Food – Page 7 – Tiana Feng

The Skyline Restaurant

March 1, 2017Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

It was Valentine’s Day weekend and my friends and I made the mistake of trying to go out to eat and drink without previously making a reservation. We walked along Queen for a little bit and ended up in Skyline.

I think it re-opened in the classic spot last year or so by Maggie Ruhl (Dakota Tavern, The Ace) and Jud Ruhl (Wallflower, Three Speed). It’s a place that doesn’t look as trendy as the crazy places near it (Parts & Labour, Shameful Tiki), but I found the menu (which changes often) and cocktail selection impressive.

I had one of the specials of the night which was duck breast, rapini, squash and sausage. The vegetables melted in my mouth and the duck was cooked to perfection.

I also had my share of delicious cocktails from their take on an Old Fashion to an Apple Bl’awesome. I can’t remember them off the top of my head because I was a bit tipsy to take notes. The are definitely worth the cost in alcohol!

Seriously though, Skyline might be one of my favourite new discoveries that we went in by chance!

Brunch @ Takht-e Tavoos

February 27, 2017February 27, 2017Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

dscf4860

I recently went for a Persian brunch at Tavoos, owned by the same people as The Pomegranate. Persian Chai was served to us in a beautiful pot.

dscf4864

To start, we had Zeitoon Parvardeh: green olives marinated in a sauce of walnuts, pomegranate molasses, garlic and mint. This was served with a light Persian flat bread. This is a must for olive fans and was super addictive.

dscf4868

My friend Karol had the Serious Lunch (pictured). It was a Dizi Sangi: a stew with lamb shank, lamb rib, chickpeas, white beans, potato, onion and tomato cooked for four hours. The soup part is served separately and there is a stick to pound the meat and beans into a purée.

For some reason, I forgot to take a picture of my food but I had the weekend special called Bandari which was spicy halal sausages sautéed in a tomato garlic purée, mixed with potatoes. Atop sat two sunnyside up eggs with creamy feta cheese and marinated olives on the side. It was definitely classic brunch with a twist!

We loved every part of our meal as it was flavourful and the portions were generous. I think Persian food is becoming some of my favourite cuisines!

Latin World

February 11, 2017Food, Restaurant Reviews1 Comment

fullsizerender

I’ve always walked past Latin World and seen it packed full of people who’ve probably been going there for years. It’s like a secret local spot that hasn’t been taken over by hipsters. Inside it is like a grocery store that also serves food.

For $10, I got 4 fish tacos. They also have like a $1 taco special every day but I was in the mood for fish. But man, if I was feeling particularly hungry and poor one day $1 is a steal! There was a lot of flavour in every bite and enough to feel full.

They also gave us complimentary nachos with a variety of hot sauces that were quite addictive.

To drink, they had sodas from Mexico, which means they are sweetened with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. It tastes better than regular Fanta because it doesn’t leave you with a sharp aftertaste.

Latin World is so close to my place that I can’t believe I waited this long to go there. I’ll definitely take advantage of those $1 deals frequently!

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (Toronto)

February 5, 2017Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

Ramen is such a comforting winter dish, and with so many places in Toronto, I’m eager to find the best broth. I think my favourite so far is Hakkaido Ramen Santouka.

I went there for the first time yesterday because the line always looked too long, but we were lucky to be seated within five minutes. The line is mostly caused by the fact the restaurant is pretty small. It’s easier to go as two people (or less).

They specialize in Tonkotsu (pork) broths that are handmade in house. I had the Spicy Miso ramen which had chilli oil added to the broth for a spicy kick. I also added a perfectly soft boiled egg and a side of Tokusen Toroniku, their signature pork cheek that was super delicate and melted in my mouth.

fullsizerender

Nash ordered the more traditional Shio Ramen, which was like a warm hug you could drink. I don’t think there was a drop left when he was done with it. He also had a side of gyozas which were nicely panfried.

To drink, I tried Ikezo’s sparkling yuzu sake drink with jelly in it. I was a tiny bit skeptical of shaking it (in fear of an explosion), but it was fine. The drink is almost like a dessert.

I love pork broths and Santouka really reminded me what an awesome one is like, when I don’t have my parents to make me soups anymore!

Turkey For Chinese New Year?

February 4, 2017FoodLeave a Comment

dscf4770

Last week, for Chinese New Year we cooked a turkey for some reason. Chinese people don’t traditionally eat turkey in general, but I think Mom really wanted to cook one.

Do you have food traditions that you usually follow and it would be weird to break?

Calii Love

January 26, 2017Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

Today before class I stopped by Calii Love, a poké restaurant and café on King West.

Everything had cute adjective names. I ordered the Humble Bowl which had a generous amount of tuna, seaweed, onion, rice, sauce. I added nori, wasabi peas and this herb that they said helped with digestion.

The fish was super fresh, which is he most important part of a pokébowl. There was lots of it, more than you would if you tried to order tuna sashimi at a sushi restaurant.

I found the raw onion a tiny bit overwhelming so I picked out most of those. Without them, all the other ingredients absorbed the wasabi aoli and shoyu on top beautifully.

KW Craft Cider

January 24, 2017Drinks, FoodLeave a Comment

This weekend I picked up some KW Craft Cider. I’ve never had it before but I was drawn to its minimalistic packaging.

It is named after the Kitchener-Waterloo region where the brewery is based. At 6.7%, I found the cider rather easy to drink, was only slightly tarty, but full of flavour. In fact, I drank all four no problem at a party.

Java Works Dark French Roast

January 21, 2017Drinks, FoodLeave a Comment

dscf4747

I found this Java Works French Roast at Winners. It is a blend of premium selected high grown Arabica coffees from the Latin Americas and the Asia Pacific regions.

This coffee was full-bodied and flavourful. I didn’t find it too bitter and it had a light sweetness. There’s ton of coffees in the Java Works line so I’m excited to try some more.

Brunch @ Fat Pasha

January 10, 2017January 11, 2017Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

Nash and I always go for brunch on New Years and we never make reservations. We actually walked into a few of our favourite spots but we woke up late and they were all full. I’ve never been to Fat Pasha but they had seats so that is where we ended up!

Their specialty is Middle Eastern food, which is probably why it wasn’t most people’s first pick for a post-hangover brunch, but I found something that was close enough: The verscht and eggs (which I ordered poach) came with a crunchy hash and charred toast. I loved the marmalade or whatever that came with it and smothered it over everything. The verscht, grilled pieces of kosher salami, were delicious.

Nash had a reuben sammie with browned crispy bread that provided all the right textures to this flavourful sandwich.

We also had an order of falafel as an appetizer. They were really good but we totally didn’t need that much food!

San Diego Coffee: Dutch Chocolate

January 6, 2017January 5, 2017Drinks, FoodLeave a Comment

dscf4527

My sister gifted me a Bodum French Press set for Christmas that has a coffee bean grinder and hot water boiler. Now I’m excited to explore the world of coffee beans.

My first bag was San Diego Coffee’s “Dutch Chocolate” flavour, that I ordered on Amazon. It’s a Medium Roast of 100% Arabica beans. Though I’m still working out the perfect way to use the French Press, I found this coffee very smooth and light. The chocolate came through the most when the only thing added was cream. I found sugar competed with the flavours and this coffee didn’t need to be sweetened (a plus since I’m trying to cut adding sugar to coffee).

What’s your favourite coffee bean? I’m open to suggestions!