With 4 days left to go until Christmas, I have to admit that I am very very behind on my holiday shopping. Instead of wading into the crowds at malls, I’ve been getting into the Christmas spirit with cocktails, courtesy of the InterContinental Hotel in Yorkville. This year IHG is celebrating the holidays with 4 unique, drinks at each of their Toronto and Montreal locations available throughout December. I stopped by Proof Vodka bar, located inside IHG Yorkville to sip the festive cocktails and forget about my outstanding shopping list.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

The 4 festive cocktails featured seasonal herbs and spices like cinnamon, cranberries, thyme and rosemary infusing each glass with a bit of holiday cheer. Each cocktail was priced at $14. My two favourite drinks (because there was tie) were the Red Moon, a great simple mix, and the Santa Claus. I loved the vanilla flavour in the Santa Claus and the touch of bubbles from the champagne.

• Elf Juice – dark rum, apple juice, lime juice, dash of bitters
• Santa Claus – vanilla vodka, cranberry juice, sparkling wine
• Red Moon – red wine, bourbon, simple syrup
• Naughty or Spice – rum, bitters, lime juice, cream, triple sec

To accompany our liquid meal, we nibbled on a delicious assortment of food from Proof Vodka Bar’s menu. There was a great selection of charcuterie and cheeses that were ordered individually. Each order was served with a spoonful of honey (amazing) crunchy crostini, fresh figs and plump blackberries. From the seafood section, we tried the crispy calamari, crab and avocado and citrus mussels. The calamari was lightly battered and an excellent dish to snack on and very shareable. I also really enjoyed the perfectly ripe avocado and well seasoned crab meat.

I’d 100% trade an hour at the mall for an hour sipping a glass of Elf Juice. If you’re already done your shopping, congrats! A festive cocktail would be a well earned reward.

I have a soft spot of Hong Kong cafes, especially macaroni with spam. For me, the simple bowl of noodles and broth is quintessential comfort food. This meant that even though we went to Cafe Hollywood for their chicken wings, I couldn’t resist the $5.99 All Day Breakfast.

Atmosphere: The restaurant decor was true to theme with life-size Oscar statues and framed movie posters covering the walls. I was reminded of Hard Rock Cafe. Compared to other Hong Kong cafes, the interior was more modern and thoughtful, but the furniture was beginning to show age.

Service: Most Hong Kong cafes offer minimum but very efficient service and my expectations are quite low. Cafe Hollywood did not even meet the low bar. Service was disorganized. Each server was responsible for every task from clearing tables to taking orders, which is a normal setup, but this translated to servers being distracted by tasks without any system of prioritization. We waited to be seated, even though several tables were empty. It was also difficult to get anyone’s attention.

Food: Despite the less than stellar service, I really liked the food. Since I couldn’t resist breakfast, The Hubby and I split a bowl of Macaroni topped with two slices of Luncheon Meat, which came with a bun, two eggs and a slice of deli ham. I asked for my eggs sunny side up, and they were a touch undercooked. The bowl was filled with noodles and had a good amount of corn, peas and carrots as well. The texture of the macaroni was on the softer side, perfect for the dish, and the broth was lightly seasoned without being salty.

The main reason we visited Cafe Hollywood was for their happy hour wing special, 20 pcs for just $16.99 from 1pm to closing. We ordered one basket HK Style, a simple salt and pepper and another Pepper Chilli. Each basket comes with fries and a bowl of thick brown gravy. The wings were lightly battered, crispy and not oily. The seasoning was flavorful, not overpowering, and each wing was juicy inside. Really good. With the pepper chilli, the topping was a lot of minced garlic with black pepper, so order only if you’re ok with having strong garlic breath after.

Overall, the wings at Cafe Hollywood redeemed the meal. I’ll be back, but my heart still belongs to Phoenix.

Last year, the owners of 120 Club took over the first floor of their building and turned the space into a diner and live performance space. I was invited to check out their menu and stay for a show. During that visit, I found 120 Diner served up delicious classic comfort dishes like nachos but felt short on others like a rice bowl. Recently, I was invited to revisit the diner with Karen and Sandi, which had pared down their previously expansive menu to focus more on what they did best, bar food.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Atmosphere: In terms of decor, the restaurant was unchanged from my previous visit. 120 Diner have ramped up their live performance schedule though and have music or comedy performances every night. On the night we visited, we were entertained by two jazz acts. All regular jazz shows are Pay What You Can with a suggested amount of $10-$20. I would say the focus of the evening was the performers and most of the diners were there for the show. As a respectful audience, customers were asked to keep noise level minimal.

Food: I chatted briefly with Todd (the owner of 120 Diner) about how the menu had changed over the past year. His answer was that the menu was pared down and more focused. Before, I was impressed with the breadth of of selection but also overwhelmed with the number of choices, and with such a large number of menu items, there were bound to be a few duds. The revised menu still had a great variety of dishes, including plenty of comfort food and healthier choices, and some delicious new desserts.

Sandi, Karen and I each chose 1 or 2 dishes to order and blog about. I chose the Bruschetta, Hogatropolis Poutine and Strawberry Tall Cake. We also had some amazing Mac and Cheese and Ravioli that Karen has the details on.

The Bruschetta had chopped red and orange tomatoes, served on a toasted baguette with basil, and topped with shaved parmesan cheese and a drizzle of balsamic. I really liked the combination of the fresh tomatoes and balsamic. The parmesan added a hint of umami to the dish and the portion size was quite generous. I did have trouble tasting any basil in the dish, a stronger herb flavour would’ve added even more.

Since I tried and loved the nachos on my last visit, this time I chose a poutine, one topped with cheese curds, chicken gravy, pulled pork and double smoked bacon. Delicious. My favourite part of this dish was the thick, savoury gravy that melted the cheese curds and was soaked up by the fries. A blanket of pulled pork in a sweet BBQ sauce covered the plate. To me, each bite of this dish was a good balance between sweet and salty, satisfying both cravings at once. Crunchy bacon bits also added some texture.

Dessert was the highlight of the evening. A play on strawberry shortcake, the Strawberry Tall Cake was a mountain of vanilla soft serve, vanilla cake and fresh ripe strawberries. Pretty much all of my favourite things together on a plate. The portion size was also generous and could easily be shared with one or two other people.

Since my previous visit, Roll Play has re-invented themselves from a board game cafe to a cozy bar/lounge. After a couple of years in the busy neighbourhood catering to a diverse range of customers, Roll Play’s owners felt the need to narrow their scope and redefine their brand. Even during my first visit, I felt that board games were a side attraction at the “cafe”, which focused more on food and alcohol. I was invited to speak to the owners and check out the changes.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Sitting down with the owners of Roll Play, I gathered that the biggest driver for their evolution was a desire to better serve their customers. This was a challenge when their reputation as a board game cafe drew a unique crow, who wasn’t necessarily drawn by the food or drinks menu. Today, while there’s still a few party games around (Pictionary, Uno, and lots of dice), Roll Play’s makeover, along with their selection of tasty cocktails, has definitively shifted them into the bar category.

Much of the decor was familiar, with a heavy injection of Asian flair drawing on inspiration from bars in Hong Kong. The room glowed a warm red from string lights strung on the ceiling and red paper lanterns. Pop art featuring the Chinese character for “love” decorated one wall and a large TV showing Chinese movies was mounted on another. I found the space charming and unique.

Reading through the list of Asian inspired cocktails, I had a hard time deciding but ended up ordering the Geisha. My drink had green tea, cucumber infused vodka and a hint of yuzu, all of my favourite things. Another drink that caught my eye was the King of Toronto, which was served under a dome of dome of smoke and used maple infused Canadian Club. What makes these drinks special is Roll Play’s use of mixology, led by bartender Berry Sit, who’s worked in some of Hong Kong’s top bars. Sit creates all of his own liquor infusions in-house, which ranged from rose buds to ginseng.

I didn’t have a chance to really dig into the food menu except for the Peking Duck Flatbread, which has a hoisin sauce base was and topped with cucumber slices after baking. This added a refreshing crunch to each savoury bite. Other items on the menu had the same East meets West concept like Beef Brisket Poutine and Five Spice Popcorn Chicken. The one thing I’m unsure of is value vs price for the snacks.

Roll Play Bar aims to be a place for people to gather, socialize and dip their toes in Asian bar culture. Menus change seasonally and are still under development. I think Roll Play’s new direction suits them very well and am looking forward to where it takes them.

Club 120 is a nondescript nightclub occupying the second floor of a small building on Church St. The owners have been running the club for almost 9 years and recently took over the restaurant space on the main floor as well. Their aim was to create a relaxed, modern diner that features live comedy or music each night. I was invited by Todd, one of the owners, to stop by and sample their menu.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Atmosphere: The space used to be a Spring Rolls and the decor still features many of their signature red elements, however not knowing ahead of time, it would be hard to tell. A full bar was situated at the back of the restaurant, a stage was set up along one wall and comfy booths lined the wall opposite. Several tables and chairs were set up to face the stage, allowing diners to enjoy their meal and the show. Although the kitchen opened at 5pm, the space was pretty empty until the show started at 8pm. On the night I stopped by, there was a comedy podcast live recording and most of the comics were pretty funny. The content was PG-13, but nothing super scandalous.

Service: Service was great, friendly and efficient. Todd was there to answer any questions I had and came to check on me while I waited for my late friend. All of our food arrived from the kitchen piping hot and empty dishes were cleared away promptly. As the crowd grew louder with the show, Todd and the server continued to check-in and take care of each table.

Food: While I browsed the menu at 120 Diner, I was impressed with the wide selection. There were wraps, burgers, salads, sandwiches and other entrees. I also appreciated the many vegetarian (veggie burger, wrap or rice bowl) and healthy options. Basically for any of the mains, the protein could be substituted for haddock or salmon.

For both the appetizer and entree, I decided to try a classic bar item, and something unique. With the appetizer, I was immediately drawn to the “Build Your Own Nachos or Poutine” section of the menu. Starting with a base of fries or chips, there was plenty of add-on options including meatballs, double smoked bacon or garlic shrimp. I chose the Mexican Spiced Ground Beef. To offset the comfort dish, I ordered the Grilled Calamari with Puttanesca Sauce as our second, healthy, appetizer.

Both dishes were great. The puttanesca sauce had lots of flavour and was heavy on olives and garlic. I did find the squid a bit on the raw side, but better than overcooked and tasty. I loved the nachos; crispy chips, melted cheese, generous toppings, spicy jalapeno and the Mexican spiced ground beef added even more heat. The portion was also more than enough for two people.

With entrees, my friend went with the 120 Grilled Cheese Burger and sweet potato fries while I went healthy with a Rice and Grilled Vegetable Bowl, topped with homemade meatballs. Hands down, the cheeseburger won this round. The burger was really more grilled cheese than burger and there was so much delicious melted cheese. The rosemary focaccia “bun” was toasted perfectly and spicy mayo added just a touch of heat. Her side of sweet potato fries were also crispy, sweet with a dash of salt. Compared to this decadent burger, my rice bowl didn’t really hold up. The rice was a little wet and I couldn’t taste the cilantro or coconut. I was expecting the rice to be more like Chipotle rice. There was a lot of grilled vegetables, but the meatballs were underwhelming.

Overall, 120 Diner does good comfort food. While there’s plenty of healthy options, the kitchen shined with  classic bar dishes. That Grilled Cheese Burger was worth every calorie

Every year for my birthday, I go out for dinner with a group of girlfriends to celebrate. There was 8 of us in total this year and two weeks before the date, I started calling my short list of restaurant choices. It was surprisingly difficult to secure a Friday night reservation at a decent time. Many restaurants also only did set menu for groups of 8 or more. Thoroughbred was able to accommodate us at 7pm and we took over their big communal table.

Atmosphere: Since opening in September this year, Thoroughbred has won plenty of acclamations for their cocktails and inventive food menu. The restaurant was dark, cozy and relaxed. There were flannel shirts and thick rimmed glasses but the feel was subtle, more backdrop than in your face. I loved the long open shelves, lined with bottles of liquor, behind the bar. By our third decanter of wine, our group was lively and Thoroughbred was a great venue to catch-up, relive memories and gossip.

Service: All of the servers, bartenders and wait staff we met at Thoroughbred were excellent. Friendly, patient while we debated on what to order (and ended up ordering everything) and professional. At dinner, Thoroughbred offers a bar menu and a dinner menu. 80% of the items overlap and diners are able to order from both menus, which made the two menus confusing and somewhat redundant.

Food: Along with copious amounts of wine and a couple of cocktails, we nibbled through 10 dishes. All of the dishes at Thoroughbred had strong flavours, intricately assembled with playful presentation. Simple, fresh ingredients were transformed and elevated with spices and innovative technique.

Kung Pao Cauliflower, Chicken Liver Mousse and Roast Broccoli Marrow were the first three dishes to arrive and all delicious. I loved the heavy seasoning on the cauliflower and the richness of the liver mousse. Broccoli is my least favourite vegetable, but deconstructed and cooked perfectly, I could become a fan. The stalks were roasted and the broccoli head shaved, creating a bed of quinoa like beads.

The Roast Mennonite Lamb and Duck Confit nachos were both meaty with crispy elements. There was little gaminess to the lamb and the shredded duck confit was lean. One of my favourite dishes was the Sweet Potato Mac n Cheese. I don’t recall all the toppings, but each spoonful was creamy and rich. With the heavy hitter starts, I found the Miso Poached Pickerel and Brussel Sprout Caesar to be forgettable. Still solid plates, but not the ones I’m raving about.

On the other hand, the Assador de Chorico was hot in spice and presentation; the sausage was served on a flaming pig and then carved at the table. The platter was presented with roasted vegetables, toasted crostini and a whole grain mustard; perfect for sharing and a great accompaniment to Thoroughbred’s drink menu.

Dinner ended with a platter of dessert selections including decadent homemade truffles, tart lemon meringue and a classic apple crumble. If I had to choose just one, the truffles would win.

Within the past year, a few of the restaurants at Yonge and Sheppard have turned over. One of the newcomers is Han Ba Tang, who opened their doors on Canada Day this year. Since day one, the restaurant has been full and lively every time I walk by. When I received the invitation to sample their menu at a blogger event, I jumped on the opportunity.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

One of the highlights of the blogger night was meeting Han Ba Tang’s (HBT) owner, Chae, who immigrated to Canada over a decade ago and used to run a traditional Korean restaurant with her sister. After 10 years, Chae wanted to create food to feed a younger generation and introduce classic Korean flavours to everyone. This is the main aim behind HBT’s decor and ever-changing menu. The food is Korean fusion with 50% catering to traditional tastes (ie. kimchi and kalbi) and the other 50% playing with innovation (ie. lots of cheese and modern cooking techniques). Throughout the night, Chae introduced each dish with an obvious passion and care for feeding her customers.

That passion and care extended to the rugged, industrial look of the restaurant itself. The wood decor was salvaged from a barn roof and the large communal table featured beautiful live edges. There is no exterior signage because during renovation, discontinued glass tiles were uncovered and Chae wanted to preserve the history of the building. Pretty cool.

HBT has a great cocktail menu with an amazing price range of ~$10. Many of the drinks were built around their infused soju flavours. I tried the Kandy Crush, which was balanced, full of fresh strawberries and not overly sweet. Everyone else at my table also enjoyed their choices. Stand alone, soju is already pretty easy to drink; infused with flavour, it’s stellar. That night HBT had lemon, pineapple, cucumber, apple cinnamon, ginseng and strawberry infused soju flavours that could be ordered in a flight of 4 shots. The flight comes with another shotglass full of wasabi peas, which was a great pairing. My favourite was the apple cinnamon soju that tasted exactly like apple pie, followed closely by pineapple with was very sweet.

In total, we sampled 9 dishes, which was a lot of food. The first two dishes served, sweet potato chips and chili shrimp, set the night off to a good start. The chips were served with an addictive wasabi mayo and I liked the sweet/spicy combination. Similarly the chilli shrimp were also crispy and doused in a sweet and spicy sauce. Next were two fusion dishes, Korean Tacos and Kimchi Fries. I loved the spicy crispy pork taco that was exploding with spicy mayo, so good. HBT’s take on kimchi fries was complex with layers of flavours and textures. Top down, we started with fresh scallions, a basil aioli, bulgogi, a mild kimchi, crispy fries and at the very bottom, a crunchy fried tortilla. That tortilla was like finding the toy at the bottom of a cereal box, but more delicious. I would highly recommend both of these dishes.

We also sampled some special, seasonal menu items such as the steamed lobster (special lobster menu event to come) and squid ink pasta (from HBT’s Halloween menu). Both these dishes were a demonstration of HBT’s creative side and how they’re continuously trying new ideas. Personally, I found the squid ink pasta dish over complicated with too many components. The lobster dish was only ok but I’m excited to see what’s to come from HBT’s special lobster menu (coming soon!).

Two fusion dishes that we tried was the spicy chicken and rice cake fondue and spoon pizza. I liked the idea of both dishes but the execution on the cheese fondue was spotty. Our fondue pot didn’t do a great job of melting the cheese and we ended up scooping the stringy cheese onto the chicken with each bite. The spoon pizza was made with a sweet potato “crust”, filled with veggies and topped with cheese.

Our meal ended with the most traditional dish of the night, a spicy seafood soup that was full of chopped up blue crabs. I only wish the soup was served earlier as I was too full to enjoy more than one savoury bowl.

Han Ba Tang is a great new addition to the Yonge and Sheppard area with their tapas style menu that is perfect for sharing. I loved the infused soju and can’t wait to be back for more with an order of kimchi fries.

Don Don Izakaya opened in 2012 at the very beginning of Toronto’s izakaya trend and has stood it’s ground against the many new arrivals. I am always impressed by the selection of their sake menu and was introduced to my favourite sake, You’s Time, at Don Don. While the food has been less consistent, I had a great time on my last visit and really enjoyed the majority of the dishes we tried.

Atmosphere: Occupying the second floor of a building, Don Don is a block away from the Eaton Centre and close to both Ryerson and the University of Toronto, meaning a lot of their diners are students. I like to visit either early in the night (5pm) or late (after 9pm) and can usually get a table without any trouble. The interior decor is predominantly wood and a large drum is used to welcome customers. The servers do yell less than other izakayas and in general Don Don had a more relaxed, less frantic vibe. I can savour a drink and order dishes without feeling guilty for occupying my table too long.

Service: Our servers were efficient and professional. Dishes arrived quickly and we were introduced to each as it was set down. We dawdled with our drink orders and the server had to check up on us several times, each time she had a smile and didn’t rush us through any decisions.

Food: Following my usual routine at izakayas, we tried to order mostly from the special menu and of course tako wasabi. Our dinner ended up being Shaka Shaka Nankotsu (deep fried chicken cartilage), Ra-Yu Udon, Sashimi Salad, Takoyaki Pizza, Steamed Shabu Shabu and Kimchi Udon. Don Don also offers great daily drink specials that we took advantage of.

The bowl of tako wasabi was standard and did not come with any seaweed on the side, which I didn’t mind. I really liked the Shaka Shaka cartilage; served in a paper bag with a curry seasoning powder on the side. Dump the spices in the bag, roll up the bag opening, shake and voila. Each piece was crunchy, crispy and seasoned. This reminded me of my favourite meal from McDonalds in Japan, the Shaka Shaka chicken that I must’ve eaten daily while I was in Tokyo. So good.

After the fried chicken, the sashimi salad was a nice change. Fresh sashimi and a light, citrusy dressing made the dish very refreshing. Our next item, the takoyaki pizza, was heavier and I’m still not sure if I liked it. The dish consisted of 5 takoyaki balls served in a escargot dish and topped with tomato sauce and cheese. The concept was cool, but the flavours weren’t cohesive and the dish still felt like two things being mashed together. I personally, would’ve prefered just the melted cheese topping, skip the tomato sauce.

Both udons were amazing; perfect noodles, strong flavours and a good amount of spice. The chilli oil in the Ra-yu noodles was super spicy and really stood out on the backdrop of classic asian flavours made with garlic, green onion and ginger. The kimchi udon was deliciously saturated with kimchi and a favourite of mine. We also tried the steamed Shabu Shabu, which I hadn’t seen on the menu before. Slices of pork belly was steamed along with vegetables and served with a dipping sauce. The dish was ok but not spectacular. I would stick to their hotpot dish.

The taco craze taking Toronto finally made it up to North York in November with the renovation of Smokey Joe’s, an old bar with a great rooftop patio just north of Yonge and Sheppard. With an impressive selection of bourbons, daily specials and over 60 tequilas on hand, Estrella is on track to being the new bar in the area.

Atmosphere: I had only visited Smokey Joe’s once and it wasn’t for me. It was nice to see the space re-incarnated with the unique decor and bright colours, there’s even ping pong tables in the back for customers to use free of charge. There are cozy leather booths and lots of wooden tables that can be put together for large groups. I can’t wait for the rooftop patio to open up when the weather warms up.

Service: When the BF and I stopped by, it was still super early for dinner, just past 5:00pm cause we were both hungry and couldn’t wait. The staff hadn’t ramped up yet and we were one of the first customers of the night, which meant service started a bit slow. We weren’t sure who our server was at first and it took some time to get our order in. Our tacos did come out quickly and it was fun to see the guacamole made fresh at the table.

Food: On Monday nights, Estrella offers a $5 taco deal with soup and salad, $5 pints and $5 house cocktails. We passed on the taco special, which was bulgogi in favour of ordering from the regular menu. I did take advantage of the drink special and tried their white sangria while the BF had a bourbon sour. My drink was fruity and easy to drink; the bourbon was quite sour and served with a thick foam topping.

The table-side guacamole arrived in a giant mortar and pestle that was used to mash up the avocado and mix up the ingredients. When I make guacamole at home, I’m very liberal with the cilantro and lime so I thought the flavours were a touch understated. It’s a more traditional recipe and doesn’t mask the avocado. The chips served alongside were crispy and topped with a sprinkle of spice. They were pretty oily but delicious.

On to the tacos. We ordered one of each on the menu except for the vegetarian and oyster ones. My favourite was hands down the Taco de Panza. The fatty pork belly was full of flavour and I liked the pairing of a light, crunchy cabbage topping. Next were the duck confit and short rib tacos. Both were flavourful and I loved the spice in the short rib. For me, the best fish taco I’ve had so far was still at Grand Electric. The offering at Estrella was solid and had great toppings but couldn’t compare. I had high hopes for the tuna and ceviche tacos, but they fell a bit short. The ceviche taco was ok but the tuna taco didn’t have the same kick in flavour as the others and the texture of the tuna made the bite feel mushy.

Ending the night with dessert, we had the pineapple ice cream and churros. The churros were not very good. They were very doughy and uneven, none of the airy crispiness I was expecting. I’m not sure if it was because we ate so early in the night and the oil wasn’t ready, but it was disappointing. However, I loved the ice cream. It was creamy, sweet and sour with little chunks of pineapple. Scrapping dulche de leche with each spoonful of ice cream was a great way to end a meal. The macadamia nuts felt a bit unnecessary. There wasn’t really enough to incorporate into each bite and I forgot about it for the most part.

One of the many restaurants that have been long sitting on my Urbanspoon wishlist is Hapa Izakaya. An import from the west coast, Hapa opened their Little Italy location in September 2012. Unfortunately, they suffered extensive damage during the flood in July and had to close for a few months for repairs. When a friend was back in town from Malaysia recently, Hapa was the perfect venue to host our bigger group with good food and drinks.

Atmosphere: The intimate lighting and prominent bar gives Hapa a cozy and boozy feel. Dark wood tables and leather covered chairs add to the interior’s bar vibe, fitting for an izakaya. There are lots of tables for large groups. In fact the night we were there, tables were joined to seat at least 30 people together. With music playing and sake arriving in bamboo pitchers, Hapa makes you want to order another drink, or two, and I hear there’s dancing at special events.

Service: Our server was all smiles and very friendly. She also checked in on us before Hapa Hour ended to see if we wanted to add dishes, which I really appreciated. Every dish arrived quickly and it was easy to get someone’s attention when we needed to.

Food: As always when I go to an izakaya with a large group, we ordered 90% of the menu. I made sure we were in time to take advantage of Hapa Hour (<$5 plates everyday from 5:30pm to 7:00pm) and seriously, it’s such a great deal. We ordered one portion of each dish to start and then doubled up on favourites.

From the Hapa Hour specials, the standouts were the Karaage and Tuna Avocado salsa dip. I loved the plantain chips that were served with the dip and the karaage was one of the best I’ve had in the city, light crispy batter and juicy tender inside. Next was the Ebi Mayo, Curry Calamari, Polenta Fries and Hot Wings. I could pass on the polenta fries, the texture of the polenta wasn’t stiff enough and the tempura batter didn’t help hold the fry together either. I liked the batter on the hot wings and they weren’t overly spicy. We did get a second order of the curry calamari.

We also ordered the Renkon Gyoza Tempura, Spicy Baja Roll, Goma-ae and Negitoro (non Hapa Hour). From these four, I liked the Renkon Gyoza, which was more of a friend pancake, and Negitoro best. The Spicy Baja roll and Goma-ae were good but not stand outs. Our last item from Hapa Hour was the Spicy Pork Ishi-Yaki, a rice dish served in a hot stone bowl. The rice formed a nice burnt crust on the sides of the bowl and was well flavoured with the spicy mayo and chives.

From the regular menu, we ordered the Sashimi Salad for some greens, Beef Tataki and the Monkfish Liver. The salad and monkfish liver were only ok and I would trade other menu items in favour of them next time while the Beef Tataki was pretty standard.