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

Chickadee Room

Since 2016, Juke has been frying up delicious fried chicken encased in its signature rice flour batter.  I've been here on several occasions, whether it be dine-in or take out.  I've always like their chicken and in fact, their chicken sandwich is pretty darn solid too.  Things have changed from the beginning though as the main dining room now houses The Chickadee Room.  It is open late and serves a wide variety of beverages and cocktails.  Yes, it also serves the menu from Juke Chicken!

Naturally, I have to talk about some of the drinks first because, well, it is a late night bar!  We tried both the Silly Goose and Masatakas Garden.  Consisting of Nikka Coffey Gin, Snap Pea Noilly Dry, Handa Go Junmai Sake, apple and shiso, the Masatakas Garden was a pretty strong cocktail.  I found the gin and sake coming on strong at first, but then we got some subtle floral notes at the end.  As for the Silly Goose, it was a bit fruitier due to the combination of grapefruit and lemon going with the El Jimador Reposado Tequila and Vida Mezcal.  With that being said, the alcohol did come through, but not in-your-face as much as the Masatakas Garden.

To go with our drinks we had a selection of bites including the Chicken & Waffles.  Those cheddar and jalapeno waffles were on point.  Fluffy while crispy on the outside, these were drizzled with smaltz and chipotle maple.  Yep, that was plenty silky and aromatic with a touch of spice and sweetness.  It came with 2 pieces of dark meat chicken and it was fantastic.  Batter was crispy with rendered skin and the meat was juicy.  This is exactly how I like my fried chicken!

We also had the combination of things that were all tasty.  This included the Corn on the Cob.  These were cooked just enough where each niblet still had some bite and burst out with juicy sweetness.  They were coated in schmaltz, lime, chili flakes and cilantro.  Due to this, there was so real creaminess that was a bit spicy and plenty tangy.  Those Nuoc Cham Ribs were money with fall-off-the-bone meat that had been crisped up on the outside.  It was glazed with a fish sauce that was briny, spicy and sweet.  The addition of peanuts, bird's eye chili, sesame seeds, green onion and cilantro really made this pop with layers of spicy, nuttiness and brightness.  We also had Mr. Clay's All Dressed Fries with spicy garlic mayo, house pickles, parm, and crunchy fried onions.  Unlike so other dirty fries out there, this was not completely doused with moisture.  Hence, the fries underneath were still crispy and not soggy.  I liked the crunch of the fried onions combined with the spice from the mayo.  Last item on the platter was their Chili Fried Chicken.  These were juicy like the regular chicken but with a medium spice on the outside.  It was flavourful and smoky but not tongue-burning.  The batter remained fairly crispy despite the saucing.

When we dug into the all white meat Chicken Nuggets, it reminded us of something.  Yes!  These were larger versions of the ones you'd find at Chick Fil-A!  The hand-cut breast meat was moist and tender while the batter was fairly thin and crunchy.  We sampled 3 different sauces including honey mustard, sriracha honey and chipotle maple.  My favourite was the honey mustard with real mustard seed.  It was tangy with a slight bite.  We got Juke's Famous Mac & Cheese and it was loaded with plenty of melted cheddar.  The top was a bit hard due to the baking but underneath, the tender, but firm noodles were coated with plenty of cheesiness.

Making sure we covered all of our bases, we tried their Sweet & Spicy Wings topped with sesame seeds, cilantro, green onion and Thai basil.  Loved these wings as the meat was moist and tender while the outside still had some crispiness.  The best part was the sauce as it was impactful with medium spice and a balancing amount of sweetness.  With the other elements, the wings definitely had a Southeast Asian flair.

Last but not least, we had to get some veggies right?  We had the Juke Salad with iceberg lettuce, onion, radish, tomato, cheddar & sunflower seeds in a Asian sesame dressing.  This was pretty much a green salad with the classic aromatic sweet & tangy sesame dressing.  However, with popcorn chicken added to it, this was more of a meal and the chicken itself was crunchy.  This would've been even better if we had more dressing to douse on the chicken.  Overall, we enjoyed our visit to The Chickadee Room.  Love the concept of a late-night bar with the Juke Chicken menu to compliment.  To us, it even appeared that the food has improved since our last visit.  Not that it wasn't already good before...

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

The Good:
- Tasty cocktails
- Juicy fried chicken with a crunchy rice flour batter
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Place is tight except for 2 bigger tables, you might want to make a rez

Meet Oyster Wagyu AYCE

Jackie and I have been to Meet Oyster recently and we had their steal-of-a-deal Late Night Sukiyaki Set.  Despite being thoroughly satisfied, we were still very curious about their Wagyu AYCE menu.   On weekdays, it is $86.99 for adults while costing $88.99 on weekends.  Late night is $82.99.  There are 2 tiers below the Wagyu AYCE for $56.99/$58.99 and $30.99/$32.99 respectively for weeknights/weekends for adults.  So yes, you can still have most of the menu items at the mid-tier minus the Wagyu.  But for us, it was all about the Wagyu!

Before we got to that, we had to choose our broth.  Each person has their own personal mini-hot pot atop a butane burner.  For myself, I went for their most popular being the Sukiyaki Soup and Jackie had the Tomato Soup.  I would say that this was great so we didn't have to share valuable hot pot space with each other, but since they were small, the soup evaporated very quickly.  With that being said, they refilled very quickly.  I enjoyed the sweetness of the sukiyaki, but the tomato broth was so delicious, I would probably choose that next time.  It was naturally sweet, tomatoey and with a background tang.

In addition to the raw Sukiyaki items on the AYCE menu, there is also Sashimi & Sushi available.  Despite not looking it, the place dishes up good quality Japanese eats.  The options for sashimi include tuna, hamachi, hokkigai, amaebi and salmon.  As you can see in the picture, the quality is definitely there.  We enjoyed the bright and clean flavours of the sashimi, ordering it twice.  Also included are a few different rolls and aburi sushi.  Those were also solid with chewy sushi rice and fresh ingredients.

Included as well with the sashimi and sushi options, they also have a selection of dishes as well.  We had the Chirashi Don, Tako Wasabi, Unagi Don, Deep-Fried Squid and Baked Oysters.  These were also quite good with the chirashi don having the same good sashimi.  The tako wasabi was good with octopus that had a nice bite while the pickles added more crunch.  Good wasabi hit but not too strong either.  Unagi don featured buttery eel that was adequately sauced.  I found the fried squid to be excellent with a crunchy seasoned batter with tender squid that had an appealing chewiness.  As for the baked oysters, I've had this before and the durian one is the way to go (as long as you enjoy durian that is).  The cheese was plenty cheesy, but I much prefer the garlic as it was loaded and flavourful.

You might've already seen some of the sukiyaki options in the first picture including Squid, Whole Scallops, Shrimp Meatballs, Tripe, Abalone, Snakefish and Shrimp.  These were good quality where the scallops included the mantle (which I love due to the chewy texture).  The snakefish was excellent where it cooked up to be sweet and flaky.  Naturally, the abalone was a treat with its rebound texture and unmistakable aroma.  Shrimp meatballs had a nice bounce and sweetness.  You could also order eggs and use that to dip the meats into after cooking them.

On the topic of meat, the real draw of the Wagyu AYCE is of course the Wagyu Beef!  We got many orders of this (the item on the right) and yes, it was buttery and tender while flavourful.  It goes down so easily, one could do 3 orders of this each for sure.  That didn't stop us from ordering the other beef options too including the Premium Beef Brisket and Premium Beef Chuck.  Naturally, the fatty brisket was more flavourful and slightly more buttery (although still meaty in texture), while the chuck was leaner and beefier.

Among other options on the menu, we also Beef Aorta, Vermicelli, Wide Mung Bean Noodles, Fried Tofu, Bean Curd Sticks, Dried Bean Curd Rolls, Fish Tofu and Dace Meatballs.  I would say these were pretty standard since there was not much to prepare.  Good options though for hot pot.  Overall, the Wagyu AYCE was an inclusive meal that had many cooked and raw choices.  Quality was good and we were definitely satisfied.  However, if you do not want to be that spendy, the mid-tier AYCE option is basically the same minus the Wagyu.  That is probably the best value of the bunch.  Normally, they have premium ice cream bars for dessert, but for this visit, they ran out.  Be sure to get some when you go!

 

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

 

The Good:

- Good food quality

- Sashimi and Sushi are above-average

- Lots of choice

 

The Bad:

- Dining space is pretty small, so limited space for food on the table 

Li's China Grill

Is it just me or is Kingsway between Joyce and Boundary, the epicentre of Chinese skewer joints?  The newest one is Li's China Grill right across from the Safeway.  To be honest, I didn't even know this place existed until I got a message to try the place out.  The place isn't as big as some of the other restaurants nearby, but their menu does include most of the usual items including skewers, whole fish and rice/noodle dishes.  They are also licensed, so one can get some cold beers to go with your meal.

Before we got to the BBQ skewers, we had some dishes in the form of North-East Style Vegetable Salad, Special Cold Sauce Clams, Marinated Cucumber with Garlic Sauce and Black Fungus with Pickled Pepper.  The vegetable salad was more mung bean with a spicy peanut sauce than actual veggies, but I wasn't complaining.  This was pretty good but maybe a bit too saucy.  Noodles were slippery and still al dente.  Clams were buttery and did have a nice spice to it.  Cukes were crunchy also with spice while the woodear was crunchy with some spicy tang.

What better to go with skewers than a Beer Flight?  Well, this is the first time I've seen it at a Chinese skewer restaurant.  Got to try 4 different beers, which was fun.  Also got the Sichuan-Style Spicy Chicken which definitely looked spicy.  It certainly was, but not incredibly, so that I could still taste the garlic and vinegar.  As for the chicken, it was poached lightly where the meat was moist and tender with gelatinized skin.

Moving onto the BBQ items, but not necessarily the skewers just yet, we had the Beef Tongue, Chicken Wings, Beef Short Ribs and Eggplant.  Sliced incredibly thin, the beef tongue was not chewy.  Wings were flavourful, especially the spicy ones.  Juicy meat inside.  The short ribs were a bit dry, but had good spice.  Loved the eggplant as it was tender, but not mushy.  Once again, well seasoned.

So for the Skewers, we got a good selection of them and I'm not going to list them all, but I will give some highlights.  I really liked the chicken knees as they were cooked just enough and had that classic cartilage crunch.  Tendon was soft and had a slightly crispy exterior.  Chicken hearts were still juicy with a nice grilled flavour. As you can see in the picture, the squid tentacles were nicely spiced and had a bouncy moist texture.

With the Grilled Oysters and Grilled Scallops, we got all of the available flavours including Motoyaki, Hot Pepper, Black Bean and Garlic.  Beyond the type of flavour topping, the oysters were buttery, briny and fresh while the scallops were equally buttery and had an appealingly chewy mantle.  The vermicelli underneath soaked up all the juices and flavours.  My favourite was the hot pepper as it was definitely spicy while the garlic was a close second.  However, the motoyaki was good too as they didn't overdo it with the mayo.  Black bean was not bad either, being a bit salty and garlicky.

Another major item on their menu is the Grilled Fish with various flavours and accompaniments.  We got the half-and-half Catfish in Pickled Cabbage and Soy Bean Paste.  Spicy Sichuan is their signature flavour, but we didn't want spicy this time.  We added rice cake and lotus root to the pickled cabbage while for the soy bean, we had quail eggs and wide vermicelli.  As much as catfish can be muddy tasting, this was actually sweet and moist.  Loved both flavours, but the soybean was my favourite as it had that fermented saltiness with some spice.  Overall, the food at Li's China Grill was solid and I especially enjoyed the skewers and fish.  Pricing is fair and I liked how the minimum order on each skewer wasn't something ridiculous like 10. 

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

The Good:

- Love the fish, well-prepared and flavourful

- Skewers are cooked properly

- They have flights of beer

The Bad:

- Service can be slow due to lack of staff