Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse @ Hilton Niagara Fall. (Road Trip Day 8 + 1, Dancing the Victory Dance)

Lured by the promotional falls view package by Hilton at Niagara Fall which include 40 dollar Dining Credit at Brasa and Breakfast Buffet for 2 and a falls view two bed room suite.  We decided to stay here for the final destination of the 8 day cross North America road trip.  As we checked in, I see a promotional poster about all you can eat at Brasa for only 39.95 and I have a bad feeling.

As my friend filled up with Ben&Jerry, I am starved to death as we checked in at around 7:30.  We quickly waltzed into the restaurant at end of the Hilton tower and thinking we could just order 1 or 2 dishes with the 40 dollar dining credit.  After all we don’t have big appetite.  As we arrived, we quickly realized that all you can eat is the only option and we need to throw in yet another 40 dollar for this meal.

:(

If both of us are really hungry, then it probably is ok. The 40 dollar is quite standard at the most touristy place on earth.  But my dear friend was completed wasted by the Ben&Jerry ice cream. Oh well, we gotta eat. The restaurant is very spacious. There is huge walk room everywhere in the restaurant.  The table are widely separate so it is quite a nice setting to carry out your conversation.

The meal consisted of the salad bar w/ some hot features as well as endless of meat on the sword. If you are familiar with the Brazilian steakhouse.  The red coaster on the table give the waiter the signal to come toward you with huge stack of meat on their long sword.

The salad bar actually has some really excellent grilled vegetables as well as Salmon and rice dish.  There are abundances of greens that are quite fresh.

In the past, I often avoid Brazilian steakhouse because they are usually overcook. But this place does their meat quite well. Nice and tender and pink in the inside for all their beef dishes.  Parmesan chicken, rib eye, tenderloin, it’s all pretty good. 

We waited for bacon chicken wrap all night and it turns out to be the disappointment of the night. The chicken is super dry and the bacon is overcooked. Shouldn’t the fat from the bacon protect the chicken from being too dry? 

The only view of the restaurant. So Brasa doesn’t offer any view but I meant there is falls view right at your room!

I enjoyed eating here but if I have to spit out 80 dollar plus tax + tip for two people. I am definitely passing next time. I love meat but I can’t handle too much to make it worth it. For those of you that are champion carnivore. This is a great place for you!

Worth the drive?
Food: 20/30
Ambience: 20/30
Service: 23/30
Price: $50 +

View Larger Map

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill–The Victory Breakfast.

 

May 31st, 2011. After 44 hours of driving, countless of foggy road, hitting the flood, snow block, I am finally back to Canadian Soil again. The air is just taste fresher for some reason. Probably because of the relieve. The road is yet again foggy, the fog has been around me through out the trip. There is only 2 hour left in driving after I passed the Sarnia border and pass by Lake Huron.  Sarnia is a good border to cross to avoid passing through city of Detroit, which many warned me about the safety issue. The scenery is back to the typical farm. What I have noticed is that the farm infrastructure in Ontario looks a lot nicer than say South Dakota.  But, I have no clue about the farming industry I just think they are prettier to look at.

At last, we arrived at the North York district of Greater Toronto District. North York is heavily populated by Asia immigrants, most of them are from Korea. I met up with the other RLs. As we ready for our self for the Victory Breakfast.  My road trip partner is a die hard egg fan. So I advised my brother to take me to the best brunch place in town. So here we are at Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill.  The restaurant chain is owned by obviously Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini. The vision of restaurateur Peter Oliver is to served lunch better than any one else. With such great vision, I just can’t wait to see how the brunch will go.

 

We are seated quickly after the reservation through OpenTable.  We were greeted by a upbeat server that tends to make a little bit too much joke. But, no matter this is the Victory breakfast. Nothing can really spoiled my mood. There are variety of daily special breakfast drink available, the fruit smoothies, and fresh juices are really really good. You can tell the fruit used are best of the quality, and the smoothies is blended finely so the texture was extra soothing.

Since this is an egg haunt, what is better than the Egg benedict? The salmon egg benedict with baked herbs potato. This is a definitely a great combination to start off your day. The salmon does not have enough flavour. It tasted to me like Norwegian salmon, I am kind of disappointed. The fat was not there and the flavour is missing. I meant this is great salmon for anywhere else in the world. But we are in Canada :( . (Maybe I am too spoiled by the west coast of abundance of salmon). The eggs was cooked very well. The hollandaise sauce is very light in taste which goes very balanced with everything else. The bake potato with herbs are very tasty. The potato is baked til with lightly crusted. The herbs are doing its job to bring out the flavour of the starch.

 

The ham and spinach crepe is definitely a very fine dish. The wilted spinach and smoked ham really mixed well together with the combination of the thunder oak gouda. The gouda was surprisingly light in flavour, which is very refreshing in the morning. One down side is the crepe, I felt the crepe is a little bit crepe. In addition, the waiter let out a little secret when we want to exchange the smoke ham with smoke salmon. He said everything is premade because otherwise it would take too long. Really? Crepe? Too long? hmm… I don’t know I see lots of places make crepe right off the spot, the taste is just different when it is made freshly on the spot rather than reheat. For a upscale restaurant like this, I find that a little bit disappointing.

 

I didn’t have the salad. But just a picture for reference. It does look delightful.

 

Oliver & Bonacini offers excellent brunch menu with unbeatable fresh fruit drink that can start your healthy weekend activity.  I really liked the ambience here. Hip and upscale. As for if it is the best brunch that is served, mmm, i have to say i am not agreeing. 

 

Worth the drive? Pick one in your neighborhood.
Food: 22/30
Ambience: 24/30
Service: 21/30
Price: $15~20 for Brunch.


View Larger Map

Tokyo Kitchen–Solid Home Style Japanese food in Downtown

 

After a very expensive afternoon drinks at Sassafraz, we decided to look for something budget. But what is budget and taste good in the Downtown area?

Good Japanese cuisine basically spells expensive meal in the city of Toronto. But Tokyo Kitchen begs the differ. If you want solid home style Japanese food in Downtown with reasonable price. Then this is the place for you.  Tokyo Kitchen offer generous portion of typical home quick meal for their patrons to indulge.

Some healthy greens with typical Japanese vinegrette salad dressing with mashed daikon. Crunchy greens with the balance acidic and sweet dressing. It kicks off your appetite right away.

The chicken cutlet is nice and tender. The sauce is a little bit too strong for my taste. It may be very well comes from the bottle. But I really enjoyed the moist chicken.

Shrimp tempura dinner, 10 medium size battered Shrimp tempura is very very generous for the price of 15 dollar. The shrimp is decent quality with the right amount of texture. A very good meal in turns of ROI.

The inferior of all the dish. The Tonkatsu don (porkchop rice) is a little soggy.  The sauce is really unbalanced making the taste inconsistent through out the bowl.  The egg is dropped in carelessly as well. It did not enhanced the don but rather ruined it a little bit. But I am being a little bit harsh on it. It is very ok for the price.

Finished it up the oiliness meal with some refreshing tea by UCC.

Worth the drive? No. Definitely only drop by if you are around. Its fulfilling but driving to DT is just not worth it.
Food: 20/30
Decoration: 17/30
Service: 20/30
Price: $15

View Larger Map

Yuzu Sushi & Sake Bar, Toronto

 

Recently, Sushi & Sake bar is sprouting everywhere hitting Toronto food industry like a storm. It is odd that Toronto is quite behind on this type of food trend. Guu from Vancouver opened its first store in Toronto and rapidly become the talk of the town. Whereas, lounge style Japanese dining is now taking off like a hot air balloon.

This kind of new contemporary take of Japanese cuisine has to come from the traditional Kaiseiki Ryori, where the quality preparation (slow food) and display artistically is focused. The new fusion style is a simpler take of such interpretation.  Enough talk, let’s dive in.

seaweed salad /w sesame vinegar dressing

A great opener for the meal. The seaweed is prepped nicely, which gives of the right tenderness and crunchiness. In combination of the vinaigrette and light sesame aroma,  this wakame salad really grows on you and ready you for the meal.

Naban style fish

Naban refers to a vinaigrette sake based sweet and sour dressing. In combination of the freshness fish it brings out the sweetness of the fish nicely. The fish was cooked perfectly tender and juicy. Nicely executed.

Shrimp Karage

I don’t like the name shrimp karage for this dish, because karage generally refers to heavier battered. The grapefruit yuzu sauce gives off very fruity citrus flavors that really accompanied the sweetness of the shrimp. Its yuzu sauce is impeccable, no wonder it is in its name. 

O-Toro

O-Toro Sushi, beautiful cut, but in my opinion it is a little bit too well formed for O-Toro. It definitely DID not melts away in my mouths. For O-Toro it is definitely lacking the fatty substance. I really wonder if this is true O-Toro. Without the melts away, decorating it with gold leafs is the least they could do for 8 dollar a piece.

I came here for the Nigiri and Maki as this is the sister restaurant of Japango. Yet again, I was disappointed. The vegetable rolls were bland, carried out from the back kitchen not from the sushi bar, Salmon roll is quite tasteless as well. The salmon is already lacking of its integrity.

Overall, the hot appetizer is all very well executed. The restaurant did not miss the expectation of its Yuzu name. Nigiri and Maki, however, are way over priced and did not delivered.  This is a place to go if you want to have a fancy night out. Probably focusing on the lounging rather than the eating.

 

Worth the drive? Maybe
Food: 22/30
Decoration: 25/30
Service: 24/30
Price: $50~100

View Larger Map

Niagara Fall on the Lake–Road Trip Day 8 + 1

(Ben&Jerry at Simcoe Park)

抵達了終點站多倫多, Road Trip 也終於告一個段落, 結束了六天橫行 四千多公里的旅程, 這之中可說有各種酸甜苦辣, 現在終於完成了! 至今還是小小的覺得不可思議, 但多倫多可以去哪呢? 如果你有多倫多的朋友不妨可以問一下, 大概大家都會說….Nothing to do…哈哈! 這個城市擁有著上千萬的人口, 小紐約之稱, 但怎麼每次大家都說沒什麼事做! 我個人每次都匆匆的到來, 這次也不例外~ 但多倫多周遭倒是有幾個地方特別有味道. .  先從最遠的地方說起吧~
Niagara Fall 是多倫多周遭唯一必去的景點~ 這偉大的瀑布真的滿有震撼力的~ 我開玩笑的跟朋友說, 一定有所心理準備, 因為會改變你的一生, 看完這個瀑布後你就會覺得世界上所剩的瀑布真的是瀑布嘛? 還是玩具而已…
而開往瀑布的路上, 有一個必經的小鎮, Niagara Fall on the Lake. 這小小的heritage town 非常的優雅, 臨著Lake Ontario, 這裡有什麼可以 offer 的呢? 小Town 裡充斥著些許的英國風建築, 有一點點維多利亞島的感覺, 琳瑯滿目的藝品店. 這區域也是著名的紅酒莊區域, 適合種葡萄的地方, 雨量都會比較少, 所以天氣也特別的宜人.

短短的街道上, 最多的就是冰淇淋, Café, Bakery shop. 如果想要買一些拌手禮的話, 有兩個店特別值得推薦.
第一個是 Victoria Gallery & Tea 的水果茶. 這裡的茶有著濃郁的水果香, 但是喝起來卻是香濃的茶氣. 不會有種過甜噁心的口感, 可以說是男女皆宜. 甜甜的水果香搭配著濃郁的茶香, 如果還加上一塊蛋糕的話 那真的是絕配了. (茶葉是Tax Free 的喔!)

第二個是這裡著名的果醬, Greaves Jams & Marmalades Ltd . 這裡的果醬特別的地方就是它是用純的水果製成, 過程不加糖. 非常適合現在對於不加添加劑健康飲食. 當然光是健康也是不行, 這裡的果醬口味繁雜, 每一樣都非常好吃,利用當地Niagara Fruit Belt 所產的新鮮水果, 我個人偏好crabapple, 清爽的蘋果香, 果醬乾乾淨淨的, 好吃極了!

(Travel Size? under 100 ml 可以帶上飛機)

 

Shaw Café 也是當地的hot spot. 坐在這裡享受一下午餐跟陽光, 應該是非常的不錯! 但我很怕這種地點太好的餐廳~ 因為it could very well be another tourist trap. 但如果純享受它的環境, 那倒是無妨.

(The Town Clock)

這條街道非常的短, 但這家Prince of Wales Hotel 可是非常的古典, 維多利亞風格, 內部穿插了許多可愛的小花園, 利用空間到了極致, 這邊有下午茶, 價錢不低,一個人要$35. 真的要有朝一日很閒很閒的一天, 才有可能待在這裡住宿以及享用下午茶吧.

  

Worth the Drive? Yes
Hour Needed - 1~2 hour.
Victoria Gallery & Tea
Telephone # 1-888-550-TEAS
Store Hours: Mon -Thur 10:00am - 5:00pm Fri -Sun 10:00am -6:00pm
108 Queen St., Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
http://www.victoriasteas.com
Greaves Jams and Marmalades
55 Queen Street, Box 26
Niagara On The Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0
Canada
Tel.: 905 468 7831
Toll Free: 1-800-515-9939
Fax: 905 468 0071
greaves@greavesjams.com

View Larger Map

Khao San Road @ Toronto–Authentic Thai with a Modernized twist

 

Traditionally, Thai restaurant is prospered by a single house kitchen and shooting out dishes that awes and amazes everyone with their intensive and complex taste and flavor. However, as Thai Culinary developed, the tasting of the food is no longer enough. Contemporary Thai restaurant is opening left and right in North America. The look is always somewhat universal with this kind of restaurant.  A nice open bar give people a very clean look. As opposed to the dark, yellowish, traditional Thai joint.  With the modernization of Thai cuisine, I am sure even more people will be willing to give Thai a try! A similar venues on the west coast would be Maenam and Flying tiger.

Tao hoo Taud Samoon Prai (Garlic Tofu)

The lightly breaded tofu and chicken were fried to perfection. Nice and crunchy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The garlic sauce has just the right amount of garlic flavors, it gives a nice zing to the tofu and garlic.

Daily Special – Panang Curry /w chicken .

Panang Chicken is probably the most well-known curry for Thai. The panang curry here is nice and creamy. It doesn’t has the bold taste like the red curry. Lacks a bit of the flavor coconut taste to give it a little of kick.

Sam Roas Pad Thai /w chicken, made with the special roasted peanut sauce and leek.

The fresh leek and roasted peanut sauce give the pad thai a very nice bold flavoring. The pad thai noodle is nice and firm and each of the noodle is soaked with flavoring explode in your mouth. I kinda wish I order a stronger spices to give it another layer of intensiveness.  This may very well be the best Pad Thai in town.

Red Thai Curry with Tofu, a burst in flavour with mild chili spice

The red curry is just superb at this place. Nice and flavorful curry paste with nicely executed tofu. The tofu remained in its nice form instead of being meshed into pieces. The combination of different typical Thai spices really are doing their job in this dish.  The chili spices gives the finale of to finish whatever rice that has left in your plate.

Khao San Road offers unbeatable authentic Thai affairs that rivals with  west coast Maenam and Flying tiger. The food is genuinely good. I kinda wish the portion is bigger like most of the Thai places.

Worth the drive? Yes!
Food: 25/30
Decoration: 22/30
Service: 23/30
Price: $25

View Larger Map