Smash Kitchen & Bar :: Brunch with the Parents

Smash French Toast ($13)

challah blocks, golden syrup, cinnamon sugar

Chicken Noodle Soup

Crab Cakes Benedict ($15)

2 poached eggs, crab cakes, hollandaise, pico de gallo, sm’hash browns

Earl Grey Tea
mighty leaf organic earl grey whole leaf pouch

Smash Kitchen & Bar

4261 Highway 7 East

Unionville, Ontario

905.940.2000

website

Panera Bread :: Quick Dinner Before Midterm

Pick Two - Creamy Tomato Soup and Caesar Salad with Chips ($8.08)

Large Lemonade ($2.99)

After my visit at the Panera Bread near the corner of Yonge and Dundas, and experiencing the dirty cutlery (click for photo) and poor service - it really turned me off from coming back to this location. I've had better experiences with the Panera Bread at the Shops of Don Mills and on Highway 7 and Warden. I was initially thinking of visiting the Highway 7 location to squeeze in some study time and lunch prior to my midterm in downtown Toronto, but the impending rain changed my mind and I decided to head downtown first just in case traffic was bad. Since so many of my friends dined at the Yonge location before, I figured perhaps last time was a fluke.

This second visit was much better than the first, but wasn't enough to change my mind about this particular location. The service was much better and the cashier was friendly. The problem this time wasn't service or the cutlery. It was the salad. It was terrible - and it was only a Caesar salad! It didn't taste right. It tasted as though they washed the salad and left soap studs in it. It was not refreshing at all! In addition, for a Caesar salad, there was a disappointing lack of salad dressing. I was literally eating a plain bowl of lettuce with croutons in it. I didn't want to make a fuss since I never really had to return a dish I've ordered myself before and I was trying to cram the last amount of lecture into my head before my test. The creamy tomato soup was delicious but kind of on the warm/cold side, but acceptable. Lemonade was generous for the size (the regular size is $2.79 - so for 20 cents more got the large) but slightly on the sweet side. 

I don't dislike Panera Bread as a franchise, but I don't like the Yonge and Dundas location because I think it's reasonable to expect friendly service, clean cutlery, and a hearty, healthy, and refreshing meal that I'm fully satisfied with for the premium price of $12.51 - especially if it's simply a cup of soup and a small Caesar salad. I feel like Panera Bread is a franchise that prides itself on quality food and service - but I simply don't believe that this location has it.

Panera Bread

322 Yonge Street 

Toronto, ON M5B 1R8

website

T-Rex Zone :: Cheapest Lunch Deal in Yorkville

I saw T-Rex open maybe a couple of months ago, briefly walked by it to investigate, but didn't have any interest in it - perhaps to the simplicity of this salad bar (which is very ironic considering that the T-Rex was a carnivore!). It wasn't until I ran into the Cumberland Terrace Food Court grabbing some food for my manager and I had a deep craving for a salad bar lunch that I remembered T-Rex and went back to try it out. I'm super glad I did!

Lily, who works there everyday with presumably her family, kindly explained to me the simple pricing of her restaurant.

One regular tub is $3.99 + tax. One large tub is $5.99 + tax. The tubs can be filled with what ever your heart fancies that's available for you at the salad bar with no worries of how much the tub weighs. You just pay for the tub and you fill it. If you want a drink add $1 + tax. It's not a self-serve salad bar, thus Lily helps you put together your lunch. It's also great cause T-Rex Zone takes credit cards so you don't have to carry a full purse/wallet with you from the office.

How awesome is that? Considering I work in Yorkville, one of - if not the most - expensive neighbourhoods in Downtown Toronto, finding lunch around work is terribly expensive. The closest 'healthy' fast food nearby is Aroma, Freshii, and Picnic where lunches run you at around $7-10+tax. 

So thanks to T-Rex, I've been eating lunch for $4.51 everyday. That's arguably cheaper than bringing frozen tv dinners to work everyday! I have no idea how T-Rex makes it's money and maintains its Yorkville rent for $4.51 a tub, so I'm not surprised if T-Rex raises it's prices a little - but even a slight price increase is still very much cheaper than everywhere else in the vicinity. I'm also astounded that it's not busy at all! I've also told all my coworkers and they are surprised! I feel the lack of a crowd is a lack of exposure and that it's not visible from the street. They don't have an Urbanspoon profile (yet ;D just submitted an 'add restaurant' request) and one review on Yelp from a user named Bernie.

So this is one of my lunches from T-Rex Zone shortly after I discovered it. 

Now, considering that it's $3.99 - one can be skeptical about the taste and quality of the food. For the skeptics out there, I'm pretty satisfied about the freshness and the taste of T-Rex Zone's salad bar. The vegetables are fresh and I normally only see a small quantity on the salad bar at a time making me believe that T-Rex brings out food at small quantities at a time to maintain freshness. Majority of the salad bar options are vegetarian, though I have seen chicken slices, tuna, bacon bits, hard boiled eggs, and diced ham. I would be really happy if they introduced tofu as a protein though!

First you get a choice of a bed of romaine, kale, or a mixture of both (though on some days only romaine was available). Then you just tell Lily everything you want to try out and she puts a spoonful in your bin. If you are particularly excited about something, maybe tell her to add two spoonfuls.

Here's a size comparison size shot beside my large Second Cup drink. That's the regular $3.99 tub. I've gotten way less for more from other salad bars such as Freshii and Aroma.

On this particular day I got the following combination (off the top of my head):

• romaine
• boiled egg
• humus
• corn
• green beans
• kale super salad mixture
• nut mixture
• croutons
• tomato, cucumber, and red onion mixure
• potato salad
• macaroni salad
• beets
• honey dijon dressing

I'm a creature of habit so my salad lunches don't really change day to day but here's what's in the above tub:

• kale (wasn't available when I got the above tub)
• boiled egg
• humus
• corn
• avocado (wasn't available last time either)
• cucumber slices
• beans
• chick peas & kidney beans (first time trying this today - liked it!)
• nut mixture
• croutons
• tomato, cucumber, and red onion mixure
• potato salad
• macaroni salad
• beets
• honey dijon dressing

Update (Nov 13, 2014)

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger Root ($2.99 + tax)

It was a particularly cold day today, so I tried T-Rex's soup for the first time today. I was also feel like I was getting sick so I was in need of something to warm me up. The soup of the day was the Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger Root. I love Butternut Squash Soup and the Ginger Root was a welcomed Asian twist. The added Ginger Root really helped me feel like I was fighting off my upcoming cold and felt a lot better. I would definitely get it again without question.

Update (Nov 14, 2014)

• romaine
• kale
• kale super salad
• macaroni salad
• potato salad
• diced ham
• nuts & berry combo
• beets
• cucumber
• broccoli
• eggs
• corn
• green peas
• tuna
• chicken slices
• feta
• humus
• avocado
• parmasean
• honey dijon
• croutons

Bottom line: Probably one of the cheapest and healthiest lunch deal you can find in Yorkville. The ingredients are fresh and tasty too! The $3.99 tub is more than enough to fill me up too.

If you do happen to stop by T-Rex, tell Lily that Sam said hi! She's pretty good with names since she remembered mine just after one visit and only asking about my name once!

T-Rex Zone

Unit F02B - 2 Bloor Street West

(in Cumberland Terrace across from Manchuwok)

Dragon Legend :: Lunch Buffet

Went to Dragon Legend today for lunch to provide a brief review for a company scoping out venues for their upcoming Christmas party.

The indoor and outdoor decor is very similar to Dragon Pearl with the same outdoor figurines, tall chairs, and wood tables. The set up and selection of food was also very similar. The only thing between Dragon Legend and Dragon Pearl was (1) venue size, (2) selection of food, and (3) service.

Dragon Legend is a stand alone restaurant with its own parking lot. Considering the size of the restaurant and the small amount of parking surrounding the restaurant, I wouldn't be surprised if parking is difficult to find on some of the busier days/hours (ie: weekend dinner time). In comparison to Dragon Pearl, Dragon Legend's buffet area and dinning area is also smaller in size.

Although, I only tried the lunch buffet at Dragon Legend and only tried the dinner buffet at Dragon Pearl, it's not difficult to see that food selection is extremely similar at both restaurants. The only difference is that Dragon Legend does not have the hand cut egg noodles and the large dessert ball that Dragon Pearl has to offer. Otherwise, both restaurants share a large variety of fresh sushi, sashimi, maki (including seafood - not like the 'non-raw vegetable' sushi served at Mandarin). It should be noted, that they do limit the quantity of sashimi that you can take in one visit as there is someone who places 3 pieces of each sashimi on your plate each time you go to them. Both restaurants also have a large selection of traditional Chinese dishes such as dim sum, peking duck (only at dinner), stir fry vegetables, sweet and sour pork, soups, desserts (love that they have ginger bean curd jelly), and more. They both also have fresh fruit, ice cream, and a selection of desserts.

In terms of quality, similar to Dragon Pearl, Dragon Legend's food is quite fresh and hot (not warm) since the staff bring out very small portions at a time and replenish it very often. Thus, overall I would have to say that the quality of Dragon Pearl and Dragon Legend's buffet is quite good, especially for a buffet.

However, quality is not lost without the matching price tag.
Prices are as follows:

Lunch Buffet

Adult Kid (5-12)

Monday-Friday: 11:30pm – 3:00pm $14.99 $8.99

Saturday:   11:30pm – 3:30pm $20.99 $11.99

Sunday & Holidays:11:30pm – 3:30pm $20.99 $11.99

Dinner Buffet

Adult Kid (5-12)

Monday-Thursday: 5:00pm – 9:30pm $25.99 $14.99

Friday: 5:00pm – 10:00pm $30.99 $16.99

Saturday: 4:30pm – 10:00pm $30.99 $16.99

Sunday & Holidays: 4:30pm – 9:30pm $30.99 $16.99

*Seniors 65+ with Valid I.D. 20% off. Toddlers (4 or Under) $2.99.

The only negative thing I have to say about this place is the service. The wait staff are super unwelcoming, rude, and silent. This harshly contrasts the excellent and friendly service at Dragon Pearl. The staff at Dragon Legend don't greet you nor do they have a smile on their face. It doesn't seem that they enjoy what they do and it looks like its a job as a means to an end (or they really hate their jobs). Considering that the restaurant business is also a service based industry this was quite alarming and I felt uncomfortable eating there as it seemed like I was inconveniencing the wait staff - despite the fact I was getting up to get my food myself! They don't tell you up front that if you order tea, everyone at the table gets charged for the tea - not just the individual who ordered it (so be weary!!!). They don't ask if you are done with your plate and swoop in to take it away despite there being food still on it. The only time our waitress said something to us was in Mandarin and we had to tell her we didn't speak it and she lifelessly repeated her message in English (though fluently, which is a plus in an Asian restaurant I guess?). Our waitress also abruptly took away the cutlery by grabbing all the knives, forks, spoons, and chopsticks at my table all in one hand and loudly dumping it on her tray to it take away. Even at the end she threw down our bill along with some wet wipes and left to get the credit card machine. Even upon presenting the machine she silently just handed it to us waiting to pay, watched us make the payment, and then took the machine and left without a word. We weren't even sure if we were supposed to leave yet! Until we figured she wasn't coming back we left.

All in all, had the service been better, I would have enjoyed my visit to Dragon Legend. However, due to the lack of service (which is insanely better at Mandarin - those folks are super happy - or at Dragon Pearl), I do not plan on returning to Dragon Legend nor would I recommend it to friends.

Since I was sent there to scope out the venue for a company's Christmas party, I am sending back a report of do not recommend because the rude service would definitely detriment the company's party mood for it's valued partners and clients. I think the company would want its partners or clients walking away from lunch with a 'Wow! The service and the food here is amazing!' opposed to 'The food was good... but the service was terrible!' If location wasn't an issue, I would definitely recommend Dragon Pearl in place of Dragon Legend.

Bottom line: Food is decent, great variety, terrible service. Would not put my name on a recommendation for this place.

Dragon Legend

25 Lanark Rd,

Markham ON L3R 9Y7

905.940.1811

email :: website

Colette Grand Café :: Super Late Lunch with Tiffany

Colette Grand Cafe was a perfect restaurant to visit after returning from Paris. The black and white marble floor tiles reminded me of Versailles and the décor transported me back across the Atlantic Ocean. The restaurant is split between the regular dinning area and a small patisserie. I quickly visited the patisserie - a slew of pastries and desserts were displayed in the glass case including macarons, croissants, and cakes. I am anxious to return to try them in the near future. The staff were knowledgeable about the menu, friendly, and helpful. The lunch menu had a great variety and it was difficult to narrow down our choices for our meal.

Daily Special - Seared Yellowfish Tuna

The Friday daily special was a seared Yellowfish Tuna dish. The dish was beautifully presented and equally as delicious. The Yellowfish Tuna was fresh and perfectly seasoned with salt. The vegetables were cooked wonderfully. I would definitely order this dish again.

Tartare de Beau ($16)

veal tartare, fresh herb pistou, horseradish, hard boiled egg & grilled seeded sourdough

I highly recommend this dish. I am a fan of tartare and this veal tartare was no different. The veal tartare was fresh, the seasoning was impeccable, and the horseradish was a great accompaniment.

Vanilla Ice Cream Profiteroles ($12)

caramel cream & warm chocolate sauce

Tiffany and I initially ordered this dish because we saw another table order it and was excited by the way the waiters presented it. They bring the profiteroles out with the ice cream and pour the warm chocolate sauce at the table. They then sprinkle the cocoa chips afterwards. The dessert itself tasted amazing and the vanilla ice cream greatly contrasted and balanced out the heaviness of the chocolate sauce. The cocoa chips provided a crunchy texture contrast against the soft, moist profiteroles and the cold, melting ice cream.


  Colette Grand Cafe
550 Wellington Street West
Toronto, ON
647.348.7000
website

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill :: Winterlicious 2014 with High SchoolFriends

Yellow Corn Tortilla Soup

sour cream, avocado & pico de gallo

Chopped Rocket & Romaine Salad

pickled butternut squash, toasted pepitas, Woolwich goat cheese & citrus vinaigrette

Blackened Haddock Hot Pot

miso broth, tofu, hominy corn, mustard green & shiitake mushroom stir-fry

Beef Bulgogi Quesadilla

shaved Wellington County beef strip loin, spicy bean sauce, scallion & tomatillo salsa

Vegetarian Rigatoni Genovese

broccolini, spinach, basil & pea pesto

Mayan Spiced Chocolate Panna Cotta

pineapple & vanilla crème fraîche

Warm Ontario Cranberry Date Pudding

ginger, caramel & tequila

Fixe Prixe Lunch Menu for $15/person + taxes and gratuity

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill

2901 Bayview Ave (Bayview Village)

Willowdale, Ontario M2K 1E6

416.590.1300

website

Slab Burgers :: Work Lunch

Single Slab Burger (5oz) Combo with Green Salad ($8.99)

Slab Burgers is a cozy burger joint located near the Bloor & Bay intersection in Downtown Toronto. Although it is a stand alone shop, it is quite reminiscent of the Hero Burger. All burgers are hand made and shaped daily with 100% fresh premium ground beef that is smashed, seasoned, and seared. They offer free toppings and sauces (click here to view). 

For my particular burger, I ordered the following toppings: ketchup, slab sauce, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, and relish, sauteed mushrooms.The burger was delicious and its taste paralleled a homestyle bbq burger. The ingredients were fresh and I loved the fact they had sauteed mushrooms as part of their free condiments. Since I believe the burgers are made to order (with the patty pre-made daily) the wait time is sufficiently longer than a fast food joint. Nonetheless the burger was delicious and I would return again. It was tasty, but nothing that you must absolutely try. This is my second visit to Slab Burgers, and so far their burgers are consistently good. However, since I mixed the ketchup and the slab sauce, I couldn't really pin point what slab sauce exactly tastes like.

Green Salad (Regular price outside of combo $2.99)

lettuce, tomato, balsamic vinagrette

I absolutely loved the fact that Slab Burgers offered a healthier alternative to french fries (though they are the default side for combos). The salad was delicious, similar to some side salads I've had at restaurants. It was fresh. I personally enjoy poutine cheese curds so I loved the fact they also included their poutine cheese curds in their salad. 
(I am particularly interested in returning to try their poutines!)

Slab Burger

47 Charles Street West, Unit B

Toronto, ON M4Y 2R4

647.350.5883

website

White Spot :: Boxing Day Lunch with Cousins

SCACCIA :: Lunch-to-Go Pasta

Say Cheese :: Grilled Cheese Work Lunch

Nice Pair Grilled Cheese & Cherry Coke

Say Cheese

St. George & Bloor

Smash :: Pre-Skating Lunch with Justin

Grilled Portobello & Quinoa Salad ($15)

arugula, goat cheese, grilled seasonal vegetable, pesto, balsamic

My last visit to Smash was overwhelmingly disappointing, but the Grilled Portobello & Quinoa Salad most definitely restored my faith in the restaurant. I felt the salad portion was small, but the flavour was impeccable. The balsamic reduction was in delicious harmony with the goat cheese and pesto and accentuated the flavour of the quinoa, portobello, and grilled vegetables. 

Daily Special - Lobster Mac and Cheese ($22)

Smash Kitchen & Bar

4261 Highway 7 East

Unionville, Ontario

905.940.2000

website

Milestones :: Grandparents Goodbye Lunch

The Works ($4.99)

carrot, green apple, beet, ginger, celery

The Chopped Salad - Gluten Free Version ($15)

grilled chicken, avocado, chickpeas, feta cheese, chopped vegetables, lime cilantro vinaigrette, crispy red corn tortilla

(gluten free version: no crispy red corn tortilla)

The Milestones Trio ($14.50)

two turkey club minis, seasonal soup (above: tomato soup), mixed greens, or roasted garlic Caesar salad

substitute the salad with Milestones Signature California Spring Salad (+$1.50)

Milestones

3760 Highway 7 East

Markham, ON L3R 0N2

905.305.1915

website

Mi- Ne Sushi :: Birthday Lunch with Dad

Japanese Green Salad & Miso Soup

Lunch Combo CL-5: Mushroom Soup with 3 Pieces of California Roll & 5 Pieces of Sushi ($13)

Sushi Portion of the Lunch Combo

Two Ebis were provided! :p

Mushroom Soup

Maki Set Lunch #I: 3 Pieces of California Roll and 8 Pieces of Lobster Roll ($16)

Close up of Lobster Roll Contents

After my cousin raved about the Lobster Roll, (they came to visit Toronto during the first week of opening for Mi-Ne and returned 3 times!) I decided to try it for myself. The roll was delicious and made with good quality, fresh ingredients. Out of preference, I prefer Mi-Ne's shrimp roll over the lobster roll, but both are delicious. The portions were overwhelming and I had pack up a portion of the roll to bring home.

Bill with Wrigley Mint Gum

Today, for my birthday my father took me out for lunch at my new favourite restaurant Mi-Ne Sushi. Despite writing a happy review about Mi-Ne back in October on Urbanspoon, I am shocked to find their rating of 71% (out of 14 votes). The service is great, the food quality is outstanding, and the portions are huge. Perhaps its due to the higher prices, Mi-Ne has not been met with great percent ratings on Urbanspoon. Keeping in mind that you have good quality food and a large portion, one menu item can most likely be shared between two individuals. Similarly to Inatei, the food quality is amazing, as such the prices are a little higher. Mi-Ne is just as good quality has Inatei, but a little cheaper and larger portions. I am confident with time the ratings for Mi-Ne will increase as the restaurant is still relatively new.

Mi-Ne Sushi

8865 Woodbine Ave D5
Markham, ON L3R 5G1

website