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:
Mix the pork with all of the marinade ingredients and marinate for 15-20 minutes.
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.
If you’re adding veggies, you can stir-fry them with the pork or blanch them in the noodle water. Set aside.
Mix the dan dan sauce together.
And assemble meat, noodles, sauce + vegetables! You can add some crushed peanuts, Chinese pickled vegetables, green onions and any additional chili oil on top!
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.
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 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.
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.
I got the opportunity to check out the Happy Place Toronto for free opening weekend. If you live under a rock and you don’t know what the Happy Place is, it’s a massive pop-up experience is filled with larger than life size installations, multi-sensory immersive rooms, and dozens of moments curated to “Capture Your Happy”. They say happiness is free but to enter the Happy Place, there is a fee of $35 (weekday)/$40 (weekend).
The coolest part of the pop-up would probably be the giant ball pit you can jump into.
I would definitely feel pretty unhappy if I had to pay $40 a pop to take some photos at installations where you only had 30 seconds. The Happy Place was alright but $40 for some Instagram photos doesn’t seem like it’s worth it to me, I’d rather spend that money on some delicious brunch.
Ruelo is known for their Asian flavours pastries and cake using French style technique.
Recently, Ruelo has added brunch and sit down plated pastries to their repertoire. I was quite impressed with their simple take on French inspired brunch – having items like Croque Madame/Monsieur , French Onion Soup and Beef Bourguignon.
I thought everything was executed very well. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the Lardon Salad was simple yet flavourful and you know you’ll get a delicious ending since Ruelo specializes on desserts. I would love to try the Onion Soup and Beef Bourguignon next time.
Banana French ToastDark Chocolate Molten Lava Cake
The newly renovated space is small and seats about 8 people comfortably so I would highly suggest making a reservation prior to coming. The decor and atmosphere has been beautifully transformed into a very Great Gatsby-sque space without being tacky.
Disclaimer: Although I was invited to a complimentary tasting, the opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the business.
Adamson Barbecue: Authentic Central Texas BBQ 176 Wicksteed Ave, East York, ON
I think Adamson has the best BBQ in Toronto and is basically the only BBQ joint i’ll visit in Toronto, I dare you to try to change my mind. Something about the smells in the air with their simple “it’s all about the BBQ” decor gets me and has me coming back. They also have an amazing sense of humour – check their t-shirt merch and instagram stories.
platter consists of: corn bread, homemade bread, pickles, turkey, brisket, jalapeno sausage, baked beans & mac and cheese.
My favourite must orders are the brisket, cornbread and jalapeno sausage! If turkey is your thing, you should definitely try it cause it’s worth the calories. Gently smoked that’s super moist and ultra tender. Pro-tip: you can order by the slice (but still weighed to price) and not by weight – this makes it easier for you to try a bunch of different meats.
Also something about eating off a communal tray
with your hands is so satisfying. They have rolls of paper towel on the tables
for your caveman like eating ways.
The only thing that might be a problem is their
parking situation. I’ve never had a problem, maybe I’m just lucky but they only
have about 10 parking spots in front of their store.
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.
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.
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.
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