BanAnna's T.O. Chronicles

Naan Bread @ Amaya Bread Bar - Toronto, ON

Photo taken by: BanannaTO

Hill Country Chicken, Manhattan, NYC

Taken by BanannaTO

Strawberry panna cotta at Rosewater Supper Club, Toronto

Pizza Persian Style @ Roses Restaurant, Toronto

Picture by banana

My good friend Sara took me to this Persian "fast food" joint.  A popular place amongst club goers after hours, you can get classic dishes such as burgers, hot dogs, and pizza with a twist.  Shown here is an all dressed pizza with sausage, bologna, sweet sauce and spicy too...   The meat on the pizza had those yummy middle eastern flavours (like  cumin and coriander) which gave it that nice kick.  

Pork Buns @ Momofuku Noodle Bar (NYC) - 3 mouth watering pics taken by BanannaTO

When I was in New York a little over a week ago, I got a chance to try the much talked about Momofuku Noodle Bar (1st Ave, btwn 10th/11th St).  They're especially known for their pork belly buns.  My brother told me about these and I made it my priority to take him and the family out to try them.  We didn't go all the way to NYC to not have a proper foodist excursion!  

We were not disappointed.  These pork buns have been recreated by even the most "poshy" restos in Toronto with poor results, in my humble opinion.  As I mentioned before, I've tried many variations of this appetizer.  But I can now honestly understand what the hype is all about.  Much like Burger Priest, what really got me was the fluffiness and the perfect taste of the bun.  Believe me, I've had my fair share of stale, chewy, and dense steamed buns.  The bun was heavenly in itself, perfectly flavored.  Just like the perfect pairing of foods like tomato & basil, or chocolate & raspberry, having the richness of the pork belly combined with the bun that soaked up the sauce and all the yummy pork fat drippings was a taste experience I cannot fairly describe.  You'd just have to try it out for yourself.  

What I love most about these food experiences is the fact that it's such a simple and delicious dish: bun, pork, hoisin, scallion, and cucumber.  Yet, as with everything in life  simplicity often beats the frivolous and the ostentatious.  It was a balance of the right amount of ingredients that made it not too saucy, not too greasy, and not too dry.

I like to call this pic lotsa mini bites... because at one point I just lost track of what I was eating at this 3 hour eating frenzy...  

I am not a foodie.. repeat... not a foodie...  rather a foodist :-)

Tundra - Lobster salad with bone marrow vinaigrette, also beautifully presented...

Linda - Three Curries

George Brown, Chef House - Pork belly on cornbread

Fabbrica - Lamb curry with ricotta on crostini

Dufflets - Caramel Flan, the only one of very little desserts I could get my hands on (kiosks sold out before I was ready to move on to desserts, I'll know better next time!)

Chiado - Skate fish in lobster saffron sauce - very mellow tasting dish, oddly cleansing and refreshing on the palate.

BBQ Pork Vietnamese Buns - which I'm sure was a play off of Momofuku's famous pork buns (stay tuned for my write up and pic from NYC's Momofuku bar from this weekend!)

Buca - Elk...  this was the prettiest presentation I've seen at the show..  I'll slowly post a couple pics a day as to not cause any food sensory overload or be to blame for people's stomach's grumbling :-)