the shell, the shrimp was definitely fresh and there was no sign of mushiness to it.

We also ordered an ox tail bowl next.  Certainly the sounds of it may discourage some to even try this dish but it really is not a bad dish at all.  If one can eat liver or kidneys, one can eat tail.  This dish came in a hot pot as it was still sizzling when served.  Again it's one of those dishes that one needs to eat while hot. It had a bit of a rubbery texture to it but the dark sauce they used made this quite a fascinating dish.  It was quite enjoyable and one should give a try regardless of what body part it came from.

Shrimp

One of my favorites of the night was the Chinese pigeon.  It was beautifully glazed and the sauce was well marinated into the bird.  The meat was juicy and tender and the meat was nicely cooked.  Certainly a must have if you do come to this restaurant as they certainly know how to prepare it properly.

Oysters

A couple of vegetables also landed on our table soon afterwards.  The usual garlic mixed snow peas was a favorite but tonight's other big dish was definitely the cuttlefish mixed with vegetables.  The cuttlefish was extremely fresh and very, very tender.  It was almost borderline crunchy but the taste was definitely there.  Mixed with some beans, celery, mushrooms and carrots this was definitely one of the must haves of the night and I would highly recommend anyone who is a seafood lover to give it a try.  

We also ordered a fried squid and shrimp dish which almost resembled "chicken McNuggets".  The batter they used however was far from it. It was not overly oily and one can certainly taste the fresh seafood inside of it.  It is a good alternative for those who do not want to have a live fish for the evening. 

Cuttle-Fish Mixed With Vegetables

Finally the fried egg and onion and pork rice was the last to arrive.  We decided not to order any white rice so this was the rice for the evening.  A little dry despite all the ingredients but pretty good rice nonetheless.

Rice with Pork, Eggs and Onion

Overall it was a satisfactory evening. Service was pretty good as they made sure all our tea and refreshments were always full.  Plenty of free parking outside however I would strongly recommend making reservations on a weekend evening.  Price wise it was about twenty dollars per person so it was quite reasonable.  As well on a side note, their dim sum in the morning and afternoon I heard was pretty good as well.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.

Fortune House Restaurant 
2598 Birchmount Road
Scarborough Ontario

416-292-1260

Market Station Asia

The other day we went over to Market Village to pay a visit to Market Station Asia for brunch.  We were able to get a seat right away and were given four menus of food to choose from.  After taking about ten minutes to go through their entire menu, I went with the Tender Beef and Enoki Mushroom Ramen Noodle Soup while my wife went with the Shark Fin Combo Soup with came with Hainanese Rice. 

Tender Beef and Enoki Mushroom Ramen Noodle Soup

After ordering, the waitress came back to me saying that "they were sold on ramen" and that I would have to choose from one of two other types of noodles.  One was udon and was an unknown noodle.  I went with the unknown simply because I always have udon and had absolutely no clue what the unknown was. The meals took about ten minutes to arrive.  During this time, we were also served with small pieces of chicken as an appetizer. 

Hainanese Chicken Rice

The Shark Fin soup arrived first and yes one is correct when saying, don't expect any real "shark fins" in a place like that.  We didn't however I found the soup to be overly salty.  There was no other way to describe it.  The Hainanese Chicken with Rice came shortly afterwards.  The chicken was soft however there were only three pieces of chicken. The pieces of chicken were juicy however the sizes of the chicken were rather large.  If you ever eat larger pieces of chicken, one will know that the meat is not as smooth but rather chewy and this was the case with this meal.  The rice was interesting to say the least.  Most places would have fragrance rice served with this kind of chicken but for this time around, the rice was yellow and was quite dry.

Complimentary Soup

The Tender Beef and Enoki Mushroom Noodle Soup was actually pretty good.  There was also a large mushroom in addition to the enoki. The replacement noodles "looked" like thick rice noodles and in my mind was a suitable replacement even though I would have preferred to have ramen instead.  The soup base was nice and the beef were cooked.  Halfway through, my wife actually wanted my meal instead of hers, so me being me, I did a switch with her.  The meal also came with a complimentary soup and an ice cold drink.  This meal was $8.99 while the shark fin combination was $12.99.

Shark Fin

Overall, I like my noodle soup more based on value.  I've eaten a lot of Hainanese Chicken Rice Dinners and personally I thought that this was satisfactory at best.  For $12.99, I would have expected quality.  The noodle soup I thought was fair and reasonable.  Staff was nice however it took a while for any one of the four waitresses to come get my bill because they were too busy fixing their hair.  My final score would be a 3 out of 5.

Market Station Asia
Unit B59
4390 Steeles Avenue East
Markham, Ontario

905-305-1268

The Queen and Beaver Public House

After an extremely long and hardworking day, a few of us decided to head to a popular downtown restauran. The Queen and Beaver Public House is a two-storey restaurant located on Elm Street which is in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Although the rooms are not very big, they were somehow able to squeeze a table of 14 for us at the front of the restaurant.They had a two-page menu with a few exotic items to choose from.  There were also some specials of the day written up on a chalkboard at the front of the restaurant.  For tonight, I went with the Deviled Kidney on Dripping Toast for appetizers, Crispy Duck with Colcannon as a main course and Lemon Cheese and Raspberry Tart for desert.

Deviled Kidney on Dripping Toast

The Deviled Kidney was drenched with gravy? and placed over a piece of toast.  I apologize for the picture as the lighting was not that great.  There were about four pieces of kidney on top of the toast.  I have no idea which animal these kidneys came from.  The kidneys however had a very strong "organ" taste to it.  The taste was something between a liver and a mushroom.  Personally it had been quite sometime since I had kidney and it probably was something I should have waited on or was better prepared for.  Others who also took a piece of it said it was very good deviled kidney.  For those who had issues eating meat that has a strong taste or after taste to it, they may want to avoid eating this dish.

Crispy Duck with Colcannon

The Crispy Duck with Colcannon arrived next.  The colcannon which consists mostly of mash potatoes and cabbage was absolutely amazing.  The outside was slightly fried and breaded however the inside of it was very, very smooth and very, very tasty.  The crispy duck was made to perfection.  The skin was lightly fried and a juicy sauce was placed on top of it.  The meat was soft and juicy.  It also came with some cooked beans which was a perfect compliment to the rest of the meal.  This was a very good entree indeed. 

Lemon Cheese and Raspberry Tart

The desert was quite yummy as well.  The lemon cheese was not too strong and the raspberry was very sweet. The top of the tart was slightly glazed just like the top of a creme brulee. It was light yet just hit all the right spots. It was certainly the perfect desert to finish off the evening.

Overall it was a decent night.  The meal was not overly expensive either as the appetizer was $12 dollars, the entree $22 and the desert was $8.  Service was pretty good and their alcohol selections were many and plenty.  A good place for a date or for an after work get together.  Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5. 


The Queen and Beaver Public House
35 Elm St  Toronto, ON

(647) 347-2712

Fish Soup Supreme

The other night my wife and I decided to have a quick dinner over at the new Fish Soup Supreme Restaurant located in north Scarborough.  This place is fairly new and had taken over the location formerly known as Amigo Restaurant. 

Pig's Tongue

When we went in, the overall decor was quite nice.  The place smelled a little "fishy" and had fish hanging from the ceiling but seeing that this was after all the Fish Soup Supreme that one would presume that it was suitable. 

Looking at their menu, one can either order noodles, have hot pot or try a variety of their appetizers.  If one was to go with their noodles, you get to choose from one of two choices of soup, the types of noodles you want and 2 sides out of 20.  If you want extra sides, you would have to pay an extra dollar for each side that you choose. 

Udon and Meat Noodle Soup

I went with a udon noodle with a fish soup base and pork and beef meat.  As well, we ordered a side order of pig's tongue.  The pig's tongue was nicely marinated.  The sauce they use appeared to be the same sauce that they use for chicken feet during dim sum.  The dish was served slightly cold yet it was still quite tasty.  When my noodle soup arrived, I noticed they had also put some crab meat and vegetables in my bowl.  The fish soup was quite concentrated and fishy tasting but it was very very good.  The udon noodles were perfectly cooked and the meat was already cooked when I got my bowl.  The meat was a little thick and that having slightly thinner meat would have been a preferred choice. 

Overall the meal was nice and hot and it was great on a cold wintry night.  The staff was very good to us.  The entire bowl of noodles was $7.95 which I thought was reasonable.  I will come back in the future to this place.  Overall I give this place a 4.5 out of 5. 

Fish Soup Supreme
633 Silver Star Blvd
Scarborough Ontario
 
(416) 609-2888

Guu Izakaya

For Valentine's Day, I decided to take my wife to a popular Japanese restaurant over at Guu Izakaya located in the heart of downtown Toronto.  This popular place is located beside Ryerson campus and is frequented by many of its students who attend school there.  We got there early on this special day but as one can see it was packed already when we got there.

Takowasabi - Marianted Octopus

Amber Jack and Lobster Sashimi

Hotate Carpaccio - Scallop Sashimi

There was their regular menu and there was a Valentine's Day menu so we decided to order a little bit from each menu.  Included in tonight's orders was an order of Takowasabi, Maguro Tataki, Salmon Calpaccio, Lobster Sashimi, Kanpachi, Gyu Tongue, Hotate Carpaccio, Ton Toro, Blackrod Hot Pot and Kurogroma Tempura.  To top it all off we also ordered a Guu Sake to go with the meal.

Maguro Tataki -Seared BC Tuna

Salmon Calpaccio

The portions were slightly small however quality replaces quantity.  We surveyed the room and the biggest dish they had I think was the hot pot rice.  There really is no need to go through each dish as every single dish was amazing.  Appearance wise for each dish was a ten out of ten.  They had about six guys working in the kitchen and about 6 servers on the outside.  The food arrives very quickly however I think the kitchen keeps an eye on your table so that you are not bombarded but that it comes just as you finish the last one. You can watch them make your dinner while you are sitting up at the bar. 

Ton Toro - aka Pan Fried Pork Cheek

Blackrod Hot Pot

My favorite one had to be the amber jack and lobster sashimi.  They somehow are able to sear the outside part of the lobster just enough so that it is slightly cooked out on the outside and raw on the inside. None of the freshness and the true taste of the lobster is lost. The addition of the amber jack sashimi which is a special fish was also a great addition with the lobster sashimi.  The Hotate Carpaccio was also a close second as the scallop sashimi was very sweet and tasty.  The dressing that they used complimented the scallops very well.  The salmon was a little fatty in the salmon calpaccio and it still had a tiny bit of the ocean bitterness to it.  Still it was very good and it certainly should not deter anyone from ordering it.

Gyu Tongue - aka Beef Tongue

Kurogroma Tempura

Overall I have no complaints whatsoever with this place.  There is a paid parking lot directly across the street.  The staff was very nice as were the chefs.  There is a lot of yelling and screaming but that's their way of keeping you entertained and they WILL greet you as you arrive and as you leave.  Many students from the downtown area will know this is a great establishment.  I saw many of them that night as I am sure it is a hot spot to be even when it is not Valentine's Day.  I think everyone should give it a shot at least once if you haven't done so yet.  Total was just a tad over $100 tax and tip included. I give this place a 5 out of 5.

Guu Izakaya
398 Church Street
Toronto Ontario

416-977-0999

Jeon Ju Hyang

I went out for lunch at Jeon Ju Hyang which is a Korean restaurant located in north Scarborough.  This restaurant has been existence for about a year now and is known to serve a variety of authentic Korean foods.  Although the place is surrounded by a few Chinese restaurants, the place was still half full when we walked in for lunch.

Looking at their menu, I decided to go with the La Galbi which is about the equivalent of a Beef Rib Bento Box in a Japanese restaurant.  My wife went with a Gamiatang which pretty much translates to a pork bone noodle soup.

We actually wanted the special mushroom lunch that was posted on their wall however we were told that the only way we could get it was if we ordered 2 bowls of it.  I was thinking that would be somewhat overkill considering it was our first time there and although I wouldn't mind getting one to try, two would be too much especially if we more interested in trying more than one dish.

Gamiatang

The La Galbi arrived and there was a bowl of white rice in one corner, some vermicelli noodles in another, salad and an eggplant paste in the last corner.  There were four pieces of short ribs that were placed in another one of the other boxes.  The ribs tasted pretty good however there was very little sauce to it.  Although the ribs and salad were pretty good, the hard part was trying to eat the plain white rice.  There were no other sauces or condiments to go with it.  I had to get some soup from my wife's pork bone noodles in order to make the rice more edible.

La Galbi

The Gamiatang looked good and tasty however in reality it was actually quite bland and somewhat unexciting.  I thought it was a spicy noodle dish but it was hardly spicy at all.  Although one would say that they had avoided adding any MSG to enhance the taste and instead used the ingredients themselves to give off the taste, the unfortunate part is that if the pork itself was bland and the noodles didn't have that strong egg noodle taste to it, then unfortunately the overall taste of it would be bland itself.  The proportions were pretty big as there were three big pieces of pork bones however a little more flavor would have made this a much better dish.

Overall the dishes were filling however the blandness of both dishes always made it feel like both dishes were lacking something.  It was too bad the mushroom special could only come as a pair.  It looked good on the wall but unfortunately their company policy of serving two made it not possible to even try.  Parking could also be difficult too especially on a Saturday afternoon.  A fair place to try during the weekdays.  Overall I give it a 3 out of 5.

Jeon Ju Hyang
325 Bamburgh Cir
Scarborough, ON M1W 3Y1

Tatami Sushi

Tonight we went over to Tatami Sushi to have all you can eat sushi.  The place has only been opened for 3 months and shares the same parking lot with Eglinton Cineplex Movie Theatre in south Scarborough along the southwest side of Warden and Eglinton Avenue.

We made reservations to this place as we were expecting a crowd on a weekend evening however the fact that it was Super Bowl weekend, my thinking was that it was probably not necessary as most people were either at home or at a bar. 

They gave us a squarish centre table which one would have to straddle to get into.  It's not really the best table for any elderly people or people with difficulties with mobility.  We ordered a variety of soups, tempuras, sushi, sashimi and meats as they have over 125 items to choose from. Since it was the weekend, the price per person was $22.99.  There is no alcohol at this establishment as of yet and pop was one dollar person with free re-fills. 

Sushi and Sashimi Combo

As with my previous posts, again it is impossible to really go through everything we had.  The best way to do it is to just describe I thought was the best of the bunch and the worst of the bunch.  Ths sushi and sashimi were rather decent.  It is comparable to a lot of the other sushi and sashimi restaurants that I have had in the past.  What I thought stood out the most was some of their meat options. This included the ribs, the seared beef and the beef wrapped mushroom dish.  The ribs were juicy and tender and the meat was perfectly cooked, the seared beef were nice and pink on the inside and lightly seared on the outside which provided the perfect contrast and the beef wrapped mushrooms were juicy throughout as the sauce they used really enlightened this dish. 

Another sushi and sashimi plate

The worst part of the entire meal had to meat the u-dons and the tom yum soups.  Although they have a variety of u-dons and a chicken and a vegetable soup tom yum soup, the soups and their soup base was by far the most saltiest soups I have ever had.  It was extremely loaded with MSG and made it rather difficult to eat.  Furthermore the tom yum soups had what appeared to be excess vinegar as it was extremely sour as well.  There were certainly enough ingredients in the soups however the saltiness of the soups really made it difficult to eat. 

Sashimi Plate

Overall if one sticks with the meats and fish of this new restaurant then I would say that it is rather decent.  If going to the movies, it certainly would be a pretty good place to visit before heading out to the movies.  There is certainly room for improvement with respect to the soups.  Tonight I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Tatami Sushi
10 Lebovic Avenue
Toronto, ON M1L 4W1
Neighbourhood: Scarborough

416-752-4036