Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Fuel House

I admit it! Fuel House (Twitter: @FuelHouseTO, Facebook: Fuel House) is my second home. I'm currently the foursquare mayor of the place (it was an epic battle between me and some other guy for it but I finally took over...HA!). There was even talk before about having my name engraved on one of the bar stools just so I can legitimately claim the spot as mine (this is not just any bar stool by the way, it is a specific one). Hey, I'm not ashamed of all this because Fuel House is awesome.


Located on Clinton off of College (beside Cafe Diplomatico and across from AcadiaFuel House took over "Olivia's At 53" in November 2011.  It is a quaint and cozy spot - a house to be exact - so it is no surprise that whenever I'm there I feel right at home. You will probably find me at Fuel House having a drink before dinner or a drink after dinner, or actually have dinner with a drink (their Caesars with horseradish are fantastic!). Having said that, it helps that Fuel House's co-owners Mackenzie Chiu and Mike Dolegowski are super chill and friendly~ Thanks guys for always accommodating me...even at times when I sit for hours on end milking that one drink.. stealing your WIFI the whole time....yupyup... thanks =D


Having said all that, this post seems long overdue, yeah? Considering I've been a loyal customer of Fuel House since its inception. So what took me so long? Well like I said , I'm always just so at-home and relaxed when I'm there, I just want to drink / eat / chat / chill...writing a post for Fuel House just didn't cross my mind, which is of course, totally selfish of me because..

EVERYBODY IN TORONTO DESERVES TO KNOW ABOUT FUEL HOUSE!!! 

Soooo to redeem myself, I decided to wake up early last Sunday (i.e. 10am) and spend a few hours at Fuel House during their lunch rush to take some pictures for this post =)

Inside Fuel HouseNot a big space but it's so comfy, warm and inviting.


Fuel House serves Sapporo and Beau's on tap, and Stella, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, and Kensington Brewery Augusta Ale in bottles (note: they will be rotating Sapporo draft and bottles throughout the summer).



In the Fuel House kitchen we have....

Chef Peter Pietruniak (@food_nirvana)


and co-owner Mike Dolegowski.


See the two thick pieces of bacon? That's the artisanal slab bacon for their BLT sandwich. Insane.


I've tried every single item shown below at various different visits.

Poutine ($5.5)  (you can add pulled turkey, pork belly or bacon too)


Bacon Spinach Salad - Sauteed Onions + Red Wine Vinaigrette ($7)


Pork Belly Banh Mi - Pork Belly Confit + Pickled Veg + Cilantro ($7.5)


Korean Tofu Banh Mi - Seared Tofu + Kimchi + Cucumber + Spicy Hoisin Mayo ($7.5)


Pulled Turkey - Pulled Turkey + Coffee BBQ Sauce + Slaw ($7.5)


BLT - Artisanal Slab Bacon + Boston Bibb + Tomatoes + Roasted Garlic Mayo ($7.5)


Fuel House Burger - 100% Ground Beef 8oz Patty + Bacon + Lettuce + Roasted Garlic Mayo + Tomatoes ($10). This one has added cheese...


...and this one has added cheese and mushrooms.


Calamari Po' Boy - Fried Calamari + Pickled Onions + Remoulade ($9)


Soon to be on Fuel House's menu are fish tacos! I got to taste-test a couple that day.

Fish Taco - Salmon + Lettuce + Tomatoes + Jalapeño + Remoulade + Pickled red onions + Cilantro


Fish Taco - Salmon + Wasabi mayo + Pea shoots + Pickled ginger + Cucumber


I have had everything on Fuel House's menu and I honestly like everything! But I'm going to let you know some of my favourites...in no particular order:


 Tofu Banh Mi - Surprised? Yes? I AM TOO! You know how I love my burgers so I was extremely skeptical about this (I never order tofu when I'm out) but this has become my new favourite. I'm now converted from burgers to tofu banh mi's....well only at Fuel House anyway
 Pulled Turkey - Tender pulled turkey that has been brined for 24 hours then slow roasted with a house-made, coffee-infused BBQ sauce with dijon slaw piled on top...eh what's not to love?
 BLT - That thick slab of artisanal bacon says it all.
 Calamari Po'boy - I like fried calamari so now that it is in a sandwich with that tasty remoulade...yeah it was an instant hit for me.
 Fries - I banned myself from fries at Fuel House for a period of time because I was addicted to it (I would just order fries for dinner with a drink...so bad). I put a stop to it and told Mack to not give me any fries even if I order them because I know I will regret it afterwards and blame him for it. The ban is still in effect O_o

There are many items on Fuel House's menu I didn't get pictures of, such as their entire snack menu (which is currently being revamped) as well as desserts (love their Vietnamese coffee creme brulee). I'll do another post on those later...but in the mean time, go to Fuel House and experience all these amazing sandwiches for yourself!


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