Review: Guu SakaBar pt. II

This is the continuation of my post earlier on Guu SakaBar (which can be found HERE).

After the first round of food arrived, we ordered another three dishes:
Maguro Tataki: seared tuna (picture 1)
This was fresh tuna sashimi that came with more ponzu sauce and garlic chips. (My companions agreed that a lot of the same ingredients are used over and over but they work well in each dish so I can't really fault them.) Once again, another well done dish.
Okonomiyaki: deep fried Japanese savoury pancake (pictures 2-3)
The okonomiyaki served here is made with squid. It was not the most memorable or outstanding dish of the night, but I still enjoyed it and it was good for what it was.
Kakimayo: baked oyster with garlic, mayo and cheese (picture 4)
Served atop of shells, this very rich dish came in a set of two (and I highly recommend sharing it). The best part of the kakimayo was definitely the creamy spinach and garlic mayo surrounding the oysters. I love cheese and there was lots of it on top of the oyster but some parts of it were overly salty. In spite of its shortcomings, I enjoyed the kakimayo overall.

At some point in the meal, I commented that I was very impressed because every single dish that was brought to our table tasted amazing. Unfortunately, I spoke much too soon. The final three dishes were a disappointment to me and I suggest avoiding them:
Hotate: buttered scallops (picture 5)
I'm not a big fan of scallops but these ones were overcooked too, which was a let down.
Tontoro: grilled pork cheeks (not pictured)
Coming from a household that eats similar pork dishes on a fairly regular basis, this dish was nothing special for me.
Gomaae: spinach with sesame sauce (not pictured)
The blanched spinach itself was fine albeit a bit boring despite being mashed into a ball. Unfortunately, the accompanying sesame sauce was much too salty.

THE VERDICT: Although it was busy, service wasn't compromised and all our food came within 10 minutes of ordering. In the end, not all the dishes impressed me but there were way more hits than misses. As an izakaya, the dishes are generally small and not the kind of place I would go to get stuffed. However, I still left feeling quite satisfied after sharing 10 dishes between 3 people. Overall, I really enjoyed this restaurant and it's clear from the steady turnover and line-ups of customers, I'm not the only one who feels that way. After all the great things I heard about it, Guu lived up to the hype and I look forward to future visits.

Review: Guu SakaBar pt. I

Being a weekday night, we decided to head to Guu SakaBar (559 Bloor St W). It turns out that I've walked past this location multiple times but with the very small sign, I had completely missed it. Although it was a Monday, we still had to wait 30 minutes to be seated but it was well worth it. Upon arrival we were loudly and enthusiastically greeted by the staff before being directed to a table in the tatami floor seating area. The atmosphere is very busy, vibrant and loud which makes it a fun experience but a little bit more difficult to have a good conversation. Regardless, we got the night started with 4 great dishes:
Gyu Carpaccio: lightly seared beef sashimi (not pictured)
The gyu carpaccio arrived as thinly sliced pieces of beef lying in a plate of ponzu sauce with mayo drizzled on top. Although that may not sound the most appetizing, I found the beef to have a great texture and flavour. It was the first dish we got and I wanted another round of immediately after - it was a very promising start to our meal.
Takoyaki: deep fried octopus balls (picture 4)
This was only my second time trying takoyaki but it was much better than my previous experience. These bite sized balls had a crispy exterior with a soft gooey interior that contained the right amount of chewy octopus pieces. Most importantly, the flavour of the takoyaki was not overpowered by or secondary to the sauce/mayo.
Brie Cheese (picture 5-6)
With the Canadian National Exhibition in town, there has been a lot of talk of deep fried foods from deep fried cola to deep fried oreos to deep fried PB&J sandwiches. So when I saw deep fried brie cheese on the menu, I had my doubts about how it would turn out. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The pairing of the savory cheese with the sweet mango and blueberry sauces elevated this from being a gimmicky novelty to something I see myself ordering again in the future. It turned out be a rather delightful albeit gooey snack.
Saba: mackerel (picture 7)
I am not a big fan of mackerel but this was fantastic. It came with lemon, onions, and garlic chips. There were a few garlic chips on the gyu carpaccio but I actually tried some with this dish and loved the flavour and crunch they added. The mackerel was very light (both in terms of flavour and texture) with a definite hint of dill and grilled to perfection.

Bill Cunningham New York

Although released much earlier, I only recently took the opportunity to watch this documentary on Bill Cunningham who is probably best known as a street fashion photographer for the New York Times. To be honest, I was not familiar with Bill Cunningham at all until he and the documentary on him were briefly mentioned on Fashion Television. Since then, I had it in the back of my mind that I would like to see the documentary as I was immediately struck by his humble nature and clear passion for what he does. As luck would have it, I dropped by one of the smaller theatres in the city and found the film was still playing there. It was an absolute pleasure to have this glimpse into the life of this man who many are acquainted with but no one really knows. The contrast between his own simple life and the extravagant fashions and people he photographs were fascinating. He, himself, was the real star of the film though. His humour, his enthusiasm, his modesty and his strong sense of morals and values captivated me. Like any good film, I found myself laughing and at other times, crying. There is something so deeply admirable about his dedication to his work yet so saddening at the same time because it comes at the expense of other aspects of life. However, he is clearly very happy with his life and is at ease with the choices he has made. In the end, I do recommend this film but it is probably best that one not be too familiar with Bill Cunningham prior to watching - a quick Internet search turns up a good deal of what is covered in this film. With that being said, this film is clearly not meant to be an exposé but it is a touching look into an extraordinary man's life.

Sweet Confections

Having read some great reviews, I dropped by The Wedding Cake Shoppe. They have a lovely little storefront with wedding cake designs but the display of cupcakes are what obviously took center stage for me. With all the deliciousness of a full size cake in a convenient no-fuss format, cupcakes are one of my favourite treats. 

I ended up getting a half dozen cupcakes (Cookies and Cream, Red Velvet, Vanilla Bean, Cappucino, Passionfruit, and some unknown flavour) to share with a friend. However, after a rather filling dinner, I only managed to snag a few bites of the highly recommended Red Velvet cupcake. The Wedding Cake Shoppe's version of this classic cupcake turned out to be perfectly light, moist and fluffy, complimented by the tang of the cream cheese frosting. I will definitely be back to try some more of their cupcakes. (Meanwhile, my friend and his family have quite happily reported back to me that the rest of the cupcakes were heavenly.)



Cupcakes weren't the only thing that I left with though. There was something so alluring about the adorable little macarons placed beside the cupcakes. With their smooth rounded shells and pretty pastel colours, they conjure up images of dainty tea parties with fancy china. I picked up two macarons, one in each flavour. They seemed to be the ideal snack to tide me over until I met up with my friend. They were also packaged into a Chinese take-out style box that only added to the cuteness factor. I have never tried a macaron before but having seen macarons on various food blogs, there were a few things that I did look out for like the smoothness of the shells and the ever characteristic feet. These particular macarons had a crisp but very delicate outer shell that cracked upon first bite (and even from the pressure of my fingers holding them in fact!). I'm not sure that the outer shell is supposed to crack the way that these macarons did but that did not prevent me from enjoying them.  The insides were moist and sort of chewy - I suppose it would be best described as gummy. The flavours of the macarons were distinctly strawberry and lemon but I felt they were too sweet for my liking. However, for my first foray into  macarons, I must say they serve as a decent introduction. Although I highly doubt that anything in the city could compare to the highly praised macarons of Ladurée and Pierre Hermé, I'm excited to try some other macarons in the the meantime while I continue to dream of visiting Paris someday.

Ematei

 I hadn't had Japanese food in a while and decided to try Ematei.






Oh, asparabacon <3

Overall, the food was good and I didn't have any problems with the service - all orders arrived quickly and the waitress was attentive. However, I definitely didn't feel like I sampled enough of the food to make a personal recommendation for this restaurant but I'll probably drop by there again when I'm in the area.

Great Eggspectations

Dropped by Eggspectation, an all-day breakfast joint, a little while back. Even at 2 in the afternoon it was bustling with people and was clearly a favourite among families. Great service, and atmosphere (albeit a bit on the loud side).


The menu was quite extensive and I ended up settling on the Egg-chilada, which was okay but nothing particular spectacular. Essentially, it was an egg omelette with peppers and cheese. I like salsa and hot peppers and there was clearly a lot of both.There wasn't a strong cheese flavour though and I felt like it was slightly more mushy than I prefer.  I would definitely try something else next time. I will say that the potatoes hit the spot with the perfect balance of crispy and soft.

I am quite horrible at introductory posts but welcome to my blog. I won't try to narrow it down and say there is going to be one particular focus to it - just expect it to be a slice-of-life kind of blog. :)