Xe Lua (aka train)

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Xe Lua, or what I just call train, has a few locations around the GTA but the quality isn't very consistent and some locations are particularly bad like the markham and richmond hill ones. The chinatown one on spadina I think is an exception and is actually my favourite place for pho in chinatown...though I know some people might disagree with me (LEO!). Dirty tables and bad service kind of come with the territory so I can't really comment on that...but it's south of dundas, on top of a thai restaurant and beside another vietnamese restaurant, so it can be easy to miss.

A big part of the reason why I like train is that I think this is one of the few places that make a good bowl pho bo kho ($6.00 + tax/tip). Pho in beef stew of a rich tomato broth, beef brisket, carrots...so good. The beef can be kind of fatty sometimes but the real star is the soup anyway. I'm sure drinking all that broth can't be healthy and you'll end up being real thirsty for the rest of the day but boy does it taste good. For something more ordinary, also pictured above is a bowl of flank and rare beef pho (L, $6.00 + tax/tip), which I think they do a pretty decent job of. Good sized bowl, good amount of beef, no complaints on the broth or noodles...just a solid bowl of pho.

Xe Lua
254 Spadina Ave
Toronto, ON
RATING:

Cora Pizza

Hawaiian/ Meatlovers / Brio

The ever-lasting pizza rivalry on Spadina and Harbord, Cora Pizza has been competing for the champion of pizza for UofT students (the other being Slice King). This independent pizza parlour has an assortment of New York-style pizza slices, all at a low price (either $3.50 or $4.00 for a slice) and large quantity (the picture above depicts ONE slice and I traded half of mine for my girlfriend’s meatlovers). However, do note that the drinks here are more expensive than usual, with pop at $1.25 and up. Otherwise, Cora Pizza is a definite visit for every UofT student, whether it is for lunch, dinner or late night snack (Cora opens until 4-5am).

The Hawaiian ($4.00 flat) that I got was an usual for me, mainly because I think there isn’t a better Hawaiian out there, especially in the franchises you see (Pizza Pizza, Pizza Hut, etc). Its always filled with plenty of pineapples and large pieces of ham, pineapples being my favourite fruit (is it a fruit?). The slices are also never so oily that you’ll have an breakout after eating a bite, which is always good. The Meatlovers (also $4.00 flat), on the other hand, was pretty average. The amount of ingredients was only a bit more than other places and it didn’t really stand out. BUT! For the price you pay, this is an excellent deal for the stingy, hungry market also known as university students.

Cora Pizza
648 Spadina Ave.
Toronto, ON
RATING:

NOTE: I've been told that Cora has been closed down recently due to hygienic reasons. So, do go at your own risk! More on the story here.

Cora’s Breakfast and Lunch

The Construction Plate/ Crepe Omelette (Spinach Cheddar)

Another day, another visit to a brunch place for a nice meal early in the morning. Cora’s Breakfast and Lunch is considered to be the ultimatum in breakfast places, according to several sources. Anyways, Cora’s is a franchise and there are several locations all over Ontario. Unlike other breakfast places, Cora’s offers a colourful environment and encourages healthy eating (they offer “mountains” of fruit with the majority of their dishes). It’s a more expensive place comparing with the other franchises (Eggsmart, Sunset Grill, etc), but you will find that it is worth the extra money.

Feeling hungry, I got The Construction Plate ($8.45 + tax) and Hot Chocolate ($2.25 + tax) while my girlfriend got the Spinach Cheddar Crepe Omelette ($10.95 + tax) and Orange Juice ($3.45 + tax). Both dishes come with toast (mine came with three slices while hers came with two) and they were soft and warm (my preference). The sausages on the construction plate were soft and chewy, but a little bit oily for my taste. The eggs were your usual eggs, but they weren’t cooked so much as to having burnt edges that you usually see, which is good. The home fries were quite good comparing with other breakfast joints, as they were soft and moist. The crepe omelette felt like I was eating a taco because of the crepe similar to a soft shell. It was good though, filled with spinach and cheddar cheese inside and covering the crepe. The fruit you see in the picture is only a “cup” of fruit (I came again another time and believe me, the “mountain” of fruits is A LOT of fruit).

I must say, this is an enjoyable experience. The environment was good and so was the service. However, I have yet to try the Eggs Benedict, so for all you Benedict enthusiasts out there, do give it a try for yourself (but I doubt it could be bad). This is probably my go-to breakfast place from now on and hope it will be for all of you as well.

Hot Chocolate

Cora’s Breakfast and Lunch
27 Carlton Street
Toronto, ON
RATING:

Cafe Green Tea

Breaded Chicken with Curry Rice

Hidden in the back of J-Town at Woodbine and Steeles, Cafe Green Tea does not even have its own sign but rather a name on a directory board. This place is actually part of the Japanese supermarket that is at J-Town, and because of this, the ingredients are guaranteed fresh. The menu also has a variety of udon and ramen ranging from $4.98, $5.98 and $7.98 as well as full meals costing $9 only (comes with a salad and drink if I remember correctly).

Either way, the curry here is excellent. I got the Breaded Chicken with Curry Rice ($6.98 + tax), which is inexpensive compared with the other curry places that I have tried. The breaded chicken was plentiful and I think it’s the best I have ever tried. It’s quite thick and is dark meat, tender and soft unlike its white counterpart. The curry seems and tastes store-bought, as it is quite thick yet has less flavour than the homemade curry from other places. On another note, most of the drinks here are a dollar each, and that includes the V8 above, which usually costs more (good source of vitamins and fibre!). I was quite full in the end and recommends everyone to give it a try. Its authenticity and quantity for the price deserves a visit just to be compared with the other places.

Cafe Green Tea
3160 Steeles Ave. E
Markham, ON
RATING:

UPDATE 28/01/10 (Jon):
I ended up here one day and decided to try something else so I chose this dish called father's meal ($8.99 + tax) which offers a bit of everything. Miso soup, rice, 2 fried shrimps, japanese hamburger patty with ketchup, potato salad, coleslaw, and oranges. Actually I don't even know if I should be calling that coleslaw since it was really just a pile of raw shredded cabbage...not very tasty. The potato salad on the other hand...best potato salad ever. Very creamy and smooth, I just wish they gave more than that small scoop. The shrimp were pretty standard but the hamburger was good and really juicy.

Ritz Caribbean Food

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lunch special

There are a few Ritz locations around downtown but the one I went to was the one on yonge st. across from the Eaton Centre. I assume they all have the same menu since they all advertise their $3.99 lunch special which is why I went there. Even though the sign says daily lunch specials I think they actually just have the same one everyday. So the lunch special ($3.99 + tax) is a quarter leg of jerk chicken OR a piece of fried chicken, rice and peas, and coleslaw. The jerk chicken was moist and overall pretty tasty while the rice and peas and coleslaw were just ok...maybe a little dry but for under $5 I'm not complaining too much.

Ritz Caribbean Food
219 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
RATING:

The Stockyards

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homemade iced tea / coke classic

Done exams so that means time to be a big fatass. Previous years have brought me to The Tulip and Utopia but this year...The Stockyards. Mostly a BBQ type place...kind of. Ribs and BBQ chicken are only available on certain days and the rest of the menu is mostly sandwiches (pulled pork, pastrami), burgers, and fried chicken. It also seems like they have constantly changing daily specials which keeps things fresh. The place itself is really small, no tables and probably like 15 seats all bar/counter style so most people opt for takeout.

First off drinks, homemade iced tea ($2.00 + tax) and glass bottle coke ($1.50 + tax). They also have a homemade limeade that sounded good. I got the fried chicken ($12.00 + tax) which was 5 pieces of chicken, 2 breasts, 1 back, 1 wing, 1 drumstick, a shitload of fries, and coleslaw. The chicken is fried to order so it comes out hot and the skin is incredibly crunchy. Fries were great. You know how when you get fries the best ones are the small slightly crunchy ones, well that's pretty much how all of them were like. Not enough places do shoestring style fries and you really do get a ton of them...they're kind of hidden by chicken in the picture but they're there. The coleslaw was also good, not too vinegary, not too creamy, tasty stuff.

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fried chicken combo / classic burger

They also have a variety of different sides but I settled on the tower of onion rings ($5.00 + tax). These aren't no frozen onion rings...maybe a little greasy but nice thick cut onions and I don't know what spices they put in the batter but they were some damn good rings. The classic burger ($7.00 + tax) which I didn't try any of was also supposedly good.

The Stockyards is a little out of the way at st. claire and christie but I'd say was well worth the journey. Also the portion of the fried chicken is huge...I don't how I finished it but somehow I did so unless you're really hungry, a big fatass, or 2 people, I wouldn't recommend trying to finish it yourself. Good thing for me I'm one of those...uhh really hungry of course, what else would I be.

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tower of onion rings

The Stockyards
699 Saint Clair Ave W
Toronto, ON
RATING:

Pizzaiolo

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meat lover

Pizzaiolo is a local pizza chain in the GTA with most of them being downtown. Now usually chains = bad but I think Pizzaiolo makes a pretty decent pizza and it's definitely a step above the usual crap like Pizza Pizza. Not just the quality is better but they also have some interesting choices if you're looking for something a bit more exciting.

Slices are $4.00 + tax. So far I've tried the Meat Lover (pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, ground beef) and also the Bianca (artichoke hearts, zucchini, garlic, feat) both of which were tasty. Also pictured is the Capone (chicken breast, roasted red peppers, mushrooms) which I have yet to try but looked pretty good and was full of toppings. One problem we all had though was that we were still hungry after...so either we're all fatasses or...well probably that's it but still I could used a liiitle bit more pizza. Another thing to beware of is to avoid the combo. You might see their signs on the street advertising a slice and a drink for $5.30 + tax or $5.99 tax included but when a slice alone is $4.00 + tax so they're really ripping you off on a can of pop.

Study Notes:
- tasty
- still hungry
- avoid the combo

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bianca / half eaten capone

Pizzaiolo
uhhh...look at their website
Toronto, ON
Rating: /

Yummis

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chicken shawarma...so full of chicken it spills out

Two streets north of wellesley on yonge is Yummis. It might look like just another shawarma place on yonge st. but inside is where magic happens...well maybe not quite but they do make a pretty damn good shawarma and burger. So good in fact I've been ignoring my food blogging duties lately and just going back here. Great value and friendly service too. I think for cheap quick lunch downtown, Yummis is hard to beat.

The chicken shawarma ($4.99 + tax), I'd rank as one of the best downtown and the fact that it comes with a drink is just icing on the pie. Unlike most places that roll up their shawarmas, Yummis just stuffs the pita full of delicious chicken. They also put tzatziki sauce, mixed with I think dill, in the shawarma which gives it a unique taste compared to other places...but in a good way. So to sum up, reasons for trying the chicken shawarma at Yummis? Cheap, tasty, big, and comes with drink. Reasons not to? None.

Another one of their offerings is the Yummis burger ($4.99 + tax, cheese extra $0.50) though this one doesn't come with a drink. It's just a simple massive 10oz unpretentious burger for $5...what's not to like? I don't think I've seen hamburger buns that big before and the pictures really don't do it justice, it's alot bigger than it looks in the pictures. Even though the patty is so big, the meat wasn't dry at all and much like the shawarma, gets the thumbs up.

Cheap and tasty...now if they just had a bunch of busty asian waitresses I'd I've died and gone to heaven but even still, Yummis is probably one of my favourite lunch spots downtown.

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Yummis burger with cheese

Yummis
646 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
RATING:

CJ Lunch Box

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shrimp tempura roll / dumplings

Just off of Spadina on Richmond St. is CJ Lunch Box and it's exactly like how the name sounds...well I guess except for that CJ part. First, LUNCH, this place mainly caters to the lunch crowd, their hours are really limited like from 11am - 3pm. Second, BOX, all the food comes in plastic boxes...sushi, sashimi, edamame, dumplings, and any other japanese food that can fit neatly into them. That just leaves CJ which...??? but who knows or cares when the sushi is this cheap and I mean like dirt cheap. None of their rolls cost over $4 for at least 8 decent sized pieces (and not just the crappy ones like cucumber roll). Also inside is not so much like a restaurant or even a takeout counter but more like a mini supermarket where you pick out your boxes of cheap food and then bring them to the cashier to pay.

I randomly picked out a box of tempura shrimp roll ($?.??) and a box of 10 dumplings ($?.??). Don't really remember what they cost individually but together the total was $8.50 with tax so I'd guess the roll was around $3.75? and the dumplings $4. This obviously isn't the highest quality stuff here but for that price I'm not complaining and I was satisfied with my $4 sushi. The dumplings were decent too and they also heat up them for you which is a nice touch. So overall, cheap? and sushi? I like it.

CJ Lunch Box
403 Richmond St.
Toronto, ON
Rating: /

Green Thai Viet Thai Fusion

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thai red curry with beef brisket, roti / vietnamese assorted plate

Yep, that's no typo, for some reason they felt the need to include the word thai twice. Green Thai Viet Thai Fusion is on bayview just north of highway 7 in richmond hill. When I heard about their free curry crab promotion (when you spend $45) I was all over that like an asian family on free samples at costco. So I rounded up some friends and off we went. I like curry crab and I like free, so together it must be amazing right? right? ...well let's just say life doesn't always work like that and if it didn't work for twinkies on pizza, it might not work here.

We had to order enough to get to $45 so we started with an appetizer, vietnamese assorted plate ($12.99 + tax) which came with 2 satay sticks of beef, chicken, and shrimp, 2 tiny ass spring rolls, and some shrimp paste on sugarcane. The meat was kind of greasy and while it didn't taste bad there was absolutely no way that was worth the $13...a trend we quickly discovered.

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deep fried chicken in pandang leaves, thai royal pineapple fried rice / curry pad thai

Thai red curry with beef brisket ($6.99 + tax) with roti (3.25 + tax) lacked meat and was mostly just alot of filler like celery. Deep fried chicken in pandang leaves ($9.99 + tax) were pieces of chicken that were like half fried and half boiled which wasn't too bad but any sort of fried chicken is automatically good by default. The main complaint with that dish was that it was annoying peeling off the leaves to get to the chicken. Thai royal pineapple fried rice ($8.99 + tax), the rice was mushy and I realize they had to make it fit in the pineapple but they still could have given a bit more. The last dish to get the total up to $45 was the curry pad thai ($8.99 + tax) which just wasn't anything special at all and again on the small side.

Finally the curry crab ($free). The one thing that could have saved this dinner...sadly didn't. The crab was old/dead/frozen/whatever but it certainly wasn't fresh and the meat was sticking to the inside of the shell. The curry itself wasn't too bad...but sauce alone couldn't save this dinner and I'd much rather to go Saigon Star for curry crab even if this one was free.

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free curry crab

At first we were worried we wouldn't be able to eat $45 worth of food and a free crab but by the end of it we actually were still a little hungry (well at least me anyway haha). Overall just not worth the price. I don't mind paying more if it tastes good but the dishes here were just mediocre and combined with the small portion sizes, Green Thai Viet Thai Fusion gets a thumbs down. So just goes to show that the old saying holds true...if it sounds too good to be true, make lemonade.

Green Thai Viet Thai Fusion
8750 Bayview Ave
Richmond Hill, ON
RATING:

Ho Ga Oriental Cuisine

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bulgogi and tempura / chicken katsu

Another lunch in the PATH, this time to Ho Ga in the Standard Life building...not to be confused with the similar sounding Ho-Shim in First Canadian Place. Their menu of takeout japanese and korean food also practically identical to Ho-Shim's but with some key differences...actually just one, Ho Ga has chicken katsu! (and fish)

I wanted to do a comparison with Ho-Shim so I got the bulgogi and tempura ($5.97 + tax). Portions were smaller than Ho-Shim's but the coleslaw and noodles were slightly better. The bulgogi didn't have alot of flavour but at least they gave me more than two pieces lol. The tempura however was much better, the shrimp was decent enough for food court standards and the potato tempura was actually cooked all the way through. My friend justin got the chicken katsu ($5.53 + tax) which came with the same rice, noodles, coleslaw and also two fried dumplings. The dumplings were just ok and so was the chicken. It's certainly no FMP food court katsu though...

In my opinion better than Ho Shim but still nothing special.

Ho Ga Oriental Cuisine (in the standard life building)
121 King St. W
Toronto, ON
RATING: