Aroma delivers. They have my favorite Indian food west of Yonge.

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Aroma Fine Indian Cuisine
287 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V1J5, CA

I'll try anything twice. Except sea urchin. Never. Again.

I'll put in my enthusiastic vote for Joon's on Bloor near Bathurst (also in north Koreatown, but I haven't tried that one). They serve tak kalbi (chicken in spicy sauce with cabbage, sweet potatoes and rice cake). You can add extras like cheese or more rice cakes, and it's cooked on a table top pan. Afterwards you can add rice with sesame oil to mix with leftover sauce and bits. They also have a few variations on the menu including a curry version, and a few other dishes. It's my go-to place for Korean food newbies, because it's what I ate when I was a newbie living in Seoul. Delish!

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Joons Restaurant
605 Bloor W, Toronto, ON M6G1K5, CA

Joons Restaurant
4852 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M2N5N2, CA

I had lunch there on Wednesday around 1:30pm. My colleague and I both ordered the curry laksa which I thought was deelish--nicely spicy coconut broth with plenty of noodles and good sized shrimp. The serving was almost vat-like, and I had to resist the urge to nap under my desk afterwards. We also had shrimp cakes which were a bit odd--sort of like the shrimp burgers at fast food joints in northern Asia.

The service was friendly and our laksas were on the table about 6 minutes after we ordered. The space is large and a bit over stylized for my taste, but the menu is novel-length so you're sure to find something that appeals. Granted much of the menu is unexciting fried rice and stir fried somethings, the laksa will bring me back for another round soon.

Another vote here to make your own. It was my party trick this winter and it got lots of love wherever it went. You can tweak it to your tastes and it keeps well in an airtight jar. Three cheers for dukkah!

Yay! My neighborhood!

I'd add B for excellent brunch, Loon's for a good beer and patio (not so much food), and Butler's Pantry. Try the Bastille Pie...

Only because I was there tonight--Inter Steer has more wood panelling than you can shake a meat cigar at.

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Inter-Ster Restaurant
357 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R2M8, CA

How about Roncesvales? Is that too far west? I like Butler's Pantry, Boho, B Cafe, and Bleu Bay Cafe.

ETA: And Freshwood Grill.

Boom makes me really happy... something about the roasted tomatoes I think.

Has anyone tried the eggs benny at B? I tried but the french toast with brie and berries romanced me right off the bat.

B
2210 Dundas W
Toronto, ON M6R 1X3
(416) 533-2987

I guess a little background on Quebecers and Acadians is in order. Acadians came from France in the 17th century. We were deported by the Loyalists in 1755, and we took our poutine rapee with us. Quebecers also came from France, but weren't deported, so they happily ate their french fries, cheese and gravy and said "Salut!" to the Acadians.

My family bats for both teams now, so I eat a LOT of potatos. :)

My Acadian grandmaman Arseneault made poutine rapee in the winter. She would squeeze the water out of grated potatos, make balls with salt pork in the middle, then boil the balls (boulettes). We'd drizzle them with a bit of maple syrup (syrop d'erable) from the sugar camp half an hour away (reachable only by skidoo) and eat them up. L'hiver etait belle!

Wow. Butterscotch pie. The best one comes from my Ma'Tante Catherine's oven in Charlo, New Brunswick. I haven't found anything comparable in Toronto... or the rest of the world!

You can actually buy canned poutine rapee. I've never seen it in Ontario but my mum in Bathurst, NB sends me some in the mail :)

Kachi (St Andrew and Spadina) has very good kimchi jjiggae. You can also get it with tuna (chamchi) or a mixture of pork and sausage.

Korean style Chinese is pretty good. Jjajjangmyoen (noodles with black bean sauce) is particularly popular. I'm hoping to hit it this weekend!

P.A.T Central Market in Koreatown (Bloor and Christie) has a few different kinds, but they are in the cooler, not warm. Nothing beats a warm can of coffee on a cold day! If anyone knows where I can find them WARM, I will bow down at your feet!

Mmm pork bone soup. The pudaechiggae (I think they call it pork sausage stew) and kimchi chiggae are fantastic cold weather food too. Their mandu (dumplings) and haemool pajjeon (seafood pancake) are great, and so is the ddok pokki (rice cakes in spicy sauce)--the Korean answer to mac and cheese. The whole menu is bubbling over with comfort food, really.

For middle of the week, I like Kachi (Korean at Bloor and Christie or Spadina and St Andrew), Pho Linh (Vietnamese at College and Dufferin), and Edo (Japanese at Spadina and Baldwin).

There's an variety called Koh-Kee Nuts that you can buy in Asian supermarkets in the city. They have at least the coconut flavour in Canada, but I've also seen coffee flavour. They come in a yellow can and are delicious!

Ka-chi (612 Bloor W) does good mool nengmyeon (with the broth) as well as bibim nengmyeon (cold noodles with spicy sauce and cold veg). They have a second location just off Spadina on St. Andrew (just behind Pho Hung).

Machi-seo~~~!

*A certain Toronto weekly publication* thinks Queen of Patties at Bloor and Landsdowne is the shiz in this realm. What do you think?

Aroma on King and John (upstairs form Second Cup) has a $9.99 lunch buffet. Sadly, no dinner buffet. But they do have a 10%off coupon on their website! http://aroma.sites.toronto.com/

AROMA 287 King St. West (416) 971-7242

While you're at it, Atahualpa, stop in Miramichi for bar clams. They come in a jar with brine and are heaven. Also good are the cohogs and welks, and if you cross to the Quebec side of the Gaspe to the Cote Nord, Sept-Iles has some of the best shrimp, sea urchin and razor clams you will ever eat.

Hm, maybe it's time for me to take a trip that way too...

I've found nary a worthy fried clam in this city. But then I don't really think I'll find anything comparable to the ones served at the Big D drive-in restaurant in my hometown of Bathurst, NB.

I'm looking for samgaetang too! Nothing wards off an impending flu like that stuff! You're also supposed to eat it on the day of summer equinox (which has passed, but I'm still craving).

I say Pho Hung on Spadina. Fantabulous.

I agree; the Linda mango salad is lame. I wish I could give you a good rec for one, but I still haven't found one here! (on the other hand, the duck in red curry at Linda is delish!)

South Indian Dosa Mahal does a fantabulous veg thali for less than six dollars! Bloor just east of Lansdowne.

Really good. Shrimp the size of my fist. Spicy and wonderful. Try it!