We checked out Hanoi 3 Seasons for an inexpensive night out. North Vietnamese cuisine offers a kick in the tastebuds, whilst feeling light yet satisfying, slightly different from most of the other predominantly South Vietnamese restaurants around town.
The Vietnamese Coffee, available either hot or cold is definitely a standout. It's really strong yet very easy to drink, with notes of rich mocha and a sweet creaminess to it.
Goi Cuon - Fresh Shrimp Rolls (Vegetarian version contains Tofu) $3
Hen - Sautéed Spicy Baby Clams served with Crispy Rice Crackers $7
Cha Ca – Hanoi 3 Seasons - Hanoi-style Grouper with Dill & Shrimp Paste $11
Served with Vermicelli & Salad or as Soup
Pho Do Bien - Spicy Shrimp, Calamari & Mussels with Tamarind Soup $7.50
Café - Vietnamese Coffee (hot/cold) $3
Hanoi 3 Seasons is located at 588 Gerrard Street East at Broadview.
There is also a Leslieville location at 1135 Queen Street East.
I've always wished I could be a fly on the wall in other people's kitchens. There is something neat about seeing other people make their favourite dishes in their own home.
Living in a city like Toronto, I'm always curious what people are cooking up in their kitchens on any given night. So when we were invited to visit Culture.licious, I was excited because I saw that the premise was various Master Cooks, home cooks like you and I, sharing their favourite dishes from their own culture. Currently they have representation from Panama, Vietnam, Kenya, Korea, Bosnia and India.
On a normal night, there will be one Master Chef cooking an appetizer, dinner and dessert with the class. We were lucky enough on our night to get three Master Chefs: Minh (Vietnam), Lizka (Panama) and Aleksandra (Bosnia). The cooking classes are run by Wendy Chung, world traveller and food lover who left the corporate world to pursue her dreams (her most recent job was as a CMA at Pepsi). You go girl!
The kitchen feels homey, warm and inviting. The food was tasty, healthy and simple - that, to me anyways, is what home cooking is all about. Our appetizer was double-fried plantains with chicken and peppers and a ketchup/mayo/mustard/Tabasco dipping sauce (the dish is called Patacones Fritos en Salsa). Main course was Lemongrass pork and beef skewers with vermicelli and traditional green onion sauce.
We got to assist with certain tasks and we walked away with all the recipes. I'm all for learning more about the kitchens of the world and we're fortunate enough in Toronto to have venues like Culture.licious to help us do exactly that.
If you want to learn about fun things to do in Toronto, see Toronto Smarts. Learn about places to visit in Toronto, get concert information and sports info like when the Blue Jays play the Red Sox.
On an imported slab of heat-retention stone from Australia, you cook your own meal. Looks like fun! However it might be more about the experience than anything else - we heard some not-so-good reviews from a friend recently. We'll try anything once though!
¤Kultura (King East - Furniture District) Heard a lot about Roger Mooking's restaurants - think we're more obsessed with going there because of the fact that he used to be in Bass is Base!
¤ Cafe Gilead (King East - Furniture District) Jamie Kennedy's stuff is usually pretty good so we want to try it. ¤ Guu (Church St - The Gaybourhood) This place is trendy, so some people go there for that reason alone, but we'd be heading there to see what "Japanese tapas" is all about.
Follow a couple of foodies around the city as they discover the best (and worst) of what Toronto's culinary scene has to offer.
You can visit this site for some more info on the bloggers: http://www.tastingtoronto.ca/2009/06/so-who-is-behind-tasting-toronto.html
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