Monday, December 12, 2016

Allwyn's Bakery

From what I've found online, Allwyn's Bakery has been around for a very long time, and is a staple for anyone that loves Jamaican patties.  When I have cravings for Jamaican patties, if I'm at work, my coworker takes me to this place that's close by her house.  The name escapes me at the moment.  If I'm at home, I used to go to Allan's Pastry Shop inside Peanut Plaza.  But as of the last couple of years, it seems like Allan's started skimp out on the fillings.  Not only is the filling less, but it looks and tastes like there's more filler, cornstarchy gumminess, and minimal meat.  I have to say, their outside is still nice and flakey though, which I love.

Allwyn's Bakery's Jamaican patties are a bit different than Allan's.  The outside is less flakey, and more like a cross between a pie dough and the normal Jamaican patty exterior.  There is a good amount of filling whether it is chicken or beef (we got one of each), and the filling is actual meat, not much in terms of fillers.  You can see the actual meat pieces.
Chicken & Beef Patties

Chicken Patty (inside)

Beef Patty (inside)



























I personally prefer the flakier crust, but the fact that Allwyn's has a better filling, I think I would get my patties from Allwyn's now.  Allwyn's also does many other dishes (i.e. Jerk), but I didn't try those, so I can't comment on those dishes.

Allwyn's Bakery
81 Underhill Dr.
Toronto, ON
M3A 1K8

Phone:  (647) 847-4698

Hours:  Monday - Friday 11:00a - 10:00p
             Saturday 11:30a - 10:00p
             Sunday  12:00p - 10:00p

https://www.facebook.com/Allwyns-Bakery-732508286790526/


Thursday, December 8, 2016

Tsujiri

Yes, Tsujiri has been open a while now.  But I really didn't want to wait in the super long lines for a some ice-cream.  So I waited this long to go give it a try, thinking that the lines would have died down or dissipated completely.  I was wrong, very wrong.  The lineup was still out the door.  This place must be amazing right?  As I was waiting in line for my ice-cream, I realized why the lineups for this place was so long, the store front is REALLY badly designed.  The store is super narrow, there isn't enough room for seating, lining up to go inside to order, and then waiting around for your order.  After I placed my order for a Shiratama parfait (matcha), I snagged one of their three 2 seater booths.  Once I sat down, I was reminded again how narrow the storefront was.  People that were lining up kept leaning on me or the table..... I was super annoyed.

After several minutes, my order number was finally called.  The parfait was smaller than I expected.  Ice-cream had good strong matcha flavour, but was a bit chalky.  The red bean mash/paste was good, sweet, but good accompanying the strong matcha flavour.  Overall, it was ok, not sure it was worth $9, or the lineup, or having people lean on me while i'm trying to enjoy my dessert.  Maybe if I got takeout, it would have been better?
Shiratama Parfait (Matcha)













Tsujiri
147 Dundas St. W.,
Toronto, ON
M5G 1P5

Hours:  Monday - Sunday 11:30a - 10:30p

Phone:  (647) 351-7899

http://tsujiri-global.com

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Funky Munky Cafe

By the name, you would never guess that this is a cafe.  And when you make the trip to visit Funky Munky, don't assume that it's just a normal coffee shop.  It totally isn't.  I made the mistake of telling my husband to put in my order for a latte while I setup my notebook to do some catch up blogging.  The owner of Funky Munky, who was behind the counter, called me over and explained their menu to us.  Funky Munky's drink options are I guess what you can call more Asian based.  They do offer coffee, but they also do bubble teas, and milk teas.  In the end I ordered a tea latte.  Funky Munky has their own special blend of black tea as the base of the tea latte, and then they add frothed milk to give it a latte like feeling.  The tea was really good, fragrant, and strong.  It tastes like a Hong Kong styled milk tea, but lighter because of the frothed milk instead of using normal dense evaporated milk.
Tea Latte













I wish that Funky Munky opened while I was still living in the neighbourhood.  Now it's a bit of a trek to get up there, but I will try.

Funky Munky Cafe
9275 Markham Rd. Unit #7,
Markham, ON
L6E 1A1

Phone:  (905) 201-0FMC

Hours:  Monday - Thursday 1000a - 1000p
             Friday - Saturday 1000a - 1200a
             Sunday 1200p - 1000p

http://funkymunky.ca



Sakawa Coffee

The name of this place is a bit misleading, well at least I thought so.  Because theres the name "Coffee", I originally assumed that it was just a cafe (that serves coffees and cakes).  They do serve coffee and cakes, but they also do meals, including traditional Japanese breakfasts, lunches and dinner.  We popped in for dinner.

When we arrived, the restaurant was empty except for one table (the place is pretty small, as with most places downtown).  As soon as we got in the door, we were greeted by an older Japanese man, very friendly, and told us to sit down, while he brought us the menus.  One was laminated (their regular dishes I assume), another was on a regular piece of paper, their specials, and their drink menu.  The hubby ordered off of their special menu, the curry tsukemen.  And I ordered off their regular menu.  I wish I remembered to take a picture of the menu, because now I can't remember then name of the dish I ordered!  All I remember is that its the last dish on their regular menu.

The curry sauce for the tsukemen was very good and flavourful.  And the noodles, were different than the ramen noodles that I was used to eating.  These looked flat, almost like a linguine.  The chasiu was a bit dry, but once it was warmed with the curry, it got better.  And the best part, there were veggies in the dish!  Again, never seen choy sum in Japanese dishes, but I love my veggies, so I won't complain.

Curry Tsukemen










My dish, reminded me of Fukien style fried rice, without the fried rice part.  There was shrimp, chicken, ham, chasiu, onions, eggplant, peppers and choy sum in sauce of some sort served over plain Japanese rice.  Wasn't what I was expecting, but was quite good.
Last Dish on Regular Menu










Overall, I liked this place quite a bit.  For the price that you pay and the food that you get, I think it's worth checking out for sure.  And by the time we left, the restaurant was full.

Sakawa Coffee
867 Danforth Ave.,
Toronto, ON
M4J 1L8

Phone: (647) 347-4932

Hours:  Monday CLOSED
             Tuesday - Sunday 900a-400p, 500p-900p
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