Korean Village House

Location: 628 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I took a break downtown in toronto to hangout with a friend. The whole walk there took more than 40 minutes and by the time we met up we were both hungry for something warm and satisfying on that chilly day. We ended up coming across this restaurant that sells both korean, japanese and chinese cuisine.

I forgot to take a photo of the outside so heres a photo i took off google :P

We came there around 2:00pm on a wednesday and so the restaurant wasn't full at all and we quickly got seated.

Here is a poor quality image of the inside  of the restaurant. There are two sides, a booth area with curtains and the typical restaurant layout, which is the one that we ate at.

The meal comes with a free order of kimchi pancake

4/5 

the kimchi pancake was delicious flavour wise. It was not too spicy and was slightly sour form the kimchi and savoury because of the dough. My only problem is that it could have been more crispier. Overall, very delicious

Not only does it come with kimchi pancake, it also included (starting from the top left to the right) broccoli(season with sesame oil), been sprout(season with sesame oil), kimchi, pickled cucumber and soy strips (artificial meat). Also you can replenish your appetizers for FREE!

                                     

I ordered pork bone soup. Came with 3 pieces of pork bone and half a potato (that was cut in half). There is also cabbage and bean sprout in the soup and you get a little bowl of rice. This meal cost $9.07 exactly (tax already included).

4/5 stars

It was a delicious meal. Boiling hot when you get it,  literally, it was bubbling when they served it. The broth is spicy and savoury, and the rice is perfectly moist. However, i did not think there was enough meat on the bone pieces, and the pork meat is slightly bland. In the end i was stuffed and quite satisfied.

Service was nice, always refiling our drinks and asking us how the meal was.

You should definitely check this place out if you are craving some authentic korean cuisine and a warm homely atmosphere.

OVERALL: 4/5

Korean Feast: The Owl of Minerva

September 1, 2012

         If you're trying to find some decent Korean cuisine for rather cheap and don't want to go to all the way downtown (Toronto). There's a 'Owl of Minerva' located in Central Parkway plaza in Mississauga. A friend had showed me this restaurant a month ago and I've been coming back every other week. 

The Owl of Minerva is located: 

1177 Central Parkway W, Mississauga, ON L5C 2T1

*though there are other restaurants step up off Christie station, where Korea town is located*

 It has a small menu which is less intimidating if it's your first time and the names of the dishes are in both Korean and English. The dishes on menu are mostly made with meat, so it's not quite a vegetarian's restaurant. 

You also get free will of where you want to sit, and the dishes are served on a pully :) Along with fast service.

Whatever you order, it always comes with free side dishes most of which are kimchi or kimchi-ified except the pickled bean sprouts, but hey free food ~

Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Soup) $9

The soup was a bit bland, it didn't have a very strong in-your-face flavour. It did have a variety of vegetables and a sizable amount of seafood. It tasted very much like a simple homecooked soup.

4/5

It didn't seems as flavorful in comparison to the other stews they have.

Bulgogi Busot Jijigae (Barbecue Beef Stew) $9

Probably the best stew on the menu, the broth had a rich savory taste and it had come to the table steaming and still boiling. It tasted even better with the rice that it came with and the barbecued beef gave the stew the most delicious smoky aroma which you could taste in the soup.

5/5

A sucker punch of beefy flavour~

 

Mulnangmyun (Cold Buckwheat Noodle Soup) 9$

The noodles were really tough so they gave us a pair of scissors to cut them up so it'd be easier to eat. The soup had a very sweet n' tangy taste, it was kind of refreshing (not spicy). A friend said it tasted like grapes, hmm~

3.5/5

It did become too sweet after while but still really refreshing on a hot day.

Nangmyun (Spicy Cold Noodle) 9$

This type of cold noodle is served without the broth but instead a spicy sauce/paste. I personally love this nangmyun over the other one. It is spicy but the sauce also has a sweet n' tangy-ness to it and it's served with the same tough buckwheat noodles. They give you vinegar and mustard to add some bitterness to contrast the sweet n' spicy.

5/5

A combination of spicy, sweet and sour. It made an impression that'll last.

We had found seats right away and was served our food really quickly regardless of the amount of people there. The ushers were really friendly and the food had filled all of us up. The portions may look small when they arrive at the table, but once you start eating you realize that one stew can feed two people. Most definitely, if you're sick of Korean bbq and want some Korean stews or soups for cheap you should visit 'The Owl'  

OVERALL

4.5/5 

AMAZING PIZZA: Wooden Heads

Wooden Heads

location:192 Ontario Street

Kingston, ON K7L 2Y7, Canada

This place has some of the best pizzas I have ever had. It is very unique because not only does it serve tomato base pizzas but also other types of sauces. The pizzas here are quite pricey but you won't be disappointed by the pizza itself. I'd say its definitely worth trying. Reservations should be made because this restaurant books fast.

here is the link to the menu: http://www.woodenheads.ca/menu.php

 I was so hungry and forgot to take a picture of the pizza right away

the pizza in the front left has : lobster curry, sweet potato, mushrooms, green peppers and bocconcini cheese.

5/5 stars

It was refreshing to try something other than tomato sauce on pizza. The lobster curry sauce was sweet and savoury which complimented the other ingredients on the pizza. I love any kind of potatoes so this was definitely the pizza for me. It costed me exactly $10.00  (before tax and tip)

the pizza behind the first one consists of: pesto, mozzarella, sausage, green onion, mushrooms

5/5 stars

This pizza was a lot flavourful (probably because of the sausage) compared to the first one which was light and sweet. The crust for both pizza were perfectly crispy. It costed $11.80 (before tax and tip) You can actually see the people in the kitchen rolling the dough and making the pizzas in traditional clay ovens

Summerlicious: Trevor's Kitchen and Bar

July 18, 2012

Summerlicious is an event that occurs in Toronto annually to help promote the foods at gourmet restaurants. They provide a menu consisting of an appetizer, main & dessert, all under an affordable fixed price.

Trevor's Kitchen and Bar is located: 

38 Wellington Street East Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1C7.

We had taken the subway down to Kings station and from there it was a 5-10 minute walk. The restaurant in  itself is a basement restaurant, where the lighting is dim but it still provides a warm atmosphere. They used candles to lead you from the entrance to the main dining area, the atmosphere of the restaurant also called for a classy attire.

APPETIZERS: 

 potato crusted crab cake with green mango & chili aioli

rating: 3/5 stars

I was surprised to find actual crab in the crab cake. The texture and flavour was good, however the cake could have been a bit warmer. The aioli sauce was tangy with a hint of spice with complimented the crab cake very well.

 macaroni & asiago cheese

3.5/5 stars

When it first arrived at the table I found it to be quite a small portion but as I ate it the thickness of the asiago cheese compensated for the small size. The bread crumbs on top allowed a delicious texture to the dish.

MAIN:

 duo of mini kobe burgers with garlic truffle mayo & sea salted frites

5/5 stars

The kobe beef in the burger was perfectly cooked to when i took a bite the juices dripped to show a moist burger. The truffle mayo gave it a sweet tangy flavour to the burger. The fries were perfectly salted and the mayo dipping sauce balanced the overall saltiness of the fries.

 surf & turf, dry aged alberto sirloin steak & jumbo prawn with truffled goat cheese poutine

4.5/5 stars

The overall size of the meal was larger than I had expected, the sirloin steak and jumbo prawn were cooked perfectly to how I asked. However, the poutine in itself was quite salty.

DESSERTS:

 dark chocolate & caramel torte with peanut butter chantilly

5/5 stars

The torte was very smooth and rich but when combined with the peanut butter chantilly it gave another element of deliciousness in the overall dessert. The fruit allow a fresh break from the rich torte.

 strawberry tiramisu

4.5/5

The strawberries were sweet and a bit tangy. It pretty much tasted like strawberry short cake. It wasn't anything special but still delicious none the less. It was very light in comparison to the torte.

The service was extremely good. People were very kind and polite and the food was served on time. We probably had only a 5 min interval between each meal. The fixed price for our dinner including our tip came out to $44 each.

OVERALL RATING

4.5/5 stars

Welcome to C&C

Welcome to C&C
A blog dedicated to all things foodtastic!
We're just two people with an appetite for trying new things when it comes to food and we'd like to share our experiences with everyone.

Here we will be:
-reviewing restaurants, cafes and other eateries
-presenting recipes that we find and recommend

Bon appetite,
Cathy & Chris