Kintako Japanese Restaurant

Steam from the soup resulted in this foggy pic...

After my partner had gone curling at the Leaside curling club, the group was looking for dinner options.  We don't usually come to this area to eat so really didn't know what to expect.  Kintako was recommended so we headed there and I'll start by saying the service was great!  It appears to be family run and they were really accommodating.

I had the udon noodle soup with 5 pieces of sushi (which also comes with a side salad) so I could taste a bit of sushi and also share the udon with my toddler. The udon bowl is fairly big and it was decent in terms of taste. Can't really say the noodles were spectacular, but they were pretty smooth with a slight chew to it.  Sushi was overall good as well.

我點了烏冬麵加五塊壽司(包送沙拉).  烏冬麵份量比較大, 味道和口感還ok. 壽司也好.

My partner got a sushi sashimi platter and we shared a volcano roll as well.  The volcano roll was not bad, lots of sauce going on and the top was layered with butter fish that was torched a bit (they actually light the plate on fire but I don't think it serves a purpose).

At the end, we ordered the black sesame ice cream which was good but if you're looking for something different, they also make their own sake ice cream which another person ordered and said was quite nice.

The prices were a little higher than other places but it was a nice experience and we'd definitely go back if we are in the area...which I must say is getting more and more restaurants!

Kintako Japanese Restaurant
214 Laird Dr. Suite 101
Toronto, ON M4G 3W4
416-800-6074
www.kintakorestaurant.com

Looking for Something Fun to Do? Try Curling!

During the winter I often find it hard to keep active or find fun things to do. So, when some friends organized a curling event, I thought that was pretty neat! My first experience curling was last year and it turned out to be a lot of fun. This winter I wasn't able to participate as I have a baby on the way (I'm not that hardcore!), but I got to see my partner in action (one of his many talents)!

There aren't many curling rinks in Toronto but if you'd like to try it out, we went to one in Leaside called the Leaside Curling Club. You can rent ice time in 2 hr blocks and for newbies, they can also provide instruction but you'll want to talk to them more specifically about it if you decide to try curling. I heard prices are going up, but if you get 8 people per sheet of ice, the price is around $20/person.

the lounge

The first time might be a bit awkward as the motion and form is something most people are not used to.  However, although the ice is slippery, it's pebbled (droplets of water sprayed on the ice to allow the rock to curl) so it's not as slippery as you'd expect when walking.  The hardest part is keeping your balance when throwing the "rock" or "stone".





One of the surprising things about curling is the rock is quite heavy (about 40 lbs)! You shouldn't lift it off the ice 'cause chances are, if you're not careful and the rock drops on the ice, you damage the ice. That's a definite "no-no".

It's something different and a lot of fun when you get the hang of it and start to think about strategy. I'd definitely recommend it as a fun activity in the winter, but ice time books up quickly so if you're interested, you should book soon!

Side Note:
The Toronto Sports and Social Club also organizes Learn to Curl events and tournaments which you can check out on their website here:  http://www.torontossc.com/events/