After seeing many drool-worthy pictures from Akane Sushi on my Instagram feed, I found an excuse for The Fiance and I to meet a friend there for dinner. While the sushi was as delicious as the pictures promised, the entire experience was shaky with non-existent or rushed service.

Atmosphere: Located in a strip mall full of restaurants on Highway 7, Akane Sushi was easy to spot from the street. Surface parking was limited but there was plenty of additional spots underground. When we arrived at 6:30pm on a Saturday, the restaurant was 80% full with two large families and a table set up for 10+ people along the wall. This left a handful of booths available and seats at the sushi bar. We were seated at one the booths and a queue stretching outside the restaurant quickly formed. The restaurant decor and setup was standard of most casual Japanese restaurants in the GTA.

Service: Although there were empty tables when we walked in, we weren’t seated for a good 10 minutes. At the time, there were supposed to be two servers taking care of the dining area but one was in the kitchen prepping and the other was handling take-out orders. This left everyone in the dining area, diners already seated and those waiting to be seated to fend for themselves. Literally 20 sets of eyes was watching the one server check out the take-out order and waiting. Not the best start. Then, once we were seated, there was still only one server taking orders, serving dishes, clearing plates and taking care of all the tables. Tables were missing orders and it was almost impossible to get her attention for more utensils or tea. Once the second server was out of the kitchen, service did pick up. I’m not sure if they were understaffed in the kitchen but it was rocky start to dinner. As tables calmed down, our server was friendly and chatted with my friend in Korean.

Food: Where Akane shined was in their sushi. Despite the less than stellar service, I was happy at the end of our meal. Complimentary tea, salad and miso soup was served regardless once we had placed our order. Also complimentary was half a grilled salmon head. The fish was fresh, very tender and had no fishiness at all. This was a great treat and I liked the use of the entire fish.

Between the three of us, we ordered a Seaweed Salad, Ultimate Roll and Love Boat B. For $3.99, the portion of wakame was generous and a great value. The ultimate roll was filled with fried soft shell crab, crabmeat and cucumber and covered with shrimp, avocado, unagi, tobiko and crabmeat. This was delicious. Swirls of spicy mayo decorate the dish and we swept up every drop. Both the filling and toppings were generous and the fried crab was fresh and crunchy.

Love Boat B came with 33 pcs of sashimi, 18 pcs of nigiri and 12 pcs of maki. For three people this was a lot of food, but we (mostly me) managed to finish every bite. The 18 pcs of nigiri included 3 each of uni and unagi. While the unagi was on point, the uni wasn’t the best that day. With three pieces of each type of nigiri, the split was perfect for our group. All of the raw fish was fresh, excellent quality and cut in generous portions. I loved the inclusion of scallop and sweet shrimp, my two favourites. Akane was also generous with their salmon and tuna and didn’t include any white tuna on our boat. The two rolls were a simple dynamite and rainbow roll, both had perfect ratios of rice to filling.

With patchy service, Akane Sushi was redeemed by the excellent quality of their sashimi and generally tasty food. I’m still not 100% convinced on a return sit-down visit, maybe during non-peak hours. Take-out for sure and not with a large or impatient group.

From middle school to high school, my daily afternoon snack was two hot dogs, microwaved with a healthy helping of ketchup. Then during my university days, grabbing a grilled hot dog (oh street meat) was a treat in between classes. Let’s Be Frank puts a new spin on the simple hot dog with their creative menu, full of fusion dishes and classic flavours, providing a whole new reason to eat hot dogs regularly.

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

Let’s Be Frank has been 5 years in the making, starting with festival booths, then a food truck, a temporary pop-up home and now a permanent location at Spadina and College. Our group of bloggers were introduced to the three owners and heard the story of how their business came to be. Through plenty of hiccups and successes, their enthusiasm for creating and sharing great food has grown stronger.

Each specialty dog at Let’s Be Frank can be ordered in slider (3.5″), regular (6″) or big dog (8″) size, all priced under $10. The Hot Dog’s served are all Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, juicy, meaty and some of the best dogs I’ve tasted. Let’s Be Frank is always trying out new recipes and with weekly specials like the Doritos dog. They also feature have a great drinks menu with a good selection of cocktails and Tall Boys (even Stiegl Radler Grapefruit!).

We sampled four different dogs in the slider size, two sides and a “hot dog” dessert:

Pulled Pork Po’Boy
Slow-cooked pulled pork, tangy coleslaw, zesty homemade BBQ sauce & hickory sticks
The first and my favourite of the night. I liked the tangy coleslaw, the spicy BBQ sauce and the crunchy hickory sticks
Katsu Dog
Panko crusted, deep fried, with wasabi mayo, sesame BBQ sauce & green onions
This was a really interesting dog, lots of crunch and the dog inside is so juicy, I would’ve liked a touch more wasabi mayo on the bun
Corn Dog
A frank doused in our own batter, deep fried, and topped with Dine Alone Foods’ Southern Blues BBQ sauce
Can’t go wrong with a corn dog and the one at Let’s Be Frank was good with a sweet batter and tangy BBQ sauce
Hot Dog Wings
Hot dog bites, breaded and fried, tossed in buffalo sauce
These were similar to the Katsu dog in breading but a totally different taste profile, very close to a boneless chicken wing but even better, because it’s a mini hot dog
Mac & Cheese
Creamy, sharp, topped with bacon bits and Southern Blues BBQ sauce
All of the strong flavours mixed well in this dish, I found the cheese a little runny
Hot Dog Gravy Poutine
Seasoned fries topped with fresh curds and our signature hot dog gravy
With fresh cheese curds from Kensington market and a creamy hot dog gravy, a solid poutine
Ivana Banana Dog
Deep-fried banana with peanut butter, jelly & Nutella
Self explanatory, the deep fried banana was sweet and creamy, the addition of Nutella to peanut butter and jelly, genius

Let’s Be Frank transforms hot dogs into awesome new delights. There’s chili, kimchi, cheese curds and bacon involved , but if you’re looking for something simpler, the Naked Dog is always available as well.

After splitting a burger at Frankie’s, The Fiance and I moved onto the main course at Fonda Lola. The restaurant has been on my radar since they opened at the end of 2013 with rave reviews.

Atmosphere: I was surprised at how small the restaurant was. This could have been because a large party of 10+ was just finishing up their meal and occupied half of the tables. The space was cozy and intimate with natural wood tables that reminded me of outdoor picnic tables. The beautiful patterned blue plates added a festive touch to each table. One thing that stood out to me was how many of the diners were families, some with small children. It was nice to see a “hip” restaurant be so family friendly.

Service: Service at Fonda Lola was friendly and efficient. Our server explained the menu items for us in detail and each dish arrived at a quick pace in succession. During the day, I had tweeted my excitement about finally visiting the restaurant. Half way through our meal, we were treated to two bite size pieces of their famous candied bacon, a truly nice gesture.

Food: Since we had each just eaten half a burger, our hunger wasn’t at peak. This was a mistake as the entire menu looked appetizing. We had to be strategic in our ordering to save room for churros, a must.

For starters, we ordered the Jefe Snack and Trout Aguachile. When I read homemade potato chips, I was not expecting a rolled tortilla with stuffing and deep fried. For $4, it was an interesting dish to try. The Trout Aguachile was sour, much more sour than a ceviche and so good. The fish was fresh, the chips served alongside were addictive and the sour burned my poor chapped lips a little, but I kept eating. Our surprise bite of jalapeno candied bacon was delightful. The bacon was a great balance between sweet, super spicy and savoury. Once I’m done this wedding diet, I’ll be back for a full portion all to myself.

As our main, the Fiance and I split an order of Carnitas, served in a small cast iron pan with 4 amazing soft shell corn tortillas. These tortillas had an intense corn flavour and were a great texture. Somehow, it also seemed like the limes Fonda Lola used were extra fragrant, not more sour but just had a stronger lime taste. I found the carnita meat itself a little dry but I liked the added char from the cast iron.

Even though I was full, I had to try the Churros con Cajeta and Fonda Lola was kind enough to indulge my request for a half order. Again, this is another dish that I need to come back for. The dessert was heavenly with the thick, creamy, sweet sauce and perfectly deep fried dough.

Overall, I can understand why Fonda Lola is always packed when I walk by. The restaurant has a small menu with great variety and serves up Mexican food with bold, authentic flavours. If you’re there with a bigger group, you can order the whole menu, a Mexican Fiesta, for just $150.

Blue Ocean is my go-to Hong Kong style cafe in Peachtree plaza. I try to schedule my orthodontist appointments (around the corner) close to lunch time so we have an excuse to stop by. On my last appointment, we decided to try something different and went next door to New City Restaurant. This cafe has been around a lot longer and had decent reviews online.

Atmosphere: Parking at Peachtree plaza is always a mess. Since we were anticipating a line, The Fiance dropped me off to get a number first. There was only a few people in front of me and our wait was short for 2 people, 10 minutes top. Tables were packed together and larger round tables were seated communally. There were lots of families with children and generally the restaurant was crowded.

Service: When our number was called, The Fiance and I were directed to a table that was uncleared. We weren’t sure if we were supposed to sit or wait. A server came by and asked if we were leaving or coming, so we sat down at the dirty table and she walked away. After a few minutes, another server came by to clear the table and take our order. I understand the restaurant was busy but sitting in front of some else’s half eaten meal was not appetizing. Other than this, service was fine, food came quickly and everyone was friendly albeit hurried.

Food: Both of us were craving noodles that day so went with the noodle special. The menus were small laminated cards, English and Chinese versions, stuck into a holder on each table. Both bowls of noodles came with a small hot Hong Kong style milk tea that could be upgraded to cold at an additional cost.

There were two sets of toppings to choose from, one more Asian style (the Fiance’s) and the other more Western (mine). You could then choose from a large variety of noodle types including ramen, rice noodle, and macaroni. Both of went with rice noodle but in hindsight, we should’ve switched it up.

With both bowls, the toppings and noodles were generous. It was a big meal for under $8. My toppings included pieces of fried bacon, slices of deli ham, a fried hotdog, luncheon meat and a fried egg. The fiance’s bowl had an assortment of fish balls, brisket, beef balls, shrimp dumpling, red sausage and fish tofu. We both enjoyed all of the toppings with a standout being the shrimp wonton. There was lots of variety and strong flavours. Our opinions differ on the noodles. I like my rice noodles cooked pretty well done and at New City, it fit my palate. The Fiance likes his more al dente and the noodles were very cooked. We both agreed that the broth was boring. There was little flavour or fat in the watery soup.

Overall, New City Restaurant was ok, I’d like to try some of their baked dishes but based on this meal alone, it wouldn’t be my first choice for lunch. Their milk tea was pretty tasty.

One thing North York lacks is cheap and tasty Chinese food. True there’s plenty of restaurants if you drive East or North but few within the 5/10 minutes commute I prefer for a quick dinner. When Congee Queen opened at Yonge and Steeles, it was a happy addition to the neighbourhood.

Atmosphere: While the restaurant is situated in CenterPoint Mall, the main entrance is external and separate. The interior was similar to other Congee Queen locations with lots of booths and large round tables. High ceilings, chandelier lights and Asian inspired decor made the restaurant feel elegant.

Service: Service was mixed, not great but not terrible. Generally we were ignored at our table and it was hard to flag down servers. When we did, they were really helpful. Two girls stood right by our table, chatting and looking outside. As soon as I needed to ask for something, they walked away. I couldn’t tell if servers were assigned to specific tables and just grabbed anyone who was around.

Food: Going into the meal, I wanted to order enough food to bring home leftovers for lunch the next day. I normally do not order 4 dishes for just two people (most of the time).

We started with a bowl of pork and century egg congee. The congee was the strongest dish of the meal; savoury, a good consistency and had lots of meat. As side dishes, I always order turnip cake and fried dough fritters. The dough fritters were standard while the turnip cakes were disappointing, especially since I love the version at other Congee Queen locations. That night, the cubes of steamed turnip weren’t fried enough, under seasoned and not spicy.

The flavour was great for the garoupa hot pot and there was plenty of battered fish and vegetables. There was however a ton of bones in the garoupa. We had to eat very carefully and it was a tedious process. I liked the salt and pepper pork chops that were lightly battered and generously seasoned. A little more heat would’ve added to the dish.

Overall, Congee Queen at Centerpoint Mall was hit or miss. I think there’s room for improvement with some of the staple dishes but their congee was excellent.

A couple of week of weeks back, the Fiance and I made an impromptu stop at Five Guys for lunch. I had never been before and we were driving by. The location in Markham is located in one of the newer shopping plazas. In an attempt to stay healthy (hah), I ordered the Little Hamburger and we split one order of cajun fries.

The restaurant wasn’t overly busy with only a handful of tables filled. While we waited for our burgers, we enjoyed the complimentary peanuts. A large self-serve box was set by the pick-up counter with small cardboard shells. My little burger came with a single patty and a normal sized bun. I really liked the unlimited free toppings and chose my fair share. The sesame bun was soft and lightly toasted. As a whole, I thought the burger was only ok. All of the ingredients were fresh, the patty was cooked to well done but still juicy. It was a good burger but not amazing.

Their fries were great. Each fry was generously coated with seasoning and the bag is filled with them. The cook puts in a cup of fries per order, and then dumps in an extra cup. After awhile, The Fiance grew pretty tired of the cajun seasoning and started looking for more naked fries. I liked the salt, but it did overwhelm the natural potato flavour.

Overall, the burger I had at Five Guys was ok, but not really one I’d crave for.

Since graduating university, many of my friends have moved out of Toronto. Of those who stayed in the city, a few of us ended up in North York. We met up recently to catch up over some tasty Korean food. Despite the cold weather, I couldn’t visit Cho Sun Ok without ordering a bowl of their famous cold noodles, Mool Naengmyun.

Atmosphere: Walking into a packed restaurant at 7pm on a Friday night, looking for a table of 8 without reservations was risky. Lucky for us, tables cleared quickly and a few members of our party was delayed. While the restaurant stayed busy the entire night, turnaround was quick. Our group of 8 was split between two booths with a partition in the middle. We were confused at first, but then the server slid open a window in the partition that joined the two tables, pretty cool.

Service: At many Asian restaurants, service can be lackluster. I’m used to being semi-ignored and most restaurants favour efficiency over friendliness. At Cho Sun Ok, I felt welcome and taken care of. Our large group was accommodated, it was easy to order refills on side dishes and servers came by to refill tea without prompting.

Food: When our group was deciding on a restaurant for dinner, someone suggested “the place with really good cold noodles”. I couldn’t not order it. The Fiance obliged and agreed to split a bowl of Soondae Gook (sausage and pig organ stew) and Mool Naengmyun with me even though I had the sniffles. True love right?

We also ordered a side of Galbi with the cold noodles. The two pieces arrived on a separate place along with scissors. The meat was tender, well seasoned and lean.

My stew was served with a bowl of rice and was very satisfying. The opaque broth was rich and had a great depth in flavour from the organ meats (ear, tongue, stomach) and sausage. All of the meats were thinly sliced and cooked to a tender texture. This was the kind of stew I would crave. Salty, spicy and meaty. On the opposite spectrum of cravings, the Naengmyun in slush was refreshing, mild and wonderfully light. The thin arrowroot noodles were chewy and I liked the sweet crisp slices of pear in the soup. The level of spice was present but not overwhelming. We didn’t use any of the mustard of vinegar as there was no need.

Writing this review makes me want to go back to Cho Sun Ok tonight. If you’re going, I’d recommend bringing someone who’s willing to share because it’s hard to pick just one item for dinner.

I had lunch at A La Kitchen with a group of friends during the holidays. One couple had moved to Calgary a few years ago and requested Chinese food for the get together. With mixed reviews, I suggested trying out A La Kitchen. While the decor was interesting, unique and the restaurant modern and clean, both service and food was meh. 

Atmosphere: A La Kitchen used bamboo steamers as the main component of their decor. The wall was tiled with steamer lids and the dining room had a great piece of cascading steamers on the ceiling. I liked the artistic use of the kitchen tool, aesthetic and theme. Linen tablecloths, carved wood details and bright red accents also made the space feel clean and modern.

Service: Service wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great. As a diner, I felt neglected and could not flag down a server (a few walked right behind me and ignored my waving hand). Yes, I was more subtle and wasn’t trying to answer a question in class, but I was really trying and it was frustrating. Every server we interacted with was also curt, not very welcoming. Our egg whites with seafood was also served without vinegar, a minor hiccup but another challenge to get someone’s attention.

Food: I can overlook many service hiccups for delicious food. At A La Kitchen, it wasn’t quite enough. Lunch started with an appetizer of shredded chicken with peanut sauce. For $5.50, the portion was tiny, the same as meat off of one thigh, and mostly filler (mung bean sheets). The sauce was good, heavy on the peanut but a little bland. Our order of egg whites and seafood was also only ok. I found the egg whites were a bit stringy and not fluffy enough. Again, the flavour was on the light side.

We ordered two trays of the crab and minced pork Xiao Long Bao, sadly these were disappointing. There was little soup, the filling was under seasoned and there wasn’t enough fat. One dish I did enjoy was the Rice Cake with preserved vegetables. The rice cakes were soft, chewy and there was lots of (salt). The pan fried dumplings were ok. Each dumpling had a nice bottom but again I felt the filling was under seasoned. I did really like the the bowl of Small Wontons in Peanut Sauce. There was lots of chili sauce, crushed peanuts and the wontons were cooked perfectly.

Overall, 2/6 was disappointing for me. 

With a tapas style menu developed by Chef Nuit (Khao San Road and Pai Northern), a cozy decor and spiked Thai Iced Tea on the menu, Sabai Sabai had all the ingredients for a great meal. My best friend and I stopped by on a chilly night before catching Hamlet at the Winter Theatre. We didn’t make reservations but arrived as doors opened and were able to get a table.

Atmosphere: Tucked away on Church street, Sabai Sabai was a casual, comfortable restaurant with dim lighting and tightly knit tables. A large bar dominated the front of the restaurant, across a wall of booth seats. There were only a few tables that could accompany big groups and most were reserved.

Service: My one issue was how small the table for two was. At one point, we were trying to fit 3 dishes, a bowl of rice, two drinks, water glasses and plates to eat off of. It was Tetris on hard mode and we already had to finish off our appetizer quickly to make room. Our server was helpful and clearly ran into this challenge regularly as she was prepared by moving the centrepiece and clearing empty dishes with speed. She was also friendly, and knowledgeable of the menu. Each dish arrived quickly with our “mains” together.

Food: If Chef Nuit’s squash fritters are on the menu, I can’t say no to them. Sabai Sabai’s rendition did not disappoint. We started with a plate of the crispy, deep fried goodness while I sipped a Thai Iced Tea. My friend opted for the rum spiked version, Sailor’s Delight, which was a great addition. I would’ve ordered the same, if I wasn’t worried about sleeping through the first act of Hamlet (I still dozed off…a bit).

To share, we ordered Fish Penang Curry, Eggplant Stir Fry and Lao Minced Pork Salad. The curry was rich, grainy and the fish fillets tender. There was more flavour than heat. A few more chilis would have made the curry even better for me. The eggplant stir fry was heavy with Thai basil and each medallion cooked until soft, a tasty vegetarian option. For both these dishes, I only wished there was more. My favourite menu item was the salad, that was served more like a lettuce wrap. The filling was full of fresh herbs, lime juice and just a kick of flavour with each bite. I liked the pairing with the crisp, clean taste of iceberg lettuce, which highlighted the seasoning of the ground pork even more so.

Dessert changes by the week and that night it was an egg custard on sticky rice. I had my heart set on mango sticky rice, so the custard didn’t quite hit the spot. It had a soft, airy, tofu life texture and was lightly sweet. Tasty, but not mango.

While writing this review, I wavered back and forth on how to rate Colourful Yunnan Cuisine. On one hand, I liked my meal and it was at a great price point, but on the other I’m not racing to head back and there were some minor shortcomings. Although I settled on 3.5, it was a hard decision.

Atmosphere: Recently opened in Peachtree Plaza, Colourful Yunnan Cuisine was a medium sized family restaurant with non-descript decor. The large circular tables had a glass top, held up by silver elephants on top of a wooden level. We sat at one of these tables in the middle of the restaurant, which was drafty whenever the front doors opened. Mounted TVs were on, showing Chinese television shows at a low volume.

Service: The restaurant had a distinct mom and pop feel. Near the end of our meal, the owner came to check in on us and was friendly and genuinely happy. Dishes arrived quickly and the servers were quick to respond whenever a table called them.

Food: Overall, I liked the food at Colourful Yunnan Cuisine, where they fell short was on variety and quality of ingredients. If we had ordered fewer dishes, I wouldn’t have noticed this and the restaurant would be rated 4.5 for sure. As is, it’s still a high 3.5.

Our table ordered the famous Crossing the Bridge Noodles, Ginseng Chicken Soup, a couple of stir fries and a braised pork belly with preserved vegetables. My favourite fish was the giant bowl of rice noodles. I’d revisit again for this dish and the buttery pork belly. The boiling bowl of broth was brought to our table and the dish assembled tableside. The noodles came out perfectly and the broth was rich and warming, a perfect winter dish. The toppings were ok, but almost negligible. A better cut of ham would’ve made some difference but the noodles and broth were the stars of this bowl.

I was impressed with the depth of flavour in the ginseng chicken broth. So much essence of chicken was infused in that clear, clean broth with just a light herbal ginseng flavour. This dish is supposed to have lots of health benefits, I’d drink a pot myself based on taste alone. Chunks of poached chicken was served in the broth that were mildly flavoured.

We ordered three stir fries, an eggplant, fish fillet and lamb skewer. All three dishes had the same flavour and spices. This may have been a “lost in translation” moment with non-specific English names, but I was expecting a difference. The filler vegetable in all three dishes were also the same and the lamb skewers turned out to be toothpick lamb slices. The flavour was great, spicy, sweet and smokey, just all the same.

The braised pork belly was served on a bed of preserved Chinese vegetables (the kind that isn’t too sour) and was a great balanced dish in terms of texture and flavour. The dense, dried vegetable was a perfect pairing for the rich pork fat and the sourness of the vegetables was in tune with the sweet soy sauce.