Sunday 28 April 2013

The County General

This post is very simple: Brunch at The County General is yummmmmy.
Croque Madame. Pulled ham, grilled bread, bechamel, fried egg
Fried Chicken Thigh Sandwich. Buttermilk chicken, milk bun, avocado chutney, coriander, pickled red onion.
Green Salad

Nothing about this meal disappointed.

Happy Eating!   The County General on Urbanspoon

Thursday 25 April 2013

Hawker Bar

Hawker Bar, located on the Ossington strip,  is a small restaurant/bar that serves up Singaporean and Malaysian style food. I came last week to check it out and here is what I had:
Drinks to start. Fresh Material: Gin, cucumber, mint, lime and soda. This was very refreshing. 
Blanche de Chambly
Chili Salt Tofu. Fried silken tofu, chili salt, house BBQ dipping sauce. This was one of my favourite dishes of the night. The tofu was crispy on the outside, and so soft inside. 
Chicken Satay. Coconut chili lime chicken satay with peanut sauce and pickled cucumber.
Laska Lemak. Spicy coconut curry soup, rice noodles, tofu puffs, snow peas, red pepper, eggplant, chicken, soft boiled egg. I enjoyed the flavour of this dish. It wasn't overly spicy but had a lot of tang which I liked. 
Son in Law Eggs. Soft boiled, then fried, chilli jam. I had high hopes for these eggs, but unfortunately I was underwhelmed with them. I found their overall flavour to be a little bland.
Rendang Curry. Braised ox cheek, coconut rice, pickled cucumber. I liked this curry. The ox cheek was very tender. The curry itself was full of flavour. 

I enjoyed my experience at Hawker Bar. The food was tasty and service was fast and friendly. If you are craving some unique flavours in food, check this place out. 

Happy Eating!  Hawker Bar on Urbanspoon

Saturday 20 April 2013

Far Niente

Far Niente is located in the business/financial district downtown on Bay street. I came for lunch recently and quickly realized this is a go to lunch spot for the business folk of Toronto. The restaurant was full shortly after it opened. Here's what I had:
Bread basket
Ranchero Tuna. Seared ahi tuna with grilled avocado, mustard greens, miso citrus salsa, futakake, kabayaki sauce. The tuna was done nicely. I enjoyed the flavour of the dish. The different textures and sauces worked well.
Charred Tartar. Chopped beef tartar, charred beef carpacio, quail eggs, toast points, apple celery root slaw. I have tried many tartars, and this one just wasn't up to par. The carpaccio should have been pounded out more thinly in my opinion. Overall, I did not enjoy this dish.
East Coast Crab. Pan roast cake of lump crab meat, lemon aioli and slaw. I really liked this crab cake. It had a beautiful flaky yet moist texture. The aioli was a perfect pair for the crab meat. 

The restaurant itself was large and had a modern classy feel. Service was pleasant, but not overly friendly or attentive. I enjoyed 2 of the 3 dishes that were brought to the table. I'm sure in terms of food, they have more great dishes to offer.  

Happy Eating!
Far Niente on Urbanspoon

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Porzia

Porzia just opened a few months ago and is yet another new Parkdale gem! This restaurant has a smaller menu, that feels a little Italian inspired.  Some things were a hit some things were a miss, so lets get right to it shall we?
We  started with a bottle of Pecorino white wine. Always a perfect way to start a meal.
Hamachi Crudo. This was the special of the day. Sliced yellow fin tuna, with pickled veggies. I enjoyed this dish. The tuna was velvety. The subtle texture of the fish paired well with the crunchy bites of pickled goodness.
Cavallo Tonnato. (Horse meat with dollops of tuna in a paste form) I felt this dish was lacking in flavor a little. The sauce on the bottom of the plate was nice, but I was wishing there was more. The meat was a twee dry for my liking.
Lingua. Beef tongue, with grainy mustard and crostini. I snapped this photo after we started getting in to the dish. It was presented nicer when it arrived. I really liked this dish. Everything worked well together. The meat was very moist.
Chicken Liver Agnolotti with mushroom in a butter sauce. This dish was BY FAR the highlight of the night. It was seriously good. I loved every bite. The butter sauce was rich, the filling in the hand made pasta was so flavourful.
For dessert we opted for the angel food cake with ricotta cream, candied pine nuts and rhubarb. It was just okay. 
Zeppole. Small italian style chocolate donuts, with an eggplant mousse. This was a very disappointing dessert. The donuts were bitter and overall just not enjoyable.
Ended the meal with Porzia's Fortune's Fool cocktail. I believe this had Campari, pineapple, and a brazilian liqueur. It was a nice end to the meal. 
Aside from the not so enjoyable desserts, I enjoyed my experience at Porzia. Our waitress was incredibly friendly and knowledgable. I liked how the ambiance was not stuffy or pretentious. I enjoyed most of the dishes that came to our table. I am still thinking about that chicken liver angolotti! If you are in the area, you should check this place out! 

Happy Eating! 
Porzia on Urbanspoon

Saturday 13 April 2013

Electric Mud BBQ

Parkdale is really booming with lots of new restaurants opening this year! Electric Mud BBQ is new to the hood, and brought to us by the same people behind Grand Electric. The menu is fairly small with lots of meaty items, some sides, and a few desserts. The restaurant itself is a pretty tight space. It has loud music and low lighting. I found the service to be excellent. Everyone was very friendly, and attentive. Here's what I had on my visit: 
Crack Rolls. These buns were actually delicious. The butter along side took the bread to another level. I couldn't put my finger what was in this butter...but I loved it. 
Shrimp and Grits. This dish was actually my favourite of the night. It was perfection. It came with jumbo shrimp, some pulled pork (I think that's what it was), and creamy grits.  You MUST try this if you go here. 
Pig Tails. These tails had very nice flavour, however they were really really really fatty. Although the fat wasn't chewy at all, it was merely pure flavour...it was too much for my liking. I can see how other people would love it though.
Ribs. These ribs were good. I was wanting them to be a bit more saucy. But overall, they were tasty! 
Fried Chicken. This chicken was some of the most moist fried chicken I've had. The crispy exterior was flavourful and crunchy as it should be. It came with a side of honey for dipping. My friend and I were too full at this point to finish the chicken, but I got it to go, and it was just as good the next day! 

The restaurant was super busy, and I can understand why...the food is great. Although the food was tasty, I left feeling a little bloated from all the meat and grease. On another visit, I would opt for a little less of the meat, and try some of their veggies sides for a lighter pairing.
On that note, if you are craving some meaty goodness, check out Electric Mud BBQ! 

Happy Eating! 
Electric Mud BBQ on Urbanspoon

Friday 12 April 2013

Homemade Beet Salad

I whipped up this beet salad recently. It is so easy and healthy. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
3 beets 
1/2 white onion sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 red bell pepper sliced 
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Cut the beets into quarters and boil them in a large pot of water for an hour. When they are tender, peel the skin off. Cut them into cubes/smaller chunks. Add the onion, red pepper, thyme and oil and vinegar. Toss together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I just used the stuff I had in my fridge..but if you want to take this salad up a notch, try adding feta or goat cheese! Simple and delish! 

Happy Eating! 

Monday 8 April 2013

Gelato Pizza

Gelato Pizza just opened in Parkdale recently. It's hard to walk by and not notice the big bright blue sign out front. I stumbled in the other day to try some of their pizza and gelato. 
I tried the lemon and blueberry gelato. It was enjoyable. 
I opted for The Manhattan pizza slice. I normally prefer tomato based sauce on my pizza, but I wanted something new. The slice had extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella, baby spinach, gorgonzola, feta and parmesan. This slice was hugely disappointing. There was barely any feta or gorgonzola to be found. I also found it was really over priced for what you get.
The homemade garlic dipping sauce was nice, but again, a little overpriced.

Overall, I did not enjoy my experience at Gelato Pizza. The service wasn't particularly friendly. The pizza, for my taste, was just bad. And everything on the menu is overpriced for the quality you get. I won't be back here. 

Happy Eating!
Gelato Pizza on Urbanspoon