Endy'

on herbs: JS's lime and coriander truffle was a "wow" for me . Very refreshing!

Harubang for Korean (including table-cooking), Yonge at Finch. Kenzo (Yonge S of Steeles) and Konnichiwa (on Baldwin) for ramen.

just went. Enter, go down a flight of stairs, and the restaurant is split into 2 halves: dining room on the left and bar on the right. The dining room seats 35-45, I was told (pushing 50 if it's booked off for special events). The bar side, where I ate, seats about 20 (at a guess) plus another 8 at the bar. Bar side was quite dark, with a dark wood and exposed brick look going on. biggest impression is that it's LOUD inside. The music was pumping (I arrived around 9:15 on a Thursday night) and the music was loud enough to prevent quiet or regular conversation (loud conversations could and did take place). I strolled through the dining room side -- same volume, same not-quite-shouting. service was fine, neither horrible nor outstanding. No problems there. food: there's a bar menu, and a full menu (which is served on both sides of the restaurant). Standard apps/mains/desserts split on the full menu. mac and cheese (bar menu): nice crust on top, pasta had a nice texture, creavy without being heavy. One wintery night I'll go back and line up like 4 of these and demolish them. Very happy with this. trio of Kobe beef burgers (bar menu): wasn't impressed. For one, I thought 3 was too many, not in terms of size, but because they're quite rich and heavy. Better choice for splitting. When it arrived, I thought it was a trio of differently dressed burgers (it's not), which I think would have worked better. The one preparation isn't interesting enough to justify having 3. (It's arugula, northern mushroom, and garlic-truffle mayo, and gherkin skewered on top.) Bun was too large and a bit hard. Also thought it was kinda expensive. seared quail (full menu - app): fine, but overall, not for me. The quail was nicely cooked, but I thought a bit unevenly seasoned. There was a sweet-salty reduction that I couldn't pinpoint (caramel?) that I didn't think paired well at all. I did quite enjoy the "root vegetable and chestnut hash" that it came with, and there was a fried quail egg on top that was nice, although I don't know that the egg fit in with the rest of the dish. overall, the food was reasonably executed but a bit uneven in terms of "design" (flavours etc.) of the dishes. I did think most items were just a touch overpriced, maybe 5-10%. Not sure if the location/crowd justifies it. I thought the volume was a serious problem -- if it was just the bar side, OK, but in the dining room it's way too loud. Hope it's quieter earlier in the week or at an earlier hour. None of the mains looked too interesting to me; I'd recommend going with a small group and splitting stuff from the apps and bar menus. Problem for me is, that puts it in competition with JKWB, to which I'd give the edge (I haven't been to Kultura yet). for me, I'll probably be back sometime, likely for a late dinner/snack (kitchen closes around at 11 on weeknights and midnight on weekends). But part of that is that they're right around the corner from me. I'll post/link some photos later if they turned out (my camera doesn't do well in low light).

you're right, it's different for me; I'm more interested in figuring out how I can get more out of my time, money, and energy that I spend dining, rather than looking for ways to have a bad experience for the sake of having something to complain about. If that requires such drastic steps as *acknowledging reality*, then so be it.

James Chatto just mentioned them on his 'blog. Sounds like it's getting too late to beat the crowd...

no doubt, choosing something you enjoy is good, but "General Tso chicken" is kinda like...I dunno, going to Romagna Mia and asking for pepperoni pizza...or a California roll at Hiro. It's not Chinese food, so not only are you going to get crappy food, you're also going to be treated like...a "tourist" I guess, I'm not sure how to express what I mean. Sort of a "oh, you're looking for chop suey, I guess we can throw together some slop for you.". whether or not such treatment is fair/polite/etc. is not my argument here, just that it will happen.

I've heard the same about about Van vs Toronto for Chinese (and Korean)restaurants. I suspect the problem is that there's enough of a market here that even the mediocre / inauthentic / downright crappy versions can still survive. So finding a good Chinese restaurant here relies really heavily on experience and word-of-mouth because anyone can just open up shop and sling whatever. sadistick, I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience at Ambassador. I've been several times (both for dinner and for dim sum) and it was always amazing. As an aside, "General Tso's chicken" isn't really something you can judge a Chinese restaurant on. I don't mean to say that excuses boiled water / flies / etc. though. wish I had suggestions for a dinner alternative in that area.

there's a place going in at 409 College (SW corner at Lippincott). The awning says Viva Tastings. It also says "Foodie Destination". I didn't know the word was in sufficiently common use to put on permanent signage... anyone know anything about it? The windows are covered with paper and there's a LLBO application notice that says comments should be in before Nov 4 (new sale licence + indoor area + outdoor area), so I assume their opening is slated for sometime after that. there was a sign that mentioned something about a John Bent, but ChefDB doesn't know the name...

the Annex location of P.A.T. is on the south side of Bloor between Bathurst and Christie. Palmerston-ish, I think. sam gyup sal (the pork belly) is often grilled/sauteed in a skillet and then served with raw garlic and similarly grilled onions and mushrooms, for wrapping in (romaine?) lettuce, then dipped in this paste which seems to be chili paste (with garlic and/or fermented soy bean? in it), served with rice. It's also commonly stir-fried with kimchi and served over rice or the rice is stir-fried right in. I'm much less sure of what the sauce is for that, but I'd guess the kimchi "juice" and more hot sauce, slightly thickened.

there's now a sign on the door advertising their grand opening, Tues 10 Oct, 4pm-close. It also says they're taking reservations, (416)941-9410, and that they're open Tues-Sat 4pm-closing. their website is also listed: http://www.trevorkitchenandbar.com.

which one? I know of 2 in Scarborough but I'm assuming you're referring to something downtown...? for the life of me I will *never* understand people who like soybean "milk". Especially when warmed.

this might not be as outrageous an example of "fusion" as you think (I refer here to the concept, not the taste...). Tomato, and other seemingly incongrous (cream? cheese??) sauces are common on "Hong Kong-style cafe" menus -- sorry, don't know how to properly translate the genre...

just relaying what I was told. Not sure if the hotel is in Yorkville, or across from Rain -- I suspect the former.

I apologize if this is common knowledge; Mark McEwan is opening a restaurant in a condo/hotel going up in Yorkville. The opening is estimated to be 8-12 months distant. No word on who the chef will be other than it'll probably be someone from within. Interestingly enough, the restaurant will be responsible for 24-hour room service to the hotel, including lunch, dinner...and breakfast. The focus of the restaurant will be similar to North 44 and Bymark -- "contemporary international", as it was described to me. The hotel in question is currently going up and is "basically across from Rain". please let me know if I'm posting old news

(I went just after it opened and haven't been back yet) Casual and not expensive. A little loud to be "fun"...open space with somewhat dense seating made it hard to hear people at my table. Food was good but not blew-me-away good.

walked by last night, still a sign on the door advertising that he's looking for staff (mostly front of house if I remember correctly?). Door was locked, didn't get to go in and check out the space.

of the style of food that Asian Legend serves, xiao long bao / siu long bao is probably the most standard. They're probably called something like steamed pork dumplings on the menu. I think there was a picture in another thread about them but they're sealed in this "swirling" manner, and served with vinegar and julienned ginger, and they're full of really really hot soup (careful). other stuff there that you won't find elsewhere: there's some kind of "beef in onion pancake" that's not bad. Also a "glutinous rice roll" (it's not a normal rice noodle roll) that has a dough fritter inside. basically the sort of cusine they do is best known for various dumplings and buns. Trying the potsticker dumplings would be a good choice too. I'm guessing at all the English names here, so hopefully you can find the items on the menu...

tried it last night. Food seemed fresher than Congee Wong (the one at Leslie/Finch), the congee base wasn't the end-of-the-day, reduced down mushy slop but was almost...bland (which is weird to me for restaurant congee). It's OK though because the fish pieces were actually pretty tasty. They had an "exotic drinks" (various fruit "milkshakes" including avocado, some ices, etc.) menu that I've never seen at Congee Wong. I also tried to go to the new Congee Queen (Steeles/404) last week but they're not open yet. Last night's location said middle of Oct for the new one.

I'm going to have to call this one out...yes, the Owl (I'm not sure what it's actually called...might be Owl of Minerva but everyone seems to just know it as "the Owl") is convenient, being 24/7, and the food is good, but if you actually want to go for Korean, you can do better if it's not in the middle of the night. Try any of the places that offer table-cooking -- Sejong and Korean Village are good, but I don't think I've had a bad experience yet in the 10+ K-food places I've tried in that strip. If you do end up at the Owl, though, the hae jang guk (the fabled "hangover soup") is quite good...I'm not saying the gam ja tang is BAD, but it's just kind of a lot of pork, and you can find better balanced versions elsewhere.

hmm...I don't know that area so well. Koreatown would be good as something casual (not sure if there's good Korean in Van), on Bloor between Christie and Bathurst. Brief subway or taxi ride, maybe...20-30min walk? Let me know if you want more specific suggestions. (Bay/Elm, about 2.5 city blocks south of you) Barberian's is a good steakhouse about 10 minutes' walk south of where you are, that would be "moderate". (these 3 are near King/Church) Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar and Starfish are also both "moderate" but a hefty walk (30-40min??)...you said walking distance preferable but I don't know either if that means cab/subway are right out or what. Also, depends on when you're coming...I was just in at Starfish and the oyster selection (really the only reason to go) isn't so hot right now. They said it'd be better at the end of the month. Hiro Sushi is also in that area, really nice omakase sushi/sashimi (skip the hot kitchen stuff) but Omi's closer and I've heard good things about them. (Yonge/Summerhill) Rosedale Diner is another "moderate" option, maybe 15min walk NE from where you are. Not sure how to classify their food (it's not a diner at all) but it's a fun place. I don't know much about food in Vancouver so I'm not sure what to suggest to highlight the differences. good luck!

also, where are you visiting from? That'll help narrow down the kinds of recommendations to make (EG you'll see a lot of "I'm visiting from Vancouver" posts followed by "___ is good Chinese, but you can probably get that already in Van" replies).

I don't recall the brand, but I picked up a bottle of maraschino liqueur from the LCBO a few years ago...probably 2005 or late 2004. It was in a Vintages release, if I remember correctly the bottle has a red/green/white and is in this kind of woven-straw casing (I haven't opened it to try yet).

jenc -- does Congee Queen feature the same menu as Congee Wong? I've seen the "now open" ads for it as the Finch/Leslie is one of my regular lunch spots, but never made the trek. Come to think of it, the Lawrence address doesn't sound familiar to me...I thought the new one was at Steeles/Bayview or something...maybe there's more than one Congee Queen (yes, it's the same company that owns both). and is the other Jim Chai Kee the one on Sheppard near Brimley, or is there another out east I don't know about? I tried that one once or twice, but I really didn't like it compared to the Richmond Hill location.

my group at work is almost all HKs, and apparently they don't know anything about downtown Chinatown (I think most if not all immigrated after downtown Chinatown died). So I suspect he was talking specifically about Markham/Richmond Hill...