I walk by Chez Laurent daily on my way to work and am always charmed by the restaurant, housed in a bungalow surrounded by condos. When a sign was erected nearby last year announcing a newly proposed building, I knew I had to stop by Chez Laurent at least once in the near future, just in case the property was being bought out by builders.

Atmosphere: Walking into the restaurant feels like visiting someone’s house for a home cooked meal. We were seated in the dining area with two other tables and it was a cozy night. Conversations easily travelled through the room. After a bottle of wine we were a bit louder and having a great time hopefully not disturbing the other two tables, one couple and a larger group. Each table still felt very intimate in their own bubble of space.

Service: The restaurant owner helped take our orders and checked in on us throughout the meal. She was very friendly and made us feel at home. There was one other server handling the room, and he seemed young (a relative?), a little unsure of where things were but friendly and super polite. Appetizers came out quickly and all our entrees arrived together.

Food: We started with an the antipasti plate and a few orders of escargot. The escargot was buttery, had a good chewiness and was still tender. Each component was the antipasti dish was light and flavourful. The cantaloupe and tomatoes were ripe, both went well with their counterparts of proscuitto and havarti.  I also liked the pickles, which were crispy, a good touch of sour and sweet.

For my entree I ordered the daily pasta special of mussels and spaghetti. The noodles were cooked al dente and a good bounce to each bite. I was surprised with the size of the mussels, which were meaty and tasted fresh. The dish was also served with a healthy portion of tomato sauce. The sauce wasn’t a stand out, but it was a good base and not oily.

The boys both ordered the daily special of slow cooked pork spare ribs, mashed yam and rice. Again, the dish was good, everything was flavourful and cooked well. The ribs were tender and I really liked the mashed yam.

I had a good meal at Chez Laurent, but much of it I could cook myself at home. The appeal of this restaurant for me is the cozy atmosphere in addition to a comforting home cooked meal. I wouldn’t revisit with just the BF, but for a larger group of friends and close to home it’s a great option of French/Italian in the North York area.

I like my pho with everything, especially tripe and tendon. The broth needs to be scalding hot to cook the rare beef slices and flavourful without adding any of the condiments (hoisin sauce, hot sauce, lime, basil, etc). My order at Pho 88 is always the special combination bowl that comes with a little bit of every meat option. On a normal night, the small size is perfect for me and I drink most of the salty soup, I can still comfortably finish a medium but will leave a lot of soup. The noodles at Pho 88 are not overcooked and the temperature of the soup is hot enough to cook all the ingredients. Portions of beef are generous and the basil and bean sprouts are fresh. Service is quick and friendly and while the restaurant is always busy, I’ve never had an issue getting a table on weeknights.

At every Vietnamese place, I always try the cold shrimp roll and coffee with condensed milk. Both were ok, as expected. The prices for appetizers are a bit higher than places downtown or in Markham but still reasonable. Pho 88 is easily one of my go-to places for dinner and will continue to be so.

Moroco Chocolat

• Address: 99 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto
• Visited: 04/21/2011, Dessert
• Cuisine: Dessert
• Rating: C* [$]
• Website: http://morocochocolat.com/

Bite-Size Review

I visited Moroco Chocolat in April specifically to taste their Macarons as I had heard quite a bit about the dessert boutique and entered with high expectations. We arrived close to the end of the day and had to wait for the last batch of macarons to arrive from the kitchen. 10 flavours are offered in total, so we opted for the package of a dozen. The flavours were strong, almost overpowering, and didn’t leave your taste buds confused. However, nothing was a standout for me.

The classic pistachio macaron was good, but not earth-shatteringly amazing. The amount of filling used was a good ratio to the size of the shell, which were on the chewy, denser side. Since I do prefer a lighter shell, Moroco didn’t live up to the hype and I was a little disappointed.

~$35 for a dozen macarons, this was on the pricier side and because the quality of the macarons was nothing to write home about, Toronto has better macarons to offer.

La Bambouche

• Address: 4 Manor Road East, Toronto
• Visited: 07/06/2011, Dessert
• Cuisine: Dessert
• Rating: A* [$]
• Website: http://labamboche.ca/

Bite-Size Review

The macarons at La Bambouche suit my taste pretty much perfectly. The flavours have an Asian twist (with flavours such as yuzu lemon, ume and green tea) and the shells are delicately light and crunchy. The yuzu macaron is delightful with a hint of sourness. The caramel sea salt macaron smartly uses caramel buttercream filling, not actual caramel, which would be hard to eat and too thick for the light shell.

I have tried all of the flavours offered, but am always surprised with their “mystery” macaron that changes daily (so far I’ve tasted strawberry and vanilla). I also love that their pistachio macaron isn’t comically green. In general, I love how subtle, yet distinct the flavours are. These are the best macarons I’ve had in Toronto so far.

Lucky for me (or not), La Bambouche is within a 5 minute walk from work. Their macarons have now become my go to for an afternoon pick me up.$2.50 each, buy 6 or more to waive the sales tax.

• 1. The texture of the noodle – is it mush, or still nice and chewy
• 2. The richness of the soup – will the top layer solidify nicely over night
• 3. How salty is it? – salt does not equal flavour

The toppings matter too, but as this part of the ramen really depends on the individual order, it doesn’t make or break a bowl for me.

The first thing I noticed about Ajisen is the size of their menu, so many items! I had a hard time choosing but ended up ordering the “Teppanyaki Lamb” ramen. With consideration to the 3 aforementioned points. Ajisen did good. It wasn’t amazing, but it was pretty good. The soup was well-flavoured (the lamb in my order may have helped to strengthen the taste) and not so salty that my fingers swelled immediately. The service wasn’t overly attentive but it was quick to get the bill and dishes were served within 5 minutes of ordering.

My bill came to under $15 plus tax. Good price and ok food.