Tag: GTA

Cheap Eats at Mini Bar

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Mini Bar
Location: 116 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Website: None

If nothing else, Mini Bar is an absolute steal.  A relatively hearty sandwich downtown for eight bucks?  Yeah, you can’t go wrong there.

Mini Bar

Well, I suppose you could go wrong if the sandwich didn’t taste good, but that’s clearly not an issue here.

Mini Bar

I ordered the bulgogi and kimchi, which comes in a Kaiser roll, topped with tender beef bulgogi, kimchi, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and a slice of cheddar cheese.

Mini Bar

Is it going to rock your world?  No, probably not; it’s a pretty no-frills sandwich, but for what it is (and considering the price) it’s very tasty.  If I worked in the area, I’m sure I’d be a regular.

Mini Bar

Mini Bar serves kimbap on Fridays, which is also quite satisfying.  They were making them as I ordered, so it was super fresh and filled with tasty stuff.

Delicious Doughnuts at Fab’s Donuts

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Fab's Donuts
Location: 1618 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/fabsdonuts/

Fab’s is in the same spot where Maverick’s Donut Company used to be, which I liked a whole lot.  Apparently it’s from the same owners, who decided to strike out on their own.  Clearly, they know what they’re doing, because the doughnuts here are very, very good.

Fab's Donuts

They are quite different, however — notably, Maverick’s specialized mostly in cake doughnuts, and as far as I can tell, this is a cake-free zone.  All the doughnuts that I tried were classic raised doughnuts.

Fab's Donuts

I tried four: creme brulee, pistachio heaven, Biscoff, and chocolate kunafa.

Fab's Donuts

All were generously filled, and all were thoroughly delicious, though the creme brulee — with its crackly top and tasty custard filling — was probably my favourite.

Fab's Donuts

But then everything was thoroughly tasty, with the doughnuts themselves having a nice chewy texture, and with the flavours being right where they should be.  It’s all quite sweet, but not a sugar-bomb.  They’re great doughnuts.

Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald’s

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald's
Location: 1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I’ve mentioned before that McWraps are easily the most boring thing on the McDonald’s menu.  So there’s a new McWrap.  It’s got chipotle in it.  Who cares?

But wait!  This one is available with either grilled chicken, crispy chicken, or… fish?  In a McWrap??  Well, that’s exciting (small print: it takes very little to get me excited.  This is not actually exciting).

Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald's

Here’s how McDonald’s describes this: “Made with crispy, flaky fish topped with creamy chipotle sauce, crispy tri-colour tortilla strips, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and cucumbers. All wrapped in a soft white flour tortilla.”

This is definitely not the McWrap to change my mind about McWraps.  It’s very McWrap-y, which is to say it’s a bit dry and boring; it tastes like a perfunctory stab at “healthiness” from a chain that has no business being even remotely health-adjacent.

Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald's

The fish is interesting, but I guess there’s a reason why these types of wraps have chicken in them 99 percent of the time; it doesn’t quite work.  It’s not unpleasant, but it’s odd.  I missed the chicken (it didn’t help that the Filet-O-Fish patty had clearly been sitting out for some time; it was a bit dry).

Everything else is fine, with the veggies all being what you’d expect, and with the tortilla strips doing a decent job of adding some crunch.

The creamy chipotle sauce is the highlight.  It’s creamy, zesty, a little bit smoky, and actually has a mild spicy kick.  The wrap needed way more of it.  Give me a little tub of it so I can use it as a dip for fries.  It’s a really tasty sauce.

Solid Tacos at Azul

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Azul
Location: 100 King Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/azulmexicanto/

I think the first thing I should note about Azul is: it’s not easy to find!  It’s in the food court at First Canadian Place downtown, except, oh wait, apparently there’s more than one food court in First Canadian Place?  I wandered around the one on the lower level for longer than I should admit, and the whole time I’m looking at Google Maps like, it should be right here, what gives?

It turns out there’s a whole other food court on the upper floor, which is not confusing at all.  Totally reasonable to have two food courts within a couple of floors of each other.

Azul

Anyway, Azul.  It’s a Mexican eatery that features various tacos, tortas, and bowls.  I tried a couple of the tacos: chilorio (“pork shoulder – marinated and slow cooked, pickled onions”) and Baja (“fish – battered and fried, cabbage slaw, lime mayo”).  You also get a little tub of salsa on the side that can be mild, medium, or hot.  I went with hot.

Azul

The tacos both come on blue corn tortillas that are reasonably fresh and have a decent amount of heft to them (both tacos were crammed with stuff, and the tortillas held up nicely).

Azul

Neither knocked my socks off, but both were quite tasty — particularly the chilorio, which features a generous amount of tender, meaty pork.  The fish was a bit dry, but it’s topped with so much stuff that it barely matters.  For something from a food court, you could do much worse.

Tasty Noodle Soup at Tokasu Ramen Laksa Bar

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Tokasu Ramen Laksa Bar
Location: 755 Queensway East, Mississauga 
Website: https://tokasuramen.com/

Tokasu specializes in ramen and laksa, which strikes me as a bit of an odd combo.  I mean, I guess they are both noodle soups, but the resemblance kinda ends there.  Still, they’re both delightful, so why not?

Tokasu Ramen Laksa Bar

I ordered the laksa, since it’s quite a bit harder to find in the GTA.  They actually have six different varieties of the dish; I went with the chicken white santan laksa, which they describe as their “signature laksa bowl featuring a fragrant coconut chicken broth, shredded chicken, tofu puffs, bean sprouts, and noodles.”

Tokasu Ramen Laksa Bar

It’s quite good.  The broth doesn’t quite have the complexity of the best versions of the dish, but it’s nice and creamy, with a zingy tanginess that helps to cut through its richness.

The noodles were a bit on the soft side, but the chicken (which comes sliced rather than shredded) is nice and tender and the tofu puffs do a great job of soaking up the broth.

Tokasu Ramen Laksa Bar

It might not be the best I’ve ever had, but it’s a solid bowl of laksa.  I’ll definitely have to come back to try the ramen.