Welcome to Wabora

Let me preface this post by saying that I’m not a sushi connoisseur by any means. In fact I’m probably more than likely to opt for the commercial places versus the authentic ones. Some of the fancy rolls are just so pretty you feel bad eating them! Welllll okay not really, I never feel bad eating sushi. I can pretty much eat sushi anytime, anyplace and have learned a very valuable lesson: when opting for "all you can eat", dawning anything with an elastic waistband is highly reccomended :)

I’ve been to quite a few places ranging from the popular (Sushi on Bloor) to the high end (Blowfish) to the local favorite (Crazy Sushi) and the random (Asa Sushi on College). My favorite roll of all time (so far) has been the Snow Corn Roll from Crazy Sushi – NR I know you appreciate this one because I think we’ve shared enough snow corn rolls to last a lifetime! If you’ve never had it then make your way to the Winston Churchill AMC plaza and indulge in flaky white fish blanketed over an avocado and crabstick maki, baked in sweet garlic cream sauce and garnished with scallions and masago. Feel free to invite yours truly ;)

Back to the topic at hand! On this special night the posse finds itself at Wabora in the Thompson Hotel. I had never heard of Wabora but since I subscribe to one too many “Dining in Toronto” newsletters I seem to have the finger on the pulse of all the new hot spots in the city – so dangerous.

This was not just any night though. One of our very own has taken the plunge and is embarking on an extremely exciting new adventure in her life. MY LITTLE TR IS ENGAGED! Without making this entry too personal, this night was set up to celebrate this monumental occasion in her life and kick-off the many many events that are soon to come! Big yay! Since most of my sushi excursions are shared with her I figured this place would be perfect and the Thompson Hotel location just added that extra little something ;)

Wabora (the Korean word for Welcome or “Come in” actually first opened to acclaim in Bracebridge circa 2005 and chef Minsoo Kim has now brought his franchise to the T.Dot offering up to 60 different rolls, yup that’s right 60! Many of the specialty rolls also feature 5 of Wabora’s secret sauces and the restaurant also features a Robata Grill which burns with bincho – a highly sought after white charcoal from Asia which burns longer and more evenly.

There were 11 of us tonight so needless to say A LOT of sushi was tried, indulged and plates were completely wiped clean. Even Miss BK went for seconds and if SHE goes for seconds then you know the sushi is GOOD!

On Mine (and NR’s) Menu:
Crispy Valentine Roll – California Roll topped with spicy salmon and shredded crunch potatoes along with wabora sauce
Firecracker – Spicy Tuna Roll topped with Fresh tuna and shredded crabstick, drizzled with creamy wasabi sauce and dynamite sauce

Both rolls were to die for and literally melted in our mouths. You would also think that for being housed in the Thompson Hotel, the servings would be small and size would be meager but each of our rolls were 8 pieces and very hearty. My fave was definitely the Crispy Valentine Roll, there was just so much going on at one time that every bite was different! The textures of the crunchy potatoes with the soft rice and then the blend of sweet and with spice made for a perfect roll (pictured below). Firecracker was also amazing and all the fish was very fresh. I’m not the biggest fan of the raw tuna so I probably wouldn't get this one again . Two of the other diners were vegetarians and they also thoroughly enjoyed their rolls because the chefs were very accommodating with “customizing” their rolls for them. There were definitely some other crowd favorites – The Yonge Roll, Titan and the Mango Roll. I wish I could list the ingredients but there’s no website and I could only make so many notes on my Blackberry! Service was definitely very hospitable and attentive - they even offered our table of 11 separate bills which almost NEVER happens. The décor and ambience was beautiful, dark and dim with modern furniture and original artwork. High-class place without the high-class prices and snobby service.

On the Menu Next Time:
Crispy Valentine Roll (let’s be honest!)
Sundae Roll – crabmeat, cream cheese, tempura shrimp in the roll and topped with shredded crabmeat and four different Wabora special sauces
On the Border Roll – Tempura fried on the outside, yellowtail, cream cheese, jalapeno served with lemon ponzu dipping sauce

Address: Thompson Hotel, 550 Wellington Street West (at Bathurst)
416-777-9901 (reservations recommended especially on weekends)
Parking: Parking garage in the hotel or street parking on any of the surrounding streets
Price: $$ - prices of rolls vary from $8-15
Service: 8.5/10
Food: 9/10
Ambience: 9/10

CNE

Although the underlying meaning of the CNE opening in Toronto is that summer is over, you really can’t resist the kitschy carnival rides, overbearing game stalls and the smell of over buttered stale popcorn and sweet funnel cake. Although as a commuter I am NOT a fan of the traffic on the lakeshore – 2 hours to get home on a Friday night makes this girl one unhappy camper.

I’m not a Toronto native so I never really understood the appeal and pull of the CNE until I went for the first time a few years ago. Honestly, there is no better feeling then going out and spending the night (or day) really and truly feeling like a kid again. As much as I curse the CNE on my drives home and come way too close to running over pedestrians as they disobey the traffic rules, I can’t help but get this grin of pure unbridled excitement as I walk through the princess gates. This year we decided to head out on a Sunday evening to avoid the crazy crowds and of course the daunting humidity. Of course the first order of business is to figure out what to fill our bellies with. With options from your standard pizza, burgers and fries all the way to deep fried butter and snickers bars – the possibilities are endless. I stayed away from most things that were infused with grease but definitely couldn’t resist the frozen lemonade.

Then came the rides. For those who may not know, I’m DEATHLY afraid of heights. To the point that I have actually cried the entire way up on a roller coaster. Yes it was my first roller coaster ever but there were literally tears just pouring out from my eyes. So my dear friends decide that we’re going to risk our lives on this swing like contraption. Sitting on swings being held up by only hooks and chains raised high into the air and then spun around for a few minutes. Death trap. We get in line, I’m sweating and trembling but psyche myself into doing it. Not a big deal, there’s like kids half my size doing it right? WRONG. Because all of a sudden someone (I’m looking at YOU BK) has the brilliant idea to go on ANOTHER ride instead. A scarier, higher ride involving twisting and rotating and swinging – prefer to keep that kinda action for a Friday night ;)

There was no convincing me on this one, this actually required physical dragging. I was sweating and shaking and being laughed at all at the same time. I think the guys behind us thought I would throw up on them. We sat in our little four seater section and the floor sinks. Then the swinging starts. Going higher and higher we start twisting and swinging all at the same. Needless to say my nails were digging REAL deep into the handles. Best part is we get off, in one piece and alive, and I hear “oh man that was a lot scarier than I thought!” REALLLY??? Okay fine, I’ll admit, it was fun for all of 15 seconds. Maybe.

Since the food building was closed and most of the shopping was done for the night there wasn’t much else left to do except for maybe what turned out to be the happiest moment of the night. Tiny Tom’s Donuts. Little bundles of happiness enrobed in icing sugar. I had never experienced this joy before but my happiness was also doused with sadness when I was told that these were only available at the CNE. So quickly I fell in love and so quickly the affair ended. Story of my life.

And so the CNE closes and another summer comes to an end but I know now that the CNE should be a part of everyone’s summer in Toronto whether it’s for the food, the rides or just for preserving that little bit of childlike happiness in our lives :)

The Rogers Cup

I’ve been a tennis fan and player for as long as I can remember and I grew up watching the Sampras/Agassi rivalry which made Men’s tennis so exciting and truly fueled my passion to keep playing and improve my game. I learned this year that since 1881, the best in men and women’s tennis have been showcasing their skill and talent on Canadian soil. Only Wimbledon and the US Open have been around as long. The Rogers Cup offers up a 3 Million (USD) grand prize and continues to hold its own amongst the big world-wide tournaments.

Over the years old players have retired and new ones have climbed their way up the ladder and being such a big fan of the sport it was sad that I had never actually seen a live game. I love live sports. Even if I don’t like the sport itself (ahem baseball) watching it live is an experience all on its own. So needless to say when my bestie TR emailed me with the subject line “We got Rogers Cup Final Tickets!”, I was absolutely ECSTATIC! A huge Tennis tournament, being hosted in my hometown and I GET TO GO! Oh and it’s the FINALS! HELLO!

Off we headed on a sunny and humid Sunday to York University where the tournament has been hosted for the last few years. We had seats in the 300s but to my amazement the view was still GREAT. The finals were between Roger Federer, the obvious crowd favorite and Andy Murray who was actually the returning champion. After getting soaked in the rain (way too many rain delays) and sweating under the blazing sun it was a victory for the returning champ and a FANTASTIC day out. I highly recommend taking advantage of this world renown tournament which takes place right outside our very own doorstep. Can’t wait till next year!