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20Aug/062

Eat and Shop Food in Toronto

Sora olahEpisode #1 – VIETNAM

PJ and Sora hit Toronto's downtown Chinatown and Chinatown East where they find some of the city's best Vietnamese restaurants. There, they enjoy the freshness of Vietnamese Pho soup at Pho Hung, devour spring rolls at the Golden Turtle and tuck into Cha Ca La Vong- a grilled fish specialty from Hanoi.

Eating Out:

Pho Hung, 200 Bloor St. W., 350 Spadina Ave., Toronto - 416-963-5080
Golden Turtle, 125 Ossington Ave., Toronto - 416-531-1601
Hanoi 3 Seasons, 588 Gerrard St. E., Toronto - 416-463-9940
Pho Mi Saigon, 680 Silver Creek Blvd at Cawthra, Mississauga
Pho Ben Thanh, Cannon Street, Hamilton
Ginger, 695 Yonge St., Toronto
Banh Cuon St. Clair, 1772 St. Clair Ave. W, Toronto
Xe Lua, 180 Steeles Ave. W., Thornhill
Krispy Roll, 789 Warden Ave., Scarborough

Shopping:

Hua Sheng Supermarket, 293 Spadina Ave., Toronto – 416-263-9883

Episode #2 - JAMAICA

Sora and PJ soak up the sizzling tastes of little Jamaica. They kick off their journey with the island's most popular street food - Jamaican Patties from Randy's. They then head off to Albert's Real Jamaican for Jerk Chicken and finish off with Caribbean Queen's Saltfish and Ackee.

Eating Out:

Randy's, 1569 Eglinton Ave. W. - 416-781-5313
Albert's Real Jamaican Food, 542 St Clair Avenue West - 416-658-9445
Caribbean Queen of Patties, 1279 Bloor Street West - 416-538-1732
Island Thyme, 872 Bathurst St., Toronto
Tipper's, 1345 Weston Road, York
Palomino's, 83 Kennedy Road, Brampton
Granny's Place, 2545 Hurontario, Mississauga
Rhythm n' Spice, 1541 Victoria Park, Scarborough
Crystal Bar & Restaurant, 632 Vaughn Rd, Scarborough

Shopping:

Caribbean Corner Tropical Foods, 171 Baldwin Street, Toronto - 416-593-0008

Episode #3 – SOUTH INDIA

In Toronto's Little India, Sora and PJ sample numerous South Indian Chaat (or snacks), Paan (after dinner digestive), and cooling ice cream called Kulfi. They then head to Surati Sweet Mart in Scarborough where they indulge in creamy, fragrant Indian sweets. Saravanna Bhavan is their last stop where vegetarian curries served with dosas, or lacy crepes, are presented in all their golden glory.

Eating Out:

India Paan Centre, 1427 Gerrard Street East, Toronto – 416-461-8914.
Surati Sweet Mart, 2628 Carnforth Road (Lawrence & Victoria Park), Scarborough - 416. 752.3366
Saravanna Bhavan, 4559 Hurontario, Mississauga
Udupi Palace, 1460 Gerrard St. E. Toronto – 416-405-8189
Hopper Hut, 880 Ellesmere Rd, Scarborough
Madras Dosa Hut, 1123 Albion Rd, Mississauga
South Indian Dosa Mahal, 1284 Bloor Street West
Exotic Indian Cuisine, 1850 Albion Road, Unit #13, Etobicoke
Dosa Darbar, 1150 Albion Rd., Etobicoke

Shopping:

Singh Food Centre Ltd., 1729 Albion Road, Etobicoke - 416-741-1212

Episode #4 – EAST AFRICA – ETHIOPIA

What's a wat? PJ and Sora taste and learn about these Ethiopian stews at Lalibela before heading to Ethiopian Village for authentic sambussas- samosa-like savoury pastries. A trip to Fasika brings the spiciest cuisine in Africa to the fore with kitfo or steak tartare and a serving of lamb tibs (pan fried, spicy lamb), finished off with an Ethiopian coffee service.

Eating Out:

Lalibela Restaurant, 869 Bloor St. W., Toronto – 416-535-6615
Ethiopian Village Food & Spice, 2229 Danforth Ave., Toronto – 416-686-1846
Faskia, 834 Bloor St. W., Toronto – 416-588-7819
Queen of Sheba, 1051 Bloor St. W., Toronto
Addis Ababa, 1184 Queen St. W., Toronto
Afgooyo Restaurant, 900 Albion Rd., Toronto
Ethiopian House, 4 Irwin Ave., Toronto
African Paradise Restaurant, 814 Bloor St. W., Toronto
New Bilan, 183 Dundas St. E. Toronto

Shopping:

Ethiopian Spices, 161 Baldwin Street, Toronto – 416-598-3014
Piassa Injera & Takeout, 260 Dundas Street East, Toronto – 416-929-9116

Episode #5 – KOREAN

Sora and PJ learn that there's a lot more to Korean cuisine than kimchi. Some piquant dokbuki, or rice cake in spicy bean sauce and kalbi- bbq'ed short ribs on the grill start off the excursion at Mot Na Son in North York. Little Korea's Korean Village Restaurant offers up great bulgogi- strips of tasty bbq'ed steak and Ka Chi dishes up Kamja Tang or pork bone soup for what ails you.

Eating Out:

Mot Na Son, 5374 Yonge St., North York – 416-222-1170
Korean Village Restaurant, 628 Bloor St. W., Toronto, 416-536-0290
Ka Chi Korean Restaurant, 612 Bloor Street W., Toronto – 416-533-9306
Seoul Restaurant, 621 Bloor St. W., Toronto
Man Doo Hyang Dumpling & Noodles House, 6068 Yonge St., North York
Korean BBQ Walker Hill, 280 West Beaver Creek Rd # 35, Richmond Hill, ON
To Dam Gol Korean Restaurant, 5935 Yonge St., North York.
Owl of Minerva, 700 Bloor Street W., Toronto
Chung Gi Wha, 5817 Yonge St., North York

Shopping:

Galleria Supermarket, 7171 Yonge Street, Thornhill – 905-771-1474
P.A.T. Central Market, 675 Bloor St. W., Toronto - 416-532-2961

Episode #6 – TRINIDAD / GUYANA

Chinese food from Guyana? That and a whole palette of other tastes from the islands await, as PJ and Sora savour Trinidadian rotis at Kori's Roti Stop in Oakville, Shark and Bake at Toronto's Eazy Eats and curry goat on rice and Peas from Pam's Caribbean Kitchen. Flavours of the world found in the West Indies.

Eating Out:

Kori's Roti Stop, 1026 Speers Road, Unit #5, Oakville Tel. – 905-849-5510
Eazy Eats, 749 Broadview Avenue, Toronto
Pam’s Caribbean Kitchen, 969C Bloor Street, Toronto
Bacchus Roti, 1376 Queen St. West, Toronto
Drupati’s Doubles and Roti Shop, 975 Albion Road, Rexdale
Simma’s Restaurant, 3417 Derry Road East, Milton
Bara’s Hut Doubles and Roti, 127 Dundas Street East, Mississauga
Lena’s Curry Pot & BBQ, 1152 Albion Road, Rexdale
Patty King, 187 Baldwin Street, Toronto

Shopping:

Charley’s West Indian Foods Ltd., 1154 Morningside Avenue, Toronto – 416-283-1441

Episode #7 – SOUTH CHINA – TAIWAN - HONG KONG

Oodles of noodles and delicious dumplings make up some of the food finds of the South China and Hong Kong episode. Pretty parcels stuffed with savoury fillings abound at the Golden Court Abalone Restaurant where Sora enjoys a delectable spread of dim sum. PJ gives congee a whirl at North York’s Congee Wong and the two meet up at the Magic Wok to try Cantonese Chow Mein and the ever-elegant Phoenix Nest with seafood.

Eating Out:

Congee Wong, 10 Ravel Rd. (Finch and Leslie Square) Units 5&6, North York - 416.493.8222
Golden Court Abalone Restaurant, 270 West Beaver Creek Rd., Units 22-27, Richmond Hill
Magic Wok, 4331 14th Ave., Markham
Swatow, 309 Spadina Ave., Toronto
Dim Sum Palace, 365 King Street W., Toronto
Ambassador Chinese Cuisine, 280 West Beaver Creek Rd., Unit #38, Richmond Hill
Tac Chong Food Restaurant, 492 Dundas Street W., Toronto
Tu Hing Bakery, 888 Dundas St. E., Mississauga
Roy’s Garden, 34 Roys Square, Toronto

Shopping:

Jin Cheng Bakery, 419 Dundas Street West, Toronto – 416-596-8878
Ten Ren’s Tea Company Ltd., 454 Dundas Street West, Toronto – 416-598-7872

Episode #8 – MEXICO

Forget the bright yellow taco shells out of a box because the real-deal Mexican taco comes in a soft-shell corn tortilla with some of the juiciest fillings you’ve ever had. Sora samples steak and tinga (spicy chicken) tacos at Mexi Taco while PJ heads to El Trompo for some chicharron de queso (griddle toasted cheese) and zucchini flower quesadillas. The duo then head to Dos Amigos where tostadas and hominy corn soup known as Pozole end their Mexican culinary adventure.

Eating Out:

Mexi Taco Taqueria, 828 Bloor St. W., Toronto – 416-537-6693
El Trompo Taco Bar, 277 Augusta Ave., Toronto – 416-260-0097
Dos Amigos, 1201 Bathurst St., Toronto - 416-534-2528
Tacos El Asador, 690 Bathurst St. W., Toronto
El Palenque Casa del Mariachi Mexican Restaurant, 816 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto
Mex-I-Can, 107 James St. N., Hamilton
Jalapeno Restaurant, 725 King St. W., Toronto
El Sol Mexican Art Café, 1448 Danforth Ave., Toronto
El Jacalito, 1500 Royal York Boulevard, Etobicoke

Shopping:

Perola’s, 247 Augusta Avenue, Toronto – 416-593-9728
Mexican Food, 200 Baldwin Street, Toronto – 416-542-1486

Episode #9 – JAPAN

Who said the British have the market cornered on neighbourhood pubs and taverns? The Japanese have been serving up savoury dishes made expressly for pairing with alcohol for decades- and PJ gives some of that fare a shot at Izakaya with chili beef ramen soup and tori kara age (deep fried chicken Japanese style.) Sora tries kushiyake (skewered, grilled meats and veggies) at Sakawaya and soba noodle master Ted Iizuka shows the two of them how to make fresh soba noodles by hand.

Eating Out:

Sakawaya Japanese Bistro, 867 Danforth Ave. Toronto
Izakaya, 69 Front St. E., Toronto
Edo Noodle House, 374 Spadina Ave., Toronto
Hana-bi Japanese Restaurant, 3235 Hwy. 7 E., Unit #28, Markham
Sushi Delight, 461 Danforth Ave., Toronto
Mye Japanese Restaurant, 143 Church St., Oakville
Tokyo Grill, 582 Yonge St., Toronto
Yumi Japanese Restaurant, 2384 Bloor St. W., Toronto

Shopping:

Little Tokyo, 199 Augusta Avenue, Toronto – 416-921-1328
Sanko Trade Inc., 730 Queen St. West, Toronto – 416-703-4550
Soba Canada Inc., Soba Master Tetsuya “Ted? Iizuka, www.sobacanada.com

Episode #10 – NORTH INDIA & PAKISTAN

Creamy, fragrant and aromatic begin to describe North Indian cuisine and the dishes that Sora and PJ sample in this episode. A stop at Spices Café gives North Indian food a healthy boost by replacing the dairy in butter chicken with a creamy smooth paste of almonds and cashews. From a sizzling cast iron skillet of spicy Chicken Tikka Haryali in Brampton’s India Curry House to King Fish at King Palace, the two feast like royalty on regional dishes fit for nobility.

Eating Out:

India Curry House, 80 Pertosa Dr., Brampton
Spices Café, 4 Temperance St., Toronto
King Palace, 105 Sherbourne St., Toronto
Khan’s Family Restaurant, 35 Brunel Rd., Unit #4-B, Mississauga
Bar-Be-Que-Hut, 1455 Gerrard St. E., Toronto
Rasoee Indian Kitchen, 4400 Highway 7 E., Markham
Lahore Tikka House, 1365 Gerrard St. E., Toronto
Tandoori Time, 1727 Albion Rd., Etobicoke
Brar Sweets and Restaurant, 2646 Islington Ave., Etobicoke

Shopping:

Asian Food Centre, 80 Pertosa Drive, Unit 21, Brampton – 905-460-0003
OM Indian Food Centre, 71 West Drive, Brampton – 905-452-1100

Episode #11 – THAILAND

Thai cuisine is renowned for its exquisite curries and exotic flavours; this week PJ and Sora taste both familiar and new Thai delights. In Oakville at Thai, Satay & More, Sora savors Tiger Shrimp Satay Skewers while in downtown Toronto, PJ tries a refreshing Green Mango Salad at the Salad King. From the familiar, they move on to more exotic dishes; Haw Mok Pla, a fish custard served in banana leaf cups and the Durian, a fruit which smells awful and tastes wonderful.

Eating Out:

Salad King, 335 Yonge Street, Toronto, 416-971-7041
Lemongrass Thai Restaurant, 3329 Lakeshore Blvd, Etobicoke, 416-259-7004
Thai Satay & More, 187 Cross Avenue, Oakville, 905-338-7934
My–Thai, 21 John Street North, Hamilton, 905–526–8373
Vinapha Lanna, 471 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto, 416–484–0895
Satay on the Road, 1572 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, 416–440-0679
Bali Thai, 826 Queenston Road, Stoney Creek, 905–664–8431
Sue’s Thai Food, 414 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, 416–531–8822
Thai Paradise, 35 Baldwin Street, Toronto, 416–351–1368

Shopping:

Vientiane Supermarket, 2 Bradstock Road, North York – 416-743-2911
K & K Tropical Fruit, 298A Spadina Avenue, Toronto – 416-979-3435

Episode #12 – NORTH CHINA

Northern Chinese winters are long, cold and dry (sounds a lot like Canada!); this makes their cuisine different from their Southern Chinese neighbours. In the south, rice is king, in the north, the staple is wheat; dumplings, sandwiches, and noodles are popular street eats. At Chinese Traditional Buns, Sora samples the Ro Ja Mo Mo, the spicy Chinese Pulled Pork Sandwich; the recipe requires twenty spices and nine hours to marinate. In Markham, at Dong Bei Wang, PJ tries his hand at making hand pulled noodles, an art which takes chefs years to master.

Eating Out:

Chinese Traditional Buns, 536 Dundas Street West, Toronto, 416-299-9011
M.Y. Chafing Dish Restaurant, 357 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, 416-598-0832
Sun’s Kitchen, Pacific Mall – 4300 Steeles Avenue East, Markham, 905-947-8463
Mother’s Dumplings, 79 Huron Street, Toronto, 416-217-2008
Peking Man Restaurant, 1110 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, 416–223–5151
Asian Legend, 418 Dundas Street West, Toronto, 416–977-3909
Chinese Dumpling House, 3636 Steeles Avenue. East, Markham, 905–947-9880
Great Khan Mongolian Grill, 7131 Kennedy Road, Markham, 905–947–8288
Ding Tai Fung Shanghai Dim Sum, 3235 Hwy 7, Markham, 905–943-9880

Shopping:

T & T Supermarket Inc., 7070 Warden Avenue, Markham – 905-470-8113
K & K Tropical Fruit, 298A Spadina Avenue, Toronto – 416-979-3435

Episode #13 – LEBANON

This week PJ and Sora are exploring the delectable cuisine of Lebanon. An abundance of fruits, vegetables, and fresh fish are key ingredients in Lebanese cooking and there’s hardly a meal that doesn’t include generous doses of garlic and olive oil. The first stop for PJ is at the restaurant 93 Harbord to sample some Kibbeh, the national dish of Lebanon, while Sora heads straight for desert trying some Lebanese butter cookies and baklawa at Arz’s Fine Foods & Bakery. Sahteyn! (means bon appetit in Arabic).

Eating Out:

93 Harbord Restaurant, Toronto, 416-922-5914
Akram’s Shoppe, 191 Baldwin, Toronto, 416-979-3116
Quick Pita Authentic Lebanese Cuisine, 65 Duncan Street, Toronto
Ghazale, 504 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Momo’s, 196 Robert Street, Toronto
Sababa, 390 Steeles Ave. W. (at Hilda Ave.), Thornhill
La Luna, 306 King W., Hamilton
Arabesque Middle Eastern Food, 1068 College Street, Toronto

Shopping:

Arz Bakery, 1909 Lawrence Avenue East, Scarborough – 416-755-5084
Samara Roasted Nuts, 1865 Lawrence Avenue East, Scarborough – 416-701-1718

Seen on SunTV, Street Eats... Where the female presenter is very cute, did I say very cute?
Sorah Olah

Website here

Filed under: City, Cooking, En 2 Comments
28Mar/062

How to make a genuine Osaka Okonomiyaki.

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Yasushi Huwa

¡¡I am from Osaka. In Osaka, Okonomiyaki is a very popular food. There are many Okonomiyaki restaurants in town and each of them proudly make their own tasty Okonomiyaki. However, there are no Okonomiyaki restaurants in Nagano. Well, there are a few, but they don't taste too good to me. That is why I decided to make it at home. At first, I could not make good Okonomiyaki; however, as I tried many times to improve it, I was finally able to make my own delicious Okonomiyaki. Now, I invite my students to my house for Okonomiyaki and they say"it is delicious"(May be my presence influences their judgment).

¡¡By the way, I often travel around the country due to my work, and I noticed that other than the Kyoto-Osaka area and Hiroshima, Nagano was not the only place in all of Japan that didn't have good Okonomiyaki restaurants. Since I want you to enjoy Okonomiyakithat tastes good, I am going to tell you how to make my special Okonomiyaki.

Ingredients

Usually, I don't precisely measure the ingredients by weight. I just know how much to put in without weighing; however, this time I measured the amount that I usually use to tell you exactly how much of the different ingredients you need. By the way, this recipe is for five people. You need:

Okono ingredient

  • One big Chinese yam (it is available at Asian markets)
  • 160 grams of flour ¡¡
  • 200 grams of ground pork
  • one cabbage
  • half of a green onion
  • one squid
  • a hand full of dried shrimps
  • 6 eggs
  • and about one cup of tenkasu(it is available at Asian markets)
  • For the sauce, you need
    • instant dashinomoto(it is available at Asian markets)
    • mayonnaise
    • wouchester sauce
    • mustard
    • and soy sauce

¡¡Keep in mind that there will be less flour than Chinese yam. The Okonomiyaki introduced here is not only fried with water and flour; the flour will only be used as a glue to stick all the ingredients together. The base is the Chinese yam. We don't use any water. Restaurants which serve bad Okonomiyaki add only a small amount of Chinese yam for seasoning and put in too much flour. If you cook this way, your Okonomiyaki will turn out to be too hard. A tasty Okonomiyaki needs to be crunchy on the outside and moist inside.

¡¡Ground pork is also an important part of this recipe. You should not use expensive red meat. Please use the thin sliced meat that has an equal amount of fat and red meat.

¡¡Do you know what tenkasuis? It is a fried mixture of flour and water that is left after frying tempura. Please make sure that you have it. Around the area where I came from, the tempura stores in the market places often sold it for a cheap price. How about your town? In Nagano, it is sold in bags at super markets. Please find where it is sold.

Preparation

  1. Mix theflourandeggswell. Be very careful not to put too much flour in the mixture. As a reminder, we don't use any water.1.gif
  2. Mix the ground Chinese yam into the mixture.2.gif
  3. At this point, you need to put a small amount of instant dashinomoto¡¢mayonnaise, and soy sauce
  4. Next, you need to cut the cabbage into small pieces (you do not need to slice it too thin) and add them to the mixture. You may think that there are too many pieces of cabbage in the mixture, but you will need a lot. If you stir thoroughly, it will mix readily with the other ingredients. Okonomiyaki is a healthy food with a lot of vegetables in it.
  5. Next, thin slices of green onion and STRONG>squid should be mixed into the mixture. After stirring for a while, add the dried shrimps and tenkasu.3.gif
  6. Finally, you need to fry it. Okonomiyaki should be crunchy on the outside and moist inside. To make it so, you will need a well heated hotplate. Luckly, most hotplates can heat more than 200cel. these days. In my home, I use a hotplate that is heated by the gas.
  7. Spread some cooking oil on the heated hotplate and put the mixture on it. You may fry as much mixture as you desire. However, you should not spread it too thin. This Okonomiyaki mainly contains the Chinese yam; therefore, it easily gets separated. Spread a thick layer of the mixture in the center of the hotplate and prevent it from getting separated. Next, spread the chopped meat on it.niku.gif
  8. When one side of the mixture is cooked, turn it over. Make sure that the side on the pan has turned light brown before you turn it over. Check a few times to see if it is done. The trick in turning it over is the timing and speed. When the mixture is not cooked enough, it will break apart while you are flipping it over. You can prevent this from happening by making sure that one side is completely cooked. Also, if you flip it too slowly, it will break apart on the spatula. Have two big spatulas ready and turn it over quickly. After turning it over, press the mixture gently and make sure that the entire surface of the mixture has contact with the hotplate.4.gif
  9. Again, make sure that the other side is cooked well. After it is cooked, turn it over again with the side of ground pork on top and turn off the hotplate.
  10. Spread the mayonnaise,two sauces, and mustard according to your preference. Cut it into small pieces. Finally, please eat it when it is still warm. You do not have to put mayonnaise on it, but you may want to try it at least once.5.gif

And it will taste well with beer.

I wonder why Okonomiyaki goes so well with beer (if you add a lot of Kimchi to the mixture and fry it, it will taste even better with beer).

from http://markun.cs.shinshu-u.ac.jp/hobby/okonomi/index-e.html

Filed under: Cooking, Jp 2 Comments
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