The Kunjip

Originally, we were scheduled to eat with Costanza and Elaine on our first night in NYC, but since they missed their connecting flight, we would have to do it alone.  All the while, we made it into NYC and took our sweet Blacklane limo to our hotel.  We considered many different choices, but my son insisted we eat Korean.  Well, that wasn't a stretch nor was it a suggestion out-of-left-field because our hotel was right next to K-Town.  We were a bit nervous about getting a table since it was Friday night, yet heading out at 9:30pm meant it was not as difficult.  We decided to hit up The Kunjip due to its relatively reasonable prices and diverse menu.

Not surprisingly, we were presented with the obligatory Banchan consisting of kimchi, spicy daikon, potato starch noodles, pickled cucumbers, seaweed, pickled daikon and sausages.  Nothing was particularly memorable and the kimichi was a bit too sour for my tastes.  I found the seaweed a bit difficult to eat as it was dry and chewy.  Whatever, it did its job and there wasn't anything terrible.  Next we had the Bossam with the usual kimchi radish, hot sauce, fermented shrimp condiment and in this case, oysters (David Chang anyone?).  I liked how they served it where the fatty pork was kept warm.  It was decently flavourful while buttery soft.  When wrapped with the condiments in the blanched cabbage, the whole thing ate quite nicely.  I wasn't a huge fan of adding the oysters though as it became too briny and took away from the pork.

Probably my favourite item of the meal was the Kam Ja Tang (pork bone soup).  It arrived bubbling hot with many large pieces of pork bone.  The meat fell off pretty easily and was super tender and well-spiced.  In fact, the whole soup was very flavorful with a balanced spiciness which was accented by a certain meatiness and the herbs, specifically the perilla seeds.  Also arriving super hot, the Dolset Bibimbap with beef was quite hearty sporting a bevy of ingredients.  I found that the veggies and the big slices of beef were well-prepared.  However, the rice was a bit wet and did not form a crust, even with my pushing it to the sides.  They forgot to provide us with the side of gochujang until I asked for it.

We really never ate much of the Japchae as I over-ordered and the fact there was something similar with the banchan.  However, the appetizer portion was prepared well with chewy noodles that was not overseasoned with sugar.  It was a tad greasy though.  I liked how there was quite a bit of ingredients to be found including beef.  Our last item was the BBQ Chicken that was prepared in the kitchen (we didn't have room to BBQ).  The predominantly white meat was seared well, but ultimately was dry and not moist.  Despite its shortcomings, the meal was reasonably-priced while the portions were generous.  It did the trick for our first meal in NYC.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Generous portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Not particularly comfortable to sit there
- Hurried service
- Some hit and miss

   

Dynasty Chinese Cuisine

Having to move around our schedule a bit, we ended up doing one last touristy thing prior to our flight to NYC in the afternoon.  We woke up early and took the house limo (it's gonna be hard getting back to reality!) to Casa Loma.  Nice mansion/castle, but for me, I'm not really into that stuff.  We blew through it quickly and was also able to squeeze in one more meal as well.  Originally, we were going to do something fast in Magic Noodles, but what the hey, the kids love Dim Sum so we took the short stroll to Dynasty instead. 

When I saw Marinated Duck Tongues on the menu, I knew that we had to have it.  The kids didn't want to go near it as they didn't want food that could potentially taste them back...  For Viv and I, we enjoyed the buttery rebound of the fatty tongue.  Even better, they were deboned (yes there is a small bone in them).  They were well-seasoned with a lightly sweetened soy braising liquid.  Next up was my son's go to dish being the Shrimp Spring Rolls.  These were rather small and hence, contained only a modest amount of salty-ish shrimp.  Textures were on point though with a firm crunch on the outside while the snap of the shrimp was appealing.

On that note, the shrimp in the Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings) were similar being moist with a buttery snap, albeit a touch salty as well.  The dumpling skin was good being moderately thick while still exhibiting a nice elasticity.  We felt the dumplings were on the smaller side though.  As for the Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumplings), there was much more shrimp than pork.  Texturally, the whole dumpling was bouncy with a touch of chew from the pieces of pork and pork fat.  I found the shrimp sweet while the rest of the seasoning to be well-balanced.

Diagonally cut, the Phoenix Talons (chicken feet) were buttery and soft with melted portions.  Due to the way it was cut, the skin was separating as well.  Despite all of this, it ate really well with appealingly soft textures with a light resistance from the cartilage.  The whole thing was flavourful with a good mix of salty and sweet notes.  Of course I couldn't forget about the offal, so we had the Bible Tripe with green onion and ginger.  Interestingly, the dominant flavour was garlic.  Texturally, it was on point being chewy with a rebound while tender at the same time.

For the kiddies, they wanted the usual Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice).  The rice was a touch on the drier side, but okay nevertheless.  It was glutinous and mildly seasoned by the pork filling which was moist and wet enough.  There wasn't to much of it though which might've contributed to the drier rice.  My son was super happy to see the Donut Rice Noodle Roll on the menu and was further jacked because there was no green onion in it (he hates anything green...).  We found the donut to be dense and only slightly crispy.  The rice noodle was thin with a nice elasticity.

Continuing with the things that were small, the BBQ Pork Buns were more of a mini-version.  The bun itself was a touch dense and sweet on its own.  Inside, the meat was lean with just enough sauce that was more savoury than sweet.  Since we weren't full due to the small portions, we got the Beef Meatballs as well.  These were pretty good with soft processed meat that still had bits of chewy texture.  Seasoning was mild while the amount of greens was just right providing a bright finish.

Lately, we've been ordering Xiao Long Bao at Cantonese Dim Sum services and taking our chances.  Why?  Because the kiddies just love them.  These didn't make us forget about the authentic Shanghainese version, but they were decent nonetheless.  The skin was not overly thick and there was actually some sweet soup to be found.  For dessert, we had the Steamed Sponge Cake which was fluffy and semi-sweet.  So we ended up ordering 13 dishes (I forgot to take a picture of the spareribs...) and we finished all of it!  Yes, the food was pretty decent, but boy were the portions small.  Furthermore, the prices were not exactly cheap either.  I guess that's Yorkville...  On that note, we went back to the Park Hyatt and then took our Blacklane limo to the airport.  I guess we were living large anyways, what's some expensive Dim Sum?

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Decent service
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- Expensive
- Small portions 
 

County General

After a quick pitstop at Kekou Gelato, we continued out trek out to the County General on Queen Street West... on foot.  Yes, we had already walked all-the-way from the HHOF...  With the kids complaining, we briefly considered opening up the Uber app, but decided to soldier on.  Hey, we had to work the calories somehow!  Every block seemed to go on forever, but the sights and sounds kept things interesting.  Finally, we made it to the cozy County General where we were treated to some Southern eats with an Asian twist.

We got quite a few of the appies/side dishes beginning with the Crispy Pig Ears served with a spicy mayo.  I actually didn't find the pig ears all the crunchy, rather, they were classically chewy.  On the other hand, they were extra chewy due to some dried portions from the deep-fry.  Best part was the creamy and spicy dip as it added a cooling affect combined with spice.  Along with the ears was the Fried Smelt, which were soft and just lightly fried with a thin layer of butter.

Something that surprised me, since it lacked meat, was the Curried Cauliflower Salad with bulgur, citrus segments and herb oil.  The well-charred cauliflower was cooked just enough that it was not raw, but still at the same time retained a crunch.  There was a mild curry hit that was nicely balanced by the sweet orange segments.  Also prepared properly were the vibrant Ontario Green Beans with garlic, ginger, lemon & chili.  They exhibited a solid crunch while being dressed in a multitude of flavours.  I would've liked to see a tad more salt to kick things up a notch.

For dinner, we shared the Fried Chicken for 2 and the Ribs for 2.  Dumped onto the table and slathered with 3 different sauces including Espresso-Hoisin, Avocado and Gochujang, the chicken closely resembled KFC (Korean-Fried Chicken).  As for the chicken itself, it was tender and well-brined.  The batter was only slightly crispy while the sauces were a bit of an overkill in my opinion.  Gochujang seems like the new srirracha these days.  We also got the Ribs for 2 and my thoughts were that the meat was too soft and not smoky enough. It was not bad per se, but something seemed to be missing.

For the kiddies, they shared the Fried Chicken Thigh Sandwich.  Normally, it is dressed with avocado chutney and pickled onion, but we got that on the side.  This was a fairly straightforward sandwich where the chicken was moist and tender with a light crispy exterior.  It definitely need the condiments as it would've been plain otherwise.  Too bad as my son ignored them, but my daughter was game and the resulting flavours were tart and creamy.  It was a difficult call at the end of the meal as we didn't exactly dislike anything.  The appies and sides were solid, however, the mains were a bit of a non-event.

The Good:
- A bit different than what you might expect
- Solid service
- Sides and appies were tasty

The Bad:
- Not sure about the ribs and chicken...
- A bit pricey  

Kekou Gelato

Remember when you were told that eating sweets before dinner would spoil your appetite?  I'm not really sure if it ever did.  If my memory serves me right, I've downed the occasional donut or ice cream before a meal and nothing was worse for wear.  So while we were heading to the County General for dinner, we stopped off at Kekou Gelato for a "palate cleanser".  I'm sure my kids will now grow up thinking that dessert before a meal is perfectly acceptable.

My daughter tried their Strawberry Mango Popsicle and it tasted as vibrant as it appeared.  The colours were no illusion as the strawberry tasted like actual pureed strawberries.  Well because they were!  Same with the mango as it was sweet and impactful.  Texturally, it was frozen yet still soft enough to chew without being too icy nor unnaturally sweet.  For Viv, she had the Mango Soft-Serve which was creamy and rich.  Best of all, it tasted like actual mango with the sweetness and pungency of a ripe one.  This was indeed a nice palate cleanser before some fried chicken (at the County General).

For myself, I had a scoop of the Salted and Spicy Pineapple Sorbet in a waffle cone.  At first, the flavours confused me, but as I ate it, the spiciness fed off the sweetness of the pineapple to create a "gingery" affect.  I liked how it wasn't overly sweet while the crunchy waffle cone added crunch.  Yes, this was a strange combination that worked for me and yep, a great palate cleanser.  So dessert before dinner is completely acceptable, especially when it is light and refreshing as the treats we had at Kekou.  Better yet, something that worked on a warm day too.

The Good:
- Interesting flavours
- Natural tasting
- Not too sweet

The Bad:
- A bit pricey

 

Figo

Waking up early is not something I tend to do during my holidays.  However, when it means we can avoid lineup hell, I am more than up for it.  That was the plan as we headed down the TTC with people on their way to work in packed subway cars.  The destination?  The iconic and touristy trapish CN Tower.  Well, it was a nice view and since we didn't have to wait nor was it super busy when we went at 9:00am in the morning, I guess the experience was rather pleasant.  I couldn't say the same for the packed and one-way only congested Ripley's Aquarium of Canada.  After all this, we were hungry and made our way to the nearby and newly opened Figo.

We started with their popular Zucchini Fritti with lemon creama fresca and honey.  Oh wow, these were really good!  Normally, fried zucchini can be rather wet, but the thinly sliced ones here were crunchy throughout due in part to the batter (which stayed adhered to each piece).  Although a bit sweet, the honey added a tasty stickiness to the fried product while the lemon creama fresca provided the brightness and acidity needed.  Onto the mains, we tried their Margherita Pizza which looked well-constructed.  It featured a crispy thin crust that was well-seasoned and a chewy interior.  The tart and bright tomato sauce was impactful while the fresh basil on top was aromatic.  The only thing I would've liked to see was more leoparding on the bottom of the crust.

We shared a couple of pastas including the Bucatini with wild boar ragu.  The pasta was firmly al dente with a noticeable bite and chew (which we enjoyed).  There was a considerable amount of meat which made the dish rather hearty.  Being wild boar, it was definitely lean and was reflected by the dry and chewy texture of the meat.  Flavours were mild though with very little tang nor salt.  Instead it tasted very meaty.  Our next pasta was my favourite in the Tagliatelle with clams, chili and dill.  Resting in an aromatic and briny broth, the pasta did not soften too much.  The buttery and tender noodles were lightly flavoured by the sweetness of onion, fennel and the spiciness of the chili.  Subtle yet not bland, this was a good tasting pasta.

Lastly, we had the Meatball Sandwich with smoked provolone, arugula and tomato.  This was zesty and spicy where the tomato sauce was the star of the show.  A little crumbly in texture, the meatballs were moist and meaty.  Flavours were subtle, but the strong flavour from the sauce kept things interesting.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal, the vibe and service at Figo.  Pricing was acceptable given its location and food quality.  We really loved sitting out on the patio as it was spacious and comfortable.  We only wished the service didn't become sparse once it got busy.

The Good:
- Fairly appealing eats
- Loved the patio
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Crust on pizza could use a bit more charring
- Service was good, but stretched when it got busy