Ichiban Fish House

15 Spring Garden Ave.
North York, ON
(416) 512-9014
www.ichibansushihouse.ca

Definitely the first of possibly many entries with regards to one of my favourite eateries in the GTA. It was a Friday of a very tiring week in the office, so I decided to treat myself to a "nicer" lunch from my typical corned beef on dark rye from a nearby Druxy's (not worth blogging of).

First look inside is the sushi bar and you can expect at least one of the sushi chefs to yell "an-yong-ha-se-yo!" (Korean for "hello") to the top of their lungs. Pretty much a business crowd during the lunch hour and as from my recollection, this appears to be the business time of the day; you can pretty much guarantee a table of 4+ during the dinner hours, but definitely not during lunch on a weekday.

A fairly small menu in comparison with the other sushi establishments. One cannot expect to find anything exotic as one can tell that at Ichiban, they're likely to put an equal balance of emphasis on their rolls vs. their sashimi dishes, unlike their "all you can eat" counterparts.

As per my order, I've decided to go with one of my favourite sushi dishes (and always a big favourite of mine at Ichiban), Hae Dup Bap (also spelled Hwe Dup Bap), with is pretty much a sashimi salad mixed with lettuce, vegetables, herbs, rice, and spicy/tangy sauce (comparable to Bi Bim Bap). What caught me off guard is that they had recently added another sort of Hae Dup Bap on the menu, slightly different from the typical chopped cubes of snapper, and added a so-called (as per the waitress) "Korean style" of the dish. The Korean-version consisting of actual pieces of different sashimi (salmon, red/white tuna, snapper, etc.) in their traditional "boat presentation" size, in place of their chopped-cubed counterpart. So when I placed the order to my waitress, she assumed it was the non-traditional version and brought it to me within minutes. Didn't really feel like creating a fuss over this, but I might as well give it a try.

Typical sushi-joint starters: edamame, miso soup, and a tofu dish.
Now for the main course:Just a little primer on how this is consumed: one's is to dump their rice into the above bowl and add the spicy & tangy sauce on it which is then tossed like a salad. But having larger pieces of sashimi to deal with as opposed to the much smaller chopped cubes, I was in sort of a pickle: "how exactly was I supposed to eat this thing?". A few possibilities: 1) chop the sashimi pieces while tossing the bowl with the spoon; 2) toss the bowl, but do NOT chop and occasionally dunk the sashimi into soy sauce & wasabi; or 3) a combination of both. I chose 3).
I was not a fan of breaking the sashimi into smaller pieces with my spoon (very hard to do), as well the fact that consuming this version of the delightful dish felt like eating sashimi and having a salad on the side. Was a little disappointed, as this was (in my opinion) inferior to the style I was more accustomed to. But with that all said, this will certainly NOT deter me from coming back here as this restaurant has always been one of my favourite places to eat. I always found the sashimi at Ichiban to be one of the "freshest" I've ever tasted. Furthermore, with this being more of a salad, it certainly doesn't give one that "sluggish" after-effect for one to go abouts the rest of their day - a perfect combination for lunch!

As for the price? $10 plus taxes and gratuity - which I consider one of the best deals for Hwe Dup Bap (in terms of price and taste) in the city.

As for the final verdict? 3.5 of 5 (just on this one experience alone). But being a frequent customer here, I strongly recommend the Ichiban Fish House to anyone who happens to be in the Yonge/Sheppard area.

I definitely will be back very soon.

Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers (Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage)

1246 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA
02138
http://www.mrbartley.com/

From a trip to Boston back in May; and basically because it's the best burger I've ever had. It's just right outside the Harvard campus.

We came across this place after asking a local about any good places to eat. With a thick Boston-accent, the kind gentlemen told us about Bartley's saying it's the best burgers in the state. First thing you would notice when you walk in, it's the crowded atmosphere and the "cabin-like" feeling. It's hard to get a table during peak hours and the place is often loaded with Harvard students.

The menu consists an array of homemade burgers, sandwiches, salads, wraps, and frappes. But being told that this was more of a burger place, the four of us decided to head straight to the burger menu. The burger menu consists about a couple of dozen different combinations, with variations of condiments, toppings, and the likes. All their burgers are named after celebrities. For example, their turkey burger is currently named after Manny Ramirez (go figure).

My order, the John Kerry (swiss cheese burger with mushrooms):

The Arnold Schwarzenegger (double swiss burger and sweet potato fries) for the glutton:

My order also consisted of the New England Clam Chowder, which by the way, wasn't anything too spectacular, at least at Bartley's.

Burgers were juicy, thick, moist, evenly cooked, and were fairly soft while being loaded with toppings. Sides were pretty much mediocre. Only downside of having a hefty 7 oz. burger is always the dreadful task of keeping it clean and to NOT resort to using a fork and a knife.

For someone who's had a lot of burgers at pubs and sports bars in Toronto; it's fair to say that Bartley's clearly outmatches any burger that I have had in the past. Highly recommended for anyone who happens to be in the Boston-area and I'm definitely going to swing by again the next time I visit Fenway.

As for the price? An average burger and a frappe should bring the total to about $15 US a head.

Pros: Variety, taste of burger, friendliness of service
Cons: Red Sox paraphernalia, crowd, no bathrooms, sides could use some work
Score: 8 out of 10

Allo!

Well, it's a food blog. "So why a food blog Eddie?" Reason is that carrying a BlackBerry does have it's perks in: 1) having a camera; and 2) a full keyboard so you can write down whatever comes to mind. And what better way to combine the two and share with the rest of the world on what you eat.

Allow me to tell a little bit about myself. First, I am not a glutton. I'm in great physical shape (did I mention great?), so it's not that I'm crazily obsessed about eating. Second, I am a simple guy. So I do not dine out often at lavish places. A good sandwich or some pub grub usually fits my bill. And rest assured, a lot of the entries here will be about "cheaper eats" as opposed to some fancy place out in Yorkville (a trendy and posh area in Toronto). Lastly third, I am not a professional food critic. I live a miserable life working in finance & banking.

I invite all of you to suggest places; places you have either eaten at or places you just want to know more about and you want some poor schmuck like me to try it out first. A few rules though:
1) I do not eat Chinese food.
(that is all)