ODDSEOUL

ODDSEOUL

LOCATION:

90 Ossington

Toronto, On

RATINGS:

Ambiance: 2 . 5 /4

Service: 2 . 75 / 4

Food: 3 . 5 / 4

Price: $$

This laid back hipster hangout was hard to find on the Ossington strip as it only has a small black board in front saying OddSeoul. The Korean late night tapas style eatery serves up unique flavours and takes on American favourites. The only problem with this restaurant is that the small space only fits a few tables and thus there can be quite a wait. Whenever I'm in the mood for a different dining experience I call up one of my fav foodie friends DF for I know she is always interested in trying new foods. Beware, although the food is amazing you need to be some what adventurous and not to picky to really enjoy it.

The KIMCHI PORKBELLY FRIED RICE was a huge dish in comparison to the size of the others, it was made to be shared. The heaping bowl of hot fried rice had large pieces of crispy pork belly, and a sunny side up egg that when mixed into the rice mixture added a whole new level of rich flavours. This dish had a nice balance sweet and spicy that had us both going back for more.

The sticky, sweet, spicy and saucy O&S WINGS were finger licking good.  The quickly fried chicken was crispy on the outside with incredibly juicy meat on the inside. There were so many unique  flavours loaded on to the giant wings. It definitely provided us with a lovely taste sensation.

The SQUASH POUTINE still has me talking about it. The crispy fried chunks of squash were loaded with cheese curds, kimchi, scallions, sweet Korean mayo and a fabulous curry influenced gravy. This was the most unique take on poutine I have ever had and it was amazing, a must try item for sure. 

The BULGOGI CHEESESTEAK was a must try for DF. The tender bulgogi beef was accompanied by chunks of grilled sweet onions, melted cheese and grainy mustard. The bun had a crispy crust and a soft fluffy interior providing a great texture profile.

Would we go back? Yes there are many things we did not get to try

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

Squash poutine

OLIVER & BONACINI CAFE GRILL

OLIVER & BONACINI CAFE GRILL

Location:

2901 Bayview Ave.

Bayview Villahe mall

416 590 1300

Ratings:

Ambiance: 3 / 4

Service: 2 . 5 / 4

Food: 2. 5 / 4

Price: $$$

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill at Bayview Village was the first of the O&B causal chains. Like all O&B restaurants its an airy dinning room with an open kitchen which makes it an inviting place. I met my friend TM there for brunch during the break. Unfortunately they only serve a brunch menu on the weekend so we had to order off the regular dining menu.

TM had the BROCCOLI AND GOAT CHEESE QUICHE which came with a mixed green salad and eggplant caponata.

I had the CRISPY WHITE FISH AND AVOCADO TACOS. Two corn tortillas were topped with crispy fried white fish, white cabbage slaw, hominy corn and pasilla peppers. The tacos were accompained by some blue corn chips and pico de gallo.

would we go back? Well the food was good but the company was much better

SIDECAR

SIDECAR

LOCATION:
577 College St
Toronto, On
(416)536 7000
www.sidecarrestaurant.ca

RATINGS:
Ambiance: 3 / 4
Service: 3 / 4
Food: 3 / 4
Price:$$$

We had dinner on the lovely outdoor patio at SIDECAR. The charming intimate patio is a great place on College for an excellent meal. It is a little more upscale than many of its streets companions focusing on rustic yet gourmet Italian food.

We started of with the AMUSE BUSHE. The night feature was a  salmon tartar crustini. The salmon was fresh and went nicely with the dill but it was a little too salty for us. The large crushed salt packed way to much bite.

We shared the BEEF CARPACCIO which was divine. The prime Ontario sirloin was toped with fresh parmesan shavings, black truffle, arugula, lemon juice, olive oil and black pepper.

THE PAPARDELLE,  was rich, tasty and perfectly al dente. The thick fresh pasta was tossed with deliciously tender braised short ribs, aged cheddar, earthy oyster mushrooms, San Marzano tomato sauce and Spanish onions.  

THE TRADITIONAL RAVIOLI, was simple yet delicate. The house made ravioli with veal, pork and beef filling was tossed in a light basil tomato sauce and finished off with some shaved parmesan cheese. The beautiful thing about the ravioli was that there was no cheese filling to over power the wonderful meat inside. At sidecar they really know how to make their prime ingredients the star of the show.

Would we go back? I'm sure we will

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:
The traditional ravioli

 

BUK CHANG DONG SOON TOFU

BUK CHANG DONG SOON TOFU 

LOCATION:

691 Bloor St W

Toronto, ON

(416) 537 0972

RATINGS:

Ambiance: 2 / 4

Service: 2 . 5 / 4

Food: 2 . 75 / 4

Price:$

The small Asian eatery has only about 10 items on its menu, but at BUK CHANG DONG SOON TOFU they do all 10 really well. The food is cheap but very tasty. They are known for serving up some of the best authentic Soon tofu soup. The servers are quite and shy but the service is super speedy so its a great place to grab a quick bite.

Every order comes with a selection of KOREAN TAPAS (kimchi, bean sprouts, radish and candies soy beans) and a raw egg to crack in your bubbling delicious Soon soup.

The hot stone pot of SOON TOFU SOUP with dumplings came bubbling to our table. They serve the soup with a raw egg to be cracked in to the hot soup. Make sure you do a quick stir after you crack the egg so the yolk doesn't get over cooked and solid.

Another popular dish served in a hot pot is the BIM BIBIMBAP.  The big bowl of rice was covered with sections of beef, mushrooms, pickled cucumbers, radish, carrots and a over easy egg. You need to make sure to mix the bowl well so that you can taste all the ingredients in every bite. This is a good option for the less adventurous Korean eater, but it did not pack as much flavour as the Soon tofu soup.

Would we go back? Maybe

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:
Dumpling Soon tofu soup

UTOPIA CAFE AND GRILL

UTOPIA CAFE AND GRILL

LOCATION:

586 College St

Toronto M6G1B3

(416) 534 7751

www.utopiacafe.ca

RATINGS:

Ambiance: 2 . 5 / 4

Service: 2 / 4

Food: 2 . 75 / 4

Price:$$

Utopia is a great causal lunch spot with extensive tex-mex and burger options. We made our way to Utopia for brunch and sat on their heated outdoor patio. It took us ages to decide what to order as their menu is so large. Once we ordered it took a long time for our food to come. The waitress seem quite overwhelmed by her section.

The GRILLED CHICKEN CLUB. Grilled breast of chicken, crispy bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, roasted red pepper and mayo on a roll. The sandwich sounded way more exciting than it was.  All the toppings were thinly sliced, and unevenly placed throughout the sandwich.

AM ordered the STEAK AND EGGS. It was a large portion he almost could not finish it.

When I saw the OYAKO POUTINE I knew we had to have it. Two poached eggs, fried chicken kataage and cheese curds were smothered in a country chicken gravy over a large bed of fries. Wow was this a yummy poutine, but after about four bites we had to stop eating as it was so rich.

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:
Oyako Poutine
 

SAMUEL J. MOORE

SAMUEL J. MOORE

LOCATION:
1087 Queen St W

Toronto, ON

(416)8978348

RATINGS:

Ambiance: 3 / 4

Service: 3 / 4

Food: 3 / 4

Price: $$$

For our first summer date night we made our way to the relatively new hip bistro SAMUEL J. MOORE. The interior is elegant with black and white mosaic floors, marble counters, high ceilings and large bright windows facing the active Queen West neighbourhood. The creative touches of historic pieces and photos adds a trendy touch to the other wise modern bistro.  Although the menu changes and its quite limited at times there will be something for everyone, whether you are there for brunch, lunch, drinks, dinner or late night snacks they have it all.

What do you know SJM offers $1 OYSTERS from 5 -7 every day! We shared a half dozen oysters served with their house made sauces, fresh lemon and shaved horseradish. 

I had the GNUDI a type of gnocchi made from ricotta cheese and a little bit of flour. Each tiny mountain of ricotta was light, fluffy and delicious. The dish is quite rich even though the Gnudi was so delicate as it was covered in a brown butter cream sauce with wild mushrooms, peas and  caramelized pearl onions.

The 10 OZ. STRIP-LOIN steak with frites was a recommendation for meat lovers. It was cooked to a nice medium rare and was incredibly tender. The frites were the star of the dish however, as they were tossed with parmesan cheese and rosemary. 

Would we go back? We do want to try the brunch menu

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:
The Gnudi

THE COUNTY GENERAL

THE COUNTY GENERAL

LOCATION:

936 Queen St. W

Toronto, On

(416) 531 4447

www.thecountygeneral.ca

RATINGS:

Ambiance: 3 . 5 / 4

Service: 3 . 5 / 4

Food: 3 / 4

Price: $$

We were walking around the Queen West area looking for somewhere casual to go for dinner. We stumbled upon the County General. A small, intimate, yet homely restaurant which only has a few tables. They serve up some classic North American dishes with a slight Asian twist.

I started with the CALAMARI TACO. The soft taco was packed full of lime creme, black bean sliced calamari and crispy green onions. They serve it with a slice of fresh lime and a bottle of hot sauce for those who like their food with a bit more heat. It was loaded with flavour but very messy to eat.

AM started with the PORK PLATE. He loves pork but he was a little disappointed by the dish. The grilled pork belly was crispy and cooked beautifully he wished they had given him more. Unfortunately he was less impressed by the headcheese and crackling pork skin.  He found both to be rather underwhelming and bland. 

THE COUNTY BURGER is meaty and juicy. When it arrives at your table it is deceptively small but it will certainly fill you up. AM's only knock on the perfectly cooked medium rare burger was that they did not serve it with Heinze ketchup. Instead it is served with a homemade ketchup which just didn't do it for him.

I opted for two appetizers as my main dish. They sounded interesting and I had to give them a try. I had the LIL' BIG MAC. Grilled pork belly, iceberg lettuce, pickles, 1,000,000 island dressing and Kraft singles (yes and mmm) on a house baked Asian steamed bun. I have to say it was very tasty, I would go back for another one.

Next up, I tried out the CHICKPEA FRIES SUPREME. The set chickpea fries were drizzled with some sour cream, hot sauce, cilantro, green onions and pulled pork. I was hoping to find a little more pulled pork on my plate as it was very tasty, but it was quite limited in quantity. Definitely an interesting dish with layers of flavours.
  

Would we go back? Maybe

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

The lil' Big Mac

BESTELLEN

BESTELLEN

LOCATION:
972 College St

Toronto, M6H1A5

www.bestellen.ca

RATINGS:

Service: 3 / 4

Ambiance: 3 / 4

Food: 3 . 5 / 4

Price: $$$

We have been meaning to try Bestellen for some time now, as it has been on my list for ages along with about 50 other Toronto restaurants. AM finally made us some reservations for a Saturday date night. The small space is very cute and rustic. The one thing that really stands out is their large walk-in dry ageing room full of meat and ageing steaks hanging by the window for all to see. When we arrived there was a huge party taking up the back of the restaurant, as a result the table reserved for us was not ready. They were really apologetic but it was still a little annoying. About a half hour after we arrived our table was free and we were able to sit down.

Once seated our waiter asked us if we liked OYSTERS, Yes of course was our reply.  They let us know that our oysters would be on the house as an apology for our long wait. They sure knew how to make us feel better. We ate the oysters with big smiles on our faces.

 We decided to try the FRITTO MISTO. The lightly crispy fried medley of whole white fish, calamari and small shrimp was served with lemon wedges and sriracha aioli and Thai basil. The dish was wonderful, however, the little shrimps did still have the shells on which were a little tricky to peel off.

 The GRILLED OCTOPUS was on special that evening and it was highly recommended. So we went for it. Large grilled chunks of octopus were served with chorizo lemon aioli and purple potatoes and a bitter green mixed salad. We definitely didn't leave a drop behind. 

We decided to also share their HOUSE MADE BURGER. We were so full by the time it arrived that we were happy to only be eating half. The burger was cooked to a nice medium rare, served with melted cheese, house made brioche and caramelized onions accompanied by a huge pile of fries.

Would we go back? Yes, especially if someone else was paying

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:
The grilled octopus

 

JOHN AND SONS

JOHN AND SONS OYSTER HOUSE

LOCATIONS:
1 Balmoral Ave,
(416) 515 0551
Toronto, On

56 Temperance St
Toronto, On
(416)7035111

www.johnandsonsoysterhouse.com

RATINGS:
Ambiance: 3 / 4
Service: 3 / 4
Food: 2 . 75 / 4
Price: $$$

We have been on a little bit of an oyster kick lately as they are in season and fresh. So when it was time for my birthday dinner AM suggested we finally go to JOHN AND SONS. The small quaint spot feels like you are sitting at a sea side even though you are in the heart of the city. We made some last minute reservations and luckily for us they had one table available.

We started off with an assortment of EAST AND WEST COAST OYSTERS. They were all so delicious that we couldn't decide which ones we liked most. The nice thing about John and Sons is that they have a large assortment of home made sauces to top off the oysters. Be careful if you try the hot sauce, it is very very spicy.

We saw another table order the famous oysters rockefeller and just had to add them to our order. The plump hot oysters were smothered in a creamy bacon and spinach mix toped with some crispy bread crumbs. They were to die for.

Neither of us had ever had OYSTER PO' BOY SLIDERS before so we decided to give them a try. The crispy fried oysters were served hot with spicy-poblano slaw and habanero lime mayo. We both agreed we did not love the fried oysters, they tasted smoky and were a little mushy on the inside.

Next came the PORTUGUESE STYLE MUSSELS. The mussels were toped off with sliced chorizo, fresno chili peppers, tomato concasse, and smoked paprika. We were expecting some peri peri heat as they were Portuguese style but unfortunately they were rather flat. The tomato concasse was so light and thin that we did not taste it at all. 

THE GRILLED SHRIMP, boy they were fabulous. The Louisiana whitetail jumbo shrimp were served with citrus achiote, a pepper merely, and avocado cream. It was a flavour sensation in our mouths. The strong layered flavours made this dish a must order item.

The TUNA BLT was like nothing I have ever eaten. The seared yellow fin tuna was placed on top of a stack of panko crusted tomato, thinly sliced miso glazed pancetta, edamame horseradish puree, and an orange vinaigrette. The flavours were refined and elegant.

Would we go back? Im sure at some point in time we will

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

The Grilled Shrimp and the Tuna BLT