NEW: Little Nicky's Coffee

Location:

375 Queen St. W. Toronto

Open only 4 weeks now, Little Nicky's already seems to have a cult following of donut lovers.

Mini donuts, that is.

Made on a cute little mini assembly line.

Old-fashioned, little, powdery-sugar-and-cinnamon-covered deep fried goodness. 

We love the retro, dinery vibe, and with Ray Charles playing in the background, "A.Mat" said it reminded her of The Cosby episode where the family performs Ray Charles' "Night Time is the Right Time". See video here.

One thing they might want to add to their menu however, is Earl Grey tea. Orange Pekoe (from Tealish) just won't cut it, even if IS loose-leaf and IS quite delish!

Still, with lovely iced lattes and happy little donuts Little Nicky's is already becoming a definite favourite at work this hot summer.

NEW: Khao San Road

Location:

326 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1R3

Cost:  $30 (for lunch)

It's the "high maintenance" sister resto to Sukho Thai.  It resides in a more expensive neighbourhood, believes less-is-more and is worth the wait.

Open only a month KSR already has its hands full.  Of customers.  Having arrived just past noon, we were lucky to snag a seat at one of the communal tables in the front.





Looking sort of hurriedly set up, the interior is very sparse but chic enough for the downtown crowd.

The communal tables in the front are a great idea for "quick" lunches, although the time it takes to get a freshly prepared gourmet lunch is anything but quick.

Run by the Regulars (Chef Nuit and Jeffrey Regular) the restaurant is anything BUT...regular.

The flavours are what I like to believe is authentic, but would not know having never been to Thailand. The cold spring roll served with the upgrade of soup had us confused as to whether cold rolls are a Thai or Vietnamese traditional.





Our service is friendly and efficient enough for us who are not worried about the time.  The couple beside us however, freaked out about getting back to work. You have to understand that the kind of ingredients used here (aka FRESH) are not rushed.

We were feeling brave (and Brown) and ordered our pad thais (chicken and shrimp) THAI SPICY = HOT.

My dining partner AMat likened the heat of our dishes to walking a block in sky high stillletos:  semi uncomfortable but totally worth it.

Shrimp Pad Thai (Street style, but not on the lunch menu so was $15 from the dinner menu)





Chicken Pad Thai (Street Style from the lunch menu $10)



Upgrading to include soup ($3)



Coconut tapioca dessert ($5)



Our coconut tapioca dessert was ordered mid-way through our meal as our mouths were on fire.  Served slightly warm, it felt different than at Sukho Thai where we remembered it being served cold and with more texture.  Still, we were happy to take the rest of it to go and eat it later, cooled.  (So. amazing).

Although the dishes are significantly more expensive at KSR, you're paying for the location and for the freshly prepared, authentic flavours.

It's a small price to pay for a taste of Thailand.

Afterall, it would be far more expensive to go to Thailand.

Local Feature: Harlem Underground

Location:

745 Queen St W, Toronto

www.harlemrestaurant.com/underground

With a wall-mural/graffitied glass hallway and red interior walls, Harlem looks like how you'd expect a restaurant in Harlem to look: cultured-chic, friendly and somewhere you'd want to spend a few good hours with friends and wholesome Southern cooking.










Cajun Tempura Fried Okra
$4.95

Of all the fascinating side dishes on the menu ( fried plantains, candied yams, bacon mac n' cheese, collard greens,) we had to try the deep fried okra.  Arriving piping hot, and with plenty enough to go around, it did not disappoint.  Granted, okra is not for everyone...the slimy texture and odd taste is certainly something to acquire.  I, for one, love okra and have had it in many forms, so this was just another lovely treat for me.


Harlem Benny Poached eggs, chili-garlic greens, atop a sausage and grits flap jack along with cheesy hollandaise
$10.95

R who had this dish, was worried that the portion size and the density of a grit flap jack would be too heavy since she'd already eaten breakfast, but the flap jack was light and the eggs perfectly poached.



Mile High Jawny Toast Three egg-dipped thick slices of egg loaf drizzled with maple syrup, crushed pecans and fresh fruit
$10.95

OMG you guys.  Undoubtedly the best FT I've had to date!  THICK, yet fluffy slices of bread and an absolutely mouth-watering, nutty, berry sauce on top.  While splitting this dish with A who ordered the fried chicken and waffles, I ended up with a smorgasbord of salty (fried chicken) and sweet (waffles and french toast) goodness on my plate (usually how I like to eat things - all on one plate) which was wiped clean with the last bite of toast. 


Southern Fried Chicken & Waffle With a Chipolte-corriander-lime maple syrup
$11.95

Speaking of the Fried Chicken and waffles, does four pieces of chicken sound enough to you?! Thank goodness we were sharing!  What portions are these, my friends?  Amazing!  The chipotle-corriander-lime maple syrup was an excellent accompaniment to the waffles (which unfortunately lacked that fresh-out-of-the-waffle-iron heat).



Yam & Yukon Potato Hash Topped with a sunny side up egg cooked with spicy sausage, served with biscuits and greens
$9.95

We all agreed, the potato hash was incredible!  Especially with the spicy sausage.



Veggie Omelette Sweet peppers, onions, mushroom and spinach
$8.95

N who got this dish said even with the cheese it was a tad bland for her taste.

And none of us cared much for the sweet potato biscuits accompanying the omelettes.  They weren't warm or soft enough and had the texture of a scone; fairly dry.  I think with everything else going on in the dish, the side biscuit came cross as rather plain in comparison.  Regardless, I wish it had been better 'cause there's nothing like a hot biscuit!

Still, with any personal requests (ie. cheese in the omlette, collard greens instead of spinach) there were no hesitations to comply, in fact suggestions were made to accommodate dietary concerns, if possible.  Our server, Jen, imparted just the right measure of attentiveness without being intrusive.

Oh, and a shout-out the to the low-ceilinged washrooms, which we figured is the "underground" part of Harlem Underground. We all emerged from it as if we were the (recently rescued) miners. (Yay, miners!) :)

But in all seriousness, HU is such a wonderfully warm and friendly place, I would not hesitate to return. And with a group of seven, the verdict was unanimous: come hungry, and leave content!

The Magic Oven

Location:

6 Wellesley

When green chillies underly an innocent tandoori chicken pizza, you KNOW the chef knows his biniss.

As he should at THESE pizza prices!!

Smelt flour or no smelt flour...I hope these pizzas have some magic in 'em 'cause they're expensive!

Not a fan of the Liberty Village location as I got sick twice as a result of their lunch time slices, but the Wellesley location made for a wonderful dinner with friends. Very cosy atmosphere, we had almost the whole (tiny) restaurant to ourselves. And those hidden green chillies? We were in tears 'cause the menu made no mention of them. Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to see green chillies in anything, so they were tears of joy.

We've also had MO pizzas ordered into work, and as delish as they are, the four pizzas we ordered came to something outrageous as $100 and there still wasn't enough to go around. Sometimes, you just need a bunch o' $9.99 pepperoni pizzas.

LOCAL FEATURE: The Blake House

Location:

449 Jarvis St  Toronto

www.theblakehouse.ca

Open only three months, one of the last standing heritage structures (built in 1891) in Toronto  has been converted into a restaurant called The Blake House (previously, The Red Lion).

One of the three owners and brothers, Jim Vasilakakos sat down and chatted with us as well.  He described The Blake House as being "comfort contemporary"; a feeling we instantly felt when we arrived, as Jim himself greeted us at the door.



The interior is gorgeous...all dark wood, warm lighting and lined with giant black and white photographs from Jarvis Street in the 1800's.

We were blown away by the food; everything was so fresh and so tasty!  As Jim told us, they only buy local, fresh ingredients and everything is house-made.  So, our compliments to the Chef David Araya; thank you for a wonderful meal!


We started off with a local beer, Mill Street Original and an Okanaagan Shiraz...which was delightful.


10oz $3.75 - 20oz $5.75 - 60oz $15.95
Mill Street Original



Prospect Red Willow 8 / 23 / 35
Shiraz, Okanaagan






Had to try the poutine; how could you not?



Poutine 8
Hand Cut Fries and Cheese Curds.
Topped with Bourbon Beef Gravy.

We were warned about the large size, but were blown away by it in reality.  It was huge! For $8?!  And not drenched in gravy, we could actually taste the hand-cut fries.  I've personally decided it's a keeper.



Then, arriving smoking hot,  we had the Chicken Pot Pie which I was dreaming about ever since checking the menu prior to arriving at the restaurant.

Chicken Pot Pie 13
Root Vegetables and Roasted Chicken Smothered in
Herb Cream Sauce. Served with Green Salad.



It was one of the best pies I've ever had, not to say I eat a lot of pies, but the very best pie I'd had was in Edinburgh from the Pie Maker.  That's, Maker of pies and THIS was on par with THAT.



It was flaky and oozing with such a delicious filling, atypical from the usual potato and rubbery-and-questionable chicken filling.  You could actually taste the vegetables (and distinguish them!) from the chicken.  The green salad wasn't doused in dressing, either.



The bread and butter are both house-made, the butter changing every night or week according to the chef's desire:  Roasted red pepper butter one night (what we had),  sage butter, citrus butter...  Brilliant and well executed!

Maple Glazed Salmon 18
Roasted Atlantic Salmon. Served with Smashed
Seasonal Potatoes, Braised Leeks with Bacon Burre Blanc.

I found it refreshing to get potatoes (smashed, at that,  with salmon, 'cause usually you get salmon:

"seasoned with crushed black pepper and salt served on a bed of basmati rice with vegetables"

OR

"seasoned with a dash of dill and served on a bed of wilted spinach"....

I question a restaurant when they consider salt and pepper SEASONING.

This maple glazed salmon we likened to the way we cook at home: with flavour!  The crispy top and break-away center of the salmon was exactly the way I like it.  The sweetness of the leeks with the potatoes brings makes me salivate even as I write, as it was just melt in your mouth delicious.

Market Crumble $6.00
Seasonal market fresh fruit and homemade oats baked
golden brown and topped with ice cream (ask your server)



How to describe this market crumble, made to order with blueberries and arriving smokin' hot and so fresh? Oh, I think I just did.

Crème Brulee $6.00
Baked vanilla custard topped with a crusted layer of
caramel and fresh berries



I don't usually order crème brulee, but lately have had cravings for it, and this was a remarkable one and unforgettable. I'd get it again.

The place was packed, even when we were leaving, a group of 25 showed up; but it was no issue to seat the large crowd as the open concept of the interior allows for big as well as intimate gatherings.  Our server Kaitlyn was gracious and efficient as well, not missing a beat.

We met with the other two brothers, Nick and Mike, as well; it was so nice to talk to each of them and learn how much it meant to them to preserve the history of the building.



It's evident in the interior design that the original stained glass windows and wood burning fireplace only add to the ambiance of the restaurant.   Their patio is possibly the largest in the city, as well.

With an upscale environment serving upscale food but with a down-to-earth vibe and certainly down-to-earth prices, we'd have to agree with Jim and his expression of The Blake House being "your home in the city".  Afterall, three hours later, we still weren't ready to leave.

NEW: Steamy?

Location:

147 Spadina Ave., Toronto

Where Double Dragon used to be now stands something called STEAMY?  

Steamy: Asian Tapas and Grill

So glad DD is gone...the food was disgusting there. I got sick once and never went back. And I believe Lurgs had WORMS in her meal, but I'll let her tell you about it.

Will check out this new strangely named STEAMY and bring back more info! :)

LOCAL FEATURE: Crepe Delicious

Location:

100 City Centre Drive

www.crepedelicious.com

If it's not pancakes or french toast for breakfast, it's crepes (from scratch) at our house, so to receive two packs of Crepes De Licious mix in the mail was quite refreshing.

The mix was very easy to use, having only to add milk or water, and they turned out quite well, chewy in texture (whole wheat flour), vanilla-esque and buttery in flavour (shortening).

 

Our recipe for making crepes uses very little, if any, oil and our crepes turn out a lot thinner.  With the mix we found it a tad difficult to get rid of the powdery bits.

That said, if you're not a crepes-from-scratch person, and you like a good crepe, these packages are worthwhile.  Better yet, you can just go OUT for crepes and visit your local Crepe Delicious!

We did that, too.



There's a little kiosk of Crepe Delicious at the Square One Mall.  With breakfast crepes, paninis, savoury andsweet crepes.





Ian and Michael were the talented young specialists on hand for whipping us up some yummy crepes: savoury and sweet!



I don't care much for savoury crepes in general, but the Caesar Chicken ($7.95) one made for us was quite good, and packed with filling.



The sweet crepes is where it's at.  Nutella?  Yes, please!
The Tuttie Fruitte ($6.99) was absolutely divine and made far better than even the crepes we had in Paris!









Nyum Nyum.

They use all fresh toppings, so much so, that they run out of popular ingredients such as apples and panini loaves.  It's a kiosk afterall; it would be great to see this place get it's own restaurant as it was busy and has only a limited number of stools.  Most customers got the crepes to go anyway, wrapped up neatly in foil.   For the busy shoppers at Square One this type of kiosk probably works better than a dine-in restaurant, especially since you can smell the crepes a mile away and can have it as a snack or a meal.

We wanted the Crunchy Caramel $5.85 but they had run out of apples so Ian, who is the resident expert at that location, having been there two years, made us a custom super-duper, nutella-banana-caramel crepe!









I'll post up our own home-made crepe recipe, but until then, if you happen to stop by a Crepes Delicious, try the nutella/banana crepe!  You shan't be disappointed.

Mill Street Brewery

Location:

55 Mill Street, Toronto

www.millstreetbrewery.com

For beerfests and the like, Mill Street Brewery has the capacity for the people and the beers.

Check out their Ontario's first "Original Organic Lager" for a light and hoppy flavour.

I'm now more interested in their new Lemon Tea Beer and this contest they're having.

Fresh

Location:

147 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

www.freshrestaurants.ca

As is the case with a lot of food-related businesses these days, the word "fresh" embodies all that is "organic" and "new" in our age of health-consciousness.  If it contains the word FRESH chances are people will gravitate towards it.

And Fresh, the restaurant chain, is vegetarian, another kick in the meat-balls of society.  But remember people!  Vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean healthy!

Of course, vegetarians and/or vegans love Fresh, and rightly so.  Why?  'Cause Fresh doesn't use butter, dairy, eggs, honey or other animal by-products,  so those with food allergies or dietary concerns can be assured they're eating....none of those things.

I can't speak for the nutritional part of it, since oddly Fresh doesn't provide a nutritional breakdown of their food on their website.  See for yourself and decide for yourself.

I can only speak for the flavour of Fresh and what I'm saying is:  it doesn't do much for me.

I do like their sweet potato fries and peanut sauce, but find both very greasy.





The Buddha Bowls are bland and tasteless and as my fellow blogger, Lurgs likes to joke, "It just needs CHICKEN!"

The veggie burger is dry and full of grains.  It's certainly hearty, but definitely does not satisfy my tastebuds.



I'd definitely eat at Fresh if I had to, but it's not somewhere I'd seek out for lunch or dinner.

TRAVEL: London, ON: Raja

Location:

428 Clarence Street, London

www.rajafinedining.ca

Had a family anniversary celebration here.  The space is up-scale and elegant and nicely done up for large groups, such as us.

The service on the other hand, could use some tweaking.  Although it wasn't busy, our server took a while to come over.  Then he failed to correctly explain the lunch specials to us so that when we ended up ordering the lunch specials, thinking they were smaller dinner portions, we were surprised to find they really couldn't be shared at all as there was barely enough for one!

Only then were we told  that the lunch specials were "individual" portions not to be shared and that each special came with a side of rice, chick pea curry and salad.  Something we wouldn't have ordered had we understood the server.  They were also overly intrusive with the "How are you enjoying your meal?", "Can I take this away?" stuff.

As it is, I'm sure you'll agree it's the most annoying thing EVER, to have a server ask how your meal is WHILST your mouth is full of your very FIRST bite, forcing you to respond..."ITSFSFIIEN".

The papad chutneys were beautifully arranged.



The onion bhajis were lovely.



The side of rice, chick pea curry and salad.



I disliked that all the meat dishes were served with side salads, as well.  I find it so unappealing when Indian restaurants do that.  Pickled carrots and onions are much more appropriate and flavourful when eaten together.




Variety of naans and breads.


The other curries (not part of the lunch special)









Altogether, the flavours were good, but the portions were far too small for the cost of them ($15-20) and the service could be better.