Morals Village Hot Pot

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Near opening week, my friends and I hit up the newly opened Morals Village for All You Can Eat hot pot. The place is small and despite a reservation we still had to wait. I thought it was kind of weird they had a “waiting room” instead of transforming the space to seat more diners. We were a party of 5, but we didn’t feel like waiting for a gigantic table so we settled on a 4-person table that only had one burner for a large pot. While it would’ve been fun to try multiple broths, one pot worked for our group. We had a mushroom broth on one side (one of my friends was vegetarian) and a pork broth on the other.

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One thing that drew us here was the sauce bar. There truly was a wide selection of sauces you could mix and match. Also at the sauce bar were unlimited amount of spring rolls and eggs you could crack in the hot pot.

There’s a 3 hour limit for AYCE and we used most of it up. We spent a lot of time waiting for orders of items that never came and eating beef that we totally didn’t order (we noticed after the 5th time someone brought us a plate exclaiming “beef”). I brought up to the waiter that we suspected that our orders were going to this other table because we’d see things they didn’t want being sent back to the kitchen. There were definitely service issues that needed to be figured out.

There was a wide selection of things to eat and things that I haven’t seen on hot-pot menus before like cheese filled meatballs (yum!). We were happy with the things we did receive but I felt bad for my vegetarian friend who never received the broccoli we tried to order 3 times. There were plenty of vegetarian options on the menu but they never quite made it to the table. The rest of us filled up on a lot of beef.

 

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Dessert was complimentary soft-serve ice cream! It was a lovely palette cleanser.

Our experience with Morals was very mixed and if it wants to survive needs to tighten up its service.

Morales Village Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Homemade Tonkatsu

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In our exploration of new recipes, we recently learned how to make our own Tonkatsu! We found a Korean grocery store nearby that actually sells the meet already tenderized so that the spices can fit into the crevices.

The recipe we use is a super simple baked one. We learned that it’s best to cook panko bread crumbs until they are a golden brown. We then flavour the pork with simple salt and pepper. You can experiment with other spices if you want to go beyond the traditional style. The pork is then dipped in flour, egg and the golden panko and put in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

It comes out super crunchy, juicy and delicious!

Overnight Oats

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Since I was young, I never had a habit of eating breakfast. I hated eating when I first woke up. Heavy things would make me feel awful in the morning. However, I discovered after a year of working in an office that I would be so hungry and lack energy by noon.
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Then I discovered overnight oats. You basically mix oats with liquid (milk, yogurt, almond milk etc) and fruit or other goodies. I’ve tried things like nutella, nuts and berries. It’s a deliciously light way to eat breakfast that is full of nutrients. There are so many cool combinations. Now I feel much more energized and awake!

Snacks @ Kanpai

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Before a concert at The Phoenix, my friends and I hit up Kanpai snack bar. The menu is full of music and pop culture puns. For example these deliciously crunchy chicken skins were named Player Hater.

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Deep Fried Goldmember was calamari with a sweet house sauce.

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To drink I had an Ooh Long Island Iced Tea containing a well-balanced mixture of absolut vodka, havana anejo blanco rum, tromba blanco tequila, beefeater, house-steeped oolong tea, fresh lemon juice, basil syrup.

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I also had the Silky Johnson which was a peach-filled concoction of wyborowa wodka, muddled fruit, peche de vin, peach jelly sake, lemon juice, honey.

We came mostly for desserts and ordered all of them.

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The Round the Way Girl was a delicious molten cake with a nori seaweed dust that provided an interesting saltiness.

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The Wao Bao was a deep fried donut thing served with spicy nutella and a pop-rock sauce.

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These Ping Pong Beignets were made of sweet potato and sprinkled with sesame seed.

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The Let Your Backbone Slide were sesame mochi with fruit compote and peanuts. It was delicious.

If you want a place to have snacks before a concert this is the perfect place to go, but I recommend scheduling it in advance as the food takes a bit of time if the restaurant is full.

Kanpai Snack Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Hot Star Fried Chicken

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One hangover morning Nash and I hit up Hot Star fried chicken. Originally from Taiwan, it recently set up a Canadian location in downtown Toronto.

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There weren’t many choices on the menu yet. A BBQ option was coming and so were plum taro fries, but upon my visit they were still listed as “coming soon”. I opted for the regular fried chicken in medium spicey and a strawberry soda. The chicken was fried to a nice crunch but still super juicy on the inside. It was just as advertised: Surprisingly extra large and delicious. There’s no way one person could’ve eaten an entire portion!

Eagerly awaiting more options.
Hot Star Large Fried Chicken Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

More than Sausages @ WVRST

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Recently we had a surprise birthday party for my friend at WVRST, the sausage hall.
DSCF6823Reservations are recommended for big parties as seating is at shared tables. You also have to go up and order your food and drinks. You aren’t really served per table.

DSCF6828 I had the pheasant sausage. The meat was blended with sun dried tomato and apple. On top I added sweet onion and sauerkraut. I found the sausage super light and flavourful.

DSCF6829 I chose duck fat fries as my side with a chili tomato jam as the dipping sauce.

DSCF6831Nash had the Bratwvrst and sweet peppers which he really enjoyed.

DSCF6826WVRST is also known for their wide selection of alcoholic beverages. Our first drink was a sweet West Avenue cider.

DSCF6833Then we opted to be a bit more adventurous and try Troy Wild Apple cider from Sanoma County California. It looked like a mini bottle of wine. It was super tart but you could definitely taste the real apples that were used in the making. The bottom also contained pulp which added an interesting texture (and colour) to our drinks.

Wvrst is more than just a sausage place. It’s a cool place to hang out and have a drink with friends!
WVRST Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Holiday Potlucks

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Holidays are full of delicious food including potlucks! We recently had one at work on our floors. Everybody brought delicious goodies, most being homemade (besides the obvious bucket of KFC). ]
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I love potlucks because it allows me to taste food of different kinds and the histories and backgrounds of different people. It also allows me to experiment with recipes which aren’t always as fun when you’re cooking for two. This time around I brought bacon-loaded devilled eggs. What is your secret potluck recipe?

Brunch @ Barque Smokehouse

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Weekends call for brunch! We recently visited Barque Smokehouse (mother of Butcher’s Bar) for a smokey brunch. We arrived around noon and were seated at the bar. The place is super popular but I didn’t find that there was too bad of a line for a Saturday. I ordered the Barque Benedict, a poached egg on corn bread with BBQ hollandaise a hash and kale salad. The hollandaise was creamy and had a lovely buttery sweetness. I wanted to lick the plate.

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Nash had the Scrambled Eggs which came with smoked short ribs, mushroom jus and a kale salad. I looked over and it was gone within seconds so I assume it was delicious too!

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Brunch cocktails are a thing right? Well, I decided to make it a thing so I ordered a Bourbon Smoked Sour, which is like a smokey lemonade for adults.

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Nash had the Barque Bloody Caesar which was decorated around the rim with candied bacon.

If you’re looking for a BBQ-filled way to start your weekend, head over to Barque for a delicious brunch!

Barque Smokehouse Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

My First Slow Cooker

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According to the Toronto Star, I’m an adult now. I bought a slow cooker and am really excited about it. I opted for a larger 6.5 quart programmable slow cooker because it’s the easiest for following online recipes. Plus, I can fit an entire chicken in it, which I totally did the day I got it.

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Now I can come home to a cooked meal and waste less of my life preparing meals. It’s comforting to come home to the smell of food.

Bryan’s BBQ

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After a party, my friends and I were in the mood for some late night Korean BBQ so we headed to Christie area and stopped by the unassuming Bryan’s BBQ. Since we technically already ate some food beforehand, we didn’t do the All You Can Eat and ordered a la carte instead.

We tried the pork belly, pork ribs and bulgogi. There were sides of sweet potato, kimchi and radish. There was also jalapeños, onions, lettuce and garlic that could be thrown onto the grill or just eaten I guess.

We also ordered a side vegetable gyozas which were delicious and a kimchi pancake thing. The meat was nicely marinated so once cooked filled our stomachs with our craving for Korean BBQ. I can’t speak on behalf of the All-You-Can-Eat menu seeing as we didn’t do it but what we had was decent.

Bryan's BBQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato