Food & Experiences

Wontons

2011-11-17T15:17:00.001-05:00

My father taught me how to make wontons as a child. I may have learned as young as five or six. We sat at the kitchen table with ground pork (mixed with oyster sauce, salt and corn starch), square wonton wrappers and a bowl of water. He held a wrapper in his left palm with one corner pointing to the wrist. After dolloping pork in the center, he wet the border of two perpendicular sides with his right hand's index finger. He folded the wet borders on to the dry ones to create a triangle, pressing edges together, the pork safely enveloped. Then he tucked the right corner underneath the left one to complete the parcel. The simple yet elegant process infatuated me.

I started making wontons myself in my post-secondary years. In the first summer of my 20s, I made a turkey version for friends because one, as a Hindu, ate no meat except poultry. My buddies devoured the turkey dumplings. In fourth-year university when I lived on my own, a classmate requested I prepare the original recipe with him because, I think, it reminded him of his mother who passed away. More recently, I taught the man I love how to wrap wontons for one of the first dinners we shared at home together. Just two weekends ago, my eldest sister served me her wontons for dinner. About her five-year-old son, she remarked, "You know Raja helped me make some?"

Rice

2011-11-14T16:56:00.001-05:00

I never realized how much I loved rice till I started dating my boyfriend. We see each other nearly every day and always at meal times. (Or maybe we're just always hungry.) If we see each other for seven straight days, I request sushi six times. Fresh raw fish is delightful, no question. But I most crave the sweet, salty, acidic, vinegar-dressed sticky rice that, pressed together into a soft white pillow, still retains every individual grain's character of slightly chewy texture. The rice sticks together but each grain stands separate and strong on its own like a marching army on the thin red line of seaweed, tuna, avocado, cucumber or whatever your sushi tongue desires.

Sometimes, fish is a mere accompaniment—not the other way around. I'm often satisfied with my sushi combo order, yet I find myself staring longingly at my boyfriend's bowl of rice, dotted with sesame seeds. I'm internally appalled at its abandonment for beef teriyaki instead. Historically regarded as poor person's food, rice is often neglected for its mistaken blandness or feared for its needless carb counts. But great sushi rice is rich man's food. Expert sushi chefs spend five years learning how to cook perfect rice and blend it with their master's tried-and-true balanced vinegar mixture to moisten, sweeten and elevate the individual grains to thousands of tiny edible gems. The gems glisten and beckon me to consume every last morsel—though it's not technically mine to consume.

"Can I have your rice?" I ask, though my plate is cleaned and the boyfriend, twice my petite size, could easily eat more.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead," he replies sincerely.

I greedily gobble and stab my chopsticks at every last piece. Sometimes this rice isn't the same as what they use for nigiri and maki but I must have it anyway. Because leaving one grain of rice behind is an insult to poor and rich alike that I just can't tolerate.

Cheese, donuts and roast beef

2011-11-11T16:39:00.001-05:00

The cheese was as ripe as a pregnant woman in labour for 36 hours.

The donut smelled stale, like an abandoned attic filled with moldy blankets and yellowing black-and-white photos of relatives and their friends long forgotten.

The roast beef sandwich tasted as though I successfully sweated through 90 minutes of a body-bending hot yoga class.

Roast Beef Sandwich

2011-05-12T11:29:00.000-04:00

The roast beef sandwich tasted as though I just completed 101 consecutive push-ups, beating Kat Tancock and her boyfriend at their own game.

It was that good.

Mangoes: Fruit of the Gods

2011-05-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

The mango case sat at the top of the stairs, yellow bumps flashing. I picked up one and felt the weight of a baseball. Bringing it to my upper lip, I closed my eyes, inhaled slowly and postcards of Indian beaches shuttered in my mind.

I walked to the kitchen. I got a cutting board and a cleaver. I peeled the skin. The juices smeared my fingertips and the fragrance filled my nostrils. I carefully let the peel fold into one curled strand.

The mango sat in my palm, shining like sunset light streaming through stained glass. Enclosing my fingers around its slippery body, I cut grid marks. The blade easily slid through to the seed. As I sliced against the inner stone, pieces fell on to the wood with a small plop.

I didn’t bother with a plate—or a fork. Taking a small wedge between my fingers, I dropped it on to my tongue. My teeth effortlessly pierced the golden cushion. My taste buds cheered as supple sweetness burst in my mouth. Everything went in slow motion. But after that first morsel, the view sped up like a time-capture video of clouds in the sky—except instead of white pillows moving across blue air, a hand darted in and out to steal the exotic ambrosia till it all disappeared.

After all, I did feel godlike by the end.

Your Last Meal on Death Row

2011-05-08T15:10:00.001-04:00

There was a citywide indie arts festival when I was in Singapore. In one hallway leading to the Metro station were rows of American convicted killers' portraits paired with stark images of their last meal request.

Initiated by American photographer Jonathon Kambouris, the project made me feel unsettled and eerie. Kambouris asked the question, "How is society really served by the death penalty?"

Personally, I've always seen capital punishment as an archaic relic of societies past, forgetting that it is still legal in several United States. And after reading The New Yorker's haunting piece on whether Texas executed an innocent man earlier that fall, it's a question that sits in the back of my mind, waiting for a reasonable answer that may never come.

To see all the photos, visit www.lastmealsproject.com.

Bak Kut Teh - A Soup of Home

2011-05-06T16:20:00.005-04:00

I never met my cousin Augustus before till I visited Singapore but we bonded instantly over a shared age and love of food. He took me to the hottest club shows and the best late-night eats.

Our first early morning food adventure together was another Zouk club night.

After a Wednesday night of highly choreographed dance moves to popular 80's tracks (Mambo nights), Agus was raring to take me for bak kut teh — pork rib soup. I wasn't one to refuse.

It was also the first time I had a barley drink before (no alcohol). I didn't like but it's supposed to be very good for you.

But the soup. Oh my. The soup (bottom right corner). It's not much to look at but one whiff and I was drowning in a haze of meaty aroma that flickered with the life of a nighttime campfire. I slurped up the broth with abandon. And I wanted more. I was like the greedy little fat kid in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, except instead of a river of milk chocolate, I wanted to fall into this river of bak kut teh.

What does this smell like?

I couldn't stop gobbling it up, inhaling it, wondering why it was so familiar yet so different from the original dish. Then it hit me.

It smelled like Montreal Schwartz's smoked meat.

I was home at last.

2011-04-13T07:14:00.002-04:00

May you live in safety. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.

—Philly D, inspirational hip-hop yoga instructor; and co-owner of Moksha Yoga Winnipeg

Poached egg and noodles

2011-04-12T14:35:00.005-04:00

Last week I went vegetarian. It was part of a seven-week yoga challenge to live my moksha off the mat.

I love meat — a lot — so it was a difficult task at times. While my fellow yogis sip on zen tea after class, I'm often found devouring roast beef sandwiches. The hardest part was deciding what to eat. My inner voice (or probably my devilish taste buds) would whine, "This would be easier if I could just have meat." But once I resisted my animal urges, I enjoyed discovering veggie alternatives, including the mix-and-match salad bar at Pumpernickel's featuring such delights as couscous, bean salads, and roasted beets.

My most triumphant moment was at home. I created a three-ingredient dish with my favourite Chinese noodles, baby bok-choy and a poached egg. I love watching gold spill out from the delicate white pocket of this unfertilized chicken spawn. (There was lots of talk among carnivorous friends if eggs are meat.) This sunshine-in-a-bowl atop slippery sweet noodles and some greenery is a fine meal for even my non-vegetarian days.

"Thinking About You"

2011-03-30T10:35:00.000-04:00

Thom Yorke, your voice oozes every emotion I've ever felt in my life.

The opportunity is now

2011-03-14T14:18:00.001-04:00

—Taken by @inkedfingers on Instagram

Toronto's very own Khao San Road

2011-03-12T11:28:00.014-05:00

In Bangkok, Khao San Road is backpacker party central, making it a fitting name for the new Thai restaurant in Toronto’s own alcohol-soaked Entertainment district. But Chef Nuit Regular’s latest venture with her husband Jeff speaks more of wooden, mod urban temple than a 100-baht hostel bunk.

This Khao San Road evokes Thailand’s street food and teleports me back to my own Southeast Asia adventure, even with its contemporary white dish plating. Khao soi is a must: a traditional northern Chiang Mai noodle dish with tender beef cubes bathed in a tangy curry broth. More familiar fare is available too, including deep-fried garlic shrimp, chicken pad thai and daily Thai curries, all extraordinarily tasting of Regular’s land and love.

Halal devotees of the original hole-in-the-wall Sukhothai, beware: she’s playing with fried pork belly here—but to pig eaters’ delight. Opened for lunch and dinner; stand by for the Thai breakfast introduction, which is sure to spice up the city’s typical bacon-and-Benny scene. 326 Adelaide St. W., 647-352-5773 (www.khaosanroad.ca)

Khao Soi $10: Tender braised beef with egg noodles in a coconut milk-enriched curry and garnished with crisp fried noodles, green onion and a slice of lime

Garlic Shrimp $9: Shrimp breaded in a crispy garlic coating served with a sweet and tangy garlic sauce

Chicken Pad Thai $14: Special pad thai "three flavours-style" topped with homemade roasted peanuts, dried chili and a fresh slice of lime

Gaeng Phed a.k.a. Thai Red Curry, Chicken for $12: The red colour comes from a curry paste made of dried red chilies

Yum Ta Wai $8: A salad of iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, julienned vegetables, coriander, shredded chicken and a sliced hard-boiled egg, tossed in a sweet curry peanut dressing

Pad Kee Mao, Shrimp $15: Stir-fried rice noodle with fresh green chili, fresh garlic, long green pepper, bamboo shoots and Thai basil leaves

Chai Yen a.k.a. Thai Iced Tea $4.50: An infusion of Thai spices and black tea mixed with condensed milk (!) and served over crushed ice

2011-03-11T16:08:00.001-05:00

Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity.

—Christopher Morley

2011-02-04T00:58:00.000-05:00

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape 100 days of sorrow.

-Chinese Proverb

Portuguese Egg Tart in Singapore

2011-02-03T21:07:00.007-05:00

Do I really need to say more?

Singapore's Airport Food (and a little family history)

2011-02-03T00:04:00.001-05:00

I spent a lot of time in airports backpacking through Southeast Asia last year. But the first time I visited Singapore Changi International Airport was when my Uncle Edward and I picked up my cousin Sue Ann and her husband from a short trip to Bali, Indonesia. (I arrived in Singapore from Malaysia by train.)

I never met Sue Ann before and knew little about her. You see, my Uncle Edward is my father's first cousin but we didn't know any of them until just under 10 years ago when they found us in Toronto through the Internet—before Facebook or Twitter was ever an idea in any university techgeek's mind.

My grandmother's youngest sister was given away as a child (they grew up in Calcutta, India, which is another story to tell another day because I'm of Chinese descent) and apparently wound up being raised and getting married in Singapore. Her family and ours always knew of each other's existence but just had no idea where in the world we were. When we did discover our families, we had a big reunion in Toronto, considering most of my father's cousins live here. Ever since then, we've been family. Most of my aunts and dad have visited and stayed with my Uncle Edward in Singapore, and vice versa; and Sue Ann travelled to Toronto for the first time in her life this past Christmas.

It may seem unusual to be estranged for so many years then suddenly welcome each other in our homes but that's the power of family sometimes.

I was nervous to meet Sue Ann, as I would be with any new person in any setting. But it's a particularly curious feeling when you're thousands of kilometres away from home and asking near-strangers to give up their time to show you around. Luckily, my aunt from Toronto informed me that Sue Ann and I had two brilliant things in common—an insatiable love for food and a high metabolism to keep us tiny.

My first meal with Sue Ann didn't turn out to be at the airport—that will come later—but the brilliant thing about most, if not all Singaporeans is they love food.

That is why their version of airport food would of course be this:

This is referred to as "dry noodles," though to me the distinction between wet and dry noodles was not obvious at first. In my mind, dry noodles doesn't come with anything "wet," such as a sauce. But in Singapore, wet noodles means soupy noodles and dry noodles are indeed saucy. It's inspiring how simple and elegant noodles can be presented at an airport.

I was also introduced to tea with sweetened condensed milk that day. I've yet to recreate the concoction since returning home (it's almost been a year now!) but as I read on a younger cousin's Facebook profile, "Condensed milk makes everything better. I think it's the secret to world peace."

Undoubtedly it very well may be—and the hospitality of loved ones doesn't hurt either.

Chicken Rice: Singapore's National Dish

2010-12-12T19:44:00.000-05:00

Chili crab, sting ray, oyster omlettes, beef noodles, spice, spice, spice! But Singapore's national dish comes down to simple chicken rice.

The chicken is steamed whole, then chopped and doused in a thin garlic, ginger gravy. Hot sauce optional.

The original Sprinkles in Beverly Hills

2010-11-05T22:38:00.001-04:00

...Sprinkles is apparently the first ever cupcakes-only store. I sampled its chai tea latte cupcake and it was fabulous. Fluffy, moist cake; smooth tea-flavored frosting.

Whoever thought of the combination is a genius.

Mexicali L.A. taco truck!

2010-11-05T02:22:00.004-04:00

...right across the street from my girlfriend's condo. They come out after 9 p.m. in a virtually empty parking lot and if you know, you know.

We had two corn tacos, one steak, one chicken; Cachetada, melted cheese and ground chorizo on a tostada; and the Zuperman, triple meat cheese quesadilla. Plus four kinds of homemade salsa and guacamole, and grilled onions and hot peppers.

This was the real Mexican deal... All costing US$10.50.

L.A. you have my heart.

La-La-Land: Arda's Cafe

2010-11-03T13:56:00.001-04:00

... Woke up early and found a random family-run downtown breakfast eatery called Arda's Cafe, and had this delicious monstrosity -- candied bacon eggs Benedict (US$7.99). Perfectly soft poached egg, crispy sweet and salty bacon that wasn't too much of either, toasty chewy cheese bagel, and fried potatoes.

Great stumble-upon on Day 2 of random L.A. vacation.

Beef ball noodle soup, and sting ray!

2010-11-02T06:03:00.001-04:00

My cousin Agus took me to another hawker food centre that is well-known/famous for its simple noodle soup of beef balls and minced pork.

My photos may not be the most appealing but it was dark and this is all I have. I liked this dish a lot but the minced pork in the bottom was a bit too soft for my tastes.

Agus also had me try stingray for the first time. The stingray tasted like a white fish, which I didn't mind, but the sauce on top of it wasn't very appealing.

Travelling in Singapore and trying different species that rarely show up on North American menus was challenging for my eco-mindedness. I normally use Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood WATCH to choose sustainable options but stingray doesn't even come up on the list.

Singaporean Mickey Dee's

2010-11-01T06:58:00.005-04:00

I am strongly against supporting fast food companies, especially McDonald's (forget watching Food Inc. or Fast Food Nation documentary; read the Fast Food Nation book by Eric Schlosser).

BUT I have a weak spot for McDonald's ice cream cones -- especially when it's only S$1 and has cool add-on flavours such as green apple (above), raspberry and beloved chocolate.

I tried all three eventually, but plain vanilla is probably still my favourite. :)

Elevated Tea

2010-10-31T22:54:00.005-04:00

Once in awhile, I like to create my own cherished moments where I can sit, indulge and enjoy my own company. Every person is different—what they love to indulge in—is it a surprise that mine is food?

My parents received this fine China set for their wedding more than 30 years ago and I never knew of its existence till my sister discovered it in old boxes about a year before they were divorced (about six years ago). We took it to the new house but my father never used it.

I grew to love the fine gold trim and petite delicate pink flowers with soft ridges.

I've been drinking this wonderful loose leaf Moroccan green tea infused with peppermint that I received at my friend Chantal's engagement party a few weeks ago. Then tonight, my sister gave me a lemon tart from Southbrook Farms. So I decided a perfect cap to the weekend, and start to a new week, would be to have both with the fine China.

I thought about reading or watching TV while drinking and eating, but realized quickly, sitting in the quiet peace of my house, and tasting every sip and bite carefully would be the most pleasurable. The tart had a perfectly tender, slightly crumbly crust, and the lemon filling was smooth and silky. It was a timeless 10 minutes.

It's so refreshing and soothing when you take the time to treat yourself.

The Cleanest Chinatown I Ever Saw

2010-10-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

On the first Sunday I was in Singapore, my Uncle Edward let me loose to explore Chinatown on my own. It was a great sight to see, as the city was gearing up for Chinese New Year 2010.

It doesn't look like much at first, but when you walk a little farther down, the streets are suddenly lined with lots of stalls and shops selling all sorts of Chinese-y things.

Like teapots...

And chili ornaments (yum!) ...

And chopsticks...

And elegant paper fans...

And high-end chopstick sets...

And wooden abacuses and chess sets.

Plus food!

Kites...

Lanterns...

Fake flowers...

And knick-knacks and toys galore! For some reason, these fat little buddhas and Chinamen reminded me of my cousins in Florida even though they're the fittest little Tae-kwon-do black belt masters ever.

I thought this was a rather beautiful building in Chinatown.

Singapore has all these positive signs for random things.

I randomly found some pretty yummy cream puffs at a Chinese pastry shop for less than a CDN$1. (Canadian dollar to Singapore dollar is about 1 to 1.30.)

I was craving an egg tart too but this one was so disappointing. It tasted gross actually. Maybe the worst egg tart in recent memory.

Dried Chinese sausages and chicken right on the street!! Kind of gross, actually... considering the heat and humidity.

Asian candy. (I didn't try any. I don't have fond memories of Asian candy as a child.)

I saw these little dresses and thought of the New Baby my sister was going to have in a few months. Turned out to be a girl. :)

I visited this Buddhist temple. And decided afterward, the story of Buddha means nothing to me. (Though I still have faith in Buddhist principles and concepts of compassion.)

I still prayed for strength. (To whom, I wasn't sure...) And I love the smell of incense.

Inside where the monks were chanting and praying.

Riding the elevator to the upstairs museums. I had to cover myself with a shawl and sarong (lent out at the temple entrances for free) because I was wearing shorts, a sleeveless top and sandals.

There was a rooftop orchid garden but I didn't see the orchids that I'm used to.

The most memorable Chinatown experience to date.

2010-10-31T09:50:00.003-04:00

Love is not a thought, it is an action. And each loving action that we take infuses us with more energy for loving action in the future.
-Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat

A woman of great taste

2010-10-29T17:53:00.003-04:00

It would be too easy if I were talking about myself.

I'm talking about my friend Yasmin (@yasminATlesauce) who runs an amazing food blog at lesauce.typepad.com. She's a true lover of food -- someone who if feeling lazy about dinner would braise leeks as the easy way out. Her blog consists mostly of her vegetarian recipe creations, and she believes in eating well from tomato on toast for lunch to day-long cooking feast for friends and family.

This past summer, she recently resigned from over eight years at St. Joseph's Media working in various marketing roles in the consumer magazine industry to embark on a career that intersects her love for food, photography, writing and publishing. I love when people reach that point where they're ready to leap into the unknown. I strongly have faith in the idea that when you have nothing, everything is possible. (Not to say she has nothing but you get the idea, I hope!)

In any case, after a year of being one of her religious blog followers, I finally pushed my own lazy butt to cook one of her drool-over-the-computer-screen-worthy recipes.

I was poking around my fridge and noticed some parsley that I just knew was going to go bad any day now. Then it clicked in my head -- I remembered I read a post by Yasmin about how herbs never go bad in her house because she uses it in all sorts of creative ways. So a quick search and I found the fried almond and olive pasta with fresh cilantro and parsley recipe.

I was amazed at how simple it was to make yet so, so delicious. I shared the meal with a friend who came over last minute and doesn't even like olives but he was so impressed at how good it was. Below is the photo he took on his Blackberry but it doesn't really give the dish justice, so you have to check her photos out. (P.S. I just used rotini instead of linguine because it's all I had.)

If you're looking for food inspiration, I highly recommend you check out lesauce.typepad.com.

Pause: Subway Love

2010-10-20T22:38:00.002-04:00

I stepped on to a crowded subway train this morning. A man drew my attention to a Modern Family banner ad above the doors I came through. "Now that makes my day," he said to his friend.

At first I thought he was referring to the hilarious TV show that was airing a new episode tonight. Then I noticed two subway transfers folded into white paper hearts that were tucked into the ad.

I couldn't help smile at how our world is wonderfully connected -- that in the smallest ways, in places and times we would never expect, we find the light of love.

Yoga for Wine Lovers

2010-10-04T06:39:00.000-04:00

Bringing together two things I love...

Zouk Dance Break

2010-10-03T07:25:00.005-04:00

Before I continue my food adventures in southeast Asia, I have to pause to record the first night I went to Zouk, one of the biggest clubs in Singapore where all the major European DJs play.

Outside the club...

Inside the club with 2ManyDJs from Belgium loving the crowd...

...and the crowd loving them back.

Oh, those crazy Singaporeans... Or is it the Belgians?

One food/drink-related matter I discovered I like: a popular mixer with vodka in Singapore is room temperature green tea. I was skeptical at first but it tastes like tea! Easy to like.

Brockton General

2010-10-02T17:19:00.001-04:00

Brockton General is a new low-key bar on Dundas Street West that opened in early to mid-August. The kitchen serves a simple menu Thursdays through Saturdays, while the bar is opened every day.

The walls are bare, and the tables and chairs look like they were plucked out of a grandmother's basement, but the wait staff and buzzing, laid back patrons makes this place easily attractive.

I came on a Friday night for a drink before a dinner reservation at Enoteca Sociale, which is right across the street. Then spontaneously returned the next night to sample its locally sourced, daily changing menu.

By the looks of the patterns, the China plates seem to have came from the same grandma's basement, but I absolutely love the repurposed old classic English porcelain China sets.

For starter, we shared pickled radishes with fried ricotta, dressed with parsley, a vinaigrette and sliced chilies (pictured above). I've never had pickled radishes before and I'm not a huge parsley fan, but I like the clean, simple, fresh tastes.

We split two mains: a poached egg on brioche toast. And a lovely, lovely lamb shoulder, done pulled-pork style, served atop a grilled eggplant, dotted with goat cheese cream. It was so dreamy and textured, I forgot to take a photo.

For dessert, we tried fried brioche dough, done in a kind of beignet style, with husk cherries (which are these tiny yellow tart balls that are nothing like the sweet bing cherries I love...oh crap, I completely missed cherry season this year!) and a lovage-mint sauce.

We each had a glass of Ontario wine, and it came out to just over $80 all together.

It will be really interesting to see how the place evolves as it's young cooks just doing what they love to eat and play with. It didn't blow me away but I loved the atmosphere and the people.

2010-09-16T09:52:00.003-04:00

"The intersection of happiness is NOW."

-Philly D, inspirational hip hop yoga instructor, Moksha Yoga Winnipeg

Noodle King in the PATH

2010-09-09T13:42:00.001-04:00

Another recommendation from my sister who's worked in finance district for years now and knows a lot of PATH goodies. Noodle King is under the Sheraton and tends to have a line-up that rivals McDonald's.

I've been craving simple broad noodles like this for ages. I went to Kenzo Ramen a couple of Fridays ago and wasn't that impressed.

Today I had pork wontons ($4.35) but will probably opt for spicy beef ($5.95) next time. The dish wasn't the tastiest noodles ever but the simple, clean flavours and sweating over the steaming bowl brought me back to the food of Southeast Asia for a moment... in a good way.

Lawry's The Prime Rib: Singapore

2010-09-02T07:12:00.003-04:00

It's been over six months since I travelled to Singapore so my memory is a little hazy. But I do believe the day after arriving and eating at the Newton Hawker Centre (my first hawker experience ever!), my uncle took me, his son Augustus, and Agus's girlfriend to lunch at Lawry's The Prime Rib fine dining restaurant that originated in Beverly Hills in 1938.

My uncle isn't a very wealthy man but him and his family are on the "richer" side of Singapore's population. In any case, I wouldn't have eaten here if it wasn't for his generosity and excellent food taste.

The experience starts off much like any other a la carte restaurant. You order what kind of prime rib cut you would like first from a menu. Though they are called by many different names, the options essentially range from a thick slab to a very thick slab to a very, very thick slab.

Then the experience takes a small (or maybe big) turn. A little while after everyone orders, this huge steel cart is wheeled out by a chef, decked out in the white suit yards, and slices your cut for you right in front of the table.

You're also given creamy mashed potatoes with a hefty dose of gravy, and a vegetable side option. I chose creamed spinach. I can't quite remember but I believe I finished my entire plate.

Plus we had a traditional Lawry's salad, some kind of soup, and Yorkshire pudding (pictured above). If you didn't know, turns out Yorkshire pudding isn't "pudding" at all — at least not the J-E-L-L-O kind I'm most familiar with from growing up with those Bill Cosby commercials. Yorkshire pudding is a very flaky bread that's kind of laid out like a pie. If you don't know, I love flaky pastries of all varieties so this was a welcomed surprise for me.

Lawry's was easily the most classiest lunch I've ever been served but what I love about Singaporean style (or maybe just my Singaporean family?) is that we showed up in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops with no problems or looks at all.

Homemade Chinese Steamed Buns

2010-09-01T22:28:00.000-04:00

...by my daddy! A rare treat. The bun itself is so fluffy. Look at all those air pockets. And the filling is sauteed ground pork, red onions, diced carrots, mushrooms.

My dad used to make homemade steamed buns all the time when my siblings and I were kids. Sometimes my childhood food memories taste better than the modern recreations. But this matched the memory.

***UPDATE***

Due to popular demand, I asked my father for this "secret" family recipe and revealing it for all. These are just estimates off of the top of my dad's head, hence the weird yield (17 buns?). I'm not a recipe writer and even though baking is more scientific than cooking, this is technically steaming not baking.

The Buns
8 cups of all-purpose flour
3 to 4 cups of water
3 to 4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 whole eggs, beaten - if you want a whiter colour, just use egg whites

Active yeast (1 tsp; follow the instructions for proofing)
1/4 tsp of sugar in the yeast

Filling
The Li Family filling is ground pork, and diced carrots, white onions and white mushrooms, sauteed in a pan with oyster sauce, salt, pepper and a little soy sauce. But as my dad says, filling is easy. Make whatever you like. There are some classics but I'm all for experimentation. For a vegetarian substitution, he suggested diced carrots, white onions, white mushrooms, bamboo shoots and chives.

(Okay, the following instructions I know are a major fail because I'm not sure how to write it out, as I just watch my dad do it and know from experience.)

Combine wet and dry ingredients till it forms a soft dough. Let rise two hours.

Knead dough. Form into even-sized "balls" (they won't really be balls because the dough is very soft). Place filling in center of flattened ball, and pinch sides to top to fold in and close. Pat in hands to form back into a "ball." Let rise for another 10 minutes. Cook in steamer for 10 minutes if you sauteed the filling beforehand. Cook for 20 minutes for uncooked meat; and 12 minutes for a veggie filling.

And report back with how it went...

Deep Fried Butter at The Ex

2010-08-28T15:50:00.000-04:00

...photo courtesy of my cousin Bryan.

It tasted like fried butter, really. I didn't get the funnel cake flavour and when you bite into it, it's mostly hollow with melted butter coating the inside batter. Selling at $5 for four pieces, it's a great gimmick to attract a constant long line-up.

The very friendly vendor also had other similar wonderful delights available, such as deep fried Mars bar, chocolate-covered bacon, and some crazy chocolate- and nut-coated Twinkie creation.

Chicken tikka at Casa Lina

2010-08-27T08:25:00.000-04:00

My aunt can whip up the most delicious food from Italian to Indian to Chinese at a moment's notice. I never go hungry at her house.

Singapore, Newton Hawker Centre

2010-08-22T11:46:00.001-04:00

After three days eating my way through Kuala Lumpur as much as I possibly could, I took the 8-hour train ride to Singapore to meet my uncle who lives there. (Can you believe I didn't have to pee the whole time? Mind over matter, my friends.)

My uncle was awesome. He was waiting for me as soon as I got in at about 10:20 on a Friday night. He immediately offered to take me home to shower and change, then to do what Singaporeans do best -- eat.

We went to Newton Hawker Centre, which is one of, if not, the most famous hawker centres in Singapore among tourists. It's open concept with food stalls lining the perimeter, serving all sorts of Singaporean dishes. You sit at a numbered table, go up to the stall, order, give them your table number, and in a few short starving moments, your food arrives. You pay the food runner and dig in.

While we waited for food, my uncle ordered lime juices to satiate our thirst. This is a very common drink in Singapore, and it's exactly what it sounds like plus sugar. Considering how much I love citrus, it was perfect for me.

My uncle ordered an enormous feast, considering it was just me, him and his super skinny competitive synchronized swimming 17-year-old daughter Priscilla. We had Singaporean classics: oyster omlette and chili crab; as well as little clams in a spicy sauce, some fried greens, and seafood tom yam soup (not pictured).

The chili crab came with little warm bread rolls that kind of reminded me of marshmallows if you can imagine.

I'm not sure what this cost because my uncle paid for everything, but each dish, since they were all seafood, probably ranged from S$7-S$15; and one Canadian dollar equals about 1.5 Singaporean dollars.

Singaporeans seem to love spicy foods, sauces and seafood. How they cook and eat it all in the thick humidity year-round is beyond me. But thank goodness they do because this is like their version of fast food, and I really, really love that. Hot, super tasty food and lots of it!

BLT on bagel

2010-08-20T10:09:00.004-04:00

...for $2.89 at Bagel & Co. in the PATH at 120 Adelaide St. W., east of York Street. Fresh to order; warm and yummy. Your choice of bagel. Mine? Whole grain.

Life's little indulgences. Love it.

La Bettola di Terroni

2010-08-18T11:33:00.000-04:00

I met my friend Yasmin (@yasminATlesauce) a couple of week's ago at Terroni's latest empire addition, La Bettola di Terroni, the wine bar at Richmond and Victoria.

It's a really lovely, open, airy space, and has that Terroni Italian wooden rustic charm most Torontonians have come to know and love. We met on a Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 p.m., and I was surprised to see how empty it was, considering every time I've walked into a Terroni, it's packed to the pasta-, pizza- and wine-soaked gills. We sat at the bar and my only slight problem was the stationary swivel chairs. I get it, but I don't necessarily like it.

Service was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful for each person who came around: hostess, bartender, food runner, dish cleaner-upper (i.e. busboy, but seems like such an archaic term, no?). We had a half litre of wine, and right now I'm still treating wine like boys -- can't really remember their names but I know whether I liked the way they smelled and tasted -- and this wine, on the dry and crisp side, I definitely liked.

We also split the rice cones ($9) to nibble on, and they couldn't be more perfect little golden browned Christmas trees, filled with creamy tomato risotto and spring peas. A little arugula and shaved pecorino (maybe parmigiano-reggiano?) on the plate, and satisfaction complete.

But wait, there's more! From 4-6 on weekdays, if you sit at the bar, the kitchen dishes up little crostini bites for free. So we had a nice fresh tomato bruschetta, and something else... something else... shaved pecorino again, but in any case, I do love that Terroni always serves up quality ingredients.

I'm more into scotch than wine at the moment, but this La Bettola is easily a nice laid-back after-work drink and nibblies spot where you can actually have a conversation with the persons you're with.

I approve Terroni. You're back in my good books.

Summertime Eating

2010-08-01T20:05:00.000-04:00

I'm losing interest in eating out. My friend said it's probably because it's summertime, and it's difficult to eat heavy, rich meals during summer, which is obvious and true.

All I have a taste for these days is crisp, crunchy cold vegetables, and sweet, tart, fleshy fruits.

I've eaten at a number of higher-end upscale restaurants since returning from Asia (Nota Bene, Ruby Watch Co., Splendido), and I've noticed my taste for food is very different now. I know this is going to sound so pretentious but I feel like my palette and knowledge of food is so high now that "fancy" food will inevitably always be flawed. Because what I want is freshness altered slightly to my taste (i.e. salt, pepper, maybe a little of olive oil or lemon).

My sister said to me a couple of summers ago that she's tired of food. All she wants is to grow the perfect tomato and eat it. I thought at the time she was crazy.

Now all I want to do is grow the perfect tomato and eat it.

I will probably continue to eat out, just because it's the most social activity I do but I know the food experience is different for me now. I don't think my interest in eating out is gone forever, but it's definitely on pause at the moment.

Spanish tapas and paella: La Sala Rosa in Montreal

2010-08-01T19:53:00.002-04:00

Tapas is a "fancy" Spanish word for appetizers, but it's not, really. What I love about tapas is it's everything food should be -- sharing lots of little meals between friends and family, so you can experience a range of foods and flavours with the people you love and enjoy being around. It is what I love about food the most.

My 17-year-old cousin Rochelle from Tampa, Florida is visiting Montreal this summer. Her family comes up to Toronto every other year, and this is their "off" year, so when I found out she would be in Montreal on her own, staying with my sister, I decided a weekend road trip was in order.

She's a budding foodie. Reading about food, cooking new recipes, trying new places, as much as a 17-year-old can try. So when she mentioned that she read about this place called Casa del Popolo in Montreal, after looking at the website, and spotting paella, I decided we should go for dinner when I came.

But Casa del Popolo is the casual sandwiches and soups-type eatery. It's La Sala Rosa that is the dinner venue. I went with Ro, my 18-year-old cousin Michelle from Toronto who road-tripped with me, and of course, my sister and her husband. It was a really simple meal but reasonably priced and not your typical restaurant. Very unassuming from the front, but a warm, Spanish feel in the actual dining space. (Or maybe faux Spanish? I can't really make a true comparison because I've never been to Spain before.)

The server was extremely accommodating, even bringing us the paella plate when I asked how big the portion would be. For tapas, we had warm asparagus "salad" with roasted mushrooms; a marlin brochette on rice; fried potatoes with rosemary; mussels in a white wine sauce; and grilled calamari. We had a chicken, chorizo and shrimp paella. I had a glass of wine, my brother-in-law had a beer, and we also ordered two iced teas.

The music was a bit strange: high-pitched opera-ish (but not really) folksy music that made my younger cousins laugh somewhat uncontrollably at times.

It wasn't the most outstanding meal of my life, but the mix of atmosphere, company, value of food and super congenial service definitely made it one of the most memorable.

Fried potatoes with rosemary; seafood, chicken and chorizo paella. Photos courtesy of my cousin Rochelle.

Sometimes, it can be too late.

2010-06-20T16:01:00.001-04:00

I found out over Twitter yesterday that one of my journalism instructors, Cynthia Brouse, died after battling breast cancer for years.

I wasn't sure how to feel. Sadness, of course, but mostly I was in shock. For nearly a year, there has been a letter addressed to Cynthia Brouse, sitting in the drafts folder of my email account. In it, I try to articulate how grateful I was for that one day in 3rd year university when she took me out into the hallway before her copy editing and fact checking class to tell me that she saw I had leadership potential for the Ryerson Review of Journalism, the major magazine I could create with my peers the following year if I stayed within the magazine stream.

I struggled enormously with that decision, and in the end, largely because Cynthia had said out loud to me what I was feeling, I chose the RRJ and 4th year turned out to be not only one of the best learning experiences I had to date, but I formed important bonds and relationships with people I don't think I would have otherwise.

I learned a long time ago that if you have something good to say about a person, you should probably say it in that moment, no matter how silly it may seem or how embarrassed you may feel. Last summer, it dawned on me suddenly if it weren't for those five minutes Cynthia took with me, the remainder of my university career may have turned out very differently—and my love for magazines may not have been as fostered as it was if I had not immersed myself in the Ryerson Review. So I sat down to write Cynthia a thank-you email, knowing she was a religious email checker and responder.

But for whatever reason, I never felt the words were right. I couldn't finish writing what I started. Other things came up in my life, and I thought Cynthia would be there. I would finish it eventually and she'd know just how significant she was in my magazine journalism education. Instead, I'm staring at a Tweet, reading the words "RIP Cynthia Brouse," knowing there is a thank-you letter sitting in my email account that will never be sent and will be there forever, incomplete.

2010-04-26T00:04:00.001-04:00

"We work in the dark—we do what we can—we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art."

-Henry James

2010-03-31T16:48:00.001-04:00

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."

-Japanese proverb

Banana leafs and dosas

2010-03-31T14:59:00.000-04:00

It was my last day in Kuala Lumpur. Everyone at my hostel said they ate fantastic food at this Indian place around the corner. So I went there for lunch and dinner.

I wasn't even sure what I was ordering for lunch. I saw people eating lots of interesting curries off a banana leaf, and I wanted a banana leaf as a plate too. I was too shy to ask for a fork, so cleansed with Purell, I ate with my hands. There was way more food on the plate than shown above. Servers kept coming around with silver pots, scooping mounds of unidentifiable dishes on to my leaf; and seeing how my right hand had now become my utensil, it was impossible to take more photos, lest I wanted to be licking curry off my screen.

I've never eaten rice with my hands before. In the summer, I was convinced by an Atlantic article to eat salad with my hands; but after experiencing rice, I'm not quite convinced. The stickiness and dirtiness of my hands afterward is too much. But it was fun!

At dinner, I went overboard by ordering a roti and a dosa. Those are my two plates at the bottom. The top plate was my friend's vegetable curries.

Despite my truly magical enormous appetite, I could not finish my double dosage meal.

By the way, lunch and dinner only cost me CDN$6 each meal (total). No tax or tip necessary.

I never knew...

2010-03-24T08:02:00.002-04:00

...that they drink out of plastic bags in Kuala Lumpur. (And other Asian countries.)

Eating in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown

2010-03-23T16:23:00.000-04:00

I'm Chinese, and grew up with a father who is an amazing cook, and I ate great homemade Chinese food all my life. Then I visited Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown, ate one dinner and said, "I've never eaten Chinese food in my life before till now."

I met up with a friend of a friend from Toronto, and his girlfriend, who was actually from Kuala Lumpur and lived there most of her life. She took us to an ordinary-looking restaurant in Chinatown with plastic cups, bowls and chopsticks. Then she ordered us one of the most delicious meals of my life.

In the bottom right-hand corner is marmite chicken; to the left is spicy fried pork, and up top is garlic-sauteed bok choy. All incredibly simply dishes that were so ridiculously flavourful. You get sweet and savoury, and saucy, and crunch, with garlic and veggies, and I love when food has so many layers.

I never knew Chinese food could have so many layers.

Caplansky's

2010-03-22T06:49:00.007-04:00

356 College St.
Toronto, ON
(416) 500-3852
www.caplanskys.com
Date Visited: Sunday March 14, 2010

Before Caplansky's had its College Street opening, I read and heard a lot about how wonderful the smoked meat was. How it was -- get this -- Toronto's answer to Montreal's Schwartz's! Uh, skeptical? Yeah, I certainly was. (And my pitiful Schwartz's post needs a new one because two summers ago we had a smoked meat taste test in Montreal that needs to be documented properly.)

When we sat down for lunch, I was tempted to order the BBQ Brisket on a Bun ($8) but decided the good ol'7 oz. smoked meat on rye (also $8) needed to be tasted before anything else.

Verdict? I liked but I didn't love. The meat was dry in some places and then too much fat in others. There was something off about the rye bread as well. I'm a stickler when it comes to my carbs. Oddly, I don't think the bread was dry enough. (How is that even possible...) And of course, the seasoning was nothing special, and for all you Schwartz's fans out there, you know it's Schwartz's spicy, peppery seasoning that takes its meat above and beyond.

Oh well. Maybe next time I'll try the BBQ brisket. Good atmosphere though, and servers are extra accommodating.

Iron Cupcake Toronto

2010-03-21T07:45:00.002-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of cupcakes but one of my closest friends, Stephanie, is. (In fact, there's a crazy personalized NYC cupcake tour posting that still needs to be written...) So when I heard the Liberty Village cupcake shop, For the Love of Cake, was hosting Toronto's first Iron Cupcake competition, and that the secret ingredient was going to be beer in honour of St. Patrick's Day, I decided we should go.

It was chaotic and packed but we somehow wound up relatively close to the front of the line when they started handing out the mini cupcakes. This is how it worked:

Each person had a ticket with 4 of 16 numbers on it, and so you were judging four of sixteen cupcakes.
The other side of your ticket listed all 16 numbers, and you judged visually who you thought had the most aesthetically pleasing cupcake display, aligned with the St. Patty's Day theme of green.

Cover was $5, and it included the four mini cupcakes plus tea was being given out for free. I felt a little jipped because apparently No. 4 had some sort of accident. My friend heard "baking accident"; I heard car. I hope it wasn't car.

The one in the upper left-hand corner was No. 15 and the ultimate judges' winner. It was also the one Steph chose as her favourite -- I think mainly because the cream cheese topping really pushed that particular cupcake to a higher state of deliciousness. The one in the upper right-hand corner, No. 16, was People's Choice and had my favourite visual presentation.

The baker called it "Morning After St. Patty's Day." As you can see, there are little Guinness "cans" spread around the bed and even a mini Advil box on the nightstand. Now that is some serious creativity and theme dedication.

We also liked this cheese spread one, though it's difficult to make out the cupcake in this shot. (It's underneath the pretzel sticks.)

For the most part, all the cupcakes we sampled were very good. It was funny to sit on a floor, at a little table, swapping these mini baked goods and trying to debate the finer points of why one may be better than the other. Except for one of Steph's cupcakes, I couldn't really taste the beer component in any of them. But I think it would be fun to experiment next time I whip up my own batch.

Apple pie

2010-03-20T07:16:00.001-04:00

I'm deleting photos from my hard drive and noticed this photo filed under the "Food Blog" folder, but no post of it. I probably Twitpic-ed it and let it go.

This pie was made back way back in October, you know, prime pie-making apple season. I cheated and bought frozen Tenderflake pastry, using the second pie sheet as the top, which is why it looks so odd and bubbly. It still tasted delicious though. I used Canadian Living's "Best-Ever Apple Pie" filling recipe.

Next time, I'll make the pastry from scratch... maybe.

"Who'd you rather be? The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?"

2010-03-20T01:50:00.001-04:00

This song always makes me feel so damn amazing.

2010-03-19T15:08:00.008-04:00

"Have you ever eaten a mango in the shower?"

-Darcy Hagerman via Jess Lemon at Moksha Yoga North York

Malay curry laksa!!

2010-03-19T00:00:00.002-04:00

I don't try to pretend that I know all the flavours, cuisines, cooking methods, restaurants, cultures, people of the world. All I know is what I like and what I don't. And I like curry laksa. Correction: I love it. Funny, because the only time I ever had it was in Kuala Lumpur.

It was a couple of stalls down from where I had my chicken noodle soup breakfast. I ordered laksa, thinking it was something else actually. What it is essentially is noodles in a spicy curry broth with chicken, fried tofu, cockles (i.e. little clams) and lots of cilantro (or at least I prefer lots of cilantro!). I'm sure there are tons of variations but this is very Malaysian-style. Two noodle soups in one very hot and humid day. I felt really Asian.

I also had curry laksa in Singapore later on, where apparently the style there is to use a lot of coconut milk so the broth is whiter and ... um, milkier, and sweeter, which I did not like.

2010-03-15T06:24:00.001-04:00

"If you have a sense of caring for others, you will manifest a kind of inner strength in spite of your own difficulties and problems."

-@DalaiLama

Kuala Lumpur's Little India

2010-03-14T06:34:00.003-04:00

With the KL Tower behind me, I walked down this road looking for Chinatown.

But I wound up in Little India instead, and stumbled upon a shop with a stellar display of Indian sweets. I couldn't resist even if it was 11 in the morning.

Indian sweets come in all shapes and sizes, and this teeny, doughnut-like one caught my eye. It somehow was a perfect blend of dense but flaky; syrupy sweetness without overcoating my mouth. Little India, and Kuala Lumpur in general was a great wonder of outdoor food stands for every possible food imaginable.

From grilled fishes... (that I did not try)...

...to fresh waffles...

...that I did try, with strawberry jam folded inside.

I have awful childhood memories of my mom making homemade Belgian waffles with one of those fancy wafflemakers. Yeah, you read that right. I said, awful childhood memories of a mother making what's supposed to be delicious breakfast foodstuffs for you from scratch. I don't know why but the smell when I woke up in the morning always made me nauseous as a kid. So to this day, I have a strange phobia when it comes to waffles. Every time someone has them, I do try a little bit, just to check and I actually have had no bad experiences with waffles since I was a kid. So I may actually start to enjoy them without hesitation in the next few months. I can feel it coming.

After all, I liked this waffle on KL's streets and ordered it by my own brave self.

Chicken noodle soup

2010-03-13T11:26:00.002-05:00

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Kolkata, India at 11:30 p.m. local time. By the time I arrived at my hostel via bus from the budget airline terminal, it was nearly 1 a.m. It was my first trip to Asia: a solo backpacking experience I designed for myself as a brash, strong-headed kid, who recently graduated with her bachelor of journalism and wanted to taste adventure. Having tasted life in Kolkata, I was ready to call it quits, but I kept it going somehow and decided when facing defeat, I would eat.

The next morning, I set out at 9 a.m. humidity in search of food. I wasn't sure what I wanted to eat but I stuck to the rule that if the place is busy with locals, it should be good. By the end of this southeast Asia tour, I found it was the best rule I could arm myself with when it came to experiencing the authentic daily meals of every city.

Somehow I lucked out with a hostel that was located just down the street from one of the most popular food stall strips in KL. I stumbled upon a couple of fellows frying up bacon, which completely blew my mind. I thought this was supposed to be an Islamic country...

As much as bacon tempted me, the place was more of a market than a sit-down place. If they were layering those delicious pieces of fat on bread with some eggs, I would've been all over it. Instead I opted for the guy who called me over to his stand with the plastic chairs and tables set up right off the sidewalk.

I opted for what everyone else was eating -- or at least looked like they were eating: chicken noodle soup, Asian-style, of course.

It was simple, hot and dirt cheap. It was the first time I ate noodle soup for breakfast, though it's virtually common practice throughout Asia.

I felt ready for exploration.

On hiatus.

2010-01-07T00:29:00.003-05:00

I'm currently travelling through India and southeast Asia so I won't be updating for awhile. I may launch a new blog specifically for my trip but for now, don't expect to hear from me for a few months.

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant

2009-11-16T15:37:00.002-05:00

The first time I may have heard of Gio Rana's was way back when Christine Cushing Live still existed on the Food Network as a new show. But then again, it could've been when I was 16 and read Toronto Life's little red restaurant review book before I went to sleep at night, as if it were the best page-turning thriller novel of my life.

No matter because I will always remember the first time I actually visited and, more importantly, ate at Gio Rana's: this past Saturday night with three great, food-loving university girlfriends.

I love eating, but the experience of eating is so wonderfully enhanced when the people you're with love to share food, drink wine, talk loudly, laugh inappropriately, and don't fuss over how to split the bill when it arrives.

For appetizers, we went for grilled calamari (how could we not? $7.95), prosciutto with fig and goat cheese (so simple but tasty $6.95), and the mother of all meatballs (easily bigger than my fist yet somehow perfectly cooked inside-through-out $7.95). For main, I had bites of osso buco (sticky, sweet, warm and comforting $15.95), veal parm (saucy, meaty, hearty $??) and ordered a whole grilled seabass ($19.95) all to myself. I'm greedy, I know.

I love whole fish. This seabass was paper-thin crispy (like Korean fried chicken!) on the outside, and flaky and moist on the inside. There were some parts that were a little dry but for $20, it's hard to go wrong; especially considering the other whole fish I've had were more in the $30 range (Vertical and my regular Italian spot, Sapori at Yonge&Lawrence).

I drank a merlot and had a great cappaccino -- it's been a long time since I've had great coffee. We ended it all with a chocolate brownie in caramel sauce and berries ($7.95?), and a goat cheese cheesecake with a keylime sauce ($7.95?). I've grown away from chocolate desserts (although I still love them) and am so drawn to citrusy flavours now. So I pretty much devoured the cheesecake. I wasn't sure how I would like the goat-cheesiness, and I loved.

Service was amicable and attentive enough (except with the bill, but we were okay to linger). Place was busy, loud, conversational, dim with candlelight and all woods. Table too small for all of our foodiness.

I'm still having dreams about the meal.

Meatless Days continue, just maybe not always Monday

2009-10-22T21:40:00.004-04:00

I'm still doing Meatless Mondays but I'm done trying to document them. It hasn't turned out to be the grand cooking experiment I had hoped but it has made me more mindful of my eating.

Last week, I ate some of my brother's deli sandwich on Monday, again, forgetting what I was doing just because food was in front of me.

So this week, I couldn't go meatless on Monday but I did Tuesday and today. And I didn't miss meat either days. I think that's a huge improvement from when I started actively challenging my regular habits two months ago.

I'm not sure what my "ultimate" goal is, but I know as time progresses, I will continue to lessen my meat intake. I still expect meat to be a regular part of my diet but I hope to change the frequency.

Torito Tapas Bar

2009-10-21T22:46:00.005-04:00

It took nearly two months but the fine Twitter foodie dinner for four finally happened.

One is vegetarian, does eat eggs and cheese. Another rules out pork because of religion. The third is wildly (my word) allergic to mushrooms (but luckily not truffles). And the final will eat anything in sight that is edible. Can you guess which one is me?

Individually, the food restrictions aren't that challenging but together I thought it may pose a problem since we were doing tapas, sharing-style. But it turned out to be an excellently executed ordering of various food stuffs: Spanish tortilla of egg and potato, roasted beet salad with goat cheese and lentils, chickpea stew, quail with sweet potato mash and a pomegranate glaze, and grilled sardines with a romano bean-parsley salad. For dessert, churros and an almond cake. Oh, and a hard-hitting Spanish red wine from the Rioja region.

No pictures. Despite the mass food blog-iness of the table, we were too busy enjoying one another's company and the very, very good food.

First time tapas, first time real Spanish food (aside from chorizo sausage and Iberico jamon) for me. I can say confidently all dishes were a great mix of simple but intense flavours. If something was supposed to be light, it was light. If it was supposed to be warm and comforting, it most definitely was. And I think four is definitely the perfect tapas number. We evenly split the bill at $35 each (including tip) and I think we all walked away with satisfied stomachs.

Plus the space is very nice -- warm and inviting, and service is pretty good. Restaurant got quite busy after 8, and unexpectedly loud so it became difficult to hear conversation from across the table. May have needed more wine.

Overall, in conclusion, hurray for food&drink&city lovers! :)

Apple Tarts

2009-10-15T20:41:00.004-04:00

I adore the new cookbook Earth to Table, written by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann, head chef and head pastry chef at the Ancaster Old Mill, respectively.

Jeff and Bettina (I feel like I can call them by their first names because we're Twitter buddies; follow them @Earth_to_Table) are huge advocates of using local, seasonal produce. I love that the cookbook is divided into seasons -- after I finished the intro, I skipped right to fall.

The book is very beautiful and inspiring. The recipes are easy to follow and things like duck confit and fennel pork loin have never seemed so accessible before! But those heavy mains require more time and focus so I decided to start small with apple tarts this past Thanksgiving weekend.

The first batch on Monday didn't turn out like the cookbook's photo, and when I later tweeted about it, @Earth_to_Table told me to bake it longer till golden and crispy. So for my next batch today, I did exactly like that. And they were much better! Definitely crispy.

L: First batch of apple tarts; R: second batch

They still didn't look like the photo in the cookbook though. I think I'm piling the apples too high, and the apple slices may be too big. The butter doesn't drip on to the pastry to make it as golden as I think it should be.

Anyway, I give myself an A for effort, and maybe a B- for execution? It was fun and easy to make. I haven't baked anything in a long time and it's always fun trying something new, even if it's not exactly as gorgeous and tasty as it is in your head.

I'm sure Jeff and Bettina's apple tarts are much better than mine. :)

Throwndown at Mesa Grill: Winner?

2009-10-02T22:12:00.001-04:00

Sunday Brunch: Mesa Grill (102 5th Avenue, www.mesagrill.com/newyorkcity)

I love Bobby Flay. I really do. I get that some people aren't over the standing-on-cutting-board Iron Chef original fiasco, and some never see him ever lose on Throwdown, but he cooks so damn well. Every time one of his Food Network shows ends with the black screen and writing of him owning Mesa Grill, I always think to myself or say out loud, "I want to eat at Mesa Grill." And so I did.

Here's the thing: Even though I hyped it in my head from television, reading scores and scores of New York Times dining reviews, made me realize I was going there for the food, yes, but for the star power as well. Just as I did at Morimoto in Philadelphia. But whereas Morimoto lived up to his name (I met him there after all!), Mesa Grill did not.

The decor seemed strange. Kind of cheap and tacky actually with the fake flames overhead to ... do what ... ? Give a southwestern theme? I felt like I was in Calgary. Service was pleasant but oddly hurried for a relatively non-busy Sunday brunch/lunch hour.

We ordered fresh juice to start. It was great. Very fresh. For $4.50 (all prices in USD). Is that really how much fresh juice costs?

The bread basket was an interesting mix of sweet raisin breads, which were really more like cakes, and little jalapeno scones. For entree, I saw a server carrying Bobby's version of eggs benedict, which I had to have -- two poached eggs on top of cajun chicken with sweet potatoes in an ancho chile hollandaise sauce ($14). It was very filling. And everything was cooked nicely -- egg perfect consistency of runniess; chicken & sweet potatoes tender; hollandaise sauce velvety. But midway through, everything started coming out too sweet, which I thought was weird for a dish that really, seems like it should be more spicy.

It was nice to go, and the meal did it job, and the prices were not too bad, but I couldn't help feel I missed an opportunity to discover a local New York gem of a Sunday brunch place.

Sick on Meatless Monday, Week 6

2009-10-01T20:59:00.002-04:00

I went to Montreal last weekend to visit my sister Martha. My eldest sister Marie came as well with her husband Georges and their son Raja, but they drove while I took the train. We basically spent the whole of Saturday eating. (What else is new, right?) But throughout Saturday, my slightly Friday-morning sore throat blew up to a full-scale hacking cough with runny nose and I felt absolutely horrible by night dessert time.

On Monday morning, back in Toronto, I woke up, got ready for work, and realized what a very foolish idea that was. I sent some work off, crawled back into bed and prayed that my body wouldn't feel like an anvil had smooshed me.

Lacking energy and taste buds (my mouth felt like sandpaper...), I made plain congee with... you guessed it... frozen peas! And ginger-honey tea, with real ginger and honey.

I felt better but my head still hurt and a 3-hour nap following didn't really cure it.

NY Labour Day Weekend Saga: Kyotofu

2009-09-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Friday Lunch: Kyotofu (705 9th Avenue, www.kyotofu-nyc.com)
We came here as part of Steph's personal cupcake tour (which will be the final New York post). In 2007, New York Magazine rated its cupcake as the best in the city, but I also thought it'd be nice to have lunch because the prices seemed reasonable and the menu pretty interesting -- kind of Japanese-French lite.

Like at Chelsea Market, I was surprised to find the place nearly empty, as its small to begin with. The server was über-sweet and accommodating, but I guess that's expected when you're one of two occupied tables. In any case, I was just glad to be seated and have water in front of me. We walked from Chelsea to midtown, and already spent two hours sightseeing.

Each lunch entree came with soup or salad. We both decided on the carrot miso soup, which was rich and creamy and soothing. Steph opted for "pigs in a duvet," berkshire pork sausage wrapped in puff pastry ($10), while I had the shiitake mushroom quiche ($11). I changed my order at the last minute from barbecued unagi because I'm no longer eating non-sustainable fish, and on our way to New York, I got Steph to download the Seafood Watch guide on to her iTouch. Alas, it said unagi is to be avoided.

When our plates arrived, the portions seemed small but somehow we were quite full by the end. I wasn't crazy about Steph's dish because the sausage reminded me a little too much of a hot dog. And my quiche wasn't phenomenal either but I still liked it. If you're in the area during brunch on the weekend though, instead of side salad or soup, the entree comes with a complimentary cocktail, which isn't a bad deal.

As for the cupcake... well, you'll have to wait for my cupcake tour review (and photos) on that one!

Rating (out of five stars): *

A little less means a little more: Meatless Monday, Week 5

2009-09-22T13:33:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to dinner with my friends Karen and Steph. Steph was already well aware of my Meatless Monday pledge, as we went to New York together, and that was plenty of quality time for me to ramble on about sustainable fish and reducing your carbon footprint by giving up meat one day a week, etc., etc. Karen, on the other hand, I haven't seen in awhile so this was all brand new territory for her.

She, of course, said the obvious thing I knew she would say because I've thought about this *problem* myself -- that what's the point? If the non-sustainable fish (or any other animal for consumption) is already caught, killed and prepped, if you don't eat it, someone else will.

I think in some distant past of mine, I used to make this same argument or at least come to this same conclusion for myself. For instance, if my dad makes a meat-ful meal on Monday, and I don't eat it, it'll eventually be consumed by him or my brother or even myself on Tuesday, so how does this equate to a reduction in meat consumption? For that particular problem, I reasoned the way I eat and the way my brother eat (i.e. a lot), I am giving him the chance to eat my meat-ful portion, which means he won't have to cook or buy something else containing meat for another *extra* meat-ful meal.

So if I use that theory stretched to wider consumer demand, I do feel my little decrease of demand can make a difference. In theory, at some point in the chain, there will be an *extra* helping of meat for someone else to eat and thereby they won't need to consume or purchase another portion, thus reducing my carbon footprint.

As an aside, yesterday was the first week since I started Meatless Monday that I had seafood too instead of just vegetables and grain. It was just shrimp, which is sustainable.

NY Labour Day Weekend Saga: Chelsea Market & Amy's Bread

2009-09-21T08:00:00.007-04:00

Friday Breakfast: Chelsea Market, Amy's Bread (75 9th Avenue, www.chelseamarket.com)
Upon 9 a.m. arrival, after dropping our bags off at the Upper West Side hostel and changing, my first choice place to go to was Chelsea Market, where they film Iron Chef America. Somehow I thought I would stumble across Kitchen Stadium and Bobby Flay, or even Alton Brown -- hell, I ran into and chatted up Kevin Brauch at The Drake Hotel once -- but I settled on tomato foccaccia from Amy's Bread instead. After a 12-hour overnight bus ride, it was the best US$2.25 R&R ever.

Chelsea Market itself was very cool with lots of posh bakeries, a high-end milkshake shop, a seafood-focused grocery store and plenty of tables for enjoying a cup of coffee -- but it was all practically empty. Maybe because it was 10 a.m. on a Friday of a long weekend?

I guess I'll never know. While it was fun to check out, I have no pressing need to return next time I'm in Manhattan. Unless, of course, I land a spot on the judges' table for Iron Chef!

NY Labour Day Weekend Saga: DBGB Kitchen & Bar

2009-09-18T21:14:00.003-04:00

Friday Dinner: DBGB Kitchen & Bar (299 Bowery, www.danielnyc.com/dbgb.html)
The latest gem in Daniel Boulud's crown that opened this past May, DBGB Kitchen & Bar is the casual eatery with mains in the $17-25 (all prices listed in US) range, lots of French offal for sharing, and fancy-pants burgers prominently featured. I considered blowing my New York food budget on a single meal at the flagship Daniel, one of only six restaurants with four stars from The New York Times critic Frank Bruni, and sustaining myself on bagels for the rest of the time but I couldn't ask Steph to do the same.

Our friend Kayla, who was also visiting New York that weekend with her sister and aunt, met us at DBGB. The place was packed. Every table in dining and bar room filled. Sleek, cool, dark, metallic with an exposed wrap-around kitchen; copper pots, jar preserves sitting on shelves; black booths and tables; loud but somehow could still hear my friends across the table; a French-accented waiter.

When we sat, before we even glanced at the menu, I promptly told them they were both going to try the bone marrow ($11) I would order. They looked at me skeptically but I insisted. If it was good enough for Top Chef Masters winner Rick Bayless (@Rick_Bayless), it was good enough for me. (I saw him Twitpic the dish the weekend before when he helped his daughter move into the NYU residence from their homebase, Chicago.)

I never had bone marrow before. I don't think I liked it. It had a gelatinous texture I wasn't very crazy about. I suppose you're essentially eating fat, which I'm normally all for, but I couldn't convince my taste buds to think "yummy" for this first time around.

Taking somewhat of a foodie 180, I opted for the Frenchie burger ($17) as main. Pork belly came with it. Do I need to say anything else? My burger was cooked to medium-rare as specified. I don't know what possessed me to ask for such a thing, but it turned out to be a good choice. Slightly bloody, tender meat ( Meatless Mondays have helped me love my carnivorous days that much more). I liked peppery arugula as the green choice; brioche bun was nice and toasty; accompanying fries were crisp, and not those super thin frites crap I've come to dislike. Unfortunately, I don't think I really tasted the pork belly. Yet overall, I think I actually liked the Harbord Room burger more... Or maybe I should stop trying to find the perfect gourmet burger, and just stick to the Johnny's I know and love!

L: Us in the reflection of the DBGB window sign; R: The instructional wallpaper of the washrooms, excuse me, I meant restrooms

Steph got the lemon&rosemary roasted chicken with ratatouille and baked garlic head ($17), while Kayla ate a huge plate of curry mussels ($18), which was completely authentically Thai rather than French. Both were very good. Nothing mind-blowing but comfort food done right.

I'm not sure if I would recommend this place. The bone marrow came quickly but our entrees took a very long time, and I think it's simply because our waiter forget. Another server had to point out to him that we were still waiting. A solid meal, sure, but I'm sure there were lots of other solid meals I could've got out of SoHo, New York.

Rating (out of five stars): *

Meatless Monday, Week 4

2009-09-15T08:00:00.003-04:00

There were only two occasions when I wanted to consume meat, and neither time did the desire arrive when I was actually eating my meatless meal, which I think is a huge step.

Breakfast: Banana and peach. (I realize this may not qualify as breakfast to some, but I'm not exactly an early riser.)

Lunch: Leftover fusili pasta with red&orange peppers and frozen peas that I made for Sunday night dinner. Are you starting to see a theme here with peppers, peas and pasta? It seems to be what's always available in my house. I'm not sure why my dad is obsessed with buying peppers, but they are always there, newly bought, without fail, every week. I've also taken to adding butter and 35% cream to everything. Butter and cream makes life better in every way.

Meat "craving" No.1: Kenzo Ramen noodles thanks to @chantalbraganza's post yesterday. I was meeting Irene later that day for dinner and a TIFF movie. I had already decided on Jules Bistro at Queen and Spadina, but thought of changing it to Kenzo at Dundas and Bay. (We rushed The Invention of Lying by Ricky Gervais -- of The Office and Extras TV shows fame -- at the Elgin theatre at Queen and Yonge.) Then I realized, a vegetarian ramen would not fulfill my desire to recreate my Momofuku Noodle Bar experience. So stuck to Jules. Later, I would find out vegetarian ramen -- even bad vegetarian ramen -- would have beat Jules without a blink.

Meat "craving" No. 2: Jules Happy Hour special is steak frites for $12.95. I contemplated breaking my Meatless Monday vow for a total of five seconds. French bistro vegetarian food was tempting enough to sate my craving. Again, how wrong I was.

Dinner: Jules Vegetarian Sandwich of ratatouille and dijon; plus vegetarian French onion soup ($12.95 all together). An incredibly small portion for 13 bucks. Food was fine but seriously I felt jipped. Plus, I wasn't keen on the service. I get really annoyed by servers who are sweet from the onset, and slowly become more stiff and curt, and are outright rude by the end of it just because I'm not ordering an expensive meal. At one point, I also thought the streak frites may have been better value but probably not. It probably would have been a cracker-size and cracker-thickness piece of flank with possibly 10 frites for accompaniment.

Dessert: Small coffee and chocolate chip cookie at Le Gourmand. Thank gawd for that monster cookie. It filled me right up and gave me the fuel I needed for a two-hour TIFF rush-line wait.

P.S. The Invention of Lying was so much better than I anticipated. Not sure if I would recommend watching it in theatres but it's definitely an unusual (in a good way) storyline.

***Update: Apparently all of Kenzo's broths are pork-based. There are no vegetarian options, which seems very un-Japanese to me.***

Fanfreakintastic Momofuku Meal

2009-09-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave

New York, NY

(212) 777-7773
www.momofuku.com
Proprietor, Head Chef & Mini-Resto Empire Mogul: David Chang
Date visited: Saturday September 5, 2009
Small plates $9-15; large $11-20 (all prices in USD)

If you haven't heard about Momofuku before, well, you just suck. It's chef David Chang's mini New York restaurant empire that includes a noodle bar, a ssam bar, a slightly more "upscale" tasting menu restaurant Ko, and a dessert/pastry "milk" bar. In 2007, Chang won the James Beard Foundation rising star award for best new chef.

But enough about accolades. This blog is about me.

We were on a budget for New York, so I decided on the noodle bar as the most cost-effective way to experience Momofuku. The casual eateries have no-reservation policies, and we waited nearly an hour for a table but it was worth it. We ended up being seated at the open-kitchen bar, and I know because of this chance seating, this meal will go down as one of my most memorable.

From top left, clockwise: Prepping steamed buns; getting Momofuku ramen noodles ready; cracking perfectly poached eggs; plating roasted corn with potatoes

We were right in front of the action, and I was giddy with delight. Watching the chefs prep and cook, learning the processes of the kitchen, seeing the efficiencies and the behaviours... and smelling the smells... A meal at its coolest point.

Steph and I started with Momofuku Soju Slushies ($5 each for a small) -- hers watermelon, mine spicy ginger. Soju is a strong, clear Korean liquor made primarily from rice. I'm not a huge soju fan but these slushies were delightful. The alcohol content was wicked strong and I was glowing beet red (as usual) in no time, but I loved drinking something spicy and cold.

I don't know if it's because I ordered the prix-fixe (probably), but we got a surprise amuse of grilled peach, salty ham and mint. And I just read on the website that "momofuku" means "lucky peach." Lucky indeed. A cleverly themed amuse with the added advantage that it is just at the end of peach season. The amuse was a great contrast and fun burst of flavours in my mouth. I was deliriously happy already.

The prix-fixe was four courses for $30. All Momofuku restaurants change the menu daily according to what looks good in the market that day. They have a very close relationship with the farmers they source from. So how could I not do the prix-fixe? I didn't even really understand the descriptions I was reading - tataki, bibim, skate. I've never heard of tataki before; Chantal (@chantalbraganza) just introduced me to bibim rice this past year; and sadly I didn't know skate was a type of fish. Anyway, the website says the food is American, but who are we kidding here? This food is better characterized as Korean and Japanese with American-style sensibilities.

So here's the breakdown of my meal:

1st course: beef tataki - a rare steak salad with roasted chilis

I'm starting to fall in love with rare beef. Tasting all the strands and fibres of the meat... That's all I can say. I love it.

2nd course: bibim spicy noodles with pork shoulder and a soy-marinated soft-boiled egg (Chang is infamous for his love of eggs)

I'm not super keen on the ubiquitous Korean "red sauce." I don't know why but I just know it's not my favourite. I still really liked this dish though. I think because the pork shoulder meat was nice and tender, and the egg yolk had been cooked to this cool almost jello-like consistency.

3rd course: roasted skate on a bed of heirloom cherry tomatoes
The skate was a little oversalted but a fine piece of fish on fresh veggies. I can't complain.

4th course: house-made angel food cake and strawberry soft serve ice cream with graham crumbs

This tasted like a reverse cheesecake. Which was a great thing.

The meal may not have been the most glamourous, but everything was fresh (after all, I watched them prepare every single dish), innovative and cooked consistently. I loved my meal and am very happy I ordered it; but I also loved that Steph opted for the Momofuku Ramen Noodle, which includes pork belly, pork shoulder and a poached egg. I love this concept of having a soft egg served to you in a super aromatic broth, so that you have the pleasure of breaking it and mixing it in yourself.

And so you can also enjoy this pleasure, I videotaped it and did a play-by-play commentary because I was pretty tipsy off the soju by this point. I only wish you could smell it too:

I want to try Ssam Bar next time I'm in town. I would move to the East Village just so I could eat Momofuku every week.

By the way, all together the entire meal cost us $70, including tax and tip. Service was spot on and we were very full by the end of it.

Rating (out of five stars): *****

Unidentified Flying Chickens

2009-09-11T11:31:00.015-04:00

7122 Roosevelt Ave
Flushing, NY
11372, USA
(718) 205-6662
http://ufchicken.com/
Owner: Young Jin
Small plate $10, large $18 (USD)

For Labour Day weekend, I went to New York for my first time ever. And me being me, I designed the entire trip around where to eat. No meal was left unplanned. On Sunday night, after watching The Lion King on Broadway in the afternoon, Stephanie and I trekked out to Queens for Korean fried chicken.

I never heard of such a thing before, but trusty Twitter led me to the suggestion via @rolandgonzales. He pointed me to a 2007 New York Magazine article that gave UFC a hefty five drumsticks out of five. Up until this point, Steph and I had not left Manhattan. Why would anyone need to leave Manhattan? And we were taken aback when we found ourselves in a down-and-out, mostly Latino neighbourhood where when I asked for directions, people either said they didn't speak English or stared at me blankly or ignored me entirely!

In any case, the eatery was not even a block away from the Roosevelt-Jackson Heights subway stop, and we found it soon enough.

I expected the place to be hopping, and signs of no one was not a good sign to me. But it was Sunday night, 7 p.m. on a long weekend -- not exactly the best time for fried eats and beer.

My friend Steph took one of these chopsticks home because she loved the logo.

On the ground level is the take-out shop, and downstairs is a small dining room. Green walls, flat screen TVs playing episodes of The X-Files, and a very sweet, smiling server who sounded like she just aced her English-as-a-second-language exam. The menu didn't have many choices. The fried chicken option is divided into drumsticks, wings, or drumsticks&wings; and you can pick small or large. If you choose large, you can try two sauces and it comes with two sides.

The sides are completely filler. It was like eating bagged lettuce, store-bought dressing, and that pre-made macaroni salad crap (I have always hated macaroni salad from childhood to adulthood). But the chicken... my god... the chicken. This is why people need to leave Manhattan.

Our plate of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Sweet&spicy on the left, soy&ginger on the right.

I knew it was going to be like American wings, but I didn't know why it was going to be so different. We ordered large drumsticks&wings, half sweet&spicy, the other half soy&ginger. (Normally I'd just go for hot but Steph can't handle heat.) As soon as we took our first bite, we knew we discovered fried chicken like no other. The skin is perfectly thin and crispy throughout. No sogginess, no little nubby bits of fried breaded batter -- just a smooth but crunchy layer. And the meat was ridiculously tender and moist, no part under- or overcooked. The sauces were great too -- a light coating of tangy, sweet, salty sauces.

I wondered out loud why I never knew of this before? Toronto has a huge Korean population with at least two very distinct Koreatowns. I was determined to find the dish upon return.

In the meantime, we ate about two-thirds of the plate, and thought we could not eat anymore. But the crispiness, the tenderness, the sauciness was tempting me, and before we knew it, it was all done.

I will never look at wings the same way ever again.

Rating (out of five stars): *****
To read more about Korean fried chicken, here is a great New York Times article about it from 2007.

Redemption for Week 3: Meatless Wednesday

2009-09-10T15:21:00.005-04:00

I love bechemal. Velvety, creamy, ivory white bechemal sauce. When I first started making bechemals, I looked up recipes and followed measurements. Now I wing it: butter, flour, milk/cream, cheese -- done.

Some bechemals have been terrible. Others have been divine. And sometimes I stumble upon new creations, like once I somehow ended up with a brown butter sauce. The nutty, buttery flavour was a stand-out.

But I've been trying, as I'm sure many, many cooks have tried in skipping the separate sauce pan part, and make my pasta creamy and buttery in one shot. And you know what? It worked. After draining my pasta, putting the stove at low heat, I added a couple of tablespoons of butter and slowly worked in 35% cream right over the cooked spaghetti. Mix, mix, mix and suddenly I was done. (No cheese because I had nothing in the fridge but those processed Black Diamond singles I stupidly put in the quasedilla last week.)

I added a little jarred tomato sauce, a handful of frozen peas, chili flakes, chili olive oil and instant creamy pasta for me. I was sad when I failed Meatless Monday this week, but I think I definitely made up for it yesterday.

Week 3: Meatless Monday in NYC

2009-09-08T11:15:00.005-04:00

I failed. I ate meat. Due to sheer forgetfulness.

I took my first trip to New York, New York this past Labour Day weekend and it was a trip completely designed around eating in the city (more on those meals later this week). The only meal I didn't have planned out was Monday morning breakfast/lunch before we left for home in the early afternoon. It all depended on whether we had enough cash left over to spoil ourselves at Norma's at the Parker Meridian Hotel on Central Park South, which @JenniferBylok said is the best brunch of life. Or not.

It turned out to be not.

But I had told my friend from the beginning, I can't eat meat on Monday.

Then we were at a cafe on the Upper West Side, ordering our food. We paid, sat down on the patio and out came my bagel and soup. I slurped up my soup, happy to have something warm soothe my throat, when I realized there was chicken in it and I ate the chicken already.

I had said the words "chicken pasta soup" when I ordered but it didn't occur to me what I was doing.

I was going to make up for it today but I only had tofu&ground pork in the fridge for lunch, and I don't want to buy anything after spending so much this weekend. I will make up for it tomorrow. Meatless Wednesday.

The Queen and Beaver Public House

2009-09-02T08:00:00.003-04:00

35 Elm St

Toronto, ON

(647) 374-2712
www.queenandbeaverpub.ca
Chef: Andrew Carter (@ARJCarter)
Date visited: Friday July 17, 2009
Apps/snacks $4-12; sandwiches/burgers/pot pies $14-17; mains $17-23

1. Most interesting menu in Toronto I've seen in a long time.
2. The food is "authentic" English pub fare.
3. Fried cod cheeks and tongues. That's why I came.

Victorian home, mismatched but matched decor, over-sized comfy chairs, the Queen's photos all over the place, English china with the gold trim and floral patterns. It's a pub you go home to instead of a pub you feel over-greased from.

So the cheeks and tongues. I didn't see the big deal. It was little pieces of fried fish. But the housemade relish that came with it... Now that's a different story. The tangy, honey, slightly spicy, citrusy relish -- I could eat that for days.

For main, apple cider braised duck leg in a curry sauce ($17) -- I don't think there's anything else to describe. The duck was a little dry, and the apple cider could've stood out in flavour a bit more, but the curry sauce was a nice accompaniment and I had no trouble eating it all up.

Now, here's what you should go for: The Q&B BLT with maple glazed pork belly, butter lettuce and smokey tomatoes ($16). It was best BLT of life. The pork belly was mouth-watering -- smokey, sweet, meaty, salty.

To end, sticky toffee pudding ($9) because we're at a British pub, and sticky toffee pudding has climbed the ranks of being my favourite dessert over the long-time stranglehold of creme brulee. The pudding was definitely traditional -- warm caramel toffee goo that keeps your soul filled. (Not better than Nota Bene's! but nothing to complain about either.)

Service was pleasant, but kitchen was somewhat painfully slow to deliver. I'll chalk that up to still trying to get into the routine of things (they opened on June 15, and there were two large parties when we went).

In any case, screw the bad reviews from The Globe & Mail and Toronto Star. Q&B, I like you.

Rating (out of five stars): **1/2

Meatless Mondays, Week 2: Deprivation Sets In

2009-08-31T23:02:00.004-04:00

Looks yummy, right? Yellow&red peppers, mangoes and peaches dressed in sesame oil, honey, chili flakes and lemon neatly packaged within a romaine lettuce leaf and tortilla. And it was yummy. But not at all satisfying, because yesterday I did the exact same thing for a beach picnic with girlfriends -- except for stupid peaches, I had turkey slices in that baby. Moist, salty turkey. So all I could think about when I was eating this at lunch was, "Hmm. This is good. But turkey would make it a whole lot better."

Cut to dinner.

I've had a sore throat since Thursday morning, slight cough. My dad works nights and has heard me coughing around the house so he made me congee for dinner tonight. I love congee. If you didn't grow up with it, it's just slimy white goop, but it is very soothing and you can add virtually anything to it for flavour. Including chicken. I hadn't told my dad about my Meatless Monday pursuit so he callously threw chicken into the congee.

How do the rules apply in a situation like this? I haven't figured it out yet but it was the type of thing I used to use as an excuse to convince myself out of (non-)eating commitments like this. So I carefully ladled around the chicken pieces as best as I could (forgive me if I consumed a couple of strands) and added a huge helping of frozen peas when I heated it up. I will tell you right now -- I felt like I was depriving myself for reasons unknown.

Congee wasn't enough though. I didn't feel full even though it was a considerable helping. So I scraped through the fridge and made a quesadilla from Black Diamond mozzarella cheese singles, yellow peppers, button mushrooms and tomatoes. What I learned from this: processed cheese in a quesadilla still tastes like processed cheese. I soothed my pain with a Dairy Milk vanilla ice cream bar.

Tuesday has never looked so good before.

Pizzeria Libretto

2009-08-29T08:00:00.011-04:00

221 Ossington Avenue
Toronto, ON
M6J 2Z8
(416) 532-8000
www.pizzerialibretto.com; follow on Twitter @PizzaLibretto
Chef: Rocco Agostino
Appetizers $5-10; pizzas $10-18; 4-course summer prix fixe $25

Was it the best pizza I've ever had in my life before? No. Was it one of the most freshest tasting for a great price? Yes.

I was skeptical about Libretto. All the raving and the moaning and the oohs and ahhs. I get it. It's good. But the no-reservation policy? The line-up for an hour? Not so good. But the wine helped. And in the end, it was worth the wait. I generally liked the place though. Communal dining tables, chalkboard menus, huge open wood-fire burning oven in the back for zapping the pizzas to a perfect 90-second blistering Napalese-style finish. Yes. I liked. My only problem was the noise level -- way, way loud. Not the place to go if you're looking to have a real conversation with someone.

First time, I split the $25 summer prix fixe of bruschetta, heirloom tomato caprese salad, wild mushroom pizza and blueberry panna cotta. My dining partner was vegetarian. It was a lot of food and great for sharing, although the three other people in our group had a prix fixe to each person and polished their plates without a problem. But like I said at the beginning: not the best pizza of my life but everything was so goddamn fresh. And the thin, charred-on-the-outside, foldable crust may have been my favourite part. (Plus chili oil. I wonder if Libretto makes its own chili oil? If not, it should. It's dead easy to do.)

Second time, with two other friends, we got the $25 prix fixe, but chose the duck confit pizza and strawberries with sabayon instead. And we also ordered a margherita a la carte to share. I loved the traditional marg. I think margs show the true colours of a pizzeria -- if you master the simplicity of tomatoes, basil and mozz, you're good in my books.

But I absolutely adored the duck confit pizza -- succulent shreds of duck meat, sweet caramelized bosc pear slices and ooey-gooey Ontario mozzarella.

The bruschetta and caprese were satisfying but forgettable. I do like that Libretto is all about using locally sourced ingredients though instead of some bullshit attitude about how true Naples pizza is only true if you rack up your carbon miles by sourcing from Italy. People, the reason why Naples pizza is so good is because they use the freshest ingredients that travel very few miles and was made right in their own backyards. Get it? Good.

There was lots of Twitter rave about the panna cotta but I like Terroni's panna cotta better. Libretto's was a little too wobbly for my tastes. I did very much like the sabayon -- a simple, creamy, Prosecco-infused sweet treat to end the meal.

Rating (out of five stars): ***1/2

Foodie Meet No. 2: Wine, wine, wine edition

2009-08-27T23:13:00.005-04:00

The first Foodie Meet hosted by Andrea Chiu (@TOfoodie) and Suresh Doss (@spotlightcity) of Spotlight Toronto was in June at Brassaii, and it was a huge success. Free to tweeters and non-tweeters alike, it was a word-of-mouth Twitter operation that brought together at least 50 food-minded people on to one gorgeous Toronto patio.

There was a free raffle for great prizes, including a signed copy of Ferran Adria's A Day at elBulli that I just happened to win; free samplings of Toronto microbrewery Steam Whistle; wine tastes; complimentary Brassaii breakfast cards; and a specially designed menu for anyone who felt like noshing.

Foodie Meet No. 1 win: A Day at elBulli, signed by chef & owner Ferran Adria

So we knew we'd be in for an equally great -- or even better -- time at the Wine, Wine, Wine Edition, held this past Wednesday evening at Cafe Taste at 1330 Queen Street W., west of Dufferin. Andrea and Suresh set up a smart pricing system: $45 for five wine-and-cheese pairings (plus unlimited pour); $25 for five 2 oz. pours of the wine tasting; and $5 entrance for anyone who couldn't stay for the entire night, or preferred own menu selection.

I opted for the $5 ticket because five glasses of wine would be wasted on me, and I couldn't stay till 11 p.m. They also did another raffle (I won the Top Chef cookbook, which I didn't want but wasn't going to refuse); and author Kathryn Boel read from her upcoming memoir Corked. She was self-deprecating, sassy, clever and hilarious. Plus Cafe Taste owner Jeremy Day was our wine tutor for the night, and he talked about the wines and cheeses sort of like how a lawyer talks about law -- you got the basic concept down, but his capacity for details was hard to keep up with.

Foodie Meet No. 2 win: Top Chef cookbook

A couple of interesting things I learned about wine last night:

1. There is no use in cleaning your palette with water from one wine to the next because there are about 500 compounds in a wine, and two will only have about 35 in common. So better to cleanse with your next wine!
2. The idea behind drinking wine and eating cheese together is the cheese will coat your tongue in fats and acids, so when you take the next sip of wine and next bite of cheese, an improved flavour should occur for the subsequent sips and bites.

I had a really lovely time, enjoying a 5 oz. glass of Calamus Estate Gewurtzraminer 2007 Vinemount Ridge ($9 -- Jeremy only sells Ontario and Quebec wines and cheeses as he's all about local, local, local!), and mostly chatting with Twitter friend Yasmin (@yasminATlesauce) and her currently computer-less friend Stephanie. It was very cool meeting Yasmin in real life, as we talk almost daily on Twitter and each other's blogs (hers is fabulous, by the way -- funny writing and beautiful food photos of her nearly daily creations) but haven't had the opportunity to meet until Wednesday.

Cafe Taste itself has a dark neighbourhood feel. The front is all dark woods, low tables and chairs, which I'm not that into. But the back patio (where we were) was much more quaint -- canopy covering, twinkle lights along the wooden fence, stone path.

Cafe Taste's back patio: Kathryn Boel, reading from her upcoming memoir Corked

I'm really happy I went. I couldn't have had a better time. Plus beforehand, I stopped at Le Gourmand at Queen and Spadina for a small coffee ($1.20) and enormous peanut butter cookie ($2.25); and sketchy Ali's West Indian Roti Shop about a block away from Cafe Taste for $1.70 doubles -- chickpea deliciousness, too good.

L: Le Gourmand coffee and peanut butter cookie; R: Ali's doubles

Lalibela

2009-08-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

869 Bloor Street West (at Ossington Ave.)
Toronto, ON
M6G 1M4
(416) 535-6615
www.lalibelaethiopianrestaurant.com
Mains $8-15

For someone who only eats chicken and turkey (and sometimes seafood) because she says other meats gross her out, my friend Irene is pretty open to trying new cuisines. And she likes spicy things. Spicy things are key to eating with me. Anyway, she suggested Ethiopian, and I was game because I've never had it before. I even had to read about it on my good ol'friend Wikipedia as my knowledge was non-existent.

Your only utensils are your hands and injera "bread." Being a child raised on Indian parathas and curries, I had no problem with the hands-only method. It was injera that gave me major issues.

I first saw injera at the Brick Works Farmers' Market in late July and I love all things carbs. So a huge circular piece of doughy bread looked fantastic. But when it sat in front of me at Lalibela with various pickled vegetable mixes on top, I was not eager to dive in.

First, the sight freaked me out. Injera looked like a holey, dirty, wet, used sponge. Then the feeling -- gooey rubber. And sadly, it tasted like spongey rubber with a sour-milk tinge to it. Obviously, I wasn't pleased.

We ordered the hot vegetarian platter ($12) to share, which was described as consisting of splint peas (maybe it was supposed to read "split peas"?), lentil, chick peas, cabbage, collard green and vegetables -- everything I dislike. But what I've noticed as I've gotten older is when I try foods I normally dislike prepared in an "authentic" way, I tend to grow a taste for it. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times.

We also tried chicken tibs ($13), which is a spicy buttery stew that was good, but not better or that much different from eating my dad's chicken curry.

I thought maybe the Ethiopian coffee would make up for everything. Instead, an elaborate coffee show left my face almost burnt, getting choked by unrelenting smokey incense, and drinking coffee that could've been Nestle Tollhouse for all I knew.

I'm not going to rate this restaurant because it wouldn't be fair. Just because I dislike the cuisine, does not mean the restaurant is bad. Lalibela was recommended to me by a friend who lives in the area, and I know there are a ton of people who are into Ethiopian food. In fact, the place was pretty busy for a Thursday early evening.

It's only the second type of cuisine I don't like -- next to Korean. Although Korean has been growing on me in little ways after all these years. Anyway, still happy I tried it. At least now I know.

Persian Patisserie

2009-08-26T09:00:00.007-04:00

8952 Yonge St. (at Scott Dr.-Bantry Ave., south of Carrville Rd.-16th Ave.)
Richmond Hill, ON
Petit fours $2-4; cakes $20-30; cookies and miscellaneous $1-2; ice cream $2.50/scoop

I made that address up based on a rough estimate on Google Maps. I'm not even quite sure if the place has a "real" name. It calls itself Patisserie and also has gold Arabic writing on its store sign. It's a small place that my sister wandered into out of curiousity, and fell in love with instantly.

You're greeted by an amazing array of cakes, petit fours and teeny-tiny pastry bites, all lined up row after row in one long glass case. A homemade sign on top tells you, "WE USE ONLY REAL CREAM AND REAL BUTTER IN OUR DESSERTS. NO SUBSTITUTES." Or something to that effect. And you can smell it in the air from the open door of the kitchen in the back.

Every little cake glistens and twinkles, and you can hear the love in the voice of the woman serving, as she coos about what's what and how it's "sooo good." "You have never had a carrot cake like this before!" I dreamily stare at the itty-bitty petit four (I don't even like carrot cake!) and prod my sister, but she demonstrates self-control. We are here to buy a cake for our father's birthday.

In one corner is a round 10-inch cake with a lovely golden brown goo spread over top and dripping ever-so lovely on to the sides. "Caramel and hazelnut," the woman says as she comes out from behind her magical glass case. We groan because we love nutty desserts but our brother is allergic! Blast him!

She rattles off a list of what else is available -- no two cakes are the same. We finally settle on a rectangular Belgian chocolate butter layer cake with the sides exposed ($20). The woman expertly writes "Happy Birthday Dad" on top with chocolate in a piping bag. Before leaving, we treat ourselves to a scoop of blueberry sorbet ($2.50) from her selection of store-bought and homemade ice creams. It's like eating crushed blueberries and ice -- exquisite. Your hands and clothes will easily be stained with the stuff if you're not careful.

Later in the evening, after dinner at Saigon Star, we return to our sister's condo for coffee, tea and cake. What I love about this patisserie's cakes is that somehow they are light and airy, yet rich and deep in flavour at the same time. The vanilla cake layers are firm but soft. The Belgian chocolate cream in between is buttery and delicate. And it all hits the perfect amount of sweetness.

This place has easily become one of my favourites in the city. If you ever find yourself travelling north to Richmond Hill, this is the place to stop at.

Rating (out of five stars): *****

Meatless Mondays: Week 1

2009-08-25T09:00:00.005-04:00

This was supposed to be my awesome overdose of grilled veggies: skewered eggplant, red & green & yellow peppers, and button mushrooms, lightly covered in olive oil and a dried Lebanese herb mixture my sister gave me, which I'm going to assume is za'atar (thanks to my foodie Twitter friend @yasminATlesauce); whole scallions (a.k.a. green onions); tomato halves; and some fun with lemon, oranges and pear.

I was psyched to do a few more playful things -- such as brush a couple of the vegetable skewers with different glazes/oils: chili olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and Trader Joe's sweet Thai chili sauce. And of course, squeeze the grilled lemon on top.

I was also planning to melt some chocolate chips for a drizzled sauce over the grilled fruits but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I wasted four matches trying to light my barbecue. It was no use. I was out of gas.

So I threw the skewers on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, preheated the oven to 450F and roasted them instead for 20 minutes. In the meantime, I made buttery, creamy mashed potatoes (with real butter! and real cream! 35%!) and chopped up the scallions to mash up with the spuds. The pears became snacks as I prepped; although I contemplated poaching them but didn't have any suitable liquid for the task. Oranges and tomatoes ended up in tupperware in my fridge.

After the veggies were done, I tossed them with romaine lettuce, chili olive oil and squeezed the (raw) lemon over.

Albeit a boring little meal, it was successfully satisfying and made up for the greens I lacked earlier in the day.

Saigon Star Vietnamese Restaurant

2009-08-24T16:37:00.005-04:00

330 Highway 7 East (at Bayview Avenue)
Richmond Hill, ON
L4B 3P8
(905) 731-7221‎

No website; no "chef"
Date visited: Saturday August 22, 2009
Mains $10-15; crab @ market price

My dad's choice for his birthday. My dad doesn't have the same food mind that I do. To him, Vietnamese is exotic.

But this was definitely faux Vietnamese. The food was some strange Vietnamese-Thai-Chinese hybrid. Think Asian Legend meets Lemongrass meets every other regular Chinese restaurant you've ever been to; with overcrowded minimalist decoration, and a noise level that surely induces migraines if I was the type of person who got migraines.

As always at places like these, my siblings and I let my dad order: an appetizer platter of chicken satays, veggie fried spring rolls, some strange pate-like meat substance, fried shrimp-meat claws; smoked glazed pork; broiled fish on a mango-veggie salad; grilled lamb chops; whole crab in a super garlicky garlic sauce; and I'm sure there were a couple of other things I forgot about.

The lamb chops were impressive and cooked quite well. Everything else was mediocre to acceptable. The food came out really, really fast... a little too fast actually. It made me think the kitchen had most food pre-prepared, and just threw on necessary sauces, heated it up (possibly in microwave??) and dashed out.

But definitely the overcrowded space and loudness was the biggest turn-off for me. I couldn't pay the bill and get out of there fast enough.

Rating (out of five stars): Zero

Meatless Mondays

2009-08-24T14:56:00.004-04:00

I love meat. But I also love the earth.

Producing meat puts the earth under a lot of strain. And just like every other greedy human habit we've come to develop under industrialized times, no one is sure how much longer we can keep going like this.

Because the truth is, the earth will probably survive for many, many years after we've placed ourselves in the extinct species category.

So maybe I should refine my second statement: I love meat. But I'd like to enjoy it for many, many years to come.

To do my part, I'm going to participate in Meatless Mondays. Apparently, giving up meat for one day a week reduces your carbon footprint more than trading in your car for a hybrid. (And it's healthier for you.)

Today, so far, I've eaten two Montreal bagels, a banana, a granola bar and a few of PC's chocolate chunk soft-bake brownie cookies. My friend kindly pointed out I forgot to eat vegetables. But so far, so good.

I'll overdose on veggies tonight for dinner.

Cowbell

2009-08-22T09:00:00.006-04:00

1564 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
M6R 1A6
(416) 849-1095
www.cowbellrestaurant.ca
Head chef: Mark Cutrara
Date visited: Wednesday August 12, 2009
Appetizers $10-20; mains $20-40

Hailed as one of Toronto Life's best new restaurants of 2008, I've been pining for one of Cutrara's carnivorous creations for a long while. Once again I was set up for a Stop for Food prix fixe disappointment, but unlike Harbord Room my back-up plan to be okay with ordering off the regular menu didn't turn out.

Cowbell did offer a prix fixe but only a $50 option -- no lower priced $35 one like I was hoping for. If Jessica and I were hungrier we may have been able to accomplish the small charcuterie, Red Angus beef steak and creme brulee on offer between the two of us; but it didn't seem to whet our appetites enough. In fact, the entire daily chalkboard menu didn't really have anything super appealing, plus it was really difficult to read from where we were sitting.

Jess and I finally settled on sharing the large charcuterie board ($25) and a salad appetizer featuring Arctic char ($13). The charcuterie had some interesting things -- elk with chocolate, elk with blueberries, house-made mortadella -- but nothing really memorable. It was then I decided I'm over charcuterie plates. After a few bites, the fattiness and greasiness was overwhelming, mushing all the flavours into one indistinct blur.

Our salad was probably the best but it was hardly a salad and it wasn't the one we ordered. There was only one server for the whole room, who wasn't that attentive, so we shrugged it off and tried what was in front of us -- a sausage and goat cheese wrapped in a fig leaf ($12 -- with some lightly dressed greens on side; presumbly the salad part). Both were fantastic but the goat cheese was a stand-out. It was unexpectedly spicy, and there was some sort of grain rolled inside as well that gave an unusual contrast to the creamy soft cheese.

We really liked our cheap $6/glass Italian red wine.

On whole, it was a let down. I think the experience may have been better if I tried a real main, but like I said, the daily menu didn't showcase anything to my interest.

I'm not sure how much longer Cowbell will be around. There were only a few other people when we went (8 p.m. on a Wednesday night) and did get a bit buzzier when we were leaving at 9:30; but it's in a middle-of-nowhere low-income neighbourhood and seems like a long way to go (Roncesvalles) for a hit-or-miss menu.

Rating (out of 5 stars): *

Harbord Room

2009-08-21T15:35:00.005-04:00

89 Harbord Street
Toronto, ON
M5S 1G4
(416) 962-8989
www.theharbordroom.com
Chefs: Cory Vitiello and Curt Martin
Date Visited: Monday August 17, 2009
Small plates $9-12; medium $15-19; large $21-28

Instantly loved look and neighbourhood feel of place. Charming, kind of absurd pink walls, warm and inviting narrow space lined with a narrow bench and wooden tables for two to four on one side, long-ish bar on other. (Too hot to even attempt back patio.)

Disappointed no longer offering Stop for Food prix fixe menu, which was whole point of going, but already had back-up plan of trying the burger. First enjoyed wonderfully refreshing daily cocktail cooler ($9) -- white port with lemon, soda water, and some other delightful alcohol mix that I can't recall or have any idea what it was. Chantal tried the red port one (also $9), which I thought was equally delicious, but she said mine was more suited to a hot summer day.

Debated getting daily summer plate of open-faced tuna burger ($16) but I'm moving away from eating non-sustainable fish these days; plus it was ground-up tuna turned into a patty as opposed to a tuna "steak" piece as I wanted. Stuck with the Kerr Farms natural beef burger ($15) with sharp cheddar, caramelized onions (my favourite burger topping) on fried egg's bun "with fries and a little salad." Added Berkshire bacon too ($2 extra). As you can tell, I hadn't pledged to start Meatless Mondays yet.

It was a very delicious burger, cooked about medium-rare so moist and tender with a little pink centre. I particularly loved the egg bread bun -- lightly toasted but still squishy and fluffy. Could've done without bacon though. It didn't add anything for me. I think cheese and onions would've been enough. Salad was arugula, thinly sliced carrot and radishes. I couldn't really detect a vinaigrette. Fries were fine -- crispy and salty; but house-made ketchup a delight. Instead of the blood-red Heinz variety, I got a tangy, sweet orangey-red specialty.

I got to try the tuna burger anyway, as Chantal ordered it. It was smaller than my burger and came with the same salad but no fries, only a handful of chips. Tried a little and it was quite tasty -- zippy with an avocado-lime guac on top.

Service was very pleasant. Woman attending to us (and most of the room) very helpful, great at refilling our water, and answered my questions (Prix fixe menu? Tuna burger?) knowledgeably and delightfully. I would definitely dine here again.

Rating (out of five stars): ***

Writing a Food Blog + Restaurant Rating System

2009-08-21T14:49:00.005-04:00

I've been getting quite a few tweet responses to my blog lately, people telling me they enjoy my writing and even naming a post or two so I know they're not lying.

And it makes me feel supremely guilty because I know I don't update regularly but yet I still "promote" or link to my blog like it's some foodie treasure you all must follow. When in reality, writing about food (and in general) is a love-hate relationship for me.

In March, after a short weekend trip to Montreal to visit my sister and her husband, I revamped and revived this blog, trying to conceptualize a simple one dedicated primarily to short restaurant/food reviews of places I've eaten at. I did pretty good at first and recorded most of my Montreal hits, but it languished after I returned to Toronto and regular life, reduced to one a month if the mood struck me -- or guilt settled in.

Trust me, there are plenty of times when I've started a "review" and after the first few words, I get bored and frustrated. Frustrated because I don't think I have anything particularly unique and engaging to say about food and restaurants. Bored because I only like to write what I think I'll enjoy reading -- which is why I tried to keep the reviews short and clipped. I tried to achieve this by writing reviews in an Excel cell first, then pasting them into the blog with a few minor edits to make it more coherent. But like all self-indulgent writers, a box could only contain me for so long.

The other main reason why I often fail at keeping up a regular blog is because I think most good blogs have a mixture of (good) images and (good) writing. And I had been stealing images for my posts because I lack the photographer's instinct to snap away without self-consciousness during my food escapades. I would rather have my blog be "pure" where the photos and words are both my own. That and because I fall into a feeling where I actually think taking a photo will marginalize the real-life experience for me -- turning it into an image of the reality, instead of absorbing the moment as it happens. (Thank you Susan Sontag.)

Anyway, my love for Twitter and its fantastic food community has renewed my desire to try to be a more of a keener-blogger. Plus, I bought a camera this week that is in the mail as we speak!

Another attempt to revive this blog, of course means a review of my star rating system. Everyone knows stars are extremely subjective to the person handing them out. They are supposed to be a neat, tidy way of summing up how worthy is this a place to eat at. I found The New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni's insights to his own rating system particularly interesting, as apparently there are only six standing restaurants in New York City with four stars (the highest in NYT) that he has awarded in his past five years at the coveted position. He calls it a "gut feeling" when he gives four stars. And I think I'm the same way. Although my rating system goes up to five stars because I don't believe in giving zero. If your restaurant gets a zero from me, that means I'm warning people to not go there at all.

I'm basically demanding a flawless evening if I were to give a restaurant five stars. (Or in the case of Schwartz's, consistently outstanding food, but there are few places I can afford to frequent to know if they are consistent.)

Also, you have to take in account, I don't have an expense account to cover my meals so my ratings are actually extremely flawed because they are based on a single, stand-alone experience.

But I know the other main reason why I wanted to convert this blog into a food/restaurant review outlet is because I wanted a recording of all the places I've ever eaten at. Despite how it may seem, I don't have a ton of money to throw around to all the dining experiences I'd like to have. So I try to savour each one the best I can. And I try to make the most of them by being sure to go with other friends and family who I know will enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I have to write about the places I go. I'll try to keep things interesting for you as much as for myself. Here's a basic approximation of what the stars represent:

* (1 star) - satisfactory
** (2 stars) - good
*** (3 stars) - very good
**** (4 stars) - excellent
***** (5 stars) - outstanding

Araxi

2009-07-07T10:50:00.006-04:00

4222 Village Square
Whistler, B.C.
V0N 1B4
(604) 932-3348
www.araxi.com
Executive Chef: James Walt
Date Visited: Wednesday May 27, 2009 for lunch
Sandwiches/burgers $10-14; mains $17-26; dessert $12 (lunch prices; view website for dinner prices)

Beautiful place, huge patio, very kind and friendly service. Great menu note for lunch: "If you need to be somewhere by a certain time, please let us know and we will guarantee you a meal within 45 minutes." I only had an hour for lunch and it was a superbly timed meal. I didn't feel rushed at all but service was still quick.

Had an amazing glass of white wine from Sumac Ridge in BC (only $8 too!). Perfectly chilled, aroma and taste of berries, clean finish. For main, BC wild salmon with local Pemberton farms asparagus and arugula. Salmon was excellently grilled -- a plump, happy pink, moist and flaky with the skin left on for a little texture and extra flavour. Greens tasted like I was eating from the side of Whistler Mountain -- crisp and bursting with flavour. Dressed in a balsamic and mustard seed glaze for a little tart sweetness.

Before I got to Vancouver, I had a check-up with my doctor, and my blood test said I was low on iron, which I already suspected because I'm often tired. My doctor gave me a pamphlet about how to increase my iron intake. Apparently caffeine prevents your body from absorbing all the iron from your meal when you drink a coffee or tea with it. You should wait an hour before or after eating to drink coffee or tea so your body absorbs all nutrients properly. But I was willing to make an exception since I was on vacation and enjoying a fabulous meal.

I was only willing to make the exception for really good coffee though, so I asked the server what kind of coffee beans the restaurant uses. Lo and behold, my local meal continued all the way through because the beans were from BC! Had no idea coffee beans could even grow in Canada. So I had the most amazing Americano of my life. The beans were roasted Italian-style. The coffee tasted buttery, savoury and a little sweet. Better than Illy.

And for dessert, North Arm farms rhubarb soaked in a vanilla bean sauce with panna cotta and a raspberry foam -- a perfect cap to the meal; rhubarb was slightly sweet and tasted like the countryside; panna cotta was the perfect consistency of gel-like creaminess; and raspberry foam added just the right contrast for brightness.

The company that owns Araxi, also owns Blue Water Cafe and West in Vancouver. All three are ranked as top dining spots in Vancouver magazine, and after visiting Araxi, I can easily see why. By far, this is one of the best meals I've ever had before... and it was only lunch too!

Rating (out of five stars): ****

Vij's

2009-06-02T23:08:00.005-04:00

1480 11th Avenue West

Vancouver, BC

V6H 1L1

(604) 736-6664

www.vijs.ca

Head Chef: Vikram Vij

Date visited: Monday May 25, 2009

Apps $11-15; mains $25-33

Often cited as the best Indian restaurant in North America and with good reason. Restaurant is notorious for its no-reservation policy and can sometimes wait for two hours, but worth the wait.

Intimate lounge area in the back and nice simple patio out front for waiting/drinking area. Servers come out every 10 minutes or so with snacks to much on -- poppichat, crisp fries spiced with masala, chickpea and potato pakoras. A pretty casual restaurant. Dining room is not spectacular at all. Walls bare. Could walk in with shorts and flip-flops and no one would bat an eye.

For appetizer had BC spot prawns in a coconut-based curry sauce. Then for mains, famous lamb "popsicles," beef tenderloin and pork tenderloin. Lamb was my favourite -- very tender, and curry was sweet and savoury. Beef and pork also very good but pork a little dry. For dessert, garum goola in a sweet warm cardamom sauce; and a rice pudding. Both excellent and refreshing. Everything tasted super fresh and full of love. All-female kitchen and serving staff. (Sorry for my lack of descriptors on the dishes. Unfortunately, my Indian spice palette vocabulary is not knowledgeable enough for a proper review.)

While everything was great, I can tell why an Indian friend said food is good but to her, it's just dressed up home-cooked Indian food. It's kind of true because if you know someone who does Indian food really, really well, you won't think Vij's is that out of this world. But it's still very good, and worth trying if you are into food and like to indulge yourself once in awhile.

Rating (out of five stars): ***

Masamune

2009-05-12T09:47:00.002-04:00

5200 Dixie Rd.

Mississauga, ON

(905) 625-1852

www.sushimasamune.com

Date visited: Saturday May 9, 2009

Mains $10-30, sushi/sashimi dinners $13-30, maki $4-17

Fresh, buttery, nice cuts of sushi for nagiri, which was really well-prepared. Plus, best California roll I ever had. Actually had flavour in it as opposed to other flimsy California rolls I normally experience. Tempura banana with green tea ice cream for dessert. Served black sesame ice cream that looks like charcoal but tastes exactly of black sesame. Despite what the server said that the sesame ice cream and tempura banana wouldn't go together, it really would have. The savoury taste of the ice cream would have perfectly complemented the sweetness and slight crunch of the banana.

Overall, extremely impressed that there is excellent quality sushi in a Toronto suburbia. Probably the best place I've had sushi in Toronto ever...! A bit more expensive than other run-of-the-mill Japanese places, but worth it.

Rating (out of five stars): ***1/2

Re: "War journalists will soldier on" by Peter Worthington

2009-05-12T09:03:00.002-04:00

This is my response to Worthington's column in the St. Catharine's Standard (http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1562454).

I am the writer of the Ryerson Review of Journalism piece, Worthington cites in his article. I understand what he's saying, as I interviewed about 30 Canadian journalists who have gone through a range of war reporting with the Canadian military, including a four-hour long coffee with Matthew Fisher. But while I can see what Worthington's trying to say, I don't agree with a lot of it.

As he cites, in older wars, "embedding" and "unembedding" wasn't a problem for most militaries but the world -- and its militaries -- have changed how they view media, and the new standards of embedding are a reflection of that evolution, as I detailed particularly for the Canadian Forces, re: a peacekeeping nation to the Somalia affair to present day Afghanistan.

"In the old days, that would be considered questionable journalism -- no direct contact with the story, no nuance, no personal assessments, no colour, no feeling for mood or the Taliban environment." Worthington is writing about The Globe and Mail's Talking to the Taliban online doc series (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/talkingtothetaliban). But did he watch the videos at all? Smith has been a reporter in Afghanistan from 2005 to the end of 2008, and in that time has gained a wealth of knowledge about the war, Afghan people, and witnessed how exactly the Canadian military's efforts have changed over the past three years. The videos are filled with everything Worthington cites -- nuance, personal assessments, colour, feeling and mood. And it may not be direct contact, but that doesn't mean Smith didn't have direct contact with Taliban members at all in his three years there. He has run the gamut of doing it himself to having to use fixers for safety reasons.

"A concern for the Canadian military is that a journalist's Afghan 'fixer' may be a potential pipeline for the Taliban into the Canadian base. Journalists babble like brooks, and if the 'fixer' has Taliban links, he's potentially a foil and source of information for the Taliban." That's not really a concern for the military anymore because it now knows that all the fixers hired by the Canadian press have been with the organizations for years. And there has never been a known incident where a fixer betrayed his Canadian reporters. This just sounds like paranoia to me.

"There are cases of 'embedded' journalists being reluctant to go 'outside the wire' for fear of roadside bombs -- some getting their 'fixers' to do leg work for them. Journalists such as Matthew Fisher, who are old school and want to see for themselves, are becoming rare." Every single journalists I interviewed, "new" or "old" school, all said the same thing -- they know the story is off the base and they want to be out with the soldiers on missions; and go with the fixers to speak to Afghans and Taliban members. I think it's an extremely unfair assessment to assume younger journalists are "reluctant" to do the leg work. Take CBC Mellissa Fung's kidnapping in fall 2008. Do you really think this happened to her because she was letting her fixer do the leg work?

"Summed up, a journalist in Afghanistan who is not embedded with the military is incapable of getting the whole story, and is far more likely to be captive of what he or she is told by the Taliban, who are adept at using the media in a way our military wouldn't dare." I question this final thought, because nowhere in the entire article did Worthington prove or give an example of how the Taliban has manipulated the media in its favour in comparison to the military.

I think Canadian journalists strive every day with how to do better with the Afghanistan story. And they constantly acknowledge and struggle with the fact that it is an incomplete story they have to show. Fisher also admitted to him being unable to tell the whole story. And now NATO is barring journalists from travel in Afghanistan (http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gXHes62vbQP-5axfjuEYw2Bk-_2w), and are being required to submit to biometric scans before they can even get access to military bases (http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j9cLtJIfUbcjaR7pHDV9uIs4hR7A).

So I think we need to look at the politics and military when trying to understand how the Afghanistan story is being covered (which I tried to do in my piece). It's too one-sided to say the blame lies entirely with these "new embedded" journalists.

Ginger

2009-04-26T23:07:00.002-04:00

695 Yonge St. (at Bloor St.)

Toronto, ON (and various other Toronto locations)

(416) 966-2424

Number of times visited: At least 10

Mains $4-8

My newest fail-safe Vietnamese cafeteria-style food place. Almost always order hot & spicy tofu pho, but have also tried multiple rice and noodle dishes. Portions huge, food always cooked right, and combo of flavours make me think this must be what Vietnam tastes like.

Rating (out of five stars): *1/2

Image courtesy of dine.to

The Black Hoof Charcuterie

2009-04-25T00:06:00.008-04:00

928 Dundas St. W. (at Bellwoods Ave.)

Toronto, ON

(416) 551-8854

Head Chef: Grant van Gameren

Dates visited: Friday April 3, 2009 & Thursday April 16, 2009

Plates $10-35

Obscure-looking, dark hangout in the middle of nowhere. Sparse modern narrow space with a marble bar, handful of wooden tables and chalkboard menus galore. Very cordial service. Ordered the small charcuterie plate: cured horse meat, chicken liver paté, spicy pastrami, rabbit terrine, and more. Great plate for $16.

2nd visit: Splurged on Iberico jamon ($30). Always worried hyped-up food stuffs won't live up but Iberico did. Thin slices of fatty meat with the most deep, rich, complex flavours -- nuttiness, smokiness. Further indulged in the $13 tongue-in-brioche: just incredible! A little spicy, salty but gorgeously tender and swear-to-God can't stop eating it. Brioche perfect toasted, crunchy, buttered complement.

Disappointment: no infamous Delilah cocktail; and my basil one was nothing close to the finer ones I've had at Renaissance Congress 606 in Boston, and Regent Hotel's Table 8 in South Beach, Miami.

Still, food amazing. Told vegetarian at table next to us, if there was ever a time to start eating meat again, The Black Hoof is it. (Why there was a vegetarian at a charcuterie in the first place? Do not ask me!)

Rating (out of five stars): ****

Photo courtesy of torontoist.com

Morimoto

2009-04-20T20:20:00.006-04:00

723 Chestnut St.

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 413-9070

www.morimotorestaurant.com

Head Chef: Masaharu Morimoto

Date visited: Friday April 10, 2009

Average prices (USD): Apps $16-30; mains $20-50; sushi/sashimi/maki $8-16; omakase $80, 100 or 120

Huge modern space of soft wood, high ceilings, plastic dividers that glowed different colours, white leather chairs and a small open sushi kitchen in the back with a bar for seating. Service was nearly flawless. Waiter knew the menu superbly, always checked in to see how we were enjoying our orders and very accommodating (picked up Amber's cellphone for her from awkward place; offered to take a photo of us with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto; gave us edamame on the house when our sushi order was delayed). Couldn't believe Morimoto was actually there. He was working the front room a bit. Talked with us for a bit and took pictures. Later, bowed when I complimented him on the black cod, and put flowers in our hair!

Dinner was delicious. Only disappointment, the cocktails - white pear for Amber, cilantro gimlet for me. Started with black cod miso. Broiled and it was buttery, slightly sweet and extremely moist. Then had $50 chef's combination of sushi, and two maki rolls. All fishes were delightfully super fresh and pure tasting. Sushi rice was plump and finely made. Nagiri was the best. Maki rolls were okay. For dessert, a yuzu meringue tart with diced mango in a raspberry sauce for garnish. Perfect sweetness combined with citrus. Meringue was light, smooth and creamy. Everything so beautifully presented. Would definitely return if I had the chance.

Rating out of five stars: ****1/2

Image courtesy of backwardshat.com

Navarino Bakery and Pastry Shop

2009-04-06T15:55:00.001-04:00

5563 Avenue du Parc

Montreal, QC

H2V 4H2

(514) 279-7725

Number of times visited: 3

Pastries $1-3

Low-key, casual bakery. Delicious éclair and croissants. Disappointments: almond croissant with custard in the middle, passion flakie-like pastry.

Rating out of five stars: **

Five chefs square off to prepare 70-pound heritage pigs!

2009-03-30T21:00:00.004-04:00

It's called Cochon 555, a United States food competition tour where in each famous foodie city, five local chefs prepare five 70-pound heritage pigs and are matched with five local winemakers. Pork, bacon, loin, cheeks, feet, ribs, give it to me all! I wish one would come to Toronto. I think Mark Cutrara from Cowbell would easily take it but that's the point of the contest -- to see if he actually would!

Crepe Saint-Viateur (Une)

2009-03-30T19:08:00.003-04:00

221 rue Saint-Viateur Ouest

Montreal, QC H2T 2L6

(514) 270-6322

Number of times visited: 1

Crepes $5-10

One-man operation: serves, cooks, cashes. Very friendly. Crepes are standard but very well-made. Definitely homemade-tasting. I had the Popeye on a buckwheat crepe, which was fresh baby spinach, ham and cheese. Really liked that he used fresh spinach.

Rating out of five stars: *1/2

Bofinger Barbecue Smokehouse

2009-03-29T23:19:00.006-04:00

1250 University Street

Montreal, QC

(514) 750-9095

www.bofinger.ca

Number of times visited: 1

Mains $8-14

Very friendly staff. Had the pulled pork sandwich with Memphis sauce. Pork was very dry. Bun soggy with Memphis sauce. Sauce was okay - vinegar tang with a bit of a spicy kick. Fries good. Better places I've had pulled pork: gourmet style at beerbistro in downtown Toronto financial district, and Memphis Style Smokehouse in North York (a Toronto suburb).

Rating out of five stars: *

Bhel Puri

2009-03-27T04:50:00.006-04:00

Bhel puri has to be one of the greatest (Indian) snacks known to man. It's sweet, spicy, tangy, savoury, crunchy, soft all at once. I've never made it from scratch before though. I just get this awesome bhel puri mix in a bag, but I know there are many variations of it. The one I use is in a green, re-sealable bag. But if you ever see a bhel puri package in a store, I highly recommend you pick it up and try it out. I bet most kinds are fail-safe. I don't see how you can mess it up!

Top Chef host "sexy" commercial for Carl's Jr. burger

2009-03-26T20:39:00.003-04:00

I felt so offended when I watched the below commercial for two reasons:

1. Because it's such a degrading portrayal of woman.

2. Fast food should never be encouraged! Not just because it's an affront to taste palettes, but also because of the economic, political and social exploitations it has caused over the past 70 decades, and continues to cause. (Book recommendation: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.)

The Naked Chef has come a long way.

2009-03-26T14:24:00.004-04:00

Remember when Jamie Oliver was just this thin, scruffy, blond 20-something Brit lad who cooked messy but delicious-looking meals on Food Network?

Five more TV series, three restaurants and an overhaul of Britain's public school meals later, he's still building his empire. Introducing Jamie, the magazine. And he has another kid on the way in addition to Poppy and Daisy with lovely wife Jules. (Ten bucks that the third will be Lily if it's a girl. If it's a boy, all bets are off.)

I still love his down-to-earth, home-cooked comfort style, and that he's all about natural, local produce. He's always had a bit of a gruff personality, but at the same time, is really an endearing man. I love that his sole purpose for Twitter (so far) is: @jamie_oliver wish I could answer all the food questions, but its all on the website already. this is just to talk to you lot!!

Schwartz's

2009-03-25T23:34:00.003-04:00

3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard

Montreal, QC H2W 1X9

(514) 842-4813

www.schwartzsdeli.com

Number of times visited: 3

Mains $6-12; Smoked meat, about $10/lb

Efficient staff who are as friendly as they can possibly be for basically working probably the busiest job in Montreal. Smoked meat sandwich superb. French fries fantastic. Must always buy at least a pound of sliced cold meat to go. There's a reason why this place has been in business for nearly 80 years.

Rating out of five stars: *****

BostonChefs.com

2009-03-25T17:16:00.005-04:00

Discovered great site that divides Boston's fine dining scene into restaurant, neighbourhood and chef: bostonchefs.com. TorontoLife.com restaurant tab is similar but doesn't have the extra added feature of labelling by chef. Probably because we're not as populated.

Beginning to see while Toronto's dining scene is fab, the population size limits dining size limits opportunity for choices and competitive creativity.