Dining with the locals at Asteria Souvlaki Place

In a trip to Greektown, we looked for a place to grab a quick lunch. Outside the joint, Asteria  Souvlaki Place boasted “fast” and “take out” so we decided to give it a try. A cafeteria-style set up greeted us at the entrance so we were not quite sure if we were to order at the counter. There seemed to be nothing in the stainless steel pans behind the glass. We got seats inside. There was only one other table occupied when we were there so I began to second guess this decision.

We were given menus and it was quite extensive. The service wasn’t really fast, but not too long either. I got a sense of relief that we were being served something made to order instead of some left over from the previous night. The girls got a small beef gyro dinner while hubby got the regular one. It was served with rice and Greek salad. 

Gyro dinner @ Asteria Souvlaki Place

Grandma got a chicken souvlaki on pita 

Chicken Souvlaki on pita @ Asteria Souvlaki Place

while I got a chicken souvlaki dinner—also served with rice and Greek salad.

Chicken Souvlaki dinner @ Asteria Souvlaki Place

We were all pleasantly surprised. We didn’t expect much from this place but the dishes were delicious! The souvlaki was moist and beautifully charred. The gyro was well-seasoned and tender. The rice and salad were also good!

As we finished our meal, more and more diners, what seemed like folks from the area, came. It was a good and trusted joint after all—a family one at that, as a few diners had strollers. Many also came to pick up their take out. It was a hidden gem, indeed.  If we lived in the area, we will surely be regulars!

You know nothing until you've tried Game of Cheese

We first saw Game of Cheese in HiWay 7 many months ago when they were still running soft opening operations. The logo/mascot looked really weird and the name felt like a spoof of our favorite George RR Martin series.  But cheese is cheese and is something the fam loves so I checked out their menu. It was so interesting we had to give it a try! We were super glad we did because we will be back again and again!

We got a couple of appetizers—Bulgogi (Korean marinated and grilled) Beef Gyoza and Koji (nonalcoholic fermented salt and rice mixture) fried chicken. Having Bulgogi beef in the gyoza was a wonderful change from the usual pork. 

Bulgogi Beef Gyoza @Game of Cheese

The Koji fried chicken was boneless and perfectly juicy and crispy. It also came with fries. The serving was decent. So far so good!

Koji Fried Chicken @Game of Cheese

Then, our orders arrived and we realized how excited we were to try each other’s dishes!

I got a Shrimp Tempura Pizza. It was such a great change to the usual pepperoni or even gourmet flavours. There was Japanese curry sauce underneath the gooey cheese. It was drizzled with Mentaiko mayo and sprinkled with Bonito flakes. It was on thin crust and absolutely delish!

Shrimp Tempura pizza @Game of Cheese

DD#2 got the more common (or so we thought!) Four Cheese pizza. Of course, it had Mozzarella, Gruyere, Parmesan, and Gorgonzola. But then the combination of fig jam, truffle honey, arugula and prosciutto took it to the next level!

Four Cheese pizza @Game of Cheese

Hubby and DD#1 both got pasta. Hubby got the Black Truffle Carbonara Tagiatelle with mushrooms, black truffle paste and bacon. The poached egg on top was cooked perfectly. It was wonderfully creamy and rich without cloying. The sauce was just beautiful. Hubby was actually tempted to ask for a spoon to scoop out the leftover sauce on the plate!

Black Truffle Carbonara Tagiatelle @Game of Cheese

The winning pasta for me, however, was DD#1’s Japanese Seafood Spaghetti. There was a decent quantity of shrimps, kani (crab meat), and roe but the sauce was killer. The Yuzu Miso cream sauce was so refreshing with the right sweetness and tang, quite unexpected from the cream sauce your taste buds were anticipating.

Japanese Seafood spaghetti @Game of Cheese

Now, after all of that, we were truly stuffed. But we couldn’t leave without trying out some of their desserts—bellies about to burst or not! We left the cheesecakes to try another day, but we were happy with what we did get.

We all shared a mango slush with lychee sorbet. It was a nice layered slush with the sorbet on top, then the slush, fruits and almond jelly. 

Mango Fruit Slush @Game of Cheese

We also got two scoops of sorbet—lychee and blueberry. Absolutely great palate cleansers!

Lychee and Blueberry sorbet @Game of Cheese

We will definitely be back to try their risotto, omurice and other pizzas and pastas. Or maybe just go for dessert to get a bite of the 3-hour slowly baked cheesecake. Is tomorrow too soon? 

Yummy Filipino food at Sampaguita Village

One of the Filipino food spots in the Bathurst and Wilson area that is guaranteed to get you full and happy is Sampaguita Village. Parking is limited and the place is almost always full with a bit of a wait time, but it is worth it, especially if ambience is not essential.

The owner, who is not really Filipino, makes the effort to go around and check if customers needed anything. The servers are efficient and friendly, though, so there is usually no need to have to follow up with him.  The wait is not too long for tables and folks who have pre-ordered party trays come and go.

We got Pancit Sampaguita --two types of noodles packed with shrimp, lechon kawali, veggies

Pancit Sampaguita @ Sampaguita Village

Lechon Kawali (roasted crispy pork belly, a best-seller)—so crispy and the layer of fat is minimal

Lechon Kawali (Roasted Pork Belly) @ Sampaguita Vilage

Inihaw na Liempo (grilled pork belly)—wonderfully -marinated...notice how we love pork belly?

Inihaw na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly) @ Sampaguita Village

Crispy squid—nicely deep-fried, which the girls loved

Crispy Squid @ Sampaguita Village

and Pinakbet (stewed eggplant, okra and other veggies in sautéed shrimp paste) –so there was some semblance of healthy, if you overlook the bagoong (shrimp paste)

Pinakbet @ Sampaguita Village

and of course, garlic rice to go well with all the delicious dishes.

Each order is a good value at about $10-15+ with the Lechon Kawali, as expected, being more expensive. They also have House Combos for approximately the same price if you’d like to try a little bit of each house specialty.

 We ordered a lot, but anything we couldn’t finish would be taken home. And it did last for another meal for us!  How’s that for worth it?! This place is definitely a family favourite!