Southern Aroma - Markham Restaurant for the Spicy Tongues

Southern Aroma is a relatively new restaurant to the South Indian/Sri Lankan (Tamil) food scene. It is located in Markham.

The interior is simple but very South Asian, with statues of Hindu gods etc adorning various locations. Water is served in copper stainless steel tumblers, which is quite interesting because traditionally in some parts of India and Sri Lanka, you are not supposed to drink off a tumbler with your lips touching its edge.

Makimono in Ajax - Japanese Restaurant with Some Unique Dishes

Makimono is one of the earliest Japanese restaurants in Ajax, and for a long time it has been serving an all-you-can-eat buffet. It appears that most Japanese restaurants in Durham region, or at least in Ajax, are desired mostly for their all-you-can-eat buffets.

Bitter Gourd (Bitter Melon) Thick Curry

½ bitter gourd, diced into small pieces

1 red tomato, diced fine

½ onion, sliced lengthwise

5 curry leaves

¼ tbsp. of curry powder (optional)

2 tbsp of coconut milk

1 cup of water

Salt to taste

Bitter Gourd (Bitter Melon) Salad

Hummingbird Tree (Agathi Tree) Yellow Curry

Humming bird Leaves. © Herbsvedha.blogspot.com 

Ingredients

1 bunch Hummingbird tree leaves (they come with the stems)

2 shallots

2 tbsp coconut milk

½ cup water

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Sushi Bar Sushiya -- Great Japanese food

I recently visited the Sushi Bar Sushiya in Toronto. It is owned by the Zakkushi group, and is located in the basement of their restaurant chain.

This is undoubtedly one of the best sushi bars I have been. The sashimi was simply awesome, and sometimes I got the feeling the fish was so fresh that it will melt in the warmth of my mouth.

La Sani Grille Ajax - Decent Place with Great Indo-Pakistani Food

La Sani Grille Ajax is an Indo-Pakistani restaurant, with a branch in east Toronto. In Ajax, it occupies the spot that used to be the Pasta Tutti Giorni, which was one of my favourites, particularly for their escargot dishes.

La Sani Grille is also spacious, and some changes have been made to the interior and to the service style. It is a semi-fast food joint, with the dishes available displayed on a board on the left side. A monitor plays some of their dishes and how they are made in a loop while one is able to see part of the kitchen.

I have been there twice so far.

Eat My Pie in Pickering - A Chic Place With Good Food

A friend of mine and I were looking for lunch in Pickering recently when he remembered seeing a cool-looking pizza joint. After some driving we found the place, Eat My Pie. The unique name and the promise of pies, as pizzas are called here, from wood-fired ovens were sufficient to entice us into the place.

Eat My Pie

Fine Taste Chinese Restaurant in Ajax - Review

Ajax has a new (Hakka) Chinese restaurant. The Fine Taste Hakka Chinese Restaurant was opened about two ago, and is located on Bayly Street where long time ago another Chinese restaurant was located. The new one, which serves Indian dishes as well, is, however, smaller.

I decided walk into the restaurant for lunch.

There are two types of menus basically – a very extensive full menu and the obligatory lunch menu.

Hot and Spicy Food Festival in Toronto

The Hot and Spicy Food Festival was held at the TorontoHarbourfront Centre between Aug. 15-17. I attended the first evening, mostly because I wanted to participate in the spicy dish competition.

Six chefs created their dishes, and we could taste all of them and rank them.

My comments are below. 

Please note that I am used to pretty spicy food, so my verdict is also subjective.

All dishes at Hot & Spicy Food Festival.

Taste of Toronto 2014

Fifty dishes of all sorts, and all in one place – this is what Toronto’s first ever Taste of Toronto promised. Held at Fort York in Toronto during the last July weekend, this event follows the tradition of similar ‘Taste Festivals’ that are held in almost twenty cities around the globe.

Courtesy:TasteofToronto

I visited the ToT for the first session on Saturday. Fortunately, it was a warm day.

The use of ‘crowns’ as the event’s currency (one dollar bought one crown) is a good idea, but I am not sure what happens if you have unspent crowns.

The festival was made up basically of stands promoting anything from spicy sauces to tourism and healthy juices, food stands, well-known chefs’ sessions and wine tasting sessions.

Red Kitchen - A Very Spicy Thai Restaurant in Ajax

For long, I have been on the hunt for Thai restaurants that serve really spicy food -- the Thai way. Unfortunately, I have to concede that so far in Canada I have not found any 'authentic' Thai restaurant. The spiciest Thai foods I have had so far are from two restaurants -- one in Vienna, Austria, and the other in Jaco, Costa Rica.

So, when I saw a new joint, called Red Kitchen, open up in Ajax, it was time for a try but I have to concede I was too sceptical. I was ready to settle for a decent East Asian dinner.

Appetizers

I ordered Tom Yum soup and the plate of Thai spring rolls for appetizers.

Tom Yum Soup

Maimana Naan & Kabab Restaurant in Ajax - A New Gem

I came across Maimana Naan & Kabab Restaurant in Ajax quite accidentally, as I was returning from a haircut in the same mall in Ajax. It was a new joint, and such new restaurants in Ajax need to be explored.
Since then, I have been there twice. I have had their Chicken Tandoori Kabab and Mixed Grill Kabab.
It is kind of a fast-food place, with a simple, but rich set of meals. The interior is also simple but clean and decent.

Maimana Restaurant in Ajax

About Maimana
Maimana is the capital of the Faryab Province in northern Afghanistan, near Turkmenistan. It sits on a valley between rolling hills with lush green vegetation.

Maimana Restaurant Menu
They have two appetizers, seven types of kabab meals, three types of kabab wraps, seven types of kabab burgers, three types of salads, four sides and four types of desserts/beverages.
No alcohol served.

Bacalao-Style Fish Stew

I accidentally turned into PBS's New Scandinavian Cooking where Andreas Viestad was making Bacalao Stew.

I was enamoured by the concept, and amazed that this stew, with its chilli component, could fit in as a Norwegian dish.

Bacalao-Style Stew

I did some research and found out more about the stew, and decided to make my own.

Tatemono Sushi Bar - Decent Food

I had been wanting to visit Tatemono Sushi Bar and Restaurant for a while. There used to be a Greek restaurant at that spot which I had visited (see review).

Tatemono Sushi Bar & Restaurant

And finally I had the chance to visit it for lunch.

The interior is neat with a fusion of western and Asian design. It was crowded.

Spaetzle/Nockerln with Goulash

Spaetzle/Nockerln is one of my favourite dishes. I love it with a good plate of goulash. In Austria it is generally called nockerln though there might a slight difference between the two. 

Over the weekend I had made goulash and today I decided it was time to make spaetzle. I have some experience in Austrian cooking, so the last time I made spaetzle I went from my memory.

This time, however, I decided to check out a recipe but, as usual, I changed it slightly.

Ingredients:

2 cups of durum atta flour  

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

¼ cup of water

A pinch of grated nutmeg

One teaspoon of salt

Vegetable Stir Fry

Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:

From the garden: 

Celery –stalks and leaves

A mini zucchini

Young onions

Parsley

Swiss chard.

To add colour and taste:

2 Carrots

1 onion, sliced.

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ lime.

1 tsp. of soya sauce.

Eggenberg Dunkel Beer -- A Beer to Enjoy

I have always been a fan of the dunkel beer – dark beer, as translated from German. I grew this love during my stay in Vienna, Austria.
Not as dark as a Guinness, its dark reddish-brown fusion had an allure. But more than the colour, it was the taste – with a tinge of sweetness to it.

I had never managed to find its equivalent in Canada. Until recently.

I was poring through the LCBO shelves for something new when my eyes landed on the Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel.

Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel Beer

I could not remove my eyes from the word ‘Dunkel’. After more than a decade I am seeing it.

Immediately, I grabbed as many bottles as I could.

Beaver Hall Restaurant - Montreal

The Beaver Hall - Montreal

 The Beaver Hall is one of those restaurants that reminded me of formal Europe – men in dress pants and shirts, while women elegantly attired. No sneakers.

Appetizers

No appetizers ordered. We decided to munch the bread and olive they provide for all tables.

Main

Pan Seared Calf Liver

• Pan Seared calf liver, with pepper sauce and cinnamon apple.

The liver was perfectly done.

A Library for Books on the Culinary World

A Canadian university has more than 13,000 books related to the culinary arts, according to an article in the Toronto Star.

The University of Guelph’s books collection are from around the world organized into six collections. The books range from the modern to those published in the early 19th century.
For more on the collections, visit the Toronto Star Food Columnist Jennifer Bain’s article.