West Restaurant + Bar (Vancouver)

West Restaurant + Bar on Granville Street serves contemporary Pacific Northwest cuisine, and it is one of seven restaurants in the Toptable Group restaurant group. Helmed by Executive Chef Quang Dang, West came highly recommended by my good friend Mijune of Follow Me Foodie. Even though it was not on my Vancouver restaurant "hit list", I was more than happy to try out West given that Mijune and I have very similar taste in food.

West's sophisticated dining room boasts a temperature-controlled wine wall (on the right), a Werner Forster installation from the ceiling (Forster was a well-known Vancouver architect), etched stone tabletops, and Mario Bellini designed original chairs found at MoMA. There are also two chef's tables for guests who like to see all the action in the kitchen.

Pretty pink cocktails to start. Forgive me but I don't remember what spirit and ingredients were in them. All I remember is that they were very tasty and, contrary to how they may look, not crazy sweet.

Bread course.

Tasting Menu at Sidecar

I wrote a blog post about Sidecar Bar and Grill in May 2010, about a month after I started this blog. You can check it out here if you want. In a nutshell, it's about my friend Cindy and I trying Sidecar's prix fixe menu for the very first time and me falling in love with their steak frites (FYI till this day Cindy and I still go on a lot of dining escapes together!). Ughhh, looking back at old blog posts always make me cringe - I hate the way I wrote back then. Sometimes, I have an urge to delete certain old posts, but a friend once said I shouldn't because "it shows growth"...yea, seven year's worth! *Sigh*. Reading that post actually made me laugh though because of how I described my cocktail:

"This was so yummy and refreshing. I love fruity drinks!"

Kill me now! Oh, how I've grown. I despise fruity drinks nowadays. The boozier, the better. Actually, this is an excellent example of how a person's taste can change over time, which is why I always encourage people to try foods they previously didn't like because you may end up enjoying it the second time around (especially if years have passed). I used to despise sea urchin but now I can never get enough. Can you imagine? Hating uni? I don't even know myself anymore.

Sorry to veer off topic. Anyway, since that blog post, I've probably been to Sidecar a handful more times over the years. Admittedly, I frequent their second floor cocktail bar - Toronto Temperance Society - way more often. TTS is like my second home; it makes some of the best cocktails in the city and the atmosphere there is second to none. Seeing that I haven't been to Sidecar in a while, I was very intrigued when I heard that a new chef took over downstairs.

Before I start talking about the food, there are two things worth noting: 1) A minor change, but nonetheless important, is the restaurant's slight name change. Back in the day, the restaurant was called "Sidecar Bar & Grill", now it's Sidecar Restaurant (Instagram: @sidecar_restaurant), and 2) Since 2017, the restaurant eliminated tipping completely to become Toronto's first gratuity-free restaurant.

Helming the kitchen at Sidecar now is chef H ("Hyun Jung") Kim (@hhyunjkim). Graduated from George Brown in 2010, Kim started his career at Globe Bistro under chefs Kevin McKenna and Daniel Sanders, followed by a brief stint at C5 with chef Ted Corrado. He then worked at George Restaurant for chef Lorenzo Loseto as chef de partie and eventually moved up the ranks to junior sous chef. After two and a half years at George, he traveled around Europe for six months. When he came back to Toronto, he staged at a couple places and briefly worked at The Chase before heading back to George as sous chef. In December 2016, Kim took over the kitchen at Sidecar, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Move over fruity drinks! Nobody gets between me and my old fashioneds anymore.

OLD FASHIONED ($14)

Bourbon, sugar, bitters

I have a soft spot for restaurants that offer complimentary bread. There's not many of them out there anymore.

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)

Feast of St. Lawrence Festival: Dinner Under the Stars

 The inaugural Feast of St. Lawrence (#feaststlawrence) began on Friday, August 12th, with Dinner Under the Stars, an exclusive dinner where one hundred guests gathered on Front Street (between Scott and Church Street) for a special al fresco dinner. Rain was in the forecast so a tent was set up.

Tickets to Dinner Under the Stars was $200 per person. A portion of ticket sales was donated to FoodShare and a charitable tax receipt was issued for a portion of the cost.

Dinner Under the Stars began at 6:30pm with passed hors d'oeuvres, and a wine and beer reception.

Steam Whistle, Norman Hardie 2015 Riesling, Cave Spring Brut 'Dolomite', Tawse 2014 Limestone Ridge Sparkling Riesling

Oyster station from Pearl Diver.

Genghis Khan Mongolian Grill [VIDEO]

Genghis Khan Mongolian Grill is an all-you-can-eat restaurant located at 900 Don Mills Road just north of Eglinton in North York.

The buffet-style restaurant, now in its 10th year, is sectioned into two parts: the Buffet and the Mongolian Grill. 

The Buffet consists of a variety of soups, seafood, meat and vegetable dishes, fried foods and desserts.

The Mongolian Grill is where you build your own bowl by picking your own raw meats, vegetables and seasonings. You then hand your bowl over to one of the cooks and they'll stir-fry your food on a large flat grill. 

MissFresh: Ready-to-Cook Meal Delivery

I eat out often. Very often. But when MissFresh asked if I would be interested in trying their ready-to-cook meal delivery service I didn't hesitate one bit. Contrary to what you guys may think I actually like to cook - I just don't do it often because I don't need to. And part of the problem is me being too lazy to go grocery shopping and, let's face it, eating the same thing three days in a row is not that appealing (it's also very frustrating to have to buy a bunch of basil when you only need like, two leaves!) With MissFresh, all those problems are no longer problems. 

Founded in Quebec, MissFresh (Twitter: @missfreshinc, Facebook: MissFresh) is a Canadian company that inspire people to lead a healthier lifestyle by cooking at home rather than eating out. This is how MissFresh works: they plan a menu, shop for products, measure the ingredients, and every week they would send a new box of pre-portioned fresh ingredients and recipes to your door step. 

MissFresh uses a recyclable and insulated box which keeps everything inside fresh several hours after the delivery so it's not an issue if you get your box delivered at the office or when you're not at home.

A shot of the ingredients after removing the ice packs. I like how the produce and meats are placed in separate compartments. By the way, MissFresh takes care of everything except for olive oil, salt and pepper. Those are on your own.

Even though I like how the produce and meats were separated it would have been even better if the ingredients were either labelled or bagged separately for each recipe (there were ingredients for three different recipes inside the box). I understand the reason why MissFresh doesn't separate the ingredients by recipe - some ingredients may be used in more than one recipe. And I know that in the grand scheme of things I shouldn't complain about spending a few minutes to sort out ingredients, but if ingredients are "pre-portioned" they really should be pre-portioned for each individual recipe. So basically, before cooking anything, I had to check the ingredient list from each of the three recipes and portion off any pre-portioned ingredient(s) that'll be used in more than one recipe.

Accord-Ing to Stella: A Weekend in Montreal

Squeezing in a road trip before winter was the best idea ever! Two weeks ago, Jon and I took a road trip to Montreal for three days - Friday to Sunday - where we filled our tummies with food and drinks...a lot of food and drinks. I gained almost five pounds! No regrets though because every calorie we consumed was worth it; we didn't have a single bad meal there.

Thanks to Honda Canada (Twitter: @HondaCanada, Facebook: Honda Canada) we took the 2015 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring to Montreal. This was my first time driving a hybrid and I hope it's not my last. Truth be told I really didn't want to give it back, not only because it was such a nice ride but it was so good on gas.

I'm not sure if you know but aside from being into food I'm also really into cars. I've loved cars ever since I was little. From gawking at cars on the street, spending hours building Tamiya models and watching Initial-D at home, to learning how to drive manual, attending car shows and making the trek up to Shannonville and Mosport with friends, cars have always been a big part of my life. As corny as it sounds I have a special place in my heart for Hondas too. I think it runs in the family! Right now my dad drives an Accord (his third one), my mom an Acura RSX, my brother a CR-V (he drove a Civic and a Prelude before too). As for me, I have a 2003 Civic Si-R. It's an oldie but a goodie.

So, was I stoked that Honda lent me an Accord Hybrid Touring (#AccordHybrid) for my road trip? Hell, yeah! Especially because I know the Hybrid will be amazing on gas The car achieves its excellent fuel economy by basically using three drive modes: EV, Hybrid and Engine. EV drive draws solely from the power of the lithium-ion battery  Engine drive utilizes the 2.0-liter DOHC i-VTEC® Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine, sending power directly to the front wheels for medium to high speed cruising. Hybrid drive blends the two for powerful acceleration and more efficient driving in stop and go traffic than Engine drive.*

*from Honda.ca

With our bags packed and the navi all set up we were ready to hit the road. But first, McDonald's! Every road trip should start with breakfast at McDonald's :) Mad love for their hash browns.

Kabuki Sushi Lounge

Now that summer is finally here I'm feeling very motivated to hit up Shops at Don Mills, Ontario's first open air shopping centre (shopping outside in the dead of winter has never appealed to me). As a matter of fact, even if you're not much of a shopper the outdoor mall is still a very fun spot to just hang out - it's a nice place to take your significant other and if you have little kids they'll probably enjoy playing at the Town Square too (the Town Square is essentially a big patch of grass which converts into a skating rink in the winter). You can also walk your dog, grab coffee, get your dry cleaning done, have lunch, have dinner, or go see a movie... basically you get a lot of things done there. And if you are finally down for some shopping you can shop your heart out at over 70 retail stores. I should also mention that Shops at Don Mills is an awesome place for people-watching and car-watching.

Here's a tip from me: Never go shopping with an empty stomach. Shopping is hard work so having a proper meal before hitting the shops is crucial (feeling exhausted after two hours of shopping is unacceptable ladies). If you're looking to fuel up before your shopping sesh at Shops at Don Mills I suggest you check out Kabuki Sushi Lounge (Instagram: @kabukisushilounge, Facebook: Kabuki Sushi Lounge). Treat yourself to some delicious sashimi before conquering the shops (no carbs = no bloated tummy) and if you can't fit in a sit-down lunch then make sure your grab a drink or dinner at Kabuki afterwards. Why? For the marvelous job you did snagging those Louboutins, of course! What I'm trying to say is there's always time for tasty Japanese food. And you know what's amazing? Kabuki offers complimentary valet, which just means more time for eating and shopping!

First, a bit of background on the restaurant. Kabuki Japanese Resturant first opened in 1999 at Bayview Village Shopping Centre as a family business operated by Philip Yam and his two sons, Carson and Jason. For more than 15 years, the casual 60-seat restaurant served traditional sushi and Japanese dishes to its local clientele. In February 2015, the Yam family made an executive decision to relocate the restaurant to Shops at Don Mills. Now operating as Kabuki Sushi Lounge, the new location promises a new and exciting menu that serves both authentic and modern Japanese plates.

The new Kabuki's lofty interior is chic and contemporary. There are tables against the two walls, by the large window at the front of the restaurant, as well as booth seating in the middle of the room (this is unique since booths are usually off to the side). Kabuki can accommodate up to 80 people inside and 24 people on the patio.

I noticed that the flatscreens above the Kabuki bar are always showing news, sports and Japanese anime (one screen each). The TVs here definitely contributes to the "lounge" aspect of the restaurant.

The One Eighty (formerly Panorama)

Renowned for its spectacular panoramic north and south views of the city, what used to be Panorama on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre has now been re-launched as The One Eighty, a sophisticated restaurant and cocktail lounge offering specialty cocktails and an innovative food menu. I remember back in the day when I was still in school Panorama was the place for a guy to take a girl on the first date. I remember the last time I was there I was on a date too...like 10+ years ago. I wasn't really into food nor cocktails back then but man, I remember feeling so "grown-up" just being there. The place was so chic and fancy, you know? Downtown Yorkville, Bay & Bloor, 51st floor, pretty desserts and drinks. Yep, 'Sauga girl in the big city! Oh, how times have changed...

Anyhoo, let's not get off track. The decor at The One Eighty (Twitter: @the51stfloor, Facebook: The One Eighty) is a mix of classic and contemporary. Modern lines with shades of grey, touches of wood, and gold/bronze accents all evoke a sense of luxury in the revamped 2,500 sq. ft. space. Actually, I'm really loving those glossy white arched ceilings.

The restaurant accommodates over 90 guests for sit-down dining and up to 250 guests for cocktail receptions and events. The One Eighty also has a 1,500 sq. ft patio offering breathtaking views of the city.

A nice semi-private nook for a small group of friends

Mother's Day Lunch at Langdon Hall

I haven't been able to stop thinking about Langdon Hall since my last visit there almost a year ago (scroll to the bottom for last year's posts). The place is honestly too beautiful and gorgeous to forget and - dare I say - visit only once. Maybe this is some sort of addiction on my part? If that's the case then I'm not ashamed to admit that I brought my parents to Langdon Hall for Mother's Day this year not for them but for me, to get my "Langdon Hall fix". The first step in curing an addiction is accepting that I have a problem, right? *Sorry Mom*

Okay, maybe a teeny tiny bit of me also wanted to show my folks this elegant hotel & spa in Cambridge and have them dine at the 5-diamond award winning restaurant. After all they do deserve the best :) Anyway, we arrived at Langdon Hall (Twitter: @Langdon_Hall, Facebook: Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa) about half an hour before our lunch reservation to walk the gardens' it looked like it may rain so we made sure we did that before lunch.

I wasn't able to get a reservation for Sunday (Langdon Hall had a special Sunday Brunch for Mother's Day) so we opted for lunch on Saturday instead, which is the standard lunch served from Monday to Saturday 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM in the restaurant's main dining room.

PIERRE FRICK ALSACE GEWURZTRAMINER ($70)

HOUSE-MADE SOUR DOUGH BREAD & BUTTER

Blowfish Restaurant & Sake Bar on King West

I was invited to Blowfish Restaurant & Sake Bar recently for the opening of BarFish, their brand new cocktail lounge. Ever since 2003, Blowfish (Twitter: @BlowfishResto, Facebook: Blowfish Restaurant + Sake Bar) has been offering unique Japanese fusion plates with an impressive sake list to the sophisticated King West crowd. With the cocktail scene now as hot as ever, the restaurant has seized the opportunity and launched BarFish, an extended space to Blowfish that can comfortably accommodate up to 60 guests.

Curated by award-winning mixologist Nishantha Nepulongoda (pictured above), BarFish's cocktail menu is complete with Japanese-inspired creations such as Pomegranate Saketini, Mango Passion Lychee Saketini, and Caribou Crossing (which has a dash of yuzu.) Open every night from 5pm, the bar is ideal for after-work cocktails or anytime you feel like having cocktails and snacks (the bar serves food from Blowfish).

After drinks at BarFish, we were led to the restaurant for dinner. The Blowfish dining room is massive yet very pretty. Notice the Japanese mural on the right; it spans the entire length of the room. One thing I want to mention is the purple lighting / glow in the space. Tell me, why does the addition of purple always make a room so much more "lounge-y"? Is it just me?

Dufflet High Tea

After 40 years in the bakery business, Dufflet Pastries' name is now synonymous with delicious and creative desserts and cakes in Toronto. The reputable bakery now boasts three retail cafés and a wholesale division that supplies over 500 restaurants, cafés, hotels, caterers, grocers and specialty gourmet shops throughout North America. Using only premium ingredients, with no hydrogenated fats or oils, no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, each Dufflet (Twitter: @dufflet, Facebook: Dufflet Pastries) product is handcrafted from scratch, never made from a mix. I must say, this is all very impressive! Speaking of being impressed, I had the opportunity to try some of their gluten-free chocolate fudge tarts back in September (the Dufflet Gluten-Free line was a finalist for the 2013 SIAL Innovation Award). I mentioned in the blog post that I'm always skeptical about gluten-free products (in that they won't taste as good as the original version) but I was completely blown away by those Dufflet tarts! They were rich and decadent, and never in a million years would I have guessed they were gluten-free.

I was invited by Dufflet recently to try their High Tea. Available every Sunday from 1PM to 5PM exclusively at the Dufflet beach location (Facebook: Dufflet Beach), guests can enjoy a selection of sumptuous desserts and canapés from Dufflet Pastries paired with a premium selection of Sloane Teas.

This 24-seat café is open seven days a week and offers a wide selection of signature cakes, pastries, pies, cookies, as well as light lunches and specialty beverages for eat-in or take-out. 

They also have a lot of cute greeting cards, gourmet candy and chocolates for sale at the café.

EDO-ko

I was invited to EDO-ko (Twitter: @EDORestaurants, Facebook: EDO Restaurants) last week for their mid-January media event. If my memory serves me right, this visit marks my first time ever at an EDO restaurant (little did I know the first EDO opened in 1986!) So when I received this exclusive invitation I thought it was the perfect opportunity to check it out. EDO has a total of four locations: EDO-ko on Spadina, EDO on Eglinton, EDO at Bayview Village and EDO at the Hilton. 

The dinner event was hosted by EDO CEO & Founder, Barry Chaim, and EDO Executive Chef Ryo Ozawa:

BARRY J. CHAIM - CEO and Founder

Barry Chaim, a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, received a Japanese Government Mombushu Research Fellowship to study at Tokyo University in Japan in 1973. In 1986 Chaim made a financial investment in founding EDO, a Japanese restaurant in mid-town Toronto, while in the spring of 1996 he took over direct management. In 1998, EDO received recognition as one of Gourmet Magazine's "America's Top Tables". A Fellow of the Ontario Hostelry Institute since 2002, Chaim was named Asian Restauranteur of the Year in 2012 by the Cambridge Food and Wine Society, the first non-Asian to receive this recognition. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Toronto.

RYO OZAWA - Executive Chef

Born, raised and educated in Fukuoka, Japan, Ryo Ozawa, after 10 years of training and work in Japan, specializes in classical French cuisine (Seiyo-Ryori). Ozawa attained the senior rank of Teaching Chef and has won national and international competitions, including first place in the Canadian Culinary Cup (2002), a Gold Medal in individual competition at the IKA/World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt Germany (2012), and a Glenfiddich Award from the Cambridge Food & Wine Society as Asian Chef of the Year (2013). Ozawa combines Japanese essence and western influences in EDO's menu, and excels when challenged to present his omakase (chef's choice) menu.

Executive Chef Ryo Ozawa and CEO & Founder Barry Chaim

At the dinner, Chaim explained to us that EDO is not a sushi restaurant but a Japanese restaurant that offers sushi. He told us that cuisine in Japan is divided into two streams - Washoku and Seiyo-Ryori. Wa-Shoku is the traditional method of cooking that includes tempura, teriyaki, kaiseki, sushi, oden, and sukiyaki, etc. Seiyo-Ryori is the combination of European (mainly French) sauces and influences on Japanese methods and standards, evolving constantly into new dishes with the same or different ingredients. Chef Ozawa was trained in Seiyo-Ryori, never having professionally prepared sushi in Japan. Chaim described chef Ozawa's approach as not fusion but a "careful consideration and combination of an ever-evolving unique style".

We were treated to many dishes that evening, from cold and hot appetizers, tempura, to sushi, specialty maki rolls and grilled mains.

KYU- MAKI ($7)

Avocado, cucumber slivers & sweet inari wrapped in delicate cucumber skin, rice vinaigrette

SALMON TAR-TARE ($13)

Avocado, Tem-bits, cucumber, tobiko, green onion, nori squares, Dynamite Sauce