Jack Astor's

Jack Astor's (133 John Street, Toronto)

416-595-9100

Hours:

Sun - Wed 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.

Thurs - Sat 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Pitcher of Steam Whistle

There was actually something in one of the mugs that the waitress poured out so she brought back another mug... but the rest of the pitcher remained on the table.

Sausage pasta

It wasn't bad. 

Bianca's order of fajitas.

Would I return? Maybe if I can find that coupon... 

Total damage: $40.91 for the pitcher and the pasta.

Katz's Deli and Corned Beef Emporium

Katz's Deli (3300 Dufferin Street, Toronto)

416-782-1111

Hours:

Mon - Sat 8:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Corned beef sandwich and soup of the day (beef barley)

It was a bit confusing when first walking in. On the left, there was take-out, and on the right was the cafeteria style grab and go line. There were sides on ice that we walked by on the way to the meat slicers. It took a little while for the staff to slice the meat.

The sandwiches are a bit pricey at $7.95 for meat on rye, but they do serve a pretty large mound of meat on very little bread. The bread was soft on the inside and crispy at the edges, which was nice. The meat was okay, but I was expecting a little more out of my corned beef when the name of the place has "corned beef emporium" in it. The meat was a bit fatty, but I felt better about my sandwich when I saw that the meat in Sheila's smoked meat sandwich was almost all fat-coloured. The corned beef was warm and not too dry. The beef barley soup was... unmemorable. 

Sheila's Montreal smoked meat sandwich.

Would I return? Probably not by choice. It's definitely on the pricey side for cafeteria style deli sandwiches. Though it wasn't downright awful, it wasn't really amazing either. 

Total damage: $13.45 for my soup and sandwich.

Mr. Greenjeans

Mr. Greenjeans Restaurant & Bar (220 Yonge Street, Toronto Eaton Centre)
416-979-1212
mr@mrgreenjeans.ca

My bottle of Canadian was $5.

BBQ Pulled Pork "Sheppard's" Pie ($14)

(Picture by Andrew)

It's got a phyllo crust and it's served with a house salad. The phyllo crust was a bit annoying to eat as flecks of it sprayed everywhere every time I tried to poke it. I thought the meal would be a bit more exciting than it was. The meat was a bit on the scant side, and it didn't really come through over the potato. Maybe it would have been better as a pulled pork pie with phyllo crust (without the "Sheppard's" part). The dressing for the salad looked like congealed fat, but it tasted like a nice vinaigrette. 

Andrew's burger (The Perfection) and fries ($15)

(Picture by Andrew)

Would I return? Probably not soon. I found the prices to be a bit on the high side for what it was. Though, if it's cold outside and I'm hungry and inside the Eaton Centre, I might change my mind.

Total damage: $5.50 for a beer + $14 for my meal + tax + tip.

Boston Pizza

Boston Pizza (157 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill, Ontario)

905-707-9300

Hours:

Mon - Thurs 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.

Fri - Sat 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Sun 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.

Nachos

The fixings weren't bad, but the salsa on the side was a bit watery. For almost $10, it seemed a bit on the expensive side for what it was.

Nooner pepperoni pizza.

It was nothing special. 

Would I return? Maybe. It's a chain and it's not terrible.

Total damage: Maybe about $20 for my pizza, nachos, and a pop?

Omelette

I threw everything that was about to go bad in an omelette. And it was delicious. Ha!

It kind of burst open when I tried to flip it.

Jim Chai Kee

Jim Chai Kee Noodles (270 West Beaver Creek Road, Richmond Hill, Ontario)
905-881-8778

Wontons with rice noodles.

Whatever weird filler they had in the wontons last time I was there was no longer there this time. We also noted a new sauce on the table. It was hot and sour, and it was pretty good. 

Would I go back? Sure. Their random sauces make the wonton noodles interesting. 

Total damage: approximately $5. 

Kazan

Kazan Teppanyaki (9625 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario)
905-737-9999
Hours:
Teppanyaki: 11:30 - 3:00, 5:00 - 10:00
Korean BBQ: 11:30 - 11:00
info@kazanteppanyaki.com

When we first passed by this place a while back, we thought it was one of those restaurants that would overprice normally cheap Asian food. We ended up going because Mel had a coupon.

Onion volcano! It was pretty awesome.

My seafood pasta was brimming with all sorts of things. I was quite impressed with it. 

The teppanyaki show was pretty exciting. Our teppanyaki man was more exciting than the last teppanyaki place I hit up downtown. He cracked jokes, spun spatulas, lit the counter on fire, and even lit his fingers on fire! We later saw the other teppanyaki guy spin and bounce an egg on his flipper, but he also missed a trick and a flipper almost hit one of his customers in the face. 

Mel and Josie said that their meat was a bit on the dry side, but it was made bearable with the sauce that was provided.

Would I return? I think so. I feel like they try more than other restaurants to entertain you regardless of how excited you are initially about teppanyaki. I was also pretty impressed with my seafood noodle bowl.

Total damage: I have no clue because of Mel's coupon, but I think my noodles were about $9 without it.

Heinz Disney Princess Pasta

Unfortunately, the Disney Princess pasta didn't come in non whole grain pasta format. 

Ariel looks a bit messed up, but the castle looks like what it's supposed to.

It's pasta in thickened tomato soup. If that's what you grew up with, you'd like it.

Cafe Princess

Cafe Princess (5590 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario)

416-733-9600

Renée likes this place probably because it's called Cafe Princess. So we checked it out. Our group was on the larger side so they gave us one of the private rooms in the back. With the room in the back, it certainly had the feel of being at home. Can't say I saw much of the rest of the place. 

I can't remember what drink I ordered... mocha latte perhaps?

Andrea's banana split

IT's decorated with fruits and Pocky sticks.

Jess's taro (or was it sweet potato) latte. 

When we asked the server if this new drink was any good, she hesitated before saying that some customers liked it and some didn't. Honesty is a bonus. I tried a bit of it and thought it tasted strange.

Renée's waffle. 

With their cakes being of the La Rocca variety you can get at Loblaws, this is probably one of the more exciting things this place has to offer. The scoops of ice cream are quite large, and there's a wafer cookie! It's also priced cheaper than say, Caffe Demetre. 

Would I return? Sure. It's a nice place that's pretty quiet and peaceful. The food and drinks aren't spectacular, but it seems like a relaxing place to hang out, couches and all. 

Total damage: approximately $5 for my drink.

Burrito Boyz

Burrito Boyz (218 Adelaide Street West, Toronto)
647-439-4065
Hours:
Sun - Wed 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Thurs 11 a.m. - 3 a.m.
Fri and Sat 11 a.m. - 4 a.m.

Small beef burrito

The smalls here are actually quite large. I'm a fan of the toasted wrap which makes the outside just slightly crunchy. The burrito can be extremely spicy if you want it to be. Beef was cooked just right for me. 

This second visit turned Jo's previously rating of sucky to 4/5. 

Would I return? Yup! It's great for late night food in the downtown area and it's super filling. And unlike Jo, I actually like the toasted wrap. 

Total damage: approximately $10 in total.

Hana Korea

Hana Korea (45 Baldwin Street, Toronto)
416-979-9453

New soju for me to try!

The English says, "Chum-Churum Cool". I'll assume that's the brand. I feel like this bottle was larger than the previous soju bottles I've had. It managed to fill up about ten shot glasses. At $15, it is slightly more expensive than the $10 Jinro bottles I get at the Korean restaurants near Yonge and Finch. The fun folks I shared this with said that it tasted like a mixture of vodka and sake. Well, I think it goes down a little easier than vodka. 

Complimentary appetizers.

Shred of cooked broccoli, fried omelette thing, staple Korean glass noodles. 

I got the seafood ramen noodles.

It was the cheapest thing on the menu, and it's basically dressed up packaged instant noodles. There were maybe two small octopus bits that almost seemed like they were in there by accident. It's more seafood flavoured noodles than seafood noodles.

Would I return? Perhaps, but I wouldn't get the same order again. I feel like the daily lunch special might be more worth it though. The bibimbap looked decent. 

Total damage: approximately $20 for the bottle of soju and the noodles. 

Roast Chicken

Roast chicken and vegetables

The chicken came out pretty good! It was quite moist and not overcooked. The sauce was a bonus too. Unfortunately, the vegetables were a bit on the raw side.

Cooked by Andrew (and the oven). He said it involved no more than seasoning the chicken, adding vegetables, and shoving it in the oven for 45 minutes or so. And he made Swiss Chalet sauce too! 

Starbucks

Starbucks

Caramel brûlé latte

This is one of their limited edition holiday drinks. It's definitely for someone with a sweet tooth. What makes this drink is the "brûlé" bits on top. Though, for all I know, those could be the leftover crumbs of some other real snack product. No matter, I still enjoyed it. 

Would I get it again? Well, I already have a couple of times. 

Total damage: free for me thanks to Phil!

Italian Food

I have no idea where this is from since someone else did the ordering online. 

Pappardelle alla trattoria

Very well seasoned and cooked. I was surprised at the amount they gave each of us for take-out. I enjoyed the abundant amount of cherry tomatoes in my aluminium foil container. I was also pleased that the food was still warm when it was delivered. 

Felicia's gnocchi was exceptionally good. It had the right amount of density to it, and was also massively proportioned. It probably could have been four meals for her easily.

Would I get it again? Sure, if I ever figure out what the name of the place is.

Total damage: $8.90-something + tax + tip.

Kyu Shou

Kyu Shou Japanese Noodle House (4733 Steeles Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario)

416-609-1819

Another trip to Kyu Shou in Scarborough.

I got the pork neck in pork bone soup ramen. 

I still think the bak choy in ramen is a bit odd. The meat was pretty awesome. It was so tender and so crispy on the outside. As for the broth, there wasn't much pork bone flavour this time. 

According to Renée and Simon, they always play Korean concert videos on the TV screen. It's entertaining to make comments about their styles and watch the Korean pop stars dance.

Would I return? That meat was pretty good. And I could afford the meal on a budget of $9 in my wallet.

Total damage: $5.99 + tax + tip.

Cafeteria breakfast

Bacon egg McMuffin imitator, one order of sausages, and an apple juice.

The sausages had a weird casing that felt like I was trying to bite my way through wax paper. They didn't have the added honey, nor were they extremely salty. Though the bacon was acceptably crispy, I prefer sausage egg McMuffins from McDevil to the  imitation sandwich I had because the cylindrical egg makes it fit so much better in the English muffin and gives it more height at McD's. That's even considering the fact that the imitation sandwich had better cheese. 

Would I get it again? I'd more likely just go to McDonald's because it's comfort breakfast food. 

Total damage: approximately $5. 

Waterloo Wheat

I was a fan of Waterloo Dark, so I thought I'd give Waterloo Wheat a try.

I definitely tasted the wheat, and the drink wasn't bad in general. There was a good flavour that wasn't too overbearing. 

Would I get it again? I might, but my local liquor store doesn't always have them in stock. Also, I kind of like the warthog logo. 

McDonald's Coffee

McDonald's coffee is free until November 28.

It actually tastes okay, but it did nothing for me in terms of keeping me awake. The minute I finished the coffee, I passed out. They might water it down for the promotion. Or maybe it was decaf! :o

Good Taste Shanghai

Good Taste Shanghai (505 Highway 7 East, Markham, Ontario)
905-370-6868

Some sort of soup noodles

Xiao long bao - steamed pork dumplings with soup inside.

I really enjoy the amount of soup in each of the dumplings. The skin was pretty thin, too. 

Deep fried bun

The outside was so deliciously crispy. For this type of bun, the inside will have strand-like pieces that you can play with if you wanted to. It's like of like the bun form of cheesestrings. The translucency from the oil that seeped a bit into the inside dough was a bit scary though. 

Fried potsticker dumplings

These were very good. No complaints. Crispy underside and juicy, meaty interior can do no wrong.

Sesame-filled glutinous rice balls in rice wine broth.

I think this is our favourite dish from this restaurant. We get it every time and make sure we don't over-order just so that we leave room for it. The broth is a nice combination of sour from the rice wine and sweetness. The owner commented that we really know how to order. 

Would I return? Yes. They make some of our favourite dishes, when the owner is there he jokes around with us, and they gave us a coupon for a free order of steamed dumplings the next time we go so we can't not use it. The place looks nice, and the prices are reasonable, too.

Total damage: approximately $10 per person. (There were three of us.)