Quick and dirty trip to Tdot to visit the cousins and see a few friends.
The Hook and Ladder
Muskoka Lakes Winery
Barrio Cerveceria
Ed’s Real Scoop
Cool Runnings Restaurant
Zezafoun Syrian Cuisine
Yummy Yummy Dumplings
Graffiti Alley
Smash Ping Pong Lounge
Bellwoods Brewery
Böehmer
Bang Bang Ice Cream and Bakery
Dumpling House
Rorschach Brewing Company
Budapest Restaurant
Arsenio’s Kitchen
The Hook and Ladder
I was in Bala visiting my cousin’s friend’s cottage for the weekend. Everyone was hungry after a late night out so we decided to eat at Hook & Ladder Restaurant.
Hours.
We dropped in on a Saturday (around 11:15am) with a group of 6. The restaurant is randomly fireman themed (apparently, the owner is obsessed with collecting anything firefighter related). We sat outside at one of the picnic tables.
The menu is split into appetizers, salads, entrees, sandwiches of mass destruction and breakfast menu.
Click here to see the menu (1,2 and 3).
Breakfast poutine sign inside.
Ceasar cocktail ($6.95)
S ordered this right away. Our waitress served it to her and then came back to tell her she couldn’t drink it outside (as they don’t have a license for it). Er…shouldn’t she know that?
Breakfast poutine ($14.95)
Fries, two sunny side eggs, shredded mozzarella, bacon, ham and Hollandaise sauce. This isn’t a real poutine but the Hollandaise sauce was decent.
Big breakfast ($13.49)
Three eggs any style served with toast, homefries, bacon and sausage. Nothing special about this dish at all.
Class A ($14.95)
Crispy breast of chicken topped with peameal bacon, monteray jack cheese, lettuce and tomato on a kaiser bun. It came with a side of fries. Again, nothing special. Fries were boring and the sandwich was pretty bland. I added an egg from the big breakfast into my burger, which made it better.
Chicken wings ($12.95) – one of S’s friends was craving wings so she ordered a pound of honey garlic. Not good at all. Wings were dry and overcooked.
Wouldn’t bother with H&S. Definitely overpriced and bland, boring food.
The Hook and Ladder
http://hookandladder.wixsite.com/hook-and-ladder
3181 Muskoka 169
Bala, ON
(705) 762-0707
Muskoka Lakes Winery
On our way out of Bala, we decided to check out Muskoka Lakes Winery. They’ve been around since 1950.
Open year round.
We dropped in on a Sunday afternoon. They do daily tours (11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm).
Pretty field views along with a bunch of patio seats to sit outside and scorch your skin in.
We were only there to do the $7.00/person wine tasting (we sampled 5 wines).
They had quite the variety of products: dried cranberries, maple syrup, artisan cheese, preserves and sauces.
Cranberry ketchup was an interesting combo.
Fridge section had Muskoka Springs craft beverages and frozen cranberries.
Bottles were in the $16.95 to 18.95 price range.
2016 Cranberry
2016 Cranberry blueberry
2016 Blueberry
2016 White cranberry
2016 Red maple cranberry maple dessert wine
This was poured into a chocolate shot. Drink it first then eat the chocolate or do both!
Wines were decent but nothing really stood out for me.
Muskoka Lakes Winery
http://cranberry.ca/
1074 Cranberry Road
Bala, ON
(705) 762-3203
Barrio Cerveceria
First meal in Toronto after a weekend at the cottage. We decided to check out Barrio, a hipster Mexican spot, which my cousin has been to several times.
Sign outside.
We dropped in on a Sunday evening (around 7:00pm). There’s a huge patio area where almost everyone was sitting, enjoying the sunny weather. Our server was good and attentive. Brought us multiple refills of water and chips.
The inside was completely empty. Cool mural though.
The menu is split into to share, starters, mains and tacos. We tried to order the elote callejero (corn) and pierna adobada (lamb) but they were sold out of both dishes.
Drink menu is just as large; cocktails, cervezas, wine, margs on rocks, tequila and mezcal.
The sauces were both good but the tastier one was the verde.
Cool skull jars.
2x Show me the passion ($15.00)
Cazadores reposado fresh passionfruit, lime juice and ginger-infused agave. You get a shot on top and 2oz of alcohol in your drink.
Smoking de spice ($14.00)
Jaral de berrio mezcal, cointreau, lime juice, morita chilis and house smoked agave peaty scotch with a salt rim.
Guacamole del barrio ($10.00)
Guacamole topped with tomato, chopped onion, serrano pepper, cilantro and tortilla chips.
Avocado was creamy but they overdid it with the salt.
Ceviche de camarones ($16.00)
Lime cured shrimp, jicama, tomato, white onion, avocado and tortilla chips. The ceviche won’t blow you away; it lacked that freshness and acidity.
Barrio burrito ($16.00)
Roast chicken, rice, beans, cheese, crema and guacamole. Again, too much of a heavy hand with the salt.
Pretty small burrito for the price too.
Barrio bowl ($16.00)
We went with beef tinga for the bowl. This was better than the burrito.
Enchilda verde ($18.00)
Three fried corn tortillas stuffed with beef tinga and topped with crema, red onion, cotija cheese and rice. The verde sauce was well balanced and the enchiladas were tasty. A small portion unfortunately.
Frito a la cerveza ($17.00 for 3)
We originally ordered two but these were delicious so we ordered another three.
The cod was nicely battered and came with an addictive chipotle mayo.
Cochinita pibil ($6.00)
Pulled pork shoulder. The grilled chicken was an interesting way to add some sweetness. Good.
Michoacán carnita ($6.00) and tinga ($7.00)
M ordered these for himself. Said both were good.
2x Pastor ($5.00 each)
Stir fried pork with grilled pineapple, white onion, cilantro and salsa fresca.
Some good dishes, most were average. Definitely pricey and small portions. Tacos are in the hipster price range.
Barrio Cerveceria
http://barrioonqueen.com/
884 Queen Street E
Toronto, ON
(647) 352-0884
Ed’s Real Scoop
After dinner, my cousin suggested we check out Ed’s Real Scoop. I’m always down for ice cream, especially when it’s only a short walk away!
Sign outside.
We dropped in on a Sunday evening (around 8:30pm) and the place was packed! Line was outside the door. Not surprising at all. The line doesn’t move the quickest but they take your order all in one group.
For cones, you have a choice between waffle ($1.33), plain and sugar.
Otherwise, the cups come in three sizes.
The menu is up along the wall; there’s 24 ice cream , 11 gelato, 4 yogurt and 4 sorbet flavours.
Prices are super reasonable ($3.48 kiddie, $4.43 regular and $6.15 large). The best part is you get two flavours regardless of what size you order! Awesome.
There’s ice cream sandwiches ($6.00) and dessert pies ($20.00) in the fridges.
Gelato flavours are in the first display case.
A couple of their ice cream flavours.
They let you sample a few flavours before deciding, despite the long line.
Milkshake ($6.50 double) – M went with a strawberry s’more milkshake as he hasn’t had one in ages. I tried a sip; decent.
Creme brûlée and fresh mint ($4.43 regular)
The fresh mint was my favourite flavour out of them all. Creme brûlée was good but paled in comparison to the mint (with chocolate). Yum.
Tahitian vanilla bean and s’more ($4.43 regular)
Vanilla was creamy but it needed way more vanilla bean flavour. Too subtle. The s’more was much better.
The line tells it all. Good quality and reasonable prices. Apparently, I need to come back for their burnt marshmallow.
Ed’s Real Scoop
https://www.edsrealscoop.com/
2224 Queen St E
Toronto, ON
(416) 699-6100
Cool Runnings Restaurant
I was feeling Caribbean for a late lunch so we decided to check out Cool Runnings Restaurant & Bar.
Hours.
We dropped in on a late Monday afternoon (around 1:30pm). The inside is small but there’s plenty of tables. Everyone that dropped in grabbed takeout except for us.
Service is super laid back and friendly. Our waitress refilled our water several times and even changed the TV channel to watch French Open when I asked. Note: food comes out Island time so beware if you’re on a schedule.
The menu is two pages: appetizers, sandwiches/wraps, vegetarian, stir fry, salads, soup, roti, meat platters, seafood, sides and desserts.
Click here to see the drink menu (1 and 2).
Plantain ($2.50)
You get four pieces.
Good sweetness but there was a mix of soft and a bit too dried out.
Curry lamb shank ($19.00)
I’ve never seen lamb on a Caribbean menu before. You get three solid shanks. Great texture.
Rice and beans were satisfactory. The coleslaw was light and refreshing.
Curry goat ($14.00 large)
The goat was tender and curry had great depth and flavour.
I don’t know why you would get it boneless ($2.00 extra); bone is where all the flavour comes from!
Chill vibes and good food. I’d come back to try their oxtail or even their seafood options.
Cool Runnings Restaurant
http://www.coolrunningsrestaurant.com/
146 Main Street
Toronto, ON
(416) 693-8724
Zezafoun Syrian Cuisine
After playing tennis with a buddy, we were famished. We’d originally planned on going for Italian but on the walk over, I spotted Zezafoun Syrian Cuisine, a Syrian spot. Never had Syrian before so we were both intrigued. It’s right next door to Coquine.
Hours. Open daily till 10:00pm.
Sign outside. Yum, eggplant.
We dropped in on a Monday evening (around 8:00pm). There was only one other table eating but then a couple more groups showed up for some late eats. Our server was sweet and friendly. One of the sisters was even more so! Great hospitality.
The menu is split into breakfast, salad & soup, mezza, wraps, dish of the day, Saturday brunch, side plates and desserts.
Chalkboard menu also had a few drinks.
The dishes of the day is where it’s at. They had two main meat dishes, two vegetables mains and a smaller vegetable option. They all looked amazing.
Vine leaves ($3.99 for 3)
Stuffed with rice, tomatoes and lemon.
Three tiny pieces but they were tasty little things.
Fatoush ($7.60)
Romaine, tomato, cucumber, toasted pita chips, sumac and a lemon garlic dressing. Didn’t taste like romaine lettuce to me.
Pretty sure it was tasteless, nutrition-less iceberg. Blah. The salad was unfortunately underwhelming.
Burgul bbanadora ($11.95)
One of their dishes of the day, bulgar in a tomato sauce. Fantastic! Sauce was full of depth and flavour.
If I was a vegetarian, I’d be in heaven eating this. The only odd thing is the vegetable and meat dishes are the same price.
Riz biljaaj ($11.95)
Rice with chicken and a side of yogurt sauce. The chicken was incredibly tender yet flavourful.
Wish they threw in another chicken as we both devoured our own piece.
Khalto’s qashta ($2.90)
This looked almost like baklava but the inside was stuffed with the cheese. Really light.
Loved the texture of the cheese inside. It reminded me of a Greek dish.
Wish I could come back to try more of those divine daily dishes.
Zezafoun Syrian Cuisine
http://zezafoun.ca/
4 Manor Road E
Toronto, ON
(416) 322-7707
Yummy Yummy Dumplings
I was meeting up with a friend for lunch. I let her pick where to eat; she settled on Yummy Yummy Dumplings, which is one of her go to spots for dumplings.
Sign.
Hours.
We dropped in on a Tuesday afternoon (around 12:00pm). It was pretty dead but apparently, it’s sporadic whether they’re busy or not. The good thing is that they make everything fresh. You can see straight into the kitchen all the food being made.
The menu is long with soups, appetizers, hot dishes, steamed buns, dumplings, pancakes, noodles, rice & congee and frozen dumplings/buns. Nice to see that dumplings are all the same price whether you get them boiled, steamed or pan fried.
Click here to see the menu (1, 2 and 3).
When you sit down, you’ll be offered hot or cold tea. I also asked her for water which came out nice and cold.
Rolled beef pancakes (F20) ($8.99)
Green onions and slices of beef. Interestingly, they come cut into four pieces and wrapped in tin foil. Never seen that before. Good but the sauce was a tad sweet.
Xiao long bao (D01) ($7.99 for 6)
These aren’t your usual XLB’s. Labelling it as an XLB is pretty misleading.
It’s more so a small steamed bun. It was still good! Tasty filling and soft, fluffy bun.
Pork & cabbage (E05) ($8.99 for 10)
We got these pan fried. Excellently cooked.
Good little hole in the wall dumpling spot.
Yummy Yummy Dumplings
http://www.yummyyummydumplings.com/
79 Huron Street
Toronto, ON
(647) 859-8998
Graffiti Alley
Checked out this cool alleyway, aptly named Graffiti Alley.
All the 6ix love.
You can’t get away from the Maple Leafs either.
This one reminded me of psycho bunnies.
Rasta man.
A lil Austin Powers throwback.
Some Trojan war horses.
Is that an original iPod? 😉
Daft Punkesque.
Lady Gaga or Margot Robbie?
Let’s end things with the CN Tower.
Graffiti Alley
513 Queen Street W
Toronto, ON
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Smash Ping Pong Lounge
My first time checking out a ping pong bar! After dinner and ice cream, we were debating where to go on a Tuesday night. We decided on a quick pit stop at Smash Ping Pong Lounge.
Hours are crazy. Open daily till 2:00am!
We dropped in around 10:15pm and were the only ones there. To be fair, it was a Tuesday. Only one other couple showed up later.
Price is reasonable. Depending on the day, it’s $15.00 to $25.00/hour. For us, we ended up only being charged half an hour ($7.50)! Sweet.
There’s 6 Joosh tables on the main floor (second floor has another 6 tables, arcade basketball, golf and boxer game.
Fun spot to grab drinks and get a few games in. Perfect date spot!
Smash Ping Pong Lounge
http://www.smashpingpong.ca/
672 Queen Street E
Toronto, ON
(647) 748-7664
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Bellwoods Brewery
While walking around Ossington, I stumbled upon a few people buying bottles to go at Bellwoods Brewery. I changed up our plans for dinner and decided to go there instead for a quick snack and drink.
Sign for their brewpub and bottle shop.
Cute bell logo.
Hours.
We dropped in on a Tuesday (around 5:45pm) and the place was packed. We had to wait in line for about 10 minutes or so to snag two seats. The patio was bumping; get their early if you want a seat there.
They have a cool setup; the patio and bar is to the left, retail (bottles and merchandise) are to the right. The inside has a mix of tables and bar stool seating. Service was friendly and they topped our water’s several times.
The retail area had 8 types of beers (ranged from $5.00 to $10.00 including tax).
There was also some merchandise (t-shirts, hoodies and beer glasses).
The dinner menu is small for food; small plates, large plates and sweets. There was 9 beer options on draft along with cans & bottles (ciders too). Oddly, they don’t have flights and limit you to two 4oz samples per person.
Click here to see the drink menu (1 and 2).
Pineapple + blueberry jelly king ($2.87 for 4oz)
This was a fruited dry-hopped sour. Really tart and sour, just the way I like it! Easily would get a full pint of this.
Burdock té ($2.87 for 4oz)
This was a guest sour that wasn’t on their beer list. Much more citrusy; tones of mandarin orange and lemon. Another solid sour.
Garlic fries ($8.00)
Herbs and a side of garlic mayo. Our waitress kindly brought us some ketchup too. Pretty good although a few fries could have been crispier.
Sweet brewery find! Chill on the patio or grab a few bottles to go for the park nearby. Jelly king was bomb.
Bellwoods Brewery
http://www.bellwoodsbrewery.com/
124 Ossington Avenue
Toronto, ON
(416) 535-4586
Böehmer
My cousin wanted to hit up Böehmer for their Tuesday specials (buck a shuck, half price lobster and half price wine bottles). I’ve never even heard of the place before but it’s located right next door to Bang Bang Ice Cream.
Outside signage.
“Hours”.
We dropped in on a Tuesday evening (around 6:45pm). The inside didn’t look too crowded but we were sat in the lounge area for 45 minutes before we were offered four seats at the bar. Pro tip: make a reservation, especially for Tuesday nights.
The menu is split into appetizers, side dishes, harvest menu, entrees and beef.
Click here to see part of the drink menu (1 and 2).
2016 Les Petits Arnauds blanc sec ($33.00)
This was a white bordeaux, which my cousin’s never tried before.
A light, dry white. Went down easy.
2016 Chateau Les Arromaus sauvignon semillon ($33.00)
The cous and her friends ordered another bottle.
They wanted the same bottle but ended up getting this as the bartender thought this was the same white bordeaux.
Warm olives ($4.95)
The olives came with rosemary garlic and chilies. Olives were tasty but the best part was the hint of heat in the olive oil sauce.
Oysters ($1.00 each)
We ordered two dozen oysters to share. Love buck a shuck (regularly $3.50 each)! It came with horseradish, lemon, mignonette and a spicy (not really) sauce.
They were tuxedo oysters from PEI. Pretty fresh but couple of our oysters had bits of pieces in it.
3x Lobster ($24.00 each)
The cheapest lobster I’ve ordered in a restaurant. Each lobster was about one pound.
It came with a side of warmed butter (meh); I always prefer to eat mine au natural.
Nice touch that they give you each a cracker and pick to grab the small bits of meat. Decent!
This place seems more like a hotspot to be seen but hey, the Tuesday specials were good. Don’t think I would come on any other day.
Böehmer
http://www.boehmer.ca/
93 Ossington Avenue
Toronto, ON
(416) 531-3800
Bang Bang Ice Cream and Bakery
Bang Bang Ice Cream is the only place on my non-existing list that I wanted to check out while I was in town. I tried coming here two years ago when they were randomly closed for holidays. It’s located right next door to Böehmer.
Hours. Note that they’re closed Monday.
We dropped in on a Tuesday evening (around 9:15pm) and just missed the late night rush. We only had to wait 10 minutes to get in. The line doubled in size when we left.
Sign outside explaining how busy they are in the summertime!
Outside menu with their continuously changing flavours and combos.
The inside is small but the staff are quick and efficient. There’s a small menu with prices (to the right on the wall); scoops, get stuffed, hot and cold drinks. It’s a bit odd that they don’t have the prices up anywhere else.
There were 27 flavours available along with 8 types of cookies, puffs, waffles and cinnybuns.
Lots of unique flavours including totaro (purple yam and coconut), mango puddin’, soursop and ginger milk.
Closeup of their ice cream flavours.
Lastly, all their cookie, cinnamon buns and cream puff options.
I would have loved to try their Bang Bang waffle but it’s a 25 minute wait.
They need to invest in more than two waffle makers!
Caramel corn on the cone and avocado ($5.90 double scoop)
The caramel corn wasn’t what I was originally expecting but it was decent. There were pieces of caramel popcorn inside. The avocado lived up to my lofty avocado expectations! Creamy and so so good.
Full ice cream sandwich ($7.75)
Half of M’s ice cream sandwich was totaro with a bday cookie. The other half was pb n’ chocolate with a gingerrrrr cookie. I’m not a huge fan of ice cream sandwiches with cookies but even I admit it was bomb. Totaro was dreamy but be prepared for the pb n’ chocolate to be very peanut dominant.
Warm cinniebun sammie ($7.50)
A cinnamon bun with your choice of one flavour. S went with the pb n’ chocolate. Cinnamon bun was fresh, sweet and had a satisfying fluffy texture.
The massive line tells it all! Bang Bang was awesome. I already want to go back to try more flavours.
Bang Bang Ice Cream and Bakery
https://www.facebook.com/bangbangicecream/
93A Ossington Avenue
Toronto, ON
(647) 348-1900
Dumpling House
My cousin has been here many times but wanted to come here for their rainbow dumplings. Well, we got one colour (green) ones. It’s located in the original part of Chinatown.
Outside sign of a few menu options.
Hours.
We dropped in on a Wednesday afternoon (around 12:45pm). Theres plenty of booth seating inside and you can even see them making fresh dumplings in the back. There’s a TV in the middle of the restaurant that was playing some type of Asian music show. I was kind of surprised to see that they give you water Korean style. Nice.
The menu is massive with dumplings, noodles, rice & all day special combos, cold platter & salads, Northern Chinese cuisine, soup, pork, greens, Szechuan cuisine, chicken, beef/lamb, seafood and dessert. They also have a most popular menu (with pictures) if you need help choosing.
Boiled chive & pork dumplings (#2) ($6.99 for 12)
Can never go wrong with this classic combo. The filling was tasty.
Boiled dill & pork dumplings (#9A) ($6.99 for 12)
Lots of dill flavour (which I love) but the pork was dry. Meat was way too chewy compared to the other dumplings.
Wonton in hot chili sesame sauce (#21) ($5.59)
My cousin really liked these. The meat inside was very tender and had an interesting mix of peanut sauce and chili oil on top.
Green soup filled dumpling with ground pork (#24A) ($8.99 for 7)
These are green, spinach infused “XLB’s”. I say that in quotations because it’s Chinese style. Wrapping was much thicker than normal.
Still good but not quite the same. Interesting that they give you an odd number of dumplings.
Spring onion pancake (#25) ($3.99)
Haven’t had a green onion pancake in ages. Nicely fried and went will with the side of hot sauce we asked for.
Minced pork with noodles in Peking sauce (#36) ($8.49)
We asked them to sub in fresh green noodles for this dish. Noodles were fantastic! Great toothsome bite.
Minced pork wasn’t too salty and it came with thinly sliced cucumbers. This was my favourite dish.
It’s no frills, cheap and filling. Cash or debit only (minimum $10.00).
Dumpling House
https://dumplinghouse619.com/
619 Gerrard Street E
Toronto, ON
(416) 901-0288
Rorschach Brewing Company
Never heard of Rorschach Brewing Company before but my friend suggested we go for Wednesday music trivia night. I’m always down for some weekday trivia!
Sign outside.
Every Wednesday, trivia night!
We dropped in at 7:30pm, just in time for the start of trivia. The place is huge; from the outside, it looks like an old mansion but there’s an outdoor patio (long and skinny layout) along with communal picnic tables inside.
The three page beer menu has 11 options. Oddly enough, the now pouring menu at the bar had 16 flavours. Double check that list so you don’t miss out on any flavours. The synchronicity tea lime saison sounded delicious.
Click here to see the rest of the drink menu (1 and 2).
Full pours are $7.50 while tasters are $3.00. The food menu is split into tapas, sharing platters, burgers and desserts. The nacho platter is a measly $35.00! What the eff.
Note: they charge 18% automatically in gratuity for groups of 8. Our waitress never mentioned it when everyone was paying their bills. The waitress also almost spilled beers on me when she brought our drinks out. She didn’t bring any napkins to clean our table and surprisingly didn’t even offer to comp something.
Hedonism, collective unconscious and memory trace ($3.00 each for 5oz)
Pineapple sorbet sour IPA. This was my favourite out of the three sours I tried. Smooth, almost like fruit juice. The pineapple really comes through. Collective unconscious was a mixed fermentation sour. Decent sourness with some minerality coming through. Memory trace was a table sour. This was quite similar in taste to the collective unconscious. Maybe a tad milder is sourness.
Dressed fries ($9.00)
Pico de gallo, asiago and aioli. You need forks to eat this. Good dish for sharing.
Calamari ($12.00)
With banana pepper and chipotle aioli. Pretty small portion but the calamari was light and batter was well done.
3 Dips ($10.00)
Hummus, carrot and avocado mousse and cauliflower, white kidney beans, tuna and almonds. They ran out of naan bread so they brought us orb chips instead. Hummus was dry. The carrot and avocado had a smooth texture but didn’t do much to my taste buds. The last dip was even more bland.
The food is average but the sours were better. Had a good time with the music trivia.
Rorschach Brewing Company
https://www.rorschachbrewing.com/
1001 Eastern Avenue
Toronto, ON
(416) 901-3233
Budapest Restaurant
Last meal in Toronto. I decided to try something new in the area and found Budapest Restaurant, a Hungarian spot that specializes in schnitzels.
Hours.
Outside menu.
I dropped in for a late Thursday lunch (around 1:45pm). Surprisingly, the place had a few customers. The inside looks newly renovated and there’s two main dining areas. My server was very genuine and checked up on me several times throughout the meal. Just ask her what’s good! I ordered the Hungarian dishes.
The menu is split into appetizers, entrees, breakfast, omelettes, sandwiches, burgers and desserts. Seriously, wished I came with someone else to try more things. All the desserts sounded heavenly.
Click here to see the full menu (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9).
Bread
Two slices of bread complimentary. Comes with butter. Nothing to write home about.
Beet salad ($3.00)
A side bowl of fresh, sweet shredded beets. More than enough for one person.
Wiener schnitzel ($15.95)
Traditionally breaded pork cutlet, fried golden. It comes with a choice of rice, home fries, dumplings or mashed potatoes; I went with the dumplings.
Fantastic! It also came with pickled cabbage. The schnitzel was hammered to a perfect, lean consistency.
Breading was spot on; crunchy but pleasantly light. The piece is absolutely massive but I somehow ate it all!
It’s a tad expensive for lunch but the quality is there. Homey, old school, traditional Hungarian food.
Budapest Restaurant
http://www.budapestrestaurant.ca/
1959 Gerrard Street E
Toronto, ON
(647) 347-5047
Arsenio’s Kitchen
On the way out to Montreal, we stopped at the most random spot, Arsenio’s Kitchen. It’s a Jamaican and Filipino spot run by a nice Filipino family.
Sign outside advertising their lunch deal.
We dropped in on a Thursday evening (around 6:00pm). The place is small and cramped with only one table inside. The Jamaican seems really random. On their website, it says they serve Italian food. I don’t understand their game plan.
Filipinos love their chicharrón.
Closeup of the jerk chicken.
The menu is split into hot meals/combos, salads, made to order, hot food specials, all day Filipino breakfast, sandwiches, pastries and drinks.
2 item hot meal combo ($8.99)
First combo: jerk chicken and goat curry. Jerk chicken was really salty and dry. Goat curry was really fatty and seemed undercooked. Rice and peas was passable.
2 item hot meal combo ($8.99)
Second combo: jerk chicken and Thai chicken curry. Thai curry wasn’t spicy at all and lacked flavour.
Maybe get the all day Filipino breakfast instead. Wouldn’t come back.
Arsenio’s Kitchen
http://www.arsenioskitchen.com/
640 Danforth Road
Toronto, ON
(416) 546-4850
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 