Glow Fresh Grill and Wine Bar

Last week a few of us decided to celebrate a friend's birthday out over at Glow Fresh Grill and Wine Bar located at the Shops at Don Mills.  We had made reservations and upon entering the restaurant we were directed to our seats.  There was a live band playing inside and the place was half full. 

Taking a look at the menu, there seemed to be a lot of elaborate dishes ranging from $6 to $18 in the appetizers column and $20-$40 dollars in the entree department.  They also had some specials for the day which came on a separate sheet of paper.  The four of us decided to go with the charcuterie board, a seafood special of the day and a roasted french veal chop. 

Charcuterie Board

The charcuterie board  arrived first and looks wise it looked pretty good.  It was served on a log and contained various organic meats, sliced parmesan wedge and preserves.  The sliced meat and cheese were very thin and very good.  When the two were combined, it provided the perfect contrast to one another.  I highly recommend this to anyone coming into this place as it was one of the best dishes on the menu.

Lobster Tail and Seafood Special

Next up was the seafood special.  On this evening there was a lobster tail served with shrimp and on rice.  Appearance wise it was certainly very interesting because there was also a piece of green onion? slapped on top of the lobster tail.  The lobster tail itself was not the greatest in that one can tell it is not fresh.  The tail my wife had was mushy in texture which often means that the lobster tail has been in the fridge for a little while.  Taste wise both the lobster and the rice were a little bland as I could not get the full taste of either one.  It might have been better had they had some special spices to it or even just at some diced garlic or onion on top of it.  The green onion was neither appealing nor did it fit with the entire dish.  I did not try the shrimp so I can not comment on that part. 

Roasted French Veal Chop

I myself had actually ordered the roasted french veal chop all to myself.  This was served on soft polenta, sauteed swiss chard and puttanesca sauce.  The sauce itself was fine however I have to admit this was probably one of my least favorite dishes of all time.  The meat itself was very tough in some parts and very rare in others.  The meat when placed in this "messy" dish made it almost impossible to cut.  I was more worried about splashing part of my dinner onto my guests as even with a very sharp steak knife, the meat was just not co-operating.  The sauce made the meat very "soggy" which compounded the problem and it was just as chewy when one is trying to chew the meat.  This was certainly not a very highly recommended dish. 

Overall the appetizer had an amazing wow factor to it however the entrees were certainly less than desirable.  There was some side parking near the restaurant which we took advantage of however on a busy night don't be surprised if you have to find parking at a nearby lot.  Certainly a restaurant of this sorts commanded top dollar however the food unfortunately did not quite match it.  Avoid the two dishes mentioned and you might have a better time.  The only good thing besides the appetizer was that wine in a glass or in a bottle was half price on Mondays.  Otherwise I certainly have had better food at other places. I give this place a 2.5 out of 5.

Glow Fresh Grill and Wine Bar
7 Marie Labatte Road  Toronto, ON M3C 0J1

(416) 384-1133

Gold Bowl Asian Noodle Soup

Last night I decided to take a shot at a brand new restaurant in Scarborough.  Gold Bowl Asian Noodle Soup just opened up 3 weeks ago in the north east corner of Kennedy Road and Sheppard Avenue.  This place has special discounts for happy hour and serves mostly snacks, ramen and Vietnamese noodles. 

I went with a medium size corn and pork ramen noodle with a cold milk tea.  I got there well before six  just to check out the place, the menu and the staff.  The place quite bright with lots of lights spotlighting down on you.  The menu is simple yet somewhat limited in its number of choices.  The staff were courteous and kept checking up on me every ten minutes to make sure I was okay.  There were about 20 tables inside the restaurant and when the clock struck 6:30, the place was suddenly three quarters filled. 

The noodles arrived shortly after it was ordered.  There were about 4-5 pieces of pork in my bowl, a soft boiled egg, a scattered amount of corn, green onions, seaweed and of course noodles.  The soup base was actually quite nice and not too salty.  A review from another site had mentioned that it was heavy on MSG but the one I had last night was absolutely perfect.  The noodles were perfectly cooked and had a good egg noodle taste to it.  The pork was thin but absorbed all the taste of the noodles and the soup.  Even the iced coffee tasted pretty good. 

Corn and Pork Ramen Noodle Soup

Overall, it was not bad at all.  While I read that some other sites had rated this place with a lower rating, I certainly did not feel that way.  I also order a ramen as a take out for my wife afterwards and she too found it to be pretty good.  My two friends who were with me last night also had no reported problems with their meals.  Parking can be a potential problem even though there is a 4 story parking garage located in the back.  Some people I have spoken to said they would not come by here because the plaza is fairly old and just getting a parking spot is a nightmare.  Although that may be true, that would certain give this new place an unfair shake.  Food wise it was pretty good and if you don't give this place a shot, then I think you might be missing out. I will certainly comeback for more that is for sure. Overall I would give this place a 4 out of 5. 

Gold Bowl Asian Noodle Soup
4002 Sheppard Avenue
Scarborough, Ontario

(647) 351-8768

Golden Horse Restaurant

The other night we went out to Golden Horse Restaurant also known as Macau Street when translated from Chinese to English.  This restaurant is similar to the Dicken's or Boston Steak House in Scarborough in that they serve a variety of "tea food hall" style foods.  Tonight I decided to go with a spaghetti pork chop in tomato sauce with a nice ice cold lemon tea.

The meal arrived rather quickly and was served on a hot plate.  The portions itself was rather large and I knew right away that if I were to finish the entire meal that I would be one very full person.  There were about two pieces of pork chops and as I was cutting into it, I could tell the meat was quite tender and soft.  The meat was neither too fat nor too lean and it was quite juicy and tasty with the tomato sauce.  There was also a slight cheesy taste to the tomato sauce and a sprinkling of carrots and peas on top of the entire meal.  the spaghetti was nice and thick and nicely cooked.  Needless to say the entire meal was quite filling and well worth the price as advertised. 

Spaghetti Pork Chop in Tomato Sauce

 Staff was very courteous and there were some familiar faces that ended up serving our meals as well that night.  Parking could be a potential problem as there are not a lot of spaces available and with the Ministry of Transportation beside them, it could pose to be a potential problem in the future.  Otherwise there were certainly many other meals available to choose from on their menu in which I would certain go back again in the future to try them.  No real complaints as it was a decent place.  Overall I give my overall experience a 3.75 out of 5. 

Golden Horse Restaurant
4589 Hwy 7 East, Unit 3

Phone: (905) 940-3288

Montana's Cookhouse

The other night we were treated to a nice dinner at Montana's Cookhouse in the heart of Scarborough.  This place has been around for quite some time now and boasts some of the best ribs in all of Toronto.  Naturally I went with their famous Smokehouse Pork Back Ribs.

Smokehouse Pork Back Ribs

The ribs arrived within 15 minutes of ordering.  I went with their customary BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes.  The ribs were nice and hot and had about 9 to 10 bones to the rack.  I took one bite into the meat and I could tell right away why these guys are famous for their ribs.  The meat was laced with BBQ sauce on every bite, was very, very soft and juicy and it literally fell right off the bone.   I have to admit it was one of the best ribs I have had in quite some time.  Needless to say the entire meal was completed without any problems.  The mash potatoes was nicely whipped as well.  It was soft, a little bit creamy but nonetheless pretty good. They also dug a hole in the centre of the mash potato to hold the gravy which I thought was quite neat.  There were also some corn cooked with some butter and red peppers which gave it a spicy taste to it.  Everything on this plate was just perfect.  The entire meal was well worth the money. 

Overall, everything was well organized and service was good considering this place was packed on a Friday night.  Our server had checked on us regularly that night to make sure our food was good or whether we needed more drinks.   I was told the only blemish was that my wife's steak was slightly overcooked as she had ordered a medium rare but instead got a steak that was closer to medium well done.  Otherwise, there were no other complaints from others.  With plenty of free parking and the restaurant located just within eye shot of Scarborough Town Centre, it certainly would make it a great place following a long day of shopping or right after a movie.  Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Montana's Cookhouse
41 Milner Avenue  Toronto, ON M1S 3P8

416 321-5684

Zen Japanese Restaurant

I have eaten at a lot of Japanese restaurants but this one has far exceeded many of my expectations.  I was told that this restaurant had very fresh, very authentic sushi and sashimi dishes.  For food that doesn't need to be cooked one has to wonder how much "better" can one be.

This restaurant located in south Scarborough is tucked in a small strip plaza but inside the restaurant it has definitely has the appeal of an authentic Japanese restaurants.  They even have two designated stalls where you can sit on the floor and enjoy their tasty meals.

Chef's Omakase Sushi Special

We didn't bring the stroller this time around but there was certainly a chance to do so if one wished to.  There was free parking in the parking lot out front and we were able to park right in front of the restaurant.  We were given menus but we knew ahead of time from our peers to try the Chef's Omakase Sushi AND Sashimi Special.  It comes with special types and more expensive types of fish.  We also ordered a black sesame ice cream, raw beef and a couple of spicy tuna rolls.

Chef's Omakase Sashimi Special

We were served a courtesy dish of edamame beans which was yummy as they did not have a whole lot of salt on them as how some of the other places serve them.  Only one miso soup arrived and that was for the Chef's Sushi Special.  The sashimi special did not come with a miso soup.  The plates came next and it looked delicious.  There was no salmon on either one but no need to.  It included toro, scallops, red snappers and tunas to name a few.  I tried the scallop first and one bite into the scallop sashimi and I knew why this place was a must go.  The scallop was very "sweet" tasting.  It tasted so fresh it was like the scallop was fresh out of the ocean.  It was not frozen or cold.  It was soft, tender and just simply perfect.  Needless to say the rest of the sashimi on the plate was just the same.  It was absolutely different than all the other places I have been to. The fish didn't appear to have been stored for a long period of time.

The raw beef was beautifully made. Lightly seared on the outside and purely raw on the inside the very thin slices of beef were absolutely delicious.  The meat certainly was not too fatty.  The dish was 7 dollars only and it came with 9 slices. It also came with its special sauce, minced radish and minced green onions.  To get the perfect taste, you should put all 3 together to give it that amazing zangy taste.

Spicy Tuna Roll

Raw Beef

Toro Sushi Roll

The spicy tuna rolls were spicy but not to the point where it was too spicy that your mouth was numb.  It had a sweet taste to it but the tuna one can tell was very fresh.  Absolutely no complaints here.  The surprise of the night was the Toro Sushi Roll.  We thought that the Sushi and sashimi's were done but after they had cleared our plates out came this toro sushi roll.  Unlike a California roll where it is triangular in shape, it is actually rolled up into a long cylinder.  The toro roll was very good from start to finish. 

Finally we had the black sesame ice cream.  Although we have had this dish before at other places, the black sesame ice cream was surprisingly different.  For example, it was wonderfully mixed with the milk and very well evened out within the ice cream. Again, the ice cream certainly was not "frozen" nor did it have a frozen taste to it  I personally believe that the black sesame ice cream is freshly made and made only when an order has been placed and not pre-made.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Overall, this is one of the best sushi places I have ever been to..  I can't speak for some of the other dishes on the menu but the ones on the chef's special is definitely a must try for any sushi and sashimi lover.  On a personal note,  each chef's special set course was $49.50.  The difference between the two is that the sushi obvious comes with fish on the rice while the sashimi special all had at least 2 pieces of fish.  Given the price and me as a personal fish lover, the sashimi special was more worth while simply because you get an extra piece of fish as oppose to getting an extra piece of rice.  However for a much bigger person, the sashimi meal might not be able to satisfy a very hungry stomach.  My recommendation would be to order one of each and yes although it comes out to $100 plus tax and tip, it will definitely be well worthwhile.  It is a great place to bring a special date too and making reservations prior to going certainly would not hurt. Highly recommended and definitely earns my first 5 out of 5.

Zen Japanese Restaurant
http://www.zenjapaneserestaurant.com/

2803 Eglinton Avenue East,
Scarborough, Ontario.
M1J 2E1
(416) 265-7111

Yoko Japanese Restaurant

The other night we went to Yoko Japanese Restaurant to have some Japanese sushi.  This restaurant was recommended by our company lawyers as they had been there recently and said it was pretty good.  We decided to make reservations just in case it was busy.  There were 6 of us and upon entering the restaurant  we were given one of the private booths on the side.

We decided to order a large size sushi and sashimi boat, grilled mackerel  a seafood udon, shrimp tempura, spider maki and a dolsot bibimbap for the evening.  The boat and sashimi boat arrived first and at first glance of this huge boat, it was like a sea of orange.  If you love salmon, there was certainly plenty of it on this boat.  The majority of it was salmon.  Although there were some pieces of red and white tuna in it, I personally think that there should have been a few more variety of fish.

Shrimp Tempura

The seafood udon was good however the dish itself was small.  It was done on one of those teriyaki grills rather than in a bowl.  Appearance wise it looked pretty good however I think I would prefer it in a bowl where the portions could have been bigger. The noodles were big and there were pieces of squid and vegetables in it as well.  It was tasty despite a lack of a real soup base. 

The shrimp tempura was okay.  Nothing remarkable about this dish compared to all the other sushi places where we had the shrimp tempura.  The shrimp was fresh and was not mushy at all which was good.  

Sushi and Sashimi Boat

The dolsot bibimbap arrived next which is really assorted beef and vegetables cooked in a traditional Korean stone bowl mixed with rice, spicy sauce and topped with a fried egg.  The picture shot was actually a picture of the whole dish after we had mixed all the ingredients together.  Personally it was my favorite dish of the night as it was hot, tasty, and all the ingredients mixed really well together.  The spicy sauce gave it that extra bit of zing to it but not to the point where it was too spicy to eat.  For $10.95 it was a great dish for a great price. 

Seafood Udon

The spider maki arrived next which contained fried crab, cucumber, avocado and sweet potato or yam in it.  This was probably the best sushi or maki that we had all night.  It was crunchy and definitely quite filling as each pieces were quite big.  There were like 10 or 11 big pieces of maki which certainly made this dish worthwhile.  This dish was like $15 bucks but the size of each piece certainly made it a dish worth having.

Dolsot Bibimbap

The mackerel arrived last however this was not the fault of the kitchen.  We made an extra order after all the other food had arrived.  The mackerel was a little salty but was quite delicious.  It was perfectly grilled but not charred.  There were small pieces of bone left and although the mackerel was like $9.99 it was worth the price.  If you do order the mackerel, I would recommend that you get it with some rice because this fish is quite salty and does require some extra side to go with it. 

Fried Mackerel

Spider Maki

Overall it was a decent night.  My only complaint was that there were just way too many pieces of salmon on the boat.  As my fellow readers know, I go to a lot of sushi restaurants in and around the city and when we order a medium or large size boat we expect variety.  Service was good and the staff was nice.  Overall I give this place a 3.5 out of 5.

Yoko Japanese Restaurant

490 McNicoll Avenue
North York, ON M2H 2E1

(416) 502-9750

Spring Rolls

The other night we went out for a  function out at Spring Rolls located just outside Fairview Mall in North York.  We had reserved a long line of tables and it was ready when we got there.  When we sat down, we were originally given the regular menu however afterwards, a waitress had come by to take back the menus and given us a special menu. Tonight I decided to go with a coconut fried shrimp, a chicken pad thai and a mango creme brulee. 

Coconut Shrimp

The coconut fried shrimp came first.  There were three of them inside a cup suspended on top of some salad at the bottom of the cup.  There was also a special shrimp sauce placed beside it.  The shrimp itself was quite bland.  It was crispy and nicely battered however the shrimp's taste was all but gone.  One really needed the sauce to give it some flavor.

The chicken pad thai arrived next and at first glance it looked pretty good.  However as one sank their teeth into it, the goodness of it stopped right there.  The pad thai was quite gooey and the lime juice added to it really made it quite sour.  The roasted peanuts helped it a little but the tofu was not good at all. The tofu were hard and stale.  I had to push it to aside in order to continue with the meal.  Needless to say, I was only able to finish half the plate. 

Chicken Pad Thai

Last to arrive was the mango creme brulee.  The creme brulee was nice burnt on the top but the bottom of it lacked the true zing in the mango.  In other words, you taste the mango but there was nothing spectacular about it. 

Mango Creme Brulee

Overall, I was a little disappointed with the whole meal.  I also surveyed one of my friend's sushi and sashimi dishes and he said it was just not that good.  Personally although it is appreciative of the fact that they try to have a little bit of Asian on their menu, I think that they would be better off at focusing on one or two particular culture's food rather trying to have a little bit of everything.  Quantity does not always equal quality.  As well, their specialty menu was littered with spelling mistakes including the name of the event.  That is bad.  Overall I give this a generous 2 out of 5. 

Spring Rolls
1800 Sheppard Avenue East  Toronto, ON M2J 5A7

(416) 756-7655