Librarian_chef

What kinds of Rice? If you are looking for Japanese goods, I would suggest trying Ozawa on East Beaver Creek in Richmond Hill. They even carry Kobe Wagyu beef. They have a small selection, but its Japanese specific. The T&T at the Promenade mall in Vaughan has a large assortment of different rices. I still think they are the best place for Tofu (lots of variety, aside from the manufacturers of course) and rice (including: Japanese sushi rice, basmati, jasmine scented, purple rice, and quite a few others). I don't honestly know if they have the Kafir Lime leaves, but I would be shocked if they didn't. They have a huge assortment of sauces too, including some harder to find Japanese ones. My personal favourite sauces: X.O. sauce, Oyster sauce, Tonkatsu sauce (which I make myself), Tamari, Mirin, and of course Sriracha. I love Lap Cheong (Chinese pork/duck sausage) and some of the markets have quite the selection. You can't beat the ambience of the downtown stores though. Its a completely different experience. Also, if you don't have a car, getting to the Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan stores can be difficult. There are quite a number of purveyors of dried goods, including dried shrimp, squid, and mushrooms along Dundas, east of Spadina. Mark

Abra, Which MAC's do you use? ← Which ones do you have, PJackso? Western style? Japanese style? What sizes? Mark

I assume you mean the China Town (very Vietnamese these days) along Spadina. Actually, I prefer the non-chinatown stores for asian groceries these days. I usually frequest Big Land and T&T. They are both in the north end of the city though, where most of the Chinese Toronto population now dwell anyway. I just find their selection to be far superior, especially for fish and exotic seafood. If you are looking for cooking utensils, there is a great shop on the north west corner of Spadina and Dundas. great place for woks, rice cookers, etc.... There is a grocery store on the East side of Spadina, about two block south of Dundas that isn't bad. Cheap produce. Their selection of Chinese sausages was not as great as T&T though. What are you looking for? Sauces? Produce? Meat and Seafood? Pastries and breads? Mark

The metal grip creeps me out. A wet palm, five pounds of cremini... One of my favourite things in life is still chopping mounds of mushrooms at full speed. The Global knives always bring a bodily flinch of disaster when I've touched them. Am I wrong? ← I actually like the metal handles on my Füri and Global knives. I hold my knives the French cook way with my thumb and first finger on the blade so the handle is more for stability than ultimate control. I do prefer a bolster though to prevent slipping. That said, I still prefer my wood handled japanese knives. I love the ovular or haxagonal handles and the heaviness of the blades. I can fillet a fish with my deba much better than with a German style bendy filleting knife. It is all in the motions I guess. I have tried Mac and was somewhat impressed. I loved the sharpness, but didn't like the feel of their western handles. I am thinking of purchasing the Mac usuba. I was unimpressed with the Shun Pro series as the handles didn't feel as nice in my hands as other japanese style handles. I find Damascus steel to be somewhat over-rated as well (I own a Kasumi petty knife that is sharp and pretty). More for looks than anything. As for the Kramer knives, those are insanely expensive. They are very beautiful, but I would feel guilty sharpening them or using them for that matter for fear of nicking them in some way or another. For half the price you can pick up a Nenox Gyutou that is probably every-bit their equal, allbeit not as pretty. I have had surprising luck with some real cheap knives over the years too, particularly Stainless Steel -Va/Mb blades. I have been using the same rosewooded handled 10" French knife from some cheap Japanese manufacturer for 12 years now and it is still one of my sharpest blades. Ikea has some really cheap tolerable knives that do the job, but style-wise they are nothing to write home about. A good Chinese cleaver is also a great knife to have around, especially for chopping mushrooms. I know that if I bought a ceramic knife I would end up dropping it and that would be the end of that. Mark

I tried out the PC Puff Pastry last night. I made Apple Tart Tatin. I found the pastry tolerable, but only comparable with the peppridge farms and other brands. It just didn't get the lift I expected. The flavour was pleasant, not too buttery. I will have to see how it holds up in a beef wellington. Mark

I just wanted to add that I found live scallops on the weekend at the T&T Supermarket in Vaughan (in the promenade mall at Bathurst and Centre St.). Mark

I too suffered the same fate. My Torrone was too soft, basically marshmallow consistuency. You can also really taste the sugar granules. I think my problem was that I mixed the honey and the sugar together (as the recipe called for), but which doesn't allow the sugar to reach hard ball stage (I guess). Its a shame because otherwise it was pretty good. Maybe I will sandwiche it between a couple layers of sponge cake or something. Oh well. Mark

I also use Flank. You just have to pound it as flat as possible. The roll is not as thin as you might get from other cuts, but the flavour is unbeatable. I will have to try the butterflying suggestion next time. Flank is still pretty cheap too. I have tried AB's recipe and it actually came out rather well, but he pounded it out too. You have to love roulades. Mark

I made food for my son from the time he was 6 months till he was 13 months and got too picky. I used ice cube trays and froze individual portions that way. I tried to use Organic fruits and veggies whenever possible to avoid pesticides. Always wash all fruits and veggies thouroughly and observe common kitchen sanitary rules, e.g., no hot food left out exceeding 2 hours or at all if possible. Some of his favourites were: Cockie-Leekie cubes Chicken, corn and pear (sounds gross, I know) apple sauce Apple, pear and peach/plum sauce chick peas, tomatoes, and zucchini (seasoned with cumin) Mark

I have worked for a couple of restaurants in the GTA and have seen ribs prepped a number of ways. The most common thing was steaming them in the steam box as this was the easiest way to do it, but other establishments I worked for baked them in the convection oven, pre-grilled them at a lower temp, and boiled them. Boiling ended up with the most tender ribs, but they lacked the real pork flavour. My step-mother still does this and it is a crying shame. Definately invest in a smoker or use your grill as one. BBQ sauce is so easy to make and its fun to mix up the flavours. Incidentally, I have been making pulled pork and boar for a while now and its so easy that I never go out for it. You can braise it in your crockpot/oven or do it on the grill. And Cajun perogies is a sacrilege. lol Mark

The Jerusalem's at Finch and Leslie is Buffet now and sub par. I used to go to the Jerusalem's on Eglinton West near the Allen, but haven't been in a long time. Last time I went they were a tad expensive for falafel and nothing to write home about. Mark

Two Good Falafel in places in Toronto: King Falafel on Bathurst at Eglinton (SW corner) and Sababa's on Steeles in between Yonge and Bathurst are two of my favourites. The latter has awesome homemade pitas too. Mehron Brother's used to make the best balls and use Sababa pitas, but haven't tried theirs since they changed name. I don't care for the greek style rolled pitas. I can't stand the dry turkey shavings that a lot of places call schwarma. I prefer lamb and large shavings or cuttings. Mark

Because I'm a lazy bastard hoping to get strangers to do my own work. OK, not really, and I do plan to call them, but I'm in Japan so with the time difference and all it might take be a while before I get around to it. I guess I figured that since there seems to be a bit of interest here, someone might be able to do it quicker than me. That's all. Sorry. So I will call, and I will share the results, and I do hope you forgive my impudent request. ← Ozawa is great. I have bought quite a number of things from them. I had forgotten that they supply a lot of the Japanese Restaurants in T.O. Definately a good place to ask. They sell tatami mats too if you are looking for more Japanese gifts, . Let us know what they say. Mark

Its really too bad that there are no retail butchers out there with it in stock. I'd be interested in the Skirt and Flank steaks off of the primal and of course anything off the strip- and tenderloin. Mark

You could try contacting the Canadian Wagyu Association: URL: Canadian Wagyu Association Mark

How is the flakiness of the butter based puff pastry? Lard, while not yielding the flavour that butter does, usually yields a flakier pastry, I find. We should all steer clear from Vegetable Shortening these days. How much is the Loblaw's product? Mark Revisions: I was thinking pie crust. Couldn't you make it with Lard though?

Pusateri's on avenue road used to carry wagyu beef. You could certainly try them. Pusateri's phone number: (416) 785-9100 - Mark

Swatow is fabulous, but not for Dim Sum. I love their noodle dishes. I can totally understand why Susur would go there. The two dim sum shops that I go to are on Kensington, kinda dumpy on the west side. Mark

Global Cheese shop in the Kensington Market. Alex Farm on Yonge, Bayview or in the St. Lawrence Market. Both Pusateri's on Avenue Road and Longo's have some pretty good cheeses as well, but nothing artisan. Personal favourites: Unpasteurized Manchego, Greek Feta, Raclette, and Muenster. Mark

Bymark gets it's meat from Bruno's. However, its a special order, not the over the counter stuff and is custom aged for Mark McEwan. I have found CAnadian Beef and Lamb in some instances to be far superior to the American counterpart. I swear the whole USDA Prime is a load of advertising hoowey. Some of the organic/free range butchers offer some very succulent beef. I still swear by the Wagyu stuff though. I prefer game, myself, particularly ostriche/emu. Mark

There is nothing wrong with prime Canadian beef. You can always check out Pusateri's too. I recommend Wagyu (Kobe) beef. A few shops in Toronto are carrying it. Mark

Lai Wah Heen is great, but very pricey. I was there in August and was impressed with the artistic presentation and the subtle flavours of the dumplings. I had buttefly shaped dumplings and the bumble bee crab claws. 2-3 people would be around $100. The new Tand T location on Steeles in Markham has a great Dim Sum counter with a large variety of items. They are in the north end though. Omei on Hwy 7 also has a good Dim Sum menu on Sundays and is always very busy. I know of two in Chinatown. I used to eat at two different restaurants on Kensington Ave on the West Side just north of Dundas. Both were very good and very very cheap. I don't know of any restaurants that use the trolleys though. I am still looking for one of those. Mark

Did you buy dried (cured) or uncured chorizo? Hot or mild? What else did you buy? Mark

You absolutely must go to Kozlik's Mustard store. I am heading down there this weekend to get more. There is NO better mustard out there. I especially love their Triple Crunch (it has Canadian Club in it too). The best sandwiche in the place is a tie between the Eggplant Foccacia sandwiche at Moustachio's (downstairs) and the Peameal on a Kaiser from Carousel (upstairs). St. Lawrence is still the best place for cheese and sausages. Too many good places to go to. Make sure you go on a Saturday and visit the Farmer's Market in the North Building across the street. Mark

My favourite two restaurant supply stores are Dinetz on King Street East, about 4 blocks east of Yonge Street and this restaurant supply store on Queen Street West just East of Bathurst on the South side. You can also check out the Calphalon shop on Spadina. If you are interested in Asian cookery items, there is a great shop on Spadina at Dundas on the North West corner. Mark