[Toronto] Miss Korea

Location Review
687 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4Y 2B2
(647)748-9100
Website

Opening in December of last year, Miss Korea (@MISSKOREA_BAR) is a trendy Korean bar eatery, and the newest addition to the Yonge and Bloor area. Not too long after it opened, Justine (@foodigatorJ), Vickie (@Kiki_bff) and I, came here one night for what we like to call our "Korean Drinking Catch-up Nights" (original, I know!). Like all the other eateries in this area, Miss Korea has an inconspicuous doorway leading to an expectedly narrow space. The venue is well suited as a catch up spot though, and extremely space-efficient: re-arrangeable low-rise tables, relatively high ceilings, and open-top stools which double as jacket storage space.

Miss Korea

[Toronto] The Guild

Location Review
1442 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario 647-343-7288
Website

Located on the west end of the city in Little Portugal is The Guild (@guildresto), serving up contemporary Canadian cuisine. With Chef Mani Binelli in the kitchen (who is also the mastermind behind one of my all time favourite restaurants - Auberge du Pommier), I agreeably accepted an invitation to taste their new and improved menu.

The Guild

[Toronto] Kinton Ramen

Location Review
51 Baldwin Street
Toronto, Ontario



I can't remember the last time I was so excited about a restaurant opening. Oh wait, I do. It was for Guu Izakya, still one of my favourite izakaya's in Toronto. Now enter  Kinton Ramen (@KintonRamen). Being run by the same people who brought us Guu Izakya (@GuuToronto) and Guu Sakebar, naturally I was euphoric as I counted down the days to their official opening on May 18.

To be quite honest, I had no idea what to expect. With the astounding amount of Japanese restaurants in Toronto and the GTA, there is still a less than sufficient number of impressive ramen establishments. Was Kinton going to revolutionize ramen in Toronto as we know it? I didn't have a clue. I did however, anticipate two things : 1) the line ups outside would be insane, and 2) it would be a rowdy crowd on the inside.

[Toronto] The Black Hoof

Location Review:
938 Dundas St. W.
Toronto, ON
416-551-8854


So I haven't been very diligent in the past month with this blog, and as a result I've had a backlog of restaurants to write up. So much that I ended up visiting the restaurant of today's review:  The Black Hoof (@theblackhoof) twice before I got a chance to review it. But the good news is, that is a good indication of how much I liked it.

When I went to Chicago, I visited a restaurant named The Purple Pig. My brother in law Nelson mentioned that it reminded him of  The Black Hoof, with both restaurants serving the most obscure parts of the animal. It's pretty ironic how these internal organs and far-fetched body parts which I thought only Chinese cultures would consume are so mainstream in Western cuisine now a days. But when you have someone like Jenn Agg (@theblackhoof) behind the restaurant and Brandon Olsen as head chef (@King_of_ginger), it's no wonder how the most obscure ingredients can become such a culinary delight. It's also been highly regarded as one of the best restaurants in Toronto!

So anyways, for simplicity's sake I've just decided to dump both of my visits into one post.

[Toronto] Fin Izakaya

Location Review:
55 Eglinton Ave E
 Toronto, ON M4P1G8

MENU

Whenever I think about going to an izakaya, there really is only one place that consistently pops up in my head: Guu Izakaya. And so when someone suggested  Fin Izakaya (@FinIzakaya) in the Mount Pleasant area of Eglington as an alternative, I was delighted when I finally went with Carmen (@carmenhungry), Justine (@foodigatorJ), and Vickie (@kiki_BFF).

Banana Mafia Asian Street Market Party

So I'm a little behind on this post, but I figured a great event deserved at least a mention, even if it is a tad late. But hey, better late than never, right?

So this aforementioned great event is the inaugural Banana Mafia Asian Street Market. It's a bit of a mouthful to say , but the concept is simple. Five great chefs of the Asian culinary world: Chef Nick Liu (@Ninjachefnick) of GwaiLo, Chef Robbie Hojilla of Ursa, Chef Leemo Han (@Limohan) from Swish by Han and Oddseoul, Chef Jeff Claudio of Yours Truly (@YoursTruly229), and Chef Jonathan Poon of Chantecler (@chanteclerTO) gather at Toronto's Amsterdam Brewery with the objective to serve delicious dishes in a Singaporean night market inspired setting.

[Toronto] Porchetta & Co

Review Location:
825 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario

MENU

And the last chapter of my first food crawl with Andrew (@_aneb), Justine (@foodigatorJ), and Chieu (@chieunghi) takes place at a small sandwich shop in the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood.

Porchetta and Co (@PorchettaAndCo) serves exactly what you think it does: porchetta. And that's pronounced "porketta" as Andrew would emphasize. The recipe for this traditional Italian pork roast at Porchetta and Co starts off with a 24 hour marinated pork shoulder. It's wrap it in prosciutto, then again wrap in cured pork belly, and roasted until crispy on the outside. This masterpiece is finally carved to be placed on sour dough buns. Sound amazing? Well it kind of is, so keep reading.

[Toronto] Banh Mi Boys

Review Location:
392 Queen Street W
Toronto, ON M5V 2A9

Homepage

Continuing on my first food crawl with Andrew (@_aneb), Justine (@foodigatorJ), and Chieu (@chieunghi), we ventured to Banh Mi Boys (@banhmiboys), after having stuffed our faces at El Trompo Taco Bar.

[Toronto] Come and Get It!

Review Location:
170 Spadina Ave
Toronto, ON








"Restaurant Today, Condos Tommorrow. When? Who knows? so come and get it!" This is literally the first thing I see on a sign walking into the restaurant. And I think it does a good job summing up Come and Get It! (@comeandgetit416) the newest grab-and-go sandwich joint at Spadina and Queen. Having only opened for just a couple months, it's fated to be turned into a Condo project sometime this year. I have it say its an unfortunate decree -- the food was great!

[Toronto] Swish by Han

Location Review:
38 Wellington Street E.
Toronto, Ontario

Swish by Han Menu

On a chilly night, Vicky (@kiki_BFF) and Justine (@foodigatorJ ), and I headed out to Swish By Han (@Swish_by_Han) to try out their food. I actually have never heard of this place, so I probably never would've stumbled upon this place if it weren't for their suggestion. It wasn't even until I sat down at the restaurant and looked at the menu that I knew they served Korean food. The eclectic dining room decor and dimly lit ambiance is very atypical of most stereotypical Korean restaurants. And the food? While they do serve some what of a fusion style Korean, it was 2 thumbs up for me!

[Toronto] Auberge du Pommier

Location Review:
4150 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario

Auberge du Pommier

I have been to Auberge du Pommier on several ocassions, and have loved the experience every time! Belonging to the Oliver and Bonacini Restaurants family (along with Canoe, Jump, and LUMA,  to name a few), this French restaurant is located just north of york mills on Yonge Street. From the outside, the restaurant resembles a cozy little courtyard house complete with a garden, white picket fence, and a very charming cobblestone walkway. While it looks like a small on the outside, it is deceivingly spacious on the inside! The decor is simple and quaint with its neutral colour theme, fireplace, and stone walls. a romantic ambiance coupled with excellent food makes this the perfect date night spot!