ground beef – Michael Eats

Outstanding Noodle Soup at Myungdong Noodle Shabu Shabu

Published on October 18, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 2560 Shepard Avenue, Mississauga
Website: https://www.mdkalguksu.com/

I showed up at Myungdong basically on a whim with no real research, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the place was packed at around 1:00pm on a Saturday. Surely, all these people can’t be wrong?

Spoiler alert: they were not wrong.

I ordered the MD Kalguksu (“Homemade flour noodle with Beef Bone Soup and vegetables. Garnish: ground beef, spicy vegetables”), which is one of their specialties. I don’t think I’ve tried this dish before, but based on the version they’re serving here, it clearly needs to be a regular part of my life.

Wow, it’s good. The broth seems a bit basic at first, but it quickly reveals itself to have an impressive depth of flavour, with a rich meaty/seafoody flavour, a nice garlicky hit, and enough of a spicy kick to wake up your tastebuds (but not so much that it overwhelms).

The combo of that luxurious broth, the perfectly cooked veggies, the chewy noodles and the tasty ground beef is seriously, seriously satisfying. It’s one of the best meals I’ve had in a while.

And of course, it’s a Korean restaurant, so there’s kimchi; they make it in house, and it’s just as special as the soup, with a satisfying crunch and a vibrant flavour.

An Amazing Cheeseburger at BEAR Steak Sandwiches

Published on November 6, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 550A College Street, Toronto
Website: https://bearsteak.ca/

BEAR Steak Sandwiches recently added a cheeseburger to their delightfully focused menu (they serve three things: a steak sandwich, a roast pork sandwich, and now, a burger), and yeah. Of course. Of course I need to try that. Their steak sandwich is easily one of the best sandwiches in the city. So if they’re taking a swing at a hamburger? Yes please.

Bonus: it’s a big fat chunky boy rather than the thin smashed burger that’s so omnipresent in the city. I like a smashed burger as much as the next guy, but come on. Other types of hamburgers exist.

The cheeseburger, as per their menu: “Medium rare chuck patty, American cheese, white onion, pickle, sesame bun. Sauce on the side.”

I skipped the onion, but otherwise got this as is.

Wow, it’s good. Seriously, seriously good. The patty is a thing of beauty: amazing beefy flavour, great texture, perfectly seasoned. That beefy flavour slaps you in the face in all the best ways. I know that it looks very rare in that photo, but it was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had none of the mushiness that you’ll find in too-rare hamburger patties. It was glorious.

It comes with a little tub of what I’m assuming is their chimichurri sauce with mayo mixed in; it’s seriously delicious, but completely unnecessary. When the beef is this good, I don’t need anything to distract from its flavour; the zippiness from the pickles and the salty richness from the cheese are all you need.

The bun has a bit more heft than your typical burger bun, but since the patty here is so substantial, it totally works.

My burger blog is pretty much defunct at this point, but if I were to review this there, I’d rate it a perfect four out of four. I have some minor nitpicks (the cheese could have been meltier, the grind on the beef could have been a bit more coarse, and the beef could have been slightly fattier/juicier), but those are teeny-tiny complaints about an otherwise superlative hamburger.

Amazing French Street Food at Mister Frenchy

Published on October 17, 2018June 18, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 675 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
Website: http://www.misterfrenchy.com/

Mister Frenchy is an unassuming restaurant on the Danforth that specializes in something called French tacos.

No, I had never heard of a French taco either. But it’s a real thing, apparently — it’s basically a meaty, pressed wrap that was popularized in the Lyon region of France.

I think it’s safe to say that this is the only place in the city where you can try one, which is something that you should absolutely do. It’s shockingly amazing.

They have a variety of French tacos and baguette sandwiches on their menu; I went with the Le Lyonais French taco, which comes with “ground beef, Algerian sauce, tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers, French fries, and sauce fromagere.”

It was so good. The wrap was perfectly pressed, giving you that perfect combo of crispy and chewy. And the filling was pure comfort food perfection: an amazing mix of nicely spiced beef, perfectly cooked veggies, zingy sauce, and abundantly gooey cheese.

Oh, and there are fries in there as well — I’m normally not crazy about potatoes in a sandwich/wrap, but the fries here add substance without getting in the way or calling attention to themselves. The whole thing is ridiculously satisfying.

Alas, the fries on the side didn’t work nearly as well as the fries in the wrap. They were undercooked, the herb mixture they were tossed in was overbearing, and the sauce on top was way too zesty to work as a dipping sauce.

Which is fine — the wrap is a perfectly satisfying meal on its own. Plus, it’s way heavier than it looks. It’s a bit of a gut-buster.