pancakes – Michael Eats

A Delicious Korean Pancake at Hodo Kwaja

Published on November 27, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 656 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Website: http://hodokwaja.ca/

I previously tried the walnut cakes at Hodo Kwaja, which is their specialty. Those things are thoroughly delicious, and it was tempting to just order them again. But they also serve a few other desserts here, including hotteok — Korean pancakes with a sweet filling.

You can order these filled with either brown sugar or red bean; brown sugar is the more traditional choice, so that’s what I went with.

It’s extremely delicious. I figured this wouldn’t be on the level of the walnut cakes, but I actually think it might be even better? It’s just as good, that’s for sure.

The pancake itself is delightfully chewy, and the sweet brown sugar syrup complements it perfectly. It’s a very sweet dessert, but there’s a good balance between the pastry and the syrup; it’s not the throat-burner you might suspect.

Tasty Brunch at Good Fork

Published on May 12, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1550 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://goodfork.ca/

The first thing I should note is that Good Fork is extremely popular. I showed up a bit after 11:00 on a recent Saturday and the place was an absolute madhouse; it was completely packed, with a whole bunch of people standing around waiting for tables and a 45 minute wait to be seated.

I came back a week later at around 9:30 and got seated right away, and by the time I left it was packed again. They don’t do reservations on the weekend, so be warned: show up early or get ready to wait.

I tried a couple of things. First up was the crispy chicken sandwich: “toasted bun, breaded n’ fried chicken thigh, lemony schmaltz mayo, lettuce, dilly labneh, pickles.” This didn’t particularly knock my socks off, but it’s a very good fried chicken sandwich. It kinda reminded me of an upscale McChicken. I got the salad on the side, which is fairly by-the-numbers, but is nice and zippy and does a good job of cutting through the richness of the sandwich.

I also tried the blueberry halva pancakes, which, unlike the sandwich, kinda did knock my socks off. From the menu: “buttermilk pancake stack, orange blossom ricotta, lemony blueberry, halva crumble, pure hockley valley maple syrup.”

These were some top-notch pancakes; the pancakes themselves strike the perfect balance between fluffiness and substance, and all the toppings were super tasty. It never would have occurred to me to put halva on a pancake, but its nutty richness complements the sweet blueberry sauce perfectly.

I also liked that the level of sweetness was relatively restrained — the dish comes with a bottle of maple syrup on the side, but it’s so good on its own that I found this to be completely unnecessary.

Jodie’s is a Hidden Gem

Published on March 26, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 331 Horner Avenue, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.instagram.com/jodiesrestaurant/

Jodie’s is basically the definition of a hidden gem. It’s tucked away in an industrial area of Etobicoke, it looks extremely unassuming, and there’s very little information about it online. But yes: it’s a gem.

The menu consists entirely of no-frills diner classics. I came at breakfast and ordered the morning mixer, which comes with two eggs cooked as you like; a pancake or French toast (I went with the pancake); your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage (I got sausage), with a side of home fries and toast.

It’s an exceptionally basic diner breakfast that could very easily be fine, but not much more.

Jodie’s knocks it out of the park, however, with perfectly prepared eggs, a pancake that strikes a great balance between fluffiness and substance, nicely crispy/creamy home fries, and some tasty sausages that I think are fried (they had an exterior crispiness that’s quite delightful). It’s quite simple, but when the execution is as good as it is here, simplicity is where it’s at.

Brunch with a Twist at Madame Levant

Published on November 3, 2021 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 821 Gerrard Street East, Toronto
Website: https://www.madamelevant.com/

Madame Levant is a brunch spot with an interesting gimmick; most of the menu consists of brunch classics “with a Levantine twist.”

Actually, maybe using the word “gimmick” to describe what they’re serving here is unfair. Based on the two dishes I tried, Madame Levant manages to combine brunch standbys and Middle Eastern ingredients in a way that feels completely organic.

First up was the Halawa Pancakes, which the menu describes as “GF flour blend pancakes served with orange blossom tahini maple syrup & topped with pistachios and ward (dried flower petals).”

Halawa — a sweet, tahini-based dessert — and pancakes turn out to be a great combo, and the floral notes you get from the orange blossom and flower petals complements it perfectly. I feel like I need all of my maple syrup to be infused with tahini from now on; it adds a richness and a mildly nutty flavour that really amps up its deliciousness.

The pancakes are gluten free, but aside from a slightly denser texture than the norm, they’re very good.

I also tried the Sujuk Scrambled: “beef sausages finished with pomegranate molasses, 3 soft scrambled eggs, with a side of hummus, pita, & olives.”

This one’s pretty basic, but when you’re dealing with good ingredients that are well prepared, sometimes simpler is better. The sausage is tasty and the eggs are nicely creamy. Hummus and eggs aren’t a combination that I would have thought of, but it works. Nothing here knocked my socks off, but it’s a solid dish.

A Middling Breakfast at Cafe Crepe

Published on February 27, 2020February 27, 2020 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 246 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://cafecrepe.com/

Cafe Crepe does surprisingly well; I recently showed up at 9:30 on a Saturday morning, expecting it to be mostly empty, and the place was absolutely packed. People, apparently, love crepes.

And the crepe itself is solid. Everything else, on the other hand…

I ordered the Cafe Crepe Speciale, which comes with three eggs that are theoretically cooked how you like them, “with bacon or sausage & your choice of crêpe: sugar butter, lemon sugar or cinnamon sugar.”

I went with a lemon sugar crepe, sausage, and eggs cooked over easy.

I briefly considered mentioning something when the waitress plopped down a plate of scrambled eggs, but the prospect of eating in shifts with my dining companion wasn’t particularly compelling.

It was fine? I guess? The scrambled eggs were slightly overcooked and completely underseasoned (if they had any salt, I couldn’t taste it), but decent enough. And the sausage was something resembling chorizo rather than the breakfast sausage you’re expecting, but it’s tasty enough.

As for the crepe, it’s actually very good — it’s nice and fresh, with a texture that does a great job of balancing tenderness and bite. But it’s absolutely doused in sugar (it’s both on top of and inside the crepe), and the lemon (which was also copiously applied) tasted off; I’m pretty sure it was actually ReaLemon or something similar.

It wasn’t a bad breakfast, but it probably makes more sense to order a crepe that’s harder to mess up, like Nutella and banana.