Tag: Toronto food blog

DAN DAN NOODLES | RECIPE

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WHAT’S IN IT:

  • your choice of noodles, I like fresh think Shanghainese noodles but any noodles will work
  • vegetable for health if desired, I like gai lan in this dish
  • chopped green onions

PORK MARINADE:

  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1 tbsp shao xing wine
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 cloves minced garlic
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup diced shitake mushrooms (optional) *

DAN DAN SAUCE:

  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 3 tbsp sesame paste/peanut butter of choice
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3-4 tbsp crispy chili oil (Lao Gan Ma)
  • 2 tsp spicy chili oil (alter to your liking)
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup noodle water if the sauce consistency is too thick

HOW TO:

  1. Mix the pork with all of the marinade ingredients and marinate for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Throw the pork + marinade into a wok on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then simmer until the pork is golden brown in color.
    * If adding mushrooms, this would be the stage you add them at, cook until soft.
  3. If you’re adding veggies, you can stir-fry them with the pork or blanch them in the noodle water. Set aside.
  4. Mix the dan dan sauce together.
  5. And assemble meat, noodles, sauce + vegetables! You can add some crushed peanuts, Chinese pickled vegetables, green onions and any additional chili oil on top!

CAFE BORA

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CAFE BORA

87 Yorkville Avenue | Toronto | https://www.instagram.com/cafebora_toronto/

Who doesn’t love an ultra instagrammable dessert shop? I’ve been a long time creep of Cafe Bora, having locations everywhere (LA, Korea, Thailand, etc.) but Toronto until now. The newly opened cafe in Yorkville is a Korean dessert chain has everything purple sweet potatoes. 

‘Bora’ means purple in Korean which is why I had to order every purple item possible. The space is small and cozy, simple and clean with wood and purple being the major colours of the space.

The sweet potato is not artificial-tasting at all, the natural sweet potato flavour really shines through in each item – some more subtle than others.

Cafe Bora prices: bingsu $9.95, tiramisu $9.95, ice cream $5.95, purple sweet potato lattes $5.95

My favourite items definitely were the bingsu and tiramisu. The bingsu is topped with sweetened evaporated milk and sweet potato purée with extra on the side for you to add more on, creating a stronger sweet potato flavour. The tiramisu consists of layer of vanilla sponge cake, sweet potato purée, a cheesy cream and then topped with yam powder. 

Disclaimer: While the food and drinks are complimentary, opinions expressed are entirely my own.

FAMIGLIA BALDASSARRE

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Famiglia Baldassarre – Pasta fresca
22 Geary Ave, Toronto, ON

Famiglia Baldassarre hand-makes 27 traditional types of wholesale fresh pasta from scratch for some of Toronto’s best restaurants, and also turns into a restaurant for a two-hour lunch service four days a week. There are typically just two pasta shapes with two sauce options on the dine-in menu from 12-2 PM, Tuesday to Friday, but nearly 20 varieties of pasta are retailed on the same days from noon until 5 PM.

Look at how aesthetic the plates are, my inner self is screaming and trying to resist stealing them.

As a first timer, I could see why visiting Famiglia would be off putting to some as they don’t take reservations, the line up starts 30 minutes before the doors open and there are literally 5 two-seaters. We got here around 10 minutes before they opened and still had to wait about 20-30 minutes to be seated. Generally, everyone orders, eats and leaves since there is a line up of hungry (possibly hangry) patrons waiting just starting at your food. I enjoyed the experience of waiting for a table as I watched the kitchen work their magic along with just the ending of the pasta production.

I would definitely recommend ordering the seasonal side of vegetables and the aged prosciutto along with your pasta. It’s a nice break from the whole plate of pasta. While you wait for your food, there is a basket of bread and some olive oil & vinegar for dipping.

I would highly recommend dinning in at Famiglia Baldassarre at least once. An alternative otpion would be getting take out and enjoying the food at a nearby brewer where they allow you to bring outside food in.

COFFEE DAK LAK

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Coffee Dak Lak
283 College St, Toronto, ON

I was incredibly intrigued when I first heard of Egg Coffee on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show, No Reservations, when he went to Vietnam. Egg Coffee is a Vietnamese drink which is traditionally prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and robust coffee.

As far as I know, Coffee Dak Lak is the first shop in Toronto that serves Egg Coffee. The rich sweet creamy foam on top of the ultra strong Vietnamese coffee gives me tiramisu feels. It’s SO good! You have to give it a try – it’s a little pricey but I’m not sure who isn’t paying $4-5 for a latte now a days.

ELEPHANT GRIND

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Elephant Grind Coffee
10 East Wilmot St Unit 7, Richmond Hill, ON 

It makes me so happy that restaurant owners are choosing to open their establishments uptown, giving the everyone (especially me) more delicious options, less traffic, and free parking!

Chicken & Waffles

Elephant Grind opened their doors mid 2018 in Richmond Hill – a combination of beautiful atmosphere, exceptional coffees and fantastic flavour combinations. They are serving up traditional bunch with an Asian fusion twist like Lap Chong (Chinese sausage) Hash, Cha Siu Pulled Pork Bennies, Hojicha and Matcha Lattes. I also think they might also have the best chicken and waffles ever – love that the chicken is boneless!

Cons: they don’t take reservations, it’s first come first serve with some help from the servers and you order and pay at the counter prior to getting your food – which makes it a little chaotic at times for the guests that are already eating.

They definitely have some work to do on some of the intensity of their flavoured lattes but their coffees are great and not outrageously expensive.

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny

DIPPED DOUGHNUTS

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Dipped Donuts Inc
161 Baldwin St #1, Toronto, ON

The first time I tried Dipped donuts is when they opened their tiny brick and mortar location at Kensington Market at the end of 2018. Okay, honestly, it’s just a little window with two patio tables in front of the store.

It was instant love, they make amazing yeast donuts that are perfect in everyway. There are no crazy gimmicky toppings or flavours just some well balanced flavours. The dough is soft and airy with a slight chew and the none of the icing flavours are too sweet or artificial tasting.

Each donut is $3 but that’s the norm for some “gourmet” donuts in Toronto.

I can wholeheartedly say that Dipped Donuts is my favourite donut shop in Toronto. Go visit them and thank me later.

TABULE

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2901 Bayview Avenue
North York, ON
Tabülè is a Middle Eastern chain restaurant in Toronto located on Queen Street East and Yonge Street, with their newest addition inside Bayview Village Shopping Centre. I had the pleasure a few weeks ago to preview the stunning new restaurant and enjoy a delightful meal of classic Tabülè dishes alongside co-owners as well as husband and wife, Chef Rony Goraichy and Diana Sideris. 
Palate-cleansing pickles, an assortment of olives, hot peppers, turnips and dill pickles, $2.
Sample Platter, $14.00, served with warm pita bread. 
Which consisted of Hümmus (chickpea purée, lebanese tahini sauce, fresh lemon juice & a touch of garlic), Babaganüj (puréed BBQ eggplant mixed with lebanese tahini, garlic and fresh lemon juice), and Labni homemade (Lebanese yogurt cheese mixed with garlic & topped off with za’atar). I was pleasantly surprised that my favourite dip would be the Labhi.

Tabülè (hand chopped parsley salad with whole wheat bulgur, tomatoes, onions and a hint of mint tossed in a light lemon & olive oil dressing).


Falafel gluten free vegetarian patties consisting of crushed chick peas, split fava, parsley, garlic, onions and spices served with tahini, $6.25.


Hallüm Salad with baby arugula, onions & seared hallüm cheese tossed together in a pomegranate dressing, $9.95. I absolutely love halloumi cheese so it was a no-brainer that I would love this salad. 

Fried cauliflower drizzled with tahini, $7.75. 

The Fried eggplant topped with a lemon garlic dressing, $6.50, was one of my favourite hot appetizers of the day. 
We got to sample a platter of grilled meats consisting of Tawük (grilled marinated chicken breast that is hormone and antibiotic free), Lahmeh (Ontario veal tenderloin), and Grilled Lamb Chops. Everything was served with rice and house salad, the rice was nicely flavoured and fluffy, I could be buckets of 

The star of the entrees were the lamb chops, Ontario lamb dry aged in-house grilled and seasoned to perfection. It was hard resisting thirds. 
Garlic Shrimp Entrée sautéed shrimp in a tomato garlic sauce, a little spicy, $19.95
We ended off the meal with some Middle Eastern tea and sweets.  Baklavas are bite-sized sweets made with phyllo pastry, honey, pistachio and cashews, $5.75. It was my first time trying Künafa Ashta (phyllo pastry layered with custard and topped off with rose water syrup), $6.95, at it was absolutely delicious. I am 900% sure I polished off the plate by myself and I would definitely revisit Tabülè just for this dessert alone.

The space is gorgeous and inviting with touches modern elegance and splashes of colour and gold all over, a super Instagramable room! The front of the restaurant has table seating as well, giving you the feeling of sitting on the patio without all the elements of the weather. The atmosphere, service, hospitality, food and drinks were amazing – I can’t wait to be back for a fancy relaxed meal.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

FRANK’S KITCHEN

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588 College Street, Toronto
When people ask me what my favourite restaurant in Toronto is and without flinching I tell them Frank’s Kitchen. I didn’t know casual fine dining actually existed, the atmosphere of the restaurant is relaxed but still classy. I’ve seen customers dine in shorts, suits, sandals, etc.
The service is outstanding, the servers are very knowledgeable, friendly and a tentative.
 
We started off with the daily complimentary amuse bouche, tomato bisque with a side of housemade focaccia & dip. The bread was lightly toasted, I enjoyed the small portion of starters so you don’t actually fill up on bread before your meal.
The daily appetizer special was the Deep Fried Squash Blossoms stuffed with Homemade Goat Cheese & Spinach. It was my first time having squash blossoms and they were delicious! Light and crispy with a creamy sweet and savoury filling. I would definitely order this again but it’s hard to find squash blossoms on menus because it’s such a seasonal item.
 
I also got the Kobe Beef Tartare with Fried Egg, Shaved Black truffles, Pickles and Guiness Mustard, $21. Look how beautiful the plating is. The truffles paired very well with the beef giving it an earthy element to the dish.  The pickled vegetables cut through the fattiness of the beef, I could eat this over and over again. The dish was also served with truffle brioche
The main courses were outstanding.
 
Catch of the Day: Salmon with lobster sauce, $26 & 12 oz Aged Beef Striploin with Shaved Truffles in a Shallot Jus with a side of Parmesan Frites, $40
The steak was perfectly cooked, the jus was flavourful without being too salty. It was everything anyone could want when ordering steak frites.

KINKA IZAKAYA

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4775 Yonge Street, Unit 114
North York, ON


As of November 1st, 2015, the franchise agreement between Kinka Family Inc. and Kitanoya Marketing Corp ended which resulted in the Toronto Guu Izakaya locations being renamed to Kinka Izakaya. Formly known as Guu Izakaya, Kinka has been one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto. Last summer the they opened their third location in North York which makes all the uptown kids much happier.

Kinka North York is probably my favourite Kinka to visit, large floor to ceiling windows (which open out to the patio) gives the restaurant a nice airy atmosphere perfect for summer and winter alike.

Salmon Oshizushi (blowtorched Atlantic salmon pressed sushi) & The daily special of Deep Fried Okra. The Salmon Oshizushi is one of my favourite dishes to order at Kink North York (I think it’s exclusive only to this location). The smokiness from the blowtorch & the ginger and green onion garnish gives a nice contrast to the fatty salmon and soft lightly sweet rice.
It was my first time ordering the deep fried okra with matcha salt and I thought it was a bust, the batter was too thick and not crispy. I also couldn’t get the right ratio of matcha salt to okra, it would either be too bland or way too salty.

The Kinka Scotch Egg was also another daily special which I thought was fantastic, the sweet creamy sauce complimented the scotch egg perfectly.
Other favourites that are must tries are Scallop Sashimi Salmon Oshizushi and Takoyaki.

I love the Takowasabi (marinated octopus with wasabi stem) from Kinka.
There’s plenty of other favourites, I highly recommend visiting with a party of 3 – 4 people so you can order a variety of different dishes without having too much of one item.


The name “KINKA” means “Golden Flower” which symbolizes “Happiness” in Japanese. At KINKA IZAKAYA our mission is to serve each and everyone of our guests “happiness” with both our mouth-watering dishes and our highest quality service. This is why our friendly and energetic staff is an integral part of what makes KINKA IZAKAYA extraordinary and a cut above the rest.

THE CHASE FISH & OYSTER

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10 Temperance Street, 5th Floor
Toronto, ON

The Chase was the only Winterlicious restaurant I attended this year and I was ecstatic, I’ve heard great things about the chase so at a $35 price point I thought it was a steal considering an entree can range from $25-60 a plate.

We started off with around of oyster shooters for the table, it was fresh and light without an overly alcholic-y aftertaste. It was a perfect way to start off a great meal.

I started off with the Salmon Tartar (Horseradish Crème Fraiche, Beet Relish, Crispy Capers). I loved everything about this dish, from the delicate salmon to the sweet beets and the salty capers. Everything was perfectly balanced and the lightly toasted bread was a great vessel without being overly crunchy.

The Lobster & Tomato Bisque (Brandy & Green Peppercorn Cream) was the other appetizer that was one of the other choices. The soup was creamy and full of flavour but I felt like it was more like a tomato bisque with chunks of lobster.


The Pan Seared Arctic Char (Potato Rosti, Braised Red Cabbage, Caramelized Apple, Chestnut) was hands down the favourite of the night. The star of the dish was the char skin, it was incredibly crispy and was cooked to perfection & light.
The Braised Beef Short Rib (Stone Ground Grits, Wild Mushroom & Charred Scallion Relish, Crispy Onions) was a great choice for meat eaters, super hearty and fulling. The dish as a whole was a little too heavy for me from the creamy grits to the meaty short rib all topped off with fried onions but nothing to cut the richness.

I’m always on the fence about ordering donuts from restaurants because I’m not a fan of cake donuts, so when our server mentioned it was a yeast donut I had nothing else on my mind, donut for dessert it was! Donuts (Cinnamon Apple Compote, Caramel, Calvados Cream).
My favourite dessert was the Caramelized Banana Sundae (Peanut butter Ice Cream and Warm Date Toffee) something about the deliciously sweet toffee & caramelized banana with the contrast of the salty peanut butter ice cream was heavenly. Sweet, salty, hot and cold, everything in one dessert.

I’ll definitely be back for their regular menu and will be a must for all ‘licious events. The chase was one of my favourite restaurants I’ve been to at the $35 price point.