Restaurant Review – Page 27

Tasty Katsu Curry at Cafe Green Tea

Published on October 14, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
Website: None

Though the name might make you think it’s a coffee shop of some sort, Cafe Green Tea is actually a delightful little restaurant in the J-Town area of Markham specializing in Japanese comfort food like soba, udon, and katsu curry.

I ordered the katsu curry, which you can either get with pork or chicken (I got pork). It’s a counter service place, and they work quite fast; once I ordered, it only took a few minutes for my number to be called.

It’s a tasty plate of no-frills katsu curry. The pork is slightly on the dry side, but otherwise everything here is right where it should be: the curry is rich and flavourful, and the katsu has a perfect level of exterior crispiness.

Bonus: at 14 bucks for a relatively hefty serving, it’s a solid deal.

Solid Roman-style Pizza at A Pizza

Published on October 13, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 252 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: None

First off: yes, this place is called “A Pizza,” and yeah, I’m as baffled by the name as you are. I’m not an expert in business, but I think making the name of your restaurant so generic that it’s nearly impossible to find online may not be a great idea? As I noted above, there’s no website — or maybe there is, and I just can’t find it?

The restaurant is also inside a convenience store, which just adds to the oddness factor here.

They have a variety of slices of Roman-style pizza that you can grab and go, along with a few sandwiches and a Nutella-filled doughnut.

I got a slice of the margherita, and it was pretty decent. I don’t exactly foresee Badiali-esque lines around the block anytime soon, but it’s a respectable slice of pizza.

There’s a nice balance of sauce and cheese, and the thick crust is crispy on its exterior and fluffy within. It’s maybe a bit too fluffy, and is a bit lacking in both taste and substance, but it gets the job done.

Solid Singaporean Food at Kiss My Pans

Published on September 22, 2024 by Michael Nusair1 Comment

Location: 713 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.kissmypans.com/

I’ve mentioned before that Singaporean cuisine isn’t nearly common enough in the city, so it’s quite delightful that Kiss My Pans — a Singaporean brunch spot in Little Italy — not only exists, but is extremely popular.

They have a pretty extensive menu that basically covers Singapore’s greatest hits; I tried the roasted chicken rice, and the char kway teow.

Chicken rice is a classic dish that features chicken served with chicken-infused rice. It’s traditionally served with either poached (which is my preference) or roasted chicken, which is what they serve here (well, they call it roasted, but I think it’s actually fried, as it has a level of crispiness I don’t think you can get in the oven?).

It’s quite tasty. Both the rice and the chicken are slightly on the dry side, but otherwise the flavours are right where you want them to be, with the soy and chili sauces on the side adding a nice savouriness and zippiness.

I also tried the char kway teow, a stir-fried noodle dish that gets its distinctive dark colour from dark and light soy sauce. Again, it’s not the best version of the dish that I’ve had (the flavours don’t quite pop the way they should, and the wok hei might be a bit too pronounced, with a borderline bitter flavour throughout), but it’s still very tasty. And again, it’s not like we have a million Singaporean restaurants to choose from in the GTA; I’m just happy that this place exists, and is pretty good.

A Tasty Wrap at Fresh

Published on September 18, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 25 The West Mall, Etobicoke (inside Sherway Gardens)
Website: https://www.freshkitchens.ca/

I’ve been to Fresh a couple of times, and thought it wasn’t much better than fine on either visit. So I can’t say my expectations were particularly high on this visit, but you know what? I thoroughly enjoyed my wrap.

I ordered the broccoli Caesar wrap (“Roasted broccoli, heritage blend lettuce, chick’n tenders, Caesar dressing, grilled whole wheat tortilla,”) and when it came, I thought: uh oh. That’s too much green. That is an impenetrable-looking wall of green. That can’t be good.

But the broccoli was nicely roasted and liberally dressed with a zippy, garlicky Caesar dressing, and yeah, it worked. The “chick’n” tenders were crispy and warm from the fryer, and the fake chicken inside was close enough to the real deal that, with all the veggies and dressing, it was quite passable.

I got a salad on the side with the house dressing, which was maybe the oiliest salad dressing I’ve ever tasted? The pool of oil eventually made its way to the wrap and made it slick with grease and hard to eat. But aside from that? A surprisingly tasty meal.

A Tasty Cuban Sandwich at Havana Sanguich

Published on September 16, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 252 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.havanasanguich.com/

Havana Sanguich is a new sandwich shop downtown that serves what they call “Cuban-style sandwiches and Colombian street food.” It’s mostly a take-out joint, though they do have a few tables outside.

They actually have a pretty extensive sandwich menu, with something like a dozen choices. But of course, if you’re at a Cuban sandwich shop, you’ve gotta get the Cubano.

The Cubano, as per their menu: “black forest ham, lechon, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread.”

I think this place might serve the best Cuban sandwich I’ve ever had? It’s right up there, that’s for sure.

It’s the type of sandwich that could easily be too rich (it’s crammed with a two types of pork and melty cheese), but the balance of flavours is spot-on, with just the right amount of acidity from the mustard and pickles.

The combo of the salty ham and the sizable chunks of tender, flavourful pork shoulder is seriously satisfying, with the gooey Swiss bringing it all together. And the fresh, lightly crispy Cuban bread is the perfect vehicle; it’s nice and fluffy, with just enough substance to hold up to the meaty sandwich.

The sandwich is about 17 bucks, which seems pricey, but it’s easily hefty enough to be shared.

I tried the Cuban smoked brisket sandwich as well (“Cuban break, smoked brisket, roasted mojo pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, fried onions”). It’s hard to top that Cubano, but this was almost as good, with a whole bunch of tender beef and some nice zippiness from the onions. It’s a really satisfying sandwich.

I also tried a couple of the empanadas: beef, and cheese. Both were quite tasty, and both featured a delightfully crispy exterior that set them apart from other empanadas that I’ve had.