A Blog About Eating

Southern Aroma - Markham Restaurant for the Spicy Tongues

2015-11-02T22:14:00.000-05:00

Southern Aroma is a relatively new restaurant to the South Indian/Sri Lankan (Tamil) food scene. It is located in Markham.

The interior is simple but very South Asian, with statues of Hindu gods etc adorning various locations. Water is served in copper stainless steel tumblers, which is quite interesting because traditionally in some parts of India and Sri Lanka, you are not supposed to drink off a tumbler with your lips touching its edge.

Tumbler

You are supposed raise your face, open your mouth, raise the tumbler even further up and then pour the water towards your opened lips. In a restaurant, of course, no one can drink like that; hence, I was curious.

They also provided hot, wet towels, a novelty for a GTA-based Indian restaurant.

Squid (cuttlefish) Thali

Squid Curry Thali

I have to concede that I have never seen such generous portions of curries given for thali. of thali. There were an incredible nine dishes including the dessert, and the dishes were bigger (in amount) than what I am used to getting in Canada when I order thali.

The following dishes were part of the thali in addition to the squid curry: the ubiquitous dhal curry, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) with chickpeas, pumpkin curry, soya chunks curry, eggplant and channa dhal, a mixed-vegetable gravy, a yoghurt dish with diced onions and a dessert – gulab jamun.

I always like the squid cooked to retain some of its chewiness because only then will the curry release its best taste, and I love that. The curry retained the chewiness and it was moderately spicy.

The rest of the curries, except for the dhal curry and the yoghurt mixture, were more on the spicier side but not too spicy. Perhaps that is the downside of the thali setup – there was not much contrast in tastes or colour. All were mostly brown. I would have preferred a few non-spicy items, such as a second salad.

Vanni Mutton Kulambu (Mutton Curry)

Vanni Mutton Kulambu

For those who wonder what this long name means, Vanni is the vast mainland in northern Sri Lanka. A significant portion of it is made up of forests where traditionally game is available and one could assume the curries made there are more robust in nature because of the unavailability of the finer ingredients available in a city. Kulambu (also written kuzhambu) is the Tamil name for curry with a substantial amount of gravy.

The menu card promised of a rustic free range mutton dish cooked with rustic inspiration. The dish came with a thick sauce and the mutton was not overcooked. The amount was liberal too, with fried red chillies, but it was not too spicy. I thought I detected a tinge of sweetness that may have come from the use of tomatoes. As a matter of principle, I do not like tomatoes in spicy curries.

Chettinad Gardein Chicken

Chettinadu Gardein Chicken

It was the first time I had seen gardein chicken. The menu card says it is ‘quinoa-based mock chicken’, cooked according to the famous Chettinadu style.

It piqued my interest so I ordered that.

The ‘chicken’ chunks were good – the texture almost matched that of regular chicken albeit the bones.

It was quite spicy as well, as one would expect from a Chettinadu-style dish. In fact, this was the spiciest dish of all.

Final Comments

This is a great restaurant for those wanting to taste some South Indian/Sri Lankan (Tamil) style dishes. The prices are reasonable and the service is good.

Makimono in Ajax - Japanese Restaurant with Some Unique Dishes

2015-04-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

Makimono is one of the earliest Japanese restaurants in Ajax, and for a long time it has been serving an all-you-can-eat buffet. It appears that most Japanese restaurants in Durham region, or at least in Ajax, are desired mostly for their all-you-can-eat buffets.

And it was time, after a long pause, to visit Makimono again. I noticed that there have been some changes in the menu and in the way the orders are taken. Gone are the days when you were given a long sheet to jot down the items you wanted; it has been replaced by an iPad-based app that allows you to choose what you want. There were also new dishes.

One of the first dishes I tried was the baked mussels with sauce. It was warm and the flesh fused really well with the sauce.

Another dish I tried was the cold mussel with wasabi sauce on top. The wasabi sauce was not too strong to kill the taste of the fresh mussel.

I usually go for just one hand-roll and rarely for the other type of rolls, except if I feel they may have a good one such as the soft shell crab roll varieties.

The sushi and sashimi were decent and pretty fresh. But I was surprised that the hand-roll was not served in the usual hand-roll holder and was just laid on the plate.

For fans of 'authentic Japanese food' this is not the place, but it has decent food and I will visit again to taste some of my favourite items.

Bitter Gourd (Bitter Melon) Thick Curry

2015-03-31T11:19:00.002-04:00

½ bitter gourd, diced into small pieces

1 red tomato, diced fine

½ onion, sliced lengthwise

5 curry leaves

¼ tbsp. of curry powder (optional)

2 tbsp of coconut milk

1 cup of water

Salt to taste

Add all the ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer. The bitter gourd, as the name suggests, is bitter but longer simmering will soften it and make a dent in the bitterness. You can also add more coconut milk to reduce the bitterness but then the purpose of the dish will be lost.

Bitter Gourd (Bitter Melon) Salad

2015-03-31T11:12:00.002-04:00

1 bitter gourd sliced fine

3 shallots diced fine

1 green chilli, cut fine

½ lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Deep fry the bitter gourd. When they have cooled down, add all the ingredients and mix well.

Hummingbird Tree (Agathi Tree) Yellow Curry

2015-03-29T22:26:00.000-04:00

Humming bird Leaves. © Herbsvedha.blogspot.com

Ingredients

1 bunch Hummingbird tree leaves (they come with the stems)

2 shallots

2 tbsp coconut milk

½ cup water

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Agathi Yellow (White) Curry

Remove the elongated leaves, fresh and green in colour, from their stems and wash them gently in cold water.

Add all the ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil. Don’t overcook.

The liquidy sauce and the leaves will have a bitter taste to them.

Sushi Bar Sushiya -- Great Japanese food

2015-02-02T20:53:00.001-05:00

I recently visited the Sushi Bar Sushiya in Toronto. It is owned by the Zakkushi group, and is located in the basement of their restaurant chain.

This is undoubtedly one of the best sushi bars I have been. The sashimi was simply awesome, and sometimes I got the feeling the fish was so fresh that it will melt in the warmth of my mouth.

Here are some of the photos and the video (the making of wagyu beef sushi).

The Drinks Menu

Dessert

La Sani Grille Ajax - Decent Place with Great Indo-Pakistani Food

2015-01-22T00:25:00.000-05:00

La Sani Grille Ajax is an Indo-Pakistani restaurant, with a branch in east Toronto. In Ajax, it occupies the spot that used to be the Pasta Tutti Giorni, which was one of my favourites, particularly for their escargot dishes.

La Sani Grille is also spacious, and some changes have been made to the interior and to the service style. It is a semi-fast food joint, with the dishes available displayed on a board on the left side. A monitor plays some of their dishes and how they are made in a loop while one is able to see part of the kitchen.

I have been there twice so far.

The first time, I ordered Beef Nihari and Seekh Kebab. Nihari came with naan, and the Kebab had the option of rice or naan, and I went for naan, an unusual practise for me.

Both came with salad, which was cut green salad leaves, with tomato, cucumber and onions.

There was no warm drink (no alcohol either) that could be had before and during a meal (they have chai, but that is an after-meal drink), so ordered just a bottle of water.

Nihari

Nihari

It came in an elegant, copper bowl that is usual for Indian/Pakistani restaurants. A thick sauce with large beef chunks. It was deep and richly flavoured, and spicy too, though I wish it had more of a bite but I guess they wanted down the spiciness to take into account that most customers prefer it mild.

I also wish the beef cubes were slightly more cooked.

Seekh Kebab

Seekh Kebab

It is another traditional Pakistani/Indian dish, grilled in a Tandoori oven and served with mint sauce or chutney.

The meat was fresh, and done well that it was not raw but not too dry to kill the juices. All in all, it was very succulent.

The second time, I ordered Lamb Chops and Lentil Curry.

Lamb Chops

Lamb Chops

Rack of lamb marinated in their own sauce and cooked in a clay tandoor. It came with basmati rice which seemed to have to have been cooked in a browny broth. The chops were well cooked, though slightly dry. The rice was perfect – well cooked and only slightly salted.

Dhal (Lentil) Curry

Dhal Curry

It was masoor dhal (split red lentils), cooked with turmeric and ginger. It was a thick curry, with the lentils cooked to become almost a thick soup. I think it was not fried with spices such as red chillies, mustard seeds and cumin, as it is customary in parts of India and Sri Lanka.

Kheer (rice pudding)

Kheer

It was served in a plastic bowl, which was odd, given that the other dishes were served in stylish, copper dishes, but I guess they had prepared this more for take-out.

It was fresh, not overly sweetened, and the fresh pistachio slices added a nice touch of crunchiness to it.

Chai

Chai

Thick, with lots of milk and hot, as a traditional Indian/Pakistani-style chai is. Very good.

Final Comments

All in all, this is a decent place, spartanly decorated but good for families. The dishes were fresh and very tasty. Unfortunately, no alcohol is served and the lack of hot beverages (other than chai) for meals is a downer for me. I would prefer at least a green tea to go with my meals.

What I found odd was that this is located in a strip mall where another, smaller restaurant serves Afghani food, which is in some ways same as Pakistani food.

Eat My Pie in Pickering - A Chic Place With Good Food

2014-10-06T16:19:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine and I were looking for lunch in Pickering recently when he remembered seeing a cool-looking pizza joint. After some driving we found the place, Eat My Pie. The unique name and the promise of pies, as pizzas are called here, from wood-fired ovens were sufficient to entice us into the place.

Eat My Pie

Unlike other places, we didn’t have to wait to be seated. A notice at the entrance asks patrons to sit wherever they want, so we chose a comfortable place.

The second observation, after sitting, is that it did not need a menu card – the menu was printed on a sticker and glued to all the tables. What a cool idea!

Eat My Pie Menu

A whole variety of options are available: for appetizers -- soups to breads, Yukon fried potatoes and buttermilk calamari; for main courses -- different types of pies and pasta; and desserts – pies to sweet balls.

We opted for the Warm Olives and Hedge Hog Pie.

Warm Olives

These are warm Peruvian green and black olives, with artichokes and roasted red peppers, in a vinaigrette sauce, with slices of bread on top. We had asked it to be spicy, so they added crushed chillies which were there, but kind of remained in the background without making it too hot.

Warm Olives

Hedge Hog Pie

This is a meat-lovers’ paradise. It comes with a tomato sauce base, red pepper puree, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, salami and sausage, with garlic, basil and, to give a French twist, aioli sauce. As if this was not enough, we ordered an extra topping of wood-grilled bacon. I love good bacon, and with this exotic name, I could not pass it.

The pizza was very vibrant in appearance and taste with dripping sauce. The flavours were rich, and it was not overcooked (or over-baked) so that all the ingredients retained most of their flavours. The crust was slightly blackish, but then it is my preference to have it more brownish than blackish. In any case, it was not too thick or hard, and the middle of the dough was pretty thin, as it should be.

Hedge Hog Pie

Final Comments

It is a nice, chic place, with a sports-bar feeling with some big-screen television sets running sports and news. The service was great. I like when the waiting personnel offer great suggestions without pushing it too far.

Fine Taste Chinese Restaurant in Ajax - Review

2014-09-21T23:31:00.000-04:00

Ajax has a new (Hakka) Chinese restaurant. The Fine Taste Hakka Chinese Restaurant was opened about two ago, and is located on Bayly Street where long time ago another Chinese restaurant was located. The new one, which serves Indian dishes as well, is, however, smaller.

I decided walk into the restaurant for lunch.

There are two types of menus basically – a very extensive full menu and the obligatory lunch menu.

Fine Taste Hakka Chinese Restaurant

We decided to go for the lunch menu, and ordered Chili Beef and Crispy Ginger Chicken. Unusually for a Chinese restaurant, the lunch menu dishes come with French Fries and a bottle of water.

We wanted to swap French Fries for something else, but that was not an option. So, decided to pay a dollar extra, and get two spring rolls.

Crispy Ginger Chicken

It had a tinge of sweetness, and dipped in dough before being stir fried. As it is always with most Chicken dishes of this nature, the meat was pretty hard.

Chili Beef

Obviously, this was my star dish. We had asked them to make it very spicy and surprisingly, they made it pretty spicy, with lots of chopped green chilies. The beef was soft without any signs of too much starch, and there was a thick brown gravy/sauce. They gave the option of choosing the dish either dry or with gravy, and we chose the latter as the firswt dish was dry.

Fine Taste Hakka Chinese

Notes:

Again unusually for a Chinese restaurant, the dishes came with a large portion of rice.

The restaurant can be called a modern Chinese restaurant, with the space not cramped with tables. Free wi-fi is available.

I hope to taste some of the other dishes in the coming weeks.

Hot and Spicy Food Festival in Toronto

2014-08-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

The Hot and Spicy Food Festival was held at the TorontoHarbourfront Centre between Aug. 15-17. I attended the first evening, mostly because I wanted to participate in the spicy dish competition.

Six chefs created their dishes, and we could taste all of them and rank them.

My comments are below.

Please note that I am used to pretty spicy food, so my verdict is also subjective.

All dishes at Hot & Spicy Food Festival.

The dishes:

Carmine Accogli (Italy)

Dish: Diavoletti (Italian ground meat and spicy marinara sauce-filled phyllo pastry cigars).

Diavoletti

The marinara sauce was delicious and strong. The meat retained its strength. The phyllo casing was a little oily but fresh.

Not spicy.

Rudy Boquila (Philippines)

Dish: Spicy Caldereta Burger (spicy beef burger with olives, tomato and pineapple) with Bicol Express Fries (coconut milk, chillies, pork and fermented shrimp paste over house-made fries)

Spicy Caldereta Burger with Bicol Express Fries

Unfortunately, I came to this dish as the last, and by that time the burger had lost some of its softness, but the burger was good. The sauce was unique, and I never figured out the source of that hitherto unknown taste. It could have been the fermented shrimp paste but it is a taste that is not meant for the faint hearted.

Mildly spicy.

Devan Rajkumar (India)

Dish: Shrimp Vindaloo, with rice.

Shrimp Vindaloo

It was a melange of spices – sweetness, sourness and a tinge of spicy-ness. A strong dish.

Not spicy.

Steve Gonzalez (Colombia)

Dish: Fire and Ice Ceviche with snapper aji combo and a citrus and lulo sorbet

Fire and Ice Ceviche

It came in a cup; it was big and though had the company logo printed on the outside, I would have liked a more elegant way to present the dish. However, the dish itself was fantastic. The sorbet was great and so was the ceviche. Very fresh, and the tartness was strong.

Not spicy.

Yumiko Kobayashi (Hapan)

Dish: Tofu skewer with spicy sesame sauce

Tofu Skewer

The dish came on a bun which was fresh. The skewer ingredients were fresh.

Mildly spicy.

Howard Dubrovsky (Mexico)

Dish: Queso Panella Poppers with salsa roja and jalapeno candied bacon.

Queso Panella Poppers

Two small deep friend buns, topped with the bacon, jalapeno and sauce mixture. Bacon and jalapeno gave the creation a unique flavour.

The most spiciest of all.

The winner, obviously, is the last.

Taste of Toronto 2014

2014-08-12T11:58:00.001-04:00

Fifty dishes of all sorts, and all in one place – this is what Toronto’s first ever Taste of Toronto promised. Held at Fort York in Toronto during the last July weekend, this event follows the tradition of similar ‘Taste Festivals’ that are held in almost twenty cities around the globe.

Courtesy:TasteofToronto

I visited the ToT for the first session on Saturday. Fortunately, it was a warm day.

The use of ‘crowns’ as the event’s currency (one dollar bought one crown) is a good idea, but I am not sure what happens if you have unspent crowns.

The festival was made up basically of stands promoting anything from spicy sauces to tourism and healthy juices, food stands, well-known chefs’ sessions and wine tasting sessions.

The Dishes at Taste of Toronto

Oysters

My first try was the Fresh Oyster, Apple and Jalapeno. From the Splendido. The oyster was cut in my presence and was fresh. So was the apple and the jalapeno.

Tamarind-Cod Ceviche

Tamarind Ceviche with cod, mango and coriander on jicama tacos. From the El Caballito Los Calibris combined stand. The tacos were fresh, and the mango had the perfect mixture of sweet and sourness. The cod was also fresh and the coriander almost freshly plucked.

Takoyaki

Takoyaki (deep-fried octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce, karashi mayo with bonito flakes). From Guu Izakaya, which had a combined stand with JaBistro and Kinto Ramen.

They were freshly fried, though slightly on the heavier side. Somehow I have come to associate Japanese food with being light on the stomach. But it does not mean they compromised on the taste. It was fabulous.

The Patria Tent

The Making of Paella

The Paella

Seafood Paella with bacalao, mussels, shrimps, bay scallops. Fish, pea and crisp serrano. From the Patria/Westlodge and Byblos groups.

As you can see from the photos, this was one of the most popular places because of the visual excitement the stand provided. The food was great, though on the salty side, but this is not the first time paellas have tasted more on the salty side.

Crispy Rice Salad

Crispy Rice Salad, with rice, ginger, cilantro, sour pork sausage, lime leaf, and fresh roasted peanuts. From Khao San Road restaurant.

This was my ‘last’ main meal. I had to wait for a few hours as the place was always crowded. The dish’s ingredients, particularly ginger, cilantro, peanuts and sausage, have strong flavours, and that was evident in the dish. I am not a big fan of crispy rice (prefer the softer version, and the stand did not have anything with steamed rice or noodles) but on the whole, it was a great full meal.

However, I was not done with the meals yet. There were samplers; kind of amuse-bouche.

Butter Chicken Bison

In fact, the first dish to taste at the event was the ‘butter chicken’ bison, promoted by the bison farmers. The meat was juicy and succulent.

Mahi Mahi Ceviche

The second dish came from the Barbados tent: mahi mahi ceviche, on a breadfruit and coconut tacos (I think). Another tasty dish, though I think I would need a couple of them to define its taste.

Summer Roll

The last dish was perhaps the most elegant; the cold summer roll. Tastily done, this rice paper roll was done by Recipieces, which is a Toronto-based company that delivers you all the ingredients you need to make your special meals. The logic is that you save time by not having to visit too many stores when you want to create different types of dishes in a multicultural city like Toronto.

The roll was delivered in small, plastic spoons. The roll itself was fresh (it took them some time making them) and strong in flavour.

I did not try the wine tasting events, and could not taste the Pilsner Urquell stuff because could not understand how their system worked at the Festival.

Green Coconut

However, the perfect way to end a few hours of good food on a warm day was to have coconut water, fresh off a chilled green coconut.

American Express Tent

A special thanks to American Express-Canada, which had set up a tent for its members. There was water and light snacks, but one could also buy wine or Italian champagne. It was an oasis in a desert.

On the whole, a memorable event.

Red Kitchen - A Very Spicy Thai Restaurant in Ajax

2014-02-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

For long, I have been on the hunt for Thai restaurants that serve really spicy food -- the Thai way. Unfortunately, I have to concede that so far in Canada I have not found any 'authentic' Thai restaurant. The spiciest Thai foods I have had so far are from two restaurants -- one in Vienna, Austria, and the other in Jaco, Costa Rica.

So, when I saw a new joint, called Red Kitchen, open up in Ajax, it was time for a try but I have to concede I was too sceptical. I was ready to settle for a decent East Asian dinner.

Appetizers

I ordered Tom Yum soup and the plate of Thai spring rolls for appetizers.

Tom Yum Soup

Thai Spring Rolls

The soup was warm and contained the usual ingredients and the sour taste of lime juice. The chef was not stingy with shrimps. The spring rolls, also with shrimps and vegetables, were crisp and fresh. They came with sweet and sour as well as peanut sauces.

Main Courses

For the main meal, we went for Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and Thai-style spicy red beef curry.

I asked the waitress how spicy it will be and she assured me they can make it very spicy but only on the condition that I cannot return the dish should I find it too hot for my taste.

It was not a problem for me.

In some places you know that the chilli paste or, worse still, chilli powder, was added later-on to the almost cooked or cooked meal. Because the last additions did not mix and cook well, the dish tastes raw and awful, not to talk about the negative effect it can have on the stomach.

Thai Red Curry

But at Red Kitchen it was a different story: the sauce was spicy and in addition, I could also see the small pieces of chillies. What I liked was that the chilli strength had seeped into the curry, giving me the feeling that the sauce was almost fresh if not fresh made.

This was kind of crazy spicy but delicious.

Nasi Goreng

The Nasi Goreng was decent and could have been enough for two people.

Dessert

For dessert, ordered deep fried bananas with ice cream. It also came with its chef's special sauce. I would have preferred had the bananas been fried to a more golden color. The sauce could also have been more pronounced in its taste.

Fried Bananas

To sum it up, this is a restaurant worth a second visit. A good addition to Ajax.

Maimana Naan & Kabab Restaurant in Ajax - A New Gem

2013-08-23T11:03:00.001-04:00

I came across Maimana Naan & Kabab Restaurant in Ajax quite accidentally, as I was returning from a haircut in the same mall in Ajax. It was a new joint, and such new restaurants in Ajax need to be explored.
Since then, I have been there twice. I have had their Chicken Tandoori Kabab and Mixed Grill Kabab.
It is kind of a fast-food place, with a simple, but rich set of meals. The interior is also simple but clean and decent.

Maimana Restaurant in Ajax

About Maimana
Maimana is the capital of the Faryab Province in northern Afghanistan, near Turkmenistan. It sits on a valley between rolling hills with lush green vegetation.

Maimana Restaurant Menu
They have two appetizers, seven types of kabab meals, three types of kabab wraps, seven types of kabab burgers, three types of salads, four sides and four types of desserts/beverages.
No alcohol served.

Chicken Tandoori Kabab
I am not a big fan of tandoori, partially because it can turn out to be very (very) dry. But the Maimana Naan

Chicken Tandoori Kabab

and Kabab's tandoori is among the best -- succulent, with the spice mix seeped into the chicken pieces. I almost felt that if I squeeze the pieces, the spice-infused juices will come out.

Mixed Grill Kabab
Contained three types of meat -- chicken, lamb and beef. The chicken was the best. Again, it was very soft but tasty. The beef was appropriately hard, though just how hard it should be is a subjective matter. The lamb was also tasty, in its texture it was somewhere between the hardness of the beef and the softness of the chicken kabab.

Mixed Grilled Kabab

The owners know how to marinate their meat well.
Both plates came with yellow rice, but not quite Briyani type, and fresh naan. The naan, topped with poppy and sesame seeds, was indeed fresh and crisp.
One could also get mint-flavoured and a chilli-flavoured sauces.

Dessert - Ferni
According to their menu, ferni is a light, silky pudding of milk and starch, favoured with rosewater, cardamom an pistachio. I thought it may have been done from milk powder, but not sure. I am sure, though, of the fantastic taste -- silky and moderately sweet. And I loved the fact that the rosewater fragrance was not too strong.

Ferni

Compliment of the House -- Doogh
Doogh is a yoghurt drink -- kind of lassi or ayran, but not the same. Doogh, the owner told me, is a mixture of yoghurt, mint and water -- a perfect summer drink. I simply loved it, because the yoghurt's influence was very subtle and it gave a feeling of having some sort of soft, fruit drink.

All in all, I was terribly happy about the Maimana Naan and Kabab Restaurant. The food is simple but tasty and the service is great. Ajax needs such restaurants.

Bacalao-Style Fish Stew

2013-01-13T14:23:00.001-05:00

I accidentally turned into PBS's New Scandinavian Cooking where Andreas Viestad was making Bacalao Stew.

I was enamoured by the concept, and amazed that this stew, with its chilli component, could fit in as a Norwegian dish.

Bacalao-Style Stew

I did some research and found out more about the stew, and decided to make my own.

Ingredients:

100 gms of Pacific Wild Salmon, cut into small cubes

100 gms of King Fish, cut into small cubes

4 medium sized potatoes, each cut into half

2 onions, sliced.

2 bay leaves

1/2 pod of garlic, minced

1 tbsp. of black pepper, crushed

1 tbsp. of fennel, crushed

4 red dried chillies

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 can of whole tomatoes

1 can of tomato sauce

1/2 cup of lime juice

Vegetables

I chose whatever I had:

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

Mixed all the ingredients in a pot, and cook in medium heat for 90 minutes

The result is a thick, spicy stew/soup that can be had as a stand-alone meal, or with rice or brown bread. If you want less tang, then reduce the amount of whole tomatoes/tomato paste you use.

Tatemono Sushi Bar - Decent Food

2012-12-16T12:13:00.000-05:00

I had been wanting to visit Tatemono Sushi Bar and Restaurant for a while. There used to be a Greek restaurant at that spot which I had visited (see review).

Tatemono Sushi Bar & Restaurant

And finally I had the chance to visit it for lunch.

The interior is neat with a fusion of western and Asian design. It was crowded.

Ordered Edamame, Seaweed Salad & Mango Salad. It was very unusual see raw mango in Canada but there it was. I tried to figure out the sauce that was used but could not. It was slightly sweet. Again, very unusual.

Coconut Shrimps

Coconut Shrimps: two pieces of shrimps, dipped in a batter with coconut flakes and deep fried. Crisp and fresh, with a tinge of sweetness inherent to coconut.

Negimayaki

Negimayaki (Green Onion Beef Roll): Cut green onions rolled in thin beef slices and grilled with a sweet sour sauce. Beef was fresh.

Spicy Tuna Maki Roll

Spicy Tuna Roll: Perhaps the weakest in all. Even though I have heard that spicy foods are not part of Japanese epicurean culture, I have come to like the spicy tuna and salmon rolls. But this was bland and the tuna was too soft.

Assorted Sushi

Assorted Sushi: All fresh.

Food was fresh and even though it lacked the artistic and exquisite taste and value of a real Japanese restaurant, but for this price range, this was a great lunch. The staff was friendly.

I would like to visit again, but for dinner.

Spaetzle/Nockerln with Goulash

2012-10-14T22:44:00.002-04:00

Spaetzle/Nockerln is one of my favourite dishes. I love it with a good plate of goulash. In Austria it is generally called nockerln though there might a slight difference between the two.

Over the weekend I had made goulash and today I decided it was time to make spaetzle. I have some experience in Austrian cooking, so the last time I made spaetzle I went from my memory.

This time, however, I decided to check out a recipe but, as usual, I changed it slightly.

Ingredients:

2 cups of durum atta flour

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

¼ cup of water

A pinch of grated nutmeg

One teaspoon of salt

Add the salt and the nutmeg to the flour and mix well. Then add the well-beaten eggs, milk and water to mix the ingredients well.

Spaetzle Dough

The dough should be neither too stiff not too soft. When you fill the hopper of the spaetzle maker and pass it end to end, the dough should be soft enough to fall through the perforation in small, long beans like form.

Boil enough water in a pot.

Spaetzle Maker

It was time to use my brand-new spaetzle maker that I picked up while scouting for a cutting board.

It had a perforated tray with a handle on one end, and a square hopper to place the dough.

Once the water boils, fill the hopper with the dough and simply pass it through from end to end of the tray.

Ensure the small chunks don’t stick to each other inside the water.

Spaetzle

Leave it boil for between 6-8 minutes. Drain the water.

Spaetzle with Goulash

Enjoy with goulash.

Here is another recipe for Spaetzle/Nockerln

Vegetable Stir Fry

2012-07-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:

From the garden:

Celery –stalks and leaves

A mini zucchini

Young onions

Parsley

Swiss chard.

To add colour and taste:

2 Carrots

1 onion, sliced.

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ lime.

1 tsp. of soya sauce.

Wash the greens, and cut them into small pieces.

Separate the stems, and cut them fine.

Steam the carrots, after cutting them into pieces.

In a wok/pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the stems and stir.

Once they start turning softer, add the greens and onions. And stir.

Three minutes later, add the carrots and stir.

Add soya sauce and the lime juice.

Ready to be served.

Eggenberg Dunkel Beer -- A Beer to Enjoy

2012-04-28T17:22:00.001-04:00

I have always been a fan of the dunkel beer – dark beer, as translated from German. I grew this love during my stay in Vienna, Austria.
Not as dark as a Guinness, its dark reddish-brown fusion had an allure. But more than the colour, it was the taste – with a tinge of sweetness to it.

I had never managed to find its equivalent in Canada. Until recently.

I was poring through the LCBO shelves for something new when my eyes landed on the Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel.

Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel Beer

I could not remove my eyes from the word ‘Dunkel’. After more than a decade I am seeing it.

Immediately, I grabbed as many bottles as I could.

It is brewed by Schloss Eggenberg, which is considered as one of the world’s oldest breweries, with more than a thousand-year-old tradition.

A bock is defined as strong lager from Germany. The doppelbock is stronger t han a bock.

And true to its definition, the Doppelbock is malty and has its tinge of sweetness. It is very rich in froth.

An interesting article on dark beers: Dunkel, a Beer Ideal for Long Debates (New York Times)

Beaver Hall Restaurant - Montreal

2011-12-03T17:33:00.000-05:00


The Beaver Hall - Montreal

The Beaver Hall is one of those restaurants that reminded me of formal Europe – men in dress pants and shirts, while women elegantly attired. No sneakers.

Appetizers

No appetizers ordered. We decided to munch the bread and olive they provide for all tables.

Main


Pan Seared Calf Liver

Pan Seared calf liver, with pepper sauce and cinnamon apple.

The liver was perfectly done.

Salmon tartar, with bok choy and green beans, laid on very thinly sliced beetroots.

It was served on a wooden board with a dash of sweet-sour sauce.

The tartar was the right mixture with diced tomatoes, shallots and greens. There was no raw fish smell. A slice of lemon was provided for the juice.

The portion, as the first main, was small and, therefore, great because it did not give the feeling of having stuffed myself with food.

Yet, I could not but dispel the feeling of being in a Japanese restaurant. Particularly the wooden board and the sauce reeked of Japanese.

The Coffee

The way it was served is one of the best so far.

Milk came in a small mug, and not in those small packets, and there were sugar cubes. I loved it.

All in all, it was a great experience, with delicious meals and a great ambience, helped by friendly service.

A Library for Books on the Culinary World

2011-12-01T21:57:00.000-05:00

A Canadian university has more than 13,000 books related to the culinary arts, according to an article in the Toronto Star.

The University of Guelph’s books collection are from around the world organized into six collections. The books range from the modern to those published in the early 19th century.
For more on the collections, visit the Toronto Star Food Columnist Jennifer Bain’s article.

Mexico Lindo in Whitby and Ajax

2011-11-03T19:38:00.001-04:00

We were in Whitby late afternoon, and suddenly a desire to taste something Mexican rose. Ajax has a Mexican restaurant, but we wanted to check out Whitby. Fortunately, we were told there is one simple, but a good restaurant.

After some effort we found the place. It turned out that it is Mexico Lindo whose Ajax branch I had visited earlier.

And like the Ajax branch, one gets the feeling of being in a Spartan restaurant more common in southern countries. There was a lot of colour – in terms of Mexican artefacts.

There is always nachos with two types of sauces: the sour variety and the spicy-sour variety.

Appetizer

Grilled Calamari. It is always interesting to challenge the chef’s knack to make it spicier, so for the sauce I chose the Calientes (hot) way.

The squids were fresh in a rich, red tomato sauce. I have to agree that this was not that caliente after all, but then I am used very spicy dishes; for many of their customers this might be too spicy. The bread was great – warm, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Main Course

Steak a la Nayarita, which is New York steak topped with shrimps in a green tomatillo sauce, and Camarones Tampiquenos, which is shrimps cooked in a spicy green tomatillo sauce with cactus.

Tomatillos are called the green tomatoes, but they are only related to, and not the green variety of, the red one we are so used to seeing and using. They all belong to the nightshade family.

It was only when the dishes came did we realise the mistake: usually we go for dishes with distinct tastes, but here we had ordered two dishes with tomatillo sauce.

So, we ended with two quite sour dishes.

The steak was great – not too raw or soft, and full of juices.

Shrimps in both dishes were also fresh and not the small, tasteless ones.

The sauce was also rich, with peppers and lots of tomatillos. It reminded me of sour mango curries I used to have as a kid.

There was rice, salad and the ubiquitous refried beans as sides.

Mexico Lindo is a bright spot in Durham region with simple yet tasty dishes.

Price was moderate: between 50-65 dollars for two.

Safari Bar and Grill -- Unique Recipes with a Flavour

2011-11-03T19:06:00.004-04:00

Visited the Safari Bar and Grill in Pickering for dinner. I had passed that restaurant many times but never thought of visiting it until a friend praised its dishes.

They have an extensive selection of wine, and some interesting beers too. I went for the Austrian Stiegl beer.

Appetizer

They did not have Fresh PEI Steamed Mussels, so went for Chilli Garlic Shrimp. As promised we got black tiger shrimps, in a generous amount of spicy chilli garlic sauce, with home made kettle chips.

Main


Coconut Curry

Coconut Curry with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Carrots & Onions on a Bed of Jasmine Rice with Chicken.

The curry was thick and fresh. It tasted like a typical north Indian masala curry.


Creole Chicken

Creole-style free-range chicken.

This was the best of the two dishes. It was served with ‘dirty’ rice. Until now, I had not known that a dish called dirty rice existed but, thanks to this Wikipedia entry, found out that it is a dish native to the Cajun (Acadian) regions of southern Louisiana and Mississippi. It is made with white rice (hence the almost porridge-like consistency) chicken liver and vegetables. The chicken was a little bland, but it was well balanced by the spicy rice. What I also noticed was that the vegetables, like celery, were not mushy.

Dessert:

Banana cake with ice cream. It was fresh and warm. I liked the crunchy edges. As usual it is with most Canadian restaurants, the dessert was too much for one person.

Perhaps the best feature was the friendly service. Very chatty and even when they did not have the appetizer, they had a classy way of saying sorry.

I would like to go again.

DeSiam Thai in Whitby -- Spicy, Spicy, Spicy

2011-08-09T10:54:00.002-04:00

This was my second visit to DeSiam Thai restaurant.

It is very prominently located within the Entertainment Area in Whitby.

We went on a Saturday afternoon, and it was very quiet.

Appetizers
Thai Spice Calamari Rings.


Calamari Rings with Spicy Sauce

According to the Menu card, it is crispy fried calamari in Thai spice, served with DeSiam spicy sauce.

The rings were fresh and crispy. I would have preferred the sauce to be more unique, rather than the store-shelf variety, but then this is my own taste.

Main

We ordered , DeSiam Special Spicy Fiery Entrees, which promised to
be very spicy. We ordered Beef and Seafood dishes.

Spicy Seafood.

What I found interesting is that usually, one would expect to see and taste the same sauce base, but here they were slightly different. I thought the Beef dish was a little thicker while the Seafood dish had a little bit salty taste to it.


Spicy Beef

But spicy it was. I have been to a couple of Thai restaurants in Canada and this beat everyone else in serving the spiciest dishes. I never got to taste the full red chillies in the dishes.

For those wanting to taste really spicy dishes, this will be one restaurant.

With so much to eat, there was no need for the dessert.

Mexico Lindo in Whitby and Ajax

2011-07-24T15:13:00.002-04:00

We were in Whitby late afternoon, and suddenly a desire to taste something Mexican rose. Ajax has a Mexican restaurant, but we wanted to check out Whitby. Fortunately, we were told there is one simple, but a good restaurant.


Mexico Lindo in Whitby

After some effort we found the place. It turned out that it is Mexico Lindo whose Ajax branch I had visited earlier.

And like the Ajax branch, one gets the feeling of being in a Spartan restaurant more common in southern countries. There was a lot of colour – in terms of Mexican artefacts.


Mexico Lindo

There is always nachos with two types of sauces: the sour variety and the spicy-sour variety.

Appetizer

Grilled Calamari.

It is always interesting to challenge the chef’s knack to make it spicier, so for the sauce I chose the Calientes


Calamari with Calientes sauce

(hot) way.The squids were fresh in a rich, red tomato sauce. I have to agree that this was not that caliente after all, but then I am used very spicy dishes; for many of their customers this might be too spicy. The bread was great – warm, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Main Course

Steak a la Nayarita, which is New York steak topped with shrimps in a green tomatillo sauce, and Camarones Tampiquenos, which is shrimps cooked in a spicy green tomatillo sauce with cactus.


Camorones Tampiquenos

Tomatillos are called the green tomatoes, but they are only related to, and not the green variety of, the red one we are so used to seeing and using. They all belong to the nightshade family.

It was only when the dishes came did we realise the mistake: usually we go for dishes with distinct tastes, but here we had ordered two dishes with tomatillo sauce.

So, we ended with two quite sour dishes.

The steak was great – not too raw or soft, and full of juices.

Shrimps in both dishes were also fresh and not the small, tasteless ones.

The sauce was also rich, with peppers and lots of tomatillos. It reminded me of sour mango curries I used to have as a kid.

There was rice, salad and the ubiquitous refried beans as sides.

Mexico Lindo is a bright spot in Durham region with simple yet tasty dishes.

Price was moderate: between 50-65 dollars for two.

Island Soul - A Caribbean Jem in Ajax

2011-05-22T00:05:00.002-04:00

I have been to the Island Soul restaurant/take-out joint a couple of times. And today the sight of a coal-fired traditional barbecue outside the entrance enticed me, once again.

They had had barbecue chicken and the jerk chicken, so ordered both.


Island Soul restaurant in Ajax. Note the barbeque on the right.

The barbecue chicken was succulent, with a sauce more on the sweet-sour range.

The best, though, was the jerk chicken. Almost crispy skin but not too blackened, and the meat was appropriately dry.

The rice-with-peas was also excellent as always.

In short, this is one place in Ajax that delivers consistency.