Shiso Tree Cafe

This is my second time visiting Shiso Tree Cafe.  The first time was last year before I started blogging and I thought the concept of having Japanese-Italian style food was pretty unique.  However, I never went back until today.

My sister and I arrived at Shiso Tree Cafe located in J-Town at around 6:30 pm.  The restaurant was pretty quite but it started to filled up very quickly.  I love the environment there because it was bright, quiet and modern.  All these combined makes you want to stay there comfortably and enjoy yourself for the rest of the night.

Both of us ordered one of the Shiso pasta served with Shiso Tree Salad and Garlic Bread.  We didn't go for the set meal for an additional $8 that comes with soup and a slice of Japanese-style cake as well.  However, we regretted it when we saw the soup served to the table next to us.  I am not sure what kind of soup it was but it just simply looked delicious.  The Shiso Tree Salad was served with mixed greens, cucumbers, carrots and miso-based vinaigrette.  The salad was awesome because it was cold enough so it seemed fresh; however, some of the veges at the bottom didn't physically look fresh to me.

The pasta that I opted for was the Shrimp Okonomiyaki pasta served with shrimps and bacon bites.  The sauce cooked with it is different than the tomato or the cream sauce that we always get from Italian restaurants.  It was simply amazing!

My sister ordered the Shoyu and Mushrooms pasta that was cooked with Japanese soy based sauce and served with enoki, king oyster and shimeji mushrooms.  The sauce used for this pasta was a lot more mild compared to the sauce for my pasta.  Taste buds certainly calmed themselves when I took a little bit of this to try but it tasted absolutely great.

The dinner was excellent at Shiso Tree Cafe.   I will certainly come back again since the food is unique and it is close to my home.  The pasta was cooked just right and the thickness of the pasta matches the dish amazingly well.  To.live.my.life grants a rating of 8/10 to Shiso Tree Cafe.  Next time I will try their fries for sure because I came home and read some very good reviews about them!

Paese Ristorante

Before the TFC vs. LA Galaxy last week, I had dinner at Paese Ristorante on King Street W because I wanted to use the wagjag $25 for $50 food and drinks deal before the voucher expires this month.  We got there around 6pm and the restaurant was still pretty quite.  The atmosphere was quite relaxed and chilled.  We were lucky that we got there early because it was completely full around 6:30.

We decided to share our dishes as we usually do, starting with an Antipasto, the Grilled Octopus ($14).  It was served with potato salad, grilled escarole, mint, lemon, and chili oil.  We were surprised because the portion was tiny, there were only two slices of potatoes and four pieces of octopus.  It tasted really soft and more like fish than octopus, but it was quite different from the way I used to eat octopus.  This is different in a good way :)

For our main dishes, we ordered a pizza and a pasta.  The Prosciutto Bianca ($17) was the pizza we opted for, it was served with prosciutto cotto, arugula, fior di latte and tomato.  The pizza was actually served with prosciutto cotto which is a cooked ham instead of a smokey ham, which we had in mind when we ordered.

The pasta that we ordered was the Veal and Spinach Ravioli ($20).  The ravioli was stuffed wtih veal, pork, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, sage and butter sauce.  The portion was just right but the ravioli was a bit too thick.  It wasn't as tasty as thought to be.

Overall, the meal was satisfying.  Nothing too extraordinary, nor disappointing, so a rating of 7/10 will be given to Paese Ristorante.  

Il Fornello @ Bayview Village

Never been to, but seen and heard of Il Fornello through a few media locations before. On a Sunday girls night out dinner, my two girlfriends and I decided to try it out.  The atmosphere was quiet and relaxing, our waitress and service were excellent.  All of us wanted to try different things on the menu, so we decided to share all our dishes.

We started with the Calamari for appetizer.  We opted for the 'grilled alla puttanesca' served with tomatoes, black olives, capers, lemon, olive oil.  If one likes spicy and sour mixed in a dish, then this will be a perfect appetizer for them.

Next, we decided to get a pasta and a pizza.  We weren't sure what to get so the waitress recommended us  the Penne Capri served with grilled chicken, mushrooms, spinach, cherry tomatoes, white wine garlic and grana padano.  It is one of the lighter pasta on the menu.  It was definitely worth a try because it tasted delicious with quite a few slices of chicken mixed in the pasta.

Last but not least, we opted for the Fichi pizza.  It was served with mascarpone, prosciutto, figs, shaved grana padaneo, honey, and arugula.  This pizza was also recommended by our waitress and I like it very much.  It was a bit sweet and fruity which made it very special.

To.live.my.life was extremely satisfied with the dining experience from Il Fornello, and will recommend and dine there again in the future. A rating of 8.5/10 will be given due to the highly rated food and service qualities. 

Frankie Tomatto's

Passed by the Leaning Tower of Pisa all the time and have been there ages ago.  We've talked about dining at Frankie Tomatto's for months and finally we were there on a weekday night for some casual all you can eat Italian food.  It was surprisingly pretty busy.  The restaurant was considerably huge and they have spent time with their Italian decor (along with some Christmas decorations at this time of the year).

As one can guess, Frankie Tomatto's serves antipasto, pizza and pasta.  However, they also have seafood, Parmesan, pastries, insalada, rotisserie, zuppa, carvery, al forno, and ice-cream.  The food quality was average and met my standards for an all you can eat restaurant.  The price was actually pretty decent, the bill came to around $40 including tips for two.  To.live.my.life will give a rating of 7/10 for Frankie Tomatto's due to its positive reputation built up over many years, and the reasonable price charge for the quality of food provided.

Unionville Co. Restaurant

A night out with the girls at Main Street Unionville.  Main Street was extremely busy that night due to the Jazz Festival, we managed to get a table on the rooftop patio at Unionville Co. Restaurant for dinner that night.  The restaurant is more petite than we thought, however the environment at second level patio is great since it is quiet and peaceful (unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures from the patio).

We ordered some healthy non-alcoholic drinks at to start with.

We decided to share since there were too many things on the menu we wanted.
Here is the menu of or night:
1) Sweet Potato Fries served with chipotle mayo
2) St.Louis BBQ Ribs served with house brewed bbq sauce, and fries
3) Roast Duck Pizza  served in thin crust with mushrooms, arugula, and goat cheese

The food were great, nothing too outstanding or disappointed.  However, credits must be given to the pizza because I personally dislike anything to do with goat/lamb.  I still love the pizza so it was amazing.  'To.live'my.life' rates a 7.5/10 to Unionville Co. Restaurant

Mercatto @ Bay St.

Finally!  Today was my second time dining at Mercatto ever since I started working, even though I pass by it almost every single day.  I met up with a previous co-op mate and FAP-mate, Mr. N.Li, for lunch since we're both working close to Mercatto.  I always wanted to go back for a second try ever since I stepped out Mercatto's door last time.  


We arrived before noon, so it was still pretty quiet.  We managed to have a nice catch-up time, and a nice casual lunch.

I ordered the Spaghettinin served with calamari, calms, beard crumbs and chili.  HOT!  That's the only word I can use to describe my pasta.  Hot to describe both the taste, and also the combination of the ingredients of the pasta dish.

Mr. N.Li ordered the Orecchiette served with fennel sausage, rapini and peperoncini.  I never tried the dish but the only comment that Mr. Li provided me was the pasta was too salty.

Overall, 'to.live.my.life' believe that Mercatto deserves a 8.5/10. It is a popular place for lunch in the financial district.  By 12:30, the restaurant was packed. Also, Rob Rossi, one of the top chef in Canada' was an Executive Chef, hence the quality of the food should be acceptable to all.  I will definitely back for a third time in the future.

Spacco Restaurant and Bar

It's hot!  It's sunny! It's PATIO time!  Love dining at patios this year.  A random Wednesday night after work, Mr. Yu and I went to a midtown patio 'Spacco Restaurant and Bar' for dinner.  I requested for a patio that's not on located right on a main street and Spacco is a perfect one.  It is facing Yonge but the patio is further in.  Probably due to the nice hot weather, it was surprising that the patio was nearly filled and there were more and more people coming later in the night too.

We ordered Grilled Calamari made with roasted cherry tomatoes, black olives, lemon, garlic, and spicy extra virgin olive oil for appetizer.  It was delicious and smells mouth-watering for an appetizer.

As our love for spicy and hot food continues, I chose Spicy Fettucine served with ground Italian sausage, wild mushrooms, fresh peas, and extra virgin olive oil.  I love this pasta because I've never had spicy pasta before.  It is so addicting, and doesn't feel too filling or heavy at all, you just want to keep eating!

...And as Mr. Yu's love in cheese continues, he had the honour to chose our pizza of the night, and he chose Quattro formaggio with asiago, provolone, and gorgonzola cheese.  I couldn't say it was the best pizza or anything, but I like the thin curst and the taste of chessey-ness due to the four cheese 'toppings'.

Spacco Restaurant and Bar has a relaxing and chilling patio, and nice food.  What more can you ask for on a Wedsnesday after work night in a midtown patio?  'To.live.my.life' rates this dining patio experience with a 8/10.

Fabbrica

"Fabbrica" popped up at me this week through talks with different groups of friends.  For the reunion with my two best friends from elementary school (one I haven't seen since grade 6, and the other since 2 years ago), we decided to go to Shops at Don Mills for either Joey's or Fabbrica.  It was a Friday night after all, so it was expected that Fabbrica will mostly likely be the place we'll end up dining.  Before we were arrived at Fabbrica, we stopped by Mark McEwan, it was a high-end supermarket with a lot of the pasta sauces and ingredients Fabbrica use across the street.  I reserved a table at Fabbrica, so we got settled in right away.  The atmosphere was nice and casual, however it wasn't as quiet as we expected it to be in terms of the noise level.  It was a typical Italian restaurant, my friend said she loves the vinegar that comes with the bread.  For me, it was nothing too special, maybe because I didn't like anything too oily. 

All three of us decided to ordered pasta.  I have been craving for some pasta the past week, so this was a great opportunity.

I ordered Linguine, it was served with claims, shirmps, white wine, garlic and chili.  I like the dish, because I am not too picky with food so it is hard to go wrong, especially with pasta served to me.  The white wine was strong, which I love, but again I didn't like the layer of oil I had to dealt with close to the end.

I tasted both of my friends' pasta.  This one is Pappardelle, it was served with braised short rib, tomato and basil.  I like this one because I always enjoyed the thick pasta (the chewing part, weird eh?), it is even thicker than fettuccine. 

The next one is Tortiglioni, it was served with oven baked Fabbrica meatballs, tomato and buffalo mozzarella.  I think I like this one more than my Linguine, even though I only tried a very small quantity of the pasta.  I love the tomato sauce and the cheese inside the pasta.  However, I think this pasta is very heavy and filling because of all the cheese.  (My friend was fighting with the cheese throughout the meal, while we were chatting...lol)

Overall, 'to.live.my.life.' gives Fabbrica a 7.5/10.  Their pasta are in no doubt very delicious, however I don't think I will be back anytime soon due to the fact that it is over-priced.  One can get the same quality of pasta with a cheaper price.  It is always worth of a try though.

Osgoode Hall Restaurant

My first time at Osgoode Hall today, I'm so close to it from work and I never knew that right across the street from me is the Law Society of Osgoode Hall.  My friend was referred to the "Osgoode Hall Restaurant" by her coworkers, it surely is a hidden dining hall.  The restaurant is only opened from noon to 2pm in September to June.  The dining hall is surrounded with law-books and stained glass.  It is common to have judges and lawyers seated right next to you for lunch in Osgoode Hall!

Osgoode Hall Restaurant

My friend and I both ordered the "Chef's Menu' with 3 courses, we found it very much like a Summerlicious lunch for us.  For appetizer, Niagara Prosciutto with White Asparagus was served.  I found the ham a bit too salty.  The portion of the appetizer was small, and overall I wasn't too satisfied with it.   Pan Seared Lois Lake Steelhead Trout served with shiicake mushrooms, wild rice and beurre blanc was the main dish.  I love the fish because of the white and green sauces that comes with it.  The portion of the fish was perfect and it was very fresh.  Last but not least, the dessert was the best.  We had Ontario Rhubarb & Strawberry Crumble with Almond Ice-Cream.  The mix of the dessert was very well combined because the rhubarb and strawberry sauce was very special, and never had anything like that.  The rhubarb and strawberry crumble really did filled me up, and I also love almond ice-cream. On the bias side, I must say that the dessert was the best of all in the lunch meal at Osgoode Hall Restaurant, and in 'to.live.my.life''s opinion, the restaurant deserves a 7/10 . *Just a quick reminder:  If you want a taste in this dining hall, there's only 3 more weeks and then you  have to wait until the fall in September!