vickichowder: BEER

SAKE SUSHI BAR, TORONTO (reno'd)

, by vickichowder

KOREAN COWBOY, TORONTO

Remember back then when there was this huge cupcake trend, and then not so back then when there was this huge cake pop trend (and also this mille crepe trend which didn't last just as long as the former two)?

Well now among Korean bars, the trend is kimchi fries and Korean meat tacos.

As with all my late night food outings, I never know which spot we'll be arriving at so this time I was smart and brought my camera hoping that we'll go somewhere new (which we did, hence this post).

We sat at a booth right where the entrance was and got the more-frequent-than-we-hoped blasts of cold air. But the alcohols kept us warm.

They have so much on tap. The list is endless. But we tried something I've never had that the guys thought were okay:

Stiegl

Had to also refrain from ordering soju/sake because that is a friend's Achilles's heel.

The kimchi fries (significantly better than Han Ba Tang, but we did order the bulgogi poutine or kimchi poutine, which sounds more impressive but really wasn't). They used sweet potato fries, enough kimchi so your weren't left with just fries when you finished all the kimchi on top. Enough spicy mayo, enough sweet teriyaki sauce. Good

There were only three of us, and the tacos come in 3, so we wanted to mix the combo and do 1 lettuce wrap (ssam) + 2 soft taco, but they didn't let us mix it. So we got 2 orders. Which was not that great because they are huge:

Soft taco was not warm (left-out-the-fridge-for-a-few-minutes temperature), the teriyaki chicken was also not that hot. Teriyaki sauce was the usual. The slaw was like any other slaw. Would've insisted on the spicy pork instead but was in the washroom during the ordering process. Bad

Lots of beef, lots of slaw. 2 layers of lettuce because this was a hefty serving. Would've eaten 2 if we didn't have the soft taco and wings as well. Will definity remake this at home. Very good

Liked how they have specific cups for each beer so you know which one you're reaching for when you drink. Good

Already too much food at this point...

Wings and fries. I think we ordered spicy honey or something else that was spicy and sweet. Was so full that I only had one wing part before they ate all the other wing parts and left the drumsticks (which I'm not too fond of). No comment

These fries were such a let down after the kimchi ones so I asked for spicy mayo. And look! She gave us three spicy mayos, for the each of us.

We never get cocktails but I wanted a non-beer, so sake+lime was the final pick. Good

2+ pints of beers and a couple of cocktails later, I was very satisfied and didn't feel that cold draft any more.

And then we left and started heading to round 2 (next post!)

P/S

I like eating very clean and "healthy" (that's all relative right?) during the weekdays so I can eat without worries on weekends:

Oh, and Chinese grocery shopping tip!

Always getting free roe from the fish monger *yay*

Befriend your fish monger/meat butcher and they will give you little things for free!

Dear readers, what is the new thing you've discovered this week?

, by vickichowder

ABE

ABE ERB, WATERLOO

I'm a really lazy kind of friend. The kind that doesn't bother meeting up with my other friends because there is no one to drive me (because I don't drive unless it's to take my brother out to his extracurricular activities or friends' birthday parties = get mistaken for being a young mom).

Although I'm fully aware of it, I still haven't gotten rid of my lack of motivation. So here is to declaring yet another improvement I need to work on starting this year *yay*

So when I do get to see my friends who I don't see in a while, it is nice, and we go to eat food.

When we wake up early enough, we go for breakfast. But most of the time we don't and so we go for brunch.

My girlfriend had raved about how good the lamb sausage was one night after she went to try from their night menu. The bread was not a crusty roll as they had described on their menu. The disappointing bread was saved by the sweet caramelized red peppers. Could also be saved with a denser toasted bread that was not used as a vehicle for the sausage. Fries were sweet, salty, and just beautifully seasoned. I also asked for a side of mayo (to eat with the fries). Minus the bread = Good

I didn't eat the burger but had more of the fries from this (friend that visited and I shared the sausage and eggs benedict below). Loving the fries = Very good

Spinach would've been good if wilted slightly with some olive oil and garlic. Nothing special here, but the homefries were not amazing - no sweet/salty/seasoned flavours like the regular fries, but just the usual salt and pepper. Crunchier than the regular ones too because they're smaller. I prefer my fries a little soggier and softer. Okay

Bottomless self serve coffee from morning to midday all weekend. If you have a caffeine addiction that cannot be cured, this is the place.

Long communal tables, booths, smaller tables with shorter/higher chairs all available.

They're known for their guest beers, and their own brews. But it was too early for a beer flight.

Want to come back again for their late night menu + beers.

P/S

Sometimes when I discover something new and amazing I'll tend to make it whenever I get the chance. Like that one holiday season when I made a croquembouche to every holiday party.

Or last holiday season when we bought 7+ bries and baked them all in a similar fashion.

A very childish (impromptu) cake for a 24th birthday

Nowadays it's Peking duck at home.

I feel like this maybe (stressing the maybe here) deserves its own post. Again, maybe.

Dear readers, what is the new thing you've discovered this week?

, by vickichowder

BAR

SAKE SUSHI BAR, KOREATOWN, TORONTO

Little did I know of just how good this place was because it was bustling with many people even though it was only Thursday (mid)night!

*Click* it's on Urbanspoon!

Did you say 'say'k or 'sah'kay? (It's the latter, by the way)

This bar is rather small, but they've thoughtfully partitioned off some side-by-side tables with linens, to add to the cosiness of the entire place. I suppose the single tealight on each table is supposed to supply to that atmosphere, but it just seemed like a nuisance during our meal.

What's that side dish there in the back? Omurice!

The menus are made for quick decisions as it is divided into 3 (or was it 4?) combo sections, where A is the cheapest, and C (or D) costs the most. Each combo comes with your choice of 5 beers or 1 bottle of soju. We got two combos, both with 5 beers and ordered sake and soju additionally.

Side dishes galore~

Briefly upon placing our order, the lovely waitress comes and brings us a variety of side dishes, which can very well be a meal on its own: a large bowl of iceberg salad with a spicy gojujang-like dressing, another salad topped with sashimi, CHIPS (which are really good, even though I typically don't like to eat chips), soup (I didn't have any), a rice bowl topped with sashimi and seaweed, and lastly, corn niblets topped with cheese that's served on a sizzling plate *two thumbs up*

They make sure you get your vitamins

I believe there were more side dishes, oh yes, and skewered grilled shrimp with the head intact so you can suck the brain and all the good stuff in the head. And a plate of fruits consisting on strawberry, pineapple, and banana. If at anytime, you'd like more side dishes, they'll be glad to give you more (: And throughout the night they just tend to keep giving you more plates of food you never ordered or had the intention of ordering *yay*

Now to the food we ordered from the combo - though the pictures I took do not do justice to the taste, you'll have to just believe me that it all tastes really good (and is perfect midnight food for blowing your mind yet its not rich or greasy: perfect for making you want to eat more)

Spicy chicken with onions, and other veggies

The first that came was the spicy chicken, served on a sizzling plate. If you can't eat spicy food, don't order this. Nothing special, but it was a good kick amongst all the not-at-all-to-a-little-bit-spicy side dishes.

We forgot to squeeze the lemon!

The second is the calamari sashimi, served on a bed of shredded daikon radish with a sesame soy seasoning and lots lots of sesame seeds. No one really touched the ginger or wasabi, so I ended up consuming nearly all of it, as it tastes really good with the daikon.

Getting a shot just after the table leaves

We had a great night/morning there, and the waitresses were all very friendly and willing to provide you with more on-the-house dishes throughout your meal! But the best part is just how cheap the entire bill came to be. Amongst six very full and satisfied people, the cost was about $13 per head.

MUAH MUAH MUAH

VICKI CHOW

P/S

Although there's still a week or so of school left, my mind has been in summer mode for the past month or so *gasp*

Still, I must muster up my effort to study in order to get through these last days, while thinking of the good food I'll get to enjoy once again when I go back home:

I eat dimsum quite often, and each time I have to get these two plates:
(left) a crispy chewy glutinous pastry encasing a sweet and salty meat filling
(right) egg tarts

School isn't even over yet and I'm already thinking about all the things that I'll be doing when I'll be free! - places to eat, things to make (to eat of course), people to catch up with (or eating a meal with people you haven't seen in awhile), and other activities regarding food and its consumption.

What are you looking forward to this spring/summer time?