The world is our oyster: Happy hour at Oyster Mine

 

Malpeque oysters @Oystermine

Hubby and I love oysters and, in the past few years, the girls have acquired the love for these as well. So, for a special occasion we were celebrating for DD#1, her request for oysters was granted. I searched for an oyster place which still offered a Buck a Shuck on the day we were going out for dinner. I found Oyster Mine in mid-town Yonge and Eglinton and made our reservation. I actually called an hour before our reservation to pre-order the seafood paella (Grandma’s favourite) which was supposed to take 45 minutes. I was hoping they would have it ready shortly after we arrived.

We ordered our cocktails and mocktails (as drinks needed to be ordered to avail of the $1 oysters) along with Malpeque oysters. The oysters were on the smallish side, under 3inches, but were fresh and delicious. DD#1 was especially happy at having as many oysters as she wanted – we ended up sharing 50!

Seafood paella @Oystermine

The paella, however, arrived 45 minutes after we arrived (when I reconfirmed my pre-order) so it was practically like I didn’t pre-order at all. While it was not the traditional paella, it was tasty and we all enjoyed it.

Overall service was good. However, do keep in mind that they do take a deposit for reservation and include an automatic 20% service charge (for groups of 5 or more).

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