Khao San Road

At the excited tail end of TIFF, we chose to go to Khao San Road. It's a Thai restaurant at 326 Adelaide Street, a stones throw away from the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Eating out anywhere nice around this time of year means you can't avoid the titillation of perhaps running into a star. The twenty minute line up was a hint that we weren't the only people speculating about who could show up (though no one did, dinner was still quite enjoyable). It was by the suggestion of Willie Costello, who runs the vegan food blog Until We Eat Again (who also wrote a review of our dinner, which you can read here) that we went to Khao San Road. It's a new restaurant by the owners of Sukho Thai, though it has somehow avoided my Toronto New Food radar. Thank goodness for suggestions!

Things started out on funny terrain. First we jumped from the line to the bar, and then back to the line when we were told it would only be two minutes for a table. Then, we got our table! All this moving around was my fault- I'm happy to eat at a bar generally, but Khao San is actually very, very well lit, and I like to take my notes and pictures in stealth. Sitting at the bar would mean complete visibility of what I'm doing to the chefs and servers! Have I become so paranoid? The table was better for conversation anyhow, though it was just as bright with a big lamp hanging down directly over us. I appreciated the change from some very dark and intimate restaurants I've been to in the past.

There was some kind of squash shortage in the kitchen. Two of their appetizers, khao greup faktong (squash chips) and Gra Bong (squash fritters), weren't available, which was disappointing since they both sounded very good.

While we mulled over this hiccup, I had the Chai Nom Yen ($4.50), or Thai iced tea. It was sweet and bright orange, the flavour reminding me strongly of Rooibos, but with the tartness of black tea also. It was pleasantly thick from the condensed milk, and I appreciated it even more when I got my main, which was on the spicy side.

Since all the squashy apps were out, the only vegan thing left was the Garlic Tofu ($8.00). It came, the big nuggets heaped and plentiful, their panko-crust glistening with hot oil. The garlic smell was strong, and we were hungry, spearing the golden lumps on forks (for there are no chopsticks at Khao San Road) and dicing them into the sweet and tangy chili sauce provided, burning our mouths in eagerness before deciding the slow down and let the things cool off before causing more pain. There was an almost cheesy, Parmesan taste in the crust, but I didn't find it very garlicky. The smell was stronger than the flavour, though it was present. The tofu was firm and satisfying, and there was lots for both of us.

Willie had the Gaeng Kaew Wan Tofu (Green Curry, $12), and I got to try some. It was VERY good. The coconut milk base was extremely rich and sweet, penetrating right into plentiful, firm tofu chunks. They were not shy with vegetables either, full of mushroom, onion, and....squash? Yes, the squash had returned! But this sauce was probably made before the shortage of gourd. Or maybe it was a different variety. Well, it tasted amazing and heavily of basil. Even at 'medium' the curry was spicy. Thank goodness for that coconut cream!

I suffered gravely from entree envy. My Pad Gra Prao ($13) was not the knockout I had expected, even with my all-encompassing love of egg. I think what I really wanted was something with a different kind of texture. The oil drizzled beef was minced very fine, like ground beef. Served with crumbly, fresh rice, the texture was basic and comforting, but not what I had wanted (should have got noodles!). Everything quickly was mixed together, and the creamy egg yolk made it all sticky and salty, with the kind of creaminess you only get from droopy yolk. The beef itself had spice and tamarind sweetness, which has a quality like molasses. Shrunken holy basil looked more like thyme nodules, but kept its strong basil taste. There was a lot happening in the dish, with herbs, chilies, tamarind all fighting for attention. All were defeated at last by a peppery sharpness!

At Khao San Road, the portions are generous, and we were left satisfied, maybe even overfull. There was no room for dessert!

Keriwa Cafe

Fellow Torontonians, we are spoiled. What is happening in this little town? Or is it just me, who is this last year slowly awakening to astounding worlds of great restaurants and ambitious chefs? I would say it is absolutely the latter, but then...there's Keriwa. Keriwa's been rocking an Aboriginal inspired menu for just over a month, and they are rocking it very, very hard. It rotates regularly, and I've been reading all the scrumptious-sounding changes since they opened the doors to their intimate and art-rich (kudos on the amazing wall art!) dining room at 1690 Queen West. My regular coterie landed there on a day when the menu was heavily stocked with bison- no complaints!

A reputation for skill on all fronts must be circulating, because the other guests (just wrapping up when we arrived for our VERY late 9:30 dinner reservation) were none other than the manager of FRANK restaurant, the manager of cafeAGO (my previous employer, a total darling), and I think Gil Bellows (from Ally McBeal, though I could have been wrong...I was a little young when that was on TV). Local and foreign stars! It was great to get a chance to chat with the people from the AGO and grab a couple recommendations from their meal.

Before wine or beer, we were faced with a choice. Were we going to have plain Toronto water, or a choice of Keriwa's waters, one sparkling, one flat? These are 'house-made' waters, though I don't exactly recall the full description of how they were made. I will say the servers (we had two peeking in on us from time to time) were informative and very descriptive of everything we had, friendly to boot. Though they did switch our waters accidentally, and by the end of the night I was drinking sparkling when I had started with still!

Being a set of nibblers, we ordered a few appetizers and a few mains all to share. Bison was the order of the day. Even with the majority of the menu NOT containing the hearty Canadian meat, three out of five of our dishes did. Like a few restaurants I've been to recently (is this the secret to knowing if you're in a great restaurant?), we were served a plate of complimentary bread, which came with raw unsalted butter, smoked sea salt (sooty and a bit like cracklin's- it's sounds gross, but it was incredible), and whipped pork fat (I don't even- like anise, sweet chili and cloying pork mousse).

The first thing to arrive was the Bison Tartar ($12). This was one of the recommendations from table AGO (thanks Victoria!), and it was such a strange thing. First, we got some more house bread, this time grilled into flat, crunchy toasts. I could tell there wouldn't be enough for the three of us, only because the tartar itself was very big. Remember, this is bison, which is very dense and filling- and there was probably a full cup of minced, raw steak on the plate! The taste of lovage was curious, as it's an herb I haven't had the pleasure of trying before. I found it similar to coriander, but not as powerful or as citrus. The tender meat abolished the need to butter the toast, it was incredibly juicy. I have had a love for raw red meat since trying a raw beef hand roll at Origin for one of my first reviews (so long ago, now!), and this elevated that love. It was so fresh, and the meat stood out so much, even studded with garlic scapes, sea asparagus, and baby chanterelles (all pickled, I think, since so much in other dishes was). There was a lot of natural pepper in the flavour, and the adobo was light and smoky, only a hint.

Next we  went for Bison Empanadas ($12). I think the theme of that evenings menu was Aboriginal with Spanish flare. The bison had a totally different approach from the tartar, and I personally was thrilled to see it's versatility. With a spice reminiscent of a Jamaican patty (understand I mean taken to a completely different level), the meat in the empanadas had a saucy, pulled texture rich with spice and some heat. The pastry scored big for me, it was almost like a dessert pie crust, flaky, solid. Because the dish was actually cold, and the grilled-then-chilled peach salsa piled on the side was incredibly sweet, I really felt like this was dessert. Meat and sweet, but oddly, like dessert. Just a bit of arugula kept this from being too rich.

Surprise surprise, the next dish was..BISON! This time something very true to Canadian roots, Braised Bison Pemmican ($14), with Saskatoon berries. I very quickly mistook them for blueberries, and raved about how small and adorable and hard they were, and what a strong flavor! Foolish Katherine. They are not blueberries, though with a smoky skin, they look very similar. Like the meat, they had been dried enough to be chewy. Here the bison had the same kind of pulled texture as the empanadas we just finished, but drier. The taste was COMPLETELY different, incomparable. Smokey with an undercurrent of cinnamon sweetness, the pemmican was way more gamey than the other dishes. It was also super tender, and caused many eyes to roll in ecstasy. If they have this on the menu again take my word and order it. You will thank yourself. You will thank Keriwa. With it came a little salad of sour pickles (bean, spicy radish?) on greens, and some AMAZING fry bread! The fry bread was chewy and crisp, sprinkled with the smoky sea salt we got to try with our bread and butter starter. It was not absorbent, but made to have meat piled on top. I think there was more of that cinnamon undercurrent.

Moving on from our orgiastic enjoyment of red, tender bison, came a dish of Rainbow Trout ($23). It was a delicately perched slab of fish, carried by a palanquin of roasted heirloom tomatoes and squash. Skin is so important on a fish. This wasn't blackened or crackled, simply seared, keeping its fatty elasticity. The clear taste of a freshwater fish was untainted by unnecessary accouterments. The tomatoes were incredibly sweet, almost as strong as if they had been sun dried, and dripped with a puree of basil and oil. Like an exotic treat, a ricotta stuffed, tempura-battered squash blossom topped the lot. It was hard to split, and I wanted it all to myself. The vegetable armour provided just enough body.

Even though I had been eyeballing a towering piece of peach pie topped with a scoop of ice cream at the table next to ours, we were getting stuffed. Did I mention how very filling Bison is? Even with so little, it had us feeling packed, and we finished off on a refreshing note of Beet Salad with Hazelnuts ($11). It is possible to describe a salad as fun, and it is possible because it contained potato chips. Yes. Little baby potatoes must have been finely mandolined into slivers to fry, no more than two centimeters in diameter. They studded the boldly red and yellow dish with crunchy and salty bursts. The yellow beets were milder and less irony than the bloody red ones, both pickled to soften them even more. Studs of sweet hazelnut drove me wild for their oakiness. There were dollops of milky ricotta, and more pickled vegetables in the form of lemongrass and a leek that came out like boiled rhubarb in texture, surprisingly sweet! Keriwa contains master picklers.

Keriwa. Just go.

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.

Woodlot

Woodlot is like the Golden Fleece. It's a legend, some scintillating thing that is unattainable, that everyone wants. When it opened nearly a year ago off the corner of College and Palmerston getting a reservation was pretty much impossible- it's still tricky to get anything other than a late dinner if you're making a reservation the week of. It's casual fine dining in the setting of a renovated garage. Industrial glam with exposed lights, raw wood, cement, and great allure. You enter and can either eat at the big communal table (a frequent spot for walk-ins to alight), you may go down into the moody bar area with it's long polished counter to dine at, or do as we did and rise up to the interior balcony overlooking the kitchen. It's great to be able to watch a chef and their team at work, but we wound up at a little table nestled against the back wall in seclusion and intimate privacy.

It was something of a special event for me, as my mom has been visiting from Australia, which she does every couple years. She really wanted to come on a blog dinner, and go somewhere...special. She likes to tell us how the prices in Perth for average food are so astronomically high that even fine dining here seems like a light check to leave! Woodlot, for the quality, is not even that up there. We went with my sister Mary and our good friend Elena, whose ship was at port in Toronto for the first time in ages. Lots of visitors from afar!

Quickly, we were plied with a basket of days bread. Woodlot is also a bakery during the light hours, and I've had their loaves at other restaurants. This is a restaurateurs restaurant and Woodlots distinct red fife with it's stone-heated, crusty bottom, seems to pop up at all the nicest places I eat. I love their bread but as the server said, they'd burnt the pumpernickel that day (I still enjoyed it, and asked for a loaf when we left- nothing butter can't fix in the right quantity. They had so many in baskets, left over! She was a total dear and gave us a few loaves to take home...super nice!).

Tomato Watermelon Gazpacho - 9
To get us warmed up, we began the cool night with an equally chilled soup. It really isn't meant for a four way split, but we managed. Watermelon and rich tomato reduce to make a soup only a bit thicker than broth, oddly hearty. It had such an interesting play between tangy and sweet. The bites of salty feta and black olive nibbles brought the sweetness back into focus after each bite.

Hokkaido Scallop Ceviche -14
Visually more related to sushi than I would have anticipated, the ceviche arrived in elegance. The scallop was tender, and unlike other ceviche that I've had, you hardly noticed the lime, which was cleaned away before serving. Instead there was a side of fat black quinoa grains, and a whipped avocado sour cream. I found that too overpowering with the delicate, darling scallops. The quinoa was wonderful by itself, hearty with crunchy kernel hearts. Sea asparagus spears and grapefruit sections added bursts of difference. There were flakes of sea salt that kept us coming back for more.

Roast Naturally Raised Flatiron Steak - 27
We were all so blown away! Mary had this great steak, which is funny for a couple reasons. Mary isn't a big beef fan, and she also (I'm sorry Mary!) has never known how to appreciate the meat. She gets steaks well done. In a very bold move she ordered this medium well done, and I was impressed. The poor chefs, having to do that to beautiful meat. It may have come out straight medium, it was still very red in the middle- Mary has always hated the red. She loved this. I love this. My mom and Elena loved this. With hints of miso and soy, there was a seriously interesting and rustic undertone to the meat, but it never overpowered a genuine flavour. The scallions piled over the slices of tender meat were pearly and translucent, garlicky as well as oniony, adding a gentleness.

Chop of Whey-fed Pork - 26
A whole half belgian endive (witlof, my mother calls it by its Dutch name) was grilled and laid atop a sliced brick of pork, it's fatty rind thick and seeping flavor into the meat. The vegetable was very bitter, as you would expect, but with sprinkles of salt over buttery olive oil which when eaten with the pork, made a balance. I thought I tasted a tease of balsamic. I found the meat hearty for pork, actually quite sustaining. The drippings tasted of smoke and cracklins, but mostly the meat was natural and that was all it needed.

Roast Pacific Pickerel & Porcini - 23
Simplicity is the best route to take when handling fish. Anything heavy handed, and you lose the delicacy, especially with a white fish. Here the pickerel flaked off the fork, little drops of natural oil peeking from the crisp (not crackled) skin. It was a light cilantro drizzle than punctuated a fresh flavour. The fish had a good natural fat, while still solid and just cooked enough to be hot without even coming close to dryness. I would compare it to satin. The wedge of fish was beautifully accented with shaved fennel, peas and beans.

Red Fife Whole Wheat Papardelle - 15/21
These noodles were wide and flat, ambitiously encroaching on lasagna in breadth. The red fife grain doesn't change much of the flavour or texture compared to regular semolina pasta, but I felt very full for the amount in my small order. That could be because the pasta was so wonderfully cheesy! The sauce was spiked with a vinegary taste of mustard, but mostly tasted of butter, cream and romano. It was very rich! What really amazed me was the whole filberts studding the whorls of noodle, adding crunch and a lusty sweetness. There was also a sprinkling of tangy baby chanterelles on top, making the dish wind up hearty and earthy.

Caramelized Jerusalem Artichokes - 6
Not realizing how filling even a small order of the papardelle would be, I had ordered these Jerusalem artichokes. This is another first in my slowly growing knowledge of good food, and less common ingredients. I really has expected, well, artichokes. These little fellows look like beets. While there's a hint of the succulent bitterness of a globe artichoke, it's very hard to compare them. Apples and oranges. These were bittersweet, the sweetness coming from a heavy caramelizing. They were firm and crunchy like radish, but hot as hell! I thought I could taste hints of parsley and leek, and like many things from our dinner at Woodlot, a twist of citrus. They were a hint too heady sweet for my taste in the end.

Japanese Cheesecake - 9
Occasionally I find cheesecake so painfully overwhelming and heavy handed- but this is Woodlot. The cheesecake was light with a texture more like spongecake, the cheese milder than one would find elsewhere, cut with a citrus hint of orange zest. Even the amaretti graham crust it sat on had a lightness to it. The pistachio ice cream began to melt quickly as a flurry of spoons hurried to try everything by itself, scooping up gobs of ripe peach as well, and then together for the meld of flavour. Together it's very sweet, but taken alone the different components are unique and enjoyable.

Goats milk and Wildflower Honey Panna Cotta - 9
Gelatinous in texture, the panna cotta wiggled its way onto our table, tapered from the jelly form it had once inhabited. What is this orange powder on top? Advertised as honeycomb? What odd concoction? It took a little while and some guesswork to figure out why, when eaten, the sugary coating seemed more solid. It's ground up sponge toffee, with no doubt. The texture was a bit too odd, though kudos for the innovation. The actual sweet cheese was as lovely as fresh cream. It was a smooth gel that was not nearly as heavy as goat cheese, and didn't taste much like it. The fat pickled blueberries were flowery and juicy. Great but for the topping, which gave it a bit of a junk-food spin I could have gone without.

Soma Chocolate and Hazelnut Pot de Creme - 9
It's so lovely to see some conspiring between Toronto fixtures. Soma is a lovely chocolatemaker down in the Distillery District, and the cocoa used here comes from them. They make some extraordinary hot chocolate! Out of the desserts, this wound up swaying us all with it's bitter citrus kick and sweet ground hazelnut lid. Not bad for something I blurting out a desire for just as our server was leaving the table. Little flakes of sea salt were fireworks on our tongues, working teasingly with the smooth, rich, strong dessert.

OMI

Japanese food is usually associated with mediocre sushi. With the plain California roll and the super western cream cheese Philadelphia roll setting our standards, we are seldom presented with much more to this cuisine. Even without venturing into the realms of Izakaya (Japanese bar food) there are ways to elevate sushi beyond a cool slice of raw salmon over rice, cloned from one Mariko/Sakura/whoever to the next, none special, unique, memorable. At the foot of Carlton street, right where Cabbagetown begins, is a fish that leads to the way to something...different. It is a black fish, a silhouette, understated. With a pop of red, OMI makes its mark, and leaves it, too (243 Carlton St.). This is sushi done different. There are rolls, but you won't see either of the above mentioned on this menu. As well, items which are staples at any Japanese restaurant become elevated to surprising heights by the talent of the chefs at OMI...
One of the specialties of the house which you won't see enough of in Toronto is the option to have omakase. Compare omakase to the tasting menu at your favourite fine dining lounge or bistro. It's a taste of this, a bite of that. It's not like bento, which is just a medium portion of a couple things: this is a full array of delectable sushi, sashimi, and house favourites. The price is market (it's 70$ a head right now, but that will change with the season), but is only available for a party of 7 or more. Sadly I was just a lonely party of one! I will save my omakase dreams for another day.

A salt lover to the core, I've always been a great fan of miso soup. I love getting a bento box and slurping up the bowl of white miso broth, piping hot, rich with umami ( I used the word!For once it feels less snobby). OMI dishes up the classic with only a light spin, enough to make me tilt my head in amusement without being totally blown away. Miso soup is so simple that adding or modifying much means you're having a completely different appetizer very quickly. Here the broth was peppered with a few stalks of enoki mushroom, the citrus stalks playing with the very mild salt of OMI's broth. There was a curious flotilla of what I think was rice puffs, forming a layer over the soup. Served near boiling, as I like it. Simple and mellow.

Here must I profess a great and undying love, no, an ever growing love, or weeds from the sea. Sea weeds. Ever since I started perusing that massive superstore in little Ko9rea, I've been spoiled for choice. I like to nibble on salted, roasted nori, and will happily soak wakame in preference to chopping iceberg for salad. There are many, many varieties of seaweed, all with a unique taste, and generally bursting with vitamins. I love the flavor! Much for the same reason people enjoy oysters, seaweed taste wild, and like the water. It tastes fresh. This trio of salads comprised of two kinds of seaweed and one cabbage  leaf'd construction hit the spot. It's a great salad for this still-hot days. The seaweeds (one was certainly wakame, the other MAY have been arame, though it wasn't as black as I recall arame being) were moist, and slid down my throat like refreshing tentacles. Appealing, I know! They tasted basically the same, though the arame was milder tasting. Both had a hint of sesame, maybe from just the seeds, maybe from a drop of oil. The other salad was a super-fine julienne slaw of white and red cabbage, crisp as anything (daikon, also?). There was a simple and juicy dressing of lemon, and a sprig of carrot added just a tease of sweet. So finely crafted! I tried them all separate, and then messed together for a grand finale of flavor.

On to the rolls! A certain writer for the star has been posting to his blog about all this crab consumption, and I wanted in. I've been feeling the seafood lately, especially the crustacean kind. I am also growing more aware of how unfamiliar with the fast array of crabs I am! I've had tinned crab, fake crab, and disappointed, overcooked snow crab legs (they were not worth the fight to free the dry meat). Softies, come to me! This roll, with the rice on the outside and the crab snug in a wrap of nori, was delicious, but not the best dish to flex my taste buds with. Why? Bonito. LOTS of bonito! Like dandruff, but more appealing, the top of the nori was loaded in dry flakes of dehydrated tuna. And it was STRONG! The flavor of the roll wound up being mostly fishy, with a hint of green onion and mayo. It came served with zippy pickled ginger that skipped the pink dye, and surprisingly mild wasabi.

On the website, this is listed as a special for November. Is it possible OMI hasn't updated their specials in almost a year? I won't complain, so long as they keep this on when the menu does change! In a way this is not unlike a sushi inside-out roll- just substitute rice for stringy sweet potato (they must seriously love their mandoline here), flash fried around the tempura catfish until it's crispy AND chewy. That's right, both, the best of both worlds. The natural sugar of the sweet potato keeps it a little moist even after cooking. The log of four pieces sat in a little puddle of watered down tamari- let it sit long and it gets soggy. Each section was topped with something different, wasabi, roe, mayo, a mystery. I wish there had been a more substantial portion of fish under all that orange spud. I am happy that the fish was so fresh and meaty, though.

Dessert was a fun and weird delight! These fish-shaped ice creams (based on something called bungeoppang, wikipedia tells me) aren't made by OMI. They're a snack item, like a Klondike bar but from Korea (no, they aren't Japanese!). Learning that this is a cheap snack food (made by a company called binggrae) has changed my opinion of it a bit- not because I didn't like it. Actually, I enjoyed the thin wafer and soft serve, with the earthy and sweet red bean jelly layer. It wasn't fresh, didn't taste fresh, but I liked the novelty. What bothers me is knowing your can get this for $4 in a grocery store. Is a $5 surcharge a bit much, especially considering it wasn't even dressed up? For something processed and not fresh? I think so.

The Hogtown Vegan

A while ago I got to check out Hot Beans, which is a burrito place down in Kensington Market. I was really impressed with the food and the painfully huge proportions. Those floury and dense burritos scored major points for their originality as well as their size. They are also a vegan joint, just like the recently opened Hogtown Vegan which has the same owners but lives in a completely different neighborhood (you can find it at 834 Bloor West). With fond memories of the good nosh at Hot Beans, I spent some time in the west end to try out the new restaurant, and see what the daring vegan chefs are up to. I will confess I was relieved that the portions were more manageable!

For once I took made the extra effort to sample this restaurant in two trips, really wanting to get a good feel for what they have to offer. The first time I went with the lovely Sabrina Scott, a fellow illustrator and entrepreneur- and a vegan, so I could get a proper perspective of how The Hogtown Vegan measures for someone who lives on the diet. It was pretty good to talk shop over cold ice tea, and hot lunch!

In case you've been sleeping in a cave this last year, Toronto is experiencing a comfort food revival. Since many of the vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the city follow a stance that puts healthy food hand-in-hand with their elected restriction on ingredients, so the movement hasn't been reflected by card holders of the Toronto Vegetarian Association. While every cafe and restaurant with an ear to trends started boiling up batches of macaroni sauced in bechamel, baked in cheddar, drenched in Mornay, vegetarian restaurants have kept to their soba noodles (a stereotype as unfortunate as it is true). And along came The Hogtown Vegan.... their slogan even boasts 'Vegan Comfort Food in the Heart of Downtown!'. For Sabrina, it was a treat... Mac 'n' cheese? Oh yes. I've never given faux-cheese much of a chance. When I make vegan dishes at home, I just make food that doesn't need those ingredients, so I'm not making substitutions. I found the sauce on this mac and cheese a little on the wet side, but it still clung to the noodles valiantly. The taste was salty and a bit floury. Even though it did taste like cheese, it was a very mild taste, and the noodles reigned supreme in the dish. I know there was no butter used to make the pasta, but wow, the flavour reminded me of butter! What's nice about this mac is that even though it hits that lovely comfort food carb craving, it isn't as bloating as real-cheese mac. Pretty good!

On this first visit, I saw one thing on the menu and HAD to order it. It was after reading a recipe from le sauce that I became a bit obsessed with trying the wonder of pulled jackfruit. I haven't had time to try the recipe at home...and Hogtown Vegan has a version of jackfruit pulled pork! And...they were sold out, two hours after opening! Sadness filled me! Fortunately so did this chick pea salad sandwich, once I chose it to plug my saddened stomach. Sad no longer! There was so much from texture to taste that reminded me of a creamy summer potato salad, I momentarily wondered what I was eating. With tiny flecks of dill pickle, and fresh dashes of the same herb, the naturally creamy-when-creamed texture of the chick peas went a long way to completely what I'm sure was an unintentional illusion. Under a bed of a sprouts was a hint of mustard. The sunflower bread was very intriguing! It was like two robust, orange coloured pancakes instead of sliced bread, and I really enjoyed the novelty of the texture.
All sandwiches come with a choice of fries, collard greens or salad, but I really wanted to split. That costs an extra 2$, but for once I found the surcharge worth it. There was so much good food. Both the oily squigle fries with their crispy ends and the smooth, garlicky collards were super satisfying.

Drink selection leaves something to be desired! There's no liquor license in effect at The HTV, and what was available was a mix of homemade (like this tea, which was like mildly tea-flavoured, tart sugar water- good, if you don't like strong tea), and some bottled stuff, like lemonade. It would be great if they expand to include some alcoholic beverages, or fresh squeezed juice.

Visit number two debuted with something familiar to anyone whose ever made that first dip into non-meat waters: a veggie patty. These mini patties were of the common soy blend variety, brown and spongy in texture, with a flavour all their own. It is the kind of soy patty you can get at the local supermarket, with nothing to make it stand out as particularly noteworthy. The presentation made this more exciting, though! The biscuits, ordered by my guest Bentley, were fluffy and fell square between sweet scone and savoury biscuit. They also sparked a debate about the benefits and downfalls of Bisquick. I'm am a huge proponent of biscuits made from scratch, and I like them to be super fluffy and dry, with a light taste of soda- no sweetness at all! Like I said, the ones at Hogtown have a little sweetness. That is my bias, though, since my mother would bake amazing biscuits for us weekly.

The ceasar salad tasted exactly how you would want it to, the sauce tasting like nothing out of the ordinary. It was a delicious treat for a vegan, avoiding both dairy and anchovy! I was most impressed by the 'gravy', though. Not only was it studded with tiny peas, but it tasted like wholesome meat gravy made from the drippings at the bottom of a roast. And yet, vegan! So inventive and well crafted.

Guess what I tried to order a second time! The pulled jackfruit sandwich. Guess what they were out of! A! Second! Time! I was pretty disappointed. Here is an item that is clearly a major hit- it's probably time to start making bigger batches, guys. Maybe enough to last at least an hour or two after opening? Sigh. I turned my eyes instead to a most intriguing item: Reuben a-la seitan. I'm not the biggest proponent of seitan, not just because of the name (I find it impossible to say with a straight face). I like tofu and tempeh, and am happy with most fake-beefs. The seitan nugg's I've had in the past are just...squidgy. It's a textural issue. An issue which was cleverly avoided here. Large pieces of seitan were sliced deli style into medium-thick strips. It's a tall order to recreate the fatty and marbled texture of good deli, but this was an effort. The result was perhaps more like pepperoni, the 'meat' having fine pores and sweating with light oil. It was piled up, the taste not as briny and sweet as the real deal, but not unsatisfying. I was actually quite in love with the sauerkraut which is what made this actually taste like a Reuben! There was a generous amount under the straining rye. As a side I went for those garlicky collards again. Try them! You'll love them.

 

All this classic omni dish impersonation raised an interesting conversation about the nature of vegan restaurants. Bentley's observation was that so much of the menu was an attempt to reproduce familiar meat and dairy meals- Reuben, pulled 'pork', unchicken and waffles- and that with vegan restaurants in general the food doesn't embrace its own vegan-ness enough, or try to create something unapologetically vegan. I see things differently. Most of the veg places I've dined at fit the narrow view of health-food lettuce leafy fare. There's nothing wrong with that, but I think there could be much more interesting things done at veg/vegan restaurants. I don't necessarily mean veg/vegan foods which seek to imitate an omni equivalent. I mean dishes which don't just try to fill the niche, but try to compete with fine dining restaurants and offer a really unique food experience. I feel that maybe more than any other place, the food at The Hogtown Vegan is on to something (it's just too bad about the horrible interior decorating!).

What do you think?

one part sketch: all the world's a dinner party

friends, you're in for a surprise, and a treat! Once a month from now on there will be an extra feature on Drawn and Devoured called "one part sketch", a collaboration between writer yasmin (le sauce) and I. Consider it a slice of life column- when your life revolves around food!

-kat

"Ok, wait, I think we should talk about this over a plate of food. Or several. Are you into tapas? We will totally talk about your promotion, because I want to know about it. It's so exciting! We should get champagne--does this call for champagne? Or we could have a glass of champagne at my place first, buy a nicer bottle and still save money vs. what we would have spent at a restaurant and then we can go to a nicer restaurant! Because we should celebrate, "Ok, wait, I think we should talk about this over a plate of food. Or several. Are you into tapas? We will totally talk about your promotion, because I want to know about it. It's so exciting! We should get champagne--does this call for champagne? Or we could have a glass of champagne at my place first, buy a nicer bottle and still save money vs. what we would have spent at a restaurant and then we can go to a nicer restaurant! Because we should celebrate, you, your promotion. At that place I've been dying to go to. You'll love it."

"I'm gonna let you go so I can call them, but it's better, we can talk about your breakup there. It's too depressing to talk about that over coffee. We'll need a drink. And this phone stuff is no good, you shouldn't be alone. Some really good food will cheer you up--my treat. No, you won't. You'll be less likely to cry in public."

"Yeaaaah...that concert sounds good...I mean, I like them. Is it going to be crowded though? I mean probably, right? Maybe we should eat first and skip the opening band. Like somewhere close by. We won't be late, they always start late. But if we're too full to dance after, we can always just stay and like, do a cheese course and dessert at the restaurant and make it, like a night, cuz if we're too full... I mean, just if. No, no that won't happen, we're totally going to the concert after dinner. Totally."

"...Oh I don't care, it's just another birthday. I'm just going to stay in. Like maybe I'll make dinner. Do you want to come over? Maybe just you two and yeah, well those guys of course. Oh yeah, well ok, the eight of us. Oh are they back? Yeah, it would be good to hear about Thailand. For sure. So we should go out then, cuz I don't want to cook for a million people on my birthday. Are you gonna call, or do you want me to call? Oh that's so nice, thanks. I'll send you a list, in order. Can you call tonight? Cuz it's in two weeks and you know, we want a good table. Thanks!"

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