Restaurant Reviews – Page 7

Emma’s Country Kitchen

April 16, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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This morning I went for brunch at Emma’s Country Kitchen. My friend and I arrived before the 9am opening time and there were already locals in line. It’s a super popular spot on the weekends for brunch and also appeared on Jon Catucci’s You Gotta Eat Here.

I ordered the Emma’s Benny. Warm and fluffy buttermilk biscuit was topped with house cured peameal bacon, poached eggs and a generous amount of in mousselline sauce (like a hollandaise with whipped cream). It was served with a side of griddled red skin potatoes. The sauce was buttery and delicious and I dipped everything in it. The peameal bacon was not too salty or hard. The eggs were a perfect poach. This dish was heavenly and I washed it down with some freshly squeeze orange juice.

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My friend had the Cornbread and Pimento Cheese French Toast. A house made corn bread, dipped in a creamy custard and griddled until golden brown. It’s opped with melted pimento cheese, 2 over easy eggs, avocado, crema and finished with a smoked paprika salt. I stole a bite and it had a heat to it that was balanced well with avocado cream.

This place, even if you have to wait, is well worth it.

Sushi Inn

April 15, 2016April 23, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

I recently went for dinner with my friend in Yorkville at Sushi Inn. Though it is the prime location for pricey restaurants, this place is very affordable. I ordered a plate of sashimi of all types: salmon, hokkagai, scallop, octopus, tuna, shrimp and more for around $20.

The quality of the sushi wasn’t bad and mostly fresh though the shrimp was a bit limp. I’m not entirely sure why they have to lump a bunch of carrot shavings there. It seems like a waste of carrots to me!

The meal came with classic staples of miso soup and salad. Those things are very hard to get wrong!

My friend and I also split the Beef Sashimi which was served with green onions and ponzu sauce. Look, there are damn carrot shavings again! I think the beef might have been sitting on top of ice for a little too long because it was the tiniest bit frozen but still tasty with the sauce.

We were very full by the end of the meal (she ordered a sushi set) and the bill didn’t break the bank. Sushi Inn is a good place to go if you’re looking for affordable sushi in the middle of Yorkville and the quality and selection is more than you would expect for the price.

Mr. Tonkatsu

April 4, 2016Food, Restaurant Reviews1 Comment

On my way home one night alone, I went into Mr. Tonkatsu for dinner. I ordered the Pork loin katsu set with soba. The soba came first with some pickled vegetables.

There was also a bowl a sesame seeds to squish for my tonkatsu sauce. My other food didn’t arrive for about 25 minutes which kind of sucked since I wanted to eat it with my soba but instead it had turned cold by the time the rest of the food arrived. I felt a little bit ignored because I was eating alone. The restaurant seems to have a lot of waiters just hanging around giggling to each other but only one cook.

The tonkatsu itself was very delicious. They use housemade breadcrumbs. The pork was nice and moist. It’s a shame that the service wasn’t up to par because it was enough to stop me from going back.

Kinton Ramen Tasting

April 3, 2016Food, Restaurant Reviews1 Comment

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On Wednesday, I was invited to a tasting at Kinton Ramen’s 5th location on Church Street. We were allowed to have a full bull of ramen with 2 additional toppings, an appetizer and a drink. I’ve been to Kinton many times but I’ve never actually tried the Miso broth so I did the Pork Miso with pork, thin noodles and added a seasoned egg and vegetables. The broth was rich and garlicy but not too salty and a nice variation from the original pork.

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Nash had the Original Chicken broth with chicken breast. His already came with a seasoned egg so he added bean sprouts and…

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.. a giant pile of swiss cheese. If you’ve never added cheese to ramen before it can seem weird but it adds a whole new layer of textures and tastes. We’ve done it a couple of times now at Kinton and if you’re feeling extra hungry I highly recommend it.

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We split our sides and I chose the Tofu Furai, which were fried tofu nuggets which were as delicious as chicken nuggets.

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The Hot Karaage was also tenderly fried and had a decent kick.

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A calpico, a milky non-carbonated soft drink actually helped to tone down the spice between bites of karaage.

If you’re in the neighbourhood, Kinton Ramen 5 is well worth a visit and bound to become a regular spot!

This meal was complimentary but views are my own.

Rosedale Diner

March 31, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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I don’t venture North of Bloor that often, but recently I had dinner with my friends at Rosedale Diner. I went for their Prix Fixe menu and started with the Duck Liver Paté served with pickled red onions, delicious fruit chutney that I spread on crostini. I think I could keep eating that chutney!

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To pair with my meal I had the Paloma: grapefruit, tequila, soda, lime and salt.

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My main was the Steak Frites: a flat iron steak, compound butter and asparagus. I loved the garlicy butter and the steak was very tender. The fries had just the right amount of salt.

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My friend Karol had the Duck Poutine which was made with duck confit, Quebec cheese curds, duck gravy and crackling.

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The prix fixe came with dessert and I opted for the creme brûlée, a classic finisher.

The Prix Fixe starts at $29, and with a large selection of flavourful entrees and mains, the Rosedale Diner is both a satisfying and value meal.

Cresta Tasting

March 20, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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Last week, I attended a tasting party for Cresta located right beside St. Lawrence Market. Cresta is an Italian restaurant with an open kitchen and specialize in wine pairings with their cuisine. Enjoy some photos from the party below!

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The Cresta Negroni: bombay sapphire gin, campari, dolin dry vermouth, sparkling brut, grapefruit

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Amaro Express: amaro averna, frangelico, espresso, aztec chocolate bitters

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Brussle sprouts: crispy in a balsamic glaze.

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Beets: roasted, lemon thyme marinade, sautéed beet greens.

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Black Tiger Shrimp: empty ravioli, red onion, tomato salsa

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Scallop Crudo: coriander, garlic chips, citrus

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Steak: Tenderloin, roasted potatoes, cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, beef jus

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Heirloom Tomato Pizza: tomato reduction, red onion, shaved parmasean, basil.

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Octopus: grilled, fingerling potatoes, braised cipollini onions, harissa

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Mushroom Risotto: truffle oil, shaved parmesan.

All the bite-sized foods packed punches of flavour. The most memorable for me was the beautiful jus in the steak.

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When we left, we were given delicious muffins to take home. I ate my caramel one the next morning and it was delicious!

Birthday Dinner @ Bent

February 26, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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For my birthday we made a reservation to Bent, run by Susur Lee and his sons. This was the second in the line of the Lee family restaurants in Toronto and is known for it’s raw seafood bar.

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We started with the Truffled Filet of Beef Carpaccio: garlic potato shoestrings, red onion, Asian pear, braised shiitake mushrooms, Taiwanese vinaigrette. This dish was both beautiful in presentation and marriage of flavour and textures. I loved the addition of pear.

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Next came the Vietnamese Seafood Ceviche: shrimp, scallop, octopus, mussels, jalepeno, asian pear, red pepper, celery, potato, vietnamese coriander & lime, chorizo buckwheat rice cake. The spice in it was nice. My favourite part of it was the octopus.

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We were totally obsessed with everything about the Carmelized Black Cod: Asparagus (wrapped in bacon), thai ginger squash & carrot puree, lemon chive veloute. The puree was silky and heavenly and the addition of crunchy chickpeas was a nice touch.

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We did get one veggie dish to calm ourselves from all that meat. Jerusalem artichockes (which I didn’t know were shaped like mini potatoes) paired beautifully with hazelnuts and goat cheese.

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To drink I had the And Also (yes that’s what it is called). It contained Broker’s Gin, Tromba Tequila, Aperol, Lillet Blanc, watermelon juice, cucumber, grapefruit bitters, simple syrup and fresh sours. It paired very nicely with the dishes we ordered.

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Nash had the Georgetown Storm containing El Dorado 12 year rum, homemade ginger beer, nutmeg, lime and orange.

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Our waiter highly recommended the Wild Banana and Chocolate Chip Cake and we were super glad that we listened to him. It was divine and I loved the vanilla marshmallow that came with it.

Birthday dinner at Bent was totally worth it. It’s a sharing restaurant so it’s recommended that two people have at least 4 dishes. It’s a great place to celebrate or if you’re feeling particularly ballin’.

Game @ Antler

February 18, 2016Drinks, Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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If you’ve got a hunger for game, Antler Kitchen & Bar is a must try. The restaurant prides itself on fresh regional ingredients and wild foods. The restaurant is run by Chef Michael Hunter, who is known for hunting his own food.

I ordered the Spice Ash Crusted Rack of Deer on top of a braised shoulder and parsnip purée. The meat was so tender and melted in my mouth. The purées had a silk texture that made me want to lick the plate.

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My cousin who was with me ordered the night’s special, a duo of duck: braised and seared. There was also kale and squash I believe. I stole some bites and it was all very delicious.

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To drink I sipped on the Blood Fashioned. I have a new habit of trying every place’s take on the Old Fashioned lately. This one had Blood Orange, Appleton’s Rum, Bitters and Demerara Sugar. It went down easier than most old fashioned but with a decent amount of alcohol!

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We definitely couldn’t leave without trying dessert and they had some weird things like “Foraged Cedar Infused Ice”, which we didn’t order. Mostly because paying for wood-tasting ice seemed silly. Instead I went for the White Spruce Scented Ricotta Cheesecake. It was very light and heavenly and did have a hint of forest wood, but it went strangely well with the wild berrie preserve and hazelnut crust. Maybe next time I will go for that ice!

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We also had the beautiful Caramel Crab Apple Tart with a smoked cheddar cheese crumble and vanilla ice cream. There was so many flavours in each bite.

A reservation is recommended if you go to the Antler (we did have one) as it filled up even on a weeknight. I’m not surprised though, we loved everything about our meal!

Adorable Dim Sum @ Kwan

February 11, 2016Food, Restaurant Reviews2 Comments

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Kwan is a beautiful modern Dim Sum and Chinese restaurant at Yonge and St. Clair. We went for the Dim Sum which consisted of traditional dishes that were often presented beautifully. They most typical items from shrimp dumplings, siu mai’s and chicken feet. I didn’t take a picture of everything because I thought it would be annoying to get the table of 10 to stop eating. Hah!

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DSCF7681 The taro pudding for example was presented as small individual little bites instead of the regular fend for yourself squares.

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These deep-fried squid were presented in a bowl that you could eat. In case you were wondering, the bowl tasted like shrimp chips.

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These adorable bunnies were filled with cream custard.

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We also got some adorable bees with almonds.

We had a pleasant experience at Kwan and were super full and didn’t spend as much as we expected considering how well presented and smaller portion the dishes were. For those looking for a clean, yet still authentic (in terms of taste) experience, Kwan is a splendid spot. Plus you can instagram their desserts!

Kothur Indian Cuisine

February 3, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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Nash and I recently visited Kothur Indian Cusine’s Yonge Street location. As we waited for our meal we were treated to complimentary papadum and hot sauces.

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I had the Lamb Saag which was boneless lamb cooked with onions, tomatoes and fresh pureed spinach. It was very flavourful and meaty.

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Nash had the tangy Chicken Vindaloo.

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We ate our food with garlic naan, treating it like a slice of pizza!

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I couldn’t resist getting a Mango Lassi to have a break from spices. Our meal at Kothur was flavourful and pleasant! This is a great place to fulfill your Indian food craving.