Gamamaru Shokudo

Normally, late night spots dishing up eats that go well with beers and the sort are reserved for Downtown Vancouver or small enclaves of restaurants on Main and Fraser Streets as well as Central Richmond.  So when we found out that Gamamaru Shokudo is doing that very exact thing, but in Fleetwood, it piqued our interest.   In addition to soju and beers, they have a menu that is a mix of Japanese and Korean late night favourites.  We ended up trying a bunch of dishes to go with our soju.

On the topic of Soju, we had a bit of a sampler consisting of peach, grape and mango.  Really dangerous as these went down easy.  I liked the mango the most as it was lightly sweet and tropical.  This went well with the Kushikatsu including baby crab, cuttlefish nugget, snow crab, pork belly, garlic beef, scallop, cheese menchi and teriyaki menchi.  These were really good with the 2 menchi skewers being the most flavourful.  The meat was tender and hey that slice of processed cheese!  Made it taste like a cheeseburger.  Crabs were crispy and briny while the snow crab was delicate.  Scallops were buttery soft despite being fried.

We had 3 different Oshizushi including Saba, Salmon and Unagi.  The one thing that they all had in common was the generous amount of the main component.  They were sliced a bit thicker than usual which resulted in more impact and texture.  The rice itself was a little on the denser side, but it wasn't a deal-breaker.  Nice torching on the top and for me, the salmon was my favourite with smokiness and sweetness.

On the menu, they have a section of share plates that included the LA Galbi.  This was a decent portion of meaty shortribs.  I really liked how they had marinated these so they were tender but still retained a considerable amount of chewiness (in a good way).  Too often, these are over-tenderized and hence, are too soft.  In terms of seasoning, they were a good combination of savoury and sweet with good caramelization from the grilling.

One of my favourite items was the the Clam Nabe.  The broth was so clean and pure tasting with the natural sweetness and brininess of clams.  The clams themselves were plump and buttery.  They were just barely cooked through.  All of them were open and the broth was not sandy.  We also had the Tako Bomb which was colourful with its combination of green onions, octopus, salmon, garlic chips, diced tsukemono and quail's egg yolk.  As expected, there was varied texture and flavours when mixed together.  We ate this with strips of nori.

We got a bunch of carbs to round out the meal including the Mentaiko Yaki Udon.  This was a good version due to the perfect texture of the noodles.  They were prepared properly where each strand was chewy with a nice rebound.  Beyond the great mouth-feel of the noodles, the creaminess of the dish was also on point.  It was creamy without being too heavy.  Of course the cod roe was at its fishy briny best completely flavouring the dish.

So I'm sure you've heard of Omurice before, but how about Omusoba?  Same concept but with noodles instead of rice!  The yakisoba was covered with a soft omelette while aggressively drizzled with yakisoba sauce and kewpie mayo.  As much as it looked like to much sauce, it was actually not that noticeable after mixing everything together.  The soba, much like the udon, was perfectly cooked with a springy chewiness.

We got the Sukiyaki Nabe for good measure and being a nabe, it was not as salty and sweet as the regular version.  Hence, the soup was drinkable and lightly flavoured.  The beef was marbled and hence was tender while the veggies added some relief from the heaviness of the other items.  Last dish was an Unagi Don and yah, they loaded up with so much buttery unagi, that we couldn't see the appealingly chewy rice underneath.  The unagi was evenly seared and drizzled with just enough sauce.  Simple, but well-executed.  As you can see, the food is pretty solid here at Gamamaru.  The prices are also quite reasonable, so you can order lots to share without breaking the bank.  Nice addition to the Fleetwood neighbourhood of Surrey.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Well-prepared eats

- Reasonable-pricing

- Open late and lots of parking

The Bad:

- Sushi rice could've been less compacted in the pressed sushi

Swatow

Originally, we had visited Swatow back on our first visit to Toronto this year.  But on our return trip a few months later, we did another flyby to get a few more dishes for this post.  For those who are unfamiliar, Swatow has been around since the 80's and has been dishing up Cantonese classics for a casual meal or late night eats.  It may not be the latest and greatest, but any visit will be nostalgic.  Walking into the place, one can see that the decor has not changed much since it opened and they even have newspaper articles from yesteryear. 

On our initial visit, we decided to get an ol' standby with the Wonton Noodles.  So what I said in the opening paragraph rings true with this dish.  If this was still the 80's, this bowl of wonton noodles would've been the sh*t.  However, compared to places like Wonton Hut and Congee Queen, it pales in comparison.  The wontons themselves were small and the shrimp was a bit on the gummier side.  Serviceable, but not great.  As for the broth, it was light and respectable, but lacked the aroma and brininess of better versions.  Lastly, the noodles were still al dente, but didn't have that appealing chew associated with lye water.  Decent bowl of noodles, but others have passed this by.

Now on the other hand, the Black Bean Beef Fried Noodles was fantastic.  Featuring crispy fried noodles, this was topped with a flavourful black bean sauce that was salty and garlicky.  The ample slices of beef were marinated until they were buttery but still had a meaty texture.  As for the onions and peppers, they still had a crunch and were still vibrant.  Good wok hei on the components and the sauce.  Caramelized flavours and some smokiness.

We also had the Sweet & Sour Pork on steamed rice for good measure.  This was classic and had a viscous sauce that was balanced in terms of tang and sweetness.  There was enough of it to coat each piece of pork and for the dry chewy rice as well (this is the right texture for the rice).  I found that there were a few pieces of pure fat mixed in with some meatier chunks of pork.  They were tender with a medium-thick batter that was still crunchy despite being coated in sauce.

On our follow-up visit, we had a few of their popular dishes including the Fried Rice Noodles with Beef.  This didn't look anything special, but ate much better than it looked.  The thinner rice noodles were not clumpy and had a good smoky sear.  Despite being a bit pale (lack of dark soy), the taste was good with balanced saltiness with a touch of sweetness.  Noodles were not oily, as this dish usually is.  The bean sprouts were still crunchy while the slices of beef were tender and well-marinated.

I normally do not order General Tso's Chicken but apparently it is a fan favourite.  I can see why, because the chunks of chicken were large and had a crunchy batter.  Chicken inside was tender and moist despite being white meat.  The sauce itself had a good mix of salty, sweet, tangy and spicy.  It had a nice thickness that coated each piece of chicken.  One issue with the dish was the temperature of the chicken, it was not hot.  This leads me to believe the chicken was refried (it was par-cooked earlier).

Lastly, we went for the Black Bean Clams, which is a late night classic.  Almost all of the clams were open and not sandy at all.  They were plump and cooked just enough.  Lots of natural brininess from the clams that also flavoured the sauce.  I found the sauce to be a bit goopy but it had good garlicky and salty fermented black bean hits.  Overall, the food at Swatow is decent and represents a certain ol' school type of Chinese restaurant.  Good for late night, but there is certainly better now, such as Congee Queen.

The Good:

- Reasonably-priced

- Decent eats

- Decent portions

The Bad:

- There is better elsewhere

Bar Raval

It's been 7 long years since I was last in TO and it has also been that long that I've wanted to check out Bar Raval.  You might be wondering why I just didn't go back in 2017 right?  Well, with 2 young kids in town, Bar Raval wasn't exactly a kid-friendly option.  This time around, the kids weren't with us and after a Leafs game (I can't believe Viv was cheering for them!), we made our way out to College Street for some late night drinks and eats.

Absolutely love the custom-made wood bar and wood paneling throughout.  But we were also here for the food, so we started with their famed Tomato Toast.  As much as it sounded like something that would be mid, it was actually delicious.  The grilled bread was beautifully-charred exhibiting a nutty smokiness and a crunchy texture.  On top, the fresh tomatoes were bright, slightly sweet and mildly-tangy.  There was some basil notes and also flakes of salt on top.

Next up, we had the Jamon Croquettas that were priced by the piece.   These were large and football-shaped.  Beyond the crunchy and nutty exterior, we found a creamy and cheesy filling that was salty but not too salty.  We could get the nutty saltiness of the jamon that was rich and flavourful.  Again, it was just right on the border of salty without crossing it.  These little bites would go really well with beer and in our case, some cocktails.

It was suggested that we try the Grilled Broccolini and it was bang on.  The charred broccolini has some crispy portions that were smoky while the rest was still firm but cooked through.  Once again, they sprinkled this with salt but just enough of it.  Of course, topping it with a generous amount of lemon ricotta didn't hurt either, adding some creaminess and tang.  A layer of nutty crunch was provided by the almond dukkah.  To add some spice, there was also piquillo hot sauce.

Sure, the next dish was rather defaultish, but I love me some Patatas Bravas!  Well, despite protests from Viv, I ordered it and it was great!  The cubes of potato were crispy while being super fluffy inside.  Since they were not over fried, the texture was light.  So easy to eat, that I nearly dusted it off all by myself (Viv begrudgingly had some and liked it...).  The ample amount of zesty brava sauce and aioli kept things tasty.

Went for something a bit more interesting in the Hamburguesa featuring a thin pork patty with cheese & peppers on a potato bun.  They grilled the entire sandwich after they constructed it out of cooked components.  Hence, it was flattened but also sported a crispy exterior while the bun was still soft inside.  The melted cheese added both creaminess and purposeful saltiness.  The banana peppers provided both tang and spiciness.

My favourite dish of the bunch was the Shrimp a la Planxa.  The perfectly cooked Argentinian shrimp were buttery and had a light bounce texture.   They were super sweet and exhibited the classic aromatics associated with Argentinian shrimp (intensely briny and sweet).   These sat in a delish garlic butter and mojo rojo.  The pepper sauce added layers of spice, smokiness, nuttiness and further aromatics.

Last but not least, we had the Grilled Octopus and Chorizo.  Surprisingly, this was our least favourite dish since it was rather salty.  Octopus was tender but maybe a bit too tender.  Chorizo provided some meaty spiciness while smokiness was definitely there with the smoked paprika.  Maybe if we had some bread with this, the dish would've been less salty (or downing this with beer).  I didn't end up getting a beer, but we did get a few cocktails (and some cider).

These included the Tropic of Capricorn and a Pistachio Limoncello.  Both were on the lighter end of the cocktail strength scale.  I found the Tropic to be stronger with Appleton 8 year rum and sherry that was balanced off by the peach liqueur, hibiscus tangerine cordial  and lime juice.  So we had pops of sweetness and some tang.  For the Limoncello, it was pretty straightforward with some pistachio vodka.  It was noticeable, but in the end, the Limoncello and soda water provided the sweet fizziness.  There was also some Benedictine which only added more fruitiness.  Overall, we enjoyed the tapas at Bar Raval.  However, the real draw here is the unique space, lively atmosphere and also the bevvies.  

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Nice space, lively atmosphere

- Good drinks

The Bad:

- Super small, so gets packed and you might have to go into the overflow which is not as nice

Jz's Pizza

It has been nearly 8 years since we've last been in Toronto.  Finally, we returned but it wasn't our first choice.  Normally, we would head to a warmer destination during Spring Break, but we wanted to stay within Canada for a variety of reasons.  So here we are back in TO!  After arriving at Pearson, we made our way to Downtown on the UP Express to Union Station.  Making our frigid walk (this was March) to our hotel, we noticed JZ's Pizza across the street.  It looked busy and we were not in the mood for travelling far for food.

We started with some appies on the form of the Apple Pecan Salad.  Okay, I'm not usually the type to order a salad, but we need some greens and it did sound tasty.  Consisting of romaine, candied pecans, dried cherries, apple and gorgonzola, this was actually delicious.   Loved the play of different crunchy textures with the sweetness of the cherries and creamy mild sharpness of the cheese.  We dusted this off pretty quickly.

Next, we had the Eggplant Parmigiana which arrived in a large portion.   Topped with a considerable amount of melted and browned mozzarella, the dish was fulfilling and robust.  Underneath, the large slices of eggplant were tender while not being completely mush.  It was bathed in a tangy and lightly sweet tomato sauce.  It was bright and flavourful while giving off some earthy vibes.  Loved the crostinis that came with the dish.  We could've used more of them!

Of course we had to order a pizza, so we got the heartiest of the bunch in the Quattro Carne.  This think crust pizza was not exactly Neopolitan-style.  Rather, it was flatter and less raised on the edges.  However, it was still good with an appealing chew and being well-seasoned.  Nice char on the bottom and it was topped with a tangy sauce.   The amount of meat on this was substantial consisting of pepperoni, sopprasata, salami, hot Italian sausage and smoked apple wood bacon.  Suffice to say, this was not lacking salt nor spice.

We also had the Linguine Jambalaya with tiger prawns, hot Italian sausage and sliced chicken breast in a Cajun-spiced tomato sauce.   This was a pleasing pasta where the linguine was al dente and the flavours were slightly spicy, due to the sausage.  The sundried tomatoes added an extra layer of tanginess.  Amazingly, the chicken breast was moist and tender while the prawns had a meaty and sweet snap.  Overall, the food at Jz's was solid and we came away satisfied.  It won't set the world on fire, but fits the bill for most, especially late-night.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Friendly people
- Open late

The Bad:
- Don't expect gourmet, but it isn't trying to be either

 

Good Thief

I'm sure you are familiar with the story of Anh & Chi located on Main near 18th.  You know, where Pho Hoang used to be located, but the kids took over and modernized the whole outfit.  They have become hugely successful and was even awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022.  Now they are launching Good Thief right next door that focuses on cocktails with a menu that is modern and of course Vietnamese-inspired.  I recently visited the place with Roanna.

We began with the Crudo featuring BC side stripe prawns, clarified tamarind, pomelo, mango, almonds and ngò ôm.  This was neatly plated with a good amount of buttery soft prawns.  We felt the temperature could've been just a tad colder, but in the end, the dish was still delicious.  Beyond the natural sweetness of the prawns, the combination of Asian ingredients offered up plenty of brightness and tanginess.  Almonds added the necessary texture to the otherwise soft dish.

For our next dish, we went for one of the features - the Oxtail & Chanterelle Dumplings served with Thai dip.  These little precious pockets featured a dumpling skin which was thin and crispy.  It was cooked all-the-way-through without losing its elasticity.  Inside, the filling was a bit lacking in texture as it was soft and runny.  It was meaty-tasting with the unmistakable mushroom taste of the chanterelles.  As for the dip, it had a noticeable kick with sweetness.

We had 2 more small dishes in the Beets and the Pomme Frites.  As for the beets, they were dressed with blood orange, rice patty herb and chili salt.  We thought this dish was quite good where the beets were tender with a sweet earthiness.  There was a good combination of sweetness, tanginess and only the slightest amount of spice.  The big and thick fries had a considerable firm potato texture with a slightly crispy exterior.  Considering they fried them multiple times, they weren't as crispy as they appeared.  However, I still enjoyed eating them since I love natural potato texture.  The side of Thai green chili aioli was creamy and aromatic with only a mild spiciness.

Onto the mains, we had the the Oxtail which featured meat removed off the bone, encased in caul fat and then braised.  The result was a kind of pulled oxtail that was tender, yet didn't give up its classic meatiness.  With the rendered fat from the oxtail, there was a natural umaminess to the dish, but the pho demi glace really brought the dish together.  So much depth, so silky and and classic warm flavours from the spices.  This came with a confit daikon which was firm but tender, yet also added to the pho demi glace experience with its sweetness.  Also on the plate was soft carrots with a sweet carrot puree.

Moving away from the richness of the oxtail, we had the Halibut hidden underneath hakurei turnip and shaved fennel.  The whole dish was finished tableside with a dill and turmeric soubise.  I found the halibut itself fresh and cooked beautifully.  It was classic halibut firm, but was still delicate in its own way and flaky.  The soubise was vibrant, earthy and herbaceous.  Loved the crunch from the turnip and fennel as well as the addition of fresh dill to further amp the flavours.

It was decided that we would order the Ribeye with charred broccolini despite the fact we had already piled on the proteins.  In actuality, we were deciding between that and pork chop feature (which we ended up getting anyways).  Sliced into 3 large pieces, the ribeye was generally medium-rare.  I thought it was pretty tender and had great natural flavour.  The jus underneath was subtle with depth-of-flavour which was meaty and complimentary.

Now for the Snake Rivers Pork Chop, it was beautifully prepared being fully cooked but still having noticeable juiciness.  Hence, the meat was tender and not dry at all, the pork hock demi glace was silky and gelatinous.  It adhered to each piece of pork lovingly and was savoury and full of umaminess.  Underneath, we found a mix of fresh corn, chanterelles and Swiss chard.  We thought this was the better than the ribeye, yet it wasn't as if the ribeye wasn't good though.

For dessert, we tried both options including the White Negroni consisting of calamansi sorbet atop spruce granita and fermented plum while finished off with green tea cherry soda.  As expected, the calamansi offered up a burst of sourness ending off with bitterness.  However, this was balanced off with  the sweetness of the soda and the granita.  Very refreshing and acted like a palate cleanser.  You could eat this between the small bites and the big bites!

Lastly, we had the Mung Bean atop almondine cake.  It was topped with condensed milk ice cream and mung bean crema.  Yes, this dessert was unmistakable mung bean with the density of the mashed beans being present.  It was lightly sweet and the soaked almondine cake underneath had a similar texture to the mung bean.  This was a rather sweet dessert due to the addition of the condensed milk ice cream.  I think you might want to have both desserts if you want some balance (or just choose the White Negroni).

Onto the cocktails, we had the Lặp đi Lặp Lại and Pom Pom Punch for our first round of drinks.  I found the Lặp đi Lặp Lại to be rather refreshing with its mix of fino sherry, Italian dry vermouth, Good Thief shiso mountain honey liqueur, mango cordial, Wasted Citrus Shrub and sparkling sake.  Definitely a dangerous drink but easy going down.  The Pom Pom Punch also had some refreshing vibes but a nice twist at the end with a definite rice finish.  It consisted of pandan & vanilla Don Julio reposado, Parnubes Oaxacan rum, spiced pomelo, fresh lime, salted roselle and rice milk.

Our second round found us going for the Good Leaf with mint-washed Bacardi Superior, lime leaf Mulita Pisco Distillate, passionfruit cordial, lime juice and Champagne.  I definitely got the fruitiness to begin and then the champagne, but as it was starting to get floral, it took a left turn when I was expecting a right turn.  It went strong herbaceous and it was probably due to the lime leaf distillate and/or the mint-washed rum.  In a beautiful hue of purple, the Han Noi Nights featured lemongrass Aviation Gin, cacao butter bitter bianco, rectified mangosteen, lychee jasmine, maldon salt, chilli and ube foam.  This was definitely tart and floral as it was described on the menu, but we really wanted to see a strong ube flavour.  Overall, our experience at Good Thief was good.  The cocktails were interesting and tasty while the food had some real highlights. 

The Good:
- Tasty cocktails
- Well-prepared proteins
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- A bit pricey
- Some further refinements with a few items

Hachi Izakaya

This trip to Los Angeles did not involve much planning or research done into which restaurants we'd be visiting.  Normally, I have a schedule of where we would be eating every day!  But being super busy meant that I was unable to do my usual thing, hence, we just looked for restaurants on the fly.  We were staying around LAX this time around and we didn't want to venture very far for food if we didn't have to.  This lead us to Hachi Izakaya in nearby Torrance.  Reviews seemed to be good, so we went there for a late dinner.

We were only able to secure bar seating, but that worked fine for us.  We settled in with some bevvies and then ordered a bunch of dishes starting with the BBQ Beef Yakiniku Salad.  This was pleasant enough with shredded cabbage and sprouts with a classic Japanese sweet ginger dressing.  The thinly-sliced beef was tender and somewhat buttery while completely seasoned with sweet mirin soy.  There was some caramelization from the grilling.

The next two items came from their Robata section of the menu including the Skate Wing and Yuzu Pork Cheek.  I thought the skate wing was a bit chewy in spots, in particular the edges.  I guess it was a byproduct of trying to get some char.  Despite that, the rest of it was still fine where it was tender with a meaty bite.  It was served with kewpie mayo with togarashi.  We really enjoyed the pork cheek as it was at its bouncy best in terms of texture.  There was a nice sear to it and the bright yuzu did come through cutting the fattiness beautifully.

Onto a couple of raw items, we had the Snapper Yuzu Carpaccio as well as the Blue Fin Tuna & Avocado Tartare.  Fresh with the essence of the sea, the snapper was mildly sweet with its classic meaty texture.  The yuzu provided its usual tanginess.  As for the tartare, the avocado was ripe and creamy while the blue fin was buttery and naturally sweet.  There was just enough soy to accent without being salty.  Not sure if it needed all those greens on top though.

We moved onto a couple of typical fried items in the Chicken Karaage and Crispy Mayo Shrimp (aka Ebi Mayo).  Really solid chicken as it was juicy and well-marinated with a balance of sweetness and saltiness.  The exterior batter was light and crispy.  The ebi mayo featured fairly large and plump shrimp (oxymoron I know...) that were coated in a crispy tempura batter.  They were sauced with a chili mayo that was both sweet and mildly spicy.

Lastly, we had the Bara Chirashi Bowl.  Beyond being fresh and vibrant, there was a considerable amount of chopped fish, cucumber, tamago and ikura in relation to the rice.  Texturally, the rice was on point with an appealing chewiness.  It was also nicely seasoned.  We really didn't have to add much more to this as it was great as it was.  Overall, we enjoyed our late night dinner at Hachi.  Food was solid, prices were reasonable and the service was attentive.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable prices
- Nice service

The Bad:
- Pretty busy, so better reserve a table, we were just lucky to get bar seating