People always tell me they love Kyoto more than any other part of Japan. I didn’t think I would agree with them until I visited Kyoto myself and witnessed how culturally different Kyoto was from the rest of Japan, with a unique blend of modern and traditional elements. Just steps away from Gion Shijo train station, we found ourselves wandering around a quiet and historic area of Kyoto that was beautiful and tranquil. We had made reservations to AWOMB Gion Yasaka few months prior to our trip and to my surprise, the restaurant was located in the middle of this quiet neighbourhood. ALSO READ – Things to do in Japan AWOMB has several locations with…
Located in the midst of the hustle and bustle in the financial district, Ki Modern Japanese & Bar serves up a fresh take on the Japanese style of leisurely eating and drinking with friends. The dining rooms at Ki are divided into 3 main areas – the bar area and depending on one’s preference, guests can choose to either sit in their spacious sushi bar section where they can watch chef’s prepare their sushi up close and personal. If guests prefer a dining environment where it is a little bit more formal (suitable for business meetings), the dining area is another great option. Aomori Omiyage Martini ($15.00) Absolut Orient Apple vodka, honey Jack Daniels, Butter…
Calling out all Teriyaki Experience lovers out there! Teriyaki Experience is celebrating 30 years of food cooked fresh. In order to mark this milestone, they have recently gone through some exciting changes on their menu offerings. We visited the restaurant for dinner a few nights ago and we’re excited to share with our readers some of their latest updates! At these locations:Toronto Eaton Centre, Sherway Garden, Oakville location, Teriyaki experience now offers Sencha and Genmaicha organic loose leaf tea made the traditional Japanese way (steamed). They have partnered up with BakeCode (French Asian patisserie from Taiwan) and now offer 4 different types of desserts (Japanese Cheesecake, Black Sesame Roll, Green Tea Matcha Cream Puff Pastry,…
Renown for serving an upscale affair of modern Japanese offerings, JaBistro strives on using the finest & freshest ingredients around the globe. Luckily enough for me, I enjoyed a lovely dinner at JaBistro’s newly renovated rooftop patio. They are managed by Kinka Family – who also manages Kinka Izakaya, Kinton Ramen and Kintori Yakitori. Prior to this visit, I’ve only ever visited to JaBistro once (around 2-3 years ago for my birthday) so I was quite excited for this dinner. Lately, I think I’ve been on some sort of weird aburi obsession because I even considered eating aburi for breakfast too! So yes, I did come back for an aburi visit shortly after this dinner. The thing I like…
I was recently invited to the newly opened Teara Lab (Twitter: @TearaLab / Instagram: TearaLab) situated on College Street (close to University ave). Presented by the same owners of KAKA All you can eat sushi, Teara Lab offers a simple menu of 6 different kinds of Japanese Burgers, Fruit Tea / Slush / Crema / Milk Tea Drinks menu, and a few upgrade options for those that opt for a combo. Teara Lab, using the freshest ingredients to put their Japanese Burgers together, also source their buns from ACE Bakery. The concept, like their menu is quite simple. You simply place your order at the counter and wait for your number to be called whilst seated at your table. Hokkaido…
I don’t exactly remember when was the last time I visited Cabbagetown but I will definitely be back because of Kingyo (Twitter: @Kingyotoronto / Facebook: Kingyo Toronto). I can’t believe its taken me so long to visit this izakaya. I messaged a few friends during my dinner to arrange our next trip to Kingyo (this rarely happens!) Kingyo Izakaya is located at the corner of Parliament & Winchester (a little bit out of the way for me but totally worth the trek). This trendy Izakaya offers a broad selection of Japanese sharing dishes, cocktails & sakes. I enjoyed most of the things we ordered and regret not ordering a few items from their specials menu. Jasmine Tea Tako…
After an amazing yakitori experience at Kintori Yakitori a few weeks ago, I’ve decided to make it my mission to explore more restaurants that offers yakitori. A few days later, I found myself at Kintaro Izakaya (Facebook: Kintaro / Instagram: Kintaro_Izakaya), located on Church Street (few steps from Wellesley Subway Station). The restaurant was pretty quite throughout our meal. I wouldn’t exactly be jumping to compare the atmosphere to Kinka Izakayas’. Our server was knowledgeable yet short with his responses. Despite this, my friend and I genuinely enjoyed the items we ordered that evening. {Left} First Kiss ($9.00) {Right} Eastern Comfort ($9.00) Psttttt – They have cocktail specials from Tuesday – Thursdays (all day) for $6.00 Salmon Sashimi ($6.00) 4…
There’s definitely no shortage of ramen restaurants in Toronto. Among the galore of authentic Japanese ramen shops in Toronto, KINTON RAMEN (Facebook: KINTON RAMEN / Twitter: KintonRamen / Instagram: kintonramen) currently holds the most locations in the downtown core with their 1st location that opened in 2013 and now with their 5th location that just recently opened. KINTON RAMEN 5 is located beside Kinka Izakaya (formerly Guu Izakaya) on Church Street. {Left} Homemade Lemonade ($3.00) {Right} Calpico ($3.00) Hot Karaage ($5.90) Spicy Fried Chicken Age Gyoza ($3.90) deep-fried pork dumplings with original sweet chili sauce I’m not one to usually order deep fried dumplings (because I prefer them steamed or boiled served in a broth) but I can never resist…
As I’m composing this blog post, I’ve come to realize that I’ve never visited a restaurant dedicated to just grilled skewers in Toronto. Sure I’ve ordered skewers here and there when its offered but never had the opportunity to visit a restaurant specializing in just yakitori. Nonetheless, I’m delighted to share my “first official” yakitori experience with you. Established in the winter of 2014 above KINTON RAMEN 2, KINTORI YAKITORI (Twitter: @KintoriYakitori / Instagram: KintoriYakitori) is a cozy tapa-style eatery specializing in delectable drinks and authentic Japanese grilled skewers, or “yakitori”. KINTORI YAKITORI serve bite-size pieces of the finest meat and veggies held together by bamboo skewers imported from Japan and cooked over a charcoal fire. Staying true to…
After visiting Shibui Robata Bar (@ShibuiRobata) for the first time at their opening launch party few weeks ago (see blog post here) – I just couldn’t wait to be back! Since they only recently opened, I was totally ecstatic to find out they were taking part in Summerlicious (July 4-20) this year! There’s not much to say as the pictures pretty much speak for itself. My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed each course from the salad to the maki’s and wow the lamb I opted for my main was amazing! Cooked perfectly – a little bit fatty but melt-in-your mouth good! 5 Courses for $25? Totally crazy! STARTER: Crispy Rice with Salmon/Tuna pan seared sushi rice STARTER: Kinoko Salad (vegetarian) Soba…
With all the sudden Ramen pop ups in Toronto for the past year, its still safe for me to say that NO – I’m not sick of eating ramen and YES – I will keep indulging in these deliciously hot yummy bowls of Ramen until my heart is content. But come on, especially with the extremely cold weather outside? who wouldn’t want a yummy bowl of ramen that is made to your liking (well – to a certain extent) Enough rambling – Last week, I made my way to Touhenboku Ramen (@Touhenbokuramen), conveniently located steps away from Osgoode Station on Queen Street West. We arrived shortly after 6pm with only a few tables occupied. Once you…
