Kinton Ramen: Talk of the Town

Since before its opening earlier this summer, there has been great buzz about Kinton Ramen, a ramen bar spinoff of Guu. We arrived half an hour after it opened on a weekday and waited for only about 10 minutes or so. As we were seated, I noticed that the chair was not very comfortable, especially for someone short like me (perhaps a tactic to ensure that you don't linger for too long?) 

When ordering, on top of the type of soup base (miso, shoyu, shio, spicy), you also get to choose between a light, regular, or heavy base.  There is also an option of having pork shoulder or pork belly in your ramen. I enjoyed having the freedom to customize my ramen. 

Light Shoyu Ramen with Pork Shoulder 

I opted for the shoyu (soy sauce) ramen even though my friend warned me that he found it to be extremely salty. I figured it should be fine if I went for the light soup base, but boy was I wrong. I can't imagine what regular or even rich soup would taste like because my soup was already too salty.

The noodles and pork shoulder on the other hand were delicious. The noodles were chewy and the pork was seasoned just right and very tender. Overall, I still liked my ramen although the salty soup did take away from it - I was still downing water even after lunch!

A Hot Day at Hot House Cafe

During the summer, the perfect destination besides the beach would be the patio! This summer, a friend and I decided to take on a quest to seek out great patios in downtown Toronto. Although that quest ended very shortly, we were happy with our first find. Located at the corner of Church and King Street in the St. Lawrence Historic District, Hot House Cafe's patio isn't too noisy nor too isolated. As we were seated, I had a feeling I was going to enjoy my visit!

Calamari  $9.95 and Lemonade 

Calamari is my favorite appetizers after tuna tataki, so there was no surprise that I ordered it as soon as I saw it on the menu. I had to say that the calamari was a tad disappointing. The dish was soggy and seemed like it had sat for a while before being served as it wasn't warm. 

Large House Salad  $9.95 

The house salad came with a balsamic and dijon mustard vinaigrette dressing that was refreshing and appetizing. The vegetables were fresh and crisp and tasted good even without the dressing. Overall it wasn't anything too special but was definitely enjoyable.

"High Class" Dim Sum at Crown Princess

When Crown Princess first opened in downtown Toronto, I wasn't sure of the authenticity of the food and was less intrigued as I was under the impression that it was pricey. After hearing positive reviews, I decided to give it a try instead of resorting to the usual Chinatown joint.

Har Gow    蝦餃皇     $5.30

Although known as the classic dish in dimsum, shrimp dumplings, or "har gows", have never been much of a favourite to me. However, I thought these were pretty good since the skin was thin and chewy, with big fat juicy shrimp wrapped inside.

Pan Fried Turnip Cake   經典煎蘿蔔糕  $4.30

I was most disappointed by the turnip cake. It tasted rather bland and had very few pieces of meat in it. This was definitely not on par with what I expected from this restaurant.

Vegetable and Pork Dumpling Chiu Chow Style  潮汕粉粿皇  $4.30

Baan Wasana: A Taste of Thailand

One of the things I enjoy most about the Vancouver food scene is probably the diversity. We literally have cuisines of the world right on our doorstep! I haven't had much experience with Thai food, but after trying out Baan Wasana, I know that I will definitely be back for more. The store front is small and not very eye catching, but on the inside, the decor screams "Thailand".

Baan Wasana has a special lunch menu during their noon hours, which comes with your choice of a light salad or soup, and entree of your choice. Since it was a particularly rainy day, I went with the soup. It was a nice flavorful broth, with vegetables and little vermicelli bits on the bottom. Usually these types of soups do not appeal to me, as they can get kind of bland, but this certainly was not the case!

Lunch Set Soup

For an appetizer I had their stuffed chicken wings, which went well beyond my expectations. It was very meaty on the inside and crispy on the outside. The dipping sauce adds a very nice tang.

Stuffed Chicken Wings $8.75

Lee Chen Asian Diner: Too Good to Be True!

Like many of my favourite restaurants, Lee Chen Asian Diner was a restaurant that I stumbled upon one day with some friends. The restaurant sits close to the corner of Bloor and Yonge, which is not the place where I would usually expect to see an authentic Asian diner.

Upon entrance of the place, I felt like I was in Asia again. Like many restaurants that sell dumpings and buns, Lee Chen Asian Diner also has a wide window looking into the kitchen featuring their talented chefs. Immediately, I had a good feeling and was excited to see what the food would be like.

House Fried Rice Cake $10.99

Since my first time here, I've already been back 3 more times in a month. Out of the three times I've been here, I ordered the House Fried Rice Cake on two occasions. This dish includes rice cakes, shredded pork, bamboo shoots, and pickled mustard greens. Although a rather simple looking dish, it is so delicious I can never stop eating it even when I'm already feeling bloated! The rice cakes are made just right, not too soft and a little chewy. When eating this dish, every bite is a mouthful of delicious with an interesting mixture of texture from the various ingredients.

And now...drum roll please for the highlight of this post!

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup  $9.99