New! Korean BBQ Tofu Tacos

Korean food in general, and Korean-Mexican fusion dishes in particular, have been this year’s new culinary favorite for me. I’ve blogged about many of my exciting past endeavors before, and today I’m going to bring you another tasty treat: Korean BBQ Tofu Tacos!

This recipe is relatively simple, but tremendously delicious. You start off my making some Korean BBQ Tofu, using the method I’ve blogged about before here, which utilizes Closet Cooking’s excellent Dak Bulgogi marinade recipe. After your tofu has marinated for a while, you’ll want to either fry it or bake it; I chose to bake it this time. Then, simply mix it up with some mashed avocado and tomatoes. That’s all there is to this filling: only 3 ingredients, but they’re good ones. All that’s left is the assembly, which is even easier. It goes like this…

First, lightly heat up a taco-sized tortilla on the stovetop, and put a little bit of lettuce or greens on one half. Then…

Add a few good spoonfuls of your tofu-avocado-tomato mix. Finally…

Fold it up and you’re ready to go!

And that’s all there is to this recipe! I have to admit that the flavors of the Korean BBQ marinade were perhaps not the best fit with the avocado and tomato, but overall I liked this a lot. At any rate, it’s simple, nutritious, and delicious, which is all I ever ask for in my meals.

Until we eat again,

Willie

Café Review: Hub (Toronto)

Hello readers! First, apologies for the lack of recent activity. August has been a busy month of traveling so forth, and thus not very conducive for blogging. But right now I’m back in Toronto for a few days, and I’ve found a little spare time to write up a post. Which is fortuitous, because there just so happens to be a new coffee house in town that I’m very excited to share with you all. So without further ado, I bring you…

Hub Coffee House & Locavorium (Shaw & Yarmouth)

Now let me make something clear right from the get-go: The primary reason I was so excited to see that Hub is now open is because it is literally right down the street from where I live. Seriously, it takes me less than a minute to walk there. So already, the place scores infinity points on the convenience scale. And I’ve been really excited for a while now to see what the place would be like, as I used to pass the building as it was under construction every day on my way to school. So it was with great eagerness that I checked out Hub this afternoon, and I’m glad to report that this cafe is definitely worth a longer trek than my own. Here’s a rundown of how I enjoyed my first visit.

Drink

Hub is, as its name suggests, a coffee house, and I felt a little bad about not ordering a coffee, but I just was not in a coffee mood this afternoon. So instead, I went ahead and order a Matcha Soy Latte, which was not disappointing in the least. I’m also interested to try one of their fruit smoothies (which they also offer in smaller, cheaper “kid sizes”!). But if you’re dying to hear how the coffee holds up, you’ll have to wait until Caitlin tries it out; she’s definitely the coffee connoisseur in our relationship (by which I mean, I am in no way qualified to judge a coffee house’s coffee and always just let Caitlin tell me whether or not a place’s coffee is any good).

Food

For my meal, I ordered the Tomato Garlic Gazpatcho, which made for the perfect light lunch. The soup was very fresh and very garlicy (which I of course loved), and the accompanying bread was quite satisfying as well. The only complaint I would make about Hub’s food offerings is that they’re a little slim, and even slimmer when you’re vegetarian. Nonetheless, having two things to choose from isn’t all that bad at all (the other option was grilled cheese), especially when the plate I had was so good.

Atmosphere

Of course, a lot of what makes or breaks a cafe is not the food and drink but the overall atmosphere of the place, and in that regard, I’m happy to say that Hub rocks. The space is cozy but spacious, with several different seating options both inside and out, including a sofa. And wherever you sit, you get to take in the cafe’s relaxing view of Shaw and Yarmouth, and on nice days—as you can see in the picture above—Hub opens itself up to the outside. It’s really an incredibly comfortable place to just sit, chill, read, meet with friends, or work. And throughout the hour or so I spent there, I was impressed by just how much of a neighborhood hub the cafe already is: The entire time people were coming in, ordering things to go or to stay, and saying hi to people they knew. You really get the feeling that it’s bringing the small little community around these streets together. And not just the human community:

Cats love Hub too. This little guy’s name is Gus. (Note: He did come with his owners. Or at least followed his owners here.)

Sweets

Last but not least, I needed to try out some of Hub’s small assortment of sweets. I got a couple of these “Health Cookies” for the road and ate them in my room later in the day. They were filled with lots of healthy things, but their taste was 100% deliciousness. Of course, they’re not too far off from something I could make myself, but it’s nice to know that I can now get them right around the corner, whenever I need a fix.

So three cheers for Hub! And I’m not just saying that because it’s right down the street (although I definitely like it even more because it is). Hub has greatly succeeded in creating a wonderful little cafe space, and it’s a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I will be cheerfully patronizing for as long as I live here—and if you’re in Toronto, you should too!

Until we eat again,

Willie