Quetzal has really changed from our first visit. It’s busy and absolutely buzzing on a Thursday evening, likely thanks to their one Michelin star rating. And they started offering a tasting menu ($125 per person) to really increase the dishes each duo can try. They even have an “off menu” version, where you’re presented with some dishes that aren’t available a la carte or adjusted based on seasonal ingredients. You don’t have to ask me twice; off menu we go.

Note: This post contains the prices for dishes that are available a la carte. Portion sizes will likely be larger than what’s pictured.

Almost every table seemed to order the dry aged amberjack aguachile ($32). It’s certainly stunning with the ruby pink rhubarb juice studded with scallion oil, a mild but refreshing accompaniment to the fish. Having been dried aged, the amberjack was denser but still tender and the dollop of pasilla and chickpea miso gave it a bright pop of flavour. While I could have done without the jicama slice (it’s a bit dry and sucks some of the flavour out of the dish), the garnish does add to the dish’s presentation – just enjoy this separately.

Then things get interesting: we’re asked if we’d like to have a drink with the remaining rhubarb juice. Um, yes! Spooned into shot glasses and mixed with mezcal, the flavour profile completely changes from tart to savoury and spicy. It’s like magic.

Our next dish goes off the menu with a flatiron steak tartare. This needs to get on the menu as it was one of the best tartare I’ve had. Diced beef was mixed with olive, chilis, and something slightly crunchy (fried capers or puffed rice?) creating a wonderful varying bite. But it’s the airy hollandaise crowning the tartare that stole the show, adding a creamy element that’s not unlike aioli but much fresher and lighter.

The following memela is available on their menu, but the tasting gives it a different take. The toasted blue masa tortilla was covered with melted cheese, poblano (?) sauce, mushrooms, and pickled cactus, and a host of other ingredients. Together it created what I’ll describe as an amazing deep dish Mexican pizza, without the excess sauce and breading. One of these with a salad would be a great meal for one.

Who would have thought popcorn (albeit in powdered form) would pair well with Newfoundland scallops ($39)? A meaty sweet scallop, salty butter powder, herby garlic butter, and sprinkling of tangy Tajin created a delicious bite. Like Lays tag line goes… they’re so good, you can’t just have one.

While the hulking bone marrow and wild Argentinian shrimp ($52) looked impressive, it doesn’t work with tortillas – the flat bread doesn’t have the capacity to soak up the oily juices and the marrow was too blubbery to spread on the smooth surface. In the end, you have a slightly oily tortilla with a clump of blubber in the centre.

Still, I followed their instructions to scoop a bit of marrow onto a tortilla, add a piece of beautifully grilled shrimp, and top with a squeeze of lime. It’s edible, but I feel like the shrimp paired with slices of lardo it would work even better. Just make sure to scrape some of the honey glaze from the bone marrow as its burst of smoky sweetness brings the taco to a whole new level.

Every course is accompanied with tortilla, so by this time I’m getting full. Hence, if you’re doing the tasting menu, hold off on finishing all the tortillas at the beginning. Another plate arrives with the grilled hanger steak, and they complement this dish perfectly, so you’ll want the room in your stomach. Slathered with the black garlic mole negro and wrapped around steak, shishito pepper, mushroom, and sprinkled with queso fresco, you have yourself a delicious taco.

Still, if you’re too full, each element tastes great solo. The steak was tender and beautifully cooked. Add some of the earthy and slightly sweet mole negro for a deeper flavour.

Grilled maitake mushrooms are such a treat and Quetzal provides a generous portion alongside oyster mushrooms in the mushroom and shishito ($26). Having developed a crust, the mushrooms take on a meatiness with a creamy spiciness from the poblano crema and ancho sauce.

I’m glad it’s all paired with the Clearwater Farm tomato and cucumber salad ($25) as I really needed something light and refreshing to end the meal. A variety of tomatoes and crispy de-skinned cucumber are tossed with pickled garlic scape, queso fresco, fermented anaheim crema, garlic crisps, and shiso so the salad was anything but boring.

Surprisingly, the coconut nicuatole ($17) was the richer dessert of the two presented. The coconut cream was thickened with masa creating a luscious pudding that resembled tapioca or rice counterparts. I just wish there were more pieces of the compressed pineapple soaked in mezcal to go with each bite as it really jazzed up the nicuatole.

The spiced Mexican chocolate ($16) was airy and almost glided across the tongue. Crispy sponge toffee adds crunch while passionfruit provides freshness. I normally hate chocolate and fruit desserts but didn’t mind this one.

Usually, I don’t like eating at the bar, but scoring a last-minute reservation didn’t leave many options. Luckily, the bar seats were the next best thing to the Chef’s table - the bartenders were so friendly and even educated on the dishes.

Of course, they are even more knowledgeable about mezcal, so if you want to sample this spirit, Quetzal is the place to visit. They have an amazing selection and if you provide a price point, they’ll bring forward some options and describe each one in detail. It’s how we settled on the Colores ($57), after finding out the high-end bottle at $150 per oz was too rich for our blood.

It just seemed appropriate to end with a sip of mezcal. After all, it brings our tasting full circle, having started us off when mixed with the rhubarb juice from the amberjack. 

The stretch of Avenue Road close to the 401 has been put on the map with the opening of LSL Restaurant. Up until its opening, one of the ‘finer’ dining options in the neighbourhood has been the longstanding Francobollo.

Still, the restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously. Amongst the modern homey dining room, they play lively music so you’re not afraid to laugh out loud (the second floor reserved for those who like it quiet). Their menu even drops a few puns like the tagliatelle ‘Bollo’gnese ($27). Get it, ‘Bollo’gnese and Franco’bollo’?

The sauce is heavy on the meat (a combination of beef and veal), which is proper since it’s a Bolognese and not ragu. One of my husband’s signature recipes, I’ve learnt a lot about Bolognese and have been spoiled by his perfected concoction. Francobollo’s was decent, but too heavy on the tomato. Ultimately, it’s a fresher rendition but was missing that richness that less tomato and a touch of cream helps create.

Finding burrata at an Italian restaurant is not surprising, but having one that’s fresh and served at an ideal temperature isn’t always the case. Francobollo’s burrata ($32) was the consistency I crave: creamy and soft but not oozing. Served with peaches and a tomato salad the summery starter was simply seasoned with olive oil, balsamic reduction, and basil. I would have liked crostini versus bread sticks but skipping carbs in the summer never hurt anyone.

Besides, we were having our fill of carbs with the pastas. And in retrospect, should have gotten the bread ($3) earlier as the salty oiliness of the soft chewy ciabatta would have paired well with the burrata. 

If you’re craving something rich, order the braised short ribs pappardelle ($32). I was expecting a traditional beef broth or tomato-based sauce, so the white sauce was a surprise. Yet, it’s not an alfredo. Instead, a combination of sweet corn, mustard, and truffle creating a sweet creaminess with an interesting finish. I wouldn’t have pinpointed the sauce to contain mustard or truffle, but then it’s two ingredients that’s rarely combined. While I enjoyed the chunks of shredded short rib and the texture of the pasta, the sweet thick sauce threw me off. Luckily, my husband enjoyed the pappardelle, so we switched our orders.

Meanwhile, I rather enjoyed the corn used in the Caesar salad ($20; half of the order in the picture). Left in kernel form, the corn’s sweetness was contained and what escaped in a bite helped enhance the garlicky dressing – just a bit of sweetness without being in every mouthful. Who knows, maybe a similar usage in the pappardelle would help mellow out the sugariness. Oh, and this was a sizeable salad, so I’d recommend sharing.

Francobollo’s pistachio cheesecake ($16?) can also easily satisfy two people. Rich and creamy, the earthy nuttiness of the pistachio was a lovely change from the overly sweet chocolate, caramel, or fruit.

In an area where restaurant menus get printed and rarely change, I appreciate that Francobollo creates daily specials and morphs their menus regularly to keep things interesting. It’s the fortitude that’s required as Michelin chef restaurants begin to enter the neighbourhood.

Martine’s Wine Bar’s vibe is hard to describe, like an upscale farmhouse that plays a great mix of music. It doesn’t feel like a wine bar, yet it could be. In a not-your-parents type of wine bar sort of way.

And while it has a down-to-earth feel, they play up the hospitality factor. While appreciated, I do have a small recommendation: leave the bottled water at the table. Given it’s a busy restaurant with various plates to clear, our swamped waitress didn’t always get a chance to refill water leaving our glasses empty at times.

With the restaurant’s dedication to supporting local suppliers, the dishes exude freshness and their menu changes daily.

You won’t find a heavy thick dressing in their Caesar salad ($16). Instead, the vinaigrette-like concoction barely covered the greens and was heavy on the lemon and light on the garlic and anchovy. I would have liked the big pieces of lettuce cut up, but I guess it allows the diner to behold Van Stone Farm’s greens in all their glory. While they recommended having this with the first round of dishes, you may want it served along side the heavier mains as it’s a great palette cleanser.

Despite looking odd, the raw mushroom slices covering the spicy beef tartare ($24) were tasty and helped soak up the flavourful sauces. Martine’s didn’t skimp on the peppery horseradish sauce that added a powerful punch of spiciness to the meat… even though they provide a generous portion, apply with caution. Even their sourdough had a different quality to it: pillowy soft yet still smoky from being thoroughly toasted. Pile everything onto the bread for a delicious bite.

Large uncut lasagna-like noodles arrived in the fazzoletti ($26). Smothered in a lemony herb olive oil, the sauce’s pop of freshness worked nicely to balance out the creamy smoked burrata. The pasta was minimally adorned with zucchini ribbons so the cheese stands centre in the dish.

The skate wing ($24) was so hot and crispy that it could easily rival a schnitzel. And while most restaurants likely would have paired it with a tartar sauce, Martine’s uses an Americana red sauce studded with pork belly and thinly sliced runner beans. It’s good, but the sauce is just too salty. Perhaps the kitchen can turn the dish into a full blown parmigiana by adding spaghetti to really lean into the savoury tomato sauce.

Chicken isn’t always exciting, but the wood fired chicken and fries ($30 for half portion) was tasty, especially the dark meat pieces that were juicy and tender. The chicken breast was drier, but still decent. You could slather on some of the chive mayonnaise to give it an extra boost of moisture.

Order the “spicy” version of the chicken, which has no heat and instead was rubbed in a sweet paprika mixture. It provided the extra boost of flavour in an otherwise tame dish. The dish arrives with plenty of hot fries that have a great potato flavour but were oversalted.

A lone dessert was offered that evening - Van Stone Farms strawberries ($9) with anise hyssop ice cream. Once you get through the fresh fruit, the melted ice cream and the sweet syrup the berries were macerated almost has a cereal-milk quality to it, with a licorice tang.

The array of fresh dishes left us full and satisfied but not glutinous feeling. It’s a great dinner option for a night out, especially with the restaurant’s proximity to Bar Raval. You can always start there for an after-work tipple, eat dinner at Martine’s, and return to the bar for a night cap. All without leaving the corner of College and Palmerston. 

If you haven’t heard about Mhel, it’s a restaurant that sources seasonal ingredients that it then uses in daily changing menus. While this is great for freshness and creativity, it does mean dishes featured in this post may not be available during your visit.

Also, the constantly changing menu causes the kitchen to have limited ability to “perfect” a dish. For example, the yuan yaki ($35) sounded good on paper but didn’t have the taste to match. The thick slice of kanpachi needed more seasoning and something stronger than just a yuzu marinade. Its uneven thickness meant the edges were cooked through while the centre to be raw. Ultimately, I had to leave a piece uneaten given it was gross and gummy.  

After all, the dish wasn’t meant to be eaten raw like the ishidai sashimi ($33), a fish flown in from Nagasaki. In lieu of soy sauce, Mhel created a flavourful seaweed salad providing flavour and a chewy garnish that could be wrapped in the fish to create a delicious bite.

In fairness, there’s many dishes that Mhel gets right. The sogogi ($46) was fantastic, a sizeable slice of Australian wagyu cooked to perfection so that it’s juicy and hot. Brushed with galbi sauce, the beef’s Korean flavours reminded me why it could be eaten with chopsticks. Although, I would have loved for a small slice to be put on top of the sushi rice nugget. It’s what Mhel describes as a perilla ssam, so a piece of meat would make the bite complete.

Mhel’s portion sizes are small. Hence, we followed their advice and opted for the heartiest dish for the evening, the dak gaseumsal ($30) with a bowl of steamed Japanese rice ($5), and side of kimchi ($8).

The dak gaseumsal’s buttery miso sauce was great for pouring over the sticky rice and I loved the accompanying sauteed seasonal greens (garlic scape, Swiss chard, and collard greens). Yet, the chicken breast, while juicy, wasn’t overly exciting… perhaps because it was sous vide versus grilled. At least they were true to their word, this dish was much larger than the rest.

Still, you may want to get a side of the potesala ($15), their version of a potato salad. The shallots added a slight bite to the potatoes and the pickled ramps and peas gave the dish a freshness that helped balance off the otherwise rich dish. Yet, it’s the onsen egg that really made the dish, I wished there was more than a half.

If anything, Mhel ensures you have room for dessert. The purin ($10) was a fantastic crème caramel, one of the best I’ve had in a while. The thickened Sheldon Creek cream was rich but perfectly balanced by a maple syrup glaze that had a toasty taste, much better than your regular caramelized sugar. My husband and I immediately regretted getting one to share.

Mhel’s friendly service really adds to the experience and despite serving an array of small dishes, they were very efficient, and we could easily add on another item. The menu’s also not overly large, so even with two people we could order over half of the items and get a taste for the restaurant. In fact, if you come with three people you should just order the entire thing.

You must give it to Mhel: they could easily create one menu and continue to tweak it to perfection. Instead, the chose to challenge everyone by changing the menu daily. What a great restaurant to have in the neighbourhood where you can visit regularly and find something different each time. 

I’m craving and looking forward to healthy meals lately. In the past, I’d opt for a burger over a “bowl”, but that slab of fatty beef in between a sugar spiking bun isn’t as appealing. Hence, when a friend wanted to go to Impact Kitchen for lunch, I was excited. Excited for kale? Who have I become?!

Yet, it was the zesty Mexican power bowl ($15.50) that drew me in. Yes, it contained kale (not massaged so my least favourite way of eating the fibrous green), but also roasted sweet potatoes, red peppers, rice, and a nutty tostada crumble. It’s healthy but filling.

Filling indeed as I had to get the rest to go, which once augmented with more salad mix was enough for a second lunch. The bowl also desperately needed more sauce. Despite containing black bean mole, avocado, salsa, cashew sour cream, and a cilantro jalapeno dressing, the kale was still tasteless and dry. Impact Kitchen seriously needs massage and “marinate” the greens beforehand.  

The added falafels (additional $5.99) were dense and baked – lacking a crispy crust that makes these snacks delicious. As a falafel they blow but as a savoury snack ball they’re not horrible. Thankfully, our server asked if I wanted hot sauce on the side, that mild chili garlic sauce saved the day. Even then, I could only manage having one falafel at the restaurant and couldn’t get through the others until I had a creamy dipping sauce the following lunch.  

Impact Kitchen’s display case of baked goods drew us in and were surprisingly delicious for being gluten free. While I could have done without the sea salt on the chocolate sea salt cookie ($4.50), this was easy enough to dust off. Soft and chewy with a deep cacao taste, the cookie is the closest thing to a “sinful” dessert you’ll find here.

The almond protein brownie ($4.99) tasted “healthy” and the texture a bit crumblier than a traditional brownie… likely on account of the whey protein powder. If you can withstand temptation, save some for the next day, as it became tastier as the flavours intensified.

Their matcha latte ($5.99) was beautifully presented, incorporating a rich green tea flavour and a creamy matcha dusted foam. It was one of the better versions of the drink I’ve ever had.

So, if you’re still on the fried food for lunch bandwagon, perhaps you dip your toe into healthy eating with breakfast - Impact Kitchen has an extensive menu offering - or even go for an afternoon drink. Your body will thank you later. 

I remember when two decades ago being able to tuck into a bowl of fresh noodles was rare. Flash forward to now and hand-pulled noodles are everywhere, restaurants with glass kitchens showcasing a chef who stretches a palm of dough into stringy delights. At First Markham Place, Gol's Lanzhou Noodle offers a staggering nine thicknesses in an airy ornate dining room.

The small portion of their traditional Langzhou hand-pulled noodles ($14.99) was satisfying, but for the hungry, an extra $2 buys you a much larger bowl. Opting for the #3 thickness, which the waiter noted was “regular”, I would consider going down a size as there was a slight sticky afterbite that could be mitigated by a thinner noodle - even though the pasta had a pleasant preliminary mouthful and requisite springy texture.

Aside from the noodle width, diners can also customize the spiciness level and whether it’s garnished with green onion and cilantro (a must in my books to add some freshness to the bowl). Given the northern provinces of China can handle heat, we went with a light spiciness and was presented with something that looked spicy but really had an aromatic quality without the zing.

In retrospect, I could likely handle the regular spiciness as there’s always the option to ask for more broth to dilute the heat. In fact, they seemed very accommodating with any table that just wanted an extra bowl of the soup.

The slices of beef were cut thinly and given it wasn’t overly seasoned became lost amongst the starch and soup. Oh well, I guess the protein isn’t an important factor when it comes to hand-pulled noodles.

With the Langzhou beef chow mein ($15.99), they recommended a thickness between #3 to #5 for the dish. The #5 was too thick and al dante for my tastes, probably #3 would have been just right. Nonetheless, the stir-fried noodles had great wok hay despite there being a scant portion of vegetables and beef.

Perhaps Gol’s most surprising feature was their service: abundantly staffed and extremely attentive… I certainly felt well looked after! They are also expanding quickly through franchising with locations in Waterloo, Montreal, and Winnipeg. One thing’s for sure, it’s no longer difficult to find fresh-made noodles in Canada, so get ready to be pulled in.

RH Courtyard is probably one of the lesser-known restaurants at Yorkdale Mall. Yet, it’s a beauty. A man-made garden patio tucked into Restoration Hardware so that a trip to the toilet will have you distracted with furniture envy.

Crème fraiche was added into the RH scramble ($22), but it’s still a simple dish of scrambled eggs with chives. I’m glad our waitress warned us the eggs are cooked to a soft runniness - I increased the doneness to “medium well” and they arrived creamy and tender without any of the gross liquid yolk.

If only the menu stated the scramble comes with grilled sourdough we would have foregone the artisanal prosciutto ($25). While there was nothing wrong with the board, it was also not exciting. A bit boring in presentation, it incorporated slices of prosciutto, chunks of parmigiano Reggiano, and “seasonal fruit” that was really a bunch of grapes. At least the baguette was warm and crispy, even though there weren’t any spreads, not even a plate of olive oil for dipping.

While the price of the side green salad ($10) was a bit steep, the citrus vinaigrette really helped cut through the heaviness of the meat, cheese, and eggs. Plus, it ended up being a great complement to finish the generous half avocado that accompanies the eggs.

You’re able to customize the matcha latte ($7) to be hot or cold. The cooler version was refreshing for the spring and had a lovely deep green tea flavour.

Do yourself a favour and skip the chains when you’re at Yorkdale. Dine at a place that doesn’t feel like you’re in a mall; more like you’re in the gardens of an aristocrat’s mansion.