one cup sketch: somewhere, a table for two

one cup sketch: somewhere, a table for two

My grandfather exists in my head two ways--

                    as a memory

                                   and as a fable.

My memories seem defined but are warped by time and the naiveté of a 7-year-old's sense of perception. That's where mine end, at age 7, when he died after a long battle with kidney failure and an old battle with alcohol. As they said in those times “he liked his drink”, and my memories are of a man who wore the wear and tear of a life...lived. But then there are the stories from a time that precede my memories, of that man who loved life. One who cared about his presentation, the finer things and the way in which things should be done. His outfits were impeccable, his shoes had to be shined every day, he liked to throw parties, be at parties, celebrate. In more ways than I may realize, I take after him, and he sounds like someone I could have a damn good time with.

If in some alternate universe, he's still my grandfather, but much younger and stronger than he was in my childhood, and I am, well, me, now, then we're definitely best friends. There, my grandfather and I are in opulent room in Paris, windows open at dusk. The best food from Sri Lanka, France, Greece and Japan are on one long table before us, as are the best spirits and wines to go with each, and we're toasting and taking our first bite right about...now.

...

one cup sketch is about the little fiascos around big city eating.
essays by yasmin seneviratne, illustrations by katherine verhoeven.

Sassafraz (for Winterlicious)

I realized that this title should probably read '45$ for a three course meal', not 'per plate'. I'm not that rich! And Winterlicious is not that pricey- it would defeat the purpose after all, since this Toronto tradition is all about bringing food to the people. Amazing fine dining like Sassafraz set up a prix fixe that is affordable. The food-lovers win by getting a treat that's in the budget, and the restaurants who participate (there's a whack of them!) get to increase their business over the dreary snowed in months.

I feel like I'm always around Molly and Pietro, always dragging them out to dinner...oh wait! That's because I live with them. YEP. They must be tired of discovering amazing new places in Toronto at which to dine. Am I ever thankful they put up with me!
By the way, Molly is also an illustrator, you can check out her work here.


We actually tried all three of the appetizers offered as part of the prix fixe, but I've only chosen to draw two of them.There was a soup as well, but the presentation wasn't striking enough for me to draw it: just a sea of pale creamy yellow. I'll let you use your imagination just this once.

You might remember that back when I reviewed CAVA last month, my guests and I tried something similar. Cornmeal, poblano chili sauce- we weren't too impressed. That says something since I love cornmeal. Cornbread, Johnny cake, polenta, I will eat it. And I'll usually love it.
This tamale is like how that should have been. To start, this sauce had zip, zap, zing- everything. Flavour was present in spades! The tamale was so moist that it crumbled with full, tender grains, steaming hot, and achieved an almost creamy texture on the tongue. It was so incredibly good, right to the filling of shrimp. Their flavour was not very strong, but there's an art to delicate cooking. Here the buttery shrimp worked with the cornmeal to make a great, not-too-filling appetizer.

A salad by any other name would be as sweet! With this sort of taste bud teaser, you know what to expect. Beets will taste like beets, and arugula will always have that arugula spice. Everything was wonderfully fresh, crunchy, and home-made in the case of the beet chips and toasted pecans. I think that beet chips might have been misleadingly named since I at least was expecting something cooked and crunchy, but I won't complain- I adore cooked beets. The real art in this salad was the orange fennel root dressing, though. It added an interesting level of flavour to what is otherwise an unassuming salad.

Seafood? More like steak! Such a cut of swordfish could easily be mistaken for red meat. It was a lovely colour, and had a heavy body and dense texture, like chicken. All in all, it didn't taste very fishy at all, and just had the satisfying flavour of a good mouthful of meat and char. The polpette -something this meal introduced me to- had us guessing for a little while. Without the menu in front of us, it was hard to remember exactly what tastes we experienced ('we' since everything was shared). Tomato, sure, basil, maybe, feta? Parmesan? I don't know if there was any cheese inside, but there was a nice saltiness that had more flavour than the described ingredients suggest. It also looked beautiful on the plate.
Interestingly enough, the Internet tells me a polpette is usually a variety of meatball...but this was vegetarian!

Just the sort of thing you order to remind yourself that summer is on the in again. How about a wonderfully grilled steak! Cooked to a perfect medium-rare, the slab of steak I tried was so moist that I could pull it apart with my fork. Chewiness was nonexistent. Sassafraz served their steak nonchalantly on a bed of green beans, as if to say 'we do not have to dress up how amazing this is'. They didn't. It was. Ancho herb butter was the only flourish in this entree, which speaks to the skill required to cook a perfect steak.

One of my goals with 'Drawn and Devoured' is to always be bold. When faced with a menu, I will NOT just order the pizza Margharita! I will order that weird thing with the blue cheese.
On that note, I had to try Cornish hen. Not only have I never tried a tiny bird before, but I knew that it would be great to draw- much more interesting than a piece of chicken. I was very surprised when my fowl landed! Don't birds usually have two legs? What happened? I may never know, because I didn't ask- a regret I will carry to my grave. What there WAS was excellent, though. I expect it's easy to overcook so small a thing, but the meat was juicy. I took my time with the stuffing, savouring its complexities. There was a good, earthy mushroom flavour, but also a creamy taste that I can't help but compare to blue cheese. The quinoa spilling out bountifully was buttery, and has converted me to the red variety permanently. It has so much great texture! It was a bit too bad that the winter vegetables were just the same cubed sweet potato that was served with the steak.

Many, many flavours mixed together in this teeny tart. Sweet meringue, rich chocolate, piquant lemon, boozy custard (YES), and the unusual floral taste of lavender. We took our time, enjoying all those layers. The crust was crisp and satisfying. Unlike a pie crust, it was much more solid, almost crunchy.

I have to guess that 'pavee' means 'brick'. This was such a dense chocolate cake, it took ages for us to nibble our way through. Made of a layer of heavy cake topped with a layer of mousse topped with a brittle dark chocolate crust, this dessert embodies richness. As someone who is not a fan of passion fruit, I was happy to find myself really enjoying the sorbet, and how it acted as a relief from the overwhelmingly chocolate wedge. The rosewater gelee was fun, and pretty to look at, but tasted of little but gelatin, with only the slightest hint of rose.

 

Harlem Underground

Toronto's East and West sides both have a Harlem Underground to keep those deep-fried needs fuelled. I went with my friends Gillian and Misha to the West side location on Queen street, just east of Trinity Bellwoods. Convenience central! Which was great since our excursion took place in the middle of an awful cold snap.

The spicy comfort food couldn't have hit the spot better. We also had a laugh over some weird naming choices on the menu. 'Mississippi Masala'? Really? I don't think so!

Normally Harlem Underground does charge for their (apparently famous) cornbread at 3.50$, but it was a slow night. I'm chronically early, and was waiting for my friends maybe all of ten minutes when the server surprised me with these amazing morsels, since he felt bad I was waiting. I'd barely been there long! The servers were so friendly to us, I would recommend this place for them alone. The cornbread WAS excellent and moist.

This place knows how to batter 'em up. Was it a cornflake batter? Much lighter than a beer batter, but different from a tempura, I don't know what magic was used to make everything crunchy without feeling like a brick. Okra is a rare treat for me. We started with a plate for our appetizer. There was cracked black pepper in the batter that added so much to the natural spiciness of okra. The mayo was very dull though.

Ordered by Gillian, who stuck to apps for dinner. Even though the presentation was interesting, and the texture of the crisps was unique-like a very thin, crunchy flat bread- the dips were not exciting at all. The hummus didn't have enough body or garlic, and the guacamole just tasted like mashed avocado. I couldn't even tell if they had salted it.

In the end, just about everything we ate was battered and friend. And it was amazing! Catfish is wonderfully solid, and keeps its robustness after the terrors of the deep-fry. These morsels we almost like chicken in texture. The flavour was very subtle, not too fishy. The sauce was your typical Thai chili, and added a good kick. I should also mention, portion here are GENEROUS!! I thought it was a bit overpriced until our dishes arrived.

Amazing. So. Amazing. I have never had better waffles in my LIFE. Large, fluffy, and steaming fresh, it was like they were whipped with air. Oh my gosh! I could eat stacks. They didn't come with maple syrup, which was a bit bizarre. I would up really craving some. The dips that came with it weren't sweet enough for waffles, but went great with the chicken. There were three gigantic pieces on my plate, more than any mere mortal should be able to eat (I totally did). Again there was that thick and crunchy cornflake batter, this time with a hint of thyme in it, but the chicken inside was so tender I had to wonder if they had pre-stewed it.

This one takes the cake. Heaps of stewed chicken piled up on the plate. Are you hungry? Go to the Harlem Underground! They will kill you with their generosity. The chicken was absolutely coated in home made Guinness marinade. It was sweet and succulent. The meat fell right off the bone, and tasted even better mixed in the the mac-n-cheese (which by itself was a bit predictable). At the end of the meal the plate looked like a murder instrument, it was just covered in sauce.

Another review brought to you by VERWHO?

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!

Utopia

You guys should be happy to know I'm going to try to spend less of each entry on writing and critiquing in the future, and focus more on my strengths- drawing! Turns out I love food too much to be a critic, go figure.


586 College Street

I believe in honesty. This is not my first visit to Utopia! Though I’m not a frequent patron of the Little Italy resto, I’ve been a fair share of times. I tend to be pleased with the food, sometimes by a lot, sometimes not so much. I’ve never been disappointed.
To mix things up, my sister and I tried out the famous back patio. I know, I know. How is winter my first patio visit? I was a fool in the summer, that’s how. We head back, and I’m already not sure we made the right choice. Inside the main body of the building is happy lighting, comfortable wood chairs, and beautiful exposed brick. It has a clean bistro feel, and I usually feel very happy inside. This patio is so different! Some of the feel of the interior was reflected in the wall decorations, a long shelf of wood running along one wall, with herbs potted in long tin pans along it. I like that touch. It was the seating that I regretted- like most patios, it had those horrible plastic stacking chairs, and ugly plastic marble-top tables. I have seen beautiful and functional patios. This is not one of them. We sat, and the heating was right on us- very cozy. Throughout our dinner, the heat went on and off, and while we never froze, it did get distracting. I recommend sitting indoors whenever possible!
The servers here are really, really friendly. I sat at the bar a while and chatted with the bartender while waiting for my sister, and felt right at home. After we had ordered, there was a mix up with the special that I had ordered- the chef made something else, thinking the Sunday special was another kind of burrito. We were assured that the mistake was quickly being remedied. Moments later, she came back with a half-pint for each of us on the house- totally unexpected! It was an unnecessarily nice touch. Even more surprising was that it only took five more minutes for out orders to come out. So while there was a mistake to begin with, they made up for it entirely.
The menu at Utopia is extensive, made up of multiple variations on favourites like burgers (lamb, beef and veggie), burritos, quesadillas, sandwiches and salads. There are also appetizers, and a couple entrées. They have a nice beer and wine list as well, including KLB’s raspberry wheat beer, of which I’m very fond, and had with my meal.
We ordered an app, two mains, and a delicious dessert.


Tofu Cream Croquettes – 5.75
Panko crusted tofu & cream cheese, chipotle sauce
Adding a panko crust to something usually makes it a winner for me- I love that crunch! Though perfectly fried, these dumplings were a disappointment, unfortunately. While there was nothing offensive about them, there was nothing good about them, either- Utopia fell into the classic tofu handling pitfall of not having enough flavour. They were incredibly bland. They also had no texture. Here is a food for those with recently ousted wisdom teeth. You don’t have to chew at all! The sauce that came with them added the only flavour they had at all. Now, that sauce was really good! I found it to be like sweet and sour sauce, but much smokier.


Surn’n Turf Burrito (Sunday Special) – 9.99
Cheddar, salsa, lettuce, grilled onions, jalapeño mayonnaise. Coleslaw.
Utopia knows how to fill a plate- I think my eyes may have been bigger than my stomach. The burrito itself is a monster, stuffed and stacked one half on top to the other. It comes with a heaping side of black bean rice, and no shy portion of coleslaw. The coleslaw is the kind I like- vinaigrette instead of cream. What made this coleslaw stand out was the use of sesame oil, making it taste bolder than any ‘slaw I have ever had. I was impressed that the chef’s put so much thought into what is usually an unpopular side. The rice was cooked perfectly, very soft and fluffy, with the beans adding texture, colour, and flavour. I think it could have been bolder, having little flavour outside of the natural bean taste. I added salt.
Years ago, I worked at a burrito joint, and have frequented a few since then. As such, I like to consider myself a casual expert in the art of the inauthentic burrito- Toronto style. This one had it happening in all the right places. The tortilla was crisped perfectly, the light taste of char going wonderfully with steak strips. I didn’t taste the shrimp too strongly, but it was present and added a distinct texture. The steak won this one for me. It was crisp on the outside, tender and juicy inside, not chewy at all. It dominated the combination of flavours, with other things like the jalapeño mayo and onions working to accent it. Altogether the whole thing was more than I could finish.


Baked Chicken Pesto Sandwich – 9.50
Chicken, pesto, asiago cheese, sourdough roll, salsa. Fries.
Since Mary had this one, I can't really write a huge commentary on it. I tried some and it was very flavourful and full of pesto...which is great! Definitely generous.


Crème Brulé - seasonal price
I like a variety of desserts, and crème brulé tops that list. I love the caramelized sugar crunch, to cold dense interior. The crème brulé served at Utopia was a departure from what I have had before. The texture of the cream itself was much lighter than I expected, so much so that I would call it a mousse. It was not smooth loosening itself onto the spoon with a chunky fluffiness that surprised me. The flavour was also very light, delicate. I was expecting a bold and decadent cream, but received a more. The crust was thin, and though it tasted good, I wish there had been more, and that it had been thicker. Topping everything off was a sprinkling of blueberries. They didn’t taste too fresh. That may be expected given the season, but I had hoped that there would be more pop in the fruit. Although this was a good crème brulé, it was not the best that I’ve had.


My amazing friend and sister, Mary <3

The Pomegranate

Many an evening spent biking the college stretch has found me looking into the mysterious glow of The Pomegranate restaurant. It’s not that the blue walls and fine tapestries have scared me from visiting until now. Like more than a couple people I know, I have had the unfortunate problem of trying to call them a visit for lunch- this is a dinner only establishment.
Knowing that, we arrived at 8, well after open, but also well before close.
I knew this place was going to be a five star for atmosphere. The walls are draped with ornate rugs, tassels dangling. Photos and paintings show women and men in traditional Iranian clothes. The place did not lack for colour or lighting. Patterned lamps hung down casting patterns on the cerulean wall, making us feel under water. There were hand-painted tiles inlaid on all the walls. We felt comfortable.
To start we ordered a bottle of Argentinian wine, Trapiche, a malbec reserve. Pomegranate only serves two kinds of meat from what I can tell. Mostly it’s lamb, and one or two dishes have chicken, or are vegetarian. Thus the red choice- and it was a delicious wine which I will be certain to purchase again. Between myself and my two guests, we ordered four dishes.


Maast-o Khiar - $4.25
A blend of English cucumber, walnuts, raisins and rose petals in a rich creamy herbed yogurt.
This appetizer was served with warm Barbary bread- and by warm, I mean HOT! Wrapped in a warm cloth, it tasted incredibly fresh, while crusty on the outside. I firmly believe this was fresh baked. The mast-o khiar was spooned out onto our separate plates. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t taste much of the rose petals, which were actually more like a fine powder on top of the dish. Eaten on top of bread or by itself, the dish was mild, the raisins and walnuts adding the most texture and flavour. It was refreshing, and thus served well as an app, but wasn’t terribly memorable.

All the main dishes were served with a salad of mixed greens and a happy helping of basmati rice. There was also a small bowl of something that reminded me of pico, with mint. My companions dishes were served in metal bowls with the gravy filled right to the edge, but mine came with a proud and large shank of lamb front and center.



Daily Special - Seared Eggplant with Lamb - $14.95
I tried a spoonful of this saucy, savoury dish with some of my basmati rice. Pomegranate knows a thing of two about making a winning sauce. As the Pomegranate was my second blog to review, I made a rookie mistake- I forgot to take my notebook. Finding standard menu items on the Pomegranates website was easy, but I don’t have the details on what was in this stew. It was rich, with thick and mushroomy gravy. The eggplant was not too noticeable, but the charred flavour hung around underneath the bold lamb aromas. For a cold and wet day, it was a great choice.


Aloo Gheysi - $13.95
A stew of bokhara plums and dried apricots in a saffron sauce with boneless chicken pieces
The plums have pits in them. We were warned about this twice by two different servers. I’m a firm believer that every bit of an animal, plant or fruit contains essential flavours, even if it’s just a bit of an addition. Of the three dishes, we all agreed that this was the most flavourful. I love sweet dinners because they’re different from what one usually gets, but my friends both said they aren’t historically fans. All of us loved it. Even though there was a variety of fruit, the chicken and saffron did a lot to keep the dish from being too sweet. Again, Pomegranate showed a skill for sauces. Unlike other saucy middle eastern dishes I’ve tries, this was not too buttery, but full of natural taste.



Morasa Polo - $14.95
Jewelled rice – slivers of Seville orange peel, almond and pistachio with diced carrots and barberries blended in saffron basmati rice served with a braised lamb shank
I am not much of a lamb eater. I’m not opposed to it, but I tend to lean towards vegetarian dishes. So the times I’ve eaten lamb can be counted on one hand. This was...superlative. Can I use that word for a hunk of meat on a big bone? It was great. It tasted strictly of meat. There was no sauce, and the spices were very simple, almost not there. But please, let me describe its tenderness. I had a piece on my fork, and I bit that piece. Half stayed on the fork, just falling away. I don’t know if I’ve ever had something so tender! Beautiful lamb.
The rice that came with my dish was also different from what my friends had with their dishes. This ‘jewelled rice’ was full of chips of candied orange peel, crisp nuts, and carrots. It was as colourful as confetti, and I couldn’t get enough of it. The basmati was so light and fluffy that it didn’t sit heavily like rice usually does.

The desserts were very tempting, and I saw the tables all around us ordering the same thing, but we all agreed that we were too full to venture into desserts - this time.

My guests this evening were my roomate Molly and her man, Pietro.