Showing posts with label roasted duck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roasted duck. Show all posts

East Court & Mike's BBQ (Toronto) 怡東燒臘 for takeout

Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2021 by

When one thinks of barbeque, images of burgers and hot dogs may come to a North American mind. Across the world, it means so much more. Such as, fragrant jerk chicken or spit-fired whole hogs. Since a young age, I’ve associated barbeque with siu mei, which translates from Cantonese as ‘roasted ends’, an odd description as in reality the animals are prepared and presented in it’s whole form.

Walk inside an establishment like East Court and Mike’s BBQ and you’ll see glistening roasted carcasses hanging from a stainless-steel wall. It’s a sobering moment that reminds you of what you’re eating. If you’re a vegetarian, wait in the car.

Chinese barbeque pork or cha shiu ($8.99 per lb) is probably the most widely known form of siu mei and is the dish I loved as a child. The easiest to eat, since there are no bones, it’s flavoured with a youth-friendly slightly sweet glaze, it’s the dish I must try at every shop.

Requesting a "half fat half lean" piece, the cut is a little oily when eaten on its own, but once mixed with hot rice, is oh so delicious as the fat melts into the grains. Plus, the roasted pork is much moister. I enjoyed East Court’s thicker cuts – when you place a slice in your mouth, you get a lovely meaty bite that's a bit like steak. Their glaze has a balanced sweetness and was applied generously but not so thick that it tastes like it's dipped in corn syrup.

The roasted duck ($11 for half) was cut nicely, each piece roughly the same thickness and so deftly prepared that it easily reforms the animal’s shape in the container. This was also nicely marinated, so it didn’t require plum sauce, the duck juices enough to satisfy providing a wonderful savoury star anise taste.

For a smaller portion of fowl, their barbeque chicken legs ($3 each; two shown in the picture) is a great add on. These are glazed with a thinner version of the cha shiu sauce giving it a little bit of sweetness. Of course, the ginger and green onion oil will completely change the flavours of the dish and is such a great condiment with chicken.  

East Court and Mike’s BBQ is an example of why you should purchase siu mei from a professional roaster and not just some Asian supermarket: the flavours are well-rounded so the meats can be enjoyed solo without any condiments, never too sweet or salty so that it overpowers the protein; and items are cut with a uniform thickness so that each piece is the perfect bite-sized morsel.

Next time you’re in the mood for “barbeque” expand the definition and look beyond burgers and ribs. Check out a siu mei restaurant for a different spin. Plus, professional roasters are set-up as take-out only shops, which bodes well with our current COVID dining restrictions.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4400 Sheppard Avenue East


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Mineral (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, May 02, 2020 by

Who would have thought that Toronto Life’s first R&D Night for TL Insiders would be the only one I attend until the summer? When we sat down at Mineral in January, still freezing and cold, for their special five-course meal with beverage pairings ($139 inclusive of taxes and gratuities), we could still dine in and social distancing wasn’t even on the Torontonian radar. Note: Regular menu prices are included in the post and portion sizes may be smaller given the dishes were shared amongst three people.

Mineral is a Midtown newcomer offering Filipino dishes that’s infused with other cultures. Yes, dare I use the F-word? It’s fusion.

There’s Japanese elements in my favourite dish of the night, the seafood noodles ($26). The squid ink pasta tossed in a white wine (?) broth that gets creamier when the uni gets mixed in, creating a simple sauce with a pleasant briny ocean taste. They don’t skimp on the seafood with large prawns and chunks of scallop, a fried shrimp head tasty to munch on if you’re not squeamish about eating that sort of thing.


Similar Asian flavours continue with the pineapple and kombu ($9), the fruit intensifying from being roasted and then topped with a kombu (kelp) chili oil that’s reminiscent of a milder XO sauce, adding a sense of umami and heat to the dish. Who would have thought fruit could be so savoury?


Their roasted duck leg ($28) is less Chinese BBQ and closer to duck confit. Except, in lieu of a red wine jus it sits in a lovely peanut curry and is paired with steamed rice… if only there was more of the sauce for the grains! If you wanted a bit more flavour, a red crab paste sits on the side, which was rather light for something that’s so intensely red.


The side of miso wok fried broccolini ($18) was a great idea, the seasoning adding an unexpected richness to the vegetables for something that looks like it’s just topped with almonds. A bit of citrus gives it a fresh finish, pairing well with the richer duck.  

Two dishes that seemed more traditional were the first and last bites. We started with an ensaymada ($3), a sweet egg bun topped with melted aged white cheddar and smoked butter. Oh yes, it’s looks and sounds decadent, but somehow just works together without becoming heavy



For dessert, a dense sponge cake with a bit of syrup, crème fraiche, and a crumbly topping. 


By that point, being five drinks in, the dessert was finished in a blur and we giddily continued the conversation not wanting to leave. It was a simpler time, a more social time, a time I can’t wait to get back to.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
Want to become a Toronto Life Member? If this event sounded great, don't miss out on the fun. Toronto Life is providing Gastro World readers a $25 off discount code to become a member!

Just use discount code GASTROWORLD at the Toronto Life Member checkout and the discount will be automatically applied.
Email me if you join and let me know the next event you'll be attending. Maybe we can meet in person!

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1027 Yonge Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Dasha (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, November 23, 2019 by

A big thank you to my friend Parv for these amazing photos. Her phone's fancy.
Chef Akira Back is steering away from his Korean upbringing and the Japanese restaurants he’s founded towards another part of the Orient: China. Dasha has an impressive dining area, the bright neon bar situated in the middle of a spacious room creates the feeling that you’re eating outdoors… just in a really comfortable environment. Opening in time for the holiday season was smart as the restaurant will undoubtly be a popular destination for holiday parties with their shareable plates and private karaoke rooms on the second floor.


If you ask for advice on the menu, you’ll probably be steered towards the standard safe options – dishes like Peking duck and salt & pepper shrimp. If you don’t normally eat Chinese food, I agree, these are tried-and-true dishes that will likely delight. But, they are also options you can get anywhere, so it’s the less known rendition of these dishes we wanted to try.

Since Dasha’s ducks are what they’re known for, we definitely had to try the fowl. Instead of Peking duck, we opted for the black truffle version ($45) instead. It was an impressive dish: the duck still roasted with that lovely crispy skin like the Peking dish, but then it’s enhanced with a black truffle duck jus poured tableside so the fowl’s richness also gets an earthy umami essence. There’s even a couple of black truffle shavings placed on top.


This was a fantastic dish that was the highlight of the meal. If only there was more of it, the small portion was best suited to be shared amongst two people. In general, Dasha’s dishes are diminutive so you’ll need at two per person with a side to satisfy.

In lieu of the salt & pepper shrimp, we went for the wasabi prawns ($14). The battered deep fried shrimp is tossed with a mild wasabi crema so there’s a faint taste of the condiment without stinging the nose. A great way to start and a tasty starter.


While the smoked ribs ($19) lacked smokiness, it’s nonetheless a decent dish. Immensely tender ribs – the meat can barely hold together on a fork – is stewed in a slightly sweet sauce and then rolled in panko crust so that it covers the sauce and gives the pork texture. The coating also helps protect your fingers a bit if you give up on cutlery all together and resort to your hands.


The nest adorning the angry chicken ($16) plate is a cute idea but the ingredients used to build up the nest isn’t necessarily the tastiest … the traditional shaved taro still does it best. I was also expecting a lot more spice for a something that’s described as being Szechuan. Instead, the heat is so subdued that the only way you get any spice is if you actually eat the bits of chili rendering the dish fairly forgettable.


To round out the meal, we added on a number of sides including green beans ($11), which is quickly stir fried with garlic and chili so that it’s flavourful without being all shriveled or too oily. I liked that it wasn’t overly cooked and added an element of freshness to the meal.


The seafood fried rice ($13) was rather disappointing, essentially plain soy sauce fried rice with bites of green onion served in a mound with dried scallop on top – it’s almost like XO sauce but less exciting and flavourful.


Go for the chow fun ($14) instead, the rice noodles well-tossed so that there’s plenty of wok hay and there’s some small sweet prawns and crunchy bean sprouts thrown in for contrast.


Dasha’s service is friendly and hospitality seemed to be top of mind for some elements – the manager came by to make sure we weren’t cold with the doors opening and closing.  At the same time, they also seem to unnecessarily rush people out of the restaurant. As soon as we sat down the two hour warning was announced, which is a well-known and understandable practice, but should also be followed only if necessary.

 Two instances stood out with my experience, the first being the hyper attentiveness of clearing dishes. During the first hour, it was done as things were finished, but since the dishes were the shrimp, duck and pork ribs, these tend to be consumed at a quicker pace.

For the second half, when the sides were the main things arriving, it became annoying as people came around on a couple of occasions trying to clear plates that still had food on it. This made us stop the conversation and attempt to divvy up the rest of the food before we were ready. Chinese food is notorious for being eaten family style, so just leave the semi-finished item there and bring on the next dish… there’s no need to have things cleared away before the next plate arrives.

The second instance was at the end of dinner. Despite having over half an hour left to the two-hour window, no one came by to offer us dessert menus (turns out there isn’t one) or to see if we wanted anything else. Finally, with 20 minutes remaining, we ask our waitress if there’d be enough time for a round of cocktails. The dining room seemed to only be half occupied, so we thought we could buy ourselves an extra 15 minutes.

We’re advised that there wasn’t enough time, but that we could sit at the bar. Personally, I would have handled it differently by suggesting they could bring over the cocktails, but in the event the table was required, they would move us to the bar at that point. This ensures they get the extra margins and keeps diners happy. Really, for an establishment who just had the manager come around to make sure we were warm enough, hospitality seems to only be warm during a two hour window.

 Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 620 King Street West

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

T’ang Court 唐閣 (Hong Kong)

Posted on Sunday, May 27, 2018 by

Dining as a table of two in a Cantonese restaurant can be difficult given dishes are generally for one type of food (i.e. protein, vegetable, grain) rather than a complete meal. T’ang Court does offer tasting menus for smaller groups, but they’re comprised of the abalone, shark fin, and swallow’s nest offerings … love-it or detest-it type dishes. Luckily, they do offer some items per person and even proactively suggested changing our noodle dish to a half order to better fit our table.

It’s this helpful attitude that aided T’ang Court to earn and keep their three Michelin stars. Indeed, their staff is attentive (god forbid you try to pour your own tea), patient, and professional … qualities that are rare in other Chinese restaurants since the customer to staff ratio is overwhelmingly high. It’s also surprisingly calm and quiet: my husband and I were seated at a table that in similar places would fit six and the tables were well-spaced for privacy. 


We even received an amuse bouche, which wasn’t the typical bone broth, but rather a fair-sized scallop. While the pastry was a bit floury at the bottom, the seafood was sweet and meaty and the pickled vegetables a nice fresh contrast against the deep-fried scallop. In fact, the amuse closely mirrored our dishes to come – deep fried and roasted options that made for an indulgent meal.


You can’t go wrong with the baked stuffed crab shell ($180 each); if you like crab cakes, this brings it another level! Break through the crispy panko crust and you’ll be treated to forkfuls of the crustacean mixed with bit of onion for contrast in a light creamy sauce. It’s a fantastic dish that while priced per person can also be shared as it’s a significant portion of seafood. 


To make the roasted suckling pig ($330) in the BBQ duo lighter, the chefs remove the layer of pork fat (after cooking) and replaced it with a thin slice of steamed bao, which adds a softness against the thin crackling skin and delicate tender meat. Oh it’s good, the best roasted pork I’ve had. The duck’s meat is also succulent and encased in golden crispy skin, but needs some plum sauce as it’s fairly neutral tasting.


I don’t know what we were thinking, with all the barbequed meat, we really didn’t need half of a crispy salted chicken ($300) as well. Another tasty version of a classic dish, the skin well-rendered and crisp, the chicken meat still moist, and everything seasoned adequately so you don’t need any condiments.


The Inaniwa noodles with fresh shrimp dumplings and mixed vegetables in fish soup ($130 for a half order) was a welcomed respite, the hot broth helping to cleanse the mouth of the oilier dishes. The noodles, a thinner udon, were silky and soft and still a sizeable bowl with the half portion. While the wontons were plump and filled with prawns, the actual seafood didn’t taste of much. I was happy there were vegetables included, something sorely missing from the rest of the meal due to our haphazard ordering.


To end, complimentary sweets consisting of a ‘pear’ made of dry pastry filled with red bean paste and goji berry jello that could be a touch sweeter.


T’ang Court’s dining room is of course regal and comfortable. Yet, I couldn’t help but notice the interesting choice of artwork: directly in front of us a large portrait of moldy strawberries. 


Indeed, it could be a well-known work of art, but while eating, the last thing I wanted to see was rotting food. Perhaps it’s me, after all, art (not unlike food) is in the eye (or mouth) of the beholder.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
 Address: 8 Peking Rd (Langham Hotel, 2nd floor)

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)