Vegetarian Kamayan at Lamesa Filipino Kitchen

Exactly two years ago, I wrote about my first ever kamayan dinner at Lamesa Filipino Kitchen, a Filipino feast where beautifully presented food is laid out on banana leaves. There are no utensils or plates; you eat with your hands because that is the kamayan way. It was an unforgettable experience, from watching the chefs expertly plate each component on the table, to finally devouring the wonderful, delicious-looking spread in front of me. What topped it off was the interaction at the table. My friends and I would trade tips on how best to pick up rice with our fingers, what sauce tasted incredible with what, and just occasionally hearing friends say things like "Oh my God, this garlic rice!!" then seeing everyone at the table nod 'cause we all feel the same way...it's precisely this sort of interaction that made my first kamayan experience so memorable.

So, needless to say, I was thrilled to be invited back to Lamesa (Instagram: @lamesato, Facebook: Lamesa) last week for yet another kamayan dinner, this time, for their vegetarian version. To be honest, I've never dined at a restaurant and not order at least one meat dish. What can I say? I love my meat. Naturally, a part of me was bit weary about this whole vegetarian kamayan idea, but at the same time, I have full confidence that the Lamesa chefs will put out something great because they always do. If anything, I was more curious and intrigued about what they have up their sleeves!

Lamesa's cocktails are generally pretty basic looking, no frills or any fancy garnish, but trust me, all of them are very good. Also, their names are hilarious, like "Manila Heat" and "Tequila Negroneezy".

BAGUIO BAGYO ($12)

Star anise infused dark rhum, calamansi juice, ginger beer

LOLO COOL J ($12)

Bourbon, ginger, pineapple syrup, and lemon

Lamesa's kamayan "hand-to-mouth" dinners are offered every Sunday evening from 5-9pm. It is a set menu priced at $40 per guest ($10 per child). It is worth noting that besides regular and vegetarian, they also have a pescatarian kamayan option.

Without further ado, let's get right into it! Here we have owner Les Sabilano (in green) and executive chef Daniel Cancino taking turns plating the table. I really like how they would tell the guests what they were plating, sometimes even with a little history/background of the ingredient and its origin.

After what seemed like an endless amount of food being plated, it sadly came to an end. And take a look at this spread, will you? Isn't it gorgeous?

Bar Reyna

Serving Middle Eastern and Spanish-inspired fare, Bar Reyna is the newest restaurant on the stylish Yorkville strip. The two-story Victorian house - completed with a gorgeous enclosed back patio - is an elegant and cozy location. Chic, yet not pretentious in the least, Bar Reyna (Instagram: @barreynato, Facebook: Bar Reyna) is an excellent spot for date night, or cocktails and snacks with friends.

The glamorous cocktail bar is the focal point on the first floor at Bar Reyna.

The window faces Bar Reyna's front patio on Cumberland Street.

The second floor is the main dining room. Everybody, myself included, took advantage of the few remaining days left of summer and opted for the patio instead. I'll check out the second floor next time I'm at Bar Reyna.

Bar Reyna exudes a rustic, sophisticated charm.

Dinner with Master Charcutier Gilles Verot

On March 23rd & 24th, Master Charcutier Gilles Verot visited Café Boulud (@CafeBouludTO) at the Four Seasons in Toronto for a special dinner and charcuterie night. Gilles Verot - originally from the Loire Valley in France and a third-generation Gallic charcutier - is the legend behind the charcuterie programs in many of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, including Café Boulud and dbar. Ever since a chance encounter ten years ago with Daniel Boulud, Verot (@GillesVerot) has been working with the Chef in bringing his artisanal approach to French charcuterie across North America.

I was one of ten lucky guests to be invited and savour a special three-course dinner at the Yorkville restaurant designed exclusively by Gilles Verot with wine pairings by Wine Director Drew Walker. 

Master Charcutier Gilles Verot (middle) explaining his specialties to us.

Here's a look at what we had:

PRESSE DE VOLAILLE

Provence style marinated poultry, salad of olives, tomato, zucchini & eggplant

 QUENELLE OF NORTHERN PIKE

Nantua sauce

TOURTE AU CANARD ET FOIE GRAS

Meat pie, reduction jus, pommes anna 

Hanmoto: An Izakaya-Style Snack Bar in Little Portugal

Opened a little bit more than a month ago in Little Portugal is Hanmoto, a modest izakaya-style snack bar from the team behind OddSeoul on Ossington. Unlike OddSeoul, which specializes in Korean-American style small plates, owner and executive chef Leemo Han is serving Japanese-inspired snacks at Hanmoto.

Tucked away on Lakeview Avenue just off on Dundas West, Hanmoto is discrete and very cozy. To the left is the main room with the kitchen, bar and 80% of the seating (above) and to the right is the remaining 20% seating (below).

All the tables were already taken before 6:30pm on a Wednesday night so we took the remaining two seats at the bar. Even better. I am really diggin' the vintage, grungy-garage decor here, by the way.

The drinks menu at Hanmoto consists of mainly beer with a few cocktails, sake and two wines by the glass (one red, one white).

Byblos: Eastern Mediterranean in King West

One of my favourite spots right now, one that I can't wait to go back to, is Byblos (Facebook: Byblos, Twitter: @ByblosToronto). Serving Eastern Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District, the upscale 120-seat Mediterranean restaurant by Charles Khabouth and Hanif Harji of Icon Legacy Hospitality and Ink Entertainment was recently ranked #5 in Globe & Mail's list of "Top 10 new Toronto Restaurants of 2014" (the restaurateurs also own NAO Steakhouse, Weslodge, and another one of my favourites - Patria). Byblos' Executive Chef Stuart Cameron (@chef_stucameron) focuses on making ingredients in-house and sourcing as many products as he can from the Middle East. 

"Using time-honored classic cooking techniques and modern methods, Executive Chef Stuart Cameron has created dishes that showcase the regionally-specific spices and flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean seaboard. The menu is a true coastal and cultural mosaic, served family style in a convivial atmosphere."- Byblos

The 2,000 sq. ft restaurant opened its doors in March of last year in the 170-year-old Storys Building. I was eager to sit in the main floor dining room (which I heard is gorgeous) but unfortunately, the main floor was closed off. Upstairs, the large dining room has shiny gold and copper panels, aged white walls, and oiled wooden floors flanked by Persian style rugs.

The large bar area.

The Byblos menu is divided into "small", "large", "sides" and "rice", and they are all meant to be shared family-style. The four of us shared five small plates, two large plates, one rice dish and five desserts:

CRISPY EGGPLANT ($12)

Tahini Aioli + Bayildi Sauce + Basturma

Winter Chef Series with Martin Juneau and Matt Blondin

The Templar Hotel on 348 Adelaide St. W. was host to a series of collaborative guest chef dinners this month. Presented by The Food Dudes and Dan Gunam, the Winter Chef Series brought together Matt Blondin (@chefmattblondin), Executive Chef of MBA Restaurant Group, and a formidable line-up of acclaimed talents from across Canada. The series kicked-off with Blondin teaming up with Canoe's Coulson Armstrong (Toronto), followed by Anju Restaurant's Roy Oh (Calgary), and shortly thereafter Atelier's Marc Lepine (Ottawa), Model Milk's Eric Hendry (Calgary), and Pastaga's Martin Juneau (Montreal). The dinner series ended with Toronto Plate Swap on December 21st, a collaboration between eight local chefs in support of the Children's Breakfast Club (read more about the Plate Swap here).

With only 30 seats an evening, I was fortunate enough to snag a seat on the night when Pastaga's Martin Juneau (@martin_juneau) was cooking in the Templar Ktichen. Ranked #5 on enRoute's 2012 Best New Restaurant list, Pastaga in Montreal's Little Italy focuses on local products, and offers small-plate cuisine in a casual yet upscale bistro setting. Prior to Pastaga, Juneau has spent some time in France and in Vancouver working at the celebrated Lumiere Restaurant. Juneau finished first at the 2010 Montreal's Gold Medal Plates, and went on to win gold at The Canadian Culinary Championships in 2011.

Each tasting menu ($89 pp) in the Winter Chef Series is comprised of 12 courses - four snacks and eight courses - with optional wine pairing ($49).

Chef Martin Juneau and host chef Matt Blondin.

 Here's a look at the exclusive, one-of-a-kind 12-course tasting menu.

FYI, all photos here on after are taken by my good friend, Alex. If you love foodporn, you need to follow Alex on Twitter (@HypeBelly), Instagram (@hypebelly) and his food blog (www.hypebelly.com) because his food photography is amazing.

CURED ORGANIC SALMON

Creamy "charlotte"potatoes, grated salmon jerky

TOURTIERE QUEBECOISE

Served with my mother's fruit chutney

HONEY CARAMELIZED TURNIP TATIN

Shallot, and organic soy pickled shimeji

CRETONS A L'ANCIENNE

On chicken skin w/ black pepper & caramelized eggplant

Pinot Noir Rosé - 2012

Weingut Peter Jacob Kuhn, Rheingau. Germany

Amaya the Indian Room

Founded by chef Hemant Bhagwani in 2007, the Amaya Group of Restaurants (Twitter: @amayarestaurant, Facebook: Amaya Restaurant) is a pioneer of progressive Indian cuisine. Steadily growing throughout the GTA, Amaya now has 15 locations, including the flagship Indian Room, as well as multiple Express food court outlets and street locations (you'll also find Amaya's gourmet sauces, chutneys and naan breads at grocery stores nationwide). With two additional locations in development, including one in Ottawa, Bhagwani's goal is to make great Indian food accessible across Canada.

Chef Hemant Bhagwani

The Indian Room has always been known for its upscale, contemporary take on Indian cuisine. Drawing inspiration from his travels and experiences in India, chef Bhagwani offers Indian cuisine made with authentic flavours, innovative techniques, and local Canadian ingredients (the use of local ingredients is more rare to see at Indian establishments). 

I had the opportunity to attend an intimate lunch with chef Bhagwani at the Indian Room several weeks ago. Bhagwani not only introduced to us his new menu, he also talked about his vision to reinvent the Amaya experience with food that blends the newest trends in fine dining and India's vibrant street food culture, with Ontario's best local ingredients and wines.

SUGARCANE MOJITO

AMUSE BOUCHE

FRESH YOGHURT EGG

With pomegranate juice

Lamesa Filipino Kitchen's New Menu

I still have very fond memories of the tasting menu I had at Lamesa Filipino Kitchen a year and a half ago. I remember describing it as a "rock-solid meal" which is why, to this very day, I still recommend this Queen West restaurant to my friends whenever they are looking for something different. Something unique.

Responsible for putting modern Filipino cuisine on the culinary map here in Toronto are second generation Filipinos Rudy Boquila and Les Sabilano. With Lamesa, the duo has successfully combined traditional tastes of the Philippines with modern takes and local ingredients. As Sabilano puts it Filipino food, the Lamesa way, is “all about taking a regional approach to Filipino food. Each of the 7000+ islands in the Philippines has developed their own style based on their customs, surroundings and what is locally available. For us, Toronto is just another island. Our style is shaped by our environment and where and how we grew up.”

Last week, I was invited to Lamesa's (Twitter: @LamesaTO, Facebook: Lamesa) new menu launch where I sampled numerous dishes spanning their brunch, dinner and late night menus. Aside from the updated menu, Lamesa's bar also received a dramatic makeover (check out how the bar was before). I personally love the new bar especially the psychedelic glow in the background. Pretty trippy :) 

Speaking of bar, I enjoyed several cocktails that evening. My favourite would be this classic hip hop inspired Lolo Cool J cocktail which consisted of ginger, bourbon, pineapple and cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, and ginger ale.

Live music throughout the night courtesy of DATU. These guys are fantastic.

Here's a look at what I had at the media tasting (note that these are all sample sizes specially made for the evening):

CRISPY PATA (brunch / dinner)

Deep fried pork trotter with pickles and housemade dipping sauces

Pukka: Modern Indian on St. Clair West

Located at 778 St. Clair W., I was invited to Pukka's (pronounced "puck-a") media tasting a couple of weeks ago. Pukka (Twitter: @pukkatoronto, Facebook: Pukka Toronto) which opened in mid-October is the newest modern Indian restaurant to hit the city. Rather than serving traditional Indian cuisine that can oftentimes pack a bit too much heat (for most anyway) owners Harsh Chawla and Derek Valleau of Pukka aim to provide their diners with a twist on the traditional by focusing more on flavour instead of the fiery hot. Seasonal and local ingredients are used in Pukka's family-style menu with offerings that are generally much lighter, fresher and less "cream-heavy" than your classic Indian. Although the food is contemporary - ranging from Indian subcontinental to modern fusion - chefs at Pukka still make their own naan in an authentic clay tandoor oven as well as their own curries and chutneys.

Business partners Harsh Chawla (pictured left - a restaurant-industry consultant) and Derek Valleau (pictured right - former operations manager at Crush Wine Bar).

And as for the restaurant name...why "Pukka"? Pukka is actually a Hindi word literally meaning "cooked, ripe" and figuratively "fully formed", "solid" or "permanent". Valleau explained Pukka, popularized by chef Jamie Oliver, can also mean "genuine" or simply "very good".

The modern and industrial decor at Pukka aligns perfectly with its contemporary take on Indian cuisine. After all, have you seen white exposed brick and reclaimed barn wood at any other Indian restaurant before? Certainly not me.

Pukka boasts an impressive selection of wine - its current wine list consists of 25 international wines...which is much more than what you would typically find at an Indian restaurant. Pukka aims to triple / quadruple the number of labels down the road.

Kintaro Yakitori Izakaya

Kintaro opened quietly around two months ago on 459 Church Street. The restaurant specializes in yakitori ("yakitori" is traditionally a term used for a type of grilled chicken in Japan). Nowadays the terms "yakitori" and "kushiyaki" are used interchangeably in Japanese society, with "kushiyaki" being the formal term for foods encompassing both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled. Long story short... think meat, grilled to order over charcoal, served on bamboo sticks... and that's what you get at Kintaro Yakitori Izakaya. Although there are many types of bite-sized meats served at Kintaro it is still the chicken that reigns supreme when it comes to the variety of cuts offered on the menu. But more on that later...

The decor at Kintaro is really fun, warm and inviting. The way the space is designed with all the wood paneling, Japanese posters and tatami mats makes it feel like you're actually at an izakaya in Japan (not that I've ever been to Japan but just take my word for it haha).

This visit to Kintaro was on a weeknight at 5:30 pm so obviously it wasn't busy at the time (who eats so early anyway?! Um....me). 

Seated at a table across from the charcoal grill, I watched the chef prepare skewer after skewer of delicious smoky meats.

Rose & Sons Revisited

To be honest, my original plan was to hit up Big Crow for dinner, Rose & Sons' new backyard barbecue joint. When my two friends and I arrived at the Big Crow last Thursday around 6:15 pm, we were told the wait would be around an hour and a half. And little did I know, Big Crow actually takes reservations! Gahhhh! If I didn't assume that it didn't take resos (and hence didn't make one) this post would be about Big Crow's barbecue ribs, jerk chicken and s'mores ice cream sandwiches. Major fail on my part. 

We didn't want to venture elsewhere in the pouring rain so we checked whether Rose & Sons (Twitter: @RoseandSons, Facebook: Rose and Sons) had room for us. Lucky enough we snatched the last empty table :)

Dinner began with some draaanks.

DARK & STORMY - Goslings, ginger beer, lime ($11)

PUNCH - Rhubarb, white wine, lillet, lime, seltzer ($11)

MINT JULEP - Mint, 4 roses bourbon, ice ($11)

UNO MOMENTO - Tequila tromba blanco, limeade, elderflower, seltzer ($12) 

Us three girls shared the following four dishes:

TOMATOES - charred onion and avocado salsa, pimento toast ($11)

Bent Revisited

Despite a few minor hiccups, my first visit at Bent earlier this year made a lasting impression on me. It was an excellent meal. So when my friend Nic (@NicCanCook) suggested taking me to Bent (Twitter: @BentRestaurant, Facebook: Bent Restaurant) for my birthday, there was absolutely no hesitation on my part. I was eager to go back!

We had an early seating at 6 pm on a Wednesday night.

I ordered Bent's Asian Caesar because I really enjoyed it last time. Adorned with a more elaborate tomato garnish, the cocktail was just as savoury and tasty as I remembered. Maybe I'll order a different cocktail next time...maybe.

ASIAN CAESAR ($16)

Sobieski, Clamato,chili oil, Sriracha, coriander, hoisin, soya, sesame seed, ginger, house rim, pickled radish

PICKLED VEGETABLES WITH MUSTARD (amuse)