Zoots Cafe and Buk Chang Dong Soon To Fu

Zoots Cafe, is a petite dark eatery tucked secretly across the street from one of Little Portugal's largest meat-shop, and if you're a speed-walker, you'd surely miss it. We arrived there from BlogTo's online review, and call it lust for waffles or a sporadic Saturday spell, I just needed to be out, abouts, alive and kicking away Toronto's bluesy weather.

Once we cleared Zoots platters and mugs, the digestive system eased off before we visited Buk Chang Dong Soon To Fu (betcha can't say that 10 times fast if you're not Korean). Here's a discovery and you might as well take it as a fact: Most people trying authentic Korean foods (and I'm not referring to "Korean BBQ") will treat it like a Kia Soul or (its semi-twin) the Nissan Cube - You will either love it or hate it. There will be no middle grounds.

You live just once, go for it.

Zesty-Spiced Friday! Delight (Sandwich)

I want to twist your arms and force you to make sublimely simple turkey sandwich, and I will attempt by telling of of a secret ingredient. It's ketchup. So if you're a fan of the condiment, read on ...

INGREDIENTS (guesstimates):

1 whole red onion (cut into strips)

6-8 gloves of garlics (cut into 4's)

1 pound turkey breast (cut into strips)

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup honey

1 tspoon paprika

1 1/2 tspoon salt

2 tspoon pepper

2 tspoon hot sauce

2 tspoon olive oil

MARINATE THE TURKEY:

1. Add Turkey to a dish/bowl/pot/whatever works.

2. Add Salt and Pepper. Mix ingredients around.

3. Add Paprika. Mix ingredients around.

4. Add Honey. You guessed it, mix them around.

5. Add Hot sauce and Ketchup, and of course, mix them well.

6. Let it sit for 2-5 minutes (clean up if you must during this period, or if you're in a rush, it'll marinate itself when you move onto the steps below).

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat on high.

2. Add Olive Oil.

3. Wait until the oil runs freely before adding in Red Onion and Garlic.

4. Stir Red Onion and Garlic evenly to invade the pan's space.

5. Close lid for 1 minute (this cooks the vegetables and more importantly, ensures that you don't go around killing innocent vampires).

6. Open lid and add marinated Turkey.

7. Stir around, again invade the pan with the content within.

8. Close lid, reduce heat to medium, and let it cook.

9. Open lid after 2-4 minutes and check if the meat is cooked.

10. Taste to your liking.

Served with in kaiser, bread, or pita.

Give it some romance and add a simple salad.

Preparation time: 5-7 minutes.

Total: 10-12minutes.

Easy-Pea-zee.

Cafe Mirage

Cafe Mirage, located in Kennedy Commons plaza, is raved as a popular teens-hot-spot, though from the handful of people I observed, is distressingly just 'another crepe place'. Grim-lighted and furnished with discomforting high-tables-to-low-chairs ratio, we experienced perhaps what children forced to the adult table must endure. Discomfort.

The crepes itself (The Fruit Explosion [with 2 ice cream scoops] and the Wild Crepe [with Baileys]) were flirtatious in sight, though as I must be a bag and critique - were both profoundly excessive. I never (not for another Millennium) thought I would criticize an eatery for supplying too much foods, but to support my own opinion, the receipt of crepes from Cafe Mirage stunted my crave for ice creams (perhaps for another Millennium).

Overwhelmed with the voluminous scoops, we suffered a brain-freeze between consuming a lake of ice creams alongside a soft and expertly made crepe, thus an unfair battle that forced us to cut our losses and eat only the crepe itself. Simply put, the presentation enticed the eyes but severely insulted the mouth and stomach.

Overall, I must use a brutal example to explain whether I would return to Cafe Mirage in the future or not. If the world removed all other crepe places and Cafe Mirage somehow braced such an abomination (a world without crepes is not worth living!), I will comfortably switch over to waffles.

Food Reviewer: phuongphann

Location: @ Kennedy Commons (Kennedy & Hwy401)

Rating: 3/4th-FAIL

Crepe It Up

"Crepe It Up" took us in this very sunny day.

Actually, WebPiggy had a big part in this visit with their recent BOGO deal.

We visited the lowly-lit Church/Wellesley location, one of three spots Chris Lee owns, and surprisingly, despite sitting right next to the exposed windows, I did not melt under the unforgiving sun. What a surprise.

A warm nostalgia re-invited itself into my mind with the low-lit lighting ... more friendly still was the spotting of menu containing "Monster" and all the sweet ones with "Nutella". We order 1 "Monster" and 2 "Hot Chicks", and without forgetting, a "Paris X". Savory crepes are at most $6.95; and Sweet crepes are average $4.00, so they are very affordable.

Monster:

Egg, ham, onion, tomato, spinach, green pepper, mushroom, cheese, vegetable seasoning

Hot Chick:

Spicy pepper, egg, chicken, onion, tomato, mushrooms, cheese, vegetable seasoning

Paris X:

Chocolate Hazelnut, banana, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Crepe it Up designed their crepes for dine-in, but with its carefully arranged fillings, it can easily be made to-go, as one of its other location (within St. Lawrence Market) had done. It is a polite eatery that sets a standard for crepe shops and asks that you revisit when strolling the neighbourhood, but otherwise considering, not the type of crepe place that would rock the Earth underneath your feet and force you to start thinking about moving into its area. The food quality and consistently friendly staffs receives thumbs up.

Food Reviewer: phuongphann

Store address: 507 Church St. #8, Toronto - Crepe It Up

Rating: WIN

Quiznos' Steak & Peppercorn

Quiznos recently went on a "Steak & Peppercorn" craze. Listen to NewsTalk1010, you will hear "Quiznos' $2.99 Steak & Peppercorn deal!", walk on the bus, you will see, "it ends May 3rd!", and open MetroNews, it will scream out, "only at participating locations." BUT is it worth it?

The "$2.99" is a noose that lures your feet as your hungry eyes glees over a large poster containing lies. Lies of steaks, lies of peppercorn, and lies of a guarantee that "toasted tastes better!"

Inputs from lunch ensure that Quiznos got nothing over Subway, and I full-heartedly agree. If the sub shop was in store to reinvent cardboard bread, BEWARE - Quaker's Rice Cake already is miles ahead. The dough was not tough, it just simply lacked the wholesome essence of freshness that Subway advocates, and alas, I say that when possible, "Eat Fresh".

Food Reviewer: phuongphann

Store address: 134A-45 Overlea Blvd

Rating: FAIL

Jetson's Juicy Burger

Jetson's Juicy Burgers has got nothing on other Toronto burger joints, except a different name. However, before I proceed to lay out a short claim of some pros, some cons, and some take-aways, you should know that I am guilty of holding high expectations.

Some pros:

They have booths. With an attempt to reinvent the 1960's diner-feel in the fast-food joint, the booths bore blue seats against a red backrest spread amongst a sea of yellow throughout all of Jetson's.

The burger bar is operated by singing teenagers who claims they have heard "Waving Flag" eight thousand times, and their rendition proves their claim as valid.

Some cons:

Though it is considered a fast-food restaurant, expect to wait. The "Cadillac burger," which comes with bacon and cheese was tossed onto the grill after we placed our order. Simultaneously, an order of "Chili Fries" was placed. Funnily, the fries got its smother of Chili while the Cadillac sizzled away, which begs the imagination of soggy fries. We waited and watched the bun get toasted, garnished, and sit sadly as the Cadillac burn away. In total, the wait took about seven minutes.

The Chili fries is a surprise at every bite as excruciatingly hard and depressingly soggy bits are available in intermixed temperatures. I blame the early pour of the Chili for the overall catastrophe.

The burger, as my friend described it, "is like eating out of your own backyard," and I asked, "So it's good?" to which he replied, "I'm eating it because it's already paid for."

Take-Aways:

Should I bring a date here: If you had just learned your primary colours, yes, but then again, McDonald's has got that covered.

Atmosphere: Casual and definitely jeans acceptable, heck even frat boys in hoodies and pajamas pants will get served. A lot of natural lights and mirrors, so ladies, avoid excessive makeup or the lack thereof as blemishes and pores will be revealed at Jetson's.

Food Reviewer: phuongphann

Address: 1900 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto ON, M1L 2L9

Rating: FAIL

Darfur Genocide

Darfur Genocide.

This is a sincerely moving image.

For more details, find info about the war on Wikipedia.