Tofurky

Saw this in the frozen section of Metro:

Me: Tofurky??!

Jess: Sounds like a swear word.

Ha ha! Yes, it does. I might just use it as such. I just thought the name was amusing so I took a picture. I didn't actually buy it.

Ehwa

Ehwa Pear Blossom (5182 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario)
416-229-6719‎

Another trip to Ehwa. Secret Korean menu alcohol special is a must for our group. 

This time, we started with the Jinro soju with our secret Korean alcohol special.

Matching shot glass completes the look.

Complimentary appetizers include mashed potato chunk that looks like a scoop of ice cream, fries, and fish cakes in broth. 

Complimentary corn

 The chicken cutlet that we chose as the food to come with our alcohol.

There were more pieces before the picture was taken. The cutlet was crispy and pretty okay tasting.

For the next Korean special, we decided to go for the five domestic beers...

... and chicken skewers.

Pretty decent. The mushrooms were nice and turgid.

Would I return? Yes. The atmosphere is comfortable, the decor is nice, and it's fun to watch (and sometimes make fun of) the Korean music videos playing on the multiple flat screen TVs on the walls. The food isn't bad, the Korean alcohol specials are fun, and there are a lot of complimentary dishes that are different from other nearby Korean restaurants. 

Total damage: again, I can't remember... $30-$40 for my halves of the Korean secret menu specials?

Breakfast Burrito

Breakfast Burrito

Andrew had this great idea of breakfast burritos, and since the vegetables were already cut up from when he made them, I had to make them as well.

Sausages, scrambled eggs, red peppers, onions, spinach, and salsa!

I was too lazy to remove the sausage casings. 

I had to toast the wrap too, just for kicks. 

Result: satisfying and filling breakfast. My only issue was with the salsa. It was a bit watery, and made my perfectly crafted burrito leak. Andrew solved this problem the next day by straining the salsa before adding it in. 

Much thanks to Andrew for supplying the pre-cut vegetables and kitchen! 

Baldwin Palace

Baldwin Palace (1 Baldwin Street, Toronto)
416-593-4788

This place offers cheap Chinese lunch meals near Chinatown.

Ma po tofu rice

Can't really complain. The portion is large, the price is student, and the food is decent enough. 

Would I return? Sure. It wasn't particularly busy during lunchtime on a weekday, and it's probably one of the cheaper options in the immediate vicinity.

Total damage: $5.50 + tax + tip. 

Twister

Twister (5586 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario)
416-225-2465
Hours:
Sun - Thurs 2 p.m. - 4 a.m.
Fri, Sat, and holidays 2 p.m. - 6 a.m.

We didn't really eat here. We mostly just drank beer and sang. Beers were all $5 (domestic and imported). 

The people here are super friendly. The beer orders came within seconds of ordering them. It's useful to know that the last call for alcohol is 2 a.m. 

Would I return? Yes. The room and drinks aren't super rip-off, and the people who work there were extremely friendly. Oh, and I was pretty amused when a staff member exclaimed, "See you tomorrow!" as we left.

Total damage: For the four of us, the room on a Friday was $25/hr. I don't know how many hours we spent, or how many beers we drank, but the total came up to $220 or so. 

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie

By Andrew

I liked the golden brown potato top. Cheers to pies with meat and potatoes!

Phoenix

Phoenix Restaurant (8190 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill, Ontario)

905-886-1113

Jess's thick toast.

I think this is number 1 on the afternoon tea menu.

It was okay. Definitely filling. 

Would I return? Probably. The Jess and Josie like the strong milk tea that they have there. 

Total damage: I can't remember.

Jos Louis Bar

Jos Louis bars

I'm not a fan of the packaging that tries to be cool. 

 Who's that guy? 

 Tastes like a regular Jos Louis... but without the thicker chocolate aggregations at the sides. 

It also has some chocolate filling in addition to the trademark white cream inside. It made it a bit too sweet for me. I think I prefer the original ones better, or at least the half-sized moons when I'm on a diet. 

Hosu

Hosu (254 Queen Street West, Toronto)
416-848-9456

Complimentary appetizers.

Spider roll: soft shell crab roll.

The deep-fried crab was super crispy. Renée and I were actually only expecting 6-8 pieces, and not the 10 that we received.

140. Teriyaki chicken and shrimp tempura bento box.

The batter on the shrimp tempura was super thick and crunchy. The tempura sauce was actually served to our table warm. There were two layers of chicken that I thought was cooked pretty well. The bed of raw bean sprouts under it wasn't that appealing though. Neither me nor Renée could finish our bento boxes. We both ate less than half the box and only two pieces each of the spider roll. We weren't expecting the monstrous proportions that we were given. 

Would I return? Yes, when I'm very hungry. The prices are decent, and the quality isn't bad. The place isn't super fancy, and it was comfortable enough for me to bring my backpack into. 

Total damage: $17-something. 

Ramune Drink

Ramune

A trip to Galleria, the Korean grocery store, resulted in the purchase of some fun drinks. There's a glass ball inside it!!!

Ramune drink in orange and melon flavours

It's sort of exciting having to work for your carbonated drink.

The glass ball is so random, but pretty exciting. You actually have to push it down from the top with the plunger-type thing before you can see it in the bottle. The drink itself tastes like carbonated melon. Sweet!

Total damage: free for me thanks to Simon (and Renée)!