"Frugal Fare" is going to be a new feature on Foodhogger, where we'll cover the more affordable places to dine for lunch/dinner in Toronto and still get great food & service.
CJ Lunch Box (but everyone refers to it as "Lunch Box") is one such place.
Location:
409 Richmond St., W, Toronto (Spadina/Richmond)
Cost: under $10 (cash only)
There used to be something else in it's place, but I can't recall what it was (anyone remember?) and now it's very clear what's there.
Lunch Box is a small lunch time spot serving little containers of sushi, deep fried chicken, noodles, edamame and dumplings...for as little as $3 - $5! What a steal (and tasty too)! These days business is booming and it's our first in Foodhogger's : Frugal Fare.
Salmon sushi with chicken combo $5.97 (with free miso soup)
Veggie Dumplings: $3 - a bit on the greasy side, but it makes a good side or snack.
Although Lunch Box has started increasing their prices (almost everything is one or two dollars more than before), the raised cost hasn't seemed to deter the crowd. The line-ups are almost always curled around the counter in the tiny restaurant, where in cafeteria-like fashion you pick your boxes.
Chicken? $4.
The staff are cheery and highly efficient (one at the cash register, one packing your lunch, one making the sushi, one warming the dumplings; there's at least 6-7 people behind the counter). Not to mention that the turn-over is so high, the food's fresh. In fact, if you don't see any more sushi of your desire, they'll roll it up for you in 2 min! (Sushi connoisseurs [of which, I am not one] beware: it's not gourmet sushi, but it's great for lunch)
Salmon sushi $4
There are also a handful of tables if you wish to dine there, with a newly added flat-screen TV playing concerts by different artists everyday (last time it was Celine Dion and before that Beyonce) to keep you entertained.
Also, I hear that with every purchase you get a free miso soup but I will have to confirm this (as I found out only after my purchase, sans soup) and this should be relatively easy considering I'll most likely be back there next week!
They're open from 11am to 5pm on weekdays only - so if you wanted some chicken or noodles to take home after work, you're out of luck. I think they would do well to stay open for dinner, but then it would have to be called CJ Lunch/Dinner Box...which doesn't have the same ring to it.
Location:
483 Bloor St. W., Toronto
Cost: $10-15
Speaking of cake...
Future Bakery's Kahlua Truffle Cake is to die for....or to share with friends.
Great little cafe in the Annex, to hang out with the people you love until the wee hours of the morning...or until 2am, when they close :)
True to my word, here's a RECIPE (from the Toronto Star) for Chocolate Guinness Cake!
I can't wait to try it!
Sláinte! Have a Safe & Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
-FH
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
1/3 cup Guinness draught stout
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Syrup:
1/4 cup Guinness draught stout
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Ganache:
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz (170 g) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
DIRECTIONS
For cake, liberally grease and lightly flour 9-inch cake pan. If desired, line bottom with parchment circle, as cake tends to stick.
In small pan, whisk together stout and cocoa powder on medium-low heat until smooth. Cool. Stir in buttermilk.
Sift flour, baking soda, powder and salt into medium bowl.
In large bowl, beat butter until creamy with electric mixer on medium-low speed. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one a time, until blended. Beat in vanilla.
With mixer on medium-low, add third of flour mixture until moistened. Beat in half of stout mixture until blended. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture until moistened. Beat in remaining stout mixture until blended. Beat in remaining flour mixture until moistened. Scrape bowl. Beat just to blend.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350F oven about 30 minutes, until cake starts to pull away from sides of pan and tester comes out clean.
Set wire rack over sheet of waxed paper. Cool pan on rack 10 minutes. Slide blunt knife around edge of pan. Invert to release cake onto rack. Cool.
For syrup, whisk ingredients in small pan over low heat until smooth and warm, at least 5 minutes.
If you used parchment, peel it off cake. Use fork or toothpick to poke holes in bottom of cake. Pour three-quarters of syrup over cake, spread with bottom of spoon and let it seep in, at least 5 minutes.
Invert cake onto serving platter. Poke holes in top. Spoon remaining syrup over top and let it seep in for 5 minutes. Reserve syrup pan.
For ganache, pour cream into syrup pan. Bring to simmer on medium heat. Remove from burner. Stir in chocolate until smooth and creamy. Cool briefly, until thickened but still pourable.
Pour ganache gradually onto centre of cake, smoothing with offset spatula until it runs down sides. (You will have some left over.) Cool cake until ganache sets.
Place pan with remaining ganache on low heat. Stir until pourable. Drizzle zigzag or whirly lines across top using whisk or fork. Or pour ganache into zip-lock bag, snip off one corner and squeeze lines or design onto cake. Refrigerate to set before serving.
Makes 12 servings.
Location:
225 King St. W. Toronto
Cost: approx $50 for two
http://www.peneloperestaurant.com/home.html
I love Greek Food. Sure, it's just meat and potatoes...but that is precisely why I love it. There is something very comforting about Greek food. How can it go wrong?
At Penelope, it doesn't.
Around the King Street area, dinner options grow sparse the more times you dine out and very quickly the "Il Fornellos" and the "Urbans" of the downtown core give way to our very instinctual and basic needs. Such as meat and potatoes. Such was the case when we remembered Penelope, the only full-out Greek restaurant in the heart of the city. Much like Penelope herself, we exercised patience and loyalty and reserved our hunger pangs (whilst making our way down King street past all the upscale dining venues with their Winterlicious sandwich boards) for the simplest dinner of them all: the chicken souvlaki dinner.
Once there, we were allowed to be picky selective and were seated at a corner round table (even though there were just the two of us).
Our server and the manager (it seemed) were on hand to take our order and offer us drink choices. The manager recommended the Greek beer, Keo, which we thoroughly enjoyed and I highly recommend it (I'm more of a Guinness person myself, but Keo was very refreshing.)
And we already know that there would be one chicken souvlaki dinner (with a side of pita bread...just 'cause) and then to mix things up, an item from their dinner specials that day: swordfish.
Both mains arrived at our table incredibly quickly. My (usual) request for chilli flakes and/or hot sauce (which sually ends up being Tabasco, which I don't really consider hot sauce) was greeted with hearty props from our server who has been working there for 7 years. 
As expected, the chicken, rice and potatoes were glorious. The side of veggies bordered on frozen-then-over-cooked-and-greasy and I'd have preferred a side of Greek salad (this reminded me of the time The Healthy Greek didn't have Greek salad !)
The swordfish was surprising good and a huge portion, at that! This time, the Greek salad was in attendance and I couldn't complain. 
There were some serious left overs for taking home and an overall feeling of wholesomeness that only Greek food can provide.
It's nice to know that in a city full of restaurants with big attitudes, big plates and tiny, tottering portions, there are restorative places like Penelope. It's true then, for Penelope and for us, patience certainly was a virtue. 
Location:
432 Wellington Street West, Toronto
Cost: Approx $130 for 2
Every once in a while, you come across a really outstanding dining experience. One where there is not a single thing out of place or out of line.
Le Sélect is that happy place.
Within minutes of me running in to check if they had any room for dinner (I know they like to take reservations for lunch and dinner and it looked like the place was already packed with the Friday dinner crowd) and getting the A-Okay, to parking the car, we were being seated in a cosy corner by the window (and the heater).
Our server, Aleah, was attentive, not in the least bit snooty, and catered to our menu-questions with honest insight. None of the "I absolutely love everything on the menu"... she actually didn't care for some of the items, which was refreshing. Kudos to her.
We started with the antipasto (grilled eggplant, mushroom salad, artichoke, guacamole, and fingerling salad, $11.95) which was so flavourful I wanted to lick the plate!
Then we ordered the seared fillet of Pickerel with a red wine sauce lardons and chanterelles ($28.95) paired with a glass of Rhone wine ($12.25) (they have a gigantic wine list)
And the striped bass fillet "a la plancha", olives, tomatoes, chickpeas and artichokes ($26.95) paired with a glass of Chateau Pesquie ($10.75).
Both of our mains were absolutely delicious. The bass was slightly more flavourful than the pickerel because of the olives and chickpeas, but both dishes were yummy.
For dessert we got the mousse au chocolat ($8.95), made with French dark chocolate
And because we really just wanted a taste of the lychee sorbet, we got a little helping of it on the side ($6.00).
Both were divine....the lychee sorbet is made fresh and I thought it would look really nice in martini glass, like the lychee martini.
I suspect Le Sélect Bistro is more french bistro than a bistro in France, and 'cause I've never been to France, I like it. I also suspect I'm not the only one.
Location:
322 Adelaide St W, Toronto
Cost: $10.99 (used to be $9.99) for combo (soup & half wrap)
Soups shouldn't cost more than a few bucks, right? Wrong where Ravi soups is concerned! But, consider it the HIGH end of soups where your soup eats like a meal...isn't that what Campbell's Chunky soup advertisers want you to believe?
At Ravi Soups your soup contains ingredients fancier than basic peas, noodles and chicken broth....instead, you will find wild rice, curried lentils, thai basil and lemongrass. 
It's ironic that we should have ended up at RaviSoups the day after my Mildred's Temple Kitchen mishap, 'cause as it turns out Ravi Kanagarajah is the former Mildred Pierce soup guru! However, here there is none of the snootiness that MTK expansive temple was festooned with.
There is a bit of a line-up but it moves quickly as the 'to-go' soups are packaged into brown paper bags and delivered to the eagerly awaiting.
Back at work, our soups and wraps are still piping hot and ready to be devoured.
My porcini mushroom and wild rice bisque (the only non-dairy soup on the menu) was a bit greasy looking with all the truffle oil, but looks are certainly deceiving 'cause it was deeeeeliiiiiicious! 
Very hearty with all the chunks of porcini mushrooms; overall a really nice flavour. A little hard to digest for some me, they say porcini mushrooms can have that affect on people.
My "roasted free-range chicken with roasted yams, baby spinach, caramalized onions, tomato chutney and chipotle mayo" wrap was divine! The combo was certainly a lot of food; I saved half my wrap for later. 
The Chicken hot pot soup - a winner according to my friend who had it.
The Corn Chowder, garnished with crab, crispy shallots and thai basil:
I have not heard a single negative thing about RaviSoups! If you want soup, this is where to get it - it's really worth the $10-13 for lunch. If that's a bit steep for you, I hear everything (incl. the combos) are half price on Fridays between 5 and 6pm.
Hey, Soup's on!
Location:
591 Markham St. Mirvish Village, Toronto, ON
Cost: $28 incl tip
www.butlerspantry.ca
How fitting a name for a place that serves everything that could possibly exist in a Pantry! (On a side note: A butler's pantry was commonly used for the storing, cleaning and counting of silver by the butler...).
Whatever the name, this cosy nook in the Annex serves brunch until 4pm.
And forget the Butler, who's the chef? His pantry must be huge! There's such diversity to the 2 page menu, that we're too confused to know what to order. There are a lot of indian inspired dishes which made us question who the chef was. Apparently the owner is from Bangladesh and married to an Egyptian lady and they hired a chef who was working in a palace in Egypt! He must have been well versed in international foods 'cause although the brunch side of the menu is simple...Eggs Bene, French Toast, Omlettes, Scrambled Eggs, Scones....it's the other side that amazes us: Bul go gi, Tandoori penne, Biryani, Seafood Quiche, Jambalaya, Khowsway (a Burmese dish) , Shepherd's Pie, Veggie curry pie, Moroccan Veg Tajine! And the list goes on...with loooooads of vegetarian options included! It's incredible...we wanted to order it all!
We especially wanted to try the Zuchini pancake but learned they were out of it but our server also confided that she enjoys it paired with a beer as a greasy pub meal since it's very similar to potato pancakes (latkes). Worked out well then 'cause I don't like latkes.
We finally decide on the chicken bastilla pie and the french toast.
Another thing to note is that the main dishes (except for a select few) are served with a fresh garden salad and Butler's famous dressing (pictured below).
Also, and as you know by now, a must for me is an Earl Grey tea, which arrives in a lovely ceramic teapot. The loose-leaf bagged ORGANA tea is divine...almost candy-like in its sweetness.
It doesn't take long at all for our food to arrive!
The Butler's French Toast at $7.25 (side of bacon - $1.25) is a steal! Such a humongous portion ; it's ideal for sharing. It comes with two thick slices of bread, a generous helping of fresh fruit and dallops of whipped cream. The toast is not at all soggy even though the maple syrup has already been drizzled on top. It's just the perfect consistancy. A must for anyone who, like me, loves french toast. 
The Chicken Bastilla Pie is a popular order and we wanted to try their version of the famous Moroccan dish - which is pastry stuffed with chicken, omlette, cinnamon & almonds. For $10.25, it's a hearty meal for one; which we split into two. It was very tasty, albeit on the salty side. Traditionally the cinnamon appears on the top of the pie along with powdered sugar...but in this case it was incorporated into the filling, which was nice but altogether a bit too "cinnamony". 
The salad it came with really balanced out the saltiness of the pie and the "Butler's Famous Dressing" was fantastic!
Looking more like a gravy than a dressing, it had a nice sharp taste to it and paired really nicely with the onions in the salad.
The next time you're strolling around the Annex, keep the Butler's Pantry in mind. 
Location:
315 King St West, Toronto
Cost: Winterlicious $15 lunch ($69 for 4)
www.marcels.com
Winterlicious has been extended until Feb 28th, and Marcel's lunch menu was quite tasty for anyone who's still keen on getting on the "Licioustrain".
Here is their lunch menu:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soupe du jour
Fresh daily soup
or
Salade maison, vinaigrette balsamique
Mesclun greens with balsamic dressing
or
Terrine de campagne maison
House pâté with crostini
~~~~~~~~~~~
Filet de sole, sauce Champagne servie avec du riz basmati et légumes de saison
Filet of sole in a Champagne sauce served with basmati rice & seasonal vegetables
or
Filet de porc, sauce moutarde avec pommes purées et légumes de saison
Pork tenderloin in a mustard sauce, mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables
or
Penne au saumon fumé, sauce rosée
Penne with smoked salmon in a tomato cream sauce
~~~~~~~~~~~
Crème caramel
A bistro classic
or
Sorbets au choix
Daily choice of fresh sherbet
or
Glace vanille, sauce au chocolat
Vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The soup of the day was Beets and Carrot soup. I love beets so I had to try it. When our server brought our dishes to the table, he quite rudely requested us to move our plates to the side. We were slightly taken aback, but soon forgot about it as we indulged into our appetizers.
The soup was thick and creamy, posing a potential problem for my lactose-intolerancy, but nevertheless, tasty. It had a real "beet-i-ness" to it! 
My friend ordered the House pâté with crostini which she claimed was very good and not as fatty as can be.
For her main, she opted for the pork tenderloin in a mustard sauce, with mashed potatoes and veggies.
The rest of us went for the penne with smoked salmon in a tomato cream sauce. I was assured that there was only a "little bit of cream" in it....
Didn't look that way to me. Aside from eating around the cream sauce, I found the tomatoey chunks of salmon to be very flavourful and overall the dish was fantastic. To be honest, I had to refrain from slurping up the remaining sauce.
For dessert, we all went for the Crème caramel:
I probably should have gone with the sherbet since by this time I was all creamed-out, but it was so cold outside that the idea of crème caramel appealed to me; for some reason I thought it would be warm (?). Also, it's probably listed as a "bistro classic" because it can be made in abundance and kept aside for when it's needed (ie. for a Winterlicious crowd). It was good, but I don't think I am a fan of crème caramel [*shrug*].
All in all, a nice experience at Marcel's...and the rest of our service was totally fine.