I made a random visit to Bar Buca back in November for a late afternoon brunch (Saturday & Sunday until 4pm). I fell in love immediately - I just love the small space; simple yet cozy, great vibe, high wood tables, and small sharing plates is my favorite type of dining style.  It quickly became one of my favorite spots in the city. 

I shared the Uova Rossa - duck egg yolks, bay scallops, pine nuts, scallions, crisp proscuitto and Italian pancakes (Crispelle)  - crispy pancakes with cream, pistachio, maple syrup, chocolate, candied orange. Love how every dish is so complex and unique; delicate layers of different, distinct flavors and ingredients that work together.

This gem is perfect for dates and for any time of day! The dinner menu is great as well and I can't wait to go back.

Han Ba Tang is a great place if you want Korean food without having to order large portions of the traditional pork bone soup. I came here for the second time with my parents since we were in the area and I’m glad they enjoyed it.

We shared:
Spicy Pork Tacos (not pictured, first post here) –different from the first time I had it, this time was filled with pork but lacking the mayo and coleslaw I like.

Seafood Soup with Ramen – good and filling

Spoon Pizza – mashed potato with tomato sauce, vegetables (mushroom, green pepper), topped with cheese. I love how natural the potatoes taste – not too heavy or creamy. Choice of bacon or kimchi – I chose kimchi, which comes on the side. I like the kimchi here - crisp and not too spicy.

Kalbi – (for my dad) tender, flavorful and bite-size boneless pieces.

My favorites here are Seafood Soup with Ramen and Spoon Pizza.

 

Came here for B's birthday - somehow ended up at another tapas place. A very minimalist, no-frills decor - bare walls, wood floors, light wood tables, black chairs. Food was light with Philipino influences. The broccoli salad and tuna ceviche were the most unique. Plating choices were interesting as well.



Started with anchovies toast - 2 tiny toasts for $6! But it was good, very flavorful anchovies & red pepper spread on a too-crispy toast.

Albacore Tuna - a ceviche in coconut mik, served with cassava chips. Surprised that the tuna chunks were quite big enough for a good bite, and worked well with the coconut milk - a different take than the usual lime juice.

Broccoli Salad - blanched and fried broccoli (couldn't see or taste the fried part?), with serrano ham (my fav) and crispy fried shallots in a mustard seed dressing. Very refreshing take on broccoli.
Brussels Sprouts - a warm dish, I like how it was cooked so that you couldn't taste the usual bitterness from brussels sprouts.

Adobo Chicken - my least favorite; the fried chicken, while juicy, wasn't crispy as i expected and it was served as 3 mini burgers in a lunch box. Brioche bun was a bit dry.

Dessert - poached pear. Great ginger icecream with a dry cake. Thank you Hudson Kitchen for this complementary dessert for my boyfriend's birthday!

Dinner with Sis at Portland Variety. I really enjoyed this place! Expensive but good tapas.

House-made ricotta with crostini, honey and pear - great combination, probably my favorite

Beef Carpaccio - good, thin slices with shaved cheese, arugula and some green sauce

Shrimp Pil Pil - marinated and cooked in chili oil, large and meaty pieces of shrimp, just a bit spicy for me. Served with bread.

Patatas Bravas - what a large plate of potatoes! Fresh and hot, may have burned my tongue but couldn't resist. Near the end it got too salty though. Could use more sauce.

Beignets - warm, soft vanilla custard filling.. (I thought these were donuts and was expecting timbits texture, but these are not dense!), dipped in dark chocolate sauce

Good attentive service and nice, dim-light interior for a modern yet cozy feel.

Overall was ~$35+ pp!

10.20.14 // Came here for a friend's birthday and what a great choice! Classy and quiet enough for a large group to converse as it's not a big restaurant. Overall the group felt the dishes were all quite heavy and hearty but it was an enjoyable dining experience in this 1920s themed cocktail bar on 36 Wellington St East.



Razor Clams - Disappointied at the portion size. Was expecting long piece of clam, but it was chopped up with other ingredients that I had only 2 bits. Flavor was fresh and interesting combination of fennel, mint, citrus, but needs more meat!



Bone Marrow - Huge portion, could share this between 4-6 people. (we had 1 per 2 and it's veryyy rich and heavy after about 2 toasts). The marrow was very solid and fatty.. could use more seasoning (like caramelized onions?) Still can't beat Hawksmoor.



Lamb Burger - Quite pleased with my selection! Smelly from the goat milk gouda, but a yummy juicy burger.



Oysters - $1 each that night

Fries - Best of the night! Wish I ordered this for myself. Its the salty, duck-fat frites style.. with some chicken skin and garlic aioli but just as good on its own. I love fries!

Berkshire Pork Belly - Tastes a bit like Chinese roast pork/cha siu. I love the fried egg on top.

Short Rib - Tried a piece and it's very soft and tender but others said it's too salty and was only lukewarm.

Dishes were served sporadically, so we were there for 2.5 hours. Not complaining though, it was a nice ambiance, good for group birthdays or a date.

For my birthday this year, my family & I went to Origin North. A trendy space (like a more upscale version of Joey) that serves Asian Fusion dishes good for sharing.


Bangkok Beef Salad - peanut, mint, mango, glass noodles, nam jim dressing
- A light dish to start with. I like the beef in the dressing.


Japanese Tuna Salad - asian pear, avocado, spicy ponzu
- Description from the website but not sure I had Asian pear in mine. Another light dish with some seaweed, cucumber and crispy rice. I prefer the beef salad.


Thai Curried Shrimp + naan bread
- Mmm I love the soft and warm naan!
- Curry was flavorful with hints of coconut, sweetness and spice
- Shrimp was big and nicely cooked; chickpeas and zucchini also in the curry


Origin Burger - smoked mayonnaise, avocado, arugula
- Very big, thick burger, not oily
- Love the fries! It has that burnt/oil flavor vs the fluffy, starchy type fries.




Rigatoni - ricotta, squash, sage, hazelnuts
- Yet another light, mild dish despite being pasta. The sauce is just a very light oil based sauce, with tiny bits of squash.
- I liked the touch of hazelnuts and ricotto cheese to give it more flavor.
- The pasta itself is al dente and very big, making it a bit difficult to chew!

 
They generously gave me complimentary dessert for my birthday! The candle came in a bowl of coffee beans to give that nice aroma.


Chocolate Crunch Bar + huckleberry sorbet
- My complimentary dessert which ended up being the best of the night! I was skeptical reading the "chocolate bar" on the menu, but it was a decadent, full flavor chocolate, almost like a mousse but more dense. Huckleberry sorbet gave it a nice berry freshness.

Overall, I had a good dining experience at Origin. The ambiance was intimate and good for special occassions and group gatherings. The food wasn't anything out of this world, but still good.

Patria is a Spanish tapas restaurant on King West. The space is beautiful - contemporary yet warm with medium wood, embroidered wall decor, and grand modern light fixture. Great place for group dinner to share many tapas, albeit small portions and big price tag.



Patatas Bravas - served with a beautiful sunny side up egg on top before the server mixed it all together. Crispy cubed potatoes, soft inside, in spicy tomato sauce. Sort of tastes and looks like Chinese radish cake. Prefer the version I had in Barcelona which was wedges topped with mayo and chili oil.

Octopus - from the special menu. Large pieces, good firm texture, on top of a slice of potato in a paprika oil sauce.



Salad - butter lettuce, avocado, goat cheese, quince dressing, marcona almonds
This was pretty good! Very light and refreshing, slightly sweet dressing.

Pimientos De Padrón - blistered peppers + sea salt
Standard tapas.. some peppers are spicy, some are not





Prawns in parsley + olive oil - from the special menu. Large pieces and great simple sauce.

Ham Croquettes + aioli - batter is good and crispy. Inside is mushy (flour and milk mixture) with tiny bits of ham (jamon).



 

Paella Patria - langoustine, shrimp, mussels, cuttlefish, monkfish, snap peas, saffron
Between five people, we only each got a small portion so I didn't get to try all the seafood. The cuttlefish and langoustine that I did have were a good size and texture. Mussels are tiny! Rice is not too wet nor salty and pairs well with the snap peas.

Iberico Pork Flank + Piquillo Pepper Jam - thinly sliced, the texture is similar to pork neck in Cantonese cooking. I like the sweet pepper jam - a good pairing.



Dessert was a very pleasant surprise and perhaps best of the night. Very detailed and refined taste and presentation!

Fried Milk + Saffron Ice Cream + Honey - my sister loves HK style fried milk so we ordered this. (Again it resembles a Cantonese dish - fried tofu/radish cake) The batter is a bit hard, but inside is a good milk flavor. I love the icecream - so incredibly smooth with strong vanilla/sweet flavor.  Because of the saffron, my mum and sis said it tastes like the paella.. but I couldn't taste the saffron :(

Dulce de Leche Mousse + Creme Fraiche + Chocolate - normally don't like mousse, but the dulce de leche was great, not too overpowering. The creme fraiche was a bit sour and tasted like Greek yogurt.

Price: Total bill came to $200+ for 5 people (including wine). Quite the splurge!

Service: Generally friendly, but felt the server was too pushy, always asking if we want to order more food and alcohol.

Taste-wise, I wouldn't say it's that *wow* (especially having La Carnita a few days before). This type of cuisine is not as fine as others, but dining is also about the whole experience, including atmosphere/ambiance. Overall, I would give it 8/10.