chiujason's Profile
Questions about Linda's thai food (the one above Salad King)
I think most of the people giving bad reviews below are talking about Salad King. I had my birthday at Linda's with about 10 people, and the food was excellent and service was on par with the price. They do have some vegetarian dishes, and do take reservations.
Birthday at Aoyama Sushi
It looks like the picture you labelled "Seafood jello Stew" might be a traditional steamed egg dish with seafood in it, as Teep says, called "chawan mushi". This doesn't come in the $60 omakase.
Shaved Ice/Kakigoori/Matsumoto Syrup
Anybody know where I can get shaved ice syrup? My wife and I love shaved ice in all its forms (Taiwanese, Korean, Sno-Cone, etc.).
I am looking for a preferably local source that carries a variety of flavours, and preferably similar to the Hawaiian shaved ice flavours rather than the standard Sno-Cone flavours.
I found these guys and tried calling them, but no answer. Not really willing to drive over there without knowing if they sell to the public in small personal use amounts:
http://www.coolies.ca/catalog/
Birthday at Aoyama Sushi
That looks great! The difference between what you got and the $60 omakase looks like the crab and the steamed egg.
where to buy walnut cakes in toronto
The problem with the one on Bloor is they make them all at once, and sell them from under the counter. I live in the Annex, and out of the many times I've passed by, I've seen the machine in operation only a few times.
They are really good when fresh, and they do get a bit soggy after some time, so you might luck out. Also try the red bean pancakes, usually they make them fresh, or you can ask to have it done.
What foods should I try in J-Town?
I'm going to echo most of what the other posters are saying. Stay away from buying actual snack foods, as T&T just one block over has the same stuff for cheaper (usually). I recommend Apple Kit Kat, it's pretty good.
The cafe is pretty good as far as Japanese traditional food is concerned, I've had a few meals there and have been satisfied. The bakery is excellent. I recommend the Koroke Bun. It looks like a hamburger, but the "burger" part is actually a deep fried croquette made from mashed potato and beef.
I'm a fan of Taro's fish, have not tried the new Sakana-Ya.
Best Place to Find Korean Pork Bone Soup....
I went to Thumbs Up a few times, until I saw the owner making kimchi and dropping cabbage all over the floor and put them back in the bowl, all in plain view of the customers. Anyhow, my place is Ka Chi, right across the street from Thumbs Up. Love the thick pork flavour in the soup.
Rice cookers - Tiger or Zojirushi?
I received a Tiger for my wedding present, and it's amazing. The new digitally controlled ones have settings for almost endless combinations of rice and preparation methods (ie. white, brown, wild rice, hard, soft, congee). Plus, the cooking pot inside is idiot-proof, and tells you exactly how much water to put for what kind of rice.
Personally, I've used the simple ones (on off switch, with warmer setting) for years before owning this one, and I'd say if you have the money, it's definitely worth spending on a digital one.
Storck Knoppers
Crispy, hazelnutty, waffley, milky goodness! Who knows where to get them in Toronto? My mom brought some back from Germany, and I'm fresh out!
Sushi Bong (Meh)
Interesting. I suppose it would be ok if they were serving Koreans only, but from an outsider's standpoint, it seems to be quite lacking. No complaint on the price, definitely right up my alley.
Okinomiyaki in TO?
You pick which okonomiyaki you want off the menu, but it's not cooked at the table like a lot of the places in Osaka. It's pretty good, and they're pretty generous with the toppings, which is good, because IMO, the bonito flakes make a big difference. Still, I've made better at home with okomiyaki powder and some nice pork belly or bacon, and some sweet chinese cabbage.
The Fish House-Markham
Maybe it's just me, but their food has always been mediocre at best. I work 2 minutes away, so some office parties and business lunches tended to end up there when it was at 401/DVP. The fish is overcooked half the time and dry.
The only highlight The Fish House ever had was all you can eat mussels on Tuesdays, and even that got old real quick.
Lame Restaurant Websites [moved from Ontario board]
Websites cost money to constantly update. Give the nature of some restaurants that use high end ingredients, I'm sure that prices fluctuate more often than they would care to update a website with. That's my reasoning.
Best non-busy hours for dimsum in 'burbs of Toronto?
Better to go early in the morning rather than later, as not only do you get the same benefit of less crowds as going late, but some places offer discounts as well. There's a pretty good one on the NW corner of Brimley & Sheppard, in the medical building looking mall.
If you go before 10:30-11:00, your orders go on one side of the card at a discounted price, any time after that, the orders go on the other side. If you're like me and you like to order a lot of items, you'll save yourself a decent amount of money.
What's good between Summerhill and St. Claire?
Thx for the notes on Citron. My wife and I have often walked by on the way to Takara and decided against going in. Too bad about the restaurant makeover thing too, it seems to be an all-too often pattern for restaurants that go under the knife to come out worse than they were before.
Toronto Chowhound in Minneapolis
I'll try pretty much anything, and there are some great suggestions here. I am only there for 4 days, and for 2 of those days I'm already booked. I'll definitely have to give the Jucy Lucy a try, as well as some of the restaurants mentioned above if I can get to them.
Sushi Bong (Meh)
Went to Sushi Bong (Yonge St., south of Finch) last night with my wife and a friend. The prices there, as reviewed previously, are definitely hard to beat (i.e. 16pcs. sashimi for $10), but the lady (owner?) was very abrupt, and stood at the counter for most of the time without moving. The eel in the unagi-don was dry, but at least the sashimi was pretty fresh and tasty.
When we asked for water, she pointed at the water cooler in the corner and said "Water's over there.", at which point my wife had to squeeze by another full table in the joint just to get two paper cups of water.
Definitely not the best dining experience by far, but I guess you get what you pay for... Maybe take out here is the key, as their phone was ringing off the hook.
Where did all the Indonesian Food go??
http://www.hello-indonesia.com/HelloIndonesia/Explorers.htm#Canada
Sate Sate seems to be the only one that might still be open. Anybody know?
Where did all the Indonesian Food go??
My wife loves Indonesian food, and in trying to find a place last weekend, I was out of luck as well. The only recent threads talk about restaurants like Garuda and Indonesia, both of which semm to have closed down.
Help! We need some nasi goreng!
Source for Fresh Wasabi root (GTA)?
Agree with lilith. Taro's Fish has had fresh wasabi a lot of the times I've been there.
You don't need the shark skin grater though, one of these will do just fine, quite a few places in Tokyo give these to you at the table to grate your own little chunk of wasabi:
http://shizuokasushi.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/wasabigrater.jpg
Toronto Chowhound in Minneapolis
Thanks! I edited my post while you were typing this. Unfortunately I will be flying in on Tuesday, and will miss the State Fair. I just had my fill of corndogs at our Canadian National Exhibition too!
Toronto Chowhound in Minneapolis
Hi midwesterners. I will be visiting the twin cities next week, and am looking for some good recommendations on restaurants.
I will be staying near the airport and Mall of America, so prefer to stay around the area, but am willing to travel for extraordinary cuisine.
I am on a meal budget, probably willing to spend up to $35-$40 per meal per person. I eat anything and everything, but if there's something that's locally famous, I'd love to give it a try.
Let's see what your city has to offer!
P.S. If there is anything in the area I MUST see, let me know as well. I will be there Tuesday to Thursday, and no, I don't like tourist traps. :)
Liberte Yoghurt - plus other groceries - where to get?
I find them lovely too. I have a tub of Apple Pie flavour waiting in my fridge as I type this.
+1 vote for Fiesta Farms. They always have reasonable prices, and a better selection than Loblaws. Loblaws tends to be overpriced, you'd easily pay $0.50 or more for the same tub than at Fiesta Farms.
Gelato
To be honest, I wasn't that impressed, but that's because I'm not a fruit gelato kind of guy. I like the nutty chocolatey creamy ones. Still, the flavours in it are all of real fruit, and it's a nice light one. My wife loves it.
Gelato
FYI, the cooler and ice will be good, but they already pack the gelato in styro containers when you buy in bulk. I bought their big container last night, half with the Macedonia (fruit salad) and half with Marscapone, $18, and drove the 20 minutes home sans air conditioning with no visible effect on the gelato.
Gelato
I talked my wife into getting it last time while I got the pistachio and the hazelnut, and all I got was 3 measly licks! Needless to say, I fell in love.
