Friday Lunch at Khao San Road

We really looked forward to trying Khao San Road since all the reviews were so enthusiastic. Our initial lunch from Khao San Road was so disappointing that we felt we had to go back.  Second time around lunch lived up to expectations.


Garlic tofu was a terrific starter. Cubes of  tofu were deep fried in a garlic and kaffir lime accented crumbs to greaseless perfection. They would be a delightful alternative to shrimp or chicken balls as a cocktail party snack. Alas, the promised tangy garlic dipping sauce was missing in action.

Garlic Tofu, Dipping Sauce MIA...

Tom Yum Kung, the famed Thai lemongrass soup, had an outstanding full-bodied chili-zinged broth, in which mushrooms, coriander,shrimp, and tomatoes were suspended.

Tom Yum

We chose two popular mains:  Sam ros--pad Thai, and pad gra prao chicken.  The hallmark of great pad Thai is a balance amongst hot, sour, salty, and sweet elements. In Toronto, we are used to sweet overkill.  Although perhaps a little short in the sour department, the cooks at Khao San Road achieve a much better balance.  Some of us love this dish for the play between the slithery noodles and the crunch of bean sprouts and peanuts.  For those people, these noodles were a bit lacking since sprouts were kept to a minimum and the peanuts were finely minced.

Pad Thai Sam Ros

The minced chicken of the pad gra prao was bathed in holy basil but we think it would have been even better with pork. (Ed. Note: We later were informed that though they don't advertise pork, it is available upon request.)

Chicken Pad Gra Prao

When it comes to tapioca, people either love it or hate it.  The tapioca lover here was impressed with the good clean flavor of tapioca gently cooked in coconut milk.  In fact, she has been thinking of it ever since finishing the last spoonful.

Young Coconut and Tapioca Dessert

This is definitely a higher level of Thai cooking than usual but a price that means we will not be dashing down to Adelaide Street very often. Expect a wait of at least half an hour and well meaning but not very polished service.

Price:  $39.55 for five dishes which was more than enough for two.
Location: 325 Adelaide Street West
Phone: 416)738-3874

Toca Restaurant, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Toronto

Toca Restaurant's chef is Tom Brodi, former executive chef under Anthony Walsh at Canoe Restaurant. So, I had high expectations looking forward to my dinner there. The room itself has a very comfortable atmosphere. It is both sophisticated and informal in a very modern way. Although I did not order it, i noticed that the menu features the makers one of my very favourite smoked salmons; Wolfhead.

We began with an amuse bouche of tuna sashimi, shaved, cured fois gras, and blueberry and raspberry ice, all served chilled. The contrast of the blueberry flavour provided a wonderful contrast to the very fresh fish and the fat of the fois gras was a good complement for the maguro grade tuna, which is very lean.

My next dish was an extremely good beef tartare; the beef was properly aged and supplied by Cumbrae's Meats. This beef tartare was perfection for me, very nearly as good as my fave in Toronto, available at Didier's Restaurant. It was so appealing i took a forkful before I took the photo.

My dinner partner ordered B.C. Dungeness crab with bone marrow, peau rouge cheese  and fennel pollen. It arrived beautifully presented in a split marrow bone and topped with a thin slice of roasted fennel.

The following dish, a surprise, was brought in plated under a small glass bell jar that retained a dense smoke. When lifted, the intoxicating aroma of the smoke made my mouth water when I viewed what became visible, a nicely cross-hatched piece of pork belly. A terrific "snack".  

My final dish was St. Canut pork stew with quark spaetzle and I ordered braised red cabbage to go with that rather than the pickled cabbage offered. The stew had a wonderful gravy and came with root vegetable and pieces of blood sausage, a trencherman's combo.

Xam-Yu Seafood Restaurant, Toronto

I made a request, well in advance, to have the restaurant bring in a giant Alaskan king crab, now in season, for the centrepiece of our meal. What a wonderful experience! The crab was perfectly cooked and prepared in 3 ways, the first, boiled to a tender doneness, the the thicker portion of the legs split and the sweetly addictive meat easily accessible and served with the crab juice and roe, all in the shell, with chopped scallions.

The second way, terminal parts of the crab legs were split so that the ever so sweet meat was easily accessible, and sauteed with scallions and ginger. Another delectable experience. Sorry, there was much more food on the plate, but the ravenous scavengers got to this dish before I could photograph.

The third way, the chunks of crab arrived buried in a "ton" of crisp, sauteed, finely chopped, slightly bitter tasting garlic, which for a garlic lover such as myself, is addictive. Even when I finished the very lightly battered, deep fried crab that went with it, I managed to eat all the remaining garlic (don't sleep with me tonight dear). 

Frankly, for those of you who are not trenchermen, the crab done 3 ways and perhaps the best veggie dish, the sauteed snow pea shoots and king mushrooms, would be the max to order as just these dishes would easily satisfy 3 people, if not 4.

Giant fresh scallops with their sweet roe sac attached, were also available, flavoured with a bit of chopped scallions and garlic. We each had one.

Our final dish was mixed seafood and sliced mango (what a great combo) in a crispy "bird's nest".

FRIDAY LUNCH from Olliffe

The high quality meat from Olliffe Butchers is amongst the best in the city.  Certainly, it offers value for money but bargain is not a word one normally associates with Olliffe.  Think again while taking a bite out of their soup and sandwich lunchtime special.

We go so late in the day that we miss the back bacon sandwich.  Instead, we try Spanish sausage on a sesame-sprinkled egg twist. The meat, from Metzger's in Hensall, looks more like Dutch-style meatloaf than sausage. Who cares? It has a peppery zing augmented by a mustard mayo.  But guys, this is March, just ditch the anemic tomato slices until July.  Since lunchtime was technically over, we will forgive the limp lettuce.

We have nothing but kudos for the lentil soup. One of the problems with lentil soup is that it is often overcooked into a chalky mess.  Here the lentils are perfectly cooked.  A dice of celery and carrots relieves the soup's inherent brownness while garlic adds extra flavor. Despite a trip of a few blocks on a damply chilly day, the soup is still hot when we get back to the store.

Even more amazing, the cup of soup and sandwich are sufficient for two people--and a genuine bargain.

Price: $10.00
Location: 1097 Yonge Street south of the Summerhill subway station.
Phone: (416)928-0296

Miscellaneous Toronto Resto Experiences: Splendido, Pangaea, Didier, Addis Ababa.

I just had to share this incredible Splendido experience. This restaurant has so many delights, but the highlight at this meal for me, was the "salad": black perigourd truffles, hedgehog mushrooms, jerusalem artichoke chips, sweet nasturtiam leaves, shaved raw oyster mushrooms, baby arugula leaves, jerusalem artichoke emulsion, truffle dust, truffle vinaigrette, all presented on a lovely wooden platter. A delight to both the eyes and the palate. One must experience this culinary wonder.

The other night I enjoyed a lovely dinner at Pangaea restaurant. The highlight was the seafood paella, normally only present on the lunch menu, I requested this for my main and the chef obliged. A wonderful cornucopia of flavours of the sea: fresh mussels, clams, bay scallops and shrimp with rice perfectly prepared with a complex, well flavoured stock. The rice also incorporated chopped smoked chorizo, the smokiness a highly complementary flavour, along with chopped tomato, chopped scallions and garlic. In all, a mouth watering dish that on reflection, makes me want to return.

I was at Restaurant Didier for lunch and enjoyed the city's best beef tartar. But, I wanted to share my tart tatin experience. Didier does it a bit differently, incorporating a kind of cake rather than a typical tart crust, a more refined experience with the addictive familiarity of the caramelized apples. 

Addis Ababa has been around for a very long time. I love the Somalian flavours of the slightly sour but highly complementary injera, used as a "bread" to complement and hold the various prepared foods. I need this flavour experience about once every 1 to 2 months. This platter has most of my faves: beets, collard greens, salad with their own tart dressing, lamb tibs, carrots and cabbage and kitfo (the Somalian version of beef tartar, served barely warm, that combines berbere spice and butter) that comes with their own version of crumbly fresh cheese. 

Dining at Inigo Restaurant, Toronto

Inigo restaurant is chef Carlos Hernadez' new effort located at 927 Queen street west. It is hard to see because the signage is not obvious at all, but, for those of you looking, it is on the south side of the street just east of Strachan avenue. It is worth a journey. When he was at Torito restaurant, I found that his oeuvre, for me, made him one of the best chefs in the city. At Inigo, the menu is very limited so his range is not appreciable, but trust me, this chef can cook! What makes him so good for me is the range of intense flavours and textures that are so complementary and that the flavours can be so well appreciated on their own. His cuisine is true comfort food.

Peruvian chicken flavoured with Parmesan cheese, cumin, sunflower peppers from Peru and walnuts. Crispy chicken skin was scattered on top. A wonderful combination of South American flavour with just a bit of a bite.

Lamb chunks with chick peas and dried apricots. Chopped cilantro was scattered on top. The tender lamb, the sweet soft apricots and the chick peas provided a pleasant contrast of textures and the stronger flavour fo the lamb was well balanced by the fruity apricots.

Braised beef cheeks with root vegetables is one of chef Carlos Hernadez's classics that he does so well and is one of my favourites.

Tender roasted chicken was moist and flavourful. I chose to have the leg.

And remarkably, this wonderful selection of perfectly executed dishes came in at $20.62!! Now you readers of this column know I don't discuss price, but this, was great value!

INIGO RESTAURANT 
927 Queen Street West, (at Strachan Ave)
Toronto, ON
416-645-6707

INIGO IS NOW CLOSED

BOOK REVIEW: Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

The hype which preceded the publication of the Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir, Blood, Bones & Butter was so loud and so long that by the time it appeared it was tempting to diss it.  Who, though, has the guts to contradict Anthony Bourdain, Mario Batali, Daniel Boulud, and Mimi Sheraton. Anyway, to do so would be to ignore the prodigious writing ability of Hamilton who is chef/owner of the New York restaurant Prune, and who has a Masters of Fine Art in fiction writing from the University of Michigan.

Hamilton is one of those people who is totally unafraid to voice her perception of the truth.  If she is sometimes hard on her staff, she is even harder on herself, both physically and critically. Anyone who has ever worked in catering will recognize the cast of characters and the iffy sanitation practices she describes.  Even this combined with the ringing endorsement of so many culinary heavy weights , the meaty narrative of Blood, Bones & Butter  does not really come across as a true food/restaurant memoir.

Certainly Hamilton has a finely developed and very specific appreciation of food.  Her food world does not include molecular gastronomy but it does include swooning over Andre Soltner's omelette making skills.  Her culinary view is predicated on the culinary lessons learned at her mother's knees. Still, Hamilton's most lyrical writing is reserved not for food itself  but for the relationships that are acted out around the dining table.

This is more Paradise Lost as memoir in which food is first the glue that holds Eden together.  Later it becomes the substance which will bring it all back together. Hamilton's lost paradise  was an haute-Bohemian life lived in a large family on the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. Home was a repurposed factory where her French-born former ballerina mother presided over a six burner stove.In the heyday of convenience foods, Gabrielle Hamilton's mother was serving up marrow bones. No fast foods passed her children's lips.  There were woods and an icy stream in which to play.  Family social life culminated in an annual party for hundreds in which the centrepiece was a whole lamb, spit-roasted over apple wood.  Her set designer father presided over this extravaganza.

The idyll came to a halt one Sunday morning when her mother, confronted with a husband hidden behind a newspaper,one suspects yet again, suddenly and irrevocably swept everything on the table onto the floor.  Chunks of sausage and shards of glass swimming in a pool of mustard signaled the end of Gabrielle Hamilton's childhood.  She was 12.  Of course, she had never suspected there were any problems.

After a brief attempt to live with her mother in rural Vermont, Hamilton did not see her for two decades.
Predictably, bad behavior followed. Alongside the acting out, the seeds of a fine work ethic and common sense which would stand her in good stead as a restaurateur, took root. Between unfiltered cigarettes, joy riding, and lines of cocaine, she managed to finish school and m in the hospitality industry, she always managed to support herself.  All the while she held fast to the family ties which bound her to a sister and brother.When she faced a charge of grand larceny, Hamilton's brother, by then a highly paid Wall Street trader,underwrote  the talented lawyer who got her sent to college rather than jail.  It was a wake up which after a long apprenticeship--or perhaps sentence-- in catering and a detour to the Midwest for the MFA finally led to the restaurant which bears the nickname which her mother bestowed on her.

Although it has none of the polemics of early feminist literature, Blood, Bones & Butter does have some of its elements:  the hardscrabble life, strong relationships between women forged in difficult work situations, the obligatory lesbian liaisons, and the drive to create family, whether by blood or choice.  For Hamilton, the new nuclear family became reality when she married a male Italian customer in need of a green card. More than the husband, it is the ensuing Italian holidays, her connection with his mother in spite of language differences, and the two sons she bore with him that finally fulfilled her need for family. Ultimately, she finds that she cannot make a foreign culture become her own.

This is a book that speaks most obviously to women and to the children of divorce.  It should impart great hope to parents of children who have gone spectacularly off the rail;  most of them right themselves. It is a true testament to Gabrielle Hamilton's writing ability that the Bourdains, the Batalis, and the Bouluds of the world will also find resonance in her story.

Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
Hardcover, $30, 304pp
Reviewed by Jennifer Grange

Hashimoto Restaurant, Toronto, One of North America's Finest Japanese Experiences

We were greeted at the door of the new Hashimoto restaurant in the Japanese Cultural Centre by the chef’s wife. She was dressed in very traditional formal Japanese clothes. We had made advanced arrangements with the chef for a very private, formal kaiseki dinner. All of the fish and vegetables were seasonal and freshly flown in from Japan.


After being seated we were presented with sparkling saki (something newly being produced in Japan), a junmai daiginjo saki. Slightly on the sweet side, perhaps more than I initially liked, it was refreshing in a way with it's very small bubbles and was better with food.

Shortly, we were presented with a lacquered tray on which were placed 3 dishes. One contained a small mound of sticky white Japanese rice. Another, a small stock of burdock, stuffed with minced quail, standing in a pool of white miso adjacent to kintoki red carrot topped with a micro dab of mustard. With the ambient lighting (which the flash fails to reveal) the presentation resembled delicate ornamental objects in a moonlit reflecting pool. The miso had a creamy texture and was very mild and fresh tasting. Another dish had mountain potato, lotus root and lily bud leaves that surrounded a mildly vinegar flavoured, softly firm egg yolk with a rhubarb sauce.

Eikun draft saki (pasteurized once), a pleasant mildly fragrant saki was introduced to accompany the next dishes.

The next presentation consisted of 2 dishes on a lacquered tray, one topped by a formal decorative crane and the other a small bird that when the top was removed, contained a small pool of a truly excellent, complex tasting, house made soy sauce. The crane dish contained ma-dai (wild porgy) with julienned daikon and ground fresh wasabi. We were instructed to use either the wasabi or the soy sauce for the fish, but not both as that would affect one's appreciation of the delicate taste. What an experience to taste such exceptionally fresh tasting fish.

The following course was impeccably fresh ama-dai ( red tile fish) accompanied by very finely julienned carrot . The fish’s scales (these from one of the few fish that has edible scales) were  placed in front. The scales were very lightly battered and fried to a wonderfully crispy texture. The same mild and complex tasting soy sauce was used again as a condiment. The exceptionally fine julienne of the carrot so positively affects one's appreciation of their flavour!

Uni (sea urchin), topped with a small dab of wasabi, was simply presented in a modest wood topped ceramic bowl. The inner simplicity of an undulating layer of dark green adjacent to the pale beige was somewhat reminiscent of the sea. This kaiseki presentation was further enhanced by the placement of the bowl within the sea urchin's spiny shell. The sea urchin bowl and a small blue bowl were placed in an ice strewn rectangular bowl in a very spare presentation. The small blue bowl was filled with a stronger and richer tasting soy sauce to accompany one one of the 2 pieces of very cold uni, the other piece to be tasted with the small dab of fresh wasabi.

Aka-mutsu (red grouper) and hakusai (a Japanese cabbage) were lightly braised at the table in very hot kombu (sea weed) broth and dipped into ponzu sauce. The fish was so buttery in texture, after being braised and incredibly tender. The slightly bitter aspect of the cabbage and it's barely crunchy texture were a perfect complement for the buttery fish.

Hou-bou fish (blue finned guernard or sea robin) was presented with udo, a stemmed Japanese root vegetable. The udo was presented in 2 ways, a fine julienne and a thin slice. The udo had a very slight citrus flavour (typically served at the beginning of the spring season), the taste of which is more obvious at the tip of the tongue, while toward the back of the tongue a jicama like flavour was more obvious. The presentation dish continued the crane theme. A mild soy sauce and some freshly grated wasabi accompanied this dish.

A lacquered tray with an Edo period ceramic bowl(!!) was presented with pieces of Isaki (sweet lip fish), thinly sliced red radish and kombu, all at bottom of this deep bowl. A mild ponzu sauce accompanied this dish.

Kamasu (whiting fish) came next, accompanied by a bit of spinach. Some mild soy sauce came with a bit of grated ginger all for dipping in an adjacent small bowl.

Koshin (watermellon daikon) was finely julienned and presented

with sayori (needle fish), a slightly oily fish with a flavour that has a very pale similarity to sardine. Sayori bones and head were wonderfully crispy "fish chips". We ate the head, long needle point, jaws and all!

Our final saki was Genshu, a high, 22% alcohol daiginjo saki. This much stronger flavoured saki was an important accompaniment for the following dishes.

Awabe (abalone) sashimi was presented with julienned daikon and a small yellow ceramic vessel resembling a lemon, containing a mixture of soy sauce with the liver of the abalone. This mixture had a slightly briny, earthy flavour and was a strong tasting accompaniment for the abalone.

Next, owan-mono (soup) with a complex layering of bamboo shoot wrapped ma-dai fish, abalone, dried steamed sweet rice (doumyo-ji), kintoki (red carrot) and all tied with green strip beans then topped with a thin slice of white turnip, yuzu, uguisu-na (petite turnip with leaf) and suizen-nori (seaweed).

Mana-katsuo (pampano fish) followed and was lightly sauteed with it's scored skin and presented with a lilly bulb, a dab of sour plum puree and fuki (stem vegetable).

Next came something steamed and stewed. A sculpted dome created from daikon covering mashed ama-dai fish (tile fish) wrapped in grated turnip and all wrapped in spinach with a sauce of premium kudzu starch,  touch of yuzu and grated ginger.

Lightly fried "popped" rice left on the original stems (such fun to eat and way better tasting than popped corn), specially brought in from japan (for longevity), called enaho, were beautifully presented with karuma-ebi ( the highest quality Japanese shrimp) accompanied by tarano-me (sprout vegetable) and fukino toh (sprout vegetable) to awaken us from the winter (it is almost early spring in Japan) with it's slightly bitter flavour, a crane carved from daikon radish served with kintoki red carrot dressing, matcha (premium quality green tea powder) salt for the shrimp and in a separate dish, crispy, barely battered and fried crispy shrimp heads topped with decorative kudzu starch.

Our next  course, grilled grade 5A (the highest grade of marbling) wagyu beef strip loin served with 20 year process, house made teriyaki sauce, was a fantastic gustatory experience. This is the fois gras of beef!!!! The terryaki sauce was the perfect complement.

Our final saki was ginjo okunomatsi.

Finally, lightly stewed Ma-dai fish eggs, rice steamed with uni, seaweed and ma-dai fish all topped with ginger and served with pickled white turnip, turnip leaf and cucumber.

Our dessert was  a refreshing pureed iced strawberry with agar agar and house made vanilla flavoured ice cream. I apologize for the the rest of the photos as my camera lost the use of the flash because of low batteries.

The Tea Ceremony

We were then escorted down a hall to a cosy separate tatami mat covered room, where in the middle of the floor was a heating element and a quietly hissing caste iron kettle. Slightly sweet tasting mashed yam with black sesame seeds was served just prior to the actual ceremonial preparation and serving of tea.


The precise hand motion and deft body movements of the person performing the tea ceremony were an orchestration of visual and auditory harmonics, the extensive and traditional black fabric brushing together with each arm motion and change of posture, the hissing of the water slowly boiling in the black cast iron kettle, the ritualistic motions of the hands and fingers, the role of the cleaning satin and the careful precise cleaning motions for each utensil. Then, the passing of the prepared tea, the tea maker eyeing and carefully appreciating the brew in the tea bowl as he ritualistically turned the bowl 3 times and placed it in front of us, and our ritualistic response, turning the bowl 3 times to admire both the ceramic bowl and it's contents, the forest green frothed tea. And, with the drinking of the tea, bringing the slightly bitter broth to our lips 3 times, the evening ended in serene tranquility, with our appreciation of the skills of the master chef and his harmonious sense of artistry, and his traditionally skilled staff who extended his aesthetic to this the final moment. As our car pulled away from the restaurant, the chef, his wife and the entire staff, as Japanese with tradition, stood outside waving as we pulled away into the night.

HASHIMOTO Restaurant
6 Garmond Court (Don Mills/Eglinton area)
Toronto, ON M3C 1Z5
416-444-7100