Revisiting KAKA All You Can Eat Japanese

It's been almost a year since my last visit to KAKA, an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant located at First Markham Place (read about my experience at KAKA here). Since then, KAKA All You Can Eat (Instagram: @kakaallyoucaneat, Facebook: KAKA All You Can Eat) has introduced several new items on their already sizable menu, and I was invited back to the popular AYCE spot to have a taste.

I started the meal with Mio Sparkling Sake, a very light and bubbly sake.

The newly introduced items include three varieties of poke salad bowls and two types of tacos. I applaud KAKA's effort in offering the trendy poke to their menu but I was not crazy about them. In general, the poke bowls were under-seasoned and had too many competing ingredients. In my opinion, the best poke bowls are often the simplest ones with cubed fish seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sweet onions, then finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds or scallions. That's it. I thought KAKA was overly ambitious with the number of ingredients. The tacos, on the other hand, were quite delicious. I would order them again.

POKE SALAD

JALAPENO POKE

Salmon, avocado, jalapeno, tomato, onion, garlic chips

CITRUS SOY POKE

Salmon, nori, sesame, avocado, cilantro, green onions, tempura bits

YUZU PONZU POKE

Butterfish, cucumber, avocado, sweet egg, green onion, melon, yuzu sauce

TACOS

FISH TACO

Asian slaw, avocado puree, chipotle mayo

SHRIMP TACO

Pico de gallo, avocado puree, wasabi mayo

After the poke and tacos, we continued to make our way through the KAKA menu. Highlights for me were the Ox Tongue Skewer, Chicken Meatball Skewer, the very creamy Bacon and Mushroom Carbonara and the Grilled Okra.

Ox Tongue Skewer

Butternut Squash Soup (new)

Chicken Meatball Skewer (new)

Bacon and Mushroom Carbonara Udon (new)

Biff's Bistro's Prix Fixe Menu

Back to back Biff's! I know I just wrote about Biff's Bistro (Twitter: @BiffsBistro, Facebook: Biff's Bistro) but I thought it'd be nice to share another one of recent my dining experience there with you guys. Unlike the previous post where I wrote about some of the restaurant's a la carte offerings, this post will only focus on the "Biff's Fixe", or Biff's "3 courses for $37.95" prix fixe menu. 

Looking back on last week's Biff's post, I realized I didn't include any patio photos! Silly me, especially when we are well into patio weather now too. Well, here they are :)

I really like the rustic French charm of the patio. The trees, the details like the mix of textured wicker and leather chairs, the awning, and the patterned table cloths all contribute to the French bistro setting. Super cute!

We didn't end up having dinner on the patio, though, since the reservation was made a couple of weeks beforehand and we weren't sure if it would be warm enough. So, back inside we go...

Complimentary bread

The five of us all decided to go with the Biff's Fixe since it's such a great deal at three courses for $37.95. And to be honest, prix fixes are the best way to go when dining out with a group of friends because it makes splitting the bill so much easier (I'm also the worst at math so this is really important to me).

For Biff's Fixe, diners can choose from four appetizers, five mains and three desserts. Both the appetizer and main includes a vegetarian option. With the five of us, you would think that there would be a variety of dishes ordered that evening, but on the contrary, we all ordered the same appetizer. I guess that's why we are friends :) Mains were a bit better with three different plates, and desserts we picked two out of the three options. The food blogger in me was really hoping that I could try and get a photo of each and every prix fixe dish, but meh, no luck.

APPETIZER

CHICKEN LIVER PARFAIT

with cornichons

Levetto on College

Have you ever yearned for a hearty bowl of pasta or a slice of pizza yet splurging at a restaurant and spending three hours there just doesn't cut it because it's a Tuesday night and you have an 8 o'clock meeting tomorrow morning that you still gotta prepare for? Yeah, I know you have. The thing is there's a time and place for fancy Italian but even I'm not up for that all the time (surprise, surprise). After a long day at work all I crave sometimes is delicious food quickly. If you ever find yourself feeling this way then I suggest you give Levetto a try.

 Levetto (Twitter: @levettoresto, Facebook: Levetto) is a “fast casual” pizza and pasta joint with good price points and generous portions. There are currently five Levetto locations in Ontario - one in Vaughan, one in Waterloo, one in Baden, and two in Toronto (Liberty Village and College Street). A sixth location is in the works in Chinatown at 392 Spadina Ave.

You walk in, you order at the counter, you pay, you take a seat, and food will be served to you when it's ready. That's all there is to it at Levetto.  And, of course, you can also get your food to go. Visit their website and you'll see that some locations takes orders online for pick up and others even do delivery. For my Levetto experience I checked out their College St. location.

If you want to fancy it up a bit Levetto does alcoholic drinks as well. They have bottled beer for $5, imported beer for $6, wine by the glass for $6-$8.5 and wines by the bottle for $30-$39. Such good prices especially with the wine. This is another reason why Levetto is so appealing.

Little Caesars Prize Pack Giveaway - CLOSED

Is this sweltering heat getting to you? With only a few weeks left of summer to enjoy I sure hope you're not complaining!

By default, as Canadians we love the summer almost as much as we love bacon, and that's why Little Caesars has extended their exclusive The Bacon Wrapped Crust DEEP!DEEP!™ Dish Pizza - a large 8-corner DEEP!DEEP!™ Dish pepperoni and bacon pizza with a crispy crust wrapped in three and a half feet of bacon - until September.

Little Caesars is encouraging every one of us to #SavourTheSizzle before it's too late, whether that means indulging in a Little Caesars The Bacon Wrapped Crust DEEP!DEEP!™ Dish Pizza, soaking up some rays on the beach, going camping with the family, or all of the above.

To help you #SavourTheSizzle I'm giving away a Little Caesars prize pack. The prize pack includes a Little Caesars gift card to try The Bacon Wrapped Crust DEEP!DEEP!™ Dish Pizza, as well some sizzling bacon-themed lifestyle items for a total value of $100!

HOW TO ENTER

1) You MUST be following me (@foodieyu) on Twitter

AND

2) Tweet the following sentence, exactly as shown, nothing before or after it: 

#SavourTheSizzle before it's too late! Send me a $100 @LittleCaesars prize pack @foodieyu! http://bit.ly/1Jd49nh #FJCSTS

1. For your entry to be valid, you need to tweet the above sentence exactly as shown

2. You may tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Re-tweeting others do NOT count as a valid entry

3. Contest is tracked by the #FJCSTS hashtag. If you don't see your tweet in the hashtag stream it means there is no entry from you. Read this to find out the possible reasons why your tweets are not showing up
4. Contest is valid in Canada only.

CONTEST DURATION

Contest starts on Monday, August 17 and ends on Friday, August 21 at 12PM. 

One lucky winner will be chosen randomly from www.random.org and I will announce the winner shortly after.

GOOD LUCK!!! ^_^

Dandylion

Three starters, three mains, three desserts. A total of nine dishes make up the entire menu at Dandylion. Short and sweet. This is perfect because it has never been about quantity with me; actually the more options there are on a menu the more indecisive I get (I believe this applies to most things in life.) In any case, what's more important is quality and no word of a lie, Dandylion (@DandyLionTO) has completely won me over and in doing so, it has now become one of my favourite restaurants in the city. Yep, it's that good.

Just like its menu, Dandylion on 1198 Queen St. West is small, intimate and comfortable.

The 30-seat restaurant is casual and welcoming. The potted plants are such a lovely touch.

Opened in November of last year, chef / owner Jay Carter - who worked under Susur Lee for 10 years (Susur, Lee, Madeline's) and was exec chef at the now-closed Centro - focuses on vegetables at his restaurant; he treats them not as a complement but rather the star of his dishes. But don't worry, carnivores, Dandylion is not a vegetarian spot...just don't expect huge slabs of meat there anytime soon (or ever).

The bar menu features whites, reds and beer. There's no cocktail program.

MUSCAT OF ALEXANDRIA, TERRA LEMNIA 2012. LIMNOS, GREECE ($48)

&Company Resto Bar

Looking for a place to wine and dine with your friends then party late into the night? If your answer is a resounding "Yes!" then you should check out &Company Resto Bar (Twitter: @AndCoRestoBar, Facebook: &Company Resto Bar). Located across from Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, &Company Resto Bar is a bar, a restaurant, and a club all in one. 

The supper club was opened in December 2011 and has now become a popular local hotspot.

As &Company Resto puts it: "Go for dinner and stay for the party!" The full experience at this Mississauga hangout begins with dinner with friends and transitions into bustling nightlife at 10pm.

A few shots I took of &Company Resto Bar before dinner. The venue can host up to 300 guests for dinner and 800 guests for cocktails comfortably and seamlessly (great for corporate events and private parties).

Sunday Brunch at Città

Hear me out. Sunday brunch is not my forte, it's just not in my "dining-out" vocabulary. Actually, I'm the last person you should ever ask about brunch, where to go, the best spot for pancakes, etc. My answer to you would be "Sorry, I have no idea. You should ask so-and-so". I could name you a few places if you insisted but it'll be followed by the "I've never been to them myself but I've heard good things" disclaimer. What can I say? I'm just a dinnah kinda gal! So does this make this post irrelevant? No, because although I hardly go for brunch it doesn't mean I can't tell you the reason(s) why I like those blueberry pancakes. The downside is I probably can't tell you where to get even better blueberry pancakes. So, the question is, how did I find myself at Città on a Sunday? It was a blogger brunch event hosted by Città and as a food blogger, I gotta show my face. Meh, who am I kidding? It's free brunch!

Città (Twitter: @CittaToronto, Facebook: Citta Toronto) is a new Italian restaurant located at CityPlace, the condos on Spadina across from the Rogers Centre. The rustic urban Italian eatery is the newest restaurant venture by Hanif Harij, the successful restaurateur behind Patria, Weslodge, Byblos and NAO Steakhouse. Harij has brought on board executive chef Ben Heaton of The Grove and David Mattachiono of Terroni to helm the kitchen at Città.

The Città space is basically an L-shape with a dining area on each side. As you can see from the above photo, the restaurant is encased in floor-to-ceiling windows that let in a lot of sunlight. When you walk in, you'll notice the dining room on your right has a bold and majestic decor with black and gold chandeliers, gold-trimmed mirrors, tiled floors and large royal green leather banquettes.

The dining room on your left has a more laid-back, less shimmery rustic decor.

A closer look at the bar.

Schnitzel HUB on Yonge

Can you name a few popular Eastern European dishes? I can. Schnitzel, beef goulash, bratwurst, cabbage rolls, perogies, blinis, beef stroganoff, borscht and vodka (yes I said vodka) It's certainly not an impressive list, especially coming from a self-proclaimed "foodie" but what's even worse is that I've had very little experience eating any of those dishes. I think unless your family is from Eastern Europe, it's safe to say that most Torontonians have very little exposure to Eastern European cuisine in general. Aside from the perogi, where we have a handful of popular downtown restaurants (i.e. The Saint tavern and Richmond Station) serving their take on the Polish dumpling, it's not an easy feat to find traditional or modern twists on Eastern European classics. So, does that mean we have to make a trip to Australia, Hungry or the Czech Republic for some wiener schnitzel? Nope. All you gotta do is venture north of Bloor to Yonge and St. Clair. You can do it, guys.

Aside from my meal at Hungarian restaurant Country Style on Bloor Street more than three years ago, Schnitzel HUB (Facebook: Schnitzel HUB, Twitter: @Schnitzel_HUB) is most likely the only Eastern European restaurant I've been to since then. I know, it's sad but did you know, my Country Style post is the third most popular post of all time on my blog? Amazing.

With its first location in Thornhill, owners Yan and Rita Khalfon opened their second Schnitzel HUB at 1415 Yonge Street in November of last year. I visited the new midtown bistro during the Christmas holidays.

Crêpe & Co. European Café

Crêperies. Very limited number of them in Toronto. Having said that it's still not too too hard to find the classic French dish in the city - a number of dessert places come to mind actually, such as Caffe Demetre and Spin Dessert, as well as Crepe De Licious which you'll find in various shopping malls. However, when it comes to stand-alone crêperies that specialize in both sweet and savoury crêpes, I can only think of three: Café Crepe, Crepes A-Go-Go, and Millie Creperie (which serves French crêpes with a Japanese twist).

Anyway, unbeknownst to me, Crêpe & Co European Café (Twitter: CrepeCoCafe, Facebook: Crepecocafe) opened last summer across the street from the Gladstone Hotel on 1167 Queen St. W. So make that four crêperies. I visited the cozy European-style café for an early dinner during the Christmas holiday. 

Inspired by their travels and the delicious thin pancakes found throughout Europe, husband and wife Andrey and Natalie were determined to open a café, one specializing in the traditional French crêpe, both sweet and savoury, with Eastern European influenced fillings (i.e. "My Big Fat Greek Crepe", "Chicken Kiev", "Polish Sausage & Mushroom") 

There are a total of 14 savoury crêpes and 16 dessert crêpes. It shouldn't be hard to find one you want to try; the real problem is choosing only one.

Bar Fancy

Bar Fancy (@BarFancyTO) is not fancy. It never was and it never will be. The one-month old snack bar on 1070 Queen St. W. may have a lavish gold facade but I beg you, don't let that metallic glow or its name fool you. Am I being too harsh? Not one bit. Actually, owners and chefs Jonathan Poon (@J6poonTo) and Jesse Fader want Bar Fancy to be anything but fancy. They serve fun and tasty snacks with cheap drinks at the new neighbourhood bar.

Forget trying to find a door at the front. Instead, walk through the left alleyway (you can't miss the bright neon tiger sign) and the second door on your right is where you're supposed to be. 

Continuing with the ironically "not-at-all-fancy" theme, the interior of Bar Fancy is pretty cozy with warm woods, candlelight and splashes of stainless steel. There's no gold in here! It's a laid-back place with mellow vibe. Take a look at that teeny tiny kitchen.

There are a few reds and whites by the glass, each priced at $11 for a 5-oz pour, and several beers. No cocktail menu though - if you want something just ask. The first time there I had a glass of white and an Old Fashioned, the second time I opted for beer.

Dieu du Ciel! Rosée D'hibiscus

With Poon still in the Chantecler kitchen (he is the chef and co-owner of the successful Parkdale restaurant) Fader runs a one-man show at Bar Fancy (Fader was sous chef at Chantecler). The short snack menu at Bar Fancy is comprised of classic bar snacks as well as several new creations (we were told that more plates will be added as things settle in). Except for the ribeye, I've tried everything on the menu during my two visits: 

1/2 DOZEN OYSTERS ($16)

Jim Beam & Knob Creek Bourbon Tasting at Aft Kitchen & Bar

What do you do when you receive an email invitation to a Jim Beam® & Knob Creek® bourbon tasting? You immediately hit "Reply" and write back "Yes! I'll be there! Count me in!" Sounds too desperate? Maybe. But when it comes to bourbon tastings I'm more than willing to reschedule or cancel whatever is in the way. It's worth it. It's no trip to Kentucky but it's close enough in my book.

Bourbon is one of my favourite types of American whiskies. It is, and always will be, America's Native Spirit - a spirit that the Beam family had a tremendous hand in helping create, foster and grow, both in the U.S. and globally, since 1795. After seven generations, Fred Noe, the great-grandson of Jim Beam and the company's Master Distiller, keeps the family tradition going and continues to perfect the world's number one selling premium bourbon portfolio. 

(Photo Credit: Best of Toronto)

I was invited to an intimate Jim Beam® (@JimBeam) and Knob Creek® (@knobcreek) bourbon tasting and BBQ dinner at Aft Kitchen & Bar (Twitter: @aft_bar, Facebook: Aft Kitchen & Bar) several weeks ago. Being the keener that I am I was the first person to arrive (argh this always happens!)

But it's all good 'cause once I sat down I was offered this delicious cocktail: smoked peach bourbon sweet tea with Knob Creek® bourbon. Think sweetened iced tea spiked with a smokey bourbon. Yep, how I wish all iced tea came this way.

By the time I was halfway done my delicious "tea" the room was full! Guess it's time for some food.

A Seafood Feast at Catch

Please people. Do yourself a favour and venture north of Bloor to 744 St. Clair Ave. where you'll find Catch, one of my favourite seafood restaurants in the city right now.

Open Tuesdays to Sundays at 5 PM for dinner and Sundays from 11 AM to 3 PM for brunch, Catch (Twitter: @catch_toronto, Facebook: Catch) is a friendly neighbourhood restaurant serving high-quality, refined seafood dishes at affordable prices. Head chef Matty Cowan (formerly of Simple Bistro) is incredibly original with his menu and brings creative combinations of ingredients, flavours and textures together, showcasing seafood in new and interesting ways. Have you ever had octopus meatballs? Or an octopus-based bolognese? How about a "Fishermans Pie" - a twist on the "Shepherd's Pie" - that's made with lobster, scallops and shrimp? I certainly have not.

Ian Moores is currently making some very tasty craft cocktails at Catch.

The view from my seat at the bar. I love the space here; it's intimate, warm and cozy, and I love the modest open kitchen at the back. I'm also obsessed with that wooden ceiling.