Bob's Bulgogi

Visited: Lunch on Friday Apr 26, 2013

Company: Got take-out for myself while working from +Will's

I was first introduced to Bob's Bulgogi by +Will, and for those who aren't aware, his preferred choices when we're deciding where to go to eat is always Bob's and mostly because it's the closest food place in proximity to him. Usually we would try to go there on weekends, but it was a rare occasion to find it actually open, especially last summer when they were going through some construction. So of course when i was working from Will's on Friday, there was talk of Bob's and since I knew it would be open, I decided to get some take-out during my lunch break.

At first look, it's quite the hole in the wall, situated in between a corner store and waxing place? It has only room for about 4 people to sit and eat, so it's definitely a take-out place. It was pretty busy on Friday at noon which was something I hadn't seen before, only having gone on weekends prior. The kitchen is quite open which is nice, so you can see your food cooking. They have individual containers of vegetables portioned off and a large container of marinated meat you see them take to cook. They also offer complementary miso soup on the counter you can serve and they ask if you want kimchi as well. The one guy taking your orders is really nice, and the other guy just cooks.

I ordered the Spicy Beef Bulgogi for the first time. Will always got us the chicken before and even though it's still good, it is definitely no signature Korean beef bulgogi.  I got back to Will's to have the food and it was really nice just to sit, eat this by yourself, and enjoy. The portion size was generous and they have a nice amount of rice under the meat. It wasn't too spicy and the sweetness was perfect. The beef was so tender and flavourful and there was a nice mix of veggies in there too. It's hard to want to order anything else, but I saw them cook an order of noodles and that looked amazing too.

Food: 4/5 - Does bulgogi justice.

Decor: 3/5 - Extremely small but open kitchen is nice and clean.

Service: 3/5 - Super nice guys working the place and remembers your orders.

Likeliness to come back: 4.5/5 - I've been converted.

Overall: 3.5/5

Website: none

Santouka Ramen

Visited: Early dinner Sunday Apr 21, 2013

Company: Had planned to go after the Jays game with group of 8

With the popularity of ramen growing as rapidly as it has in Toronto the last year, I knew I had to go big for my first experience. I had heard about the hype of Santouka from +Gisele and +Mohan both recently, a noodle bar with people lining down the street to get in and raving reviews everywhere. I was rather excited to taste the epic-ness of this crazed ramen finally, and to experience it with both foodies and non.

When we arrived, there was only one group in front of us, but it was always a worry to be in a group of 8 going to a restaurant with very limited seating. We were told it would be a wait of 5-10 minutes, but really depended on how fast people would be. Waiting in line was quite an interesting time, being asked for money by strangers and getting chirped by someone on the bus for waiting in line to get into the restaurant. The anticipation was building, as were our appetites  Luckily, everyone stuck it out and waited to be seated rather then getting sushi instead :P.   

You can tell from the menu that they aren't messing around, with only four ramen choices and some rice dishes, it's pretty obvious what you should be getting. I decided on a combo to try both. I chose the Shio Ramen which is their signature dish and because I like creamy broths, paired with the Negi Meshi Rice Bowl which I had found out that is topped dried bonito which is a fish (not a vegetable as believed by +Mohan). There is also a minimum order of about $10 in case you were interested in waiting in line just to get an ice-cream. +Jérémie also requested that I point out that butter is $1 on the menu.

Ok, now on to the ramen... They were actually pretty quick with the orders and were presented quite appealingly. I was so excited but had to take a few photos for the blog first... but with that wait, that first spoonful of broth was just heavenly. The taste was very rich with flavour and not too creamy, I don't even know how else to describe it. The temperature was so perfect though, they have that down to a tee. The noodles were good but nothing special, and the toppings were an interesting combo but fun to try with the group discussing what things were. I got quite full from it after a few bites though, maybe it was the salt? I know others had complaints of the fattiness of the meat and in the soup but I think that just comes with Asian cooking. The rice was...rice but I didn't quite enjoy the bonito flakes, it was a lot more fishy then I had hoped so I was basically just having rice with green onions, and that's just weird. I would just go for the ramen next time, the portion was decent sized for myself and didn't stuff me but maybe for others it was too small. I couldn't see myself coming for a meal here, maybe when you're only a bit hungry. 

So that was my first ramen experience... I think after a few more go's, I'll enjoy it more and may have better reviews? Just like all foreign foods, you have to acquire a taste for it and even though I enjoyed the ramen, I don't understand the hype for it. Maybe all the other ramen places are bad and I just don't know because I went straight for the best, but I guess I will find out eventually. Looking through the photos, I definitely crave ramen but it didn't leave that much of a lasting impression on me. What did everyone else think?

Food: 3.5/5 - Good ramen, okay rice.

Decor: 4/5 - Clean, simple, tight, super Asian.

Service: 4/5 - Very friendly staff, I was actually surprised they weren't stuck up and were really nice to us noobies.

Likeliness to come back: 1.5/5 - Would like to try the other broths, but wouldn't wait in line for this.

Overall: 3/5

Website: http://www.santouka.co.jp/en/

4 Cheesecakes from The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is probably the most happenin' place in Walden Galleria. The wait for a table was 1.5 hours on a Saturday night. We opted to get take-out slices of cheesecake and just eat them in the food court instead, since we were still quite full from lunch. Here's some blurbs about our choices:

Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake

- Layers of Our Fudge Cake, Chocolate Cheesecake, Vanilla Mascarpone Mousse and Chocolate.

This was my choice for cake of course. I loved that it was chocolate cheesecake in the middle, probably my favourite dessert. The vanilla mousse was amazing and a nice flavour in contrast to all the rich chocolate.
Rating: 4/5

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake

- Raspberry-Vanilla Cake, Creamy Lemon Cheesecake, Raspberry Lady Fingers and Lemon Mousse.

+Joslynn Gallant got this one and when I had a bite, I thought that it was extremely and surprisingly sour. I'm a huge fan of the lemon-raspberry combination but this didn't exactly work for me.
Rating: 2/5

Pineapple Piña Colada Cake Cheesecake
- Moist White Cake Layered with Original Cheesecake, Pineapple, Coconut and Rum.

The last 2 were about 50 cents more expensive because they are clearly larger slices. This one was very simple but well done overall with all the right elements. You could taste the subtle pineapple flavour while the moist cake and original cheesecake were delicious. This isn't something I would get for myself just because it is a bit plain, but very tasty still.
Rating: 2.5/5

Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake

- Layers of Red Velvet Cake and Cheesecake Covered in Cream Cheese Frosting. Finished with White Chocolate

I'm always cautious of red velvet because I know how rich it can be despite how pretty. This was no exception, the cake was heavy and the cream cheese frosting just added to it. It was amazing, but one bite was enough for me.
Rating: 3/5

I've always wondered about the hype of The Cheesecake Factory because everyone goes there but their cheesecake slices are like at least $7. They obviously taste amazing and are done well culinarily, but I still think it's over-priced.  Despite this, I will probably fall into the trap, because you can't just not get one when they're all on display in front of you looking all pretty. 

Website: http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/

American Eats: Chili's

Visited: Late lunch Saturday Apr 13, 2013
Company: Shopped in Buffalo for the day with 2 friends and my sister

I feel a little bit weird reviewing a place like Chili's but I think I'm quite overdue for a blog post and I wanted to write about a place I went to recently! I brought my DSLR all the way to Buffalo with the intention of this since there are tons of restaurants to try there. After shopping at the Fashion Outlets all morning, we headed for lunch nearby the mall. We had decided on Olive Garden but it was too busy and we just crossed the street to Chili's. I've never been there before but I believe there's also one in Vaughan ON. I remember seeing their commercials all the time on hotel TVs while visiting the US but I didn't even know it wasn't a 'Mexican' place until my friend told me. I would probably compare it to a Mexican East Side Mario's, very family-friendly and low-priced food. 


To start, we got an order of Jumbo Soft Pretzels, a new item on the menu and perfect size for the 4 of us. It was extremely hot when we got it so that was a good sign. I don't think the salt was evenly distributed because my piece was definitely lacking while others had excess. The pretzels were also more like rolls since they were so large and soft inside. We shared the cheese sauce accordingly but it probably should have came with more, even though it didn't really add much flavour overall.

For my main, I got the Margarita Grilled Chicken which looked great when it came out. It was surprisingly flavourful, especially of citrus and lime. Those who aren't of a fan of that flavour wouldn't have enjoyed it. The chicken was topped with pico de gallo and on a bed of rice, chips, and beans, the combination was actually great together. The chicken breast was cooked nicely and was very tender. Perfect portion size as well.

I also shared +Lilian Chiu's order of Mango-Chile Tilapia that I thought looked a bit stingy when it first came out. They also seem to like to serve broccoli here with a lot of the dishes, my friend who got steak also got broccoli which I thought was odd since that's usually not the vegetable of choice for sides. The tilapia was noticeably over cooked and didn't have that texture that fish should have if it was cooked well. The avocado, salsa and mango combination topping was very delicious but the chile was overdone on certain pieces of the fish which made it too spicy. This was a new menu item which also had a chicken option, they should probably stick to that since I assume they use the same chicken that was in my dish that was actually cooked well.

Despite the criticisms, you get a very decent meal for ~$10 which is pretty awesome. The service was quick and the atmosphere was lively. Probably great for the average American family as there's tons of options on the menu to satisfy everyone.

Food: 1/5 - Not quite fine dining.

Decor: 3.5/5 - Loved how colourful and lively it was.

Service: 4.5/5 - Quick and friendly!

Likeliness to come back: 2/5 - I would probably want to try something else but I wouldn't be against it.

Overall: 2/5

Website: http://www.chilis.com