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"food-obsessed word nerd"
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Review votes:
1409 Useful, 1403 Funny, and 1220 Cool
Brooklyn, NY
Yelping SinceJune 2009
Things I LoveVietnamese sandwiches, Scrabble, zebras, bad puns, Ira Glass, safaris, popsicles, really plush toilet paper, cold noodles, black cherry soda, Woody Allen books, handwritten notes, hushed whispers, poetic license, mondegreens, the unexpected
Find Me Ina good mood till I get hungry.
My HometownBrooklyn, NY
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm freelance writing, cat-sitting, playing Scrabble, correcting typos.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI'm not afraid to go there
The Last Great Book I ReadTwo Caravans by Marina Lewycka
My First ConcertDepeche Mode
My Favorite MovieAnnie Hall, Manhattan, Chungking Express, Tampopo
My Last Meal On Earthan insane meal prepared by the original Iron Chefs or my mom's kimchi chigae
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I have terrible taste in men.
Most Recent DiscoveryThe S.O. is a lying, cheating cuntscrape
Current CrushMy next BF
DateMississauga, ON L4X 2Z3
Canada
(416) 849-8520
Acanac
Category: Internet Service Providers
Despite the name in English, new restaurant on the block Roll House specializes in the aforementioned three dishes. (The sign in Korean actually says "Jja Jang Myun House.") I would not expect this place to make good sushi or maki. You've been warned. Stick to the house specialties and you can't go wrong:
- Gan jja jang myun ($7): Noodles with black bean sauce that's been stir-fried with extra ingredients to make it more thick and tasty. I prefer this sauce to the one in the regular jja jang myun ($5) which is more soupy and bland. Don't be a cheapskate and spend the extra twoonie. It's totally worth it.
- Jjampong ($7): Noodles in a spicy brick-red broth that's crammed with onions, squid, mussels, and cloud ear mushrooms. Unlike at other restaurants, the broth doesn't just rely on esophagus-burning heat for its flavor. The soup has a long-simmered, complex and meaty character that's a bit smoky from the abundance of dried Szechuan peppers. My one quibble is that they're skimpy with the noodle portion and the pasta could be more al dente. Oh, I guess that's two quibbles.
-Tang soo yook ($11 or 12? for a huge sharing platter): This is the Korean version of sweet and sour pork. The batter on the pork strips stays incomprehensibly crisp beneath the thick glaze of honeyed sauce that is not day-glo orange like its Chinese counterpart. Enhance the flavor with your own concoction of soy sauce and vinegar, both of which are provided at each table.[1]
Don't expect the usual banchan (side dishes) you get at other Korean restaurants. Korean-Chinese food only comes with chopped raw onions that you dip into the black bean sauce, and bright yellow pickled daikon radish. These taste better with a drizzle of vinegar.
Service is slow but well-meaning. Just pray that you don't get served by the young waitress with the deer-caught-in-headlights look. She's completely clueless, even when I speak to her in Korean. If you're in a rush to leave, go up and pay for your meal at the cash register or risk sitting around for an eternity. Roll House has become really popular on weekends with long waits for a table at dinnertime. This place is small and not good for groups larger than four people.
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[1] You may have to ask for little plates to do this because the servers are not really on the ball here.
Toronto, ON M5C 2J2
Canada
(416) 962-4734
Greg's Ice Cream
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Neighborhood: University of Toronto
While I enjoyed the Roasted Marshmallow flavor, I found the ice cream to be so rich and excessively creamy it was like licking a stick of sweet butter. I like my green tea ice cream intensely green and chock full of matcha. Greg's version, a mere celadon in color, was pretty weak.
Greg's is OK given the dearth of choices in the neighborhood but not worth waiting for in those insane line-ups. However, given a choice between Greg's or Baskin Robbins down the street, I'd choose Greg's.
Toronto, ON M5T 3A5
Canada
(416) 596-6800
Downtown Echo Karaoke Box
Category: Karaoke
Neighborhood: Alexandra Park
Chief complaint: Severely limited song selection. If all you sing at karaoke are current Top 40 hits then this place was designed for you. I am not this patron.
Other complaints:
-Retarded browsing system instead of song books; you have to use a remote control to scroll through artists' names on a single screen. This means only one person can browse and select at a time, and the artists were arranged in some strange order that was neither strictly alphabetical nor by genre. WTF?
-Lyrics missing from some videos; I don't know all the words to Kanye's "Gold Digger" by heart. Can a bitch get some help with the lyrics, yo?
-Actual music videos instead of the hilariously cheesy B-grade karaoke videos. This is just wrong.
-The place smells of greasy Chinese food.
-Pricey if you don't use enough of the alcohol credit for the room.[1]
The two stars are for:
-A/C
-Not smelling like a bordello
-Not judging when they're closing up and you down a full glass of vodka and need to be escorted out of the building with a barf bag[2]
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[1] Actually, this doesn't apply to me.
[2] Not saying this happened. Just saying.
Toronto, ON M5T 3A3
Canada
(416) 340-0472
Ematei Japanese Restaurant
Category: Japanese
- The short rib yakitori was stringy and tough; like chewing on old shoe leather.
- The chicken leg yakitori was dry and devoid of flavor; it could have been chicken breast for all I know.
- The ankimo (monk fish liver) was OK but not transcendent the way it ought to be.
The butter scallops were still good and I enjoyed the chicken katsu but Ematei is barely getting three stars after my last meal there. I hope things shape up soon!
3 Previous Reviews:
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4/16/2010
I'm still a fan of Ematei so I'll retain the 4-star rating but on a recent visit, I did not like their:
karaage--the pitifully pale, fried coating on the chicken was hard enough to chip a tooth
zaru soba--the noodles were an overcooked disaster; some chefs would commit seppuku for sending out the dish like that
Different but OK:
agedashi--fried in a thick tempura batter and served with tempura vegetables
Still as delicious as ever:
the butter scallops
aspara bacon (bacon wrapped asparagus)
miso black cod
buta kimchi
the spoonfuls of udon I stole from the S.O. -
9/1/2009
I had the shakes. The Little Glutton Living in My Belly was jonesing for some Ematei udon. So I went back there with three more dining companions.
I think four is the perfect number of diners at Ematei; more people means more little plates to sample yet it's still cozy enough to fit into one of the secluded booths.
We ordered a few of my faves from the last visit but now I have new faves to add to the list:
*aspara bacon -- pencil-thin asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon then grilled till crisp and burn-your-tongue hot
*hotate butter -- large, succulent scallops sauteed in butter and soy sauce till they are creamy and dreamy
So grab 3 friends and GO. THERE. NOW. -
8/6/2009
I love Japanese food and I love tapas, so when I get Japanese tapas, the Little Glutton Living in My Belly does a goofy dance of joy.
From its semi-hidden location, real Japanese cooks, and adorable servers drawn like anime characters, I had a very good feeling about Ematei. But the LGLiMB was shouting, "Who cares, biyatch? FEED ME!" Oy. So demanding, this one.
A quick glance at the menu provoked more goofy dancing from the LGLiMB: Miso black cod? GIVE ME! Buta kimchi? HELL YEAH! Shisamo, too?? HOT DAYUM!!
The S.O. and I had other "japas" on our visit but those were the true standouts. Ematei even offers four (4!) different kinds of shochu (Japanese vodka). Order shochu at a Japanese joint and you are guaranteed to bypass the gaijin treatment. (Just don't pull other rookie moves like having sake with your sushi or requesting rice with your tapas.)
I opted for the Satsumo shochu on the rocks while the S.O. had beer, and we picked away at our small plates of protein like two happy hyenas cleaning house. After the procession of "starters" we finished off the meal with our starches: ikura ochazuke (rice in broth topped with salmon roe) for me, and tempura udon for the S.O.
If you only get one thing at Ematei, you MUST HAVE the udon. Perfectly-cooked chewy noodles, deep broth, and a huge portion--especially for a real Japanese restaurant (those sushi places run by Koreans and Chinese don't count). Simply put, the udon is life altering. And by that I mean, other areas of my life are going to have to suffer so I can deposit more dough into the udon-fund.
Alas, that's the one drawback to Ematei and why I give it 4 stars instead of 5. The price. The total bill for 2 was close to $100 after tax and tip. Pretty pricey for a place that's meant to be an everyday, neighborhoody kind of restaurant.
The Damage
hiya yakko (3.50)
salmon sashimi (10.50)
buta kimchi (6.50)
grilled shisamo (4.50)
miso black cod (11)
ikura ochazuke (7.50)
tempura udon (10.50)
shochu (9)
2 beers (??)
and probably something else I forgot
Sigh. Keeping the LGLiMB happy comes at a price.
Toronto, ON M4Y 1L5
Canada
(416) 960-3473
Elite Event @ Fire On The East Side
Category: Local Flavor
The Amazing:
- Potent cocktails delivered quickly
- Food served hot and fresh (and enough of it circulating to prevent drunkification too early)
- Servers who were ever so easy on the eyes; Colin can muddle my limes any day.
- My fave Elites and some new faces in attendance
- Yelpers who really embraced the theme
- Yelpers who made the effort to mingle
- All the ghetto-fabulous gold accessories
- $100-bill napkins; I wish I snagged a few so I can tell people I wipe my tush with Bordens
- A/C
The Sad:
This was Kat F's last Elite event. What are we going to do without her planning these amazing parties?
Lady, we are going to miss you!
Toronto, ON M5V 2L4
Canada
(416) 203-8456
Freshii
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Queen Street West
They really need to put up a sign telling newcomers where to stand and how to order, otherwise you will end up waiting on an imaginary line where your number comes up...never.
On my first visit, I opted for the freshii designed spinach-tuna salad with almonds, apples, and honey dijon dressing. The spinach was so metallic tasting and the tuna so bland, I "tossed" it (in the bin) after a few bites.
I went back weeks later to custom create my own salad, spending $11 to compose the salade par excellence. It was only when I took my ingenious creation home that I realized the salad maker forgot to add the protein that I was charged an extra $4 for.
Blech ingredients + incompetent service = Not impressed.
Lettuce hope they improve.
Toronto, ON M4V 1A4
Canada
(416) 922-6902
Summerhill Nursery & Floral
Category: Nurseries & Gardening
Neighborhood: Rathnelly
While the vibe at Fiesta Farms is tree-hugging and hands-on, Summerhill Nursery & Floral is more posh, with an air of "Muffy, darling, the gardener will handle it." There's a heavy emphasis on decorative landscaping; trees, shrubs, and topiaries galore. No surprise that this place sits at the base of Rosedale where multimillion-dollar homes boast precision-cut lawns and flower beds Martha Stewart would cream her toile garden pants over.
The centre is sprawling, and difficult to navigate if you don't know your perennials from your annuals, but the selection is eye-buggingly extensive. I'll know where to come when I get that white-picket-fenced house but, for now, it doesn't best serve my particular needs for an edible garden on my low-rent deck.
This place is close to the Dupont subway station but there's also a parking lot in the rear if your chauffeur happens to be waiting with the Jag.
Mondays - $5 mojitos
Tuesdays - $5 margaritas
Wednesdays - $3 rail drinks
Thursdays - $5 caipirinhas
Fridays - $3 house shooters
Saturdays - $3 house shooters
Sundays - $5 martinis and $20 pitchers of sangria
Portions tend to be small. There's a patio but it's covered. Don't you dare smoke on it!
Toronto, ON M4M 1L4
Canada
(416) 850-3650
The Curzon
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Leslieville
Park yourself on the vintagey furniture and if you come on a Friday night, you can get mixed drinks for $4.50 till 11 p.m. (Double check this as it might've changed.)
They also have a patio.
http://www.youtube.com...