Not been to Basil Thai Kitchen. We had lunch at the Thai Room today and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Great decor and ambience was my first impression. We had the tom yum soup, chicken pad thai and a red curry. The soup was a generous portion, and was very good - nice depth of flavour. The pad thai was good. It wasn't ketchupy in colour but it was a bit on the wet side for me. The red curry was delicious. I always spoon taste the curry sauce on its own first before I put it on my rice, and I was happy it passed the test. I am excited that there is something like this in my 'hood and I am certainly going to head back to try other dishes there.

I agree about your Restaurant Makeover comment. I've stopped watching the show because of it. I don't go to Curry and Roti for the ambience, but the decor is really dated. Maybe they feel they can bring in new clientele with a more modern look. I sure hope RM doesn't make them change the menu.

I used to go to Curry and Roti all the time for their great chicken roti - haven't been back in a year though. It's a mom and pop shop, and the nice thing about their food is that they are actually quite healthy. For Vietnamese, I like Pho Metro and Pho Vienam on Kennedy has the best fresh rolls (sufficient quantity of shrimp and pork vs the vermicelli, sprouts, and lettuce and a great dipping sauce). I have been going to the Magic Wok for years. Their specialty is seafood.

I second Salad King for great Thai. I also love Kenzo for their ramen noodles, and Japango for fab sushi. Coconut Grove is alright if you enjoy roti.

It wouldn't surprise me that they and other restaurants use something like that as a base. I know with pho broth, lots of other seasoning go into it. My mother does not start with a broth mix. She uses water along with lots of meat bones and seasoning for the the base, and her broth, while good, is a bit on the bland side, compared to the pho at the restaurants'.

I'm not sure why I've not bothered to try this place out. I was quite surprised that this is yet another Vietnamese restaurant, which would make it the third occupying this space in the last 6 years. Pineapple Legend wasn't bad and the one before it (can't remember the name) was pretty good, so I can't figure out why those places failed, and someone new would bother with the same cuisine, using a name that seems to have nothing to do with Viet cuisine. Has anyone eaten at these two places, and how would this place compare? I'm happy to read some good reviews here and I really should just give it a chance.

I like Earth's Own Almond Fresh (original), available in the organic dairy section at Loblaws or at any other natural food stores.

Well said.

Not having tried the Skotidakis, I can't offer a great opinion, but of the couple kinds of Greek style yogurt I have tried, I really like the Greek Gods. Can't remember the fat content. I think it was quite high, as it was thick, very smooth and creamy. The one I had was the honey flavour. Got it at Whole Foods, but I've seen it at Loblaws as well.

My friend and I had dinner at Bistro Camino last night. I had the $25 prix fixe menu, and I was blown away by the value. The appetizer plate consisted of a small cup of cream of asparagus soup, along with a slice of beef carpaccio, house-made smoked salmon, a couple of pieces of shrimp croquette, and a couple of other things. Very good. There were 4-5 choices for mains. I chose the Ox Tongue, braised in red wine. They said it was braised for 8 hours. Super tender. The plate came with mashed potato, creamed corn, asparagus, and a broccoli with cauliflower with this nice sauce on top. The dessert selection was pretty good as well, although I stuck with creme brulee. I think, for $25, that is really hard to beat. Great service as well. The chef came out to each table to say hi - really nice and genuine touch. What a gem of a place.

I bought a bag of Red Fife flour just yesterday at Fresh From the Farm on Donlands (I love this store). They had a couple of bags left. I could be wrong, but I thought I saw wheat berries there as well. Also, the Saturday market at the Brick Works had a guy there who sold Red Fife flour, last summer.

I bought a 40g container of Matcha powder from Sanko a month ago for $13. It's kept behind the cash counter so I couldn't compare, but they had about 4 different ones. I believe mine was the cheapest. I find it a little bitter as a tea, but lovely used for smoothies. You should use a matcha whisk. Good luck and good sipping.

No, I've not been to the Lake House. Took a glimpse at the menu, and it looks pleasing. I'll remember that if I'm ever in the Niagara area - thank you. The Niagara wine region has some excellent upscale restaurants.

Yes, I did forget to mention that Iron Bridge, Rachel's Roadhouse and Springfield Grill were owned by the same folks. We were in Grove City from Canada on a shopping trip, so I will have to look into Combine Bros the next time I am down there. We'd tried Rachel's Roadhouse a few years ago and it was an enjoyable meal (lively atmosphere). One thing I should mention is that if you are driving from the outlet mall to this strip of restaurants, the roads get quite dark at this time of the year. We almost ran over a deer in the area one night.

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Combine Bros
# 518, Hermitage, PA 16148

Rachel's Roadhouse
1553 Perry Hwy, Mercer, PA 16137

I am sorry to say, but we had a terrible meal at Compadres. We wound up going there because the wait at Iron Bridge was going to be an hour and a half. It was probably one of the worst Mexican meals I have had. The appetizer sampler platter was the standard fare of fried stuff (cheese and jalapeno), but the guacamole was flavourless. I had this chicken burrito, fish taco and tomatillo dish, and honestly, only the chicken burrito was passable. I had dinner with 4 other people, and none of them were impressed with the meal.

However, on the previous night, we wound up at a restaurant just up the road from the Iron Bridge, called "Springfield Grille" and had a really nice meal there. Almost every dish that was ordered was to everyone's liking - the menu was fairly diverse. The seafood pappardelle was excellent, one of the best I have had anywhere. I had a steak dinner that came with a very interesting soup (it was a spicy tomato-based okra soup with turtle meat). Now, that is not something you would expect. I would recommend this restaurant for a nice sit down meal. Prices were also quite reasonable.

Alas, the pizzas I used to really enjoy from Colombo's went with the old owners. I used to really like the Napoletano pizza. It's just not the same anymore. Recently, we had that and the pepperoni. The crust has changed, the toppings are not nearly as flavourful....it's just not the same pizza. And that rice ball...sadly, not the same either. As much as I would like to support the local businesses, I won't be coming back unless there's an improvement.

I know what you mean. I love Chinese food too, but I find it to be, in general, pretty salty. There is a new restaurant that opened earlier this year - Regal Chinese Cuisine (located at the old Ruby Restaurant at Sandhurst Circle in Scarborough). They tout themselves as the healthy choice - low sodium and lower fat. My brother had his wedding reception there, and I really noticed that the salt level was greatly reduced on practically all the dishes. It was almost to the point where I thought the food was a little lacking in flavour! I'm probably not doing a good job at selling this place, but I do know of people who love Chinese food, but absolutely have to follow a low-sodium diet, and this would the perfect place.

I would second Crispier Crouton's advice and request for reduced salt on made -to -order dishes. I've done that on a number of occasions when we brought our young daughter out, and it worked out well.

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Regal Chinese Cuisine
1571 Sandhurst Circle, Unit 107, Scarborough, ON M1V 1V2, CA

Full Tummy,

I just noticed that the 7 piece All-Clad set is on SALE for $700 (down from $800) and the 10 piece at $900.

Full Tummy,

Here is a link to the store where I bought my set of All-Clad. It gives you prices to sets and individual pieces. Hendrix Restaurant Supply is located in Pickering.

http://www.hendrixequip.com/searchres...

The 7 piece set is advertised for $800 and the 10 at $1080.

We bought a set from Hendrix (in Pickering) that was about $200 cheaper than Williams Sonoma. - this is the stainless steel model. With All-Clad, you'd be hard-pressed to buy them on sale. You can give Cayne's a call and see if they carry this brand. And I recall seeing the odd A-C pot or pan for sale at the annual William Ashley warehouse sale. Good luck! I love my pots and pans!

I agree. Between Better Bulk, Celena's and Royal Beef - it's become a real happenin' block!
There was a note taped to the door of Sweet Indulgence stating they were in arrears of rent payment, I think. My husband thought for sure they would pay up and the place would re-open....

Hi, neighborguy and millygirl.

I've had a birthday cake once at Celena's, and I think I liked it enough to try it again. We are very fond of the mixed berries and cream cake from Sweet Indulgence, and really, it would be hard to find something exactly like that. But, the similar one from Celena's will do. The filling was a pastry cream, mixed with some berries, I think. It wasn't too sweet or rich, which is the way I prefer my cakes. I have had cakes from Dufflets, Katie's Cakes, and Select Bakery, and obviously, Sweet Indulgence was tops on my list (I think we've had the mixed berries and cream cake about 20 times). Celena's is now second.

I found the cape gooseberries at Loblaws and tried them. They are about 3 times bigger than the "ground cherries" I've had, and while they were quite nice, they are not as good (in my opinion) as the ground cherries. I appreciate the tips as I would not have thought to look for cape gooseberries otherwise.

Thank you - all tips were useful. Better get off my butt and go looking for some cakes. My mom used to order them from a lady who makes them from her Richmond Hill home....ahh, those were such great moon cakes.

There was a great sushi restaurant called Lilly right on Broadview, north of Danforth. They were probably the most upscale of the area. Sadly, they are no longer in business.

We do take-out or delivery (since it's more convenient with two young kids) with places like Aji Sai and Sushi Delight. I prefer Aji Sai to Sushi Delight, but the latter is cheerfully cheap. When Casa Sushi opened, I thought it would be exactly like Sushi Delight, and in a way, it is. The selection is huge, and the prices are hard to beat. I went there recently and tried their lunch special. For $7.50, I was blown away by what I had. Fresh pieces of salmon sashimi, delicious crispy rolls (like california rolls, only with bits of tempura in the middle), soup, salad, fruit, and dumplings that just knocked my socks off. These dumplings had sauteed mushroom bits in them - so yummy. Anyway, my review is based on one dine-in experience and one delivery experience for what it's worth. But, if you're looking for an affordable place with good options, I would give Casa Sushi a try.

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Aji Sai
783 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4J1L2, CA

I would completely agree with "neighborguy". It's been over 6 months since this bakery's been around, and I am happy to see that this place gets a pretty steady flow of traffic. I like the fact that we've finally got a real bakery in the neighbourhood, and even more pleased that the owners are of the young-blood sort.

As for the goods...nothing beats a real French croissant - Celena's croissant is not of that style, but I still enjoy its denseness and very buttery taste. Had the roasted garlic sourdough once, and, unfortunately, did not like it. found that particular loaf to be a little too salty to my liking, but hey, that was 5 months ago. We love the apple turnover, and the lemon cranberry square. Recently, we ordered a birthday cake there. We were pretty devastated when Sweet Indulgence closed their doors because we LOVED their mixed berries and cream cake. We are NOT fans of the buttercream icing. Anyway, Celena's does a pretty darn good version of the Sweet Indulgence cake, and I would happily get it again.

I noticed that there's going to be another business about to open across the street (Cake Town Bakery or something). I really hope it's not going to mean a loss of business for Celena's.

Does anyone know where I can get really good moon cakes? I am illiterate in Chinese, so if you can just give me the names of the stores, and anything else that will help me find the specific brand (descriptions would be appreciated). Thanks!

Thanks, gimel and John!

Tried this for the first time yesterday at a farmer's market....amazing and addictive. Does anyone know where (store-wise) I can get them?