Hello Toast (Now called Toast on Queen- Nov 2005)- Mark

Posted on by

Now called Toast on Queen- Nov 2005
993 Queen Street East
phone number: 416-778-7299

Hello Toast is located in the heart of Leslieville, at Queen and Pape. This small, trendy spot is a fun place to come to every time. The decor is beautiful, with deep red walls, adorned with colourful vibrant artwork, exposed brick walls, antique toasters surround, and little toaster caricatures on the ceilings. The tables are small and cramped together, giving it an intimate look and feel. Try to sit in front where there a comfy lime green couch.

With a funky (but small) brunch menu and a dinner menu with an assortments of Thai, French, and Italian dishes, Hello Toast is a hidden gem in Leslieville.

Hello Toast is a packed into two cosy two rooms, a main dining area and a back room with exposed brick and antique fridges. Food and ambiance are ecclectic and ambiance is trendy and alittle chi chi poo poo. Expect a lot of people-watching. Very gay friendly. Weekend brunch is super busy. Expect lineups from 12:00-2:30pm sometimes.

Dinner mains include a varieites of pasta dishes ($14–$15), risottos, and meat dishes like a roast pork tenderloin wrapped in apple and brie in puff pastry ($18- 23). For dessert, there is an apple tatin topped with vanilla ice cream.

Brunch items are between $7.95-$12.95 for brunch and portions are large. I always have the granola with fruit and yogourt. Staff are friendly and tables are small and placed quite close together. Although there are few vegetarian egg-free options, I really enjoy Hello Toast. Most of the menu consist of egg dishes with smoke salmon, pancakes, and sausage/pea meal bacon dishes. There are 4 varieties of eggs and smoked salmon. Substitutions are not allowed. Expect long waits for your food. Liquor licensed. Accepts all cards.

Hot House Cafe

Posted on by

35 Church
(416) 366-7800
This super trendy, fusion restaurant is located in Saint Lawrence Market, at the corner of Church and Front. The place contains a medley of popular Italian dishes, specialty Asian influenced stir-frys, and Cajun fare. Brunch is $15.95 and consists of a buffet of an assortment of different kinds of food- not restrictive to brunch food. The place is quite expensive and although food is good, it’s nothing unique or special.

I went there in late summer 2002 and I ordered the Oriental Cashew Stir-fry which was amazing. It was not too oily, but had a lot of vegetables and was served on a beautiful large dish with cashews. It was $12.95.

Below is a review of many of the items served at HotHouse Cafe. Some appetizers include the Steamed P.E.I. Mussels($8.95), Deep-Fried Calamari ($6.95), Coconut Shrimp ($8.95), Louisiana Crabcakes ($7.95), and Devilled Brie ($8.25).

Salads include the House Greens ($3.95), Caesar Salad ($3.95sm / $7.95 l), Greek Salad ($3.95 sm / $7.95 l), Oriental Spinach Salad ($3.95 sm/ $7.95 l), Sun-Dried Pesto Chicken Salad ($8.95), Salade Gourmande ($8.95- Mixed Lettuce, Crumbled Goat Cheese, Walnuts, Roasted Red Peppers & Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette), and the Warm Chicken Salad ( $8.95)

Burgers and Sandwiches are served with salad, soup, or HotHouse fries. Burgers include the Char-Grilled HotHouse Burger ($7.95) – w/ bacon and melted cheddar ($8.50), w/ sauteed mushrooms and mozzarella ($8.50), w/ goat cheese & roasted red peppers ($8.95), w/ black pepper, caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese, and pesto mayonnaise ($8.95). Sandwiches include the grilled vegetable sandwich – ($9.25), chicken parmesan sandwich ($9.95), HotHouse chicken club sandwich ($8.95), New York steak sandwich ($12.95), and the “Mojo” Pork Loin Sandwich ($8.95)

HotHouse serves up a large variety of pasta dishes. They are served with a loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread. Pastas include linguine bolognese ($7.95 / $10.95), lasagna al forno ($10.95), HotHouse penne ($7.95 / $11.95), smoked chicken ravioli ($13.95), cajun shrimp fusilli ($9.50 / $12.95), jambalaya ($9.50/ $13.95 -consisting of shrimp, chicken breast, spicy Italian sausage, peppers, red onions, chili peppers & herbed tomatoes), pollo pesto fusilli ($8.95 / $12.95), and fettuccine puttanesca ($9.50 / $13.95), roasted garlic penne ($9.50 / $13.95), linguini alla manarolo ($ 8.95 / $13.95), and penne alla nonna penne ($ 8.95 / $12.95)

Gourmet mini pizzas include the il diavolo ($10.95)- consists of chicken, spicy Italian sausage, diced jalapenos, garlic, tomato basil sauce & mozzarella, the frutti di mare (sounds like seafood of the ocean) ($11.95), consists of shrimp, scallops, roasted red peppers, pesto, and asiago cheese, the americana ($9.95), salsicce ($10.25)- with spicy Italian sausage, red onions, roasted red peppers, olive oil, asiago cheese & fresh herbs, the calabrese ($ 12.95) with tomato basil sauce, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, Italian salami, virgin olive oil, and gorgonzola, and the margherita ($10.25)- with olive oil, fresh sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, asiago & parmesan cheeses, with fresh basil

Main entrees are the principle dishes. They are more expensive, larger, and more substantial. Main entrees are served with a loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread and a choice of baked potato, sundried tomato & roasted garlic mashed potato, or rice pilaf & fresh vegetable of the day. Some main dishes include grilled New York sirloin ($18.95), the grilled New Zealand rack of lamb ($18.95), the supreme of chicken ($16.95), grilled atlantic salmon ($16.95), veal con senape ($19.95), Thai noodles- (like Pad Thai) ($13.95), five-spice chicken stir-fry ($14.95), and 12 oz. Rib Steak ($19.95)

Some Vegetarian entrees include the Cheese Cappelletti ($7.95 / $11.95), the Oriental Cashew
Stir Fry ( $12.95), the Butternut Squash Ravioli ($11.95), and the Penne and Portobello Alfredo ($11.95)

All desserts are $6.25. Some desserts include the HotHouse Cheesecake, Chocolate Utopia Cake, Super Caramel Crackle, Tiramisu, Baked Deep-Dish Apple Pie, Chocolate Chip Banana Cake, Mixed Fruit Torte, Gelato Fresco, and Tartufo.

Dessert wines include the Framboise, Southbrook Farms from Ontario ($5.95), Cave Springs “Indian Summer” Late Harvest Riesling from Ontario ($6.95), Iniskillin RieslingIce Wine from Ontario ($8.95), and the Galiga e Vertrice Vin Santo from Tuscany ($8.95)

HotHouse can get really crowded on the weekend and weeknights. The ambiance is trendy and chi chi poo poo. It’s spacious with a lot of comfortable, spacious, non-congested seating. Dining area sits over one hundred people.

The Sunday brunch, offered between 10am-3pm offers a buffet and live jazz for $15.95.
Traditional brunch fare like fresh eggs, bacon and sausage, or have the breakfast chef prepare a “designer” omelete. In addition, other brunch items include the hip of beef, seafood specialties and Italian favorites. HotHouse brunch also offers salads such as the baby shrimp salad, Greek salad, pasta salad, and traditional garden salads. Further, the buffet also includes a selection of cheeses, fresh fruits, bagels, croissants and muffins. Last but not least, HotHouse Sunday brunch also has a dessert buffet, including a vareity of cakes, tarts, and pies, all basked by the in-house Pastry Chef. They accept every card under the sun.

For more information , visit http://www.hothousecafe.com

Sakawaya Japanese Bistro

Posted on by

867 Danforth Av
(416) 778-6894

Sakawaya is a Japanese bistro at the corner of Danforth and Jones (my ‘hood). The place is quite cosy, sitting only about ten tables. although I’ve only been about three or times, I can remember eating many appetziers to get full since I do not eat the vegetarian sushi (I stay away from rice). The deep fried tofu is simply delicious, the miso soup is excellent, rich and aromatic. For the picky vegetarian, I usually order some Japanese snacks like grilled vegetables, deep fried tofu steaks, miso soup, and more vegetables on skewers. Ordering 2-3 appetizers add up to $12-$15 but it’s like ordering a full meal.

Complete meals including drinks, dessert, and appetizer are $30 per person, including all taxes and tip. Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday 5:30 pm to 1 am, Sunday 5 to 10:30 pm. Closed Monday and holidays.

Magic Oven

Posted on by

 6 Wellesley St.W.                                                                                                             T:416.929.7888                                                                                                                         

798 Danforth Ave.
T: 416.462.0333

127 Jefferson Ave.
T: 416.539.0555

270 Dupont St.
T: 416.928.1555

788 Broadview Ave.
T: 416.466.0111

The place contains a funky variety of pizza combinations, with health in mind. It offers a variety of specialty pastas, salads and chicken wings. Owned by an East Indians, the place has non-mainstream varieties of pizza that depart from its Italian roots. Magic Oven’s focus is on take-out so don’t expect wonderful ambiance. We usually eat across the street by the grassy area next to Broadview subway station.

They deliver as far as Woodbine (going east) and as far as Yonge (going west). and Eastern (going south) and Summerhill (going north). Pizza varieties differ in colour, flavour, spice, and ethnicity. The menu is online at http://www.magicoven.com/menu/MagicMenu.pdf. The pizzas are come in Organic Spelt and Gluten free varieties and contain Organic Non-Dairy and Rennet Free Cheese. Some are Dairy Free and Vegan. The pizza I ordered was extremely healthy.

It was made thinly with organic spelt flour and sauteed spinach. artichokes, olives, sun dried tomatoes, green and red peppers, and onions, without any cheese. That is the slice of pizza I chose. There are a large selection of soft drinks, juices, desserts, and East Indian and West Indian speciality sodas. Most of the food is made before your eyes, with the exception of some of the popular pizza slices. There are many options for the vegetarian and the vegan.

Gate 403 Jazz Club and Restaurant (Gate 403 Bar & Grill)

Posted on by

403 Roncesvalles Avenue
(416) 588-2930

Located right in the heart of Roncesvalles Village in the west end of Toronto, I visited this bar/cafe one afternoon in the summer of 2002 with my aunt Susie. We were hungry and we had some time to eat before seeing our movie at the Revue cinema across the street (we were seeing the movie About a Boy).

This place is really cool. It is dark inside and it resembles a small neighbourhood bar/pub/cafe with friendly staff. Gate 403 has live Jazz music, and good affordable bar/pub/ food as well as full meals. I ordered the grilled vegetables topped with tomato sauce. It was excellent. My aunt had a caesar salad and she said she really liked it. Since this was also a bar, be prepared to be around smokers (like my aunt). I would definitely go back because the overall vibe is a friendly, laid back, non-pretentious ambiance.

Brownstone Bistro

Posted on by

603 Yonge
(416) 920-6288

How can I sum up this restaurant? Great food, trendy decor, friendly staff, but very slow service, but when I went last summer 2002 to Brownstone, the waiter failed to mention that all of the food we ordered was not available so they got creative and made up their own dishes. To our surprise, the food we ordered contained nothing that we expected. The food itself was fresh, tasty, and flavourful. The prices are high and the head waiter had major attitude. He argued with us that he ran out of the food we had ordered so he had his team of chefs make something completely different. He never notified us that the meals we ordered were not the meals we received. The service was very slow and the head waiter was very rude to us.

In sum, I would never go back to Brownstone ever again because they are disorganized and they do not listen to their customers. The head waiter kept on telling us how we did not understand that he ran out of the food needed to prepare our dishes so he made us alternate dishes. The problem was that none of the waiting staff informed us. Too stressful, too pricy, too long a wait, this place was a great disappointment.

Biryani House

Posted on by

 25 Wellesley St. East
416-927-9340

Newly opened at the corner of Yonge and Wellesley, Biryani House offers flavourful and succulent Indian cuisine that you will remember. I usually have channa (curried chick peas) and rajmah (curried kidney beans) and it is totally yummy and quite affordable. The bad news is….it was once a cheap, intimate, cozy restaurant hidden at the corner of Yonge and Bloor (Roy Square) but this northern Indian spot moved from into a larger venue and into a more expensive neighbourhood Unfortunately the low prices have nearly doubled ? goodbye, $5.00 meals. Complete meals for $30.00 per person, including all taxes. Ambiance is beautiful but the whole experience of dining at Biryani House has been transformed from fast food to fine food.

Future Bakery

Posted on by

483 Bloor W
(416) 922-5875

Located right in the heart of the Annex at Brunswick and Bloor, this cafeteria style cafe is funky, urban, trendy, and has a beautiful summer patio (terrace) where people can chill and gather with friends for light food and good coffee. Similarly designed like Marche Movenpick, this place has kiosks that serve coffee, cake, pastries, grilled items, all divided into three main areas.

The vegetarian chili is a bit watery but excellent nonetheless. There are no waitresses (unless you request table service by the patio). For the most part, Future Bakery resembles a mini “Marche Movenpick” where people order and wait for food.  Dishes are served quickly and efficiently. Salad selections are plentiful and affordable. Many dessert selections (huge pieces of cake, pie, and squares) are offered ($4-$7 per slice). Future Bakery does not make their own desserts. 

Open very very late and often times very crowded. Mostly caters to the University of Toronto scene.  A great place to hang out and people watch. Offers both table service (outdoor patio) or takeout.

Mai Thai

Posted on by

2364 Yonge St
Tel: (416) 488-2250

 

Small restaurant in the Yonge and Eglinton area on Yonge about one block north of Eglinton. Serves traditional and typical Thai dishes. Lunch specials (only on the weekday, forget about asking about weekend lunch specials) are $6.95 and include the typical Ginger Chicken
Basil Chicken, Basil Beef, Spicy Squid Tofu, Eggplant Delight, Beef or Chicken with Oyster Sauce
Red Beef or Chicken Curry, Green Chicken Curry, Vegetable Curry. Other meals come with rice and they include Pad Thai, Pad See-Ew, Thai Salad, Vegetarian Pad Thai, and Chicken or Vegetarian Fried Rice.

Starters include a variety of soups (Thai Hot and Sour, lemon prawn, Thai vegetable, Thai won ton, Spicy vegetable, and seafood soup, as well as traditional salads (Thai salad, beef or chicken salad, seafood salad, glass noodle salad, curry salad), calamari, and a variety of satays (skewers of meat, chicken, or tofu with vegetables), all $3.95-$7.95.

Mains include a variety of Thai Curries, Fish & Seafood dishes, Stir-Fried Dishes,
Vegetable & Tofu dishes, and Rice & Noodle dishes. All mains are priced $9.95-$16.95. Average price of an entree is $10.95. Some dishes I’ve had in the past are the Eggplant Delight
($8.95), Sweet & Sour Tofu ($8.95) , Tofu Cashew Nuts, ($9.95) , and the Mixed Vegetable with Tofu ($8.95)

Other non vegetarian dishes include the Mango chicken, Garlic Chicken, Ginger chicken, Basil Chicken, Cashew Chicken, and the Glass Noodle Chicken, all $10.95. Some beef dishes include the Sweet Basil Beef, Beef with Oyster Sauce, Spicy Beef, Oriental Greens with Beef, all $10.95. A large variety of shrimp and fish dishes. Some include garlic shrimp, spicy shrimp, cashew shrimp, mango fish delight, basil squid, steamed mussels, and basil prawns.

Mai Thai also serves a variety of fish, chicken, and beef curries all containing the traditional flavours of mango, basil, ginger, tamarinds, and garlic. Most rice and noodle dishes are curries that come with rice. Some include basil fried rice, yellow curry chicken with rice, chicken with cashew nuts and rice, the traditional and classic Pad Thai, and spicy noodles with vegetables and chicken breast. Rice and noodle dishes are priced from $9.95-$12.95
Ambiance is slighty too dark and dining area is quite small. Washrooms are located on the upper level where the dining hall is reserved for private functions, parties, and social functions. Food was fresh and enjoyable, a bit salty, but good portions. I was not generally happy with the service. Staff were not friendly and dishonest. They were resistant to show us the lunch menu, (they had allowed us to select items from the more affordable lunch menu before) but due to a quiet Saturday afternoon, they forced us to choose items from the more expensive dinner menu. I will never go back there again. Accepts all cards.

Harbord Fish and Chips v.s. Chippies

Posted on by

Harbord Fish and Chips v.s. Chippies:

 Harbord Fish and Chips
147 Harbord Street
(416) 925-2225‎

Chippies
893 Queen St W, 
(416) 866-7474‎

Having been thoroughly unimpressed with Chippies, the new and trendy fish and chips restaurant on Queen West, I thought I would try this more unassuming joint on Harbord between Spadina and Bathurst.

I had heard many good things about Harbord Fish and Chips but then again the NOW Magazine gave Chippies a 5 star review and doesn’t shut up about it. The problem I find with Chippies, besides the cute guys behind the counter singing “Shook me all night long” by AC/DC, is that they just don’t serve enough fish. I’ve been there twice, and both times have come away with a mountain of fries but little in the way of main course. The side sauces are a nice touch, but the ones I tasted were nothing special.

Harbord is a small, un-trendy, mostly take out joint. Like Chippies, Harbord also serves up a mountain of french fries. I guess I shouldn’t complain, fries are delicious and the meal IS called fish AND chips. The difference with Chippies though, is that Harbord actually provides a decent portion of fish. I ordered haddock and I was happy to see a nice big rectangular piece of fish plumped down on top of my heap o’ fries before being wrapped up in the traditional newspaper (unfortunately it was the National Post).

If you have a craving for fish and chips go for the solid Harbord version over the fluffy, trendy, more expensive Chippies.