Toronto Ramen Adventure 2012/13 - Part 1

Later in the evening, after digesting that filling burger lunch, I headed out to dinner with my sister and some of her friends, and they all graciously invited me to join them for karaoke night afterward.  What better way to fill our bellies on a winter night before some karaoke than a hot bowl of ramen?

A Thai Road on a Toronto Street

By the time I was pretty much done exploring downtown Toronto for the day, it was time for dinner, and with my sister having suggested Khao San Road for some Thai, I took the opportunity to give it a try.  Imagine my surprise when I realized I was grabbing one of the very last open seats, and it was barely 5:30pm!  The last time I experienced a restaurant becoming packed this early was when I was a kid going to Magic Wok Chinese Restaurant back when it was located on Brimley Rd. just north of Sheppard Ave. E.  Well, when people are clamouring to dine here, and, if they're late, they're willing to wait to get a seat (when I left the restaurant I overheard a group of 7 being told to wait at least an hour for an open table), you know this place must be doing something right.

Going Beyond BBQ for Korean

I had not had some authentic Korean food in quite a while, so I asked my sister to suggest a Korean restaurant before our night out at the movies.  She recommended Mot Na Son, a small restaurant that appeared to be family-operated located in North York Centre, one of several Korean business hubs in Toronto.  Compared to other Korean restaurants I've tried in the Toronto area, the focus wasn't BBQ, though that was a possible option.  I appreciated this as I wanted to try other aspects of Korean cuisine, and I was not disappointed.

An Epic Sushi Dinner

The open kitchen area of Sushi Kaji.

Even though our family celebrated my parents' anniversary with dinner at Allium back in Ottawa, my sister was thinking of truly celebrating their anniversary with a nice dinner in the Toronto area.  With her foodie connections she managed to find Sushi Kaji, a Japanese restaurant located in Etobicoke.  The location was not what I'd consider to be typical for a higher-end restaurant, located in a 1950-1960's era Toronto-suburban strip mall right on a 6-lane thoroughfare.  This place, however, was definitely a diamond in the rough.

A La Kitchen for Lunch

Of all the Chinese cuisines, perhaps Shanghainese cuisine would be my favourite.  Though Shanghai is located south of the Chang Jiang/Yangtze, its cuisine is argued to be associated with the northern half of the cuisine by virtue of breads and noodles being staple foods instead of rice, as well as the comparatively heavier dishes offered in Shanghainese cuisine compared to southern Chinese styles like Cantonese.  Perhaps the prevalence of noodles and dumplings better associated with northern Chinese cuisine could explain my love for Shanghainese cuisine.  My parents knowing this, they suggested that our family go to A La Kitchen for lunch.  A La Kitchen recently expanded, virtually doubling its seating capacity, and we did not have to endure a waiting line even though it was fairly busy.

Chinese Cress with Minced Bean Curd

Guu Revisited on New Year's Eve

Inside Guu SakaBar.

Some time after trying (Kitanoya) Guu on Church St. in Toronto last year, Guu opened another izakaya, Guu SakaBar, on Bloor St. W. near Bathurst St.  My sister had previously been to this particular Guu and preferred this location more, partly for having more seating and being less crowded.  Perhaps because it was New Year's Eve, with partygoers having gone elsewhere to celebrate, Guu SakaBar still had a few empty seats available during the entire evening we were there.

Another Toronto Winter, Another Ramen Lunch

With my sister still having some time off work, we went grocery shopping one day for some meals over the coming days.  After finishing most of her shopping it was time for lunch, so we decided to swing by a nearby ramen noodle restaurant.  Located in the same commercial complex as the J-Town Japanese mall, Niwatei had a more varied menu selection than Vancouver's Motomachi Shokudo, but my sister and I opted to stick with the ramen noodles.  Unfortunately, as I wasn't expecting to try something new for lunch, I committed a foodie cardinal sin (again!) and didn't bring my camera with me.  Fortunately, my sister (http://www.boneats.ca/) saved my bacon one more time.

Shio Ramen. (Photo courtesy of www.boneats.ca.)

Combining Three of My Favourite Food Items into One Dish

Some of my favourite food items include smoked salmon, pasta and mushrooms.  With all of them in my fridge and freezer, I decided to combine them into a one-dish dinner, Smoked Salmon Pasta in a Creamy Tomato Sauce.  The smoked salmon I used was sockeye prepared in what I call the "East Coast" or lox style, whose texture is closer to that of raw fish rather than fully cooked fish, a trait seen in the "West Coast" style, though the "West Coast" version could just as easily be used.  Sockeye is a particularly flavourful variety of salmon, and its flavour shone in this dish.  Atlantic smoked salmon can also be used, especially if one prefers a milder taste.

Bringing "Guangzhou" to Vancouver

In spite of walking all over downtown Vancouver my hunger hadn't returned in time for dinner thanks to the two snacks my parents and I had mid-afternoon.  However, we decided to end our Saturday sojourn with a dinner at a more unsophisticated Chinese restaurant called Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House.  Using the Cantonese pronunciation of the city of Guangzhou in its name, the restaurant naturally features Cantonese cuisine, with a greater focus on congee and noodle dishes.  At least one congee dish was in order for us, as congee is easy on the digestive system and is considered as a food therapy dish.  Though perhaps plain congee was the healthiest choice, it was also the blandest, so we opted for one of the healtheir flavoured ones.

Congee with Conpoy and Dried Bok Choy

Ramen-ya? Ya!

The storefront of Motomachi Shokudo.

The second Saturday  of my Vancouver trip was my last full day in Vancouver, so my parents and I decided to have the day to ourselves and take on as much of the downtown area as possible.  After spending a good portion of the morning walking along the False Creek waterfront of downtown we managed to time it just right to catch a bus to Denman St. about 15 minutes before the noon opening of a ramen noodle shop, or a ramen-ya in Japanese, called Motomachi Shokudo.  Fortunately we were the first in line at the doorway; which meant that we were guaranteed a table in this small eatery with only about 20 seats or so.

More Noodles from Vancouver!

The entrance to Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle in Aberdeen Centre.  The kitchen is visible to all who enter the restaurant.

With virtually another full day spent with the grandparents, my parents and I were admittedly beginning to get tired with the usual haunts my grandparents went for lunch, so my father successfully suggested them to join us and try a different and fairly new place.  It was a bit of a gamble, as the restaurant he had in mind was more casual and budget-friendly than the places my grandparents usually frequented.  Fortunately, partly because it was a newer establishment and partly because it was well managed, my grandparents seemed comfortable to give Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle a try.

More Than Just Noodles

After a long day of exploring the city on my own, including lunch with some friends I knew from Brandon, I was getting exhausted and hungry.  Fortunately I'd made arrangements to meet my parents near the end of the Canada Line at Lansdowne Station for dinner in Richmond.  It was a few days since we were able to enjoy dinner on our own, and we decided to do so at a restaurant that features more casual Chinese dining, Michigan Noodle Restaurant.  It was a nice change of pace as it also reminded me of my childhood and teenage years when we'd go to these types of restaurants for lunch or dinner when visiting the Toronto area.

A serving of Green Radish and Carrot Soup.

Head South to Go North

I'm still not sure why a restaurant in the southern quarter of Winnipeg would be named "North Garden", especially since its focus isn't on Northern Chinese cuisine.  Whatever the case may be, it has become my favourite Chinese restaurant in Winnipeg, and so far it is the restaurant I've visited the most whenever I'm in Winnipeg.  It offers a wide selection of authentic Chinese dishes, at times adapting with certain more local ingredients (such as steaming fresh Manitoba pickerel instead of more traditional saltwater fish like tilapia).  On days I've been there, which has either been on weekends or on holidays (my most recent visit being on Louis Riel Day), one has had to show up before 6:00pm to get a table; a line-up for both dining in the restaurant and to complete take-out orders was almost certain by 6:30pm.

An Ultimate Potluck

I'm sure I mentioned in some earlier post that I love potlucks.  I love how people can put their best feet forward and make dishes to please people's taste buds and appetities, how people can get together and enjoy the fruits of each other's labour, and how people can have a good time without exhausting only one or two people being responsible for feeding so many mouths.  The evening after my lunch with friends at Lady of the Lake, I had a party with some fellow Ultimate players to attend, and once again (oh, joy!) it was a potluck.  The hosts were the same people who had a potluck dinner with me last August, and with half of the total guests in attendance being vegetarians of varying degrees, I had to make a dish that could be enjoyed by most if not all the guests.  A richer, belly-warming dish was in order as it was still wintertime, so I opted to make Shrimp Penne with Mushrooms, Sundried Tomato and Red Onion in Cream Sauce.

Shrimp Penne with Mushrooms, Sundried Tomato and Red Onion in Cream Sauce.

Victorious Dinner with Friends

On my final night in Toronto for this Christmas break I was able to meet up with three university buddies for dinner and drinks, the second time in as many years I'd visited Toronto.  The first time we did this was at a pub just north of the University of Toronto, but this time we opted for a place located closer to where one of my buddies lived, was less of a detour from a commute home for another, and was still easily accessible by subway for the remaining two of us.  Of course, with the three others wanting to enjoy some good beers in an atmosphere comfortable for conversation, they suggested a little pub called Victory Café.

Recalling NYE Dinner 2010

Another post from my sister, this time about the 2010 New Year's Eve dinner.  Though I helped a bit for the Christmas dinner by making the roasted Brussels sprouts, I was only in the kitchen to take pictures for my own collection, and even then just once in a while.  When she asks for space in the kitchen, you'd better give her some!

It was another delicious meal for sure!

A Hot Bowl of Ramen to Warm a Cold Belly

Having to run an errand at the Eaton Centre, I decided to have a quick lunch in the area.  However, I wanted to avoid the shopping centre's food court as well as the tourist trap restaurants in and around Yonge-Dundas Square.  After a quick search on the internet the previous night, I discovered a ramen shop called Kenzo Japanese Noodle House.  Like izakayas as I mentioned in my previous blog entry, ramen shops are still in foothold stage in Toronto.  With that in mind, and with my penchant for noodles getting the best of me, I decided to try this place.

A Twist on Curry at Home, Chapter 2

During the last Labour Day weekend I was in Winnipeg for another daytrip, which has in the past almost always included a stop at a Chinese supermarket.  This time my curiosity got the best of me and I bought some fresh lemongrass. Named for being a grass with a citrus aroma and flavour, lemongrass can be featured quite prominently in tropical Asian cuisines, including Thai.  I had never cooked with lemongrass before, and the last time I had the urge to try cooking with lemongrass was dashed when I discovered that I could only find the frozen variety in Brandon.

Refreshing Summer Memory

Earlier this week, it was hot and muggy here, and a colleague offered some cucumbers fresh from the garden as there were more than she could handle.  At that moment, my thoughts instantly turned to a refreshing, cool and light dish I had once at a Korean supermarket north of Toronto, naengmyun.  I took some of the cukes in the hopes of making this dish, along with attempting to make some sweet and spicy pickles, over the weekend.

Non-Fried Fried Noodles

Last Friday I decided to make myself a vegetarian fried noodle dish for dinner, partly since I was going to a BBQ potluck dinner the following evening (which meant there was likely going to be a fair amount of meat), and partly to clear out a bit of my fridge. Until recently I'd only known to make a fried noodle dish by, well, frying the noodles. However, when my mother visited me recently, she taught me a substitute method to make fried noodles with considerably less oil.