Yakiniku at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

 

Meat variety course at Gyu Kaku

Another special occasion for DD#1 took us to Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in Richmond Hill. A self-declared meat lover (like mother like daughter 😊 ), DD#1’s request for her treat was “anywhere with a lot of meat.” Gyu-Kaku fit the bill. While we didn’t avail of all-you-can-eat, we ordered the Meat Variety course. This course included salad, miso soup, rich, Gyu sushi (beef nigiri), garlic mushroom, cheese corn butter and fried calamari, apart from the meats, of course. We also ordered an additional Harami in secret pot which was ½ lb of 21-day aged skirt steak in a special mild miso marinade.

grilling meat @Gyu-Kaku

The BBQ items included Umakara Ribeye, Yaki-Shabu beef, Toro beef, Chicken basil (with cheese), pork belly, Harami (skirt steak) and Kalbi chuck rib. The meats were marinated in miso or sweet soy tare. There were also various dipping sauces. We grilled the meats over the mesh-type hot plate, which meant the meat was not simmering in oil. They served good quality beef and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. My favourite was the Harami, with its beautifully-marbled meat. The miso marinade was just delicious.

Harami @Gyu-Kaku

The course meal included S’mores for dessert. And no matter how full we all were, we cannot turn down S’mores! We haven’t roasted marshmallows over a cooktop before (usually, we roast over campfire), but it was a fun experience and yummy, as expected. Great meal and great service! We will be back!

S'mores @Gyu-Kaku

 

Middle Eastern discoveries: Tabule and Bread & Salt

Tawuk @Tabule

A couple of recent outings allowed us to enjoy Middle Eastern dishes, some of which, we have not yet tried before.

In previous trips to Bayview Village Mall, we always passed by the often-busy Tabule. One evening, after the mall had closed, we finally got a chance to have dinner here.

Tabule at Bayview Village 

Hubby started with Fattush Salad which was a very refreshing and satisfying salad with tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mint, onions, and parsley. There were pieces of toasted whole wheat pita tossed in lightly dressed with lemon, garlic, sumac and olive oil.

Fattush salad @Tabule

Grandma, the seafood lover, had her favourite Grilled Shrimp. It was beautifully char-broiled and nicely spiced with Middle Eastern spices.

Grilled Shrimp @Tabule

The girls and I, the meat—eaters, of course had Kefta and Tawuk. The Kefta meal came with two skewers of ground lamb and beef. The Tawuk  meal came with two skewers of marinated chicken breast. The meat was juicy and well-seasoned.

Kefta @Tabule

All in all, the dishes were fresh and tasty! It is a great dining option at the mall!

In a trip to Mississauga, we passed by Bread and Salt and decided to try Afghan cuisine. We really enjoyed it! We were a big group and some of the folks ordered chicken shawarma wrap, slightly fancier than those from other shawarma places, of course.

Chicken Shawarma wrap @Bread&Salt

 Grandma had Fried Tilapia and while they did warn us that it had fishbones, we didn’t realize that as it was deep fried crispy, it would be hard to remove the bones. It was nice but difficult to eat. 

Fried Tilapia @Bread&Salt

Hubby had Lamb Chops which were really tender! Loved the house spices it was marinated in.

lamb chops @Bread&Salt

 DD#2 and I ordered a Couples combo for two with Mantu Dumpling, Beef Tikka, Beef Seekh, Beef Qorma, Beef Chaplee Kabob, Kabuli Palow, Salad and Naan. Needless to say, it was way too much for us and had to share it out with the rest of our group, and still had some to take home!

We started off with a beautiful salad with tomatoes, cucumber, mint and a tangy house dressing. It was very refreshing.

salad @Bread&Salt

 The Mantu dumplings were just yummy! These savory beef and onion filled dumplings were topped with chickpeas and yogurt sauce. No leftovers here!

 

Mantu dumplings @Bread&Salt

The Beef Tikka (grilled cubed cuts of beef), Beef Seekh (spicy ground beef patty, like a burger) and Beef Chaplee (spiced ground beef grilled on skewers) were served with the fragrant Kabuli Palow (rice topped with raisins and spices).

Our favourites were the super delicious Naan (bread) and the Beef Qorma. The beef stew was so tasty with spices partying in our mouths! It went perfectly well with the naan!

Beef Qorma @Bread&Salt

 Service was great as well. We also got some tea afterward. Note that as Afghanistan is a tea-drinking country, they do not have coffee (or at least a decent one). We loved this cuisine and will definitely recommend!