Tag Archives: Japanese food

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!!!!!!!!

Fried chicken and mushrooms and shrimp… Omai!!!

We’re no strangers to izakayas here on Triple B, and you can find these funky little Japanese joints all over this city! So, we’re hanging out at Omai, this cozy little spot in Baldwin Village, with just a handful of tables and a sushi counter. And while they do serve sushi here, you KNOW I’m heading straight for the fried section of the menu, bro!!!

We’re starting off with some butternut squash croquettes, coming in hot from the fryer. Now, I’ve had a few croquettes in my time, but these might be the first ones that were stuffed with veggies, son! They also add in some Oka cheese, which makes ‘er nice ‘n creamy…

Man, I don’t think I’ve had fried shrimp since that one time, at Red Lobster… But there’s nothing wrong with these Panko Fried Shrimp, with a chive donkey sauce and some pickled radishes on the side. I could all-you-can-eat these any day, bro!!!

Dude, I’m totally trippin’ over these fried oyster mushrooms, son! Warm and delicious, with a shrimp-flavoured donkey sauce — I’d put that on a flip-flop!!!!

But now it’s time for the main event: Japanese style chicken karaage, served at face-melting temperatures, with some gochujang and more donkey sauce on the side — dude, this is body by donkey sauce! I actually had to wait a bit for the chicken to cool down, but the wait was well worth it!!!

Of course, nothing goes better with Japanese bar food than beer from Godspeed, our local Japanese-inspired craft brewery. This Yuzu Citrus Saison actually tastes more like a wheat beer than a sour, and is super-crushable at a shade over 4%. I definitely pounded more than one of these!!!!

But even after all that deep-fried deliciousness, you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert, bro! The one dessert on the menu at Omai is a Basque Cheesecake, topped with pears, and infused with matcha. Not what I would expect to find at an izakaya…but it was still pretty tasty!

PATIO LIT EATS: Funky Japanese tapas & beers in Little Portland

Just when you thought patio season was over, they pull you back in with a mini heatwave sending temperatures up to 24 degrees at the start of October, son! So, we’re hanging out in Little Portland, around Dundas and Ossington, where some of the most popular patios are already packed — but they still had several tables available at Bar Shozan, this funky little Japanese joint. You can get sushi and ramen here, but for 10 bucks a pop, they’ve also got some real-deal izakaya-style bar food…dude, this is body by izakaya-style bar food!!!!

These shrimp ‘n corn skewers are coming in hot, bro! These seafood lollipops in Flavourtown pop with nice bites of shrimp and little kernels of corn. Pretty sure I could slam, like, 10 of these…I just need to wait for them to cool down first!!!!

Speaking of skewers, this pork belly yakiton is too legit to quit! Pork is fork-tender, with a nice, tangy miso sauce and one green onion for that serving of veggies. This was probably my favourite dish, right here…

Now, when I saw they had wings on the menu, I couldn’t NOT order them, bro! These Tebasaki wings were nice ‘n crispy, a little sweet, with just a bit of a kick at the end. Oh, and there was enough green onions on this plate to feed Booker T and the MGs!!!!

Now, this place is serving up all three main Japanese beers — Sapporo, Asahi AND Kirin — as well as five different beers from Far Yeast Brewing, including a couple I’ve never even seen before. But I stayed in Toronto with an Otsukaresama from our local Japanese-influences craft brewers at Godspeed. Despite its name, which apparently means something like “good job” (I speak the third most Japanese in the Triple B Posse, bro!), this is actually a German-style lager, with hops and malt straight outta Dortmund. And it goes great with some wings and pork skewers… Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto!!!!

GRAND REOPNING: I’m gonna slammy some Wagyu at Minami!!!

Now, I’ve got nothing against sushi, but when we’re at a Japanese restaurant, I usually go for beef. We’re talking real-deal, A5-grade Wagyu at places like Minami, this funky joint on King St in the Entertainment District. Where’s the beef? It’s right here, bro!!!!

Now, you can probably expect to pay a pretty penny for such premium meat; each piece of Miyazaki A5 tenderloin nigiri will set ya back 12 bucks. Lightly seared on a bed of rice with the wasabi melted right in, it’s a tasty little flavour nugget in Flavourtown. OK, so you could buy like a 24 of Molson Dry for the price of three of these, but gimme A5 Wagyu over Molson Dry any day, bro!!!

But the beef don’t stop there, son! While it’s not Wagyu, this Alberta beef tenderloin is still rootin’-tootin’ tasty, with some killer wild mushrooms and a nice peppercorn au jus. I also ordered some potatoes with my steak…although they actually came as an appetizer, which was kinda weird.

Dude, these brown butter gratin potatoes were 2 legit 2 quit! Served super-hot out of the oven in a Gruyere/Parmesan sauce… it even has a cheese crust!!!!

Of course, even after all that meat ‘n potatoes, you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert, bro!!! This Japanese cheese tart was more Uncle Tetsu than Pablo, with more of a creamy, cake-like texture. That’s not to say I wouldn’t crush, like, six of these, though…

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Final Four fusion food feast!

Now, the last time Gonzaga was in the Final Four, I flew to Phoenix, Arizona for all the festivities. But this year, I can’t even cross the border without isolating for 14 days…and who wants to spend 14 days in Indiana!? So while I had to watch Jalen Suggs hit one of the greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history at home, at least I didn’t go hungry, bro!

Kinka Izakaya, this funky Japanese joint on Church St, is serving up a March Madness special that was meant for two…but it’s really just a light snack in Flavourtown. You’ve got two pounds of wings with fries, salmon oshizushi, takoyaki and gyoza dumplings, along with a six-pack of Sapporo to help the medicine go down. And since I had another 40% offer from Uber Eats, I took almost 30 bucks off — which means Gonzaga wasn’t the only winner, winner, chicken dinner last night!!!!!

Of course, we gotta start with the wings. These babies were nice ‘n crispy, with a Taiwanese-style crunchy batter. They came in two flavours, Original or Spicy, and since I figured a Japanese joint probably wouldn’t be dishing out face-melting heat, I went with the Spicy…and I was right. A decent little kick, but nothing two outrageous. I could easily slam two takeout boxes of these without being bound by wild desire the next day…

Now, these deep-fried gyoza dumplings were a nice little side dish. They’re basically two-biters, and you get four to an order, so they’re not gonna fill you up, buttercup. Pretty sure they were vegan, though — I’m like, where’s the beef, bro???

This was not my first time tackling takoyaki, the Japanese fried dough balls with a piece of octopus inside. These ones were very saucy, which left ’em a little soggy — but you KNOW I still put all them balls in my mouth, bro!!!!

Now, while you might not find gyoza dumplings or octopus balls at your local sports bar, I can still dig them as game-day eats — pretty much anything that’s battered and deep-fried will do it for me! But now, this is something that I’d never think to order for the big game… salmon oshizushi, or pressed sushi, with layers of fish squished together on top of some rice. Now, there was nothing wrong with this dish at all, it’s just that next time I’m watching sports, I don’t see myself chowing down on sushi. But hey, if you put it in a combo meal, I mean, it’s not like I won’t eat all of it…

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Katsu sandos with black chicken wings…

Now, over in Tokyo, katsu sandos are everywhere — you can even get ’em at 7/11, son! But they’re not so popular in Toronto… Me, I’ve only ever had one, and that was a couple years ago. So when I heard that Tokyo Sando & Chicken was serving ’em up outta Kinka Izakaya on Church Street, I couldn’t have just one, so I ordered two. Oh, and some chicken wings, too. Hey, it’s right there in the name, so it’s gotta be good, right?

This here’s the classic pork katsu sando, a big, thick piece of breaded pork served between two slices of plain white toast with cabbage, truffle butter and a Dijon donkey sauce. Dude, this sandwich eats like a meal…and that’s only half of it!

But you KNOW I’m not gonna eat just one sando, bro! This here’s the ebi katsu, with deep-fried shrimp, more cabbage, some Japanese tartar sauce and teriyaki. The shrimp’s a little lighter than the pork, but you do get four to a sando, so I can’t really complain, though…

But now we’re gonna kick it up a notch! These Kurogoma wings are smothered in a black sesame sauce for a flavour that’s just nuts, bro! Let’s just say I killed a few napkins downing these bad boys…

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Japanese sandos on torched buns, bros!

Now, when it comes to sandos, this blog ain’t just about burgers. Whether we’re taking hot dogs, fried chicken or pulled pork, it’s all good in the hood, bro! So when I heard that Kinka Izakaya had started a spinoff serving up Japanese Aburi Bunz, you KNOW I had to check it out…

They call this The OG Aburi, and it’s a gangster of love in Flavourtown. You’ve got a nice, beefy hot dog on a bed of cabbage in a torched bun, topped with bonito flakes, shredded seaweed and a garlic donkey sauce — I’d put that on a flip-flop!

Up next, we’ve got The Fire Cracker, with four chunks of spicy chicken karaage on top of crunchy coleslaw that barely fit inside the bun, son! With a name like Fire Cracker, I was a little worried about the heat, but it’s more Buffalo chicken than Nashville Hot. Although the last couple bites had a bit more of a kick — I guess there was a little more sauce on that one piece…

Of course, I WOULD like fries with that, but these ain’t yer everyday taters, bro. These Tokyo Wedges are topped with bonito flakes, seaweed, Japanese curry sauce and more donkey sauce. Like I always say, if there’s anything better than donkey sauce, it’s even more donkey sauce, broseph!!!!!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Wagyu katsu to go-su!

Now, you probably already know I like steak, and I’ll eat pretty much anything that’s battered and deep-fried… So when I heard that Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu, this funky Japanese joint on Dundas, specializes in deep-fried katsu steak, then you KNOW I had to check it out, bro! But we’re not going for a sirloin, a strip steak or even a tenderloin, but rather this grand poobah of deep-fried steak dishes, the Premium Wagyu Gyukatsu Zen:

So, what you’ve got here is 4.5 ounces of Wagyu beef, chopped up and breaded, then served over rice. They also had all sorts of sauces and an egg on the side, which I’m assuming that you were supposed to pour over top?

Anyways, the steak was nice ‘n tender, lightly breaded, but well past medium by the time it got to my doorstep. The egg added a nice breakfast element to it, which worked for me, cuz I’m eating this around noon. And hey, because it’s 12 o’clock somewhere…

We’re washing this down with an Ochame, this hazy, green tea IPA from Godspeed Brewery, which fits the Japanese theme quite nicely. Now, I’m not sure if this beer contains antioxidants, but it’ll definitely cure what ails ya, bro!!!

Japanese-style steak ‘n squid @ Miku

August 29, 2020
greedocatucci
0 comments
calamari, Japanese food, Miku, mochi dome, steak

Now, I’ve always said, if I’m gonna drop three bills on a fancy dinner, I’d rather spend it on steak than on sushi. So we’re hanging out at Miku, this fancy Japanese joint at the foot of Bay St, where they do have some pretty pricey sushi…but they also happen to serve steak. Wanna guess what I ordered?

But first, we are starting off with some seafood, though — I’m talking tempura calamari, bro! This deep-fried squid is cooked to perfection with a light, crispy batter…and they’ve even got some squid ink on the side for dipping!

But now it’s time for the main event. In this corner, we’ve got a 10 oz ribeye steak, medium rare, with some miso butter and wasabi veal jus, served with a side of roasted potatoes. The plate also had some hot peppers on it, but I didn’t even touch those. Meat was cooked nicely, with some good flavour. I even ate the fatty bits, and there was actually quite a few fatty bits…

But you KNOW that even after pounding all that beef, I’ve still got room for dessert, son! They call this the Ichigo Mochi Dome, and it’s sort of a two-men-enter, one-man-leaves situation…which means I’m totally not gonna share. What we’ve got is a brown sugar cookie, topped with condensed milk whipped cream, and then there’s strawberries on the inside, along with a scoop of jasmine tea ice cream, more strawberries, and chunks of chocolate peanut butter brittle. Definitely one of the funkiest desserts I’ve had in a while!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: I think I’m turning Japanese for this chicken katsu with cheese!!!

Now, I gotta admit, I’m not a huge sushi fan. I mean, I’ll eat it — especially when it’s all-you-can-eat — but it’s not really my go-to. When it comes to Japanese food, I’m all about the breaded and fried, and if there’s cheese involved, that’s the icing on the cake. But we’re not eating cake, though — this is chicken katsu from Mr. Tonkatsu, bro!!!

Now, you get a pretty decent-sized lunch here for 14 bucks. There’s actually more chicken than meets the eye — with a double layer at the end — and then you’ve got rice, slaw and some miso soup that stayed warm, cuz this delivery order only took about 30 minutes. Hey, it’s nice to get a little something on the side, but you KNOW it’s all about the chicken, bro!!!

Dude, this chicken is cheesier than an 80’s power ballad! You’ve got a nice temperature, some crispy breading, and then all that cheesy goodness. While I like the katsu sauce, I think it actually tastes better without it. Every rose has its thorn, son!!!

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