Manic Mondays @ Koryo

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food

Not sure how long this will last for but every monday from 12-2pm Koryo has a deal they're calling "Manic Mondays" which is like their take on KFC's toonie tuesdays...except on a monday...and replace fried chicken with korean fast food. It's located in the Toronto Life Square food court at Yonge/Dundas, which was a little bit of a walk from work but I figured for a $2 lunch how could I go wrong?

So for $2.25 ($1.99 + tax? that's not right is it?) you get a box of food with 2 scoops of rice, your choice of 2 sides and BBQ chicken and beef. I got there at around 1:15 and they were out of chicken so I only got beef. For the sides, you get a few choices, there was pasta salad, kimchi, glass noodles, broccoli, green beans, and potatoes. I got the noodles which were ehh and the potatoes which I would highly recommend. Probably the best thing in that box, crispy outside and light and fluffy inside, I was actually pretty impressed for food court potatoes and next time I'll just get double potatoes. The beef wasn't bad either, though they don't give you that much it was just enough to go with the rice they gave.

It was just enough food for me though I felt a bit snackish in the afternoon but I guess I can't really complain for $2. Overall, you're not going to find a cheaper complete lunch downtown...provided it's a monday and between 12-2pm.

UPDATE: Looks like alot more people have caught wind of this deal and the lineup was like 50 people deep (up from like 5 the first week) so it's up to you if it's worth standing in line for your entire lunch break

Koryo Korean Barbeque
Unit 340, 10 Dundas Street E (Toronto Life Square food court)
Toronto, ON

Caplansky's

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smoked meat sandwich / BBQ brisket on a bun

So turns out I'm not dead, just terribly lazy. It's been pretty warm out lately so I made the long walk over to Caplansky's on college between bathurst and spadina. The big seller here is the smoked meat which they do in house and practically the only place in Toronto to do so. Probably the closest thing Toronto has to a real deli in the likes of Montreal and New York.

I actually didn't order the smoked meat sandwich (7oz, $7.00 + tax/tip) but my friend did. It just comes plain on rye with a pickle, though they have a selection of fancy mustards on the table if you want anything on it. Instead I got the BBQ brisket ($8.00 + tax/tip) which comes on an onion bun with crispy onions and glazed in BBQ sauce...a bit reminiscent of a pulled pork sandwich. The flavour of BBQ sauce isn't that strong but with a bit of mustard to fill in the gaps it's one tasty sandwich. With my sandwich I of course had to get a smoked meat poutine ($6.00 + tax/tip). The fries were very good, nice and crisp, and the gravy also comes with chunks of smoked meat in it. My only criticism would be that it could have used a bit more of that gravy to melt more of the cheese curds but still a good poutine.

I wouldn't recommend getting both a sandwich and full order of poutine though, just get it as a side with the sandwich, as I couldn't even finish mine (but so close!). It's a good thing for my friend Jason who helped me finish mine...in addition to his own full order of poutine...and was still considering a piece of pie somehow. Sadly not the first time I've been defeated by poutine but all in all a good lunch.

smoked meat poutine

Caplansky's Delicatessen
356 College St.
Toronto, ON
RATING:

Manpuku

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curry udon / 2nd noodle refill

Manpuku Japanese Eatery...I'll just say right now that this is my favourite place in Toronto for udon. Hidden away in the Village by the Grange food court (st. patrick/dundas), it's a pretty small place with a limited menu but what they do they seem to do well. So in addition to the udon they also have a few rice dishes, takoyaki, onigiri, and even some desserts with everything here being really affordable. A big reason why I like this place so much is that for an extra $1.10 you can ask for a refill of noodles. So instead of me complaining how I wish they gave a bit more, I can happily walk out of here full for only a dollar more.

Curry udon ($5.99 + tax/tip) is my usual pick and comes in beef or vegetable. Carrots, potatoes, onions, shredded beef, and noodles...nothing too fancy and very tasty. The broth also has a good curry flavour but the biggest selling point are the noodles which just seem to be of a higher quality and have a great texture. They don't seem to give you any extra soup when you get the noodle refill so it's best to save some for round 2...or in this case round 3 lol. Actually I was full after the first refill but I had to prove a point to a friend who thought I couldn't though I don't think I'll be doing that again.

Manpuku Japanese Eatery
29-105 McCaul St
Toronto, ON
RATING:

The Bowl Fine Asian Cuisine

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hu tieu bo kho / uhh pho

Close to Ryerson and has pho bo kho? This was another place I had to try. Located on yonge, south of dundas, right across from the eaton centre is the Fine Asian Bowl and one of their three locations in Toronto. First impressions stepping inside went something like this...hmm pretty clean...and looks nice in here...and served by a white person...wait...what? I guess I'm just used to eating pho on dirty tables, with a pot of tea, and surly asian waiters/tresses but something wasn't sitting right. Fearing I walked into some sort of Spring Rolls-watered down-fusion-trap, I was thiiis close to getting up and leaving but decided to stick it out and try it.

So onto the bo kho, or as they nicely put it on the menu, hu tieu bo kho (S $7.50/ L $8.75 + tax/tip). Way too expensive for a bowl of pho so I played it safe went with the small not knowing how it would turn out. I was honestly expecting it to be terrible, like a tomato in a bowl of regular pho, but actually turned out being pleasantly surprised with a pretty decent bowl of pho bo kho. Carrots, beef brisket, delicious delicious broth. Maybe just slightly less flavourful than what I'm used to but otherwise still very close. My only gripe would be the noodles which were more like the chinese flat thick rice noodles. Also pictured is some sort of pho lunch combo ($9.00? + tax/tip) which is a L sized bowl of pho and came with a drink. This was actually decent as well...not terrible but not great...and according to my friend could use more MSG? lol Also the size of this large is probably comparable to a medium at most other pho places so there's not much value going on here.

So I guess you get what you pay for, location, service, decor...but if it's up to me, I'll be walking over to chinatown for my pho.

The Bowl Fine Asian Cuisine
271 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
RATING:

Smokin' Bones

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meatloaf sandwich / sloppy chili sandwich

Trying out some of the new places around Ryerson and one of them is Smokin' Bones Southern Comfort Food. Now alot of these southern bbq type places in Toronto are pretty sub standard but I figured this one had daily specials and a student discount so it was at least worth trying. But anyway, Smokin' Bones is on Dundas just east of Church. Inside is pretty dark and empty with just a long counter and some chairs.

Seeing as how this was a thursday, I went for the daily special, meatloaf sandwich ($6.00 + tax). Pretty simple, piece of meatloaf covered in BBQ sauce (normal or spicy) served on a bun. Long story short, it wasn't very good. The meatloaf itself didn't have much flavour and all I could taste was a bit of the BBQ sauce...but mostly like nothing...a big meaty piece of blandess...on a bun. My friend had a similar experience with his sloppy chili sandwich ($6.00 + tax). The beef was in huge chunks and poor quality, and the beans were undercooked. Needless to say, I doubt I'll be returning though people on the internet seem to like the pulled pork here so...we'll see.

Smokin' Bones
117 Dundas St. E
Toronto, ON
RATING:

Update to Cafe Green Tea

http://myamazingfoodblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/cafe-green-tea.html

Ippai Japanese Fusion Cuisine

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curry pork katsu

Quick review....mostly because this is like from a month ago and I don't remember anything lol. A fairly new place, Ippai Japanese Fusion Cuisine, is located in Markham in a plaza off Woodbine just north of Highway 7. Curry pork katsu lunch combo ($7.99? + tax/tip) comes with miso soup and salad. Curry tasted ok, like slightly better version of the packaged stuff. Not terrible, not particularly good...and uhh yea that's about it.

Ippai Japanese Fusion Cuisine
8865 Woodbine Ave
Markham, ON
RATING:

Smoke's Poutinerie

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Smoke's Poutinerie...the first of its kind in Toronto, opened with its original location on Adelaide right above burrito boys. Since then they've expanded with a newer location on Dundas just east of Jarvis. Seeing as how the new location was pretty close to Ryerson and they've added some new things on the menu since I last went, I figured it was a good time to revisit the Poutinerie. One thing to note about the Dundas location is that it's alot smaller than the one on Adelaide and there's actually no place to sit, just a small counter to stand at.

On the menu there are pork, beef, chicken, or veggie based poutines, and of course just the regular ol fries, gravy, and cheese. So of course I order a pork poutine...the Double Pork Peppercorn (L $9.95/S $7.45 + tax)...you only live once right? Green peppercorn gravy, chipotle pulled pork, and double smoked bacon. The first bite, amazing....the subsequent bites after that...much less so. The pulled pork adds some sweetness to balance out the saltiness of everything else but it just ended up being way to salty. I don't know if it was the gravy, or the bacon, or maybe just this location but something was too salty...so salty I didn't even finish it. The large is also a pretty heavy box of poutine and I'd recommend against it unless you feel like passing out for the next few hours. Also pictured is the Veggie Deluxe Poutine (L $7.95/S $6.45 + tax) which is sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and green peas.

If you're looking for some variety with your poutine then Smoke's Poutinerie is the place to go...though it kind of wins by default on that one. It's also a little expensive for what it is, so if all you're looking for is fries + cheese + gravy, then you can go to the food trucks by city hall for an even bigger box that's half the price but still the Poutinerie is worth visiting at least once even if just for the novelty of it all.

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double pulled pork peppercorn / veggie deluxe

Smoke's Poutinerie
203 Dundas St. E
Toronto, ON
RATING:

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: