Monthly Archives: December 2022

I’m impressed with this iberico pork presa!

Now, we’re all about dat piggy on Triple B, so it’s rare that there’s a pork product we haven’t had yet. Last year, we learned the pork secret handshake of Iberico pork secreto, but it turns out there’s more than one way to skin an Iberian pig. And at Lapinou, this funky French nouveau joint on King West, they’re serving up a different kind of Iberico — this is Iberico pork presa:

I definitely had to look this up, but it turns out that Iberico pork presa is the juiciest and most flavourful part, attached to the shoulder, while pork secreto is the end of the flank, next to the headboard of the spine. Well, the Spanish butcher shop I got that info from ain’t lying — this pork is very juicy and flavourful, with a texture like a ribeye steak, cooked to a nice medium rare. It comes with a whole buncha Swiss chard, which is braised until tender. But just like at Vela, where the pork secreto was hidden by a heap of shishito peppers, the green-stuff-to-meat ratio was a little too high over here…

Mind you, I did eat a little more meat to help balance things out. This beef tartare is seasoned with green peppercorns, chives and an anchovy sauce — the peppercorns give it a nice little kick. I could maybe have used one more piece of toast to go with all that meat… but man, you could serve that beef tartare on a flip-flop, and it would still taste good!!!!!

Now, they’re definitely more about wine than beer here, but they did have a couple Blood Brothers brews on tap, including this Inner Eye Pale Ale. Man, this tastes so much like Blood Light that I feel they almost served me that beer instead (I think that’s what it said on my bill, anyways), but in any case, I can’t complain about this slightly citrusy, not too hoppy APA.

Now, if I do have one complaint, it’s that the portions were pretty small. I definitely still had room for dessert… and of the three items on the dessert menu, Chocolate was the obvious choice. They described this one as tasting like a chocolate orange, and they weren’t kidding — the orange zest really cuts through the mix. They also added some sesame seeds for a grainy texture, which made things a little more interesting. Hey, I’ll take this over panna cotta any day!!!!!

Clappin’ veal cheeks @ Tutti Matti!!!

Last Friday, in the middle of a major snowstorm, I made my way over to Tutti Matti, this funky Italian joint on Adelaide that’s been serving up classic Tuscan cuisine for the past 20 years. Turns out it was the last day they were open before the holidays — they’re now closed until January 13. And dude, this is body by Italian food, so you KNOW I had to stop by, no matter how bad it was outside!!!!!

Dude, this is definitely not my first porchetta sandwich…but it might be my first open-faced one. You’ve got some nice, slow-roasted piggy with arugula (or rocket, as they say across the pond) and deep-fried shallots on a big toasted piece of bread. Pork is super-tender, bread is nice ‘n crunchy — but the deep-fried shallots is what makes it!!!!!!!

But you KNOW we’re just getting started, son! These veal cheeks were on special, so you might not even see ’em come January. But man, that beef was super fall-apart tender, served in au jus on a bed of creamy polenta with some crunchy croutons — hey, you gotta use up that bread before it goes bad, bro!!!!

Another cool thing about this place is that all their beer (except for Peroni) comes from GoodLot, this funky little organic craft brewery in Caledon. I had never even heard of GoodLot before, so I asked to see all their wares. I passed on the Philsner and the Mellow Gold, but I can tell you that the Bighead Amber and Farmstead Ale were both quite tasty — I’ll hafta look for ’em in the LCBO sometime.

But you know we’ve still got room for dessert, right? Their chocolate torte hit the spot, nice and rich with a scoop of caramel gelato on top. Dude, you could put that gelato on a snow boot, and it would still taste good!!!!!!!

Who needs Christmas turkey when you can have deep-fried duck???

Now, I know I’ve said this before — I am not a big fan of turkey, unless it’s Texas-style BBQ turkey, or maybe a turducken. But I didn’t see any place serving up turducken this year, so instead we’re heading to Louix Louis, this funky joint at the top of the St. Regis hotel, for a Christmas day brunch. They aren’t serving turkey here, either… but when I saw the Duck & Waffle, with deep-fried duck legs, I mean, who even needs turkey, right???

OK, now let’s break it down. Waffles were thick, but not very fluffy. Even with the syrup, they didn’t get very soft, so instead of piling the duck on top, I had to put it on the side, like so. But the deep-fried duck was legit, nice n’ chewy with a crispy breading, and that blueberry compote kicked it up a notch!

But hey, because calories don’t count on Christmas Day, we also ordered some steak ‘n eggs, son! Steak was on the rare side of medium rare (not a bad thing), and the eggs were pretty decent, although I didn’t see any of the shaved truffles they mentioned on the menu. Guess it must not be truffle season?

Washed it down with “The Original Bloody Mary” which is supposed to be a St. Regis specialty — this drink was actually invented at a St. Regis in NYC, back in the day. But man, I gotta say, I didn’t taste or feel the vodka in this one. I mean, I wanna get drunk, bro, not dip my french fries in it!!!!!!!

Speaking of St. Regis specialties… you KNOW I saved room for a slice of King’s Cake, bro! Dude, this 13-layer chocolate cake is thicker than Lizzo and J.Lo combined — I ate most of it, but I’ve still got pretty much an entire Prime Seafood Palace-sized piece of cake leftover for tomorrow…

Say hello to my Brother from Another Mother!!!!

Now, I don’t always eat sushi, so when I do, you KNOW it’s gotta be funkalicious to the max. We’re hanging out at Akira Back, this funky joint in the Bisha Hotel, where they’re serving up these crazy sushi rolls with names like Hot Mess, Pop Rockin and Show Me the Roll. But when I saw this renegade of funk called Brother from Another Mother, you know I was buying a one-way ticket straight to Downtown Flavourtown, son!!!!!!!!

Dude, this bad boy is so outta bounds, where do I even begin, bro? You’ve got two kinds of eel — unagi AND anago, with some crunchy cucumber, and then they put foie gras on top????? However you say shut the back door in Japanese, that door is definitely shutting!!!!

But you know we’re just getting this party started, bro! Up next, we’ve got wagyu short rib, marinated for 48 hours, so it’s nice ‘n tender, heart in a blender, watch it spin round to a beautiful oblivion… This dish has got a rendez-vous with my piehole in like 2 seconds!!!

We’re pairing that with a side of king crab fried rice. Now, I gotta say, the rice-to-beef ratio is pretty high — I was expecting a lot more than four little chunks of beef here. But you could pair this rice with a side of flip-flop, and it would still taste good!

But of course, we’re still got room for dessert. And now it’s time to make like Roger Waters and have a cigar. This AB Cigar is sorta like a Drumstick without a cone — you’ve got miso caramel ice cream in a chocolate shell with all kinds of cocoa nubs for that extra little kick. You KNOW ‘sticks are unbelievable, bro!!!!!!!!

Havin’ a Folly Jolly Christmas bar crawl!!!

Now, we don’t always celebrate Christmas on Triple B, but when we heard that Folly Brewpub, at College and Dovercourt, was decking the halls and serving up some Christmas cocktails this year, you KNOW we’ll be there with jingle bells on, bro! And we showed up just in time for Happy Hour, where a few of their craft beers were less than six bucks:

This here Dovercourt Pale Ale, named for their closest cross street, is nice and hoppy, checking in at 5.3%. This kind of reminds me of a few of my favourite IPAs, like Goose Island or Great Lakes Canuck, so I am quite happy here.

Speaking of IPAs, their Gatekeeper IPA is actually less hoppy than its pale ale counterpart. It’s got a sweet, citrusy taste that’s not too bitter, and doesn’t seem as strong as its 6.3%.

Now, I’ve been craving soft pretzels ever since I got back from Germany, so when I saw Pretzels & Dip on the menu, I had to order ’em. However, they warned me ahead of time that instead of two giant pretzels, I only get one smaller pretzel — and they also replaced the beer cheese dip with a green salad. But hey, it’s still better than not eating a soft pretzel, I guess?

I also went with the smoked brisket sando, coming in so hot it almost melted my face off. This is definitely more pot roast than Texas BBQ, with the texture and the sauce tasting more like pulled pork. Still a decent little sando, though…

And hey, with them donating $1 from every Christmas cocktail to Sick Kids, you KNOW I had to have at least one, son! This here’s a Minty White Russian, with vodka, Kahlua, mint schnapps and cream. You could say it really ties the room together, dude…

But even though Folly was closing early for a private Christmas party, we ain’t done drinking yet, bro! So we headed down to Steadfast Brewing at Dundas and Lansdowne for an unexpected Mexican Christmas treat — Holy Tamales, Batman! This chicken tamale had a nice little kick from the hot peppers, so you KNOW I’m gonna need a couple beers to wash it down…

This Lochside Scotch Ale had a similar taste to a British bitter, but a little heavier on the caramel — and just plain heavier, at 6.5%

Their Going Steady amber ale is very bready, reminding me of Anchor Steam. I’m guessing this one ain’t gluten-free, haha.

But we’re saving the best for last with White Men Can’t Dunkel, this funky Dunkelweizen. Dude, I’m all over this one like Woody Harrelson, son! This beer tastes bananas like the wheat beers in Germany — can I get seven to go????

But there’s one last stop before we go — we’re off to see the wonderful Wizard of Gose, bro! Bandit Brewery in The Junction is serving up this blackberry and sour cherry sour that makes me feel like I got at least one serving of fruit today…

Dude, when I saw they had beer-battered cheese curds on the food menu, you KNOW these were going straight down my piehole! Battered with a dry-hopped pilsner, garnished with bacon bits and served with a spicy donkey sauce, these are a few of MY favourite things, son!!!!!!!!!

But even after all that commotion back there, we’ve still got room for dessert beer. Cookie Thief is an oatmeal stout brewed with cocoa nibs and Graham crackers — it’s like a liquid s’more in Flavourtown!!!!!!!!!!!

These old clothes make me horny in Spanish…

Now, I’ve been to a whole buncha concerts at the Axis Club (formerly known as the Mod Club), but little did I know that there was this funky little joint just down the street serving up righteous cuisine from all kinds of different Latin American countries. We’re talkin’ pupusas, paella, ropa vieja, ceviche, empanadas, churrasco and more — this is Que Rico Tapas Bar!

We’re starting off with some Seafood Gone Wild in Flavourtown! These frituras de bacalao (cod fritters) are kinda like a cross between crab cakes and fish ‘n chips, with a nice crunchy breading and a whole lotta spicy donkey sauce — I’d put that on a flip-flop!!!

Now, you know I couldn’t mention pupusas off the top and then NOT order them, right? Man, I haven’t had these savoury Salvadorean snacks since The Before Times, bro! But you really can’t go wrong with cornmeal pancakes stuffed with beans and cheese — and that aji verde sauce really kicks it up another notch!!!!

Now it’s time for the main event, and we’re going with a classic Cuban dish — ropa vieja. I’ve never been to Cuba before, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and this dish is pretty legit. Nice, chewy shredded beef with rice, beans, peppers and fried plantains; dude, the fried plantains is what makes it! Definitely a lot prettier than the ropa vieja I had in Miami (which is basically Cuba del Norte), and I think it tastes better, too. Que rico indeed!!!!

Michelin star steak @ Alobar

Now, Michelin finally started handing out Michelin stars in Toronto this year. A buncha fancy sushi places that we would never go to made the list, along with one place we went to that definitely deserved it, and another place that was a bit of a surprise. Now, I don’t always know what these elite food critics are thinking, but when I saw they gave a star to Alobar, the more casual cousin of Alo, which is probably the fanciest restaurant in town (I’ve never been there), well, I figured it was worth checking out…

The menu here is all over the map, with raw seafood, pasta, fish and short rib. But I figured I’d go for some steakhouse classics — I mean, Michelin star steak has gotta be good, right?

We actually started off with a wedge salad. I know what you’re thinking — what the French fry, bro??? But this might be the most manliest salad ever, with big chunks of bacon and hunks of blue cheese, along with tomatoes and purple onions. This also could be the biggest salad I’ve ever had…but you KNOW we’re just getting started, bro!!!!

Up next we’ve got a 24 ounce, bone-in ribeye, cooked to a nice medium rare, with a side of fries. Now the meat itself was very nicely done, one of the top five steaks I’ve had this year, but those portobello mushrooms they put on top really kick it up a notch. Dude, this shrooms are super-tender, nice and juicy… You could make flip-flops out of these bad boys, wear them to the beach, step in seagull shit — and they would still taste good!!!!

But after completely cleaning my plate, you KNOW I’ve still got room for dessert, right? And they definitely don’t shortchange ya on this sour cherry cheesecake!

Cake was pretty creamy, and that cherry compote kicks it up a notch. They make you spoon it on yourself, so I made sure to get every last loving spoonful, son!!!!

Now, I know what you’re thinking, is this food Michelin Star quality? Well, four outta five Triple B Maniacs disagree. The steak was good and the salad was fine, but if that place gets a Michelin star, then Prime Seafood Palace should have two stars, at least. I’m not sure they would even have been recognized if they didn’t have Alo in the name…but whether they’re justified (and ancient) or not, if you’re looking for a Michelin star place that’s not sushi or a tasting menu, this might be a good place to go.

One thing to note for beer drinkers, though — literally the only beer they have here is Asahi, and they serve it in bottles. Not quite as bad as the Greek place that only had Heineken (and they were all outta Heineken)… but honestly, it’s pretty close. You might hafta pregame in the alleyway, bro!!!!!!

Sri Lankan spice, and everything nice…

Here in Toronto, you can find food from pretty much every country in the world — except maybe Icelandic rotten shark. And we’ve eaten more different kinds of cuisine than you can count, here on Triple B, but there’s always a first time for something. Like, I’ve never actually had Sri Lankan food before…until now, bro!

So there’s this funky joint just west of Spadina on Queen Street called Saffron Spice Kitchen that’s serving up the most legit Sri Lankan this side of Scarborough. We’re talking all kinds of curries, rotis, lamprais and more — they’ve even got wraps and desserts! But if I’m having Sri Lankan for the first time, then I gotta go with one of their signature dishes… this is their Kawhi kathu roti:

Now, when you hear roti, you probably think bread, right? But the deal with kothu roti is that they chop it all up, and mix it in with the other ingredients — in this case, butter chicken, tikka masala, paneer cheese, eggplant and scrambled eggs.The texture is kinda like a good Christmas turkey stuffing, but with chunks of spicy chicken and other goodies inside. And while Sri Lankan food is notoriously spicy, I wouldn’t say this melted my face off… but I did get a little sweaty from the chicken tikka and the chilies.

Now, you KNOW I love lamb, so when I saw the currried lamb rolls on the menu, I had to get me some! These super-sized spring rolls taste kinda like Dutch bitterballen, packed with chewy lamb and rice… I’ll take 22 to go, bro!!!!!!!!!

Now, that roti was probably enough food for three people — but since my Uber Eats order took over an hour to get here, I was so hungry that I destroyed it in like 15 minutes. (Fortunately, the food was still fairly warm.) And even after all that roti, I still saved some room for dessert…

Little did I know, but Sri Lankan Christmas cake is actually a thing. It’s pretty much your typical Christmas fruitcake, but with a layer of icing sugar on top. Four dollars gets you this little piece, which comes wrapped like a Christmas present and takes about two bites to eat. Never thought I’d say this, but I actually wish I had more fruitcake…

Pan-Asian flavour explosion @ Superfresh

I can’t say I remember much about the Annex Food Hall — I ordered an outta-bounds breakfast hot dog from a place in there during First Lockdown, but that’s about it. So when I heard they were turning the food hall into more of a night market, with an infusion of Asian flavours, I was all over that like white on rice, bro! Superfresh is serving up funky fresh food from across the continent, with six different vendors and a full-service bar… So you KNOW I had to get something from all of them, right?

Now, I wasn’t sure that I could eat a buncha fried chicken along with five other things, so I just went with the skin — we’re talkin’ chicken chicharrones, homies! And man, after all that tasty seasoning on this super-crunchy skin, I think I’m gonna need to get the full chicken from Bao Bird next time I’m here… if the skin was that good, the chicken’s gotta be dynamite!!!

Next up, it’s some funky Japanese-Canadian fusion courtesy of Katsupan. This Japanese Poutine is packin’ curry sauce, scallions and bonito flakes on top of nice ‘n crispy fries — but man, I really wish they used cheese curds instead of shredded cheese here. 😦

But now it’s time for the highlight of the night, son! These Indonesian grilled chicken skewers (Satay Ayam) from Jajan are sooo outta bounds, bro! Chicken is super-tender, and you could put that peanut sauce on a rice-farmer’s hat, and it would still taste good!!!!

Now, it probably goes without saying that when ordering from Big Beef Bowl, you should get a big bowl of hand-pulled noodles, with some beef in there. But since I was eating five other things, I went with an octopus skewer instead — and I wasn’t disappointed. This classic street squid has just the right amount of tenderness, but it was pretty spicy (for a white guy). I’m definitely gonna be feeling it in the morning…

Now this is a dish I’ve never seen before — it’s called Sae Woo Hobak Jeon, a Korean egg fritter with shrimp, zucchini and a side of onions. Funny story, the server tried to take my plate away when I still had two left, cuz he thought it was just the garnish, haha. Hey, it’s no breakfast hot dog, but I wouldn’t mind starting my day with a few of these bad boys!!!

And on that note, it’s time for a couple beers. This Common Good Ronin Rice Lager has a cool backstory, but I don’t really taste the rice, here. It’s pretty much just a basic lager beer…

On the other hand, this Louis Cipher Coconut Lemongrass Thai-PA is kicking it up a notch, injecting some Thai flavours into a stronger beer. Now, they might not have a Thai food stand here, but this one goes pretty good with the chicken satay, bro!

But even after all that commotion back there, we’ve still got room for dessert. The Good Goods seemed to be running low on cheesecake all night — I think I mighta got the last slice of Vanilla Cream, which was the only kind they had left. But man, this cake really kicks Uncle Tetsu’s ass and leaves him out behind a dumpster, son! Gonna see if I can maybe get the chocolate one next time, though…

It’s beginning to look a lot like, uh, Winter Village…

Now, we never made it to a Christmas market in Munich — they were just setting up at Marienplatz when we left town. But now that we’re back in Toronto, tis the season to hit up the annual Distillery Christmas Market… oh wait, The Distillery Winter Village. But all political correctness aside, I was looking forward to hitting up some holiday eats for the first time since 2018.

Now, I’m pretty sure Tartology was the name of a British prog rock band from the 70’s, but when I saw this funky joint serving up 19 different types of butter tarts, you know I’m all over that like a lamb on Broadway, bro!!!!

Started off with a G&W Scotch butter tart. Nice and creamy Christmas treat…but I don’t really taste the booze.

Followed that with a peanut butter chocolate butter tart. This is like a Reece’s in pie form — I could slam like seven of these, son!!!!

As we rounded the corner towards the Naughty or Nice bar, we saw this dude roasting chestnuts on an open fire. I can go for that, bro!!!!

These roasted chesnuts were nucking futs! Skin was super crispy, and you’ve got that soft, chewy nut inside — they give you like seven or eight, which is just about right.

But you KNOW I’ve still got room for raclette, bro!!!!!

Now this is Christmas Comfort Food 101, son! Nice melted cheese over some roasted potatoes — can’t go wrong with that at all!!!!

1 2 Next →

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31