tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405446848772547622024-03-05T03:17:52.601-08:00foodQueen♔huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-88059995413342568292012-08-15T21:29:00.001-07:002012-08-15T23:26:24.134-07:00Mochi Brownies with Matcha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Hello Hello! It's been awhile, hasn't it? Yes yes, I know you've all probably heard that line quite a few times, and again I am sorry. If there's one thing I've learned from all these years of schooling is that there is a positive correlation between school work and blogging. Also, I have recently come down with what seems to be a food lover's worse enemy; a gastric ulcer. We can all thank H. Pylori for that one. But, I digress.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">For today's comeback blog, I decided to make mochi brownies. If you're wondering, mochi is a typical Japanese dessert that has a glutinous texture and is usually filled with something such as azuki (red bean) paste. Clearly this doesn't look like that, but the similarity between mochi and these mossy lookin' brownies are the fact that I used rice flour instead of regular flour. Meaning...these are gluten free! Yay for waist-lines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Beyond being ever so slightly healthier than a typical brownie, these mochi brownies are also way chewier, although less fudgier. The texture seemed closer to a <a href="http://cdn.phamfatale.com/album/cassava-cake-closeup.jpg" target="_blank">cassava</a> cake than a brownie, but the chocolate taste was just as apparent. I enjoyed this brownie (a little too much...) due to many reasons, the main one being its chewy and soft texture. If you prefer very dense and fudgy brownies, maybe this recipe isn't for you but if you don't mind trying out something new, then by all means continue reading on :)! Another reason to try this out is that rice flour is quite useful in making noodles and other foods (General Tao chicken heh heh), so it's handy to have a box around the kitchen anyway.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ingredients: </span></b></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup rice flour (I used Mochiko)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">1 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">1 tsp baking soda</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">pinch of salt</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">12 oz. can evaporated milk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">1 large egg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">1/2 to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">2 tsp matcha (I got mine from DAVIDsTEA)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">8x8 inch brownie pan</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees celsius. Spray or oil (I used olive oil) an 8x8 pan. You can use a larger pan, but the brownie will be thinner. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">2. In a large bowl, combine the mochiko, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the ingredients together and leave it aside. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZasxwINjZOBaObFNhKXL97_-T50nS8MP6NC6QIYGQPHMzDdiMwCPuWE0zeWkqoeB8-ue4CGS3MQrp2wicXp2F1o1EO4DOWKOV6YiGvXrqETapF97EZTMQAFT9un6NPxBoCxMjLS6xmU/s1600/IMG_8194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZasxwINjZOBaObFNhKXL97_-T50nS8MP6NC6QIYGQPHMzDdiMwCPuWE0zeWkqoeB8-ue4CGS3MQrp2wicXp2F1o1EO4DOWKOV6YiGvXrqETapF97EZTMQAFT9un6NPxBoCxMjLS6xmU/s200/IMG_8194.JPG" width="149" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> 3. Melt the butter and chocolate chips over a steaming apparatus, stirring occasionally. You can make a make-shift steamer by filling a pot with hot water and using a stove burner to elevate a heat-safe glass bowl. This process took about 10 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. While the butter and choco chips are melting, i<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">n a medium bowl combine the evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and egg. When the butter and chocolate chips are completely melted, pour it into this mixture and whisk well until the whole thing is completely blended.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> 5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk well until combined. You probably are wondering why you'd pour wet into dry and honestly there's no real answer, although Alton Brown did go into some depth about the scientific aspect of it...but baking is more of an art than science so I say phooie on that! I always prefer pouring the wet into the dry (known as the Muffin Method) because it's slightly faster and there's less flour flying around :).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The consistency of the two combined is quite liquidy and not at all like a cake batter. There are no air bubbles and it is relatively smooth, although VERY mildly viscous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. Pour your mixture into your greased pan and sprinkle as much chocolate chips as you like ontop and bake for 40-45 minutes. Beware though, the chocolate chips will sink to the bottom. If you want your chocolate chips to be apparent on top, you can divide the amount you want by half and sprinkle one half before baking, and the rest after 15 minutes of baking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I only baked my brownies for 35 minutes because I look my brownies very gooey, but if you prefer more solid brownies, baking them for 40-45 minutes would be the better option for you. Going beyond that time is not recommended because chocolate is very easy to...fail with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7. Take out the brownies and let them cool completely before inverting it on a plate. Once inverted, sift some matcha powder ontop and voila: Mochi Brownies with Matcha.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Overall, I really enjoyed these brownies and received quite a few compliments. They were simple, delicious, and took little time to make. Again, I shall emphasize that these are not your typical super-chocolate-fudge brownies, so don't expect completely similar results. And so the question lies: Would I make these again?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7ybb3Uh2C1qg85d9.gif" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">HELLS. YEA.</a><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><-link ;)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy baking :)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xoxo,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">-A</span><br />
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huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-11003548835644359232012-03-18T15:07:00.001-07:002012-03-18T15:12:43.158-07:00Unionville Series!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPDLydVybE4F3PKBBDPkYbyVl9LHAwxV43gvuBtz1Dju0QsdvWw2aqUHvJaZYZ5IbgRMeNoFfOqW0DXhDbV2reZ8kauW_NyJBMKCrNvLDi-rLPOF5X82WLQ0ZRqH0kK627ukE6OngY-M/s1600/unionilleedit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPDLydVybE4F3PKBBDPkYbyVl9LHAwxV43gvuBtz1Dju0QsdvWw2aqUHvJaZYZ5IbgRMeNoFfOqW0DXhDbV2reZ8kauW_NyJBMKCrNvLDi-rLPOF5X82WLQ0ZRqH0kK627ukE6OngY-M/s400/unionilleedit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Hello hello! Today, I have decided to introduce a new segment to my nomventures--a Historic Unionville series! Historic Unionville is a little street strip all the way up in the north around Richmond Hill and was founded alll the way back in the 1840s by a man named Ira White. This charming area situated around a small park is packed with little boutiques, service shops, and delicious restaurants in rustic European-like buildings. Although this area is filled with many beautiful aspects, I will mostly be documenting about the variety of restaurants that they house. In total, there are 15 food stores, 2 of which are franchise cafes such as Starbucks and Timothy's World Coffee. The majority of the restaurants, to my surprise, are Italian. So be prepared for a bunch of reviews about pasta and gourmet pizza haha. But, really, I urge you to go visit Historic Unionville if you have the chance. It is not very large, but the scenery is very nice especially on a beautiful day and is perfect for an afternoon browse or a nighttime walk in the spring's warm air. Also, the photography is awesome! I went yesterday when it was slightly gloomy to my dismay, but the pictures came out somewhat alright on my DSLR. Of course I may credit this place more because I am a big fan of history, but either way, GO GO GO :)!<br />
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Hope you enjoy this little series :)huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-35100514995987246362012-03-09T19:25:00.013-08:002012-03-09T22:41:48.966-08:00滷肉: Taiwanese stewed pork over rice<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQMYaBfeJ6ejCuOuq9WDgchasD4Yi22N-Kwn54E39PGHVbAomCbaRdPpxOyXkTeEOqI8WiqsNiT473R78PyxkKSPKGoZqgebtz2fMSQmBf53S8M3zFGan1PhQjliA9UZWL0uJs0H6D-o/s1600/IMG_6032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQMYaBfeJ6ejCuOuq9WDgchasD4Yi22N-Kwn54E39PGHVbAomCbaRdPpxOyXkTeEOqI8WiqsNiT473R78PyxkKSPKGoZqgebtz2fMSQmBf53S8M3zFGan1PhQjliA9UZWL0uJs0H6D-o/s320/IMG_6032.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hello hello there! Today I will be blogging about my first cooking venture, and honestly I feel really excited to share the recipe and results with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since C and I were craving some comfort food on this cold day, we thought it'd be fun to try and make some "lo ba", aka Taiwanese stewed pork over rice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lo ba is like the Taiwanese mac-n-cheese; it is simple, versatile, and traditional! It is comprised of minced pork simmered in a delicious and savoury stew for at least 2.5 hours and is usually served on a steaming bed of rice or soft chewy noodles. The first time I ever tried lo ba was at a bubble tea shop, and ever since then, I have simply just loved this hearty and comforting dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">SO! Let's start, shall we?</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ingredients + apparatus</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIn7pDsiXEpkE0XCNvrmiU29tPlD5cr-8fw01EwMTknIr_MsyhSNSVoi_LIlDmukceVunpZz64VE6KsWryej3qtHGG3G0Aobrvl8ZXC7E1MQ7jOvaGOvJUSIGBMCQ2_S1ywMuTXdERpM/s1600/IMG_6016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIn7pDsiXEpkE0XCNvrmiU29tPlD5cr-8fw01EwMTknIr_MsyhSNSVoi_LIlDmukceVunpZz64VE6KsWryej3qtHGG3G0Aobrvl8ZXC7E1MQ7jOvaGOvJUSIGBMCQ2_S1ywMuTXdERpM/s320/IMG_6016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">650g ground pork (preferably with lots of fat) </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">1/3 cup chopped shallot</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">2 tbsp minced garlic</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">1/3 cup soy sauce</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">1/4 cup chinese rice wine</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">6 cups water</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">1/4 cup cooking oil</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">2 tbsp sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">2 star anise (for first-time users like me:<a href="http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesefoodglossary1/g/star_anise.htm" target="_blank">star anise?</a>)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">1 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (or more to suit your taste)</span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">a deep pan <span style="color: #0b5394;">*TIP:</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">C and I used a pot because it has less surface area, decreasing the chances of the pork becoming burnt/tough due to prolonged simmering</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">*</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><b>Method </b></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4Od9KoDnRbP49lo5WrEjCXaEwO-SNlXECy6-qb0y-kXQFoxemDXhMYJZa7anY-D1oL5pY60P2Zs8WzrtBEHUMSLPY5UmscrpVjyx8wU8SmAxGx962nVo5sMDYtQRyQmxbxCSNiH1cu4/s1600/IMG_6020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4Od9KoDnRbP49lo5WrEjCXaEwO-SNlXECy6-qb0y-kXQFoxemDXhMYJZa7anY-D1oL5pY60P2Zs8WzrtBEHUMSLPY5UmscrpVjyx8wU8SmAxGx962nVo5sMDYtQRyQmxbxCSNiH1cu4/s200/IMG_6020.JPG" width="163" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1.</b></span> Warm your pan/pot, then add the cooking oil, shallots, and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until the shallots and garlic become fragrant. Add the star anise and cinnamon at this point and stir until mixed <span style="color: #3d85c6;">*</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Since I am not used to cooking terminology, I took it in the most literal term, and was constantly putting my nose close to the pot</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">*</span></span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">2. </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">Add the ground pork and stir quickly, constantly jabbing your stirring spoon into the sticky pork to break it apart. Try to get as much as the liquid around the pork.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpX95IOTXoy9SY78LNKkDLCE1AMl78iAhYSTpRZCeNvNyOLxESlwO-7icOkGeKblu-eswJbi7ERDXigR3oK_KnLBbKSIoNjW6H1Hx0uCqVir1iPQREFZMpGjyCRXar9uCjK4CAthjwV0/s1600/IMG_6023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpX95IOTXoy9SY78LNKkDLCE1AMl78iAhYSTpRZCeNvNyOLxESlwO-7icOkGeKblu-eswJbi7ERDXigR3oK_KnLBbKSIoNjW6H1Hx0uCqVir1iPQREFZMpGjyCRXar9uCjK4CAthjwV0/s200/IMG_6023.JPG" width="149" /></a></div><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">3. </b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;">When your pork looks like this, add the soya sauce, sugar, rice wine, and stir. Again, try to get as much liquid around the pork.</span><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-size: large;">4. </span>Add your six cups of water then cover the lid, set the heat to low, and let it simmer for 2.5-3 hours.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"> <span style="color: #0b5394;">*</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">if you would like, start boiling a couple of eggs after you set the pork to simmer. after the eggs are done, peel the shells and add them to your stew. you will be rewarded with the most flavourful stewed eggs ever</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">*</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><b>end result...</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SEFKuiPcjya7MMGt93OQoLqDEhBjSe9yabLrPtKrLjDW8FM1LHYZjGkI3wbZFAEbGPiD4nlL-lXfigpdIt4p8aWRVMXfIojUtGw_SIaFjZmIea1VWJQ1n7oEbeBMcGmtW1hLiswZnLw/s1600/IMG_6028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SEFKuiPcjya7MMGt93OQoLqDEhBjSe9yabLrPtKrLjDW8FM1LHYZjGkI3wbZFAEbGPiD4nlL-lXfigpdIt4p8aWRVMXfIojUtGw_SIaFjZmIea1VWJQ1n7oEbeBMcGmtW1hLiswZnLw/s320/IMG_6028.JPG" width="238" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not the most appealing picture...I promise to work on my photography skills haha, but don't let it deceive you; this was truly delicious and aromatic! The whole house smelt like the rich star anise and it was absolutely torturous to wait the full 2.5 hour minimum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Overall, this dish was hands-down a </span><a href="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvgu2cRugr1qen75u.gif" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">SUCCESS</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*click it!* </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The meat was extremely tender and just melted in your mouth when eaten. All of the stew seeped deep into each particle-niche possible in the pork, creating tiny bits of savoury heaven. To top the dish off, we added some chopped spring onion which served to add some crunch texture, as well as enhance the taste of the pork. The stew was slightly salty on its own, but when paired with steamy rice, it turned out just fine. But, if you are very conscious about your salt-intake, you can try to revise this by adding a low-sodium soya sauce or adding less soya sauce. Mind you, this may compromise the flavour intensity. As for the egg, since it had been exposed to prolonged hea</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">t from the boiling and simmering, there was a slight sulphur ring around the yolk, but it did not significantly affect the taste. In fact, even if the sulphur ring had been large, I doubt C and I would've tasted it anyway due to the immense flavour of the stew. If you would like, you can also add some chopped soya beans and mushrooms at the same time when you would add the eggs. These will add a wider variety of textures to your dish, raising it up a notch.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmTtigyTqz6pX_S2Gr1iDlSexM40e81DBAg1M6pyMZCdwZYOVoCRILk1sgpDP-b8WgUeXTTcWI8vUC2G7Y9id06tKPMf1pDj5RqBYwBLH2px40BDb5jTpg9cErHziwblZvfnewdw-UnY/s1600/IMG_6029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmTtigyTqz6pX_S2Gr1iDlSexM40e81DBAg1M6pyMZCdwZYOVoCRILk1sgpDP-b8WgUeXTTcWI8vUC2G7Y9id06tKPMf1pDj5RqBYwBLH2px40BDb5jTpg9cErHziwblZvfnewdw-UnY/s400/IMG_6029.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">we boiled some "yu choi" in slightly salted water and drizzled some oyster sauce over it, but you can add any vegetable side you want, if any at all</span><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Alas, my first cooking post has come to an end. The Taiwanese stewed pork was a terrific success and C and I will definitely be making this simple dish again. The prep work took at maximum only 10 minutes, and the rest of the time was allocated to letting the stew simmer, a plus since it gives you plenty of time to do other things. The great part of this dish is that it's extremely versatile, meaning you can eat it with either hot rice, noodles, or even bread! I'm sure it would delicious in all three situations :). I hope you enjoyed this post, and may you have as much fun and be as successful in making this dish!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Happy eating!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">xoxo,</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">-A</span></span></div>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-11083506041728507432012-03-04T18:30:00.010-08:002012-03-04T21:32:17.304-08:00Sushi Bong<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hello hello! For today I will be reviewing <b>Sushi Bong</b>, a little sushi place famous for their large dynamite rolls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sushi Bong...I have no idea where to start, even though I've been to this restaurant the most compared to all my other reviews. Since the highschool I attended is really close to Sushi Bong, my friends and I were frequent lunchtime visitors, so it was only natural that a lot of good memories were made over Sushi Bong's food, whether it be when we got takeaway or sat in. Unfortunately though, when we all graduated, our trips to Sushi Bong got replaced by trips to cafes and coffee shops instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Then one eventful day, 3 years later, I was stricken with a very random and immense craving for sushi, in particular, a dynamite roll. Instantly, a plethora of images of Sushi Bong popped up in my head like a crazy vortex of memories, and I just knew that I had to go there to satisfy my craving. I invited C to come along, for I wanted him to have a glimpse of what my highschool life was somewhat like, as well as to have him become a part of that vortex of memories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sushi Bong is a very humble store located along Yonge, close to Finch. It is rather hidden, as it's in a circular plaza at the base of two condominiums, so due to a combination of location obscurity, horrible directions, and a mini snowstorm, C had missed the turn point and we had to go in a big round circle! Also, parking there is quite difficult due to limited space and many restrictions. C and I were lucky to have found a parking spot, but this place is easier to walk to if anything. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbCl2ub8DfC_yQaINnfCgca65jtwTzpS7ER4sEcp6gVlhAR2mf26KN2lT1ypzrEo44SyDBcem1YPYI4f_O1T3bKdLqv-Kvg-nDQ2We6yXLo_ItncSYtNKY4DHeRAUujY5EHdHM5VzKA0/s320/sushi+bong.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image provided by Google</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbCl2ub8DfC_yQaINnfCgca65jtwTzpS7ER4sEcp6gVlhAR2mf26KN2lT1ypzrEo44SyDBcem1YPYI4f_O1T3bKdLqv-Kvg-nDQ2We6yXLo_ItncSYtNKY4DHeRAUujY5EHdHM5VzKA0/s1600/sushi+bong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">C and I quickly rushed into the mini store, and already I could feel all the memories flooding back. As we entered, we were greeted by a Korean woman, who told us we could sit anywhere we wanted, although to be honest, there wasn't much of a selection. The sushi bar takes up a lot of room in the store, so there is around only 4 tables inside the restaurant. Also, the door was frequently opened and due to probably un-oiled hinges, had a high latent period before it closed, making the little place very chilly. Taking this into account, C and I opted on a mini table close to the self-serve tea dispenser, in hopes that maybe a constant supply of tea could keep us warm. After sitting on their old wooden chairs, the woman gave us a black and white laminated menu outlining the choices we could select, and after much scrutiny, C and I decided on three dishes, two of which I had never tried at Sushi Bong before.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDppz29WFYxZvhrdFHpgFp0z7pFmG2W9NX1ws_XpQdUi0Bi1ymZiI1Qu_ZaER8bTLw6MKzbcdlrJWf3dxiVc70JEF4EVOKbs12QOEJaY-Xi9EntCIdWEwXmjNF7QkO59zMgjv-UMesDGU/s1600/322578_10151034149365297_501545296_22212170_1956652697_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDppz29WFYxZvhrdFHpgFp0z7pFmG2W9NX1ws_XpQdUi0Bi1ymZiI1Qu_ZaER8bTLw6MKzbcdlrJWf3dxiVc70JEF4EVOKbs12QOEJaY-Xi9EntCIdWEwXmjNF7QkO59zMgjv-UMesDGU/s320/322578_10151034149365297_501545296_22212170_1956652697_o.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <b style="font-size: x-large;">Unagi Donburi </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">($8.95)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since C and I were in the mood for something warm and comforting, we ordered this eel-rice dish. This yummy meal was comprised of barbecued fresh-water eel on a bed of hot steaming rice, covered in unagi sauce and sprinkled with spring onions and seaweed strips. Honestly, this dish was pretty damn good, although on the salty side (everything seems salty nowadays!!). The eel was lightly seared, giving it a very soft, slightly chewy, and mildly slippery texture, that matched perfectly with the steaming semi-sticky rice. The main taste of this dish, though, did not really come from the meal but rather from the unagi sauce that it was drenched in. So, what is unagi sauce? It is basically a slightly-viscous dark brown sauce that harbors a savoury yet sweet taste and is usually paired with grilled eel, which is no surprise since a direct translation of the word would show that it means "eel sauce" in English. The sauce is made in two components; a base and the "finished" product. The base is a reduction of eel bone broth, soya sauce, rice wine, and sugar and the "finished product" is made by using the base (suprise!), and constantly dipping grilled eel into the sauce to add flavour. Although dipping a grilled eel into a sauce may sound slightly unappealing, dipping eel in unagi sauce is a part of the cooking process for eel, so if you notice that your eel isn't quite so tasty, here's a potential reason why. Most restaurants use a manufactured unagi sauce, which usually only tastes like the base sauce and not the authentic completed version, but nevertheless, the dishes still come out just as yummy. The unagi sauce at Sushi Bong somewhat threw me off because not only did the sauce have that distinctive sweet and savoury flavour, it was also spicy!! Overall, the comforting rice dish with its soft and savoury eel was very satisfying and I would go back to eat it again.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBrrOSbis2BG8vfVjBsRSAc9imDrC4ATyNdfaL7d1dMld1k4-gjh8SC1noqNTXnnT-FXEqVLjXU67V0knzOeXRIGfaVSbvWsh1AcnsmK4rTU5QigPWwCtawpd4o6ibdT1euI8oqYGhCY/s1600/333516_10151034151325297_501545296_22212187_1732101599_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBrrOSbis2BG8vfVjBsRSAc9imDrC4ATyNdfaL7d1dMld1k4-gjh8SC1noqNTXnnT-FXEqVLjXU67V0knzOeXRIGfaVSbvWsh1AcnsmK4rTU5QigPWwCtawpd4o6ibdT1euI8oqYGhCY/s320/333516_10151034151325297_501545296_22212187_1732101599_o.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> <b style="font-size: x-large;">Spicy Salmon Roll </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">($4.65)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I know this picture has two rolls in it, and it was a mistake on my part for not taking a close-up on the spicy salmon roll. Anyhow, the spicy salmon roll is the smaller set of maki. This photo is a very useful picture to also show how BIG the dynamite rolls are in comparison to normal maki rolls! But, moving on...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Spicy salmon rolls have become a real favourite of mine since the summer of 2009. What drew me in was the soft, cool chunks of salmon, and the creaminess of the spicy sauce that covered every inch of the salmon. Now, have you ever wondered what mystical sauce they use in these maki? Well, whether you have or not, I have the answer for you. It is simply spicy mayonnaise! Yes, that delicious creamy sauce is nothing more than combination of mayonnaise, hot chili, and hot sesame oil. At Sushi Bong, I am unsure of whether or not they made their own spicy mayonnaise but whatever they used, it was delicious! Superbly creamy and lightly savoury, the sauce provided me with the perfect level of tongue-tingling pleasure that made every bite enjoyable. The only complaint I'd have is that there wasn't enough sauce! The salmon chunks inside were a little on the smaller side, but they were beautifully smooth, not at all squishy, indicating that it was fresh salmon used. As for the sesame seeds scattered all along the roll, I honestly didn't taste them due to the strong taste of the spicy mayonnaise.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxJgqCjkE73aqVljj9NFR7mo4RvQrRfqLbC5Rx7IHxn08KF8q38TzDBCObcNHcQV2vN8XS5QirBGMD5tSI1YNGUt-vBJnOMICeNuHz5ZvexQMB14lGBtyCh0m47zcHGSn8mIG1br3A1U/s1600/336819_10151034153165297_501545296_22212197_490805766_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxJgqCjkE73aqVljj9NFR7mo4RvQrRfqLbC5Rx7IHxn08KF8q38TzDBCObcNHcQV2vN8XS5QirBGMD5tSI1YNGUt-vBJnOMICeNuHz5ZvexQMB14lGBtyCh0m47zcHGSn8mIG1br3A1U/s320/336819_10151034153165297_501545296_22212197_490805766_o.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Dynamite Roll </b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">($6.11)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Alas, the famous dynamite roll! Sushi Bong became well-known in the community for their delicious and abnormally large dynamite rolls! The ingredients inside this roll are no different than the ones served at other restaurants; the roll is stuffed with fresh cucumber slices, fried tempura, avocado, and fish roe all wrapped in a strip of seaweed and a moderate amount of rice. So, what makes it so special? I honestly don't know. Maybe because of its large size, everything just seemed a lot more enhanced and harmonized. When you bite into one of Sushi Bong's dynamite rolls, you are handed a variety of textures, from the silkiness of the fresh avocado to the crunch of the savoury tempura. The flavour of each ingredient is also very apparent; the avocado and cucumbers are freshingly sweet, the fish roe are wonderfully sweet, full and "poppable", and the tempura is perfectly savoury and juicy. It is a difficult task to eat the whole piece in one shot, but if you try, I am sure you can manage (C and I actually made a game out of it!). I always feel that eating a maki in one shot allows you to taste all the flavours and to experience the harmony of all the ingredients. One of the best parts is the ending piece of the roll. There are only two ends in a roll set that harbor the tails of the tempura shrimps, but two is enough since each piece is jampacked with all the ingredients to the point that trying to shove it all inside your mouth results in a pharyngeal reflex. There are two things that I particularly like of Sushi Bong's dynamite roll. The first one is the fact that it is not overwhelmed with rice. The sushi chefs have generously packed each roll with tons of ingredients so you don't mostly taste the glutinous rice, but rather the precise flavour and texture of each ingredient. Second, the consistency. Sushi Bong has been around for at least 3-4 years, and although I did not return until recently, I have discovered upon eating that the taste and magic of the rolls have managed to remain the same on my palate as they were in my memories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So here it is: a review of a restaurant, while at the same time, a glimpse into my past. Sushi Bong has filled the scrapbook of my life with pictures of memories ranging from wasabi eating contests, to catching up with a good friend on a park bench while munching on dynamite rolls from a styrofoam box. If you ever go on your own account, I only hope that you enjoy it as much as I did, and as much as I do now!</span><br />
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<span lang="zh-Hant" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arvo; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Conclusively. . .. ...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arvo; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">food: 9.5/10 <br />
atmosphere: 7/10 (tight!)<br />
service: 9/10 (little service required)<br />
portion: towards the larger scale</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"> price: reasonable (<$10/dish)</span></span><br />
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<span class="street-address" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Located at: </span><b style="color: #9fc5e8;">5 Northtown Way </b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;">Phone Number: </span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(416) 227-0022</span></div></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/135669/restaurant/North-York/Sushi-Bong-Toronto" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><img alt="Sushi Bong on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/135669/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">happy eating!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> xoxo,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">-A</span> <br />
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</span>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-68763537801566982002012-02-25T14:19:00.006-08:002012-03-04T20:29:31.387-08:00Le Petite France<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been awhile since I've blogged and I am truly sorry. So often I get caught up in my daily activities, that I forget to pay attention to things I really enjoy, like FOOD and blogging for example!</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been almost 3 weeks since Winterlicious ended, but nevertheless I would like to dedicate my first blog of 2012 to a French Winterlicious meal at<b> Le Petite France</b>. This place holds a special place to me for it is the restaurant C and I went to for our one year anniversary :).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For starters, I will explain what <b>Winterlicious</b> is for people who are unfamiliar with the term. Basically, it is an annual two week winter event in Toronto (other places may also have this event!) where high-end or just overall any good restaurant opts on a single menu with a fixed priced. The menus usually provide a three course meal (appetizer, entree, dessert) with options to select from and the prices range from as low as $15 for a lunch, to $45 for a dinner. When C and I were scanning the winterlicious menu, we had decided on this because it was situated on Bloor Street West, which we thought was downtown Toronto, but upon Google-mapping this gem, we discovered it was in Etobicoke! But, as you can see, we still decided to eat there :)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The restaurant also provided lunch, but since we could not fit that into our schedules, we decided on a dinner at 6pm. We made reservations just in case there wasn't any room, for we did not know the dimensions of the restaurant nor its popularity. So! On the day of, we drove through a raging snowstorm with devastatingly slow traffic, parked in a nearby underground parking lot (street parking was very tight), and finally arriving 20 minutes after our reservation, we were gently greeted by a burly man in a black dress shirt tucked into blue denims. The restaurant had a very humble but warm exterior that, even when covered with white snow, beckoned us to enter and embrace the warmth it had to offer. Inside, the place was not completely packed, but it had a good amount of people for a blizzarding weekday. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigskJwzCGEzrqZQ7-mTNkax96tCzgNzG0mEU1MyshrCOnnmh-M0duha2OPA1IwY7Wk4Dpvq5SV2YQoomKpF6WvAr26m8HI-AeTsW3tmbI9EUSNr2TBVu6KxaUwuIcYKIAJG6laLA3TZ_M/s1600/le+petite+france.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image provided by Google</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigskJwzCGEzrqZQ7-mTNkax96tCzgNzG0mEU1MyshrCOnnmh-M0duha2OPA1IwY7Wk4Dpvq5SV2YQoomKpF6WvAr26m8HI-AeTsW3tmbI9EUSNr2TBVu6KxaUwuIcYKIAJG6laLA3TZ_M/s1600/le+petite+france.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We were placed at a small table for two by a picture adorned wall and rustic open bar. The aesthetics of the restaurant was not much, in fact everything was kept to the basics; tablecloth-laden tables, cutlery placed to the sides of the setting, standard wine glasses with cloth napkins inside, glass water cup placed at the tip of the knife on the right, and a bread plate beside the fork on the left. A little candle and sunflower was also placed, which I thought was a cute touch. Our waitress was a brunette that started us off with water, a basket of bread, and the <a href="http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/se/restaurants.nsf/Winterlicious/CE856D684F2C08D38525795100754B0F?OpenDocument" target="_blank"><b>menu</b></a>, which only housed the winterlicious options. We were actually disappointed that they did not provide any of their usual foods, so we were unable to order anything more. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since C and I had scanned their menu before, we knew what to order the moment she returned to take our orders. We were, though, tied between 3 different appetizers, so upon getting the approval from the manager, we were able to order an extra appetizer and just paid the difference. Alongside our meal, we ordered two extra glasses of pinot, each for a reasonable price of $8.75.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Appetizers</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_aws3Dv8s2zBA6JjZbgPCln4iBt3X23j3SdzzX6zcVFWq9odCmeepW4_s1V6APYvYe3zjtB20_lm8hOUP2kyg8ojjhqXokf_cFyGo2uxF_ozZrOZ8V-XJhUps_unMQdkpd7Aflq2aAU/s1600/IMG_5688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_aws3Dv8s2zBA6JjZbgPCln4iBt3X23j3SdzzX6zcVFWq9odCmeepW4_s1V6APYvYe3zjtB20_lm8hOUP2kyg8ojjhqXokf_cFyGo2uxF_ozZrOZ8V-XJhUps_unMQdkpd7Aflq2aAU/s320/IMG_5688.JPG" width="239" /></span></a></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pâté de Campagne</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">This was the appetizer that C had ordered, and it was their house made French style p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">âté. P</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">âté is essentially a mixture of cooked ground meat with fat that is turned into a spreadable paste. Usually, additions like herbs and vegetables are common, and the dish is served either cold or hot. Ours was a fairly large slice, served cold with a dollop of dijon mustard and cranberry sauce. The </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">âté</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"> was actually both our favourite, for it was very smooth, rich, and savoury! Out of the two condiments given to us, we concluded that the cranberry sauce tasted best, for the dijon mustard overpowered the </span> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">âté's</span> delicate <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">taste, whereas the cranberry's sweetness enhanced all the flavours inside the very smooth dish. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"> As yummy as the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">âté was, it was slightly too rich to eat on its own, and had to be paired with the complimentary bread. The bread possibly lowered the potential of the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">âté, for it was seemingly just unwarmed, sliced baguette. But, if the bread had been warmed, the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">âté could have probably upped from tasting good to tasting amazing.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOCo0Ry0bNFozWNB7fe8tQ9aWICNSIbiJMoi7tev-_VcWgl9-uit1xb3xuT9HtVixhR0Dtk_Vg7tqtXwNH_7PfTriaU8UzuJv7jTl2ZhEuuPoOYwml6HcOuJbTeGiAxIiQpTLRCCv2q0/s1600/IMG_5691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOCo0Ry0bNFozWNB7fe8tQ9aWICNSIbiJMoi7tev-_VcWgl9-uit1xb3xuT9HtVixhR0Dtk_Vg7tqtXwNH_7PfTriaU8UzuJv7jTl2ZhEuuPoOYwml6HcOuJbTeGiAxIiQpTLRCCv2q0/s320/IMG_5691.JPG" width="239" /></span></a></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bisque de Homard</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">This is the appetizer that I had opted on, which is essentially lobster bisque. Bisque is all about extracting the natural flavours of an ingredient, whether it be crustaceans or vegetables. It is a light and creamy soup of French origin, and for this particular one, is made from the coulis (which is basically pureed parts) of a lobster. The shells of the lobster are sauteed in aromatic ingredients beforehand, then strained, and added to the soup with the addition of some cream. For anyone who's eaten bisque before, we all know that it is quite thick and creamy, yet is very light and rich in taste. The bisque served at Le Petite France was a bit of a let down, for the bisque was not creamy at all (it had more of a brothy texture) and it was a little on the salty side. The salty side could actually have been my fault though because I had accidentally added salt twice to the broth thinking it was pepper (hey, they gave us two salt shakers, how was I to know? Hahaha). So for the saltiness, I shall take the blame. As for the thin texture, I assume that they either did not add enough cream or they watered-down their bisque as to increase serving size. Overall, the bisque was a miss for me due to it's thin/ watery texture, lack of creaminess, and overall un-lobstery taste.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDJ2ysgcGkDw1672eG-gMZZQSNe9RPjnG6JDYCSBOyIsAXnMLg5fvxw62IRIHcb9nPy_pzq6eZMd-ChUoq5M3Ay_PKnT5Srtlss2oaLeacGRglICVqY4Trb03vuGvE6mdkOZeaYB_MEQ/s1600/IMG_5687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDJ2ysgcGkDw1672eG-gMZZQSNe9RPjnG6JDYCSBOyIsAXnMLg5fvxw62IRIHcb9nPy_pzq6eZMd-ChUoq5M3Ay_PKnT5Srtlss2oaLeacGRglICVqY4Trb03vuGvE6mdkOZeaYB_MEQ/s320/IMG_5687.JPG" width="239" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Citrus and Honey Mussel Salad</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">This was the extra appetizer C and I decided to order. As the title claims, it was a salad with boiled mussels, drenched in a citrus vinaigrette. The leaves used were romaine and were nothing too outstanding other than the fact that they were crispy. The citrus and honey dressing was very refreshing, sweet, and acted as a great palate cleanser. The downside was that there wasn't much dressing as we would have liked. The winning part of this dish was definitely the boiled mussels. They had that delicious smooth texture inside, yet also maintained the slight chewiness on the outside. Also, the salad was laden with LOTS of these yummy mussels! The mussels with the citrus and honey was a great combination for it was light, cool, and sweet, providing a nice little break from all the savoury appetizers we were currently eating. Although this isn't part of the dish, C and I decided to take a slosh of red wine before eating the mussel and discovered that the mussels' flavour was enhanced when we had let the wine sit on the tongue for a small bit. The natural flavor of the mussels truly came out, and the taste not only remained on the tongue longer, but it also spread covering every inch of our palate with it's yummy pastiness.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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<div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Entrees</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUgoG4a8w1zTvVpyhf8-wTqUBwsMQaEqIOt7SvOgwpKxVFVoG2ZMnWnUWHxi-CqWjcw0p53LSDX8tFWyYBFLG2aWt9en1Gs7hOVe-WNE0e5Ohc22ExvF4kC68I7u6SHuyUJcmoSRg_iA/s1600/IMG_5695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUgoG4a8w1zTvVpyhf8-wTqUBwsMQaEqIOt7SvOgwpKxVFVoG2ZMnWnUWHxi-CqWjcw0p53LSDX8tFWyYBFLG2aWt9en1Gs7hOVe-WNE0e5Ohc22ExvF4kC68I7u6SHuyUJcmoSRg_iA/s320/IMG_5695.JPG" width="239" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Moules Marinières & Frites</b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The entrees! This was C's entree; steamed mussels in a white wine, shallot, and garlic broth. This dish was served with a side of salted fries. As you could probably tell from the mussel appetizer, we are both big fans for their mussels. These mussels were just as good as the ones in the salad, except this time they tasted savoury and were slightly more soft because they were served hot. The important part of this dish was the oil-dotted white broth that surrounded each mussel and pooled at the bottom. The broth was what made this dish what it was. Although on the salty side, the broth was very rich and all the flavours of the shallots and garlic (and some butter!) were enhanced (if you do not like garlic, you may not like this dish). When you ate the mussels with the broth, you had that initial hit of the salty and garlicky-ness of the broth, but as you continued to chew through the mussel, the initial saltiness disappeared and became infused with the smooth interior of the mussel, having the taste not only sit on your tongue, but rather disperse all along your palate, seemingly reaching to the part closest to your uvula! Even when all the mussels were eaten, the broth still tasted good when dipped with the bread we received. Such deliciousness cannot be described in words on this blog, my only suggestion is to try this place yourself. But be warned, as I have said before I shall say again; it is salty. The frites served with the dish were very thinly sliced, leading us to speculate if they were made at the place or store bought. They were salted, a little too much possibly, or maybe we are just too sensitive to sodium. Overall, this was a good dish and I would go back to eat it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2vI22G-F4q3w1HN3dG2GuXIAkG2X0mth94rXnXTuxiGkPjmPc1WFBQsJaYzPmhDyAsX4mwcyoLueEcLikMwxxrt1iLR-S-KS9zg9K_CwqIc5BH8VW-MYtYUZQcjjbWzNubm8966ISKY/s1600/IMG_5693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2vI22G-F4q3w1HN3dG2GuXIAkG2X0mth94rXnXTuxiGkPjmPc1WFBQsJaYzPmhDyAsX4mwcyoLueEcLikMwxxrt1iLR-S-KS9zg9K_CwqIc5BH8VW-MYtYUZQcjjbWzNubm8966ISKY/s320/IMG_5693.JPG" width="239" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Coq au Vin</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">This was the entree that I had ordered. It looks like a mess doesn't it? Indeed it was a mess, but my goodness, it was such a delicious mess. As described on their menu, it is a classic French stewed chicken with wine and mushrooms, but I honestly felt like I received more. Under the brown exterior, there was a nice juicy piece of chicken, soft sauteed mushrooms, some warm mashed potatoes, pieces of ham, and some salsa concoction. I shall start what I most disliked, which was the salsa. It was a mixture of tomatoes and celery and carrots that tasted oddly refreshing. It did not taste bad, but compared to the rest of the dish that was very comforting and savoury, this salsa-like addition did not match and seemed rather out of place with it's slight sourness. Next, I shall describe the sauce, one of the main components of the meal. I was unsure what this sauce was, but it most closely resembled that of a peppercorn gravy. It had the same texture and thickness of gravy, but an undertone of black pepper was apparent while I was eating. Due to the generous amount, it coated just about everything on the dish, soaking all the contents with a rich, savoury and deep flavour that just made you swallow each bite as fast as possible so you could just take another helping of it. The side additions of this were the mashed potatoes and mushrooms. They weren't spectacular compared to the gravy and chicken, but they were good. The mashed potatoes did not seem to be seasoned with anything such as garlic, but they had a wonderful creamy and thick texture that glided on your mouth as you ate it. Thinking about it, the mashed potatoes didn't need any flavouring anyway, since it was drenched in that delectable savoury gravy. The mushrooms were standard mushrooms; soft, yet rigid and infused the flavour of the gravy while maintaining that mushroomy taste. NOW, for the best part; the chicken! The chicken was very, very, <u>very</u> tender. My chicken was served with the skin still on, which probably contributed to it's softness. The meat came off in thin tendrils from the chicken, and glided off the bone flawlessly. The chicken did not harbor any flavoring of its own, rather it was the gravy that contributed most of the taste. But nevertheless, the chicken was warm, soft, and just downright delicious!!!!!!!! If the amount of exclamations in that last sentence did not depict my love for this meal, then I am not so sure what more I can say except add more exclamations. This was the epitome of comfort food and I would go all the way back there just to eat it again.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Dessert</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkudJNz6cNUYVxtDxPIVrwF0A_Ue-1r7g2W42pfgIUfe_Y0gGXNGmXnRfou1i59BX120Uw4G0UYNlBpg9hyaOeDnyWrErlCRsOlQ4sgZGQPWrS_k_aj4T6b6ZfKM_tmZfRbccCNbgBq7c/s1600/IMG_5700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkudJNz6cNUYVxtDxPIVrwF0A_Ue-1r7g2W42pfgIUfe_Y0gGXNGmXnRfou1i59BX120Uw4G0UYNlBpg9hyaOeDnyWrErlCRsOlQ4sgZGQPWrS_k_aj4T6b6ZfKM_tmZfRbccCNbgBq7c/s320/IMG_5700.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Profiterolles</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">As with every meal, no matter how great, it must end. This, was C's end; profiterolles! Profiterolles are a choux pastry filled with cream, whether it be whipped, pastry, or iced. Such dessert would be most colloquially called a cream puff. C's was a whipped cream profiterolle, served with a large ball of icecream, and <strike>drizzled</strike> soaked in chocolate sauce. The profiterolle honestly reminded me of a store bought one, for the outer shell harbored a somewhat cardboard taste and was slightly soggy, a sure sign of defrosting. They did not taste bad, but they were not the greatest either. Slightly on the heavy side, this dessert was a bit of a letdown for me, and knowing what I know now, I would not order it again unless I know for sure that the profiterolle are made fresh in the restaurant.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlH9AXSwfpIEUyHKJDQeHiviFjuj08j6kj0RXCM9lc6DUBDJZHIWnpDAv38yu4Mb38eMQbV-p5q_wvQFj5Knk5CaGQhPCz0Ytvz5FUFsVfw5tJFDbQpGPf4I_p4VQ5QMW-TXsydeSLlM/s1600/IMG_5699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlH9AXSwfpIEUyHKJDQeHiviFjuj08j6kj0RXCM9lc6DUBDJZHIWnpDAv38yu4Mb38eMQbV-p5q_wvQFj5Knk5CaGQhPCz0Ytvz5FUFsVfw5tJFDbQpGPf4I_p4VQ5QMW-TXsydeSLlM/s320/IMG_5699.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Crème Brûlée</span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Here is my ending for the night, c</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">rème brûlée! Afterall, it is a French restaurant :) What shocked me was the size of this dish-- it was huge! Usually when I order </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">c</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">rème brûlée, I expect a small custard cup but here I was given a custard bowl! But, do not be misled by the size; bigger does not mean better. For starters, the caramelized sugar ontop of the </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">c</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">rème brûlée was burnt, and not just slightly, it was immensely. Instead of adding that very light sweet taste, the burnt sugar made the dish taste somewhat smoky and too overwhelmingly sweet. The custard inside was not bad, but it is not on the top of my charts. It was slightly too sweet for my liking, and the texture a little on the thick side, more resembling a pudding rather than a lighter, creamy custard. Although I always enjoy getting more for my buck, the portion of this was a little too large because it pushed me from being content, to being stuffed. I had to force myself to finish the custard interior because of the size. As for the caramelized top, I ended up taking it all off and putting it aside.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Overall, I was truly satisfied with this meal. Although the dessert was a letdown, the main entrée as well as two of the appetizers were able to leave a good enough impression of this restaurant. Another contributing factor to why I enjoyed the meal was due to the size. I had expected very beautifully set dishes with little food placed on it, but instead, I was given dishes that had big portions of quality food. To me, that is more beautiful than any carefully decorated dish! Well, almost XD</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Le Petite France was a great experience, one that I will never forget. The food was good, the atmosphere was cozy and bubbling with quiet conversations, and the company I spent it with was none other than the best.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3u2BWIsTgIXbyOO0-mxRanx-kw1Ir2fOyQTYqNNy51E4bAoXeyiWXuNyAJ3dTkz49vRrIEtrWcJErk8OU_UFlZitdbvDlkZC8mCykQINflncgcdVd1rFYw6ZGBv8V5RAhvgVtNyl3Wts/s1600/IMG_5682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3u2BWIsTgIXbyOO0-mxRanx-kw1Ir2fOyQTYqNNy51E4bAoXeyiWXuNyAJ3dTkz49vRrIEtrWcJErk8OU_UFlZitdbvDlkZC8mCykQINflncgcdVd1rFYw6ZGBv8V5RAhvgVtNyl3Wts/s320/IMG_5682.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">our table :)</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusively. . . . . ...</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">food: 9/10 (some letdowns but main dishes were delicious)<br />
atmosphere: 8/10 (very relaxed)<br />
service: 8.5/10<br />
portion: good! (I was content)</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; line-height: 15px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> price: reasonable ($25 per person)</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #9fc5e8; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Located at: </span></span><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">3317 Bloor St W</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Phone Number: 416-234-8783</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/132919/restaurant/Etobicoke/La-Petite-France-Toronto"><img alt="La Petite France on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/132919/minilogo.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy eating!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">xoxo,</span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- A</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</b></span></span></div>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-41724950942642896692011-09-07T20:55:00.001-07:002012-03-04T20:29:52.139-08:00Smoke's Poutinerie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's been awhile, hasn't it?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My sincere apologies! When the "break" rolled around, I found myself quite busy with things that I thought I wouldn't be busy with (school -_-...). But now that school has started, the procrastination of studying begins, meaning: more blogging!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have been on many food adventures since the last time I blogged, and unlike my muscles or brain, my tongue has a very short memory so it cannot recall all the wonderful foods it has tasted. So, for today's blog I will talk about one of my favourite foods that I have eaten quite recently: poutine!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5rhVefvJHflAX_QUOQicgbt9GE0QIrHK0y0lvMjQTI8e1-yMGMz3VRt2Ajae49Jk40_lSadYaPmhfiDVbdWOH9ui97YqKtxrETVkYkutPAq47525ecfkAB9eK10dPfIOLfPLHbjKJQI/s1600/IMG_3895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5rhVefvJHflAX_QUOQicgbt9GE0QIrHK0y0lvMjQTI8e1-yMGMz3VRt2Ajae49Jk40_lSadYaPmhfiDVbdWOH9ui97YqKtxrETVkYkutPAq47525ecfkAB9eK10dPfIOLfPLHbjKJQI/s320/IMG_3895.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After reading reviews on it, and being a sucker for poutines, I always wanted to go down and try <b>Smoke's Poutinerie</b> out. But, since I constantly ran into my excuse of "another time", I ultimately put off ever going. Then one eventful day brought me down to the area of one of its locations (intersection of Spadina and Bloor aka The Annex). It was a very small shop, quite hidden actually. But, upon spotting the checkered head-sign and the distinctive stalker-eqsue-face logo, I knew where I was and that I <u>had</u> to go in to try. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWs7wcGxaAHPPYfUhbX01etVI_85wF7Y039e5Ju5WGvHOy2o4Y4JCNYOeoCc4goLLhwI-_iqkx0Q1DTucZRiibiP4-JvN_RrQqfIOlaEssHJfk3czF7hVPe1EmbwbZnuYTZbxf0mdC-I/s1600/IMG_3896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWs7wcGxaAHPPYfUhbX01etVI_85wF7Y039e5Ju5WGvHOy2o4Y4JCNYOeoCc4goLLhwI-_iqkx0Q1DTucZRiibiP4-JvN_RrQqfIOlaEssHJfk3czF7hVPe1EmbwbZnuYTZbxf0mdC-I/s320/IMG_3896.JPG" width="238" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Pulled Pork Poutine</b></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Large $8.99)</i></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Seeing that we were all very excited to try the poutine (and because someone else offered to pay...), everyone ignored their "no food past 10pm" diet, and decided on sharing a large pulled pork poutine. This poutine was filled with a whole bunch of chipotle pulled pork goodness, mixed with a generous helping of melted and creamy cheese-curds, thick crispy fries, and topped off a heaping portion of hot, rich gravy. Sounds good doesn't it? It was. The pulled pork was excellent. All the fine tendrils of pork were very tender, and perfectly encased the essence of the savoury yet slightly sweet chipotle sauce. The fries were on the more thickly cut side and quite crispy, yet simultaneously, slightly soggy and soppy as to absorb all that gravy goodness.What I particularly liked was that they were not salted (or as I tasted at least), so when combined with the rich gravy, it did not leave your lips pruned due to water deprivation. Another thing I enjoyed about Smoke's were their cheese curds. A common problem many poutineries face is the fact that their cheese curds come out more lumpy than "stringy-cheesy", making consumers find it rather hard to enjoy the poutine, considering that you have to stab your fork into a lump of segregated cheese and fries to get a combined taste. At Smoke's, though there were the occasional lumps of translucent cheeses here and there, the majority were well melted and mixed with the savoury gravy and fries, so when you lifted your fork, you got that mouth-watering cheesy string trailing afterwards, just waiting to be twirled around your plastic fork and shoved into your mouth. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9wAESYrFd1Y4VCYt5doQ5Gwl-t8ac99r0tFRu7drTeXH-UVh28fCvOED6jeBITqXyBhgi1aMtV04uBxZXWDl8uBz4NfoaUuwJvkIu2GalTSAVQfoV8tNWGLjrJPx9WnpgdoOI_hY44w/s1600/IMG_3988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9wAESYrFd1Y4VCYt5doQ5Gwl-t8ac99r0tFRu7drTeXH-UVh28fCvOED6jeBITqXyBhgi1aMtV04uBxZXWDl8uBz4NfoaUuwJvkIu2GalTSAVQfoV8tNWGLjrJPx9WnpgdoOI_hY44w/s320/IMG_3988.JPG" width="239" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <b><span style="font-size: large;">Chicken Peppercorn Poutine</span> </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Small $6.99)</i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Seeing that I had promised C that we'd go together before he left for his internship, when he returned, we promptly headed over to Smoke's to eat. Since I enjoyed the pulled-pork poutine so much, I urged C to order that for himself. As for me, considering that I am a huge chicken fan, I knew I wanted something from their chicken selection. I had my doubts when I finalized on getting the chicken peppercorn poutine since its gravy was not what I was used to. My doubts, though, were soon erased once I took a nibble out of this delicious dish. The poutine consists of the golden, thick fries, tender grilled chicken pieces, soft and juicy sauteed mushrooms, and wholly topped off with peppercorn gravy and stringy cheese-curds. The fries, this time though, were slightly soggier than the first time I tried them, but nonetheless, it still satisfied my taste buds.The chicken pieces were slightly on the dry side (maybe because it was white meat instead of dark), and did not really contain any individual flavour of its own. The mushrooms were a wonderful addition, for they were very juicy and not at all soggy. They had a very simple flavour, and although they were drenched in gravy, the mushrooms were still able to contain that distinctive taste all fresh mushrooms seem to possess. Now, for the gravy! I did not realize any real significant differences in the peppercorn gravy, and the original gravy Smoke's uses. If anything, the peppercorn gravy had more of a "kick" to it and a slight undertone of, of course, pepper.</span><i> </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZXbqqHVs8dOf7dYH9eNtNK2q7BUeDb84md4yqF6StM_S1MYbb1TCeiAE1pyUsjE1-3Pe6ivejHZ4huFoQxXVKaawFWheztOF0Wl-j9KUbeH9P2Q-2MG4ycTTZdQH0JEYJWd0I4bkdFw/s1600/IMG_3989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZXbqqHVs8dOf7dYH9eNtNK2q7BUeDb84md4yqF6StM_S1MYbb1TCeiAE1pyUsjE1-3Pe6ivejHZ4huFoQxXVKaawFWheztOF0Wl-j9KUbeH9P2Q-2MG4ycTTZdQH0JEYJWd0I4bkdFw/s320/IMG_3989.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a close-up picture. drool my food buddies. drool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m4nUwtzT4vrcJkO2VRTtY3w19pX0eODQW4RfK1gnZNmjyrdOrB8yG_jkwDZzU4ZBecR_9N1jjjrcJlYBayEIunEbkePXRg0uBdUWv8EUcbZM8zueRkjFk9ib_XQ6K9V5zLqJejio2WE/s1600/IMG_3894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m4nUwtzT4vrcJkO2VRTtY3w19pX0eODQW4RfK1gnZNmjyrdOrB8yG_jkwDZzU4ZBecR_9N1jjjrcJlYBayEIunEbkePXRg0uBdUWv8EUcbZM8zueRkjFk9ib_XQ6K9V5zLqJejio2WE/s320/IMG_3894.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an additional photo of their wall </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9xKTb3yzQ8Z_ws_GGax6YBA7fjQmCQJ7Pqo7fYnLaf9iMj1dpqgrRzVJRIYTYSdxzDttmHHi5dpFs0flEr-71Tnuo2zrW1IH4TZwkUDwph5se-sF1638riDp7zIMAgQaPG-Q9j_Djzc/s1600/IMG_3987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9xKTb3yzQ8Z_ws_GGax6YBA7fjQmCQJ7Pqo7fYnLaf9iMj1dpqgrRzVJRIYTYSdxzDttmHHi5dpFs0flEr-71Tnuo2zrW1IH4TZwkUDwph5se-sF1638riDp7zIMAgQaPG-Q9j_Djzc/s320/IMG_3987.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sorry for the position, i'm not sure why it's like this. C's pulled pork poutine and my chicken peppercorn poutine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span lang="zh-Hant"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="zh-Hant"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Conclusively. . .. ...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">food: 8.5/10 (slight inconsistency)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">atmosphere: 9/10 (very relaxed)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">service: 10/10 </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">portion: moderate</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">price: reasonable (<$10/dish)</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="street-address" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Located at: </span><b style="color: #9fc5e8;">490 Bloor Street West </b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">Phone Number: </span></span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(416) 588 2873</span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1518281/restaurant/Cabbagetown/Smokes-Poutinerie-Toronto"><img alt="Smoke's Poutinerie on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1518281/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">happy eating!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> xoxo,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">-A </span></span></div></div>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-57667536246241277322011-06-02T21:19:00.002-07:002012-03-04T20:30:21.116-08:00Kenzo Ramen<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After reading through some of my blogs from April, I noticed that I tend to start all my blogs with "hello hello". Seeing how annoyingly repetitive that seems, I've decided to start each blog post with a greeting in a new language. SO!</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"></span><br />
<div>こんにちは<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><a href="http://www2.tokai.or.jp/yuki/sound/konnichiha.wav"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(konnichiwa) everyone! Moving on with today's blog...</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After visiting the fresh cherry blossoms at High Park with S and C, we were extremely tired and hungry. S had researched earlier of a good new ramen place that just opened on Bloor</span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and was itching to try it out. </span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivn3QWvrexb0hQs-pP_i6L7mzqXoisyGedOyiqxS49W3bwr3qKpELo8X8ErKI8evqyJ4Xaa3F8cXHIhLbblZE13XxSqT81tcxNmGzD4OSWqlCukj-N69WmTngdVhGBAI1AsJuXRwomID8/s1600/kenzo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivn3QWvrexb0hQs-pP_i6L7mzqXoisyGedOyiqxS49W3bwr3qKpELo8X8ErKI8evqyJ4Xaa3F8cXHIhLbblZE13XxSqT81tcxNmGzD4OSWqlCukj-N69WmTngdVhGBAI1AsJuXRwomID8/s320/kenzo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenzo on Bloor; image taken from Google</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With those unfamiliar with the term ramen,<b style="color: #9fc5e8;"> ramen</b> is a Japanese noodle dish. The noodles in ramen are not your typical Western spaghetti noodles though, rather they are wheat-noodles, so (as I feel) they have a more chewy texture. The broth that comes along with the noodles are usually meat or fish-based</span>, <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and flavored with soya sauce or miso. Miso and soya sauce are the most basic ramen broths, but there are many different kinds of ramen, depending on the locality of Japan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are actually three locations for Kenzo Ramen; Dundas, Bloor, and Yonge. The Dundas and Bloor locations can be spotted on GoogleMap, but for some odd reason, I can't find the Yonge one. The only reason I even knew about the Kenzo on Yonge was because C had gone there many times beforehand for ramen. I have never visited the Dundas location, so I'll only be reviewing the Yonge and Bloor locations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> BLOOR LOCATION </span></b></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QGKE7rBPbWCT-iJIJSlmL2wYOHv9kggZf22D8RoIiO4PDpxe1EAJNUcxG560E8TdipaKzJ5lOMjl1P1HRCCIo8ucDrhY5tE9L2VvrYc5IQ7ieoOROSMHi-NoE_zoC0UyqKgSNJeoeRQ/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QGKE7rBPbWCT-iJIJSlmL2wYOHv9kggZf22D8RoIiO4PDpxe1EAJNUcxG560E8TdipaKzJ5lOMjl1P1HRCCIo8ucDrhY5tE9L2VvrYc5IQ7ieoOROSMHi-NoE_zoC0UyqKgSNJeoeRQ/s320/IMG_2565.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h4zQigdixHaewSFUvgYS1AqYPgso2JPDX-wCCtYhk7Od68MxVX0Nkxzut8XN3BDZWUpqkAlWw2YkGPjrvpsQ3fCBtyjxjI0-h9vJYdmJXaRetDxyX4cYil7lq2kKoesZw69Y1zZK5Zw/s1600/IMG_2564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h4zQigdixHaewSFUvgYS1AqYPgso2JPDX-wCCtYhk7Od68MxVX0Nkxzut8XN3BDZWUpqkAlWw2YkGPjrvpsQ3fCBtyjxjI0-h9vJYdmJXaRetDxyX4cYil7lq2kKoesZw69Y1zZK5Zw/s320/IMG_2564.JPG" width="239" /></a> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Sho-Yu Ramen</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both C and I ordered this type of ramen. Sho-Yu is considered as one of Kenzo's most basic ramen, consisting of wheat noodles in a fish or meat based broth and seasoned with A LOT of soya-sauce. The noodles were served with two pieces of seemingly lightly seared pork, half a boiled egg, a seaweed strip, and a naruto! No, I do not mean the anime </span><a href="http://www.naruto.com/" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Naruto</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, but rather that little pink/white thing placed beside the seaweed strip. A naruto is basically a processed sliced fish cake and is also commonly called kamaboko in Japanese. The noodles served at Kenzo are definitely different than the ones I've tried at other ramen places (e.g. Ajisen Ramen...). Not only did they possess a favourable chewier texture, the noodles retained more flavour in them than other places. The pork served with the noodles were </span><u style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">extremely</u><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> tender, and literally fell apart into thin strips in your mouth when you ate it, making it very easy to separate the fat portion of the pork slice from the desired meat. As for the taste, the pork did not have much distinction from the soya-sauce broth it was immersed in, it was only slightly more savoury and salty. Nevertheless though, the pork was a great addition. What I liked most from the dish was the egg. I feel that many people tend to overlook the half-egg served with ramen, considering that it just simply looks like a hard-boiled egg. What they fail to realize, though, is that quite a bit of preparation is necessary to make a perfect "ramen egg". Since the perfect ramen egg will have a creamy yolky-centre, temperature is very important, since over-boiling the egg leaves the yolk dry, yet if you don't boil it long enough, the yolk tends to be..well, too yolky. Even after boiling, the egg shell has to be peeled off (which is extremely tedious), and then the egg-whites have to be seasoned with a bit of broth and a dark-soya sauce/light-soya sauce/ pepper concoction to give it that adorable brown color. Kenzo's ramen egg, I feel, captured the whole idea of a ramen egg. The yolk was extremely creamy, and the egg whites were wonderfully fluffy and distinctive in taste. It was truly...eggcellent!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSIOkvkLl1yH93olvsT_JU9zkFfVNFGnYNqHt256DjNJZUY_PoCMdL1H5pa0J6UFKEleBL_FXgnfGm8ecrpek58xDQCOgzYomzzJH3f7Z_NU2g2tzzsV3Lcj0nGLSu3ZWUh84MTbbv-g/s1600/IMG_2566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSIOkvkLl1yH93olvsT_JU9zkFfVNFGnYNqHt256DjNJZUY_PoCMdL1H5pa0J6UFKEleBL_FXgnfGm8ecrpek58xDQCOgzYomzzJH3f7Z_NU2g2tzzsV3Lcj0nGLSu3ZWUh84MTbbv-g/s320/IMG_2566.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Tonkotsu Ramen</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">This was S's order. Labelled as one of Kenzo's Special Ramen, this dish was truly special...at least according to S's reaction (which I highly trust considering how she's also an avid food-lover). The bowl consisted of the same wheat-noodles as the Sho-Yu ramen, and was also served with seared pork, a half hard-boiled egg, seaweed, a naruto, and garnished with green onion slices.</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The type of broth used was, as the title says, tonkotsu. Tonkotsu is basically a thick broth made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen for a long period of time to come out with a cloudy white broth with a creamy consistency able to battle butter.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yOHVRS1KuioNIQLU_8ZRgNhrzsPc_z20TdnkKEn8dA04zT2_FeVpjbHl2_KObosGkJhcJG-921rgMIrYA1ziSlapBYcDWkpPUtMhEF7m7CKaW-MS7UKdwF-IpxZSOgF8PlyFa-iGw6A/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yOHVRS1KuioNIQLU_8ZRgNhrzsPc_z20TdnkKEn8dA04zT2_FeVpjbHl2_KObosGkJhcJG-921rgMIrYA1ziSlapBYcDWkpPUtMhEF7m7CKaW-MS7UKdwF-IpxZSOgF8PlyFa-iGw6A/s320/IMG_2563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Takoyaki</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since S and I cannot (absolutely cannot) resist takoyaki, we jumped at the option of ordering the dish when we saw it on the menu. As stated in my <a href="http://foodqueeny.blogspot.com/2011/04/guu-izakaya_02.html">Guu Izakaya</a> post, takoyaki is basically soft and chewy batter balls filled with octopus pieces, drizzled in takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, and garnished with super chopped green onions and curling bonito flakes. Compared to Guu, I felt the takoyaki served at Kenzo were better. This was partially due to the fact that their octopus pieces were larger (way larger!) and their addition of a small ingredient that surprisingly added a lot of flavour; cheese. Both C and I felt the creamy and stretchy cheese in the takoyaki was a great addition because it added a more savoury and memorable taste to the dish, that not only kicked it up in flavour, but also kicked it out of the generic takoyaki ball-game making it the winner. S, on the other hand, did not enjoy the cheese inside the takoyaki and would have much preferred the dish without it, so the cheese addition is rather a subjective experience.</span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
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</b></span></div><div style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> YONGE LOCATION</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">C and I went to visit the Yonge location of Kenzo on another occasion before we got down to do some hard-core studying at Starbucks (sigh summerschool). Sadly, S did not accompany us on our ramen venture this time, but I will surely bring her here to try this location sometime. The decor of the Kenzo located along Yonge was not as modern and aesthetically appealing as the Bloor location. In fact, their cash register/ food prep area reminded me of a residential kitchen. I felt slightly intrusive...BUT, as people say, never judge a book by its cover. Though the decor of the store was not as great as the location along Bloor, the ramen was definitely better, both taste-wise and portion-wise.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bVbGZNeLVVheU4nYWt_P7JMaAI6qyChN_R0ooyvdMTTw9sBkUyrjVs_sHk5e05rCaSzLAfaVZxZqSjZPcUFIUmT5cyVgoXfVh_E_6_XLIOchugsx-Bh6KknPWQ_fH3MyZVK4vf4nK1A/s1600/IMG_2595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bVbGZNeLVVheU4nYWt_P7JMaAI6qyChN_R0ooyvdMTTw9sBkUyrjVs_sHk5e05rCaSzLAfaVZxZqSjZPcUFIUmT5cyVgoXfVh_E_6_XLIOchugsx-Bh6KknPWQ_fH3MyZVK4vf4nK1A/s320/IMG_2595.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Karashi Ramen</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">This was the ramen that I ordered from Kenzo and is considered one of their "Hot" ramen, with "hot" in the most literal term. The bowl consisted of doughy wheat-noodles, a bed of bean sprouts, seaweed slices, shiitake mushrooms, 2 seared tender pork, one tamagoyaki, and (of course), a naruto! </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The broth was different from the one I tried last time, for it was mixed with karashi japanese hot sauce, making the overall soup supposedly spicy. The spiciness was not an acute one, mind you, but was rather accumulative. Alongside that, it was also the deadly type, you know, the type that if you swallowed down the wrong tube (such as the breathing tube, instead of your eating tube *damn connected pharynx..*) it would cause much pain and gagging. I honestly loved it. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">From eating this one bowl of ramen from the Yonge location, I could already tell the difference in quality compared to the location on Bloor.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The shittake mushrooms served with the noodles were very juicy, and had an odd, yet wonderful, sweet taste, a characteristic acquired from soaking the mushrooms in mushroom stock+mirin+soya-sauce+sugar mixture.Not only were the portions bigger, but the soup quality, pork, and vegetables tasted fresher, the noodles though had no real difference. The seared pork slices were noticeably thicker and larger, and had a more distinctive seared and 'ashy' taste, totally complementing the noodles and broth. The egg (yellow rectangle) served with the dish, is called tamagoyaki, and is basically a bunch of sweet egg layers. The sweetness is derived from combining the eggs with rice vinegar, and sometimes sugar and soya-sauce. Tamagoyaki is most commonly seen in sushi, such as niri, but it tasted just as good served with the spicy soup. I am not usually a fan of taste combinations, especially sweet and savoury. But, seeing that the chef(s) added two sweet side-dishes to the spicy soup leads me to actually slightly change my perspective and opinion on odd combinations like so. But, don't get me wrong, I'll always hate foods along the same tangent as Hawaiian pizza. Beyond the addition of the tamagoyaki and sweetened shiitake mushrooms and the spicy broth, the only major difference between the Kenzo on Yonge and the Kenzo on Bloor were the seared pork slices (as mentioned above). </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO09y6K5WxY3_REk8KhPR0wpabgWpYWUpOuAHMSdndYHb5vOx1uL5x5D1pWxNOvds7v8OSiY_0ni7N-AFpT-W6uNEsLiOmeESjXi-wpHPBgYkhc5xCP6x51ggUk9Fgf1M5sFjSIc8N8KY/s1600/IMG_2596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO09y6K5WxY3_REk8KhPR0wpabgWpYWUpOuAHMSdndYHb5vOx1uL5x5D1pWxNOvds7v8OSiY_0ni7N-AFpT-W6uNEsLiOmeESjXi-wpHPBgYkhc5xCP6x51ggUk9Fgf1M5sFjSIc8N8KY/s320/IMG_2596.JPG" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sho-Yu Ramen+Pork Cutlet</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">First of all, I would like to apologize for the vertical photo-placement, for some odd reason the silly photo refused to be horizontal...anyohw, this was the dish that C ordered for the day. The Kenzo location along Bloor actually did not offer this pork cutlet and ramen combination, leading me to speculate that the combination was a franchise difference based on management. The sho-yu ramen, as mentioned above, is basically a basic meat/fish based-broth with a lot of soya-sauce added inside, and served with wheat-noodles. The major difference between the sho-yu ramen served at Yonge and the one served at Bloor are basically, the size (Yonge is more generous), the seared pork, and the addition of a small pile of corn. The seared pork at the Yonge location is a lot more distinctive in flavour and is thicker, but is equally as tender as the pork served on Bloor. Beyond the pork, though, I didn't find any substantial differences. The pork cutlet that was served with Katsu sauce, was, as I felt, just standard. There was nothing really to set the pork cutlet apart from other places that serve cutlet. It was though, successful in satisfying a crunchy pork cutlet craving. </span><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Takoyaki</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Again...delicious takoyaki! This time, C and I mostly tried out the takoyaki to see if there were any noticeable differences. Actually, considering that C has been to this Kenzo many times, it was mostly just me doing the trying hahah. The location along Yonge had a wider choice selection of which type of takoyaki you wanted, whereas the location on Bloor on provided the most basic and common takoyaki. Seeing that both C and I enjoyed the cheese in the takoyaki last time, we decided to order it here. The batter and set-up of the takoyaki were more or less the same as the ones served at Bloor. The cheese inside was what seemed to be a mix of cheddar and mozzarella slices. Unfortunately though, the cheese was not very stretchy and was actually somewhat hard. The batter to cheese ratio was grossly unfair. Don't get me wrong though, the takoyaki were delicious, but in comparison to the ones served at Bloor, I would say I lean towards the ones along Bloor. This preference, though, could possibly be due to the fact that they were different takoyaki types, rather than the cooking style. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">katsu sauce, i thought the little pear was cute :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ajxaQjV9qMLn30Q3i1evOuGn9MR6e2HRbaQJXhw5U0_01muOCMQmk8QpqS0TfxIEhRrzGp88Pb_zQgHC2TvEVTOv211Jaem036gAh0AF-wTlVrUPaFH8v-l6V1Xr6HiKLmk04zKqXew/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ajxaQjV9qMLn30Q3i1evOuGn9MR6e2HRbaQJXhw5U0_01muOCMQmk8QpqS0TfxIEhRrzGp88Pb_zQgHC2TvEVTOv211Jaem036gAh0AF-wTlVrUPaFH8v-l6V1Xr6HiKLmk04zKqXew/s320/IMG_2567.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S eating the moving noodle-display at the location on Bloor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigd5gGgHt7pUhfKZWt5hhUlqlAtxSJsvEekhG6Y-6CsT7uj7OIruqFcLOhymAdq4KU58xHd-jPigjhyphenhyphen585eurI7Ox1u8ey-q7SAwa3XtyYUHMq-rxMaZ8BtvOyPevzAbgORTZjTg-Ht4A/s1600/Kenzo+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigd5gGgHt7pUhfKZWt5hhUlqlAtxSJsvEekhG6Y-6CsT7uj7OIruqFcLOhymAdq4KU58xHd-jPigjhyphenhyphen585eurI7Ox1u8ey-q7SAwa3XtyYUHMq-rxMaZ8BtvOyPevzAbgORTZjTg-Ht4A/s1600/Kenzo+002.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenzo along Yonge; image taken from Google</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="zh-Hant"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b> Conclusively. . .. ...</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"><b> BLOOR YONGE</b> </span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"> food: 8/10 9/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">atmosphere: 9/10 7.5/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">service: 8/10 (very busy place) 7/10 (need more staff)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">portion: moderate</span></span></span> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">towards the large side</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">price: reasonable (< $10/dish)</span></span></span> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">reasonable (< $10/dish)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">**yonge location is cheaper </span><br />
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<span class="street-address" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Located at: 372 Bloor St. West</span> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">6180 Yonge St</span>.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">Phone Number: </span></span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(416) 921-6787 (416) 229-4526</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span> </div><div style="margin: 0px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">happy eating!</span></span></div></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> xoxo,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">-A </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/182232/restaurant/North-York/Kenzo-Japanese-Noodle-House-Toronto"><img alt="Kenzo Japanese Noodle House on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/182232/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a> yonge</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1569445/restaurant/The-Annex/Kenzo-Japanese-Noodle-House-Toronto"><img alt="Kenzo Japanese Noodle House on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1569445/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a> bloor </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-67961003296705118742011-05-31T20:03:00.001-07:002012-03-04T20:30:45.133-08:00Saigon Star<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hello hello! It's been awhile since I've last updated my blog hasn't it...my sincere apologies!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But, without further ado, let me introduce you to a recent food adventure!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every week, my parents, siblings, and I go and have lunch or breakfast at a restaurant. Like any other family, we have a small set of restaurants that we go to when we eat, or just can't think of any other place to go. For us, one of the default restaurants is Saigon Star. Located in Richmond Hill along Highway 7, Saigon Star specializes in fusion cuisine and is hailed for their seafood, particularly their curry crab (their chef won an award for it!). For those not used to the term <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"</span><b style="color: #9fc5e8;">fusion cuisine</b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"</span>, it's basically a combination of elements of various culinary traditions, and in the case of Saigon Star, it is between Vietnamese and Thai.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whenever my family and I eat at Saigon Star, I usually alternate between their lunch combo or Tom Yum Noodle soup. This time, craving for some Pad Thai, I ordered one of the 3 lunch combinations.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NQ_cQAqWb-6x4Jsz7lyZmHcf1ls3BQbBtDfQnKq1NOUaDg1ZdLHp6qUVbfTSjxbnPEUWrJhA72-YRg7GhI7hxAapxyw6uOYNZCHHiJ7ViKVxPgGb1VjqIx6V-xQvRcFtNuWCIayFc8Q/s1600/IMG_2154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NQ_cQAqWb-6x4Jsz7lyZmHcf1ls3BQbBtDfQnKq1NOUaDg1ZdLHp6qUVbfTSjxbnPEUWrJhA72-YRg7GhI7hxAapxyw6uOYNZCHHiJ7ViKVxPgGb1VjqIx6V-xQvRcFtNuWCIayFc8Q/s320/IMG_2154.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the cool looking wall. please ignore my finger on the left corner...hahaha</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fU9SFpXyXxeImUcxcDEXVfsgDZ3nOnh8Kj1-kpsEIaD8GiaPZ_Aa6p9E2ObDYjcVdwI3WKlijSx33Gq1oDgaS5gAnhT3Ze3619hxgSnnt2g3XHKjPGV7WBC9QXKKrR3x05ahpZlb82Q/s1600/IMG_2157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fU9SFpXyXxeImUcxcDEXVfsgDZ3nOnh8Kj1-kpsEIaD8GiaPZ_Aa6p9E2ObDYjcVdwI3WKlijSx33Gq1oDgaS5gAnhT3Ze3619hxgSnnt2g3XHKjPGV7WBC9QXKKrR3x05ahpZlb82Q/s320/IMG_2157.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Thai Combo </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>($7.99)</i></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This was one of the 3 lunch combos that Saigon Star offered. It consisted of a daily soup, chicken and shrimp pad thai, two Thai springrolls accompanied with spicy fish oil sauce, and two curry-chicken skewers. With much on the plate, I am actually quite unsure where to start writing...I guess I'll start with what I usually eat first. From what I've experienced, the type of soup varies day-to-day, alternating from sweet and sour, a vegetable medley, and sweet corn and egg drop. Luckily for me, on this particular day I received my favourite out of the trio; the sweet corn and egg drop soup. The soup isn't as viscous as you would expect it to be, but the viscosity doesn't affect the flavours in any way for the soup is actually quite delicious and possesses a very natural and fresh sweet 'corny' taste. What I particularly like, is that the corn pieces aren't soft or soggy, but rather still slightly crisp. The Thai springrolls are probably the only things that I don't enjoy from this dish. The springrolls consisted of only vegetables (such as lettuce, sliced carrots, etc..) that seem to be slightly soaked in a thick juice, wrapped in rice-paper, and deep-fried. There was a slight herby taste to it, making it seem very generic. The springrolls honestly reminded me of something you'd find at any "Chinese" buffet under the label of "Vegetarian Springrolls". Moving onto the entree of the dish; the pad thai. The Pad Thai is a delicious dish, but there are times where the noodles are too soft and sticky, a problem that arises from prolonged stir-frying. The dish though, has a very savoury and slightly tangy taste, and it really feels as if the flavour has seeped into the noodles. The noodles are served with egg pieces, shrimp, and chicken slices, all of which are cooked wonderfully. I really enjoy the egg pieces because it's the most absorbant compared to the shrimp and chicken and since it absorbs a lot of Pad Thai sauce, the eggs are overall very juicy. Now, you may cringe at the thought of "juicy eggs" and probably wonder what the hell they are, but honestly, they are nothing more than soft egg pieces literally soaked in the sauce they are immersed in and is something you've at least tried once, whether you knew it or not. But, be sure not to confuse juicy eggs with soggy eggs... Last but not least of the dish are the curry-chicken skewers. The skewers probably contribute to 60% of the reason why I always order the Pad Thai combo. Though slightly on the burnt side, the skewers are grilled very well and have that very distinctive 'ashy' taste to it. The chicken on the skewers are <u>always</u> tender, and have a wonderful tendency to separate into nice thin strips when you bite into it. The curry used is very unique, as I have never tasted any other like it. Slightly rich in taste, the curry is very savoury and has little chunks of what seems to be little pieces of lemongrass inside. I honestly cannot describe the curry taste of it, all I can say though, is for you to just go and try it yourself. It really is unique and UBER delicious!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJbNiMGNcObEiAvi-dcWAJCGpOq3Ob1h08wZ0LqbPlaZ1tr9mu6KYZUoBCZBQDIiKX3eH4mVodNGxAfTLJHFpWh9zBYS_TclN1j7QoffEpFJHaUvWFrL2adSwqXhByN2ggLW8hQJFjns/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJbNiMGNcObEiAvi-dcWAJCGpOq3Ob1h08wZ0LqbPlaZ1tr9mu6KYZUoBCZBQDIiKX3eH4mVodNGxAfTLJHFpWh9zBYS_TclN1j7QoffEpFJHaUvWFrL2adSwqXhByN2ggLW8hQJFjns/s320/IMG_2159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Spicy Red Curry</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">($7.50)</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This was the dish that my mother ordered that day. The dish was also served with the soup-of-the-day, 2 Thai springrolls, a big bowl of chicken curry, and a French-influenced Vietnamese bun (called bánh mì</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> in Vietnamese)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 7.5pt;">. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Seeing that I've reviewed both the soup and the Thai springrolls in the very large paragraph above, I will only talk about the spicy chicken curry and the bun. Many people who've bought "Vietnamese Buns" at their local Asian supermarket (such as TnT, Foody Mart...), should be familiar with the type of bun used for the curry dish, but there are actually quite a few different types of banh mi-s that vary in size. I personally find that this particular type is a hit or miss; it can either be crispy and fluffy, or soggy. The perfect type would have a crunchy shell housing fluffy bread inside. As for the one served at Saigon Star, I would say they nailed the bread. The bun was clearly kept inside a freezer and reheated because it possessed that 'defrosted' taste, but it still tasted quite good. The shell of the bun was very crunchy, whereas the middle, though slightly too thick, was fluffy and warm and retained the curry very well when dipped. The curry had a deep and rich coconut taste and was slightly tangy, but it wasn't very spicy. The texture of the curry, though, wasn't as creamy as you'd expect from a Thai curry, and actually was quite oily. Inside the bowl were chicken pieces, fried-tofu, parsley garnish, portobello mushrooms, and bean sprouts. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2tFIBO2hIH66GYG6IytFDyMM0TgJTsoGUPvmIdMnn-x2YxfJU2r1tade5fpUJMrXOI1Sb1YvjAPD7JoaWL7hcbf0gl0B4YJcrABWIh0GlVaolZbBv7O8Ows7UIQ0DPAMGVIBHjCjDIk/s1600/IMG_2161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2tFIBO2hIH66GYG6IytFDyMM0TgJTsoGUPvmIdMnn-x2YxfJU2r1tade5fpUJMrXOI1Sb1YvjAPD7JoaWL7hcbf0gl0B4YJcrABWIh0GlVaolZbBv7O8Ows7UIQ0DPAMGVIBHjCjDIk/s320/IMG_2161.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thai Green Curry</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">($6.50)</span></span></i><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This was the dish that my father ordered. It was basically green Thai curry served with thick rice-noodles, and an assortment of additions ranging from fried-tofu, mushrooms, red peppers, bean sprouts, all topped with fresh basil leaves. I wish I could give you an honest opinion on this dish, but I sadly did not try it (my dad looked really famished).</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDXZXwqFjkhP-Q6yoMPNxqbb2rZgJteorC_nOXl56jUb4_rp7Zm5CUhwSmWprwDXA25mM4TOUgN_Yl920UXSOlltMMl6QxDyPHxA6kuw0ol1HgIUswTABVUrC0wVes3iScWGHlU2xfDo/s1600/IMG_2160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDXZXwqFjkhP-Q6yoMPNxqbb2rZgJteorC_nOXl56jUb4_rp7Zm5CUhwSmWprwDXA25mM4TOUgN_Yl920UXSOlltMMl6QxDyPHxA6kuw0ol1HgIUswTABVUrC0wVes3iScWGHlU2xfDo/s320/IMG_2160.JPG" width="239" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hong Kong Style Milk Tea</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I never really order drinks with my meals, partially because I don't drink beverages as I eat and partially because I'm..frugal. There is only one drink I ever make an exception to and that would be Hong Kong milk tea, called lai cha in Cantonese </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10pt;">(奶茶)。</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Usually my family and I would each get a hot cup of milk tea at the end of our meal, but seeing that it was a hot day, I opted on getting the cold version. For those unfamiliar with what milk tea is, it's basically a mix of several types of black tea, evaporated milk, and sugar (which you add yourself, depending on your preference). Sometimes, a tablespoon of condensed milk is used alongside the evaporated milk to give the tea a richer feel. What I like about milk tea is that it has a very distinctive and truly unique taste, as it is both sweet and bitter, yet is also capable of maintaining a very silky texture. Though I've tried better milk tea, I must say that Saigon Star's milk tea beats a lot of places that serve milk tea in their afternoon tea menus, for example those HK cafes (cha chaang teng; </span><span lang="zh-Hant">茶餐廳)。<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It maintained a deep creamy taste, that always manages to sit at the back of my tongue regardless of what I eat, while at the same time, is able to possess a deep and soft bitter taste that keeps my tongue smacking for more (literally smacking haha).</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though the beverage has an ever so slight grainy texture, it is overall still very good, and is very refreshing for hot days.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6osozFktjXG2QBzBXSN13TEyPehOhJoBKbhyJkxtJLCI3i-j0_dgHGEQ7s-71TfO96Nw6k7E9lfX9dyQtjswFKAw9PpqGnHRnBMeRN0SRc_9EI2_hWuZz9j4lzdpdRaKlSr3dQqZZmfI/s1600/IMG_2162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6osozFktjXG2QBzBXSN13TEyPehOhJoBKbhyJkxtJLCI3i-j0_dgHGEQ7s-71TfO96Nw6k7E9lfX9dyQtjswFKAw9PpqGnHRnBMeRN0SRc_9EI2_hWuZz9j4lzdpdRaKlSr3dQqZZmfI/s320/IMG_2162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">their pretty chandelier arrangement on the ceiling</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="zh-Hant"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Conclusively. . .. ...</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">food: 8/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">atmosphere: 9/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">service: 7/10 (slow and inattentive at times) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">portion: moderate</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">price: reasonable (< $10/dish)</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="street-address" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Located at: 330 Hwy 7</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">, </span><span class="locality" style="color: #9fc5e8;">Richmond Hill</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">Phone Number: </span></span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(905) 731-7221</span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">happy eating!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> xoxo,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">-A </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1494629/restaurant/Toronto/Saigon-Star-Richmond-Hill"><img alt="Saigon Star on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1494629/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-53561126287578463482011-04-22T23:52:00.001-07:002012-03-04T20:31:16.698-08:00KamasutraHello hello! For today's blog, I will be reviewing an Indian restaurant and wine bar called <b>Kamasutra.</b> The restaurant is located along Bayview Avenue, south of Eglinton. I actually ate at Kamasutra 2 days ago, but I got a bit too indulged in my studying to post the blog, so sorry :(. C and I had planned dinner together after he got off work that night, but I actually had no idea where we were going because he wanted to 'surprise' me. When we arrived at Kamasutra, I was really excited to try it out because I had told him a couple days ago that I was craving Indian food! One of C's friends had told him about this place and apparently he had wanted to google it, but didn't want any provocative images to pop up on his laptop (kamasutra...karmasutra..).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHXlklBI0VwJ0hWWxPrLEsk4t3oiSpna7j9_h5KeJYo3Fl32mLWYSTEfpMP_gEIFrhgEFxeCkdkNK_hxYI9hFuq-uLgOc8dGZNa9umY32DbfPEg7dTFY-5DjGe-_iccqKvMAaTekAS34/s1600/kamasutra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHXlklBI0VwJ0hWWxPrLEsk4t3oiSpna7j9_h5KeJYo3Fl32mLWYSTEfpMP_gEIFrhgEFxeCkdkNK_hxYI9hFuq-uLgOc8dGZNa9umY32DbfPEg7dTFY-5DjGe-_iccqKvMAaTekAS34/s1600/kamasutra.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kamasutra; image taken from Google</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>When I entered the restaurant, I was slightly stunned by the decor inside. To your right, you see a dimly lit bar with a large, wooden shelf and a huge sign with the name of the restaurant. To the left were the seating arrangements consisting of dark wooden tables draped in white tablecloths, and matching dark-wood seats. My favourite part of the restaurant's decor were the big fabric drapes that were looped in between the black-painted and inconspicuous air ventilation tubes on the ceiling (talk about double functioning!).The set-up, lighting, and wine-red color theme, gave off a very cozy, yet sophisticated feel. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcdJk5EobPrC6r9gN7i5K39krrUtOVl-V0D9Q9P0WE3pSuOxUqoxSXggpFVLf7hsYnY-cL1hfD86VU7fOHroncJM2DEQZI7z8ZN3C6Q_90G-_K2LiaK5qZddikypXAOtxRK8sws6zOW8/s1600/IMG_1884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcdJk5EobPrC6r9gN7i5K39krrUtOVl-V0D9Q9P0WE3pSuOxUqoxSXggpFVLf7hsYnY-cL1hfD86VU7fOHroncJM2DEQZI7z8ZN3C6Q_90G-_K2LiaK5qZddikypXAOtxRK8sws6zOW8/s320/IMG_1884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We were offered a bound menu that had all the food choices placed behind a plastic cover, as if you were looking into a photo frame. The menu was divided into a bunch of subsections in which different dishes were placed according to some system. There were also mini chilli symbols ranging from 1-5 to indicate the level of spiciness. For dinner that night, we ordered 4 dishes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC44A0QZKgOZcHOpt62qm56mTGpa8b2c0bgvBHMmtZuRkj1LuFLDu-pmy5SnC4GT8RmhyxOzj-bFdh82oDlNKfvOcwRaO1oyQyJKhQ3ZejZxFtS36suHPBLrQvAmckzs5U0QL60EkR3zs/s1600/IMG_1871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC44A0QZKgOZcHOpt62qm56mTGpa8b2c0bgvBHMmtZuRkj1LuFLDu-pmy5SnC4GT8RmhyxOzj-bFdh82oDlNKfvOcwRaO1oyQyJKhQ3ZejZxFtS36suHPBLrQvAmckzs5U0QL60EkR3zs/s320/IMG_1871.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Complimentary garlic-butter naan</b><br />
As the title says, this was the complimentary naan given to us for the night (yay!). Since we ordered two types of naan for the night (we ordered a plain one and the garlic-butter one), I think I'll review both of them here. For starters, naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is created in a tandoor, which is basically a large and heated contraption that resembles a metal well. The naan dough is smacked onto the side of the 'well', where it is cooked under extreme heat. Though I've eaten better naan before, the one from Kamasutra wasn't bad at all. The naan had a crispy exterior, and a very doughy interior. At times it could be a little too doughy, but considering that I am a fan of doughy foods, I didn't mind (C on the other hand prefers his naan slightly crispier). Though both naan had the same crispy-doughy texture, the tastes did differ. The garlic-butter naan was certainly more savoury and had a herby taste to it, whereas the regular naan didn't really have any flavour at all.<b> </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHd4fcg_M3z1iqcqx82ThVckWXln-QAfSx25haQjSuARYKz_OnUNJn4SzM5xEYeED8-1gv90N9UIio30SHq-CiwWAPeXCdudqeH_gQURKhmupJqABqbfz_Mpt9Jw1sezJtkamoCtR6hHI/s1600/IMG_1876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHd4fcg_M3z1iqcqx82ThVckWXln-QAfSx25haQjSuARYKz_OnUNJn4SzM5xEYeED8-1gv90N9UIio30SHq-CiwWAPeXCdudqeH_gQURKhmupJqABqbfz_Mpt9Jw1sezJtkamoCtR6hHI/s320/IMG_1876.JPG" width="239" /></a><b>Onion Bhaji </b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">($5.95)</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This was the appetizer (or sampray-yogika as they called it) that C ordered. They were sliced onion rings that were covered in a batter comprised of Indian herbs and spices. The dish was accompanied with tamarind chutney, as well as freshly sliced ornamental carrot strings. The onions in the rings were thickly sliced, and had a natural sweet taste to them, whereas the batter was very crispy yet doughy, simultaneously. </span><span style="font-size: small;">The tamarind chutney that accompanied the rings was basically a slightly viscous and lumpy deep brown sauce that had a sweet and ' Indian spice' taste to it. </span><span style="font-size: small;">The onion rings <i>by themselves</i> were yummy, but were not spectacular, even if the batter had Indian herbs and spices inside. But, combined with the tamarind chutney, the rings had an overall unique taste.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3f2WLgctvjjhDzQTQ_lO1jBx3x79q6h6J3MqHPGR5L1t8zjlKW-wg9oKjQ4FbJY5MoSQDHF2-L7BswWrOQ2o3oamfXs42Dn24fb8xJVMHAvLTcCPVYO_SI-G8gF6r-H56DQ8oZ4qVPU/s1600/IMG_1878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3f2WLgctvjjhDzQTQ_lO1jBx3x79q6h6J3MqHPGR5L1t8zjlKW-wg9oKjQ4FbJY5MoSQDHF2-L7BswWrOQ2o3oamfXs42Dn24fb8xJVMHAvLTcCPVYO_SI-G8gF6r-H56DQ8oZ4qVPU/s320/IMG_1878.JPG" width="239" /></a><b> Butter Chicken </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>($12.95+$3.00) </i></span><br />
Since this was our first time eating here, C and I both wanted to try their butter chicken curry, a dish that we are both familiar with and enjoy eating. The curry itself cost $12.95, but with the addition of three more dollars, the curry was made into a 'dinner', and was served with a bowl of basmati rice and your choice of any naan bread from the menu. Seeing that we had to order naan bread anyway, C paid the extra cost.The sauce of the butter chicken had a tangier taste than others that I have tried before, thus making it also slightly sweeter. Though the picture may lead you to speculate otherwise, the sauce was actually quite viscous and stuck nicely onto the naan bread. The chicken in the curry were not sliced or bite-size, but rather they were large chunks that both C and I had to individually scoop onto our plates and slice to eat since it didn't fit on the naan bread. Though the chicken pieces were indeed tender, I felt they leaned ever so slightly on the dry side, leaving my mouth with a grainy and stringy feel. Since C and I wanted our dish to be spicier, we asked the waiter for some chilies. Instead, he gave us a red, oily sauce that was apparently spiced chili extract. The heat of the chili extract was accumulative and gave our mouths a slight burning sensation the more we ate it. The extract also gave the curry a sweeter taste, which both C and I feel, improved the dish. Overall, though the dish was delicious and could easily beat other restaurants, it itself can also be beaten.<br />
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<b> Saag with Tender Lamb </b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>($13.95+$3.00)</i></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjTp0h48bfPk-m70uaoXXSxQlH2QF_QFc15pfVV_8RHXmBZg-bjaHtwUhdAfPR94VyZylwbRAaGKaG2mNYgSAhYI1zOlJl7Krjv0NESu8JshmeBJOaqZARCbXmKzMMKedxpaPygSCTVA/s1600/IMG_1880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjTp0h48bfPk-m70uaoXXSxQlH2QF_QFc15pfVV_8RHXmBZg-bjaHtwUhdAfPR94VyZylwbRAaGKaG2mNYgSAhYI1zOlJl7Krjv0NESu8JshmeBJOaqZARCbXmKzMMKedxpaPygSCTVA/s320/IMG_1880.JPG" width="239" /></a>Just like the butter chicken, we were given the option to upgrade the dish into a dinner with the addition of three dollars. The dish, though, differed from the butter chicken in the fact that you had an option on which type of meat/fish you wanted to add inside. The selections were chicken, lamb, king prawns, fish, and veal. Since we already had a chicken dish and I wasn't feeling for any seafood, we settled on ordering the lamb. The base of the dish was a very rich and creamy dark-green spinach sauce that was sauteed with garlic and green chilies. I have eaten saag before in other restaurants and usually they are quite stringy due to the spinach, but at Kamasutra, the sauce was more like a homogenous lumpy and thick mixture, which made it easier (and more elegant) to eat in my opinion. The saag had a <i>very nice</i> savoury and creamy taste that really suited the basmati rice that was served with the meal. The lamb, like the butter chicken dish, was served in chunks, though slightly smaller. The texture of the lamb was very tender and required little effort to chew. It harbored the distinctive sweet aftertaste that was nothing short of perfect. This was my favourite dish of the night and the quality of the ingredients used were extremely apparent.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillswsoVbi3GkvlO0yzwoVbMXWhb9Ue4dUDnM-1NuIveFpJuzuOEl-RkM8sLAjCqUyS5AFLkkl46hDB31u1zd4IPOIa7HzDcH9QYJ1MsV4O-YBhQQ4Ns41ClSERfVz8ZN23qQQd3K-DV4/s1600/IMG_1883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillswsoVbi3GkvlO0yzwoVbMXWhb9Ue4dUDnM-1NuIveFpJuzuOEl-RkM8sLAjCqUyS5AFLkkl46hDB31u1zd4IPOIa7HzDcH9QYJ1MsV4O-YBhQQ4Ns41ClSERfVz8ZN23qQQd3K-DV4/s320/IMG_1883.JPG" width="239" /></a><b>Ras Malai </b><i>($4.95)</i><br />
This was the dessert dish that C and I ordered at the end of the meal. It was basically cream cheese flatcakes that were soaked (literally) in a sweet milk syrup and garnished with mini pistachio crumbs. The 'flatcakes' as they called it, were not flat and were actually quite thick and heavy. I wasn't very fond of the dish and the reasoning behind that wasn't because the taste was bad, but rather the texture of the dish was what turned me off. The milky syrup that the cakes were dunked in actually tasted quite nice and it was very light and cool, and had a <i>very nice</i> creamy taste. The round 'flatcakes', on the other hand, possessed an odd moist and spongy texture that somewhat stuck to my mouth, but at the same time, managed to leave my mouth with a grainy feel. I did suspect that the grainy feel could be a result of the pistachio crumbs, but after eating more of the dessert, I decided that there just wasn't enough little crumbs to create such a substantial grainy texture. I've never eaten this particular type of dessert before so it's hard for me to determine whether the texture was due to an incorrect cooking procedure, or if the dish is just supposed to feel that way. Regardless, it was indeed a very odd combination.... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05DH7_pdXEMdrYu4B5_OgDOoeUiLwhR2At1CJWoccZRPDPskB9P8mphztTgcxWj9K629Pa-YGty74S2qOqBqGnsMUUWTV5CRENV3rRgnaYJVGv6d5zymHdEMY1FBQ68bO0jew7JqWdo4/s1600/IMG_1879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05DH7_pdXEMdrYu4B5_OgDOoeUiLwhR2At1CJWoccZRPDPskB9P8mphztTgcxWj9K629Pa-YGty74S2qOqBqGnsMUUWTV5CRENV3rRgnaYJVGv6d5zymHdEMY1FBQ68bO0jew7JqWdo4/s320/IMG_1879.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the basmati rice that came with the dinner. it had the dry texture that you expect from basmati (VERY different from chinese rice). i assume that the chefs used a stone-pot because of the random pieces of crispy and golden brown rice. the crispy rice grains created a great contrast in texture when you added curry to it. was very nice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQjdVVN_DhR2DiIJk5K-O6l7lP_dcYth39BthA7_2lBc04RFawVOp7ERleTM87nZ-nlcw7kqywYQYarb2g1zXyRQcZJy1XIZESn4xBH0wncmdKN11ehkDskCo9jV_Ad9t6JOMmTOfjSE/s1600/IMG_1881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQjdVVN_DhR2DiIJk5K-O6l7lP_dcYth39BthA7_2lBc04RFawVOp7ERleTM87nZ-nlcw7kqywYQYarb2g1zXyRQcZJy1XIZESn4xBH0wncmdKN11ehkDskCo9jV_Ad9t6JOMmTOfjSE/s320/IMG_1881.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our dishes</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbx2pEX2cYrRRLwAgfHti0otKpiDAdt88o7ot2fyJvx-0042y9Wdz5OnL8vFUIXlPQK632xlM-sDaa05sl6So05BpjX3eef2oeJxbMHunMuCk16RTbcw22zjcmCL4s-2mbUzIP-3Dznvc/s1600/IMG_1870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbx2pEX2cYrRRLwAgfHti0otKpiDAdt88o7ot2fyJvx-0042y9Wdz5OnL8vFUIXlPQK632xlM-sDaa05sl6So05BpjX3eef2oeJxbMHunMuCk16RTbcw22zjcmCL4s-2mbUzIP-3Dznvc/s320/IMG_1870.JPG" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituc2zwub4ahzPaewOEEstcjTNtCyrfyIMmnyiOjA_i81SGPEsk1t4qXwn8RTFRT3PZXflut7ygnEt3QEGBVoMIMdJ-F5L3aYlrk31DwenrmYyINxqZmmbWGbEisG3F2xeaWFIQEV99eY/s1600/IMG_1868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituc2zwub4ahzPaewOEEstcjTNtCyrfyIMmnyiOjA_i81SGPEsk1t4qXwn8RTFRT3PZXflut7ygnEt3QEGBVoMIMdJ-F5L3aYlrk31DwenrmYyINxqZmmbWGbEisG3F2xeaWFIQEV99eY/s320/IMG_1868.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBW2XehHqsBNTxuaDyDOs6gGrLU_syXUevqSkZEtHx4OsrjexAuE7na8r2K_WYfQBhdPbqjuSLxfdyzI5C5prK0hJLyhXf80s7JCJznE1QRdM8tzrSNtUM9Azo-YZ6jyXmU3OBZbdLO4/s1600/IMG_1872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBW2XehHqsBNTxuaDyDOs6gGrLU_syXUevqSkZEtHx4OsrjexAuE7na8r2K_WYfQBhdPbqjuSLxfdyzI5C5prK0hJLyhXf80s7JCJznE1QRdM8tzrSNtUM9Azo-YZ6jyXmU3OBZbdLO4/s320/IMG_1872.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">while trying to take a picture of the bar from our seats, C decided to strike a pose...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCtneEl-yia95J5UH3Nf-WxWLc8NccD6OJyjP_FCkVXYuGo7UKbGViB9t-POVe3lkjhkc2lnQ-j7pko-AB2xo4VVOBxy1jN_u2VtFtk8cYmMpbZrzMIios6n5YtUarqhMxyA2j3Jf_3Q/s1600/IMG_1875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCtneEl-yia95J5UH3Nf-WxWLc8NccD6OJyjP_FCkVXYuGo7UKbGViB9t-POVe3lkjhkc2lnQ-j7pko-AB2xo4VVOBxy1jN_u2VtFtk8cYmMpbZrzMIios6n5YtUarqhMxyA2j3Jf_3Q/s320/IMG_1875.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another pose...of him facing a wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"> conclusively. . . .. .</span><br />
<div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">food: 8/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">atmosphere: 8.5/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">service: 8.5/10 (very kind waiter, was very nice) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">portion: moderate, filling</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">price: slightly pricey (<$20/dish)</span></span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">happy eating!</span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">xoxo,</span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">-A</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/132730/restaurant/East-York/Kamasutra-Toronto"><img alt="Kamasutra on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/132730/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a><br />
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<i></i>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-15960588659244553192011-04-18T20:37:00.001-07:002012-03-04T20:32:22.445-08:00Johnny's Hamburgers<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that the majority of my exams are complete, I'm pleased to be able to update this blog more often with recent food ventures. </span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The place I'll be reviewing about today is called <b>Johnny's Hamburgers</b>. Located at the intersection of Victoria Park and Sheppard, this humble burger shop is hard to miss. It's covered in bright orange paint, and has an equally bright orange sign that lights up at night. The whole store is surrounded by nothing but flat and seemingly barren land all waiting to be leased, so it really sticks out like an orange, sore thumb. Since I live relatively close to the area, I happen to pass by the place quite often and would always wonder how it could still possibly be open seeing that all the other stores around it were closed. After eating one of their burgers though, my recurring question was answered. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrq5R-DQpJI2T-kK2E5s-AmXmmtFuqr7blwntXZfr0eWBPBBQKGxgzffjDQuvQOeT4jt_zw5P3hWJU2Ce2tOmWWKBL_tlhv4ig6tWC910yAKGMOIF7Bq9DGL8cwjgwBiImxiaVFvQZIY/s1600/IMG_1710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrq5R-DQpJI2T-kK2E5s-AmXmmtFuqr7blwntXZfr0eWBPBBQKGxgzffjDQuvQOeT4jt_zw5P3hWJU2Ce2tOmWWKBL_tlhv4ig6tWC910yAKGMOIF7Bq9DGL8cwjgwBiImxiaVFvQZIY/s320/IMG_1710.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C and I had spent the day downtown at Robart's studying for exams...well actually it was just me studying for exams, he was mostly on his mac reading Reddit/Imgur (I think) and keeping me company (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">♥). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Anyhow, when it came to eating time, C knew exactly what he wanted; a Johnny's burger. Apparently he had been craving it ever since he passed by the place on his way home from work, so up we went to go satisfy his burger craving.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Turning into the large cement parking lot, I was shocked to see how many people were inside. There isn't any real sitting areas in the store, only one long wooden bench located along the window pane. The moment you walk in, you are embraced with the deep scent of delicious burgers being fried over charcoal, and a slight feeling of nostalgia. It felt as if you walked into a time portal and walked out into an old-school fast-food burger shop. The menu is located over the counter, and has the same set-up as a fast-food joint, except Johnny's had less pretty pictures to look at. All the staff wore the same uniform; orange polo, royal blue apron, and a white diner hat. I actually found this quite endearing, especially the man who greeted us. He had a husky aura that you'd stereotypically expect of a burger chef.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaA8YqzdMsotIIiAmlaqpk6UqqNL5gYuUMv-18y9_KFxM1DJpsVzEVQIKmt5vm8ic2SmPUqcGwdHFZgXGN3KPDCrwG9Af1f3Ad6JQLbFYvfVDIGeqVlKsaP2bKeJaeW61Sl4JawHU_-VQ/s1600/IMG_1711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaA8YqzdMsotIIiAmlaqpk6UqqNL5gYuUMv-18y9_KFxM1DJpsVzEVQIKmt5vm8ic2SmPUqcGwdHFZgXGN3KPDCrwG9Af1f3Ad6JQLbFYvfVDIGeqVlKsaP2bKeJaeW61Sl4JawHU_-VQ/s320/IMG_1711.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><b>MOVING ON</b>...I apologize for going off onto tangents! Both C and I wanted something light to eat so we only ordered one cheeseburger and onion rings. The burgers were grilled right in front of us on a simple charcoal grill. Since the place was busy, C and i waited about 10-15minutes before our order was called out. Located on the left side of the restaurant were a couple of bowls that contained condiments and additional burger-luxuries such as tomatoes, chopped onions, pickles, red/yellow peppers... you know, the works. C and I asked the chef to put all of the luxuries (I'm not sure why I call them luxuries...) in, except for the red/yellow peppers, and added both mustard and ketchup. After receiving our meal in a brown paper bag, both C and I walked out to his car, where we sat and ate (hahah I realize how lonely that sounds...but it was fun, really!)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"> </span></div><div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNCim7dSrgzbTckrvMNq7dnyYiiXM8-JMHnwimO_dgz4362PC1U3_h9HzPimJhdCZXRfW5rkI4voSnrF9uJ8rIalTHgmzSp7CqxxVjKRZJjNLK_i4TlINzcXY-eR7jbZleSDX6tRA8jg/s1600/IMG_1713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNCim7dSrgzbTckrvMNq7dnyYiiXM8-JMHnwimO_dgz4362PC1U3_h9HzPimJhdCZXRfW5rkI4voSnrF9uJ8rIalTHgmzSp7CqxxVjKRZJjNLK_i4TlINzcXY-eR7jbZleSDX6tRA8jg/s320/IMG_1713.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheeseburger</span><i> </i></b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">($TBD..i forgot</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">囧</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This burger was one of the best I've ever eaten...and I'm a really, really, <u>really</u> picky burger-eater. The patty was, to me, the perfect thickness. The meat wasn't at all chewy (like some patties are, particularly 'juicy' ones), and it possessed a very rich and savoury flavor that just kept my taste-buds craving for more. The bun was a little ordinary and had a slight undesirable 'crust-on-sliced-bread' taste, but that's no fault of the restaurant's cooking, but rather their bun-purchasing abilities. Besides the 'dry taste', the bun was what you'd expect for a burger; crispy on the outside, and soft and warm on the inside. Though delicious, the burger was quite difficult to eat since it was slightly too big for our mouths (or at least mine..). Juices were dripping and all the contents were slipping out. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But really, there was no one to blame but ourselves for the mess since it was probably the result of our greed to add (almost) all the vegetables offered.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately,we also ran into the common burger predicament where the bun to patty ratio gets mixed up somewhere along the way and you end up with more bread than patty at the end of the meal (or vice-versa). </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKBUIwI69b9ZzZl_hEBrHHfza4sXghwBIop248P3RtHAQKT-GWmGp-T-EMW5Mm-wLVafwFL67GOaQ0W_ubNJgkPQWuz9g9gviCiKgB_pIc6KwKVbPv43IJjB9CvZVo62LHQ8E3c9KUD0/s1600/IMG_1712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKBUIwI69b9ZzZl_hEBrHHfza4sXghwBIop248P3RtHAQKT-GWmGp-T-EMW5Mm-wLVafwFL67GOaQ0W_ubNJgkPQWuz9g9gviCiKgB_pIc6KwKVbPv43IJjB9CvZVo62LHQ8E3c9KUD0/s320/IMG_1712.JPG" width="239" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Onion Rings </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>($2.10)</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The onion rings offered at Johnny's were quite scrumptious. Though the rings were served with a heaping helping of hot and rich gravy, the onion rings still managed to maintain their crunch. The onion inside was very sweet, soft, and most importantly, thick, allowing you to actually taste it. None of that burnt and thin crispy-onion business here.The batter of the rings had a slight salty-seasoning. Together with the gravy I found it slightly too salty, but nevertheless very good. I'm even starting to crave for them as I write out this blog... </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Conclusively. . . ...</span><br />
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<div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">food: 9/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">atmosphere: 7.5/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">service: 9/10 </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">portion: moderate, a little on the small side</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: 14px;">price: reasonable (<$10)</span></span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">happy eating!</span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">xoxo,</span></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">-A</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/182227/restaurant/Scarborough/Johnnys-Hamburgers-Toronto"><img alt="Johnny's Hamburgers on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/182227/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a> </span></span></div></div><br />
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</div></div>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-54017422528121640182011-04-17T22:58:00.001-07:002012-03-04T20:32:46.292-08:00KOS Restaurant<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hello hello! my sincere apologies for the lag in food postings...but on a brighter note, I've now completed the majority of my exams and only have one left! woot!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so for my new food venture! last week both C and I had appointments downtown, and with things just being so wonderfully coincidental, both our appointments ended at the same time and we were only 10 minutes away from each other. since we hadn't seen each other for awhile, we decided to go grab brunch in kensington market at a place he had recently read a good review on.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i rarely visit kensington market, but for all the times that i have, i can't help but feel that the vibrant district is like a little hidden gem. nestled in downtown toronto, it is bordered between college, bathurst, dundas and spadina street. though it's inbetween four major streets, once you enter kensington, it feels as if all the traffic noises dissipate, and you are suddenly embraced by soft murmurs and shoes clicking down the cement pathways. the market is filled with a mixture of food stores, bakeries, spice and dry goods, cheese shops, and many little stores that sell a variety of new and used clothing and accessories, so it really is a must-go place if you are visiting toronto, or even live in toronto :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but i digress...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn24pPE_zzomj1bdjr8l2ycXOAGRlw32YU-c8xovIhyphenhyphenTTesE7rav5f7XyUBYxDr6uHS1M3N8ehynHSBrap4iHWdLFRpn_XGKetP1eI9O95Bc0P_os1XQ0lquL4DJqdIllQbhHecM-f9vU/s1600/Kos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn24pPE_zzomj1bdjr8l2ycXOAGRlw32YU-c8xovIhyphenhyphenTTesE7rav5f7XyUBYxDr6uHS1M3N8ehynHSBrap4iHWdLFRpn_XGKetP1eI9O95Bc0P_os1XQ0lquL4DJqdIllQbhHecM-f9vU/s320/Kos.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">KOS is a corner-restaurant located at bellevue ave. the exterior looks very plain and not very aesthetically pleasing, and since their signs are not very large or catching, C and i actually missed it when we were walking (careful!). entering from a side-doorway, we were greeted by a waitress (i didn't catch her name) who told us we were able to sit anywhere we wanted. the restaurant was actually very spacious, with two separate dining areas, as well as an outdoor patio. the furniture was very simple; dark wood tables with matching dark wood seats or wine-red diner-styled booth seats. C and i opted for a seat beside the window facing the outdoor patio, mostly because i wanted to sit in the booth seat haha.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">we were offered two menus; one laminated and one in a bound book (many places seem to do this, don't they?). the laminated one served the daily specials, whereas the book contained all the food options you could choose, whether they be dinner, lunch or breakfast.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10H5kPH9R3uqt3axwTC5MaiUBwnVOgKRMQRAA0cHYuAGL27gdT62uUE-xfVyr0gHaD2DmiVimnwEjZqQd6PS2CsFL0nRP9D8mNGDkF8ZS4RP5N5jsYMPYPaMOnpqvRihfLHdvJNfhRo4/s1600/IMG_1747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10H5kPH9R3uqt3axwTC5MaiUBwnVOgKRMQRAA0cHYuAGL27gdT62uUE-xfVyr0gHaD2DmiVimnwEjZqQd6PS2CsFL0nRP9D8mNGDkF8ZS4RP5N5jsYMPYPaMOnpqvRihfLHdvJNfhRo4/s320/IMG_1747.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spinach Cheese Omelette </b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">($7.95)</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i></i>this was C's order, a large omelette stuffed with creamy feta cheese and soft spinach. the dish was served with four slices of buttered toast (whole-wheat or white, dependent on what you prefer), a medley of cool and crisp fruits, and what seemed to be a bunch of fried cubed potatoes. C found that, though the omelette did taste delicious, the feta cheese was too overwhelming and the texture of the egg and cheese weren't as complimentary as they could've been if mozarella or cheddar cheese had been used.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7imF05MFoLLnzHzoLYBo7RDHhfQur4GZeRjkJSDqfrPOG868eOKssDNTSaSjHTWrKAG4tUyNG-l929nFZV8217zPeUuPDjNl9bGrnxMtrAM10j5QclqGhjr5m9HavUmo6t3sGFahxfl4/s1600/IMG_1746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7imF05MFoLLnzHzoLYBo7RDHhfQur4GZeRjkJSDqfrPOG868eOKssDNTSaSjHTWrKAG4tUyNG-l929nFZV8217zPeUuPDjNl9bGrnxMtrAM10j5QclqGhjr5m9HavUmo6t3sGFahxfl4/s320/IMG_1746.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blueberry Pancakes </b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">($6.95)</span></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">seeing that i promised C that we'd eat pancakes since february, i felt that it was time that the promise was to be fulfilled. the menu offered the classic pancake, and you were given options on different fruits in which you could add into the batter. C and i opted for blueberries, since we both enjoy blueberries (especially in muffins ^u^). the dish came with 3 moderately sized and golden-brown pancakes, all sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. the pancakes weren't very thick, but the width didn't in any way affect the immense flavor or compromise on the ideal fluffiness that people expect from pancakes. the blueberries were not pureed (as i predicted them to be) but rather they were tossed into the batter as a whole. this was a great addition because whenever you bit into a pancake piece that contained a blueberry, the sweet fruit would <u>literally</u> explode with juice. the batter of the pancake itself possessed a subtle and creamy sweetness that seemed to float in your mouth. a thin crispy layer was on the outer surface of the pancake and gave you a bit of a crunch. the slight crispness and interior fluffiness combined to create a wonderful contrast in texture.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSYlkO7N8MeeS9NSA7S4MccTkeOYiwhXIIYBe3MM-OMzcaPzhK5rFSrVfkTC-UlihlixrSRi32Iwauo1s3hTewTFPDq5hXd8QOLXMvRhjWigOY9uzpC8nhy5XDzyTv8KVDIvBbgnYcyY/s1600/IMG_1745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSYlkO7N8MeeS9NSA7S4MccTkeOYiwhXIIYBe3MM-OMzcaPzhK5rFSrVfkTC-UlihlixrSRi32Iwauo1s3hTewTFPDq5hXd8QOLXMvRhjWigOY9uzpC8nhy5XDzyTv8KVDIvBbgnYcyY/s320/IMG_1745.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Egg Salmonnie </b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">($7.95)</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this was my order from KOS, since i was craving smoked salmon and something relatively healthy. seeing that the large portion of the meal was poached eggs, i opted on this since there's no oil or fat in the preparation of poached eggs,only water. the dish was comprised of 3 poached eggs ontop of a bed of 2 large whole-wheat english muffins, slightly sauteed spinach and smoked salmon, all covered in a creamy opaque sauce. the eggs were accompanied with a small portion of sweet and fresh fruits, as well as some cubed potatoes. the sauce used was called Hollandaise sauce, which is basically an emulsion of egg yolk and butter, and is considered notoriously difficult to make (since egg yolks tend to scramble with the application of heat). i was extremely satisfied with the result of their sauce since it didn't have any signs of separation at all, and the texture was wonderfully creamy and had a slight tangy taste. the eggs were slightly inconsistent, since one of them didn't have the yolky interior (a sign of a well-done poached egg), but nevertheless, the flavor and silky texture of the eggs were great. the smoked salmon served with this dish was cold-smoked since the texture was rather delicate and not flaky, and though the taste wasn't as smokey as i would have preferred, it still possessed that 'oaky' taste. the only complaint i'd have of this meal is that the juices from the fruit leaked out and made my potatoes all soggy.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o7OiIpSgv8Kp5LEFjneUQUVCgcGqzxvNP2YUdlXwPOjk0lEVDbOR7Zwn-Yg10LU6QLkoH9_73LtyuajocA7e44cl3tQgtwe06gPnPwhg3m_O-Be-q6gbgEQorGeo4Wnn0CuyLfOl9_U/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o7OiIpSgv8Kp5LEFjneUQUVCgcGqzxvNP2YUdlXwPOjk0lEVDbOR7Zwn-Yg10LU6QLkoH9_73LtyuajocA7e44cl3tQgtwe06gPnPwhg3m_O-Be-q6gbgEQorGeo4Wnn0CuyLfOl9_U/s320/IMG_1748.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a close-up of the egg salmonnie</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9CnNbMnUNJJVK_0azeUfo0uIVSrNrBMJVgq2SKXfDGeFFkO9TVLQb4naShuy5uzjhEkUo46F0mPPc70wAalMCR_VObzjymh98mVLVxUHTgS2Tzs5APjeQEo5AZ2aTb8qOniu3pgLwmk/s1600/IMG_1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9CnNbMnUNJJVK_0azeUfo0uIVSrNrBMJVgq2SKXfDGeFFkO9TVLQb4naShuy5uzjhEkUo46F0mPPc70wAalMCR_VObzjymh98mVLVxUHTgS2Tzs5APjeQEo5AZ2aTb8qOniu3pgLwmk/s320/IMG_1749.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C's special pancake for me;<br />
a blueberry pancake slice soaked in <br />
maple syrup with a huge chunk of butter</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04Ng5jcMbQ9RzMDKWQds1vcLUxXNMbcpDJ8FFKnOrldJ9NR_rOPiqYF8aYvvOxuOB8tOmwvHZcRETSmBVbhMcggB1RaL95T-4dYrdxhA92sVD6rf2ZP5dF2QcqHtM6NZcqMxx4uDSmVw/s1600/IMG_1750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04Ng5jcMbQ9RzMDKWQds1vcLUxXNMbcpDJ8FFKnOrldJ9NR_rOPiqYF8aYvvOxuOB8tOmwvHZcRETSmBVbhMcggB1RaL95T-4dYrdxhA92sVD6rf2ZP5dF2QcqHtM6NZcqMxx4uDSmVw/s320/IMG_1750.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">conclusively. . . .. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f9f9cc; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">food: 8/10</span></span></b></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">atmosphere: 7/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">service: 7/10 </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">portion: moderate</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">price: reasonable (<$10)</span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
</span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">happy eating!</span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br />
</span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">xoxo,</span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">-A</span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/132863/restaurant/Kensington-Market-Chinatown/Kos-Bar-Grill-Toronto"><img alt="Kos Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/132863/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a> </span></span></b>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-37094396117634513102011-04-07T23:49:00.001-07:002012-03-04T20:33:13.407-08:00Pastel: crêperie&dessert house<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hello hello! its been a while since i've last posted a blog, which truly saddens me because i really do wish to update this as often as possible :(<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p>anyhow, after completing our study quotas today at Robart's, S (new food buddy!) and i met up with C and we went to eat a simple dinner. with time to spare and craving something sweet, we decided that we'd try a new </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">crêpe</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> place that opened up in north york recentl</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">y. for people unfamiliar with the dessert, a <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">c</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">rêpe</span></b> is a very thin type of pancake orginating from france that is comprised of flour, eggs, milk, butter and a bit of salt. c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">rêpes come with a variety of textures as well as a relatively neutral taste, making them a very flexible dessert to eat. depending on their egg to flour ratio, a c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">rêpe can be either pliable and slightly crispy, or pancake-like. in this sense, a<b> </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><b>c</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">rêperie</span></b> can be of 2 settings; a take-away restaurant that serves </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">rêpes as a sort of 'fast-food' delicacy, or a formal sit-down </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">café.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45cX5_BufRABAuCZdOaVz1RZPmV22SFjXebIik-6nnfbijXw-rsZRwKcPlSbNPduCmi93WFx36S50cmtokpa-hjVPFkYQORO2eeDt4ksxUeC0tQNC2t5f7Wk7pXFIfIfJxJn85yMbAZc/s1600/IMG_1665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45cX5_BufRABAuCZdOaVz1RZPmV22SFjXebIik-6nnfbijXw-rsZRwKcPlSbNPduCmi93WFx36S50cmtokpa-hjVPFkYQORO2eeDt4ksxUeC0tQNC2t5f7Wk7pXFIfIfJxJn85yMbAZc/s320/IMG_1665.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p>located along yonge and close to finch, the dessert house has a very simple exterior design consisting of sage green neon lighting and a honey-oak-on-maple wood backdrop, and pops out quite distinctively from the surrounding dull-silver stores. the interior is also designed and furnished quite aesthetically, with its high ceilings, honey-oak-on-maple wood cupboards and tables, as well as stark white walls and seats. pastel's simplistic yet cozy approach on design makes it a versatile setting to be either a comfortable place to simply sit around and chat over a warm beverage, or a suitable romantic after-dinner destination for lovers on a date.</o:p></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">there were two menus present, the laminated one and one in a cover-bound book. i didn't really bother looking into the pretty book, considering that the simple laminated one provided me all the choices of food i wanted to eat.</div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">pastel offers 2 types of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">crêpes</span>; savoury and sweet. you also have the option of switching the sweet <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">crêpe</span> with a fluffy waffle, if you are willing to pay the additional minimal cost of $1. considering we were here after eating dinner, we opted on 2 types of sweet <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">crêpe</span>s:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl3A_JsGq2pJlW6dNTsdcAigTzYDvo_0fRWH3rVLnSobmj8feUNJsWmdnLng3AORM5rR0dQk3hyphenhyphenZ4CHFTnHSPv97-C8GiboHNKgtIuSTD-2EbzgjXDOnt3U0tvuSycNVUamzkpqLXks0/s1600/crepe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl3A_JsGq2pJlW6dNTsdcAigTzYDvo_0fRWH3rVLnSobmj8feUNJsWmdnLng3AORM5rR0dQk3hyphenhyphenZ4CHFTnHSPv97-C8GiboHNKgtIuSTD-2EbzgjXDOnt3U0tvuSycNVUamzkpqLXks0/s320/crepe1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brownie C</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">rêpe </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">($7.59)</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C and i shared this </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">crêpe</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and ordered it mostly because i was secretly craving soft and doughy brownies all day. the dessert consisted of a large </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">crêpe</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> filled with whipped cream, banana slices, and mini brownie chunks. two moderately-sized scoops of cookies n' cream icecream and a swirl of whip cream accompanied the crepe, and the whole dish was sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and warm chocolate drizzle. the humble-sized c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rêpe arrived warm and actually quite filled, showing that the owners didn't skimp out on giving their customers what they pay for. both the cookies n' creme ice-cream and whipped cream were quite standard and clearly grocery-store quality, but nevertheless good.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">though it was satisfying, i personally found the c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rêpe a little too leathery for my liking. the reason behind the leathery-texture could possibly be due to either over-mixing the batter, or not giving the batter sufficient time to settle in the refrigerator (the common time ranging from a minimum of 2hours to 2days).</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJJeuIcqHs7QIGFgYo0NubfJ83s0-Bb9gNO7QTFps6Zi4aiS34lK6GM23Pl5XMf6zZkBDvhHpkPmYUPHd1pAHwN84Ifz39QyQmGI6E9XIusjYyDCRDvppNoEhYUrbimOGAFBjtp4YOSo/s1600/crepe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJJeuIcqHs7QIGFgYo0NubfJ83s0-Bb9gNO7QTFps6Zi4aiS34lK6GM23Pl5XMf6zZkBDvhHpkPmYUPHd1pAHwN84Ifz39QyQmGI6E9XIusjYyDCRDvppNoEhYUrbimOGAFBjtp4YOSo/s320/crepe2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>Nut </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b style="font-family: sans-serif;">Crêpe </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">($8.59)</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">this second c</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">rêpe was ordered by S, since she <u>just had to</u> satisfy her chocolate craving. this c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">rêpe was comprised of a thick layer of rich hazelnut nutella-spread smeared inside the c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rêpe</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">, along with whipped cream, and chopped walnuts. accompanying the c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">rêpe were 2 (yet again) moderately sized scoops of what tasted to be cappuccino flavor ice-cream, and a singular swirl of cool whipped cream. the cappuccino ice-cream was a great addition, and tasted better than many places i've tried it before. though it was still store-bought quality, the cool taste of it was rich and invigorating and had the perfect fusion of creaminess and caffeine. the c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">rêpe was also covered in confectioner's sugar and warm chocolate drizzle. though i admit that i only tried the ice-cream and not the c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">rêpe combination myself, from S's reaction (aka her fast eating, satisfied nods, etc..) i have reason to safely conclude that the nut c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">rêpe was a success!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">additional photos for your aedificare...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpM1FNURww5dtHiZqGa0e92WPG9xpLb4sDSP2fu6kb-lQgDTnafH4ONicU9-z7L9wMHhrh7AIG3ZfdnxQpvTsZ_eA4nf-uTZDJTnLXqiTY31FmEWl19RHKqaJoYQ0yHzV5-Ydrw82o_o/s1600/pelligrino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline ! important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpM1FNURww5dtHiZqGa0e92WPG9xpLb4sDSP2fu6kb-lQgDTnafH4ONicU9-z7L9wMHhrh7AIG3ZfdnxQpvTsZ_eA4nf-uTZDJTnLXqiTY31FmEWl19RHKqaJoYQ0yHzV5-Ydrw82o_o/s320/pelligrino.jpg" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgD4NlWW6n-AX-D_yakhrapwN7RHdoyKZpQba7_PmkSEedyk7qvyXW5sH6Ygh3j2HLCV1ncQL1dst2pIp8I-7uQTz24-G7Hwai1oinOdzLudxSW-lod0UmE5Cx8iAt7eKqOfjRS98Qn8/s1600/IMG_1666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline ! important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgD4NlWW6n-AX-D_yakhrapwN7RHdoyKZpQba7_PmkSEedyk7qvyXW5sH6Ygh3j2HLCV1ncQL1dst2pIp8I-7uQTz24-G7Hwai1oinOdzLudxSW-lod0UmE5Cx8iAt7eKqOfjRS98Qn8/s320/IMG_1666.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbpOR0lFk4wP_Ki3-jjB372IZXXTIQsd7CrSkp9W9remhiNaRTx3rM6hXQZFfNew6ae45MOwgwcI95G-E6K8HrKR0S0vYtB8W951lI76leKR-RixMy8pvSM90fupBQfA-iSB85Wk_W4k/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbpOR0lFk4wP_Ki3-jjB372IZXXTIQsd7CrSkp9W9remhiNaRTx3rM6hXQZFfNew6ae45MOwgwcI95G-E6K8HrKR0S0vYtB8W951lI76leKR-RixMy8pvSM90fupBQfA-iSB85Wk_W4k/s320/IMG_1668.JPG" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLlQeJV8ZrviruHsCsVDz2HjFMDfeBd9k_VLLqzOT3GK4PhW2ohZutfdk5HCtMpePtLIw7vurq9Wjn_7y-B2l2pu42LeFgvEsXShvlBQ_FnCZVc1ML7PxUePSWlfYQSATzFNnSBwL4Kw/s320/IMG_1674.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="172" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">when C went to the washroom, i asked him if he could take a photo of it for me to see how it looked. he came back with this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLlQeJV8ZrviruHsCsVDz2HjFMDfeBd9k_VLLqzOT3GK4PhW2ohZutfdk5HCtMpePtLIw7vurq9Wjn_7y-B2l2pu42LeFgvEsXShvlBQ_FnCZVc1ML7PxUePSWlfYQSATzFNnSBwL4Kw/s1600/IMG_1674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></span></div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">conclusively .. . . . .</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">food: 8/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">atmosphere: 8/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">service: 10/10 (the staff were incredibly kind and attentive, as well as impressively clean utensils)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">portion: moderate</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">price: reasonable (<$10)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">go check out pastel: c</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rêperie& dessert house :)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">happy eating!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">xoxo</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">-A</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1578167/restaurant/North-York/Pastel-Creperie-Dessert-House-Toronto"><img alt="Pastel Creperie & Dessert House on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1578167/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-77856793396250626062011-04-02T13:51:00.002-07:002012-03-04T20:33:42.405-08:00北の家: Guu Izakaya<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this is my first food blog, and i must admit, im a tad bit excited to share my food adventure with you! first on the list is <b>Guu Izakaya</b>, a japanese franchise restaurant from vancouver. Guu has been publicized so much recently so yesterday, C and i went to Guu to check what all the hype was about. we arrived there at 5:30pm, 30 minutes after opening. usually i eat dinner in the 6-9pm range, but we went early to avoid the huge lineup that forms after 6pm.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the moment we entered the restaurant, we were loudly greeted by all the staff yelling some phrase in japanese. i'm not exactly sure what it was, but i think it was irashaimase</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">, which means welcome to the store. we were greeted by a hostess named Galaxy, who wrote down how many seats we wanted and the name of C. the wait was about 20 mins until lovely Galaxy returned to seat us</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">.</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKoQaBD5YkWUw7rC1lQnMVNJvbVNtcvmLZ_NVBVLLNuMwMlYxjToEtusuaTMMNkYXVQPvNPYaL7vM2AWmIxum7EsVBpijUbJ-jFeNM1pd1jKiwRAEO6drbbQhSGn-PkShvp-F7jCeVps/s1600/IMG_1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKoQaBD5YkWUw7rC1lQnMVNJvbVNtcvmLZ_NVBVLLNuMwMlYxjToEtusuaTMMNkYXVQPvNPYaL7vM2AWmIxum7EsVBpijUbJ-jFeNM1pd1jKiwRAEO6drbbQhSGn-PkShvp-F7jCeVps/s320/IMG_1594.JPG" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the gigantic wooden door of guu! it made me feel as if i was entering a badass japanese bar</td></tr>
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">walking through the gigantic door, you feel as if you've entered a little secret world where everyone is always smiling and you cant help but feel super loved because of the (very) loud greets from the friendly staff. the layout of the place was quite tight, and the wooden tables resembled the picnic ones you see in the park. C and i were seated by the bar, which was basically a wrap-around table surrounding the open-concept stainless steel kitchen. i actually wanted to be seated by the window at my own table but being at the bar was actually better, because we got to see how the chefs made the food, which they hand-delivered to us (^0^). there were only 2 bad things about being situated at the bar. first was that the chairs were nailed to the floor, so if i had to go to the washroom, C had to slide out of his seat so i could leave. second, since the chefs have the most amazing and enthusiastic lung power i have ever been exposed to in a restaurant, i felt as if my eardrums were being abused every time customers walked in.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">the restaurant offered us two menus, one paper and one laminated, and both were overwhelming to see because they were plastered with huge, 'brush-stroke' japanese writing. after much observation and scrutiny, C and i decided on a few dishes:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmK8KylZ0fjOTlDF4cCYld41BG6WyXAZQENIw1vrnRzXK8MvKwCZT_4Hhh2ET9xyQ1RmIiGGqYGxQ8wfirs_1RD7Lx5-E06A5tcw1qYZx6QDpGs1AFN2tgONqJDq9adx3uLWGA2QQMgGs/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmK8KylZ0fjOTlDF4cCYld41BG6WyXAZQENIw1vrnRzXK8MvKwCZT_4Hhh2ET9xyQ1RmIiGGqYGxQ8wfirs_1RD7Lx5-E06A5tcw1qYZx6QDpGs1AFN2tgONqJDq9adx3uLWGA2QQMgGs/s320/IMG_1596.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gomaae, $3.50</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Gomaae</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the picture on the left was ordered by C and was the first dish we received. i honestly thought it was unappetizing since it looks like a little seamonster, but after trying it, it was surprisingly good! the dish was called Gomaae, a common japanese appetizer that can be translated to 'black sesame' dressing. there are many gomaae dishes, but ours was comprised of a peanutty-black sesame sauce over what was seemingly boiled and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lightly <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">炒-d (i really don't know the english word...) and salted spinach. the sweet and graininess of the sauce is what hits you first, and the saltiness of the soft green leafy vegetable comes shortly after. a perfect opening dish to make you hungry.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtqdujHZCeamYv773LyT7CCCvjemhkvE7tfiiJFkQYXKF5rvakacHQe95ZBBVlWWvXSYyve1Br21BSJ15c4yD_G___E3Pw2WLXu2E4fS9AzLpQvcqf0KDHE0YZiGuLAdV1cVSZMS8Llo/s1600/IMG_1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtqdujHZCeamYv773LyT7CCCvjemhkvE7tfiiJFkQYXKF5rvakacHQe95ZBBVlWWvXSYyve1Br21BSJ15c4yD_G___E3Pw2WLXu2E4fS9AzLpQvcqf0KDHE0YZiGuLAdV1cVSZMS8Llo/s320/IMG_1597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">takoyaki, $5.00</span></td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Takoyaki</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the second dish we received upon my order. takoyaki is basically deep fried puffy-batter balls with a solitary piece of octopus in the middle. the dish is drizzled in 2 sauces; mustard mayo and tonkatsu sauce. tonkatsu is translated to pork cutlet and is commonly found in many japanese and korean restaurants, served with rice and a very distinctive sweet red sauce. on top of the balls are bonito shavings, that curled due to the heat and looked super cool! the taste of the flakes are relatively neutral, but tend to stick to your mouth when combined with your saliva. the only other place i've ever tried takoyaki is at the annual Nightmarket event in toronto, so in comparison this was much better and much more satisfying. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoc7bxnW6dqdrHqtIJWBogOEMPAo3dCvDuLP_IYZ54Fc962KpMj7kuRkR8prRRdIubRREwIhFgjRwu6GQSD_G7FLJ1fF3avLbAMV8WLbAEtKXWJk_T66Sp02xVbXdmeEaifJ7_zKb7ZJs/s1600/IMG_1598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoc7bxnW6dqdrHqtIJWBogOEMPAo3dCvDuLP_IYZ54Fc962KpMj7kuRkR8prRRdIubRREwIhFgjRwu6GQSD_G7FLJ1fF3avLbAMV8WLbAEtKXWJk_T66Sp02xVbXdmeEaifJ7_zKb7ZJs/s320/IMG_1598.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">soba meshi, $8.00</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soba Meshi</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this dish was ordered from the paper menu, unlike all the other dishes we ordered from Guu which were from the laminated one. the dish was placed in a hot stone bowl, and was comprised of sauteed red peppers+ green onion, rice, and what seemed to be egg noodles, all covered in a 'spicy' sauce (as they say). i was fairly disappointed with the dish because the flavours were all very generic and there was nothing really distinctive of it. also, i very much like spicy things, in which this was not spicy at all. end of that.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Kakimayo</span></b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzT5sjP0i_Sqg-VYxzA3nql229iBr_XuDRkPq1M4NK2XgodxRXsqqwob8DUrzY0t_UdjtFkhN5inwpCuFGVysKJ_Pms7YOfvwECuQK0lnSrIAQuuge0G-jKCDSHcYMCOE1tv1TyKLNNI/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzT5sjP0i_Sqg-VYxzA3nql229iBr_XuDRkPq1M4NK2XgodxRXsqqwob8DUrzY0t_UdjtFkhN5inwpCuFGVysKJ_Pms7YOfvwECuQK0lnSrIAQuuge0G-jKCDSHcYMCOE1tv1TyKLNNI/s320/IMG_1599.JPG" width="239" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kakimayo, $6.80</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this was probably my favourite dish of the whole night. the dish was comprised of boiled soft oyster with garlic mayo and melted cheese ontop, and sprinkled with seaweed shavings. it was served inside a warm oyster shell, so i assume the dish was also baked after the savoury oyster-garlic mayo mixture was poured inside. i usually don't enjoy oyster due to the chewy texture and the cheap-fishy taste that sometimes comes with it. the oyster at Guu was completely different than what i expected for the oyster meat was not chewy, but very soft and fleshy and seemed to melt in your mouth after a couple of chews. the garlic mayo didn't really taste like garlic (which i don't mind) but rather was more buttery and super savoury. the cheese was still very warm when we received it and it had that super awesome 'cheesy' look that everyone loves, so the first scoop of the mixture from the shell looked extremely appetizing. definitely worth the price.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsUp-U37IEQFCcNon7iV8RDMw-ONmy2xL4RoFVoOcgk4q1mxvPEk_2zeqLJNw2vM6nnHIljkyYYwwvHiop-q4_Vf20oC1AxvQeuiXQy95vckU-o_H3pmKcUxnREDEcG8FKA2oeNA9p4o/s1600/IMG_1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsUp-U37IEQFCcNon7iV8RDMw-ONmy2xL4RoFVoOcgk4q1mxvPEk_2zeqLJNw2vM6nnHIljkyYYwwvHiop-q4_Vf20oC1AxvQeuiXQy95vckU-o_H3pmKcUxnREDEcG8FKA2oeNA9p4o/s320/IMG_1608.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">unagi doria, $8.80</span><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b>Unagi Doria</b> </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">my second favourite dish of the night! the only reason i loved it so much is because i love rice, especially when it has creamy cheese on top. this dish was comprised of soft BBQ eel pieces, mixed mushroom fried rice, chopped green onions, melted cheese and seaweed strips. the whole dish was delicious to eat and had an amazing distinctive flavor. the eel was done great, and had the weird yet oddly appealing slimy texture to it, showing that they legitimately grilled it, and didn't fry it like what many other places mistakingly do. the rice was soft (and not hard like some places that make fried rice...). the dish is a little pricey, but i found it worth it and would definitely order it again.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1pH3HayAx24zGMp1F4MM70ZwqonZqeygCiEDQuLXz2efm-itGxPeXsx0g5SDDvZe7Q98PgB2LbzvkRVQUU_FkIM1MG47fEbbeEq1CcX8i-qyu8DiDi0QQbYJexktQcd37Hollu4hiFs/s1600/IMG_1609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1pH3HayAx24zGMp1F4MM70ZwqonZqeygCiEDQuLXz2efm-itGxPeXsx0g5SDDvZe7Q98PgB2LbzvkRVQUU_FkIM1MG47fEbbeEq1CcX8i-qyu8DiDi0QQbYJexktQcd37Hollu4hiFs/s320/IMG_1609.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">banana tempura, $6.00</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b>Banana tempura</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">both C and i feel that no meal is complete without dessert :)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this was just a simple sweet dish ordered by C, because he thinks i have an obsession with the banana fruit. anyhow! it was as it seemed, deep fried banana in tempura batter, with chocolate and mango drizzle and a single scoop of coconut ice-cream. i particularly liked the crunchiness of the exterior of the deep-fried banana, and the sudden softness of the banana underneath. the coconut ice-cream was also quite delicious because for non-coconut lovers like me, the coconut taste wasn't very apparent and was actually more creamy. another great addition was that there were little small coconut pieces in the ice-cream. though i do love mango, i felt that the drizzle wasn't complementary with the sweetness of the banana and coconut, and actually created a rather sour taste.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFiQhQP6ZwvO0_J7oNXRlGT2JzSMjPN89uiAYECFUIa1D27jn7nImytiAK0_2NtKocZZkr3G-WGPWhEipZ2uWq0h5XxFv7on3JcJ1NoLqOYxVyydvtgjJRa6y6fr1xq_NQvzz5LHsFPw/s320/IMG_1605.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="239" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">funny chef! he actually posed twice but i kept messing up the photo so i caught him like this haha</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWr_9mEDtZ0vem9UNYWRQ2IcrDX_UZr_MqoTyqV-0n0ieKRxm8sADLq3jf2k7kGVK6cqwiX4M2RQTNOZoX0V8EpY40XH0lo_MIKKF9UMZAzoQzlkOukStCvNaDgRzyQdRi32SeNBexSRM/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWr_9mEDtZ0vem9UNYWRQ2IcrDX_UZr_MqoTyqV-0n0ieKRxm8sADLq3jf2k7kGVK6cqwiX4M2RQTNOZoX0V8EpY40XH0lo_MIKKF9UMZAzoQzlkOukStCvNaDgRzyQdRi32SeNBexSRM/s320/IMG_1606.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our view from the bar seats</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>conclusively...</b></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b>food: 8/10</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">atmosphere: 8/10</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">service: 7/10</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">price: quite pricey, but definitely worth it</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">go check out Guu located at 398 Church St. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">happy eating!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">xoxo,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1496904/restaurant/Downtown-University-of-Toronto/Guu-Izakaya-Toronto"><img alt="Guu Izakaya on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1496904/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a> </span></div><div><br />
</div>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340544684877254762.post-27331498317675363682011-04-02T11:26:00.000-07:002011-04-02T23:01:02.123-07:00blog one<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">hello (•ᴥ•)/</span></b><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">welcome to my blog, foodSpot! i know, sounds lame..but i really couldn't think of anything more appealing and i wanted to be somewhat cunning and play with the name of the site since it's called blogspot...haha yeah? yeah? well it was either foodSpot or Little Vittles....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">anyhow. thank you in advance for reading this and i hope you do follow through :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">what i intend to do with this blog is to document all the restaurants i go to, meaning that this blog page will soon by adorned with a plethora of tasty food pictures and reviews and recommendations!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">i hope you enjoy what you see, and that this blog may help you in your food-searching endeavours :)!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">xoxo,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ps. i changed the name to foodQueen..but i wanted to keep this post anyway because i oddly found it amusing to read</span></div><div><br />
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</div><div></div>huongkongyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17109278266112266393noreply@blogger.com2