Latea Era - Cheese Crown...Ummmm what is that?

I haven't done a restaurant post in a long time since I've been busy these last few months and also been focusing on tea, so sticking with the tea theme, here is a new tea shop/house.

Latea Era - "The new era of tea" is their slogan.

I'm not too sure about that, but they are trying to do something a little different.

So what is a "cheese crown"?  It's their specialty cream cheese topped tea drinks which means a salty liquid cream cheese mix sits on top of tea.  It may sound gross, but it wasn't too bad and if you are a sweet and salty combo type person, this may appeal to you.

I didn't think I'd get the best tea here so opted for something pretty, the cheese crown rose oolong.  I had it hot but they do make it cold as well.  It did look pretty and the cheese did stay at the top for a very long time.  Overall I think it's like drinking a tea and your dessert at the same time, but the tea flavour isn't as strong as I'd hoped.  If you like the sea salt cream topping at other teashops, you may like this.

I'm not sure how the salty topping of tea really started but it may have been the coffee and dessert chain 85°C in Taiwan in 2008.  Maybe the trend dates back further but the chain offered coffee with a sea salt cream topping and when I had it in Taiwan in 2009, it was not bad - it was quite unique.  I believe tea followed after the success of coffee.

However, if you want to consider who initially added salt to tea, traditional Tibetan butter tea is made with brick tea (puer or black), (yak) butter and salt so this may be the first creation of tea with salt.

Anyway, for a few years now in Toronto, there are a number of locations offering this salted cream topping: Gong Cha, Share Tea, Chatime.  Latea Era also offers a salty cream topping but they go one step further and making a salty cream cheese topping.  I'm not sure of how many other places offer a cream cheese topping in Toronto but I have heard Happy Lemon does; I have yet to go.



The only thing is I don't know where this tea house comes from, how it originated, who started it, is it in other countries?  It just seemed to pop up and their website states it's their first North America location. In the last six months there has been numerous tea places that have popped up in Toronto; very exciting!

They brew their teas on the spot which can slow the line down but does ensure freshly brewed tea and their tea bags are on display.  If you want a regular bubble tea they do offer that, some fruit teas, and matcha options.  Their regular milk tea is brewed with an espresso machine and I also ordered one to go with tapioca.  Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of their basic milk tea as I found the tea not as smooth.  There was a bit of char taste to it too which could be the type of tea or the espresso machine extracting unwanted flavours from the tea.  Half sugar is a little less sweet than half sugar requests at other tea shops.  The tapioca was also not the best but I did go early afternoon on a Wed so that could be why.

At the back

This place has lots of seating so great for groups, studying and when you just want to sit in a nice space instead of getting take-out.  Cafe music playing in the background makes for a more modern ambience.  Service was also polite and friendly.

Would I go back?

Yes, to try their matcha options, but based on the drinks I did try...it's probably not my cup of tea.  Maybe their matcha will be the drink that keeps me coming back.

Lots of cream cheese topping at the end.

Latea Era

3300 Midland Avenue, Unit 37
Scarborough, ON M1V 4A1

T: 647-349-6888

www.latea.ca

• Phone numberusiness website

A Cafe named "Cafe"

 

"Cafe"
8 Glen Watford Drive (Dynasty Centre)
Toronto, ON M1S 2C1
T: (416) 321-3354

Last weekend we stumbled upon a HK Cafe called "Cafe" and was pleasantly surprised by the overall experience.  We originally were going to have dumplings in Scarborough but the parking lot was full so we drove to the nearby Dynasty Centre plaza and noticed an HK Cafe.  In Chinese, it's called "Cousin Cafe" but there is actually no English name except for the word "Cafe". 

 

Inside the decor is pretty nice (for an HK Cafe), tables are spaced well, and they have a pretty extensive menu with dinner specials under $10.  I went with one of my usuals, baked fish with spinach cream sauce on rice ($7.95).  It reminds me of Dickens, but I think a little light on the amount of fish.  Tastes very good though.  Dinner specials come with soup and a hot beverage (coffee/tea) and the usual add extra for a cold drink.  My partner got a beef and egg on rice noodle dish that tasted good and although the portion was okay, it was probably smaller than other locations.

I had a hot milk tea and it was okay but not as smooth, more astringent than other places. 

 

Staff were friendly and service was quick.  It was also nice that they asked if we wanted our beverages at the end of the meal (as would be custom at traditional cafes) or now...we opted for now.  All and all, not a bad place and because it's near Sheppard Ave E, quite easy to get to from the 401.

  

New Northern Dumpling - Go for the Lamb Skewers

Lamb skewers: there were 5 to start but I forgot to take my camera out!

New Northern Dumpling
633 Silver Star Boulevard Unit 120
Toronto, ON M1V 5N1
(416) 321-2289

As the summer begins, I think about the Asian night markets that open for a weekend in July.  Mainly because of the huge variety of snack foods and I always get lamb skewers.  But, the line ups and crowds definitely make it hard when you're toting a baby along.  So in comes New Northern Dumpling.  Their lamb skewers are yummy and so worth the price ($5.99 for 5)!  I know that it's supposed to be a dumpling place but the lamb skewers out shone the dumplings in my opinion.  Light cumin flavour and more spicy than other Northern Chinese restaurants.  Although the restaurant name highlights dumplings, they actually have a huge menu that includes many items that are not dumplings.

We ordered a pork and fennel (dill actually) dumpling that came 15 per basket. A definite value and the taste was pretty good. The filling was nicely seasoned and you can taste the dill. But, the wrapper was a bit too thick and hardened too quickly. That would be where I took points off.

We also got the soup filled ones but they were too small that there wasn't much soup, came 8 per basket. I think whatever amount of soup there was, it got absorbed by the skin.

Pork and fennel (dill) steamed dumplings

Juicy!

Soup dumplings: Too small

We also ordered a vegetable noodle dish which turned out to be a very big bowl of noodles.  It was different since there was cucumbers in the soup which I didn't expect to see.  The noodles had a nice chew to it and we quite enjoyed it.

 

Vegetables Noodles

Service was nice, nothing to complain about but English is limited.  For those that don't speak Mandarin, the menu contains pictures for most of their items and as you can see above, ordering is done by marking the menu.

We quite enjoyed our meal and I think we would return for the lamb skewers and to try some of their other dishes.  Based on the pork and fennel dumpling I would say this place is decent for dumplings, but Northern Dumpling Kitchen is still my favourite dumpling restaurant in the GTA.

 

 

Dim Sum at Crown Jewel - A Pleasant Morning

Crown Jewel Fine Dining
325 Bamburgh Circle
Toronto, ON, M1W 3Y1
T: 416-502-2888

http://www.crownjewelrestaurant.ca/

 

Pear-shaped fried meat dumpling!!  The first time I had eaten such a cute shaped dumpling was at Premier Ballroom and Convention Centre (although I've had the traditional shaped one many times before), I'm glad to have found another place that does the same, and just as well.  Crown Jewel serves 3 per dish vs Premiere's 4, but they are definitely bigger.  The glutinous rice dough was nicely fried and had that hint of sweetness while the inside filling was nicely seasoned.  The filling inside was seasoned with 5-spice powder making the taste a little different but still good.

Yummy!

The other dishes were okay, nothing that requires too much explanation.  Everything tasted pretty good and for $2.90 per dish before 11am, it's a pretty good deal.

Har gow (shrimp dumplings)

Siu mai (pork dumplings)

Very good as well, some of the chicken pieces could be more tender though.



Shrimp Rice Rolls: A good amount of shrimp was provided per roll :)

Service was quite good and they spent some time arranging the place settings.  Food came out pretty fast.  I did notice that some things weren't steaming hot when they arrived but was still in the right temperature zone for eating. 

Decor is nice, nothing too fancy but like most fancier dim sum places, they have the banquet style chair covers.  Place is smaller than other dim sum locations like Premiere.

When we were done, I noticed another table had a plate of bbq pork buns, and they look like the ones where it is baked with the sweet crust on top, similar to Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong which was soooo good if you like the savory sweet combo.  I think I'll have to try it next time!

Review :: Deer Garden Signatures

Fish and vegetables noodle soup in a Laksa broth.

Deer Garden Signatures
633 Silver Star Blvd Unit 125
Scarborough, ON M1V 5N1
416-609-2888
http://deergarden.ca/signature.html

Deer Garden doesn't serve deer if you're wondering. It's actually a fish noodle soup restaurant which also serves some rice dishes and side snacks.  Deer Garden is a franchise from British Columbia and is doing quite well here in Toronto.  They have 2 locations:  Leslie and Hwy 7 and Silver Star Blvd and Steeles (near Pacific Mall).

1st Impression: big bowl of noodles
2nd Impression: a hearty bowl of noodles, easily becoming a regular dining out spot

The main soup bases are fish stock and you add your choice of noodle and 2 meat/veggie items.  You also choose your broth which not all are fish based.  My first experience was a rushed one and all I remember was there was a lot of noodles! I didn't finish the bowl.  But the fish base wasn't too bad.  Important to note, they mention which of their soup bases contain no MSG which is good if you're concerned about such things.

I was looking to have some laksa soup, so this time around I ordered the laksa broth with rice noodles.

Closer look at the rice noodles.

Spicy and filling.  The fish slices that I ordered as one of my toppings didn't break down into little crumbs which was good and they provide a decent portion.  Can't really say much about the noodles as I got rice noodles which are pretty standard.  If you get egg noodles, they are actually fat egg noodles, not the kind you get with wonton noodle.  The soup base also comes with napa and mushrooms so we didn't have to order extra of those unless you want double of these.  The broth could be creamier and probably would be better with a fish base but I wasn't sure if I wanted to add the extra $1.50. 

With your soup noodle item, it comes with a drink.  Unfortunately for those that don't want a drink, there is no option to only have the noodle soup (unless you want to pay the same price and decline the drink, but I don't expect many to do this).  We didn't mind as we'll usually order a milk tea with our meal at most places.  We opted for a cold drink and it tasted decent.

Deer Garden also allows you to select some sides for an additional cost, almost like making a combo at Wendy's, lol!  I say Wendy's because it's not just 1 type of side; you can get a fried pork cutlet or chicken cutlet like us for an extra $2.  Other sides include fish, sausage, chicken wings, and ox tongue.  I think the fish cutlet is actually better than the pork as I tried a small piece my first time dining at Deer Garden.

Fried pork cutlet, a little dry but the side mayo helped.

Chicken cutlet, quite tender

The decor is also inviting and bright, with many booths.  We like sitting in booths because they are usually more spacious but the only problem is when you have a large group.  Large groups will have to wait for the section against the wall to free up as there are normally tables for 2 but can be shifted to make larger tables.

My second visit to Deer Garden definitely left a better impression. Although it's not fancy food or that difficult of a dish, I think the simplicity of the meal and the overall experience make it a good regular dining out option, especially for lunch.  I'm also unlikely going to make fish broth at home so the fish broth is a draw. There's enough variety, portions are good, seating is spacious for a small family or group, and service is decent.

Nice ceiling decor

Elite Congee & Noodle - What an Unexpected Surprise

Baked Fish on Rice with White Cream Sauce

Elite Congee & Noodle
5651 Steeles Avenue East
Toronto, ON M1V 5P6
T: 416-321-6868

Yes, this is another congee and noodle place.
We're always eating lunch late or having HK afternoon tea on the weekends.  So, congee and noodle places often meet our needs.  We'll often shop at T&T supermarket before or after lunch depending on our midday meal and sometimes we go to the Middlefield and Steeles location. In the same plaza, we noticed a congee and noodle place and decided to give it a try.  Didn't expect much since it's located in a not so busy plaza and there weren't many people there when we walked in, but it was actually pretty decent!

Our meals tasted quite good and portion size for the price was about the same or better than other HK style cafes.  My baked fish on rice with cream sauce was good.  Taste was as expected but I liked the fact that they added a few pieces of peppers to the top.  Most places don't give you any veggies.  The fried rice underneath was also done well. 

  

Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

The pork dish was also quite good, seasoned and fried very well.  But, it wasn't actually something my partner was thinking of getting, they ran out of beef brisket already so it was a bit disappointing and this was the next best thing.  How could they run out so early in the day we wondered?!  Anyway, maybe the beef brisket is so good, the lunch crowd had ordered it all out!  We'll have to get there earlier next time I guess.



Cold HK Milk Tea

I think the one thing that was so-so was their HK milk tea. Not sure if it was an off day but it wasn't cold enough and the flavour seemed a bit off... almost seemed like cocoa was added to it??

If you arrive at 3pm you'll have your choice of afternoon tea specials, lunch specials (they run until 5:30pm), and all day specials.  Lots of options!  Of course, you can also order from the regular menu but the specials usually come with a drink of some sort.  Interestingly, a red bean drink is offered with the afternoon tea specials, something different than the usually coffee or milk tea (which is also available).

Exterior

Interior

Service was okay and polite. The interior was clean and seating was fairly spacious.

Now, for the price.  Both dishes were under $7!!  Deal!  And comes with a drink, even better! If you want to change your drink to something that is not part of the special, it's an additional $0.75. 

I'm sure we'll definitely be back as the prices are great, good variety of options, it's convenient for us, and to try the beef brisket!

CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice - Now Open in Toronto

Another Taiwan bubble tea brand has opened in Toronto; Coco Bubble Tea.  Located in a small plaza north of Finch and Midland (near Keung Kee Restaurant), this past weekend they were just in their "soft opening" stage. The offerings are definitely geared to a North American market with fruit slushes, tea macchiatos, and chocolate flavoured drinks.  Not a bad thing, but different from more common offerings in Taiwan.  Their webtsite shows drinks that are not offered here but I think it would have been good to have some items that would be unique to this brand.

Winter melon, apple, and I think green bean (mung bean) slush would have been good options to include.  I would definitely go for a green bean smoothie as it was common in Taiwan (and supposedly is good for "cooling" the body or reducing acne).  It‘s interesting to note they only have 2 fresh teas.  

I opted for a hot Matcha milk tea as I actually had a cold HK milk tea just before (but I had to try Coco out even if I wasn't thirsty).

Taste: Okay, but it misses a bit on the Matcha flavour.  I wasn‘t asked about my preferred sugar level as I usually will get less or half sugar, but it turned out ok, just a bit sweeter than I‘d like at the end.  I think the real taste test will be on their milk tea and a fruit tea.

Service: Soft opening so can‘t really comment except the service was friendly.

Atmosphere: Clean, spacious. 

Will I return?  Yes, to try other drinks and give a more informed review.  But, they will definitely be competing with Marathon Donuts during the day in the milk tea category as Marathon is known to have award winning HK style milk tea and they are priced lower.  

La Mere Restaurant :: Super Find in Scarborough

La Mere Restaurant
3278 Midland Ave.
Scarborough, ON M1V 0C9
416-297-0297

Every so often I read Yelp reviews and come across a place that I saw a while back but was a bit unsure of trying and then wish I did try it so I could be the one to discover such a great place!  La Mere is one of those restaurants.  In a short time, they've even opened a second location in Richmond Hill at Times Square (Hwy 7 and Leslie).

  

We had tried to go once on a weekend and it was packed!  The tiny restaurant only has tables of four's and two's.  So, definitely go off peak times if you don't want to wait.  I'm not quite sure if this place is considered "Northern Chinese Cuisine" but there are a several dishes that are characteristic of Northern Chinese Food. I'm happy Toronto has more and more Chinese restaurants that showcase the extensive variety of Chinese cuisine.  We ordered a few dishes to sample the range of offerings and all were tasty!

We ordered a cold dish of celery, cloud ears, and bean curd, which was light and crunchy.  Simply dressed with sesame oil and a bit of salt, it started the meal off great.

Cold Appetizer

The pork neck soup came with 3 pieces of pork which were tender and lightly flavoured.  The noodles were  chewy which we liked but became soggy near the end; common for a lot of noodles if you let it sit in the broth too long.  The broth was probably the most disappointing part of the meal.  Not too much on flavour but I'm also glad it wasn't too salty.  The noodle soup offerings are well priced and would be great as a quick lunch.

Pork bone soup with hand pulled noodles

If you like lamb, these were tender and fairly decent.  More spicy than cumin IMO though. Would be great with a beer, especially when served with toothpicks.  My only gripe would be the price is a bit high for the amount you get.  At $13 I expected a little more.

Toothpick Cumin Lamb

Below is the beef pancake that the Chinese name of the restaurant (老媽肉餅) is named after.

Crispy skinned and filled with a ground beef mix that tasted pretty good.  

Definitely a comfort food, oily, crispy, and meaty.

Beef Pancake ("Meat Pie")

Service was okay, nothing extraordinary.  But just an observation, another table had plastic gloves to eat their pork bones with but we weren't given any...maybe we had to ask?

There were definitely a few other things on the menu to try but we'll save that for next time!  Overall, a great find in Scarborough for good, hearty, and (for the most part,) reasonably priced meal.

Le Cafe Michi - Great Sushi, Cozy, and Dessert All-in-One

Le Cafe Michi continues to be one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto for several reasons.  From the signage at the front you wouldn't think they serve sushi, let alone very good sushi for that matter, but the quality of sushi and food in general is very good; a real hidden gem!  The space is cozy and relaxed, I feel like it could be in Japan; but think smaller town feel, not the flash and energy of Tokyo. (So, if you're looking for posh, head to downtown Toronto instead.)  And, to top things off, the desserts are delicious and made in-house so you'll find desserts such as a green tea red bean cake or tofu cheesecake available.

1802 Pharmacy Aveune
Scarboough, ON  M1T 1K1

416-490-9688

The space

Le Cafe Michi reminds me a little bit of zakka culture and a slower pace of life by the atmosphere they generate, the decor, and the cute handmade goods on display/for sale.  The place is quiet, perfect for good conversation and when you just want to relax with a cup of coffee or tea and dessert.  (By the way, they offer an afternoon tea special that includes slice of cake and coffee or tea for $6.50.)

These kitties are so cute!!

Back room for dining and omakase.

The food

In Toronto there are so many all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants that for many, it's hard to find value in going to a sushi restaurant that isn't.  But, sometimes it's about quality vs quantity and Le Cafe Michi delivers on the quality.

Top left:  salad for chyo-chin bento (could have been a little more interesting tho').  Bottom left: seaweed salad for cafe au lait chirashi.

We ordered sushi specials which come with salad (pictured above), a choice of tea or coffee and choice of dessert.  Besides the sushi specials, they also serve cooked dishes like katsu don and items a la carte.

Chicken karaage, this is how the chyo-chin bento looks when served

The chicken karaage (basically Japanese fried chicken) was crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside.  Light seasoning and the batter wasn't thick or too oily.  Drizzled with a spicy mayo based sauce, this dish definitely stood out!!  I was tempted to order it a la carte too but each meal was just enough food on it's own and...I wanted to make sure I had room for dessert. ^-^

The rest of the bento includes 6 pieces of sashimi which were of good quality and unajyu (eel) on sushi rice was soft and flavourful, well made indeed.

The Cafe Au Lait Chirashi was beautifully assembled, my favourite being the mushroom shaped tuna on the left dotted with wasabi mayo (cute!).  The sashimi was fresh and the variety is standard (normally they have uni but didn't have any that day).  My only complaint was the tuna was not as good as I remember.  Underneath, between some sushi rice was some unajyu (bbq eel) which made the sushi rice even tastier.

The dessert

Ranging from Earl grey chiffon to mousse cakes to various cheesecakes, they offer a very good selection of desserts.  We opted for a slice of Sake chocolate cake and a slice of green tea red bean cake.

Part of the dessert case.

Sake chocolate cake

You can taste the sake but it wasn't too strong and really went well with the chocolate. Texture of the mousse and ganache was good.

Green tea red bean cake

The green tea  cream was ohhh so good, just the right amount of green tea and sweetness!  But they were kind of off on the texture of the cake, it was a little too wet and airy.  I've had this cake several times and the texture of the cake was never an issue in the past, moist, light and fluffy, so still worth a try if you like green tea flavoured desserts.

And just because I mentioned it, here is the tofu cheesecake.

One other thing to note, if you're going for lunch or dinner, MAKE RESERVATIONS!  The place is small and has a loyal customer base, you'll be disappointed if you don't!