The Burger's Priest :: Lunch with Justin

The Priest

cheeseburger + The Option

The Burger's Priest

3397 Yonge St.

Toronto, ON M4N 2M7

website

Rare :: Mr Melty Fancy Pants

Mr. Melty Fancy Pants

grilled cheese made with tomatoes, pesto, and cheddar

I was interested in trying the Mr. Melty line of grilled cheese after seeing an ad on the upper levels of the mall. I ordered the Mr. Melty Fancy Pants which consisted of tomatoes, pesto, and cheddar. The taste of the sandwich was delicious, however, the not enough cheese was added so that the components were not melted together in a solid sandwich  As such when eating the grilled cheese, all the tomatoes and pesto fell out! It was delicious however, in my opinion grilled cheeses are difficult to get wrong and Mr. Melty Fancy Pants is just an expensive grilled cheese that was difficult/uncomfortable and messy to eat. For the price point - for an extra dollar or so - I would prefer to eat the grilled cheese from Say Cheese, where the grilled cheese sandwiches are more generous in terms of ingredients and are more carefully constructed. However, if you are in the Eaton Centre area and want a decent snack for $5 that is relatively filling and not overly fast-food-like, give the Mr. Melty line of grilled cheeses at the Urban Eatery a try.

RARE

Urban Eatery Toronto Eatons Centre

220 Yonge Street

Toronto, ON

website

Sabai Sabai :: Early Dinner with Mike

Housemade Panang Curry with Chicken & Sticky Rice

Beef Khao Soi 

egg noodles in coconut curry gravy

This was my first visit to Sabai Sabai. Mike raved about this restaurant back in August/September and we've been waiting for our schedules to agree such that we can check it out together. I was pretty excited to try out Sabai Sabai as the couple who made Khao San Road also created Sabai Sabai. We came here for dinner - so the portions were 'tapa' sized. The waiter told us that during lunch, the portions are entree sized (so much larger)! For future reference, we got there at 5pm, but dinner service doesn't start until 5:30pm. 

I had the Beef Kaho Soi. It was delicious! The curry was not overly spicy and enjoyable to eat - as I do not have a large tolerance for spicy-ness. The curry itself was creamy, rich, flavourful, and delicious. It's slightly on the sweeter side - which I personally enjoy - but I can understand that some others out there may not like their curry that sweet. There wasn't much egg noodles as I would have liked, but I could have ordered a side of sticky rice such that I could have eaten the rest of the curry. There was a decent amount of beef - but it would have been nice to have a few more pieces - but for the price of the dish, I couldn't complain. It definitely rivals the Khao Soi from Khao San Road but at a way lower price. As first impressions go - I will be returning to Sabai Sabai very soon. 

Sabai Sabai

225 Church Street

Toronto, ON M5B1Y7

website

L'Esspresso Bar by Mercurio :: Pre-Interview Lunch

Caesar Salad

Of all the years of studying at the University of Toronto, I've walked past L'Esspresso Bar multiple times, but I've yet to try it. Now that I have graduated and I was requiring lunch somewhere close to my interview, I decided to finally check it out. The restaurant environment was quite enjoyable! I looked around and saw business people having lunch together, students on computers at their seats - typical downtown crowd. I liked the fact that you were assigned a seat, go up to order and pay, and then served your food. As such, there was no rush to leave the restaurant and when you left you didn't need to worry about the bill when you leave. I didn't know that tips were not charged so I was quite appalled at the prices (though should have been expected on Bloor Street), though I expected the portions to be a little larger. Now in hindsight, I realized they don't charge a tip so the higher price is justified. 

The Caesar Salad I had rang in at around $9 (but I had 20% off for showing my student ID). It was a good salad, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the price (at the time). Prior to ordering the Caesar Salad I was debating if I should get the Chick Pea Salad for $11. The woman who sat beside me ordered it and the portion was larger and was worth the $11.

I wouldn't make a trip to go to the L'Esspresso, though if I was in the area I wouldn't mind trying it again (since my review is based purely on a Caesar Salad). Next time, I will most definitely be trying something else (most likely the Chick Pea Salad) as the dishes that other customers ordered looked artisian-esque and quite delicious.

L'Esspresso Bar by Mercurio

321 Bloor W

Toronto, ON M5S 1S5

website

Joeys :: Post Shopping Dinner

Summer Sangria

Florentine Ravioli

seared wild scallop, crispy prosciutto with spinach & artichoke filled ravioli, tomato caper tapenade

Sashimi Tuna Salad

seared rare ahi, mixed greens, mango, peanuts, avocado, crispy noodles & cilantro dressing

Molten Lava Chocolate Soufflé

raspberry coulis & vanilla ice cream

Key Lime Pie

Joey's YORKDALE

3401 Dufferin St 

Toronto, ON

Spring Rolls :: Carson's Convocation Lunch

Miso Ramen

I normally eat from the To Go locations of Spring Rolls, which is the fast food version of the restaurant Spring Rolls. I've also been to the ones located at Fairview Mall and Dundas Square - this was my first time trying the Spring Rolls at Waterloo. Unfortunately, I didn't finish my ramen here as it was extremely salty! I enjoy salty soup bases (hence why I ordered the Miso base) but this was overly salty! I had to drink a glass of water after every few bites - to the point I got frustrated and just stopped eating it. This is one of the rare instances where I didn't finish my food because it was unbearable to eat! My friend Fontaine had the same ramen and also commented on how the soup base made her teeth taste gritty. On the upside, the decor was a lot fancier than the other Spring Rolls locations that I've been to and the service was pretty friendly.

Spring Rolls

550 King St North

Waterloo, ON N2L 5W6

Boston Pizza :: Dinner

Boston's Smoky Mountain Spaghetti and Meatballs

a mountainous serving of spaghetti smothered in bolognese meat sauce, with hearty homestyle meatballs and cheddar

Spicy Perogy

inspired combination of sour cream, smoky bacon and BP's favourite cactus cut potatoes with pizza mozzarella and cheddar, topped with green onion and a generous dollop of sour cream.

Boston Pizza

2910 Major Mackenzie Dr E

Markham, ON L6C 0G6