Foodaholic!

Han Ba Tang opened up earlier this summer, and is one of the latest additions to the Yonge and Sheppard area. The name translates to meaning "one full round" in Korean and is like a Korean-styled izakaya (or pojangmacha). I was invited to their bloggers' media tasting to preview some of their menu items. The three of us were happily greeted by the owner and a few of the organizers and staff before being shown to our table.

The restaurant may be unsuspecting from the outside as there is no signage. However, there is a large bright sign inside the restaurant and it kind of illuminates from the outside. The reason for the no signage is that the owner, Chae, wanted to preserve a rare Vitrolite tiling which was uncovered during the removal of the previous establishment's sign in the construction period. There's an industrial feel to the place with its unfinished wood floors, chalkboard menu, communal tables, and wooden decor which lends a welcoming atmosphere to the space. Rather than being a traditional Korean restaurant; Han Ba Tang strides to bring Korean-Asian fusion influences to their everyday menu while still providing affordable prices.

The cocktails are brightly written on the blackboard located at the front bar; each are priced between $8 to $12.

Kandy Crush ($8) - strawberry soju, triple sec, raspberry sour (left) and Ocean Popsicle ($9) - blue curacao, raspeberry sour and southern comfort (middle).

We started the night off with the chilli shrimp ($8) - lightly battered shrimp dipped in sweet chilli sauce, which arrived in four small dishes with 3-4 pieces each. It was dipped in a chilli sauce that tasted both sweet and spicy at the same time. I'd say that it had a very similar texture of sweet and sour pork as the shrimps weren't super crispy.

The lobster - steamed lobster with a house salad, is one of their new items that is on their winter menu. For an appetizer dish, there was a generous amount of lobster meat that peels right off the shell.

I am a huge fan of Korean kalbi, so I was thrilled to see kalbi tacos and spicy pork tacos - grilled kalbi or spicy pork on a bed of shredded cabbage with red onions and a light house aioli, on the menu.

My favorite dish of the night had to be their kimchi fries ($8) with bulgogi (+ $3) - extra crispy fries topped with kimchi, aioli gravy, sizzling bulgogi and green onions. The small portion is $10 while the larger portion is $15. If you'd like to add bulgogi to your kimchi fries then it's an additional $3. The one that we got was the small and it was more than enough for the three of us to share. I loved how the fries managed to retain its crispiness even though it was topped with hot gravy and bulgogi. Additionally, there was a generous amount of fries and bulgogi, and in my opinion, worth the price.

A fusion dish that we got to tried was the black squid ink pasta - squid ink pasta, mussels, with a house made gochujang cream sauce topped with Korean beef cake. The briny flavor of the ink pasta pairs rather well with the mussels, and the gochujang cream sauce added the Korean flavor to the dish.

The spicy chicken with fondue ($9 + $3 for fondue) - grilled chicken in a sizzling plate with a mix of rice cakes, onions, and carrots with a side of creamy cheese fondue, was not the most innovative dishes of the night. However, it was still good as the chicken went really well with the hot cheese when mixed together.

Personally, I have never heard or tried spoon pizza ($8) - mashed sweet potato crust with vegetables, tomato sauce topped with cheese and bacon or kimchi, before and I am glad that I did. Instead of a hard crust; mashed sweet potato is used as an alternative and works as the base for the pizza. You'd need a spoon to scoop up the sweet potato crust that is layered with cheese and vegetables. It was an interesting dish!

The spicy seafood soup ($10 for small) - a spicy seafood soup with shrimp mussels and crab with Korean ramyun, kind of reminds me of a fusion styled bouillabaisse (one of my favorite classic French soup). The soup base was rich in flavor, and the spiciness added a lot of kick. The portion contained a fair amount of seafood, and it's a perfect soup dish for this cold weather. The chef forgo the Korean ramyun (as it would be super filling) for the tasting, so I am not sure how it'd taste with the soup.

Lastly, we were served a decorative slice of dried persimmon cake with whipped cream for dessert.

In addition to having various cocktails on their drink menu; they also offer in-house made infused soju. The jars of soju are beautifully displayed at the front, and the flavors rotate weekly. You can order a Soju Flight ($15) which comes with four shots, and you can choose the four flavors.


Soju Flight - cinnamon apple, pineapple, and strawberry soju.

The upper Yonge area is one of the quintessential haven for traditional Korean food. However, Han Ba Tang is a welcome addition to the area as they offer a more modern take on Korean food, and is sure to please the younger crowds looking for late night eats and drinks. Thank you to both Acorn Communication and Han Ba Tang for the wonderful media tasting.

Address: 4862 Yonge St Toronto, ON, M2N 5N2
Website: http://instagram.com/hanbatang
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanbatangON

Instagram: http://instagram.com/hanbatang

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

Fresh Burger has built quite the following in Richmond Hill, ON, with their no frills burgers menu. They were the recipient of the 2014 Yelpie Award for "Favorite Burger Restaurant"; an annual award run by the people of Yelp. They have now expanded to their second location and it's located on Church St in downtown Toronto. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to their launch party where guests were given the opportunity to try out their burgers and poutines. Additionally, they were also giving away FREE burgers that night to celebrate their grand opening, and it bought out a lot of people.

** Photography by Steve Blackburn from YYZ Events **

The burgers at Fresh Burger are made with 100% fresh premium quality meat which they grind on-site daily. Although, the simplicity of their menu only offers a few choices, they do offer quality burgers - without the high prices that are all the rage these days. You can check out the rest of Fresh Burger's menu at http://www.fresh-burger.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/menu-web.jp.

I opted for their freshburger (4 oz) combo which came with fries and drink ($8.85). If you'd like to upgrade your fries to a poutine; it's an additional $2.99. All of their burgers are dressed with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Freshburger sauce. You can also request them to add onions and pickles for no additional charge. Other toppings that you can add onto your burger for an extra $1 each is bacon, caramelized onions, sautéed jalapeño, mushrooms or cheese ($1.50). I liked the soft bun and how the burger patty was lightly seasoned. They lightly seasoned their beef patties with salt while it's on the grill. It was a tasty burger and I'd definitely come back to check out the other items on their menu.

I really liked their poutine ($2.99 to upgrade combo or $5.99 individual), and the portion was more than generous for its price point. Additionally, the fries are cut freshly cut judging by the large sacks of potatoes located in the kitchen. The poutine also contains real cheese curds with a generous helping of gravy to provide an authentic poutine experience.

For those with big appetite, there's a double prime burger (12 oz) burger which is $10.95 on its own or $14.60 for a combo.

Fresh Burger is open Mon-Sat from 11 am to 10 pm and Sun from 12 pm to 7 pm. For those who take the TTC, the restaurant is only a few minutes walk away from Wellesley Station. Additionally, Fresh Burger is currently offering some coupons until the end of Jan 2015 for their Church location so check out their Facebook for them.

Address: 542 Church St Toronto, ON, M4Y 2C6
Website: http://www.fresh-burger.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresh-Burger/557111641000196
Twitter: https://twitter.com/freshburger2

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

Over the past few years, there has been an abundance of gourmet burger joints opening up in Toronto. One of the burger joints that made an impact since they opened up in late 2011 was Holy Chuck. A couple of my friends and I decided to meet up for dinner one afternoon at their St. Clair location (there are two locations) a couple of months ago. Some of my friends ordered the same burger, so I didn't take photos of any duplicate orders. Anyway, we were greeted with a large wall-mounted menu with an extensive list of burgers with pretty novelty names at the front. The order system is pretty straightforward, you order at the cashier, and they'll call your name once your order is ready.

I opted for their signature burger called The Holy Chuck, and they do not allow any additional toppings on this particular one. I am not sure how stringent they are with this policy as I didn't bother to ask for any toppings. I also got to try out the You Fat Pig as well, so it was nice to taste test two different ones. All of their burger meats are ground in-house so it's fresh daily, which is great. There are no additional fillers in their burgers and they guaranteed that their meats are "the absolute highest quality". While eating the burgers, I could definitely taste that the meat was freshly made and it was juicy. However, I found the You Fat Pig to be slightly too salty for my taste buds. Salty enough that I needed to order a milkshake to go with my meal which I will get to later. Usually, I am not a fan of onions on my burgers, but the caramelized onions here enhanced the flavors a lot, and I really enjoyed it.

Holy Chuck's fries are hand cut in-house daily and they use only trans fat free oil. The fries are crispy without being overly oily and had a decent amount of salt on them. Now onto the milkshake that J and I got to share since it was a pretty good size for the both of us. Some of the flavors of the specialty shakes stood out to me, but I decided to play safe, and got their strawberry cheesecake. Imagine my surprise when actual chunks of strawberry cheesecake came through the straw. The milkshake was creamy and thick, and wasn't overly sweet. This particular shake is probably one of the best milkshakes that I have had in a while now, so I highly recommend it.

Their burger prices can be a little steep as I saw one for $29.99 but it was topped with seared Quebec foie gras. However, most individual burgers are priced between $9.99 to $14.99. If you add any fries and drink to your burger order, you'd save 85 cents. It may costs you about $15-$20 for a combo, but Holy Chuck has established themselves as a gourmet burger establishment from the beginning so the higher prices are expected.

Are you up for the Go Chuck Yourself Challenge? If you can finish the "Go Chuck Yourself Burger and any specialty shake" in 6 minutes, then you'll get your picture taken on the Wall of Fame, exclusive contest t-shirt and bragging rights. The burger is crazy as it's six patties, six cheese, triple bacon, caramelized onions and stacked between three grilled cheese sandwiches ($21.99).