Crow's Nest Barbershop

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Cafe Novo

http://cafenovo.ca/

We stopped over for a quick breakfast and a meet-up with friends from the area. Appears we were not the only ones with this idea on Sunday morning - there were a few other couples, although we thought it will be busier than that.

SHORT & SWEET
We had their cranberry scones were just out if the oven, very yummy and not too sweet. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much savory choice (food-wise) made on premises. The sandwiches were made by Foodbenders. There was a fairly large selection of them, but about 80% of the sandwich was focaccia-like bread - too much for our taste. The bread was not very fresh but the ingredients in there were quite flavorful. In addition, we could not get it warmed up, which was unfortunate. In retrospect, they were not bad cold though.
Cafe Novo is not too focused on breakfast food, however there is a large selection of coffee drinks and teas. Elizabeth, the owner, served us a great steeped tea and a freshly ground coffee.

FINISH
This cafe is about meeting local people and being social. The atmosphere will put you in the right mood. It is a very friendly place with a piano in the corner, stucco walls, weathered wooden tables and a chess board in the middle.

Cafe Novo is moving to Kensington due to rent increase which will be a loss for High Park, but gain for the new area! We will definitely visit them in their new location in a few months.

PS: check out their washroom, there is a fun word jumble on the door - anyone can circle their findings!

Burgernator

http://theburgernator.com/

In exploring our quick dinner options, we walked up Augusta. The idea was to have something good and relatively healthy. I remembered about the burger place recently opened with original design - I used to pass it on my way to work.Behold the Burgenator - an army themed burger joint!

APPEARANCE
ruby red, very dark and viscose
Inconspicuous from the outside (kind of camouflaged) and yet distinctly different, the place definitely attracts attention. Lots of well executed white type and small imagery occupies black walls inside.

NOSE
a hint of cherry, some cured meats
We spent first five minutes just walking around in awe and literally reading the walls. Everything, from quirky menu items to "you'll be back" type next to exit, was screaming with originality and a sense of good design touch. An interesting interior element - large sheets of plexiglass covered in writing about their locally sourced milkshakes and never frozen patties.

SWIRL
long legs with more intense smells coming out
A very friendly Lebanese owner (he chatted with us aftermath and we established his nationality) greeted us and offered to seat ourselves. Atmospherically, this place was definitely a step up from your regular burger shack. We made our choices, paid on a check-out repurposed iPad and seated ourselves.

PALATE
clay, savoury, heavy tannins
Now our meal - I got myself the Sergeant burger and ma cherie went for the turkey option (The Resistance). The vanilla milkshake made from local ice cream was ordered as well. Five more minutes of staring around and chatting about the place and our burgers landed on the table. The milkshake (which came two minutes before) was delicious! I am no big fan of ice cream, but this was truly well balanced. Not too sweet, just liquid enough to be enjoyed through the straw and not overly cold. A real delight. My Sergeant burger was relatively small (4 oz patty) and looked lonely when served in a metal tray without fries. Very tasty nonetheless. I would only complain a bit about dryness, but I find most beef burgers dry anyway. Grilled bun accented the charcoal notes in beef and made it well rounded. I added some relish to it, but probably should have dropped more condiments in. Since the patty was small, it would have helped for me to ask to grill it lightly.Ma cherie's option was more interesting - masala turkey burger with some curry. The meat was more tender and indian spices made the overall taste interesting. It was definitely loaded with sauces and veggies. She added some mustard as well. I would recommend hers over mine any day. Although, to be fair, my burger was only $5 comparing to $8.50 for the Resistance.Both burgers went well with the milkshake.

FINISH
A heavy, but well rounded aftertaste. Lighter than what was originally expected. 
A bit more chatter on the way out with our host/restaurant owner. The place was designed by a recent immigrant lady from York University from start to finish. We agreed that it was quite an accomplishment – original and well balanced.I was kind of tempted to try their Burgenator challenge from the Burgers of Mass Destruction side of the menu. Uh, well...next time...the writing on the wall told us to be back and will gladly oblige.

Overall... a relatively young Chianti, I would say.

Chinese Traditional Bun

http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/chinesetraditionalbuns

A good friend of mine brought me here once a few years back and I loved it.

APPEARANCE

brick red, unattractive, crammed bottle design

A shabby, basement-like entrance, thank god for their sign sticking out for people to notice it off Dundas. Next to it, on the tiled wall are 4 food shots leading to the main large red sign with yellow letters screaming for attention.

NOSE

bourbon, maple scents

Once you enter, the metal kitchen on the left really adds to the aromas around. At lunch time you can see the chef stretching and hitting the long noodles near the entrance. This time cheri and I were one of the few people there. We were rather early for dinner though. There is a small arc between the two dining areas. Beige walls, brown lines on them matching the brown chairs, yellow lights, red carpets and tablecloths. I've seen their efficient clean up, since all the tables are covered with layers of white plastic; once done, the ends are placed to the middle and all on the table is wrapped up and taken to the kitchen. 

A younger lady told you to sit as we wish. Each table has their own pile of sauces/spices. She placed the menus on the table with a sheet of paper and a pencil, so I figured she might not feel too comfortable speaking english. It turns, her english was great. She asked what we want to drink. Cheri just asked for tea and the served us a teapot with regular green tea, along with two tiny cups.

SWIRL

a lot going on; hints of bread-yeast smell

Their menus were red with white type and yellow boarder and chinese style ink art - very festive. To our advantage all dishes were translated. Aren't chinese characters efficient in space! 

The choice was wide. So after a long list and a bit of a confusion, we decided on what we wanted. We were not bother to hurry, as we had to write our own order down. We got one of their specialties Xi'an Cured Pork in Bread to share, followed by a Noodle Soup with Bokchoy & Chunky Beef Soup as well as Dried Noodles with Shredded Chicken. As the lady came by to look at what we wrote, she gave us a choice of noodle types. We asked for their house-made ones. She also checked how spicy for the Shredded Chicken, and we asked for mild.

PALATE

medium-bodied, smooth, sweet and herbal

Sipping on our tea, the bun came in no-time. The bread was rather flat and a bit dry (for a restaurant with bun in its name), but inside was one of the best pulled pork I've tasted - no bloody smell, all saucy strings. There were also a few herbs with a pronounced smell of cilantro. As much as I hate that herb, in this subtle case I actually found it light and refreshing.

Next, the soup was soo hot that I couldn't get my senses to flavour. Plenty of cilantro though, which I managed to fish out. Also some green onion, carrots and, of course, bokchoy. The meat inside was thick but lean and clean.

Overall the soup was a bit bland, but it was perfect together with the Shredded Chicken which turn out to be quite spicy. The julienned cucumber and carrot, together with the light chicken tried to contrast the spice in that thick sauce. Either way, the noodles were something else..a perfect texture and a light gummy tension in them.

FINISH

heady with hints of nutmeg

We took some time to finish it up as a few more more tables filled up.

It hit me that last time, there was a little silver barrel on the side with warm soy milk on self-serve basis but this time it was all dried up.. perhaps a lunch thing.

On our way out, cheri did notice a bow on the side. We weren't sure what they were but we took a few beans to go - raw soybeans. As Chinese call it, the bean of happiness.

overall, a traditional huangju wine

Aunties and Uncles

auntiesanduncles.ca

This is the top BlogTO brunch place.. and I love going through that list on a lazy weekend morning..


APPEARANCE
dry, pale
The outside feels pale and cold, no big sign, cuz a flat wall with siding, windows and doors but..

NOSE
light textured, floral
Once you step in this place feels like you are walking in a kid's room - bright, colourful, fun, decorated. The walls - imperfect and childlike - with airplane wallpaper coming off. Quite a few people were inside, enjoying the many illustrations and posters around (I'd say 60s style). The tables had a diner feel and I can swear the second floor was someone's house.. but I think I saw customers went up.

SWIRL
hint of red berries
The laminated off-white paper menu with script typeface surrounded by red frames seemed clashing at first, but overall have their own the mom-and-pop charm. The bar area was right by in the corner, for all to see, and as for the kitchen window in the wall, it felt so fun to play with cloth-clipping the orders on a wire.

PALATE
well balanced, surprising
Mon chéri and moi had the Breakfast Pocket and the Croque Monsieur, warm and filling. They both came with sides, we went for their homemade potatoes (a lovely dijon potato salad) as well as a house salad side. The only problem, which might be my complete hallucination, is a bunch of small white hairs.. but lets just say, I was not fully awake.

FINISH
sweet, unique, begging for more exploration
There was a line-up by the time we were leaving. Visited the tiny washroom downstairs, which definitely makes you feel like you are in someone's house. Overall, loved the place. Was a bit of a bummer that they only accept cash, but conveniently across the street is a bank.

overall.. an easy-going rosé