647 748 4272  |   $5-13 Small Plates

I’ve read some polarizing things about Hapa thus far. Before it opened, people lauded it as another hiqh quality izakaya in the mold of Guu, but more recent opinions have labeled it more pedestrian and used the dreaded word: ‘fusion’. I decided to drop-in anyways and give it a shot.

Food

The menu is basically split into three parts: cold tapas, hot tapas and the fresh sheet, an assortment features, rolls and desserts. There’s a ton of variety and you could probably eat all fried things or all sushi if you felt like it. Naturally, I mixed it up for the sake of the review.

Before eating, I began with a Shiso Mojito that sounded like a clever shift from the usual. I’ll say it might be tough to pick it out blindfolded, but I think it’s good value for $9. There’s also a heck of a sake selection (if that’s your thing) and some good beer if you’re a fan of Blanche de Chambly and Amsterdam brews.

Our first dish was the Salmon Yukee (above) topped with a raw quail egg and some nori chips. The tartare was clean, the egg for richness and moisture, and a nori chip that added a unique twist. It’s definitely fusion, but it worked for me.

Next up was the scallop tartare with bacon, mustard mayo, and some wontons. I think the bacon, mustard, scallop flavour combo made sense, but perhaps a bit heavily dressed for something that’s generally a little more delicate.

I think this was my favourite dish of the night. Beef tataki, quickly seared, sliced thin with an addictive sesame-chile topping, crunch, lemon for acid, and a good amount of raw red and green onion. It’s clearly not rocket science, but it’s well executed and hits on all the things I was looking for in a bite.

One of the few hot tapas we ordered was the Ebi Mayo: a very simple preparation of tempura prawns and some ‘spicy mayo’. Outside of the fact I’d call the mayo more ‘zingy’, that was a perfect tempura prawn. Really juicy and tender with a nicely crisp batter made me wish we’d ordered two.

This next plate, the Aburi Saba, is what everyone will tell you order - both for the show and the taste. Your server will bring out a blow torch and give the raw mackerel a quick 5-10 seconds over top. Mackerel is already fairly fishy and the torching brings that out, provides some novel temperature contrast and a slight char flavour. If you like mackerel (I do), you’ll really enjoy this. If not, steer clear.

If you had to nominate one dish you’d find at Joey’s, this halibut taco dish would be it. It’s tempure halibut with bacon bits topped with shoestrings served with a roasted jalapeno tartar sauce. I know it sounds pedestrian, but the sauce packs a good punch,the fish is ruined and the grilled taco is actually tasty. I didn’t want to like it, but I couldn’t help myself.

The last dish we shared was the tuna carpaccio with yuzu dressing. It looks simple, bright, moist and pure, and accomplishes all those things when you drop it in your mouth. Another successful fish preparation.

QUICK NOTE: This is a tapas restaurant, so if you’re not looking to spend big, you’ll likely come away hungry if you entered with an appetite. Luckily, it’s surrounded by super cheap pho places, so keep that in mind.

Service and Ambience

One thing you’ll always get at Guu is an unrivaled ambience. It’s buzzing, borderline too loud, and the kitchen greets you with joy and fervor. Something about the room feels less authentic and more ‘Milestones’ (flat screen TVs will do that), so even a similarly joyous greeting just seems out of place.

Service throughout the night was attentive and helpful, with our server recommending sake for the newer drinkers at the table and delivering all the dishes promptly and as ordered. No complaints here.

The Reco?

Like a lot of pretty well-executed ‘Asian fusion’ restaurants, Hapa probably has taken more heat than it deserves. I almost think of it more as upscale comfort food in some ways, and try not to hold it to the standard of other ultra-authentic alternatives. If you walk in with the same mindset, I’m pretty you’ll come away feeling similarly satisfied.

Other Reviews? 
 Globe and Mail  |      Kat Can Rawr

 Posted by: Jacob, Visited Oct 28, 2012

416-927 0222    |    $16-24 mains

I’m guessing you’ve never heard of Bruda unless you’re an avid reader of Toronto Life or following Dish Duel. This place just opened at the end of last year and is still relatively unknown in the Little Italy area. The ‘European’ menu looked interesting to me, invited them to participate in Dish Duel, and next thing you know we’re there tasting a bunch of stuff. Here’s the rundown:

Photo Credit: Post City

Food

The menu is deemed European, but from the average observer I’d just say its eclectic. The starters range from crispy spring rolls, to bisques, to back ribs; mains cover most proteins you could want other than beef (so don’t come looking for a steak frites). 

We started with the duck confit spring rolls (above) with crushed peanuts and sweet and sour sauce. Cool concept, nice crunchy exterior, but I found the duck kind of indistinguishable and a little dry inside. Duck confit screams moist to me and it wasn’t there. Good thing there was some sauce.

Next we had the bourbon braised back ribs (above). They came off the bone pretty easily, which was a good sign and the sauce worked well. Couldn’t quite place the taste, but not overly sweet and definitely not conventional. The issue again was dryness of the meat, which luckily had sauce.

Our first main, entitled New World Carbonara, was my favourite savoury of the night. The inclusion of a healthy number of chanterelles was the difference maker. Accompanied by serrano ham and a gooey duck egg, I quite enjoyed this. The papardelle may have been a bit thick for some people and the amount of egg white and shape wasn’t particularly appetizing. Generally though, good dish.

The final was the Dish Duel pork tenderloin dish. My ‘judge’s take’ for the competition went like so:

Moist pork wrapped in bacon is always a good way to start a dish. Stella and I referred to it as the ham you wish you had at thanksgiving. Also thought the flavour of the coffee and fig reduction was on point, just needed a tad more of it. Didn’t understand how the gratin and veg tied in though, so those weren’t quite as memorable.

For dessert we tried two dishes. The first was an assortment of their three ice creams. To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember two of them (I guess that means they were forgettable?). The third you should just get three scoops of: jamaican pumpkin with pine nut brittle! So good. Had more of a paste texture than ice cream, but who cares. Loved it.

Then came the smoked chocolate tart with sour cherries. Looks ordinary, isn’t though. I’ve never had smoked chocolate and I clearly had no idea what I was missing. The flavour was genuinely smokey, and when combined with sour cherries was surprisingly delicious. 

Service and Ambience

There aren’t necessarily a lot tables, but the room feels spacious with the high ceilings and spacious benches. Also, really liked the wooden tables, couldn’t tell you why though. Just want them. The walls were admittedly a little bare and could use a few more pieces of art in my opinion. 

Photo Credit: Toronto Life

It was a pretty slow night during the week so service was understandably speedy and attentive. Don’t really have too much more to say about it, but met the two owners Victor and Neil: both nice dudes. 

The Reco?

Little Italy has become incredibly competitive for new restaurants, so for that reason I can’t say I’d make a point to come back to Bruda if I were in the area for the next little while. Would give it a few more months and some menu cycles. The apps and mains had a few flaws, but I’d likely drop by for some dessert. Gotta have some of the pumpkin paste and smoked chocolate. I’ll end with that.

Other reviews:
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 Posted by: Jacob, Visited Feb 12, 2012