Looking for a good Korean restaurant to go to. Something fairly traditional, price not a concern. Probably best bets are somewhere near Robson/Denman but I'm good with any alternatives further afield. I'm not looking for special dishes in particular but if there are any please do mention.

Thanks

This review's a bit late but having been there a couple weeks ago I had a good time and the food was very competently prepared and conceived.

I had the spot prawn boil and the fried chicken. Spot prawns were large and freshly killed to order, the yogurt dip wouldn't have been my choice of condiment but it was a satisfying dish. The chicken was tasty and with the various garnishes resembles a pacific north west version of kaarage. Finished it all with the yogurt with honey and nuts, which, while isn't particularly complicated had really good texture (custard-like) and was strangely satisfying.

It's actually a bit sad to see this place savaged on a lot of mass-opinion restaurant review sites (you know which ones) for being expensive... The chef has a stellar history of using great local produce and having to work with the same producers myself it makes me a bit sad that people aren't aware of how much local asparagus costs or that they expect to be served large platters of garbage food. However I think that's a little besides the point.

It's not even the shrimp, a lot of 'meatless' dim sum items probably contain some sort of pork product in the form of lard or fine mince

Great, do you know if any of these items should/need be ordered in advance at those restaurants? I know when I used to eat with family we usually made reservations

of course, I mean in Vancouver, from Burnaby to Richmond (and maybe beyond)

Hi, I've looked up and down this board and I haven't seen any recent posts about this, so I was wondering if anyone had recent suggestions for good Cantonese dinner items. In particular I was wondering if anyone did the whole roast squab, crab done in a couple ways, fresh seafood, etc.

I'll answer some of these questions as best I can without being overly specific, but the notebooks come blank, we just use it to write down things we've memorized or as notes when we have to write prep or shopping lists during challenges.

As for making pakoras and naan, when you cook for a while you begin to note similarities between foods that cross cultures, even if you haven't cooked them. Naan is essentially a flatbread. The style of naan that is cooked in a tandoor has similarities to a pizza cooked in a brick oven (though the oven is cylindrical as opposed to flat), the ratio of flour to water to other ingredients may vary a bit, but the differences are small. As cresyd mentioned, a pakora is basically a chickpea flour-based batter bound with vegetables and/or meat. If you have time to play around with the ratios a bit you should be able to make a similar facsimile.

In terms of any additional information we were given, all I know is that any recipes we create came entirely out of our heads or random people we may try to get help from during the course of the show... of course that sort of behaviour is discouraged.

There have been 2 east-indian competitors so far. In season 2 Kunal was half Indian, half British (he was eliminated in the second episode) and in season 3 Kayla is of Indian heritage, though it seemed like her family had also been long time Canadians, at least 2nd generation.

Ouch, things on buns... on a lot of pre-made buns. Obviously from the comments and from what I've heard from other people it was somewhat disappointing to see that on the 7th episode.

Despite it being a sandwich as well I also liked Danny's concept, I also appreciated Dennis' try at something a little different. Also, pork tenderloin is possibly one of the worst meats to cook on a competition such as top chef... nobody really loves that cut when there are so many other better cuts on the pig.

Still think it's Matt's competition to lose if he makes it to the finale and I won't lie, if the editing is accurate for the preview I want to see a gong show next episode.

Wow, it's been a whole year since the last season and I have to admit that I'm watching mostly to see how this season is stacking up against the last one.

Some observations of my own, coming from a 'vet'...

Clement clearly over thought his dish and should've done something he was far more comfortable with (he probably would've done better). It's easy to over think when you're working next to a dozen other competitors and you see them executing things that would intimidate you.

Matt is harsh and i probably wouldve helped if i wasnt in the weeds but I understand his position... It's not a team challenge, if the competitor deserves to continue they should be able to do it themselves. It never occurred to me to ask for help whenever I had problems and I accepted the consequences that came with my poor judgement/planning/timing, etc.

Matt looks like he's cooking circles around everyone... I really can't see him losing if he made it to the finale.

One of my cooks worked for caity previously... Apparently the tv version isn't too far off

I used to work with rory back when I was at George, hopefully be brings his game up a little

The clock on top chef Canada is pretty real, that's all I can say. Just because you can't break apart a chicken in 20 seconds and I can't run 100 m in 10 seconds doesn't mean the clock is rigged

Barring a bulk food store you can get them at gourmet warehouse on east Hastings. As for making macarons with them, its entirely possible (we use them sometimes at the restaurant to make macarons) but being a pasteurized product you just have to know how to deal with them.

What job exists where there is less crap and less stress the higher up you go? I'm curious. Besides, using that as an excuse to not steer for changes in the system is pretty sad... basically said person just wants to complain but not do the hard work of enacting change... revolution is not a dinner party

Also I'm sure at le bernardin you'll find lots of stressed, underpaid, tired and overworked cooks and chefs, no matter how pleasant Mr. Ripert may be

Most owners understand the concept of the hook-up and have ways for accounting for it. Besides, things like that shouldn't be happening enough to make a dent on the bottom line.

Also, to spend 11 years in the Industry and not want to advance to a managerial position due to the burden of responsibility is a cop-out in my eyes; if you're not willing to climb the ladder you can expect a substantial payraise. Speaking from personal experience if I can become a sous chef within 6 years and chef after 7 with just a bit of luck and some hard work (and no culinary diploma to boot, though I did nab a couple university degrees on the way) then so should most people.

Despite this I won't deny that if some owners weren't so obsessed with squeezing money out of their restaurants then perhaps cooks could afford the finer things and have some time off to see their loved ones, but change like that must come from the new generation of restaurant owners

Hi, was wondering if anybody knew of some good, fairly small/cozy places for dim sum. Usually go to good choice on Fraser and looking for something similar, though maybe with a slightly different menu

Santouka and zakkushi are go-to places for me too. Kingyo is also tasty, of course

I personally like Kibune and Maenam. We're sorta next door so we tend to get food from them from time to time. I think their curries in particular are full of flavour

I know, yeesh. It's a promo picture, not a photo resume. Besides, if we're going to analyze the picture the guy looks like he's going to either score the asparagus or cut it in half lengthwise so why would you want to hold down the asparagus with your knuckles and why would you not want to hold the knife with your finger on the spine?

Well, considering that Baked rice with *insert meat and sauce* is already a fusion dish that is catered to Chinese (at least HK) tastes, it's a little unusual to suggest it needs further change to suit said preferences. However, in my experience when the baked item has cheese on it, it's usually stated explicitly on the menu (at least in Toronto)

Thanks for the pics, I'll try them out. Went to ICafe and got the baked portuguese veal with rice. Was disappointed that the sauce was a little bland and needed more seasoning and/or spice.

I'm looking for some good hk style cafes that serve the classics, baked rice, hainan chicken, French toast, milk tea. Preferably somewhere in the city and not far out in the suburbs. Just for lunch. Thanks

Obviously haven't eaten much in Toronto recently, but I really did enjoy my meal at bestellen and chantecler, despite the mixed reviews. I feel that bestellen has a well executed charcuterie board and the steaks are pretty good. Chantecler is part of this new wave of ambitious small and more eclectic restaurant that goes beyond the whole farmhouse rustic cuisine that was so popular recently

It's cool somebody remembers. Unfortunately due to the nature of my new line of work I can't usually attend these events anymore, but they were fun.

I'd always assumed that given the decent south asian population in the city the quality of the food from the area would be about equal... but then again I'm pretty new here so it's pretty much just a guess. Went to Dhaka Fish and Biryani for lunch and had decent, simple cooking at a good price, nothing to rave about but satisfied the urges.

Went to Santouka today and had the toroniku. I've never been a huge ramen fan and sadly Ontario was never a hotbed of great (or even decent) ramen but this place was very good. The broth was seasoned well, the noodles had some bounce to it (not soft or mushy at all), and the pork was really tender and still moist even though it's pretty much room temperature on the side.

Part of the reason I've never been very enthusiastic about ramen is that most places I've been put bean sprouts in it (which I'm not a huge fan of). I prefer the garnishes that went with the toroniku.

Having lived with several generations of Chinese it's always interesting to see how we all interpret various cuisines in our own unique way.

Saravanaa is always a reliable source of south Indian cuisine. I've been to a couple of outposts in Toronto and I enjoyed their food

I'm curious if there are any good Indian lunch eats in the city (presumably there are). Preferably nothing more than 15 dollars before tax and any style of Indian is fine (north, south, east, west, etc.) Are most lunch options in the city buffet-style? Or are there a la carte options around? Thanks.

Hi, I'm Curtis and the collaborative kitchen partner at Fable. The restaurant is a joint project by Kathy, Ron, and Trevor (from Top Chef Canada, S2) that strives to feature local meats and produce in a casual setting. We're currently open Tuesday to Saturday for dinner and Saturday & Sunday for brunch. We also feature a daily takeout item in the evening and we'll be open for casual lunches (hot sandwiches, soups, salads) in a couple of weeks. I'm a longtime Chowhound (Ontario) member but considering I moved here a couple weeks ago I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have, especially since the menu isn't posted yet.

Easy to say in retrospect, but I probably would've wanted to do a take on my grandmother's lion's head meatball with braised chestnuts. It's something that really brings me back to my childhood