Dining Out: Corny Croquette, Creamy Kurobuta Miso Udon, Premium Steak Donburi, Katsu Sando, and Caramel Biscoff Soufflé Pancakes at Cafe Kenkaku

Another reunion dinner! Well, I use the term "reunion" lightly here because it's really only been, like, a month and a half, but my friends Minji and Daniel have finally returned from their Seoul trip and this is the longest we've gone without seeing each other in two years. So in honour of this, we decided to check out a Japanese eatery that everyone's been talking about on TikTok (according to Minji, because I refuse to use TikTok) called Cafe Kenkaku:

Corny Croquette: A handmade golden croquette filled with a creamy blend of sweet corn and imitation crab meat, lightly breaded and fried
We decided to share everything so we could try more menu items — the key to dining out at a new restaurant — and all of our dishes were incredible. Started off with the corny croquette. I was definitely expecting more corn (because it's a CORNY croquette, not a cream sauce croquette, thus corn is expected to be the main feature), though the texture and flavour were perfect — honestly just like the croquettes I've had in Japan. Could easily eat, like, three of these just for a snack. 

Creamy Kurobuta Miso Udon: Udon noodles in a rich miso butter sauce with Berkshire pork, mushrooms, and an onsen egg, topped with basil, green onions, and grated parmesan

Premium Steak Donburi: A rice bowl topped with 6oz. of AAA steak cooked sous vide, drizzled with house-made teriyaki sauce, topped with crispy garlic slices and a raw egg

The udon was creamy and savoury and intensely flavourful, though I do think it could've had more pork rather than mushrooms. (I mean, I know we're in a tough economy here, but I think each of us had like, three tiny pieces of pork each?) The steak donburi was actually perfectly cooked to a seared rare and was super soft and tender — I didn't read the description because it was Minji's choice, but it makes sense now that it was cooked sous vide. I don't think it would've come out nearly as perfect when sliced that thinly. 

Katsu Sando: Premium milk bread toast with deep-fried pork cutlet, tomato cabbage slaw, lettuce, and tonkatsu sauce, served with spring mix salad and French fries

I think the standout for me was surprisingly the katsu sando, maybe because I didn't have particularly high expectations for it. The pork with juicy with an excellent crispy shell and the milk bread was amazing — the bread was soft and fluffy but the exterior was just perfectly toasted and if I was the type of person to bring a mic with me in public, I could've done some impressive toast eating ASMR. 

Caramel Biscoff Soufflé Pancakes: Airy soufflé pancakes topped with smooth soufflé cream cheese, house made caramel sauce, and Biscoff biscuit crumble

The soufflé pancakes were delicious and had that textbook airy, jiggly texture that we know and love, but we agreed that the Caramel Biscoff version (which is new) was a little too sweet — great for sharing as dessert, but definitely too much for one person at breakfast. (Unless you are the type of person who likes dessert for breakfast. Then never mind.) Worth ordering if you like soufflé pancakes in general, but I think I'd go with the original or maybe matcha next time. Presentation was on point for all the dishes, and our server was fantastic, too. Highly recommend Cafe Kenkaku for all your Japanese cafe cravings, but definitely visit at non-peak meal hours. We got there around 5:30PM and managed to snag a booth table, but the entire restaurant was packed to the brim within 30 minutes.

Cafe Kenkaku

SmartCentres Richmond Hill

1070 Major Mackenzie Dr. E., Unit F108

Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1P3

(905) 737-3083

Dining Out: Duck Meat Udon with Onsen Egg and Assorted Tempura at Hinode Udon and Tempura

After seeing multiple reels about it on IG, I finally went to try out Hinode for lunch this afternoon with Minji and Daniel:

Duck meat udon with onsen egg

I got the duck meat udon, one of their bestsellers, and added an onsen egg for $2.50 plus a side of shrimp tempura for $6.99. The udon comes with a thermal pitcher of broth on the side so you can control how much soup you want with your noodles. The udon, which is made in-house, is the star here — it's slightly thicker than other udon noodles I've had and has a silky, bouncy texture with an excellent chew. The duck meat is tender, smoky, and savoury and works well with the broth, which has a very light, mild flavour. I plopped the onsen egg right into the bowl and mixed it into the noodles and broth, which added a really nice rich, creamy texture. It is the first time in my life that I finished all the broth in my noodle soup.

Assorted tempura

The tempura is lovely — airy, golden, and perfectly crispy. I added a side of three shrimp tempura to my udon for $6.99, but we did also get the assorted tempura appetizer for $11.99. While the quality of the tempura is significantly better than Japanese AYCE places (which tend to be too oily, soggy, or over-battered), my palate couldn't really discern it from many other Japanese restaurants. $11.99 is pretty steep for two shrimp and three vegetable tempura (today's variety was yam, eggplant, and enoki mushrooms), but I do think it was worth it to add three shrimp tempura to my udon for $6.99. (Hinode does somewhat remind me of Hanamaru Udon in Japan but, you know, not a chain. And way more expensive.)

With add-ons, eating here can get pretty pricey, but the food is delicious and comforting (especially nice after the BTS ticketing mayhem yesterday!). It's not a huge space, so I imagine it'd be quite busy during dinner service and on weekends, but on this Friday afternoon around 1:00PM, we got a table right away (though turnaround is relatively quick, with a stay time of around 30 minutes per table — and there's a section near the back specifically for solo diners). I don't find Hinode unique enough to go out of my way to come here, but would definitely eat here again if I'm in the area. In any case, it's a great option to have with this city's over-saturated ramen market.

Hinode Udon and Tempura

324 Highway 7, Unit 3

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1A6

(647) 542-7768

Dining Out: A Belated Birthday Dinner at Kiu

Indeed, I am still celebrating my birthday over a month later.

My friend Ronsee has taken me out for dinner for my birthday every year for over a decade, but he was in Halifax for a friend's wedding this year. With his work schedule, taking care of a one-year-old, and moving house, he doesn't have a lot of free time these days. So when he randomly asked if I was free for dinner on this Tuesday night, I immediately replied that I was. (To be fair, I am usually free outside of Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00. The perks of having no spouse and no children.) I had been craving sushi, so I decided on Kiu, which is close to both of our workplaces. I hadn't been there since before the pandemic, but remember it being really good — better than the average Japanese eatery around here, but less fancy than an omakase restaurant (like Zen or ATO). 

Assorted sashimi (3 kinds, 6 pieces of chef's choice)
Beef tataki with sweet garlic sauce 
Tuna tartare with anchovies and shiso leaf
Ebi gyoza with chives and green onions
Takoyaki with mayo, bonito flakes, and aosa seaweed
Black cod marinated with saikyo yuzu miso
A5 Wagyu sukiyaki with tofu, veggies, and onsen egg
Assorted tempura (2 shrimp and 3 seasonal vegetables)
Assorted nigiri (7 pieces of chef's choice and toro handroll)
Matcha lava cake with mixed berry sauce

We wanted a good variety of dishes since we were going to share everything, so we decided to go for one prix fixe menu (which includes the sashimi, sukiyaki, tempura, nigiri, and dessert), and then added two seasonal items (the ebi gyoza and the takoyaki), plus three items from their permanent menu (beef tataki, tuna tartare, and black cod). I'm happy to report that Kiu has not diminished in quality since I last visited, which I think was maybe six or seven years ago — everything was fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. The sashimi and nigiri were impeccable, of course, but if I had to pick some other highlights, they'd probably be the takoyaki, black cod, and sukiyaki. But there wasn't a dud in the bunch, which is really saying something since we went through 10 different dishes. I think on my quest to try more new restaurants over the last several years, I kind of forgot about Kiu, which is really an oversight on my part. In a city where eateries close after only a year or two (especially in this downtown area), it's really telling that Kiu is still around after a decade. 

Three hours later (we had a lot to catch up on) and sushi craving curbed, I had another truly excellent belated birthday dinner. And that's the last one for this year, I swear. Onward to all the winter holiday meals!

Kiu

169 Enterprise Blvd., 2F

Markham, ON L6G 0E7

(905) 475-6348

Dining Out: An All-You-Can-Eat Wagyu Early Birthday Dinner at Shinta Japanese BBQ

When we came across an IG reel for 20% off all-you-can-eat wagyu at Shinta a few weeks ago, Minji, Daniel, and I immediately made plans for dinner to start off my birthday week properly.

Australia M9+ top sirloin steak
US Gold Grade brisket short rib
US Gold Grade brisket short rib
Australia M9 toro beef
Australia M9 toro beef
Chef-selected wagyu cuts 
Chef-selected wagyu cuts and pineapple
Garlic scallop and shrimp, enoki mushrooms, and cheesy butter corn
King oyster mushrooms, asparagus, and zucchini
Takoyaki
Bibimbap
Desserts: Crème brûlée, mango pomelo sago, mango pudding, and deep fried buns with condensed milk

Not pictured (because there was just too much food on our table and we had to keep eating to make room for more): baked sweet potatoes with cheese, Japanese-style tofu salad (to keep it healthy?), chicken karaage, Korean cold noodles, and tempura udon. We ended up getting double servings of all the wagyu, and then triple servings of the chef-selected wagyu cuts and brisket short rib (Daniel and I are serious pigs). It would've been churlish not to take advantage of the 20% discount, after all. (Note: This discount is only applicable when paying in cash.) It was still $100 per person after tax and tip, but I thought it was totally worth it just for the sheer amount of wagyu we ate. 

Shinta Japanese BBQ

Jubilee Square

280 West Beaver Creek Rd., Unit 37 - 39

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B1

(905) 597-0305

Dining Out: Japanese Tapas at Akoya Izakaya

When deciding where to go for dinner with my friends Ronsee and Val, I suggested the newly-opened Akoya Izakaya, which I'd been wanting to try out for the last few months.

Chicken cartilage yakitori
Wagyu beef tataki
Tako wasabi
Bara chirashi don
Mentaiko udon
Wagyu katsu
Grilled miso black cod
Matcha and black sesame Hokkaido ice cream

Highlights for me were the beef tataki, bara chirashi don, and wagyu katsu, but everything we tried was genuinely excellent. Quality, flavours, and presentation are on point; decor is simple but sleek with a Japanese aesthetic; service is polite and efficient. Frankly, the only disappointment was the dessert, and not because it wasn't good (it's very creamy and incredibly flavourful — not like your typical mass-produced green tea and black sesame ice creams that you would find at AYCE restaurants), but because the portions are absolutely dismal, they are pre-scooped (you can tell because the matcha one looked like it had already melted and was re-frozen), and presentation really left something to be desired — it was especially jarring since everything else we had ordered was amazing. 

Like most "izakaya" outside of Japan, Akoya is more akin to a quasi-fine dining restaurant rather than a cheap and casual drinking establishment, so everything is expensive for what it is — our bill was about $230 after tax and tip without any drinks. Akoya does have a one-up on other izakaya I have visited in the GTA in that they have traditional Japanese-style private rooms where you have to take your shoes off and sit on individual cushions (they're on benches here rather than the floor), so the experience is more unique. Overall, Akoya is definitely worth visiting, but given the pricing, I would keep it for special occasions only. And skip the dessert. You're better off getting vanilla soft serve at the McDonald's in the same plaza.

Akoya Izakaya

Markham Town Square

8601 Warden Ave., Unit 13

Markham, ON L3R 0B5

(905) 917-1615

Dining Out: Premium Hot Pot and Sushi Feast at Gourmet Tribe

Took Minji out for her 30th birthday at the newly-opened Gourmet Tribe, an all-you-can-eat hot pot and sushi restaurant. The premium menu is $20 more than the regular menu, but includes a bigger variety of soup bases, meats, seafood (with lobster and crab!!!), and sushi. The regular menu only includes hot pot — no sushi — and has a much smaller variety to choose from. Needless to say, we went for the premium menu.

Shrimp, scallops, bean curd rolls, lotus root, quail eggs, tofu, and tripe
Winter melon, abalone, enoki mushrooms, bean curd sheets, quail eggs, and taro
Lamb and beef slices
Corn, shrimp wontons, winter melon, and daikon
Lobster!
Sukiyaki hot pot
Sweet shrimp, white tuna, squid, and salmon sashimi
Salmon, scallop, and octopus nigiri

Gourmet Tribe is both a market and a restaurant, so you can actually just drop in to shop for a variety of Japanese seafood and meat. The market area is open and airy, and the dining area is sleek and spacious. If you're dining in, you get a dedicated cart for your table, choose your hot pot broth, "shop" for a huge variety of food at the market with the aforementioned cart, and then bring everything back to your table to cook. (Each person at the table gets their own individual pot, which I personally prefer.) Nigiri, sashimi, maki, and donburi are ordered via the QR code menu on your table. 

The food selection for hot pot is fresh and nicely presented; all ingredients are stored in wall-to-wall, transparent-doored fridges that are well-stocked, incredibly clean, and properly labeled. The sauce station comes with a huge selection of condiments, and liquids are stored in pourable bottles so everything is neat and tidy (and, most importantly, avoids contamination). I was incredibly impressed with the quality and presentation of the food. The service was also lovely — super friendly, helpful, and attentive to our needs. Frankly, the only thing I regret is not leaving enough room for sushi. By the time we got through all of our hot pot selections, we were already quite full and I only had room left for a few pieces of sashimi and three pieces of nigiri. So, yes, I would absolutely make a return trip and do the premium menu again, but will need to be far more strategic with stomach space next time. A rookie mistake.

Gourmet Tribe

7500 Woodbine Ave., Unit 201

Markham, ON L3R 1A8

(647) 368-7732

Take Out: Original Takoyaki at Master Tako

Master Tako takoyaki box
Original takoyaki

FINALLY!!! A place that specializes in freshly made, authentic takoyaki in the Greater Toronto Area! That actually taste like the ones in Osaka!!! Crispy on the outside, lava hot and gooey on the inside, with big chunks of octopus on the inside and generous amounts of sauce and bonito flakes on top. The original ones are $9.99 which is two times more expensive than the ones in Japan, but IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT BECAUSE THEY'RE FREAKING DELICIOUS. Plus, they come in the cutest graphic box with matching toothpicks, chopsticks, and carrier bag — by far the fanciest packaging I have ever seen for takeout takoyaki. I will be back ASAP; they have eight other flavours that I have to try.

Master Tako

New Kennedy Square

8360 Kennedy Rd., Unit 52

Markham, ON L3R 9W4

(905) 305-9998

Dining Out: Japanese BBQ and Sushi at Gyuyaki

Went with Minji and Daniel to check out the newly-opened all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ and sushi restaurant, Gyuyaki:

Japanese BBQ spread

Prime kalbi

Spicy miso beef brisket

On the grill: Beef short ribs, black pepper beef brisket, mixed mushrooms with garlic, and clams with sake and butter

Smoked salmon tataki with tamarind sauce

Smoked beef tataki with ponzu sauce

Torched box sushi: Squid, scallop, salmon, and wagyu

The big draw here is that their menu includes AYCE sushi along with Japanese BBQ, so it's kind of like if Shinta and Ichiban had a baby. The only thing is that Gyuyaki doesn't really do either as well. The BBQ-sushi concept is great in theory but not so much in execution. The food is still decent, but we found that their cuts of meat aren't as fresh as Shinta and their sushi options aren't as well-prepared as Ichiban (or another similar AYCE sushi restaurant). That having been said, they do have a great variety of food on their menu, as well as a salad bar (the mango salad and spicy marinated bean sprouts are great as refreshers in between courses), a dessert bar (where, along with the usual ice creams and puddings at AYCE sushi places, you can make your own bingsu), and a self-serve fountain pop dispenser so you don't have to wait for a server for refills. 

The space is a little too cramped for my comfort, to the point where you might as well be sitting with your neighbours. (And hear all of their conversations, too.) Unless you get seated at a booth (which we were not), the tables are separated by plastic partitions on one side and about a foot of space on the other, so bear this in mind if you're a bit claustrophobic. Or want to have a slightly more private conversation. I might come here again once the hype has died down and we don't have to wait an hour (YES, AN HOUR — we literally watched over half of KPop Demon Hunters in Minji's Tesla) for a table. (Again, if you're interested in coming here, don't be stupid like us and MAKE A RESERVATION.) For now, though, I think I'd still go to Shinta for my Japanese BBQ cravings and Ichiban for AYCE sushi. 

One thing they do have over all other Japanese BBQ and AYCE sushi restaurants, however, is their operating hours — they don't close until 1:00AM. In case you have those late-night barbecued meat and sushi cravings.

Gyuyaki

5328 Highway 7, Unit 3

Markham, ON L3P 1B9

(905) 320-9988