Love for the Locals: Zen Gardens

The end of my program here is drawing near, and some friends that I've made during my stay are starting to go off into different directions. Last night, we had a get together for dinner only a few days before my friend, Meagan moves away, at one of her favourite restaurants in London - Zen Gardens. It isn't unique to London as they have multiple locations in Eastern Canada, mostly in Ontario, with 1 in Quebec, and 1 in New Brunswick. However, between my two visits to the one in London, their food and service have been consistently impressive.

Zen Gardens (344 Dundas Street, London, ON) isn't my typical eatery because it's a vegetarian restaurant, but I have yet to have something there that I didn't find enjoyable. It's a smaller restaurant that seats about 40 people, with simple Asian-inspired decor. It's really easy to get to because it's on the route of the 2 Dundas, one of the most frequent busses here. The menu is comprised of Japanese and Chinese-inspired dishes with vegan and gluten-free options available. The prices are quite decent, and in cases where your meals haven't been too spread out, it's likely that you'll have leftovers. 

My initial visit was with my school project group, where one of my classmates, Andrea had a severe fish allergy. Being a vegetarian restaurant, there was no problem for her at all. I have to say that I was very skeptical at first. When I initially moved to London, it was a bit alarming to find that Chinatown doesn't even exist. As well, in the first 2 weeks that I was here for, the only other person of Asian descent that I found lived in the same student residence building as me - the one where all the international exchange students live. Partly due to an immense state of hunger, I gave Andrea the benefit of a doubt, and to my pleasant surprise, it was definitely a good pick!

So, when Meagan mentioned that she wanted to go to Zen Gardens for her farewell dinner, I was totally in.

Zen Gardens Vegetarian Restaurant in London (beside Budapest, an apparently underrated Hungarian restaurant).

Tofu and Mushroom Casserole ($14) - I had this on my first visit, and it was delicious. It wasn't exactly what I would call a "casserole", but it was more like a Tofu and Mushroom Hot Pot that you can get in most Chinese restaurants. There was a good variety of mushrooms - shiitake, button, white, enoki, king mushrooms, in addition to fried tofu, carrots, and bok choy hidden underneath. I could only finish half of it, and had to take the rest home! It made me feel like I should have come here when I was missing the authentic Chinese food I ate so often back home in Edmonton. In most cases for the first 2/3 of the year I was here, I would just wait until I visited my relatives in Toronto to eat things like this. 

Curry Steak Rice ($9) - I was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to find out what a "soy steak" was like. It didn't taste much like meat, but the texture was actually pretty similar to meat for something made out of soy. The curry was delicious - mildly spicy, with a good mix of veggies (mushrooms, peas, green bell peppers, carrots, and potatoes), and fried tofu. I would probably get it again, but there are so many things on their menu to try.

Vegetable Tempura ($10) - I had this the first time I went here and I had it again last night. I ordered a plate to get everyone at our table to try some. I'm convinced that their tempura is actually the best tempura I've ever had. There's something about their batter...there's a slight sweetness and peppery taste to it. They cook it perfectly so that the batter isn't too thin or thick surrounding each piece, and it's just the right kind of crisp. I love it. Again, the variety is impressive - potato, taro, broccoli, mushrooms (button and enoki), and eggplant. I think that the first time I had it, they used some sort of squash as well. 

If you order one of their bento box style combos, which is about $11 for lunch or $16 for dinner, it comes with a dessert and pot of Oolong tea. It was a nice way to end our evening meal. That, and the little guava candies that came with the bill.

I have to say that despite the limited Asian population in London and my skepticism derived from that, Zen Gardens is a winner. No, they don't have anything with meat and seafood that's commonly found in Asian cuisine, but if you're looking for more authentic tasting Japanese or Chinese food at a reasonable cost, this is the place for you. Zen Gardens is really worth a try - at least for their tempura and excellent service, if nothing else!

-M

Love for the Locals: Art Is In!

Our stay in Ottawa was short, but wonderful. P insisted that I should visit the Art Is In Bakery (Units 112-114, 250 City Centre Avenue, Ottawa, ON), so on the morning of the last day, I did! The play on words is already enough to draw me in! They were actually featured on the Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here!" hosted by John Catucci upon his visit to Ottawa, so why not see what it was all about?

Art Is In Bakery is located in a sort of strip mall, minus the mall part. Both the retail and warehouse locations are in that strip, so make sure you go to the one with the red, circular sign in front when you visit :P It's a bit of an odd space that resembles a loading dock, but as you step inside, it's hard not to notice the piles of freshly baked loaves of bread. They are so beautiful that you are tempted to take them all, but you probably shouldn't, but maybe you should. It seems that some people have been a bit critical about the place as of late, but I beg to differ. I think that the atmosphere is very unique compared to other bakeries and cafes I've been to, as it isn't so focused on the decor, but their products are lovely, and that is more than enough for me.

Art Is In Bakery!

All the lovely loaves of bread for all to see!

They spell their Kronut with a K. I'm not sure why, but it sure looks decadent.

Their pizzas looked really good too...

Doris got the Breakfast Sandwich made with fresh sourdough, eggs, bacon, cheese, and homemade ketchup that tasted more like a chutney. I stole a little piece of the sourdough from Doris' sandwich, and it was so good that I bought a loaf. 

My breakfast didn't consist of very much nutrition, but it consisted of very much deliciousness. I had a Raspberry Financier (a small cake with raspberry filling, topped with sliced almonds), an the Chocolate Almond Croissant (pain au chocolat with almonds inside and out, topped with icing sugar). They were so good. I felt bad after, but only because my breakfast was dessert, and so was my lunch from the day prior when I had a BeaverTail and froyo.

Chai Latte! It had been a long time since I last had a latte...I have to say that this wasn't the best latte, but it helped cut all the sweetness I got from my "breakfast". 

About an hour after we came, the line built up very quickly...and this was 10:30am on a Wednesday!

The delicious loaf of Keith's White Sourdough that I bought.

All in all, despite what others may say, I think that Art Is In Bakery is worthwhile to visit. I haven't had an actual meal from Art Is In yet, so perhaps they are lacking in that department, but in terms of their bakery part, that is definitely not the case. They had a wide selection of things in their display, and I really had a hard time picking what to have. One of the local regulars suggested the Chocolate Almond Croissant, so that is what I had. I'd love to come back and try their other savoury goods.

-M

Love for the Locals: Zak's Diner

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Canada Day!

We're in our week off from school, and figuring that the chances of being in Ontario again for Canada Day were kind of slim, I ended up roadtripping with awesome people to...Ottawa! We arrived on the eve of Canada Day and met up with some of our other friends from school who are currently on co-op placements in Ottawa. Our friends took us to a place in the Byward Market called Zak's Diner (14 Byward Market Square, Ottawa, ON).

Byward Market!

Zak's Diner is a 50s American-style diner that serves all-day breakfast, a wide selection of burgers and sandwiches, and apparently you can get a shot of alcohol in your milkshake! The atmosphere differed from the plethora of bars and pubs in Byward Market, with its 50s-inspired decor. There was an "Internet Jukebox" near the front door, which was kind of neat. I was a little bit disappointed that the mini jukebox things at our tables were only ornamental and didn't work, but it was still pretty awesome! In the spirit of Canada Day, they had Canadian flags everywhere.

Zak's Diner!

Internet jukebox amid Canadian flags for days.

Canada Day themed menu!

More Canadian flags!

Homemade lemonade :)

My friend, Laura ordered a chocolate mint milkshake with a shot of Vodka. The other choices were Bailey's and rum.

Greek salad! There was a slight mix-up with my order as apparently the server heard me say, "Grilled Cheese Burger", which sounded delicious, but was not what I asked for... I have a tendency not to send food back because I feel it is a waste, but with the encouragement of my classmates, back it went.

When my order did come, the server was very apologetic, and my food was glorious. The Goat Cheese Burger. It was the most delicious goat cheese burger I've had to date. The beef patty was so moist and tender, and the combination of sauteed mushrooms, bacon, the creamiest goat cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, on a fresh bun was to die for. I would definitely go back for this.

The food and atmosphere at Zak's Diner was all that I wanted it to be, but with more Canadian flags. It was great to catch up with all of our friends, and see that they were doing well! I would definitely go back to dine at Zak's, and for those of you who can drink milkshakes (and are of legal drinking age), I'd recommend getting a milkshake with a shot! As for food, you have to try the Goat Cheese Burger. I feel like it's going to be very hard for me to find an equivalent, so I'll have to return for it the next time I'm in Ottawa.

-M

Love for the Locals: Very Guu'd, Sir!

It's been a while, but I promise that this will be a very Guu'd one! *ba-dum tsh*

Near the beginning of the month, I attended a conference in Vancouver to get some professional networking experience, but also so that I could be in Vancouver, because well, Vancouver. I flew out right after my last class of the week, and went to Vancouver a few days earlier so that I could hang out with P. P drove 13 hours from Edmonton to Vancouver! The foodie force is strong with this one...

London is a great place, but tends to lack super awesomeness in the Asian food department, so I really had to get my fix. On the day that I arrived in Vancouver, P and I went food hopping on Robson Street - a district full of Japanese, Korean, and other delicious Asian foods. We started at Guu with Garlic, a.k.a. Guu Robson (1698 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C.). Guu is a string of izakaya, which are essentially Japanese tapas bars, in Vancouver and Toronto. I had never been, but heard from several friends about it. It's not a big place, but the atmosphere is amazing. You really feel like you're in a bar in Japan! It's a bit different from the Western bars because you can order things like sashimi, rice, and Japanese deep-fried goodies, and you constantly hear the bar colloquialisms being tossed between the whole team of workers in a very spirited tone.

Be prepared to drool over some fantastic photos by Ply Photography...

Guu with Garlic!

A very colourful menu with a wide range of awesome Japanese tapas!

Specials for the day including salmon sashimi...

We started off with some Tuna Tataki, which is beautifully seared tuna garnished with green onions and fried garlic chips - P really liked the garlic chips. He made very certain that they were all eaten.

Beef Tongue! Probably not for everyone, but it was very tender and juicy. My dad would have loooved this.

Salmon Sashimi, because DUH...first time seeing Shiso leaves in real life! I'd only seen them in Japanese cooking videos on YouTube like Ochikeron and RunnyRunny999. Speaking of which, you should totally watch some of their videos. I really like the ones from RunnyRunny999. His tagline is, "You can order, but you can't eat it!" :P

TAKOYAKI! It's basically like balls of kind of custard with octopus inside that are deep-fried and dressed with Bulldog sauce (something like Worcestershire sauce), Japanese mayo, shreds of nori (dried seaweed), and bonito flakes (Japanese dried, fermented tuna). I'd had it in Edmonton once, and one time in London at an AYCE, but the one at Guu Garlic was a bizillion times better. I could have eaten like 3 more orders of this, but we had more food hopping to do ;)

The verdict? YES. DO IT! If you happen to be in Vancouver, you have got to try Guu Garlic. It's a different experience, but a very delicious one. I'd definitely be up for visiting the other Guu's! They're all a bit unique, but after visiting this one, it seems very worth it. Guu with Garlic has a focus on garlic - they say in the About Us section of their website that it's because "Garlic is sexy", in case you wanted an explanation. But yes, just...yes.

But of course our food hopping didn't stop there! This was like an appetizer. P and I have an abnormally almost insatiable desire for food - i.e. we eat a lot. I wanted some sushi, so we literally went across the street to Sapporo Sushi (1709 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C.)!

It's a small shop that's longer than it is wide. It seems to be operated only by a couple of people, but has some delicious output! It was crazy how much cheaper the sushi was in Vancouver in comparison to Edmonton given its quality. (Thank you, B.C. for not having H.S.T. anymore :D) Everything tasted so freaking good. My withdrawal from Asian food may have had something to do with it, but it was still probably pretty amazing. On top of the part where I was having sushi in Vancouver of all places, I loved that everything came at once. P and I were so ready to buckle down and devour all the things!

Dynamite Roll (crab, avocado, cucumber, prawn) and House Roll (tuna, Japanese sweet egg, cucumber, and crab, topped with salmon, cream cheese, and a house-made sauce). I, personally, am not a fan of cream cheese, but I have a habit to get the "House Roll", because it tends to have more stuff in it, and it implies recommendation by the establishment. Luckily, I have P who eats practically anything, so I just gave him the piece of cream cheese to put on his pieces of sushi :P

One of my favourite kinds of maki is what they called "Chop Chop" or "Chopped Scallop" in Edmonton, but maybe it doesn't exist elsewhere? I'm not really sure. When we ordered the Chopped Scallop maki from Sapporo Sushi, that's exactly what we got - fresh chopped scallop. I was totally okay with that though! Very delish! Oh and also, "Negi Toro Roll" (tuna with green onion) - an imperative, because it's one of P's favourites! Mmm...

Guu with Garlic doesn't have sushi because it's not really a Japanese bar food, but since it's across the street, if you feel you are lacking in the sushi department, Sapporo Sushi is worth a visit after getting your tapas on at Guu! Yes, it's one of the many on Robson Street, but this quaint little shop is very suitable for your sushi fixes! Om nom away, my friends, om nom away...

-M