Type Archives - Page 67 of 125

In Coquitlam

Stake: Hump Day Date Night Menu

December 3, 2014

M and I wanted to spend a lovely Wednesday out at Stake to eat some steak. Of course, they serve much more than just steak. They have a variety of items that are inspired by local produce and west coast cuisine.

They have a special on Wednesday nights called the Hump Day Date Night Menu, which costs $49.99 per couple.

This includes:

Artisan Greens for Two

Dinner Platter for Two
Select two of your favourites served with silky mashed potatoes and sautéed baby vegetables

Pan-seared Spring Salmon
Braised Lamb Shank
BBQ Whiskey Glazed Beef Ribs
Free Range Chicken Breast
Pan-Seared Truffle Polenta

Dessert Platter for Two

Mango Cheese Cake
Chocolate Marquise

You can even do a few add-ons to the menu.

Bottle of Wine (+$20)
Pan Seared Garlic Prawns (+$10)
Pan Seared Scallops (+$10)
Stake-cut Onion Rings (+$8)
Roasted Mushrooms and Garlic with Fresh Thyme (+$8)
Glazed Golden Beets with Fresh Thyme (+$5)
Steam Asparagus with Lemon (+$8)

There’s not too many people here on a Wednesday evening, but with the holidays coming up, the tables are nicely decorated.

We stated off with complimentary bread and butter. It came with a good amount of slices. M and I couldn’t finish it all. We both just had one piece since we wanted to save room for the platter.

Artisan Greens comes with Golden Ears Quark Cheese, walnut wafer, shaved carrots, roasted red pepper with a raspberry vinaigrette. We got 2 of these as part of the meal. It was a yummy simple salad.

The dinner platter arrived and M and I chose the Braised Lamb Shank and the Pan-Seared Truffle Polenta. There were 2 balls of mashed potatoes, carrots, beets, asparagus and gravy. It was a good size for 2 people to share.

I found it was actually quite fun having it all on one platter. Instead of having our own individual meals, we had fun fighting who gets the last bite of lamb.

Braised Lamb Shank was very tender and fell apart beautifully. Mmm Mmm very delicious!

Pan-Seared Truffle Polenta looks like an omelette but it’s not. The polenta is very delicious and quite fluffy. One of the best polenta’s I’ve had so far.

We decided to add on the Stake-cut Onion Rings (+$8). The looked more like donuts than onion rings. It was very salty and had mostly batter. We didn’t like these very much.

Mango Cheese Cake was very good! Whats not to like? Cheesecake is always a winner.

The Chocolate Marquise wasn’t very good this time. It was very hard to cut through. This was very different from the last time I had it.

Overall, the food was good but it was only the Chocolate Marquise and the onion rings that we didn’t like. Service was good and the food came out at a good speed.

We Rate Stake:

Address:
2080 United Boulevard
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.hardrockcasinovancouver.com/venue/stake/

In Bubble Tea

Mango Yummy: From Night Market to Store Front

December 1, 2014

Mango Yummy finally has a store front in Richmond. They may sound very familiar because they have stalls at the Richmond Night Market and the International Summer Night Market. Their store opened in October 2014 and serve up yummy asian desserts.

Of course anything with mango is super delicious. I came here with Food Queen, Dee and Nat from Gastrofork to catch up over yummy drinks.

It is located across from Richmond Center and has their own parking lot with free parking.

Their interior isn’t too large, but they have about 25 seats. We came here around 5:30pm, so it wasn’t too busy.

Mango Drinks, Red Bean Drinks, Shaved Ice, Fresh Tofu Drinks, Milk Tea, and Green Teas.

Lemonade, smoothies, fresh fruit slush, tea, ice cream floats, toast, crepes, and desserts.

They also have a variety of hot sweet soups. There’s only a handful of places in Richmond where you can find a good selection of these sweet soups. Mmmmmm Mmmmmm….

Signature Mango Sago Grapefruit ($6) is their popular drink and it has everything you need to satisfy your mango cravings.

Tofu Mango Sago and Grapefruit ($7) I got this tofu dessert and it is quite similar to the signature drink above but with a lot of tofu. I love tofu and I could drink this all day. I totally could have ordered a few more.

Mixed Fruit Shaved Ice ($7) has a bit over everything like lychee, berries, watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapples, etc. It is even topped with vanilla ice cream.

Mango Slush ($5) can’t go wrong with this.

The winter is definitely getting colder, but your sweet tooth still needs to be satisfied with yummy mango desserts.

We Rate Mango Yummy:

Address:
6564 Number 3 Rd
Richmond, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/mangoyummy/

In Gluten Free Options

Novo Pizzeria and Wine Bar: Fresh Made Pasta

November 30, 2014

Novo Pizzeria and Wine Bar specializes in pasta even though they are a pizzeria. All the pasta is made in-house and they also have gluten-free options. They are located in Kitsilano near Burrard and West 5th Avenue. There is street parking and underground parking as well.

The interior has the open kitchen where you can see them putting your dishes together or firing up your pizza in their oven. There are lots of tables to accommodate small to large groups.

Burrata Cicheto was served on a spoon and also has tomato jam, balsamic pearls, pistachio, pink peppercorn and mint. It was a delicious bite that left us wanting more.

I still prefer their regular burrata dish, its so good!

Truffled Fettuccine has funghi misti, truffle oil and pecorino romano. It was a good dish and not too over powering with the truffle oil. Good balance of flavours. I am a huge fan of mushrooms, so this dish really was eaten quite quickly. nom nom nom nom nom. The Fettuccine noodles were cooked al dente.

Risotto Di Bufala has mozzarella di bufala, over dried tomatoes, thyme, cashews, and arugula pesto. I love creamy risotto! Carbalicious! It was really good. Mmm Mmm Mmm

Handcut pappardelle served with tender rabbit, roasted tomatoes, California black olives, white wine, pecorino cheese, arugula and olio al tartufo.

Yes, they serve rabbit and it tastes like chicken. Maybe you were better off not knowing what protein is in this dish. It was good and adventurous to those who have not tried rabbit before.

Braised Beef Cheek Ravioli has onion confit, black pepper and tarragon cream sauce, and orange zest. The one thing that threw me off about this dish is the orange zest. The ravioli were large and stuffed with a good amount of beef.

Sausage Orrechiette has fennel pollen, allepo pepper, and parmigiano reggiano. This was M’s favourite because of the chunks of sausage.

Sicilian Cannoli has bufalo ricotta, citrus oil, orange blossom water and pistachios. Delicious cannoli and its the perfect size.

Overall, Nova has a good variety of pasta on their menu with unique ingredients.

We Rate Novo Pizzeria:

Address:
2118 Burrard Street
Vancouver

Website:
http://www.novopizzeria.com/

In Chinese

Kirin: Dim Sum at Starlight Casino

November 26, 2014

Kirin has another location at Starlight Casino near New Westminster. They have 4 locations in total. They serve dim sum on the weekends before 2pm. It’s a beautiful space and it can get pretty busy around 10:30am. This time, we went around noon on a cold weekend and there were no lines at all.

If there is a line up, you would wait in this waiting area, but it’s quite nice.

The main dining area is very large and they also have a private VIP area for small groups.

You will be asked what type of tea you would like and I usually get a Jasmine or Oolong.

Aloe Vera Jelly came complimentary as they were doing a promotion with Eastern Airlines. I’m not really sure what the connection was, but yeah for free things.

Golden Sand Tofu is one of my favourite dishes. It is soft and silky on the inside with crispy exterior and sprinkled with salty bits on top.

Pan Fried Rice Rolls is quite good but it is an oily dish. The chewiness from the rice rolls and the salty sauce go well together.

Shrimp Dumplings comes with 4 pieces in the bamboo steamer. One of my favourite dishes.

Sticky Rice has 3 pieces in a container. Decent size especially for the morning

Fried Bean Curd Rolls was one of my favourite dishes that we ordered. It was crispy on the outside and filled with savoury ingredients like mushroom.

Overall, Kirin is a good place to have dim sum, but they do lack a few dishes here and there. The quality is good. The Queenborough Landing Outlet is close by, so you should definitely check it out and try to find a good deal.

We Rate Kirin:

Address:
350 Gifford St
New Westminster BC

Website:
http://www.kirinrestaurants.com/

In Izakaya

Manzo: Japanese Izakaya in Richmond

November 24, 2014

Manzo Japanese Restaurant is located on Alexandra Road in Richmond. We came here for some more drinks and smaller dishes to pick at, so an Izakaya was the perfect idea. They have been around for over a decade and they also have another restaurant on Capstain Way.

It is dim inside and has a lot of cool items on all the walls like lanterns, pictures and signs. Service was ok, but they couldn’t answer a few questions about the alcohol on the menu as they didn’t know the size of a small or large sake.

750ml Bottle of Gekkeikan was about $29. Price was a bit high since you know you can buy this for really cheap at the alcohol store. Of course the prices would be much higher in a restaurant. The bottle lasted us a while, so it wasn’t too bad.

Edamame ($2.50) was on special.

Mentaiko Agedashi Tofu was a delicious item! The salty topping with the mentiko mixture was salty, but it blended nicely with the agedashi tofu, which was bit more bland.

Kawahagi is a file fish. It is thin an crispy kinda like dried cuttlefish found in grocery stores.

Deep Fried Baby Octopus was delicious. Anything deep-fried is an addiction.

Grilled Beef Tongue Skewers were really yummy. Perfectly cooked, tender and had great flavour.

Some items are quite pricey like sashimi. Their Izakaya items are ok, but there’s nothing very special about what they offer.

We Rate Manzo:

Address:
8391 Alexandra Rd
Richmond, BC

In Chinese

0755 Restaurant and Lounge: Eating in a Club

November 23, 2014

0755 Restaurant and Lounge in Richmond really looks like a club on the outside with the blackened windows. Our friends told us its a great place for some food, drinks and lively atmosphere. We were first asked for 2 pieces of ID before coming in.

Then, we waited a few minutes before the seated us as they were cleaning up tables.

It’s a restaurant and lounge, but the inside looks like a club too. A few of my friends said it reminded them of restaurants in Shanghai. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been to China.

When we sat down, there are complimentary sunflower seeds on the table. It’s something nice to pick at when you’re slipping on a drink.

Big Bowl Cauliflower is soaked in spicy sauce with slices of pork. It was pretty good but of course nothing can beat Nuba’s Deep Fried Cauliflower. It was interesting to see a dish presented this way.

Mao Stewed Pork is deliciously braised pork belly. Mmmm so good! You really can’t go wrong with this dish.

We ordered rice to go with the 2 dishes we ordered. The entrees were quite large, so we didn’t have to order too many dishes for a group of 4.

If you follow them on WeChat you can get discounts off your bill. The first person gets 5% off the bill and all others after that is an additional 1% off. Since 3 of us were following them on WeChat, we got 7% off. I’m not a WeChat user, but if there are discounts involved, of course I will download the app.

Their service is pretty good and the food comes out pretty much instantly. We were so confused since that never happens.

We Rate 0755 Restaurant and Lounge:

Address:
3779 Sexsmith Rd
Richmond, BC

In Happy Hour

Taboo Kitchen: New Fusion Korean Restaurant in Yaletown

November 22, 2014

Taboo Kitchen in Yaletown just opened in early November. My friends took me here on our usual Friday Happy Hour excursions. Rodney’s had a 45 minute wait and we wouldn’t be able to make it inside to order.

So, Taboo Kitchen was a good choice across the street for a few tapas and $4 on certain drinks like beer, cocktails and wine. Might as well since we were going to be drinking anyways.

The interior looked very nice. They have a long table to accommodate large groups. The bar looked pretty nice too.

The entree’s were pretty pricey, but with just drinks and tapas, it was not too bad. The items definitely are Korean fusion.

Complimentary Sampler of kimchi, Sweet potato and pickled radish were provided to everyone at the table. In any Korean place, it is expected to have complimentary side dishes provided as an indication of good service. It was presented nicely and gave us a taste of their food.

Apple Sojutini ($4) was quite strong and it was perfect! Just what my friends wanted. Yeah for happy hour prices.
Red Truck Lager ($4) was on special too.

Prawn Mayo has wasabi, fried capers, and rice crackers with the deep-fried prawns. There was delicious textures of the rice cake and the salty capers. As for the prawns themselves, it was a bit bland and could have used more of that wasabi sauce.

Tuna Rising Sun has chojang, endive, sweet potato on the bottom. Each endive has spicy tuna and spicy sauce. It was really good and a nice twist for a fusion dish.

Korean Spicy Chicken Wings is served with a pickled radish slaw and yuja cream. These were good wings.

Overall, it’s a nice place to go after work to chill have a drink and a few bites especially in the Yaletown area. I love traditional Korean food and the food they offer here is quite different, thus the fusion part of the restaurant.

We Rate Taboo Kitchen:

Address:
1233 Hamilton St Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tabookitchen.com/

In Gastown

The Pint Public House: Nachos as Big as Niagara

November 18, 2014

The Pint Public House is located on Abbott and Pender Street close to Stadium Skytrain. It’s definitely a sports bar and attracts lots of people when there are games on. The prices are fair and the portions are huge! This is one of the reason it attracts M and all his coworkers to come here for lunch often.

I received a SocialShopper voucher redeemable at The Pint Public House for Niagara nachos platter, plus one-pound of chicken wings with 40 signature sauces. $14 is a pretty good price to be paying for the voucher when you get $28 worth of food.

Niagara Nachos are topped with jalapeños, olives, tomatoes, fajita vegetables, green onion and it’s smothered in cheese. It also comes with a gravy boat of beef chili and sour cream. Nice touch!

It was huge! You can probably split this among 3 grown men and they would be very very full. Definitely buy this when you are with a bunch of friends! It’s worth the price and it seemed quite bottomless. The only improvement would be to have the cheese gooey and warm. It wasn’t very hot.

Their wings come with 40 different sauces that you can choose from. We chose orange ginger, one of their classic sauces. Their sauces range from mild to insanity. You can definitely have a lot of games with those wings and dare friends to try super intense flavours.

Overall, pretty good pub atmosphere and the food is pretty good for the price. Service is decent during lunch hours.

We Rate The Pint:

Address:
455 Abbott St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://www.thepint.ca/

In Burnaby Cariboo-Lougheed

Midam Rice Cake House: Cocktails, Drinks and Dessert

November 17, 2014

Midam Rice Cake House is hidden in the Hannam Plaza on North Road right beside the grocery store. I have come here before during the day but never at night. I hear the atmosphere is much more lively and different. They specialize in Korean Rice Cakes, so you can find it in a majority of the menu items on the menu.

A lot of young Koreans come here at night for dessert or have dinner with beer or soju.

The owner also seems to have an obsession with NBA. There are pictures of a few great NBA players.

In the display cases, there are figurines and memorabilia.

Blueberry Soju Cocktail comes in a small and large size and obviously we got the large size. It was very fizzy and tasted like blueberry vinegar, spirit and a bit of soju.

We knocked back shot after shot and we felt nothing. I am usually a good indicator if there is alcohol in a drink and there seems to be very little.

Makkoli is a korean rice wine cocktail. It’s milky sweet and is about 6-8% alcohol content.

It’s served in these weird tin cup things. Weirdly enough, this did not get us drunk either. We are really cheap drunks and usually a beer is enough for me. I feel like the skimped on the alcohol.

Fried chicken in creamy sauce with rice cake ($20) was a large portion and easily sharable among a table of 4. The chicken was crunchy and it went well with the cream sauce. There are also onions and cabbage that you mix into it.

Our other friend got a dessert and a drink. A good combination for a late night out.

Overall, Midam has an interesting vibe at night and it’s mostly for the younger crowd. Good place to drink, but they skimp on the alcohol for cocktail drinks. Stick with shots or beer.

They also have a large menu for food, drinks and desserts. Prices are decent. Service is ok as the table has a bell to let servers know you need something.

We Rate Midam Rice Cake House:

Address:
110-4501 North Road
Burnaby, BC

In Gastown

Shirakawa Gastown: Daily Happy Hour

November 16, 2014

What more do I love on a Friday than happy hour at a Japanese Restaurant? Spending time with friends on Friday eating happy hour!

They are located in Gastown right in Gaolers Mews. Shirakawa is focused on serving the highest quality proteins and organic produce without sacrificing traditional Japanese culinary methods. They specializes in Japanese kappo, sushi, teppan grilled high-end Kuroge Wagyu Beef from Japan.

Happy hour is everyday from 5:30pm till 6:30pm with select dishes being only $5 each with draft beer being $3.50.

They have a large dining area, which is great for large groups. Since this place is fairly new, it’s not too busy.

They select a few items on their regular menu for their happy hour menu with a cheaper price of $5! Also draft beers are only $3.50.

Pint of Asahi Extra Dry is on tap. Perfect to start off the weekend! Such a good price too!

Coffee Umeshu is coffee infused plum wine. I thought this was a strange combination, but it was pretty good. CoffeeLover naturally gravitated towards this drink because he loves coffee and wine.

Kakuni is slow cooked pork belly, teppan finished with a sweet soy reduction and spicy mustard. You may not want to share this because it’s so good! So addictive! The fat just melts in your mouth.

Buta Katsu has panko-breaded pork cutlet, harvarti cheese and black miso.

Spicy Tofu has deep fried tofu, seasonal vegetable garnish, with a spicy dashi broth. It wasn’t very spicy at all. I think it had about 8 pieces of tofu. Good size for sharing.

Teba ($8) is fried ginger soy marinated chicken wings. It was crispy on the outside and the meat was tender and flavourful. It reminded me of my childhood since my mom loves marinating wings in soy sauce and ginger.

Overall, we each ordered a drink and about 2 dishes each and it came out to be around $15 each person. Pretty good prices! I’ll definitely be back as I still have yet to try their signature dishes.

We Rate Shirakawa Gastown:

Address:
115 – 12 Water St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://shirakawagastown.com/

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Baked Butter Tart Pie

November 13, 2014

mcd-holday-2014

One new item landing on the McDonalds Canada menu is their Baked Butter Tart Pie and ginger cookies with a few of the holiday drinks. I was curious to try it since I love butter tarts for the holidays. I could eat them all day especially if they have pecans.

mcd-pie

It looks like any of their usual McDonalds pies. The crunchy exterior houses their butter tart filling.

mcd-buttertart-pie

You will notice they put raisins to add a bit of texture to the tart, but it doesn’t really do much as they are squishy. Taking a few bites, it was ok, but it was not great. It’s really lacking the essence of what a butter tart tastes like. It tasted more like caramel pie.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/promotions/mccafe-holiday-favorites.html

In British Columbia

Starbucks Canada: New Chestnut Praline Latte

November 12, 2014

Starbucks Canada introduces their new Chestnut Praline Latte, which replaces the Gingerbread Latte. When that news was announced, people petitioned to get the Gingerbread Latte back on the menu. Perhaps it was a marketing move to get people to vocalize their outrage…but it worked.

Starbucks hasn’t released a new holiday drink since 5 years ago, but its always fun to try something new.

I found it a bit silly since there’s so many alternatives you can choose from. No need to fuss over a flavour of latte.

Chestnut Praline Latte has espresso, steamed milk, and flavours of caramelized chestnuts and spices. Topped with whipped cream and spiced praline crumbs. You can also get it as a Frappuccino.

It was surprisingly good! Definitely on par with the other drinks on their holiday menu.

I got a little big greedy and asked for A LOT of whipped cream and it kinda fell over on itself. It looked really good before it fell over. No need to be on a diet. I near MORE whipped cream.

Website: http://www.starbucks.ca/

In Korean

Zabu Chicken: Forgotten Orders, Lying Servers and Big Egos

November 11, 2014

I am always on the hunt for great Korean Fried Chicken and my friends are crazy about it too. We decided to go to Zabu Chicken on Robson Street close to Whole Foods. It’s always busy and seems to have a lively atmosphere, so we went.

As we arrived with a group of 4, we were immediately seated at a table of 2 with 4 chairs. We inquired if we could sit in their booths, but they said no as it was only for groups of 5 or more. A few minutes later, another group of 4 arrived and they were seated in the booth. We were a bit pissed off at this point because the server lied to us. As another table cleared, we decided to ask the server if we could sit at that table and they said no as it was reserved. We knew they were lying to us again because all the other reserved tables had a reserved sign on it. We didn’t even place our order yet, so moving us wouldn’t have been that big of a hassle. We were all really mad, but decided to stick it out since we were really here for the food.

Pitcher of Sapporo ($16.95) was pretty pricey, but you need beer to go with chicken. It’s just the Korean way.

After talking to about 3 servers to get a few napkins, we finally got napkins. It was our tiny victory of our evening since most of requests were ignored. They didn’t even serve us water or side dishes as per usual. Side dishes are an essential part of eating at a Korean Restaurant. We drank beer for over an hour waiting for the food to arrive.

Soy Chicken Drumsticks (Large – $19.95) comes with 10 pieces, but our order came 5 pieces at a time. It seemed like their kitchen was slammed, so they could only do partial orders. The next 5 pieces came 20 minutes later as we gobbled these up really quickly.

The chicken was good, yummy sauce with the crunchy skin.

We then asked a few servers for side dishes and they did come! We had pickled radish and shredded cabbage.

We also ordered some spicy wings but it never arrived. We inquired with the server and she told us it wasn’t put in. If we wanted them, we would need an additional 25 minutes. Clearly, we were not going to waste any more time here to wait for chicken with crappy service. So, we told them we would get our bill.

We spent a total of 1hr and 40minutes here to have 2 pitchers of beer and 10 chicken drumsticks. Majority of the time was waiting for the chicken drumsticks…all 10 pieces…I could have went to Church’s Chicken to have a better time than dining here.

We left hungry, so we decided to enjoy the rest of our evening at Guu and at Gyu Kaku, where they actually cared that we were dining with them.

We Rate Zabu Chicken:

Address:
1635 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/ZabuChicken

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Mighty Angus Burger with Jalapenos

November 10, 2014

Earlier this month, McDonalds Canada introduced the Mighty Angus Burger with Jalapeños. It is made with grass and grain-fed cattle from Lewis Farm in Alberta. We were not sure what was so mighty about this burger, but M really wanted to give it a try.

Besides this burger, their Angus burger line-up also includes:

Bacon and Cheese Angus Third Pounder
Deluxe Angus Third Pounder

In the past, they used to have a mushroom and swiss Angus Burger, but it seems like it was discontinued.

It comes in their regular Angus burger box.

Mighty Angus with Jalapeños has creamy BBQ sauce, jalapeño pepper slices, jalapeño crisps, hickory smoked bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, onions and the beef patty n the sesame seed bun.

The burger comes at a whopping 810 Calories and 1160mg of sodium…..ouch!

Apart from the addition of the Jalapeños, nothing about this burger is new or amazing. The patty seems to have shrunk a little bit too and the circumference of the bun is a bit bigger making the patty seem tiny. The bacon has been improved and grown in size compared to the bacon in the other type of burgers. It actually resembles real bacon.

M thought the burger was decent, but it still doesn’t compare to the Angry Whopper from Burger King.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/promotions/mightyangus.html

In American

Poomba’s Smokehouse: Pulled Pork Sliders

November 9, 2014

Poomba’s Smokehouse is a food truck in the Fraser Valley. This mobile eatery served up Carolina style smoked pulled pork to guests at the Fraser Valley Food Show. It was one of the more appealing items in the food section.

They show up at a lot of special events in the Fraser Valley, so you always have to keep an eye out on the Facebook page to see where they will be next.

Pulled Pork with Slaw for those that don’t want something gluten-free. It was good! Less the carbs and more protein. The pulled pork was good and it was slathered in yummy BBQ sauce.

Baby Poomba Pulled Pork Slider with Chips was simple and reminded me of a cute lunch. The side of chips reminded me of Lays potato chips. The pulled pork was juicy and tender.

Overall, it’s decent BBQ, but I’m still on the hunt for mouth-watering BBQ. The truck is always on the move, but if you are at any special events in town, they may be there.

We Rate Poomba’s Smokehouse:

Location:
Varies

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Poombadapig

In Italian

Buca Osteria & Enoteca: Pasta, Pizza and Pig Ears

November 7, 2014

After touching down in Toronto, Flo and I went to Buca on King Street for dinner. It’s been a few years since I’ve been here but I will remember they had some pretty damn good Italian food. They have 2 more locations Buca Bar and Buca Yorkville.

Like always, remember to make reservations or else you will be out of luck. We managed to snag a reservation on Open Table at 6pm a day before due to cancellations.

We were seated in their wine room and it was really beautiful seeing all their varieties of wine.

There are lots of tables and seats in the area. It’s much more calm and relaxing here compared to their main dining area.

Peroni is served in a large wine glass. I never felt more sophisticated drinking beer out of this glass. I like Peroni because it’s light with a hint of citrus.

We chose two types of their Salumi Di Buca, which are their daily meat.

Prosciuttini, which is a cured leg of pork with colonata spice.
Coppa, cured pork shoulder with ciociare spice

Then we got 2 of their formaggi, which are their cheeses:

Ricotta Di Bufala, is their whipped water buffalo milk whey cheese
Pecorino Toscano, Tuscan DOP Sheeps milk cheese, aged 8 years

All the the choices were great and they came with their daily preserves. It’s a fun item to pick a few meats and cheeses and enjoy a good chat with friends while picking at the plate.

Gnocco Fritto ($7) are Tuscan spiced crisp dumpling. It is basically a big dumpling that is hollow. It is served with lardo, which is basically fat.

I thought it was an average dish. It looks beautiful, but I didn’t like the idea of eating fat and deep fried hollow dumplings.

Orecchio Di Maiale ($8) is a great dish to share. It is crisp pig’s ears with wild fennel and sale di cervia. It is so crispy and is music to my ears. It was good for the first few pieces, but it did get quite salty after a while.

Fungi Pizza ($24) has sauteed seasonal mushrooms, marscarpone, gorgonzola and marjoram. This pizza was quite rich and heavy. The mushrooms didn’t shine through as it was overpowered by the various cheeses.

Bigoli ($18) has torchio-cranked duck egg pasta, duck offal ragu, venetian spices, mascarpone, and basil . The portion was small for the price, but it tasted good.

Their food is pretty good but you have to choose the dishes carefully. Here is my last visit from 2012. I do like the atmosphere of Buca and it is quite lively.

We Rate Buca:

Address:
602 King Street W.
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://buca.ca/

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In Brunch

Le Neuf Cafe: Brunch in Toronto

November 4, 2014

Le Neuf Cafe is located near Spadina and King by Clarence Square Dog Park. This cafe is cute because it’s located among a row of cozy town houses. The cafe is founded and staffed by lifelong Parisians, so you may get a bit of some attitude when ordering.

Flo took us here when we were in Toronto and it was a delight to try some authentic French brunch.

It was very busy when we came here at 10:30am, but barely managed to get a table for 5.

Cappuccino ($3.75) is large and topped with a good amount of foam.

Benedicto ($12.90) has prosciutto, basil, tomato, and hollandaise. You can choose it to be served on top of brioche or english muffin. There are sides of homefries and salad. The egg was poached perfectly and oozed all over the brioche bread.

Mediterranean Galettes ($13.95) is a savoury crepe with prosciutto, fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella. The galette was really good!

French Toast ($11.50) is served with fruit, cinnamon butter, housemade caramel and topped with powdered sugar.

Overall, the food is pretty decent and the cafe has a really nice charm. Service is ok, but if you ask for customizations, the staff might get feisty.

We Rate Le Neuf Cafe:

Address:
9 Clarence Sq
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://leneufcafe.com/

In Deli

Caplansky’s Delicatessen at Pearson International Airport in Toronto

November 3, 2014

Caplansky’s Delicatessen has been pitched on Dragons Den in 2011 to expand his business by opening food trucks, but was unsuccessful. He went on again to pitch a second time, but still unsuccessful due to their evaluation.

When I was in Toronto, I saw them at special events, but didn’t have time to stop by their truck. They have claimed to have Downtown Toronto’s best smoked meat, so when I was at the airport, I knew it was my last chance to give it a try.

In August 2014, they opened their first franchise at Toronto Pearson Airport in Terminal 3 after the security check. They bring their famous BBQ beef brisket and deli classics like blintzes and kniches to people traveling out of Toronto. I had dinner here before my flight back to Toronto.

They have a dining area and also a take out area for people in a rush. It was really busy during dinner time, but I had to give it a try before my flight. You will find them near gate B39.

Coke ($3) is what I ordered to quench my thirst and add a little kick of caffeine without drinking coffee.

Smoked Meat Deli Sandwich ($9.95) comes with a slice of pickle.

The quality of meat was ok, but wasn’t as succulent as they portrayed on tv. The smoked meat with pretty lean, but did need their signature mustard to add more flavour. This item was featured on Diners, Dive-ins and Dives, but it doesn’t look the same, but perhaps its because it’s a franchise.

We Rate Caplansky’s Delicatessen:

Address:
Terminal 3
6301 Silver Dart Dr Mississauga, ON

Website:
http://www.caplanskys.com/