Nota Bene - New 4 to 7 Menu

An upscale, fine dining restaurant offering food for $4? Now you don’t hear that statement everyday. However, Note Bene which was named Canada’s best new restaurant in 2009 by Toronto Life is doing just that by launching their new 4 to 7 menu meaning that from Monday to Friday between 4PM to 7PM, you can get bar snacks for only $4! 

Even with its affordability of just two toonies, don’t automatically think the food is cheap, because what you can get on this menu should by all accounts be priced higher. From what you will see below, Executive Chef David Lee has crafted bar snacks that are simple yet refined with touches of gourmet elements that will bring you back to the fine dining ambiance that Note Bene provides. 

Below are the 10 bar snacks that only cost $4 if you drop in between 4PM to 7PM on the weekdays, and then only $7 from 7PM till close. Please note that this menu is not offered on weekends. 

Cumbrae Farms Beef Sliders

Harvarti Cheese + Maple Bacon

Salt Cod Fritters

Kimchi Mayo

Truffle Popcorn

Parmigiano

Burrata Pugliese

Grilled Miche, Olive Oil

Calamari A La Plancha

XO Sauce + Coriander

Calabrese Olives + Cheese

Rosemary + Garlic

Shoshito Peppers

Lemon + Maldon Salt

Porcini Arancini

Truffle Aioli + Parmigiano

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Smoked Oyster Mayonnaise

Belly Buster Slider

Pork Belly, Frites, Ketchup, Pickle

No meal is complete without some liquid gold.

Cava

Pares Balta - Penedes, Spain

Stella Artois

If you’re in the area after a long work day in downtown Toronto, definitely drop by for these bar snacks. What I would suggest is to come down with a friend and order the whole menu! Since it’s only $4 per dish, to have all 10 items you are only going to have to pay $40. I split the entire menu with my friend and in my opinion the portions are perfect for two people to enjoy. 

I just wanted to thank Nota Bene for inviting me down to try this menu out. It is extremely refreshing for a well established, fine dining restaurant in the city to still cater to the customers who are on a tighter budget, but still appreciate good food in an upscale, sleek, and contemporary setting. Now I’m just hoping this trend catches on and other restaurants start creating $4 menus. One can only hope right?  

A Taste of India: Tandoori Flame

I will admit my taste buds are not too familar with Indian cuisine beyond curry and samosas, so when you get invited to eat at the largest Indian Buffet & Restaurant in North America, of course my natural reaction was “Hell Yes!” That’s right folks, Tandoori Flame offers such a wide variety of delicious and exotic dishes that no other Indian restaurant in Canada or even our lovely neighbours down south can claim that they are literally the king of the jungle in sheer size and variety of Indian cuisine. 

Tandoori Flame offers over 150 delicacies spread over 14 000 square feet and with a capacity for more than 500 guests. Their first location opened up in Brampton, Ontario but now they have recently opened up their second location in Mississauga, Ontario as well.

This grand buffet covers the largest tasting in Indian food where the choices just seem endless. From Gol Gappas, Butter and Tandoori Chicken, Biryani, Samosas, Fala Fal, a significant variety of vegetable and non-vegetable Tandoori Kabobs, Tikkas and Curries, plus a huge dessert selection to finish it all off, Tandoori Flame is truly an all in one buffet. 

When I arrived at the restaurant, I was immediately in awe at how beautiful the decor and architecture looked outside and inside of the building. The entrance was extremely inviting with its outdoor lights all lit up that were hanging from its wooden walkway. Inside there are also many sculptures within the restaurant to really showcase its Indian hertigage, with other parts having a very rustic and even modern feel to it such as the white brick walls where my guest and I were seated for our dinner. It’s a great blend of traditional meets the modern age.

Another observation of mine was just how clean this place was. You would think with so much food coming in and out of the buffet kitchen, the buffet tables or floors would be somewhat messy (and understandably so), but not here. Everything from the stainless steel counter tops to the floors were extremely well maintained and cleaned creating an even more enjoyable eating experience. 

With all that being said, lets take a visual look at what Tandoori Flame has to offer, their 150 Indian delicacies in all its glory. 

We have here some naan, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, samosas, chick peas, papadum, yogurt, rice.

Here we have some jelabi, ice cream, mango pudding, gulab jamon, and waffle for dessert.

Tandoori Flame is a great introduction to Indian cuisine for anyone like myself who may be unfamiliar with the food as you instantly get exposed to so many different types of Indian delicacies all at once. The fantastic thing about buffets is that you can try a little bit of everything. If you don’t like one aspect of the food, don’t eat it again. If you do like it, go all in and have as much as you like.

The Mississauga location is also halal which is also a driving factor for many people who are on a more strict dietary regimen as Tandoori Flame caters perfectly for the more health conscious minds as well. Tandoori Flame truly offers a grand buffet in pure, authentic Indian fashion. A restaurant perfect for all occasions!

BUONANOTTE TORONTO - NEW MENU TASTING

Guest Blogger Edition

When someone says ‘Italian food’, the first thing that comes to mind for me is ‘feast’.  Well…truthfully, that comes second after ‘yum’.  Put those together – *voila* – yummy feast.  Naturally, when I was invited to a media event to sample Buonanotte Toronto’s summer menu, I was excited.

Mind you, the extent of my knowledge regarding Italian cuisine (aside from the meals I’ve had at Italian restaurants in the past) only reaches as far back as intel shared with me by my Italian friends and of course, my severe like for anything pizza and pasta.  At the end of the day, I revert back to one primal belief – food makes me happy.

Following is a visual depiction of the 13-course meal that unfolded that night.

Keeping up with the Italian norm, the dishes neatly classified into one of the following:

Antipasti

Prosciutto D’Anatra

This duck prosciutto accompanied with some fresh figs, onion jam, truffled honey, and Pecorino Romano generated the most buzz around the table.  The juxtaposition between the freshness of the figs and the cured meat proved to pair quite well.  Immediate reactions put this atop the best tasting dish list.

Carpaccio di Pesce Spada

Swordfish Carpaccio with Squid Ink Bread Crumb, Serrano Chili, Lemon and Olive Oil

Radicchio Alla Griglia

Grilled Marinated Radicchio with Orange Segments, Walnuts, Parmesan, and Balsamic Dressing

Polipo Grigliato

My favourite component of the night was this grilled octopus.  It was tender with a nearly melt-in-your mouth texture for a tentacled food.  It was served with fingerling potato, chorizo sausage, black olive, cherry tomato and saffron aioli.

Capesante al Tartufo

Seared Scallops with Truffled Cauliflower Puree, Sautéed Asparagus, and Crispy Leeks

Pizza e Pasta

‘Nduja e Rapini

Failing to read the menu prior to this dish’s arrival at our table, I assumed a bite of cheesy sundried tomato goodness awaited.  What met my mouth was this equally-as-tasty white pizza topped with fresh basil, ‘Nduja Salami, oven-roasted rapini, Fior di Latte, and EVOO D.O.P.  MVP goes to the salami.  For those unfamiliar with this Italian meat, ‘Nduja is spicy.  This fiery number is not for the gastronomically meek.

Scarola E Pomodorini

White Pizza with Fresh Basil, Escarole, Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes, Fior di Latte and EVOO D.O.P.

Prosciutto E Funghi Bianca

Though very similar in foundation to the other two white pizzas with fresh basil, this was my personal favourite dish of the night.   The addition of Buffalo ricotta, ham, Champignon mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano and EVOO D.O.P. created a complete package to me.  Each slice was like a triangular piece of elevated, home sliced goodness.

 Ravioli di Aragosta e Granchio

Homemade Ravioli with Lobster, Crab and Lemon in Lobster Bisque

Fazzoletti All’uovo di Pesto Genovese

Fazzoletti Pasta with Pesto, Fresh Pine Nuts and Baby Basil

Carne e Pesce

Salmone Arrosto con Spugnole

Roasted Salmon with Morels, Fennel and White Wine Butter Sauce

Vitello alla Siciliana

Excitement on the guests’ faces was evident with this sous vide veal tenderloin dish. Supplemented with sautéed mushrooms, spinach and Marsala sauce, I swear I heard faint ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ around me.

Pollo Toscano

Roasted Chicken Breast with Grilled Panzanella and Marinated Pistachios

Don’t want to feel left out? Hurry on over to Buonanotte Toronto!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…

- Pedestrian Pat

*** All photos taken by Pedestrian Pat ***

Paramount Fine Foods - Yorkville Soft Opening

A little over a month ago I wrote about a new halal sandwich shop called Fresh East (read all about it here), which is a health-conscious deli that serves up Middle Eastern subs and shawarmas. This new sandwich shop is actually a new spin-off franchise from the very restaurant that I will be blogging about today, Paramount Fine Foods.

Paramount Fine Foods is renowned in Toronto for its award-winning shawarma and assorted menu of healthy halal dishes. They are also Canada’s fastest growing halal Middle Eastern restaurant chain. The company sources only the freshest products for its authentic recipes and all of their restaurants have been certified halal by the ISNA Halal Certification Agency. Last month, Paramount Fine Foods opened its newest location by bringing exotic flavours of the Middle East to one of the most trendiest and most luxurious part of the city, Yorkville.

Me and my guest were invited to its soft opening the weekend before it opened to the public where we were able to enjoy a set menu on the house. The free meals were a part of a soft launch charity initiative, allowing customers to enjoy the menu and were encouraged to tip generously. Paramount Fine Foods tallied the tips and matched each amount, donating all proceeds to the Jesse Ketchum Jr. & Sr. Public School; a culturally diverse, Yorkville institute.

I’ve actually been to their Mississauga location in the past and much like many of their other locations across the city it has a very casual and laid back atmosphere. Once you enter the restaurant you would walk up to the counter and order off the menu hanging above the cashier, much like what you would do at any fast food joint. The cashier would then give you a number to bring back to your table and once the food was prepared, the servers would come find your number and bring you your food.

As this new location is in Yorkville, filled with many high end shops and restaurants galore, the new location will feature an upscale sit-down dining experience with an open concept kitchen and a wood-burning oven unlike any of their other restaurants before. You will be greeted by a friendly hostess at the door when you walk in who will bring you to your table, and the wait staff will take your order and serve you your food and drinks where you are seated like what you would expect at any high end restaurant. This change in style will allow Paramount Fine Foods to cater to the high end clientele that will be in the area looking to grab a delicious bite to eat.

Now off to the good part. The food and drinks!

Cocktail Juice (mixture of fresh mango, strawberry, and banana, slightly sweetened with sugar); Paramount Special (layers of fresh strawberry and mango juices with mixed fruits, topped with fresh strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, almonds, crushed pistachio, ashta cream and honey)

Moutabbal (grilled eggplant, blended with tahini sauce, drizzled with virgin olive oil)

Hummus with Chicken (choice of chicken or beef, drizzled with virgin olive oil)

Chicken & Beef Shawarma (a mix of chicken and beef shawarma, served with garlic sauce and tahini, with choice of french fries or white rice, a side of lettuce, tomatoes, mixed pickles)

Mini Mixed Grill (grilled skewers of striploin beef, shish tawouk and kafta served with grilled tomatoes and onions, served with a piece of spicy bread, with a choice of french fries or white rice)

Kinafe (cheese pastry drizzled with sugar syrup and sprinkled with pistachios)

The new location in Yorkville is open right now on the corner of Bay Street and Cumberland. Paramount is the first full service halal restaurant in Yorkville so it definitely will be leaving a mark on its community, opening up tourism by catering to halal and health-conscious diners. If you are not near this Yorkville area, don’t worry as there are 15 other restaurant locations in Southern Ontario where at least 1 of them is bound to be close to where you live. However I will have to warn you, it may not be as pretty as this one.

Fresh East - A Middle Eastern Twist on the North American Sandwich Shop

Throughout the years people of Ontario have had the chance to dive into the world of Middle Eastern cuisine through the very successful restaurant chain Paramount Fine Foods. I was first introduced to Paramount around four years ago by a good friend who brought me there for the very first time while I was still working in Mississauga. I have loved it ever since. 

The fresh, healthy, and authentic flavours that Paramount Fine Foods prepares is what makes them the juggernaut of Middle Eastern cuisine it is today. With its growing popularity year after year Paramount Fine Foods is expanding its locations to other provinces in Canada and also into the United States and Dubai later this year. What is even more exciting is not only is it opening up more locations in North America, this year it has also created a new spin-off franchise called Fresh East, a health-conscious deli that serves up Middle Eastern subs and shawarmas. 

Fresh East tops the good old-fashioned sub with a splash of authentic Middle Eastern flavours through its new quick-serve restaurant concept, where diners can try the savoury flavours of the Middle East and customize the sub or shawarma to their liking. On the menu is a wide selection of freshly baked breads, fresh produce, halal deli meats, and authentic homemade secret sauces. Fresh East is also the first halal-certified quick-serve sandwich shop, catering to halal and health-conscious diners. 

Much like the success of Paramount Fine Foods serving up Halal meats, Fresh East will be no different as it will surely act as another go-to place to get your halal meats into your diet. Halal is essentially meat (excluding pork, meat from any carnivorous animals or birds of prey) that has been prepared according to strict Islamic guidelines. These guidelines require that the meat must be prepared in a specific way where the animal must have been fed a natural diet that did not contain any animal by-products. Doing so allows the maximum amount of blood to drain from the animal’s body, since blood in meat makes it more susceptible to rotting which will also negatively impact its taste. As a result, halal meat tastes better, is healthier and stays fresh longer giving Fresh East a competitive advantage to other similar sandwich shops who do not focus and sell halal meats to their customers. 

A few weeks ago I had the chance to go to Fresh East’s second location inside the food court at the newly renovated Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga, Ontario (the first one opened up last September at Western University that focused more on the student population). After meeting with the manager, he provided me with two of the most popular subs which are the classic halal cold cuts and chicken shawarma. Much like Subway, you can choose from ordering a 6 inch sub or a foot long (12 inch). You then choose your meats, cheese, toppings, and sauces to go along with it. To make it a combo you can pay an extra $2.65 and you can add a drink, two cookies, two pieces of baklava, or chips. 

As Fresh East is centered around serving Middle Eastern cuisine, you can expect the staples here as well such as falafels, kafta, chicken and beef shawarmas, tabbouleh/fattoush salads, lentil soup, and even a yogurt drink. One unique set of dishes I saw here were their “Sandwich In The Bowl.” I’m sure we have all experienced in the past just how messy eating a sandwich or shawarma can be with all the toppings and sauces dripping down your hands as you take your next bite. Well this Sandwich In A Bowl solves that problem. You can order a beef shawarma, roast beef, shish tawouk, kafta, among an endless list of other possibilities all in a bowl form, mess free! Fresh East also has breakfast covered by offering various forms of Egg n’ Cheese in a 6 inch sub or croissant. 

What I would recommend here? Definitely get the classic halal cold cut sub here. It is packed with so much flavour. I normally stray away from cold cuts as I tend to find them a bit bland and boring to eat, but my taste buds were blown away with this one. You really can taste the difference through the freshness of their halal meats. The baklava pastries are also delicious and a great addition to have as your side. 

Fresh East officially opened for business last month and two more are set to follow in the GTA this fall as well as additional U.S locations. Keep an eye out for Fresh East in the coming years as I am sure more and more locations will be popping up in a neighborhood near you. 

UPDATE:

Fresh East’s newest location is now open near Yonge and Dundas Square (334 Yonge Street), just north of Dundas and right across the Ryerson Student Learning Centre. Now is the perfect time if you are in the downtown area to try Fresh East and their Middle Eastern subs and shawarmas!

Special Thanks

Fresh East