Japanese Cheesecake

A new restaurant in Toronto that opened up at the end of March always has a line out the doors.  It's called Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake, and as a lover of cheesecake, I really wanted to try it before we moved. 

Now Benjamin is up at 6:00 a.m. almost every day, so I figured I'd use that to my advantage, and have company while I waited in line. We went on a Sunday morning, and we still had to wait in line for 25 minutes. (They can only make 12 cheesecakes at a time, as they only have 3 small ovens.  But 25 minutes was nothing - from noon on the line-up is usually a couple hours long!)

The restaurant smelled divine, as it was like you were swimming in the wonderful aroma of cheesecake.  The cake itself has no crust and is extremely airy.  We had a few bites as soon as we got home, as it was still warm from the oven, and it was good warm. 

That night we ate the rest of it with friends, and we were all a bit underwhelmed.  It's only slightly sweet and not at all rich & decadent like a North American cheesecake would be.  Was it worth it to stand in line for 25 minutes?  Yes, for the joy of trying something new and knowing what the buzz is about!  Would I do it again? Sorry Uncle Tetsu, but no.

The Current Food Fad

All the rage over cupcakes has passed, as have the ones for donuts and fish tacos.

Currently, the big thing in restaurants is Ramen.  Yes, Ramen.  When we told TomDad and Lynda we thought we should go out and try it at the Japanese noodle house Kenzo, they did not look particularly enthused.  But they went with us and it was a fun experience.

Here's a bit of info for you:

These are not instant noodles.  These noodles are made the day before in a $30,000 machine, and then they sit out over night.  They are made with soft wheat, which is not the typical North American wheat used for bread.  The owners of the restaurant contacted over 100 millers in Canada before they found one in Manitoba who could provide soft wheat for them.

It's also not broth made from powder.  These broth is simmered for 24 hours to get maximum flavor.

We thought the food was good.

McDonald's

What is it about Happy Meals that makes your child's first one seem like
a rite of passage?

Dim Sum

John's dad (I call him TomDad) likes to eat out when traveling, so we had lots of fun joining him in that activity!  His one rule, though, is that the restaurant's got to be busy.  If the locals aren't going there, then he doesn't want to go there.

So in Chinatown we looked and looked and every restaurant was empty.  It was only 11:45 so maybe it was too early for lunch...then John walked in a door that led to stairs.  He didn't even have to go up them to know this was the place, as the roar of voices and clinking plates was so loud.

It was an authentic Dim Sum restaurant, which means women were walking around the tables pushing carts full of small plates of food.  They'd call out the food names & if you wanted it, you'd motion for them to put it on your table.

We, as obvious foreigners, caught their attention.  We'd hear "Hey!" and then a woman would be displaying her cart for us. It only took us a few minutes to realize that we shouldn't ask what the food was because that only led to a word we didn't understand and the food immediately being put on the table.  We just started saying "No, thank you" left and right, unless the food looked good. (Please note that the photo below only shows half of the table, thus showing only half of the food.)

Helena ate 2/3 of a shrimp roll and then focused on her Ritz peanut butter crackers.  Grandpa, however, helped her eat them Chinese style!

It really was quite a chaotic adventure of a meal.  Eating it was fun but not so fun that the Chinese bakery could be skipped afterwards.

And just in case you ever go out for Dim Sum, try the tofu skin rolls & the shrimp rolls.  They were our favorites.  (We figured these out by Googling dim sum afterwards!)

Mickey Lu's

a.k.a. Summer Vacation 2011: Part 2
By featured guest blogger, John

While we were in Marinette, WI, we went to the best hamburger joint ever: Mickey Lu's. It's been open since 1942, and little has changed since then (except the prices, with inflation).


They still use an open flame grill, with no utensils (just hands). Yowsers!


Mmmmm. Tasty!



As you can see, I was extremely happy to be at Mickey Lu's. Charlotte was happy that I was happy. And Helena, well, she's almost always happy.



Helena enjoyed the people bustling about in Mickey Lu's, though she's not old enough yet to enjoy a hamburger! Here she is with her Great Grandma Helen and Great Grandpa Fran (who treated). Thanks for the burgers, brats, and ice-cream, Grandpa and Grandma!