Loka, Toronto

If you’ve followed Loka’s story from the beginning, you’d feel quite emotional when walking into their brick and mortar location at 620 Queen Street West. Chef Dave Mottershall began this venture as the infamous @chef_rouge on Instagram posting incredibly appetizing food porn for his many,many followers. His pop-up at Hi-Lo on Queen East was such a success that it became a regular feature of the bar. Cue extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, some blood, sweat and tears going into renovations and voila: Loka opens its doors to a hungry Toronto.

A couple weeks after their official opening date, we headed there for an impromptu Thursday evening meal out on the town. Lucky for us, it turned out to be THE meal of 2015! The ambiance of the restaurant was comfortable and relaxed, the staff enthusiastic and the food was out-of-this-world good!

The decor of the place is pretty simple; a few photographs lining the otherwise bare walls with a large but not overbearing bar situated right in the middle of the room. Some would consider it to be sparse but it is just enough to draw you in and direct your eyes toward the open kitchen; the focal point of the whole restaurant. This is where you can see Chef Mottershall and his talented sous chef Jesse Brown in their element. Don’t leave Loka without taking a peak at the curing fridge located just to the left of the kitchen.

We sat at the chef’s table and ate the entire menu. This costs $100 per person and is worth every penny, however, if you’re in the mood for anything less, sit anywhere else in the restaurant and choose your grub off from their daily offerings. The menu is pretty simple: 8-10 savoury dishes changing daily, a couple of desserts and some staples like the “Pig Mac” and a Salumi board that are constant.

We started off with a delicious pork liver pate topped with a stout jelly and a sprinkling of burnt bread. It set the mood for the entire evening and plastered giant smiles on our faces. The charcuterie board was excellent featuring a beautiful saucisson sec among other delicious salumi. When making this beautiful sausage, Chef Mottershall reversed the percentages of fat and meat producing a cure that was incredibly silky and smooth. One of the many stand-out dishes of the night was the experiment that the kitchen was working on: a deep fried cherry bomb pepper stuffed with salumi and homemade ricotta. The heat of the pepper was subdued by the creamy cheese and the tart carrot slaw it was served on. It was delicious… as were the deep fried chicken hearts, the tempura broccoli, the corn chowder and Mottershall’s ode to the farm veggie dish. The last savoury plate we devoured involved bone marrow, parsley salad and some cured foie gras shaved ontop. It was heaven!…

… I could go on and on about what we ate but I think the solution is just for you to go out and enjoy dinner at Loka yourselves. Make a reservation, get yourself in at the chef’s table and enjoy an evening of spoils.

Wedding Cake v.2015

This past weekend, I made a wedding cake for 225 people in my 300 square foot apartment! The challenge became sooo real as I realized that I only have one usable counter space and a dining room table for all of the preparations. However, with a little creative thinking and using all possible surfaces in my apartment (excluding anything bathroom related), the cake made it one piece and was enjoyed by many.

The flavours of the cake were: chocolate, caramel and vanilla. It had a dark chocolate and cocoa nib sponge that I soaked in espresso and chocolate simple syrup, a vanilla mousseline cream (buttercream and pastry cream) and a thick layer of caramel brushed on between all of the layers. The bride’s chosen wedding colours were white, black and gold so I figured that the inside of the cake should match the outside.

Anyway, here are the pics…

 

Big Crow Restaurant, Toronto

Finding Big Crow for the first time may be a challenge but once you see it, it truly cannot be unseen… or forgotten. Head just west of Dupont and Davenport, locate Rose & Sons restaurant and follow your nose down the alleyway to its backyard sister. A big A-frame shaded patio  will welcome you, flanked on either side by refurbished shipping containers and a blazing wood fired grill. It’s homey, inviting and it smells so damn good!

Although the menu may be hard on the eyes, the table side service and knowledge of the wait staff is incredible. We were given concise explanations of the whole list and then left alone to decide. Went for the Ox Tongue and N’Duja Sausage Toast as our appetizers, finished by the Reuben sandwich. Cooking tongue can be very demanding as it is such a tough piece of meat, however, Big Crow definitely did it justice. The meat was very soft and silky on the inside surrounded by a slight crisp from the grill. Complemented perfectly by a spicy beet and horseradish salsa, it had me hooked! The grilled octopus and arugula salad that followed was flanked by two generous portions of spicy n’duja sausage slathered on crispy toasted bread. Last but not least, the reuben. Although enjoyable and filling, it was the least exciting of the bunch. If you find yourself out on a date at Big Crow and are still keeping up appearances, please do yourself a favour and stay away from the reuben. It is messy!

Price wise, Big Crow isn’t the cheapest barbecue joint in town. With a couple of drinks each and three shared plates, our bill came to about $100 for two people. However, if you’re craving meat cooked on an open fire and don’t feel like making it yourself, head there and you won’t be disappointed.

The Tempered Room, Toronto

What is your perfect dessert?

 

I know, such a loaded question for anyone with a sweet tooth since this choice is dependent on the circumstances around this item’s consumption… is it a hot summer day? a palate cleanser? a meal replacement? a post breakup remedy?… Regardless, for me, it involves butter, vanilla, cream and eggs. ****cue the Tempered Room flan ***** Creamy, silky, rich vanilla custard lined with a light and airy, buttery crust is my perfect dessert. It is so simple and yet so utterly satisfying. A rarity in the Toronto pastry world as it is basic in composition but it is so indicative of any shortcuts taken in the shop.

For those that aren’t as head over heels about flan (I promise to withhold any judgement) the Tempered Room offers a variety of delicious homemade classic French pastries. We tried the Swiss Brioche on our first visit and it was a lot of fun. Brioche dough is rolled thin, slathered with thick pastry cream and chocolate and then folded into a beautiful sweet sandwich. Their choux pastries are impressive, ever changing in flavours and showcasing true innovation. The croissants are buttery, delightful but not as flaky as I was hoping for. Savoury options include quiche and sandwiches, for which they used Blackbird baguettes so they must be good  ;-).

The shop is located at 1374 Queen street West and is worth a visit. The decor is simple, beautiful and appropriate for the area. Upcycled furniture decorates the otherwise barren room, allowing the focus to remain on the stunning pastry displays. The space doubles as a catering/event venue  outside the patisserie hours and Chef Bertrand Alepee is one of Toronto’s elite so definitely keep it in mind for your future events… and invite me… and we can have flan together!

Nana Restaurant Toronto

Located at 785 Queen Street W. (in the Trinity Bellwoods neighborhood), Nana sparked a lot of excitement when its doors opened almost a year ago. Being the younger sister restaurant of one of my favourite places in the city, Khao San Road, my initial dining experience here felt a lot like meeting my significant other’s family for the first time. I was nervous, excited and my expectations were a little high since I am head over heels about the original. It’s too bad this turned out to be the trashy younger sister that makes everyone uncomfortable.

The space is basic, dark and mostly dingy. It is meant to resemble a Thai street cafe with its cobble stone floors, shutters on exposed brick walls and crappy patio furniture as the dining room seating. This type of “grungy” street decor works in some places, especially when done right (for example 416 snack bar, khao san road, odd seoul, etc) but here it just looks cheap. The tables are cramped, the seating absolutely ass numbing and the room way too dim for a proper dining experience. Our first visit was just after they opened and we attributed these shortcomings to its growing pains, however, almost a year later, nothing has changed. There’s no excuse now.

The food; however, is great. Small portions, overpriced but definitely tasty. Everything on the menu is flavourful, expertly seasoned and tastes extremely fresh. The tom yum soup embodies the true complexity of Thai dishes. It is spicy for sure but also balanced in acidity and saltiness. The soup is packed full of galang galang, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves and dried shrimp to infuse the coconut broth with as much flavour as possible. It is the perfect way to start a meal. Spice levels are not negotiable for any of the plates but there are some delicious dishes that are at zero on the spice scale so fear not! The khao soi and curries are definitely high on the recommendation lists. The pad thai bolan is delicious but comes in a portion that is absolutely laughable in size for a main. If you’re not in the mood for alcohol, the thai iced tea is a great way to wash down the chilli burn. It is a very fragrant ceylon black tea, brewed very strong, mixed with condensed milk and a lot of ice. I’m pretty sure that the tea is infused with other ingredients (possibly cardamom but I could be wrong) but what I know for sure, is that it is a great compliment for the entire meal.

Now for the service… It is generally mediocre with long waiting times and very little interaction with the staff. However, food and beverage knowledge is exceptional so any questions about the menu we’ve had have been promptly answered. The orders are taken very quickly, the food appears just as fast and then the table rots with dirty plates and no bill for 20-30 minutes until the rest of the patrons are served. Wouldn’t it make sense to get us out the door quickly?!

Last but not least, the Nana downfall… the ever present owner. We’ve dined here three times and he’s always been a sore spot in our dining experience. It seems as though this is his preferred drinking spot as we always catch him with a pint of beer in his hand mostly getting in the way of dinner service. On our last visit we had the pleasure of sitting at a table behind him (and some fellow staff members) only to hear a cacophony of swear words, disapproving statements and general bad front of house behaviour. I’ve said it before but bad service makes or breaks any great meal and unfortunately Nana is now broken!

Truth be told, we will be back for take-out since the food really is that good but we’ll never spend another dreadful moment in that dining room.

 

Brock Sandwich – Toronto

If you like sandwiches (and who doesn’t?!?!), you should check out Brock Sandwich on Bloor. Located in the heart of what I consider the least important part of Bloor (1260 Bloor St W) right across from several unfortunate “gentleman’s clubs” and even more vintage clothing stores, this little restaurant is worth the venture. The prices are fair, the food is excellent and the staff are the friendliest bunch around.

Open every day of the week, for almost the entire day, you need not worry about missing out. We recommend having a late lunch or early dinner there (4/5PM) to avoid the massive line ups and have an opportunity to sit down with your meal. Otherwise, they do take out and if the weather’s nice you can find a leaning post outside and watch the always entertaining freak show that is Bloordale.

The decor is basic, done with practicality in mind and not necessarily style. The kitchen is open and exposed for all to gawk at their delicious grub being prepared. The space is tight, the flow non existent but the vibe is infectious. The owner (or so I assume) is always behind the cash, greeting everyone with a huge smile and eager to help in any way possible. The music is blaring but not so loud that you can’t hear your date and there’s always some sort of sporting event on TV.

Have I mentioned how good the food is?! Well, in case you missed it… the food is great! The sandwiches are inventive, seasonal and definitely messy (a sure sign of a good sando). The fried chicken sandwich is always on the menu and definitely a game changer. Hot, crispy buttermilk fried chicken surrounded by a delicious spicy sauce (piri piri), crunchy lettuce and a simple white bun. It’s so moist and tender, you’ll never want to stop eating it! Everything else on the menu is just as imaginative, flavourful and will satisfy even the pickiest eaters (hello, veggie sandwich!). They cure/pickle/prepare everything and opt for as many local products as possible making all of these a true labour of love. Oh, and try the fries! They’re sprinkled with paprika for an added layer of savoury goodness and a little heat.

The only con to these delicious meals are the buns! I know I may be a little bit of a bread snob, but the buns don’t reflect the quality of the products filling them. They’re too soft, crumbly and really don’t hold up a ooey gooey sandwich really well. A shame but definitely not the end of my Brock sandwich eating career.

Price wise, it sure won’t break the bank. The sandwiches are just under $10, fries around $4 so all in all with a drink you’ll come just under $20. I would say that’s a good price for a filling meal and some healthy, tasty grub.

All in all, a great place for a delicious meal when you’re feeling too lazy to cook! Or a place to take a break after a day long marathon of strip clubs and vintage stores (not sure if that ever happens but just in case…).

Khao San Road – Toronto

If I needed to pick my favourite restaurant in Toronto for 2014, Khao San Road (Adelaide and Peter) would definitely be the one! The food is amazing, the vibe is so much fun, the restaurant as a whole is unpretentious (a rarity in our foodie town) and did I mention that the food rocks?! I have now been a few times and I’m trying my hardest to get any/all of my friends to go there. Each time was more exciting than the last as I keep discovering flavours I had never tasted before and immediately fall in love with (galang-galang for example).

The room is quite basic, lots of crammed seating and a giant bar in the middle of it all. The decor and ambiance are very much in line with every other hipster restaurant on Ossington (where it should be located): industrial finishing on all the furniture, chalkboard walls featuring the specials, extremely loud music for a restaurant and a pretty unpretentious vibe from the staff. You’re always guaranteed to be waiting in line for at least 10-15 minutes so be prepared and definitely wait, it’s totally worth it!

I can wholeheartedly recommend going for anything and EVERYTHING on the menu. As appetizers, my favourite so far has been the deep fried garlic tofu. It’s crunchy on the outside and super soft on the inside making it the perfect dipping morsel for an amazing garlic hot sauce. As a main, the Khao Soi has left quite an impression on me. Golden curry filled with huge chunks of whatever protein you choose (I generally do chicken) and veggies, topped by a plethora of crispy egg noodles, scallions, coriander and the optional pickled veggies. Just as a warning, this is a place where you can never be brave with the level of spicy you take your food. The “Thai Spicy” option comes with a talking to from your server and anything spicier than that is just pure taste bud suicide. Be proud that even mild food gives you the sweats and enjoy a meal without fearing what will happen once everything is digested. In terms of pricing, it’s definitely not as cheap as run of the mill Thai restos but definitely not expensive either. Apps vary from 10-15$ for fairly large portions while mains hover around the 15-20$ mark depending on the protein you choose.

In closing, I’d like to keep it very simple… if you’re thinking of going to Khao San Road for a meal, please call me, I wouldn’t want to miss any opportunity to eat there again.

Sea Witch Fish & Chip Toronto

Having a British heritage (not me, but my partner in crime) means that you inherently crave fish and chips on a regular basis and not just any ol’ fried piece of fish will do. There are a few great places around town, located in obscure strip malls in and around the suburbs of Toronto that we’ll mention at a later time, but this post is about our newest discovery. Sea Witch Fish and Chip restaurant is found on St. Clair, just west of Bathurst. They’ve been open since the end of August and have been frying up a storm since. Once you taste the grub, you’ll know exactly why they are worth writing home (or on the internet) about. They’re open everyday of the week for most of the day so you can drop by for lunch/dinner. I believe that they also do take-out and you can find their number on Sea Witch website (www.seawitchfc.com) if you want to call your order in.

The restaurant consists of one big open room showcasing the frier station in the middle of the space. Everything is impeccably clean and barely smells of greasy goodness. Church pews serve as the banquettes for the few booths available and a giant communal table becomes the main focal point of the room. Children’s books are scattered among all the tables serving as reading materials for the kid within all of us. The staff is very friendly and quite capable of running a full restaurant. The whole place filled up while we were there and our server never missed a beat, taking orders, running food, etc.

The menu is very short and sweet, offering 4 different types of fried fish with fries and coleslaw on the side. We opted for the cod and didn’t regret it. The two giant portions of fish were very fresh, seasoned beautifully and battered in a thick and crispy batter. They were cooked to perfection lacking the greasy aftertaste that one often gets from the mediocre fish & chip places. Second item in terms of importance on the fish & chip rating scale are the fries: they need to be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Sea Witch definitely did them justice by serving very thick fries that were cooked as one would hope. And I will mention that the portion of potatoes was almost beyond generous. Last but not least, you always need a bowl of creamy coleslaw to cut through the high amounts of oil that one ingests with this meal. The salad was great, a little tart, not too onion-y (we all know that happens much too often) but unfortunately a little flat. A little kick  of the spicy variety or some sort of fresh herb would really spruce the slaw and bring it on par with the rest of this dish.

I think the summary of this review is pretty straight forward. Sea Witch Fish & Chip restaurant in Toronto is definitely a new favourite and may become a staple with the Notes On A Meal crew. We’ll be seeing you guys there for dinner!

Taking food recycling to a whole new level

Figured this was a pretty neat piece of news to share with our readers.  Adam Smith is a trained UK chef who has come up with an interesting restaurant known as “The Real Junk Food Project”. He cooks up nutritious meals using volunteers and all food that is deemed “un-sellable” by supermarkets and restaurants. This is the food that has passed its arbitrary expiration date but is still usable.

The restaurant is located in Leeds, West Yorkshire and it has grown to involve a team of 5 directors and about 50 volunteers. Diners pay whatever they can/want to for the meals which generally involve a meat and veggie options, a sandwich and sometimes even dessert. If you can’t pay, well then, they put you to work and your reward is a warm meal at the end.

Adam’s intent behind this restaurant is to bring awareness to the large part of our population that is malnourished and to the amount of food wastage we produce as a society. It’s a project that has expanded exponentially within its first year and it can proudly announce that they’re close to saving 1 tonne of food from becoming waste!

Find out a little more about the project here by checking out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheRealJunkFoodProject or their website http://www.therealjunkfoodproject.co.uk.

*Photos are courtesy of the Real Junk Food Project Facebook page

O&B Canteen

Oliver and Bonacini restaurants in Toronto are exemplary in terms of excellent customer service, consistent meals and an overall agreeable dining experience. They’re located in all of the key spots of the city and are always busy. Although they may be viewed by some foodies as being “too corporate”, they should be an example for every hip and new restaurant that opens in Toronto as to the quality of food and service deemed acceptable.

Every time we find ourselves by the Bell Lightbox Theater (King West and Spadina), we pop in for a quick lunch at the O&B Canteen. Located on the ground floor of this Toronto landmark, the restaurant is always buzzing with excitement. The decor is simple and understated: light grey concrete floors, beautiful wood seating, simple white tables and low hanging light features. All of these elements create a very intimate dining experience in a vast room lined with floor to ceiling windows and a spotless open kitchen.

Before I talk about the food, I’ll mention the most amazing part of the O&B experience: the service. All servers are well versed in the menu and are able to answer ANY questions you may have. They can make small talk without making it sound too mechanical, make suggestions on menu items to try without selling you on the most expensive meal and are able to refill water glasses/clear plates without spending an extremely long time hovering near the table. The service is excellent and it definitely keeps us coming back!

The grub is as consistent as the service. The menu encompasses everything “lunch” from curries, to pizzas, stews, burgers and pasta dishes. All served with very well thought out sides and always perfectly seasoned. For every day of the week, O&B Canteen features a sandwich and soup special while Sunday dinners revolve around a delicious roast. Portion sizes are generous and prices hover around the $20 mark for a main and the $15 range for a sandwich. The restaurant also features a “grab and go” counter with sandwiches and pastries if you just don’t have the time to spoil yourself to a tasty lunch.

It’s a brainless decision, if you’re hungry and in the area, have a meal at the O&B Canteen. Expect great service, tasty food and as a bonus: they have a large patio for those hot summer days that are hopefully just around  the corner!

Brunch at the Whippoorwill, Toronto

Happy 2014 to all our readers and welcome back. A short regroup and here we are, writing about what’s important: food and especially where to eat it in Toronto. Our last meal out on the town was just yesterday morning and it honestly was so disappointing that we rushed over to our computers to do what every new age consumer does and blog the crap out of it.

We found ourselves at Bloor and Dovercort, hungry on a Sunday morning and ready for an amazing brunch. We will admit that we entered through the doors of The Whippoorwill Restaurant with high expectations as it was recommended by some dear friends of ours. The warm and surprisingly large space was buzzing with excitement. The restaurant featured a pretty eclectic decor with red vinyl diner booths, chalkboard menus and all the Hipster paraphernalia you could ever require.

The service was just plain horrible from that point on. They were way too busy talking and laughing with each other to ever pay attention to their tables. My pint of beer came with a side of mayo (or some other mystery “sauce”) sprayed all over the side of the glass. Although I am known to be a big fan of the 50 second rule (5 seconds is too little time!), I will definitely complain about conspicuous stains on the objects going into my mouth! Our lovely server made no effort to apologize for the dirty dishware or to remedy the situation altogether. An empty cup of coffee sat on our table waiting to be refilled until we had to call her over and receive what she called “the bottom of the barrel” coffee sludge while “she was brewing a new pot”. This hot and fresh coffee never made its way to the table as our waitress had to entertain the bartender with witty commentary on the outrageously bad song they were both really into.

Now let’s talk food. This is obviously the most important element of a restaurant and most people will put up with bad service if the meal is above par. Well…. this brunch wasn’t! My tablemate’s “Two eggs any style” came with side of half cooked beans, one piece of butterless toast and two over easy eggs both sprinkled delicately with pieces of eggshell. The beans were hard, as in not really cooked and served in a bland tomato sauce that really didn’t change things into the better. Oh, and to make matters even better, the whole meal was barely warm by the time it made it to our table (there’s nothing worse than a room temperature greasy breakfast!). My “Frittatti” was essentially an omelette cooked in a dirty cast iron pan with aged cheddar, bacon bits and mushrooms sprinkled on the top. Although it sounds delicious, the whole thing had an underlying metallic flavour profile and generally lacked all other seasoning. Both  dishes looked very nice but that was about all that the kitchen was able to get right during that whole meal. It’s a shame since brunch is such an important meal of the week.

Overall, I don’t have any other thing to say but save yourselves the headache and keep away from Whippoorwill. I hope for their sake that we were the only duds in their life as a resto but for the sake of enjoying a meal, keep yourself away.

 

Cakes

I realized that we’ve been a little slow in putting up posts this fall so I figured I’ll put up some Cake Porn while we get our stuff together. These are pictures of a few cakes I’ve made in the past year. It does seem as though flowers were the theme for most of them but I swear that was not intentional.

Food Art – Mike McCarey

Mike McCarey is a God among pastry chefs for his innovative abilities to recreate any object from cake. His showpieces are sculpted, airbrushed and generally perfect replicas of what they’re meant to represent. In 1993, he opened his own shop “Mike’s Amazing Cakes” in Washington state and he’s been shaping sugar, butter, batter and chocolate ever since.  His cake art has several guidelines which he follows religiously: the object/concept presented should be as accurate (realistic) or as animated as possible and should have a unique perspective. His cakes have won him numerous awards and have landed him features in numerous publications (Wall Street Journal, In Style Magazine, Brides Magazine) and television shows (Entertainment Tonight, Food Network cake challenges).

All the pictures are from the Mike’s Amazing Cakes website http://www.mikesamazingcakes.com/ and their Facebook page.

Food Art – Jim Victor

Jim Victor creates food art on a whole different scale and using a very temperamental medium – butter. The 63 year old sculptor from Pennsylvania, US, has created a special workshop where the ambient temperature is always 13C. This temperature allows his butter to have the consistency of modelling clay and therefore making work a little easier for the artist. His creations often take epic proportions and up to a month to create, depending on their complexity. The sculptor has also done work with chocolate, cheese and various fruits and vegetables. He was also part of a Subway Sandwich Shop campaign where he created busts of famous football stars from Subway’s ingredients (these are just weird!)

Images are courtesy of Jim’s website http://www.jimvictor.com

 

Food Art – Dan Cretu

Romanian artist Dan Cretu has very unusual ways of portraying everyday items through food. His photographs and art pieces are very colourful, provocative and generally completely edible. The artist started with a replica of a bicycle assembled entirely from an orange and since then he hasn’t been able to look at food in the same way. Although he hasn’t opened a gallery exhibition yet, this Bucharest-based artist has a fast growing internet fan base.

All images are from Dan’s tumbler site http://dancretu.tumblr.com/