LUXOMME

Can we just take a moment to appreciate this.

For those of you who have no idea what's going on, I was in your position - three months ago.

I've recently moved in Toronto (more accurately the GTA), and as if this was all planned, my new place is situated basically in between all of the restaurants that I've been wanting to try out for ages. Gonoe, Cho Sun Ok, and Kobi.

So that's what I did.

And I dragged along someone with me.

A new face on my blog, I originally tried to convince him to go to Gonoe (for the live moving octopus and sushi!), but this guy hates - like hates with a capital H - sushi, for a reason that still escapes me.

Let's pause for a moment. Who doesn't like sushi! 

Our order of dakgalbi comes in a large iron pan surrounded by a mixture of cheese and corn. The chicken itself is marinated in a spicy sauce, topped with onions, and mixed in with carrots, cabbage, and rice cakes. Add ons are available at an additional charge - rice, more rice cake, ramen, udon etc.

While we waited for the chicken to cook and for the cheese to melt down, I made this guy flash his billion dollar smile for my camera.

This sort of moment needs to be captured.

We can eat, but first - let me take a picture. 

Once it's cooked down, you can see the flavours meld together into a indulgently savory dish. We've got thick pieces of squid and chicken laced with vegetables and chewy rice cake.

Delicious.

And if you want to tingle your taste buds even more, you take a piece of the spicy chicken, and then dip it in the melted cheese. Rolling it around until you've got the perfect proportion of chicken to cheese so that you've got the sharp spice of the chicken blended with the mild and creamy mozzarella, with a slight sweetness that comes from the corn.

This dish is perfect for the chilly Winter evenings we are about to embrace. 

Kobi also specializes in more traditional BBQ as well other Korean dishes, but it's definitely a place you want to bring someone along to. Perfect for gatherings with friends, or a sweet dinner date.

Take me back. Please.

naomi

Tonight, my date and I are heading over to La Carnita Taqueria!

And by tonight, I really meant back in August - because I am a procrastinator.

And by date, I really mean Tiffany - except whenever we are together, its less of a date and more of a situation.

 I promise you. Something is bound to happen.

Upon arrival at 4pm, even though we were no where close to peak hour, we were told that the wait would be 15 minutes or so (because La Carnita is a happening place). The hostess asked us if we would like to sit outside or inside, to which I quickly chimed "outside please!"

Because everyone knows that natural lighting is much better for the gazillion photos I intend on taking.

Tiffany, who lived in the States for part of her life and frequents it often, is an absolute pro when it comes to Mexican food. So I let her take the reins.  

Because it's realistically only 4pm, and we intend to continue our night with more food, she decided to be conservative with our order. One order of Tortilla Chips dusted with Ancho Chili Power & a side of Guacamole [8], one Mexican Street Corn [9], one Beef Cheek taco [5.5], and one signature Carnita Taco [4.95] which was highly recommended by our server.

The chips came immediately, and unlike the guacamole at El Catrin, it comes pre-mashed and ready to eat. I don't mind doing less work.

Famished after a long morning of downtown wandering, we quickly dug in to the generously seasoned chips and smooth guacamole. 

First bite, we were hooked. Second bite, our mouths were on fire.

Quick! Pour the water!

Crunchy bites between massive gulps of water. The chips were delicious and the pain wouldn't stop us.

Thankfully, around the 5th chip, something else arrived at the table.

A perfect distraction to our current woes. A perfectly charred corn on the cob, topped with a special spice blend and a drizzle of crema. 

As I made Tiffany pose for the nice photo, which I had to re-take at least 5 times because she refused to smile for me, our tacos finally arrived!

Some of you may find it peculiar that we would go to a Mexican place and only order two tacos, but I think that La Carnita does everything else much better.

But the two tacos we had were also fantastic.

Fillings were generously piled on. You can see how it completely fills the entire shell, threatening to spill over at any moment. 

Makes for a very very satisfying bite.

Midway into my first chew, the waiter frantically hurried over to our table. 

Remember how I said something always happens when Tiffany and I are together?

Well, apparently it was about to rain and if it started to pour, the waiter instructed us to leave all the food at the table and then rush inside, and our food would be carried and brought back to us to make sure the bill found its way back to the right table.

One thing worse than cold food that's supposed to be hot, is soggy food. 

Quickly putting the camera away to finish off my food, Tiff and I stuffed the remainder of our taco into our mouths and then requested the bill.

The mayhem that ensued shall not be documented on camera. 

One day we will have a quiet uneventful dinner. 

naomi

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For more reviews and information on La Carnita, please visit the following link,

 

YUTAKA

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Izzy and I are inviting you to join us on our lovely day out in Toronto. 

This is a first of three posts which I've collected over our day out in #the6ix when she dropped by for a visit (after ghosting me for 3 years). Yes, I'm calling her out.

We first bonded 6 years ago one chilly night at the Queen's Taiwanese Student Association hotpot event where I adamantly insisted that she was Korean (she is not), and since then she has been the instigator of all my terrible habits (online shopping being the least of them). We don't see each other much - or at all - because she's busy being a boss pharmacist in the US, and I'm in Winnipeg being me, but sometimes she'll grace me with a message and let me know she's back up north. 

Marking our 6th year of friendship (which she doesn't know we celebrated), we spent the day downtown wandering the streets of Toronto getting lost, getting frustrated at google maps, and getting ourselves into situations where we eat a lot more food than we should.

Yutaka was one of these places. 

Originally wanting to go to Japango, which is just around the corner from Yutaka, we ended up at the latter when the former couldn't accommodate us. Feeling upset, those emotions quickly turned into excitement when we saw their daily menu - which has a very generous selection of specials. 

After deliberating over what to order, I decided on the nabeyaki udon and her the chirashi with a side of amberjack sashimi. 

My udon arrived at the table first, piping hot with a egg that has a perfectly runny yolk. Her dinner came a few moments later. An array of fresh and colorful sashimi laid gently on a bed of lightly vinegar sushi rice. 

Not only was everything fresh and flavorful, portions were also generous and extremely filling. We had plans for ice cream afterwards and ALMOST ended up not making them because our meals were so huge. 

It's hard to find a decent nabeyaki that comes with good quality ingredients, but Yutaka really hit the spot, and if Izzy's smiles and complete silence during the meal say anything about how delicious her meal was, it's definitely a place you don't want to miss. 

Located a hop skip from Eaton's Center, it's the perfect stop after a long day of shopping. The restaurant is large and spacious and seating is generous (just like their meals) so that you have plenty of room to set your retail damage down as you enjoy a delicious meal.

naomi

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For more information and reviews on Yutaka, please visit the following link;