Park Cafe & Diner - Saskatoon, SK

Seems like diners are the newest trend and clearly it has hit Saskatoon - sort of.   Park Cafe & Diner is located on 20th street which is currently undergoing a facelift to revitalize and recreate a sustainable district.   I can certainly applaud that and all the businesses that have contributed to the success of this initiative.

Now back to the food! This is a busy spot, reviews are really good and people are raving about it!  The diner atmosphere is certainly alive and the vibe is great on a snowy Sunday.   Menu included all the standard breakfast fare that you would expect.   Pricing was reasonable for the traditional breakfasts.   The price jumps when you order anything "fish".   My eating partner and I arrived just before noon so I was in the mood for some fish and eggs!   At $22.95 for pickeral, eggs and hash it was definitely overpriced.   My eggs did come with a hair - extra protein?  My partner had a traditional sausage and eggs.   We both had our fill of non stop coffee as well.

Quick breakdown of the Pro's:

•  Good service, coffee was always topped up.
• The pickeral was cooked properly and the light batter was good, not greasy.  
• Sausage was on the leaner side, which is what I prefer but not for everyone. 

And... the Con's:

•  Hashbrowns were greasy, over cooked.   Oil was old which is why they were dark.  
•  Pricing is inconsistent - too big of a spread from traditional breakfasts, eggs bennies to the fish   and eggs. 
•  Hair in my egg -- ick!
•  Simple, basic greasy and salty breakfast (maybe this is a Pro for some?)  

All and all I wasn't missing out on anything.   Saskatoon is lacking in the breakfast department so it's good to have a change in scenery.   If you haven't been it's worth checking out.    I would go for the overall experience of being in a diner atmosphere coupled with a decent bite and good conversation.   If you are going expecting for food that will leave you craving for more then this isn't the place.  Even if it is a true basic diner style breakfast it can at least be a higher quality.  If you are spending 23 bucks on breakfast you are better off going to Poached for a better cup of coffee and better quality food overall.   I'll be back but not anytime soon. 

   

Goldstone Noodle - Toronto, Ontario

Talk about comfort food! This is the place to come to in Toronto for congee and fried doughnut (yau ja gwai). The fried doughnut sticks is a staple item when it comes to pairing it with congee in the mornings. There is no oily or greasy feeling when biting into the fried sticks. It's the perfect amount of chewy and crunch without being over fried. They have a man at the front of the restaurant everyday frying these up non-stop so they are as fresh as fresh can be!

 

The congee is always consistent.  Meaning tons of quality ingredients and the way congee should be, not too thick and glutenous but not thin and watery.   I have had the "teng jai juk" on more than one occasion.  It has mostly squid and tripe along with some ground beef bits topped with peanuts and lettuce.   The other alternative if you want something a bit lighter is the fish slice congee. 

My eating partner and I decided to have some BBQ as well as it was coming out fresh.   Roasted pork and BBQ pork on rice was added to our "breakfast".   There was no way we were finishing but we made the attempt.  The BBQ pork was too salty for my liking and the roasted pork was too fatty and salty for my taste buds.   All and all I would likely skip out on the BBQ here if you don't like extreme salt and fat.   That said, they do sell a lot so it certainly isn't bad BBQ and I am sure it would taste better in a soup noodle.

Wash everything down with a cold lemon tea on the way out and breakfast / brunch was a success!  Let's just say I walked 45 minutes in rain for congee and fried sticks the next day!

Miku - Vancouver, BC

Back from Vancouver again!   Had my fill of ramen and some other usual spots.  I did not realize I was there for the "Dine Out" Vancouver event that select restaurants participate in.   Miku was a restaurant I wanted to try out before even realizing about the event.   With the dine out event they created a menu to showcase their best so you could get a taste of everything from appetizer to dessert.

For $38.00 dollars you will get the set menu:


Appetizer:  tofu & tomato caprese, nori tempura battered crispy ebi and pork belly and aburi soy daikon.

Main: aburi salmon oshi, aburi ebi oshi, aburi saba oshi, oxford roll, hamachi aburi, ebi aburi, bincho aburi, maguro zuke, kanpachi zuke, salmon zuke - added some sockeye salmon sashimi! 

Dessert: green tea eclair, yuzu orange sorbet and orange vanilla sauce.

Let's talk about the sushi!  I was really excited to get a chance to eat some aburi sushi (roasted sushi, flame, usually half raw, half cooked).   I had some amazing aburi sushi at this little shop in Tokyo and I was hoping this would bring back some memories at least.   It certainly brought back some memories and even flavours.   By the time I ate the aburi sushi it cooled off too much.  They did push the envelope with some interesting flavour combinations from lime zest to jalapenos.   That said, the sushi is good but certainly did not exceed my expectations for a place that is marketing itself to be the best in the city.

Flipping back now, the appetizer was really really good!  The pork belly melted in my mouth, the crispy ebi had the perfect amount of heat, the tofu and tomato combination was refreshing.  

The dessert was equally good and well thought out.  Different textures, sweet to tangy, it was all very good, very sexy and a nice way to finish off the set menu.

I will say the service was top notch and seamless.  My partner and I had some sake and to our surprise  we were able to select our own cup!  Overall it was a positive experience for sure.  I would recommend people to try it out at lunch to see if it meets your expectations before committing to the dinner menu.

The Delayed Ramen Part III - Kintaro!

Took some time off from blogging about food experiences but I had this craving for ramen the last while and thought about Kintaro.  So why not finish up part three of the downtown Vancouver ramen experience!

Kintaro is by far the busiest shop for ramen around Vancouver.  There is a constant line up and I always refuse to wait around for a spot inside and opt to go next door to Motomachi.  Not this time!  My partner and I were fully committed to this ramen session.

Felt like we waited for an eternity but it was probably around 45 minutes.  They took orders ahead of time so you would get your food in a short time frame once seated and get the heck out when you were done!

I had the BBQ Pork Ramen and went with the regular pork.  When we were waiting in the windows I saw people eating the fatty pork and it is fat!  Even the half and half was pretty fat to me.  The broth was a lot saltier and had more oil than what my palate was normally use to.  It reminded me of the street spots in Tokyo with fast food that had lots of salt and oil.  None the less it is definitely tasty!  I had a side of kimchi and the portion was huge!  I was expecting a lot less kimchi but that little bowl is packed with kimchi - very spicy!

My partner had the vegetarian option loaded with nori, corn and egg.  Broth is lighter but still a bit more oily than what we were use to next door.

All in all, my preference is still Motomachi.  I find it more comfortable, broth less oily and more 'earthy' which makes some sense since they claim they use a lot of local and organic ingredients.  I never have to wait in line and I don't feel rushed when inside.   Kintaro is still worth trying out for yourself to see what line up is all about! 

Happy Thanksgiving and maybe you can use that leftover turkey in a bowl of ramen??

The Ramen Review Part II - Motomachi Shokudo - Vancouver, BC

Hello Motomachi! Sometimes it seems like Motomachi is forgotten from it's big brother a few doors down - Kintaro. I'm a big fan of Motomachi and 99% of the time I have the Bamboo Charcoal Ramen! First off, I love the small interior that mainly consists of a square communal table with a center piece that provides privacy all around. I never feel squished or rushed when I am eating my ramen when compared to some of the other ramen spots. The atmosphere is perfect and authentic.

On this visit, no surprise I had the Charcoal Ramen. If you read the menu there are all sorts of health benefits with this charcoal broth. That is just an added bonus, this broth leaves a long lasting taste that is extremely flavourful. I find Motomachi is not as oily, vegetables are fresh and they claim organic, the meat is not as fatty. For me this is a perfect combination and fits my palate. For others who prefer an oily broth and chasu (pork) that is fattier then Motomatchi might not be the place.

My partner had the spring special that had loads of fresh vegetables in a shio broth that was tomato based. Her descriptor - earthy. If there is a taste that can be described as organic this was it.

So the quick summary for those of you deciding on your ramen fix. If you want a healthier alternative, no long line ups and nice atmosphere then this definitely a must stop for ramen in Vancouver! And those wanting something a bit different, stayed tuned for Ramen Review Part III!

The Ramen Review Part I - Hokkaido Ramen Santouka - Vancouver, BC

My last trip to Vancouver included stopping at 3 of my favourite downtown ramen shops! There is no where else in Canada where you can conveniently walk a few blocks in any direction and eat quality authentic ramen.  I LOVE IT!

Located on the west end on Robson Street, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is considered one of the newer kids on the block.  In past I have had their shoyu and miso cha-su ramen but on this visit I had to have the signature ramen.  Tokusen Toroniku Ramen meaning choice pork ramen is their pride and joy!

The noodles and toppings are served separately.  I like this idea so you don't have to let your meat and toppings drown in broth.  The first few slurps took me back to the red light district in Shinjuku and eating ramen at this shop with a pink pig in front.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about??  All this to say it was extremely satifisying and I really enjoy the noodles they use here as it doesn't get chewy and overcooked.  The meat is incredible!  It's pork cheek meat and apparently only small portions of this are found on the pig.  They compare it to the same sensation as eating fatty tuna.  I agree 100%.  This pork melted in your mouth, unbelievably tender.  Surprisingly it wasn't as fatty as I thought it would be which was a bonus!

This place is busy and rightfully so.  There is usually a line up, especially on the weekends for the evening hours. My first stop this time for ramen was a great success!! I was hungry for more and couldn't wait to get to Motomachi for my next meal - my usual ramen stop in Vancouver.

Meat & Bread - Vancouver, BC

Mmmmmm... meat and bread!  You seriously can't go too wrong with this combination assuming you like meat and bread.  Don't expect a lot of vegetables here, although you can get a side salad with your sandwich.  It's a nice addition and looked delicious, but when you walk into the line up and you see them pull up out a steaming moist chunk of pork it's hard to think about anything else.


What appeared to be the owner was going up and down the line to let people know about the feature sandwich.  This helped speed up the ordering process even though they have a small menu to begin with.  They had a turkey, meatball, grilled cheese sandwich that day but I opted for the porchetta.  Like I said, it was so hard to resist that pork when you can see the moisture in the meat, the fat ooze out from the crispy skin and the smell!

I'm getting hungry looking at these pictures.  The sandwich is what I will say a solid portion.  Not overwhelming for me but definitely not skimpy.  I loved the crispy skin that they seperated and added into the sandwich.  It reminded me of the roasted bbq pork you would eat up in Chinatown.  Overall the porchetta is tasty but definitely on the salty side.  But who cares when the meat is so moist and fresh out of the oven.

I wish I had more time and more room to eat all the sandwiches.  This is a great spot in Gastown for a quick, casual, unpretentious bite that will hit every spot.  I look forward to my return and maybe next time I will add in that serving of fruit and vegetables!  Actually, I did have some lime in my Sip so that has to count for something.