Treats at Momofuku Milk Bar

Crack pie and Grasshopper pie cake truffles @Milk Bar Momofuku

After having some Pork Ramen at Momofuku Noodle Bar at University Ave., my friend and I headed to the second floor to get some goodies from the Milk Bar. It was a refrigerated glass room equipped with shopping baskets to help you carry the freshly baked treats flown in from Brooklyn. I had to try some of pastry chef Christina Tosi’s Crack Pie. I only got a couple of slices (instead of the $50+ whole pie!) so we could try.

This gooey, crunchy, sugar pie had a deep brown chunky crust made from oats and dark chocolate. The filling was just delicious, made of tons of butter, cream and more brown sugar. It was a strong contender to our fave tarte au sucre at Le Papillion. Delish and we didn’t find it overly sweet. But since I don’t have nine lives, I will only indulge in this, once in a while. The fitness tracker got good use the next few days!!

I also got some Grasshopper truffles--chocolate chip cake mixed with mint cheesecake, coated in white chocolate and rolled in chocolate crumbs! How can you possibly go wrong with that?! It was moist and just wonderfully-delicious.

They have other goodies that I might just send Hubby to get for us next time—cookies, more truffles, bigger Crack Pies and even cakes!  They also have available cookbooks, baking mixes, and even cereal milk! 

Winterlicious lunch at Nota Bene

wonderful wine collection @ Nota Bene

For Winterlicious this year, hubby took me to Nota Bene on Queen St. I’ve heard some good reviews about the place so we decided to give it a try. We even spotted Ben Mulroney at the next table so I guess it was something worth trying, right? Well, you can actually get a three-course vegetarian meal here, if only for that. I am not vegetarian, however, so the choices were a bit limited for me.

What I noticed was that the menu was different from the time we made our reservation. The Salmon Tartare turned into Salmon Sashimi, which is fine. But the Crisp Chicken “Ramen Bowl” which changed into Sesame Chicken Salad was not quite the same.

Anyway, hubby got Salmon Sashimi for starters which he really enjoyed. I got a taste of it and the salmon was fresh on top of a bed of green papaya salad. The lime and coriander stood out with just a hint of fish sauce and a little kick of the chili. It was a refreshing salad.

Salmon Sushi @ Nota Bene

I also quite enjoyed my Northern Woods Mushroom salad with mini bella and chanterelle tossed with arugula and dill and topped with Parmigiano cheese. The balsamic vinegar-olive oil dressing did not overpower and complemented the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Northern Woods Mushroom Salad @ Nota Bene

For the mains, hubby got the Nova Scotia Haddock "A la Plancha" Taco Salad with pico de gallo. I got the Sesame chicken salad. I debated over getting the Cavetelli Pugliese but I figured I had enough mushrooms for the day. Hubby’s haddock was quite flavourful but to the point of salty for me. Hubby found it just right along with the pico de gallo.

Nova Scotia Haddock "A la Plancha" Taco Salad @ Nota Bene

My Sesame Chicken was a cold salad (far from the Crisp chicken I was expecting in the original menu) on top of pretty much the same green papaya/cucumber salad with the Salmon Sashimi. Again, the coriander cut through everything but the toasted nori balanced it out. It would have been good if they considered the different combinations one might order. Imagine if I had the Salmon Sushi and the Sesame chicken with the same green papaya salad...I’d be burping coriander and lime for days!

Sesame Chicken salad @ Nota Bene

For dessert, again there was a change in the menu where I was expecting to see an Apple Crumble but this was replaced by Chocolate truffle and cookie. Hubby chose the Clementine Sorbet on top of a citrus compote while I had the Artisanal Cheese Plate. The sorbet was a wonderful palate cleanser.

Clementine sorbet @ Nota Bene

Not being a cheese connoisseur, I don’t remember the three different cheeses but if I recall correctly, gouda and bonnechere were two of them. I liked the gouda with the red wine jelly and crostini.

Artisanal Cheese Plate @ Nota Bene

Overall, this meal was good but it did not blow my mind away. Serving was just ok for us--we were not too full and we were not too hungry, though I imagine some people would not be satisfied. The flavours were interesting enough.  It was a nice lunch, better than a usual lunch—although that is a basic expectation I would have from a winterlicious meal. However, despite its name, there was nothing to take note of (unless I turn vegetarian), to come back again and again—though I heard cocktails here were great…hmnnnn…

Ramen series: More than noodle soup at Kenzo Ramen

Miso Ramen @ Kenzo Ramen

There have been many ramen places sprouting up recently across GTA. And with one burst of cold weather, my co-workers and I went out to try the ramen at one of the branches of Kenzo Ramen.

There were a lot of choices--not just with noodle soup but other Japanese dishes. They had basic ramen which you can order in varying degrees of spiciness. There were also straight out hot/spicy ramen. They had rice bowls as well as fried soba noodles. They even have various sides like takoyaki (octopus ball) and gyoza (dumplings)!

I ordered the Netsu Ramen which was a spicy Sapporo-style ramen (Sapporo is said to be the birthplace of miso ramen combining miso with pork broth and minced toppings) with ground chicken. Ground pork was also available. The broth was delicious and there was sufficient meat. However, there was an abundance of bean sprouts which made the dish seem like a bigger serving than it is. I was stuffed, though, at the end of my meal.

Netsu Ramen @ Kenzo Ramen

Apart from other basic ramen, my co-workers ordered King of Kings ramen (more like regular Netsu ramen but with more varieties of meat and toppings) and Miso ramen which they said were good.

King of Kings Ramen @ Kenzo Ramen

Overall, it was pretty good value with most dishes under $10 plus a variety of other sides that were available. I can see this spot becoming one of our go-to’s when we feel like having a good bowl of soup. And, outside of the cold weather, we can definitely try their rice bowls or other dishes.