Concession Road

Update: The restaurant has closed 

I'm a big fan of trying out new restaurants through Winterlicious/Summerlicious since the first year is usually the year they really try to impress new customers (although, they may have some service hiccups along the way) and Concession Road was new on the Winterlicious list this year. (Items I would order again)

We got some complementary bread with a tapenade 

I skipped the tapenade since I don't like olives. 

Butternut squash soup

Really sweet - it didn't have the right balance of savoury and sweet. 

Escargots

The escargots were delicious! I loved the butter sauce and the mushrooms gave it a nice Asian flavour. 

Japanese Fried Chicken

For some reason, I didn't equate Japanese Fried Chicken with Kaarage and I think I was expecting something like Korean Fried Chicken with a lot of sauce. The kaarage was pretty good, but I found the mashed potatoes were a strange side dish with the kaarage. 

Steak and Frites

The steak was really gummy and chewy (it wasn't a good cut of meat) and the fries were too greasy.  The spicy mayo was okay, but overall this wasn't that great. 

  

Pecan Pie and Chocolate Mousse

The pecan pie had a nice flaky crust and it was pretty tasty without being too sweet.  The mousse was really weird - it was salty and didn't really taste like there was espresso in it. 

Overall: First time Winterlicious problems strike again - the service took really long after we got our appetizers, but the odd part was that two other tables that came later than us got their desserts and finished their meals before we got ours.  We were at the restaurant for an hour and 45 mins (mostly waiting for food) and the tables felt like they were way too close together (I was worried every time a waiter passed by). 

Valens

My coworkers and I were pretty excited for Winterlicious and we had a decent experience at Cafe California, so we made another lunch reservations to try out another restaurant nearby work. 

 (*Items I would recommend and/or order again)

Beef Carpaccio

Really thin slices of raw beef with a cheese and arugula salad tossed on top and a hint of olive oil. 

It looked great and sounded delicious, but there wasn't really anything to tie the dish all together. 

Chicken and vegetables

My coworkers got this and thought it was okay (they preferred the lamb when they tried it). 

Lamb

The lamb was delicious! The meat was so succulent and it just fell off the bone and the pairing of the mashed potatoes and vegetables with the sauce were great. Also - this was a huge portion (good value for money). 

Chocolate cake

Creme Brulee

Pretty good - nice crispy torched sugar layer and not too sweet custard underneath. 

Overall: The service was a bit of a mess since they mixed up the dessert order and they had to come back a few times to ask us what we had ordered.  The food was pretty good though. 

Momofuku Noodle Bar

After eating at Momofuku in NYC, I really wanted to try the Toronto version and see if their pork buns lived up to the delicious pork buns in New York. 

Momofuku Noodle Bar joined the Winterlicious restaurants and offered a $18 3-course lunch. 

Pork Bun
This pork bun was worse than the one I had in NYC: a lot more bun and not as much meat. It felt like it was missing something - it was really just pork belly marinated with a little sauce sandwiched in a mantou.

Chicken Bun
This was better than the pork bun, at least there was more sauce tying the bun all together. 

Chilled Noodles
The noodles were so salty that they were basically inedible after the first 10 bites.  We had to rinse the noodles and the pork in the Chicken ramen broth to dilute the flavour.  Awful - definitely don't get this. 

Chicken Ramen
This was pretty good - the big chicken breast was yummy and seasoned well.  

Maple Coconut Pecan Cookie
We didn't get a choice for the cookie and they just gave us something from the Milk Bar - it was okay for a vegan and dairy-free cookie. I wasn't really wow-ed by it.

Fried Bao with sauce
It was a hard fried bao with sugar on top sitting in a soy sauce dish with a condensed milk sauce with cinnamon. It was interesting? (not a fan of this either).

Overall: I guess I can say that I've tried Momofuku Noodle Bar and I probably won't go back again.

Website: https://noodlebar-toronto.momofuku.com/

Pan on the Danforth

We've been tempted to try the Summerlicious/Winterlicious at Pan on the Danforth for years, but the timing somehow never worked out - until now. The lunch menu looked great for $18. 

 

Trilogy of Spreads: Taramosalata, Humus, Tirokafteri with pita

All the spreads were really good! and they gave us a ton of pita to dip it with. 

Kolokithokeftedes: zucchini croquettes with feta, kefalograviera cheese and herbs

The croquettes were great! So tasty and the mixed greens on top added a nice flavour as well. 

Pan Chicken Souvlaki

The chicken was tender and seasoned well, the tzatziki was a little too thick though which made it harder to dip the chicken into the sauce since it didn't stick. Also, I have to admit, I love the Jimmy the Greek potatoes and these ones didn't cut it for me.  

Kota Kai Aginares (Artichoke with chicken)
It was okay - the chicken souvlaki was better.

Pork Souvlaki Dinner
The pork was nicely seasoned, but it just wasn't as good as the tender juicy chicken (everything is relative).

Havlas - sweet made with semolina and raisins
This dessert was really soaked in syrup - very sweet.

Ravani: cake with honey syrup
In contrast to the havlas, this cake was really dry.

Overall: Decent 3-course Greek meal at Pan on the Danforth. It was nice to finally try it and the service was pretty good. 

Silver Star Food Court

I started going to this food court on Silver Star Boulevard when it first opened years ago. Back then, it was a hidden gem with a lot of really cheap and delicious food (like huge freshly breaded and fried chicken fingers for $5 and this amazing Shanghainese stall with the best beef and onion rolls). However, the lack of traffic those first few years caused my favourite shops to close and I haven't really been back until now.  The only shop that's consistent is Canton Kitchen. 

Stir Fry Noodles (from the Green shop)

Really good! and super cheap for less than $5

Ma Po Tofu on rice (not pictured above - but to the right of where I was sitting)

A little bland - but there was a lot of tofu and a lot of rice for $6 including the soup. 

Cafe California

Jan 29, 2016

Some of my coworkers wanted to do a Winterlicious lunch for $18, so we came to Cafe California. (*Items I would recommend and/or order again)

Winter Bruschetta (vegetarian)

With goat cheese, cranberries and apples

Santa Barbara Salad (vegetarian)

Mixed greens with pine nuts, raisins, mushrooms, onions and a sun-dried tomato pesto vinaigrette

Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip (vegetarian)

Topped with roasted red peppers and served with warm naan bread

Lamb Souvlaki

Skewers of tender lamb, served with greek salad, basmati rice, and tzatziki sauce

My coworker said the lamb was really tasty and tender

6oz Striploin Steak

In a mushroom brandy sauce, and served with roast potatoes and market vegetable
The steak was rather tough even though I got it medium rare - it was a tougher and older cut of meat. 

Cajun Tilapia

Herb and spice crusted filet of tilapia, in a white wine dill cream sauce, served with basmati rice and market vegetables

Warm Chocolate Brownie (vegetarian)

With Crème Brulee Crème Fraiche

Tia Maria Cheesecake
The cheesecake was kind of interesting - definitely didn't taste like a typical cheesecake and the crust was kind of like the Japanese cheesecake.

February 10, 2015

Ever since the Winterlicious menus came out, I've been looking forward to the $25 dinner menu at Cafe California. (*Items I would recommend and/or order again)

Calamari Diablo with chili aioli
It was a nice filling portion for an appetizer. The calamari was breaded and fried and worked well with the aioli.

Lobster Mac & Cheese
I was really looking forward to this when I first saw the menu. Lobster mac & cheese is usually served as a main rather than an appetizer (and you get filet mignon for $25 too? that's a ridiculously good deal). The mac & cheese was super creamy with the three cheese sauce and there were 2-3 pieces of lobster on top. The breadcrumbs on top were nice, but I would have liked it even more if they baked the appetizer until there was a nice crust on top of the mac and cheese.


8 oz Filet Mignon with Madeira sauce and vegetables
The filet mignon was done really well! Lots of meat and cooked to perfection - tender and juicy.
I wasn't sure if I'd like the gorgonzola (blue cheese) on top, but I think it paired nicely with the meat and the sauce. A very yummy and filling portion!


Apple Crumble Tart
When we got the tart, it looked really nice, but as soon as I dug a fork in - it crumbled.
The apple crumble was a little too literal: the crust was not very good and the apple and crumble part were nice, but it's not that easy to enjoy it when the crust fails to hold it all together.

Amarula Liqueur Cheesecake
This cheesecake was really nicely done. It had great flavour from the amarula liqueur and it was moist with a good solid crust. I almost wish I had more - but I was pretty full from the other two courses.

Overall: Great value for money and very yummy food at Cafe California! The service was great and the food came out fast and very well done - and it's such a bargain for lobster mac & cheese and filet mignon.

Website: http://www.cafecalifornia.ca/