Ka Chi

Ka Chi (414 Dundas Street West, Toronto)

416-598-3222

Hours: 

10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. daily

So apparently this place has a few locations. One is actually around Kensington market, just around the corner of the location we went to on Dundas Street West. I guess they're just that popular.  

Their bird logo looks frantic.

The prices seem pretty average for this type of food.

Monique's order of pork bone soup.

 The pork looked pink and really tender (not raw nor overcooked). She seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. 

Standard Korean complimentary side dishes.

I split ten pan fried beef dumplings (#8 for $5.95) with Amanda. 

They had some darker edges, but I like the slightly burnt thing. I didn't really like that some of them were broken, but they were passable. The spicy soy sauce is a must.

We also split the stir fried rice cake with bulgogi (#18 for $8.50). 

We were debating between the spicy version and the version that we got. I think we were both glad that we picked what we had. That sauce was intense, and I'm not so sure that the awesome flavour would have come through as much in the spicy one. It was so good that we both took some of Monique's rice to sop it all up. The beef was also nicely cooked. There were also some glass noodles in there.

Andrea's spare ribs on a sizzling plate looked pretty good too.

Would I return? Yes! I'm drooling just thinking about that bulgogi sauce. So meaty and delicious tasting. The decor is a bit gaudy, but it looks clean - especially for a Chinatown area restaurant.

FREE BEER

(On the street around Queen Street West and Peter Street, Toronto)

I've heard talks of free beer being handed out around downtown Toronto for the past two weeks or so, but I haven't come across such a magical location. Until today. Walking along Queen Street West, we spotted a medium-sized queue of people. Instinctively, I knew it was going to be good. I was right. Free Alexander Keith's (with a valid 19+ photo identification)! 

It's a double pack! :D

I know they were giving away free Keith's last week too in celebration of Alexander Keith's birthday, and I guess the celebrating didn't end. I've also heard previous talk of free Carlsberg and Stella Artois within the last two weeks. What is going on? 

Anyway, that double pack made my day. I don't know what the usual time for free beer is, but I was there around 6:30 p.m. and the wait was less than two minutes. 

Jamie Kennedy Fries

Jamie Kennedy Fries (300 level of the Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay Street, Toronto)

Grabbing a snack at the ACC doesn't always sound so appealing. Everything is ridiculously overpriced and it's usually about as fancy as movie theatre food. I was pretty surprised to see Jamie Kennedy's name in there on anything, but there it was... right above the word "fries". 

Fries with cider mayonnaise ($6.50)

The fries are decent. They're seasoned with what I think is thyme. I liked the cider mayo. The acidity gave it a nice tangy flavour. Jo said that got old fast, and that all she could taste afterwards was the seasoning on the fries. I only ate a few, so I didn't have that problem. 

Would I return? Well, if I'm stuck at the ACC with an empty stomach, I think those fries just might be the most worth it thing to get. That or a large beer... the lid it comes with is meant to be used with a straw. Beer with a straw? Ha ha ha. 

Cheers to Jo for sharing! 

Absolute Bakery

Absolute Bakery (589 Parliament Street, Toronto)

416-929-2700

Walking around Cabbagetown on a Sunday, Jess and I stumbled upon this bakery that was still open after 5 p.m. I went in with the intention of buying a sweet pastry snack, and I came out with diabetes dinner.

I was going for sweet, but the staff convinced me to get this savoury thing. Unfortunately, I didn't read what this was. 

It sort of tastes like a curry samosa in phyllo pastry. I thought it'd be a little crispier and flakier than it was. It was kind of messy to eat. I wasn't a superfan of this, but it was okay.

Apple turnover.

Very nice. Nice, large, sweetened apple slices half-naked in a solid flaky pastry. This had just the right amount of sweetness and sturdiness for me.

Chocolate danish. 

There was more chocolateness in it than I had expected. This was good, but not as good as the turnover. 

Would I return? Yeah, probably. Staff was really friendly. I liked the sweet pastries I bought. In the window display, they also had some almond twists that looked absolutely fabulous, but I was a bit disheartened when I was told that they had some berry content. Regardless, I was satisfied with what I bought there, and I wouldn't mind trying some of their other stuff.

Total damage: $7.25

Galleria

Galleria (7040 Yonge Street, Thornhill, Ontario)

905-882-0040

Hours: 24 hours daily

The MSG crackers are back (in my life)!

This brand seems to add more spices or something to the rice crackers that sets it apart from the others. I can see how someone might be turned off by the extra flavour, but I love it. If I think "fish sauce", it sort of tastes like that. They're very addictive, and I managed to finish a whole bag (with a bit of help) in one go.

Renée spotted some milk tea drinks on sale (3 for $1.98). 

She's pretty good at discovering new drinks. I liked it! They tasted like legit milk tea, and not too sweet. I haven't tried the green one yet. It should be noted that they're on sale because they expire within the next month. The green ones will last until October, but the brown ones are best before September something.

Walnut-shaped pastries filled with red bean (2 boxes for $5).

Mel said she wouldn't be able to finish two boxes, and generously gave one to me. Yay! :D

They're jam packed with red bean paste. I like the cool walnut shape too. 

Would I return? Yes. Not sure if it's because the stuff I buy at Galleria is more exciting than at a normal grocery store so that when I get to the checkout, the sheer joy is in my face and the cashier only mirrors that, or if the staff there really are just more polite, friendly, and approachable - regardless of what language they're speaking to me in. For the past two times that I've been there, I haven't come across the apathetic, bored/annoyed-looking cashiers that I see at other places. This time, I was greeted properly (even if it was in Korean - that's okay), and the cashier even smiled a seemingly genuine smile. It's like whoa. On my previous visit, I was even handed back change with two hands. (I'm still not over that.)

I don't know how they tax things. My MSG crackers had no tax, but the bottled milk teas did have tax. Mel's discount boxed food and walnut cakes that came to about $12? No tax. It seems that only bottled drinks were taxed, but not packaged junk food or end of day "fresh" food. 

Total damage: $2.24 for the 3 milk teas + $4.98 for the 2 packages of MSG rice crackers.

Nasty Peach Goo

I bought a basket of peaches because they were in season and looked so perfectly round (and they were on sale).

As I took one out, I noticed a strange, clear, gooey substance seeping out of it. I tried to wash it off, but it just danced around under the running water like rubber, still clinging to the peach.

After being slightly grossed out, I decided that maybe the rest of the fruit was still okay and cut around the offending substance. Then I found another pocket of that goo inside the peach. I cut around that too, and ate the rest of the peach which was sweet and slightly crunchy, by the way. Then I Googled. If it happens to be larva, I'm moderately confident that my stomach acids will take care of it.

Ontario freestone peaches for the win!

Domi Café

Domi Café (5 Northtown Way, Willowdale, Ontario)

Time for something brand new. This small snack café opened up really recently. It's so new that the staff seemed green. Based on the menu on the wall and my flawless (sarcasm) deductive skills, I think "domi" describes the fish-shaped fluffy waffle like food product that they offer with different fillings. I actually didn't know what they were selling at first, but they've since put up pictures on the outside of their storefront. The wall menu inside is a bit awkwardly placed on the left side of the café, while the counter is opposite on the right. 

Some of the filling options were red bean, red bean with cream cheese, custard, red bean with walnut, and some sort of berry mixture that I blocked from memory. As we walked in, a girl on her way out told us to try the ones with cream cheese. So I got the red bean and cream cheese one.

It was a little strange, as the guy took one of the pre-made ones, and shoved it back into the waffle maker mould. Jo mentioned that it was weird, putting an already shaped waffle back into the waffle maker. I agree with her, but it did toast the edges nicely. 

It was way thicker than I had expected. There was also a lot more red bean filling than I was ready for. The waffle was fluffy, and denser than angel cake. The cream cheese added a savoury taste to the treat, but I think I might've preferred it without. I felt like the waffle part could have been sweeter, but that just might be because I was thrown off by the cream cheese.

Would I return? I think I might. It seems like a good place for a quick, affordable snack. If I manage to get one made fresh, it has the potential to be very exciting. I'm also a fan of how much red bean they shoved into it. This snack lasted me the length of a drive from there to downtown. 

On a random note, I feel like there a lot of Korean snacks (mostly red bean kinds) shaped like fish.

Total damage: I think it was $2.16, or some weird number like that.

Cake

Sheila was kind enough to save me some of her giant cupcake from the wedding. Unlike the smaller cupcakes which were lemon and taro flavoured, this one was of the black sesame variety.

The cake was really soft and moist, and spotted with black sesame. I also tasted a bit of coconut in there. 

Cheers to friends that share cake! 

The Owl

The Owl of Minerva (5324 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario)

416-221-7275

We walked all along Yonge Street to find a suitable restaurant for my guests from out of town. We settled on the Korean 24/7 joint called The Owl of Minerva. 

Lauren wanted the dumplings in one of the pictures on the wall, but had a hard time finding it in the menu. Her being allergic to pork, the waiter assured her that they were beef. 

She seemed to like them, and they looked quite crispy.

Some of the bonus sides:

John's order of something with raw squid and stuff. I can't really remember what else was in it, but it did look like a platter of spiciness. 

My bibimbap.

Filling, sizzling, and delicious. I try not to stir it too much because I like the hard, crunchy rice chunks that get browned at the bottom of the stone bowl. 

Would I return? Yes. It's easy to see why this place can get pretty packed. The food is good value and the small potential for language barrier makes it seem authentic. Also, they're open all day every day. I'm sure I'll have a hankering for Korean food at 4 a.m. sometime soon. 

Total damage: free for me thanks to my guests! 

Pho Hung

Pho Hung (350 Spadina Avenue, Toronto)

416-593-4274

There was a bowl of chilli peppers on the table before we arrived. Of course, such a thing would tempt someone to eat them raw.

#3 small beef brisket and rare beef pho ($6)

The beef was indeed rare, and it was also soft. I liked the strong flavour of the broth, and the noodles were pretty filling. 

Would I return? Sure. The pho is decently priced and has good flavour. Service is efficient, as it is in many Asian places.