Teatro is one of those places that have been on the periphery of my radar. One of those places, at some point, that I would get around to visiting. I finally did, lured by a vendor luncheon.
Special lunch menu
I was feeling less then well at the time, so I opted for something that I hoped to be lighter. I went with the caesar salad and the spatzle. The caesar was nicely presented and it tasted, like a caesar salad. The spatzle was rich, creamy and divine. Not very light, but very filling and tasty for a vegetarian dish.
I didn’t have the lamb, but almost everyone else did. It was a beautiful frenched rack, done to medium rare.
Leek and Spaetzle Cauliflower, white gold provolone, parmesan cheeses, tomato concasse
The butternut squash tart was delicious. I really enjoyed the gooeyness of the toasted marshmallow and the accompanying coulis.
Butternut Squash Tart cinnamon meringue, caramelized zucchini
The decor was very nice. We were in the Opera room, a room outside the main restaurant. The ceilings were high and the lighting looked as if they had installed two large full moons in the ceiling. I will have to come back for a more typical meal.
I knew there would be another visit. A friend wanted to go for her birthday. She asked for the Chef’s tasting menu, for the four of us. What we got was a selection, chosen by the chef from the regular menu.
We started off with the yam tempura, which were not part of the tasting menu. Sweet potato cut french fry style fried in tempura. It was amazing.
Up next was the Tai miso soup. Sort of a luxury miso soup, with a variety of mushrooms. Tasty.
Pan fried sushi grade tilapia with steamed tofu, oyster, king and shiitake mushroom in soya bean brothSeared seasoned New York steak thinly sliced dressed with homemade spicy vinaigrette
The spicy chicken was indeed spicy, it reminds of the flavors of gojujang sauce.
Fresh chicken stir fried with seasonal vegetable in house made spicy miso sauce
The pork belly was tasty. It tasted of Chinese five spice with soy undertones. Here’s a version of the recipe. He mentioned it cooks for six days.
Slow cooked pork belly in house secret recipe sauce (Okinawa style)
What really shines are his house specials. Okonomiyaki, a Japanese style pancake. The bonito flakes got the audience going as they looked like they were fluttering in the air.
Japanese style pancake with bacon and mixed vegetables sprinkled with dry fish flakes top glazed with otofuku sauce and mayoSeared sashimi grade ahi-tuna served on top of a variety mix of seaweed with a touch of kani-su and house miso dressing
Here’s another house special, the Treasure of Ocean roll. The dry bean curd wrap was an interesting touch.
Soya bean wrap, steamed prawn, avocado, red tuna, tobiko, tempura and spicy mayo. Topped with sweet sesame mayo.
At this point, I thought we had about eight or nine dishes, but when the server asked if we were still hungry, one of my friends said yes… So we got another three dishes and dessert. Not hungry anymore, just a bit full.
Deep fried breaded horse mackerel served with a sweet soy based vinaigretteCrab meat, mayo, avocado, red tuna, mango, sweet may, wasabi tomiko
I really like the yam chips that came with the Ayumi Unagi. The rest of the dish was good too, but I was too full to properly enjoy it.
BBQ eel, avocado, sweet shiitake mushroom,. Served with house made special sauce and tobiko.
There’s always room for dessert. I had the mango panna cotta. The mango syrup reduction was very rich and flavorful. The banana bread was an interesting touch.
Tiramisu, mango panna cotta and banana bread
We had the opportunity to chat with the chef, Oscar, and his wife, April. They are both very genuinely nice people who really care about their food. As we left the restaurant, we realized it was quite full and sort of amazed how quickly our food came out.
I don’t know why I haven’t found this place earlier. It’s so good and the portions are huge. Friday lunch, the three of us arrived at 12:30 We caused the lineup to go out the door. No matter. They have lunch service down. Food is served up as quick as they can make it. I ordered the small chicken shawarma, veggie samosa and a pistachio rose baklava. The chicken was melt in my mouth tender. There was an orchestra of garlic dancing on my tastebuds and subsequently, my breath. I’ll be happy to have garlic breath any day. Hubby ordered a medium beef donair, which was almost too big to finish. No supper required. The prices are a good value for what you get. They apparently have ice cream which may warrant a stop on my cycling route.
Small Chicken ShawarmaMedium Beef DonairPistachio Rose BaklavaThe Counter
I wanted to use some leftover veggies and cheese, so I decided to try this recipe. I made a few changes; I substituted the zucchini and mushrooms with corn, peas and tomato. Also used vegetable broth instead of chicken. It is a bit light on the seasoning. Next time I will add more salt. This is vegetarian and gluten free. It can turn into a vegan salad without the cheese.
I had the occasion to finally visit Chef’s Table at the Kensington Riverside Inn. Eight of us were there for a surprise birthday dinner. Our table was directly in front of the open kitchen and offered a nice view of the hustle and bustle. We started off with an amuse bouche, which tasted like a deconstructed BLT. The flavors that I remember were lardons, and a gelee with a subtle mustard flavor.
Amuse
My second course was agnolotti which is similar to ravioli. The flavors were very delicate and complimented each other nicely.
Agnolotti
I suspect this was the birthday girl’s appetizer. The presentation was nicely done.
I had the ling cod for my entree. The fish was perfectly cooked. The granola added an interesting texture to the dish. The flavors of tomato bubbles, carrot and saffron seemed very much like my appetizer. If I had realized that, I would have ordered differently.
The dessert was light and refreshing. The subtle flavor of the poached pear was a nice foil for the strong flavor of the blackcurrant ice cream.
Pear ginger, blackcurrant, polenta, pistachio
The service was very good. The servers had a sense of humor and showed patience while waiting for our entire group to arrive. They must have spent a lot of time memorizing the ingredients for each dish. It’s the type of service that I would expect from a fine dining restaurant. This warrants another trip for a special occasion, next time with hubby in tow.
I had a craving for a Vietnamese style avocado shake, and three avocados to use up. I think the traditional version uses condensed milk. I decided to swap it out with almond milk. It’s vegan and dairy free. I love the taste of coconut. If coconut milk is used, you might want to change or omit the sweetener. I don’t like my shakes too sweet.
Avocado Shake
1 ripe avocado
3/4 almond milk (or coconut milk)
2 tbs coconut cream or coconut syrup.
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve in a large glass.
I finally got around to trying this place. We waited at the entrance for a server, but they must have been busy. So we seated ourselves. It was around 2pm in the afternoon, it didn’t look that busy. Our server came around a few minutes later. I decided to order the gluten free renegade ranchero pizza. The crust was thin and crisp like a cracker and the toppings didn’t soak through. The toppings were interesting. It wasn’t very spicy which was fine with me. I liked the idea of cranberries as a topping. Hubby ordered the one love tacos with yam fries. The fries were nice and crisp and he enjoyed his tacos. The service was friendly, but a bit slow. I will be back to try more of their menu.
one love tacos Jamaican jerk marinated chicken, shredded lettuce, house-made mango salad, drizzled with cilantro lime sour cream with yam friesrenegade ranchero pizza Spicy Spolumbo’s sausage, banana pepper, red onion, cranberries, mozza
I finally got around to trying this place. We waited at the entrance for a server, but they must have been busy. So we seated ourselves. It was around 2pm in the afternoon, it didn’t look that busy. Our server came around a few minutes later. I decided to order the gluten free renegade ranchero pizza. The crust was thin and crisp like a cracker and the toppings didn’t soak through. The toppings were interesting. It wasn’t very spicy which was fine with me. I liked the idea of cranberries as a topping. Hubby ordered the one love tacos with yam fries. The fries were nice and crisp and he enjoyed his tacos. The service was friendly, but a bit slow. I will be back to try more of their menu.
one love tacos Jamaican jerk marinated chicken, shredded lettuce, house-made mango salad, drizzled with cilantro lime sour cream with yam friesrenegade ranchero pizza Spicy Spolumbo’s sausage, banana pepper, red onion, cranberries, mozza
Classic Chinese food. In more ways than one. Place is outdated and kind of a dive. Food is delish and service can leave a lot to be desired. If you speak their language, you get good service. Enough said. The seven of us ordered dishes to share. A couple of plates of salt and pepper squid, half a crispy duck, mixed vegetables with noodles, chicken, ginger and pineapple stir fry, pea shoots with garlic sauce and steamed rice. All the food was good, except I did not try the duck. I don’t eat duck. I still think their jiew yim sin yau is the best in town. Service was slow, but I suppose that gave us more time to chat and enjoy the food. They were accommodating in heating up one of the babies’ food.
Potluck last night. What to make…. How about an enduring party favorite – potstickers! Or wor tip in Cantonese.
I don’t really have a recipe for these, it changes every time I make it.
Wor Tip
Makes around 80 dumplings
2 packages round dumpling wrappers
2 lbs ground pork, chicken or turkey
5 cups Suey choy, bok choy, or other Chinese greens
4 green onions
1 can mushrooms, pieces and stems
2 medium carrots
2 eggs
tapioca or cornstarch
black pepper, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, Maggi sauce, Chinese cooking wine
Shred or chop green vegetables. Peel and grate carrots. Dice the mushrooms. Combine all veggies and meat into a large bowl. Crack egg into bowl, and any combination of the sauce ingredients. Add enough tapioca or cornstarch as you mix to absorb the liquid. Have a small bowl of water on hand. A simple way to make the dumplings is to put about a tablespoon of filling in the wrapper, use your finger to dab water around the edge, and fold in half. It can also be done as I have, with fancy folds. Click here and skip to 2:13 for directions. Place them on a cookie sheet as you go.
When ready to cook, coat a frying pan with oil. If fancy folding, arrange the dumplings in a circle and next to each other. Put the pan on medium heat and wait until the bottoms start to crisp. Using a tablespoon, sprinkle water over the top so it steams. Be careful, it will spatter! Cover with lid. The dumplings are done, when the skins look shiny and the water is absorbed. May need to sprinkle more water as you go.
You can also pan fry them, or pan fry and steam if they are folded flat. It is also possible to boil or steam them. In that case, they are called jao zhi. Serve with Chinese red vinegar, 3:1 soy sauce and rice vinegar, or 1:1:.5 soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil. And chili sauce to taste.
