Guu Sakabar

Guu is Guud. If you don't know what Guu is then you must be living in a cave.

My first Guu experience was at Guu Izakaya along Church. That was the first restaurant I have ever waited in line for. One hour to be exact but it was so worth the wait.

Now another Guu restaurant opened up just a few months ago, Guu Sakabar. Surprisingly, this time I didn't even have to wait in line at all. Yayyy!

This location has 2 dining areas. One area is similar to the other location where there are communal tables and seating by the bar. The other area looked like you are sitting on the floor but there's a space in the ground to dangle your legs so technically you're not really sitting on the floor. Note you have to remove your shoes before entering this area so be sure your feet don't smell otherwise it's just unpleasant for those around you. Luckily I didn't have that issue.

Here was the specials for the day.

Tsuki Pt 2 Not so Good

Tsuki Izakaya was so good the last time we were here I just don't understand what happened this time around. Maybe it was because we arrived at a quarter to one in the morning but hey they close at 2am and the place was still half filled. Then again think the patrons are just there to drink since most of the tables had a bottle of sake or some sort of alcoholic drink. Or maybe it was a different chef. Regardless I was pretty disappointed with the food.

The complimentary tofu dish wasn't so great tonight. It was a bit warm unlike last time it was served cold. It was still flavorful but the coldness made a big difference for me.

Here is the ankimo which is steamed monk fish liver with ground daikon and ponzu. It tasted like some sort of pate. I think some crackers or bread would have been nice since it was a bit too fishy on its own.

Next is the natto with 2 sides of Japanese pickle and a quail egg. You pour the yolk into the bowl and mix everything around. Added a bit of soy sauce to it and it wasn't that bad. My boyfriend didn't like the gooey texture.

Here is the grilled Gyu tongue with salt and pepper. The sliced beef tongue was delicious. Unlike Embrujo, this did not taste like an actual tongue. The texture was just like any other piece of meat. I did not have any problem swallowing this down.

My boyfriend also ordered the 21 piece sashimi and Korean style beef sashimi which we had ordered on our last trip. Unfortunately, the sashimi was a huge letdown. It was not fresh at all instead it was frozen fish they had served us. The beef sashimi was tasty but it should have been colder.

Overall, an epic fail. I don't know if I would ever return again. I like the service and the fact that it's opened late night. But then again the food did not live up to my expectations at all.

TOTAL BILL $64...MAY EAT AGAIN?!

Tsuki Izakaya

5182 Yonge Street

(close to Sheppard)

416-229-6719

Embrujo Flamenco

My 2 girlfriends and I went for dinner at Embrujo Flamenco.

It was a very quiet night with only 2 other tables of patrons.

We were seated next to the tiny stage used for their flamenco show. It was a Tuesday night so there were no performances that evening.

We order a few dishes to sample.

Here is the paceta which is pork belly with cantaloupe and something similar to mashed potatoes but a more creamier version. The meat was really tender and flavorful. The cantaloupe balls were a nice added touch of contrast to the dish.

Here is the chorizo envuelto. It is a puff pastry filled with chorizo and grated cheese. It was very flaky. I just liked the pastry part I didn't really care for the filling. Then again I love pastries. Even beef patties I love to eat the flaky yellow pastry but when it comes to the beef I just scoop it out and toss it away.

Here is the lengua a la vizcaina which is tongue served in a tomato vizcaina sauce. The texture of this was not pleasing nor appetizing at all. I just had one bite and I almost spat it back out. It was repulsive.

Here is the calamares a la romana. The fried squid was tasty but just a bit too greasy.

Here is the pato con peras which is duck confit with pears. It was delicious. Tender succulent meat and a side of sweet pear. Great combination.

Here is the bacalao con samfina which is codfish served in a tomato base Spanish stew with olives and almonds. We waited for quite a while for this dish only to find that the fish was overcooked. It tasted too rubbery.

Although there were a few hits I just couldn't overlook the huge disasters. The food is overpriced and the quality of the food does not justify the price at all. Out of the 6 dishes I only liked 2. Thankfully we had a voucher otherwise I just couldn't see this as being worth that much.

TOTAL BILL $70...ONCE IS ENOUGH!!!

Tsuki Izakaya

Raw octopus and raw beef?

Who knew I would love it so much.

I wanted to try some place new and I remembered seeing Tsuki Izakaya one day while walking along Yonge. It is located seconds away from North York Centre Station about 2 stores down from Asian Legend.

I got my boyfriend to come with me to try out the resto.

It used to be a Chinese restaurant before it changed to a Korean restaurant called Ehwa and now it is Tsuki.

I hope Tsuki is here to stay because it is absolutely phenomenal.

Here is the complimentary tofu dish. It was pretty tasty. Not sure what kind of sauce was in the bowl but it was yummy.

At the very top is the sashimi salad with vegetables, seafood, sashimi and sesame dressing. It was refreshingly delicious. I loved the dressing. It went perfectly well with the fish and greens.

Next is the Tako wasabi which is raw octopus with chopped wasabi stem and sliced onion served in a martini glass. It was like the Asian version of ceviche. It was scrumptious with a nice kick from the wasabi stem. I never tasted raw octopus before and now it will not be my last.

Here is the magnificent 21 piece sashimi. It was one of the freshest fish I have ever had in a long time.

Here is the spider roll. It was tasty just like any other spider roll so not much to comment here.

Last, but definitely not least, is the Korean style beef sashimi with soya dressing, shaved green onion and raw egg yolk. Do not be intimidated by the color nor the rawness of the meat. It is sublimely the best way to eat raw meat. I ate the delicious food in a kind of shell-shocked state hardly believing it was actually raw beef. It was exquisitely well prepared and seasoned to perfection. Also it didn't even feel like meat. It had a buttery texture which just melted in your mouth.

Every dish was outstanding except for the mediocre spider roll. Not one dish I would complain about. I can't wait to return and try the remaining dishes. Great spot to hang out with friends and have a beer. Although I don't really drink beer however, these dishes are meant to be eaten as an accompaniment to alcohol. In Japan, an izakaya is a spot people head to for a drink and the food is just an added bonus. Here at Tsuki I say, "Hold the sake! Give me the food!".

TOTAL BILL $65...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Tsuki Izakaya

5182 Yonge Street

(close to Sheppard)

416-229-6719

Guu is Guud

I found out about Guu from watching the show Toronto Dining. It looked interesting so thought I would give it a try.

Unfortunately on my first trip I didn't realize that they didn't serve lunch so I had to make another trip. I ended up going on a Friday night. I got there at 6pm and the place opened at 5pm yet there was already a long line of people waiting outside. I ended up waiting for an hour before my name finally got called out. Wow I have never waited for more than 10 minutes for a table before so I was having pretty high expectations for this place.