The One That Got Away

Nestled at the foot of Palmerston at King is the sexily vinyled fish and chips place, The One that Got Away. You'll recognize it from the busty mermaid silhouette on the glass. Unlike a lot of cool King West joints, TOTGA keeps it casual with an exposed brick and wood interior, a few vintage nick knacks and counter service. It's good for a pop in, but seating is extremely limited, so maybe pass it by for long lingering dates. 

I've been hearing around that this place only serves sustainable seafood, though I somehow didn't see the note that is apparently on the blackboard (slightly exhausted and silly that night, there was a lot I didn't notice which I should have!). Because I'm a bit of a geek for environmentalism and sustainability, I double checked their menu against Greenpeace's Red List, and through Seachoice. It's A-OK! This alone is enough to keep me coming back, it's so encouraging to see a local business put in a commitment to sustainability.

BUT you guys aren't hear to read about my ideals! Let's get to some food.

To start off, my friend Heather and I got the fish basket to split. It's a medley of deep-fried treats, with chips, scallops, shrimp, calamari and a wedge of haddock. It was a good size, the bulk made up of buttery french fries (whoops! There goes my British..) and calamari. I was sort of disappointed that there were only two shrimps and two small scallops, but I understand that those are the more expensive items. I do love a big fat scallop, though. I feel like the larger ones have a sweeter and more noticeable taste. Everything was beautifully crisp, and had a lighter touch to it. I think TOTGA had a batter that's very light compared to other Toronto fish and chips stalwarts like Chippy's. It's easier to taste the fish through it, which was fresh and light, and doesn't sit so heavily down in the gut. For the most part this was good but not a huge stand out, with everything being played safe and satisfying. The calamari was more daringly prepared, its crust peppered with flakes of herbs. With this all came a side of tartar sauce that was fantastically full of dill, and a little dish of coleslaw. The slaw wasn't the best, too much oil and not enough vinegar. On the bright side, condiments abound, and it was no hassle to add some white vinegar, salt and pepper (though one shouldn't have to). Bonus points for having readily available sriracha!

The next best thing about TOTGA after it's sustainable focus are the options it lets the customer explore with it's selection of fish (haddock, arctic char, barramundi, halibut and pickerel), which can be had fried OR grilled, and can be served in the classic manner, or as a wrap, a sandwich, or even as a salad (the last is also possible with the fried fish cakes, calamari, shrimps and scallops). We opted for a salad to pretend we were eating healthy after that massive platter of fried food we started with, and got the barramundi. I'm familiar with this white and fatty medium bodied fish from having lived in Australia where it's a staple, and where its name comes from. I also think living in that country gave me pretty high standards for fish and chips, since everything is ever so fresh. There was a while when I absolutely wouldn't eat Canadian inland fish and chips, since it couldn't compare. This barramundi probably comes from US farms, though. It did have a distinct fishy taste, unlike the light butteriness I had hoped for. The flavour was still enjoyable, and the skin was salty and oily in a way that worked with the citrus in the salad. the romaine and greens came with diced mango salsa, cucumber and grated carrot, and all that sweetness was a good match to the fish.

It isn't actually served in a treasure chest by the way, as awesome and corny as that would be.

 

For dessert, I tried out an old fashioned soda. I think I'm a convert! Bye-bye Coke! Hellooooo black cherry soda. You can find these in specialty shops and at various little places around Toronto, but it was a pleasant first sampling for me.

Special thanks today goes to my friend Heather who let me draw her in a shell bra and with fins!

Origin

At 107-109 King Street East, Origin is easy to get to right in Toronto's downtown. Then again, pretty much all the restaurants I've been drawing are!
This place is darkly lit, very sexy, and surrounds the large island kitchen, where you can see every single thing being made. What organization! What skill. I was so impressed. They also had a very unique interior design, with strange light fixtures, weird acrylic tabletops, and low seats. Everything you order here is meant to be shared- a tapas place, though the menu didn't seem to care what culture they were being inspired by. The variety was huge, the prices ranging from 4$ to 40$. We ordered seven dishes, and were all very satisfied and full. I think a lot of people in their early twenties get scared of a place so classy, but to all you people in college and uni: we walked out of here paying about 40$ each, counting a good tip, wine, and the food is to die for.
Live your gastronomic dreams!

The mozzarella was massive, and almost sweet, it was so creamy and light! There was quite a bit of oil, but it didn't weight down the crisp and crunchy bread, instead if added a mountain of flavour. I found the bread salty, but with the softly poached pear, I didn't mind at all. What an incredible blend of flavor!

 

As great as these were, and as many devilled eggs as I can always eat, they just taste like eggs. What can I say? Happy breakfast! Here is your fancy bacon and eggs. Crispy bacon, fluffy yolk, some herb and oil. Enjoy.

 

Spongy in texture, these not quite golf ball sized croquettes were surprisingly heavy. They had a wonderfully strong, fresh fish flavour, and were salty. Origin does not skimp on the salt, I will say that! The aiolie could have emphasized the garlic more, it mostly tasted of plain mayonnaise.

 

This I had to myself, as it's pretty much impossible to split, let alone three ways. I had to try the raw beef. It was succulent, wet, and had an incredible taste. Imagine the most tender veal you've ever had. That is what this beef was like. Was I worried about food poisoning? Of course not! Eating beef raw is completely safe with proper handling. It's chicken you have to watch out for. Back to the hand roll. I adore sushi, and this was so unique it has given me all sorts of inspiration to put to use in my own kitchen. Apply and nori? Incredible! By the end of this dish I was burning, though. Watch out for those little red peppers, they're devils in disguise.

There was an assortment of mysterious herbs atop this pouting creation that I haven't quite identified, but that added an unusual bitterness to the spicy, smoky fries. They can call them Spanish fries, but I know a poutine when I see one. The sausage was spicy, with the glorious crumble of chorizo. All together the bitterness, salt, spice, and the sweetness of the roasted red pepper kept us picking and nibbling trying to figure out this complex dish. The Manchego was a great finale, killing the spice before it killed our taste buds (as though I could ever recover from that hot hand roll!).

 

Shrimp that was cooked so perfectly that it was firm but buttery, floated in a thick orange broth. Don't let my drawing deceive you, this skillet was bursting at the seams with shrimp! It was overflowing, and they were monsters in size. Though the curry was thick, it was very mild in flavor, letting the shrimp and chick peas do most of the talking. One of the best things about this dish was the naan, clearly fresh baked, steaming and soft. It was great to sop up all that curry sauce.

 

Actually, there used to be two scallops in this dish. Our enthusiasm just got ahead of us before I remembered to take my reference picture for later. I think that Origin is pretty generous with their portions considering the quality and intricacy of every dish. Though the scallops were as perfect as can be, the rest of this dish lacked clout. The artichoke was strangled out by the flavour of apple in the puree, and the rapini and bacon side was overly crumbled. Even though it was flavourful, it didn't have an appealing texture.

On a completely unrelated note:

Dear Blogspot, please get a better spell check for food terms. You don't even know naan and rapini? Really? Go to a restaurant!