October 2018 – Page 4

Outstanding Japanese Crepes at T-Swirl Crepe

Published on October 10, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 510 Yonge Street, Toronto
Website: http://t-swirlcrepe.com/

Creme brulee: delicious. Crepes: delicious. A creme brulee crepe? Yes please.

I will, however, admit that I was skeptical; would this be one of those Instagram-friendly food mash-ups that never should have been mashed up?

Nope, it’s exactly as delicious as you’re hoping it’ll be. Actually, no; more delicious.

My only real complaint is that the top didn’t have the sugary, crackily crispiness that you’re looking for, despite being thoroughly torched.

Other than that, it was top notch. The custard was a little bit too sweet — I suspect that it came from a mix — but it was still quite tasty, and certainly got the job done.

There was also quite a bit of it; every bite had a generous amount of custard, even right at the bottom of the cone.

The crepe itself was the highlight; it was freshly made, with a chewy interior and a lightly crispy exterior that set it apart from the norm. It complimented the custard perfectly.

I enjoyed it so much that I went back a few days later for round two. I tried the Mango Raspberry, and it was just as good as the creme brulee. The crepe had the same addictive crispy/chewy contrast, and the filling featured a great balance of tartness and sweetness, with perfectly ripe chunks of fruit.

Average Mexican Food at Cinco Mexican Restaurant

Published on October 9, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 131 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.cinco.restaurant/

Cinco is an unassuming Mexican restaurant on Roncesvalles that’s been serving up tacos and rotisserie chicken for about a year. Nothing about it particularly stands out, but if you’re in the area, I’m sure you could do worse.

I tried a couple of things. The first was the cochinita pibil taco: “marinated braised pork in adobo, six hour slow-cooked pork belly, queso oaxaca, topped with habanero onions.”

It wasn’t bad, though I wish they had taken the same amount of meat and split it into two tacos, because it’s kind of absurd.

The bites where you get a bit of everything — the shredded pork, the cilantro, the pickled onions — are really good. But there’s such a heaping mound of meat that many (most?) of the mouthfuls are pork, pork, and nothing but pork.

This wouldn’t have necessarily been a bad thing, but the pork was quite dry despite being shockingly greasy (seriously, the amount of oil dripping out of the taco was insane. The entire plate was swimming in it by the time I finished).

Still, it was tasty enough — the adobo-braised pork was tasty, the two blue corn tortillas were nice and fresh (the thin layer of cheese between them was a nice touch, but it was a bit too subtle to add much to the overstuffed taco), and the mouthfuls with a bit of everything had a nice balance of richness from the meat and acidity from the pickles.

I also tried the the chicken quesadilla, a daily special. This was a bit of a head-scratcher; it was filled with pieces of plain chicken, and… that’s about it. No cheese, no other ingredients (that I could taste, at least), just a whole bunch of stale-tasting chicken chunks. But it was fine, I guess — especially once I started dipping it into the pool of porky grease from the taco.

Tasty Fried Dumplings at Sang-ji Fried Bao

Published on October 8, 2018September 5, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1 Byng Avenue, North York
Website: None

Sang-ji bao are basically like a traditional soup dumpling’s (a.k.a. xiao long bao) more rugged cousin. They’re pan fried, with a slightly thicker skin and a dark brown crust on the bottom. Soup dumplings are delicious, but if you want something a bit more hearty, sang-ji bao’s got your back.

And as you’d probably guess from the name, Sang-ji Fried Bao specializes in the stuff. I was pretty excited to try it.

We started with the scallion oil noodles, an absolutely delightful flavour-bomb of oily (but not overly greasy) noodles topped with peanuts and fried scallions. The peanuts offer a nice crunchy contrast to the chewy noodles, and the imposingly dark fried scallions are packed with flavour and immensely satisfying.

I liked this dish even more than the fried dumplings.

The sang-ji bao were certainly nothing to scoff at — they’re pleasingly porky and packed with scalding hot soup. The wrapper is a bit too thick, however, and the whole thing is a touch on the bland side.

Still, it’s got that satisfyingly crispy bottom, and the whole thing is tasty enough, even if it’s not the best version of these things that I’ve ever had.

Satisfying Eats at Running Pig

Published on October 5, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3636 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
Website: None

Running Pig is a no-frills take-out joint that serves various meat options and veggies on top of rice. It’s not the best thing you’ll ever eat, but it’s a hefty amount of meat and rice for $7.50; it’s hard to go wrong there.

I got the pork knuckle bento, which comes with a generous pile of pork knuckles (one is missing from my photo — I dug right in then realized I forgot to take a picture), a hard-boiled egg, tofu skin, and a variety of veggies on rice.

Pork knuckles can be mostly collagen without a whole lot of meat (particularly the way they’re cut here); if it’s not properly rendered, it’s going to be rubbery. And while these were mostly okay, they definitely could have braised for a little bit longer.

The various veggies and tofu were all tasty enough, and combined with the rice, it makes for a solid meal. Nothing here particularly stands out, but it’s cheap, quick, and satisfying. Sometimes that’s enough.

Subtle (and Delicious) Pastries at Roselle Desserts

Published on October 4, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 362 King Street East, Toronto
Website: http://www.roselleto.com/

I think “subtle” is the best word to describe what they’re serving at Roselle Desserts, a charming little bakery on King, just around the corner from the Distillery District.

I tried three things: a chocolate chunk cookie, a chocolate souffle cookie, and a raspberry madeleine.

The souffle cookie was the best of the three. It had a rich, deeply cocoa-infused flavour, with a surprisingly subtle amount of sweetness. It also had a really satisfying texture: lightly crispy on the outside, and soft and fudgy on the inside.

Lack of sweetness seems to be a theme here; the chocolate chunk cookie was also way more subtle than the norm. It’s a great quality cookie, with a nice chewy texture and a very generous amount of tasty chocolate chunks.

Unlike the other two, the lack of sweetness felt like a detriment with the madeleine; this one was way too subtle for its own good, with only a vague whisper of raspberry flavour. The sweetness here was so restrained that I’m not even sure this should be classified as a dessert.