Out & About #139 | Orange Caramel + Guu Izakaya north York

It should come as no surprise that I've recently developed a strong liking towards cozy cafes, with an even more intense affection for those that offer stable Wi-Fi and plenty of outlets.
Orange Caramel (cue Catellena!) is a name that I found to have several associated positive reviews. Located literally minutes from Finch Station (regardless of whether you are travelling from the TTC or GO Transit/YRT terminal), its convenient coordinates makes it a popular hangout location for students and commuting teenagers alike.

Space is scarce in North York, and as with many other restaurants and diners in the area, stepping foot into the cafe first requires a trek up a short, narrow flight of stairs. (It doesn't exactly meet accessibility standards, but seeing as there wasn't a great deal of space available to move around within the cafe anyway, that probably wasn't a deciding factor in the design stage.)

The tables were large and spacious, but usually only occupied by parties of two or three. Landing on the second floor of the building at half past four on Friday afternoon, our choices were limited. Besides the two very roomy booths situated directly beside the window, the others were all subject to somewhat harsh incandescent lighting.
​Indeed, it wasn't the ideal situation for photo-taking.

We ended up choosing the second-closest table to the bar/cashier area, distanced from the excited chatter of high school students that were eagerly discussing the day's happenings.
It was once we sat down that I began to take in my surroundings: Orange Caramel offered comfy chairs with armrests, a few full-length couches ("loveseats"), and sturdy booth spots, all kind of jumbled in between a slightly disorganized bookshelf and dusty, off-season Christmas decorations. I did see where people had been going with the "mismatched-couches-likely-belonging-to-someone's-house" concept. It didn't bother me much though. Rather, I was more concerned about how frequently the place was cleaned.

We took a good, long look at the menu, shooing the friendly waitress away once before we finally decided. Our selections included a Cookies & Cream Milkshake and the renowned American Waffle and Tea Combo.

View the full album HERE !

I got up from one seat on more than one occasion to use the restroom, which, might I add, was more compact than any standard public washroom stall I've ever entered. The toilet paper holder was rather flimsy as well.

Emerging from the indoor plumbing-equipped cavity, I noticed that the girl that had mentally noted our orders (and then came back once to re-confirm her memory) had now taken to the kitchen to pulse Oreos in a Vitamix.
Perhaps I shouldn't be finding it strange that waitresses also doubled as kitchen staff in small restaurants, but I did. Directly connected to the bar/cashier area with only a door to separate, the kitchenette did appear as if it was just plucked from someone's house and thrown here. "This is a weird setup." was the first thing that came to mind.

​Our ​drinks arrived not too long afterwards, with a "Perfect Tea Timer" accompanying my pot of Caramelized Pear tea. The text upon the small hourglass figure was mostly faded, exhibiting signs of wear and having been stacked on top of each other. Though I was much too absorbed in catching up with much-needed conversation that I completely forgot about the timer, it was still a cute addition to the set.
I was also informed that the Cookies & Cream Milkshake was extraordinarily filling and "really good".

The highlight of my day soon made its appearance: the American Waffle with Strawberries and Coffee Ice Cream.

It is important to make aware that this photo did not quite do justice to the dessert. While the radial arrangement of sliced strawberries on a plastic plate was a tad juvenile, the presentation was unmistakably appealing. A lovely scoop of coffee ice cream with chocolate chips had been placed directly on top the central region of the just-crisp waffle, then generously drizzled with chocolate sauce, a bit of strawberry sauce, and finished off with a light dusting of icing sugar.

Seemingly a cinch to recreate at home, the American Waffle packed a greater punch than anticipated. The waffle maintained a crisp exterior throughout the entire image-capturing and devouring stages, unyielding to the moisture content of the ice cream and sliced fruit. Its insides were soft and fluffy, providing a wonderful contrast to the crunchy chips embedded inside the creamy coffee-flavoured hemisphere. In a matter of minutes, the waffle had been wholly devoured, with only a few crumbs left behind to denote its past presence.

The focus then shifted back to our drinks. It was at this point that I took the time to indulge in the fragrance emitted from my no-longer steaming cup of Caramelized Pear tea. As with majority of teas, the flavour wasn't particularly strong, but was a pleasant complement to a sugary snack.
Chatting continued until dinner time, at which point we marched up to the bar to pay, but not before the girl had refilled my teapot once more.

Generally speaking, afternoon snack time at Orange Caramel had been an enjoyable experience. The cafe could probably utilize a few tweaks here and there (updating decorations, maintaining cleanliness, re-organizing the bathroom to possibly render it more spacious, etc.), but did not reveal to have any major issues, at least not in my opinion. With friendly service and soft K-Pop tunes playing in the background, it's likely that I'll drop by again to have a taste of their also-popular Green Tea Latte. (Gotta get my hands on a window seat next time!

The day was concluded at Guu, which was just two subway stops away and hidden behind the southeast corner of Hullmark Centre.

It was rather difficult to stick in a reservation at Guu during peak hours (6-8 pm), but we managed to somehow do it.

I walked in and experienced something that I hadn't on a less-than-fabulous experience at the Richmond (Aberdeen) location some few years ago: a very, very loud "Irraishaimase!". The entire serving and kitchen crew coordinated perfectly to ensure that loud greetings and goodbyes were called out in unison, and that no customer was left out from the tradition. 
This was probably the most exemplary acts of teamwork and spirit I've had the opportunity to witness in the food industry in a long while.

Reviewers hadn't been kidding when they described Guu to possess a loud, chaotic environment. "How bad could it be?" was my initial thought. It turned out that I completely underestimated the noise level of the restaurant; I could barely hear myself , let alone exchange words with the rest of my dining party. We opted to move out to the patio area, where it was much more tranquil.

We started off with drinks: Sapporo, Ramune Mojito, and Baby Lulu.

The Ramune Mojito was essentially a combination of Japanese cream soda and fresh mint leaves, while Baby Lulu was an icy, watered-down iced tea with guava concentrate. Both were refreshing, but neither particularly astounding.

The first tapas to arrive were the Salmon Oshizushi (a dish that I've read too much about but never actually tried), Gyu Carpaccio, and Kaisou and Tofu Salad.

Unfortunately, the pressed sushi didn't quite deliver to the hype it was receiving. The taste and fragrance of rice wine vinegar overpowered the other flavours and textures of the dish, making it seem as if the salmon was a separate element. The nigiri component was too thick, throwing off the fish to rice ratio; the overall platter lacked depth of flavour and a sense of cohesiveness.

The following two plates were also nothing extraordinary, but proved to be great palate cleansers with subtle jumps in texture.

Gyu Carpaccio consisted of a few slices of beef sashimi, submerged in ponzu sauce and topped with fried garlic chips. It was not a dish that was filling, but neither was it made out to be such. The beef was tender, with not a speck of grease in sight, and the sauces appropriate. Lemon slices had also been given in the case where extra tartness was preferred.

Kaisou and Tofu Salad was meant to the sole all-greens of the night. It was comprised of slippery strands of seaweed and a few squares of unseasoned tofu (between silken and semi-firm) that were embellished with white sesame seeds and dried seaweed strips. It was a great vegetarian dish, but did not create nearly as much impact as I had hoped.

The most satisfying dish of the night was definitely the Unagi Bibimbap. A Japanese spin-off of the traditional Korean stone pot comfort food, Guu's version utilized chunks of marinated eel (unagi), crunchy burdock root, and a good amount of green onions in addition to the classic raw egg yolk.

An interesting aspect was that the server would assist customers in mixing together the pot's ingredients, as opposed to having customers combine them themselves. (Recall that Aka Teppan also operated in such a way.) Working at lightning speed, the egg yolk was immediately incorporated into the rice along with the other colorful components. The final step of mixing involved firmly pressing the rice onto the insides of the sizzling pot; we were instructed to leave the rice for a few minutes for it to crisp up.
In my opinion, the Unagi Bibimbap resembles next-level Unagi Donburi. I'll take the former over the standard rice box any day!

Kaki Fry and Saba Oshizushi were amongst the second assortment of tapas we ordered.

The fried oysters were presented in a small, wooden box, and served with wasabi mayo and okonomiyaki dressing as dipping sauces. While I did not try this item, I was told that the oyster pieces were on the small side. The pieces did appear professedly crunchy from my point of view.

The final main dish was the absolute best of them all: Saba Oshizushi. Despite the lacklustre Salmon Oshizushi, we agreed to give Guu's pressed sushi another try. We switched up salmon for grilled mackerel, which was later discovered to be an amazing decision. Juices and natural oils from the mackerel pieces oozed onto the (still overly chunky) pieces of rice underneath, countering the strong smell of rice wine vinegar and making the layers a lot more pleasurable to munch. Had the slices of saba been just a bit thicker (the 1:1 ratio would have been ideal), I would have had no complaints whatsoever.

Their seasonal Kabocha Mont Blanc and Baked Matcha Cheesecake were ordered to finish meal off on a sweet note.

Expecting a butter tart topped with firm swirls of Japanese pumpkin, I was slightly taken back when the Mont Blanc turned out to be a sweet, mushy paste served atop a non-uniformly-trimmed circular slice of sponge cake. The whipped cream did not do it any favours either. I found the best part of the dessert to be the lonely piece of kabocha on top - it bore a strong resemblance to Daigakuimo, which, from experience, can be an addictive dish if properly prepared.

The Baked Matcha Cheesecake was served on top of a banana leaf, and again, had not been cut uniformly; I chose to disregard this detail as I found joy in seeing the caramelized surface (creme brulee, anyone??). Creamy, but not overly rich, and possessing a superb cake to crust ratio, the baked cheesecake was an item I definitely enjoyed. It did not taste even vaguely of matcha, but this could have been a result of a high cream cheese content.

Several frozen grapes were served along with the bill.

For the most part, Guu was guu'd - great even! The individual tapas dishes are generally hit-or-misses based solely on preference, but service was thorough and friendly. Minor communication barriers were encountered at times, as most of the staff was Japanese, but could be easily cleared up by speaking slower and using common terminology.
Customers tend to order tapas in large quantities for sharing purposes, thus gradually increasing the total cost of the meal. For those that value the feeling of satisfaction in excess and quantity over distinctiveness, this probably won't be your dining location of choice.  However for those that prefer eating small-sized, unique bites between periods of conversation, I'd suggest going for Guu!

View the full album HERE !

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