Island Soul - A Caribbean Jem in Ajax

I have been to the Island Soul restaurant/take-out joint a couple of times. And today the sight of a coal-fired traditional barbecue outside the entrance enticed me, once again.

They had had barbecue chicken and the jerk chicken, so ordered both.

Island Soul restaurant in Ajax. Note the barbeque on the right.

The barbecue chicken was succulent, with a sauce more on the sweet-sour range.

The best, though, was the jerk chicken. Almost crispy skin but not too blackened, and the meat was appropriately dry.



The rice-with-peas was also excellent as always.

In short, this is one place in Ajax that delivers consistency.

Odine Japanese - Thai Fusion in Ajax,Ontario

It was by chance that I noticed Odine in Ajax, Ontario, Canada, Ontario.
I was returning from the Home Depot and was about to take a right turn on Kingston Road when I noticed a new restaurant on the other side of the road.

And a closer look revealed it was Japanese-Thai fusion cuisine, which made me even more curious, as I have never seen this combination.

And so far I have been there twice.

A huge smiling Buddha welcomes you at the entrance. Further inside is the restaurant, and it is decorated simply, which adds a richness to the ambience.

For lunch, Odine has a Lunch Menu as well as the regular Menu.

The first time I went for the Lunch Menu; I chose Special Thai Curry, which comes with soup and rice.

I chose beef, and it came on a gold-brown curry.

 The second time, I was tempted to order the Teriyaki, but decided to go for Thai.

Ajax is a fast growing city, and though it lacks the depth in the ethno-cultural restaurant scene that nearby cities such as Scarborough or Markham have, the situation is improving.

Japango -- An Exciting Sushi Joint In Toronto

Japango is a Japanese sushi joint tucked away in a rather quiet small street off Dundas Street.
Once inside, one might feel like having stepped into the wrong place; or at least for me the notion of a Japanese restaurant conjures up the image of rather spacious restaurants with elegant (usually black coloured) tables and chairs and Kimono-clad waitresses floating around, bowing all the time.

But this is more like a hotdog-in-a bun with fries type of a place – small and congested. Moreover, and this could be very challenging – the tables are small and not very sturdy. I am small-made but even I once tipped the tea cup as I got up to go to the washroom.
But then the food is a different matter.

Kirin Beer
To wash-down my meal, I went for a 330 ml Kirin beer – Ichiban Special Premium. I like beer off the tap or from the bottle and avoid the cans, and this was one reason I opted for Kirin.
The beer had soft but its malt was strong.

Deep fried Oysters for Appetizers
I checked for the seasonal fish available for appetizer. They had mackerel and went for it, along with fried oysters.
The oysters were deep-fried and despite my initial scepticism (I have found that deep-fried food is usually very heavy and kills the taste for the other dishes), I found the pieces to be soft and smooth.

Spicy Maki Rolls
I have always liked the spicy version of Japanese maki rolls. They use some kind of a spicy sauce but they are different from the hot sauces we know in the west. In fact, the type of sauces used and the strength of their piquancy, also differ from one restaurant to the other. So, I ordered spicy tuna maki and shrimp tempura with spicy sauce.

I rarely leave a Japanese restaurant without ordering flying fish roe, so besides the Tobiko sushi, I also had amber jack, octopus and butterfish sashimi. I was so glad I went for the latter. The cute, small pieces of off-white coloured fish tasted excellent.

Tasting Madai For First Time
Then the chef asked me whether I would like madai – supposedly a Japanese favourite. Well, the chef himself was taking an interest in us and whom am I to desist that temptation?
Madai was a fish of multiple textures and tastes. I found as if it was slightly heated but it looked raw. And it had a dash of the sourness of mackerel and saltiness of dried fish. It was excellent.

Special Wasabi
Along with that, came two different types of wasabi – one the ‘normal’ one and one ‘special’. Needless to say, I went for the special one. Taste-wise it was almost the same – ma be little stronger – but it dissolved neatly into the soya sauce. I checked out with the waiter who told the special variety is basically kitchen, and not mass-made.
All in all, the food was excellent and fresh as always, and even the maneuvering the tight pace is an adventure.
I have heard comments that Japango resembles a typical sushi joint in Japan. Hopefully, one day I can check that out.