Within 3 short years, the Playa Cabana empire of taquerias has grown to four locations across Toronto. On a busy Friday night, the fiance and I stopped by their original Dupont outpost for a late dinner with a friend. Serving up staple Mexican fare with a non-traditional twist, the menu at Playa Cabana was extensive with plenty of tacos and burritos for every palate.

Atmosphere: As we drove East along Dupont, the stores disappeared and we entered a residential area. Right at the cusp of this change, we spotted Playa Cabana’s lit windows on an otherwise dark street. We arrived 10 minutes before our reservation for 9pm and the place was packed. We didn’t actually get seated until 9:30pm and despite the lateness, there was a constant queue of groups waiting in the small, loud entry way for their reservation time. Walk-in’s were not accommodated. The restaurant itself was small with less than 50 seats and the music was so loud. I was half yelling the entire meal and conversations were difficult. There was a lot of energy in the room, laughs over beer and two birthday celebrations.

Service: Other than the long wait for a table, service at Playa Cabana was pretty standard. Our server came by to take our order and all of the dishes arrived quickly and hot from the kitchen. We had planned on ordering a bucket of Dos Equis but they were out so we went with the other option of Coronas. The beers took awhile to arrive, we were already through most of our appetizers. I would’ve also loved a quick explanation of the 4 sauces on the table, which turned out to be hot sauce and hotter sauces.

Food: Overall, I enjoyed every bite of food at Playa Cabana. The spices were strong, the limes juicy and the cilantro aplenty. That little bottle of green hot sauce was potent and delicious. I ended up demolishing way too many tortilla chips thanks to the fiery concoction.

We started with an order of fresh tortilla chips with salsa and the bucket of shrimp. The chips were crispy, on the salty side and I loved how fresh the salsa tasted. We quickly ate the entire basket and I had moved onto dipping my peeled shrimp in the salsa when we were brought a second basket of chips. It was an exercise in restraint to leave some of the chips and save room for all the tacos we had ordered. The shrimp were cooked shell on, keeping all of the juices and flavour in, then tossed in a arbol-garlic butter. The result was plump, buttery shrimp that had a great kick of heat. I happily ate more than my fair share.

Each order of Taco at Playa Cabana comes in 3s, perfect for our group. We chose four types:

• Baja Catch of the Day Grilled – This was my favourite, I loved the refreshing light flavours, the crunch from the shredded cabbage and radish topping and the chunky fish.
• Tacos de Chori-Queso – Homemade spicy chorizo in a crunchy, griddle corn tortilla. Both The Fiance and our friend had a hard time choosing a favourite between this taco and the short rib. The griddled corn tortilla was definitely a treat and the chorizo packed a lot of heat. The flavours were meaty and woke up your tastebuds.
• Short Rib-Brisket Crispy Taco – Braised beef short also served on a griddled corn tortilla. The brisket was tender and pulled apart with little effort. This taco had a sweeter flavour than the others and wasn’t spicy.
• Carnita Taco – Pulled pork carnita topped with crispy deep fried pork rind, served in a soft shell. The taco was good, but the weakest link of the night. My favourite part was the pork rind topping.

As always, there was room for churros. The deep fried dough was crisp, golden brown, coated in sugar and served with fresh whipped cream, dulce de leche and ground cinnamon. While I liked the food at Playa Cabana, Friday night was a little too loud and happening for me. I’m looking forward to their patio opening and enjoying their menu with a natural soundtrack.

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.

Etobicoke is not my neighbourhood, but it was the compromise between Toronto and Mississauga where I met up with friends from high school to catch up. I chose Azaria’s Restaurant based on positive reviews online and their menu, which had great variety.

Atmosphere: Our group stopped by on a Monday night around 8pm, not exactly peak hours but quite a few tables were occupied. Tables were well lit and black and white photos decorated the walls. Speaking to the owner later, we found out that many of the pictures were of her dad (where Azaria comes from) and friends. We were seated comfortably in a booth that provided privacy and lots of elbow room. The restaurant was elegant and intimate with dark furniture and bif leather booths.

Service: Being a quiet night, our table ended up being the last to clear after two bottles of wine and dessert. The owner was friendly and welcoming, ensuring we should take our time and not feel rushed as we neared their closing time. Our server was efficient, equally friendly and dishes were served quickly. With Azaria’s tapas style menu, our server let us know we could increase portions from 4 to 5 right off the bat.

Food: 99% of the menu was priced from $8-$12 and were a good portion size. Between the 5 of us, we ordered 10 items and barely had room for dessert. Not all of the dishes are pictured below. While waiting for everyone to arrive, I started with an order of fries that came were crispy and came with a delicious spicy mayo.

We then ordered both the Fish Taco, special of the day and Spicy Shrimp Taco. Both had thin shells and lots of flavour. I liked the fish taco better, which had a big chunk of meat while the shrimp was heavier on the batter. For vegetables, we tried the Brussels Sprouts, Sauteed Collard Greens and Cauliflower and Leek Smash. While I found the cauliflower smash interesting, it was a little too reminiscent of baby food for me. My favourite was the roasted brussels sprouts, topped with cheese and bacon bits.

After the fish taco, my second favourite dish of the night was the Montreal Smoked Meat Sliders. The flavours were authentic and the slices of meat were piled high was globs of yellow mustard. We also had the Risotto and Beef Tenderloin (not pictured), which were both well done. I couldn’t help but order a Tiramisu, one of my favourite desserts and a great way to end a meal.

Overall, the tapas menu at Azaria’s was solid with lots of highs, a handful of okays and only a few lows.

While on vacation in Maui, The Fiance and I took a set of engagement photos around North Shore with the lovely and talented Anna Kim. Unfortunately, I managed to hurt my knee during the last photo, a jumping shot, and The Fiance was ready to head back to our hotel. However, I had planned for us to grab lunch at Paia Fish Market and I wasn’t willing to pass it up. After some convincing (aka stubbornness), The Fiance gave in and helped me limp into the restaurant. We arrived just after the lunch rush and was able to grab seats at the communal picnic tables inside. The decor reminded me of an old school boat cabin with wood beams and fish everywhere.

For lunch, we split an order of fish tacos and a fish burger. Our fish tacos were heaped with fresh toppings and served on creamy coleslaw. The fish was well seasoned and shredded, making it easy to get a bit of every ingredient with each bite. I liked how extra corn tortilla shells were included. There was so much filling, it was easy to make 4 tacos out of the two. At $12.95, the portion size was a great deal. The fish burger ($10) was the best I had on the island that trip. The giant slab of fish was cooked to just opaque, had an even crisscross of grill marks and was lightly seasoned, not overpowering the taste of the fresh fish. I loved the tangy tartar sauce and the simple sesame bun. It was worth a little pain to get my hands on that burger.

Searching for the best tuna poke bowls in Maui led us to Eskimo Candy Seafood Cafe and Market. On top of a full lunch menu of fish platters and tacos, Eskimo Candy offers a wide assortment of fresh and frozen seafood for purchase.

Atmosphere: The restaurant was not on the way for us and we did seek it out specifically. Parking was limited and the spots were tight. We stopped by later in the afternoon for an early dinner around 6pm, close to their 7pm closing time and didn’t run into a crowd. So late in the day, the selection of fresh fish available for purchase was limited. The restaurant decor is a little kitschy but cute. Fishing nets, dotted with starfish and shells cover the ceiling and there are sharks jumping out of the walls. Seating inside is limited and two tables are set up outside.

Service: Once you place your order at the counter and take a seat, dishes are brought to you. Other than that, there was little service required. Everyone we interacted with behind the counter was friendly. A washroom was available in the back storage room.

Food: All of the food we ate at Eskimo Candy was good, but their poke was stand out. For $10, the poke bowl was a great deal. Four flavours of fresh ahi poke, shoyu, wasabi, furikake and spicy, were served with wakame salad on a bed of steamed white rice with a wasabi aioli. So, so delicious. The tuna was fresh, seasoned and not too salty. This dish reminded me a lot of chirashi bowls with the seasoned rice, a delicious combination.

In addition to the poke, The Fiance and I split a plate of Grilled Fish Tacos and a grilled fish of the day, Walu. Each plate has an option of sides. With two plates, we were able to try the salad, fries, macaroni salad and coleslaw. I always find it hard to eat vegetables while on vacation, so I enjoyed the generous portion of the fresh salad. The coleslaw and macaroni salad were both rich and had a similar dressing.

The grilled Walu was excellently seasoned, flakey and tender with the flesh being just opaque. I found the seasoning of a few restaurants in Maui to overpower their grilled fish, but Eskimo Candy had it just right, enhancing the natural flavour without burying it. Our fish tacos were also well executed. None of the seafood tasted fishy at all, both were white fish with clean, light flavours.

With each plate being under $15, the value and quality of the seafood was outstanding. Simple dishes with fresh ingredients is the best combination for great food.

Our first night in Maui, The Fiance and I landed at 6pm. By the time we got through customs, picked up the rental (a lime green mustang convertible) and drove an hour to the hotel, it was 9pm and we’d been awake for close to 21 hours. Needless to say we needed a quick meal that was close by and still open. We stayed at the Sheraton resort in the Kaanapali area and was only a 10 minute walk from Whaler’s Village, a mall with shops and restaurants tailored to the many tourists in the area.

Atmosphere: Hula Grill has two dining areas, an outside barefoot bar in the sand right off the beach and a more formal interior space. We chose to sit outside and was directed to a table right in front of the live performance stage. It was nice to have sand in between your toes during dinner and I immediately felt like I was on vacation. Large beach umbrellas provide cover, and the space is lined with palm trees and tiki torches. The restaurant was still pretty busy with people enjoying drinks and dessert. There was definitely a heavy proportion of tourists and the mood was relaxed.

Service: Once we were seated, we had time to sit with our menus before our server came to introduce herself. She was friendly and professional. Our food arrived after a short wait and our bill was brought to us once the plates were cleared. It was a hard to track down our server as she moved in and out of the restaurant but it didn’t hamper our dinner at all.

Food: After such a long day, I knew I needed to eat something but my stomach was already asleep and ready for bed. We decided to split a plate of Local-Style Potstickers and a Fresh Fish Taco. Both dishes were “Hawaiian” and the fish would be light.

The potstickers were deep fried, filled with kalua pork, Maui Onion and served with a ponzu sauce.The skins were super crispy, not oily and the filling was rich and flavourful. I loved the ponzu sauce and it was nice tangy, sweet balance to the potstickers. This was my first of many fish tacos to come in Maui and it set a nice bar for the trip. The fish was lightly grilled and you could really taste the natural flavour with no fishiness. The salsa topping and coleslaw filling was also light allowing the fish to take centre stage.

Overall, our meal at Hula Grill was a nice way to start our trip. With the decor and overload of Hawaiian shirts, we slipped right into vacation mode while listening to ukulele performers and enjoying a great fish taco.

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.

The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual 10 day festival celebrating independent theatre productions held during the summer. The Fringe movement is international and festivals are held in cities all over the world each year. Theatre shows range from musicals to puppets, emerging artists to festival favourites; the 10 days are packed with presentations and it’s often a juggling act to fit everything in and get a hold of tickets.

My best friend and I were drama students all through high school and today she teaches high school drama so needless to say, it’s impossible to get a hold of her during Fringe each year as she’s usually in line for a play or in a seat of a theatre. I try to attend at least one performance each year but that’s usually the extent of my “Fringe-ing”. This year, when we found out about the Fringe Kitchen Party, I was on board in a heartbeat. Supporting such an amazing event and getting fed by Matt Basile, chef of Fidel Gastro and Lisa Marie, done.

Food: Dinner consisted of a four course meal catered by Matt Basile and cupcakes from Bite Me Bakery. The bulk of dinner was prepared at Lisa Marie restaurant, transported to the venue and plated on site. We started off with a plate of four pickles including carrots, beans and bean sprouts. They were packed with flavours but refreshing and light.

Next up was a generous plating of ribs with a spice rub. The meat easily came off each bone. Smoked salmon tacos were presented, two per plate and with a wedge of lime. I liked the salmon itself and the touch of sesame seeds but didn’t love the taco shells. Mine were a bit floury and might have been better served warm. Before dessert was a light beet salad. I loved this salad, the light bitterness of the fresh greens were cut nicely with the sweet beets and drizzled with a citrus dressing.

By the time dessert arrived, I only had room for one cupcake and it was worth it. The icing wasn’t overly sweet or rich and the cake was moist. Once dinner service was completed, the tables were cleared, the DJ started his set and the space turned into a dance floor. We didn’t stick around too long, but long enough to make room for a couple more cupcakes. I needed to make sure that I had tasted each flavour after all.

Night it Up! is an annual outdoor summer food event in Markham that highlights street food from Taiwan, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. The style is set up to feel like a “night market” with vendor booths in aisles, a performance stage and sports area with competition and events. The event this year was the 12th edition and I was kindly invited to take part in a blogger taste tour on the Saturday.

I haven’t been to Night it Up! for at least 3-4 years, but I used to go annually during university before the venue was moved to the Markham Civic Centre. The event has grown so much with more corporate sponsorships, food and merchandising booths in the larger location.

In total, I was able to sample the wares of 11 booths. Many of these vendors appear at events only and will also be participating in T&T’s Waterfront Night Market this weekend (July 19-21) so be sure to swing by.

Disclaimer: All food samples were provided free of charge by the vendors. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Saturday was hot, heat stroke inducing hot. I was very thankful our first stop was at Juicy Melons. The watermelon juice was fresh, rich and you had the option of with or without fresh mint. We also tried their chilled watermelon balls, topped with coconut brittle, which was sweet and crunchy.

El Perro Heffe Tacos – Octopus ‘El Diablo’: This was an octopus (non-battered) taco with a spicy sauce topped with cilantro and bonito flakes. I loved the texture of the octopus and the big meaty chunks. The cilantro and bonito flakes contrasted the spicy sauce and was a nice East meets West flavour combination, highly recommended.

Papa Chang – Fried Fish/Chicken skewers with Japanese Mayo and Seaweed, Stinky Tofu: Yes! Stinky Tofu! I love stinky tofu and when visiting China will stop at literally every instance to grab a serving. The tofu at Papa Chang’s was the softer kind and didn’t have too strong a smell. I really liked the pickled cabbage that was served with it, which also helps mellow out the taste for those trying the dish for the first time. I liked the fried fish more than the chicken, both skewers were lightly battered, moist and tender inside.

OH OH Hotgod (Japadog?) – Japanese Hotdogs: This booth offered 3 types of Asian inspired hotdogs. They are not affiliated with Japadogs from the West coast, but their menu items were pretty much the same offering. I tried the hotdog topped with kimchi and green onions and it was great. The sausage was homemade, large meaty and cooked to a crisp outside.

Me.n.u – Porkzilla: A fried rice ball stuffed with pork belly and mozzarella. This was again bit of a fusion dish and done so well. The deep fried rice was crunchy on the outside and creamy and sticky, soaking up all the nice fat from the pork belly on the inside. The filling was amazing with melted fresh mozzarella cheese that oozed out. I would’ve gone back for seconds and to try all the flavours if I had the room left to eat.

Tacocat – Calamari Taco: The taco was topped with pineapple salsa and pineapple mayo. I didn’t taste much pineapple in the taco, it was more sour than sweet. I would’ve liked to try the Mapo Tofu Fritters which sounded interesting, deep fried spicy pork stuffed tofu pockets with mapo aioli and cilantro.

Sugar Love – Deep Fried Mochi and Ice Cream: I had the mango ice cream and peanut mochi combination. Portions were really great with each serving coming with 4 mochi balls, a giant scoop of ice cream and 2 wafer cookies. You’re able to choose your mochi (sesame, peanut or red bean) and ice cream (mango, green tea, black sesame or vanilla) flavour combination along with toppings (wafers, pocky, frosted flakes, etc). The ice cream was great relief on the hot day and the fried mochi were nice bites, soft and chewy on the inside, lightly battered and crispy on the outside.

Cup Cup Dessert – Bubble Waffles: Cup Cup Dessert served up classic bubble waffles with 5 different topping flavours, four sweet and one savoury. My favourite was the savoury choice with imitation crab, julienned cucumber and wasabi mayo. It had the same feel as a savoury crepe and I loved the contrast of the wasabi mayo to the sweet batter. For the sweet flavours the cinnaberry stuck out the most for me with it’s unique pairing of cinnamon with a berry sauce. The chocolate and bacon topping was also a great mix of flavours.

Dat Chick Craze – Fried Chicken: We sampled all three kinds of fried chicken from Dat Chick Craze, the pop’n chicken (a dry spice rub with basil), hot blazin’ chicken (a sweet spicy sauce) and the chicken waffle (sandwiched between two half waffles and topped with syrup). The fried chicken was crisp and had a nice batter. My favourite was the pop’n chicken. The dry spice and basil was salty and really accented the natural fried chicken flavour without masking it.

Maobo – Bubble Waffles: Maobo offered bubble waffles in 3 different flavours, green tea, original or chocolate and a variety of toppings (mini marshmallows, syrups, cookie bits, etc). They made a sample for us with all three flavours in the waffle and a selection of toppings. I liked the amount of choice you had and the green tea base was a nice change. This reminded me a bit of funnel cake where I use the cake 80% as a vessel for the toppings.

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.