Innis & Gunn White Oak Wheat Beer

Because I am brand loyal, I had to try this.

It's a bit sweet, kind of nutty (like cashews?),  a sort of orange peel taste, not very hoppy, and I think it's pretty delicious. I like it better than the toasted oak. 

Innis & Gunn Toasted Oak IPA

I got this because I am brand loyal. And it was on sale. Anyway, hoppy/bitter, but not disgustingly so. Toasted? Can't really taste it. Faint citrus taste. 

Would I get this again? Probably not. It was just to try. I'm trying my fourth bottle now. There's nothing amazing about this. Innis & Gunn Original is still my favourite. 

Chachago

Chachago (3 Elm Street, Toronto)

Have fun trying to Google this place... It all leads to stuff in Chicago. Even though, this is another Taiwan import to Toronto.

Taro milk tea.

Chunks! You can see the taro at the bottom of the cup. I was jealous because I didn't drink this.

Instead, I got the regular milk tea with bubbles.

It was okay. But I'm so used to roasted milk tea from Chatime that I missed the roasted flavour. That might've been why I thought there was too much milk. Can't really complain as it's the free one in 'buy one get one free'. 

Would I return? Maybe to try the taro drink. But to be honest, it's quite a bit more expensive than the other bubble tea places downtown. I think the prices were about $6-8. I could get downtown alcohol for those prices.

Kaiju

Kaiju (384 Yonge Street, Toronto)

647-748-6338

kaijutoronto@gmail.com

Hours: 

Mon - Fri: 11 AM - 8 PM

Sat: 12 PM - 7 PM (only day they sell tofu cheesecake by the slice)

Sun: closed

Trouble finding this place? It's in this maze of a basement under Aura, part of what looks like a semi-abandoned food court. 

Kaiju poutine $6

Curry and grated cheese on seasoned, thick cut fries. Good-sized fries. Could do with some double frying for extra crispiness. Salty enough for me, and the sweetness of the curry adds some contrasting flavour. Overall, not bad since the curry has gravy-like consistency. I wonder what it'd be like with cheese curds.

After being offered a sample of their Japanese curry, it's pretty evident that it tastes different from other curries (at least the ones that I've had). It's sweeter, and it kind of has a slight fruity taste. 

They heartily advertise their curry, which includes various spices, fruits (makes sense to my tastebuds), and vegetables; however, I think the most unique thing about my experience there is that they came out of the stall to bring our food to us in the food court. They also came by as we were eating, and checked with us how the food was. Food court service. Cool.

Would I return? Yes. I think I'll definitely have to try the katsu next. And I really want to try their tofu cheesecake, but it's only sold on Saturdays. Prices are not so cheap, but it's downtown, and what I tasted was pretty good. Plus, I totally got served in my seat in a food court. Who does that? Kaiju.

The Fry

The Fry (6012 Yonge Street, Toronto)

(416) 546-0483

Spicy rice cake with seafood

It couldn't have been that spicy because Renée could eat it. I'd say it's more like mild. There was shrimp, there was mussel, there was cheese. I enjoyed it. We also got the small fried chicken, which was basically half a chicken, cut up, battered, and deep-fried. It came out with two small sauce cups: one with salt, black pepper, and sesame seeds, and another with a sweet, spicy, red sauce. The chicken seemed like it had just come out of the fryer as it burned my mouth when I shoved the first piece in. Texture-wise, the crispiness was perfect. I would've liked some seasoning in the batter, but the salt accompaniment was good enough for me. Renée and I both agreed that the little salt dish was necessary and helped complete the taste. 

Something to note: we asked the difference between their crispy chicken and fried chicken. Apparently, fried chicken has thicker batter. *shrug* Also, they only had Sapporo on tap.

Would I return? Yes. Their beer/soju and chicken combos are not listed on the website. And I wouldn't mind trying their other flavours of fried chicken. With ample beer. Banchan includes pickled radishes (YUM!), salad, corn, and coleslaw. I quite enjoy the Korean chicken and beer thing. It's a thing! Prices are... on the website.

J. P. Wiser's Hopped Whisky

I'm in trouble. They've made whisky taste like chocolate. LIKE FREAKIN' CHOCOLATE! 

I was freaking out when I realized what was going on after sipping on this. I expected a bit of beer or bitterness taste from the advertised 'hopped' part, but all I can taste is chocolate. Something like rich, dark, delicious, alcoholic chocolate. This is so nice. So, so nice. I need to go buy many more bottles of this STAT because DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE WHISKY. 

Shit.

P. S. No burn.