Sansotei Ramen in North York

Hello Sansotei!  Welcome to North York!

I'm a fan of Sansotei Ramen and when they opened up shop in North York, a 10 minute walk away, I had to go!  They have two downtown locations, one in Markham and one in Ottawa.  I've been to all except Ottawa but downtown and Markham locations are not always convenient.  The space here is not too bad, several rows of bar height tables and at the back there were regular tables with what looked like cushioned seating along the back wall.

Started with the chicken karaage which was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside...not really salted though.

Then I had the tonkotsu ramen pictured above which was very good! Pork belly was tender and had just the right amount of meat to fat ratio.  Other toppings were okay; the soft boiled marinated egg was done very well. The tonkotsu broth was very flavourful, rich, and not overly salty...no problem finishing the soup.

We didn't have dessert but picked up a bar of chocolate.  It was an organic and vegan dark salted caramel chocolate bar.  Made in Vancouver by Fitzys Chocolate.  Three square pieces for $4.50, it was a bit expensive but I wanted to try it out...not bad, very smooth, but I'm not sure I'd buy it again.  I guess taste wise it wasn't that special, but if you're vegan, this would be a good option.  But strange that a pork based broth ramen place offers vegan chocolate though...maybe for those that require a dairy free diet?

Anyway, I'm sure if you're going to Sansotei it's not for the chocolate but for the ramen and it is very good!

Sansotei Ramen

13 Byng Avenue

North York, ON, M2N 5R7

T: 416-901-1160

http://www.sansotei.com/

Mabu Generation

Mabu Generation, a Taiwanese bubbletea restaurant and bar (yes bar) at First Markham Place has been open for a few months now.  I believe they are the same owners as Mabu Station at Yonge and Finch who have decided to expand and include alcohol on their menu of drinks and more food options.  This definitely sounded intriguing and with the modern design, I wanted to try it out even though I'm not drinking right now.

Besides offering Taiwanese food like Mabu Station, they also offer a number of Japanese dishes and hot pot for one.  Their dessert selection also is a bit different and includes a variety of matcha items.  However, this next generation is also more expensive than Mabu Station.

I was disappointed.  Well actually, the service was quite good but the food...ahhhh, needs much improvement!

Unfortunately the place is dim because of the hipster lighting so the pictures didn't turn out very good.  My meal was a Grilled Chicken Donburi (or House Special Don) but looked nothing like the photo in the menu.  The chicken tasted good but there just wasn't enough meat or seasoning for the rice; the presentation was quite poor, like someone just slopped it together.

Braised Taiwanese beef noodle...poorly done as well.  Meat was not tender and the noodles were too soft and the soup was not up to par.  Given that Taiwanese beef noodle is almost like the national dish, I would have expected at least average but sadly it wasn't.

My friend ordered the curry pork cutlet and she said it was okay but very salty.  Nothing to rave about.  Nor was the mini hot pot another friend had ordered.

I also had the mochi waffle with ice cream pictured above.  This was better than my meal.  The waffle was entirely mochi, a good size and tasted okay, soft and chewy.  Part of me expected a wheat based waffle stuffed with mochi filling though...I guess I've been seeing too many pics from cafes in Taiwan that make a mochi waffle but the mochi is a filling inside so you still get a nice crisp exterior and a chewy centre.  

As I said, decor was really nice (too many people to take a picture of the inside, sorry) and I think for an evening with friends it would be an okay place to chat with friends over tea and dessert.  I say this because our experience with service was good so could be worth giving them a try if you're in the area.  But for lunch or dinner I would pass, there are much better places.

Wall mural of the popular tourist and day trip town Jiufen.

Mabu Generation

Unit #23-26, 3235 Hwy 7 E.  (First Markham Place)

Markham, ON L3R 3P3

T: 905-604-8358

http://mabugeneration.com/english

Hello March: I'm Dreaming of...

The wonders of technology!

I did not draw or paint the above picture.  Rather I took a picture on my camera and with a free app converted it to the above sketch/watercolour.  Absolutely love this app.  Of course hand sketching or hand painting would be even better but I really don't have those talents, nor can I spend time cultivating them

...maybe in a decade or two :)

So what does this have to do with March?

Well, my thoughts for March began with this rare picture I took.  Most of my pictures are up close of food or tea.  But there were a few times recently where I would have to stop my tea session and do something else and while at a distance I began to admire my tea setting from afar. 

I love every piece there.

As I drink more tea, a good tea drinking experience is one of the things I'm after...the tea, teaware, and your surrounding setup are important.  Doesn't mean I don't just drink tea as a beverage because there are days where a mug of tea is great.  But every tea lover has their own philosophy on tea drinking and I think I'm still developing mine.  Before I focused on only the tea, then I started to really think about my teaware. I love acquiring teaware but if I just had these pieces I would still be happy.  Even a simple five dollar gaiwan is fine if that's all I had, but teaware is a luxury I've come to appreciate and will save for pieces I adore.

So now comes the surrounding setup.  I don't have a special room or table...this is just the dining table.  The bamboo tea tray is useful but I've been considering using a tea cloth (chabu) to change things up.  Besides this, many people will also have some sort of greenery to enhance the atmosphere.  I'm really, really bad with plants so I never thought of it or never aquired vases because they would be empty if I did.  But the mandarin oranges on the table was a pop of colour, an element of freshness that I liked.  

So, with signs of Spring often showing up in March, in March: I'm Dreaming of... 

Something green to add to my tea space.

Kim's Nature is a place I recently was told about and plan to visit since they look like they have a great selection of plants, particularly succulents and bonsai.

I'm not capable of owning a bonsai, but for those that are looking for some inspiration and for some really lovely pics, here is a new kind of bonsai, aqua bonsai.

For more inspiration, I've found it through various Instagram pics

...@a.light.thing...all are great but here are some recent ones I like: this one dated march first and one feb twenty-third.  She sometimes matches a quote or poem to her picture which I love.

...@pekoeandimp for the consistently lovely setup

...simple outdoor tea setups like here.

There are so many more and propably people I don't know about but thought I'd highlight a few.

Making my own chabu/tea cloth.

I have a hobby of making little coin purses and have acquired a bit of fabric.  Most are small pieces of fabric that are actually too small for this project, but I have a couple that might work.  I'm not certain if this will be doable but that's what this series is about isn't it :)