Straits Restaurant - Santana Row

Santana Row is a nice spot in otherwise mediocre San Jose. Straits Restaurant is elegant and at the same time casual. Why can't we have restaurants like this in Ottawa? At dinner time, a fun-loving yet stylish crowd turns up around the bar as much as at the tables. The chef serves up great Singapore food. The satay is excellent and the beef rendang strongly recommended. I'm quite sure almost everything is quite good. It's not the most economical in the Bay Area, but then again, the price is worth it for the atmosphere. Will definitely visit again.

Food at Maclaren's mediocre? Not the smoked salmon sandwich.

It's kind of going around that everything on the menu (other than the drinks) is mediocre at Maclaren's on Elgin. I mean, the draw of the place are the wide screen TVs (for sports viewing) and the pool tables. Strangly though, the smoked salmon sandwich is really good. It comes with chunks of smoked salmon, not slices of it. It's almost like a salmon steak sandwich. The only thing is that the salmon tends not to be able to stay in the sandwich, so your hands smell like you've gone fishing, not a good idea if you intend to shoot pool after that.

Maybe the rest of the menu's gotten better too, I mean it could just be me having bad experiences from before, and the salmon's just improved with the rest of it?

Strongly recommended: Won Ton House (Ottawa)

Finally got to try this restaurant on Wellington west of Parkdale. Recent gentrification of the area has continued unabatedly but this place, like the Bagel Shop across the street, has been around for years through the ups and downs.

All I can say is that I'm definitely going to be back there again. The food is good, and the dining room cosier and friendlier than the large Chinese restaurants in town, yet better maintained than many of the smaller ones. It's much more than just Won Ton, so don't let that rather simplistic name fool you. It's a full-fledged restaurant.

Singaporean style buffet in Ontario

The only way to describe what a Singaporean style buffet is to someone in Canada is to go for one. The closest I've seen is at a place called Mandarin (www.mandarinbuffet.com). They have a number of locations across Ontario. I stopped by their Pickering location on the way back from Toronto. It's just behind the Petro Canada Station at the corner of Kingston Road and Brock Road, convenient if you are connecting between the 407 and the 401. Roast beef, barbecued pork, sushi, prime rib, mussels, fresh shrimps (Singaporeans read: prawns), chicken curry, deep-fried shrimps and scallops, "everything you could want" salad, your usual chinese dishes, black forest cake, cream caramel, bread pudding, ice cream. There's also the usual "Canadian" chinese food such as chicken balls, egg rolls, hot and sour soup. The wonton is not all that great but everything else was delightful.

Genji Sushi is become a habit in Ottawa

Genji Sushi, a family run place on Lisgar between Elgin and Metcalfe is reasonably good for sushi and tempura. It's not top-of-the-line Japanese food, but well worth the price. $20 to $30 buys you an excellent meal in a casual, comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. They keep filling your cups with green tea even after you have finished your meal, so you can stay and converse as long as you want. They have been open since December and appears to be increasingly popular. From their accents, I think they they are from Hong Kong. So long as you don't mind your Japanese food a little chinese style, that should not matter. And in case you equate chinese style food with "dunked in oil" junk, it's not like that at all - this is fine cuisine.

Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant - Toronto

Another good place for dimsum in Toronto. Everything is above average for a very reasonable price. Be prepared to wait a little while for a table on the weekends though, as it does get rather busy. Nevertheless, the dining hall is large enough to ensure a regular turnover of guests. The restaurant also provides a leaflet in English explaining dimsum to guests, which comes in really useful. Despite the obvious efforts put in to cater to the "caucasian market", it remains very popular amongst the local chinese community, which is testimony to the quality of food. www.brightpearlseafood.com

Real Thailand for Real in Toronto

It's real thai food at Real Thailand on Bloor just west of Spadina in Toronto. I'm impressed with the lamb and chicken curries especially. Directly opposite the Dominions grocery store in the Annex, it lives up to its somewhat boastful sounding name by delivering amazingly delicious dishes in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. And in case you are wondering what the portraits at the back of the restaurant are about, a review dating back to 2000 on their website www.realthailand.ca explains it all.

St. Louis Bar and Grill at Davisville

I can't believe I couldn't remember this place from the time I lived in Toronto. Now that I've seen it again, "Right, that's where it is." This standalone establishment is as much a part of this historic stretch of Yonge Street as James Street Feed Company is of Bank Street in Ottawa. It cannot be missed on the west side of Yonge Street in between Davisville and Eglinton, one of the few places left along Yonge Street with it's own parking (even though it was a miserly 6 or 7 lots). I found it after parking in one of the side streets east of Yonge, finding to my delight free parking (1 hour limit) in a city where this is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity.

Riding on past glory - King's Garden?

King's Garden Chinese Cuisine used to be one of the best places to have dimsum on a weekend morning in Toronto. Still at 214 King W just across from the Roy Thomson Hall, it seemed to disappoint a little this Sunday. Perhaps it had to do with the high expectations it commanded or the fact that they had changed the menu since I was last there. While innovation is commendable, in this particular case it might have been at the expense of a formula that worked just too well. The quality is still respectable, but it set me back by about $30 for what I would consider a premium price to pay for an A-minus in an increasingly competitive market for dimsum in the rapidly expanding TO.

Thai Restaurant en route to Toronto

There is a nice little Thai restaurant by the name of Desiam on the way to Toronto at Pickering which is very inexpensive. The food is authentically Thai and is a welcome change from the usual fast food stops along the 401 between Ottawa and Toronto. Although Pickering is almost Toronto, it is a convenient place to stop especially if you are making your way up to the 407 via Brock Road (Durham regional road 1). The restaurant is in the middle of the mall to the east of Brock Road along Pickering Parkway. It's about halfway to Staples (at the east end) from the Brock Road turn off and is next to the only other restaurant in the complex.

Persian food in Ottawa

Still catching up on backdated posts...

December 4

Looking for Persian food in Ottawa? Try Saffron Restaurant (426 Rideau St at Chapel). Went there for D's birthday. I am no expert at Persian food but I like it better than Persian Cuisine Express (340 Laurier Ave W at Bank). Another Persian hangout is the Boofs at a totally out of the way location (730 Industrial Rd).

Best Greek Restaurant in Ottawa

Catching up on backdated posts...

November 25

The title says it all. It's Pilos Restaurant on Montreal Road east of Aviation Parkway (876 Montreal Rd).

Greek Souvlaki House

The Greek Souvlaki House at the SW corner of Prince of Wales and Baseline is a great place to have brunch, lunch, dinner, or any meal of the day. Everyone I know who's been there has said that they can't believe the amount of food they put on the plate at their amazingly reasonable prices. I got to try it, finally, and was surprisingly impressed with quality of food in addition to the quantity, and liked the casual and relaxing atmosphere of the large split-level dining hall. It's not the best greek food in town, but certainly up to standard.

Reflections on a weekend in Toronto

Insanity is a trait common amongst the inhabitants of Toronto. You need some of it in order to cope with the multi-cultural, high-density, fast-paced environment that's constantly on overdrive. This weekend, an ex-Torontonian (that's me) decided to go with the flow...

Friday 10 pm, along the Don Valley Parkway: At least the Don Valley parking lot is smooth today. I am directed via cellular to head for the Firkin. I wasn't expecting to be at a pub directly on arrival, but it's a group I do want to meet.

Saturday 10 am, Warden Avenue near Aurora: I'm on my 49 km bike ride. Some of these guys training for the Niagara race have already done 80 km before we arrived!

Saturday 2 pm, Cafe de Macao at First Markham Place: There is something on the menu that translates to African Chicken that's really good here. Apparently this is a dish that does in fact exist in Macau. As to the source of the name, I would guess that the curry-like sauce is in fact of African origin.

Saturday 10.30 pm, in the kitchen: Movie night on the back rooftop. Cool! But I've had a long day and definitely feeling a little out of it. She refills the Brita pitcher with tap-water, hands it over to me. I put it back in the fridge. She is still thirsty after finishing her glass, asks me if I could pour her some more. I begin pouring and spill water all over the kitchen floor. Duh! The dim-witted me forgot that Brita pitchers take time to filter the water you put into it and do not pour until the process is complete. We sure make a great team.

Sunday 2 pm, High Park: The wasps at High Park seem more habituated to humans than the variety in Ottawa. They appear more adept at getting into your food and drink. Maybe mango juice wasn't such a good idea after all. We also had to queue for ice-cream. But it was a really nice day out nonetheless.

Sunday 9.30 pm, Jersey Giant on Front Street: Girl from Winnipeg, talkative, aspiring fashion designer, waitressing to pay the bills. Hopefully her Toronto dreams come true. Guy from Mississauga, went on boat cruise on Lake Huron with Barrie singles group. Looks like the unofficial GTA* is expanding to include both these places.

Monday 10 am: My friend is headed off to the beaches at Ashbridge's Bay. Sounds like a plan I will have to pass up as I'm leaving early this afternoon. I remember good sand and volleyball. But I wouldn't get into the water with the sewage plant next to it. I'll have Lac Philippe or Meech Lake anytime.

Monday 4 pm: The west-bound traffic on the 401 slows to a crawling pace as the residents of Toronto make their way back from their cottages. I'm glad I'm going the other way.

*Greater Toronto Area

Food served too fast - must have been reheated

The burger at Hard Rock Cafe was served really fast. Almost too fast. Makes you wonder if it was prepared in advance and reheated.

Langano Skies Ethiopian Restaurant

I found this Ethiopian restaurant along Whyte (82nd) Avenue at 99th Street. It's not inexpensive, but not pricey either. I suppose it's a good way to get educated on what Ethiopian food is like. One scoops up the meat/vegetables/sauce with injera, which is a white flat-bread that is somewhat fluffy (for the Singaporeans, think murtabak with softer skin). One eats only with hands, and all from the same plate. On the menu are wot and tib amongst others. The beef curry we got tastes a lot like beef rendang from back home but better. I think they added assam, but I will need to get my hands on the recipe to confirm. The chicken drumsticks were yummy.

Best donairs in Canada?

Checking out Whyte (82nd) Avenue in Edmonton on a Friday evening after the play. But why a donair? Because we had an early dinner, want something to eat but don't want to spend too much, and I'm tired and need to go to bed soon.

This place is a few shops west of Chapters on the north side of the street. Now I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. If this is any representation of donairs in Edmonton, with enough time I am quite sure I'll find a worthwhile challenger in this town to the King of Donairs out east. I won't be staying in Edmonton long enough to find a new sovereign though, and for now the crown for the best donair remains in Halifax (tasted and verified one year ago by yours truly). www.chapters.com www.kingofdonairs.com

Federicks Restaurant - Scarborough - Toronto

It's good to be back in Toronto again. I was visiting a friend in Scarborough and we decided to go to Federicks Restaurant first introduced to me three years ago. I do miss the food there. A typical non-fancy chinese eatery cum take-out best described as a Hakka-Chinese-Indian-Malaysian restaurant. The mee goreng and the butter chicken are among my favourite dishes. You can find it at 1920 Ellesmere Road. It's part of a little row of about half a dozen shops with private parking (free).

Johnny Farina not open for lunch on Sundays

We were intending on going to Johnny Farina on Elgin Street for lunch but discovered that it opens only at 4 pm on Sundays. Went to Bravo Bravo for their Sunday brunch buffet instead. $17.90. A little more than what I would typically spend mid-day Sunday at the all-time favourite Manx or on the patio of the Fox and the Feather, but you get more food. It's a buffet after all. Quality is reasonably good. www.johnnyfarina.com www.bravobravorestaurant.net www.foxandfeather.ca

Milestones is open in Ottawa

Went to the new Milestones in Ottawa for drinks. It's at the bottom of the new Claridge Homes' luxurious 700 Sussex residential development. Despite the fact that it's under a condo, it doesn't look that way. Well, with an address next to the Chateau Laurier, it's Ottawa's most prestigious spot. Looks like the Milestones patio (I'd have to call it a terrace) will be vying to be the hottest spot in town. www.milestonesrestaurants.com www.claridgehomes.com