I’ve been going to Centre Street Deli for years now and it’s my go to spot for smoked meat. The food is always delicious and the staff is always friendly – also, it’s probably because it’s close to home. I have a tendency to always over order because I want to eat everything so the Meat Platter is always my go to (to share, of course). You build your own sandwich so I can have as little bread to meat ratio as possible. The platter is perfect for two as it comes with fries, a plate of meat, bread, coleslaw and pickles.
I really like getting their small Caesar salad, it’s a great way to break up the fatty meat feel (in the most positive way) in your mouth – the the most unhealthy salad you can get but so delicious. Their cup of Kreplach is one of my favourite things to order, it’s a nice pre-meal to warm up your belly.
I’m not smoked meat connoisseur but Centre Street Deli has some good food and for the longest time they were the only ones that specialized in smoked meat in the GTA. Word of advice, always get medium fattiness!
I recently had the pleasure in dining at the new Cibo Wine Bar in Yorkville, they had a private tasting for media, friends and family.
The space is divided into three levels. The lower level has more of a cellar feel, great for large parties and more intimate. The mid level is more casual with the bar area and the top floor is the dining area with an open concept kitchen. Both the bottom and top floor have fire pizza ovens where the pizzas can be made in about 5 minutes.
Everything was absolutely delicious, the flavours were clean and not heavy. The polenta fries with the gorgonzola sauce was my favourite dish of the evening, extremely crispy with a soft interior. I’m not usually a fan of gnocchi but I couldn’t stop myself from picking at it even though I was incredibly full. The veal was tender and had a nice breading, I wish there was some sort of sauce though but it was still good. Cibo Wine Bar had probably the best tiramisu I’ve ever had in Toronto and the panna cotta was creamy and smooth.
I can’t wait to be back and try the rest of their menu.
This was my first time at LUMA and I was surprised by how nice and elegant the space was. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the interior cozy, warm, and classy. LUMA is located at the TIFF lightbox right above their sister restaurant, the Canteen.
We got to nibble on some warm bread with white bean and hummus dip while looking through the menu. The hummus was addictive, I finished all of it.
For my appetizer I got the 100km Celery Root Soup with maytag blue cheese, apple and bacon compote. The soup was creamy and velvety, it had a nice flavour without having too much of a off-putting celery flavour. I love the sweetness of the apple compote with the savouriness of the soup.
Philip got the Fregola & Mixed Bean Salad with a 62.5° celsius hen’s egg, charred treviso, onion, chilies and anchovy lemon dressing. He really enjoyed the dish, no complaints from him.
I got the RoastedTrout with glazed roots, puffed wild rice and brown butter bay scallops for entree. This was hands down my favourite dish of the night, everything was perfect. My trout was perfectly cooked with an incredibly crispy skin. The puffed rice gave the dish a nice crunchy texture with every bite and the beets were light and refreshing contrast to the butter scallops.
Philip got the Braised Willowgrave Pork Shoulder with shiitake mushroom pilaf, green mango pickle, rice paper crunch and honey truffle sauce. The pork was tender and delicious.
I got the Steamed Banana Pudding with burnt marshmallow ice cream for dessert. I was somewhat disappointed with the dessert, I wasn’t expecting a banana muffin let alone a dry banana muffin. The ice-cream made up for the dryness of the cake but wasn’t anything special.
Philip got the Chocolate Espresso Budino with an almond biscotti. Incredibly rich and intense with chocolate flavour, a coffee is a must with this dessert to cut the richness.
Overall I had a great experience at LUMA, great food and good service. I loved the atmosphere and a perfect location for date night without breaking the bank. I would definitely try to come back for their regular menu.
I was recently invited to Sake Bar Kushi to try their newly revamped menu, Kushi Izakaya specializes in Japanese skewers, tapas style dishes and sake. The interior is lined with warm dark wood furnishings, a large communal table in the middle, and large comfy booths on the sides of the restaurant.
We started off with the Avocado Salad, sliced fresh avocado on mixed greens, $5. Fresh, crisp and flavourful.
Ebi Mayo, deep fried prawns with mustard mayo sauce, $7. The shrimp was well cooked, crispy and the sauce wasn’t too over powering.
My favourite dish of the night was Maguro Yukke, chopped maguro with garlic sauce, green onion and raw egg yolk. It was simple yet very flavourful, and the tuna was fresh and sweet.
Gyoza, pan fried dumplings, $4. I wasn’t a fan of the gyoza but everyone else at the table seemed to like them, I wish the bottoms of the dumplings were crispier.
Next was the Tuna Tataki, $11. I enjoyed it but not the best I’ve had.
Hotate Butter, grilled scallops with lotus root chips with butter sauce, $7. I liked this dish as well, I really enjoyed the deep-fried lotus root, the scallops were good but they were a little overcooked for my liking.
We had a variety of different skewers finished in different sauces, we got same types of meat for each finish; pork belly, chicken, anchovy, and chicken heart. From left to right: Teriyaki, spicy, and salt. My favourite was the spicy sauce on the pork belly skewer. I wasn’t adventurous enough to try the chicken heart but my mom said it was well cooked.
The Cheese Okonomiyaki, $7, was a hit among all three of us.
This is the Salmon Tempera, I’m not really a fan of deep-fried salmon but I enjoyed this dish.
We finished with the Lobster Roll, $11, stuffed and topped with fresh lobster meat. The roll wasn’t anything special, and I felt like the lobster was overcooked and the sauce didn’t do the roll any justice. We didn’t get any dessert because we were way too full to eat anymore but their dessert menu looks very intriguing.
Kushi Izakaya is a great spot for big groups and parties, they have a huge back room with traditional Japanese seating, Zashiki.
Overall the meal was good but the service was beyond fantastic. The waitresses took very good care of us, showing us the menu, describing every dish as they served it and they were just over all very friendly and welcoming. They also have weekly specials like Tuesdays are 50% on Skewers and every Wednesday is 50% off on Sashimi.
*** This meal was complimentary but opinions are my own ***
I’m just going to do a quick post before I catch my plane! Last weekend Jess and Cherry decided on going to Gusto 101 for dinner before my trip. Gusto 101 opened their doors early 2012, there was so much hype about it but I never got a chance to visit until now.
We were situated on their roof top patio which was absolutely perfect for the weather. Pops of red, black and white is gorgeous against some of the wood furniture. There is also bar style seating around each skylight window and one important thing I must mention is that their roof top patio is now open all year around.
We started with the Polipo,char-grilled octopus, with olive tapenade, organic micro salad, basil citrus emulsion, $14.50. I love octopus, I probably take after my father, and whenever I see it on a menu I tend to order it. The octopus was tender, with a little char on the outside to give it some smokiness.
I loved the Carpaccio,beef tenderloin with truffled cannellini beans, arugula, pecorino, $13.95. The beef was paper thin and delicious but my favourite part of the dish was probably the truffled cannellini beans, so good!
Jess ordered the Spinaci Pizza, loaded with spinach, buffalo mozzarella, pecorino, fresh ricotta and sliced garlic, $15.50. The crust was paper thin and crispy, it was loaded with lots of spinach but the fresh ricotta was probably the star of the pizza.
Cherry Spaghetti Chitarra allo Scogliomanila clams, shrimps, mussels, baby scallops, white wine, tomato sauce 17.95.
I got the Fettuccine ai Funghi,portobello, porcini, oyster mushrooms, truffle paste, light cream sauce, $17.50.
We all agreed that my pasta was the favourite entree of the night, it was rich and full of mushroom-y goodness, somewhat resembling cream of mushroom soup but in a good way. The pasta was way too much and heavy for me to finish by myself though but good thing Kevin finished it off for me (not like he would complain though).
Kevin finally decided to get the Rigatoni Lucani, after jumping back and forth from different entrees. It wasrigatoni pasta with shredded braised lamb shank, tomato, fresh herbs, green olives and shaved pecorino, $16.95. He said it was too salty but I think it was okay, It wasn’t anything special in my opinion though and he would probably agree with me.
If you go to Gusto, you must sit on the patio and that’s coming from a girl that hates sitting on the patio. They have four different seating areas: roof top patio, inside the restaurant, the basement and the ground level patio. Note that the stairs that go from the roof top to the basement are incredibly dark so watch you’re step.
Bonjour Brioche Honestly Bonjour Brioche is hands down my favourite breakfast/brunch place in Toronto. They have amazing food with amazing prices, not only that they bake their own breads and everything is made in house, they also have a killer salad dressing that you can purchase for $6.50. My mom took me here a few years ago and
I recommend this place to everyone and can’t stop raving about it. I met up with some of my classmates for brunch before our “Hunger Games, Sweet Addition”. I figured we needed a proper meal before going into a sugar coma.
I got one of their daily savoury tarts which has quiche like qualities, egg custard in a flaky-pyllo like pastry crust. That day I got one with chorizo, arugula and smoked provolone served with a side salad and a piece of baguette. The chorizo was nice and crispy and the portion was just right for me.
Monica got the smoked salmon eggs benedict on a croissant with a side salad and instead of a piece of baguette she got a small brioche. She gave me a piece and it was delicious and she loved it. Kylie got a Lemon Twist, it looked super flaky and butter. I really wanted to get some of their croissant pastries to take home but sadly didn’t.
Kylie got a Lemon Twist, it looked super flaky and butter. I really wanted to get some of their croissant pastries to take home but sadly didn’t.
Bonjour Brioche is a pretty small restaurant so you’re pretty close to your neighbour. They don’t take reservations so get there early or expect a wait, there’s alway a line up out the door when I pass by. This place is definitely a must try brunch / bakery in Toronto, just on the East end of Queen Street. One more thing, they only except cash.
I’ve always wanted to try Come and Get it but never really had the chance to so last week I made an effort to head over to China town. I arrived around 11:30am and it was quite quiet, there was only another couple sitting across from me but that quickly changed when 12pm struck.
Come Get It serves up sandwiches, poutines and salads. The concept of the menu is unique, one protein served up three different ways.
The chipotle braised short ribs really caught my eye, braised short rib with ancho chili BBQ sauce, crispy onions, sweet and sour coleslaw and chipotle aioli. The short rib was tender, juicy and the sandwich was perfectly messy. The combination of the slaw also helped cut through the fattiness of the beef. I was stuffed 3/4 of the way through the sandwich, my favourite part was the crispy onions.
Come and Get It is a great sandwich place and I have yet to try their poutine and salad but they sound absolutely delicious. I’ll probably make another visit with more people so I can try other combinations!
Awesome utensil holders.
One thing that I love about this place is that they are very environmentally friendly, with recycling bins throughout the place, spoons and forks are made out of potato so they are biodegradable and the takeout containers are paper not styrofoam. They also have free wifi.
Shoom Shoom serves modern Middle Eastern cuisine, I came here with my family one night to check out their all you can eat soup and salad bar. Basically it’s $13.99 for just the soup and salad bar but you can add a main dish for only $3. The main comes with your choice of meat (range from chicken kebobs, salmon kebobs, chicken shawarma, lamb or beef kebobs) or falafel and two sides (fries, sweet potato fries, middle eastern rice & steamed vegetables).
What I love about the salad bar is that they have dips (hummus, babaganoush etc.), grilled vegetables, different kinds of salads (couscous, tabouleh etc.), they have such a wide variety of choices! They also have two kinds of soups which are equally fantastic. Just some of the things I got from the salad bar, I literally went back 3 times. I got the lamb kebobs with sweet potato fries and middle eastern rice, everything was delicious. The fries were extra crispy and the lamb was tender and perfectly cooked.
My mom got the falafel dinner with sweet potato fries and vegetables. The falafels are super crunchy, crispy and delicious!
Shoom Shoom is an affordable, healthy, delicious all you can eat restaurant. I really love coming to Shoom Shoom.
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