Oldie But a Goodie

Ceviche

Tom Thai opened Foxley on Ossington several years back after closing his sushi restaurant at College and Clinton. It was the first upscale restaurant here before the Ossington strip got hot. Since then, attention has been paid to all the newcomers: Pizza Libretto, Fish Bar, Yours Truly. But returning to this restaurant reveals that he still has the touch, and the restaurant is still full though the long line-up is down to a table or two.

Tom does Asian fusion and fish extremely well, understated but flavourful. No surprise that his Artic char ceviche is perfectly cooked its tart base, retaining a slight chewiness. The black cod stewing in a salty broth with Asian greens is likewise tender and sweet, with a hint of leafy bitterness. The crispy shrimp can be crispier, but each portion is generous and mixes well with the fresh herb. The meat dishes are not as mouth-watering, but they still acquit themselves. The spiced venison wrapped in la lot (betel) leaf edges out the braised beef cheeks in curry as the better dish. However, the la lot needs to be grilled longer, to really bring out its distinct aroma and flavour.

Black cod

Crispy shrimp

Braised beef cheeks curry

Spiced venison la lot

This is a great meal that must be enjoyed in the correct manner: tapas-style to be shared with your fellow diners. Otherwise you end up like the table next to mine: 3 young women picking desultorily at their individual dishes.

Soletaken

Since I missed Steamboat's CD release and their soul/funk music by going to the Garrison last Friday, I decided to remedy my soul deficit by listening to some classic soul covered by A Soul at the Holy Oak this time around. Opening for them was a short acoustic set from Duane Forrest. His reggae-inflected songs, often with short syncopated rhymes, got the groove going. It's the first time I've heard Toronto landmarks name checked in a soul song. He also had a song called "Jersey Shore" (strictly coincidental) that was a lot classier than the TV show.

A Soul was shaggier than usual, playing most songs with lots of extended jams. Luckily, Maylee Todd kept everything in line and on track. At the end of the 1st set, a particularly funky song stopped an Eastern European baba passing by. Inspired by the music and Maylee's dancing, she stepped inside and started to dance too. When the jam threatened to kill the song's momentum, Maylee took control with her vocals and got the band to segue to a rousing rendition of "I Was Made To Love Her".

I Contain Multitudes

Walking past a rather desolate section of Dundas St. W and Bathurst Friday morning, I spy a series of tiny storefronts housed inside metal shipping containers. After talking to the proprietors, it turns out that this was a year-old Toronto initiative to provide cheaper start-up alternatives for entrepreneurs. Although there used to be a mix of businesses, most are now eateries serving "street food". As such, we have Middle-eastern, Korean, Chinese, Filipino, Montford Cheese, etc. A Mexican pupusa joint and Indian "burgers" will open in a few weeks. This seems like a wonderful alternative to the food-cart fiasco as well as the trend-du-jour of food trucks. Let's have lunch.

Korean snacks

First up is Kim's A La Cart. With a plethora of cheap options I settle on gimmari (3 for $2): glass noodles stuffed inside fried laver (seaweed), a pork skewer ($2), Korean pancake ($1.75), squid balls (3 for $1), and pan-fried rice cake ($1). Next time I'll have to ask that they put the spicy sauce on the side, otherwise it's slathered on everything. The gimmari has an unusual taste and texture, like a fishy spring-roll. The pork resembles more a bacon slice: so fatty and tasty. The pancake and squid balls are rather bland. The rice cake is a delicious hit of browned carb.

Next is Le Casbah serving Tunisian food. For $6, I get the "sandwich maison": 2 small merguez (halal lamb sausage from Montreal) with caramelized onions, harissa (spicy chili garlic sauce) in a demi-baguette. The bread is soft and chewy and the merguez has a nice texture. The meat itself is a little mild and could use more spice. I will have to come back for the camel slider/burger.

For dessert, I order a vanilla ice-cream crepe ($4) from House of Jaffles. It's a cool, slightly sweet way to finish off lunch. Next time, I'll probably add nutella or other toppings to give it a little more variety. One concern is that the crepe is served in a small paper bag and not on a plate. There wasn't any leakage but it wasn't conducive to lingering over dessert.

Merguez sandwich

Vanilla ice-cream crepe

I will definitely be back to try out the other stores. Come summer, there will be a Food Truck Rally to highlight these tiny eateries. Of more interest is a new Farmer's Market nearby that will take place every Wednesday. In addition, there will be Night Markets as well. The first takes place this Friday (May 11th). See you there!

Singapore Eats

Salted Tofu

Singapore is famous for its street food, vendors that specialize in a single dish, as well as the variety of food informed by its mixed heritage of Chinese, Malay, Indian, etc. Toronto has never had much exposure to these "hawker" food. I recall going to a Singaporean noodle place in Chinatown (sadly defunct) and a tapas-style food bar (now housing County General). Newly opened Hawker Bar on hot Ossington Ave aims to change that, although neither the owners or chefs lived in Singapore.

Walking in Thursday evening, I find this restaurant's decor is typical of current trends: high, small, wooden tables and dark walls. The menu is small, comprising of about 12 items and 2 daily dishes. They haven't received their liquor license so I will have to satisfy my thirst with their ginger tea. This is an acquired taste as its strong, medicinal smell and flavour never goes away. I order two appetizers: Singapore chicken wings ($9), salted silken tofu ($6); a main dish: Beef rendang, braised ox cheek with coconut rice ($12); and a banana fritter dessert ($4).

Singapore chicken wings

Beef rendang

Banana fritter

The little cubes of tofu are fun to eat with the house dipping sauce but aren't noteworthy. The ox cheek are soft and tender, but the curry could pack more heat. The rice is disastrous, overly salty and wet. The wings are delicious and the best dish of the night. The soy-sauce marinade gives them a wonderful brown with the skin perfectly crispy. The banana fritter batter is infused with pandan leaves, giving it a rather odd green colour. The effort is wasted as you cannot taste the pandan; it is more commonly used in steamed dishes to better absorb the flavour. I believe that regular bananas are used. Certainly, the dessert is very mild and forgettable. Typically, banana fritters use thinly sliced lady finger (sugar) bananas, which gives you a sweeter and crisper treat.

Like all restaurants on the Ossington strip, this restaurant is packed. But for my money, the Hawker Bar's kitchen has some growing pains and need to refine their dishes.