Eat, Drink and be Daring

Toronto Life’s December 2007 Cover Page caught my eye – 100 Tastes to try Before You Die. (http://torontolife.com/features/eat-drink-and-be-daring/) Soooo, here are a few things of their list of 100 that I’ve tried, and would like to try if not:

Tried:
- Carousel Bakery’s Breakfast Sandwich (right at St. Lawrence Market) – not bad for $4.35! However, it’s pure comfort food… but being at the Market at 6:30am, a healthy meal wasn’t exactly a top priority at that moment.
- Greg’s Roasted Marshmallow Ice Cream – it’s okay… personally, I think Greg’s is slightly overrated, but that’s my two cents
- Toronto Street Dog – apparently it is preferred by TL over New York City’s street dogs because of the variety of condiments. I haven’t been disappointed once when I was a student at UofT, so it’s not bad at all.
- Takoyaki – although TL recommended T&T’s takoyaki… I’ve never seen takoyakis being sold there though. Hmmm.
- The Classic veal cutlet sandwich from California Sandwiches – a staple food item for the Masonite audit team a few years back… which I was part of. Apparently there’s a place at St. Lawrence that’s even better – not sure if it’s Carousel or the place downstairs.

Would Like to Try:
- Zen’s tempura eel – I’ve wanted to try Zen for a while…
- Algonquin Tea – can be found at Whole Foods on Avenue Road… an organic blend of anise, red clover, raspberry leaves
- Soma’s Black Science Ghana Nibs – from SoMA at the Distillery
- Coffee ceremony at Addis Ababa – somewhere along Queen Street West
- Nitrogen Ice Cream from Colborne Lane – Jenn and I have been meaning to try Colborne Lane for a while anyway…
- Saving Grace’s espressado – Espresso & Avocade… somewhere along Dundas Street West. (907 to be precise)
- Handmade noodles from Soba Canada at Hiro Sushi – have also been wanting to try Hiro for years.
- El Gordo’s Kimchee Empanada – just a really interesting mix
- Michael Stadtlander’s Georgian Bay Trout – the fact that he owns Eigensinn Farm makes anything after his name a worthwhile try… however, given that it’s like $275 per head… um… maybe for a really really really special occasion…

Overrated:
- The Bymark Burger
- Sushi Kaji’s fukiyose platter – Kaji is really good, but having been to Shinobu and other places, I truly believe Kaji is overrated…
- I can’t say for sure that Susur Lee’s amuse-bouche is overrated, but I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews of his place… hmm.

Your turn. Comment away :)

Coffee & Tea Places to Hit Up

What a long hiatus! But, to kickstart this blog again, here's a list of places we (or at least yours truly) intend to hit up in the near future... stay posted for future updates. Who wants to go coffee hunting in Toronto? Ooooh if you have any recommendations not listed below, please share!

Coffee Places:
Manic Coffee – Bathurst & College [Intelligentsia]
Bulldog Café – Carlton & Church (89 Granby St)
Jetfuel Café – 519 Parliament Street (off Carlton)
Mercury Café – Queen Street East by Logan Ave [Intelligentsia]
B Espresso Bar – Queen Street East, between Church and Jarvis [Illy]
Avenue Café & Bistro – University Avenue [Illy]
Mercatto Café – Bay Street Between Adelaide and King [Illy]
Faema Café – Sherway Gardens Lower Floor [Segrafreddo]
F'Coffee - 641 Queen Street East (by Broadview)
Dolce Gelato - College Street (close to Dufferin)
Aroma Espresso Bar - 500 Bloor Street West (Annex)
Dark Horse Espresso Bar - 682 Queen Street East, East of Broadview
Tango Palace Coffee Company - 1156 Queen Street East
Wagamama - King Street West (West of Bathurst) - very strong drop coffee.
The Coffee Mill - 99 Yorkville Ave
Moonbeam Cafe - 30 St. Andrews St. Toronto (Kensington Market area)
Niche Coffee & Tea Company - 1364 Danforth Avenue OR 626 Queen Street West [own brew]
Red Rocket Coffee (Queen Street East)
Sublime Espresso Bar (Kensington)
I Deal Coffee - Kensington; 84 Nassau Street
Cherry Bomb Coffee [own brew] - 79 Roncesvalle Ave
Tinto Coffee House - 89 Roncesvalle Ave
Alternative Grounds Coffee House - 333 Roncesvalle Ave

Tea Places (non traditional tea):
Tealish - 198 Walnut Avenue
Red Tea Box - Queen Street West
Tea Emporium - Eglinton Avenue West, one block west of Avenue on the south side

High Tea Places:
Windsor Arms Hotel (Bloor/Yorkville)
King Edward Hotel
Royal York Hotel
Four Season Hotel
Langdon Hall

The Best of Yogurt

I haven't enough burgers to justify an entry on burgers, but I have had enough yogurt in the past while in attempts to eat healthy... so, here's my take on the best yogurt around.

1) Strawberry Yogurt w/ Berries and Museli at French Sticks (PATH at the Scotia Plaza)

This yogurt is just loaded with berries, apple chunks, and it's quite big - makes a mini meal for many people... it held me for a few hours - including a 2+ hour game of ultimate. At only $2.79, you can't go wrong

2) Activia (by Danone)

I like the fibre bits in this - found it while I was looking for healthy food in the Longos by BCE place. However, not as filling as all the yogurts mentioned in this entry, but still satisfies the stomach at the mid-morning point. Also comes in several flavours - I personally liked the peach as it complemented the fibre bits. By bulk - it's not worth buying it individually at 99 cents

3) Starbucks Yogurt

Loaded with granola and fruit, without compromising the amount of yogurt. However, a tad bit on the sweet side as the fruit is slightly syrupy. However, a great filler for the Suunday morning breakfast, and will last for the morning. Price is approximately $3.75 for one cup (similar size as a tall cold beverage at Starbucks)

4) Berry Yogurt with a Side of Granola at Lettieri (also at Second Cup)

A bit pricey at around $3.50, but rich yogurt taste with enough granola to fill the entire cup. However the portion is measly compared to the French Sticks, given the price and what not.

5) Vanilla Berry Yogurt at Tim Horton's

$1.99 definitely gets you a small sized yogurt, but it's not TOO sweet. However, the fruit - given it is prepared way in advance - is by no means fresh... but the plus side is that this yogurt is readily available 24 hours a day - given that you live near a Timmy's.

The Best of Starbucks' Beverages

People tell me I should be in PR for Starbucks, seeing how I have unitentionally lured many friends to Starbucks, gotten non-coffee drinking friends ordering coffee mistos week after week, accidentally founded the T3C Starbucks 'Sunday School' session, and gotten good old Jenn visiting Starbucks at least once a day this past week.

Jenn and I went for coffee tonight, and given that it was at Starbucks (and the fact we were talking about drinks we'd recommend to people), I thought we should start of the "best of" series w/ our favourite Starbucks beverages. Sooooo... here is Jenn & Holz's top five Starbucks drinks - four of which are "secret" not on the menu drinks, which we highly recommend you to try the next time you're grabbing a java.... *drum roll please*

1) (Soy) Mild (or Bold) Misto w/ a Half Pump of Hazelnut
Jenn: Since I really hate having soy in my coffee, the drink tastes just as good w/o the soy, and the "half" pump of hazelnut makes it not as sweet so that the syrup doesn't overpower the coffee, but just to give the drink a little more flavor
Holly: I actually like soy w/ my coffee - I normally drink my coffee black, but only at Starbucks do I add anything to my coffee... i.e. soy. But to make it a nice, comfy drink that 1/2 pump does the touch in making it a nice special drink.

2) London Fog - Earl Grey tea misto w/ 1 pump vanilla
Jenn: this kinda tastes like the Japanese canned "Royal Milk Tea 紅茶花伝" but for for those who might find it to be too sweet, then I'd recommend the non-fat/skim milk version
Holly: Alternatively, you can go for the half pump to make it less sweet, but it is the coffee-alternative drink to the above coffee misto.

3) Java Chip Frappucino
Holly: Both Jenn and I love this drink - it's fun w/ bits of chocolate chips, blended with the Starbucks frappucino and ice, topped with whip & chocolate drizzle if desired. Comes in decaf & regular caffeine. Definitely a drink that will fully substitute the dessert after a meal; a must try for the sweeth tooth.

4) "White Gummy Bear" Shaken Iced Passion Tea - 2 pumps of melon, 2 pumps of rasperry, 1 pump vanilla
Holly: To my absolute surprise, the one who introduced us to this drink was our friend Mo, who was somewhat anti-Starbucks. :) However, it is definitely a drink just like the candy!!! A must try for the anti-coffee people out there. A bit of the passion tea flavour is still retained despite the numerous pumps of syrup, which goes to show the tazo tea line at Starbucks is fairly decent and gets my nod for approval, given that I'm pretty anal about my teas. (I normally dislike using tea bags... but the Tazo series is one of the few exceptions)

5) Shaken Iced White Tea Lemonade
Holly: This drink is only available at certain stores at the time of this post - the lemonade blends well with the White Berry tea, and complements the berry taste without an obvious hint of the sour lemonade-like taste (but still retains the same texture). A nice "secret" alternative to the shaken black/green tea lemonades.
Other honorable mentions include: soy green tea latte w/o syrup, caramel macchiato, hot chocolate, african red bush tea. However, feel free to suggest any of your favourite Starbucks beverage... :)

Sushi Kaji

The Place:

Extremely simple decor, with minimal decorations. However, very clean and neat.

Space is precious, just like many fine Japanese establishments. Sushi bar is the prime area to be at as you can observe Master Kaji at work, but make reservations early, as it only fits twelve patrons at one sitting.

Service is friendly, although waitresses' broken English makes it tough to understand what you're eating if the menu is missing.

The Food:

Menu - Takumi ($120)

Tomato stuffed sweet shrimp with Japanese tomato sauce

I didn't taste much of the shrimp, but nevertheless this cold dish was very refreshing with the jelly mixed in w/ the ingredients inside the tomato.



Grilled Japanese pepper stuffed shrimp cake

The shrimp cake balanced out the strong pepper taste and for someone who's usually not a big fan of peppers, I actually enjoyed this dish.




Cold shabu-shabu salad with sesame dressing

The name confused me. When I think "shabu-shabu", I think of a hotpot and then when I think "salad", I expect some type of leafy vegetable related dish. This was basically a beef roll, which wasn't really anything out of the ordinary, so I would say from looking at the name of the dish on the menu, it's quite misleading.


Sashimi

The sashimi was very fresh and better than most of the sushi establishments opened by Chinese people around the city. The shrimp heads were still moving when the plate arrived - which was then taken away to be fried.

Simmered bracken rolled with tofu-puff

This was an interesting dish. The vegetable added some flavour to the normally bland tofu and the sauce (which had a slight sweetness to it) added to the flavour.



Roasted duck & chrysanthemum salad

The duck was very tender (unlike many restaurants that tend to be on the dry side) and the chrysanthemum was a nice garnish for it.




Grilled black cod with yuzu sauce

The Cod was to die for... and it came with a side of lotus w/ shrimp paste with a mint leaf. Very delicate and intricate preparation was made for the lotus side, as it was thinly sliced into half, to sandwich the shrimp paste. The lotus was then grilled until crisp; the mint complimented the shrimp and lotus extremely well.


Sushi & soup (soba noodles w/ green onions and wasabi in broth)
(Sushi served (in order): Toro, Lobster, Scallop, Unagi, Toro w/ croquette & ikura, King Crab, and Mini unagi sushi)



We were warned by the waitresses not to have the scallop and unagi sushi with soy sauce. We soon discovered why as it was noted the scallop sushi was drizzled with a slight touch of olive oil, with salt and pepper - what an unique fusion of the east & west!




Dessert

Mint with the pampelmousse dessert is required!





Other must-note items:

Kaji makes his own soy sauce and wasabi. Very distinct soy sauce with a slight sweet taste. Wasabi is made with finely chopped raddish - in fact, once it is placed in the soy sauce (which is a no-no for the avid Japanese diner), you can see the wasabi break off into very tiny raddish pieces, unlike the powdered alternative. Yet, the hot, burning effect is just as strong, if not even more than the powdered wasabi.

They serve two types of tea - green tea during the meal, and a black tea right before desserts.

Our two-cents & opinion

Jenn: 4/5 for creativity and variety of the dishes; 3/5 for the price and the amount of food - I was still a bit hungry afterwards.

Holly: 3.5/5 definitely tops Hashimoto, although extremely on the pricey range.

Wanna try it out for yourself?

Sushi Kaji
860 The Queensway
Etobicoke, ON
M8Y 1K8
416.252.2166

The "Best of..." Series

I'll introduce myself - I'm Jenn's foodie-wannabe friend Holly. I've always wanted to blog about food, but never had the time to (nor do I really have the time now) but with Jenn kickstarting this initiative, I thought I'd hop on the bandwagon and join her.

I'm a big fan of making lists, let it be to-do lists, lists of things to buy, etc. I figured the same approach can be used for this food blog for different food items/types of food I like... so here's the ribbon-cutting blog for this new "best of..." series. So look out for the top picks of spicy salmon rolls, croissants, gelato shops, coffee, tea, etc. in the near future :)

Orange Mocha Frappuccino!

I think I'm slowly becoming a Starbucks junkie thanks to Des and Holly...and to clarify, that doesn't mean I'm a caffeine addict, but just that I've become an avid frequenter of Starbucks. There are all these secret drinks that I didn't know about before, i.e. London Fog and White Gummy Bear, and all these other combinations of yummy drinks that I never knew I could get before! Where do people find out about these drinks that are not on the menu? Maybe I should just name off random drinks when I go to Starbucks next time and see if it actually exists.

Also, I've always thought that the Orange Mocha Frappuccino was a made up drink from Zoolander. I've never actually seen it on the Starbucks menu until I saw it written down as one of its special summer drinks. I think Des and Kenric were a little shocked to see how excited I was to see that on the seasonal drinks board. Yes...I know I'm a dork, but being a big fan of the movie, I had to try it. Now, would I get the orange mocha frap again? Probably not. Well...unless I can find someone who has a white Jeep and drive around in it, flashing the drink in my hand with Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go playing in the background. Now THAT would really make my day. :P