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?

Chucking Myself with a Burger Lunch

Wanting to just spend a day during my Christmas break at my sister's apartment relaxing and memorizing my lines for upcoming shows, I opted for a lunch within a reasonable walking distance.  My sister suggested Holy Chuck Burgers as one of the possible locations.  At first I wasn't too thrilled about having to walk uphill both ways, but I was willing to grin and bear it as the fare wasn't worth a one-subway-station ride.  After lunch, though, I was very thankful I chose to walk!

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.

A Classy Bay Street Lunch

With another day on my own in Toronto, I decided to explore the downtown area, and opted to have lunch there as well.  My sister suggested a few places, including The Gabardine, to try for lunch or dinner.  Knowing that there would be lunch crowds on weekdays, I planned on heading downtown to get to The Gabardine between 11:30am and 11:45am to be able to get a seat.  Unfortunately, I left for downtown late and arrived about 11:50am, and there was already a small line-up with an approximately 40-minute wait in the packed place.

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.

Return to The Stockyards

On my first full day of my Christmas vacation in Ontario, my sister took me to The Stockyards for lunch.  I tried The Stockyards' fried chicken and ribs the previous Christmas holiday for take-out, and with my sister having talked about the small joint's brunches favourably several times, I had to try it for myself as well.

Bistro 7-1/4

The open kitchen, surrounded on three sides by a kitchen bar for ten (10) diners.

My November 2012 visit to Bistro 7-1/4, a play on its address (725 Osborne St.), was actually my second visit to the restaurant and the first since its early 2012 expansion.  I'd first explored it the previous summer and had the pleasant opportunity to dine at the kitchen bar, giving me an uninterrupted view of the chef and sous-chef working in the small open kitchen.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my camera with me (sacrilège!), so I made sure I came back again camera in hand.  This time, I was unable to sit at the kitchen bar, but I got to see the expanded side of the restaurant.

A Kawaii-zy Creperie

On one daytrip in September 2012 to Winnipeg I didn't have time to enjoy a full-service dinner, so I wanted to find a preferably different and untried place for a quick bite to eat.  Apparently a creperie had opened fairly recently in Osborne Village, and since I hadn't had a crepe for a while, I had to visit this place.  Kawaii Crepe serves both savoury and sweet crepes, and serves them differently than crepes I've had elsewhere in the past.  "Kawaii" means cute in Japanese, and apparently the crepes are made in a distinctly Japanese style; no simple rolls served on plates, the crepes here are folded into flat triangles and served open-ended on stands, allowing one to steadily chomp on them like one would an ice cream cone.

Too Long an Absence

Hello there!

Yes, I'm still out and about.  Unfortunately my time since the Christmas season had been so hectic I've had to neglect my blog for a while.  Now that both the holiday season is over and my involvement in "The Producers" is done, I can find some time to catch up with my blog.  I've had the pleasure to discover some neat places to eat over the Christmas season; stay tuned for future posts, and thank you for your patience!

Thanksgiving Double Rib Special

Cranberry Ribs with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Multigrain Rice

With another Thanksgiving in which I would have to make myself a feast, I decided to indulge myself with some ribs, especially since it had been a while since I last made myself a rack or two.  Having spotted a sale on fresh cranberries, the experimental side of me kicked up a gear and decided to somehow marry them with the ribs.  Though I'm sure there are recipes for ribs using cranberries, I decided to stay away from searching for recipes and just use whatever was available in my kitchen that weekend.