university – Fare..Eat..Ales

The fusion of music and food is a fundamental component to the theme of eateries all over. My son works at Five Guys and spends eight hours listening to classic rock while flipping burgers and dropping fries. Grand Electric blasts old school rap throughout the smallish confines while one eats some of the best tacos in the city. Some eateries take it a step further by creating an entire theme around their pop culture icons. For example, take Sky Blue Sky’s odd tribute to indie band Wilco or Fidel Gastro’s snack shop which pays homage to the Presley family at Lisa Marie.

One of the newer joints to follow this blueprint is 1 love kitchen, a drop in Caribbean place on Queen street. Not surprisingly, the menu revolves around jerk meats and features all the fixings including rice and peas and plantains. In a a Toronto twist, they also offer quinoa and beans for fans of the ever popular supergrain. A sketch of Bob Marley with his famous smile looks down on the modest interior which has seating for a couple of dozen people. A line of chaffing dishes housing the menu offerings is staffed by a single employee who was quite welcoming upon my entry from the bitter cold. I was grabbing take-out for myself and a colleague who was tormented by the hotel down the road’s lame attempt at gluten free/vegetarian offerings and needed some real food in order to get through the rest of the meeting. I went right for the jerk chicken with a side of rice and beans, cole slaw ($9.45) and plantains for an extra $1.25. The chicken was well seasoned and moist and the rice and slaw hit the spot. The plantains were a bit tough and dry. The portion sizes (especially the chicken) wwer rather large which somewhat justified the ten dollar price point.

Jerk Chicken with Rice/Peas and Slaw $9.45

My intent was to get the channa roti with buckwheat as a gluten free option but I was informed that this option never took off so they don’t offer it anymore. So, I ordered the veggy lover’s medley ($9.50) instead after finding out it was a chick pea based curry and therefore had adequate protein and was served with rice and peas and a side salad. The curry was well developed and hit an appealing bite at the end. The texture of the chick peas were spot on.

Veggy Delight with Rice/Peas and Slaw $9.50 — Veggy Lover’s Delight with Rice/Peas and Slaw $9.50

Another interesting point is that 1 Love Kitchen is part of Belly, a rather new reward program that allows numerous businesses to be linked to the same account thus cutting down on the need to carry 15 lunch cards around. With a scan of the Belly app, one will gain points and get rewarded for their ongoing loyalty sometime down the road.

My Take

In the midst of numerous burger joints, sub shops and hot dog carts, 1 love kitchen offers quick Caribbean cuisine for around 10 bucks. Sure, there are a bunch of hole-in-the-wall jerk chicken shacks which might be a bit cheaper, but the proximity of 1 love within the hub of hotels, hospitals etc coupled with the Belly reward program makes it a consideration for a quick lunch or dinner. It’s another example of the fusion of good music and good food. After all, I left sayin’: let’s get together and feel all right. Wo wo-wo wo-wo! before and after I filled my belly. Bet it would taste even better after embarking in some of Marley’s other “talents”. Too bad they don’t have late night hours.

I arrived in Toronto around 10:20 on Thursday night, parked and headed down the road to Momofuku noodle house, the much discussed David Chang restaurant in the Shangri-La Hotel on University Ave. Open for only a few days, the place was packed. I was greeted at the entrance and was able to bypass the crowd, not because I’m a famous food blogger but because I was solo and they had a single spot at the bar.

I was seated beside a rather distraught guy who seemed utterly confused by the hype of the place given the small menu, which offered a mere five bowls with some buns and sides and no dessert. He eventually had his many questions answered and settled on something. I was quickly greeting by a pleasant waitress who offered me a glass of water (which wasn’t empty for the rest of the night) and a quick explanation of the menu. I immediately noticed the precision and efficiency of the open kitchen which, like the service, ran like a symphony.

I settled on a seven spice sour slushie (sake, togarashi, yuzu, lime ($10))…say that 5 times fast or you get cut off… to start. A bit off the wall but a decent cocktail despite a few episodes of brain freeze due to the large straw and the fact that I drink like an eight-year old. I ordered pork buns, the ramen bowl, pickles and smoked wings. Within 15 minutes, the pickles arrived, followed by the buns and noodles. There was a mixup with the wings so I didn’t get them until for a while after the rest of the order came.

Must

The steamed pork buns ($10) were the highlight. A bit of a twist on the popular dim sum item, they were presented open-faced and filled with a tender pork belly and seasoned with a sweet sauce. Good thing I was dining alone because I might of fought somebody if they went for the second one.

momo pork buns — Steamed pork buns ($10)

Maybe

The ramen itself was beautiful and traditionally presented, complete with nori, pork two ways (shoulder and belly), and a soft egg. There was also a fish cake and a chinese cabbage. The pork, egg and ramen were cooked perfectly and the cabbage had a briny taste which contrasted the richness of the belly nicely. The broth, however, was a bit confusing. Quite dark in colour, it had an almost burnt taste which overpowered the other components of the bowl. I normally expect a broth to bring it all together, not stand out on its own. Perhaps I’m not as familiar with Chef’s Chang’s flavour profile, but I was left scratching my head.

I love pickles and will order them whenever I can. Momofuku’s version were presented in a small jar and mainly consisted of onions, carrots and cauliflower. It took me a bit to realize the bottom of the jar was lined with a mushroom cap as well. The vegetables were still crisp and tasty if you really like vinegar. On the other hand, I didn’t get the mushroom. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally pried it loose and could only manage a bite or two before giving up.

Mundane

I got roped in by the smoked chicken wings with pickled chili, garlic and scallion. As mentioned above, I didn’t get them right away but had a good opportunity to watch the preparation method in the open kitchen. They are browned on the griddle, broiled, seasoned and served. They were a good size and well seasoned but still contained a lot of unrendered fat which made them a bit too greasy. There’s no way I could eat anymore than two.

My Take

The opening of Shangra-La will bring some solid New York inspired dining along University avenue, an area in need of more eateries. Momofuku noodle bar is the first stab and comes with the backing of David Chang and his Michelin stars. As a result, there will be a lot of hype and a few people may be disappointed, especially given the fact it can be considered a bit on the pricy side. At the same time, this place will succeed and promise to offer a constantly evolving menu. Whether it is a few growing pains or just a bit of confusion in my understanding of the preparation, at the end I was left feeling a bit like the guy sitting beside me.

Tag: university

Filling my Belly at 1 Love Kitchen

Review:Toronto:Downtown: Momofuku