Tasty Choice

It's nice to see that there are quite a few more bubble tea/snack shops opening up in Edmonton. One of them that has now become one of my favorites is Tasty Choice, near South Edmonton Common, in the same complex as Cora's and Melting Pot.


Tasty Choice offers a broad selection of Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Japanese style snacks, as well as BBT, rice/noodle dishes, and assorted crepes. Drooling yet? I dropped by with MBear, and if you don't know that she's a menu hoarder, now you do. LOVE HER LONG TIME!! (Ya all this food is for 2!)

Left: Condensed milk toast
Right: Icecream with French toast

Condensed milk toast - ahhhh, a simple classic that's always good - nothing more than fresh white toast with butter and condensed milk. I love making this at home, but there's something extra tasty about it when somebody else makes it.  ^____________^''


I wasn't too crazy about the Icecream with French toast, because the French toast itself was already mediocre, and combined with quickly melting vanilla ice cream soon became an oily, mushy mess. Would not order this again... 

Left: Rice rolls with hoi sin and sesame sauce
Top right: Spring rolls with sweet chilli dipping sauce
Bottom right: LYCHEE DUMPLINGS with sweet mayo dipping sauce! <3 <3 <3

The Rice Rolls are surprisingly good, although it is again, another simple dish. The rice rolls are basically flat rice noodles that have been rolled, and are served with hoi sin and sesame sauce. Traditionally, in restaurants, rice rolls served like this are pan fried so that they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, however these are soft all the way through, very similar to the way they are served from street vendors in Hong Kong. I suspect they are steamed and then reheated in the microwave to order, but they retain a very smooth and soft texture without being over cooked. Definitely worth ordering every time!

The Spring Rolls were perfectly crispy, but nothing special otherwise.

NOW, the good stuff. <3 <3 LYCHEE DUMPLINGS <3 <3. These babies have SUPER NOM STATUS, you MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST order them. They are essentially deep fried flat wontons filled with minced shrimp and lychee, but they are SO DAMN GOOD. Seriously addicting. They're served with a sweet mayo sauce, which perfectly complements the savory shrimp and the sweet lychee. Every bite is juicy and an orgasm in your mouth. 

Deep fried honey garlic chicken wings

I don't know how or what, but the people over at Tasty Choice really know how to use their deep fryer. The Deep Fried Honey Garlic Chicken Wings are another favorite of mine - the chicken wings are perfectly fried: crispy and juicy without being overly greasy. While deep frying may seem like a simple cooking method, it's not! The temperature of the oil has to be just right in order to prevent the food from absorbing too much oil and getting greasy, and the quality/freshness of the oil has to be sufficient otherwise the food will come out with a stale flavor. I like that they give the sauce on the side, so the chicken wings stay crispy and you can decide how much sauce you want to use. A warning though - if you don't like garlic, stay away, because this honey garlic sauce is particularly garlic-y (which I personally love!).

Seaweed and pork floss bun

Next up: Seaweed and Pork Floss Bun - another goodie! (This place is on a roll, seriously!) A lightly toasted baguette style bread, lightly buttered and filled with toasted seaweed and pork floss, then drizzled with a sweet condensed milk/mayo type sauce. As you can tell by now, these snacks are very simple, but comforting, and Tasty Choice does them just right. For those who don't know, pork floss (aka "rousong") is just dried marinated pork that has been teased and then dried in the oven. It has a good balance of slightly sweet and savory components that make it a popular addition to things such as toast, congee, rice, or whatever you desire really.

LOOKIT all our plates! NOM NOM NOM!

I forgot to take pictures of the BBT, but overall they're fairly good. In the times I've gone, I've noticed a lack of consistency in the texture of the pearls and the sweetness of the drinks, but otherwise nothing too serious. I'm a big fan of their Calpis selection. So far, in all the times that I've dropped by, everything has been really good. Unfortunately, I can't really comment on their rice and noodle dishes - sorry! -___-;;

Another MUST TRY that I don't have pictures of is the TAKO YAKI, or Octopus Balls. (No pervert, not testicle balls, but rather, Timbits filled with pieces of octopus ;p). Tasty Choice is the ONLY place in Edmonton that has a very authentic version - all other places use the prepackaged frozen ones (which are good too, but not as good as these).

You can see the sign showing all the crepes behind me - and yes, they make their crepes fresh to order! 

Another nice thing is that there are couches and a variety of board games, cards, and other fun little things to keep you entertained in case you decide to stay and hang out. 

So? What are you waiting for?!

xoxo

- nattycat

Yokozuna, Whitemud Crossing

I know, I know, I've been negligent! Sorry guys, I have tons of reviews and food porn coming up!




Yokozuna is a family run Japanese restaurant that currently has three locations in Edmonton: the original at Whitemud crossing, one on the University of Alberta campus, and one at Riverbend Square. The one I tend to favor is the one at Whitemud crossing, because I've found this location to be the most consistent with the overall food and service.


We usually go for dinner, and this time, we decided to go for a light dinner before a big night out. We didn't want to end up too full, so we decided to stay not to order any maki or nigiri. Instead, we ordered an Assorted Sashimi (Medium), Oyster Ponzu, and a Sukiyaki Udon.


It was a busy Friday night, so the Sukiyaki Udon actually arrived first, which is a bit unusual because noodle dishes are usually served after sushi or sashimi, because it is meant to finish off your meal. I assume it was because it was so busy that the sushi bar was being annihilated - this is not unusual at Yokozuna, in fact, if you see a busy restaurant, I'd highly suggest getting your order as quickly as possible if you're hungry, because there's only ever two sushi chefs working, even on the busiest nights!


If you must order any of the soup udon dishes, I'd highly recomment the Sukiyaki Udon (and yes, being the noodle fiend I am, I have actually tried them all ^___^). The soup is beef based, and quite a bit sweeter as Sukiyaki would imply. It's served with thin beef slices, sui choi (Chinese cabbage), spinach, firm tofu, naruto (the white slices with a pink swirl in them - they're sort of like a fish/squid sausage), broccoli, carrots, and a generous topping of green onions. Perfect, as usual, in other words, we both couldn't help but fight for the soup at the end!

Sukiyaki Udon

Next, the Oyster Ponzu arrived. Again, SO good. I know this is a simple dish, but as we all know even better, the simpler a dish is, the harder it is to do just right. The oysters were perfectly fried, crispy to the point of being crunchy without being overcooked, which allowed it to hold up the crunch even when soaked in ponzu sauce. Served with paper thin onions, green onions, wakame (seaweed), spicy minced daikon, and ponzu. Yokozuna does a fantastic ponzu, the perfect balance of saltiness from the soy and sourness from the citrus and vinegar. We love it so much, that we will often order extra ponzu to dip other things in!

Oyster Ponzu

The last item to arrive was the medium Assorted Sashimi, and it was well worth the wait. The items included are:


- Salmon (sake)
- Albacore tuna (maguro)
- Shrimp (ebi)
- Surfclam (hokkigai)
- Red snapper (tai)
- Octopus (tako)
- Scallop (hotate)
- Mackerel, topped with minced ginger and green onion (saba)

Medium Assorted Sashimi
From left to right:
Top: Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp
Middle: Surfclam, Red snapper, Octopus
Bottom: Scallop, Wasabi, Mackerel

All the sashimi was very fresh, but I have to give extra praise to the mackerel (saba) at Yokozuna. Normally mackerel can be very fishy, and needs to be marinated in a very specific ratio of sugar to vinegar as well as being incredibly fresh in order to be enjoyable. 


Every time we come, I'm always tempted to order an extra order of saba sushi! Normally, I'm a tuna belly (toro) sushi fanatic, but I find that Yokozuna cuts their tuna belly too close to the rest of the tuna filet, resulting in the overall taste being less buttery, which defeats the purpose for me.

Close up of the silver skinned Mackerel

Again, another good meal at Yokozuna. I come so often that the servers recognize me and I know how they work, but if you're new to Yokozuna, you might find the service a bit slow. Just let them know if you're in a rush or if you need anything, they're always happy to help. That being said, don't expect the items from the sushi bar to come quickly if they're busy, because they never sacrifice quality just to get items out quickly in my experience!




Yokozuna Whitemud Crossing
http://www.yokozunarestaurant.ca/

Mikado - another double post!

Even though I'm a sushi-addict, I rarely go to Mikado, because frankly, I find their portion sizes way too small for the sky high prices they ask for. I'm a fatty and I need lots of food, WHAT?! Since I used to work at a Japanese restaurant, I personally find it a bit difficult to pay exponentially more for a similar product. While I can certainly agree that Mikado does offer the best selection of fresh fish due to their dedication in sourcing high quality fish, I cannot justify paying double the price for the other non-fish items.


In their defense, you are paying for the atmosphere and presentation, well executed robata, nigiri and maki sushi, as well the service. The interior of the South Edmonton Common location is very minimalist, yet grand, while the food presentation and dedication to detail certainly trumps other Japanese restaurants in Edmonton. Their robata grills are certainly one of a kind in Edmonton, so if you're a fan of delicately grilled foods, this is the place to be. I have included all prices in this post, just for reference.

(Photo courtesy of Mikado's website)

Since I've been having a ton of sushi cravings at odd times, I've actually been over to Mikado twice in the past week (!!! I KNOW!!!! So unusual right?) - once late night, and once mid-day. Surprising as it may be, I'm glad I did, because although it was a bit pricey, it was worth checking out again because I was reminded how well made their sushi really is. Oh, and to clarify, by pricey, I do not mean that it was just expensive, because lord knows how much I am willing to spend on food, but that I paid a lot but did not leave particularly full/satisfied.


One dish I have to say Mikado does particularly well, and with killer presentation, is their sunomono salad. Sunomono generally refers to all cold vinegared dishes in Japanese cuisine, however, in North America, I have only seen sunomono refer to rice/bean thread noodles served in a cold sweet rice wine vinagrette with assorted toppings. I always get Mikado's Assorted Sunomono, which is topped with tako (octopus), hokkigai (red surf clam), ebi (prawn), kombu (seaweed), cucumbers, lemon, and young pea sprouts. Isn't the presentation in a margarita glass ferocious?!

Assorted Sunomono - $6.95

Assorted Sunomono
(octopus, prawn, surf clam)

I used to hate getting any dish that had ponzu (a citrus soya sauce) in it at Mikado because their version was often far too salty, thus overwhelming the tangy citrus - usually yuzu or lemon, that I find most desireable about ponzu. Most tataki dishes (fish or meat that is lightly seared on the outside before being sliced) are dressed with ponzu sauce, so as a result, I would avoid ordering them, however, both MBear and I were really craving it, so we decided to go for it anyway. It turned out to be really good, their ponzu has come a long way since I last tried it! Definitely worthwhile, especially since they don't skip out on the toppings that I expect with any tataki dish - seaweed, spicy grated daikon, red onion, and scallions.


You might notice that some parts of the beef slices are turning brown; this is simply due to oxidation of the meat as it is common practice for busy Japanese restaurants in Edmonton to pre-slice the meat during kitchen prep to avoid having to worry about slicing the beef so thinly during a meal rush - the flavor of the beef is not affected at all.

Beef Tataki - $9.95

K recommended that we order the chirashi (assorted sashimi on sushi rice) if we were craving sashimi (sliced raw fish) because the sashimi at Mikado tends to be really expensive for especially small portions -  approximately 1/3 the portion that other Japanese restaurants give. Their chirashi on the other hand, offers a fair portion of well assorted sashimi, so the value is pretty incredible. As well, Mikado honestly has the most well seasoned sushi rice, so I don't mind eating more of it - T and I actually ended up fighting for the rest of the rice... hahahah oops, committed carbicide, but who cares.


Their chirashi is topped with:
- sake (salmon)
- maguro (Albacore tuna)
- tako (octopus)
- hamachi (Yellowtail tuna)
- hokkigai (red surf clam)
- ika (squid) or hotate (scallop) topped with tobiko (flying fish roe)
- tamago (egg omelette)
- sweet pickled shiitake mushrooms
- dried seaweed
- pickled ginger and wasabi


.... DROOL?! I always appreciate the sweet pickled shiitake mushrooms and the shiso (sesame leaf) that they include in the bowl, they really make this chirashi a step above cheaper alternatives.

Chirashi - $22.95

Dynamite maki - $14.95

Mikado's maki (rolled) sushi are really well executed, with high quality fillings and well balanced flavors. The one we always get is their self proclaimed "most popular" Dynamite maki. Typically, Dynamite maki only contain tempura prawns, avocado, tobiko (flying fish roe) or masago (smelt fish roe, a cheaper alternative to tobiko), cucumber and mayo, but Mikado's version includes spicy chop chop (chopped scallops mixed with tobiko and mayo) which just slays me every time. Then again, Mikado's version is about 3x more expensive... chop chop is NOT worth an extra $10! Also served with a spicy Sriracha sauce on the side. 

Fresh Oysters - $13.95 for 6, or $2.95 each

The fresh oysters were fresh, and I think that's self explanatory for them being dericious!


Topped with ponzu, spicy grated daikon, scallions, and served with Tabasco. I'm not familiar enough with oysters to determine what type they were though...  @_@\\

Toro sushi, all by it's lonesome - $2.95

The toro (tuna belly) sushi was good and melt in your mouth, although like a broken record player, I will again reiterate, portion size was small. I know real sushi in Japan is of this size, but if you're charging $2.95 a piece for the exact same type of Albacore tuna belly served at every other Japanese restaurant in the city (they charge almost a dollar less and for a much larger piece), then I pretty much expect the sushi to be served with gold or jump in my mouth itself... just saying you know.






One thing that Mikado does do without skimping for a steal of a deal is DESSERT! I love love love sweets, so you cannot imagine how excited I was to find TIRAMISU CHEESECAKE and TEMPURA ICECREAM on their menu (and yes, I realize caps are damn annoying, but you'll have to excuse my excitement, I almost rolled out of my chair when I saw it). Pictures don't do them justice...

Green tea tempura icecream - served with chocorate and raspberry? sauce - $7.95

Overall, I would say Mikado has improved in terms of value for money, and they are definitely the best at what they do in many aspects, so I would never hesitate to come back. Unfortunately, I am seriously a huge pig, so unless I am balling, I would reserve Mikado for times when I'm not that hungry, craving really amazing sushi rice, special occasions, or just for drinks (really good selection of sake and cocktails)/desserts in a sexy atmosphere.








Mikado Japanese Restaurant - South Edmonton Common
http://www.mikadorestaurant.com/index.html
(780) 432-4500
1903-98 Street
Edmonton, AB