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Nope, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. That ain’t a pile of noodles the delicious pork shoulder is leaning against. It’s shredded cheese. Shredded Swiss cheese in fact. But don’t worry, the delicious fresh ramen noodles are immediately below. So feast your peepers on a steaming bowl of Cheese Ramen ($10.80) found at the recently opened Kinton Ramen (51 Baldwin St.) by the good folks at Guu Izakaya.
The Double P’s are known for buying gifts at grocery stores when we travel. And our friends have learnt that we love food-related gifts brought back from foreign countries. So imagine my delight when my dear pals Pat and Diane brought me this pair of ramen-noodle-inspired socks.
I am crazy about French Onion Soup. Sure, it’s one of the most unhealthy soups around, with all that bread and bubbling cheese. But oh man, it is ridiculously good. My brother Jonathan and I used to make this at home all the time, then took to the streets to find the best bowl in Toronto. For a while, Le Papillon took the crown, but now I have to hand it over to Patachou (1120 Yonge St., at MacPherson). They’ve managed to make a very hearty and heavy soup taste lighter, thanks to their vegetable broth. Plus, this is the only French Onion Soup where I didn’t run out of cheese towards the end of the bowl. For $4.95, it certainly doesn’t break the bank either.
A spoonful of this will warm your soul. When you get that perfect bite of oozing Emmental cheese, softened bread, a few slices of onion and their savoury broth, everything else melts away.
Patachou is a terrific bakery and café serving a range of salads, sandwiches and pastries. There’s another location at 835 St. Clair Ave. W. at Winona.
If you can’t get to Patachou, here’s the Martha Stewart recipe I use at home with beef stock, and here’s an option using vegetable stock. Where have you had the most delicious bowl of French Onion Soup? Leave a comment and let us know.
Tags: cafe, Soup, vegetarian
Sharing a bubbling hot pan of spicy seafood stew from Seoul Restaurant (621 Bloor St. West) is one of the best ways to catch up with a good friend. When the dish arrives perched atop a flaming gas element, you’ll both sit quietly in anticipation for three minutes. That’s all the time it takes for the broth to cook the mussels, squid, various types of shrimp and fish, and warm through the tofu, zucchini, carrots, bean sprouts and cabbage. Then you’ll have plenty of time for rousing conversation and dramatic storytelling while you work through the stew, four types of pan chan (Korean side dishes) and a bowl of rice each. It’s a steal at $18, which serves two with leftovers.
Our favourite extra topping is udon noodles, but there’s plenty to choose from including sausage, ramen, a boiled egg, and one we couldn’t resist trying: cheese. Seeing a Kraft Single ooze and melt into all that seafood did seem blasphemous, but friendships will only grow stronger over the shared revelation that this creamy addition to the soup is surprisingly good.
Seoul Sam Mi Restaurant / 621 Bloor St W, Toronto
416.532.9669
