Pho Mi 99

Decided to go out and get some warm food since our furnace has been broken for the last two days.  Wanted some nice hot food that wasn't heavy on flavor and was very filling, sort of like how when Chinese people get sick they crave congee.  Ordered the medium rare beef with rice noodle soup, some more fresh shrimp rolls, grilled pork meat balls, and minced shrimp on sugar cane.

These are a few family favorites back when I lived in South-East Asia so I have fairly high standards.  The noodles were great, Pho Mi 99 is incredibly generous with their garnish and their meat.  It was light and simple as I had hoped and the noodles were done just right.  The beef was thinly sliced and was very tender even though it was soaking in soup water.  It also came with some sauce, and a bag of veggies which does contain basil, lime, and some Asian vegetables that I only know in Thai and Chinese.  Needless to say, this was excellent.  I didn't get a taste of a lot of artificial flavouring so that makes it even better.

The shrimp rolls weren't as good as Spice Avenue, which I reviewed earlier today.  There wasn't enough shrimp in it and once again, it lacked the basil leaves and the Vietnamese carrot and turnip, sweet and sour sauce.

The Minced shrimp on sugar cane is probably the best that I've had in Canada but truth be told, the South-East Asian version is much better.  It's a little sweet and the shrimp is very soft and has a smooth texture.  It was slightly oily for my taste and there was more flour in the ingredients than shrimp.  However, I still liked it since the flavour was still there.  And also, chewing some sugar cane is great!  It's sweet but also has a little savory flavor from the shrimp.

The most interesting dish I had were the grilled pork meatballs.  They were redder than I expected although they did taste very good.  The sweet sauce that suspiciously tasted like it contained honey was a delicious complement to the meatballs.  They were very tender and did not contain too much pepper, which some places tend to go overboard with.

It was incredibly filling and I am very, very warm despite the -20 Celsius weather we are enjoying today in the GTA.  Cost of satisfaction, $21.47 so, great prices with fairly decent food!  The restaurant I went to is at 3920 Grand Park Drive, Unit #D1 in Mississauga.  It's in the plaza with the Reitman's and Staples near the T&T supermarket.

Spice Avenue

Went for a little afternoon munch with some friends at this new place called Spice Avenue.  The address is 2661 Dundas St West, Mississauga, L5K 1R9.  Their phone number is 905-820-2661.

Now this is one of those, fusion Vietnamese/Thai places so when I walked in I wasn't really expecting much.  Surprise, surprise!  The authenticity of the food was quite good.

Assorted platter- didn't try it but it sure did smell good!
(Spring roll, fried wanton, and mango salad)

Had the shrimp rolls and a lime soda, done the Asian way.  Also tried some TomYumGung, which is a coconut-curry soup with shrimp that traditionally has chilies and a bit of lemon grass in it.  The one served wasn't entirely traditional since it contained figs and tomatoes.  The taste was fairly good although it was a little sweeter than it should be.  Excellent spice level, definitely something that spice-lovers should try.

The lime soda isn't actually a soda.  For all of you who have been to Asia, this lime soda is the one found in the older, traditionally places so it's definitely not Schweppes Lime soda.  It's lime squeezed into water mixed with a little sugar.  The trick is that they add a little more sugar to the bottom of the cup so as you drink it, you get the granules in as part of the experience.  It's cool and refreshing.  The sugar at the bottom kind of makes it feel like you're drinking a Margarita with a proper salt-rimmed glass.

                                       

Here are the pictures of the fresh shrimp rolls!  Excellent sauce, although I'm not entirely sure what's supposed to be in it.  Tamarind?  It's even sprinkled with a little peanut so, peanut warning for all of you who are allergic!  The shrimp roll is only missing a little chopped chili in the sauce and some basil leaves that should go either into the roll or come on the side so you can munch on it with some mint leaves.

My experience here was great despite the small things that stray a little from tradition.  Perhaps I'm too old fashioned.  It's also styled in a combination of Nouveau-Arte and Zen with the simple Japanese plates and simple cutlery.  There are two sections, the bar&lounge where you could also eat and the actual dining area that has a dark ambiance.  The bar&lounge is closer to the front door where the bar is and during the day the curtains are drawn creating a nice soothing effect.  It's nice for all of the young people of Toronto looking for a date-place, I would highly recommend it.

Congee Dynasty- Mississauga

There's a little Chinese restaurant located at 1100 Burnhamthorpe Rd West that has some of the best Chinese food available.  Here's a little review of what I got from Congee Dynasty on a lazy, rainy Sunday.

Got myself some Ham Yur Gai Lup Fan and some Shurn Lat Tong.  That's, salted fish and chicken fried rice with hot and sour soup.  Two of my favorite dishes.

It tastes great and it doesn't cost much at all.  I paid $27.29 for 2 orders of the fried rice and 1 order of the soup.  I don't know why I got 2 orders of the fried rice.  Doesn't matter, means I have something to eat for dinner as well.

The Ham Yur Gai Lup Fan (salted fish and chicken fried rice) is like your typical Hong Kong street shop, it's a little oily, it's full of flavor, and it's hot and if you get it to go, it comes wrapped in aluminum foil and a styrofoam box.  The only complaint I have is the hot and sour soup.  It's not entirely authentic, although it's the best that I've had in Toronto to this date.  There's some carrots in there and the mushrooms taste a little funny.  But all in all, a very decent soup to have on a cold day.  It's still spicy and sour so it's still worth a visit.

Their number is 905-949-1988.  You can either eat there and enjoy browsing through their menu or you can order food via take-out and go and pick up your food.  Bring another person cause on busy days like Sunday, you might have trouble finding a parking spot!

Protein Shakes

Hey gang,

So I've finally joined the hype and decided to try out this "protein shake" that's supposedly supposed to help me build muscles.  Boy, was I surprised.

I know that you may be wondering about what this has to do with cuisine and taste.  As I said, I will talk about every product and every consumable product so please bear with me.

I haven't worked out in two years so I expected myself to be sore after all the stretching, cardio, and weight lifting but after I took this protein shake, I'm feeling surprisingly fine and there definitely seems to be an improvement in my overall well-being.

So many people complain about the taste of protein shakes and do all sorts of things that include peanut butter, flavoured milk, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, chocolate, soy milk, and all sorts of fruit, just to name a few.

Finally finding a good deal for some amateur whey protein from Walmart, I bought some to give it a shot.

It's pretty good!  All I put in was a scoop of whey powder, a full banana, and about a glass-full of 1% skim milk.  It tastes like a regular chocolate banana milkshake!

A friend, known as De Fraz, bought the strawberry flavor and I got the chocolate flavor.  Both of us are pleased to announce that this may be one of the best tasting whey protein shakes we have available to us.

The brand in question is "Six Star Muscle".  The professional strength whey protein.

So if anyone is looking for an effective muscle builder for toning (I don't know about it's application for body-building) with a decent taste for a low cost and minimal need to buy other ingredients I would fully suggest getting this from Walmart.

They have a special for $18.86 + tax and you get a free XL work out shirt!

Enjoy!

The Cause

Dear all,

Welcome and congratulations on finding my website! This is still brand new so I'd like to apologize for any mistakes or if I have stepped on anyone's toes for anything that I do with this blog.

How often have you been presented with a flood of advertising in your mailbox, but couldn't really find any comprehensive reviews regarding cuisine or the best places to shop for food?

No worries! I am here to save the day.

Being a local Torontonian, I am an avid food-lover. Some may call me a glutton. So what? Cuisine in it's art form is beautiful. The amount of history and innovation it takes to create the skin of Ha Gao or the perfection of a George Foreman grill should make us all appreciate the efforts of these pioneers.

So let's get it right. I will express my most objective opinion on restaurants, supermarkets, and places where you can find food including and not limited to, fast food chains, pizza parlors, and hawker stalls.  And why? Because I think that there are too many restaurants all over the GTA. Here, I present you with my best efforts, the reviews of the places that I have been to.

You will not see any pictures of myself. And I will not disclose any personal information for my own safety. Consider me as a vigilante of cuisine.

I shall be known as, Mokoto.