tokyo kitchen

hidden away next to the gigantic parking garage on yonge and charles, tokyo kitchen is a real gem. very tiny restaurant specializes in japanese cuisine, far more selection than your regular sushi joint. there are about 10-12 tables, most seats are arranged for party of two.



we started with takoyaki ($5.95), a small piece of cooked octopus wrapped in sweet and savoury batter. i just love seeing sprinkled katsuobushi (shavings of dried bonito) curl as it is served. the octopus is chewy but small and the batter is not too floury, goes well with their sweet sauce.



croquette curry ($10.95) is served with miso soup, salad, rice, two old nokia phone sized potato croquettes with brown curry with beef chunks. the curry is very mild. i am a fan of japanese curry for its mild and rich flavour. indian and thai curries are spicy and often has hint of coconut in them, but japanese curry is rather soft, more like a thick stew with hint of curry. i wished they had bit more chunks of beef in the curry though. the croquette was crispy but not too greasy, which is always a plus when it comes to deep fried food.



katsudon ($9.95) also came with a salad and miso soup. by the way, miso soup had very nice, clean taste. one of the better tasting miso soup in the city. the katsudon was delicious. it is served in a bowl with flavoured rice on the bottom. both rice and the pork cutlet are moist and well soaked in the sweet soya sauce. i found the cutlets a little salty but it is well balanced when consumed with rice. i've had few katsudons from other places (here and here) and this came close second (i still really like the katsudon at konnichiwa).



we also had a bottle of sapporo ($4.95) each. sapporo is one of my favourite beeers. crisp and smooth. for a girl, i'm bit of a beer-nut. better watch out for the beer belly though.. :-S

 i could not figure out where the washroom was in this tiny place though. after reading some reviews online, i found out that the restaurant is actually located outside of the restaurant which requires you to bring a key.  tokyo kitchen served genuine japanese dishes, owned by japanese folks. i can see this place becoming one of my favourite restaurants in the city. just have to remember to go to the washroom before i come here.

Tokyo Kitchen
20 Charles Street East
Toronto
416.515.0387

posted by rin

Spaghetti alla Gricia

Spaghetti alla Gricia

Ingredients
For two people
7 oz (150-200g) pasta
4-4.5 ounces of guanciale (hog jowl) cut into strips (pancetta, or thickly sliced smoked bacon if you can’t get guanciale)
3.5 ounces of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or more or less depending on your tastes)
lots of fresh black pepper.
Optional:  2 tables spoons (30ml) white wine, red pepper flakes.
You will need a separate bowl to mix the final ingredients in.



If you know how to make spaghetti alla carbonara, you already know how to make this dish, with the liquid in the pan and the cheese working together. It’s so simple, but I will be explicit, just in case!

Grate the pecorino and set it aside. While the pasta boils, brown the guanciale until its cooked to your liking.
If you are using white wine: Add the wine to the rendered fat in the frying pan and heat the mixture thickens a bit, and sprinkle in a few spoonfuls of cheese. Once it has thickened, add the pasta to the pan and toss it to coat it well.  If you don’t have a large enough frying pan to toss the pasta in, the step of coating the pasta can also be done in the separate bowl, adding the remaining grated cheese, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if you are using them.

If you’re not using white wine, drain the pasta when it is still al dente, setting aside half a cup of the cooking water.  Add the pasta to the separate bowl, along with the guanciale and rendered fat, grated cheese, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if you are using them. Gradually add a bit of the pasta water until the pasta is well coated creamy, Jonathan uses a couple of tablespoons of water in his.  If the pasta still is too dry for your taste, add a bit more water.

Serve immediately, with extra cheese and black pepper on the side.


post from design sponge

ciao wine bar

ciao wine bar was perfect place to hang out with the lovely purples. we came here to ogle at their wide selection of fancy wine, but settled for couple of rosés and a pinot grigio. we really enjoyed the chilled and hip atmosphere. we were seated at the bar (prime seat to eye the cute bartender), but there are other high chair seats for people who just want to enjoy few drinks and light snacks. the wine cellar was really something. the wine poured out with a touch of a button. the hose linked to the nozzle allowed bartender to easily pour the drinks without having to fiddle with the cork. brilliant! i would like to return here for dinner sometime.








Ciao Wine Bar
133 Yorkville Avenue
Toronto
416.925.2143
ciaowinebar.com

posted by rin

Grilled Portobello and Peach Burgers

Grilled Portobello & Peach Burgers
Makes 6 burgers

Ingredients

• 6 portobello mushrooms
• 6 peaches
• 6 sweet potatoes
• 6 burger buns of your choice (If you don’t eat gluten, we have a quick gluten-free bun recipe on the blog.)
• 100 g fresh pea sprouts
• 5 small roman tomatoes, sliced
• 5 small spring onions, sliced
• fresh thyme
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Marinade Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 lemon
• salt & pepper

Guacamole Ingredients

• 4 avocados
• 5 small Roma tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation: Clean the portobello mushrooms by carefully removing dirt from the caps with a kitchen towel or cloth; you can use a little water if needed. Pat dry. Cut the peaches in halves and remove the pits.

Making the sweet potato fries: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the sweet potatoes in 1-inch thick, 5-inch long sticks. Put them on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt and thyme over them and put in the oven. The fries need around 30 minutes before they are ready, but you need to stir after 15 minutes.

Making the marinade: Pour olive oil in a small bowl. Add one chopped rosemary sprig, chopped thyme, mashed garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir around. Use the other rosemary sprig to brush the mushrooms and peaches with the marinade. When the grill is ready, grill the portobello and peaches for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, while you use the rosemary stick to brush the marinade over them one more time.

Making the guacamole: Chop avocados, tomatoes and parsley roughly. Add them to a small bowl with mashed garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over it, and mash everything with a fork. It’s okay if it stays a little chunky.

Assembling the burger: Slice the buns in halves. Let them get some color on the grill. When done, place a big dollop of guacamole on the bottom bun, and add pea sprouts, tomatoes, spring onion, one portobello mushroom and two peach halves. Add the top of the bun, and insert a stick to hold it all together. Enjoy!


post from design sponge

sushi inn

located at the heart of yorkville, north america's third most expensive retail districts, Sushi Inn offers excellent sushi at low prices. i find sushi here has much better quality than other sushi restaurants within the similar price range. better than big sushi.



the Miso Soup ($1.75) here is excellent. not too salty, not too watery and has lots of tofu! the small Green Salad's ($1.75) lettuce is fresh and crisp, though i wish they had bit more dressing. i like the sweet dressing they have. it's not the soy sauce based, it's creamier. maybe it's mix of ketchup and mayo. i enjoyed the soup and the salad as part of my rice combo which is a good deal.



the deep fried goodness here is fresh (does that make sense?). it feels like the oil they used is cleaner. i assume they change their oil regularly or i just got lucky and got the fresh batch. the Tempura Appetizer ($5.95) comes with 2 shrimps and 5 veges (2 yams, 2 eggplants and 1 broccoli). the batter is light and crunchy. i wish they give more tempura sauce though. it comes in the little space on the boat which is inconvenient for dipping.



the Katsu Don ($9.25) comes in a large bowl packed with deep fried pork cutlet topped with onion, mushroom and egg on a bed of rice. the rice is well seasoned with dashi and soy sauce mix. the pork cutlet is chewy and tasty. it has lots of mushrooms and comes with three yellow picked radishes. i've had amazing katsu don before and sushi inn version can do better but it's not bad, lacks in flavour a little bit.



the Rainbow Roll ($7.25) is actually 6 pieces (i ate one before the photo). it is made with crab, cucumber, avocado, tobiko, tuna, salmon and white fish. the sushi rice here is inconsistent; either it's too cooked or not seasoned well. this time it tasted alright. no big surprises or let downs. just ordinary sushi roll.



this tiny place gets packed very quickly. despite 10+ staff working here, it is sometimes difficult to get their attention. also there's this one waiter who has no facial expression and sneaks up on your table, drops drinks or food and disappears. crazy. i don't know if he's just tired from working so much or rude. it's good to have sushi inn around in such expensive neighbourhood, to know you have options, but that's about it. i wish they would improve on service. also i am curious, do they ever use the lower level dining hall?
by the way, they give you chewy candy along with the bill, nice :D


Sushi Inn
120 Cumberland Street
Toronto
416.923.9992
sushiinn.net

posted by rin

Absorption pasta with asparagus, pancetta and lemon zest

Absorption pasta with asparagus, pancetta and lemon zest
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
3/4 lb. (350g) good-quality penne (the cooking time of my penne lists an 8-9 minute cooking time)
2 or 3 shallots, finely sliced, or half of a small yellow onion, finely diced
2-4 slices of pancetta, chopped
1 bunch asparagus
1/4 lb. (115g) Feta cheese
Zest of one lemon
4 cups (960ml) Chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
2 tablespoons (30ml) Olive Oil

A few notes before you start: To make this vegetarian/vegan, just leave out the pancetta/cheese and use good vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.  All the pasta cooking times are approximate and will vary depending on the pasta you use.  The amount of chicken stock you use will vary, so keep all four cups called for in the recipe on hand, however you may not use it all!



Prepare the asparagus: Snap off the woody ends. Cut each stalk into angled pieces roughly the length and shape of the pasta. Keep the tips separate from the stalks once you have cut them, as you will add them to the pasta at different times later.
Prepare the pancetta: Put olive oil in a saucepan with tall sides over medium-high heat (I use a 4-quart saucepan for this amount of pasta). Once the oil has heated up, cook the pancetta to render the fat and crisp it up. Remove from the saucepan and and set it aside.



Cooking the pasta:
Add the sliced shallots to the pan and sauté until they start to soften, a minute or less. Add in the dry pasta and stir it around for one minute to coat it in the oil and shallots, toasting the pasta a little bit. Keep an eye on the shallots to make sure they aren’t burning.

Pour in 2.5 or 3 cups (600-720ml) of chicken stock and give it a good stir (the pasta should be nearly covered). Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to keep it from boiling. Cook for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is about half done, stir in the asparagus stalks. Stir more frequently for two minutes as the stock cooks away, careful not to break the pasta.  You might need another splash of stock; you don’t want the pan to dry out all the way.  When the pasta seems to be getting close to done—test frequently!—add the asparagus tips.

Cook another minute or two, stirring constantly, until al dente.   Since this dish holds the heat and the pasta keeps cooking a little once you’ve removed it from the heat, you should err on the side of less—rather than more—cooked.

You should still have some thickened broth at the bottom of the pan; as you toss the pasta to season it this will coat everything and make it silky instead of sticky.

Remove from the heat and stir in half of the pancetta and three-quarters of the lemon zest. Season to taste, but remember that you’ll be adding salty feta on top.

Serve:Top each portion with crumbled feta, pancetta, and lemon zest.


post from design sponge