LUXOMME

KINTON RAMEN

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This is a Summer post because I'm trying to cling on to the last bits of sunshine before Fall comes and then goes full Winter. 

The only thing I really like cold in life are my noodles. It's almost as if I have an invisible radar for them that inevitably lands me in a restaurant with a bowl of chilled noodles in front of me. My favorites in no particular order are zaru udon, zaru soba, jjolmyeon, naengmyun and of course, ramen. 

Derek and I stumbled into this restaurant on a particular hot day as we were strolling along Queen St. W in Toronto. We had plans to go for kbbq instead at midnight for the night owl special, but feeling famished at around 5, which is usually when we eat dinner, we decided to make a pit stop at Kinton for something small to tide us over until the evening. 

Then we ended up with a huge basket of kaarage (Japanese fried chicken), a huge glass of beer (for him), and the most generous bowl of chilled noodles I had ever laid my eyes on.

It came with a side of dipping sauce and some grated daikon radish, sliced green onions and a quail egg. The instructions that came with the order said to mix the vegetables with the egg and then combine it into the sauce before taking bite sized portions of noodles and lightly dipping it into the mixture. 

After some deliberation about whether or not to include the raw egg, we finally dug in. The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente and chilled but not too cold. The seaweed imparted a different dimension of flavor and the aroma of roasted sesame seeds finished off the perfect bite. 

The chicken kaarage was okay too. 

I'm not a fan of Kinton's hot ramen options, but they definitely know how to do a cold noodle, perfect for a hot Summer day. Do note that Kinton has multiple locations and each one has their own specialty menu items dependent on location and season, so not everything may be available all the time, but there's always something worth trying.

And yes - we included the raw egg. 

How could you not.

naomi

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For more reviews and information about Kinton Ramen, please visit the following link;

 

SMASH BRUNCH

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Saturday mornings are for lazy sleep ins, rolling around in bed and hearty brunches.

Last weekend, these two lovely girls flew in from Winnipeg to visit me for the weekend in #the6ix. They thought they were coming to see the CN tower, but instead were given a full blown food tour of the city instead.

Smash is a special place for me for many reasons, but mainly because it's one of the only places in the city that I'll often crave on a Saturday morning whenever someone mentions brunch.

Their fare is simple with a short but diverse list of eggs benny and omelettes to french toast and chicken and waffles. The options are limited enough to not be overwhelming, but wide enough so you feel like you have a good selection.

My go-to is their classic eggs benedict with the meatiest ham possible. Their eggs are always perfectly done and it comes with a generous heaping of potatoes by default but I like to switch it out for an equally generous serving of fruit.

The girls went for the clubhouse sandwich and an omelette respectively. which judging by their expressions was as delicious as you would expect. All the brunch items come with the choice of making it into a prix fixe for a flat price of $20, which includes tea/coffee, a brunch entree and a choice between three of their decadent desserts.

Would recommend sitting on the patio if you come on a bright sunny day like we did, but do bring sunscreen so you prevent those nasty burns! The cherry on top is that main street Unionville is also a short 10 minute walk away, so enjoy yourselves but leave enough room for ice cream at the Old Firehall Confectionary!

All in all a perfect way to start our day.

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,