Not Too Shabu ($9.95 plus tax) - New Ho King @ 416 Spadina

If I told you to go to New Ho King on Spadina, you'd probably slap me and/or consider me a degenerate. But alas, New Ho King is not the latest brothel in town, but rather a go-to for many Chinese food lovers on the Spadina stretch. A short stroll down Spadina tends to leave me confused and hungry, as every second business offers some form of delectable treat; I often find it extremely difficult to make a choice. Tonight the choice was made for me as I walked into New Ho King thinking it was another restaurant I often go to. Chinese restaurants all look the same anyways, they're so hard to tell apart.

Anyways, I was craving some serious hot pot action. The weather in Toronto is slowly climbing downwards and I was in need of something soupy and warm. Inherent in its name, hot pot is exactly that. Hot pot, also known as shabu-shabu (sounds funny I know), can be experienced in two main ways. There is the DIY (do-it-yourself) where you get a plate of raw meats/seafood and a hot pot of broth. You can figure out the rest with this one. The other is ordering it straight of the menu and having it prepared for you. To be honest, as much fun as it is to pay for food that you have to cook yourself, the novelty soon wears off. Furthermore, having a veteran cook prepare it for you back in the trenches of the restaurant obviously yields a much tastier final product. And I'm all about taste, so tonight I opted for the latter.

I ordered #702; the number will linger in my memory for ages. It was the assorted meats and seafood hot pot for $9.95. I went with a friend, and we assumed (considering the modest price) that one order was for one person, so we went for two orders. Little did we know what was to come our way.

When the waitress came to our table it was love at first sight; the eclectic mix of squid, bbq pork, shrimp, scallops, tofu, bok choy, and shitake mushrooms made my heart palpitate with longing. I wanted it in my life. It was beautiful. The serving was ginormous and could have made 2 meals, but I persevered and crushed it in one go. The medley of meat etc. was settled in the midst of a savoury broth. All in all, this was indeed a soup that ate like a 2 meals.

If you're ever in the need of something warm and comforting and your mom's not around to give you a hug check out New Ho King.



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Kyoto House

Kyoto House is a promising AYCE (all you can eat) Japanese restaurant near the corner of Dundas and Bay. Recently, I headed over between classes with some friends. I found later on that indulging in copious amounts of sushi etc. would not bode well for my afternoon class (read: naptime).


From extensive experience, I’ve found that most AYCE joints are hit or miss. I can usually tell fairly quickly if a place is worth the money paid for the meal. I’ve found that AYCE prices range from $12-$18 for lunch, which is relatively pricy compared to a non-AYCE meal. That said, the extra money spent on an AYCE is well worth it when the food is fresh and the selection is diverse.



When it came to value, quality, and selection, Kyoto House passed with flying colours. The lunch buffet is priced at $11.99, which is very affordable compared to other establishments in the city. I was at Mariko near Bloor and Bathurst the other day, where they charge $15.99 for an AYCE that is seriously lacking in quality. Apparently Mariko charged for food that was not eaten, and in an attempt to avoid a tariff I found myself hiding pieces of the salmon roll in napkins... I was later called out on this by the waitress. Awwwwkward.

At Kyoto House, there are 9 kinds of nigiri, 24 kinds of sushi (available in both rolls and hand rolls), and 16 types of cooked food (including the likes of teriyaki chicken, tempura, and udon soup). It got even better when we received the food, which arrived promptly after ordering.




We ordered almost everything from the menu. Perhaps a table favourite was the salmon sushi; the salmon was fresh and had a nice buttery flavour to it.


Both the yam tempura and calamari were delectable; they were lightly battered and came crispy.


I think we ended up ordering 4 more servings of calamari. Ah, the luxury of AYCE!


A good measure of an AYCE’s freshness is the chicken teriyaki. If it arrives hot, that’s a good sign. Also, the quality of chicken is another indicator. I find that the bad AYCE establishments serve cartilaginous and fatty chicken. The chicken teriyaki we received was both piping hot and absent of cartilage. Job well done Kyoto House.


The handrolls were well prepared. The spicy salmon roll was particularly enjoyable; staying true to its name, it packed a nice punch of spicyness.


When I heard it was only $11.99 for the lunch buffet at Kyoto House, I automatically assumed it would be mediocre at best. Given the price, quality, and selection, I have no problem endorsing it as a must-eat destination. Just remember, pace yourself and wear sweatpants or any other elasticized piece of clothing you may have.

A dose a' dosa ($7.99 plus tax) - Madras Masala @ 796 Bloor St West

At the beginning of March I moved into a new place about a block away from Christie Pitts Park. The location is phenom, and is smack dab in the midst of a (cheap) foodie's paradise. To my south there is Little Italy. To the northeast there is Korea Town. Northwest of me is what I like to call Little Ethiopia, given the number of Ethiopian joints that line Bloor near Ossington (a review of Ethiopian food is coming soon). And right across the street from me there is a quaint Portugese deli that sells amazing sandwiches for 5 bucks. It's safe to say I live in the culinary equivalent of the United Colours of Benetton.

Anyways, a while ago I was meandering down Bloor, past Christie Pitts, when I was slapped awake by the beautiful yet pungent smell of curry. I blindly followed my nose to a small South Indian restaurant called Madras Masala. Just to give you some context, I am of Indian descent and typically only get good Indian food when it is prepared by my mom who lives on the other side of the country in B.C. I can make a few dishes on my own, but nothing compares to Indian food cooked by someone who knows what they are doing. That said, I was waxing nostalgic and compelled to get me some home cookin'.

Madras Masala, as can be implied by its name by those who are geographically literate, is a South Indian restaurant. A staple of South Indian cuisine is a beautiful creation called masala dosa, which basically means "spicy pancake". Now, as gross as that sounds, I'm telling you it's really good. Would I steer you wrong?

So, on the menu there are a variety of dosa's you can get. I keep it simple and go for the Masala Dosa. The dosa itself is crepe like, and is comprised of rice flour, lentils, and fenugreek seeds (no clue what these are). It's fried and filled with a spiced mixture of potatoes and onions. It comes with two types of chutney you can dip it in - coconut and coriander. It's also served with a bowl of sambar, which is basically a tamarind flavored lentil soup.

The dish is vegetarian friendly which is nice. I also think it's probably fine for those who can't tolerate gluten given that its rice flour... but don't take my word for it, I don't want any hate mail if I am wrong.

What I am sure of is that you get a pretty good meal for a great deal - $7.99 plus tax. Both the taste and smell will linger for days. It's fantastic.

If you do pick-up you get an additional 10% off, but be sure to tell the guy you saw the deal on their website, otherwise he'll act like he doesn't know what you're talking about (insert Russel Peters joke here).

Thanks for reading and please come again!


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Back in action...soon

Hello semi-nonexistent reader base.

I haven't made a post in about 4 months. Such is the life of a grad student.

Life's been busy, and funny enough I've been frequenting cheap eats almost daily in an effort to save time and increase body fat percentage.

Anyhow, things have settled down a bit and I'm excited to get back into posting on my experiences.

This time however I'll be incorporating my growing interest in photography, and taking revealing pictures of the food to be consumed with my handy dSLR. This will save you the agony of trying to make sense of the grainy mishmash that comes out of my lowly 2 megapixel blackberry.

I'd also like to take suggestions. I now have a TTC pass and am willing to commute anywhere in Toronto if you make a good case for the establishment. Comment on my posts or send me an email by clicking on the "requests" link on the right.

Stay tuned ;)

It's that damn Duff's. It's so hot right now ($6.75 plus tax) - Duff's Famous WIngs @ 558 College St.

I thought I'd redeem myself after my post about salad, so I ate 5 chickens worth of wings.

On Tuesday nights, Duff's sells 10 wings for $6.75 with the purchase of a beverage. Now these aren't any puny, brag to your friends that you can eat 37 wings, chicken wings. These are some hefty mo-fos, and are borderline drum sticks. I can barely finish one order, so I'd recommend you start with that, and then build upon it if your gut can handle it


There isn't an assortment of flavours. Duff's keeps it simple with hawt sawce (emphasize the "w"), and some variations of bbq and honey garlic. Their hawt sawce is rated on a scale of mild to armaggedon. Each rating corresponds to an SHU (Scoville Heat Unit). I think mild is about 5000 and armageddon is about 80 000. The numbers mean nothing to me, but it gives you some idea of how hot it can get. I'm guessing if the hottest rating is named after the apolcolypic battle with Satan, it must be pretty damn hot.

I always go with the medium. Its spicy enough to make you sweat a bit, without damaging your insides. The wings are also served with celery and your choice of dip (blue cheese is the best). The fresh, crisp celery is a nice complement to the hot wings, and also tricks you into thinking you're eating somewhat of a balanced meal.

All in all, the wings are amazing, and probably the best hot wings I've had. It can get busy on Tuesday nights, but it's definitely worth the wait.


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Tasty Bird Feed ($8.50 plus tax) - Urban Herbivore @ 64 Oxford Street

Merriam-Webster defines hippie as: a usually young person who rejects the mores of established society (as by dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living) and advocates a nonviolent ethic; broadly : a long-haired unconventionally dressed young person.

That sure as hell kills my dream of being a hippie. I get my haircut at least once a month and I'm about as conventionally dressed as a Gap commercial. But sometimes, I'll light incense and eat organic alfalfa sprout sandwiches while I read the works of Eckhart Tolle. So maybe I'm a semi-hippie... or perhaps a sippie.

The old saying goes, "you are what you eat". A trip to Urban Herbivore will have you reevaluating your stance on tie-dye. This place is like, far out, man. They have a nice selection of salads, sandwiches, grain bowls, and juices.

I went for the grain bowl. You can choose your favorite grain as the base. I didn't know what spelt was, and I've had quinoa once before, so I made the safe decision of the quinoa-red lentil mix. You then can choose 6 toppings. They have a fresh and flavourful array of choices. In my case I chose barbecued tofu, roasted yams, green beans, red onions, beets, and roasted red peppers. The grain bowl was delish. It's a fresh and wholesome way to satisfy your senses that doesn't involve things with legs.
The grain bowl costs 8.50 plus tax, and is well worth it. I thought I had a huge appetite, and I could only finish half, leaving me with another meal for later.

I'd recommend the bbq tofu as a definite topping. Its the closest thing to meat for those of you who need that. And with that, I'll leave you with a corny joke:

Why did the tofu cross the road?
To prove he wasn't chicken.


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Mmmm Smokey Beef ($11 plus tax) - Caplansky's @ 356 College St.

Kensington Market is considered Toronto's cultural centre; an eclectic mish-mash of Vietnamese, Jamaican, Chinese and European establishments, to name a few. A short stroll through the bustling marketplace will open your eyes to the wonderful co-existence of a variety of cultures. What many people do not know is that Kensington Market actually used to be called the Jewish Market. It was founded in the early 1900's by European Jewish immigrants. Over time the market was settled by other immigrants, and the Jewish community slowly moved into other parts of Toronto.

Today, Caplansky's Delicatessen has a presence in the market thats about as strong as its horseradish mustard, which packs a mean punch. Caplansky's is a Jewish Deli that is famous for its smoked meat sandwiches, amongst other Jewish fare. The smoked meat is phenomenal. You can choose medium or fatty. As you would anticipate, fatty is... well fatty and juicy. I decided on the medium, and was quite pleased with my choice. The meat is cut into thick juicy pieces, and is nicely marbled. The brisket used for the smoked meat is rubbed with spices, cured for up to three weeks, and then hardwood smoked, resulting in a tender and flavourful cut of beef. It is presentled simply on rye, and you can apply whichever mustard you fancy: horseradish, garlic honey, deli, or plain. I went with all of the above and it was quite enjoyable. For $11 you can get the 7 oz. sandwich and a side of either salad, fries, poutine, or soup. The poutine looked amazing, but I did my coronary artery a favour and went with the salad.

Having grown up in Montreal, I've had my fair share of highly acclaimed smoked meat from places like Chenoy's and Schwarz's Deli. Montrealers are almost snobs when it comes to their city's famous dish. I know Montreal Smoked Meat has a nicer ring to it than Toronto Smoked Meat, but I think Caplansky's has the potential to give Montreal a run for its money.


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