Foodaholic!

Located on the corner of King & Portland in the busy King West neighborhood lies Portland Variety. Portland Variety operates as both a cafe, and restaurant; as the 2,400-square-foot restaurant features a standing-room cafe at the front during the day, and at night, it transforms into a cocktail bar/restaurant. The restaurant has been a staple on King Street West for the last two and a half years, and continues to offer a great meal.

This past December, Portland Variety launched their new F/W menu filled with classic dishes with elevated flavors. I have been to Portland Variety on several occasions, and have always enjoyed the food.

Many of the dishes are family-styled, and people are encouraged to order several dishes to share. The menu at Portland Variety featured a fusion of Canadian, French, and Spanish cuisine offering shareable plates for both lunch and dinner. Some of their shareable plates include grilled octopus, seafood fideo, salads, and grilled stuffed baby squid.

5 oz Silk Oak ($14) and Diet Coke ($3)

The new winter menu consists of several flavor-focused yet simple simple cuisine. Great to compliment the cold weather, where you just want to have some hot meals. Some old favorites remain on the menu like the tasty Patatas Bravas ($9). The hot plate of cubes of potato topped off with a spicy sauce was crispy, and flavorful.

Wild Yeast Sourdough & Cristal Bread ($4) - with cultured butter

Chef Jo Castrinos has laso decided to increase their bread baking program, and now culture their own butter.

Winter Salad ($16) - angel hair collard greens, brussel sprouts, preserved concord grapes, black sesame seeds, harissa granola

Grilled Cornish Game Hen ($22) - roasted root vegetable farro, piri piri

Grilled Stuffed Baby Squid ($12) - chorizo, pine nuts, feta

Address: 587 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1M5

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PortlandVariety/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PortlandVariety/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/portlandvariety
Website: http://www.portlandvariety.com/

Disclaimer: The food provided in this post was partially subsidized by Portland Variety. However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.

Light Cafe Canada is a cafe originating from Taiwan offering gourmet café food and drinks with a contemporary twist. I have been here on a few occasions, and have always liked the bright and open-concept space. The Baldwin location is their first outpost in North America, but they do have plans for expansion in the near future. I had the pleasure of being invited to a tasting late last year, and got to try a couple of new items on the menu.

The contemporary space itself is very Instagrammable with its bright background, clean white marble tables, and a backdrop of live plants sprouting from the walls. They do have several seats in the front (best lighting), and a bunch more tables in the back. It's a good place to dine for all sorts of occasions like casual lunch or dinner, date night, and catching up with friends.

The drinks menu includes espresso-based beverages (hot and iced), slow drip hand brew coffee, infused loose tea leaf, au lait, and several smoothies & Italian soda options. Since it was getting late, I didn't want coffee keeping me up as I had an early morning the next day. I ended up getting the Strawberry Smoothies ($6.25), which was a mountain high beverage.

From the salad options, I got the Smoked Duck Breast Salad ($11.95) - smoked duck breast, spring mix, orange slices, butter squash, cherry tomato, roasted cauliflower, and lettuce frisee. They have four salad dressing to choose from, which were yuzu, sesame, mustard, and house special dressing. The salad was a light starter, but there could have been a bit more slices of duck for the price.

Light Cafe pays very close attention to presentation, which I can truly appreciate. The Lobster Bisque ($9.25) was well presented on a wooden board - the soup was served in an individual sized saucepan alongside slices of garlic bread, and side salad. The lobster bisque was also available on its own for $6.25. The bisque has been tweaked to satiate the Asian palate, as it wasn't as salty or rich compared to French lobster bisque. but it remained fragrant.

My favorite menu item from Light Cafe has to be their Lobster Roll ($15.50) - chopped lobster, crab meat & shrimp in a creamy dressing on two freshly baked soft roll. The overall composition of the lobster roll here was pretty good, as the meat to bun ratio was not disproportional. I really liked the buttery toasted bun. Overall, it was well-priced, tasty, and generously portioned.

JJ got the Montreal Smoked Beef Croissant ($12.75) - Montreal smoked beef, mozzarella cheese, beef tomato, lettuce, mayo, mustard and butter croissant as his main course.

Lastly, Light Cafe has a wide selection of desserts to satisfy one's sweet tooth. The desserts here aren't as sugar-averse as the typical Western desserts. Looking through the menu, I saw that they recently introduced waffles to their desserts menu including seasonal fruits, strawberry, early grey, and charcoal black sesame waffle. We ended up getting the Strawberry Waffle ($9.95), which arrived with ice-cream, whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries, and topped off with strawberry sauce. This was quite a decadent dessert, and the waffle texture was nice and soft.

Crème Brûlée Three Ways ($9.75) - early grey, white chocolate, coffee

Overall, I had an enjoyable meal at Light Cafe, and do recommend the restaurant when one is looking for an affordable casual dining space. For the price point, it was a rather exemplary dining experience. I also liked that the management was open to criticism and feedback, and they do listen to what customers want/need.

Address: 23 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1

Social Media:

Facebook || Instagram || Website

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

Fresh Mozzarella, Pomegranate and Basil Bruschetta

Total Prep Time: Up to 30 min
Servings: 8
Degree of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

POM Syrup

2 cups juice from POM Wonderful Pomegranates
3½ tablespoons sugar
1 Thai chili, split

Bruschetta

½ cup arils from POM Wonderful Pomegranates
8 pieces sourdough bread, sliced ½" thick
2 lbs. fresh mozzarella or bocconcini (fresh mozzarella balls)
sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
fresh basil leaves

Preparation

POM Syrup:

1) Prepare fresh pomegranate juice, if necessary.*
Combine pomegranate juice, sugar and Thai chili in a pot. 2) Reduce until sweet and sour flavors are balanced and it is thick in consistency.
3) Strain through a fine strainer.

Bruschetta:

1) Prepare fresh pomegranate arils, if necessary.**
2) Drizzle olive oil on both sides of sliced sourdough. Grill until toasted on both sides.
3) Season mozzarella with salt and black pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and POM Syrup. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and 1 tablespoon arils per serving.
4) Serve with a piece of grilled sourdough bread.

*For 2 cups of juice, cut 4–6 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.

**To prepare fresh arils, score 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve ½ cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)

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Pom Salad

Total Prep Time: Up to 30 min
Servings:2 cups
Degree of Difficulty:Medium

Ingredients

Juice from 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate
2 cups arils from 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates or POM fresh pomegranate arils
3-4 teaspoons chopped jalapeo pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Preparation

Score 2-3 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 2 cups of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.* Thoroughly mix to combine all ingredients. Serve this pomegranate recipe with tortilla chips. Salsa will keep covered, in the refrigerator, for 2 to 3 days.

POM Wonderful Facts:

POM Wonderful is made with 100% pomegranate juice. It does not contain added sugar, colourants, or cheap filler juices and is Non-GMO Project Verified. It’s also a good source of potassium. Drinking a 236mL portion provides as much potassium as a medium banana (17% based on 600mg/3500DV).

Because POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice from concentrate is 100% juice, it means that 125mL is a serving of fruit towards the 7-10 servings a day of fruit and vegetables recommended for adults by Canada’s Food Guide.