Penny NYC

Fresh off an overly hot visit to SoCal, we were on our way to NYC to enjoy cooler temperatures.  The main reason we were here was to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.  Seeing how this was written as a play with a book that was just the script, it didn't seem like it would ever be made into a movie (also especially with the controversy surrounding JK Rowling).  Therefore, we made the trip out to NYC for the first time in 10 years.  We flew into Newark this time and trained it into Manhattan.  After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to Penny NYC.  This higher-end seafood spot in the East Village is run by the same team at Claud and features bar seating that also welcomes walk-ins.  We had made a reservation, so that ensured we had a seat upon arrival.

After perusing the menu, we decided to start with their Sesame Brioche with butter.  Okay, this brioche was fantastic being super fluffy and buttery with an aromatic crust.  It had milk bread vibes with its texture.  Combined with the creamy whipped butter with flaked salt, this was definitely one of the highlights.  

However, we were here for more than the bread, so we also had the Tuna Carpaccio with ciopolini onions, olives and olive oil.  Super simple, but that only helped highlight the buttery tuna that was fresh and sweet with an essence of the sea.  With a little EVOO for added silkiness and aroma as well as onions for a bit of a bright bite, these did not take away from the fresh tuna. 

Of course, no visit to Penny would be complete without one of their Ice Boxes.  We ended up with their $45.00 Ice Box consisting of Oysters, Countnecks, Shrimp, Mussels and Scallop Crudo.  Given the quality of the components, we thought the price point was reasonable.  The oysters were sweet with definite brininess.  Lots of natural flavor there.  Those countneck clams were super plump and sweet.  Loved the delicate texture as they were super easy to eat.   Mussels were equally plump and also tender.  Of course there was the usual brininess present.  Since they used Argentine shrimp, the flavor was much more pronounced.  They super sweet had aromatic lobster vibes with a softer texture.  Last item in the box was the buttery sweet scallop crudo. 

It didn't look like much, but the Seafood Broken Rice (with Maine Uni +$23.00) was super delicious.  Acting like a quasi-risotto, the rice was creamy and flavorful.  Lots of seafood notes from the fish, squid and shrimp as well as the textures.  This was also seasoned to the point where it could've been salty, but it wasn't.  The addition of Maine Uni afforded another layer of sweetness while adding a custardy texture to the rice.

Pretty unassuming and served in their shells, the Baked Razor Clams were pretty tasty.  The buttery pieces of razor clam were bathed in a béchamel, pickled piquillo peppers, and topped with a fried potato crumble.  Once again, a nice balance of textures from the clams to the creamy béchamel and crispy crumble on top.  Wedge of lemon provided the necessary acidity. 

One of the larger dishes we had was the Rainbow Trout with a beurre rouge.  The trout itself was prepared masterfully with crispy, well-seasoned skin while the fish itself was still a bit rare and buttery.  Instead of a beurre blanc, we found a beurre rouge that was silky, slightly tangy and featured dark fruit notes.  This was more robust than a white sauce and really complimented the chanterelles (and their earthiness).

For dessert, we had their Ice Cream Sandwich featuring the same sesame brioche.  Hence, the soft bread shaped itself to the malted ice cream.  Loved the crunch from the broken meringue pieces.  Although we weren't stuffed after the dishes we had, we were still quite satisfied.  The point of the place is for good drinks and some delicious bites on the side.  Would come back when in NYC.

The Good:

- Nice vibe

- Solid seafood plates

- Reasonable pricing with all things considered

The Bad:

- Only bar seating, if that is not your thing

Toshi Sushi

If you can believe it, I've not been back to Toshi Sushi in 17 years!  This is despite the fact I walk past it on a regular basis since my hairdresser is nearby.  Finally, after getting my haircut, I decided that we pay them a visit.  Actually, it was my son's idea since he was in the mood for sushi...  So for those who do not know, Toshi was popularized in Vancouver by Mia Stainsby.  Even before that, the little sushi bar had lineups upon opening every night.  It became even more so after she mentioned she loved the place.  In 2026, the lineups still exist but maybe not as extreme since there are many more options to choose from.

We were able to snag a table for 2 at around 5:00pm and soon after, it was full and there was the usual lineup.  So what makes Toshi "special"?  First of all, the place is Japanese-run and authentic.  Now, that may not mean anything, but they do a good job in being a true sushi bar with the freshest of ingredients.   We began with the Assorted Sashimi consisting of hamachi, sockeye salmon, albacore tuna, butterfish and hotate.  Presented in manageable slices (not giant ones), these had a nice sheen and smelled fresh.  Texturally, the hamachi was buttery while the albacore was soft but not mushy.  Salmon had a firmness to it and was super sweet.  Butterfish was slightly seared and firm, but had a tenderness to it.  Scallops were buttery and delicate.  Really great plate of sashimi.

Next, we had the Kaisen Roll stuffed with ahi tuna, tuna, Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, oshinko and cucumber.  Fully-loaded but not gigantic, the pieces were also manageable by either being a one-biter or two-biter.  The layer of sushi rice was balanced in quantity while the texture was on point with a firmness that wasn't too hard or dry.  Much like the sashimi, the fish quality was high with natural flavours that only required just a touch of wasabi and soy.  Crunch was added by the cucumber and the lightly pickled oshinko.

We went for a selection of Nigiri off their regular menu and featured menu.  The Tamago was only okay for me as I would've liked to see more discernible layering.  Flavours were great though with a natural sweet egginess.  Loved the Unagi Shirayaki as the grilled eel had a firm butteriness.  It was topped with a shiso miso which was both rich in fermented saltiness and herbacousness.  Buttery and sweet, the King Salmon was a real treat.  Unlike the Atlantic and sockeye, this was more delicate and flavourful.  Lastly, we had the Bluefin Otoro and of course it melted in our mouths.  A bit of a chew on one side of the cut, but great nonetheless.  Had a bright taste of the sea.

We debated over ordering the assorted tempura or just the Sweet Potato Tempura.  The latter won out since we both love sweet potato!  This was good with fairly thin slices of sweet potato that were not cumbersome to eat.  However, at the same time, there a robust texture that was tender and soft.  The tempura batter was medium-thick being crispy and not greasy.

Last item was the Chicken Karaage which featured large pieces of leg meat.  With the skin on, it added extra fat, and hence added flavour.  The skin was fully rendered and crispy.  Chicken meat itself was juicy and slightly gelatinous.  Super tender and fully-seasoned.  Overall, I felt this visit to Toshi was solid and satisfying.  Despite the increase in competition, I believe it is still a great place to get authentic sushi at a reasonable price.

The Good:

- Authentic and well-made food

- Excellent service

- Does one thing and does it well

The Bad:

- Super cramped inside and you will probably have to wait for a table

Panacée

Here we go, our last dinner in Montreal for this trip.  Instead of a heavily awarded spot, we opted for something upstart and new with Panacée.  Nominated for Air Canada's Best New Restaurant, they are also Michelin-recommended.  Chef Catherine Couvet Desrosiers, formerly of Foxy and Bouillon Blik, uses only seasonal ingredients that are vegetable forward.  There is only a tasting menu available either in 3 or 5 services (courses), but the bonus here is that you can choose your own adventure.  For every course, there are at least 2 options (some with a surcharge).  This way, you can tailor make your experience and also have something different than the rest of your party.

On that note, we decided to have 2 completely different tasting menus.  That was achieved by each of us taking a different item for each of the 5 courses.  Yes, that also meant we weren't paying the base $80.00 per person.  Our tasting menus ended up to be $99.00 each as a reasult of choosing surcharge items.  Regardless of that, we were both served the same Amuse Bouche being the Beet Tartlette with herbed cashew cream.  This was a good start to the meal as it was light herbaceous and sweet with a crispy shell.  As another surcharge, we added the Bread from Boulangerie Aube for an extra $5.00.

For our first course, we had the default choice in the La Pelletée Tomato.   This featured super fresh and vibrant marigold tomatoes with saffron jelly and buttermilk with herb oil.  These tomatoes had a mild natural sweetness as well as a light tang.  We find some skinless cherry tomatoes that were super sweet while the little dried tomatoes were super concentrated in flavour.   Our other dish, which was a $7.00 supplement, was the Gaspésie Tuna.  The slices of bluefin akami were buttery and sweet while sitting on a cilantro puree that was bright and not too pungent.  Ribbons of crunchy Kohlrabi added texture and brightness.  Some herbaceous shishitos completed the dish.

Next up, the default dish was the Oyster Mushroom with corn sabayon, Jimmy Nardello peppers and almonds.  This was fabulous where the mushroom was grilled over charcoal.  Smoky with some crispy bits, the mushroom was already quite tasty itself.  However, the corn sabayon added such intense sweetness, especially with the pops from the niblets.  Nice crunch from the almonds and sweetness from the peppers.  With a $4.00 surcharge, the Grilled Artichokes were worth it in my opinion.  They were also smoky from the kiss on the grill while still tender.  Extra smoky nuttiness was provided by the pine nuts.  We had some aromatic shallots and some sweetness from the gooseberries.  Underneath, we had yogurt with cilantro for some brightness.

Onto the "main course" we didn't opt for the default option in the Cappelletti and went for the meat dishes instead.  The first was the Kenauk Trout for an extra $8.00.  It actually took the place of the cod (which was originally on the menu).  Further proof that they only cook with fresh ingredients.  It was surely fresh with a buttery texture from the rare centre.  It was beautifully plated with one side holding a bright and only lightly spicy habadoux sauce.  We had some intensely smoky carrots also prepared on the charcoal grill.  Some pickled carrots provided acidity while basil completed the plate.  With a surcharge of $4.00, we got the Ferme D'Orée Pork.  It was fatty while still a bit pink in the middle.  The result was juicy and tender meat with an exterior that was the beneficiary from the charcoal grill.  Hence we had smokiness complimenting the well-salted pork.  Even the beans were smoky due to the mix with the charred pumpkin seeds.  Tanginess was thanks to the pickled and diced wax beans.  Sweet gooseberries complimented the pork well.

For our pre-dessert course, the default item was the Olive Oil Ice Cream with concorde grape, laurel and hazelnut.  I thought this was really good where the ice cream was silky while being aromatic.  The grapes were sweet and impactful manipulating the EVOO ice cream into being sweeter.  Crunch was provided by the nutty hazelnuts.  Some herbal notes were added by the laurel leaves.  At $4.00 more, the Beurrasse consisted of sheep's milk yogurt, cherries, salted almond and Avonlea cheddar.  Definitely a bit savoury due to the cheese, but plenty influenced by the tangy sheep's milk yogurt.  The sweet cherries were the dominant component to this as it was intensely sweet.  Crunch and a burst of salt (to heighten all of the other flavours) was thanks to the salted almonds.

Last course had the Peach for the regular dish with opalys, brown sugar and sheeps milk yogurt.   Everything on the plate sat in a rich and thick opalys cream.  Some crispy sweet crackers added texture and aromatics.  In the middle, we found macerated peaches with brown sugar where things were richly sweet.  Again, the sheep's milk yogurt provided the necessary bright tanginess.  The Mignardise was $4.00 more and consisted of Earl Grey Ice Cream Sandwich, Chocolate Macaron, Financier, Lemon Tartlette and Blueberry caramel.  Really nice bites with the ice cream sandwich being that "it" factor of the bunch.  Creamy and light with the aroma of earl grey.  Not too sweet either.  Macaron had a crispy shell and the chocolate inside was also just sweet enough.  Of course I loved the lemon tartlette as that is always my favourite.  Nice tanginess on this one.  Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Panacée.  The food is on point and the use of a charcoal grill affords rich flavours that are smoky and full-of-depth.  Pricing is reasonable and the fact you can customize each course helps appeal to a wider audience.

The Good:

- On point execution

- That charcoal grilling!

- Reasonable pricing and the option to customize

The Bad:

- Most of the best courses we had were subject to an supplemental charge (but worth it IMO)

Restaurant Beba

When perusing Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, I was a bit curious why a little restaurant in Montreal ranked #7 overall.   In fact, they rank #50 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025.  Well, it is a bit unique where their cuisine is a mix of Italian and Spanish while paying homage to the founders Ari and Pablo Schor's Argentine-Jewish hertiage.  Located in Verdun, the area doesn't scream world-class dining, but rest assured, Beba has changed that for the better.  I was able to grab a table for 2 from from the 28-seat capacity restaurant.

When they describe Beba as compact, they are being generous.  Let's just say you will get to cozy with the people beside you.  On that note, the menu is equally compact being truly focused on a few dishes.  We shared the Knish à la pomme de terre to start.  This little fried ball of tender slices of potato, onion and chicken fat that was well-seasoned and rich.  It was aromatic and had the silkiness of schmaltz.  On top, there was a generous dollop of osetra caviar.  This added briny saltiness to the bite.

No meal is complete at Beba without ordering their signature dish - Montadita au maquereau (mackerel).   My initial impressions of this wasn't necessarily great, but hey what do I know?  I'm glad that I kept my mind open because these bites were fantastic.  Served on warm crunchy sesame buns, the mackerel was a bit tangy and exhibiting that bright fishy flavour.  It was perfectly complimented by a lot of butter, grated horseradish, chives and salt.  Somehow, this combination of components just plain worked.  We had the creaminess of the butter, the mild kick of the horseradish (was not as strong as I would've imagined) and the brightness of the chives.

Another show-stopper was the Maitake on raw milk taleggio.  First and foremost, the slightly melted taleggio was creamy, sweet and savoury.  This by itself was already a treat, but on top, we found beautifully sauteed mushrooms that were aggressively salted.  Fortunately, we had a bright and garlicky salsa verde on top that helped cut some of the heaviness of the cheese as well as the saltiness of the mushrooms.  This was an outstanding dish yet, we felt some crispy toast on the bottom would've put it over the top.  Mind you, I'm pretty sure there is a good reason they didn't do that, so what do I know?

Trying to include some vegetables in our meal, we had the Radicchio & Escarole with potatoes.  This was a good interlude between heavier dishes.  The crunch from the fresh greens was great along with the tangy "bean-aigrette".  Lots of pecorino ensured that there was salty nuttiness to go along with the acidity.  We also had some tender chunks of potato to soak up all the flavours.

For our pasta course, we had the Tagliatelle with ragù genovese made with ox tongue.  Gotta say this was really good with chewy noodles that had an appealing firmness to them while still being fully cooked-through.  They were also seasoned well with an inherent balanced saltiness.  As for the ragù, there was a generous amount of tender ox tongue that retained its meatiness.  Rich flavours from the tongue (due to the fat content) and the sweetness of the onion really made this dish sing with umami.  Add in some parm and we had extra saltiness with nutty cheesiness.

Our last savoury items was the Bacalao with clams and peppers in a piperade.  The big piece of salt cod was only a bit salty and plenty tender and flaky.  The piperade was sweet and tangy.  It helped compliment the salt cod by balancing out the saltiness.  There was the faintest hint of spice which varied the flavours.  Add in the buttery clams and we got a touch of brininess too.

We ended up with 2 desserts including the Flan with whipped cream and dulce de leche.  This was one of the richest and thickest flans I've ever had.  They must've really went ham with the cream with this one.  It was good though, since it wasn't too egg-forward and was balanced in terms of sweetness.  That left the dulce de leche to do the heavy lifting in terms of providing that rich and deep caramel vibes.

Our second dessert was pretty darn good too in the Valrhona Chocolate Tart.  It was also rich and dense (but in a good way).  Hits of bitter dark chocolate with aplomb where each bite was impactful and purposeful.  The addition of olive oil and salt only helped heighten theses flavours.  Providing some nutty crunch, we found roasted hazelnuts on top.  So guess what?  I now know why Beba is rated so high in all of these lists.  Mind you, I'm a bit confused as to why some of my favourites spots in Canada rank behind them.  Yet, that doesn't take away that the food is pretty darn tasty.

The Good:

- Delicious

- Generous portions

- It's unique

The Bad:

- Super tight seating (and also hard to get a reso)

- Loved it, but not sure if it should rank that high

Sushi Mahana

Remember from my last post where I mentioned that most Omakase experiences run you $250+ per person in the Lower Mainland?  Let's talk about one of those shall we?  Viv and I recently visited Sushi Mahana out in North Vancouver where they have been receiving quite the accolades.  Chef Hiroshi Hoshiko presents a Kyushu-style sushi Omakase that focuses on mainly whitefish and shellfish.  When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by owner Yuki Aida.  We sampled some Sake and ultimately, I went for the Sake paring with my meal.

Now about that meal...  We began with the Surinagashi which is a fish soup that features seasonal vegetables.  This was full of umaminess and a sweet fishiness.  Definitely impactful but still subtle at the same time.  From there we moved onto the Ainame (Ling Cod) with Sudachi.  Not that I would be surprised, but the fish was beautifully cut and displayed a nice sheen.  It was lightly sweet with a semi-firm, yet buttery texture.  The sudachi provided citrus to compliment while a bit of salt really elevated the nigiri.

Striking in presentation, the Tenshi No Ebi (Paradise Prawn) featured both cooked and raw components hence the contrast in colour.  I found the prawn to be super sweet while having both a soft texture (raw) and firm texture (cooked).  On top, we found some aromatic egg yolk powder.  With uni and multicoloured sesame seeds on top, the Aka Ika (Squid) was bright and fresh with natural sweetness.  We found some lime and a touch of spice giving way to the nuttiness of the sesame seeds.

We moved onto a more robust fish after the aka ika with the Aji (Horse Mackerel).  Showing off the knife skills of the chef, the aji was beautifully presented.  It was sweet and fishy (in a good way).  There was a light brush of soy which was complimented by the aromatic and sweet basil on top. Ending this portion of the menu, we were served the Gindara (Sablefish).  The warm sablefish was flaky and buttery.  Nice contrast of textures with the chewy rice and the crispy nori.  The sharpness of the onions was balanced by sweetness and saltiness.

To start our next portion of the menu, we were served the Hotate & Zuwai Gani with local vegetables.  Presented in a crispy shell (figuratively and literally), we found little bites of scallop and snow crab mixed with yuzu, sesame paste and maple syrup.  There was plenty of sweetness going around as well as acidity.  The crispy shell provided textural contrast.  On the side, we had baby corn, fig, grape and mushroom. 

Topped with the same multicoloured sesame seeds as the Ika, we had the Suzuki (Sea Bass) nigiri.  There was some chew to this with a fresh taste of the sea.  This was complimented by the nuttiness of the sesame.  With beautiful sea grapes on top, the Shima-Aji (Stripe Jack) was buttery with a snap.  It was sweet with elements of the sea.  Loved the crunch from the sea grape as well as the salty sea-tasting elements to it.

Continuing on with the whitefish, we had the Kijihata (Grouper), topped with pickled kiku flower.  With a firmer and chewier texture, the grouper was lightly sweet and had definite subtly.  The pickled flower did provide some impact to the nigiri.  The Tachiuo (Swordfish) was comparatively more impactful where the sweetness and appealing fishiness came through.  It was slightly smoky from the torching (of the skin).  This was further enhanced by the sweet tang of the ume plum and tanginess of the myoga.

From here, we transitioned into the 3rd part of the meal starting with the Tako (Octopus).  This was cooked perfectly where it was tender with a wonderful chewiness.  It was naturally sweet and was accompanied by a mountain yam puree with spice.  Then we went onto 3 types of bluefin tuna beginning with the Akami.  Being the leanest part of the fish, this was predictably more meaty.  However, by virtue of being bluefin tuna, it was still buttery soft and sweet.  Nice fishiness and just enough brush of soy.  There was some crunch from the shiso seeds too.

Heading up the spectrum of butteriness, we moved onto the Chutoro (getting closer to fatty part of the fish).  Naturally, this was more buttery and flavourful.  Remember, most of the flavour in any meat is from the fat!  With black garlic on top, there was some fermented umaminess going on.  So we then had the fattiest part of the bluefin (the belly) being the Ohtoro topped with nori and yuzu peel. This was literally melting at room temperature.  Super buttery and lots of tasty fishiness.  We got some bitter tanginess from the yuzu peel and umami from the nori.

The final dish in this 3rd portion of the menu was the Kegani (Hairy Crab) served in a covered bowl that revealed warm, fluffy and bouncy crab.  There was chewy rice to go with the ample amount of crab while all of it sat in a sweet buttery broth.  Not only did the broth flavour the crab, the rice happily soaked it up.  Loved the pops of subtle tanginess from the berries strewn around.  This was topped with a crispy zucchini blossom.

The 4th portion of the menu began with the Renkon (Lotus Root) where the beautiful green colour of the shiso leaf peaked through the thinly sliced lotus root. The lotus root had a delicate crunch that was also a bit tangy.  The herbaceousness of the shiso leaf came through after the initial tang.  Next, we had the Tekkamaki featuring a big piece of tuna inside while the whole thing was topped with uni and ikura.  With the first bite, the creamy sweetness of the uni came through while the tuna was soft and sweet.  Rice was perfectly chewy.

Colourful and vibrant, the Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) featured torched skin.  Therefore, we had immediate smokiness that gave way to a buttery texture with a slight bite.  I found the fish mildly sweet while amped by the watermelon radish with tanginess.  Next up, the Anago (Seawater Eel) was lightly brushed with sauce and then garnished with sudachi zest.  It was buttery soft and sweet due to the glaze.  Although there was zest on top, it was rather subtle.

Ending off this portion of the menu, we had the Miso Soup and a piece of Tamago.  So you might be wondering why we were having miso soup at the end of our meal...  Well, it actually helps in the digestion, so after eating sushi is a good plan.  This particular miso soup was rich with fermented flavours.  It was salty but sweet at the same time.  As for the Tamago, it was brûléed on top.  Therefore, we had a hit of smoky and sweet to go with the custardy texture of the egg.

For dessert and the final part of our Omakase experience, we had the Hojicha Ice Cream with Purple Yam Mont Blanc.  Loved the gorgeous puple colour of the yam, but also sweetness it imparted.  The creamy ice cream was nutty and sweet while the crunch from the rice crackers was welcomed.  Overall, the Omakase at Sushi Mahana is excellent with expertly-prepared bites that were respected by the chef.  Definitely worth the $250.00 and belongs in the higher-end of Omakase experiences in the Lower Mainland.

The Good:
- Passionate staff from the Owner to the chef
- Quality ingredients
- Expertly-prepared

The Bad:
- Not really anything here other than the fact you need to have that kind of money to enjoy it?