Still my favourite white wine

My Pinot Grigio... where would I be without my white wine. Actually for those that enjoy white wine, or for those that wanted to always get into it.. most Asian I know prefer a crisp, clean/clear taste in their alcohol. Much like they enjoy Heineken, or Sing Tao, Corona, anything light. For those that like the fruitiness of a chardonnay, a little sugar from a Riesling, try Pinot Grigio. My preferred choice to get the ladies drunk. Its light, crisp, fruity (usually pear/apple), but without the Chardonnay like aftertaste, nor makes you feel bloated after. Takes the bite out of a more acidic, stronger, oakier wine. You can of course pair it with seafood, chicken, whatever the guy on tv says. I just want to get drunk without the carbs/air in beer.

The Gabbiano at your LCBO is around 13.50, and is my all time favourite so far, next to Lindemans from Australia.

EAT 3: Flaming Cheese DIY

DIY Level: easy
Prep time: 1 minute
Cook time: 5 min

For those that don't know and love cheese, the Greek flaming cheese (Saganaki) is quite a delicious appetizer and can be done very easily. Took us a couple of tries and a lot was learned that day. The kefalotiri or kasseri cheese can be bought in your local supermarket. Its a great tasting dish. But eat it while its hot. As soon as it get cold/solid the taste becomes very overwhelming and will ruin the experience. Hence, many restaurants like to keep it in a hot pan to keep it warm.

Cut the cheese into a square block as thick as 1 cm - 1.5 cm. Soak in water, coat with lots of flour all over (or pie crust as we've discovered). Pan fry till brown, repeat on other side. Serve.

Serve with white wine, and you'll have a great appetizer. Ya, its not Chinese, we don't do appetizers. :( Love this Greek piece!

Traveling Tip #1: Tango!!!!

For those of you that travel as much as I do on flights across Canada/States/wherever... we know its all about the points. But did you know that you can maximize those points? Make no mistake, when you signup and book flights on Air Canada, there are certain "classes" that you fall under depending on how much you/your company will spend. They don't tell you this, but you will find that on most flights if you are placed under Tango.. for every $ you spend on flights, you only get 1/3 of it on aeroplan points... which is a pretty shitty deal if you ask me. UPGRADE UPGRADE to Tango PLUS at least (or latitude), you get a point per dolla, making your trip much much more worthwhile, and rack up points faster!!!!

EAT 2: Jap food - Best Soba/Udon Noodlehouse: Ajisen Ramen

Specialty: Japanese Soba/Udon noodle with broth
Specialty dish: Anyone Noodle, Tepanyaki Beef
Price: Low (6-12 /person)
Avg Wait time: 10-20 min
Atmosphere: FAST, get the hell out when you are done.
Location: Steeles/Warden

Probably the gf's favourite noodle house. Located on several locations (usually go to the one on Steeles/Warden), its probably the best broth I've ever tasted in Toronto with noodles. We love noodles. Please, please go on a weekday. On the weekends you're going to have to fight with 23233 other chinese people just to get in. Back in the day they usually greet you by shouting a greeting in Japanese ... but nowadays they stopped doing that. Can I even say "Chinese" and "service" in the same sentence? Don't think so, they just want you out of there asap with a smile. But who cares!? You're not there for their pretty waitresses anyway.

They do pretty decent Jap appetizers with sushi/sashimi, but their flagship is still the famous Jap Soba noodle that they hand made. Its soft, and not hard (thats what she said)... its JUST right. The broth is killer, its so addictive and loaded with MSG and sodium that you will die a happy death. But hey, its good.

6-10 bucks will get you a nice bowl of hearty noodle soup.

EAT 1: Chinese food - Best Peking Duck: Peking Man Restaurant

Specialty: Peking Style
Specialty dish: Peking Duck
Price: Average (30-40 /person)
Avg Wait time: Never need to wait.
Atmosphere: casual/family dinner
Location: Leslie/Sheppard

Who can resist Peking duck? Who can resist this company logo? Why is there a cock in the box sticking its head out and a smiling duck tangled in strings? Why the Asian eyes? I've had this dish for about 7+ years in different restaurants across Toronto Asian scene but I got to say this is still my favourite. The place is conveniently located uptown around Leslie/Sheppard and its hidden by some medical buildings but opposite from the McDonalds 1 block west on Sheppard.

First, the restaurant actually has good service. Don't judge the place by its old arcade game at the front thats been there since Jesus was born. The waiters/waitresses actually smile, and actually speak audible English. Its a typical Shanghai-ese style food menu, so expect all your favourite Shanghai stuff there. But I just go there for one thing, Peking Duck. It serves just more than 2 Chinese people, or 1 white person. Comes in 2 courses, 1 the duck skin itself, and then after the duck meat and lettuce wrap.

First course, you will notice the skin of the duck is NOT too oily, but at the same time not dry. I've had so many variations of this from other restaurants: dripping goo crap off the duck, to the duck being so dry that you might as well eat duck chips or something. Anyways, the place gets it JUST right. Don't forget the flour wrap for the duck. I've had places where its thick like a freakin burrito, to places where the flour skin taste like ass. This place gets it in a very thin, soft format that it doesn't take the taste from the meat itself and the sweet sauce + green onion stalk.

Second course is the lettuce wrap. It gets even better. The duck meat itself is not too overcooked, and the lettuce is not too frail that it breaks off. Perfect.

All this for 35 bucks.

Why start?

Man, I love eating. Who doesn't? Especially the gf.. she loves trying different foods, everyday, every week, everything. So why a blog? Why post food stuff when theres hundreds of other blog posts out there? It really has to do with our objective which is trying to sort through hundreds of Asian oriented restaurants to find out whats good, and whats really really good. Not to say we don't like western food... we just don't prefer it. I can't see how I can write a blog on western food when theres like 10000+ other blogs out there. Besides, 10 lbs of wings just don't appeal to me.

so lets start... see where this goes.