vickichowder: FRIES

THE ORIGINAL RAMEN BURGER, LOS ANGELES

, 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

AVOCADO

BENJAMIN'S RESTAURANT AND INN, ST. JACOBS

I first came about this restaurant a good four or five years ago. Back then I shared the Reuben sandwich with Mommy, and since that moment, I have been enlightened with the magic of Montreal smoked meat.

*Click* Benjamin's Restaurant and Inn is on Urbanspoon!

Pretty and fresh smelling lavender

If I remember correctly, the menu has been the same from four-five years ago until now. I'm not complaining

Pumpernickel and sourdough bread

We started with bread, but when it came, the bread wasn't warm, and the butter wasn't room temperature (so the butter was remarkably difficult to spread). But the sourdough tasted alright.

Ham and Brie sandwich: with pears, spinach, and a grainy honey-dijon mustard

Mommy and I had a Ham and Brie sandwich. It was filled with everything I love: pear, honey-dijon, spinach, ham, and brie. Oh yes, and encased in multigrain bread *yay*

Curry seafood soup

The there were three daily soups, and we chose the curry seafood one I believe. Of course, I didn't expect any flavours close to the actual curries I've had, but I still didn't like it in the end. They added short noodles, which didn't help the thinness and blandness of the soup ):

Caesar salad and cream of broccoli soup

Daddy ordered a caesar salad, and a cream of broccoli soup. I didn't try any, but he said it was good. I think the bacon on the salad could have been cut up a bit more so it's easier to eat with the lettuce.

Kid's burger with fries

Brother ordered a burger with fries from the kid's menu. It was a rather large-sized burger for a child, so he only ended eating half of it (but yes, he devoured all the fries). The burger came with a side of the three basic burger condiments: ketchup, mustard, and relish.

California wrap

Our friend ordered the California wrap, which I did get to have a taste of. I really liked the ginger-mango chutney, as it gave the wrap that special touch to make me remember it much different from other wraps. And especially like the avocado spread. Then again, I love avocado in just about anything - so I believe I am biased.

This is a comfortably decorated restaurant, with lots of windows to let in the natural light accompany your food. Seating was spacious, and they accommodate large and small parties equally well. The first time I went it was with a larger group of people, and we sat in a beautiful room adorned with branches and white lights on one side, and closed off with a thick curtain on the opposite side.

This has been my third time here, and I've left feeling the service is worth the tip. It's a great place to come have something simple and that fills you for whatever you have in store for the rest of your day.

MUAH MUAH MUAH

VICKI CHOW

P/S

It's less than a month until the start of my trip to Malaysia! Being super excited to go, I've already packed nearly all of my clothes. Now I'm just trying to find things to do to make the day go by faster. It seems as though the afternoon goes by so slowly whenever I stay at home... But thankfully I've been occupied well these past few days *yay*

People tend to like things with smiling faces, no?

A month ago, I made some red bean-filled and coconut-filled buns (made the Asian bakery style way) for a bake sale. I'm not sure how they sold because I just dropped off the 50 buns and left, but having tried both of the buns before handing them off, I can say they are confirmed very legitimate tasting.

Do appearances ever tempt you to buy things you don't want that much?

, by vickichowder

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THE ORIGINAL RAMEN BURGER, LOS ANGELES

KOREAN COWBOY, TORONTO

BENJAMIN'S RESTAURANT AND INN, ST. JACOBS

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THE ORIGINAL RAMEN BURGER, LOS ANGELES

KOREAN COWBOY, TORONTO

BENJAMIN'S RESTAURANT AND INN, ST. JACOBS

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