Sushi One is one of the many AYCE options in the area of uptown Finch (Yonge/Sheppard and Yonge/Finch area). Their bright block signage is not that hard to miss if you're walking by in the area. Their lunch AYCE is $12.99 so it's reasonably priced, and relative to the other establishments. For lunch, they offer the standard AYCE fare such as sushi, cooked food, appetizers, and ice-cream. However, sashimi is not available but they do have an okay selection of sushi and rolls. Overall, the selection is limited for lunch but the options that they do offer is solid for an AYCE.

My lunch companion and I, had a little less than an hour to eat lunch (during work hours). The restaurant started picking up around this time, but fortunately, the food came out at a good pace. The sushi contained a good ratio of the amount of rice to the ratio of fish. Plus, the rice was nicely seasoned and the sushi didn't fall apart. I thought that each order was portioned well for two people, and we finished with a few minutes to spare until back to work. Out of the cooked food that we ordered; I liked the beef teriyaki and beef ribs the best. The sushi pizza contained a generous amount of salmon bits on top, but the fried patty was slightly too thin. I wasn't a huge fan of the chicken teriyaki as it was completely drenched in teriyaki sauce, making the flavor very overwhelming.

As for service, I was relatively happy with the service as I found it efficient and quick. Our waitress was attentive, friendly, and the food did arrive out pretty quickly. Plus, she checked up on us periodically, and did promptly clear the empty plates.

Address: 4924 Yonge St Toronto, ON, M2N 5N5

I have been to Rol San a couple of times in the past, and have been overcharged 3/4 times. Those experiences definitely left a sour taste in my mouth and I didn't return until last weekend (after a year). Being overcharged by $8 the first time around was okay as we chalked it up as a server's miscalculation. However, being overcharged by a few dollars ($10+) on each of the other two visits (on separate occasions) has gotten me concerned about their practices so I didn't bother to return. Instead of Rol San, we usually alternate between these three; Rosewood, Dim Sum King, or Noble Seafood in Chinatown. I am not the only one who have had this issue, as there are quite a lot of online reviews out there that have indicated this as well.

Despite their lack of service or final bill discrepancies; Rol San has remained a popular dim sum establishment in Chinatown. I can definitely see why as they do offer all day dim sum, and the food was tasty here. As an added note; tea is an additional 60 cents per person.  

The spicy boneless duck feet (3.48).

The shrimp dumplings (har gow) ($3.88).

 The pork dumplings (shiu mai) ($3.48).

The diced beef and preserved vegerables in rice rolls ($3.48).

The shrimps rice rolls ($3.88).

 The chicken feet in chef's sauce ($2.88).

 The spareribs in black bean sauce ($2.68).

The prices are relatively standard to a restaurant offering all day dim sum, and our meal was a little over thirty dollars. I actually did enjoy the food here as I found it rather flavorful, and the shrimp that they used for both the shrimp dumplings and rice rolls were plump and delicious. As for service; the main server didn't do much as all he did was stand at the front counter, and lurked around. Our food was brought out from the kitchen in a rather fast manner by one of the kitchen staff, which is good as it came out hot. Nothing much has changed in a year; good food and mediocre service. 

Spork App:

A few weeks back, I was invited to test out a new mobile app for food lovers called Spork. The app allows people to discover real-time promotions and deals from nearby restaurants. Spork is completely free and is available for download on the AppStore. They are currently working on an Android app that will soon be available on Google Play. The app is barely a few months old, and  have already partnered up with several known establishments such as Snakes & Lattes, The Burgernator, I Went to Philly, The Red Bench, Firken on Yonge, Senator Restaurant, and many more. 

 One of the co-creators of Spork, Jed, expanded on the app and the future goals of the company during our dinner. The app is beneficial to restaurant owners as it allows them to increase their revenues and customer base during off-peak hours by offering deals. On the consumers' side, the app allows them to check for nearby deals and to potentially eat out and save some money.

In order to get these deals, your location setting (on the iPhone) must be turn on. This is so the Spork app can locate the deals nearest you. The good thing is that the deals are all accessible to people walking in the area. For example, we were in the middle of Kensington Market, and the app pinpointed a few nearby restaurants offering deals around that time (5 pm). The deals are curated for customers based on (high) online reviews, and they also hope to build relationships/partnerships with these restaurants.

Additionally, Spork has finally confirmed that they will be launching in Vancouver by the end of July with a pilot of at least 12 restaurants including Le Petit Belge, Basil Pasta Bar and Leonidas. 

The Burgernator:

Address: 269 Augusta Ave Toronto, ON M5T2L7

Jed turned on the app, and I had a choice between a few deals in Kensington Market; I opted for The Burgernator. The The Burgernator is a small restaurant specializing in burgers, and offering freshly made burgers priced between $5-$10 each. The Spork deal entails one to get free fries if you purchase a burger from their B.M.D (Burgers of Mass Destruction) menu. There were nine different burgers that you could order from that list.  

The Terminator inspired restaurant was small with a few chairs seating. Likewise, their white and black decor was modern and simple. I liked that the restaurant had an open kitchen concept where customers are able to see the cooks cooking the beef patty on the grill.

 I ended up getting the Atomic Burger ($8.50) - all beef patty, deep fried herb crusted cheese, tomato, lettuce with a sun dried tomato aioli. The freshly ground beef patty was rather good and well-seasoned, and I liked that it was freshly made. The deep fried herb crusted cheese was thick, and warm cheese oozed out of it with every bite. Liked I mentioned earlier, the deal that I got from using the app was free fries. Apparently, the fries are home-made and not frozen or store bought. The fries weren't cut too thick and tasted okay. I am not sure if it was from a fresh batch, but I found the fries to be quite soggy, and lacked crispiness. I may have not been a fan of the fries, but I did enjoy the burger from The Burgernator, and would return in the future. Portion-wise, it was a filling meal and with the deal, it was under $10 per person.

 

The Bazooka Jr ($8.50) - beef patty, fried egg, sauteed hot peppers, jack cheese, and spicy chipotle aioli.

The creators behind Spork are not only working on the Android version, but they are hoping to expand by adding restaurants more out West (in T.O). More information on their app can be found on their official website, and you can sign up for their email updates there as well. I recently downloaded the app on my iphone5S, and will be using it whenever I am looking for a place to eat downtown.

Download: Spork on the AppStore here.

 Official Website: http://www.sporkit.co/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/spork_it
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/spork_it

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Disclaimer: The food provided in this post was complimentary (courtesy of Spork). However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.

Swiss Chalet is a Canadian chain of casual dining known for their rotisserie chicken. They have roughly over 200 locations all throughout Canada. I had been to a couple of different Swiss Chalet locations throughout the years, and there's really no consistency sometimes. This specific location in Mississauga was one of the better ones that I have eaten at. I try not to return to the same chain often (as I like trying out new restaurants) but this choice was made by a friend of mine who I was meeting up with.

Cheese perogies ($6.49) - cheese and potato filled dumplings served with zesty Cajun sauce for dipping.  

I ordered the chicken & shrimp ($12.99) - a quarter of our famous Rotisserie Chicken paired with eight shrimp, sauteed in a light Tuscan garlic sauce. Served over our seasoned rice pilaf with your choice of a white or multi-grain roll and Chalet sauce for dipping. The chicken was of a decent size and wasn't overly dry or brunt like I have had at some other locations. Normally, the shrimp would arrive out at the same time as the chicken. However, the shrimp took more than 20+ minutes to come out from the kitchen. Our waitress apologized for the delay and placed down a plate full of shrimp. I believe that the meal only comes with about 4-5 pieces (judging from the picture in the menu), but I got about 10 pieces. She apologized again and explained that the extra pieces was for the delay of the dish. The shrimp wasn't super plump but at least the sauce was flavorful enough without being overly salty.

The service was surprisingly good as our waitress was genuinely friendly, and accommodating. It was rather busy that lunch hour, but she was quick to take our order, refill water and bought us extra plates. The food wasn't spectacular (more so on the generic side), but the service made up for it

Address: 1170 Burnhamthorpe Rd W Mississauga, ON L5C4E6 

A friend of mine recommended that we meet up at Hooters since they have AYCE wings on Monday. We arrived a little after 6:30 pm, and it wasn't super busy. However, the place started picking up by around 7:30 pm, and it quickly filled up when we left. Hooters can be categorized as a "breastaurant" as the waitresses are clad in tight white tank top and high waist orange shorts. A majority of customers either hate or like the idea of being served by females dressing in tiny shorts; I am neutral. I care more about the food, and the idea of AYCE wings appealed to me.

Hooters offers the typical bar fare such as salads, wings, burgers, sandwiches, and etc. ... Both my friend and I opted to get two of their AYCE Wings deal ($12.99 x 2). Note that since my last visit; they have increased the price by a $1.00.

They have a laminated place card at each table indicating the rules of AYCE Wings. It's as followed:

Rules:

Hooters has 13 wing sauces on their menu and my favorite was probably their "honey garlic". For those who like their wings hot; their two hottest sauces are "Habanero BBQ" and "911" (4 flames). We didn't order either of those, so I can't comment on their hot levels. Each wings order arrived on a round tray with 10 wings. I have had Hooters wings before (on a regular night) and the ones served every Monday are slightly smaller in size. Unfortunately, some pieces barely had any meat on them, but hey ... it's AYCE so you can always order more. Overall, my dining experience was rather okay as the wings weren't too bad, and our waitress was friendly, and quick.

The curly fries were good, and it was only $1.99 per basket. Super cheap!

I wouldn't say that I am a regular but I do eat at the Queen St W's Banh Mi Boys, at least 1-2 times every month. I have come to enjoy their take on the traditional Vietnamese sandwiches, as they have added a fusion flare to the classic banh mi.

I have walked by their second location to their original flagship nearby the Eaton's Center a couple of times. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I went inside to order. They offer the same fare that can be found at the original location, and the layout/concept of the design is same too. The one main difference was that their second location was larger as it can seat more people.

One of my usual orders at their flagship store is the kalbi beef ($6.99) - short ribs, kimchi, asian BBQ sauce, so I ordered one here. The tender and well marinated short ribs tasted so good with the contrasting crunch of the veggies. Like I mentioned in the previous review; it's served on a toasted sandwich with carrots, Japanese pickle cucumbers, cilantro, and sauce.

You can also customize the spice level of your food as follows:

mid (no spice)
medium (sriracha sauce)
spicy (sriracha sauce + fresh cut jalapenos)
extra spicy (fresh cut habaneros)

The five spice pork belly steamed bao ($3.49) hasn't seen an increase in price like the kalbi beef banh mi, so it's still quite cheap. The steamed bun stuffed with a thick slice of fatty pork belly simply does melt in your mouth and the crispy veggies was plentiful.

Banh Mi Boys also offer their take on tacos by adding Asian flavored filling to them from kalbi beef, pulled pork, grilled chicken, squid and tofu. I got the kalbi beef taco ($3.99) - served with purple cabbage slaw, kimchi, pickled carrots and cilantro.

RATINGS:

Quality of Food: 4/5
Service: N/A
Overall Dining Experience:4/5
Price: $ || Online Menu

Address: 392 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M5V 2A9  

There are plenty of Korean options at Yonge and Finch. However, one thing that stood out about Kayagum Korean Restaurant is that it's open 24 hours; 7 days a week. The restaurant's interior is rather spacious and its decor is clean and basic.

Their menu is chock-full of photographs of the Korean traditional dishes that they offer. Additionally, they also offer a few Japanese dishes and sushi as well. Prices are slightly higher than the average Korean establishments found nearby, but it's due to the fact that they are open round the clock.

The table displays a bell that you can ring when you're in need of assistance. It didn't take long for our waitress to arrive at our table once we ring the bell. In fact, even though she was quiet and soft-spoken; she was quick and efficient.

We were given five dishes of bachan (complimentary appetizers) to start with. The bachan offered were kimchi, seaweed, mashed potatoes, eggplants, and beans. I wasn't a fan of the spongy dry eggplant, but I did like their seaweed and their kimchi wasn't so bad.

The boyfriend and I do not frequent the Yonge & Finch area often, but did so as he had to conduct a business transaction. Unfortunately for me, I had an early dinner at 5 pm that day, so I was pretty hungry by 11 pm again. There weren't many options in the area that were still open, but my Yelp app led me to Kayagum Korean Restaurant.

I opted for a Japanese dish; the chicken katsu ($9.95) - deep fried chicken cutlet with rice, and he got the dwenjang chigae ($8.95) - stew made with soy bean paste with pork. I didn't find the breaded deep-fried cutlet oily at all, which is always good. However, the chicken meat was a little dry so you do need to coat it in the katsu sauce. Although the dish wasn't arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way; the portion was pretty good with 10 pieces of cutlet for its price.

A friend recommended that we try out The Jerk Spot for a quick bite after he spotted it a couple of weeks earlier.



The Jerk Spot is a small family-run Caribbean eatery located in Kensington Market. The place may be small but there are a few seats in the restaurant, and the menu is displayed clearly on the side. Looking at the menu; The Jerk Spot offers a wide variety of dinner options in two sizes; small or large. Additionally, they also have roti and sandwiches which are all priced under $10 each.

My friend got the jerk chicken breast roti ($8.50). The size of the roti looked pretty reasonable to me. my friend mentioned that there was a good amount of chunks of meat wrapped inside of the traditional flat bread.