Terroni

Rated this place:

57 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1K6

Food is great!: Review

John's Italian Caffe

Rated this place:

27 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON, M5T1L1

Casual spot to drink the night away: John's Italian Caffe is one of the most popular spots on Baldwin. During summertime, the sidewalk cafe is always busy with hospital staffers, U of T students and artsy OCADers. It's a great spot to stop in for a coffee and homemade tiramisu; or anytime for a great meal. The inside of the restaurant is one of the coziest spots in Toronto and almost transports you to a country inn in Italy. The special, pasta, and paninis are good but the thin-crust pizzas are the best way to spend your appetite for dinner. Wine is served in short tumblers making John's a great place to drink away a casual evening. I've had a hit-or-miss experience but usually does a good job. If you're looking for better service and food overall, hit up Terroni's.

Yung Sing Pastry Shop

Rated this place:

22 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON, M5T1L2

Toronto's most unique Chinese bakery: I'm proud to say that I've been coming to Yung Sing Bakery before I can remember - and though the threat of imminent closure has threatened this charming neighbourhood gem for decades on Baldwin street, Yung Sing Bakery has survived - and so it should.This home-style Chinese bakery is as authentic and unique as it gets in Toronto. Classic buns like fried rice buns, bbq pork, chicken with bamboo, and curry beef have been on the menu for years. One of their specialties are the classic dim sum dishes: har gow (shrimp dumplings) and siu mae (pork dumplings) which are always made to order - addictive and packed with lard, but comfort food at its best. Be sure to try their spring rolls, egg tarts, almond cookies, deep-fried glutinous rice balls, sweet sesame balls, and other tempting foods in the display window!

Zoe's Bakery Cafe Ltd

Rated this place:

548 King St. W., Toronto, ON, M5V1M3

Great sandwiches and cheesecake brownies!: This is a great little deli, bakery, and cafe at King and Brant which is always packed during lunch. It's great in summertime for its cozy patio outside; great in the wintertime for huddling inside over a coffee. What first drew me here was the coffee - the closest shop that serves up Illy nearby work. The second thing that brought me here and keeps me going back at least a couple times a month is the cheesecake brownies - perfect to brighten up seemingly long work days. Pizzas, wraps, and quiches are good but the gourmet sandwiches are gold - fresh bread, fresh ingredients, great flavours that work well together, stacked high and packed with substance. I'm a huge fan of the smoked turkey club with avocado and greens.It's great value for your money's worth - and a great combination with any of their daily soups and salads. Don't forget to pick up a brownie, cookie, or buttertart for the road!

Thobors Boulangerie

Rated this place:

627 Mt Pleasant Road, Toronto, ON, M4S 2M9

French pastry love: If you've got a free afternoon to wander midtown, then why not set out to visit Thobors Boulangerie Patisserie Cafe at Mount Pleasant & Manor Road, just south of Eglinton. Located next to Celestin Restaurant, Thobors was first Le Comptoir de Celestin before it was renamed when Pastry Chef Marc Thobor bought the cafe. A neighbourhood gem, locals and Toronto-bakery lovers come here for Marc's speciality sweet + savoury breads, including 3 types of French baguettes, large round breads (boules), pain au chocolat, brioches, eclairs, tarts and mini cakes, and croissants - my favourite, a killer chocolate + almond croissant. Fresh-made nougat along with both giant and mini Parisian macarons are also another hit. Macarons come in lavendar, orange, chocolate, pistachio, and mocha to name a few, but I recently tried a mint-chocolate macaron and fell in love. Enjoy!

Ehwa Restaurant

Rated this place:

5182 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M2N 5P6

Killer mushroom kam ja tang: With an intense number of Korean restaurants in this uptown Koreatown, it can be difficult to choose the good from the not so good. Owl of Minerva is always a staple for pork bone soup; Buk Chong Soon Tofu for a delicious spicy tofu stew. Ehwa is the Asian Legend of Korean food on Yonge - a more modern Korean restaurant that doles out traditional Korean dishes alongside Japanese appetizers. The first time I visited, I ordered a mushroom pork bone soup - and the flavour of mushroomy pork goodness was stellar. The bento boxes with kalbi/bulgogi, gyoza, and some other dishes isn't so bad. On another visit, I tried a spicy tofu stew which had a fish soup base which wasn't as tasty. Hit or miss, but if you stick with the plain mushroom or kimchi pork bone soup, you'll be safe!

Ackee Tree

Rated this place:

170 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON, M5T 2C2

Caribbean lovin' in heart of downtown Toronto: What can I say - I love lunches, dinners, and snacks at Ackee Tree. What I don't love is the pricing which is significantly higher than other places around the area - but if you've got a hankering for Caribbean-style food, it's worth the extra coin.The warm friendly staff and owners show a real commitment to their customers, the quality of food, and green-friendly practices - and it shows. But let's get to the food. I'm a sucker for their oxtail curry & goat curry - fatty pieces of stewed meat that fall right off the bone - served with rice 'n peas + coleslaw. They've got a mean Caribbean-style roti which is huge and super filling, and you can get more obscure hard-to-find Caribbean dishes like saltfish + ackee. The show-stealer here is the jerk chicken. You can get it served with rice for the best lunch value, or my favourite - as a jerk chicken sandwich - served in coco bread. The sweet potato fries here are some of the best in the city; but be sure to try their jerk fries, too - with a side of homemade jerk mayo - and a ginger beer on the side.

Alice Fazooli's! Italian Grill

Rated this place:

294 Adelaide St. W., Toronto, ON, M5V1P6

Skip the menu, stay for cheesecake: My first visit 3-4 years ago this flagship Alice Fazooli's on Adelaide was a great surprise - especially after I had given up big chain restaurants (Jack Astor's, Kelsey's, et al) years previously.On a recent visit, I'm sad to say that it had become just that - a big chain restaurant. It was a slow Friday night and more than three staff members ignored us, we had to approach them and ask for a seat - very disappointing.Nonetheless, it's a hot place for late night drinks/cocktails, snacks, and patio sitting after work or before you hit Toronto's club scene. Pizza and pasta selection is typical and don't come through. The only saving grace of this place is their Marscapone Cheesecake - a killer, super smooth cheesecake with graham crumble crust that's totally worth the visit.

Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu

Rated this place:

5445 Yonge St., North York, ON, M2N6K7

Delicious Korean stewed goodness: There's a reason that there are only a handful of dishes on the menu here at Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu - and an even better reason that "soon tofu" is featured in the restaurant's name.With two locations, they keep the delicious steaming tofu soup coming. Perfect for cold rainy or winter days, the options include a seafood soon tofu, a veggie soon tofu, a mixed (beef and seafood), a dumpling soon tofu, or a soy bean soon tofu. Soups come with a mild or spicy broth, an egg to be cracked and mixed into your steaming hot soup, and a fresh cooked bowl of high-quality rice. Sides are the usual Korean dishes: kimchi, pickled bean sprouts, daikon radish and dried soybeans with anchovies. A pretty mean dolsot bibimbap and bulgogi dish are also on the menu and shouldn't be missed!

Big Sushi

Rated this place:

388 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S1X4

Huge!: In the Annex at Bloor Street West & Dalton Road, just across from Brunswick House, Big Sushi is a goodie. On a block where Sushi Time, New Generation Sushi & Sushi on Bloor dominate the sushi restaurant scene - Big Sushi often gets left behind. Fortunately, that means not having to wait in lines for the rest of us. Sit in the front of the shop's vinyl booths or hideaway in the back for a little more privacy. It's a great place for lunch take-out, not to mention that the lunch specials are a great deal for smaller budgets starting at $5.99. Service is good though a little slow, food comes out quick, sushi is made to order and has an appropriate amount of rice. The udon noodle soup is exceptional and a nice surprise, compared to the other Bloor sushi spots, and the spicy salmon rolls actually bite back! The salmon/sushi combos are as good as any other on the block, the sweet potato/yam rolls are super popular, and the tempura is also great value. Pricing and quality at Big Sushi is why I'd go back!

Brassaii Bistro Lounge

Rated this place:

461 King St. W., Toronto, ON, M5V 1K7

Great food, great patio, great restaurant: Happily located next door to Crush Wine Bar, Brassaii Bistro Louge is no younger sibling. With one of the best patios in downtown Toronto, Brassai serves up non-pretentious business breakfasts, weekend brunches, quick lunches and just as tasty dinners to Toronto's creative web community and young professionals from King St. all the same. Whether it's after-work drinks, pre-clubbing drinks, or a romantic meal, Brassaii has you covered with lots of indoor and outdoor space. Converted into a restaurant/louge from a warehouse space, the lofty feel and modern design of Brassaii is a great compliment to its fare. Lunches start at $8 for soups up to $18 for a super-sized cobb salad. Favourite lunchtime treats: the Baked Goat Cheese & the Brassaii Club: delicious turkey, cheddar, a fried egg, bacon, avacado served up with Brassaii's perfectly fried french fries. Set lunch menus begin from $19 to $40. Dinner offers oyster trays, clam fritters, homemade pasta, and duck confit with set menus from $45 to $75. Don't forget dessert!

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

Rated this place:

21 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON, M5R2G1

Afternoon Tea Lovin': Four Seasons is one of Toronto's top spots for High or Afternoon Tea. Choose from the basic menu from $35, add a glass of Prosecco for $41, a martini for $48, or a glass of Champagne for $52. You'll see everyone and anyone in this tea room: upscale Yorkville ladies taking a break from shopping Hazelton Lanes; older madames with fur coats and matching hats; girls spending a relaxing afternoon together; or Toronto tourists taking it all in. Fun sandwiches like apple & cheddar cheese; caramelized fig; and tarragon chicken salad make a great start. Both plain and raison scones are tasty and filling - the lemon curd is a nice touch that I haven't seen in Toronto recently. Be sure to save room for dessert and the brandy chocolate torte. Four Seasons definitely wins for their tea selection, with an exceptional variety of flavours and tea styles are offered.

Dessert Trends

Rated this place:

154 Harbord St., Toronto, ON, M5S 1H2

Delicious desserts, brunch and afternoon tea: The brightly lit bistro-patisserie space is adorable and is a perfect day time spot along Harbord Street's growing restaurant and cafe lane. Unpretentious brunch dishes like french onion soup, sandwiches, quiches and omelettes are perfect weekend starters, the duck egg and chorizo sausage is one of my favourites. However, the star of the show at Dessert Trends is the display case of desserts, cakes, tarts and gelato - try the Frangelico Hazelnut Mousse Tart and you'll know why this place is known for desserts. Drop in on Saturday or Sunday afternoon during the spring or summer for a seat near the window.Dessert Trends is also a great for Afternoon Tea and small parties or bridal showers. They were also voted as having Toronto's Best Wedding Cakes. Their off-site bakery located on Weston Road, north of St. Clair sources their impeccably beautiful and delicious desserts to Pusateri's and Fresh & Wild, but is closed to the public.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• tea
• gelato
• desserts
• brunch
• Lunch

Kyoto House Japanese Restaurant

Rated this place:

143 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON

Pretty decent new AYCE sushi place: Recently open about 2 months ago, taking over another short-lived sushi restaurant that took over a donut shop - Kyoto House Japanese Restaurant is much better than your average all-you-can-eat Japanese sushi restaurant. Skeptical, I went with a large group of friends for a Sunday lunch. Although we were pressured for our orders and pressured even more to do the AYCE, we found that the lunch AYCE sushi at $11.99 was better than any option on their regular lunch menu. What a surprise! The Chicken Udon was delicious and flavourful and the rolls were freshly rolled - not the rations from the fridge that were rolled hours ago. Although lunch doesn't offer sashimi for the AYCE option, the sushi pieces the perfect size - they don't try to fill you up on lots of rice - but give you proper sushi pieces and handrolls with lots of fish/avacado/veg. Stick to the rolls, especially the spicy salmon crunch rolls - which were are tasty - as were the yam/sweet potato tempura rolls. All in a all, a deliciously surprising lunch experience.

Millcroft Inn

Rated this place:

55 John St, Alton, ON, L0N1A0

Perfect place to unwind from the city: If you're looking for a country getaway where you can relax and unwind for the weekend, then Millcroft Inn & Spa is the perfect option. It's a popular getaway for Toronto's city folk, a great site for weddings, not to mention a spa + culinary weekend - and the fact that it's only 45-60 minutes from downtown Toronto is absolutely unbeatable. Built at the site of an old historic wool or knitting mill from 1881, the property has been transformed into a beautiful, charming, and historic inn. They've got a wonderful variety of accommodations where no room which is the same: classic rooms in the main Millcroft Inn overlooking the waterfall; luxurious rooms with more privacy at the Manor House; and family friendly Croft lofts with two-storeys and private fireplaces and jacuzzis. Recently expanded in 2004, the Spa at the Millcroft Inn is a decadent treat like no other. Rare spa treatments like an organic chocolate pedicure or wrap; a Japanese Ofuru treatment; or a Swiss Kur provide relaxation, rejuvenation, and inspiration. For an additionally glamorous weekend, Chef Robert Fracchioni offers an evening beginning with a cooking demonstration followed by a tasting menu. His sense of flavours and vivacious passion for all things gastronomic and Italian create the perfect setting for a fun evening and delicious journey at the Inn's four-diamond restaurant.

Grazie Ristorante

Rated this place:

2373 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, M4P2C8

Always well-done comfort Italian food: This spot is always the return-to-favourite for a hearty, delicious, rustic Italian meal to finish off a long day. Friendly staff, a great crowd, and wine served in short tumblers like in Italy make Grazie that much more cozy. It's definitely my favourite of Yonge + Eglinton's Italian options. Generous portions are to be had, no matter what you order. Giant pasta dishes, thin crust pizzas, risottos, and meat dishes will leave you pleasantly satisfied. The best appetizer on the menu is the Baked Goat Cheese Salad appetizer - goat cheese wrapped and baked in phyllo on a crostini with an arugula salad, drizzled with pesto and olives to match. All the pizzas are great, my favourite is the Stefania (creamy porcini sauce, herbs, prosciutto, arugula & parm). Can't go wrong with any of their pastas, always done well and al dente. Be sure to leave room for dessert - and their homemade tiramisu and a coffee!

Pho Pasteur Restaurant

Rated this place:

525 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON, M5T1H4

Mouth watering beefy flavoured broth: Huge. Vietnamese friends have been recommending Pho Pasteur for ages - a place that appeases even their parents - the ultimate pho critics. The 24 hour spot is what most pho restaurants looked like 5-10 years ago - but the delicious soup and friendly service will make anyone forget the lack-lustre decor.

The beef noodle soup here is made as it should be - simmering for hours on end, each flavour present and tame at each mouthful. Go for the beef rice noodle /w beef brisket or the typical #1 mix of everything to find a new wonderful tasty treasure at each delve into the soup. Ratio of noodles to meat is good, the latter is generous. The "bun" dishes are great for a hot summer day, as are the fresh rolls which are usually served super-sized. Fruit shakes are smoother and milkier than the are icy.

Pasteur is definitely top notch pho in Chinatown (my next pick would be Xe Lua) although it's a little more expensive than your average Pho restaurant ($7 for a small soup and $4.50 for a filtered coffee /w condensed milk) - but it's worth the splurge for that delicious, mouth watering broth!

Sushi Kaji Restaurant

Rated this place:

860 The Queensway, Etobicoke, ON, M8Z1N7

Change-your-life kind of sushi: Located in the middle of nowhere in the city's west end at Islington & Queensway, Sushi Kaji seems like any other sushi spot on the outside.

But go for a dinner at Sushi Kaji and you'll never be the same again. It is undeniably one of the best sushi and Japanese restaurants in Toronto - hell, in Canada and even North America - and although it's pricier than your average $19.99 all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, it's worth the splurge. A meal here isn't just "dinner" - it's an experience - and a life-changing one, at that.

Balanced yet light delicate flavours offer a real experience in fine Japanese cuisine. The dishes are balanced between kitchen-prepared dishes and sushi or sashimi dishes - all complimentary and accenting different flavours, a treat to the palette. You'll try dishes like egg tofu with shrimp in a light soup; fluke wrapped with radish in plum sauce; lightly grilled tuna with leeks; morel mushroom stuffed with duck on green onions; a sushi platter including barely-alive giant prawns - and my life changing bite that brought tears to my eyes - a piece of toro (tuna belly) sushi drizzled in their secret sauce.

Your menu options are one of any set menu for $80, $100 or $120. Reservations must be made in advance for any time Wednesday to Sunday between 6 to 10pm. Book a seat at the bar for the best experience and to meet the master himself, Chef Mitsuhiro Kaji. He's as hardcore as they get when it comes to the art of sushi and his serious devotion to it shows in the quality of fish, delicate flavour balancing and expert technique.

Asian Legend

Rated this place:

418 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON, M5T 1G7

Tons of great Northern Chinese specialties!: One of the best nouveau Chinese restaurants to hit the Toronto scene, there are now six locations all over the Greater Toronto Area. Northern Chinese, Shanghai and Taiwanese-inspired cuisine bring spicier flavours, unique techniques and specialty traditional dishes to Chinatown. Not only does Asian Legend stand out because of its flavours - but it's classiness as a Chinese restaurant is hopefully a growing movement among Toronto's Chinese restaurants. So, what should you order when you go to Asian Legend? Here are some favourites. Start with the steamed soup-filled pork dumplings, packed with tons of flavour - just be sure to slowly bite into it using your spoon otherwise you'll lose all the delicious soupy goodness. The rolled beef + green onion pancake is delicious and crispy. The General Tao chicken is like candied chicken and is addictive. The glutinous rice roll with meat floss - sounds like a nightmare - but is a one-of-a-kind dish done best here. The braised pork is packed with flavour without any of the fat trimmed. A final favourite is the "dan dan" spicy noodles in peanut sauce, try to get as spicy as possible, for a great noodle dish packed with a peanut bite - amazing. Finish the meal off with a red bean pancake (similar to the beef + green onion pancake but deliciously sweet) or the fried doughnuts / balls with red bean paste in the middle, served covered with icing sugar. They're difficult to find elsewhere in Toronto so don't miss out when you're here!

South St. Burger Co.

Rated this place:

45 Wicksteed Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4G 4H9

Hit-the-spot Burgers: After a long day of running around from one hardware store to the next, a stop at South St. Burger Co. was exactly what we needed.It starts with 1/3 pound 100% pure beef patty (naturally raised beef, no hormones or antibiotics), freshly grilled on an open flame and topped with real cheeses (who can resist a jalapeno jack/havarti?) and refreshingly unique sauces. Burgers are cooked to 160 F unless otherwised asked, leaving a little pink on the inside. Milkshakes aren't bad, churned to order from ice cream. Onion rings and fries are courtesy of New York Fries. Overall, it's a pretty good burger and the attention to the beef definitely makes a difference. Give it a try!

Famous BBQ Express

Rated this place:

385 Queen St. W, Toronto, ON, M5A1T5

Great value lunches on Queen West: This place is a no-frills kind of shop, offering amazing value for tremendous portions and tasty food. Staff is friendly and remember you each time you visit - another reason to keep coming back. Grab breakfast, burgers, wings, souvlaki or bbq meats - for under $10 you'll get a styrofoam box packed to the rim. Order and sit down to eat-in in the casual shop or take-out to take back to the office. The bbq meats are a favourite - heaping portions of spicy pork or bulgogi on top of fries, rice, with sides of pasta salad, coleslaw, and a side salad. The value for food is absolutely unbeatable - not to mention the food is super tasty and comfort lunch food for a long day at work.

Wanda's Pie In The Sky

Rated this place:

287 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2M2

Pies and squares and cookies, oh my!: Although it's a pie place, I haven't had too many good experiences with the pie - but other desserts are great. You name a pie flavour, they've got it. From good 'ol apple pie to apple crumble, dutch apple, fancy dutch, peach apple, Ontario sour cherry, peach praline, sour cream rhubarb, banana cream, coconut cream, mocha almond fudge, apricot frangipane, marzipan raspberry and spiced walnut - the list goes on and on. Wanda's Pie in the Sky found its way onto a busy corner shop into Kensington Market just a year ago in May 2008. It's great for spring and summer afternoons, the bustle of shop visitors and those walking through Kensington make this place one-of-a-kind. Stop in for a healthy lunch of specialty sandwiches and quiches or sit on the patio for a delicious bite. If you're ordering just a slice, they can warm it up for you - just make sure it's done right (so that the middle isn't still cold). Mediocre pies aside, Wanda's Pie in the Sky offers delicious cheesecakes, cakes, squares, tarts, macaroons, brownies and a killer ginger-molasses cookie.

Reggie's Old-Fashioned Sandwiches

Rated this place:

571 King St. W, Toronto, ON, M5V 1M1

Fried mac 'n cheese & duck confit sandwiches: Reggie's Old Fashioned Sandwiches had me at hello once I took a look at their menu. The front of house is a typical small-table and huge-in-character shop on King West but the back of house is where it's at, with warm sunlight pouring through a sunroof, wooden tables perfect for a long hang-out lunch on Fridays, and brick walls reminiscent of an Irish pub. The service is more rushed than friendly but can't complain too much. But back to the menu. Sandwiches or wraps with duck confit with brie, pulled pork, poutine, smoked chicken, a potent 2-year aged cheddar grilled cheese sandwich - and fried macaroni and cheese. The fries and fried mac 'n cheese are sometimes amazing but sometimes over-fried. Bread for sandwiches are sometimes too hard to bite through. When Reggie's is on, it's great, when it's not, you remind yourself that you can't get friend mac 'n cheese anywhere else.

Pho Ai My

Rated this place:

221 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2E2

New kid on the block underwhelms: It's no secret that I love me a good pho at least once (maybe even twice!) a week. Pho Ai My is the newest pho on the block gracing Toronto's downtown Chinatown, not to mention the cleanest and chicest thus far. It's a great spot for lunch for those working in and around Queen & Spadina. Great prices along with quick and friendly service make the place amiable though it caters to a bit of a "safer" crowd.

But most importantly - what's the soup like? Not as life-changing as I'd hoped, pretty bland and mild. I promise you that it probably also doesn't have as much MSG (or MSG substitutes) as other pho soups might - and you won't feel the "post-pho" coma that you usually would. Portions are pretty small in comparison to the same sizes at other pho restaurants, and you'll get a huge helping of noodles with just a few pieces of meat.

Sadly, my verdict would be to walk another block to Xe Lua, Pho 88 or two blocks for Pho Pasteur.

Quince Restaurant

Rated this place:

2110 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M4S 2A5

Taste the Mediterranean: One of Yonge & Eglinton's newest additions, Quince opened up in 2007 and was recognized as one of the Best New Restaurants by Toronto Life. Situated in a tough competition area for restaurants, Quince doesn't seem to be slowing down - and that's great news for and rustic Mediterranean-style cuisine lovers.Inventive dishes like a pork dumpling soup with chorizo, mushrooms and agnolotti; Moroccan-spice oven roasted salmon and Israeli couscous; and warm chocolate bread pudding, are a sample of what can be found at Quince - and my selection for this past visit. Flavours are more rustic than mature but the dishes themselves are a nice treat from the ordinary restaurant in Toronto's midtown.Quince is also a great place for cocktails and martinis, though the wine list by the glass is limited. They've got a great party area for groups downstairs - private with lots of room for both standing and seating arrangements. Staff is very knowledgeable and really friendly and definitely make an impression. Enjoy!