New project for June… Cooking Video… Coming Soon…
Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto
Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto is the best Kaiseki restaurant in Toronto and it is also the most expensive restaurant as well.
Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese tasting menu. The menu is created everyday based on the freshest seasonal ingredients. Every meal is different and full of surprises. The meal is divided into 8 courses at Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto. Each dish is served in small portions prepared masterfully and they are in perfect balance with taste and appearance. You are not only eating with your mouth but with your eyes at Hashimoto. The knife skill, the plates chosen to serve the food on, the garnishes, the color, the design and plating, everything is aim to improve the dining experience.
Here is the menu on Dec 29, 2012:
1. Onjyakuzen: Red bean cooked with sweet rice, Saikyo-miso (white miso) with egg tofu, Sesame Tofu deep fried with sweet rice
2. Mukozuke: Fresh line caught Madai fish from Kyu-shu
3. Wanmono: Grated turnip soup with Kinmedai fish wrapped with thin layer of Kyo-ninjin carrot and Turnip tied off with Daikon. Gobo burdock with canola vegetable and Yuzu citrus
4. Yakimono: Grilled Chikame-kintoki fish, Bamboo topped with sweet miso with the skin of bamboo shoot, Grated Koshin-Daikon with ponzu sauce, lily bulb with sour plum
5. Takiawase: Stewed pork, carved turnip with hot mustard
6. Shiizakana: Grilled A5 tenderloin Wagyu beef from Gunma prefecture, lotus root chip, taro potato, strained yam potato with rice cracker, gooseberry, signature carved daikon crane
7. Tomezen: Rice cooked with Madai fish, gingko nut tofu deep fried with sweet rice with Ankake-sauce, pickled daikon with sesame seeds, turnip and turnip leaf, pickled red turnip
8. Kanmi: Homemade vanilla and green tea ice cream, strawberry jelly made with agar agar topped off with peach jelly
At the end of the meal, we were invited to experience the traditional tea ceremony in the tatami tea room.
The Grove
The Grove is crowned as the best new restaurant in Canada by Maclean’s Magazine this year. They are known for their Parsley Root Soup (with snails, bacon, fried bread). I tried it and I loved it. Definitely is a dish that everyone must order. Side note: Chef Ben Heaton shared his soup recipe in Toronto Life Cookbook. So pick up your copy at the newsstand today if you want to make the soup at home.
Another dish I truly enjoyed was their apple pie. Flaky, warm, sweet and delicious. There is no better way to end a meal.
The Grove
Address: 1214 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: http://thegroveto.com/
Pizzeria Libretto
Did you know Pizzeria Libretto bake their pizzas in less than 90 seconds in their 850 degree wood oven?
Everyone told me Pizzeria Libretto made the best pizza in Toronto. I may not agree to the statement 100% but it is pretty close. I’m actually more impressed with their appetizers. My favorite is their Buttermilk Calamari with Romesco (a red pepper almond sauce).
Pizzeria Libretto
Address: 221 Ossington Ave.
Website: http://pizzerialibretto.com/
Fluffy Biscuits
Biscuit made with Nora Mill Granary pancake mix
Scrambled Egg Toast
Toast + Bacon Jam (From Skillet Bacon Spread) + Scrambled Egg + Parmesan Cheese
Mantry: The Modern Man’s Pantry
Mantry, the Modern Man’s Pantry, is a new food delivery service specific for guys. Every month Mantry subscribers will receive a curated selection of food around the world that truly represents a modern gentleman’s lifestyle. It’s a blind order so you will never know what you will get for the month until you receive the package.
For the month of October, the theme is bourbon breakfast. The box includes pancake mix with bourbon maple syrup, jam, bacon spread and worcestershire source to make your Bloody Mary. A true gentleman’s breakfast.
