Category Archives: Uncategorized

Schillings Cafe and Bakery [Mark]

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135 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON
416 466-9100.

From the outside, it looks like a hoity-toity bakery. In terms of presentation, the cakes, pastries, squares, breads, and other baked goods are beautifully displayed by the window. The smells draw people in like bait and in no time customers can’t resist. They’ll buy little tarts, fudge, cakes, danishes, and other fattening treats.

I did not know that they served brunch until I went in with a friend to buy a German bread called “Schtolen”. I was surprised to find out that they also serve a healthy brunch too. The next Sunday, I went with my two friends and we enjoyed our brunch. Nestled in the back, there are about 15-20 large tables which sit about 40 people. Walls are multi-coloured and overall decor is fun and funky. I enjoyed an egg white omelete with broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom, mozzarella cheese, and spanish onion.

My other friend has a mushroom and cheese omelete and my other friend had roast beef in a baguette. The service was incredibly slow [one server had quit that very morning] but four different servers were very nice, attentive, and always brought us fresh milk for our coffee, free coffee refills, and were always coming around to see if we were generally happy.
I admit it must be difficult to manage a pastry and bakery shop and a restaurant with only 4-5 staff.

For the slow service, they apologized profusely and gave us a complimentary bag full of cookies. I do not mean chocolate chip cookies to dunk into milk, but fancy, schmancy cookies that look too nice to eat. I gave them to my two friends since cookies are not “Mark-friendly” The omelete was $7.95 and there was no extra charge to make it an egg white omelete…thank goodness….Both of our dishes were served with a large bowl of organic greens with a homemade raspberry viniagrette which was sweet, tart, chunky, and fruity. It may have looked like jam but it was clearly a viniagrette. I would recommend this place for the food and service are stellar.

Salad King (post-renovation)

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335 Yonge Street
(416) 971-7041

Bright lights, shiny decor, metallic, kind of postmodern, hip, trendy, industrial (sort of), right in the middle of downtown at Ryerson University. Seats are very close together, almost packed in like sardines. Don’t bring someone on a first date here, it’s not a romantic place to dine. The menu is a plain piece of paper, like a placemat. This place serves Thai fast food, that is fresh, flavourful, hot, and spectacular looking.

The dishes are served on funky, trendy plates, and dishes are colourful and cool. I ordered the Bangkok Stir Fry with vermacelli noodles, broccoli, snow peas, carrots, peanut, (hold the egg) and the sauce was this spicy, aromactic sesame oil based glaze…tres yummy! I found out four visits later that the Bangkok stir fry was not completely vegetarian but made with fish sauce. Salad King’s staff are notorious for being unaware of vegetarians’ needs.

I tried again to find the perfect meal in my second visit. I was determined to find a dish that would be filling, tasty, and completely vegetarian. I ordered a spicy tofu dish with Chili level “3”, hold the white rice. For a side dish I had the cold veggie rolls with peanut sauce. The peanut sauce was most likely made with fish sauce but I only found out after the fact. The cold rolls were excellent. The spicy tofu dish was outstanding. I later found out that the Spicy Tofu was also made with fish sauce. As it turns out the word “vegetarian” means nothing to Salad King. I did not know fish was considered a vegetable. All waiters and waitress may be nice but they are unaware of the ingrediants in their dishes.

On my third and fourth visit, I found out that all items on the Veg. Lover’s menu (Emerald Tofu, Country Tofu, Golden Tofu, Spicy Tofu, Vegetarian Hot Thai Noodle, Vegetarian Bangkok Sir Fry, and Vegetarian Kari noodle) are all made with fish sauce except Golden Tofu and Country Tofu. The concept of vegetarian is not clear to this restaurant. The staff claim that these items are vegetarian when in fact they are not. You have to grill the waitress to actually admit that these dishes are made with fish sauce. Even the delicious cold rolls are vegetarian but the dipping sauce is made with fish sauce. At Salad King, it’s a don’t ask, don’t tell policy where innocent vegetarians must take the risk since staff won’t tell you if items are completely vegetarian. It has been a frustrating experience even more for me since all dishes come with rice and I do not eat it. Without rice, these dishes are not filling since portions are so small

My first dish was a bit dry, not saucy enough for my liking and not enough vegetables. Level is spice is on a “Chili” scale from 1-5. I have ordered dishes ranging from “Chili 1” to “Chili 5” and these dishes were all very good, yet not spicy enough. Hmmphh. Meals are from $5.95-$7.95. Strict vegetarians beware!

Reviewed by Mark

Pickle Barrel

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Pickle Barrel Locations:
Yonge/Eglinton
Yonge/Dundas
Leslie/Cummer
Yonge/Steeles
Yorkdale Mall
Promenade Mall [Thornhill]
Markville[Markham]
Web site: http://www.picklebarrel.ca

This place offers a vast menu (over 300 items) of different kind of food: low fat, healthy, vegetarian, many Jewish-style entrees, Italian, Asian, pasta, fish, chicken, a menu for all tastes. There is an extensive list of desserts with a beautiful display of gorgeous cakes, pies, HUGE ice cream sundaes, and they have the best Frozen yogourt smoothies. Smoothies are served freezing cold, smooth, thick, and creamy, and served in a tall glass.

For dinner, I usually order a vegetable stir fry that is kind of bland (please note that food at the Pickle Barrel is more on the bland side) and I also order a Frozen Yogourt Smoothie with juice, fruit, and soft serve Colombo Frozen Yogourt, always low fat and tastes just like ice cream. My friend ordered the grilled salmon with an orange glaze that came with salad and potatoes. Although I do not eat fish, it looks nice and it was $11.95.

Prices are decent, portions are huge. Entrees are between $7.95 – $12.95, desserts are between $6.95 and $8.95 and appetizers are between $5.95-$9.95. Last time I ordered the roasted vegetable quesadilas with roasted zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, onion, with cheese. I got four large quesadilas with an order of salsa on a bed of lettuce for $5.95. Most other vegetarian items, unfortunately, involve big thick buns like the veggie burger, or vegetarian lasagna or pasta dishes or pizza. The California wraps are not vegetarian but there are healthy wraps like grilled chicken, fish, and turkey. Lisa Weinberg, a registered dietician was the one who initially developed the low fat, healthy menu which consists of about 20 items. Catering is offered for more than ten people and take out is also available. I would recommend this place for good old “North American trying to be ethnic” comfort food.

They accept every card in the world so this is convenient. Portions are big so be prepared to eat a lot. Check out the menu at Yonge and Dundas at http://www.picklebarrel.ca/picklebarrel/dundas.pdf. There is also a low carb menu, a kid’s menu, a take out menu, and a low fat menu. It seems that every location has a slightly different menu, depending on the demographics. Check out their web site at http://www.picklebarrel.ca

Cafe 668

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Having the distinction of NOW Magazine’s Best Vegetarian Restaurant is quite a feat. It is also quite an accomplishment considering Cafe 668’s low key atmosphere and dingy location near where Dundas West curves at Bathurst Street. Obviously, there is something special here.

My first visit did not result in the "wow" I had expected from the glorious ravings bestowed by NOW’s Steven Davey; however after my second try, I now see what the hype is about (now). Even the tea that was served before our first dish was delicious. I sub-conciously polished off several cups before realizing how much I was enjoying it. The menu itself is quite extensive, something I always find a tad overwhelming in Vietnamese restaurants. So without much perusal of the menu I quickly decided on a Hot and Sour Soup and from the "Chef’s Suggestions" list on the wall I chose the Hot and Sour Spicy Pad Thai. The heat was definitely present as about halfway through the soup the sniffles started. This continued while I started into the pad thai, slightly disguising the taste of that dish. After the spicy sensations dissapated I was really able to enjoy the subtle and aromatic spicing of the pad thai. Interspersed in the noodles were wonderfully cooked pieces of tofu, eggplant, mushrooms and other vegetables. This was hands down the best pad thai I’ve had in the city.

To my knowledge, there is only one server in the tiny establishment. My bet is he is also the owner and he definitely carries an air of dignity and respect about him. The prices are also very reasonable at Cafe 668 solidifyng it as a regular stop within my immediate locale.

A Taste of Manchester

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It’s always nice to discover a new, tasty restaurant. It’s even nicer to discover a new tasty, restaurant that’s opened right across the street from your office. Especially if the only other palatable restaurants are within driving distance. I guess that’ s what you get working in Scarberia.

Luckily enough I recently discovered just that thing in “A Taste of Manchester”, a Carribean fare establishment recently opened in the Warden/Eglinton plaza. Its small, clean room and sparsley decorated decor is still finding its place in this harsh suburb but the food has found a place for me– in my stomach.

Serving a variety of jerk and curried chicken, curried goat, and some different rotis I went straight for the jerk — an island favourite. My previous experiences with jerk have been unsatisfactory but for a quick lunch that is neither fast food nor fine dining this meal more than sufficed. The jerk had a slight kick but I think next time I will “turn it up a notch” with some fiery peppar sauce. With any many dish there is a choice or rice & peas, white rice , or ground provisions (not sure what that is) and portions are quite substantial.

I should say that at the moment the food appears to be served only in styrofoam containers…. hopefully this will change soon as the restaurant has barely been open a week. If it doesn’t, I’ll still go there but just take it right back accross the street to eat in my cozy, jailcell…. er cubicle.

Paldo Kangsan

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694 Bloor St. West

416-536-7517

 

It is nice to have friends who are willing to try different cuisine. Too many people are unwilling to put their palettes to the test and are content eating the same bland food they have for years. While that may work for them, I think it is vital to one’s personal growth to try new things including attempting foreign cuisines that may at first appear daunting. With that audacious and perhaps slightly judgemental declaration, let’s discuss Paldo Kangsan, a Korean restaurant on Bloor just east of Christie.

Having only had tried a little of someone’s Korean dish at the fabulous Japanese/Korean restaurant San, I was excited for my first real experience. The restaurant’s ambience leaves a little to be desired with uncomfortable benches in what appears to be the traditional Korean high wall encasing. To me, this resembles more of a jail cell though it does provide a degree of privacy from the blathering masses. Radio commecials blaring from the speakers don’t help matters.

Putting aside my reservations about the ambience for a second let’s get to the important stuff. With some help from our very friendly waiter we ordered several dishes to share including the popular “Bi Bim Bop”, fried beef ribs and pork dumplings. Bi Bim Bop is served sizzling in a large stone bowl, on a bed of rice cooking on the bottom, with variety of vegetables and shredded beef and a sunny side egg as a garnish. I can’t recall what the pre-dishes consisted of, nor did I really know what they were at the time of consumption, but I do know that there was some Kim Chi in a spicy sauce which supposedly is cabbage that is stored under ground. Another dish appeared to be a very sticky and sweet entaglement of sorts but turned out to be a very fishy and fairly disgusting inclusion.

All of this may seem like a normal size order for three people but including the several pre-dishes that I believe come with every meal, I can say this restaurant has amazing value. We were not nearly able to finish off all this mostly tasty food and we each paid less than $10. So despite the less than desireable ambience, it pays, or should I say it doesn’t pay, to go off the beaten trendy track sometimes.

7 West

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Last night I went to 7 West after a movie. There aren’t a lot of places that are 24 hours & decent, but this is one of them. They haev recently changed their menu, and so though the prices are not as cheap as they once were, there is more variety in the food, and it has been upgraded somewhat. I do think that $3.50 for juice is not quite reasonable. Our server was fabulous, very attentive, quick, and he was very flexible, allowing me to get an extra item on my salad – no problem. I ended up with a sandwich ($10) that contained prociutto, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado & buffalo mozzarella. Thankfully, they were generous with their meat portion to the point that I had to take half of my sandwich home. The sandwich was accompanied by a massive salad, containing many types of vegetables & chickpeas . it was gooooood. My friend had the rose ravioli ($13)- her usual dish, and she liked the plate clean!

Despite the price increase, this was overall a positive dining experience, and little surprise, I will be back.

 

Katsu Japanese Restaurant

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Katsu Japanese Restaurant Phone: (416)466-3388
572 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON M4K 1R1

Who would have thought that you could find all you can eat made fresh to order at a reasonable price in Toronto? My first sushi experience was very expensive at $80 each for 3 people. I moved to Vancouver shortly thereafter, and found the sushi there to be very fresh, affordable and good, so I was instantly hooked.

So I’ve eaten at katsu Plenty of times, have ordered take out & have taken advantage of the all you can eat buffet. The standard menu is extensive, and the prices are all average, just like the service. The buffet, however, is far better than average. The prices for the buffet start at $8.99 for a Monday-Thursday lunch. The dinner price is higher (Thursday-Saturday $16.99) but, you get far more selection & you get the more expensive sashimi.

They really mean it when they say “all you can eat”, because whatever you don’t eat, you must pay an additional price per piece that you don’t finish. I suspect that’s to prevent against people ordering a lot, then taking the leftovers home in a doggie bag, thus getting a really good deal. The simple solution is just to order as much as you can definitely eat, and order frequently throughout the night. As soon as your plates are empty, they bring another order form for you to fill out. Be careful, it is really easy to overeat at that price, but it will have been worth it.

B & B Fish & Chips

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1116 Queen St. East Cash only, no phone 
Queen & Pape – @ Brooklyn

Eat out only – unless you sit in one of the 3 chairs, or outside on the bench.

The prices are low, the value is huuuuge – $4.75 fish & chips where you get so much you struggle to finish. They make every order fresh, and serve each crispy bit in newspaper. This place is well worth the trip, believe me, I go out of my way to make the trip down special. Check it out!

Hopper Hut

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880 Ellesmere Road
416-299-4311‎

 

The first time I went for a meal at Hopper Hut I was taken there by an East Indian employee who’s taste buds were well attuned to the fiery spices of southern Indian food. I am not one to shy away from spicy food but I recall being so overwhelmed by the heat that I had to ask for a side of yogourt just to neutralize the sensations.

My most recent visit to Hopper Hut didn’t diverge much from the first. I stuck to the conventional South Indian choice of vegetarian thali while my lunch partner decided to go with something called the vegetarian lamprie. I wish I was able to discern much less recall what the different vegetable curries were that made up the thali. There were three tomato based curries, each one spicier than the first. The three other vegetables were not as spicy but after a few bites of the other ones it didn’t matter since my mouth was already on fire. The thali also came with a large bed of rice half covered in a yogourty/onion sauce and the other with a milder, tasty “orangey brown” sauce… that is really the only way I could describe it at this point. If this sounds like a lot of food for $6.99 then you need not worry about the papadam and an extra potatoey dish that comes alongside the thali. Dessert, also included in the price of the thali, is a tapioca based custard, that thankfully was not spicy; though by that time I had already used evey napkin at the table plus some to sop up my running nose.

Next time I go for South Indian, I am going to have to try something other than the thali. The lampries that my friend ate was pretty much the same as my meal but with all the ingredients blended together in a banana leaf. This actually made it more difficult to eat as she couldn’t supplant the hot spicy taste with the cooler dishes. Quite an experience but not one that I could easily get used to on a regular basis.