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Not Your Traditional Korean Joint {Han Ba Tang}

Everything I Eat February 21, 2015

I wanted to try Han Ba Tang since they first opened. But I never seem to be able to find time even though they are just located in North York. There are countless number of Korean restaurants along Yonge street and Han Ba Tang stands out for me. They offer an exciting selection of Korean tapas with a fushion twist.

I really admire their decor with a mix of industrial and vintage touch. A lot of thought has put into every single decor pieces, from furniture to lighting fixtures to the cute little mason jar glasses. I love the vibe.

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DIY Teppanyaki Time! {Aka Teppan}

Everything I Eat March 31, 2014

{Supreme Beef Teppanyaki Rice $8.99}

I was quite surprised to learn that there was a rather long ling up for the new pepper lunch establishment at First Markham place. I mean, that little spot at the corner of this plaza had never gotten so much traffic. Restaurants previously situated at that spot, sadly, never last and I was never able to keep up with what's the current one. Hopefully, the new Aka Teppan will last since based on my recent experience, this place seems promising and offers a different cuisine amongst the many pho, Korean and sushi eateries in Markham.

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A Korean Japanese Izakaya {Tsuki Izakaya}

Everything I Eat March 08, 2014

{Tsuki Don $13 - California Don topped with assorted diced sashimi}

When it comes to Izakaya, I think of loud and lively Japanese pub-like restaurants, accompanying bite size, tapas-style portion food. Here at Tsuki Izakaya on Yonge, I'm surprised to learn that they are quieter than most Izakayas I've been to, like Guu and Fin. It's good to have a change of ambience as I find the bustling noises can be quite annoying if you just want to chat. Perhaps because it was on a Sunday, it wasn't busy at all. The portion of their food is larger than the other Izakayas and also slightly pricier in comparison. They have a pretty diverse menu, including both Japanese and Korean dishes, rice, sushi rolls, sashimis and grilled meat.

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Authentic Mexican Cuisine {El Catrin Restaurant}

Everything I Eat July 25, 2013

I was so excited to get invited to the pre-opening launch party of El Catrin Restaurant where I got a teaser of some very authentic and modern Mexican food. Located in the Distillery District, El Catrin replaces where it used to be the Boiler House which was a surprise for me actually because I had been to the Boiler House a few times and quite enjoyed the space. So I had some kind of hope for the new restaurant that settles in this location. When I first walked into the restaurant, I was immediately wowed by the gorgeous decor and cool interior design. You can see glowing skull motives everywhere in the space, with a giant glow in the dark wall mural art that spanned across the entire back of the restaurant. I cannot stop admiring the thoughts behind the decor and furnishings, they compliment really well with the unpolished wood framework of the building.

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A Westernized Izakaya {Hapa Izakaya Restaurant}

Everything I Eat April 30, 2013

I saw this Groupon deal for Hapa Izakaya recently and thought it would be nice to try out this restaurant with my friends. The deal that we got was $15 for a $30 worth of food and drinks for at least two people. I called in to make a reservation just to confirm that it is available on the day and time we wanted. The staff told us that only 6:30 time slot is available on that Saturday night and that we have to leave at around 8 because a large group of party will be dining at 8:30. I actually didn't think it was really welcoming for a first time customer to get an early leave request on their initial visit. But, anyway, reservation booked. Groupon bought. On the Friday, I got a call from the restaurant confirming the time and again they asked us if we could leave at around 8 because of the party. Okay! I get it. Then, on the day of, we arrived at exactly 6:30 pm sharp. The staff greeted us when we asked for our table and for the third time they asked us if we could leave at 8 pm for the party to come in after. Wow. Pushy much? I haven't even sat down and ordered yet.

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My Bowl of Ramen {Sansotei}

Everything I Eat April 17, 2013

I finally made it to Sansotei Ramen one Saturday afternoon for lunch. I made a few attempts to visit this well praised restaurant but all times were unsuccessful. Either the noodles were sold out or it was closed because it was a Sunday.

I'm glad there was no line ups when I was there with my friend a month ago. The hype probably died down a bit or perhaps the crowd normally don't crave for ramen in the afternoon. The restaurant is located downtown, a small urban decor of casual wood furnitures. We were lucky to get seated right away. Their menu is very simple. I always have the perception of thinking that if the menu is short listed, it means that the restaurant is specialized on those dishes.

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Too Cool for Tacos {La Carnita}

Everything I Eat March 19, 2013

I was told to try La Carnita because it seems like a cool hipster kind of urban eatery that I would enjoy. I added it to my to-try list since then. Without really knowing what kind of food they serve, I took my friend there and tried it out last weekend. Then, we found out everything there was tacos! I'm not a huge fan of tacos but I am down to try specialized dishes.

Here is what we ordered:

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Birthday Eats and Gets

birthday March 10, 2013

February has gone by so quick that I'm actually going through a withdrawal. I may have been slacking off a bit from blogging because of long continuous celebrations for my birthday with my beloved friends and family. I am so thankful and I feel extremely loved. Unlike my previous years of birthday celebrations that involved quite some organizing and planning, I decided to just chill out this year. However, it seems like extensive eating is still inevitable.

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"Casual" Date Night {Terra Restaurant}

Every Occasion February 09, 2013

Recently, I got asked to go on a casual dinner date by a friend, following up with a movie. It didn't occur to me that the term, "casual" means fine dining at a restaurant that I've once chosen for my parent's 33rd anniversary dinner celebration. I did not prepare as I would like to be, both in appearance and mentally.

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Happy New Year in New York City

desserts January 28, 2013

{ Few more hours till the clock hits 12. I almost felt like Cinderella }

I took an extra 10 days off during Christmas and thought I could use this time to hibernate somewhere warm. And then I found out the ticket and hotel package cost way over the budget I've planned for. At the end, I could only afford to revisit New York City on a bus tour for another food excursion. Good thing is that I could watch the ball drop at Times Square for count down. I was quite excited about that part.

After first two days of shopping at the Outlet and Woodbury, I finally got the chance to relax and walk around the city. It was freezing cold during the three days in New York. I had to go indoor every 10 minutes.

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Thai Me Up with Khao San Road

desserts December 18, 2012

I finally get to try Khao San Road for the first time. It's always been difficult for me to try out restaurants in downtown because I live in the 905 area. Finding places for parking is a pain, unless taking the public transit down. The two times that I attempted to visit Khao San Road, I was disappointed to find out they close on Sundays! (yes, it took me two times to remember) So, this time around, I came back on a Saturday night. If this fails again, I’m giving up on Khao San Road. The place was opened but the wait time was about an hour…(we got there at 6ish). My boyfriend and I decided to wait but were urged to wait outside in the cold. The restaurant had a occupancy issue due to its license and could not allow too many customers to wait inside. This wasn't the most inviting experience at all and there were no heat lamps and seats outside. We put our names down and left for a walk nearby just to kill time.

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Classic Fine Dining {The David Duncan House}

date night December 02, 2012

A friend brought me to The David Duncan House recently for dinner. Without knowing where I was going, I was actually quite dazzled when I first arrived to the restaurant. You can always kind of tell the intention of the person by the restaurant he chooses to bring you for dinner. A huge historic structured house with luxurious looking art deco interior and decorations, I'd say this is the place to impress a girl. We were greeted by friendly staffs who helped us with our coats at the counter and then led us to a table near the fireplace. So far, the experience was good until we ordered our food.

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What the Hype? {Kinton Ramen}

Everything I Eat September 10, 2012

There seems to be a lot of hype around Kinton Ramen recently amongst my friends, which prompts my boyfriend and I to try it out. We've always enjoy a good bowl of ramen and do have a degree of expectation when we visit Kinton during the weekend. We were there at around 7pm and found out many groups have been waiting outside for seats already. We had to wait for 45 minutes on the street, where garbage were placed out. It was definitely not a good start to boost up my appetite. When we got in, we are welcomed by a very loud Japanese greetings, reminded me of an experience very much like from Guu Izakaya. We were seated at the bar tables, where we could clearly see the process of making their ramen. It was somewhat of an entertainment for both of us. They timed their ramen precisely at little bit less than 3 minutes of cooking time and flame torched the pork belly in a consistent hand motion. I almost thought they could do this without the timer or with their eyes closed already based on how popular their ramen is and how often they have to make per day.

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The Four-Hour Fondue Experience {The Melting Pot}

Everything I Eat July 12, 2012

I was quite excited to learn that The Melting Pot is opening an location in the uptown area so close to where I live. I brought my family there on Father's day, thinking they would appreciate and enjoy some new dining experience. However, as soon as we started ordering our food, we realize it was not as glamourous as it might seem. As a family of four, we are quite different in taste so we were all going to order our own cheese fondue but disappointed to find out that we can only order ONE type to share among the four of us in the same little pot. The price on the menu, however is per person. We all feel that it is a bit of a ripped off that our own portion is now being split into 1/4 portion for the same price (It's $46 per person or $92 per couple, I actually don't get why they put $92 per couple when it's not a deal to get a couple portion) Anyway, so at last, we settled on the Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue. For some reason, it took about 45 minutes to arrive. The good thing about this is though, you get to see how the fondue is being made, what kind of ingredients you put in. I was actually thinking to myself, maybe I can make this at home.

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When dream comes to reality {MoRoCo}

chocolate fondue February 24, 2012

MoRoCo has always been on my top to-try list because I am so attracted by the elegance and their store decor. I definitely have high hopes when I finally come to visit recently. But I must say I am not impressed. From the music choice (they were playing rock music when I was there, totally not the mood) to their service and food, I have nothing positive to give back. I think I'm only impressed with their decor and chinas. Servers are pushy. I have 5 different servers coming to me asking me if I want to order when I just sat down. I ordered a Chocolate Fondue from their menu, because it seems like it's one of the most popular thing that night. Everyone orders it, it must be good. It's $26 bucks but at least it can feed two people. There are other options too, but you will soon realize the fondue is the wiser pick because their cake costs $19 a slice!

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A Trip to Buffalo {The Cheesecake Factory}

Buffalo May 16, 2011

{I'm such a tourist}

Had a very spontaneous trip to Buffalo recently with two of my friends. I haven't visited Buffalo ever since elementary and that was with my parents ages ago! I always think that there are so many places I should visit instead than going back to the states because I've already been to most of them. But of course, it's a different experience when you are not with your parents. When my friend suggested going to Buffalo, the first time that came to my mind is The Cheesecake Factory that a lot of my friends recommended. I am a sucker at desserts and I am a cheesecake lover. It has been on my to-try list for awhile and finally I have a chance to visit! I know usually people go to Buffalo to shop at the Outlet malls but I don't have anything in particular to buy there so if I'm not able to purchase anything in Buffalo, I am fine as long as I get to try the Cheesecake Factory. That's my goal and mission of the day.

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Quality over quantity {Inatei}

Everything I Eat October 03, 2010

{Assorted Sashimi - all based on what's fresh on the day from the sushi bar}

Inatei is one of the few Japanese restaurants that I enjoy going either for lunch or for dinner. They focus on quality food rather than fast and cheap set meals. Separating themselves from the many All-You-Can-Eat Japanese restaurants around, Inatei offers an assortment of appetizers, sunomono (vinegared dishes), sashimis, sushi rolls and robata-yakis (Off the grill). For those who prefer a more fulfilling hot dishes, Inatei also has a variety of set dinners and bento boxes. They also offer bento box for vegetarians, a very thoughtful touch in my opinion. They have a lot of set lunches to choose from actually, and that's because they cater towards the office workers in the area. It will take you awhile to really decide what you want to order as there are noodles, teriyaki, sushi/sashimi, bento and donburi combos. And each combo is served with a miso soup and salad.

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