Yes, we love this place: Richmond Station

Success deserves celebration, and there is no better place for celebration (by food) than at Richmond Station! It was a Friday evening and a series of events in our personal lives had given cause for celebration. We turned to our local favourite knowing that it would offer the best combination of quality, price, and speed. It wouldn't be our first time at the restaurant and it likely wouldn't be our last.

No chef's table today. Peeking at the daily specials.

Something looks different here. Maybe everything.

With Richmond Station's ever-changing menus, it seems as though we may never end up eating the same dish twice. On the bright side, this probably means we'll never need to go to any other restaurant to try something new. But on the flip side, it will also mean that it's unlikely that we'll be able to revisit any old favourites (unless we go two days in a row).

Japanese/Italian Fusion at Shiso Tree Cafe

This cute little restaurant is located in J-Town, which is a plaza that houses a Japanese grocery store and many other Japanese/fusion restaurants.  We've actually tried most of the restaurants in this plaza and I dare say we've enjoyed eating at all of them!  Particularly, Shiso Tree serves up a number of Japanese/Italian fusion pasta dishes, which sounds odd but actually tastes really good!  This is definitely one of our favourite uptown dinner spots (read: we come here often).

At our most recent visit, we brought some friends and ended up trying some new dishes!   Unnecessary snacking before dinner ruined our appetites so we decided to get something for the table to share, and split a pasta and salad between each couple.  (To be clear, each order of pasta does come with a small salad.)

Smoked Salmon Hors D'Oeuvres ($8)
Smoked salmon, Japanese mayo, ikura (salmon roe), caviar & dill on toasted garlic bread

Birthday Dinner: Ruby Watchco

East of the DVP, on Queen St E, lies an inconspicuous storefront with sheathed grey walls. Above the door hangs a little sign emblazoned with a big red R. The business's purpose is given away by the framed daily menu that greets those who enter.

We arrived early that Tuesday evening. The time was just shy of our 6:30 PM reservation. The hostess was quick to greet and we were seated promptly.

Inside the restaurant, we found a cozy dining room with a warm industrial aesthetic. Wooden chairs,  wooden tables, and wood-clad cabinets were set neatly along one wall, and a wide, sprawling bar along the other.