Toronto Ahoy! (part deux) - Splendido

Part 2 to my part 2.  I wanted to send off my final evening in Toronto with a blast, gastronomically.  After searching through a few sites, I got word of Splendido.  It sounded like an upscale, modern Italian restaurant.  Management changed recently but apparently the standard has remained.  Its menu presented dishes that have an Italian flare but also combined with a slight twist that made them sound fresh.  I was game!

Since the restaurant sounded like it was a popular place that required reservations and I wanted to do a walk-in, I decided to show up early just in case.  When my cab pulled up in front of the restaurant, a cute valet guy immediately opened my door, except I didn't know he was a valet guy until later and was pleasantly confused for a while about how wonderful Canadians can be, opening taxi doors for complete strangers.  The restaurant was quite empty at about 6pm on a Wednesday evening.  I was immediately seated at one of the two bar tables by the large window at the front of the restaurant.

I'd already pretty decided what I was going to order prior to looking at the menu.  Thanks to the Internet these days, I had read in advance that the foie gras parfait and the butter-poached lobster risotto was the way to go.  And that's precisely what I ordered.  Except that the waiter threw me a curveball - the special of the day was parpadelle with morels and English peas.  That reminded me that it was spring and morels were in season!  I simply LOVE morels, they have such a rich and deeply savory flavor.  When in doubt, order everything.  So that's what I did.  Two appetizers (foie gras parfait and the morel pasta) and one entree (the butter-poached risotto) for me please, thank you very much!

First off, I must say I'm very impressed with the bread served at Splendido.  They presented a basket of country or whole-grain bread.  This was served with a very nicely room-temperature cube of salty butter and a little trio of olives, grissini sticks and a blob of hummus-like dip to swipe the grissini sticks in.  The country bread looked nicely rustic but very ordinary.  But oh my, the crust was so chewy and its flavor was amazing!!!!! One of the BEST breads I've had in a very very long time.  I couldn't get enough of this bread!  The bread was soft and very tasty and I even devoured the entire crust, when I'm not usually a crust person.  It was so delicious!  Already I knew this meal was going to be good.

The foie gras parfait came in a form that I wasn't expecting from the name 'parfait.'  Instead it came as a thick slab served atop a plank of natural wood and flanked by a thick slice of butter, crusty brioche and a tiny pot of macerated medjool dates.  This was pure decadence.  I'd read that the pate was made of a mix of goose and chicken livers hence more affordable but the smoothness and richness wasn't lost at all.  The slab of liver pate was so generous that the dish can definitely be shared among two, even though I finished it all up myself.  The sweet, alcoholic date also melded well with the richness of this dish.  A great started.

The second course to arrive was the morel special.  What a lovely, simple, well-executed and delicious dish.  The morels were perfectly cooked and infused itself into the cream sauce that it was served with.  The parpadelle was freshly made and perfectly al dente and yet also wonderfully chewy.  I loved this dish, just the right touch of richness to fend of the nip of early spring and yet still with the brightness of the English peas to remind you that warmer weather is on the way.

Then finally, came the butter-poached lobster.  It looked truly mouthwatering.  Taste-wise, even though it was very good, if I had to choose, it was my least favorite.  The butter-poached-ness didn't really come through so much for me.  Certainly, the Maine lobster used was generous, very fresh and sweet and cooked perfectly, however, it simply tasted to me like a simple poached lobster, the butter poaching didn't seem to make a marked difference.  Nevertheless, the flavors used were still very good.  There was a very appetizing tartness to the cream sauce, perhaps from mascarpone that was used in the risotto.  The raw pea shoots strewn on the dish as a garnish also added a nice touch of freshness to the overall dish.  I still enjoyed everything.

By this time, I was near the verge of explosion and unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for my health) could not stomach another morsel of food.  Hence I had to pass on dessert (admittedly the dessert menu was rather brief and didn't sound as interesting).  The restaurant was hopping by the time I was ready to leave.  The crowd looked happening and beautiful.  I was glad I was done with my meal though.  I really needed to walk around to help my digestion and very much looked forward to the long walk back to my hotel.

Splendido
88 Harbord Street between Spadina Ave and Sussex Mews

Toronto Ahoy! (part deux) - Guu Izakaya & Black Camel

I'm here again!  This time to process some visa-related issues.  Nevertheless, the eating continues!

First up:  Guu Izakaya - I first heard about this place from a fellow foodie friend.  Rumor has it that people will wait an hour to get into here.  A line?! I'm in!  After some googling, it seems like this joint is a bonafide foodie destination worthy of my trekking (although to be honest, it doesn't take much worthiness for me to trek for food).  It is an offshoot of a popular Vancouver chain.  It is located within downtown Toronto and easily walk-able from where I'm staying this time (One King West).  The reviews seem to all indicate a few things: (i) long wait (ii) delicious tori karaage (fried chicken) and (iii) very noisy.

I decided to try Guu out on a Monday evening.  Since I was leaving from work, was unable to hit it at its opening (5pm) but still didn't want to truly end up with an hour-long wait alone in the cold, I decided to scrap the trekking idea and sped off on a cab instead.

I arrived at about 6.30pm.  The restaurant is located in a somewhat deserted block on Church Street, amidst the university area (great idea since a lot of students would be willing customers at such a place).  I lucked out and immediately got seated by the bar since I was a party of one.  The restaurant is very loud indeed.  The entire wait staff would bellow out in Japanese periodically, greetings, goodbyes, order pick-ups etc.  It made for a very communal and festive atmosphere.

The menu is actually surprisingly simple.  A few items each of oden (Japanese soup-braised foods), grilled, fried, cold and dessert dishes.  There is a separate sheet of photocopied paper listing the specials of the day.  I selected the kinoko cheese bibimbap, ebi mayo, tori karaage (how could I resist) and tontoro.

Kinoko Cheese Bibimbap
This is your typical stone-pot rice bowl but made with chunky pieces of button mushrooms sauteed with garlic and seasoned with a nori-flavored seasoning.  The whole mixture is topped with shredded cheese and served up sizzling hot.  It was really delicious!!!  There was something totally addictive about the nori-flavored sauce and the combination with the meaty pieces of mushroom was such a winner.  I don't know why such a simple idea hasn't been repeated at the many izakayas in NYC!?

Ebi Mayo
This is deep fried battered shrimp topped with spicy mayonnaise.  The shrimp was really fresh, plump and juicy.  However, the batter took away from it.  Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the dish, I suppose I found it rather ordinary.

Tori Karaage
This is a very typical Japanese izakaya dish of ginger/garlic-seasoned deep fried chicken chunks.  And it was made really well here.   Chunky pieces of dark meat chicken that has been well-marinated and fried till it's perfectly crispy outside and so juicy, tender and delicious inside.  Definitely the best of the lot, second to the bibimbap.

Tontoro
This is grilled pork cheeks.  The pork was tender, quite oily and more about the texture than anything.  On its own, it wasn't particularly original but it was very interestingly matched with a smudge of grated yuzu peel and wasabi as a dipping condiment.  This yuzu wasabi dip was really wonderful with the somewhat bland pork.

For dessert, the creamy almond pudding was a winner after all that rich food.

And, as a nice final touch, a little pot of frozen grapes with the check.

I had a good time here.  The service was really friendly.  The food was mostly interesting and well-made.  Would come back again if I'm in Toronto.

Guu Izakaya
398 Church Street, between McGill and Granby Streets

Second up: The Black Camel up in Rosedale.  This restaurant is located in the suburban neighborhood of Rosedale.  It is right off busy Yonge Street and is just at the outer rim of the main downtown area of Toronto.  Walking there is possible from downtown Toronto, but may take over half an hour of brisk walking, depending where you are starting from.

The buzz about this place is its pulled pork sandwich, firstly, and its barbecued meats in general, secondly.  It is a small, take-out type of an establishment.  You place your order at a counter and may choose to take-away or eat-in at one of the two small tables or the more plentiful bar stools.

I went with the pulled pork sandwich and added extras - cheese, horseradish sauce and sauteed onions.  My first comment is - don't bother getting the extra toppings, they don't give you much of it and you therefore barely taste them so what for.  The only exception is the horseradish sauce, if you enjoy horseradish, the taste will be strong enough to come through in the sandwich, and it does go well together.

The sandwich is huge.  It comes in a fresh and soft kaiser roll that is split in half.  The pulled pork is piled generously into the bread.  The sandwich comes wrapped in a large sheet of aluminum-lined paper, which serves as a very handy 'plate' for all the drippings that will come.

The pulled pork was very tasty.  The flavor of tomatoes came through most strongly.  Unfortunately, my only complaint is the texture of the pulled pork - it tasted as if it had been sitting in a warmer all day and had gotten a little stringy.  I could tell that when freshly cooked, this pulled pork would've been perfectly textured.  However, as I came around 7pm when closing time was 8pm, it had probably been sitting around for a long time.  That was definitely a shame.

I noticed signs around the little shop that indicated menu items here (most likely including the pulled pork) sell out early oftentimes and that their twitter site would be the best place to confirm availability beforehand.  I guess I was lucky to get what I got going there so late in the day.  Wouldn't mind trying this place again but definitely earlier during the day.

Black Camel
4 Crescent Road, NE corner of Yonge Street

A Delightful Lunch

How simple and delicious - room service at the Intercontinental Hotel on Front Street West, Toronto - a grilled shrimp caesar salad with an added side order of sauteed mushrooms mixed in:

Toronto Ahoy!

I'm in Toronto for a few days, attending a work conference.  The food in this city is rather renown.  There is quite a lot of character, with an eclectic mix of flea and farmers' markets, ethnic markets, fine-dining restaurants and casual cafes.  Here are a few of my top picks this trip (in no particular order):

1. Carousel Bakery's Peameal Bacon Breakfast Sandwich:

Peameal bacon is a type of Canadian bacon that is traditionally rolled in pea meal to ensure better curing and shelf life.  These days, most peameal bacon is rolled in more commonly available corn meal.  The taste of this bacon is much leaner than regular bacon, it is still juicy, tender and briny nevertheless.  When sandwiched in a soft roll and topped with fried egg and American cheese, it's divine!

Carousel Bakery
St Lawrence Market
On Front Street East, between Jarvis and Market Streets
Closed Sundays and Mondays

2. The Canadian Sausage Cart

I LOVE getting hotdogs in Canada.  They are far and away so much better than what we typically have in New York.  The 5 reasons I love them so much:
(i) Their dogs are grilled over charcoal.
(ii) They have selections of dogs - spicy, chicken, bratwurst etc.
(iii) The buns are toasted over charcoal.
(iv) There is an array of free condiments - pickles, olives, sauerkraut, ketchup, mustard, chili sauce, bacon bits, mayonnaise (sometimes).
(v) They are all over the city!  This is not a one-off gourmet truck.

Just look:

3. Kensington Market

Northwest corner off Spadina Ave and Dundas Street West

Baldwin Street between Kensington and Augusta Avenues

This area is a collection of little stores that sell everything from edgy clothing and 70's odds-and-ends to fresh produce, meats, seafoods and baked goods.  It has a wonderful neighborhood atmosphere that blends the young and the old and is a great place to wander around and stroll in-and-out of.  It's also right next to Chinatown, so another added benefit is that you have yet another neighborhood to explore afterwards.

4. The Distillary District
This is a little far out to the east, further east after St Lawrence Market.  It is walkable from St Lawrence Market on a nice day.  It is a restored distillary area.  The warehouse facades are still largely maintained, giving the whole area a really nice feel of old and modern.  One of the best foodie stops in this area is Soma Chocolates - a gourmet chocolate shope.  You MUST get a cup of Bicerin while you are there.  It is a wonderful concoction of hot espresso, chocolate and cream, soo yummy.  They have some really good chocolate confections too.  There are also little bakeries and pastry shops dotted here and there, all with thoughtful selections of goodies to choose from.