Sushi on 7

It's been years since I have AYCE Japanese food due to my limited interest in Japanese food.  For years when I think of AYCE sushi, it will have to be Sushi on 7 due to the wide varieties and selections of food available.  Today, Miss H Wong aka my sister and I went out for a sister bonding and some sushi at Sushi on 7.  We were there around 6:30 but the restaurant filled up 7pm during dinner time.

We ordered Seaweed Salad, Salmon and White Tuna Sashimi, Tempura, Sashimi Pizza, Soft Shell Crab Roll, Fried Uragi Roll, Green Dragon Roll and Green Tea/Red Bean/Mango ice-cream.  The portions and the freshness of the sashimi were great.  I like the Soft Shell Crab roll because it is rare and I never ordered it in any Jap restaurants before.  This time, I actually thought Sushi on 7 is a pretty standard Chinese-opened all you can eat Jap food restaurant, and nothing more.  In 'to.live.my.life''s opinion, the restaurant did meet the general standards and a rating of 5/10 is given.  In a bias position, sushi is not my favourite and it is believed that the quality of an AYCE restaurant is worst than a normal restaurant.   

Pondicherry Caters (Tasty Thursday)

My second Tasty Thursday lunch at Nathan Philips Square was with Pondicherry Caters, and of course Miss.C.Chan and I chose the longest line with the most tempting food of all.  Pondicherry Caters's booth was cooking Malaysian food, Merthabak in particular.  Pondicherry Caters is probably a catering company but I cannot find their website online and it seems like they participate in food events in Toronto. 

Merthabak is a stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread with chicken or beef or other meat stuffed inside.  The line was long because of the waiting time.  Each piece of pancake/bread had to be fried on the spot, whereas  other booths might be serving food already prepared.  However, it was pretty interesting to see how our Merthabak lunch was prepared.

Overall, the Chicken and Beef Merthabak tasted very much the same.  It was filling and the stuffing inside the pancake/beard was a little spicy.

This lunch was different since I got to experience something new try something never heard of or seen before.  'To.live.my.life' rates Pondicherry Caters's Merthabak a 7/10 because it was considered a more expensive Tasty Thursdays lunch ($7) with average quality of the food.  However, the idea and the type of food is limited in the Toronto community (from what I know), so it is definitely worth a try if one ever sees Pondicherry Cater's booth/stand around town.

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.

North 44 (Summerlicious)

Finally have time to sit down to write this long overdue blog about my first Summerlicious meal from a month ago at North 44.  Out of the many restaurants on the Summerlicious list, my friends selected this fancier and more popular restuarat located in midtown Toronto, North 44.  High standards from the food and the environment were somewhat expected. 

The restaurant was well designed and romantic.  I sat for more than half an hour waiting for 2 others to come, so Miss.A Wong and I had a lot of their bread which was pretty good and soft.

For appetizer, I ordered Steak Tartare with fried capers, grainy mustard and fresh country toast.  The portion was small but I never had Steak Tartare before, so it felt funny and new but I enjoyed it.

One of my friend got a vegetarian appetizer, Minted Sweet Pea Ravioli with crushed pecans, brown butter and sage. I tried a little bit and the taste of mint felt very freshing.

For main, I ordered the Roasted Chicken supreme with spinach risotto, heriloom carrots and nautral jus.  Surprisingly, this dish was actually very filling because of the risotto, and the piece of chicken was considerably huge.  However, I have to admit that the chicken is a little dry.  I want to make risotto now after trying this dish out!

My friend ordered a 6oz Steak with Ontario asparagus and roasted potatoes.  I think this was the best main course dish out of the three from the Summerlicious menu.  The steak was very tender and the portion was just right.

One of my other friend ordered the Pan Seared Halibut with tempura onion rings, bok choy and miso sauce. 

The best part  of the dinner is again desset.  I ordered the Banana Strudel with Chocolate Ice Cream & Sponge Toffee.  I only give complements to desserts, but truthfully, the sponge toffee was very delicious. 

My friend ordered the Summer Peach Upside down Cake with sour cream ice cream.  This one was actually the dessert that the waiter recommeneded and said it is currently the most popular one in the resturant.  However, my friend thought it wasn't too special because the cake was just a slice of very ordinary sponge cake.

'To.live.my.life' rates North 44 with a 8/10 based on the fancy decor and high quality of food.  However, the portions were small probably due to the fact it was for Summerlicious.  I will love to go back to try out their other dishes, but the prices are pretty high for a normal casual person like me :p

Horrible Bosses

From Flixster, “Fro Nick, Kurf and Dale, the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses into dust.  Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling excon, the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to ride themselves of their respective employers – permanently.  There’s only one problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.” 

Another Tuesday movie night right especially right after handing in my assignment is the best.  “Horrible Bosses´ is just the right movie because it’s a comedy and you can laugh right through it without thinking.  The plot was somewhat flimsy and lame..but what more can you ask for in a comedy.  All the actors and actresses were great, they really showed all horrible their bosses were and how much they hated their Horrible Bosses.    To.live.my.life rates Horrible Bosses a 7/10.  This is just my opinion, it’s harder to find a movie that acts upon reality and acts it well.

Tekka Japanese Restaurant

Thanks to Mr. C.Li for lunch!  Nice catch up time once again, and your 'Sky 9' meal will be on us next time (...or maybe not)!

Tekka Japanese Restaurant, a Japanese restaurant that I will never pass by or have never heard of.  The restaurant is very open and somewhat small once entered.  Even though the waitresses looked Japanese, but the restaurant doesn't give me much of an authentic Japanese restaurant feel, however that's just my opinion.

We ordered a lot for lunch that day!  First, for appetizer, we got Sunomono, it is assorted seafood and cucumber mixed with sweet vinegar sauce.  However, as I remembered I only tasted cucumbers in it.  I didn't taste any seafood, maybe it's because I only had around two bites of it and did not eat the shrimps.

Next, came our rolls. Smoke and Fire Roll - Smoke salmon on shrimp dynamite roll, and Black Dragon Roll - BBQ eel on shrimp tempura and avocado roll.  I am not a big fan of sushi, only the ones that eat with me a lot knows, but I like Tekka's sushi rolls.  Their assortments in their rolls are different and they have a lot of varieties.

18 Pieces Sashimi - There were 9 types of sashimi, each with 2 pieces.  The sashimi varieties were common and are the typical ones from most Japanese restaurants.

After all those, the 4 of us were not full at all.  To end off, we had to order more. The Beef on Skewers, which I can make at home myself, and the Tekka Special Fried Rice, which was pretty expensive and it could also be made at home.

'To.live.my.life' believes that a 7.5/10 is well-deserved for Tekka Japanese Restaurant.   The sushi rolls and sashimi are quite delicious, but what losses points in my mind are the cooked food.

La Cocina de Doña Luz Restaurant (Tasty Thursday)

Tasty Thusday: A summer weekly event in Nathan Phillip Squares that I've wanted to attend ever since last year.  Finally, Mr.K.Szeto and I had our first Tasty Thurday lunch of the year outside under the sun today.  Sometimes it is hard to choose what to eat, but with no doubt we lined up in the longest line of all.  We ended up under La Cocina de Doña Luz Restaurant's booth.

What is good about Tasty Thursdays is everything is under $7.  We both had a Spicy Chicken combo with a piece of chicken, salad and rice for only $5.  It was certainly an excellent deal based on quality, quantity and price.  In rare occassions, I love western style fried rice.  The spicy chicken was really hot and it was nice since they put some of the hot sauce on my rice and salad too. 

'To.live.my.life' rates her first Tasty Thursday lunch with a 7.5/10 because the whole meal was good but average.  One can eat such a combo in many places, so it wasn't really special afterall.  However, it was worth a try and I would probably try out the restaurant someday if I pass by it.