Ontario Archives - Page 4 of 4

In Brunch

Senator Restaurant: One of Toronto’s Oldest Restaurant

May 21, 2012

The Senator is Toronto’s oldest restaurants, which can date back to the 19th century. It is located close to Dundas Square and is quite popular for breakfast. Dre from Bite Me Food Blog was kind enough to take CanuckGirl and I here. It is slightly hidden, so you need to look around for it.

The interior is very narrow, but they can still fit a decent amount of people here.

We came at around 9:30am and the place was quite packed when we arrived.

French Toast ($10.25) has thick slices of challah bread dipped in egg Batter & served with maple syrup & seasonal compote.

Senator Breakfast ($7.95 Before 11:30am) comes with bacon & eggs with challah toast, beans & home fries. Also your choice of tea or coffee. It was a good standard type of breakfast. I enjoyed it and so did CanuckGirl.

House Blend Coffee was much needed since 9:30am Toronto time is 6:30am Vancouver time.

Overall, good for breakfasts and has a cool diner feel to the interior. The breakfast selection is under $10 and has great value.

Words of Wisdom:

Under $10
Near Dundas Square
Good hearty breakfasts

We Rate Senator Restaurant:

Address:
249 Victoria Street
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://www.thesenator.com/

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In Four Beakers

Buster’s Sea Cove: Fish Sandwiches at St. Lawrence Market

May 20, 2012

Buster’s Sea Cove in the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto is very very popular and there are always long lines on Saturdays. Even though the line is quite long looking, the staff are very efficient, so it shouldn’t take too long to order and then receive your items.

BaguetteGirl, CanuckGirl, Fabo and I went here to eat lunch since we heard the fish sandwiches were to die for. Plus, there was a long lineup, so there must be a reason why they were there.

New England Clam Chowder (S- $3.80) comes with a small cup of goldfish crackers. CanuckGirl thought it was good but not very creamy.

Calamari & Salad ($9.95) was actually just a box of calamari and then a box of salad. The calamari tasted fresh, but it wasn’t very crispy. It comes with a marinara type of sauce. The salad was pretty usual but it does come with a balsamic vinegar.

Shrimp in Rose & Herb Sauce ($11.95) comes with a bed of basmati rice and slaw. Fabo enjoyed the size and freshness of the shrimp.

Grilled Salmon Sandwich ($8.95) comes with a side of slaw. BaguetteGirls usual orders the sandwiches at Busters.

I stole a bit of BaguetteGirl’s sandwich and the salmon was so tender and perfectly done! I usually hate cooked salmon, but it was just so moist and delicious.

Overall, the seafood tasted very fresh and is a great place to go for a good lunch at the St. Lawrence Market. Definitely a go-to place if you visit the market!

Words of Wisdom:

Delicious Fish Sandwiches and Fish + Chips
Long waits, but goes fast
Decent amount of seating

We Rate Buster’s Sea Cove:

Address:
93 Front Street East
Toronto,ON

Website:
http://ww.busters-seacove.com/

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In Izakaya

Guu SakaBar: Still Guu’d in Toronto, ON

May 19, 2012

Guu SakaBar is another restaurant part of the Guu restaurants. They sell Japanese Izakaya items like tapas dishes. Guu currently has 6 restaurants in Vancouver and 2 in Toronto. Since I have already been to all the ones in Vancouver, it just seemed right to visit the other two in Toronto.

CanuckGirl and I headed down to this location during our first day in Toronto. We went at about 7pm and there was already a line up outside. Fortunately, we were able to get a table in about 10 minutes.

Guu SakaBar can easily be missed if you don’t pay attention since the sign is not very large.

The interior is huge! They have 2 rooms and can fit a lot of customers. That’s probably why people say this location is easier to get a seat. The other area has the bar and more tables.

Whats great about Guu is that it has a lively atmosphere and good food. Compared to the Vancouver locations, this Guu is much larger and has better interior decor.

Pot of Tea ($4) was expensive! In the Guu’s in Vancouver, you never have to pay for tea!

Maguro Tataki ($6.80) has seared BC tuna sashimi with ponzu sauce and garlic chips. It was delicious, but I still felt that Guu in Vancouver has better sashimi.

BBQ Pork ($6) has pork belly with a honey soy sauce. It was not too fatty at all and had a delicious taste.

Kabocha Korokke ($4.80) has deep-fried kabocha pumpkin croquette with a boiled egg inside. It is coverd with a spicy mayo sauce. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Karaage ($6.80) has deep-fried soy sauce marinated chicken with a side of mayo. The chicken pieces were quite large and very moist.

Yaki Udon ( $7.80) has pan-fried udon noodles with beef, mushrooms and scallions. There was a good amount of beef! It was savory and most delicious.

Overall, we did enjoy the dining experience at Guu SakaBar. The wait wasn’t too long for a table of 2 and the food came out at a good pace. The servers were nice and could speak english quite well.

Words of Wisdom:

No Reservations
Go early or dine later since it gets super busy
Tea is super expensive, so perhaps ask for water.. or hot water

We Rate Guu SakaBar:

Address:
559 Bloor St W
Toronto, ON
Website:
http://www.guu-izakaya.com/

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In Dessert

YoYo’s Yogurt Cafe: Frozen Yogurt in Toronto, ON

May 18, 2012

Yoyo’s Yogurt Cafe is located on Bloor Street in the Annex. They currently have 5 locations in Ontario. During the day, CanuckGirl and I passed by and this place was packed! A majority of the seats were occupied, even the patio. Seeing that frozen yogurt is a better alternative than ice cream, we decided to see how this place compared to the ones in Vancouver.

The interior has a lot of space to walk around. You can sample the flavours before choosing what you want.

They have 8 different flavours to choose from and they do vary every week. There are 4 steps to make the yogurt processing easier.

Choose your flavour
Add the yogurt into the cup
Add toppings to it
Weight it and pay

They have a decent amount of toppings to put on.

I just wished there were more varieties of fruit to add on top.

You then can pay at the till. You can ask for a cup of water if you need it.

Frozen Yogurt ($0.55 per ounce). CanuckGirl and I got very different looking frozen yogurts. Unlike Pinkberry, you pay by weight and not per cup. Can you guess which bowl is mine?

I wish I was the one that ordered the full cup, but the way I can tell if I like a frozen yogurt place is trying their original flavour. Original works great with all the fresh fruit, but I wish it was a bit more tart. Mine came out to be about $5 and CanucksGirls HUGE cup was about $11.

Overall, it’s still a great place to chill with friends and eat dessert. Lots of seats to sit down. The staff were very nice and love to joke around with their customers.

Words of Wisdom: