TORONTO SLOP

Bored

2010-02-24T18:59:00.001-05:00

I've been on an extended blog break for a while. Apologies to my readers for not updating but I'm just not inspired with the food situation in Toronto right now. I'll get back to it when I feel like it.

Reggie's

2009-05-22T16:59:00.006-04:00

Went to this new spot Reggie's beside Craft Burger on King St. today. It looks identical to Craft Burger, branding, interior etc. it's got that "Trying to look like we've been here for 50 years vibe" authentic, new, old school feel. I was impressed by the sandwiches though, pictured here are the tuna melt with fries and the monte cristo. both were good, and the fries were on point as well, other sandwiches that get props are the club and the egg and avocado, apparently the pulled pork isn't that good, but that's expected. I'm surprised Paul didn't put this place on his shit list, cause he came back with us today. You can eat here for under $10 which is good for lunch, and open 24 hours, which I can see getting crazy hectic in that area after the bars close, but anyways, new spots for lunch in the work hood is good. This place gets mixed reviews on chowhound as well, so only go if you trust my taste ;) I'm out. 571 King Street West (416) 979-9992

Food, Inc. Trailer

2009-05-20T13:01:00.003-04:00

(Taken from Food, Inc. Website) In Food, Inc. filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults. Opeining on July 12 in select cities.

Big Macs @ Home

2009-04-07T23:07:00.012-04:00

I was craving McDonald's (again) but instead of paying the Candy Coloured Clown a visit I decided to man up and try to recreate a Big Mac at home. I made burger patties the day before, flattened the ground beef between wax paper and pounded into thin discs, then froze for stability. All I needed to do was to get some fresh buns, american cheese and create some home-made Big Mac sauce. I researched a few recipes for the sauce but found this particular one to be the most legit, it took quite a few ingredients and actually ended up tasting pretty close to the real deal. American cheese is different from Kraft Singles, the closest you'll find in Canada is "Kraft Extra Cheddar" processed cheese, you can get it at pretty much any grocery store but I didn't know until recently that it even existed. I micro waved the hamburger buns for 20 seconds so they'd be extra soft just like Donnie's. I got a few pickle slices, diced some iceberg and put this beast together, I didn't bother with the 3rd piece of bread in the middle, I just made 2 single Macs instead. It was a tasty burger, but didn't really taste anything like McDonald's. I think it might take years of research to get a burger to taste anywhere close to a real Big Mac. They've got the formula down and I don't think anyone is going to ever figure out the secret to why their burgers taste the way they do...

Big Mac Special Sauce

1/4 cup KRAFT Miracle Whip
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons (heaping), french salad dressing (the orange stuff)
1/2 Tablespoon sweet relish
2 teaspooons (heaping), dill relish
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried, minced onion
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix everything very well in a bowl or container. Microwave 25 seconds, and stir well again. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavours meld. Makes about 1 cup.

Dumpling King

2009-04-02T03:08:00.008-04:00

Robin told us about this down-low dumpling spot way the hell out in Scarborough, he said it was incredible so naturally we hopped in the rides and missioned it out to Midland and Finch for some tasty Shanghai Cuisine. Google maps messed us up and we wound up at a factory first but finally reached our destination. I love soup dumplings and this place repped, we got rounds of dumplings, all kinds but that was just the tip of the iceberg. We ordered jumbo meatballs in a hot pot, followed by green beans with spicy pork, prawns and chillis, a whole crispy roasted chicken, jellyfish salad fried rice served in a seasoned bucket and for desert we got these deep fried candy apple pieces, my mind was officially blown. We all chipped in $20 each, you could probably eat here for less but we ordered a lot of food. We just had to get takeout, I was eating that shit the next day with some sauteed pea shoots. Gotta go back soon!!! This place is worth the mission but if you live in North-East Scarborough, you're lucky. Check their website for more info. www.dumplingking.ca

3290 Midland Ave Unit 2 @ Finch Ave. (416) 321-0888

The worlds most expensive foods

2009-03-27T16:17:00.006-04:00

Womensday.com compile a list of the 12 most expensive foods on Earth. Check it.

The most expensive foods on earth

New Street food coming to Toronto

2009-03-17T15:44:00.003-04:00

Toronto's finally stepping up the street food game by allowing some purveyors to set up shop at specific locations around town to bring some variety to the street other than hot dogs. Starting May 24 weekend 8 carts will be cooking up some new shit, Kababs, Bulgogi, Samosas etc. I'm not stoked on the locations of these carts because I'm never around Nathan Phillips Square or Yonge and Eglinton. Perhaps in time more stands will open up around the city (specifically the Dundas West, Little Italy area). Here's the National Post article.

We got tees!

2009-03-12T22:55:00.008-04:00

May I present to you the first Toronto Slop t-shirt. Dedicated to one of our favourite spots in the city, Gandhi Cuisine. Gandhi has been a staple of our crew for over 10 years, never going a few weeks without one, their butter chicken, malai kofta, korma and saag paneer are top quality, and I've yet to find anything quite like a Gandhi Roti in any other city I've visited. I have brought Gandhi on flights for friends across the country, and have had had requests to fedex it 3000 km's so it arrives the next day for lunch. Come celebrate with us as we proudly display this tribute on our hides. Limited to only 40 shirts, this article is for my local heads only. if you are a Gandhi head then this was made for you! $20 flat. Printed on slim ring-spun AAA cotton tees. S M L XL. If you want one, email me and grab one off me downtown.

Available mid March - bobby@torontoslop.com

King's Noodle House

2009-03-10T23:41:00.009-04:00

Man, we've been crushing King Noodle every week recently, it's our spot now. it's officially my favourite Chinese spot downtown. The restaurant is clean, the food is fresh and delicious. I'm not sure when they renovated but it's really nice inside, they have hanging ducks and whole roasted pork in the window and a huge stack of donut sticks off to the side. Their congee is great, so many varieties, we got the one with crispy duck in it. Pea shoots are expensive so we went for the chinese cabbage instead even though I LOVE pea shoots. Their menu is extensive, crew favourites are mapu tofu, creamed corn crispy grouper, greens and of course the BBQ. This is almost like Chinese soul food. If you order a lot they'll hook you up with free soup. You can keep it cheap here as well, it's just $7.25 for a plate of BBQ pork, dry noodles and chinese cabbage. Main dishes can be anywhere from $10 - $20 it all depends what you get. IMPORTANT: it's frustrating but they're closed wednesdays, we'll just have to deal with it. Damn. 296 Spadina Ave. (416) 598-1817

Oddfellows

2009-03-03T01:02:00.010-05:00

We wit up Oddfellows for brunch the other day. I heard some good things about it and we weren't disappointed. This location used to be some Malaysian restaurant or something which I never looked twice at, It could have been good, but I never got a chance to reach. Anyhoo, the menu was nice and short the way it should be, keeping it simple with an omelette of the day, steak and eggs and such, the decor was really unique, some bizzare art installation with a hanging toy RV and a fireplace that looked straight out of 2001 (the movie, not the year). The food hit the spot right on and we were all satisfied, prices were acceptable too around $10 or so for the eggs and $15 for the steak and eggs. one thing though, I felt I wasn't dressed cool enough for brunch, cause everyone in there was hella steezed out, next time I'm gonna straight-up dress like Karl Lagerfeld to go eat brunch, haha. Cheak it. 936 Queen Street West, 416-534-5244

Perola's

2009-02-25T01:35:00.008-05:00

Diego's been talking about Perola's for way over a minute now and up until last weekend I felt like I was the only one who hadn't messed with a cactus taco. There's a kitchen way in the the back of Perola's South American supermarket in Kensington. I suppose people only know about it through word of mouth cause it's super down low. I hope I'm not letting the cat out of the bag or anything but I had to post this slop cause it was truly grand. I didn't even know you could eat cactus but apparently you can, they slice it, grill it then fry up Oaxaca cheese, lay it on a fresh tortilla and smother with sauce, so delicious! I also got the carnitas taco, tender spicy pulled pork, my god. Topped it off with a fresh chicken tamale. This spot is cheap too! $2.50 - $3.00 for each item. You can also get papusas, tostadas and pozole. This spot is legit, rinse it soon. Open weekends Sat 9am - 6:30pm, Sun 11am - 6pm. 247 Augusta Ave. (at Nassau St.) 416-593-9728

Montreal Slop

2009-01-26T23:08:00.003-05:00

Marie went to Mount Real this weekend and brought back a delicious hunk of Shwartz's smoked brisket and fresh bagels. I thought she was gonna just bring me back a sandwich wrapped up but no, she got $20 worth. The take out version comes vacuum packed with cooking instructions. I was confused at first like, isn't it already cooked? You have to steam the brisket for 2 hours. Luckily we have some chinese steam baskets handy which did the trick right. The meat was tender, moist and delicious. I just had to do it up classic with coleslaw and pickles, you know, I recreated the deli in my own kitchen. God I feel like I'm cheating on Caplansky. Shwartz's Deli Website.

Sam Woo Seafood

2009-01-22T01:54:00.006-05:00

We missioned up to Warden & Steeles the other week to meet up with old school crew. We hooked up at Bamburgh circle then hit up Sam Woo Seafood, a dope Chinese spot on the corner. Josh took care of the ordering and shortly after plates were arriving. Hot & sour soup, garlic snow pea leaf (or pea shoots) and fried rice, then crispy white fish smothered in creamed corn and egg, soooooo gooooood, and a whole chicken, juicy and salty. I don't know the names of the dishes in Chinese but I need to find that creamed corn fish somewhere Downtown. We ate here for $20 a person, done and done. 325 Bamburgh Circle (Warden & Steeles) (416) 502-2888.

Pho Linh

2009-01-11T23:50:00.006-05:00

I love Vietnamese barbecue, the seasoned, grilled pork chop with fried egg on broken rice. So tasty and satisfying. Pho Linh comes correct with Vietnamese quisine. Their Phở stock is rich and flavourful, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm not super adventurous when it comes to Vietnamese food, the tripe, egg pancake and shredded pork are textures that don't agree with me so I just stick within the white people range, Phở and barbecue. I got the bbq pork chop while Marie got the grilled pork on vermicelli, the drink in the pic below is fresh lemon soda, so refreshing! The menu is extensive and very reasonable priced, 2 people can eat here for $20 and that includes dessert ( we went for banana and tapioca simmered in condensed milk ) I've been going here for years now and it's never failed me. Peep it. 1156 College Street (just west of Dufferin) (416) 516-3891

Warden Station Patties

2009-01-06T21:46:00.008-05:00

Warden subway station in Scarborough is one of the most depressing places in the city, it's dirty, cold and beige. I used to pass through here on my way through high school, to get to friends houses and to get downtown, I've even been robbed here. It holds a dear place in my heart. The best part about going through Warden is getting a beef patty at Bakery on the go. Its the best beef patty in the city. The tender, flaky, golden crust and the savoury but sweet ground beef in the middle. Bakery on the go also has a large amount of other goods. Donuts, bread pudding, sugar twists, spinach pie and even really good jerk chicken with rice and peas. Fortunately I live downtown now, but I don't have to travel all the way to Scarbrorough for a tasty patty, they have a Bakery on the go in Bathurst station as well). Sometimes I pay the $2.75 to get into the station just to get one, it's worth it, especially if you get it on coco bread. They have veggie and chicken patties too but they're nowhere near as good. Booyakashot!

Miracle Fruit: Change Your Taste Buds

2009-01-06T11:41:00.005-05:00

My friend Vet put me on to these interesting berries from the "Miracle Fruit Plant". It produces berries that, when eaten, cause bitter and sour foods (such as lemons and limes) consumed later to taste sweet. You can buy them in tablet form (mostly in Asia), like a pack of gum, where the berries are ground up and compressed into tabs, then you let it dissolve in your mouth. Does anyone know if you can buy these in Toronto? Read the Wikipedia page for more info. I can see the potential for chefs using these in a tasting menu to alter the flavour of a certain dish. Pretty cool!

Happy New Years!

2009-01-03T16:57:00.017-05:00

Hello fellow friends and foodies, I've been hibernating like a beast for the last 2 weeks, on holiday and not up to much except lying on my couch and stuffing my face. I have to share this special post with you guys because it only happens once a year and I am very fortunate to experience it. Every New Years day my friend Derek's (aka Nish Raawks) family host a party celebrating family, friends, and food. I have been going for over a decade and it is incredible. Bob and Joanne Nishikawa's culinary creations are not something you would see at any regular new years lunch, their family is Japanese-Canadian and the food reflects their culture. Here is a photo collage of EVERY dish that was presented, lets try and run through what I can remember (a lot of the dishes I don't know the actual name for so I'll try my best): ozoni (Japanese New Years soup with mochi), ground beef and natto wraps, bbq pork ribs, burdock root, noodles, beef carrot and bean rolls, home-made chicken wings, Japanese platter with soy beans, kamaboko, konyakku and shrimp, pickle plate, tobiko stuffed lotus root, sausage, marinated salmon, sashimi, sushi, inari sushi (fox bags), chirashi sushi, Pickle sushi, octopus, tiny shrimp and fish, and home made pickled mackeral. Whew! The only thing I forgot to do was take pictures of all the dessert! Which included Blueberry cheesecake, and lemon tart squares, mochi cake sweets and brownies, oh my god! Thank you very much to the Nishikawa family, your hospitality is second to none, happy new years!

Vancouver Slop on Global TV

2008-12-17T13:01:00.002-05:00

Shout out to my boy Matt from Vancouver Slop for making the morning news. He's dedicated a lot of time and effort into his blog and it's paying off. We even got a cameo in there. Keep up the good work Matt!

Caplansky's rebrand

2008-12-03T17:18:00.003-05:00

Over the past 2 months I have been working with Zane Caplansky on the branding of his ever-so-popular Deli. All the pieces are complete and installed. Signage, menus and labels for his house-made mustard. I wanted the branding to reflect the look of a retro lunch counter, while remaining modern and clean. Swing by Caplansky's if you're hungry in Little Italy. If you haven't been already, it's a must.

Zen

2008-10-24T14:13:00.012-04:00

Moving to another city can be hard, especially if your lifestyle revolves around food. When you are used to eating out at certain places and having the luxury of living by the Ocean and eating fresh seafood for cheap prices, moving from Vancouver to Toronto can have a profound effect on regular eating habits. That's exactly what's happening to our fellow foodies Paul & Josh who just moved to Toronto 2 months ago. It's borderline impossible to find GREAT Sushi in Toronto, bottom line is you have to pay through the nose or travel really far. Robin put us on to this spot Zen in Scarborough, a tiny spot in a grimy strip mall on Eglinton East. We made the 30 min drive from downtown, got lost but finally found it. We all did the Omakase for $45, chef's selection for the day. We were treated to Spanish Mackerel, Sweet shrimp, 3 kinds of Toro, Salmon roe, Scallop, Squid, Torigai, and a few other fish I can't remember. Negitoro rolls were followed by Tamago and Anago spine (yum). We ended the meal with black sesame ice cream which was delicious but also made your teeth black which was kind of disturbing. We all ended up paying $60 each (including tax and tip). Josh & Paul were extremely pleased with Zen and said it was just as good as Van, although you could pay half the price out there for something as good. This place is a must. peep the website for more info. Zen Restaurant.

Polish Festival

2008-09-17T12:01:00.005-04:00

I love Roncesvalles, It's such a nice street, and even more so when it's Polish Fest. I love walking down from Dundas and sampling from every food vendor that catches my eye. The Toronto Slop crew hit it hard this year, Polish sausage, cabbage rolls, sauerkraut and perogies. I love hitting the mom and pop spots, the best was 2 old ladies at the church dishing out serious home made slop. The music can get really annoying though, hella loud Elvis impersonators and such making a racket that no one cares about. Ahhh, though it's a little price to pay for some good home-made food. I'm sorry if you guys missed it, rinse it next year, keep it posted. Polish Festival Website. P.S. Thanks Jen for taking the photos!

Stampede Burger

2008-09-03T14:50:00.005-04:00

Last weekend a few members from our gang got some hunger pangs after last call. Marie and I crushed Libretto earlier and weren't that hungry, but went for the walk anyways over to this new burger spot Stampede, this joint was open at 3am! There's not many spots to get a burger at this time other than Micky Deez. Jesar rinsed the bison burger and poutine, it seemed like it took foreeever to make it, but maybe we were just being impatient. After the food arrived, we all had to sample (of course). It was pretty damn good for 3am, I can't really comment on the rest of the menu or the price cause I didn't pay attention, but if you're hungry in Parkdale after last call, it's a good look. ;) 5 Brock Ave. 416-534-4999

c5 Restaurant

2008-09-02T18:03:00.005-04:00

This wouldn't be the kind of spot we'd normally hit for brunch, but our good friend Jon is the Chef de Partie here and said he was gonna put something special together for us, special was an understatement. c5 is the restaurant in the recently renovated R.O.M, a big clean space with a great view and even better food. We got treated to a 7 course brunch tasting menu (8 if you include the pastry platter). We started off with virgin mojitos and caesars, pastries and dollar pancakes, followed by a plate of Jamon Ibérico (black pig from Spain, similar to prosciutto, but less salty and, with a nuttier flavour) hand made chicken liver pâté, headcheese and mortadella. A sweet course followed with hot waffle points, fresh fruit salad and almond ice cream. Next came a 65° poached egg on croissant with melted gruyere, it was so rich. The best corse in our opinion was Jon's own creation of smoked mackerel, house-made fresh bagel and cream cheese, with horseradish foam. You think we're done yet? Beef tongue followed, along with pork sausage! Needless to say we were rinsed. We ended with a simple desert of mango custard, raspberry sorbet and a shard of dark chocolate. Whew! Now this may not be fair to the rest of you guys, but I had to share the experience. Check them out sometime. c5restaurant.ca

Pizzeria Libretto

2008-08-28T21:21:00.004-04:00

We hit up the new pizza spot on Ossington tonight for dinner. I've been stoked for this joint to open up as it's right in the hood, and we need more restaurants around here. I assume once Now reviews this place it's gonna be the jump off cause it's kind of like Terroni's, traditional, simple Neapolitain food. We ordered the buttermilk calamari with romesco sauce (very good, but could have used more salt in my opinion), an amazing salad with arugula, pear and toasted walnuts, and the traditional Margherita pizza (D.O.P) a.k.a sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes, delicious, wood-fired taste. The menu is small, keeping it simple, but with other delicious items such as bruschette with spicy sausage, pesto and goat's cheese, and duck confit pizza which smelled amazing. Prices were good too, with the calamari and salad at $9 each, and the pizza at $12. I think this joint will be an Ossington institution soon enough, I might have to go back this weekend. Check the website for more info. 221 Ossington Ave. 416-532-8000

McDonald's Brunch

2008-08-26T16:01:00.001-04:00

Ohhh, I'm doing this shit.

Chipotle

2008-08-20T11:56:00.018-04:00

Now normally I don't really advertise chains on this site, but I had to post this shit up, it's like the new subway to me. My photo game is pretty weak for this post, I copped the iphone and the camera is pretty weak, my Sony Ericsson had been holding me down for over 2 years, I'm gonna have to start bringing my real camera out when I have to blog grub. Anyways, Robin told me about this chain opening up on Yonge and I had to go hit it up (of course). Chipotle is like "Fresh-Mex" style, think california/mexican. They have burritos, tacos, salads etc, it's set up like a line, Subway steez, you pick your rice, meat (a choice of tender pulled pork, savoury stewed beef or shredded chicken), then add toppings like chopped tomato salsa with cilantro, roasted corn, avocado, lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc. I like it cause they keep it simple, they're not messing with mayo and all kinds of sauces, just what you see. And did I mention MASSIVE? this thing was a beast, the lady could barely contain it in the tortilla. Do your self a favour, if you're in the area, crush it. Here's some info on Chipotle. 323 Yonge St. (Just north of Dundas) (416) 596-8600

UPDATE: Here's a better photo I took when I got back to work.

Hype B

2008-08-07T21:12:00.006-04:00

We've been going to Tacos El Asador forever, but I never really messed with their B before. Diego reps it core and kept bigging it up so we hit it around 1pm last Saturday. The skies were classic 2008 Toronto summer, a mix of Cumulus clouds, bright sun and scattered showers, so biking was not optimum. It was cool though, a short walk and we hit our destination. A tasty alternative to Toronto's brunch spots, El Asador isn't a brunch spot per se, but offers tasty El Salvadorian fare (check my previous post) and one hell of a tasty breakfast. As you can see you get scrambled huevos (with diced peppers and onion) fried plantain, fresh avocado, salty beans refrito topped with queso cheese and home-made tortillas. For $6.95 it's quite the deal. Go early enough and it will come to the table quick. Note: For those who don't know El Asador etiquette, GET IN AND GET OUT, it's popular and people want to eat. I hate when people sit down and start ordering rounds of Dos Equis, even after they've finished eating. If you want to get drunk, go to Clinton's, it's across the street. Word. 690 Bloor Street West, 416-538-9747

Sushi Kaji

2008-07-22T17:07:00.004-04:00

I'm probably not saying anything new here, but we went to Kaji the other week and it was off the hook. For those who don't know, Kaji is arguably the best sushi spot in Toronto. Kaji San imports his fish daily from Tokyo harbour blah blah blah, we've all heard all it before. Go on Chowhound and read the posts, the sushi snobs are all over this joint. Kaji can get expensive if you choose the largest "omakase", 7 courses of paradise for $120, and then there's a $100 and $80 tasting menu as well. I apologize for the lack of photos for this post cause I had to use flash and I don't like the way flash makes food look. Bottom line is if you're looking for incredible sushi and cooked seasonal dishes, and if it's a special occasion, book a reservation. (In photos below: Ocean trout and lobster sashimi with lemon and wakame, served with fresh-grated wasabi. Tempura white fish, braised japanese eggplant and green onion in dashi stock). The Kaji website is outdated as menus change seasonally, so keep an open mind and palate. 860 The Queensway, Etobikoke (A.K.A. Way the hell out there) 416-252-2166

Caprese Sandwich

2008-07-22T03:06:00.010-04:00

We've been growing our own tomatoes for the second year now and I have to tell you, nothing beats it. Store bought are just not the same. Our batch came out sweet and meaty, no white or green in the middle, all red. In my mind nothing goes better with fresh tomatoes than basil and bufala mozzarella, and when you combine that with a fresh, crispy baguette? Amazing. It's the quality of the ingredients that make the sandwich the best it can be, you could substitute the bufala with regular bocconcini, but I like to shell out some extra coin for the good stuff. This sandwich is also super easy to make. Get a fresh, French baguette, cut it in half, drizzle with olive oil and toast it until it's "crisp-chewy" not "cracker". Arrange the cheese and tomatoes like fallen dominoes and layer the basil over top. Another drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, course-ground pepper and your done. Eat while the bread is still warm. If you can get down to any of the Toronto organic markets, pick up some tomatoes, they will be tastier than your local supermarket's produce. Hope you like!

Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu

2008-07-20T17:26:00.005-04:00

Probably one of the most complicated restaurant names to remember so we just call it "Soon's". We've been here countless times but for some reason I've never posted a review up, so here it is! Soon's reps hard. It's cheap, filling and really, really good. Soon tofu is a type of Korean hot pot/stew that has either meat or seafood with silky tofu, green onion and egg. The base of the stew is a spicy kim chee broth which can be ordered in degrees of heat, from mild to spicy. Soon tofu is served with purple rice in a stone pot. The rice is purple because an umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum) has been added into the pot when the rice is cooking. The umeboshi can be a nasty, or tasty surprise when eating the rice so be careful, either you like the umeboshi or you don't. Eating the soon tofu can be a challenge too because they serve it boiling at the table, you have to wait for that shit to cool down before you eat it or get the dreaded "sandpaper tonge", and that sucks. Buck Chang Dong also offers other classic dishes like dolsot bibimbap and bulgogi stew, although the bulgogi stew is so sweet it's hard to finish a whole bowl. All meals are served with traditional pan chan (korean pickles) and jugs of cold water. For $8.00 even, it's one of the best deals in the city, enjoy.

691 Bloor St. W. (at Clinton) 416-537-0972

Craft Burger

2008-07-17T01:17:00.009-04:00

I hit up Craft Burger the other day on my lunch break, solo tip. Hit the spot in a big way. I read about this joint and just had to try the "Craft Bleu". 100% ground chuck, lettuce, tomato, avocado, tangy garlic mayo and a thick wedge of blue cheese. It was mouth watering, the creamy avocado really balanced the power of the cheese. The onion rings were crispy and fresh, with a panko batter-ish crust. They have an extensive menu and the price is good too, Dropped a 10 spot and change. If you're in the King & Portland area, swing by. Check out the Craft Burger website

Herr's "Heinz" Ketchup Chips

2008-07-16T21:47:00.006-04:00

Man, we've been crushing bags of this shit every weekend when we come home from the bar, they're coated in so much dust it's almost too much. We pick these up at the No Frills @ Dufferin Mall on the regular. And for .99¢??? Unreal price for a big bag of salt. They've got other flavours too like, Steak & Worcesterschire and Cheddar & Sour Cream. I never really mess with anything else but the ketchup, (Unless I want to splurge on a bag of Old Dutch Creamy Dill). I'm a big fan of small potato chip companies such as Herr's because they're usually stocked up while the big name brands get rinsed off the shelf, and smaller companies usually coat their chips in more dust. Do yourself a favour and grab a bag of Herr's, I dare you to tap the dust from the end of the bag ;) Herr's Website

Johnny's

2008-07-03T00:30:00.027-04:00

Diego, Heymol and I drove out to Johnny's after babseball. Made it so hype, I haven't had a Johnny burger in a few years and it was just how I remembered it. For those who don't know, Johnny's is a Scarborough staple, been open for 40 years and still unchanged, it stands the test of time. Heymol and I got the classic cheese burger with onion rings and Diego copped the steak on a bun with fries. It was just like I remembered, good flame grilled taste on a big, flaky bun. I topped it off with grilled onions, tomato and pickles, no lettuce (they don't have any behind the counter, ever, that's just how they roll I guess). The milkshake was on point but Heymol said the the orange soda tasted like it had been chilling in the machine for a year. Make the drive out to VP and Sheppard one day soon, or one day there may be a KFC/Taco bell on the corner.

2595 Victoria Park, Scarborough ON. (416) 491-7222

Caplansky's

2008-07-02T00:06:00.010-04:00

Man o' man, got a new spot to share with you guys. Caplansky's hasn't even been open 2 weeks but it's getting rave reviews already. Upstairs at the Monarch Tavern, Zane Caplansky opened up a Jewish-style deli with smoked meat sandwiches. Robin, Marie, Paul and I got thick-cut brisket on rye, double-fried french fries, coleslaw with fennel, and a sour pickle for $11 each. You can order the brisket 3 ways, fatty, medium and lean, I got the fatty cause I heard it was the best (of course). They even have Cott soda, pretty rare for a restaurant to carry and so tasty. A few of my friends have been going here daily it's that good. Zane is a really nice dude as well, he came to the table to chat it up and you can tell he has a passion for what he does. Marie wants to go back tomorrow and I didn't argue, lets just hope that he doesn't run out, cause I read that he had on a few occasions, he just can't keep up with the demand! hahah. See you there eh?

12 Clinton St. (416) 531-5833 (Right acros the street from Bitondo's)
Open Tuesday to Saturday - Noonish til' Nine

Ice Cream Truck

2008-07-01T23:23:00.008-04:00

We've been hitting mad ice cream trucks this summer, I know they're no secret to anyone but I just felt like putting these pics up cause it's Summer.

Here's an mp3 snippet of the classic "Mr. Softee" tune that we all know and love

Mr. Softee

2008 Etobicoke Ribfest

2008-07-01T22:42:00.020-04:00

Ribfest!!!!!!!!!!

Our good friend Parvu hooked up the ride and we excitedly headed to Etobicoke to feast on some "real" BBQ!
Ribfests are huge, literally a travelling festival with the headliners being BBQ and the hanger-ons being carnies trying to get you to play their rigged games.

It can be pretty overwhelming choosing which place you're gonna eat from because they all have huge shiny signs with bold declarations of "judge's choice" or "people's choice winner 2006" and a table displaying their various trophies. Also there is "line up" length to consider. Bigger line must mean better BBQ, right?!

The 2 competitors or "ribbers" we chose to sample were famed Camp 31 from Paris ON and Crabby's BBQ Shack from London ON.

We got ribs, pulled pork and sides from both ribbers (hahahha, that term is so funny!).
Now, Meat is Queen and Sauce is King, but beans and coleslaw are important companions in the BBQ meal.
They intensify, round out and contrast the flavour of the protein and also add a healthful dose of fibre.

Camp 31: ribs, mixed baked bean medley, oil/vinegar coleslaw, pulled pork in the back.

Crabby's: BBQ chicken, ribs, creamy coleslaw and baked beans.

Straight up, I liked Crabby's sauce better than Camp 31.
Crabby's sauce was sweeter to the tangy and zestier Camp 31.
But I am just one opinion. Bobby's sticking with Camp 31 and Jen said she liked the Ribs better at Camp 31 but she preferred the Pulled Pork of Crabby's.

In any case, the real winner is our bellies. We can't wait until August Long Weekend and the Scarborough RibFest!!!

Also, props to the Toronto Ribfest organizers, they were really on top of the garbage and recycling/composting. Props for going Green! Next year, we're going to bring our own tupperware.

Carnivores unite!

Just a reminder...

2008-06-19T23:28:00.008-04:00

The Rotary Club Ribfests are coming up, the first on Canada Day weekend and the second on Civic Holiday Weekend. I love barbecue (as you can see) and I'm going to both. Who's down? I can wait. Holler.

The first one is being held at Centennial Park in Etobicoke from June 27 - July 1, and the second is at Thompson Park in Scarborough from August 1 - 4. Here's the websites for more detailed directions.

Etobicoke Ribfest
Scarborough Ribfest

MEAT MOUNTAIN

2008-06-18T02:29:00.011-04:00

Hi fellow sloppers - my first post so bare with me. Went to the Corn Beef House with my man Robin to cure our serious craving for smoked meat and corned beef - why's it called corned beef anyways? An easy choice was to go for the platters which has a full sandwich, oven baked fries, coleslaw, and a big ass pickle. You get to pick your rye or bun and your mustard - I had the marble rye with my corned beef and Robin went with the light rye to house his smoked meat stack. The sandwiches were fantastic - meat was fluffy soft, hot, cut just right and full of flavor. I really enjoyed the fries and the slaw wasn't the mayo drenched crap. And of course the pickle was big enough to last till the end of the meal. All in all a great experience and the host there has gotta be the nicest dude ever - an angel of meat.

My platter of corned beef

Robin's platter of smoked meat

a meal rinsed

The Corned Beef House
303 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5V 1P7
Tel: 416-977-2333

Hours: Monday-Saturday
11:00am till 7:00 pm

This is Toronto SLOP

2008-06-17T13:08:00.025-04:00

Last night Bobby Wham and I went to Ali's Roti Shop in Crackdale.

This place gets bigged up all the time by our friends and I was fiending curry roti. K, so from my limited understanding of Caribbean curry, it's a mash up of East Indian (India) and West Indian (Islands). Now those are really broad terms and I'm only talking about Curry here and not Jerk, all spice. Perhaps people can elaborate in the Comments section? I always thought Caribbean Studies was like an easy grade, but I see now that it would have been helpful (yeah like to explore the cultural significance of spices in world travel, nerd).

The menu boards have big bright colour photos (photos are good!) and the place is pretty clean. Food slang is funny; apparently Paratha is called "Buss-Up-Shut"!

They have 2 types of roti/wrapping carb: Dhalpouri or Paratha.
Now, you know at Ghandi, their roti is pillowy and naan-like while at Albert's its thin and yellow with air pockets that spill out yellow granules? Ok, so Ghandi's roti is Paratha and Albert's roti is Dhalpouri. Those yellow granules are actually ground yellow split peas (dhal).

We had the boneless chicken curry with paratha ($9), chana/spinich/pumpkin/potato mix wrapped in dalpouri ($5 base + $1 for each additional veg), a double ($1.42) and an expensive drink called Magnum Juice Seamoss with oats and barley ($3.50). It gives you the "power to ride" and it tasted like a gelatin-y wierd egg nog.

Bobby really liked the double, but I felt the chana filling needed more "flavour" or is that salt? The chicken curry had mixed reviews. Bobby described the chicken as "suspect" i.e full of cartilage, but the curry gravy was delicious! Not too yellow either, an appealing golden brown.

Pretty much all the food were shades of yellow/brown...
I think we should try the beef, shrimp, conch (huge snail!) or duck (!) next time. The paratha wrapper was sooooo good. Soft, doughy and like a good french pastry, you could see the layers within. I really enjoyed the veggie mixture and pumpkin added a delightful sweetness.

It tasces so much better the next day! I'm eating leftovers writing this.

The hot sauce? HOLY CRAP, it is lethal. Literally just crushed Scotch Bonnet peppers.

Definitely will check out again. Bus-Up-Shut!

Ali's Roti Shop
1446 Queen West at Lansdowne (Parkdale)
416-532-7701

Gayley's Café

2008-06-16T17:34:00.006-04:00

Dundas West is coming along nice, I love the neighbourhood and wanted to know where a good spot to get B was. A lot of heads have been telling me about Gayley's. We tapped it on Sunday morning, the interior is really friendly and cute, with a clean and warm atmosphere. The staff were really nice but a bit confused I think, It took over 10 minutes to get coffee, but it wasn't even busy. I had the mixed berry smoothie which was a tad too thin for my taste, but really good none the less. I had the big breakfast for $10, i was pretty mashed after so I'd say it was worth it, Marie had the veggie omelette with salad, she liked it but wasn't down with the country harvest multigrain store-bought bread. Gayley's also boasts over 30 different sandwiches. I can't give any comment on those since I haven't tried, but next time I will. I'd say this joint is pretty solid and deserves a repeat visit.

1424 Dundas St West @ Gladstone 416-538-3443 (7am - 4pm daily)

California Sandwiches

2008-06-12T12:54:00.007-04:00

I haven't been here for a minute...well actually it's been over a year. I guess the reason why I haven't been back in a while is cause I've been hitting Bitondo's so much. For the out-of-towners who don't know, California Sandwiches is a Toronto staple which has been around since the 1960's. It's actually a chain now, but I've never been to any of the other franchises, just the O.G. in Little Italy. With a name like California sandwiches you'd expect this place to have avocado and crab wraps and fresh salads, but no, this place is all Italian sloppy veal/chicken cutlet sandwiches on kaiser rolls. They should have straight-up named this joint Brooklyn Sandwiches cause I can't find anything California about it. Yesterday I got the meatball sandwich because I wanted to compare it with Bitondo's meatball sandwich. I'm sorry guys, but Bitondo's is still better. There will be many that argue this but It's just a matter of personal taste I guess. I'll hit up Cali again, but probably not for a while, I'd stick with the veal cutlet sandwich, you can't go wrong, It's worth it to check out.

( They have all their awards on the wall, the funniest is probably an award from the Metro Toronto Police's Hockey team, I could probably make one, throw it up and no one would notice)

California Sandwiches

Awesome

2008-06-10T14:12:00.005-04:00

If you couldn't tell, the title of this post is sarcastic. I went to Subway today to grab a quick sandwich and they didn't have any tomatoes. Not because they were out, they weren't allowed to put them out because of the current salmonella outbreak in the States, BOOOOOOO!!! So what did they have instead? Extra lettuce, wow, like they don't put enough lettuce on their subs already. But I beat the system, I went 3 doors down to the market and grabbed a better tomato than Subway has ever seen behind the sneeze guard. It was annoying having to cut the tomato up, take out the extra lettuce and put them into my sloppy sub, but worth it, I hate B.L's, I need the T.

here's a link to this annoying situation.

Salmonella Scare

The Toronto Slop Burger

2008-06-04T13:04:00.010-04:00

Last week I was toying around in the kitchen trying to come up with a delicious home-made burger recipe inspired by Canada. I think I have a winner and have dubbed it the "Toronto Slop Burger". It took a couple of test runs to get it just right and it turned out pretty tasty so here's the recipe if you're looking to make a really good home burger on your bbq.

Recipe makes 4 burgers

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
6 rashers of bacon, cut into lardons
4 tsp bread crumbs
1 egg
3 tbsp chopped parsley
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp dried onion flakes
1 diced green onion
6 grinds of pepper
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 block extra old canadian cheddar

First things first. Cook the bacon in a pan until just done, not crisp. Combine everything (except the maple syrup and cheese) in a large bowl and fold together so that everything is mixed well. Lightly grease a sheet of wax paper and make 4 baseball-sized balls of the burger mix. Flatten each ball carefully in to .5" thick patties. Set on wax paper and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let flavours combine. Preheat bbq to high and brush grill with oil. Just before grilling add a pinch of salt on the patties. Grill about 4-5 minutes per side. on the last minute blush both sides of the burger with the maple syrup (avoid burning the syrup, that's why it's important to put it on right at the end). Move burgers away from the heat to the upper rack and apply slices of the old cheddar, when melted, remove patties from grill and let them rest for 5 minutes, then serve!

Recommended Toppings: Sour Dill Slices, Iceberg Lettuce, Tomato, Mayonnaise, Ketchup and Mustard.

Enjoy!

Toronto's Signature Dish

2008-05-26T11:35:00.005-04:00

This is a topic which has been bugging me for some time. While most big cities around the globe have a signature food or dish that is known to be "from that city". For example; London has Fish & Chips, Philadelphia has it's Cheese Steak. Chicago has Deep-Dish style pizza, and Montreal has smoked meat and bagels. I can go on for a while, and I'm sure you can think of many other city-signature foods. But what does Toronto have to offer? We have so many different cultures here that it's hard to pin one dish that could be called Toronto's own. There is lots of great food here (As you can see by my posts) but we need that dish we can call our own. I think it's too far gone, and will never happen. I do find it a joke somewhat that even small cities in Canada have their own claim to fame like "Halifax style donair" or even Ottawa with their beaver tails but we still don't have one, what does that say about us? Thoughts?

Gamelle

2008-05-23T11:29:00.007-04:00

This place is my favourite French Bistro. You don't have to drop an arm and a leg to get great, home-made French cuisine. We had the Duck Terrine (similar to a paté, headcheese or a cold meatloaf) with micro greens and cornichons (French pickles), delicious, but Terrine may not be for everyone. We also got the fresh asparagus salad with ramp dressing, smoked double-thick pork chop and tarte au citron with raspberry coulis. The waiter Jonatan, knows his wine and pairs them with the meal very well. Apps are about $10, where mains are about $25, A fair price for outstanding Bistro fare. Great for a date or just a comfortable upscale meal, anytime.

468 College St. West, 416 923 6254

Gamelle Website

Osogood

2008-05-21T13:58:00.006-04:00

Man, this spot is 3 doors down from my place but I never really messed with it too much until recently. My mans Toby got a bag of chocolate croissants and offered one, It blew my mind. Still warm, flakey, sweet and savoury. The buttery pastry and the chocolate ganache were heaven, I almost had to sit down. So needless to say I've been going back, A LOT. The place has tons of other sweets like carrot cake, heart-shaped jam cookies, brownies, oat bars, mini apple pies and a whole sandwich list. Everything is made from scratch, and the home-made aspect is really advertised. The lady behind the counter always looks frazzled and is doing 2 or 3 things at once, she could use a second person in there for sure. The spot is easy to miss too, you can see by the pic that the signage isn't the best, you could walk by without even knowing that it exists. So skip the Starbucks or wherever you get your morning coffee and pastry and walk and extra minute to Osogood, you won't be disappointed.

874 College St. Closed Sunday.

Harlem

2008-05-15T12:56:00.017-04:00

We hit up this new spot on Richmond St. East for Lunch Yesterday, All the reviews I've read have been solid, and I LOVE soul food so it was only a matter of time before I went. James drove down because it's a bit far from work (and in a bit of a nothing area as well) Richmond & Church? That area has no soul, it's all business. If anything, location will kill this place, but the food made up for it. Tasty pulled pork sandwiches with a sweet and smokey corn relish, jerk meat loaf on basmati rice, mac & cheese and collard greens. The flavours were really bold, taking elements from The Caribbean and Southern USA. They were out of fried chicken, that's what I really wanted to taste, but I'll try to get there earlier next time. Prices we're fair as well you can eat lunch from $10-$12.

67 Richmond St E (416) 368.1920

Bacon, Chicken Fried

2008-05-14T14:29:00.003-04:00

I had to post this link, Check out the dude, looks like he's about to croak any minute! Hahaha

Windsor Arms Hotel

2008-05-13T11:51:00.010-04:00

Marie & I went to brunch with my Sister, Brother in law and the kids at the Windsor arms on Sunday. It was Mother's day, my folks were away but we went for a fancy B anyways. We've been here numerous times and we keep coming back because the sky's the limit. It's a full buffet with everything you can imagine, from fresh pastries, salads, breads, cakes, tarts, seafood, omelettes, roast beef, bacon & sausage, smoked salmon, fruit, a chocolate fountain...I could keep going for a while, you get the point. Not only that but you can order à la carte as well. (I got eggs benny and pancakes). One thing that was shocking was the Mother's day price, they jacked that shit up to $75 each! I did get the feeling that the spread was more decadent than usual, It's normally $45 on Sundays. I brought extra cash just incase but was still short, my brother in law had to cover for me (Thanks Marawan, next one's on me).

18 St. Thomas St. (416) 971-9666

Black Knight

2008-05-12T13:36:00.005-04:00

This is our local greasy spoon. It's one of those places that you'd never go to unless you lived a block away. It's pretty decent for B or dinner. They have all the standards, all day breakfast, burgers, souvlaki, gyros, pork chops etc. It's Greek owned (as a lot of Toronto diners are, I'm not sure why?) but most of the clientele are Portuguese (because of the area). After going here numerous times you start to notice the regulars (a.k.a Alcoholics) that start drinking anytime after 11am. You're eating breakfast while they are downing bottles of Export. Another regular is Billy The Kid, the obese black and white cat that begs for scraps while lying on the tiles beside your table. I'm not really recommending the Black Knight, but If you live in the Little Portugal/Dufferin Grove area, It's a pretty good spot for a cheap breakfast on Sunday morning.

858 College St. (Between Concord & Ossington) 416-536-187

P.A.T. Central

2008-05-05T17:08:00.005-04:00

Got the bbq out today, and you know what that means, Kalbi! Have you ever had Korean bbq'd short ribs before? If not, you've been missing out. You can order these at any Korean BBQ house or Grill, but If you want to make it more personal, you can pick up pre-marinated fresh kalbi ribs at P.A.T. Central Market on Bloor. It's a great Korean supermarket with fresh produce, meat, traditional panchan (or banchan, not sure what's correct) Lots of noodles, rice, sweet treats, etc. We love going here on summer days when we want to bbq easy. It's so simple to prepare. We got some great chinese eggplant (look at the colour, no retouching!) which we quickly grilled up with the Kalbi and got some $1 steamed rice. The meal took 10 minutes to cook and it was delicious. I suggest you try this out sometime this summer.

675 Bloor St. W, (416) 532-2961

Churrasqueira Oliveira

2008-04-28T12:34:00.006-04:00

My favourite Churrasco spot on College st. We go here all the time, 1, because it's close, 2, because it's tasty. There are lots of these Brazillian bbq joints in our area but I always go here because the chicken is always juicy and fresh. Now everyone likes "their" Churrasqueira the best and you can tell me which one's your fave but if it came down to an actual battle, I think my mans' Rodrigo and Pops would take the cake. They have lots of other things besides bbq chicken as well, but I tend to stay away. I've tried the beef ribs, sausage, fish, and nothing really compares. If you're lucky, they'll have a green salad there as well (it goes fast) I like the fries better than their parisian potatoes too. All my real Dufferin Grove Churrasco heads stand up! (Pants and DJ Serious know the steez). Peep the link from street eats here, they have lots of Brazillian imported goods too.

898 College St. (416) 537-7133

Rikishi

2008-04-25T12:21:00.013-04:00

I haven't been for Japanese in a while, why? I'm not gonna get into the whole "Toronto doesn't have good Japanese food" again, it's played. I've decided to embrace what good we have, even if it's few and far between. People have been bigging this place up on Chowhound and even though I was skeptical, we hit it up and took a chance, and we were really impressed. First off, this place is nothing to look at from the outside (or the inside for that matter) but it does have that home-style, mom and pop appeal, and it's the food we came for, not the decor right? I was excited because they had an izakaya style menu with over 20 options from $3.50 to $6.00 each (enlarge the menu photo). They also had a classic menu as well, sushi, bento, udon etc. not to mention a very extensive vegetarian menu as well. We got several different things off the izakaya menu, and then sushi. The burdock root warm slaw, the miso marinated mackeral, california salad, tofu and mushroom butter yaki were all delicious. Their mackeral was very fresh and the tamago was done perfectly. They also have pan-fried gyoza done right. And for those who are interested, this place is Japanese owned and the staff were very friendly. This place could do with a restaurant makeover, decor wise, but no need to makeover the food. We'll be going back VERY soon, I suggest you hit this spot up too.

Rikishi 833 Bloor Street West (@ Shaw) 416) 538-0760

Have it your way

2008-04-24T17:27:00.005-04:00

I've made a post about this before, but McDonald's is my weakness (and right after the 2 fried chicken posts, you can see how good I'm eating this week) but anyhow, my friend Josh was talking about Cheeseburgers online this morning so I had to go rep one at lunch, I rarely make a full meal out of McDonald's but I like to get the cheeseburger as a snack. Not until last summer did a drunken preppy let me in on his secret, the double cheeseburger "grilled" with mac sauce, lettuce and tomato. For $1.39 it's a pretty sweat deal. Most people don't rep custom burgers at Micky Deez, but ever since that time, I always go custom, wheather you want a fish filet with ketchup, pickles and mustard, or a McChicken with cheese, tomato and onion, the sky's the limit. They also have packets of mac sauce behind the counter, I like to grab lots, take them home and put them on sandwiches. Word.

Gotcha!

2008-04-23T13:09:00.006-04:00

We found the Chester's chicken in our neighbourhood, It's inside the Starbank convenience store at the corner of College & Dufferin. The chicken is pretty good, the potato wedges are whatever, I'm just glad we figured out where all the boxes were coming from.

Food Adventure Night

2008-04-21T22:59:00.014-04:00

Ok, so here's the story...Marie & I always see empty boxes of "Chester Fried Chicken" in our area. The blue boxes have a dope cartoon chicken on them, and we always want to get the chicken, problem is we don't know where the hell Chester Fried Chicken is?! After google searching it, we came across several in the city, one of which is in our area (Bloor & Dufferin). So we raced up there, but were very disappointed to find it had been replaced by a mediocre Roti spot. Needless to say we were flustered. Last weekend I was riding my bike home to see yet another box with freshly eaten drum stick bones still inside of it. Our mission had to continue. We found the next closest location, Dundas west & Bloor. Pretty far but we assumed that people were taking it home on the subway and discarding the boxes on the street in our area. We rode our bikes to the Crossways Mall which looked straight out of the 50's. It was depressing, but we soon found the holy grail!!! Chester's!!!!! After racing to the counter we quickly noticed how ghetto it looked; dusty boxes displayed on the front, old menu boards, and a server who looked less than pleased to be there. After surveying the chicken and wedges sitting under that hotlamps we ordered our 2 piece and wedges "Thrifty meal", only to realize that the lady was packing the chicken into a plain white box. I said "Excuse me, but can we have the chicken in one of those cartoon boxes?" And she said in a heavy Asain accent "Oh, those are display only". Marie and I looked at eachother baffled. I said again "Is this recent? Because we really want the cartoon box". She stared in confusion and said again "Display only". We got our chicken and went outside to eat it, it was so greasy (I forgot what fried chicken tasted like) and mediocre. Baffled and still hungry, we wanted a real meal. So we headed over to Bloor & Dufferin for some Pizza I had heard about at "Ristorante Roma". I was under the assumption it was a take out joint, but it was a real restaurant (that recenty had a Restaurant Makeover). It was nearly empty, and it was warm so we hit the patio. The pizza was pretty good! Thin crust steez, and an ok salad as well. I'd go back, just for the big patio in the summer. Full and happy, we biked home, still confused by the whole Chester's ordeal. We won't give up our search to where the mysterious Cartoon chicken boxes are coming from...If you know please help!!!! The mission continues...

Chester Fried Chicken 2340 Dundas Street West (416) 534-0909‎
Ristorante Roma 1090 Bloor Street West (416) 536-2186‎

Melona

2008-04-21T22:37:00.004-04:00

The warm weather is here and that can only mean one thing, Melona Bars! My friend Sandra introduced me to the best popsicle (If you can call it that) last summer and my life has been changed forever. Melona is a South Korean Ice bar that can only be found at a handful of stores. As far as I know P.A.T. Central Market (675 Bloor Street West between Bathurst and Clinton) and Gardenview Convenience (Queen & John). I assume you can buy them at T & T supermarket as well. They taste like biting into a fresh, sweet, ice-cold honeydew, the flavour is unparalleled by any other popsicle out there. It is half way between a posicle and an ice cream bar, and comes in strawberry and banana as well (both good, but not as good as the o.g. honeydew flavour). I know this isn't Toronto food by any means, but I just wanted to let you know, if you're biking on Bloor on a hot day, swing by P.A.T and grab one of these babies, will blow your mind. Trusssssss.

Black Camel

2008-04-18T12:58:00.018-04:00

This was one of the spots on my to do list, Marie and I rode up here yesterday cause we were in the area and I was getting hungry. Black Camel is basically a sandwich joint and their sandwiches are pretty hefty. Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, Pulled Chicken, Roast Vegetable etc. Peep the menu below. They were really good, but not amazing. I've had better pulled pork. It's because they don't actually barbecue their meats, they do it in an oven. The lack of smokey taste is apparent, but the tenderness of the meat and gourmet toppings like caramelized onion and tangy horseradish spread make up for it. I'll stop by again sometime, but I won't make it one of my regulars.

Black Camel Menu

4 Crescent Road (Opposite Rosedale Subway Station) 416-929-7518

Vancouver Slop

2008-04-18T12:48:00.003-04:00

My boy Matt from Vancouver started up his blog again, he's the one that inspired me to make this blog in the first place. He got lazy and stopped posting, so did I, but now I'm back with a vengeance, and looks like he's gonna start posting again too. Even though this blog is called Toronto Slop, we do have a few things from Vancouver in the archives, so check the search function for anything you might want to find out. Check the link to Vancouver Slop in the side bar.

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Laila

2008-04-16T18:16:00.004-04:00

Marie & I were in a rush last night so we had to get something real quick. We were on Bloor and we thought about our options. Marie wanted a falafel so we swung by Laila. I have to admit, I rarely go for middle eastern food, just because I am not familiar enough with it. This hit the spot in a big way though. I got the chicken shawarma while marie got the falafel. The chicken was crispy, moist, and very well seasoned. The falafel was amazing as well. So if you eat meat or go veg, you can have your way here for $3.99. I will be going back very soon, thinking about it now makes we want to run and....

553 Bloor Street West 416-588-0199

Creamy Dill Taste Off

2008-04-15T22:29:00.008-04:00

Yo, where my salty snack heads at???? Ok, So here it is. Diego told me today that Ruffles® brand dropped a Canadian exclusive flavour of "Creamy Dill" potato chips. I assume it was to compete against the ever-so-popular Creamy Dill flavour from Old Dutch®. So Marie and I just HAD to do a taste off because Old Dutch "Creamy Dill" has been our chip of choice for at least 6 months. So here it is. Criteria: Aroma, Taste, Texture and Appearance.

AROMA:

Ruffles: Smelled like Ruffles sour cream and onion flavour.

Old Dutch: Salty, sharp dill.

TASTE:

Ruffles: Like sour cream and onion with a touch of sweet. Not much dill flavour. (Marie thought it tasted slightly of raspberry vinagrette) ?. Oily aftertaste.

Old Dutch: Sharp, sour dill flavour with smooth aftertaste.

TEXTURE:

Ruffles: Crunchy, almost crumbly. Classic Ruffles texture.

Old Dutch: Crisp, light, snappy. Almost like a thin cracker.

APPEARANCE:

Ruffles: Classic potato chip look (tight ripples) with flecks of green and red. (Why red?)

Old Dutch: Bits of real dill, smaller chips than Ruffles, more wavy.

DECISION: Old Dutch hands down!! Comes through every time.

Note: Old Dutch uses real dill, there is no mention of dill in the ingredients list on the Ruffles. WTF? And as Old Dutch are $2.49 a bag, and Ruffles $2.99, It's no contest.

To-Do List

2008-04-15T13:44:00.005-04:00

Pizza Roma, Batifole. Black Camel, La Tortillaria, Foxley

I heard really good things about all these places. If any one has any info on the best things to order, let me know.

B

2008-04-13T21:44:00.006-04:00

Been meaning to hit up "B" for sometime now, just cause it's called "B" (That's what we call breakfast). It's a small brunch spot at Roncesvalles & Dundas West. It hit the spot right. The line was building up fast, but we secured a spot. waited about 10 minutes then it was down to business. French toast fingers, eggs benny with bacon and portobellos on buttery buscuits and a B.E.L.T.C.H. sandwich (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato and cheese) The bread on the sandwich was buttered and grilled, and the eggs benny were perfectly done. Sides are delicious hash browns and side salad. The menu was pretty extensive and had something for everyone, with prices from $8-10 for brunch (toast fingers we're $4) Next time I want to get the 'Super B". Since this joint is a 5 minute bike ride away, there's no question that we'll be hitting it up sometime soon. Check it out.

2210 Dundas West, at Roncesvalles, 416-533-2987

Check it out on the weekend 9-4pm! done.

Becker's

2008-04-11T13:08:00.004-04:00

Yo! Who remembers this shit??? If you're from Scarborough, you probably will. Becker's was my local convenience store growing up in my old neighbourhood. There are only a few left after Mac's Milk bought the franchise in the mid 90's. If you still have a Becker's in your hood, Holler.

Lessons In Life

2008-04-10T12:03:00.001-04:00

Caffé Brasiliano

2008-04-09T22:10:00.009-04:00

Damn, where do I start with this one? Caffé Brasiliano is a diamond in the rough, It's exterior is nothing to look at, I suppose thats why I've passed it for years without nothing more than a glance. Marie went here one day out of the blue to check it out and it has since turned into one our favourite spots. It's almost like a soul-food cafeteria, Brazilian style. It's set up like a lunch counter...well, you can see from the pictures. Basically you get a plate for $8.00 and with that it's salads, rice, spagett, beans, pasta salad, corn, colslaw...the list goes on, and on top of that the mains you get are a choice of chicken or veal cutlet, lasagna, penne, pan-fried fish and on Fridays they have crispy battered halibut and fies or roast beef. I mean, where can you go wrong??? It's a favourite joint of cabbies too, you'll usually see a bunch of them mashing food in here on any given hour. The price is right on and they have great coffee to boot! Yeah.

850 Dundas St West - 416-603-6607

The Healthy Butcher

2008-04-09T17:23:00.004-04:00

I walked down Queen St. today on my lunch break to check the Healthy Butcher out, I wanted to get some high quality italian sausages and they had just what I was looking for. Upon entering, the smell of apple wood smoke and succulent pork fill the air. I immediately asked "What is that delicious smell?" The nice lady behind the counter replied "That'd be our bacon". They cold smoke it them selves in the basement. The produce is 100% certified organic, and looks incredibly fresh, on one side they have the raw, on the other, prepared food for take-out such as; tender pulled pork, baby back ribs, mac and cheese, cous-cous salad etc. etc. The price is pretty steep (Organic doesn't come cheap) But the quality is amazing, Stop by and grab some something to go, or to take home and bbq, either way you come out on top.

565 Queen St. West 416-ORGANIC

Rùa Vàng Golden Turtle Restaurant

2008-04-08T12:57:00.005-04:00

Golden Turtle is one of the 3 Phở joints we go to. It's close to our house and tasty. You won't find anything different here than at other Phở spots, but I find that with each place you go, subtle differences in the broth is what makes each place unique. Golden Turtle along with most other Vietnamese restaurants has no atmosphere (fluorescent lighting, tacky pictures, fish tank, bad choices of paint colour etc.) but it's the food you go for. We started going here because our other fave "Phở Linh" didn't have any vegetarian options and when Marie was toying with the idea of going veg we couldn't eat there any more BOOOOOOO!!!! Although Phở Linh feels more authentic (There's only ever Vietnamese people in there) Golden Turtle is quite the opposite. Only white people eat there. I assume because Ossington is now getting gentrified. All points aside, it's a great spot for a cheap bite. Probably see us there.

125 Ossington Avenue - 416-531-1601

P.S. ( I borrowed the picture of the outside of the restaurant from Mr. & Mrs. Sell off flickr. credit)

Bitondo's

2008-04-07T13:17:00.006-04:00

Marie and I hit up Bitondo's last week cause the weather was so good. If you're in the mood for a hot slice, chicken parmesan sandwich or a panzerotto, this is the spot. It's real retro and it makes you feel all warm inside, great place to go after baseball practice or riding bikes. Oh, they have a sit-down Ms. Pac Man as well which makes it even more hype.

(I ate my sandwich before I could get a flick in)

11 Clinton Street, Toronto (416) 533-4101

Chinese Traditional Bun

2008-03-31T22:58:00.005-04:00

It's been a while but we're back! (like anyone reads this blog anyways). Tonight Diego wanted to get a crew together to hit this spot up for dinner. He said that it was so hype that it made him curse out loud, needless to say I wanted to experience it. We were 6 deep, which meant that we had to order a lot of dishes. We started off with Chinese style pulled pork on biscuits, traditional dumplings (pork & shrimp, soup-filled, and a refreshing, light egg & spinach) all were amazing. Then we got a juliened potato salad which was very fresh, followed by slow-cooked chicken with garlic and chili (the sauce was to die for). And then the masterpiece came, braised pork ribs with green beans and potatoes in a rich broth that tasted like clarified butter, It was one of the best things that has ever entered my mouth. We were all stuffed to the gills but had to make room for the deep fried crispy, soft banana that just melted in your mouth. What I like about this place is that it's super down low and it was really different than most of the chinese food in the area, If you want something that tasessogood, rinse CTB tonight. OFF THE CHARTS!

536 Dundas West @ Spadina (416) 299-9011

Weakness: Micky D's Cheeseburger

2006-09-20T20:19:00.004-04:00

Gawd, why is it that whenever I pass by a McDonalds I have to go get a cheeseburger? I'm almost 28, you think I would have grown out of this by now, but no, If I don't see a McDonalds in direct vision it's ok, but if I go somewhere and I pass one and smell that grease they pump out of the exhaust, it's on. Cheeseburger, done deal, best snack.

Damn...I'm gonna have to rinse one right now....

Mitzi's Cafe

2006-09-20T20:14:00.001-04:00

A typical "let's go for brunch" conversation involves rallying new B spot ideas, a lot of "Nah" (because we are picky) and when all ideas fail going back to the Tried n True, hence our few reliable B spots can get kinda played (even Undies and Ankles!).
We finally went somewhere New: Mitzi's. Not Mitzi's Sister in Parkdale, the original Mitzi's on Sorauren, near Ronscesvalles.
First off, this place is on a super cute corner in a super cute residential neighbourhood. The place is tiny and the adorable tree shaded patio was swarmed with wasps, at least on our visit.
Ze food. Delish. So savory, and sweet and buttery...and yummy...They encapuslate the concept of "umami" sans MSG.
I had the Poached eggs on smoked gouda grits* covered in a bacon mushroom sauce, sided with thick cut artisen toast (i hate regular bread) and roasted spuds. Bobby got the Oatmeal buttermilk pancake topped with cream cheese icing*, roasted macadamia nuts and figs.
Don't these sound (a touch complicated but) redonkulously good? The meal was God.

Be prepared to wait a bit for a table.
(*) = Extreme Yummy Alert!!

Mitzi's. 100 Sorauren Ave. 416-588-1234 (between Queen/Dundas)

"Famous" BBQ Express

2006-09-13T17:46:00.002-04:00

Man, I finally went back here...I should have blogged this a long time ago, But I haven't eaten here in months, 2 reasons: 1. All that meat and carbs can make you want to pass the hell out after lunch, and that's not good for productivity, and 2. This place cloggs me up, If I eat here, I gotta make sure to eat some extra fibre in the morning if you know what I'm saying. But anyways, I ran into Brain and Rob on the way home last week and they convinced me to join them for dinner. It brought back some goooood memories. This place is a chain, but each franchise is owned independently and the menu is whatever that owner wants, This location blows the others out of the water (so it seems) It's Korean owned, and influenced. They have amazing bugogi, spicy pork, and also classics, bbq ribs, chicken and burgers. Every combo comes with salad, crispy fries, pasta salad, rice, and coleslaw....crazy eh? And damn it's good. This place gets some serious lineups at lunch, but goes fast. If you get take out back to the office, be prepared for hounds to start flocking to the smell, I've made lots of people at my work go here. Also, the owner David is a real nice dude.

prices for combos range from $5.99 to $8.99

85 Queen Street West - 416) 593-0713

P.S - one time my frend Irene skipped work to eat bbq express, that's dedication.

One Love Corn

2006-09-11T16:37:00.001-04:00

That's right, I love corn. So that's specifically why I went down to the Vegetarian food fair @ Harbourfront this weekend. Personally, most of the food sucks, I don't like tofu drumsticks, or soy dogs, or anything "made to look like meat" but good vegetables done the right way are amazing. So I stick to classics, Indian food, fruit, and the Amazing "One Love Corn" stand. The lineups are always long, so you know something's going on here. There's an old dread endlessly shucking corn all day while 2 other ladies grill, and prepare the corn on the cob, they use special seasonings, lemon and lime, and margerine (to keep it veg). It's some of the best corn you've ever tried. Now keep your eye out because they also have a big pot bubbling away with INCREDIBLE corn chowder. I was disappointed to find out from them that they've been doing this every weekend in the summer, I only thought it was at the Veg food fair? DAMN! I could have been eating delicious corn like this all summer! Oh well, I'l remember for next year. I also found out that They actually run a catering business called "Leaf of Life" and found the recipe for the corn soup online...

http://www.veg.ca/foodfair/ York Quay Centre Harbourfront (peep the website for next years info)

Corn Soup Recipe

http://forum.anipike.com/archive/index.php/t-5205.html

Skyline Restaurant

2006-08-31T10:07:00.001-04:00

Had a hankering for the best club sandwich in the city last night. A 3 min bike-ride from my place in the heart of parkdale lies the Skyline Restaurant. The classic greasy spoon, looks like you stepped into a time warp back to the 50's, you know these joints, there's one in every neighbourhood. The skyline special triple decker...creamy chicken salad, bacon, tomato, lettuce, with coleslaw, big hand cut fries and a pickle, hits the spot. You can catch old people eating the salsbury steak and lime jello for desert. Good any time, for "B" or dinner.

1426 Queen Street West - 416-536-3682

What to Blog?

2006-08-29T13:21:00.001-04:00

Man, I've gotta start broadening my eating horizons...I'm now realizing that I go to all the same restaurants in a cycle, And rarely check out new restaurants randomly. The reason being, I've been to so many and have my favourites (all reviewed on this blog). But this means that I'm not posting frequently, because what's the point of reviewing the same restaurant over and over? Anyways, I want to start making an effort to check out new joints, hoping for the best....got any faves in the city of Toronto? Let me know.

Junk Food at the Ex

2006-08-28T17:51:00.001-04:00

I haven't gone down to the CNE in over 5 years, and there's a reason...It sucks. But it's good for a laugh every couple of years. The Toronto Slop crew rolled down to waste some money on rigged games, and sample the local fare. Tiny Tom Donuts, Pogos, Funnel Cake....etc. I resisted getting the "fried dough" from one stand which is basically, flat, deep-fried pizza dough covered in cinnamon and sugar (can't call 'em beaver tails, Ottawa's got the ® on that one so they we're calling them elephant ears). The donuts always come through and The funnel cake repped in moderation. Rob was on a quest for the perfect pogo (battered hot dog) but there were so many stands selling them, how do you know which one's the best? He was not impressed with his choice. Lets never go back now.

www.theex.com (Strachan + Lakeshore)

Ribfest

2006-08-08T22:34:00.001-04:00

I count down to this moment every year. It's the pinnacle of Summer. The Scarborough Rotary Ribfest. It's ridiculously crowded, loud and hot, but the 30 min lineups are well worth it. Cooks from all over from Kansas to Florida come and set up their "bbq" booths, displaying their trophies and award winning sauce. I've been going for years and have sampled a lot of differnt ribs, but I always go back to Ol' Camp 31 from Alabama, Their #1 bbq sauce is sweet, the ribs are cooked to perfection and their pulled pork is second to none. We also had plump, fresh corn and baked yams. When I got home I passed the hell out from all that meat.

(make sure to buy extra ribs so you can eat them later)

http://scarboroughribfest.com/

BOOKMARK IT! DON'T FORGET, OR YOU'LL MISS IT NEXT YEAR!

Isobel's Chip Stand

2006-08-08T20:42:00.001-04:00

We always hit this joint every year on the way to Dan's cottage. Classic road side chip stand on the side of the highway in the middle of NOWHERE. The menu is quite extensive, ranging from fries, cheese burgers, pogos, motzarella sticks, pizza fingers...the list goes way on. Dan and Jim went for the "all brown, all fried" platter of onion rings, deep fried zucchini sticks, mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers.....mmmmm. I got the classic cheese burger, Diego got the rib sandwich and Heymol got the battered muchrooms (his fave).

NOTE: Don't use Tommy's ketchup, you don't know where it's been! (that's what the chick said to us) ooookayyyy...

Isobel's Chip Stand, Hwy 41, Northbrook ON, (613) 336-2915

Check out my Dad

2006-07-24T12:01:00.004-04:00

www.robertwigington.com

He's got some nice photos too.....

(His photos ain't got nothing on my sony ericsson K750 camera phone...haha.)

Tacos El Asador

2006-07-20T11:37:00.002-04:00

Been sleeping on this joint for a while, but finally went. It's good to finally get a decent taco. Good taco joints are few and far between, but El Asador came correct. Now don't get it twisted, this joint is El Salvadorian, not Mexican. And lets talk about CHEAP! We kept ordering food until there was too much to handle. Hard + soft shell tacos, amazing soup, avacado salad, nacho's with home made salsa....list goes on, they have traditional soda and beer too. Gotta go here soon. Word.

690 Bloor St. W. (at Clinton St.) 416-538-9747

Saving Grace

2006-07-18T14:41:00.001-04:00

I've been hearing about this place for at least 3 years now, how amazing it is, how busy it gets so be prepared to line up, etc etc. Bobby and I got there at 2:30pm, in the nick of time too because they close at 3pm. Very airy, cute simple decor. Kinda kitschy and budget, but it works. I had the egg special, Parmasen scrambled eggs with tomatillo salsa (looks like a small green tomato, but it's a pepper) and toast (artisan bread, nice touch), $9. It was delish. A generous portion too, the whole plate was this egg concoction! I remember their home wedges being tasty but a bit hard (probably better fresh). Bobby got a Bacon avocado sandwich on that tasty bread and he was happy but eyeing my eggs.
We'll definitely be going back. What was super cute was one of the patrons wanted to thank the cook (owner Monica) for such a tasty meal. Now that's cute!

907 Dundas W at Bellwoods. 416-703-7368

Sneaky Deez

2006-07-17T21:39:00.003-04:00

Man....why do we have to do it....late night drunken eating, Is it really worth the intense stomach pains the next day? No. But of course when you're wasted you have no self control (plus, Marie wasn't with us so there was no one holding us back so we went all out.) Sneaky deez is really gross, it's the true essence of why we call food "Slop". I don't recommend eating here at all, I won't go here for breakfast....Forget Mexican breakfast, what, do I want to be shitting all day? When Ben was in town from Vancouver we went here one late night just after last call and hooked up the insanity..huge plate of nachos, 20 wings, and Burrio with rice (not pictured) we went straight up predator. Let me take something back, the wings are pretty tasty, I'm gonna have to go there and get some more wings soon...

431 College St. 416-603-3090

Joon's

2006-07-17T12:43:00.001-04:00

Diego, Rob N and me hit this joint up a few weeks back, I was like 20 mins late and Diego was Hangry (Hungry-Angry) when I got there. Anyways. It's the kind of spot where they cook at your table on a little gas powered stove. You can order choices of meat, veggie, cheese and rice cakes to fill a frying pan, and they stir it all up in a spicy kim-chee sauce (i think it's the ONLY kind of Korean sauce). They had kim-chee rice on the menu which sold me on the place. I was dying to try it. After the dude was done cooking our slop, it looked like Korean hamburger helper. The sauce was good, the rice cakes, cabbage and cheese were great too, the chicken was wack. It was so grissley and was pure cartilidge, I spit out every piece. It didn't ruin the meal for me but next time I'm substituting tofu or shrimp. The meal was tasty though, I'd go back. I can't remember how much it was, cheap though.

605 Bloor St West　TEL: (416) 538-2661

Lee

2006-07-17T11:56:00.001-04:00

Ok, Now that we have updated all of out Vacation spots, we can get back to reviewing food in our hometown again. I meant to review Lee before, but I got better pics this time. Lee is the shit. It's pretty expensive, it's not a joint you wanna hit up every week, but we've hit it a few times in the past couple months. Lee, by the way is the other half of "Susur" restaurant, basically the best restaurant in Toronto, and most expensive. Lee's food is still exeptional and worth the price. It's based on tapas style, mostly asain influenced dishes...prices range from $11-$17 per dish depending on the course, soup, veg, fish, meat, desert. all amazing, I've tried almost everything on the menu, but now have favourites, like the braized beef, black cod with chinese preserves, deep fried tofu in chili, and gazpacho. So much more to order too....celebs can be spotted here too. "Rush" was sitting behind us, Getty Lee's grill was looking pretty classic.....

peep it.

www.susur.com

603 King St. W - (416) 504-7867

Wasabi

2006-07-07T17:41:00.001-04:00

This is fresh wasabi that you grind on sharkskin. You grind it up good and then scrape it off onto your plate. Unreal.

Asakusa Fried Manju

2006-07-07T17:06:00.001-04:00

In North America there exists fried mars bars. This is the Japanese equivalent. Manju is sort of like a sweet dumpling. The skin is made from rice and it is filled with pureed azuki beans. In Asakusa in Tokyo, their specialty is deep fried manju. The batter is almost like a tempura batter but it's a little lighter and the manju after being deep fried melts in your mouth.

Note: If you eat get tempura at a restaurant and the batter is brown and not a yellow/gold/white then that means that the oil is old and they probably never change it. You will find most brown battered tempura at subpar sushi joints along queen west. Which I will diss every chance I get. If I have to go to one of these joints because of friends I usually order rice. Rice.

The Black Egg

2006-07-07T16:34:00.001-04:00

The black egg can only be found at Mount Hakone's sulphure springs. They boil these eggs in the sulphure springs and it turns them black. People travel from all over japan to eat these eggs cause they are supposed to prolong life. The story goes: eat one egg and you will add seven years to your life, eat two eggs and you will add fourteen years to your life, eat three eggs and that's too much cholestrol. I ate four cause I think it adds twenty eight years to your life but they just don't want people to know that you can add that much to their lives. They want to hog all that extra life. Fuck cholestrol, I'ma live forever!!!

Tokyo: Sakura.

2006-07-07T15:43:00.001-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to take a trip to Japan. The food is god. I will try to show you this through pictures and explanations to the best of my ability. I definitely recommend making it out there to anyone who hasn't been. You can do it for relatively cheap too.

This is the first restaurant I had the pleasure of dining at after touching down after a 13 hour flight. It's located in the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo and the restaurant specializes in seasonally themed meals. We had the luck of being there for cherry blossom season which explains the cherry blossom themed meal. Unbelievable.

We started off with handmade tofu with pickled cherry blossoms. I don't have a picture of it cause everyone was hungry and they mangled it before I could get my camera out. Handmade tofu has the consistency of paté and doesn't break apart en route to your mouth. It's also grey colored for the most part and usually comes served in a basket.

Our second round consisted of the sashimi quotient of the meal. They served tuna, a certain species of yellowtail, and two types of bonito, one regular cut and one cut from the fatty part of the belly. Bonito is a rarity in North America because during shipping it gets wormy very easily and you can't use it. I think if there where ever a fish that looked and tasted like beef, bonito would be it. It looks, tastes, and has the consistency of, rare beef. The plate was garnished with fresh bamboo which was also in season at the time.

The third course was a cherry blossom shabu shabu. It was a pork shabu shabu with a cherry pit broth. Unreal. The meat in japan goes through many stages of processing so it comes out much different than in North America where they basically just chop that shit up and ship it off. The pork is not greasy or fatty at all which was a nice change from the norm.

In Japanese culture you usually end your meal off with either a bowl of noodles, hot or cold depending on the season, or ochazuke which is sort of like a rice soup or congee. To end our meal Sakura gave us handmade cherry blossom infused soba noodles.

Desert was handmade cherry blossom sorbet. It was sweet almost like a mild syrup type taste but the cherry blossoms made it mildly flagrant too. A nice light ending to an unbelievable meal.

This is the first in a series of updates from japan so stay tuned.

Kintaro (I forgot to post this one)

2006-06-29T11:27:00.001-04:00

Oh man, Kintaro...how I love thee. this was the first joint he hit when we got into Van, luckily it was lunchtime so there wasn't a line up. (it gets pretty long at dinner). We were greeted with a friendly "E la shy ma sé" (welcome, in polite Japanese), and then explored the menu. Now I've never had "handmade tonkotsu ramen" but it's very different from the crappy ramen you might be used to. not deep fried or repackaged, it's hand cut from sheets I believe. I had the tasty miso ramen with "medium fattiness" broth, (you can choose how heavy or light you want it) and lean pork slices. Marie got the seasonal cold ramen, a traditional dish. Another must when going to Vancouver. Can't remember how much it was, like $7.50 or somthing...

788 Denman St. Tel: 604-682-7568

SPECIAL: VANCOUVER TRIP REVIEW

2006-06-28T23:02:00.001-04:00

Ok, now this blog is about Toronto grub, but Marie & I went out to Vancouver and just had to do it up too. SO we hooked up with crew, went all out and ate like gods.. Every night was epic. Here's a sample of our tasty journey....

Diamond in the Glacier: Mountain Restaurant

2006-06-28T22:59:00.000-04:00

(3 Day Stop: Lake Louise Alberta) Rob and I stayed at the Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise hotel. For such a fancy hotel the food sucked, don't eat there, it's totally bland and way over priced. Then again, the whole hotel clientele was over age 60. The best meal we had in that middle of no where scenic little "town" (an intersection) was at this touristy looking placed called the Mountain Restaurant. I had the best Chicken Pesto on ciabatta sandwich! Rob got a damn good Club Sandwich. he fries were properly crispy too. Honorable mention: hot male server with pretty eyes. $20.

Mountain Restaurant, (403) 522-3573 200 Village Rd, Lake Louise, Alberta

Guu

2006-06-28T22:54:00.001-04:00

Do I even have to mention Guu? Vancouver staple. GO! They would make a killing if they opened a branch in Toronto. The Japanese/Fusion/Tapas Gods.

3 locations

105-375 Water Street - (604) 685-8682
838 Thurlow Street - (604) 685-8817
1698 Robson Street - (604) 685-8678

Yuji's

2006-06-28T22:47:00.001-04:00

Japanese Tapas again!, and again, and again, for ever. If they had a team in the world cup I'd cheer for them...I'm addicted to this style of food. Josh hooked it up again telling us about this freak spot in Kit's, unreal selection of things like proschutto cream cheese mango sushi with pesto drizzle, what??, Tempura battered spicy tuna roll, and tasty breaded unagi on a bed of rice. This place ranks up there. about $7-$10 per dish, well worth it.

2059 W. 4th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6J 1N3 604-734-4990

Late Night Snack: Fritz

2006-06-28T22:41:00.001-04:00

OK, admittedly Rob and I don't really hang out in the Club District of Toronto, hence we don't see a lot of late night drunken brawls. In Vancouver, 3 fights in 1 night. Buckest fight of the night: guys jumps into cab, cab blocked by people, another dude starts smashing the back seat window in with a skateboard. Fastforward to 2am and we're getting fries at Fritz. They do it Euro: double fried and dipping sauces galore. We got it plain with just gravy, but Becky and Paul got the chutney curry sauce (?) and it was really good. The line up was insane. $5.

Fritz European Fry House 718 Davie Street (604) 684-0811

Sunday Brunch: Griffin's

2006-06-28T22:35:00.001-04:00

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Sunday Brunch. $30. High class hotel buffet. Exactly what didn't we eat?! Special mentions: fresh squeezed OJ, cute black n white tiled floor, eggs benny on Crumpet !! (later to soggy english muffins), succulent scallop n shrimp salad, chilled crab legs and my fav dessert, profiteroles. Everything you'd want at a classy hotel buffet was present and we ate it. You'll probably want to clear your schedule afterwards for some quality nap time.

Griffin's @ Hotel Vancouver 900 W. Georgia, (604) 682-3131

Best Lunch: Yoshi's

2006-06-28T22:30:00.001-04:00

Yoshi was a block away from our vacation rental and we ended up eating there twice because their kaiseki style (seasonal, lots of small portions, pretty plating) lunch was so good. Only $13 for this healthy and amazingly bountiful lunch. The presentation of the food was pretty too; this is something I love about Japanese food, lots of pretty little plates with small portions so you never get bored of what you're eating. Their grilled salmon was like something my Japanese grandma would make, grilled to a nice char on a hibachi. They give you a choice of a serving of udon or soba! Anyway, peep the photos, the food was as good as it looks. They take your order on Palm pilots too.

www.yoshijapaneserestaurant.com (Denman + Alberni)

Yoshuku Ya

2006-06-28T22:26:00.001-04:00

Japanese French Homestyle: Yoshoku-ya
Yoshoku-ya means "japanese style western food" and at this place it means adding lots of butter and cream. Rob got the Chicken in mushroom sauce with veg: buttery sweet carrots, potato fingerlings, peas and of course white rice, $13. He loved it. The chicken breast was moist and the sauce was like butter chicken gravy. The carrots deserve special mention, coyingly sweet and shiny. I got the classic chicken katsu with curry sauce, $8. Perfect deep fried crunchiness and sweet japanese curry with extra cream and pretty glossiness. Borderline too heavy. Yoshoku-ya is like a twice a year treat. We burned off those extra calories with a Stanley Park Night Ride! Josh wanted to ride his new Jorg and Olif and Becky and Paul already had their bikes so Rob and I ended up renting bikes overnight. So much fun!

(604) 687-4970 774 Denman Street

Ajisai Sushi Bar

2006-06-26T00:11:00.001-04:00

We had to drive out to Kerrisdale for this one. But it was all the talk of the trip. We were told that it had some of the best sushi in Vancouver. No need to go to high price joints like Tojo's, cause Ajisai had it all. The beef sukiaki rolls were out of this world, the freshest tuna sashimi I've had (almost too fresh, it was still frozen!) and we had a nice cucumber salad too. To top it all off it was one of the cheapest places we went to! Shout out to Matt on this one.

2081 West 42nd Ave Tel: 604-266-1428

Granville Island Tea Co.

2006-06-25T23:56:00.001-04:00

SO many choices! what to eat?!...this place is like a smaller St. Lawrence market, lots of fresh produce, fish and meat, bakeries, cheese, and many other delicious nooks and crannies. We hit up the famous Granville Island Tea Co. which apparently is notorious for hiring it's customers because of their loyal clientele. We went back twice for the macha, earl grery and chai teas, really tasty and fragrant. We bought bags to take home with us.

www.granvilletea.com