koyoi || authentic japanese food, finally!!

2 Irwin Avenue, Toronto, ON
Koyoi


If you live in Toronto and you enjoy eating Japanese food, you would've probably been to many well-known places like Fin Izakaya, Guu or Don Don, which offers a tapas-style menu with no main courses. Well, I bet you are missing out on this one: it's time to add Koyoi on your list!

Even though it's not as well-known as the other restaurants, Koyoi isn't short of the authentic Japanese food. Perhaps, it offers even more varieties of chilled appetizers and seafood that are extremely hard to find in Toronto. Monk fish liver, the baby squids and yuzu-takowasa (Japanese octopus marinated with wasabi sauce and garnished with yuzu - a type of citrus fruit) are just one of the few items that became my new discovery of authentic Japanese food. If I walked in to an all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet right now, I would not be satisfied with the food because nothing beats the freshness of the seafood served at Koyoi. Based on my previous experiences with all-you-can-eat buffets, the sashimis were never FRESH, and you know when the sashimi is 1) warm (disgusting!) and 2) when it makes you gag.  

if you ever go to Koyoi, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. =)


-Anna

interior of koyoi

ninja turtle - gin/blue curacao/orange juice

chilled appetizers

it looks slimy....but it was GOOD!

smoked salmon with cream cheese

monk fish liver

smoked salmon salad

must try: beef tataki

salmon onigiri

green tea cheesecake

spicy french fries with beef and curry

grilled pork jowl aka pork "cheek"

service || excellent. japanese people are always so attentive and courteous. the staff was very friendly indeed.

food || ninja turtle: my drink was nothing special, it's suppose to be a cocktail but i tasted no alcohol, instead, it tasted like grapefruit juice. quite disappointed because i wanted to drink the night away with that one drink (*sad). but apart from that, all the food i devoured was absolutely amazing, the ones worth mentioning was the monk fish liver - DELICIOUS, it was my first time eating monk fish liver and it tasted very creamy. i thought i was eating cream cheese for a moment because it didn't taste raw at all and it melted in my mouth. the yuzu-takowasa (octopus bits marinated with wasabi sauce) was chewy and the wasabi sauce gave it an extra kick that covered the rawness of the octopus, i love spicy food so i might be a bit bias here! grilled pork jowl: at first, i thought i was eating pork neck because the texture tasted just like it - a little bit rough but very chewy. the grounded ginger/sea salt sauce they provided gave the jowl more of a lemony flavoured. FYI: the jowl is the cheek part of a pig. baby squids (i forgot the real name of this dish, sorry!): i cringe when i eat something that is squirmy, i was so hesitant to even lick the squid but when i ate it, i was surprised how tasty it was! i don't know what kind of sauce they used, but it felt like i was eating some salty jellyfish. it's hard to describe!! smoke salmon salad: greens topped with smoke salmon, olives and avocado! it's like heaven placed on a plate, what can i say. beef tataki: raw beef that is slightly seared that is marinated in vineger and topped with white ginger paste and green onions. i generally don't eat beef because i get skin allergies but i had to try a piece because it smelled so good! i love putting tons of green onions in my mouth when i eat this because it kills the bacteria of the beef and also spices the overall flavor of the tataki. this dish is a must-try, the top on my list. thinking of it is making me drool right now. urghhhhhhhhhh

price || not-so-cheap. if you are the type that eats a lot at an all-you-can-eat buffet, well, then get ready to pay $40-50 per person. tapas-style restaurants offers varieties of food, prepared in different styles of cooking (i.e. grilled, fried, etc) but prepared in small portions. tapas-style dishes are meant to be shared! be prepared to open up your wallets if you want to have a good food experience! regardless, i highly recommend koyoi because you get what you pay for - fresh food that is totally worth it.

decor || modern japanese cuisine, the place was small (yet cozy). the restaurant could probably occupy around 7-8 tables. i loved how the shelves were decorated with japanese wine bottles and japanese paintings, it makes you feel like you are eating in an urban restaurant located in japan. there were no loud music playing in the restaurant so it gave an overall quiet, comfortable and peaceful environment.

what I ordered || drink: ninja turtle (LOL!), edamame, miso soup, yuzu-takawasa, smoked salmon salad, beef tataki, spicy french fries (with beef and curry), gyutan (beef tongue), grilled pork jowl, salmon onigiri, monk fish liver, baby squids, cream cheese covered with smoke salmon, dessert: green tea (rare) cheesecake and some type of shellfish (it was a chilled appetizer).

trattoria mercatto || classic italian cuisine since 1997

101 College Street (inside Eaton Centre), Toronto, On
http://www.nadege-patisserie.com/

If you always liked to eat in Downtown, Toronto, there is no way you could have missed Mercatto. Mercatto has currently opened three restaurants in the core of downtown - College Street, Bay Street and Toronto Street. Mercatto serves Italian food and I would say their franchise at Toronto Street, serves Italian food at its best. I have been to all three of Mercatto's restaurants and my favorite is the one located at Toronto Street for its food quality.

It was my first time eating at Eaton Centre's Mercatto. 

Here I go again with zzz French Onion Soup:

The soup had all the flavors: the melted cheese and the onion taste BUT, it was warm. I hate warm soup, why can't soup ever be served to me HOT? *sad*

arancini

tagliatelle

service || awesome! The waitress accidentally placed her finger in my boyfriend's cup and she quickly took the cup away and gave him a new glass of water. Now, imagine if that happened in a Chinese restaurant....Also, the service was quick! I ate during the rush hour (around noon time) and the wait for my order was not long at all.

food || the french onion soup tasted great, i didn't like the risotto balls all that much because it felt like i was eating risotto rice with tomato sauce. =T the tagliatelle had strong pesto taste and it would have been an amazing pasta if they gave me more tomatoes since it was a vegetarian meal! Next time, I shall go back to the Mercatto on Toronto Street!

price || $15-25 per person

decor || clean and urban design, their washrooms are very original lol.

what I ordered || zuppa (4 onion soup), tagliatelle (paste menu), arancini (apristomacco menu)

dolce || gelato goodness

697 College Street, Toronto, ON
http://www.dolcegelato.net/

I apologize for the "slightly" low quality pictures from my past few entries (including this one)! I forgot to bring my camera with me so the photos were taken with an iPhone 4 instead =P.

I ate this really yummy gelato as dessert right after eating at vivoli's! The one on the left is pear-flavoured and the right one is chocolate-flavoured. I really liked it even though I was half drunk after the 60 oz red wine sangria hahaha. Gelatoes are great when they are soft ~~~

service || average
decor || modern (black&white), designed like any other ice-cream/dessert place, there are high chairs there for people who wants to sit individually
food || the gelato was soft, which means it's freshly-made!? =D 
price || $5-$10/person
what i ordered || pear-flavored gelato

vivoli || rooftop patio restuarant

665 College St., Toronto, ON
Vivoli

absolutely the best day to eat at the patio :)

baked manicotti - my original order..then I traded it with Long lol

fusilli - SO GOOD!!! I LOVE IT

red wine sangria - $35/pitcher (60oz.)

service || good (didn't really pay attention to be honest) 

food || i loved my fusilli!!! I think it was because of how the sauce was made, it was addictive. I could have ate two dishes of fusilli. SERIOUS. As for the baked manicotti, it was good but a bit too filling for my little stomach so I ended up eating my boyfriend's order because the linguini was lighter. FYI: like many other Italian cuisines, bread is served before the waitresses/waiters take your order. YIPEE for free bread! (olive bread in this case, miam miam). 

price || $20-30 per person

decor || nice italian decor inside and out (I felt like I was at a beach resort :D) and the patio is just amazing, the patio gives you a "spectacular" view of Toronto. Also, in the winter time, the patio is heated! 

what I ordered || baked manicotti, a pitcher of red wine sangria, linguini genovese 

jump || summerlicious 2011 menu

18 Wellington St West, Toronto, ON
http://www.oliverbonacini.com/Jump.aspx

*Edit on my last post: Taste of Danforth is at the beginning of August (stupid me =_=", I thought it already passed....) 

Another O&B franchise - jump! Starting as an amateur food blogger, I first thought to myself: "isn't it important to try at least some of the summer food events/festivals in Toronto?" Well, summerlicious is definitely an event one foodie CANNOT MISS. You are eating at one of the most notable restaurants in Toronto (I hope) for a good value price. Unfortunately, I couldn't book Summerlicious menus for the restaurants I REALLY wanted to go, I am a tad bit late. So I have not much choice left but to choose Jump. Not that there's anything wrong with Jump....just wanted to try something else....

This year, Jump offers a $20 lunch menu and a $35 dinner menu. I decided to pick the lunch menu for $20 because I noticed the lunch menu and the dinner menu is EXACTLY the same. Why pay $15 more for eating the same things? It just doesn't make sense to me! Some people may say: "That's because dinner portions are bigger!" Bleh~ I am a petite girl and I can't stuff myself anyways for $15 more. Just sayin' =P

Enough talk. Time to show the real deal.

I most often try to take pictures of the interior design of the restaurant, if it is allowed. 

jump's "sky high atrium glass ceilings"

jump's interior wood design - New York style

Bread and crackers to start off with :)

Berry Blast martini - $9.95 - fruity and not so alcoholic

Ravioli topped with cherry tomato pomodorina sauce and basil cress

Lemon curd & blueberry sauce

Wild & tame mushroom soup

Writing tremendous amount of food entries as got me afraid of one thing: being a food snob. But I also noticed that it does not take a genius to know what is good and what is not. Or maybe, overall, critiquing on food is a very subjective thing, people may like chocolate because it is very sweet but some people may hate chocolate because it tastes sweet. See what I mean? I think what I am trying to point out is that I am an average Joe and my goal is just to show people around town (or perhaps, later, around the world) things I have tried and whether they would try it later or not, it is solely up to their choice :).

All the food was good in general, I really liked the mushroom soup because I am a huge fan of soup. However, I thought the soup could have been a bit hotter (in terms of temperature). Drinking cold soup is disgusting, it is like trying to drink a warm beer. URGH. Oh, and I ended up trading my dessert with my boyfriend~ ALWAYS HAPPENS, I end up eating something he orders because his dish looks better than mine (plus, I noticed I am not a huge fan of lemon after all), doesn't that always happen to you too? Eating someone else's dish? =D

Amaretto Chocolate Marquise Cake - crunch crunch crunch!

service || do not expect friendly service during rush hours (i.e. Lunch time) but service is super fast.

food || average - great? The only thing I really liked was the mushroom soup, it was original because it had no cream nor butter. The soup had a fresh taste of mushroom, loved it!

price || $20+ (Summerlicious 2011 menu price)/person

decor || "This big bold American-style bistro by Oliver Bonacini carries plenty of bravado, with sky-high glass atrium ceilings, rich wood interiors and a killer New York style bar."(Jump - Summerlicious) - oh, and worth mentioning, they also have a huge patio outside! If the weather is nice, I highly recommend sitting outside or at least somewhere near the patio. :) Patio is NOW OPEN at jump! 

what I ordered || Berry Blast martini (not part of the Summerlicious menu), Summerlicious menu: Wild & Tame Mushroom soup (appetizer), Ontario Buffalo Mozzarella Ravioli (main),  Sour Cream Lemon Cake (dessert).