Tito Ron’s began in 2015 as a pop-up for Chef Tristen to share her love of lumpia, a filipino spring roll, with Toronto. Run by Chef Tristan and her fiance Michael, Tito Ron’s combines Caribbean flavours with traditional Filipino comfort food. After a year at food festivals and their recent successful Kickstarter campaign, Tristen and Michael have found a permanent home in Kensington market to continue developing their recipes and sharing the delicious results. I was invited Tito Ron’s new digs for an intimate lumpia tasting.

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

Tito Ron’s has moved into the shared space of 214 Augusta Ave, where many other Kensington Market favourites had their start like Seven Lives. The space was cosy with a handful of seats near the back. A chalkboard sign listed the daily menu behind the custom, hand-painted counter. Michael hosted and introduced us to each dish, while Tristen put together each tasty bite. In general, all of the lumpia were crispy with thin wrappers and not too oily. I did prefer the sweet fillings over the savoury ones.

Jerk Chicken Adobo Lumpia – Filling of chicken thighs marinated in jerk seasoning, cooked in a Filipino adobo sauce, served with house hot sauce and achara (pickled pineapple slaw). I would say this was the safest choice on the menu with milder flavours. For me, I enjoyed the lumpia with an added dollop of hot sauce.

Channa Lumpia – Vegetarian friendly filling of chickpea mixed with Caribbean curry, served topped with sweet tamarind bbq sauce and achara. The tamarind flavour in the sauce was strong and went well with the seasoned chickpeas.

Tocino – Sliced pork shoulder, marinated with a combination of pineapple juice and soy sauce to create a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. The pork shoulder was then fried and served as sliders on a Caribbean Tennis Roll. Delicious. The tocino can also be ordered on rice.

Lechon Kawali – Tito Ron’s version of Lechon includes double frying the pork belly skin to maximizes crispiness. Pictured below is a half portion of the Lechon (we had lots of samples to get through).

Purple Plantain Lumpia – Filled with Ube Halaya (a Filipino dessert made with purple yam) and topped with mango condensed milk and plantain chip butter crumble. The filling was sweet, earth and similar to taro. While the topping was a handful to say, it was crunchy, buttery with a hint of the plantain taste. I was reminded of a caramel brittle. While the tropical ingredients were hard to discern, it was amazing.

Sweet Potato Pudding Lumpia – Filled with sweet potato and topped with a spiced coconut caramel drizzle and plantain chip butter crumble. Again, the topping was complex, but similarly mouthwatering. I liked how the lumpia itself wasn’t too sweet, creating a great base for the topping.
In addition to the food, I loved the fresh cantaloup juice, served with a frozen cantaloupe ice cube. Tristen continues to expand and refine Tito Ron’s menu and I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with. Filipino food is still one cuisine that’s beginning to come to life in Toronto and as an eater, I’m eager to learn more about it.

Post a busy holiday season filled with family, I met up with my best friend to catch up with our respective significant others. The plan was to grab dinner somewhere and attempt to get a table at Snakes and Lattes, which proved to be impossible on a Friday night even at their new, huge, College location. We did successfully enjoy a satisfying, vegetarian friendly dinner at Pomegranate across the street. This was also The Hubby and I’s first foray into Persian cuisine.

Atmosphere: The interior of Pomegranate was cozy and decorated with colourful tiles, fabrics, ornate light fixtures and a mini fish pond. My eyes kept wandering throughout dinner to the bright turquoise ceiling and wall paintings. The restaurant felt warm and inviting. When we arrived at 7pm, all of the tables were filled with diners. Pomegranate does close fairly early for a Toronto restaurant (9pm Sun, Tue-Thur and 10pm Fri-Sat) so 7pm was the last seating time.

Service: While friendly, I found service to be inattentive. Each entree had the option to replace the side of rice with salad, which I chose, but my plate arrived incorrect. Not a deal breaker and a good opportunity for The Hubby to snap pictures while I flagged down our server, who promptly corrected my order. For the remainder of our meal, we were left much to our own devices. It was a challenge to make eye contact with any servers when we needed something, like the bill, but once we had their attention we were looked after.

Food: To share, I ordered the mirza qasemi, a dish of charred eggplant in a spicy, garlic, tomato sauce served with toasted flatbread. The dip was creamy, smoky, sweet with a hint of spice. I have a soft spot for good eggplant dips and this one hit all the right buttons. We asked for a second serving to flat bread to wipe the bowl clean. This dish was also available as an entree.

My friend’s vegetarian boyfriend chose the vegetarian adas polo, saffron basmati rice with lentils, dates and raisins blended in. The rice was colourful and wonderfully fragrant.

I chose the fesenjaan with chicken breast, a thick stew of ground walnut and pomegranate syrup. This dish was savoury and earthy from the walnuts and sweet and tangy from the pomegranate syrup. An interesting dish with ingredients that I wouldn’t have known to combine. For a small bowl, the fesenjaan was very filling, complimented nicely by the refreshing side salad and citrus dressing. I did have to steal some of The Hubby’s basmati rice as a base for the rich stew.

His dinner was the baqali polo, basmati rice blended with dill and fava beans, served with a braised lamb shank and Persian pickles. First, those pickles were sour, cheek sucking, lip pursing sour, and delicious. The lamb shank was juicy, very tender and light on gamey flavour. For $15.50, the portion size was a good value (he was happy to share his rice).

Overall, dinner at Pomegranate was a wonderful introduction to a few Persian dishes. I can’t speak to the authenticity, but my taste buds were pleased.

Ramen Isshin was the latest to be checked off my “To-Eat” list, and as of today, I’ve tried all the ramen in Toronto (I think). Tucked away on College St between tacos and bars, Ramen Isshin was non-descript and somewhat hidden with their subtle signage. While the neighbourhood isn’t well-known for Japanese fare, Ramen Isshin could be the player to change that. With friendly service and delicious bowls of noodles, Ramen Isshin is quickly growing in popularity and cultivating a large group of loyal regulars.

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

I had arranged to meet Yuki at Ramen Isshin with The Hubby for dinner after seeing her Instagram posts at the restaurant. One of the owners, Adam, was kind enough to spend dinner chatting with us while we slurped away. In addition to ramen, I was ecstatic to find Ikezo Peach Sparkling jelly sake on the menu. Since being introduced to the drink at Kampai 2014, I’ve been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival on menus. After a couple of shakes, the drink pours like water but sips like a jello shot. Light and fruity, it would be easy to drink these all night without realizing they are still 5% alcohol.

For starters, The Hubby and I tried the Takoyaki and Chicken Karaage. Our plate of takoyaki was generously topped with kewpei mayonnaise, sauce and bonito flakes. Each ball was crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The karaage was made with all dark meat, the tastiest kind, and served with kewpie mayonnaise. I found the deep fried chicken juicy and flavourful, but the batter wasn’t that crispy.

The highlight of the night was the ramen. I had the Black Sesame Tan Tan bowl while The Hubby tried the Isshin Red Miso Ramen. Both bowls used thick, twisty noodles. Thin noodles are used for the bowls of Shoyu ramen. My Tan Tan bowl came with fresh black sesame seeds and a grinder for the freshest taste possible. Breaking the bowl down to toppings, noodles and broth, Ramen Isshin aced two categories and came very close on the third. For toppings, the two slices of fatty rolled pork belly were perfect. I added a soft-boiled marinated egg (pictured below on the chashu), which also hit the spot. I loved the texture and consistency of the noodles, which soaked up plenty of broth. Each bowl also seemed more generous with noodles than other ramen shops in the city. While the broth was rich, milky and packed a ton of flavour, I found my bowl on the salty side. This didn’t stop me from drinking spoonfuls, but I did need to chase each with a sip of sweet Sapporo.

Compared to the Tan Tan bowl, The Hubby’s Red Miso Ramen had a much sweeter broth. Just as rich and savoury. On top of the healthy portion of noodles was a mountain of wok-fried pork, onions, bean sprouts, carrots, wood ear mushrooms. With all the vegetables, this bowl of ramen felt like a well-balanced meal, for two.

A few specialties I didn’t get a chance to try this visit was the Tsukemen (dipping noodles) and Vegetarian options. Ramen Isshin didn’t treat vegetarian options like an afterthought, but have worked to develop their broth to be just as rich and savoury as their Tonkotsu version. Hard to believe and I can’t wait to try it out myself.

Dinner ended with scoops of black sesame ice cream and the house-made mango pudding. I had to fight for my fair share of pudding from The Hubby. Both portions and price ($3.0 – $3.8) were perfect after the large bowls of noodles.

For me, Millie Creperie was another Instagram find. I was actually on my way to get a haircut (at Chura salon, my go to since they opened) and realized the bakery was next door. There was no other option but to pop in and grab slices of their namesake cake. It was meant to be.

The menu at Millie Creperie centred around crepes and their selection of gelato. Each crepe was rolled into a cone and filled with combinations of ingredients from sweet to savoury. Customers could choose to go Asian with matcha, red bean and black sesame flavours or classic with nutella and banana. Normally, I would’ve gone with a crepe cone but that day, I was set on the mille crepe cake.

A French dessert, mille crepes are made with layers of paper thin crepes, held together by whipped pastry cream. At Millie Creperie, the cake consisted of 20 9″ crepes. Two flavours were available, vanilla and green tea. I grabbed a slice of each to go. Full cake orders are available but require 3 days notice ($69 for vanilla and $79 for green tea).

The dessert was creamy and a little difficult to eat. As we neared the end of each slice, the layers slipped away from each other with each fork cut. Each bite was delectable. Between the two flavours I prefered the vanilla, which was lightly sweet and rich in vanilla flavour. The top layer of the green tea cake was saturated with matcha powder, making each bite a touch bitter. The layers of crepe were thin and delicate, creating a unique texture and being a perfect vessel for the light pastry cream.

While simple in concept (just crepes and cream right?), creating a mille crepe cake takes patience, time and plenty of TLC. At over $7 per slice, the cost was a touch on the expensive side for dessert, but for the labour intensive delectable treat, totally worth it.

Of all the events this blog has brought me to, the invitation to spend an afternoon with Susur Lee has been, by far, the coolest experience. We spent an afternoon with Chef Lee at his restaurant Bent, learning how to make french meringue, piping our own desserts and sampling his new Veggielicious tasting menu. From watching Chef Lee on various TV shows, my impression of him was intimidating. In person however, he was beyond friendly, excited to interact with bloggers and full of energy. When we got to the “taking pictures with Susur Lee” part of the afternoon, he took us around the restaurant, finding props, joking and striking some impressive professional poses.

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

The workshop began with a visit to a home garden behind Bent. Chef Lee collaborated with his neighbour, an older Asian gentleman, who grows fresh vegetables and herbs used daily in the dishes at Bent. We snacked on goat cheese tacos made with taro chips and topped with cilantro and a slice of red chilli. An industrial stand mixer was set up and Chef Lee quickly whipped up a batch of fluffy meringue, ready to be piped into hollow bowls. He showed off his technique while talking of his previous days as a pastry chef. Then all the bloggers went to work. My bowl didn’t collapse, I counted that as a win.

Once the meringues were sent to the ovens, we had the privilege of Chef Lee serving up his famous Singapore Slaw along with his son Kai and restaurant manager. With 19 ingredients including fresh flower petals, the slaw was beautiful both visually and in its mix of flavours and textures. The dish will be coming to Bent’s menu soon, a stellar addition.

In between courses, Manuel, the bartender at Bent mixed up 2 delicious cocktails for us. First was the Karate Kid 2, a sour featuring jasmine tea infused gin, nigori sake and yuzu juice. With my love for yuzu flavoured sake, this cocktail was exactly to my taste. Manuel poured the frothy drink out and I happily drank my glass (or two). Second up was the Asian Cesar. At Bent, a good 8 Asian sauces (including chili oil, siracha, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, worcestershire and ginger juice) are added to the Clamato, which then sits with a bunch of fresh cilantro submerged overnight before being served. The drink was spicy and you could clearly taste the siracha.

Listening to Chef Lee talk about the Veggielicious menu, it was clear to see that he wanted to highlight vegetables and show off how delicious and creative vegetarian dishes can be. As a self proclaimed carnivore with a vegetarian best friend, I love finding vegetarian menus that don’t leave me wanting and this one was good. Veggielicious is a 5 course tasting menu that will run from September 9th to 20th at Bent, priced at $45 per person before tax and gratuity. Each dish does have a vegan option as well.

The first course consisted of three dips, a hummus, a spicy tomato stew and the best baba ganoush I’ve ever had. Served alongside the dips were crispy squares of baked garlic lavash, a thin flat bread. Each dip had a distinct flavour and the lavash was a great vessel for them. Second was the Tingly Chilled Soba with a presentation similar to the Singapore Slaw. Quick blanched vegetables were piled high, hiding a treasure of cold soba noodles. A tangy vinaigrette soaked the entire dish and was mixed in before serving. This was my favourite dish of the menu.

Our third course was tempura tofu and shishito peppers with a sweet chili sauce. The tofu used was firm, the tempura batter light and the peppers sweet and spicy. Our last course before dessert was a buttery, creamy wild mushroom quinoa risotto. I was surprised by how rich the quinoa was and the green beans added colour and crunchiness to each bite. The meal ended with a light, refreshing dessert of meringue, lemon curd and fresh fruit. This was the end goal of the meringues we had piped earlier and watching Chef Lee plate the dish was mesmerizing. Every course was full of Asian flavour, fresh ingredients and there was a lot of food. Veggielicious at Bent will satisfy eaters of all preferences. The menu stars vegetables and features a diverse cast from cauliflower to shitake mushrooms. Those who already love their greens will enjoy the fusion spin and those who tolerate vegetables as a side dish will see them in a new light.

My second Winterlicious stop this year was Bent, a new restaurant from Susur Lee in partnership with his sons. Located at Dundas and Bathurst, Bent is trendy attracting a younger crowd with a menu of Asian fusion dishes. During the past year, Bent offered a special “Bent-O” set menu twice, both of which I missed. Needless to say, this made them my top priority for booking Winterlicious.

Atmosphere: A light bulb sign, in the shape of an arrow, points out Bent making the entrance easy to spot from down the street. The entranceway of the restaurant leads into the dining space as well as downstairs to the washrooms. A thick red curtain is in place to keep the chill out of the main room, but it also bellows in each time the front doors open. It also means that the stairs to the washroom is chilly. Past the entryway curtain, the space is richly decorated with glossy woods, metal pendant lights and a treasure trove of trinkets. Tables were packed close to each other and the noise level was on the loud side but not overwhelming. I loved the music that night, mostly R&B and pop hits from the 2000’s, great playlist and another nod to the crowd dining at Bent.

Service: The BF and I were 5 minutes late for our 6:15pm reservation but one of our friends was on time and they were happy to seat her to wait. As we arrived, our server brought water for everyone with each new arrival. After we had a few minutes with the menu, he came by and explained each item in detail. He presented the bottle of wine we ordered and gave us a sample before serving the table. There was a lull between the appetizer and entree courses, during which our server came by to check up on us. He was professional and added to our dinner experience. After the bill was settled, we were lingering a bit and was politely advised that the table was needed. After the great meal, I didn’t mind at all and was happy to allow others to enjoy the same.

Food: For appetizers, the BF and I split the black pepper salmon and artichoke soup. Both dishes was phenomenal. The pepper coating gave a nice heat to each bite, there was sweetness from the pomegranate seed and crunch from the toasted pumpkin seed. The spoonful of fennel-chili relish was served with two crispy wafers and had a great texture that was similar to tuna tartar. I was greedy and did not share the wafers. The artichoke soup was rich, savoury and was served with a spoonful of a nutty, crunchy mixture. I’m glad the BF was more generous with sharing his bowl because between the two appetizers I would’ve had a hard time choosing.

I chose the shrimp ravioli with scallops for my entree and the BF had the short rib cannelloni gratin. My favourite part of my dish was the generous portion of scallops. The three pieces were seared, had texture like butter and seasoned well. I also had a great time with the garlic chip and creamed swiss chard. The shrimp ravioli was made with wonton skins and was underwhelming. I liked the filling, but I make wontons at home very often so it didn’t blow me away like the rest of the dish. As for the cannelloni, the short rib was tender, the shreds of meat pulled apart easily and the pasta was thin and bathed in sauce. It was a heavier dish and quite filling. The portion size for both entrees were on the smaller side. My girlfriends and I were well satiated after the meal. I could’ve eaten more but I wasn’t hungry. The BF however would’ve loved larger portions and needed a bit more sustenance.

The best part of the meal was not having to choose between dessert options. Bent served up a portion of both items to each diner, amazing! This was also greatly appreciated because, again, I would’ve had a hard time choosing between the crispy apple purse and the vanilla panna cotta. The phyllo of the apple purse was golden and flakey with a hot apple filling, served on the heavy double cream and drizzled with a caramel sauce. It was good. Not to be beat, the vanilla panna cotta was also creamy, not overly sweet, had a nice sour note from the apricot jam and garnished with a fresh mint leaf.

My meal at Bent easily lands in my top five licious meals ever.

In following Toronto’s taco trend, a visit to La Carnita is a must.  Their Kensington market location is easily accessible by TTC and my girlfriend biked over from her Annex apartment. She was able to get a table easily before the dinner rush at 5:30 on a weeknight for our catch-up date.

Atmosphere: The restaurant’s pretty spacious with a full bar and a few small tables in the front and larger tables in the back dining area. Sitting next to the bar, my table got a lot of natural light and we were able to the see each order being delivered to the service window. It was a very casual and relaxed feel.

Service: Our server patiently checked in on us a few times to order since we were busy talking instead of perusing the menu. Once we got our orders in the food arrived quickly and when we added more tacos to our order, they arrived just as prompt. It took some time to flag down someone for the bill, but we weren’t in a rush so didn’t try too hard. Again, the pace of the restaurant at the time was very relaxed and they hadn’t hit their rush yet.

Food: None of the appetizers really jumped out at us and besides, we were there for tacos, so tacos we did. We ordered one of each taco from the menu and their daily special mushroom and corn tostada.

Both my friend and I loved the “in cod we trust” taco and had to order a second one. The fish was lightly battered and just melted in your mouth. I also liked the mushroom tostada, which had an earthy flavour and a hint of sweetness. The tuna ceviche was light, refreshing, not too limey and the tuna was a great texture. The tostadas  was crispy and not greasy, we did eat these ones first to avoid having them sit in any sauces for too long.

I felt the chorizo overpowered the toppings in that taco. It was still good but you could only taste the chorizo. The “beef cheek” was sweet and balanced well with the avocado and raw jalapeno topping. The fried chicken in the “pollo frito” was crispy and tender. This taco again was overall sweet, a little heat would’ve been nice. Lastly the “crispy avocado and frijoles” taco was just alright, I would order any of the other choices before this one, but it’s nice to see a non-meat option on the menu.