Emmer Bakery

So what is this hype about a Pistachio Croissant anyways?  Well apparently, it is enough for people to get to Emmer Bakery on College Street much earlier than it opens to get their hands on it.  The last time I was in TO, I couldn't get myself to wake up and lineup for a croissant.  So on my return visit a few months later, I took a different approach.  Rather than lineup prior to 9:00am, we would come for some lunch and hit up the second batch at 12:45pm.  That we did and hey, success!  But we had some other things too prior to striking the proverbial pistachio jackpot.

Since we got there just as breakfast was ending, we were able to try some of their lunch offerings including the prominently-displayed Muffaletta sandwich at the front counter.  Gotta say this was really good and comparable to the ones I've had in New Orleans.  Served on round Sicilian sesame bread, this came with all the goodies including salami and mortadella, provolone cheese, olives, pickled veggies and EVOO.  This had a great saltiness from the cured meats as well as the sweet tanginess of the olive dressing.  Loved the bread as it was sturdy enough without being too dense.

Next, we tried their House Burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion 2 ways, pickles and burger sauce on a potato bun.  Oh man, this was a masterpiece as the burger patty was thick, juicy and well-charred.  The meat was tender and moist while nicely salted.  Good smokiness and nuttiness from the char.  What really made this burger though was the potato bun.  It was super soft and had brioche vibes.  Despite this, it held up to the wet ingredients, but just barely.  It soaked up all of the burger juices and was on the verge of breaking apart, but it held on til the last bite.

We also had the Butter Croissant, which was pretty large and featured good lamination with a tender dough that still had an appealing chewiness.  It was plenty buttery with a nuttiness and aromatics.  There was a decent amount of shatter from the exterior of the crispy croissant too.  Really enjoyed this as it was a good croissant.   We also had the Passionfruit Danish which was also solid.  It featured crispy buttery exterior with defined layers of puff pastry.  The passionfruit cream filling was excellent with the natural aroma and tanginess of the fruit.  It included the crunchy seeds.

Now the for the main event...  We were able to secure the Pistachio Croissant by heading into back into the store at 12:40pm.  In fact, we were the first to get the 2nd batch.  After that, they were going fast.  Gotta say, this was well worth it as the thing was loaded with chopped pistachios.  That in itself afforded the classic pistachio nuttiness and crunch.  There was also pistachio cream to amp the flavour even more so as well as added sweetness.  The croissant itself had some good crunch on the outside while the inside had a slight chew while being pretty sweet.  Okay, now that croissant did live up to the hype, but I though the rest of the things we had were quite good too.  I would say that you don't need to visit Emmer just for their signature item, you'll be happy with anything else on the menu too.

The Good:
- Yes, that Pistachio Croissant is really good
- The burger is next level too
- I don't think you can lose with anything on the menu

The Bad:
- We went on a weekday, so it was manageable, but on busier days, you will need to wait and possibly be out of luck with the croissant

Congee Queen

Having just landed in TO and having to drop off our stuff at the hotel, then needing to make the Jann Arden concert at Massey Hall, we decided to go simple for dinner.  On our way walking to Massey Hall, we considered a few options, but ultimately went to an ol' Toronto Cantonese standby in Congee Queen on Yonge Street.  This local chain sports 9 locations and dishes up large portions of Cantonese classics at reasonable prices.  They aren't known for their service, but hey, I got mostly decent servers on both visits.

Yep, we came here twice with the first time, we had to get their namesake.  We went for the classic in the Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee.  At first, I was a bit skeptical of how they diced the egg.  It was in little bits strewn throughout the congee.  The same could be said about the pork.  However, that meant each spoonful was loaded with both components.  That ensured we had the umaminess of the egg with the saltiness of the pork at full effect.  The congee itself was really good being thick, but not too thick, until the last drop.  It was well-seasoned too without being salty.

Going for another classic, we had the Wonton Noodles.  This was quite good with the wontons being plump and large.  The shrimp filling was meaty and had good brininess and sweetness.  There was enough seasoning and a touch of sesame oil.  Nice firm snap texture from the shrimp that was appealing.  The wonton noodles were bouncy with a nice chew.  The one part that could've been better was the soup as it was not as complex and aromatic as Wonton Hut.

Arriving as a huge pile, the Stir-Fried Vermicelli with minced beef and chives in XO sauce was really good.  Despite being so light and almost fluffy, there was barely any greasiness.  That was the result of good wok hei where things were cooked quickly at high heat.  There was some smokiness and definitely caramelization.  Seasoning was on point with some brininess and spice.  Textures were all there too including the chewy noodles, tender meat and crispy veggies.

We ended up with one more item in the Crispy Deep Fried Tofu Bites.  Another properly executed dish where the silken tofu was deep fried without falling apart (these are rather delicate).  Beyond the appealingly crispy exterior, the inside was classic silky and soft tofu.  There was enough seasoning on the outside in terms of salty pepperiness that we really didn't need to dip it into the side of mayo.  In fact, I'm not sure if the mayo was really needed at all.

Near the end of the trip, we went back to try a few more dishes including the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice.  Once again, it was an enormous portion.  Even though the rice was beautifully wok-fried with a nice nuttiness and slight smokiness, the texture was not as chewy as I would've liked.  Despite that, it was still solid and none too greasy.  One thing that could've been better was the seasoning as the rice was not as salty as we would've expected.

With another rice dish, we had the Roast Pork and BBQ Duck on steamed rice.  Gotta say that the BBQ meats were quite solid.  This was especially true with the Roast Pork as it was the belly and hence was super buttery and tender.  It was well-salted and ate well on its own.  The crackling was crispy and not overly hard.  One of the best versions of this I've had in awhile.  As for the duck, it featured crispy lacquered skin that had fairly well-rendered fat.  The meat was tender and moist.

Our last dish was the classic Sweet and Sour Pork.  The portion size was somewhat normal here, but each chunk of pork was not.  Look at the size of those things!  Also, since this fried from raw, the meat remained moist and tender.  Some places par-fry the meat and the second go around yields something too fried and dry.  The sauce was balanced with equal parts sweet and sour.  Overall, we quite enjoyed the food at Congee Queen.  It came in large portions and was reasonably-priced.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Service is hit and miss

Marry Me Mochi (Kensington Market)

I'm sure, at the very least, you have seen a mochi donut before.  I'm hoping that you have tried one too!  I personally love the chewy texture of the "balls" that are neatly arranged into a donut.  My first experience with them was at Dochi in Seattle and I will forever compare anything else with it (since they are also really good!).  So while walking around Kensington Market and after some Jamaican patties, we stumbled upon Marry Me Mochi.  They have 13 locations in the area and in fact, I visited the Eaton Centre spot when I returned a few months later.

Now on my first visit, we dipped our toes into the pool lightly and only got one donut in the form of the Crème Brûlove.  Yes, this was a crème brûlée, but they just liked to do a play on words.  First off, this was much less sweeter than it appeared.  Now it was still sweet mind you, but I could definitely eat it without reaching for my water bottle.  There was caramelization that provided a different layer of sweetness.  As for the texture, it was soft with a classic mochi chew.

We were happy with the mochi donut we tried, so a few days later, we made our way back and got 3 more to try.  These included Berry Obsessed, You Had Me at Chocolate and Matcha Made in Heaven.  The berry was a featured donut with raspberry glaze and dark chocolate.  Really enjoyed this as it as fruity and just sweet enough contrasted by the bitter chocolate.  The chocolate donut had a Pocky stick and was pretty typical with a silky milk chocolate glaze.  Balanced and not bitter, the matcha was purposefully sweet and aromatic.

Our next visit yielded the Dubai Chocolate, The Nut to My Heart and Strawberry Marry Me.  Also a featured donut, the Dubai had chocolate mixed with some pistachio glaze.  On top, we found the crunchy kadayif.  Completely covered in sweet and nutty pistachio glaze, the Nut to My Heart also featured chopped pistachios on top.  Definitely a nutty donut...  Last one was basically strawberry Pocky glazed donut with Pocky pieces on top.  Again, not as sweet as it looked and did have Pocky vibes.  Overall, we thought the mochi donuts at Marry Me Mochi were solid with a wide variety of flavours.  Pretty close call between them and Dochi!

The Good:
- Soft and chewy texture
- Sweet, but only sweet enough
- Lots of locations

The Bad:
- If you arrive later in the day, some of the more popular donuts will be sold out (much like any other place)

Juicy Dumpling

Walking up and down Spadina for a whole week meant I would be passing by Juicy Dumpling on a daily basis.  Although there are rave reviews of the place on the internet, I was a bit skeptical.  But the place seemed busy most of the time.  Also, the lure of the $2.99 XLBs prominently on their window (with minimum purchase of $10.00), I just couldn't help myself.  Despite already finishing off some tacos from Seven Lives, we stopped by for another quick bite.

So let's get right to the mini-sized Xiao Long Bao shall we?  At first glance, these did not look all that impressive with its deflated shape and also the thick top twirl.  Despite having a good amount of soup in these, the actual dumpling wrapper was a bit too doughy for my tastes.  That was mainly the top of the dumpling though as the bottom was appreciably thinner.  I would've liked to see more elasticity though.  The pork filling itself was decent being tender, if not a touch gritty.  Soup was mostly sweet with some savoury elements.  Interestingly, we had to ask for vinegar as the default sauce that came with these was hot sauce.

To get to the minimum spend for the XLB special, we got a few more items including the Pan-Fried Dumplings.  These were aggressively-seared on the bottom resulting in crunchy parts that were nutty and smoky.  The dumpling skin as a whole was medium-thick and had a chew to it.  I thought it was a bit stiff, yet it did have some elasticity.  Inside, the pork and cabbage filling was not overly dense being tender with some soup mixed with fat.

I couldn't pass up the Spicy Wontons as that is one of my favourite things to eat.  These were not bad where the filling was juicy and bouncy while mildly seasoned.  These were cooked just enough where the wrapper was delicate and buttery without being to soft and falling apart.  As for the chili oil "sauce" it wasn't too spicy where it was more nutty and smoky than anything else.  Other than those flavours, we found a bit of saltiness and mild sweetness.

Last item was the Salty Donut which had quite a bit of girth (okay, let the jokes fly here...).  Anyways, this was good where the outside was crunchy and not too greasy (despite it soaking up a decent amount of oil).  Inside, it was fluffy with some salty chewiness.  I only wish there was some congee or salted soy milk for me to dip this into!  Overall, the stuff from Juicy Dumpling is serviceable.  Not a huge fan of the XLBs despite being cheap.  I guess it is fine for those who want an inexpensive meal or something for late night eats.

The Good:

- Cheap

- Open late

- Salty donut was great

The Bad:

- Dumplings are serviceable but not memorable

Seven Lives Tacos y Mariscos

While wandering around Kensington Market, we had the obligatory Jamaican Patties from Golden Patty and also some mochi donuts from Marry Me Mochi.  But another spot that we were wanting to try was Seven Lives Tacos.  The place was certainly busy with a line that was almost to the door.  No matter because the place is quick service and hey you stand and eat.  Perfect for sending people on their merry way after downing some tacos.

Beyond their fully stuffed and legit tacos, the other draw here is the Sauce Bar.   We found spicy and tangy Habarero, bright Salsa Verde, an even brighter and acidic Verde Cruda & Lime, Apricot and Arbol which was both sweet and spicy, a rich Roasted Tomato Sauce, a nutty and very slightly spicy Salsa Macha, a sweet and smoky Strawberry Chipotle and a Poblano Crema which was the most subtle of the bunch.  I felt the sauces could go with anything and really up to one's preference.

We ended up with 4 tacos starting with the Baja Fish Taco.  The pictures don't really show the size of the tacos.  Having 2 of them each was enough for lunch.  Maybe 3 if you are a bigger eater.  The large piece of battered and fried fish was good being buttery soft and flaky.  Thin and light, the batter was crispy and didn't overwhelm the fish.  On top, there was cabbage, cilantro and onion as well as Baja sauce.  I added some strawberry chipotle to this and the fruitiness seemed to go well with the fish (even though fruit may not go with fish most of the time).  There was a light spice to accent the sharpness of the onions.

 

The Gobernador was an interesting one with the combination of smoked yellowfin tuna, grilled shrimp, cheese and pickled onions.  Naturally, the tuna was dry due to the complete cook on it, but it did have really good smokiness.  Moreover, whatever they rubbed it in, there was plenty of earthiness.  The pickled onions provided some acidity and crunch while the shrimp had a buttery snap.  The melted cheese was ooey gooey and held things together.  I put some salsa macha on this and the subtle spice nuttiness went well with the smoke.

 

The most usual of our tacos was the Carnitas with tender braised pork shoulder, onion and cilantro.  Pictures doesn't do this one justice as it was stuffed full of meat (much like the other ones, but this was the most).  Hence, you can see why we only ordered 4 tacos!  Really enjoyed the juicy and flavorful pork that was ready for one of their sauces.  We decided on something spicier in the habanero.  That was indeed hot and had a background smokiness.

 

Lastly, we had the Blackened Ahi (which was a daily special) with cabbage, crema, onions and cilantro.  Despite looking quite blackened, the fish was still moist and not cooked to a crisp.  The smokiness and earthiness of the blackening spices really came through.  We used the mild poblano cream with this one to cool things down without obscuring the inherent flavours.  Overall, the tacos at Seven Lives are fully stuffed and delicious at a reasonable price.  Love that they have a variety of sauces to compliment them as well.

 

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Fully-loaded

- Delicious

 

The Bad:

- Standing only, but it worked for us

- Limited space, so lineups go out the door 

 

Dessert Artisanaux

Although there are a decent amount of Chinese dessert spots in town, I feel there aren't that many that truly stand out.  I guess Snackshot would be one that is fairly memorable partly due to their unique-looking desserts (such as the Mahjong one).  There is Blackball, which I've been to many times before.  It is fine and I have no problem going there too.  One of the busier spots is Tina Cakes on Kingsway, which I've been to twice without blogging about it (not sure why I haven't), but there is a newer spot nearby called Dessert Artisanaux.  They are constantly busy and their stuff ain't cheap.  Well, I drop by 2 times and yes, I'll blog about it!

The thing to get here is the Mochi Pistachio Paste.  I've had this twice and it is so texturally pleasing due to the soft spoonable mochi.  It is super delicate and has a great mouth-feel.  Beyond that, the bright green pistachio paste is nutty, sweet and aromatic.  It compliments the mochi well since it is not overpowering.  It allows the natural sweetness of the mochi to come through.  Some chopped pistachios add some crunch and extra nuttiness.

They have a pretty solid Pomelo Mango Sago here.  It is lightly creamy, purposefully sweet and refreshing.  Now that gets kicked up a few notches with the Coconut Jelly Noodles and Mini Glutinous Rice Balls with Mango Pomelo Sago.  Yes, that is a mouthful, but when eaten, it is truly a mouthful!  Beyond the good parts of the basic version, this one has the creamy coconut jelly noodles.  This adds aromatics and more sweetness.

If you think that is a mouthful, try the Taro ball, Taro, Coconut Jelly Noodles,Sago,Peach Gum,Mini Glutinous Rice Balls with Coconut Milk.  Yah, this has everything but the kitchen sink and well, it is quite good mainly due to the creamy and nutty taro paste.  Combining it with the aromatic coconut noodles, we have a lot of flavours going on.  The chewiness of the mochi balls and peach gum add more texture and believe it or not, this isn't all that sweet either.

The Taro with Coconut Milk Black Glutinous Rice is also aromatic with the same creamy taro paste and sweet coconut milk.  We have chewy black glutinous rice that offers up its own sweetness and texture.  You can order anything in a takeout container if you wish, so you can take anything you don't finish home.  We did that because we order lots!  Overall, the desserts here are good and there are many choices on the menu.  Prices are on the higher side though, but as you can see, I have been here more than once.  That means, I will be coming back for more...

The Good:
- Lots of choice
- Above average
- Not too sweet

The Bad:
- A bit expensive
- Needs more servers
- Parking is a bit difficult at times

Pelicana Chicken (Robson)

It goes without say that there are a bleep-load of KFC joints all over the Lower Mainland.  I'm not talking about Kentucky Fried Chicken either, rather, I'm referring to Korean Fried Chicken.  Once upon a time, it was merely a menu item at some Korean restaurants and we had late night spots such at Ajuker.  Now, we have several chains in town and a spattering of independent shops to compliment the restaurants that already serve KFC.  I have yet to try Pelicana Chicken and luck would have it, we were invited to try them out, specifically the Robson location.

So Pelicana ups the ante somewhat as they not only serve KFC, but also some classic items too.  Case in point, they have a variety of Kimbap.  We chose to try the Beef and Tuna Mayo.  These were crammed full of ingredients with just enough rice surrounding it.  The beef was tender, meaty and slightly spicy.  Veggies were tender with a bit of crunch from the spinach and pickled radish.  I really loved the tuna mayo as it was creamy, fishy (in a good way) and also a bit spicy.

For our selection of KFC, we had 3 small orders of Spicy Yang Nyum, Original and Soy Chicken.  These large dark meat nuggets were super juicy (literally juice and fat running out of it) and tender.  On the outside, the thin batter was crispy, even after being tossed in sauce.  I loved the spicy yang nyum as it was sweet with a nice kick.  Original was pretty typical with only a light brine on the chicken.  The soy was good too with enough saltiness balanced by some sweetness.

If some of the components of this Bibimbap look familiar, then you would be right.  Smartly using the some of the veggies and the beef for both this dish and the kimbap, they are able use these for more than one item.  This bibimbap was definitely rustic looking, but it ate really well with lots of toppings.  The veggies were well-prepared while the kimchi radish provided some spicy crunch.  We had some gochujang on the side where we mixed it into the rice.  Satisfying.

Staying with rice bowls, we also tried the Spicy Chicken Rice Bowl.  This not only included a chewy rice base, there was a bit of fried noodle and salad on top too.  The spicy chicken did live up to its namesake with a rice red pepper spiciness that had a touch of tanginess and sweetness. I felt the white onions were necessary for texture and taste, but it could've been cooked through just a bit more as it was rather sharp tasting.  Otherwise, this was a very flavourful dish.

Our last rice bowl happened to be the Pork Katsu Curry also with fried egg noodle and salad in addition to the rice.  The cutlet itself was tender while somewhere in between dry and moist.  The breading was crispy while not being particularly greasy-tasting. With the curry on the side, it allowed us to keep the breading crispy until we poured it on top.  I found the flavour to be strong enough that I could taste the curry spices.  It was nicely balanced and not as sweet as the Japanese version.

I know, I know, the Tornado Potato is quite the novelty item that can be found at the Night Market or PNE, but I really like it!  This one was crispy, well-seasoned and we enjoyed picking it off the skewer!  We ended our meal with the Bungeopang stuffed with custard and also sweet red bean paste.  Nicely browned and crispy on the outside, it yielded warm and sweet insides.  Nice treat for adults and kids alike.  Overall, the food at Pelicana is solid and reasonably-priced.  Great for takeout!

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

The Good:
- Juicy and flavourful KFC
- Solid rice bowls
- Biiiig Kimbap

The Bad:
- Not the best place to eat in, limited seating

  

Rice & Noodle (Granville)

Sometimes, simple is good.  We have so many food options in Vancouver, it can get pretty overwhelming and more recently, completely unaffordable.  Sure, we could just drop by any random fast food restaurant or food court stall, but many are rather boring.  One option that I never knew existed is Rice & Noodle.  This counter quick-service restaurant offers up Asian rice & noodles (hence the name) at reasonable prices and well-portioned plates.  Jackie and I checked out the new Granville location in Downtown.

The first item we tried as not a plate at all, rather, it was a bowl of Laksa with prawns.  For all their dishes, you can choose your protein, whether it be beef, pork, chicken, prawns or tofu.  As you can see from the picture, this looked pretty good.  That it was with a creamy coconutty broth that had the aromatics which included lemongrass, galangal and lime.  There was the sweetness of palm sugar and a touch of spice too.  Now we would never confuse this with the best Laksa I ever had, but this was more than acceptable.  Prawns had a sweet snap and even the egg wasn't overcooked.

Another soup noodle was the Tom Yum, which we also go with prawns.  Hidden within the fragrant broth, we found a wealth of al dente rice noodles.  It has partially soaked up the tangy and briny broth that had the brightness of lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal.  I could also get the fish sauce with its salty brininess.  Nice tang from the tomatoes too.  Again, not the best Tom Yum out there, but a very competent one.

Onto the Pad Thai, we also got this with prawns and it came with the usual bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and wedge of lime.  Even though it was stir-fried beautifully with some smokiness and caramelization from the high wok heat, I wasn't a fan of this dish.  It tasted ketchupy and one note.  I can see how some would like this flavour profile as it can be found extensively in North America.  But I really enjoy a tamarind-forward version more with caramelized palm sugar.

Now the Pad See Ew was considerably better.  It consisted of narrow rice noodles instead of the usual wide ones.  In this case, it worked well as it took on the caramelization and had sweet smokiness.  We got this with sliced beef and it was decently tender, if not a touch dry.  The veggies were cooked through but still had a nice crunch.  Overall, this was a good dish and I wouldn't have a problem ordering it again.

Another dish that had some great wok hei was the Mongolian Stir-Fry.  We got this with tofu and there was some pretty good caramelization and aroma.  All the veggies were cooked through, but still had an appealing crunch.  With the sweet and savory sauce, there was more than enough to enhance the natural sweetness of the veggies.  The smokiness of the stir-fry and intense sweetness of the palm sugar made for a nice compliment to the white rice.

We also got the Pineapple Fried Rice with chicken and it exhibited the same good wok hei as the rest of the dishes.  Each grain of rice was discernible and dry (in a good way).  There was some smokiness and nuttiness to compliment the sweetness of the pineapple.  There was also sufficient salt added so that the dish wasn't lacking seasoning. Love the ample amount of fried egg nestled within the rice.  It was so fluffy and well-seared.  

For our curry selection, we had the Penang Curry with prawns.  I would've preferred for the curry to be in a bowl next to rice rather than all on the plate.  Despite this, I found the curry to be sweet, aromatic and a bit spicy.  Once again, we found hits of lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, coconut milk and fish sauce.  Very competent curry given the quick service concept.   Overall, the food at Rice & Noodle is more than acceptable and in fact, quite flavourful with wok caramelization.  Of course prices are reasonable and dishes come out quick.

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

The Good:

- Flavourful

- Proper wok hei

- Well-priced for what you get

The Bad:

- Not a fan of the Pad Thai flavour