Perfect Chinese Restaurant 雅瓊海鮮酒家 for dim sum (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2016 by

The most affordable dim sum in Toronto has to be at Perfect Chinese Restaurant: on weekdays most dishes are $1.80 rising to $2 in their “VIP” room, weekends all standard dishes are $2. Of course, they do have certain “special” items peddled from the dim sum carts, but theses are still $3 or less. Even the customary tea charge is only $0.60 per person. If there’s a place that’s cheaper, I certainly haven’t found it.

Even with the low prices, the quality of Perfect’s dim sum is good and certain dishes even larger than competitors. So how do they do it? You’ll find out the moment you pull into the old neglected plaza and sit down in their dated dining room – the surroundings aren’t palatial, but the low rent and passé décor means savings in your pocket.

Perfect has such a large selection it’d be impossible to highlight even half of their offerings in this post. Instead, this will focus on the dim sum that’s particularly good, bad or I find special as it’s hard to find elsewhere.    

Stepping away from the “hamburger” method of providing feedback, we’ll start with the poorly constructed dishes. Their nuggets of tofu and fish paste ($2) has an awful mushy and sticky consistency. Save for some saltiness from the sauce, they lack flavour and are forgettable. Moreover, their pork & dried vegetable congee ($2) is gritty from the poorly soaked vegetable, so I’d stick with the chicken & corn version instead.


Luckily, they have a lot of good offerings. When the steamed shrimp and scallop dumpling ($2.20) is hot (a shame they’re not served covered in bamboo steamers), these umami laced dumplings are fantastic and beat the traditional har gow any day. Aside from seafood, the filling contains diced celery adding a lovely refreshing crunch to the dumpling.


If you’re a fan of ham shuy gok, the oval crispy orbs filled with minced pork, the shrimp version is worth a try. Shaped like crescents, inside is a fair amount of shrimp dressed up with chives. The crisp slightly sweet glutinous coating is similar to what’s used in the popular pork dish.


Getting a clay pot of their regular rice ($2) will require luck as they’re generally gone by the time the cart arrives to your table (people go to the cart). If you don’t like hunting down the food, splurge on the baked seafood ($3) one that arrives piping hot with a creamy shrimp, scallop and squid sauce on top of fried rice.


Their fried quail ($2.75) is a steal for a dish that takes so much preparation (brining, drying and then cooking). It’s well marinated for flavour and deep fried giving the skin a crispiness similar to Peking duck but the fowl meat juicier.


You can find pan-fried turnip ($2) or taro cake ($2) anywhere, but Perfect still uses the old fashioned cooking carts giving you a hotter dish. Moreover, they really take the time to allow a golden crust to develop and if you ask nicely you can mix-and-match any three pieces from the savoury turnip & taro or sweet chestnut offerings. 


For dessert you really should try their steamed glutinous dumplings filled with red bean paste ($2). Sometimes it can be hard to rip off the bamboo leaf wrapped around it, but the chewy soft dessert is very tasty. The steamed custard roll ($2.20) is also a nice choice, the fluffy light sponge cake smeared with a thick egg custard – a light but satisfying sweet.


After stuffing yourself with dim sum take the time to walk around the plaza. There’s an eerie quality to the abandoned stores that seem frozen in time: a relic space heater left in one and an entire supermarket filled with empty shelves. 


As a teenager there was even a defunct bakery with its display wedding cakes still featured prominently at the window. Perfect Chinese Restaurant has out lasted them all, survival of the fittest.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4386 Sheppard Avenue East 

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____________________________
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:

Perfect Chinese Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Smash Kitchen for Brunch (Markham)

Posted on Saturday, July 02, 2016 by


When I don’t feel like trekking downtown for brunch, Smash Kitchen is a great alternative – they accept reservations and have all the typical favourites (egg dishes, chicken & waffles, burgers, etc.). If you’re feeling particularly hungry, their $20 prix fixe is a steal including any main (except the chicken & waffles), dessert, and coffee or tea.

I first discovered crab cake eggs benedict in San Francisco and since craved the decadent dish again. So, when it was on Smash Kitchen’s menu ($15 a la carte), deciding what to eat was a breeze. The thick runny egg yolk pairs nicely with the crispy coating on the cake and its seafood juices. Being denser patties, filled with crab and maybe even shrimp (?), the crab cakes held up against the eggs and hollandaise.


Pico de gallo was scattered over the benedict helping to cut through the richness. If only the seasoned home fries were hotter (albeit were crispy and cooked through), this would have been a perfect dish.

For dessert there’s a selection of chocolate mousse, cheese cake or berries; but, I wanted the vanilla butter waffle. Thankfully, they allowed this substitute and an entire golden Belgium waffle followed (in my defense, I did share it with a friend).


If you enjoy crispy waffles you’ll love them at Smash Kitchen. I found the waffle dry, which may be a result of it being served lukewarm and the butter on top not melting and soaking into the dessert. Nonetheless, with enough maple syrup, it was salvageable and still decent.

Sweet crispy crab cakes smothered in hot yolk, so glad they’re found in Markham. Plus, this time I didn’t even need to trudge up a huge hill to get them.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Markham, Canada
 Address: 4261 Highway 7 East

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____________________________
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:

Smash Kitchen & Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Harvest Kitchen (Toronto)

Posted on Friday, July 01, 2016 by


I like restaurants that support local farmers, make the majority of their ingredients in-house, and attempts to serve things fresh, so it’s a shame that our brunch at Harvest Kitchen went poorly. It started while getting a table – there’s no reservations and don’t even think about being seated before the entire group arrives. Luckily, even with the two limitations, we snagged a table for six on their pretty rooftop patio by arriving shortly after 11am.

Harvest Kitchen isn’t the only restaurant to introduce strict seating policies during brunch, so the above could be easily overlooked, if our meal was just served together. It’s understandable that there will always be a delay in getting food when you have a larger group; servers need time to go back to the kitchen and pick up further plates. But, to have half the table get their food and the remaining parties not arriving until HALF AN HOUR later, that’s ridiculous. It’s even worse when the neighbouring table, arriving and ordering well after us, get their food before the last of our dishes arrive.

Honestly, I’m not sure the food was worth the wait. Sure, the Pingue’s peameal bacon eggs benedict ($14.95) looked good and the poached eggs were cooked well so the golden yolk remained runny, but the vinegar from the cooking liquid was so pronounced that it ruined the hollandaise sauce. Moreover, the peameal bacon and home fries were lukewarm, it seemed like the dish sat around despite being rushed from the kitchen at their peak like the waiter described.


The best part of the meal was the Florida Sunrise ($8.95), a refreshing cocktail combining Prosecco, Stiegl Radler and Campari. The grapefruit beer was cooling and extra bubbly from the Prosecco, a lovely drink for an otherwise disappointing meal.


Perhaps if our waiter offered an explanation, instead of assuring the three of us to eat first as the other dishes would be arriving in five minutes (lying to customers is never a good thing), the long wait wouldn’t have stung as much. Alas, there was no excuse, no offer to comp the other three meals, not even so much as an apology. For a town that’s filled with eggs benedicts, I’ll happily have mine elsewhere.  

Overall mark - 5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 124 Harbord Street


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____________________________
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!

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Hemingways (Grand Cayman)

Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 by


Patio dining has its ups and downs – a lovely opportunity to bask in beautiful weather, but when it’s hot and you’re craving a chance to chill, the blazing sun is not necessarily the best for dining. Hence, I rather enjoyed Hemingways plantation feeling dining room: it’s bright and the opened doors lead onto their patio. Yet, if you sit near the windows, there’s the feeling of dining outside while still enjoy a cooling breeze.

Of course, a cocktail always helps cool me down… the Trade Winds (CI$8.50) is even named with temperature reducing qualities! It’s rather sweet for a drink that doesn’t list any sugary ingredients; the hidden simple syrup a bit too much with the gin, elderflower liqueur, basil and lemon juice. Once I gave the ice time to melt and dilute the drink, it was better.  

Hemingway’s lobster and mango salad (CI$14) sounds enticing – who wouldn’t want plump pieces of seafood and sweet mango from the tropics? Yet, while the cold lobster did arrive in good sized pieces, the fruit was too small and pulverized so that the mixture resembled mush.


Additionally, the sheer amount of mango juice made the salad too sweet, so the salad had a dessert-like quality. The dish certainly needed larger pieces of the fruit and other ingredients to give it texture and help the dish stay savoury – the finely diced red onions were a step in the right direction.

Given I’ve tried a limited menu, it’d be unfair to say the food at Hemingways was poorly executed. After all, their Caribbean steamed red snapper and fish & chips sounds delicious. Perhaps just stay away from the lobster and mango salad, unless you’re in the mood for dessert.

Overall mark - 6 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: 7 Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
 Address: Inside the Grand Cayman Beach Suites

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____________________________
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!

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The Octagon (Thornhill)

Posted on Sunday, June 26, 2016 by


Residents of Thornhill will be familiar with the octagonal building gracing the corner of Yonge and Clark. First starting as the Copper Kettle, the restaurant was renamed to The Octagon in 1974 and converted to a high-end steakhouse. I love their Victorian dining room draped in rich wood and jewel tones – something about the historical décor makes me feel like I’m in a steakhouse. If you want privacy, ask for a table situated in their small private enclaves that can seat six.

Although their Caesar salad ($17.95/person with minimum 2-person order) looked overly dressed, it tasted surprisingly light having a thinner consistency and enough citrus incorporated into the freshly made dressing. It’s a decadent treat, but hand whipped Caesar salad made table side is a staple for me when visiting steak houses.


The escargots ($14.95) were traditionally prepared, arriving hot in the individually held clay baking dish and swimming in brandy laced garlic butter.


Of course, each table also gets a brimming pickle and olive tray (thankfully, their pickles weren’t overly mushy and I loved the heat of the chili… especially after the meal to act as a palette cleanser) and basket of garlic bread.  


Unlike other fine dining steakhouses, the Octagon offers “lighter” mains where the proteins are a normal serving and arrives with vegetables (no starches). The 6oz. New York strip steak ($32.95) would have been a tad tiny on its own, but augmenting it with a piece of my husband’s massive bone-in rib steak ($65.95) was perfect – enough for me and not leaving him with meat sweats.


Prepared using a charcoal broiled method, the steaks have lovely grill marks and a light smoky aroma. The meat is juicy and oozes with metallic beef flavour … you know you’re in a place that specializes in steak.     


Unlike some of the newer high-end competitors, the Octagon’s regular-sized mains also come with sides – large meaty mushrooms and a choice of starch (baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes, fries or rice). It’s a tad more “economical”, saving you enough to splurge for dessert.

Their coconut cream pie ($11.95) is the best I’ve had in the city: a silky coconut custard held in a pie crust lined with chocolate so its crispiness is retained. On top, plenty of neutral whipped cream and white chocolate shavings for sweetness. It’s not an overly heavy dessert but should still be shared.


Some things are institutions for a reason – overly ornate interiors, large portions of food and expertly prepared traditional menus. The Octagon has it all, long live the steakhouse.  

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Thornhill, Canada
 Address: 7529 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:

The Octagon Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Paramount Fine Foods Yorkville

Posted on Saturday, June 25, 2016 by

It seems like yesterday I first step foot in Paramount’s two-floor Yonge and Dundas location. I was marveled about its size and extensive menu dedicated to Middle Eastern cuisine; deciding what to order was no small feat. In less than five years, the chain now has 26 operating restaurants and another 16 in the queue – there will soon be more Canadians facing the ordering dilemma.  

Their menu has all the popular favourites: shawarma, kafta and shish tawouk skewers. Yet, Paramount also offers dishes such as the manakeesh, a flatbread topped with a variety of ingredients that’s similar to pizza, which until Paramount I’ve never heard about. This summer the choices continue to grow with another dozen dishes added, a selection featured in this post.

The Yalla special ($9.99), a dish popularized by the Yalla Paramount food truck, is not unlike poutine - cubes of chicken shawarma replaces cheese curds and plenty of garlic & tahini sauce is drizzled over top instead of gravy. It's a popular dish for the food truck.  However, unlike the Canadian favourite, the sauces aren’t warm so the fries arrive cool losing that hot crispiness I love and crave with fries.  
If you’re looking for a great shared starter, opt for the mezza plate ($9.99), the selection of dips are fantastic:

  • Of course there’s the classic hummus: a smooth chick pea paste combined with tahini (a toasted sesame seed sauce) and drizzled with olive oil.
  • The tabbouleh is refreshing, the diced tomatoes and crushed wheat helping to mellow chopped parsley and onions. If you’re having any of Paramount’s grilled meat mains, save a bit of tabbouleh, it goes so nicely mixed with hot beef or lamb juices.
  • Lastly, a serving of moutabbal, which I mistakenly thought was baba ghanoush at the restaurant. Having researched the dip further online, the Syrian Foodie explains that although both use eggplant cooked on an opened flame (to give the dip a smokiness), moutabbal mixes the vegetable with tahini while baba ghanoush uses pomegranate molasses and parsley – so you’ll find the moutabbal richer and more savoury.

The mezza plate is the perfect condiment for paring with the pillowy pita made fresh at the restaurant’s wood-burning ovens. Heated to 600F, the intense heat causes the middle of the bread to steam and puff up. As the basket is brought to the table, I can’t wait to dig into the hot bread and inhale the yeasty steam. Paramount’s pitas put supermarkets to shame – they’re chewy with a lovely toasted crust, nothing like the dry powdery cardboard you find bagged in plastic.  

Another new bread being offered is the markook, an ultra-thin flatbread which is used in their tabliyeh saj chicken shawarma wrap ($11.99). Plenty of shredded roasted chicken is wrapped in tortilla-thin bread, then toasted so that it gets a crispy exterior. The garlic sauce gives the wrap moisture and almost a cheesy quality when it’s warm and gooey. The platter makes for a great lunch with a generous portion of fries (complete with more garlic sauce for dipping), pickles and turnips.


Paramount’s first seafood dish, the BBQ shrimp plate ($16.49) is wonderful. The marinated shrimp cooked quickly on the hot grill so they get a lovely light char but retain a crispiness. I love the lighter tomato garlic sauce they’ve concocted for the dish – the spicy heat going nicely with the shrimp and even better when mixed into the fragrant basmati rice. This has to be my favourite dish at Paramount to date.


Even their drinks are a sight… every time someone see’s the Paramount Special ($7.49), they immediately peruse the menu to find the elaborate concoction. The drink could easily work as a light meal or dessert: the fresh strawberry and mango juices topped with mixed fruits (strawberry, kiwi and pineapple), crushed almonds & pistachio, ashta cream (similar to clotted or Devonshire cream) and honey. For me, I prefer their mango juice ($6.49), silky and fragrant without being overly sweet.


Paramount has always been a popular restaurant for weekday lunches – their service is quick (allowing the lunch to stick to an hour), prices are reasonable (most mains are under $15), there’s a great selection and no on leaves hungry. If time is not an issue, I suggest first ordering appetizers and adding on mains afterwards - otherwise everything comes in quick succession and the small tables makes fitting the large platters a challenge.

I can certainly see why Paramount Fine Foods is one of the quickest growing franchise in North America. And thank you for the new mezza and BBQ shrimp plates, deciding what to eat has now gotten even more difficult.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Dislaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1250 Bay 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!

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CLOSED: 120 Diner (Toronto)

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2016 by
120 Diner

Based on my experience, 120 Diner should really be considered a music lounge as opposed to a diner. On Friday evening, a singer who was part of Music Can Heal, serenaded us with mellow songs which washed away the weekday worries and left us in a meditative trance. The restaurant also features jazz, cabaret, comedic acts and even karaoke nights if you want to grace the stage (here’s the full calendar). 

Similar to music lounges, they offer a variety of cocktails. Two of their in-house concocted mixes look similar but couldn’t be more different.
  • The Burning Ember ($7.10), the same signature red as the tables, is their take on a vodka cran with a splash of ginger ale for bubbles.  
  • Meanwhile, the White Freezie ($9.75) may not look like the childhood frozen treat, but one sip will bring back memories. Surprisingly, we learned it’s the combination raspberry Sourpuss and banana that gives the frozen dessert that distinctive flavour.

Even the Grey Goose Peach Mojito ($12), the least colourful of the bunch, has an element of whimsy from the skewer of candy that accompanies the refreshing drink. I don’t know about you, the anything with muddled mint makes for a great summer drink.


It’s a shame the chicken wings ($12.95 for 1lb) occupies so little of the menu’s real estate (compared to the quarter page dedicated to nachos and poutine) – I almost missed ordering them. Yet, it’d be a shame not to try their wings as they’re fantastic (certainly gives my current favourite, Real Sports, a run for its money).


Using a “jumbo” size, 7-8 arrive in a pound each having an excellent crunchy coating while retaining a succulent juiciness inside. Their in-house honey garlic sauce even incorporates cloves of roasted garlic, perfect for smearing onto the sticky sweet sauce to give the wing an additional richness.

The spicy fish sandwich ($14.95) caught my eye, an unusual sandwich that rarely graces menus … especially one that’s oven poached as opposed to deep fried. Despite the relatively blank looking fish, the sandwich has kick with its three spicy elements: firstly the sambal sauce, an Indonesian blend of chilis and fish sauce, gave it heat and rich flavours; a layer of spicy mayo for that creaminess that makes a sandwich hearty; and lastly pickled jalapenos for a sting that dances on the tongue.


With gooey melted cheese and a soft Ace Bakery ciabatta bun, the sandwich really comes together… seemingly simple but delicious. Even their fries were expertly executed using in-house cut potatoes: retaining a long length, a crispy crust encapsulating fluffy innards, and most importantly, arriving piping hot.

For those who love protein, the 120 Meatlover cheeseburger ($17.95) takes their thick lean beef patty and piles saucy pulled pork and double smoked bacon on top! Take it from me, there’s no way to eat this cleanly so ask for extra napkins at the beginning. This is a serious burger with tons of fixings including cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and crispy fried onions.


Perhaps the most notable feature that makes the restaurant a “diner” is their desserts – a selection of traditional favourites such as carrot cake, brownies, banana pudding and baked lemon squares. I suggest you enquire about their weekly special, as the cheekily named strawberry TALL cake ($7.99) was the perfect ending: pieces of dense white cake piled high with cold soft serve ice cream and tons of sweet strawberries. 


For a person who loves strawberry shortcake, it was that light but sweet enough dessert that left me satisfied. And since 120 Diner now has their own soft serve machine, expect more of these gems in the future.

A fantastic new menu for a restaurant that’s just celebrated its second year anniversary. Still the generous portions and affordable prices the restaurant’s known for, but now an even larger selection and some really interest options – spicy fish sandwich anyone?

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in the mission statement, I will also provide my honest opinion. 
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 120 Church 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:



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