Heading home after work I walk along Spring Garden Ave, a small street spanning one block in North York that’s lined with restaurants. Over the past few years, a couple of the spots have turned over with Mymy Chicken, a chain of KFC shops from Korea, being the newest resident. When I first saw the signage for Mymy going up I was super excited for another KFC spot close to home. Since Mymy opened their doors a few weeks ago, I’ve already been twice.

Atmosphere: Prior to Mymy, the restaurant on Spring Garden was a Korean spot specializing in Budae Jjigae and before that a Japanese restaurant. In it’s latest iteration, the large dining room was dark and cozy with dim lighting and dark food furniture. There were intimate leather booths and square tables that could be pieced together to accommodate big groups. Conversation was lively with beer and soju flowing at tables. On my second visit, the restaurant was packed and I can already foresee long lines in the future.

Service: During our first visit, the restaurant had just opened and we stopped by just as they opened for dinner. Servers were quite attentive and friendly and checked in us frequently. During our second visit, the restaurant was much busier and service was a bit more frantic. Our table was tucked away in the corner so it was harder to get someone’s attention, but when servers did come by, they were happy to help. Side dishes were refilled generously.

Food: After settling at our table and placing our order, we were served a bowl of radish, salad and cup of freshly popped popcorn. Both the radish and salad could refilled throughout dinner. I really liked the popcorn, which had a touch of butter and was lightly salted. It was a great snack to munch on while waiting for our KFC. The salad of shredded cabbage was generously dressed with a thousand island dressing and the radish was crunchy and an excellent compliment to the fried chicken.

Mymy Chicken has a variety of flavours with 6 dry seasoning variations to their basic KFC including cheese, onion, chilli pepper, curry and retro. There was also a selection of saucy flavours. On our first visit, The Hubby and I ordered the half-half of Original and Sauced Spicy. The chicken itself was juicy and the batter was crunchy and well seasoned. I did think the chicken was on the smaller side, but very flavourful. I really liked the spicy sauce, which was tasty without burning off all my tastebuds. Of all the flavours I’ve tried so far, the spicy sauce was my favourite, and one of the best ones I’ve tasted in Toronto.

During our second visit, we also tasted the Onion and Cheese flavour, which were both the Original KFC with an added seasoning powder. The cheese flavour reminded me of nacho cheese and was interesting, while the onion flavour used onion powder. Between the two, I liked the cheese flavour more but was expecting actual real cheese. It was an interesting twist, but I did like the regular and spicy sauce the most.

Overall, I am very happy to welcome Mymy Chicken to North York and am looking forward to many more visits. Next time, I am eager to try to the Green Onion Chicken.

I have heard great reviews about Mom’s Chicken in Galleria supermarket for years now. What’s stopped us from picking up a bucket? Living within walking distance of The Fry and The Hubs needing to eat his food piping hot from the kitchen. I was determined to try the much raved about fried chicken and we finally made it one friday night. Orders can be placed online or by phone ahead of time for pickup. To ensure The Hubs got his hands on the fried chicken as quickly as possible, we ordered at Galleria (at the customer service counter) and walked around the store until our pick-up time, then ate in the grocery store’s food court area.

Each full chicken order came with two pops (non Coke Zero available) and we chose the half half option. The KFC was good, above average, but not mindblowing. All of the pieces were very crispy and juicy with a lightly seasoned battered. What I did love about Mom’s Chicken was the spicy sauce. Of all the KFC in Toronto I’ve tried so far, their spicy sauce was the most flavourful and had a good amount of heat without burning off my tastebuds. The size of the chicken felt smaller than other KFC restaurants I’ve tried. Maybe my expectations were set too high.

In mid-November, The Hubby and I found ourselves downtown in need of dinner and craving fried chicken. We decided to head over to Lucky Red in Chinatown to satisfy our rumbling stomachs. Lucky Red Shop comes from the same guys behind the incredible Banh Mi Boys and was originally intended to focus on baos with a twist. First opened in July 2014, the shop closed after only two months to be re-worked. Lucky Red 2.0 opened in April 2015 with a new expanded food and cocktail menu.

Atmosphere: A cold Thursday night at 8pm wasn’t exactly peak dinner time but a handful of tables were filled at Lucky Red. Diners ranged from college students having dinner to suits enjoying drinks and snacks. The decor was modern, featuring lots of natural wood and bold red accents. We sat near the doors of the restaurant and unfortunately each time they opened, a gust of cold air swept in.

Service: Service was great. Our server was friendly and attentive. Each dish arrived quickly from the kitchen and she helped us make room on the table as each was served.

Food: In total, we ordered 4 dishes, 2 were great, 1 was ok and 1 was pretty meh. The price of the fried chicken though (4 pieces, basically half a big chicken, for $11) was a great deal. We started with freshly fried chips and an eggplant dip for $7. Simple and satisfying. We were also offered more chips after we polished off the first bowl. Next was an order of the Duck Gravy Poutine. This was my meh dish. I found the duck gravy a little heavy on fat and light on flavour, and weighed down the fries.

The steamed Pork Belly Bao was amazing. Sweet, rendered pork belly with a touch of acidity and crunch from the pickled onions was harmony wrapped in a soft bao. I should’ve skipped the poutine and ordered more baos. When the fried chicken arrived, I was blown away by the portion size. Two drumsticks and two thighs were plated with lime wedges and baby dills. The chicken was juicy and tender but my tastebuds were confused from the sugar in the batter. With each bite I expected salty, and instead was greeted with bursts of sweetness. It took some re-training but after the first piece, I was eager for the second.

Overall, with a couple of beers our bill came to about $30 each. Far from an expensive bill, but high relative to their neighbours, although not for similar fare. Lucky Red 2.0 was good and a hair from great.

My love for all the Kinka family restaurants has been well documented over the years, so I’ve been waiting with bated breath for the doors to open at Guu’s North York location. One of my favourite restaurants, within walking distance, was a dream come true (because all I dream about is food really). However, my first impression of the third Guu location was underwhelming. Nothing was particularly wrong, or off, but nothing was particularly spectacular either.

Atmosphere: Being jetlagged, I planned dinner early at 5:30pm on a weekday. Without a reservation, we were able to get a seat but the restaurant was full by the time we left at 8pm. We sat on the outside patio and the weather was warm but shady. Walking into Guu, the greetings shouted felt especially loud. Being on the patio, it was also distracting whenever the door to inside opened and a wave of noise hit us. Inside the restaurant, with background music and constant yelling, it was loud. I would recommend getting a patio seat for as long as possible if you’re hoping to hold a conversation over dinner and not lose your voice.

I foresee the restaurant being packed to be a regular occurrence. Reservations can be made online for up to 10 guests, this location is currently not open for lunch.

Service: Having just opened, the wait staff felt a bit clumsy and rushed. While friendly, we had trouble getting someone’s attention to order more items and dishes came out in an odd order and in waves. Our Takowasabi was one of the last to arrive after many of the cooked dishes. I’m sure over time, the service will be smoothed out.

Food: Looking at the regular menu I was a little disappointed that some of my favourite dishes from the other location was missing and there were no unique dishes for North York. I did like how the Daily Special menu featured lots of Sashimi, I felt like they were trying to present the freshest fish at any time by keeping the selection variable.

Dinner consisted of:
Seared Pork Belly – Good sauce but I would’ve like the fat more rendered to a crispier finish
Osaka Fry – The fries were crispy and moist on the inside but not worth $6 for the small bowl
Saba Oshizushi – I loved the pressed cured mackerel on top of each piece of sushi, but thought the rice was a little too wet
Takoyaki – Crispy outside, gooey inside
Kimchi Udon – I was hoping the Carbonara Udon would be on the menu but the Kimchi Udon was still satisfying
Takowasabi – Pretty standard, I would’ve liked a little more wasabi
Sashimi Salad – Generously dressed, the salad had a good amount of sashimi that included scallop and chunks of seared tuna
Karaage – Served hot, straight from the frier, had a tasty seasoned batter and moist interior
Gyu-Tan (Grilled Beef Tongue Steak) – chewy but tender with a great smoked flavour, this was one of my favourite dishes that night

Overall, dinner was consistent or just below par from the other Guu locations. I found the classic dishes to be well executed and great with a glass of beer. A few of the menu items were nothing special. Next time, I’d like to try more of the sashimi dishes and of course, there will be a next time.

Has the ramen fad in Toronto faded? Is ramen old news? In my opinion, not really. In fact, I feel like Ramen’s been embraced and absorbed into the Toronto food scene and I for one would be ecstatic to see ramen become as popular and ubiquitous as pho. The one worry with more and more ramen shops popping up is of course quality and authenticity. I believe that good food will speak for itself and hope that Toronto will develope our own style of ramen. There’s plenty of room for new ramen shops and diners will keep them on their toes as our tastebuds set the benchmarks. Hakata is one of the newer ramen shops to open in North York.

Atmosphere: Located on a quiet stretch of Yonge between Sheppard and Finch, Hakata’s old school wooden facade stood out. Inside, large paintings featuring Street-Fighter-like characters preparing ramen decorated one wall. The restaurant was small with a row of seats in front of the kitchen and about 20 seats at tables. Like most ramen shops, I wouldn’t recommend visiting with a big group. The space was relaxed and quiet.

Service: Complimentary wi-fi was provided, a nice extra at any restaurant (especially for bloggers who run out of data every month *cough*). At the time, there was also a discount offered for signing in on their Facebook page. The discount was only applied per bowl of ramen per sign in. Our ramen bowls arrived piping hot and service was friendly.

Food: The menu at Hakata was compact and focused, a good sign for a specialized restaurant. There were other signs that listed limited time specials in addition to their core items. I had originally planned to order the TanTan Men but they were all out for the day. Inside I chose the Black (roasted garlic oil) Tonkotsu, while The Hubby went with the original Hakata Tonkotsu. We also shared an order of Karaage, which was good. The chicken was juicy, crispy and came with a super tasty spicy sauce and mayonnaise.

Breaking down the ramen to broth, noodles and toppings. Hakata gets an A on broth, B+ on noodles and B- on toppings. The broth was thick without being oily and very rich. I thought there was lots of flavour and just the right amount of salt. In the past, I’ve ordered “black” ramen at other restaurants and was disappointed with an overwhelming bitterness. At Hakata, the roasted garlic oil added more flavour and umami without being overpowering. It was a great balance.

Thin noodles were used, there was no option to customize, which was fine. I liked the consistency and texture of the noodles while The Hubby would’ve liked a thicker noodle with more surface area or curl to pick up the broth. As for toppings, I felt the selection at Hakata was limited (no nori) and a touch more expensive relative to other stores ($1.50 for a seasoned egg). The slices of rolled chashu were buttery soft didn’t have much flavour. Not bad, but not great.

A month before our wedding, I was hit with a huge craving for KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). Fried chicken wasn’t really part of “wedding diet”, but my appetite is stronger than my self control. It helps (or not) that The Hubby also can’t resist fried goodness. So we drove up to Home of Hot Taste for a weekend dinner.

Atmosphere: Walking up to the restaurant, The Hubby was worried. “Are you sure this place does KFC? There’s lots of ads for other Korean dishes”. I assured him we were at the right place. The restaurant was casual and had lots of high, private booths, perfect alcoves for binging on chicken and beer. While we ate, quite a few customers came by to pick up take-out orders. I could see the space filled with families for dinner and shifting to a younger crowd, later at night.

Service: One downside of high booth walls was how hidden we were. If the server wasn’t paying 100% attention, it was sometimes hard to get his attention. Other than this, we were seated quickly, food arrived hot and service was standard. A few weeks later two of our friends stopped by. They tried to order the spicy chicken with the sauce on the side, they meant to order the regular chicken with the sauce on the side. Rather than correcting them or giving them options, the server said the spicy chicken was as is. This may have been a language issue but it would’ve been nice for the server to be flexible, offer ideas, or different menu options if their order didn’t make sense.

Food: For the two of us, we ordered a whole order of Original Fried Chicken with a side of Spicy, Sweet Sauce. I really wanted to try one of their Blazing Fire plates but the price and portion size would’ve been too much food for two people, especially as The Hubby didn’t want anything spicy. The side dishes also looked like full plates, so we just stuck with chicken.

Only two side dishes were served, an iceberg salad and pickled radish. On the menu it listed the cost of ordering additional side dishes ($0.50 for radish). This was a little disappointing, but again not the reason we were at the restaurant.

Our platter of fried chicken arrived with a cup of seasoning (salt, pepper, etc) and spicy sauce. That sauce, holy cow that was spicy. I was glad we ordered the original flavour and I could control the heat myself. Even then, a few drops was fire and my lips were burning. Drenched in the sauce, each bite would have been a challenge to eat.

The chicken itself was juicy, tender and thoroughly cooked. I loved the pieces of dark meat. The batter was light, crispy and not at all oily. I wish the breast pieces were chopped smaller so there would be more delicious batter. Based on chicken alone, Home of Hot Taste and The Fry are pretty close to par. However, Home of Hot Taste does deliver more taste bud scorching and a larger variety of menu items.

01. Fresh Burger

Rating/Price: 4.5 $
Why? Great burger, loose patty, good poutine
Must Order: Prime Fresh Burger
Good For? Burgers, quick meal

 

02. The Fry

Rating/Price: 4.5 $$
Why? Crispy, juicy, well spiced Korean Fried Chicken
Must Order: Half/Half KFC Combo
Good For? Big groups, beer and fried chicken

 

03. DaiLo

Rating/Price: 4.0 $$$
Why? Innovative menu, authentic Asian flavours, sickasianfood
Must Order: Big Mac Baos, Whole Fried Trout
Good For? Big groups, dates, late night bar, snacks and cocktails

 

04. Bar Isabel

Rating/Price: 5.0 $$$
Why? I wanted seconds of everything on the menu
Must Order: Roast Bone Marrow, Whole Sea Bream Ceviche
Good For? Dates, small groups, cocktails, late night meal

 

05. Yasu

Rating/Price: 4.0 $$$$
Why? Unique dining experience, refined atmosphere and hard to find sashimi
Must Order: Omakase
Good For? Couples, small groups, special occasions, sashimi enthusiasts

 

06. Gourmet Malaysia

Rating/Price: 4.5 $
Why? Rich authentic flavours, buttery roti
Must Order: Crispy Butter Prawns, Curry and Roti
Good For? Big groups, family dinners, casual meal

 

07. The Stockyards Smokehouse and larder

Rating/Price: 5.0 $
Why? Darn good fried chicken
Must Order: Fried Chicken Dinner Platter
Good For? Takeout, small groups, quick meal, comfort food

 

08. Emma's Country Kitchen

Rating/Price: 5.0 $
Why? One of the best buttermilk biscuits ever
Must Order: Buttermilk Biscuit, Pancakes
Good For? Small groups, brunch, breakfast

 

Honorable Mentions:

• Khao San Road – 5.0 $$
• Pho Dau Bo – 5.0 $
• Porzia – 5.0 $$$
• Dumpling King – 5.0 $
• Jacobs & Co – 4.0 $$$$
• Taro’s Fish – 5.0 $$
• Oyster Boy – 4.5 $$$

Did I miss your favourite restaurant? Let me know in the comments.

Last Updated: 12/30/2014

Every year I visit the One of a Kind Show with two of my favourite people, the Best Friend and the Fiance. It’s a tradition that I adore even more, now that we’ve added brunch to the outing. This year, the three of us stopped by School to fuel up for all the shopping ahead.

Atmosphere: School was a popular place to be on Saturdays. There were two groups of 10 in front of us and I was worried about the wait. Our trio was able to squeeze into spots at the bar, which helped. If you’re coming on a weekend, reservations are a good idea.

The “school” theme doesn’t scream at you through the decor but with cute, subtle touches. Clocks decorated an exposed brick wall and were all set to 3pm, when school lets out. My friend is a high school teacher and got a kick out of the cocktail names (ie. Hot for Teacher). The bakery counter at the front of the restaurant was loaded with tempting baked goods, perfect for a takeaway coffee and snack.

Service: With a queue of diners waiting, the host used an iPad app to manage the wait. Groups could leave their phone number, the number of guests and would get a text message when their table was ready. The table would then be held for a set amount of time. The app also kept track of whether or not all the guests had arrived to prioritize the queue. We ended up waiting less than 30 minutes and was served by the bartender who was friendly and efficient.

Food: Right off the bat, we decided to split three entrees and managed to order the heaviest ones off the Weekend Brunch Menu. The three dishes were the Golden Hashbrown Poutine, Fried Chicken with Waffles and Super Cheesy Bacon French Toast.

Of the three, my favourite was the French Toast and there was no weak plate. Based on looks alone, initially though the hashbrown would disappoint, instead it delivered. The sunny side up egg was perfect, the gravy savoury and the tomato jam had a great balance of sweet and sour. Each bite was rich and filling. I do like my hash a little more crispy.

With the fried chicken and waffles, the waffles were soft but not sweet, which was perfect with the juicy fried chicken. I liked the buttermilk batter with a light mix of spices that was perfect for dipping into the Tobasco-Pepper honey. My pick was the Cheesy French Toast and it was a good one. There was loads of melted Cheddar Jack on the thick cut French Toast. I love the combo of syrup and cheese. I appreciated the lightly dressed mixed greens that was served on the side. All three dishes were heavy, and the salad was a refreshing break in between bites.

Opened late this summer, Dakgogi is another North York restaurant specializing in Korean Fried Chicken. The Fiance and I stopped by on a Thursday to indulge in some fried goodness and a pitcher of beer. We were the only diners until another couple walked in at the tail end of our meal, which was surprising because we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

Service was friendly and we didn’t have any issues ordering in English. I liked the chickens painted on the wall and the cute hand drawn ones on the menu. Our order was simple, choosing to go with the Large Combo that comes with a whole fried chicken and pitcher of beer for $37.99. We decided to split our order with half plain and half with Korean sauce. Between the two, I liked the Korean sauce while The Fiance prefered the plain ones.

Before the chicken arrived, a complimentary cabbage salad was served. The raw cabbage was refreshing and cleared the palate but there was a lot of thousand island dressing. A combo platter could easily have fed 3-4 people with an appetizer. The chicken itself was crispy and the batter tasty. Dakgogi’s beer selection was simple but growing. Currently they offer 905 Lager and San Miguel in addition to domestic brands.

I’m not sure why the restaurant was so empty when there’s lines outside the Fry just a couple of blocks south. It may be the location in between condo buildings that there’s a dip in foot traffic, but if you’re craving KFC, Dakgogi deserves a visit. With 1/2 priced wings on Mondays and Tuesday, it’s a great time to check them out.

For years, I’ve heard raving reviews about The Stockyards’ fried chicken from both friends and The Internet. With a location in St. Clair W, only 18 seats and notoriously long lines, I took my time to plan a visit. The Fiance and I stopped by with a fried on a Saturday, around 7pm while on-route to a show downtown. Ahead of us inline was a group for 5 and two sets of couples. We were on a tight schedule and could only afford a 20 minute wait. Luckily, 20 minutes was all we needed.

Atmosphere: The wooden counter seats were tight. Half of them faced the wall, while the other offered a great view to the open kitchen. It’s hard not to be hungry in line when the smell of fried chicken permeated the air. The Stockyards was definitely a sit, eat some delicious food and get out type of restaurant, I wouldn’t recommend dining in with groups larger than 3. Reservations are not accepted but take-out is available.

Service: While disorderly, service was very friendly. With two people managing the seating queue, there was a mix-ups about who was being seated next but it was rectified. Also, The Stockyards did allow people to wait elsewhere and come back to check on their status. At first, we were seated facing the wall, but 3 stools at the counter cleared up and our server moved us to the more spacious seats. Food arrived hot from the fryer after less than a 5 minute wait.

Food: For the three of us, we split two orders of the Stockyards Fried Chicken Dinner. Each basket came with 4 pieces of buttermilk marinated fried chicken, coleslaw, fries and hot sauce. Let’s start with the chicken. Each pieces had a crispy, salty, fatty, delicious fried skin while being moist and juicy on the inside. Really great seasoning of the batter. I would’ve been happy with just how perfect the chicken was but the fries were also amazing. As in, I hogged the whole plate of them amazing. The fries were thin, and crispy but soft, just how I like them. I also had a good time with the hot sauce that was almost like tabasco but sweeter and thicker.

It’s easy to see why The Stockyards wins the title of “Best Fried Chicken in Toronto” on every published list (BlogTo, Toronto Life). Each piece of chicken undergoes 48 hours of prep and the effort pays of producing tender, juicy chicken, packaged in a crispy skin. Next visit, I really need to resist their siren call and try the Butter Burger or some BBQ specialties.