Category Archives: asian

When Japan ruined sushi for me

15 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in asian, japanese, review, reviews, travel, Uncategorized

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_DSC1703.jpgI’ve been to Tokyo and back, and can 100000% confirm that what Anthony Bourdain and David Chang have said is true: Tokyo is the world’s best food city. Not gonna lie, Tokyo has ruined me. For all food. Japan devotes so much quality and perfection into food that it’s really on another level.

My boyfriend (HUGE sushi lover) and I had to try the omakase at one of the best sushi spots in the city, one Michelin star restaurant, Sushi Tokami. I was super intrigued by this restaurant, and what some people touted as a “tuna specialist” (LOVE TUNA), and their strong robust rice seasoned with red rice vinegar.

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I can tell you right now that this dining experience was out of this world!!! From the service, and especially to the food – WOW I have never tasted fish this fresh, and rice so delicate but at the same tinged red with a slight vinegary taste. One of my favourites, chū-toro, was a super creamy lightly marbled piece of tuna taken from the belly. The piece literally melted in my mouth!!

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We loved the energy and vibes of Hiroyuki Sato, the head chef, who was super welcoming and chatty. We weren’t rushed at all, and enjoyed each end every bite of heavenly sushi!!

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Here’s one of my favourites, mackerel – I can’t even describe how unreal this tasted, fish that tasted so fresh it felt like it was caught that day! In comparison, I’ve had mackerel here in Toronto and it cannot even compare at all because it tasted really fishy and I had to literally gulp down water to wash down the taste.

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Hamachi, amazing, lusciously buttery and light in it’s flavour profile.

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To end the meal is a delicious tamagoyaki (egg cake): creamy, slightly sweet with a caramelized top surface, kind of similar to creme brulee.

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Sushi Tokami

8-2-10 Ginza Chuo Tokyo

東京都 中央区 銀座 8-2-10 銀座誠和シルバービル B1F

Legit Korean Dining Experience

25 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by in asian, comfort food, korean, toronto, Toronto restaurant, travel, Uncategorized

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In two and a half hours I pretty much ate through nine delicious Korean dishes at Chopsticks + Fork’s Korean Food 101 dining experience at Song Kook’s. Highlights of the night were a few of my faves: really legit Japchae and equally delish Bulgogi. I love the sesame and lightly sweet soy flavours of both Japchae and Bugogi… Song Kook’s did not disappoint! Gotta admit, it was my first “dining experience” ever, and it was pretty fun! To be served a variety of of dope food (I love feasts) with a host talking about the backstory of every dish, can’t complain!!

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Connecting people through food and learning more about its rich cultural backstory is the concept behind Jusep Kim’s Chopsticks + Forks, which currently offers a Korean Food 101 dining experience and Kensington Market food tour. I definitely recommend this experience to those that want to learn more about Korean food, or even introduce it to friends. The food is BOMB and Jusep is an awesome and super passionate host. His enthusiasm is contagious – you can’t help but be drawn to the stories about the food that he grew up eating and listen to the cultural backstory behind every dish. 

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Yep, they also served a Korean classic, kimchi – which Song Cook’s served in generous portions (you had to cut with scissors!!).  Gotta love the unlimited banchan too!!!

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There’s no better place like Toronto to discover different food, and Jusep’s Chopsticks + Forks 101 is the best place to start.

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Mmm! The above was a deep fried sweet and sour pork (Tang Su Yuk). BONUS: use the coupon code FRIENDS2017 to get 30% off a food experience.

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Ahi Tuna Poké

31 Saturday Dec 2016

Posted by in asian, avocado, easy, food, healthy, recipe, recipes, Uncategorized

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I was SO SPOILED!! The first poké that I ever tried was at Smorgasburg, NYC, and the moment the fish touched my lips I was sent straight to heaven. No lie. Mostly because the fish was REALLY fresh. Unfortunately we can’t get that kind of fish too easily here in Toronto, and if you can, it’s super expensive.

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AH WELL. That doesn’t stop me from making my own poké! In fact mine was pretty legit – I used the vacuum sealed sushi grade ahi tuna I had in the freezer, plus some BOMB shoyu I whipped up. I taste tested a recipe that called for sesame oil + soy sauce, vs. a recipe that had some fresh juices (carrot, lemon, orange) + soy sauce, and the latter tasted really delicious. The citrus and soy sauce tasted similar to ponzu and went really well with the fish.

Did I mention this recipe was super easy??

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Whatever you mix with your poké is really up to you! I added sweet onion, green onion, avocado, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts, shichimi togarashi, with fried wonton on the side. The only ingredient that’s a bit more difficult to find is the red Hawaiian sea salt. Kosher will do fine, but the red sea salt just adds a nice earthy flavor.

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Gyubee Japanese BBQ

02 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by in asian, barbecue, BBQ, beef, comfort food, japanese, Markham, review, reviews, toronto, Toronto restaurant, Uncategorized

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Already going to preface this post by saying I can’t wait to go back to Gyubee! Alright, so I’ve eaten in my fair share of all BBQs in Toronto (both Korean and Japanese) and I gotta say this is my fav so far. If you don’t know me already I eat a LOT, and I’m pretty deliriously happy that I can eat high quality meat at an AYCE!

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A HUGE plus of the restaurant is that it’s not smoky at all. I was really turned off when I first ate at Chako. Swear I walked outta there smelling like I was the one barbecued (never again). The service here at Gyubee was great, with the servers teaching you how to BBQ correctly. I liked this better than Gyu-kaku because of the value and amount of food you get for the price point (around $29.99 for dinner per person).

Now my boyfriend and I got the dinner option during lunch hours (told you I was hungry AF), and there was a lot to choose from. Highlights were the beef! Get the beef (specifically kalbi short rib) and salmon carpaccio. I also enjoyed the bibimbap and any of the veggies. You can’t go wrong really.

4.5/5

Gyubee

7100 Woodbine Ave #100,

Markham, ON

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Cantonese Pork Belly with Grilled Peach Slaw

25 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by in asian, chinese, comfort food, easy, food, mexican, pork, pork belly, recipe, recipes, summer, Uncategorized

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Ohhh boy. I made such an INSANE Asian fusion dish, which I swear had angels singing (or crying tears of joy) because it was on a whole ‘nother level! My boyfriend even said it’s up there in his top five dishes of all time!

Five spice pork belly with grilled peach slaw – who would have thought that they’d be crazy good together?  I really, really loved how the warm, slightly salty flavours of the five spice Cantonese pork belly complemented the tangy but sweet Southwestern inspired slaw. The first bite is an explosion of flavour and crunch (did you see that crackling?!) that just works well and tingles your lips at the same time.

What really helped elevate this dish was using local peaches from Niagara, which were SO sweet and juicy. They didn’t have to travel that far like the peaches from the US, and are in season right now in Ontario. This was my first time grilling them and can definitely say their sweetness is brought out even more after being barbecued! It’s perfection tossed together with homegrown cherry tomatoes, shallots, parsley, red pepper and lime juice. I was trying to find a kickass recipe that involved peaches for the Loblaws Share the Food Love contest, and this did not disappoint!

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Ah, pork belly, my second favourite type of meat… with ribeye being the #1. LOVED this so much. The five spice, shaoxing wine, salt, pepper and a touch of soy sauce worked really well. Not to mention it was baked at a low temp, and then put on broil for a few minutes to get that crunchy crackling. I used an interesting technique, placing sea salt on top of the skin so that the skin doesn’t cook while it bakes and allows you to finish the crackling evenly at the end.

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Overall, not complicated to make, and the payoff is huge. The vibrant colors and fresh flavour of this summery dish leaves me feeling bittersweet that summer’s about to end – make this dish ASAP and serve it with salad!

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