Restaurant Review – Page 80

Middling Ramen at Sansotei Ramen

Published on January 5, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 100 City Centre Drive, Mississauga (inside Square One)
Website: https://www.sansotei.com/

Sometimes, I just don’t have all that much to say about a particular dish. When something is fine — not particularly good, but not particularly bad — it can be difficult to muster up all that much enthusiasm to write about it.

The tonkotsu ramen at Santosei is one of those dishes. The only exceptional thing about it is how exceptionally middle-of-the-road it is.

There are some things about it that I liked, however. You can choose thick or thin noodles — I went with thick, and they were chewy and satisfying. And the broth has a rich porkiness that’s pretty tasty. But it’s a bit one-note in its flavour, and it’s intensely salty.

The chasu wasn’t bad, but I think it needed to cook for slightly longer, as it had a vaguely rubbery texture. The egg was nice, but ice cold.

Even by the standards of ramen in Toronto, what they’re serving at Santosei is quite ho-hum. But… I don’t know. It’s fine, I guess?

Delicious Fried Chicken at Union Chicken

Published on January 5, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 25 The West Mall, Etobicoke
Website: https://unionchicken.com/

The common refrain is that you should give a restaurant at least a few weeks before you pass judgment on it. It often takes a little while for the kitchen to work out all the kinks.

Union Chicken is a perfect example of this. Last year, I went there within a couple of weeks of its opening; it was absolutely, positively awful. I tried a few things and they were all horrifically bad.

In the meantime, I’ve heard basically nothing but good things, so I figured it was probably about time to give it another shot. And it was night and day. Everything was really, really good.

The Buffalo and blue cheese fried chicken sandwich was delicious. It’s got everything you’re looking for in a fried chicken sandwich: that amazing exterior crunch, a juicy piece of chicken (the fact that it’s thigh instead of breast helps mightily in this regard), and a zingy sauce that makes it all sing.

There’s something about the magical interplay between vinegary Buffalo sauce and creamy blue cheese dressing that just works, and Union Chicken only elevates that — the blue cheese dressing on the sandwich is seriously tasty, with a mild garlicky bite that sets it apart.

I had the baked beans on the side, and they were also well above average. Sometimes baked beans can be a bit of a sweet overload, but these had a nice vinegary punch to round things out, and a decent amount of spice. The texture was a bit soupy, but they were otherwise top-shelf beans.

That sandwich, though. I was honestly surprised at how good it was. It definitely belongs on a list of the best fried chicken in the city.

Delicious Ramen at Ryu’s Noodle Bar

Published on January 2, 2019April 2, 2020 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 786 Broadview Avenue, Toronto
Website: http://ryusnoodlebar.com/

A couple of months ago, Ryu’s Noodle Bar made a bunch of headlines by being one of only two non-Japanese ramen joints invited to set up a stall in the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum in Japan.

Obviously, a visit was inevitable.

(And yes, technically the place is called Ryus Noodle Bar, without the apostrophe, but I’m not spelling it that way. Get out of here with that.)

Their specialty is “RYUS rich shio,” which is similar to the porky tonkotsu style of ramen that’s so popular in Toronto, but made with chicken instead of pork.

It’s basically Touhenboku, but better (sorry, Touhenboku, but you’ve been bested).

The chicken-based broth at Ryu’s is fairly similar to what they’re serving at Touhenboku, but with a richer consistency and a more satisfying depth of flavour.

All the issues I had with Touhenboku — the one-note flavour and the greasy consistency — are completely absent here. Yes, the bowl has an intense chicken flavour, but there’s enough going on that you never get sick of it. Once you hit the bottom of the bowl, you’re sad to see it end.

And despite its incredible richness, there’s absolutely no greasiness.

I can’t say enough about the flavour — it’s basically like the best roast chicken that you’ve ever had, but condensed down into a soup.

The noodles and toppings are great, too. It’s topped with a slice of chicken along with the typical chasu (which is delicious); the chicken is white meat, but it’s cooked perfectly, making it incredibly tender.

They suggest you add an egg to the bowl, which is an additional charge, but totally worth it. The yolk is creamy, custardy, and perfect. I wish it were a little bit hotter (it was actually quite cold, which is maybe my only significant complaint about the whole bowl), but that’s a minor issue.

Suffice it to say, Ryu’s is a very, very strong contender for the best bowl of ramen in the city. It’s so good.

The Porchetta at Porchetta & Co.: Still Great

Published on December 31, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 545 King Street West, Toronto
Website: http://porchettaco.com/

Though I’m a big fan of the porchetta sandwich at Porchetta & Co., my tendency is to get tempted by the various fried chicken sandwich specials. It’s been ages since I’ve had the good old plain porchetta sandwich.

I was afraid it might have gone downhill. It’s an outstanding sandwich, but many successful restaurants have a hard time maintaining consistency over the years, and eventually become a victim of their own success. This is especially true once expansion becomes a factor.

Well, I’m happy to say that this doesn’t seem to be an issue here. The porchetta sandwich: still outstanding.

I didn’t see any crackling when I opened it up, which concerned me. But I guess it was all hiding under the meat, because there was a pretty good amount. (I could have used more, but then it’s basically impossible to get enough crackling. I could have an all-crackling sandwich, and I’d still be like “that was pretty good, but it needed more crackling.”)

I also thought the sandwich looked a little lean on first inspection, but again, it was all hiding in there; the meat was super tender, with a perfect amount of tasty fat interspersed throughout.

It’s a seriously, seriously great sandwich. The crispy, fluffy bun is as perfect as ever, and the pork itself is still top-notch. The spicing is subtle compared to some porchetta, but there’s more than enough for it to pack some serious flavour. That’s not to mention that the milder seasoning allows the natural flavour of the pork to really shine through.

You can get all kinds of toppings, if you want — in fact, the “House Special” is topped with parmesan, truffle sauce, mustard, and hot sauce. And certainly, it’s not un-tasty. But all that stuff is superfluous, and worse, it just gets in the way of the amazing pork. The porchetta is so tender, porky, and herby; obscuring it with additional sauces and flavours just seems like a shame.

Decent Noodles at Origination Noodle House

Published on December 29, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 421 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.originationtoronto.ca/

The dish I ordered at Origination Noodle House turned out to be basically the exact same one I had at Dagu Rice Noodle. I probably should have realized that it was the same dish, but it didn’t occur to me until I actually started eating.

It was fine. I wasn’t crazy about it at Dagu Rice Noodle, and I was similarly unmoved by its charms here.

The presentation was interesting. It’s basically a bowl of noodle soup that features thick rice noodles along with various meats and veggies in a basic (and bubbling hot) broth. But at Origination, it comes completely deconstructed.

First, they bring you a plate with all of the various meats and vegetables, then they bring a bowl of noodles, and finally, a bubbling hot bowl of broth. Everything gets dumped into the broth, and you’re good to go.

I think the version at Dagu Rice Noodle was slightly better, if only because the meat (and the tender pork in particular) was more satisfying. It was otherwise very similar: chewy rice noodles, veggies of various textures that all taste about the same, and a simple broth that practically demands a very liberal application of chili oil.

Like at Dagu, I didn’t dislike eating it, but I can’t say I’m in any particular rush to have it again.