3 days in Toronto

OK I was finally able to read through all the informative posts.

I'm having trouble narrowing it down.

We pretty much have 6 meals in Toronto. Two dinners, 1 early dinner before our flight, and 3 lunch/brunches.

Here's what I'm thinking.

Saturday
Grazing brunch at Kensington/Chinatown/St Lawrence
Dinner at Keriwa Cafe

Sunday
open

Monday
Dim Sum at Lai Wah Heen
Dinner in Chinatown

So how would you spend Sunday? We'd really like to get out of downtown that day and see the neighborhoods. The Portuguese spot, Estrela sounds great, but it closes at 6pm on Sunday. So it would really only be a lunch option that day. Is the neighborhood there a good place to walk around and hang out? I'd appreciate any thoughts or insights.

Monday for dinner I'm leaning towards a western/muslim Chinese restaurant. Any recommendations? The thought of a wok hay restaurant is also very appealing, but I'd really like to try some non-Chinese options on this trip too. Seems like 3 days isn't even close to enough time in Toronto.

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

3 days in Toronto

Cool, yeah we went to Barb's Roti in Mississauga last time we were in the area and loved it. Thanks for the tip.

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

3 days in Toronto

Yeah we visited a couple years ago and had some killer dim sum and Caribbean roti, so we've been excited to return ever since. We're from Chicago which has excellent ethnic food, so we'll be at home wandering the streets of Toronto.

We're visiting over Memorial Day Weekend (last weekend in May). I know it's far off, but since we plan our activities around food, I prefer to get an idea of where we're going to eat before booking any tickets or reservations.

That Latin food court sounds pretty legit. What's the best time to visit? (I think I found your blog post about it on yelp)

We're staying near Chinatown precisely to maximize the grazing potential of the area.

Thanks for all the tips

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

3 days in Toronto

Thanks for all the recommendations. How far in advance would you recommend getting a reservation at one of those modern Canadian restaurants?

We're staying near Chinatown (strategically) so as long as Lai Wah Heen is still delivering great food, the price is fine by me. Is it a bad idea to get dim sum at Lai Wah Heen on a Monday?

Food crawling is our favorite travel activity, so I'm thrilled to hear Chinatown and Kensington is a great spot for that. Is the scene equally good on Saturday and Sunday?

Stuffed roti is precisely that type of thing we'd love to try. We're visiting from Chicago where the Indian food is pretty good, but I'm surprised I've never seen stuffed roti on a menu before. Is that something of a Toronto specialty?

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

3 days in Toronto

Hi, Toronto has one of the most active Chowhound boards I've seen!

My wife and I are visiting Toronto for 3 days and we're looking for some great food while we're there. We're looking for quintessentially Toronto experiences, and we're willing to travel for food. Really, our primary objective on this trip is to hang out in the neighborhoods and eat some great ethnic food, so we're very willing to hop on public transportation or take a cab to get out of downtown.

For one of our meals I'd like to visit a modern Canadian restaurant. Black Hoof seems to be mentioned a lot, but I've read some mixed reviews. Any thoughts on a spot for great chef-driven cuisine? I'd prefer something casual and energetic rather than upscale or fancy.

We will definitely be getting dim sum at least once. The best dim sum I've ever had was in Mississauga (don't remember the name of the restaurant), so I'm very excited to try some more. Lai Wah Heen is frequently mentioned as the cream of the crop. Is that still the best choice, or is there somewhere else I should consider?

Besides those two meals, we're pretty open minded. We love ethnic food and I know Toronto is famous for its tremendous diversity (I'm Turkish and my wife is Taiwanese, so we'll fit right in). Our preference is for ethnic dives that are super-authentic and primarily catering to immigrants, but I'm open to all suggestions. Portuguese, Caribbean, Filipino, really anything as long as it's the real deal. What does Toronto do best? That's what we're looking for.

Lastly, I'd like to visit some cocktail bars. I've read that the craft cocktail bar trend has reached Toronto. Any recommendations on where to get great cocktails?

Thanks in advance.

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

More Paris 3-star help

Thanks for all the input.

We had an outstanding meal at Pierre Gagnaire. I felt like his cuisine was challenging and complex, precisely what I'd expect from a top flight restaurant. We particularly enjoyed the urchin veloute poured over crab and the foie gras terrine with oysters. Both featured tremendous ingredients, and a fascinating interplay between unctuous and bitter flavors that were surprising but really worked. My only complaint was that the waiter's descriptions of the dishes didn't match the menu which didn't match what was on our plates. At first I thought this was a language barrier issue, but I took a look at the French menu and noticed the same thing. This was hardly a big deal though, since the meal really had no misses.

We couldn't get a reservation to Passage 53, so we ended up just doing Bib Gourmands instead. All were very popular with locals and reasonably priced, though the quality was somewhat inconsistent. Some quick hits:

L'Oxalis - The food was good, comfort food, but the flavors were a little boring. For an entree I had a nice boudin wrapped in phyllo dough served with fresh greens and my wife had a pleasant but unremarkable creamy lentil soup. Both of our plats were stewed dishes that were tender, but somewhat lifeless (pork and chicken). It was a decent meal, but not memorable.

Stephane Martin - The fanciest and priciest of the Bibs we visited. The entrees were very good. My wife enjoyed a delicate and frothy cream of mushroom soup while I had a plate of lamb medallions served with a punchy vinaigrette and pickled onions. We also really enjoyed the anchovy spread they served with the bread. Unfortunately the plats were clumsy and poorly prepared. My fish was overcooked and served on a bland bed of turnips and my wife's veal kidneys (rognon de veau, we love offal) were tough and chewy. The chef himself was serving the food and seemed distressed that we didn't enjoy our food.

Auberge Aveyronnaise - We loved the beer hall atmosphere. Lots of energy and earthy country cuisine that hit the spot on a dreery evening. We unfortunately didn't notice the house specialty, aligot, until after we ordered. It's a cheesy potato mash that's served with lots of fanfare (launched into the air) out of large copper pots. My tripe stew was rich and flavorful while my wife enjoyed her aveyronnaise salad complete with duck confit and lots of fried potatoes on top. It was a great experience and a fun neighborhood to walk around in afterward.

Villaret - This was my favorite restaurant of the trip (excluding the much pricier Pierre Gagnaire). The atmosphere was convivial but elegant. We started off with the house specialty terrine which was a generous portion and well prepared. For a plat I had the lamb tongue while my wife had the queue de boeuf. Both were tender yet rich and satisfying.

It was interesting to see the range amongst the Bib Gourmands. On the surface they were exactly the types of places I was looking for. Pretty far from the city center, popular with locals, featured quality ingredients, and all reasonably priced. Even though I didn't enjoy all the food equally, they were all the types of places I would have gladly selected if I were just walking around the neighborhood looking for somewhere good to eat.

Some other similarities I noticed were that the portions were pretty generous. We found ourselves quite full after an entree and a plat in all cases, and the one time the menu didn't offer a dessertless option (Stephane Martin), we felt quite stuffed.

All the restaurants offered a fixed menu that featured a plat and an entree for under 30 euros. When compared to the a la carte options, the fixed price option always stood out as a much better value, even though I think I would have been happier splitting a couple entrees and a single plat. We never did that though because it would have ended up costing us more for probably less food. Also, 80% of the restaurant patrons around us were ordering from the fixed menu (if not more), so it seems that's the way to go.

In the past I've found the service in Paris to be brusque, often bordering on rude or completely apathetic. On this trip, we ventured well out of the tourist area and found the service to be much warmer and engaging. However, the service was pretty slow, at least by American standards. At first I figured this was just European pacing and accepted that the French prefer to dine at a more leisurely place, however I came to realize that all the restaurants we visited are staffed by one or two total waitstaff. The waiters were definitely hustling back and forth to the kitchen and were always quick with the bill once we asked for it. It makes sense that waiters can make a living wage in Paris since so many restaurants are only employing one waiter per shift.

It was a wonderful trip and I look forward to returning to Paris.

turkob in France

More Paris 3-star help

Thanks for all of the help.

I put in a request for a reservation at Pierre Gagnaire. I noticed that the tasting menu at Passage 53 is under 100 euros and they're open Saturday night, so I'm going to try and get a reservation there as well.

turkob in France

More Paris 3-star help

Sorry if this is a redundant post, but I read a bunch of reviews and I'm having trouble figuring out what to do.

I'm considering doing either two fancy lunches or one fancy dinner when I visit in late January. After reading around, I learned that my options are pretty limited due to the schedules of the top restaurants (I'm in Paris Sunday and Monday). Since this is my first opportunity to dine at the top level in Paris, I'm pretty focused on getting the 3-star experience. My primary objective is cuisine. I don't value ambiance, decor, service, or a wine list anywhere close to how I value food. I'm looking for my first *wow* French cuisine experience.

Based on my research, my options are as follows:

Le Meurice - Lunch or Dinner
Arpege - Lunch or Dinner
Ducasse - Dinner Only
Bristol - Lunch or Dinner
Ledoyen - Dinner Only
Gagnaire - Lunch or Dinner

1) Am I better off doing two lunches (where one has to be Le Bristol due to scheduling), or one dinner? I'm not prepared to drop that kind of money on two dinners, but at the lunch price point it's more palatable.

2) Am I already too late to make reservations for January 22 and 23?

3) And of course, which restaurant/restaurants would you choose for a truly exceptional French Haute Cusine experience?

Thanks

turkob in France

Classic Chippy, Glasgow and Edinburgh

I'd like to get a quick bite of fish and chips at a typical chippy in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Any recommendations relatively near downtown? I'm having trouble picking between the options that keep popping up. My ideal spot would feature fresh fish and fresh-cut potatoes, is there such a place?

Glasgow
Chippy Doon the Lane
Jack McPhee's
Philadelphia Fish and Chicken
Harry Ramsden's

Edinburgh
Tailend
Cafe Piccante
Rapido
Deep Sea
Benes

turkob in U.K./Ireland

cicchetti in Venice

Here are some more links I happened across in my research. They're in Italian but you can make out the recommendations.

http://www.dissapore.com/mangiare-fuori/nei-peggiori-bacari-di-venezia-cit-dove-mangiare-bene-con-poco-si-puo/
http://venezia.2night.it/articoli/eat%26drink/163272/bacaro-tour-istituzione-veneziana-parte.html
http://venezia.2night.it/articoli/eat%26drink/163578/bacaro-tour-istituzione-veneziana-parte.html
http://venezia.2night.it/articoli/eat%26drink/164227/bacaro-tour-istituzione-veneziana-parte.html

I threw all these bacaros on a google map and added their hours of operation. I still need to verify all the addresses and locations, but I figure it's a handy way to navigate from spot to spot. I also included gelaterias and pasticcerias. It's color coded so that should help. It's a work in progress so I'd appreciate any feedback.

http://tinyurl.com/venicefoodmap

turkob in Italy

Milan, 2 lunches 2 dinners, bakeries and dessert!

Here are their websites
http://www.pizzeriaspontini.it/informazioni.html
http://www.piccolaischia.it/piccolaIschia_map_abruzzi.html

Spontini appears to be open for lunch. My Italian couldn't figure out the other one.

turkob in Italy

Milan, 2 lunches 2 dinners, bakeries and dessert!

I did some more reading, and I came up with a couple ideas for lunch. Since we're likely to do Northern-Italian cuisine for dinner both nights, I cast a wider net looking for lunch options.

Near the train station I found two pizza joints that seem to be recommended: Pizzeria Sportini and La Piccola Ischia.

For a lunch near the Last Supper I read about a restaurant specializing in Pugliese cuisine called Al Rifugio Pugliese. Apparently they offer a 10 euro lunch buffet so at least we'd get to sample a wide range of offerings.

Any thoughts on those options? I've been struggling to find lunch recommendations, particularly that are outside of the tourist district. Is there a Milan blog or website that people use to read about restaurants in the city?

turkob in Italy

Milan, 2 lunches 2 dinners, bakeries and dessert!

Definitely looking for both sweet and savory. Thanks for the recs!

turkob in Italy

Milan, 2 lunches 2 dinners, bakeries and dessert!

I'll be traveling to Milan late next month and I'm looking for some recommendations. In general my wife and I prefer places that are more casual and that cater to locals.

Any bakeries specializing in Italian breads and pastries?

Two lunches. I'm looking for something Italian with entrees under 20 euros (even cheaper would be great!). One within twenty minutes walk of the Central Train Station and one within twenty minutes walk of the Last Supper.

Two dinners. We are willing to travel for great food and would prefer recommendations away from the main tourist district. Looking for entrees under 30 euros, preferably specializing in Northern Italian cuisine. Osso buco with risotto milanese is a must for at least one of the meals. The two places I've read most about are Da Abele and Trattoria Milanese. Also a friend recommended a placed called Ratana near Palazzo Lombardia.

Also should we make reservations for lunch and dinner?

Lastly, any great dessert shops or gelaterias? Or are we better off grabbing dessert at the restaurant?

Thanks in advance.

-----
Da Abele
Via Temperenza,5, Milan, Lombardy , IT

Trattoria Milanese
Via Santa Marta, 11, Milan, Lombardia 20123, IT

turkob in Italy

Help! Need yummy food recs in Barcelona, Seville, Granada and Marrakesh - any suggestions welcome!

Here's a link to a message board where I wrote up my trip to Barcelona, Seville and Granada. Definitely check out the google map with Seville tapas restaurants on it. The recommendations were excellent.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16252&p=300170&hilit=seville#p300170

turkob in Europe

upcoming trip to Munich, Salzburg and Frankfurt

Thanks for the tips.

Can you recommend a bakery for bread too? We love bakeries in general, who doesnt!

turkob in Europe

upcoming trip to Munich, Salzburg and Frankfurt

I'll be in Munich, Salzburg and Frankfurt in early October (after Oktoberfest is over). I've read through all the chowhound threads and some other internet resources as well. I was hoping for some feedback on what I've found. In all cases I was looking for local cuisine and atmosphere and ideally entrees under 20E. We never hesitate to travel for food, so recommendations don't have to be downtown, but we'd prefer to stay in the city limits.

Munich 3 dinners. I was hoping to get out of Altstadt for at least one of the meals, if not more.
Wirtshaus zur Brez'n
Wirtshaus in der Au
Andechser am Dom
Der Pschorr
Haxnbauer (I'm looking for great schweinshaxe in particular and I read mixed things, but they seem to specialize)

Any thoughts on those options? Also I'd like to find a great, authentic bakery. I read about Rischart, are there any others worth visiting?

Salzburg 1 lunch. It's gonna be a day trip so all we can manage is an Austrian lunch and probably a bakery stop.
Alter Fuchs
St Paul Stube
Goldener Hirsch (I'm worried this place is too fancy/expensive for what I was looking for, but I couldn't find prices anywhere).

I've read about Cafe Tomaselli (horrible reviews) and Cafe Sacher (once again too fancy?), but nothing really stood out in the my research.

Frankfurt 1 dinner. This is a single night stop before we fly out the next morning. Definitely interested in a traditional apfelwine tavern. I've ready all the best ones are in Sachsenhausen but I couldn't find many recommendations or reviews.
Kloserhof
Zum Gemaltehaus

Thanks for all your help. I promise to write up my findings when I return.

turkob in Europe

3 days in Lisbon, looking for recommendations

Thanks for all the recommendations!

The first stop was Lisbon where within an hour of landing we dropped our bags at the hotel and ran off to get some spit-roasted chicken at Bon Jardim. The skin was crispy and salty with a strong citrus flavor and the meat was very moist and tender. The chili sauce on the table was spicy and tangy, a perfect accompaniment to the chicken. The back room was filled with older Portuguese men watching soccer and next to them was the roasting oven that was billowing smoke and sparks. We were impressed by what an authentic experience it was considering that Bon Jardim seems to be written up in every tour book. No matter, the food was quick, cheap, and delicious. A perfect start to the trip.

That night we had a reservation to Sinal Vermelho in the Chiado district. There were two Portuguese families having huge family feasts in the rather small space, so it seems that this is a spot for locals even though it’s kind of in the tourist district. They specialize in seafood and everything was top notch. I enjoyed a half bottle of Vinho Verde which was an exceptionally crisp and fresh white wine, definitely something to try when you’re visiting Portugal. We started off with an order of the oil drenched clams, sardines, and the cod fritters. The clams were garlicky and a little sweet and absolutely tremendous. The sardines were a little salty, though fresh, and the cod fritters were surprisingly excellent with a perfect almost creamy breading surrounding moist and flaky cod. The entrée was the local specialty dourada (golden bream) which is sliced in half lengthwise (head and all) and served grilled with boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. We absolutely love seafood, and Sinal Vermelho served us some of the freshest we enjoyed on the whole trip. Highly recommended!

After dinner we headed up to the Solar do Vinho do Porto to enjoy some port. I’m far from an expert on port, but the menu they have is extensive. I settled on a 30 year Dalva Porto from the bar tender’s recommendation. It was sweet and a little syrupy with a lot of burnt caramel flavor but it was very smooth. This is a great spot to go to sample a lot of different ports, and it’s a nice room with lots of comfortable couches and a relaxed atmosphere.

The next morning we were out in the Belem district, so we had to stop by the famous pastry shop Pasteis de Belem. They specialize in the Portuguese egg custard tarts called Pastel de Nata and the lines are out the door, though it moves quick. The custard is served with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and I enjoyed a shot of bico which is a small espresso-like drink. These tarts are served in every bakery, and there is a bakery on nearly every block, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to find this place, even though the hype is tremendous. The tarts were great, but the ones down the street were just as good (if not better), cheaper, and had no line. Still there isn’t much to eat in the area, and many of Lisbon’s main attractions are near by, so if you’re in the mood to join the legions of tourists, Fodor’s in hand, then it’s a good spot.

That afternoon we were wandering around the Alfama district trying to get to the castle and hoping to find a spot to grab lunch on the way. Not sure how we got so turned around (granted most of the streets weren’t labeled on the maps we had) but we ended up in the Graca neighborhood (just north of Alfama). This neighborhood definitely did not cater to tourists. No English on any of the menus, and most of the service staff didn’t speak a word of English. Still we were excited to try a local spot, so we settled on Salao Ramos. It was a small place with a long bar and a very crowded back room filled with local families. The waiter came out with two menus, but wouldn’t hand them to us because he was worried we wouldn’t understand the Portuguese. We tried to assure him that we could navigate the menu, but he didn’t understand us and seemed intent on translating for us. After an awkward 20 seconds of him looking at the menus then back at us finally he looked up and said “Feesh?” To which of course we nodded. A minute later he came out with two douradas on a plate, one full fish and the other just a fillet. We pointed at the full fish and he rushed away. About ten minutes later he came back with two whole fish, grilled to perfection, served with a light salad and boiled potatoes similar to what we had the night before. I have to say dourada is one of my all time favorite fish (I grew up loving Turkish cupra which is a close relative) so I didn’t mind at all, though it would have been nice to try something else on the menu as well. Still we had a good laugh and had a terrific and very affordable meal. If you’re interested in getting off the beaten path to eat with locals, Graca is a great option since it is close to downtown and there seem to be very few tourists.

Before we hopped on a train to Sintra, we stopped by Confeitaria Nacional for a breakfast of Portuguese pastries. We love bakeries and probably stopped by 4-5 different ones while we were in Lisbon, and this was by far our favorite. They had at least twice the selection of pastries as any other shop, and everything was fresh and delicious. The highlight was the bacalao croquettes though there really were no misses.

After an exhausting day walking around the picture-perfect mountains and forests of Sintra we were starving, but we really didn’t want to eat at the tourist traps all over downtown, so we stopped off in Sao Pedro. The town was totally dead but we did find a tavern right off the main square called Taverna Trovadores that was open at 3:30PM on a Monday afternoon. We were the only people in the restaurant, but I knew we had struck gold when the olives they served were impeccably crunchy and filled with cheese and garlic. The dishes seemed to be more country style which was a great contrast to the simple Mediterranean food we had enjoyed to that point. We had the balacao espiritual which is baked with a cheesy béchamel and a braised rabbit served with yellow rice. After a long day of walking these dishes really hit the spot.

turkob in Spain/Portugal

2 days in barcelona, looking for feedback

Great response, thank you!

The menu at Dama sounds terrific, I emailed Fonda Gaig requesting theirs since it wasn't online.

If not Cal Pep, is there another tapas or modern Spanish restaurant you can recommend in El Born. Preferably not too fancy.

turkob in Spain/Portugal

2 days in barcelona, looking for feedback

Here's what I've come up with for a 2 day itinerary. Any feedback appreciated

2 tapas, 2 catalan meals

Lunch
Paco Meralgo - looking for something near passeig de gracia
Agut - looking for something near barri gothic

Dinner
Ca L'Isidre - Near our hotel and supposed to be one of the best Catalan restaurants.
Cal Pep - I've read too many glowing review to ignore it.

We're not interested in any tasting menus because we've had too many recently. We're looking for good, traditional food.

Thanks

turkob in Spain/Portugal

short trip, looking for feedback

We ended up going to Barb's Roti one day and getting dim sum at Grand Chinese. Barb's was an awesome hole in the wall. The highlight was the doubles for sure, but the roti (which looked like a burrito) was very good too. We did have to eat in our car because they have no seating, but that didn't bother us since the food was great.

Grand Chinese was the best dim sum I've ever had. Everything was very fresh and many of the dishes were pretty creative. I went with a friend who grew up in Shanghai and she said that the dim sum at Grand Chinese was comparable to the best she's had in China. The highlight for me was the fried lobster and the cuttlefish-mousse cakes, but there wasn't a single bad dish that we had. Thanks so much for the recommendations!

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

Auckland essentials?

Our first night we went to the Occidental on Vulcan lane. It was pretty busy for a Wednesday night so I’m guessing it gets packed on the weekends. The beer list was lack luster featuring Belgian macrobrews like Leffe and Hoegaarden, but the reason you go is for the green-lipped mussels. We ordered one pot of steamed mussles and an order of baked mussels topped with cheese and spinach. The preparations were mediocre but the mussels were terrific. The mussels were big, meaty, and soft, much larger than mussels I’ve eaten in North America. The sauce on the steamed mussels had very little flavor and didn’t come with bread for dipping, and the baked mussels were covered in melted cheese that was heavy handed but actually didn’t over power the incredibly flavorful mussels. The fries were totally forgettable (the homemade mayo tasted hardly homemade) but they did have an oyster special for a dollar an oyster, and the oysters were fresh and meaty like the mussels. Overall I’d recommend Occidental to someone who is looking for a big plate of mussels for a decent price.

The next day we visited the Auckland Fish Market which was pretty disappointing. We got to see the room where the “Dutch Auction” occurs but since we didn’t show up at 6AM, we missed the festivities. The market itself had only a couple stores and a limited selection, but what they did have was fresh (lots of oysters!). We looked around and finally found a pot of ready-to-eat kina (sea urchin) which was delicious. Overall I wouldn’t go out of my way to see the fish market again, but the kina was a nice takeaway experience.

After the fish market we walked around Ponsonby and had Burger Fuel for lunch. There are a bunch of burger joints near each other in Ponsonby, and I remember reading that we should avoid Burger Fuel, but we wanted kumara fries and beetroot on our burgers, so Burger Fuel was the choice. The kumara (sweet potato) fries were very good but the burger tasted pre-frozen and soggy. The beets actually were the highlight of an otherwise very disappointing burger. Even the bun was stale. We weren’t interested in eating a burger from the other joints because they seemed like typical burgers topped with cheese or mushrooms or grilled onions, something we can easily get at home. But if we had to do it again, we’d get an order of kumara fries from Burger Fuel and find something else.

For dinner that night we were in Parnell so we thought we’d eat at one of the many restaurants on the street. We looked at every menu on the street twice, but simply couldn’t find a place that excited us (we considered Iguacu but it was just more expensive than what we were looking for) so we landed on Non-Solo Pizza because they appeared to be cooking their pizza in a wood-fire oven. I don’t have much to say other than it was pretty middle of the road. Nothing was great, nothing was terrible. I’d recommend going to Parnell with a specific restaurant in mind, because nothing stuck out.

The next night we went to Kermadec (the brasserie upstairs not the restaurant) for dinner. They have a beautiful view of the Viaduct Basin and a nice seafood-centric menu. We opted for the seafood platter that featured a wide variety of cold seafood served with a couple different sauces. The plate included oysters, clams, crab, lobster, mussels, and prawns. The menu seems to be geared towards simple preparations of fresh seafood, and from that perspective our dish was very good. It’s a nice dining room, the service is good, and all the fish was very fresh. However, the overall experience seemed kind of standard, nothing distinctive about it. This may be one of Auckland’s best seafood restaurants, but we just didn’t leave feeling like we had experienced anything special.

On the last day of our trip we were itching to have one last great meat pie, so we trekked all the way down to the Fridge. It was totally worth it! It was a Saturday morning and the small space was crowded with kids in soccer uniforms and people picking up a bunch of pies to take home, definitely where the locals eat. The pies were the best we had on the whole trip. We had mince meat with cheese, curry chicken, and a Guinness stew pie, and all were terrific. The crust was perfectly flaky and crisp and the insides were piping hot and gooey. The Fridge was definitely a departure from the beaten path for tourists, and we even got pretty lost on our way down there, but if you’re looking for the authentic meat pie experience, I can’t imagine there are too many better places.

That night we decided to have one more Malaysian meal before we return. We had walked by a small restaurant in Ponsonby called Mutiara earlier in the trip and the menu looked pretty good so we gave it a shot. The highlight was the sweet and spicy curry laksa. The bowl was filled with flavorful broth, chewy noodles, and large prawns. We also ordered the Ikan Bakar which was a tilapia grilled in a banana leaf topped with a spicy curry sauce. The meal was excellent all around, and we definitely felt like we got a good sampling of Malaysian cuisine on our trip.

The next morning we had time to get some breakfast before heading to the airport so we decided to get yum char at Grand Harbour Chinese. The carts were a little slow going by and some items only came around once, but everything we had was great. The congee was piping hot and served with crunchy bread pieces, the shrimp rice noodles were moist, and the ice cream stuffed buns (not sure what to call them) were truly exquisite. It was a great way to end our visit to Auckland.

turkob in Australia/New Zealand

sydney itinerary, looking for feedback

Thanks to all the people that provided recommendations. We ate really well in Sydney!

We arrived in Sydney around lunch time so we headed over to Harry’s Café de Wheels. Harry’s was an interesting semi-permanent food-truck looking establishment on the water in Woolloomooloo and for some reason it seemed to attract a lot of Asian tourists. We ordered the Tiger Pie and the Hot Dog de Wheels since that seemed to be what everyone else was ordering. The Tiger Pie was a pleasantly flaky pie stuffed with juicy beef stew and topped with mashed peas and gravy. Though we ate a couple better pies over the course of the trip, the Harry’s pie was memorable for its mound of mashed (though only mildly flavorful) peas. The Hot Dog de Wheels was less sweet and spiced than American hotdogs but they made up for it with the interesting mix of peas and chili. The cheese sauce on top was pretty mild and didn’t look too appetizing but it didn’t detract from the taste. Overall we enjoyed the Harry’s experience and I suspect it gets pretty busy at night when people are looking for quick and hearty food to top off a night of drinking.

That night we had a reservation at Quay which is ranked #46 on Pellegrino’s of list of best restaurants in the world. The first thing you notice when you enter the restaurant is that every seat in their dining room has either a view of the Opera House or the Harbor Bridge. The views, especially by night, are exceptional and definitely add a wow factor to the entire experience. And the food was just as good the views! We opted for the signature menu which was seven courses. The menu had a very modern feel to it featuring a wide variety of ingredients like aquaculture caviar, edible flowers as part of nearly every course, and even hops. Our favorites were the toro of blue fin tuna served with seaweed jelly and caviar, the shaved squid and octopus with squid consommé, and the jackfruit granita with custard apple ice cream. The meal was well paced, interestingly plated, and used the widest variety of plates I’ve seen outside of Moto (an uber molecular gastronomy restaurant in Chicago). I feel like this was an exceptional example of Modern Australian cuisine and it proved to be an incredibly memorable meal.

The next morning we ventured into Chinatown for yum cha at Zilver. We got there right at 10 when they opened and got a seat no problem. By 10:30 there was a line at the door and carts were coming by every 30 seconds. Every dish was very good (except for the sticky rice which was kind of a let down but not terrible). The beef tendon was perfectly sweet and soft with a hint of ginger, the rice noodle was soft and moist, and the custard buns were remarkably soft and gooey (mmm, best I’ve had). There was plenty of variety, the quality was good, and it was popular so the food was always fresh and carts were never far away. I definitely recommend Zilver to anyone looking for yum cha in Sydney.

That night we had a reservation to the Malaya on King St Wharf. Before dinner we walked around the area and saw that most of the restaurants were pretty empty (Sunday night, cool weather, etc), so we were surprised when we walked into the Malaya and it was packed. Good thing I made a reservation. Malaysian is a cuisine we had never eaten before this trip so we were pretty excited. We scanned over the menu and saw that there was a set menu that served a fairly wide variety of dishes so we chose to do that without looking it over too closely. I kind of wish we had, because in hindsight I think we might have been able to choose better had we ordered ourselves. The first dish, a popiah, was very similar to a Vietnamese summer roll filled with shredded chicken, beansprouts, and vermicelli except the rice paper was thicker, spongier, and opaque. The roll itself was all right, nothing great, but the sauce on it was a very thick, very sweet soy sauce based chili sauce that really overpowered the roll and gave the dish a take-out quality that didn’t match the ambiance or the price tag. The Singaporean style satay was pretty good, but tasted like many other satays I’ve had. The Szechuan eggplant was a huge disappointment. This is a dish I regularly order at Chinese restaurants, but this version used thick hunks of eggplant that weren’t cooked through and were drenched in that sweet soy sauce I mentioned earlier. It also got me wondering why we were eating (poorly prepared) Szechuan eggplant at a Malaysian restaurant. The last dish was the signature Roti Canai which was probably the highlight of an unspectacular meal, though the curry and the roti were pretty much exactly like dishes I’ve had at Indian restaurants in the past, and I’ve had better for a fraction of the cost. At the end we felt like we really hadn’t learned anything about what makes Malaysian cuisine unique and we ate a meal that ranged from bad to mediocre. Like I said before maybe we should have ordered off the menu rather than doing the set menu, but I don’t think I’d recommend this place to someone seeking out their first Malaysian experience. Especially since you can eat food of the same quality for much cheaper.

The following night (after a long day of hiking in the Blue Mountains) we headed over to Sailors Thai in the Rocks. We arrived fairly late and the canteen (the cheaper and more casual upstairs section) was nearly empty. The dining room downstairs was filled and seemed quite lively, but we were happy to grab a quick bite at the canteen. I read from a number of different sources that Sailors Thai was the best Thai food in Sydney, but from the menu I couldn’t really see what set them apart. However as soon as the food arrived at the table we knew right away we were at a top notch Thai restaurant. The first dish to arrive was the green papaya salad (which I think is called Som Tum). The papaya was perfectly tart and dressed with a mild vinegar sauce that had a slight sweetness and plenty of heat and served with dried prawns that added the perfect amount of fishy flavor to the dish. This was a big cut above any Som Tum I’d eaten before. The next dish was the grilled spatchcock with coconut rice and sweet chilli sauce. The chicken was perfectly grilled (we could hear the cook grilling behind us) and the coconut rice was creamy and soft. We enjoyed the first dishes so much that we had to order the Pad Thai, just to see what it tastes like at such a good restaurant. And we were not disappointed. The Pad Thai was not greasy at all, had the perfect balance of peanuts and fish sauce, and included plenty of dried prawns that gave the dish a depth few other Pad Thais even approach. If I had to find something to complain about it was the menu that for some reason gave in depth descriptions of the dish without actually providing the Thai name. Regardless, if I lived in Sydney I’d definitely come back to Sailors Thai to try the rest of their menu.

The next day we were heading to the train station so we stopped by Mamak in Chinatown for some more Malaysian food. What a contrast to Malaya! It was quick, cheap, and delicious though not grungy at all. We were seated immediately, served our food 10 minutes after ordering, and out the door in 30 minutes which is exactly what we were looking for and all for under 20 bucks (for two, including dessert). The star of the show was the roti which is made fresh in the kitchen you walk by as you enter the restaurant. The roti was crumpled up like a ball rather than flat and chewy like most other rotis. It was crispy on the outside yet chewy on the inside and was perfectly complemented by the two curries they served next to it. We also ordered the Nasi Lemak since the menu claimed it was the national dish of Malaysia. It was just a mound of rice with toppings scattered around its perimeter. The toppings were good, but the plate wasn’t big enough to mix everything up properly so I just ended up with spoonfuls of anchovies. Next time I’d stick to the roti. Still we enjoyed the meal very much and felt that this was a better indication of what Malaysian food is actually like.

That night we had a reservation at Tetsuya’s which is ranked #17 on Pellegrino’s list of best restaurants in the world. It was fun to contrast Tetsuya’s with Quay since they were pretty different experiences. For one thing, when I was making reservations at Tetsuya’s in January (7 months in advance) they already did not have any tables available for Saturday night and they required a deposit on my credit card. I booked Quay only 2 months in advance, got a prime reservation on Saturday night, and they didn’t ask for my credit card. Whereas Quay features a view of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge, Tetsuya’s has an elaborate Japanese garden including a waterfall that is beautifully lit and showcased behind a huge wall of glass. Quay had a normal level of conversation noise in the background whereas the seating at Tetsuya’s was so spread out that the dining room was almost too quiet, and all you could hear was the trickling of the water from the garden. It was a little uncomfortable but I suspect they were going for a serene atmosphere and they succeeded. Tetsuya’s has a 13 course tasting menu and does not provide a menu to tell you what you’ll be receiving since you have no choice. I like to read over the menu and refer back to it during the meal to get a full sense of what I’m eating (sometimes there are a lot of ingredients and it’s hard to remember), so we asked if they had a menu we could look at to which the waiter responded “Are you familiar with day-goost-as-ione?” I took that as a no. It’s a shame because the menu online is different than what we were served and now we have no way to remember exactly what we ate (normally we take a picture of the menu as reference).

The meal took close to 3 hours and the dishes ranged from very good to sublime (with one exception). I feel like with a lot of tasting menus that the best dishes are usually in the first half and by the end you’re full and uninterested in the main courses no matter how perfectly it’s prepared, but the opposite was true at Tetsuya’s. The first couple dishes were well prepared but a little plain. After the culinary gymnastics performed by Quay we were starting to think Tetsuya’s was a little over-hyped, but by the end of the meal we did not feel that way at all. Tetsuya’s strength is in the fish dishes, and they did a nice job of building the meal up slowly rather than throwing dish after dish of superfancy haute cuisine at you. I have to say, I was impressed by the signature dish. Not only was the smoked trout incredibly fresh and buttery and perfectly paired with the dried konbu crust, but it was a big piece of fish. This was not a tasting portion, but a legitimate cut of fish that the chef was proud to serve his guests. Bravo. Serving it with a fairly plain salad of field greens was a strange choice, nonetheless the trout was clearly worthy of being his signature dish. Other standouts were the spanner crab and the “Lemon Scented Floating Island with Vanilla Bean Anglaise.” There was one dish that neither me nor my wife liked at all. The barramundi served with fennel and an olive tapenade was just not a good mixing of flavors. The olives over-powered the fish and left a flavor in your mouth that was completely out of place in such a elegant meal. Nonetheless it was an exceptional meal that was definitely memorable and, in my eyes, earned its accolades. In contrasting the two restaurants, I’d say Quay is a much more modern experience that uses exotic ingredients and a breath-taking view to provide a memorable dining experience, whereas Tetsuya’s has a more elegant and classic feel and showcases the exceptional talents of the chef’s cooking moreso than simply the preparation of hard-to-find ingredients. Both were great restaurants and I’d recommend either to someone looking for a fine dining experience in Sydney.

turkob in Australia/New Zealand

3 days in Lisbon, looking for recommendations

I've read a bunch of reviews and posts on CH about Lisbon and I've put together an itinerary for my upcoming trip to Lisbon. I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm also going to Barcelona and Andalusia on this trip, so I'll probably be back with more questions after I've done more research.

Lunch near the hotel
We'd like to eat a quick lunch near our hotel which is close to Placa Figuera so I was thinking of hitting up the hugely popular Bonjardim. Do they close in the afternoon because we'll probably get there around 2 oclock?

Dinner in Bairro Alto
We'll finish our day walking around Bairro Alto so I was thinking of getting dinner there. Nothing too fancy because we'll be in jeans. We're looking for a restaurant with great food; atmosphere and decor are definitely lesser concerns. A lot of guidebooks seem to recommend Pap Acorda, but I worry that it's too touristy and more about atmosphere than a great representative of Portuguese cuisine. I read a couple good reviews of Sinal Vermelho on this board. Any thoughts on a great option for dinner in Bairro Alto? Price is not a concern as long as the food is memorably good, though we're definitely not interested in fine dining.

Lunch in Belem
The next day we're planning to see the sights at Belem. The Pasteis de Belem seems to be a slam dunk option for breakfast. I struggled to find a good option for lunch though. Any recommendations on a good place to get Sunday lunch in Belem? Food is the top priority again, but we'd prefer something that doesn't take too long.

Dinner in Alfama
That night we're planning on hitting a Fado show in Alfama. The Clube de Fado seems like a good option, especially since it is open on Sunday night. I've read just about everywhere that the food at Fado shows is not very good, so we'd like to get dinner somewhere in Alfama before the show. I've read good things about Malmequer Bemmequer though I'm definitely open to recommendations.

Breakfast near Rossio
The next day we're planning to take the train from Rossio to Sintra. Is there a good place near the station to get breakfast? Something quick but filling would be ideal.

Lunch in Sintra
Our last meal in Lisbon will be in Sintra. The Cantinho de São Pedro sounds pretty good. Any recommendations would be great.

Thanks

turkob in Spain/Portugal

Melbourne itinerary, looking for feedback

First thanks to everyone for all the recommendations. We had a wonderful time in Melbourne and ate some great (and some not-so-great) food. Here's a writeup of the experience we had.

Our first night we went to Gigibaba in Collingwood. The menu was great with many authentic Turkish meze options I rarely see at Turkish restaurants. We initially ordered five meze and our server suggested that we were probably under-ordering. We figured we could always order more. We quickly realized why the waiter was surprised because the meze were tiny. I have been to many small plates restaurants and these were hands down the smallest “small plates” I’ve ever seen. The stewed beans was enough for maybe four bites (total, not each), and the blue-eyed cod was smaller than a deck of cards. I suppose these portion sizes wouldn’t have been so bad except that the prices were pretty steep, most dishes being 8$ and the meat ranging from 12-18$. That said the food was really good. The kofte was beautifully tender and grilled and the eggplant was perfectly smoked. Unfortunately the great tastes were over after two bites. Overall I’d say the food was some of the best Turkish restaurant food I’ve had outside of Turkey, but when you’re paying 50$ a person for food you expect to get up full, sit at a nice table not a cramped bar, and not have to waive down the waiter to get more bread (they only give you two tiny pieces each time).

The next day we at the Queen Victoria Market for lunch. The market was totally awesome! Our favorites were the Tasmanian oysters, the smoke provolone from one of the Italian cheese vendors, and the Thai chili roasted macadamia nuts. If we had a place like this in Chicago I’d visit all the time!

For dinner that night we needed a quick bite before catching a movie at the Melbourne International Film Festival so we stopped by Victoria St in Richmond to get some Vietnamese food. We walked up and down the block a couple times, but all the restaurants seemed to have the same menu. We were hoping to try some uniquely Vietnamese dishes but many of the restaurants appeared to offer typical Chinese fare with a couple Vietnamese options like pho or summer rolls. We decided on Mihn Mihn because their menu featured Laotian dishes that we’d never seen before. We ordered a couple dishes from the Laotian menu and a rice-stick stir-fry dish from the regular menu (over half the menu was stir-fries of different sorts). The Laotian items we had were quite good, similar to Thai but more tomato-y and less sweet. The stir-fry dish was terrible. The vegetables were soggy and obviously frozen and the dish was swimming in grease. We looked around the restaurant and saw that nearly everyone had ordered stir-fries that looked as unappetizing as the one in front of us. There are probably some great Vietnamese restaurants on Victoria St, but we looked for 30 minutes and all we could come up with was a restaurant that did good Laotian food and bad stir-fries.

The next day we had a lunch reservation at Movida for tapas. This was hands-down the best meal we ate in Melbourne and probably the best tapas I’ve ever had. Every dish was better than the last, though the highlight was definitely the Cecina. It’s described as “Air cured wagyu beef thinly sliced with a truffle foam and poached egg” and believe it or not it’s even better than it sounds. We spent as much at Movida as we did at Gigibaba but we ate easily twice as much. The service was pretty hit or miss especially when they brought out our last dish 30 minutes after we had finished eating everything else, but when the food is that good I can put up with just about anything (other than miniscule portions).

Unfortunately we finished our trip to Melbourne on a low note. We were in a hurry to get to Etihad Stadium to watch the AFL game so we stopped by Chinatown to eat at the immensely popular Camy’s Shanghai Dumplings. The line was down the street and the restaurant was filled with all sorts of people ranging from businessmen in suits to Asian families. We thought for sure we had found the dumpling restaurant of our dreams. We ordered the scallion pancakes, ten beef dumplings, and a Shanghai-style fish with noodles and a tea-egg. The pancakes were like cardboard, the dumplings tasted like the frozen ones we buy in the supermarket (though I’ve had better frozen dumplings), and the noodles were drowning in their cooking water (I don’t even want to describe how bad the fish was). We literally dipped the plain noodles (after shaking off the water) into soy sauce just so we didn’t get up from the meal starving. We were hungry when we got to the game so we bought a Chiko Roll and a 4&20 mince meat pie and they tasted incredible in contrast to the slop we were served at Camy’s. A lot of people seem to like Camy’s so maybe we just had a bad experience, but the noodles swimming in cooking water was memorably bad.

turkob in Australia/New Zealand

short trip, looking for feedback

ha, definitely join the conversation, the toronto thread at lth definitely needs some new entries

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

short trip, looking for feedback

excellent!

So Barb's sounds great, but I'm guessing it's a little dingy. This doesn't bother me at all, but I have to gauge the mood of the people dining with us. But it sounds like Bairrada is a good alternative that I'm guessing has decent ambiance.

Thanks so much!

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

short trip, looking for feedback

I should add, on Friday we'd like to stay near Mississauga. Say within a 20 minute drive. We'd be up for anything that's good, but we'd prefer something distinctive.

Saturday we'll be at the wedding all day, but we'll be treated to some N Indian food, which I'm sure will be excellent.

Sunday morning we'd like to do Dim Sum near to where people are staying (Mississauga), but after that we're free to roam the city. So we could do Portuguese or Caribbean or anything else for dinner before heading to the airport at night, as long as it's not too far out of the way.

Thanks again

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)

short trip, looking for feedback

Thanks for the tips. Dim Sum is still pretty underwhelming in Chicago. Grand sounds like a winner, thanks for all the recs.

I looked at the threads about Portuguese BBQ and that's how I came up with Costa Verde. Everyone said Chiado is the best spot, but it's fancier and more expensive than what we're looking for.

I'd love to get some Caribbean food. Is there anything good not too far from Mississauga? We're getting in Friday night around 7PM and I assume we'll have people joining us, so we'd prefer not to spend too long getting to dinner.

turkob in Ontario (including Toronto)