KOI SAKANA

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360 Highway 7 East, Unit 3
Richmond Hill, ON


The Grilled squid, $7, was tender and not chewy. There was a slight smokey flavours from the grill and the sauce wasn’t too salty.


From top left going clock wise: Pork Cutlet Tonkotsu Ramen (changed soup base from Pork Cutlet Curry Ramen), Hokkaido Ramen & House Tonkotsu Ramen.


Not really a fan of the curry but the restaurant name does indicate that it’s a ramen shop and not curry shop. The pork cutlet was on point, someone once told me that you can tell if a restaurant is good by how delicious their pork katsu is. It was nicely golden brown with an ultra crisp exterior and the pork itself was tender and juicy (I hate that word).


My broth was tongue burning hot, just the way I like it and the noodles were thin and had a nice chewy texture. I opted to get the House Speical Tonkotsu Ramen, bbq pork, egg, green onion, black fungus, corn, fishcake & seaweed, $8.50. Overall the ramen was good, no comparision to Sansotei or Santouka but a nice option for people who want to satisfy a ramen craving without heading downtown.

Koi Sakana serves up one of the better ramens uptown.

Update: I’ve been back quite a number of times and Koi really hits the spot when you’re craving quality ramen uptown!

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LADY MARMALADE

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898 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
One of the best Brunches I’ve ever had, I’ve been longing to dine at Lady Marmalade for quite some time now but I’m not quite the fan of 1-2 hour weekend line-ups. I finally made a trip to Leslieville on a Thursday and got a seat with no hassle.
The restaurant is small with around 10 -12 tables, simple decor and nothing too frufru or over the top. At the front of the restaurant, there is a giant window that opens up to the street which gives you the patio feeling without the sun blinding you in the eye while you eat.
Eggs Benny with Brie, Avocado and Bacon, $15.00.

Cheddar & Spinach Waffles with Bacon and a Poached egg, $12.95 + 3.00 for the poached egg.
There was an orange tomato type sauce with the pancakes that at first I thought might have been a weird combination but it was a hit! I’m typically not a sweet breakfast type girl but I couldn’t resist a savoury waffle.
Lady Marmalade definitely lives up to the brunch hype and I can’t wait come back for more,

TANDOORI FLAME

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5975 Mavis Rd
Mississauga, ON
A few weeks ago I got invited to dinner at Tandoori Flame in honour of the Halal festival that was happening that weekend, I visited the Mississauga location (they also have another location in Brampton). Tandoori Flame is North America’s largest Indian buffet, as the serve up 150 different varieties of food. As we walked into the incredibly large and beautifully decorated restaurant we were greeted by the host, the warmth of the spices and savory smells full up your nose and your mouth immediately starts salivating.
We get a quick tour around the buffet before getting seated, the general mangers shows us around to the 4-5 different rooms the have at the restaurant. Each room capable of seating 100+ guests, perfect for special occasions.
Tandoori Flame serves only halal-certified food, everything is made in house with fresh ingredients.
Salad Bar which includes some Indian salad but also pasta salad, regular leafy salads and corn salads for the less adventurous types.
They have all whole section for just their curries, I believe there was around 14 different types which include non-vegetarian and vegetarian options. Butter chicken, Goat curry, Chicken Biryani, Daal, and several types of Paneer.
The amount of food and variety at Tandoori Flame is incredible, I’ve never had such a hard time deciding what I wanted to eat next. Even though the selection is so great my favourites were the butter chicken, nann (they have 3-4 different varieties!), vegetable pakoras, Palak paneer, a lamb curry and the desserts. My only complaint was that the fried items were a little cold, probably because I did go on a Tuesday night and it wasn’t that busy but the flavours were still good.
Pricing:
M-F (lunch) – $13.99       Sat-Sun (lunch) – $22.99
M-F (dinner) – $19.99      Fri-Sun (dinner) – $22.99

* This meal was complimentary and all opinions are mine.


COPA BY SEA

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230 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, ON
I cannot speak highly enough about Copa by Sea, I’ve never been so impressed with the quantity and quality of food and service at a buffet. The concept of the buffet is the same as their upstairs restaurant, Copacabana Brazilian Steak House. There’s open concept kitchen that lets you see and smell what the chefs are grilling.
There was an endless amount of crab legs, smoked salmon and shrimp cocktail near the bar area but wait, save room for everything else!
You can also order from the “a la carte” menu which consists of a selection of ceviche, sushi rolls (dynamite, spicy tuna etc.), nigiri sushi and PEI oysters (4 per person). I wasn’t a big fan of the ceviche so I would recommend skipping it all together, a little too sour with a bitter taste at the end but everything else was good & fresh.
The side dishes don’t end yet, you can get french fries, onion rings, fried calamari, soba noodle salad, corn bread and lobster & shrimp mac n cheese! All the sides were pretty standard but the lobster mac n cheese is a must try!
Okay, let’s just take in how much food that was and we haven’t even gotten to the main attraction. Let’s talk about the Rodizio (grilled over a charcoal flame and served tableside), firstly you don’t even have to get out of your seat to get food cause the food comes to you! My long list of personal favourites were the garlic shrimp, teriyaki salmon, black cod (I could eat my weight in it), fillet of branzino, umadashi scallops, ribeye, beef ribs (so incredibly tender), lobster & shrimp mac n cheese, crab legs and fried banana.
pictured; Bacon wrapped cod
On my plate I had part of a lobster & cheese biscuit, garlic shrimp, bacon wrapped cod, teriyaki shrimp and lobster & shrimp mac n cheese. Everything was cooked so well, probably better than most restaurants in Toronto.
If you’re sick of all the seafood, you can get the buttermilk ribeye that’s grilled to perfection.
pictured; umadashi scallops
If you have room for desserts, the two options are grilled pineapples or fried banana that’s coated in cinnamon sugar then drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce.
The service was great too, they would periodically come and change your plate so flavours don’t mix
too much, everyone was friendly and attentive. They’re having a limited time price for $30 per person (super great value) but if you miss that you can come back on your birthday with friends and eat for free (might be for a limited time as well). I’ve never written a post so quickly before because I never felt so passionate about a restaurant and their price to food quality ratio but I highly recommend checking out Copa by Sea!

THE GOOD SON

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1096 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON 
Southern Fried Chicken, maple waffles & spicy creme fraiche, $15.
The fried chicken was boneless and had a light crispy coating but the star of the dish were the waffles, crispy exterior and fluffy interior. The combination of savoury, sweet and spicy was perfect. It was so good!
Eggs Benedict, roasted pork cheek with poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and field greens, $15. The eggs were perfectly runny and the pork cheeks were just the right amount of saltiness and crispiness. The sauce was incredibly velvety.
I must say these were one of the best eggs benedicts I’ve ever had, they were so simple but done so well. I even traded half my chicken & waffles for the rest of my sister’s benedicts, it was that good.
As soon as you walk through the doors of The Good Son, you’re instantly transported back to the 1950s. The hostess area resembles a kitchen pantry with the white cabinets and wooden counter tops. The restaurant itself is incredibly cozy with mismatched seating, large leather booth seating, an open concept kitchen that over looks a a massive family table that seats 18. Even though the walls are covered from floor to ceiling with decor, it doesn’t look cluttered.
Did I mention that the service was on point, super friendly.  Can’t wait to come back for brunch and to try out their dinner menu. They even have their own pizza oven at the back of the restaurant! 


The Good Son on Urbanspoon

HAN BA TANG

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4862 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON 

Han Ba Tang is one of the new restaurants in the Yonge and Sheppard area, they opened up this past May serving up Korean fusion tapas. “Han Ba Tang” means “one full round”, weather it’s one full round of laughter, food or drinks.

The interior of the space has quite the industrial feel with the bare exposed bricks, scrap metal wall and reclaimed wood pieces. The mismatched chairs and lighting give the space somewhat of a warm, cozy atmosphere.My favourite part was the giant custom Han Ba Tang sign right as you walk in.


The cocktails range from $8-10 each.


Butter poached lobster with creamy tomato sauce.


Spicy Chicken with Fondue, grilled chicken in a sizzling plate with a mix of rice cakes, onions & carrots with a side of creamy cheese fondue.


Black Squid Ink Pasta, squid ink pasta, mussels with a house made gochujang cream sauce topped with a Korean beef cake.


Kalbi & Spicy Pork Tacos, grilled kalbi and spicy pork on a bed of shredded cabbage with red onions and a light house aioli.


Kimchi Fries with Bulgogi, extra crispy fries topped with kimchi, aioli, gravy, sizzling bulgogi & green onions.


Chilli Shrimp, lightly battered shrimp dipped in sweet chilli sauce.


Spoon Pizza, mashed sweet potato “crust” with vegetables, tomato sauce topped with cheese and bacon or kimchi.


Spicy Seafood Soup, a spicy seafood soup with shrimp, mussels & crab with Korean Ramyun.

My favourite dishes of the night included the black squid ink pasta, spicy pork taco, chilli shrimp and kimchi fries.
The pasta was deliciously creamy, pasta was perfectly cooked and the sweetness of the beef patty was the perfect contrast to the savoury cream sauce.

Although the tacos were both good, the spiciness of the pork taco was on point! I couldn’t stop eating and actually wanted more, I’ll definitely be back for the tacos.

The chilli shrimp were ultra crispy and I loved the sweet and spicy sauce it was coated in.

The kimchi fries were hard to resist, ultra crispy fries that stayed crispy even at the bottom of the plate. I could honestly eat a whole bucket of just plain fries.


Not only does Han Ba Tang have great food, they have a great selection of drinks. HBT offers house infused soju called “soju flights”, for $15 you get a selection like apple cinnamon, strawberry, pineapple, citron, ginseng, etc.

*This was a complimentary meal. The opinions in the post, as always, are my own.*

Han Ba Tang on Urbanspoon

DUO PATISSERIE & CAFE

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230 Commerce Valley Drive Unit 4
Markham, ON
www.duo-patisserie.com/

Duo Patisserie & Cafe is probably the best new shop to open up in Markham, a great French patisserie. Duo opened up this past October and it hasn’t had a lot of media coverage yet, their website is still under construction. The cafe is located on Highway 7 and Leslie Street, super convenient for all us uptown kids.

The interior is super clean and modern, the walls and furniture in all white. You can even look into their kitchen to see their production. The duo behind Duo are Rocky and Eric, two best friends. Eric makes the pastries and Rocky is front of house manning the coffee bar.


Their selection of croissants that day were plain, ham & cheese, honey twist, pain au chcolat and almond, the prices range from $2.50 – $3.50.

They have a beautiful selection of plated desserts, everything is made in house and they use the finest ingredients with some products even shipped from France. Duo also sells french  macarons ($3.00 each) with flavours like oolong, matcha, and earl grey. I didn’t have a chance to try any but I’ll probably make another very visit soon.

I got the Mont Blanc and Hazel to go.

 The Mont Blanc ($7.00) was perfect, I’ve never had a Mont Blanc with so much chestnut puree and whole chestnuts. The short bread tart filled with vanilla sponge, a dome of whipped cream and encased in ultra smooth chest puree.
The Hazel ($6.00), chocolate mousse on top of a thin chocolate round and a short bread disk with sesame seeds. The mousse had a super intense dark chocolate flavour, Rocky mentioned that the chcolate was imported from France. I liked the sesame seeds on the short bread, it gave the dessert extra texture and another flavour profile.

I had a bite of the plain croissant and it was flaky and light.

I like how Duo puts a lot of thought into their packaging, instead of using paper bags for their croissants, they opted for wax paper ones to keep that disgusting grease stain from seeping through the bag. I also noticed that they had take away boxes for single desserts and their macaron boxes are awesome as well.

AFT KITCHEN AND BAR

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686 Queen St East
Toronto, ON

Weekends and brunch go hand in hand and it’s probably my favourite type of meal. For some reason I feel like I can always indulge when it comes to brunch. I used to work at the East end and I would pass by AFT everyday but never had the chance to try it.

I took my mom here for lunch and we walked in a little past 11am and there were already people ordering. Aft has two different sets of menus; a brunch and dinner menu for the weekends and a separate one for the weekend.

I got the Brisket Hash, slow-smoked beef brisket with shredded potato hash, pan fried with two sunny-side eggs and served with toast. ($15.00)

My meal was alright, I didn’t think it was anything special. The potatoes were perfectly cooked with part of the hash being crispy and the middle being soft. I thought the brisket was going to be more like pulled pork but it was diced up into little nuggets scattered throughout. I wish there were more tomatoes or something to make the dish more fresh and light.

The Kentucky Hot Brown, house-smoked chicken, roma tomatoes & Mornay sauce served open-faced on thick toast with double-smoked bacon ($14.00).
If you want something super rich and filling, this is the dish to order. The Mornay sauce is a ultra thick creamy sauce, it’s so buttery, creamy and hard to  stop eating. The chicken was tender and the bacon was crispy. This dish was so good it was hard to picking at it even after being completely stuffed.


I think AFT’s BBQ sauces really make the meal, you get the choice between three. Our waitress didn’t explain which was what but I have a pretty good guess. From left to right; mango BBQ, a smoky BBQ and maple habanero. I really liked the sweet mango sauce, I slathered it on my whole meal.

I would definitely want to try their dinner menu.

AFT on Urbanspoon

KEKOU GELATO HOUSE

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http://kekou.ca/ 

13 Baldwin Street | Toronto, ON

Asian style gelato made with real fruit & teas, in house made, small batches, 100% stabilizer, preservative, and additive free? Yes please! Kekou is small gelaeria located on Baldwin Street, minimal decor with only  two benches inside and a few bar stools.

All the flavours were incredibly true to what they are and the texture is smooth and silky. You have choices between dairy and non-dairy based for those who are lactose intolerant. They don’t have all their flavours all at once to ensure ultimate freshness.


We got a large to share (Small $3.75, Medium $4.25, Large $4.75) and picked three different flavours. From the top going clockwise: Guava plum salt, Hong Kong milk tea and Jasmine tea. The guava was light and refreshing with the texture somewhat similar to Asian pear. The HK milk tea felt like I was licking the actual drink. The Jasmine tea was floral in flavour without being soapy and it was nice and creamy.

You can also get the gelato in waffle cones with nori (seaweed) or sesame.

I can honestly say Kekou is my favourite ice cream/gelato place in toronto! They offer and encourage sampling of flavours, I took advantage of this and actually tried Durian! I must say durian is an acquired taste and not for me but hey at least know I kind of know what durian taste like!

Kekou Gelato House on Urbanspoon

KINTON RAMEN

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51 Baldwin Street
Toronto, ON
http://www.kintonramen.com/

Winter is approaching which also means ramen season is here. I’ve been hesitant on trying Kinton ramen for a while now because I’ve heard mixed reviews from a lot of people so I had to try it for myself. Kinton is part of Guu’s giant empire in toronto, from opening two izakayas, a high end sushi restaurant, and now their forth ramen joint.

I’m not a ramen connoisseur  but I do have some requirements that I like to mentally check off; 1. the soup has to come to the table piping hot 2. the soup can’t be too salty 3. the meat has to be flavourful and tender. I’m not asking for much, right?

Aaron and Carmen both got the Miso Ramen, soybean paste, bean sprouts, scallions, corn & garlic oil ($10.90). Aaron got his noodles with pork shoulder and Carmen got it with pork belly. I had some of their soup, it was mild in flavour with a hint of miso flavour.

I tend to get the original flavour when I try a ramen joint for the first time. This time I got the Shio Ramen, sea salt, bean sprouts, scallions, nori ($10.90). I also added a seasoned egg for $1.50. My soup base had a little more flavour compared to the miso soup but it didn’t come throat burning hot! 

I really enjoy Kinton’s choice of noodles, thin and chewy which makes this girl happy. I like how the noodles were slightly undercooked so they can soften while you’re eating. The egg was perfectly soft boiled, it was probably the best thing I ate that night.  While everyone else is raving about Kinton’s ramen I have a different opinion, I found the soup base to be too salty even though I picked a “light” for the soup base. The piece of pork belly was paper thin but I do give them credit for blow torching the piece of meat, giving it a smoky flavour but I guess you do have the option of getting extra meat for $2.

Kinton Ramen on Urbanspoon