Scrumptious Brunch @ Marben

Been eyeing the french toast at Marben for quite some time now and finally got to make the trip downtown.

Since I was there early I went to the washroom to wash my hands. The decor in the washroom was interesting. This tree caught my eye. I couldn't help but touch it to see if it was made of real wood. Honestly I couldn't really tell.

Fuzion Resto-Lounge & Garden

I was browsing through my old photos and thought I would share some foodie pix.

I went to Fuzion Resto-Lounge & Garden for a snack with a couple of girlfriends.

The 120-year old Victorian house had 2 floors. The dining area on the first floor and a lounge on the top floor. There was also a patio outside. Unfortunately it was raining cats and dogs that day so we chose to stay dry indoors.

At first we were seated in the dining area and we found it to be really snug so we opted for the open lounge area. Much better. I like my space. I hate to be all cramped up. My arm can pretty much touch the people at the next table. It was a really cozy space and they definitely maximized their space by cramming in as much tables and chairs as they possibly could.

We ordered some appetizers to share. I don't remember exactly what we had ordered but I do remember it being tasty but the portions were very small. Although it was a bit on the pricey side nonetheless, it was delicious.

I remembered the service was really great. The servers were very friendly and attentive. We were trying to take pictures and they were so nice to offer a helping hand.

I would love to return and sit in their tropical oasis out in the courtyard. Hopefully the weather will be kind to me next time.

TOTAL BILL $40-50...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Soho Bistro

Last Thursday I went out for dinner with a couple of friends.

After receiving my menu, I was overwhelmed by the variety of food options. My friends decided to go with the prix fixe menu but me being the curious one I just had to look at the regular menu to see if there was anything better to order. I just couldn't decide there were just too many to choose from. So I decided to keep it simple and order from the prix fixe menu as well. However, even looking at that menu I still couldn't decide. After much deliberation I finally settled on the prix fixe menu.

To start off the meal here were our appetizers. Grilled calamari on spicy rice and sesame vinaigrette and crab cake atop of stir fry vegetables. The calamari was under seasoned and the rice was not spicy at all. It was just drizzled with sesame oil. What happened to the salt? That's all that was needed to give it some flavor. The portion itself felt like a meal rather than an appetizer. I don't normally complain when I am given too much food but this I could have done with just a smaller portion since it was lacking in flavor. Unlike the calamari, the crab cakes were seasoned quite well. There was also carrot, ginger and potato soup but wasn't worth a picture since once again it was missing some seasoning. Just tasted like plain carrot juice with a bit of salt and ginger in it.

Here were our entrees. Duck confit on garlic mashed potato with fresh herb glaze, smoked chicken with sundried tomatoes and cremini mushroom risotto, and pan seared Atlantic salmon with dill caper crust.

My risotto was yummy after the first few bites but then eventually I kind of got bored of it. Just look at my plate it's just one big pile of saucy rice. No matter how many spoonfuls I ate it never appeared to go away. Felt like the rice kept magically reappearing out of thin air. My friend's duck confit was delicious. As for the salmon it was mediocre. Nothing special to me.

Now onto the final course, our desserts.

Chocolate-caramel pecan torte, duo mousse and flourless chocolate cake. Out of all 3 my favourite was the chocolate cake. It was light and fluffy. The pecan torte was definitely full of pecans but a bit too much for me. My mouth got tired from biting into all those nuts. As for the mousse I'm not a really big fan of mousse to begin with. I don't even like eating icing as much in cakes. I like to eat the fluffy cake part rather than the cream and all. Yes this is one of my strange quirks. Just like when it comes to beef patties. I like to eat the flaky yellow pastry but the meat itself I just scoop it out and toss it away. Why don't I like it? I don't really know. I just know that I don't. Weird, uh?

Ok enough rambling about my peculiar behaviour.

I would like to give a special thanks to my friend Nina because without her camera I would never have gotten these beautiful photos to post on my blog. Although I did have to spam her a bit till she finally cracked and emailed them to me. Now the question is will she ever bring her camera out to dinner again? Then again will she ever go to dinner with me again??? Guess we will soon find out since we are suppose to go out again next month.

My conclusion for Soho Bistro. Although some dishes lacked seasoning still the remaining dishes were good enough to make me want to return. Next time I will try out their brunch menu. Maybe out on the patio this time but guess that won't be till next year since winter will soon be around the corner. I hate winter. Summer please come back so I can sit in a patio. Pretty please.

TOTAL BILL $92...MAY EAT AGAIN?!

I Wanna Eat This Cigar

Doesn't it just look mouth watering?! Ok not really more like ewww who would eat that. First of all, I want to clarify I hate cigarettes and cigars aren't any different but this is completely edible and is made to look like a cigar (thank god or else people would have thought I was a complete wacko for wanting to eat tobacco). Just look at it doesn't the ashes look realistic or what. Chef Homaro Cantu revels in making food look like one thing but taste like another. Here is an example which is Cantu's interpretation of the traditional Cuban sandwich. It is made from pulled pork, pickled cucumber, onion, white bread, and a collard green wrap. Complete with edible paper band and "lit" (red bell pepper puree) and served "ashes" (toasted black and white sesame seeds) in an ash tray. Doesn't sound like the typical ingredients for a Cuban cigar now does it.

Chef Cantu owns Moto, situated in Chicago's Fulton Market neighborhood, one of the restaurants most linked with molecular gastronomy. What does molecular gastronomy even mean? Well I didn't know so had to google it. Here is the definition from the Wikipedia. "Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general." The only thing I got from reading all that was it has to do with science and that is definitely not my area of interest; however, food is.

Each night, Moto offers up a 10-course tasting menu for $115, or the 20-course GTM (Grand Tasting Menu) for $175. Pretty pricey but I think anything to do with science is expensive anyways. Question is will it be worth paying for.

Moto's signature item is edible photographs of food--flavored to taste like the real deal. With the aid of a modified Canon i560 inkjet printer, it prints flavoured images onto edible paper. The print cartridges are filled with food-based "inks", including juiced carrots, tomatoes and purple potatoes, and the paper tray contains sheets of soybean and potato starch. The printouts are coated with picture-matching flavoring by dipping them in a powder of dehydrated soy sauce, squash, sugar, vegetables or sour cream, and then they are frozen, baked or fried. Here is a picture of Moto's take on sushi even though it contains no actual fish and cotton candy flavored paper.

The philosophy of the restaurant is to push the boundaries of known taste, texture and technique and to change the way that people perceive and eat food. This is definitely on my list of "Restaurants to Try" if I ever travel to the windy city.

For now, the only molecular cuisine nearby for me to test out is Colborne Lane. But first let me save up for it because it definitely won't be light on my wallet.