S A M S H I M I

Saturday, 4 April 2015

Inspire Restaurant :: First Visit

Hawaiian Ahi Poke ($13)

ahi tuna cubes marinated in chilli sesame soy + green onions + crispy shallots served with semolina crisp

I absolutely adore Hawaiian Ahi Poke - it's something I definitely crave when I dream about my past vacation in Hawaii. Perhaps, I have a specific definition of what Hawaiian Ahi Poke is in my mind (click here), but I would categorize this dish under Ahi Tuna Tartare instead. The Ahi Tuna was very fresh and the crispy shallots and Semolina crisp was a welcome addition. The menu mentioned that there was a chilli sesame soy, but I didn't really taste it - would have been an absolutely perfect ahi tuna tartare with just a little bit more soy sauce!

Panko Scotch Egg ($5)

pork, gold nori egg, spicy berry compote

The Panko Scotch Egg was delicious. Loved the contrasting texture of the crisp panko-crusted pork cashing against the hard-boiled egg. Each bite was quite flavourful - definitely recommend everyone to try it at least once!

Udon Carbonara ($18)

spicy italian sausage, braised beef, honey mushrooms in creamy reduction topped with quail egg

Mmmmm... This dish was absolutely heaven!!! It's a combination of my two favourite food items in the world - udon noodles and carbonara sauce! Each bite was a glorious symphony of the perfect amount of udon, carbonara sauce, with the slight kick from the spicy italian sausage. I absolutely adore egg yolks on top of dishes and this was no exception (I wish there was just a tiny bit more - perhaps a second egg? But I feel that would be a little too much for most people). The crispy daikon/lotus crisp was a deliciously enjoyable crunchy contrast to all the soft udon and spicy italian sausage. Definitely strongly recommend everyone who visits Inspire to try this dish!

Banana Leaf Salmon ($22)

atlantic salmon in banana leaf, coconut rice, seasonal vegetables with kaffir lime leaf, citrus buerre-blanc

My mother had this dish and she was extremely happy with it - she said it was very flavourful and delicious.

Pulled Pork "Grilled Cheese" Pizza Pie ($15)

time-honoured braised pulled pork, fresh homemade waffles, aged cheddar, pickled diakon, fresh herb

My father had the Pulled Pork Pizza Pie and he said was quite good, though albeit on the smaller side and he wasn't really full after eating this. The waiter recommended to him and mentioned that it was on the slightly smaller side but hypothesized that it would be "just the right amount" without overly filling him up. Perhaps for a lunch portion it's filling enough but my family enjoys a heftier portion at dinner.

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This was my first visit to Inspire Restaurant and was pleasantly surprised with my experience. Inspire Restaurant is definitely one of the hidden gems in Markham and I would definitely recommend it to all my family and friends. The restaurant was neat and clean with a relaxing atmosphere. The service was wonderful and the wait staff were all knowledgeable about the menu and made great recommendations. All the wait staff were happy and eager to please. One of our waiters even told us that it was his first day (didn't show at all!) and that he only started working at Inspire because he loved the food so much! The menu is featured a unique and variable range in Asian and Western cuisine. Food was beautifully plated and deliciously rich in flavour. Only downside was that some of the dishes were slightly on the small side, but we were well aware as the waiter informed us before hand.

Inspire Restaurant

144 Main Street Markham N #1

Markham, ON L3P 5T3

(905) 554-2889

website :: menu

Friday, 3 April 2015

Lisa Marie :: After Dinner Cocktails and Desserts with Taylor andTiffany

Bubble Sparx ($13)

tito's vodka, chambord, and freshly squeezed lemonade topped with grasshopper wheat beer

Deep Fried Panna Cotta

Elvis in a Jar

Lisa Marie is part of the Fidel Gastro's family - Fidel Gastro's being a food truck! I've eaten at Fidel Gastro's food truck when it came on the University of Toronto's campus for the first "Food Truck Friday" in the beginning of fourth year, which was one of the catalysts that lead me to indulge in trying new restaurants and starting up this photo diary/blog! With the slight bit of shared history aside, my friends and I came to Lisa Marie after having dinner, on the hunt for some late night desserts and drinks. Surprisingly, we were having difficulty finding a restaurant that provided some sweets and fun cocktails on the fly and ended up driving back and forth on Queen Street West. We eventually stumbled into Lisa Marie after recognizing the name from a few brunch Instagram posts.

George was our waiter/bartender for the night and he was extremely attentive to our needs as a table. He came around often to refill water and to ensure the drinks and desserts were enjoyed (as he recommended them to us).

We tried one of the sweeter drinks, Bubble Sparx. Although, it's on the sweeter end of the menu, this drink is not for the faint hearted. It's definitely stronger than it appears. Perhaps it's cause I'm not a huge drinker myself (and was mostly peer pressured into having a drink :p) so I didn't finish my drink. I felt so bad when George was concerned that I didn't like his drink and graciously brought over some lemonade to ease the process hahaha.

On the sweeter note, between the deep fried panna cotta and the Elvis in the Jar, it was a resounding vote for the panna cotta with a close second finish for Elvis. The panna cotta was light and not overly sweet with a welcomed contrasting texture of the deep fried batter. The berry dip was delicious. The deep fried panna cotta is highly recommended. The Elvis in a Jar (which helped me with the conclusion of realizing that the restaurant was named after his daughter?) is their "infamous house dessert" which included a mixture of peanut butter cream (yes), cake/bread (sorry I forgot), and two sticks of maple bacon! The peanut butter cream was definitely interesting and worth a try. One thing was that my friends and I found that it was difficult to get the "full essence" of the Elvis in the Jar cause it was a little difficult to get all the components onto a single scoop. It was much easier to just eat the dessert from the top to the bottom instead of digging for the gold that the dessert required.

As a first impression of Lisa Marie, I'm definitely glad we tried it out and I'm definitely interested in trying out their brunch menu. I'm very certain that the girls and I will be returning for brunch especially when reservations (and on OpenTable!) are allowed for brunch (super rare in Toronto). The food and drink selection is diverse and creative. The environment is fun, cool, and laid back. The service was friendly and impeccable. According to George, they also have bingo night on Tuesdays and occasionally a live band playing. Just as a warning, washrooms are interesting - and definitely is a love it or hate it scenario with all the crazy graffiti, damp floors, and steep stairs.

Lisa Marie

638 Queen St W

Toronto, ON M6J 1B4

647.748.6822

website