I’m not big on doing restaurant review posts despite the fact that I eat out regularly.  There are so many outlets that do a good job at reviewing restaurants that I kind of don’t see a point.  With that said I always want to share with others when I’ve had good experiences at [...]]]>

I’m not big on doing restaurant review posts despite the fact that I eat out regularly.  There are so many outlets that do a good job at reviewing restaurants that I kind of don’t see a point.  With that said I always want to share with others when I’ve had good experiences at restaurants.  I’m going to try to do mini-roundups of what I’m loving these days a bit more often.

Enjoy!

LUMA
330 King Street West, Toronto, ON (647) 288-4715

I generally avoid the ‘Licious (Winterlicious and Summerlicious) because the experiences tend to be mediocre at best. This past Summerlicious I decided to check out Luma with a few ladies because the menu sounded delicious and like a good value. It definitely was. After my ‘Licious dinner I couldn’t stop thinking about the Seared Tuna dish with chickpeas and other goodness. So I went back a few weeks later just to have that. I also had the gnudi (fabulous), a bite of the steak frites (delicious) and my current fave cocktail, the Stompin’ Tom Collins (gin, ginger lemonade, candied ginger). Rarely does service make an impression on me but both times that I dined at Luma everyone was super nice and efficient. I need to return to give their brunch a try.

Acadia
50C Clinton St, Toronto, ON 416-792-6002

There has been a lot of hype around Acadia since it opened a few months back. Sometimes hype makes me stay far away from places but in this case enough people whose opinions I respected gave it enthusiastic thumbs up so I had to check it out. The space is small so definitely make reservations. This place had me at hello. The cocktail list is long and inventive. I had a great ginger-based drink in a tiki glass. Fun! While waiting for our food we were presented with a board of various pickled goodness including okra, garlic scapes and other goodness. We also were give cornbread. This was a problem… a very good problem. To start I split halibut cheeks and shrimp and grits. I didn’t know what to expect with the halibut cheeks but they were fantastic. Really meaty, breaded and deep fried and served with a sugarcane chowchow. What really had my heart were the fish and grits. I put a bit into my mouth and was in heaven. This was soupier than I was used to as the shrimp and grits were served in a pool of ham hock consomme. Everything about this was creamy, smooth and filled with so much flavour. For my main I had snapper with bacon, chantrelles, sea island red peas and savoury. Amazing. What I loved about this plate is that you didn’t need to have meat to have a good time. They rock their fish dishes.

Khao San Road
326 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON 647-352-5773

People are pretty ride or die for Khao San Road. I feel like very few people are ever “meh” about it. I checked it out a few months ago at lunchtime and had the Pad Thai. No lie, it was probably the best pad thai I’ve ever had. When it came time to choose a birthday restaurant I decided on dinner at KSR. To start I had the garlic shrimp that were really garlicky and had this really great sweet, tangy sauce. I kind of wanted to lick my plate. For the mains we split the Sam Roas Pad Thai (again) and the Massaman Curry with Beef. The Massaman curry was spot on. Perfectly spiced and great layers of flavours. The beef was perfectly cooked and I loved the variety of textures from the potatoes and crispy shallots. I had a thai iced tea and it was a perfect accompaniment.

Beast
96 Tecumseth St., Toronto, ON 647.352.6000

Beast is currently one of my fave picks for brunch. They do a lot of your fave brunch items but with a twist and constantly change things up. I can attest to the fact that their maple bacon doughnuts are great, they do a great grits special and if they have pancakes on the menu, you should probably get them. Oh, and get the tater tots. Just do.

Marben
488 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON (416) 979-1990

Marben is fantastic. I checked it out for the first time with my friend Jess who was visiting from NYC and we did shared plates and had a great meal. It was one of those meals that wasn’t fussy at all but really stuck with me. We had fiddleheads, a salad with a poached egg on top, some really good gnocchi and their famous burger. The burger is about as good as you’ve heard. Marben is all about local, seasonal and all that jazz so the menu changes frequently which kind of makes it a new experience every time. The burger is a constant though. As is the ice cream sandwich… which is huge and worth splitting for dessert.

La Société
131 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON 416.551.9929

I’ll have to preface my endorsement of La Société by saying it’s kind of obnoxious. It has two huge patios, one located on prime Yorkville “see and be seen” territory. It’s big, it’s loud and is designed for people to be seen. Not really my scene at all. With that said it’s definitely one of the better (and more accessible) dining options in Yorkville and is a really nice space. For brunch they make a really great French Toast and for dinner they have a pretty good prix fixe option if you’re feeling price conscious. I really want to try their Grand Plateau seafood platter but at $145 we might have to wait a bit.

A little while back I was invited to experience a new-ish restaurant that was totally not on my radar: e11even.

e11even is part of the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment group which runs the Air Canada Centre, BMO Field and [...]]]> e11even
15 York Street (outside Air Canada Centre)
Toronto, ON
416-815-111

A little while back I was invited to experience a new-ish restaurant that was totally not on my radar: e11even.

e11even is part of the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment group which runs the Air Canada Centre, BMO Field and many other venues. They also operate the ever-popular Real Sports. e11even marks their foray into fine-dining.

On this evening the folks at e11even took a group of blogger-types through a few of their appetizers and desserts.

Enjoy!

First up was this bread.  Fresh out of the oven and served in cast iron with a generous sprinkling of salt on top, this bread was fantastic.  I could have eaten this whole thing but knew there was much more to come so I held off.  So good.

Without a doubt this crab cake ($21) was the best thing I had to eat all week.  This isn’t your traditional crab cake that’s more filler than crab.  Instead you have to go searching for filler because this is pretty much all generous chunks of crab.  Yes, the price tag is hefty but the crab cake is substantial and is literally the best crab cake I’ve ever had.

Yes, this is a bacon appetizer ($11). I’ve never seen bacon as an appetizer on a menu before but given how much people like bacon I’m not mad at e11even for capitalizing on that and charging $11 for two strips of (thick) bacon.  The bacon is finished with a maple sherry glaze.  This one is definitely worth trying if you can get past the fact that you’re paying $11 for two strips of bacon.

I’m a big fan of spinach and artichoke dip ($16) so I was excited for this – and it didn’t disappoint.  Served with fresh tortilla chips, the tip was the right mix of cheesy and veggie.  A great one to share with table if you’re just stopping in for drinks.

Tuna tartar ($19) is one of those things that I can easily take or leave.  While this was refreshing and I enjoyed the flavours and the contrast between the creamy avocado and the tuna, I don’t feel compelled to give it another shot.  I’d rather spend my money (and calories) on the crab cake.

Yes, this is a giant meatball ($20).  Made with Kobe beef, this seems like a dude’s dish for me.  I have a hard time getting my head around a $20 meatball (in fairness, it’s huge) but have an even harder time getting it when the meatball isn’t flawlessly executed.   I found the meat to be underseasoned which made the dish fall flat.  It’s a fun idea though and makes for a great presentation on the table.

Another one of my favourites was the whipped sheep’s milk ricotta ($13). This is one of those ridiculously simple appetizers that you wished you’d thought of making for your last dinner party.  It’s just ricotta that has been whipped with some herbs mixed in and sprinkled with cracked black pepper and drizzled with olive oil.  So simple and delicious.

The appetizers that we sampled at e11even were for the most part hits.  For me this wouldn’t be an everyday kind of restaurant based on the price point but it’s a good option for the pretty desolate area around the ACC.

e11even also has a great patio for the warmer months (which I have yet to take advantage of) which features an $11 patio menu.  This definitely makes e11even more accessible for a casual hang session.  I’ll have to stop by before the weather turns on us!

Bloom
2315 Bloor St West (Bloor West Village)
Toronto, ON M6S 1P1
Tel: 416.767.1315

One of the fun things about being a food blogger is getting invites to try places that I wouldn’t normally make it to. The lovely folks at Sizzling Communications invited me to [...]]]>

Bloom
2315 Bloor St West (Bloor West Village)
Toronto, ON M6S 1P1
Tel: 416.767.1315

One of the fun things about being a food blogger is getting invites to try places that I wouldn’t normally make it to. The lovely folks at Sizzling Communications invited me to join a media/blogger dinner at Bloom to sample their new menu. I jumped at the chance because I’m always on the lookout for new Latin spots in Toronto. Having spent 6 years living in New York one of the things I miss is being able to easily (and cheaply) enjoy Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican food. Toronto’s Latin food scene is sadly underdeveloped so I was hoping to find a hidden gem in Bloom.

Bloom has been around for years but was definitely off my radar as it’s located in the Bloor West Village area of Toronto. BWV is a cute neighbourhood with lots of little shops, but it’s not really on my regular route of life so I rarely make my way over to that part of the city.

On a sweaty Monday after a LONG LONG day at work I was thrilled to be greeted with a mojito. I’m generally a fan of mojitos and trust me when I say this one was pretty lovely.

Soon after we were brought out an amuse of Cassava Frites with Mojo Dipping Sauce. These absolutely delighted me. First of all, I love any kind of mojo dipping sauce. I could definitely see this sauce going well with some tostones. The frites were a great match with their soft and starchy interior and golden crisp interior. I literally could’ve eaten a dozen of these.

Next up was the ceviche. The ceviche featured sustainable OceanWise halibut with tomatoes, habanero peppers, lime juice, garlic and spices. The fish was very fresh which was lovely and I really enjoyed the hit of heat from the habanero and the acidity from the lime juice. Interestingly enough, the ceviche was served on top of a sweet potato slice. I thought it was an interesting idea but it didn’t add much to the dish. I think it would have been fun to serve the ceviche on top of cassava chips or something… but that’s just me.

For the mains and desserts Celine of Plato Putas and I decide to split the selections so that we could get a full sense of the menu. This of course was a brilliant idea.

The first main was a flank steak with chimichurri. I have a serious weak spot for steak and chimichurri. Yes, I enjoy a regular steak but who wouldn’t want the addition of herby, garlicky goodness? Luckily this dish really delivered. The steak was perfect cooked and the sauce was perfectly spiced.

Next up was a sesame crusted tuna. I was excited for this as I’m often one to pick a fish dish and I was intrigued by the idea of a tofu-wasabi dressing and roasted vegetables. Alas the dish was just ok. I didn’t get any tofu from the dressing and although I enjoyed the roasted vegetables I found the addition of wasabi peas a bit bizarre. The fish itself was lovely but there was just a lot going on… a bit too much. The steak was definitely the winner.

For dessert we were treated to a Cuban Flan and Churros. I have a complicated relationship with flan — sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. My funny feelings aren’t limited to flan however, I often feel the same way about panna cotta. This was a dulce de leche flan, and while I enjoyed the flavours I found the texture a bit too eggy for my tastes (and remember, eggs often freak me out). BUT the churros… oh the churros! I could eat churros every day of my life (and when I’m in Chicago I try to). The churros were served on top of vanilla ice cream with a drizzling of chocolate sauce and were pretty darned perfect.

Dinner at Bloom was lovely. Weeks later I’m still thinking about the cassava frites and the steak. They offer a prix fixe for $35 which features an appetizer, main, dessert and choice of coffee or tea. Bloor West Village is lucky to have Bloom.

Here is the conclusion of what I ate in London. Check out Part 1 here!

And on a side note, pretty much the whole trip I had this one line from Wyclef’s “Where My Fugees At?” stuck in my head.  The lyric: Some MCs in the underground, mad at me [...]]]>

Here is the conclusion of what I ate in London. Check out Part 1 here!

And on a side note, pretty much the whole trip I had this one line from Wyclef’s “Where My Fugees At?” stuck in my head.  The lyric: Some MCs in the underground, mad at me cuz I’m above ground/ Counting English pounds.  Random, I know.  So I figured the lead photo should be the sign that triggered this song in my head.

Arbutus
63-64 Frith Street
London W1D 3JW, United Kingdom
020 7734 4545

Arbutus, a well-known Soho restaurant, made it to my list because the menu sounded interesting AND it had a Michelin start… I think I found it via GOOP at some point too!  The menu was one of the pricier ones so I decided to visit it for lunch when they offer a prix fixe meal for 16.95.

After a leisurely morning at the Tower of London I headed over and grabbed a seat at the bar.  While perusing the menu I decided to forgo the prix fixe “Working Lunch” in favour of ordering a la carte where the choices were MUCH more interesting but of course more expensive.

I ended up ordering the Warm crisp pig’s head with young leaf salad and a dish of Roasted Duck with cherries and walnuts.  I’m not sure what the deal is but recently when I go out I’ve been ordering duck or pork belly where available.  Probably because I NEVER cook duck and rarely prepare belly with the exception of bacon.

The Pigs Head salad was amazing.  To be honest I think they just call it Pigs Head because a.) that’s what it contains and b.) for shock value.  It’s not like you get part of the pigs eye staring at you or anything.  Instead it was a sort of terrine of various textures of pork.  There was really a distinction in texture and flavour between the parts used with some being more smooth and others almost granular – very interesting contrast.  It was served with a small bit of green salad that cut through the richness and fat of the pork.

My main was truly a wonder when presented to me.  Yes, there were cherries but the walnuts took the form of a paste or butter that was smeared on the plate.  In addition the dish featured numerous small, roasted beets and a piece of crostini with a duck rillette.  I love rillette so a rillette surprise totally made my day. Oh! And it also came with a surprise side of potatoes gratin.  HEAVEN.

This was probably the most decadent lunch I’ve had in my life.  I felt like Henry VIII when I practically rolled out there.  Lunch ended up coming in at 30 but was totally worth it.

Hereford Road
3 Hereford Road
Westbourne Grove
London, W2 4AB
Phone: 020 7727 1144

Walking to Hereford Road from the Notting Hill Gate tube stop was probably one of the loveliest walks in London.  I walked through Notting Hill and had clearly discovered one of the fancy parts of town as the houses were city mansions and impeccably maintained.  Not that this has anything to do with meal but I just had to say that Notting Hill is adorable!

Set on a street with a few other restaurants, Hereford Road looks warm and comforting from the outside.  It follows the open kitchen concept and even displays some of the days fresh produce in the window (on the day I went it was giant globe artichokes).  The menu here has an emphasis on British cooking made with fresh produce and local products.  I debated amongst many items for both the appetizers (it was between the artichoke and the potted crab) and the mains (between the pot roast rabbit and the pork belly).  In the end the potted crab and the pork belly won.

Potted crab was new to me and the waitress described it as lightly seasoned crab baked and with a layer of butter on top.  You spoon it out and spread it on grilled bread.  Yes please!  The serving was generous and luckily delicious.  The crab was well prepared (except for a piece or two of shell/cartilage) and was a really great appetizer.

The pork belly was presented as a thick slice that had been roasted. The interior was roasted to perfection with an almost melting texture while the outer edge featured a nice crisp bit of skin (my fave). The pork belly was served with courgettes (aka zucchini) and saffron but we also got conned into ordering a side of potatoes by our waitress.  We definitely didn’t need any more food!

For dessert we split the cherry-almond tart with creme fraiche and the gooseberry Eton Mess.  The tart was rich and buttery and pretty much what I expected.  The Eton Mess was not nearly as good as the one that I had at St. John. Yes, I thought that the strawberries at St. John were a better pick compared to gooseberries but I didn’t enjoy how the meringue lacked any crispness either.  The meringue was on the tacky, chewy side which I did not appreciate.

Overall the meal was very good and for the most part (minus being conned into ordering a side) the service was lovely.  We ended up with a server named Tony (short for Elton, who knew!) that made the meal kind of hilarious at points. Hereford Road is definitely worth checking out.

North Sea Fish
7/8 Leigh Street
London WC1H 9EW
020 7387 5892

After my ok fish and chip experience at Fish Club I was excited to try North Sea Fish.  Located close to St. Pancras station the location seemed a little random but it wasn’t too far away so all was good.

North Sea Fish actually encompasses two restaurant: one side specifically for takeaway and another dining room for eat-in patrons.  Yes, the food is cheaper at the takeaway but for the most part I think fish and chips is best consumed immediately so I was willing to pay a premium.

I went all out and ordered a Spitfire beer  (possibly my new fave beer and it’s available at the LCBO!) to start and an order of the cod and chips for my main with a side of mushy peas.  Somehow I’ve never had mushy peas in life!  After placing my order the waitress brought over pretty giant ramekins filled with tartar sauce and ketchup.  I thought the amount was wholly unnecessary and seemed wasteful… but soon thought differently.

The serving sizes were definitely on the generous side.  The piece of fish was pretty big and the batter was on the lighter side of medium which was different than I’m used to.  The fish was clearly very fresh and flaked off in large almost moist chunks.  Truly perfection.  The chips were not the star here.  They were good but nothing to write home about.  If we want to talk about stars however I have to say that the homemade tartar sauce was incredible.  I honestly think I ate nearly half a cup of the stuff which is nothing short of excessive.  I also found a new friend in mushy peas.  They are kind of like Mexican refried beans but with green peas instead.  They aren’t anything fancy whatsoever but they were a great accompaniment.

North Sea Fish definitely deserves all of the votes that it gets for best fish and chips.  I also give it bonus points for it’s old school look.  The dining room is nothing close to modern and looks like it’s probably had the same look since the 50s or 60s.

Dishoom
12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane
London WC2H 9FB
Tel: 020 7420 9320

For my last meal in London I wanted Indian food so we ended up at Dishoom, a Time Out London pick.  The folks on Chowhound weren’t to enthusiastic about Dishoom for the most part but we ventured there anyway since it was close to where we wanted to be for the evening.

The menu at Dishoom didn’t really follow the type of Indian menus that I’m used to. Sure, they had biryanis and chicken tikka but it didn’t have a lot of the saucy curries that I’m used to and there was a big emphasis on grilling.  The menu is also designed for sharing which generally drives me crazy.  Luckily our table was perfectly happy to order separately without the pressure of doing things “tapas-style”.

I decided to forgo a Kingfisher beer and instead had the mango and fennel lassi.  Oh how I love a lassi!  There was a good amount of mango goodness but I’m a bit suspect of the fennel.  Sure there were fennel seeds sprinkled on top but I didn’t get fennel flavour throughout. To start we had the Café Crisps, Vegetarian Samosas and the Dishoom Calamari.  The Café Crisps were super salty and had another odd flavour to them.  Despite that I definitely ate a bunch dipped in a variety of sauces.  The vegetarian samosas were filled with a mash of potatoes and other vegetables and interestingly enough a whole lot of pepper.  Initially our table thought that it was the sauces that were spicy but it was totally the samosas.  The surprise hit was the Dishoom Calamari.  Initially a few at the table expressed interest in the calamari but decided against it because there are few things worse than sketchy calamari.  When we asked the waitress for recommendations she listed the calamari saying it was great and we were sold.  Good thing, it was spicy, not overcooked and overall fantastic.

For my main I ordered Grilled Masala Prawns and the Chicken Biryani.  The serving included about six large prawns and they were dressed lime, tomato, and cilantro.  They were well-spiced and cooked maybe a bit past perfection.  I never order biryani but have had a craving for it for months now and I finally decided to handle that.  To my surprise there were HUGE pieces of chicken throughout, about half chicken and half rice.  The biryani was tasty but not anything to special.  Despite being “sharing portions” I definitely felt stuffed afterwards and didn’t even finish the biryani.

Dishoom was a decent experience but not anything special.  I’ve never been to Brick Lane but I imagine that it is a good alternative to those restaurants and in a central location (near Leicester Square).

Random Stuff

One of the (many) joys of London is the fact that it’s part of Europe and some of my fave French spots have made their way over there!

While walking through Harrods I stumbled upon Laduree and found them again while strolling near Bond Street. I can’t pass up macarons so both times I got two. I went for the rose, salted caramel, and a few other flavours. All were great and reminded me how amateur my macarons really are. It also made me realize that I need to upgrade the amount of filling that I use.

I also stumbled upon Pierre Herme in Selfridges and REALLY couldn’t pass these up since Pierre Herme is my favourite macaron-maker. What I like about PH is that they do really unique flavours. I went for the Olive Oil and Vanilla, Jasmine, Salted Caramel and Pistachio. Reconnecting with my inner macaron lover made me so happy!

While in Bath I was killing time and decided to check out McDonalds. Whenever I’m in another country I have to visit McDonalds to check out what the local menu is like. Interestingly enough they were running an American-inspired menu that featured onion rings. Onion rings at McDonalds? I had to try. I wish I didn’t. They were served with this odd sweet chili sauce and the rings themselves were pretty planned and looked like they soaked up a pound of oil. They left a very bad taste in my mouth.

When I look back at all of my meals, my favourite was definitely Arbutus.  I found their whole menu to be very innovative and the dishes that I had were well-executed and really delivered beyond their menu description.  I would visit again in a heartbeat.

Look out for a few more posts on London including my trip to Borough Market and a look at London supermarkets and food halls.

I recently was fortunate enough to spend five days in London (England, not Ontario).  I visited London about 7 or 8 years ago while studying abroad in France but seeing as I was in broke student mode I didn’t get a chance to do London to its fullest.

This time around [...]]]>

I recently was fortunate enough to spend five days in London (England, not Ontario).  I visited London about 7 or 8 years ago while studying abroad in France but seeing as I was in broke student mode I didn’t get a chance to do London to its fullest.

This time around the plan was to see all the sights, shop and of course eat.  Usually when I travel I spend A LOT of time figuring out what I want to do and what I want to eat.  My theory about food while traveling is why eat mediocre food in a cities with such great culinary options?  Sure cities like New York, Paris and London are filled with restaurants but some quick research can point you in the direction of some of the cities best eats.

In planning my London trip I wasn’t too sure where to start. When I go to NYC I usually have a running list of places to check out, but with London there wasn’t a single restaurant that was on my radar (not for lack of restaurants, I’m just not that tapped into the London food scene).  Thankfully in the age of the internet it’s easy enough to find great options.  My main sources for compiling my London restaurant list were: GOOP (Gwyneth Paltrow’s most excellent newsletter), Time Out London and Chowhound.

A lot of my picks came from GOOP.  Say what you want about Gwyneth (or as I often refer to her, GP) and her recent culinary exploits, but she makes one hell of a city guide when GOOP does the travel editions.  Since Gwyneth lives in London for most the year she has the perspective of a Londoner (a very wealthy Londoner) rather than a culinary tourist.  I appreciate that.   I jokingly refer to my London feast tour as “Eating Like Gwyneth in London”. I checked out Time Out London for their “Best of” section and used Chowhound to validate my pics.

I ate VERY well while in London. Traditionally England has this reputation for crappy food but after my trip I can’t begin to believe it.  Similar to Toronto the trend of nose-to-tail eating is big as is the idea of local raised/source foods. One of my best travel tips is to set a realistic budget and stick to it (most of the time).  That way you can budget for the way you plan to eat.  I wasn’t into doing the city’s cheapest spots every day but also didn’t want to blow the bank so I worked with a daily budget as follows;

Breakfast £5
Lunch £15
Dinner £25
Snacks £5

It balances out because some meals end up cheaper and some end up more expensive.  A £7 lunch makes it easier to have a £33 dinner etc.  It always works for me.

This will be a two-part post. I’ll cover days 3-5 and snacks in a day or two.

Ottolenghi
287 Upper Street
London N1 2TZ
T: 020 7288 1454
(3 other locations as well)

I arrived in London pretty early on a Friday morning and after getting settled needed some food.  I wanted something local and strayed from my day’s pre-planned lunch.  My friend Robin suggested we check out a local spot whose name she didn’t know but she knew they always had meringues in the window.  When we got there and were waiting in line I started seeing a familiar name and logo – Ottolenghi.  Ottolenghi wasn’t on my list of places to check out but I was familiar with it from none other than GP.  In GOOP she mentions that she likes to stop into Ottolenghi when she’s hosting company but doesn’t have time to cook.  If it’s good enough for GP, it’s good enough for me.

Ottolenghi is part “takeaway” (buy food to take with you) and part eat-in restaurant.  When you enter they have a selection of very attractive baked goods lined up on one side and then their savoury salads, meats etc on the other side.  If you are getting your food for takeaway the items are weighed.  If you’re eating in (as we did) you get to choose the number of different dishes that you’d like to try.

For lunch I decided to pick the 3-item plate which was about £11 or £12. Everything on offer looked pretty scrumptious but I chose the sweet potatoes with spiced yoghurt, dukkah and chervil, Jersey royals (potatoes) and asparagus with samphire, parsley pesto, herbs and lemon and lamb kofta (yes I had two starches as sides). I loved the Middle Eastern flavours in the sweet potatoes and lamb. They were well spiced and had flavours that I definitely am not used to cooking with. One thing to note is that the food isn’t served hot, it’s at room temperature which is kind of odd (especially for the lamb) but works when everything is room temperature.

Since Ottolenghi was so close to where I was staying I good part of my breakfast budget went to them.  The banana-date muffin is probably the best muffin I’ve ever had (period), the pain or chocolat is pure buttery goodness and they make a pretty great chocolate-pecan cookie.

Pizza East
56 Shoreditch High Street
London E1 6JJ
T: 020 7729 1888
(2nd location on Portobello Road)

Pizza is easily one of my favourite foods so it’s no surprise that I wanted to check out one of the newish and popular pizza spots in London.  Located in the trendy Shoreditch area, Pizza East is a surprisingly large space (great for groups!) with a really Spartan, warehouse kind of look.  On a Friday night the place was packed with a mostly young group of trendy looking folks (and a wait of about 40 minutes for a table for two).

The menu features a variety of antipastos and what they call “boards” (think cheese and meat boards) which seemed really popular.  A number of tables were ordering the meat platter both while waiting to be seated and once at the tables.  They looked great but we just went right in for the pizzas.

We decided to order two pizzas. The first featured veal meatballs, prosciutto, cream and sage and the second featured a type of sausage with arugula strewn on top. The pizza was good but doesn’t compare with my fave pizza place in Toronto, Pizzeria Libretto. My main beef was that the crust was thin but too chewy in spots. The flavours and ingredients were great however, the crust didn’t stand up. Out of the two pizzas the meatball one was the clear winner.

Fish Club
189 St John’s Hill
Clapham Junction
SW11 1TH
020 7978 7115
(2nd location on Clapham High Street)

I heard about Fish Club through Time Out London and they ranked it as one of the best Fish and Chip shops in London.  Located in Battersea it’s not necessarily far from the city centre but it’s off the beaten path as there isn’t much around there in terms of sigh-seeing and the usual tourist activities.

When I arrived for lunch the place felt a bit unmanned.  There were a pair of customers eating at the picnic tables outside and eventually a man appeared behind the counter.  Given that the place was mostly comprised of stools (with maybe 4 or 6 tables in the back), I went to the counter to order and took a seat.  Eventually a server came around with real cutlery and to offer me water.  Not sure if this is a sitdown place or what, but it worked out in the end.

My first fish and chip experience in London was good but not amazing.  The fish was fresh and flaky and of substantial size. Fish Club gets bonus point for using sustainable fish.  The batter wasn’t too thick, but was on the heavier side of medium.  It was definitely crisp and golden.  The “chips” were not what I was expecting.  They were short and stubby, almost like “chip nuggets”.  Sure, the taste was good but I like more substantial fries.  But that’s just me.

I enjoyed the meal and if I lived I Battersea would probably hit up this place regularly.  After leaving, my general reaction was that I didn’t believe that it could possibly be the best fish and chips spot in London.  I thought some of my Toronto faves were at least on par with it.    I made the trek from Westminster Abbey to Battersea but would not do it again.

St. John Bar & Restaurant
26 St. John Street
London
EC1M 4AY
020 3301 8069

Oh St. John. This restaurant was on my list to try but then I took it off because the menu didn’t excite me.  Online they list a sample menu and it was a lot of random animal parts with what sounded like simple preparations.  I’m all for random animal parts, offal etc. but I wasn’t really feeling it for my trip.  After posting my tentative restaurant list on Chowhound however, a few people really urged me to try St. John.  So I did.

St. John was actually close to where I was staying, which was a bonus.  It is without a doubt an interesting space.  It looks industrial as you walk in and there are tables lining the hallway as you enter.  You then walk into a bar area which also has tables (they have a separate bar menu).  If you turn around and go up a few stairs you are taken to the dining room, which is where I sat.  On a Wednesday at around 8 the place was busy but not “wait for a table” busy which was nice.

Upon sitting down they bring over bread and butter. St. John also happens to be a bakery so I had a feeling the bread would be pretty stellar – and it was.  I decided to forgo an appetizer (saving room for dessert) and ordered a pair of Braised Slip Soles and a Green Salad.  Yup, I had no clue what Slip Soles were until I asked.  Apparently they are Dover Soles and in this case were braised in a brown butter.  I love brown butter pretty much anything, especially with fish so I was fully on board.

I totally made a rookie mistake when the dish arrived.  I cut off a piece of the end and literally met head- (or tongue) on with a mouthful of bones.  I have a very strong fear of getting a bone stuck in my throat so this was not ideal.  In my haste to consume my food I didn’t realize that I was given two whole fish and not two fillets.  I then ate my meal very leisurely as I got my Doctor Yang on and performed some serious surgery on the fish to remove every last microscopic bone.  Once I got into the fish I really enjoyed it.  For such thin fish it was nice to see that they weren’t overdone and dry.  The brown butter sauce was perfectly balanced and really complimented the fish.  The green salad that I purchased to go along with it (dishes arrive as described with no additional sides) was really refreshing and provided a nice break from all of the butter.

For dessert I wanted to try something uniquely British.  There were two things on the menu that I wasn’t too sure about which signaled “British” to me – Eccles Cake and Eton Mess.  When the waitress described the Eccles Cake to me I wasn’t that impressed. Its basically puffed pastry wrapped around a sort of dried fruit filling.  No thanks.  The Eton Mess on the other hand sounded delightful!  It’s essentially crushed meringue layered with whipped cream and berries, kind of like a parfait.  It was AMAZING.  I’ve pretty much been thinking about Eton Mess non-stop since and will be making it promptly.

My meal at St John was definitely a hit but I wish I had ordered a bit more adventurously. I think I ordered fish because I had been in Germany for 3 days prior and was kind of weighed down by the volume of pork and potatoes that I had consumed. St. John is worth visiting.

–

Visit the blog in the next day or two for part 2 of my eating adventures in London.

(Photo borrowed from Food & Co.)

Contrary to how things appear on this blog I don’t go out to eat that often.  Realistically (if I’m not travelling) I’ll go out for dinner maybe twice a month.  Don’t get me wrong, I [...]]]> Enoteca Sociale
1288 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON
416-534-1200

(Photo borrowed from Food & Co.)

Contrary to how things appear on this blog I don’t go out to eat that often.  Realistically (if I’m not travelling) I’ll go out for dinner maybe twice a month.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to go out but I love to cook and I love to stretch my dollars.  For me going out to eat is a social engagement.  I rarely entertain at home so chances are if I’m meeting a friend it’s over brunch, dinner or tea.  Recently I was tweeting with my girl Courtney (of Polysh Magazine) when we realized that we were overdue for a dinner date. The lovely Kesha jumped in on the convo and a few e-mails later we planned to check out Enoteca Sociale.

Enoteca Sociale is by the same folks behind one of my Toronto faves, Pizzeria Libretto. When I heard they were opening up a non-pizza based restaurant the place jumped to my list of “must dines”.  As the name suggests, Enoteca Sociale has a heavy focus on wines and is inspired by the Italian enotecas.  In this case the wines are “value-driven” and also feature a lot of “by-the-glass” selections.  Under the enomatic system they also serve tasting portions of wine as well.

While you can’t really compare Enoteca Sociale and Pizzeria Libretto one thing I can comment on is the fact that Enoteca accepts reservations (insert sound of angels at the gates).  I love being able to make a reservation for dinner at a potentially popular spot.  Enoteca is also concerned with being a casual neighbourhood spot so they only accept reservations for half of their seats.  What they don’t mention on the website or when you call to make a reservation is that walk-ins are really only for the patio, the bar and for the communal high tables along the eastern side of the restaurant.  Kind of off-putting if none of those options appeal to you.  Luckily when we arrived none of the high tables were occupied so we had a relatively private dining experience.

I was so excited for my meal that I knew exactly what I was going to order from that morning.  Because of a totally frustrating day the only last minute addition was wine.  The menu, while fairly brief does seem to have something for most people (i.e. a fish, a poultry, a meat etc.).  To start I had the artichoke fries.  HEAVEN.  Imagine vertical slices of artichokes (they almost look lamb chops in shape) lightly battered and deep fried.  They are served with this creamy, lemony dipping sauce that just made it perfect.  If I didn’t know better I would have ordered two of these and just called it a meal.

For my main I had the Braised Oxtail with Polenta.  I know, I’ve been on a huge oxtail kick recently, I’m not even sure why!  If I see oxtail on the menu I immediately want it to get in my belly.  This oxtail was no exception.  It’s cooked in a tomato-based sauce and likely spiked with wine and served over creamy polenta.  The portion didn’t look that generous when brought to the table and if I hadn’t had the artichoke fries I probably would have been hungry.  I was served two pieces of oxtail each about 2-2.5 inches high.  Now if this was a Jamaican restaurant they would have served up a LOT more oxtail!  If it were a Jamaican restaurant I would have also felt comfortable picking up the bones and sucking on them to free the last strands of meat.  Alas I was in a trendy Italian spot so this was a no-go. Courtney had the Spaghetti Caccio e Pepe which she seemed to enjoy.  It did however look like the portion was tiny.  The server didn’t mention upon ordering whether pastas were satisfying enough on their own or if they are meant as a first course.  If you go be sure to ask about that one.

For dessert I ordered the zeppole and Courtney had the flourless chocolate cake (Kesha ended up not making it to dinner – sad face).   The zeppole was served with a hazelnut cream and was really satisfying although not sharing-sized.  The flourless chocolate cake was SO rich!  And huge!  Definitely a dessert for two.  It was so rich it had me wanting a glass of milk to wash it down with.

I asked the server to recommend a wine by the glass for me.  He immediately recommended something in the $15 per glass range until I told him I wanted something less.  I settled on a $9 Primitivo (which I generally enjoy) which was a lovely pairing with my oxtail.  If I were feeling particularly fancy I would next time do the tasting menu with wine pairings because I’m sure it would be great.

Service was overall lovely.  Our waiter was really friendly and generally attentive.  When I asked about the upcoming cheese cave (which was opening the next day) he gave us directions on how to sneak a peak of it when we went downstairs and gave us the lowdown on the cave.  I would love to spend a future evening at Enoteca trying cheeses and sampling some wines.

Here’s what others have said about Enoteca thus far…
BlogTO
Spotlight Toronto
National Post
Globe & Mail

For Canada Day weekend I decided to head down to New York for a bit of shopping, eating and theatre-watching.  Of course after combing some of my favourite NYC resources I came up with a list of places to try and [...]]]>
(Photo borrowed from here)

For Canada Day weekend I decided to head down to New York for a bit of shopping, eating and theatre-watching.  Of course after combing some of my favourite NYC resources I came up with a list of places to try and list of places to re-visit.  Detailed posts to come on some of the restaurants over the next week or so.

Here’s where I ate…

Motorino (full review to come) – I can’t go to NYC without having some pizza. This place in the East Village (and Brooklyn) has a great $12 lunch special.

Luke’s Lobster (full review to come) – This place has been getting a lot of buzz for their lobster rolls. It didn’t disappoint.

A Taste of Seafood – My go-to fried fish spot in Harlem. Their sides are also amazing. Gotta have the mac n cheese and the fried okra.

Locanda Verde (full review to come) – Andrew Carmellini’s new spot in Tribeca. Went for brunch. Gorgeous space. Would like to move in.

Babbo (full review to come) – No words. Okay, maybe a few. Mario Batali’s Washington Square gem that’s been around for a while.  AMAZING meal and fantastic service. Might have to revisit during every trip.

Dos Caminos Soho – A throwback brunch pick! Recent visits have disappointed but they’ve changed the brunch menu a bit and I had a really great meal.

Empanada Mama (full review to come) – this place brings back memories of babysitting. I branched out from my usual picks and had some good eats!

(Photo borrowed from Toronto Life)

Truth be told when I first heard about Ruby Watchco I wasn’t too excited.  I had heard the name Lynn Crawford [...]]]> Ruby Watchco
730 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
M4M 1H2
t. 416 465-0100
f. 416-465-7119
e. info@rubywatchco.ca

(Photo borrowed from Toronto Life)

Truth be told when I first heard about Ruby Watchco I wasn’t too excited.  I had heard the name Lynn Crawford before (Manhattan Four Seasons and Food Network Canada Star) but it didn’t resonate for me in a meaningful way.  The restaurant is a bit east of my usual stomping ground (Queen and Broadview). AND it’s a set menu where you only find out what’s being served the day of. ANNNNDDDD it costs $49.

I had pretty much written off the place until I started hearing great things about it.  Sure a lot of people are bandwagon jumpers and excited by the names behind the place but as I started looking at the menus the food sounded delicious.  So my work bestie and I decided to make a reservation for a few weeks out so that we could do a day-by-day menu analysis to make sure that we wanted to go.  And yes, we really did study the menus every day!

As I mentioned earlier Ruby Watchco is the brainchild of Lynn Crawford (former executive chef at the Four Seasons and star of various Food Network Canada shows) and husband and wife co-owners Cherie Stinson (Restaurant Makeover) and Joey Skeir.  Stinson’s background  is in design and it’s apparent throughout the restaurant.  The space is gorgeous.  I fell in love with the wall of drawers at the front immediately as I walked in.  The restaurant features an open kitchen and a finishing table that juts more out into the dining room.  The space is elegant without being stuffy and definitely has an edge to it.  I’m also in love with the Ruby Watch Co sign that takes centre stage inside and incidentally was picked up at a store years before the recipe was even an idea.

What sets Ruby Watchco apart from  restaurants in the city is that they do one prix fixe each night that changes nightly.  It’s a really neat concept.  In interviews Crawford compares the lack of choice available to her patrons to going over to someone’s house for dinner.  You don’t get a choice in what you eat, you just eat (although the typical dinner party doesn’t cost $49…).  With that said it’s a dinner party prepared by one of the best chefs.  It’s also served family style.  If you have any special dietary issues (vegetarian, gluten-free etc) you can inform the restaurant when you make your reservation (although they did ask us when we arrived AND confirmed once we looked at the menu).

The menu for our meal was as follows:

RUBYS’ PICKLED WATERMELON, WILD LEEKS and MUSTARD GREENS SALAD
FETA CHEESE WITH HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE

RUBY’S CHICKEN CACCITORE
TRUFFLED MAC and CHEESE, GRILLED BABY ZUCCHINI WITH BASIL BUTTER,
SWEET CORN PEPPERONATA

FROMAGERIE TOURILLI’S BOUQETIN CHERVE
ONTARIO RHUBARB CHUTNEY, COUNTRY BREAD

LEMON PANNA COTTA
BLACK PEPPER and BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES

Things were off to a good start with the salad.  It was one of the freshest meals I’ve had in a long time.  All of the produce tasted and looked like someone had just foraged for it.  I had never had pickled watermelon but I really liked the texture and taste that it contributed to the salad.  Overall there was a nice balance of flavours and textures in the salad and everything really worked well together.  I now want to eat wild leeks all the time.  The one downside here was that I didn’t really get a lot of hazelnut flavour from the vinaigrette, but it was still great.  The salad was also served with some cheddar and maybe chive biscuits and some house-churned butter.  Clearly they had me at hello.

I was pretty indifferent when I saw that our main was Chicken Caccitore.  I’m not a huge chicken fan and I probably wouldn’t order Chicken Caccitore but I figured that it would be some pretty darned good chicken.  The chicken was really tender and juicy and I enjoyed it but wasn’t blown away.  What really stood out for me were the sides!  Truffled mac and cheese? SO GOOD! Grilled baby zucchini? I didn’t even know baby zucchini were an option!  They were so fresh tasting and were so zucchini-y. I was also a fan of the sweet corn pepperonata although I could have used more if it.  I think Lynn Crawford should have a restaurant called Sides and serve only side dishes. Heaven.  Shout outs go to the use of Le Creuset pieces to serve everything.  So cute!

The cheese course brought out the most laughs.  It was a goat cheese but it was SO goat-y.  It kind of tasted like I was sucking on a goat udder (not that I’ve ever done that).  Or as I said at dinner “It tastes like a barn”.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a goat cheese but this was a bit too much even for me.  I did enjoy the country bread and the rhubarb chutney.  I could have eaten about a pound of that.

Is it just me or is panna cotta popping up everywhere all of a sudden?  I’m usually pretty indifferent about panna cotta, I can take it or leave it.  I have to say I was ALL ABOUT this panna cotta.  It was super lemony and tarte which was just what I needed after the cheese.  The flavours were so bright and fresh.  I also loved the strawberry compote on top.

At the end of the meal I wanted to make a reservation to come again. It was that good.  The service was attentive and comfortable.  The space was gorgeous. And the portions were more than generous for two people.  We left stuffed.  While Ruby Watchco isn’t an everynight kind of restaurant for me it’s definitely on my list of places to hit up when I want a “nicer” meal.

Check out the links below to see what others have to say…

The National Post
The Toronto Star
Now Magazine
The Globe and Mail <– my fave review (even though it’s super negative). Joanne Kates was ripe on this one!

I love burgers.  I particularly like having a good burger within walking distance.  The area right near my house has been in a burger drought for some time but all of  a sudden [...]]]> Gourmet Burger Company
2419 Yonge Street West
Toronto, ON
M4P 2E7
Phone: 647-349-6555

I love burgers.  I particularly like having a good burger within walking distance.  The area right near my house has been in a burger drought for some time but all of  a sudden things are booming.  First came Bamburger and then an outpost of South St. Burger Co. opened up. Now we have our own Gourmet Burger Company.  GBC has two other locations in the city, one south of Yonge and Bloor the other near Parliament and Carlton. The other day I was rushing out to an event and decided to try their one of their burger to-go.  Well, really I wanted just onion rings since I read on Blog TO that they have pretty darned good onion rings but decided to make it a meal.

Without a doubt GBC has a great burger menu.  You can choose between a beef burger, chicken burger (whole chicken breast), veggie burger and even a lamb burger.  Well played GBC, well played.  A lamb burger is a pretty neat choice to add in there.  What really gets me is the assortment of complimentary toppings.  Sure you have the usual lettuce, tomato and onion but you can also load up gratis on avocado, caramelized onions, beets and roasted red peppers, among other things.  For a buck you can add things like cheese, bacon, pineapple or a fried egg.  If you don’t want to worry about choosing your own toppings they have some pre-determined burger options as well.

I ordered a beef burger with lettuce, tomato and caramelized onions.  Instead of doing ketchup and mustard I asked for some GBC sauce which has ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and some other stuff in there.  My burger was ok. They cook all burgers to medium-well but my burger was more like past well.  It was really dry.  Sure I got take-out but the walk home is less than 5 minutes away.  My burger was super goopey hence the splotchy bits on the bun.  I liked the toppings, they were all fresh and the GBC sauce added a nice kick.

The onion rings on the other hand were GREAT!  They are beer-battered and pretty darned good with thick slices of sweet onion nestled within a generous coating of batter.  The order is really generous and at $2.95 is a great price.  It will require a lot of discipline to not just pop in every day for an onion ring treat.  They also have sweet potato fries on the menu, equally dangerous.

While the burger was a disappointment I’m willing to give it another try.  I like the concept of GBC and love that use Canadian beef that they age for 30 days and that the toppings are prepared in-house.  I didn’t love that my burger was dry but here’s to hoping that next time it won’t be.  The onions rings are definitely on my snack food list.

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