Smoked Brisket Donair at The Next Act

An extended bike ride through the river valley had me ultimately end up on Whyte Avenue, where I had supper at The Next Act, one of my favourite pub restaurants but where I can hardly ever find a place to sit! I got lucky this time and enjoyed a beer and a smoked brisket donair, with the brisket from MEAT next door (the two establishments are owned by the same people). I was a bit leery as to how the brisket would stand up flavour-wise with donair sweet sauce, but it really worked. I held the feta as I am not a huge cheese fan, and the side of fries just rounded everything out well. So did the beer.

Margherita Pizza at The Italian Centre

An evening meeting in the Little Italy area resulted in me trying the Italian Centre's pizza for the first time. Made to order, the 12-inch thin-crust pizzas are perfect for sharing. I tried the basic margherita, which was loaded with mozzarella. I definitely wished I had someone to share with, because I could not finish it myself. I only wish the fresh basil was not just concentrated on top of the pizza in the centre, but incorporated in the cheese and baked throughout it. It would have added another layer of flavour, rather than my chopping up the basil and adding it myself to bites here and there.

Breakfast for Lunch: Chicken and Waffles at Ricky's

The 170 Street location of Ricky's was a convenient place to have brunch on Saturday. I ordered the chicken and waffles, a more recent addition to the brunch menu. The waffle was freshly made and quite crispy. I ordered scrambled eggs in lieu of the two strips of bacon with which the dish usually comes. The three chicken fingers were the stars of the plate, as they had a really great breading and were not the standard fingers out of a box served at these kinds of places. Excellent comfort food.

Kofta Kabobs at Co Co Di

A friend who was visiting from out of town suggested we meet for lunch at Co Co Di. I quickly agreed since I have not been there in ages and this gave me the perfect excuse to visit. I had the kofta kabob platter with rice and tabouli salad. The two long skewers of kofta, which is ground beef, was perfectly seasoned and grilled. I think I chose the perfect sides as I think fries would have been too filling. The salad was particularly refreshing and was a portion large enough for a meal in itself.

Beef Vindaloo at Guru

I had a business lunch at Guru last week and had the Beef Vindaloo lunch combo. I have not had a vindaloo in ages and I was very impressed with the huge, tender chunks of beef with potatoes in a rich brown sauce. It was just spicy enough and very filling. The rice, naan, and fruit salad complemented the seasonings of the vindaloo perfectly.

The Pho Files: Steak and Brisket at Pho Hoang/King Noodle

A late lunch in Chinatown brought me to Pho Hoang/King Noodle for a large bowl of steak and brisket pho. Large, it certainly was, filled to the brim with noodles and meat. The broth was rich and flavourful. Served up by the moustache man himself, I can see why Pho Hoang is considered one of the best places for pho in the city.