To be honest, I’m not sure I get Hakka cuisine yet. The Fiance and I have started trying out more Hakka restaurants and the food’s been tasty but we end up ordering a lot of deep fried dishes and in general there’s a lot of oil. Is there more to it? Is this just what’s available in Toronto? Either way, while my taste buds are happy with strong flavour, my waistline is not.

Atmosphere: Originally our plan was to grab lunch at Federick Restaurant next door, but it was closed on Boxing Day and we ended up at their neighbour Hakka King. The restaurant was simple and clean. It wasn’t very busy and there were an even number of customers getting takeout vs. dining in. Hakka King still felt new with customers closely reading the menu and asking lots of questions. Over time, I can see this becoming a go-to spot in the neighbourhood.

Service: Our server tried hard to be helpful. When we first entered, we were seated at a table for 6 with an extra chair on the end. As tables cleared, our server moved us to to a more comfortable arrangement. Each dish arrived quickly and we were left to enjoy the food.

Food: As previously mentioned, many of the dishes were deep fried. Some plates were spicier than others, but overall the spices and flavours were consistent throughout the meal. This may have been because of our choices. What am I missing?

When the Szechuan lamb came out, I was so excited for a change of pace. It was still spicy, but a different blend of flavours that woke up my tongue.

Lunch began with a plate of fish pakoras that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Each piece was generously battered and each bite was piping hot. I liked the spice level on this dish, not burning. The dry chili chicken was excellent and I contemplated adding a second plate. Our vegetable was a crispy green bean that was slick with oil but so tasty. Again, there was plenty of salt, spice and tasty charred bits. The generous plate of Hakka Chow Mein was enough to feed the seven of us and was also filled with shrimp, beef and squid. The chili fish fillets were also solid and had the most heat.

Overall, lunch at Hakka King was solid and I didn’t have to drink litres of water that afternoon. However, I’m not sold on Hakka food yet, not a cuisine that I would crave for.

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.

Oh Geul Boh Geul is one of the staple Korean restaurants in North York. The fact that it’s taken me two years to visit is a testament to the volume of great Korean food in the neighbourhood.

Atmosphere: The restaurant is casual and has both booths and tables. Pictures of menu items decorate the walls and the TV was tuned to a Korean channel. I liked how the tables were more spaced than other restaurants in the area. The menu is full of pictures, which was super helpful with placing our order and stirring up an appetite.

Service: One feature I do like in casual restaurants is the “call service” bell. It’s a great tool when the restaurant is busy and usually makes service a bit smoother. I do however always feel a bit guilty using it when the restaurant isn’t busy, but I guess the feature is there to be used. Our server was very friendly, lots of smiles and double checked dishes as we ordered them. The food arrived quickly and she rearranged the many plates on the table to make sure everything fit comfortably. We had ordered a dish that is cooked at the table and our server came periodically to check on its status.

Food: I ordered too much food. This time though, it was on purpose as I needed lunch the next day. A nice excuse to order more dishes and not feel pressured to finish everything. Between my (pregnant) friend and I, we split an order of Spicy Rice Cake, Jokbal (cold sliced pork hock) and Budae Jjigae. We managed to finish the stew, ⅔ of the rice cakes, all of the side dishes and half of the jokbal, not bad. Of the nine side dishes, I really liked the cold tofu, pickles and potatoes. The kimchi was spicy, sour and well fermented.

The texture of the rice cakes was perfect, soft and chewy. I loved the japchae that was included, which soaked up the spicy sauce. The dish was spicier than other restaurants and I enjoyed the kick. I first had Jokbal at Song Cook’s and the dish quickly became one of my favourites. Each slice has a great ratio of chewy to meaty, all held together with natural gelatin from the hock. The flavour was very light and refreshing for a meat dish, great for hotter days and with a bottle of Soju. Served alongside the sliced pork is raw garlic, jalapenos and a fermented shrimp sauce. The poor Fiance had to deal with some mighty garlic breath that night.

At Oh Geul Boh Geul, the Budae Jjigae included spam, sausages, tofu, enoki mushrooms, green onions, ramen, flat rice cakes and watercress. All of the ingredients came together to make a hearty and delicious stew. This is a great dish to share, comforting and full of flavour. It is on the saltier side so I tend to drink a lot of water along with the meal. Once the noodles are cooked, the rest of the ingredients are ready as well.