Out & About #343 | Hub Sushi (Round 2) + Love Me Sweet Cheese Tarts

​One hundred percent satisfaction is nearly impossible to attain when dining out. Hence, whenever an establishment capable of satisfying ninety percent of my requirements, I make a note to introduce it to those closest to me.

Despite that my first visit to Hub had occurred on a very late Monday evening (and after a half-day in Kensington followed by the intensest of karaoke sessions no less), not a single shred of satisfaction had been sacrificed.

​Specifically due to this reason, both ochungg and I vowed to bring our families to share our enlightenment. While she returned within four days, probably due to a residence of closer proximity, and remained equally elated, it took me a total of twenty five days before the suitable opportunity arose.

​Despite the impending need to be in Oakville later in the day, the unfulfilled duty of obtaining a Coffee Cheesecake loomed over my head. I had also surrendered the new formulation of Cheese Tarts previously too.
After making a quick stopover at Yorkdale (the Peanuts-themed slippers were sold out in my size), we continued through tiny, curving paths to Thornhill.

​The parking lot was primarily empty at 11:45 AM, and ample seating remained inside the restaurant. Natural light was abundant throughout, especially if seated next to the window.

A duo of sushi chefs and a young Korean man with brown, wavy hair greeted us upon entry. Only two other parties had been seated at this point, so the option of choosing a well-lit table remained open to us. Likely the only member of staff managing the floor (and the youngest member of the day's team), he dropped two menus with red covers before returning to the cashier to punch in takeout orders. The lime green image menu (or "scrapbook") was nowhere to be found during lunch hours.

View the full album HERE !

​Approximately fifteen minutes had passed before the picks of the day had been decided on. By this point, a few more dine-in customers had waltzed in; the takeout line was also stealthily accumulating to bags on bags of white Styrofoam boxes. We observed as he returned the menu's to their rightful location, and when one of the sushi chefs halted his actions with the knife and hobbled over to the screen to punch in a pick-up order.

​The Toronto Pressed Sushi sounded very intriguing, but the dish was unfortunately unavailable for the time being. A classic Salmon rendition was the next best solution - it was deduced that all aspects had remained as pleasurable as last. Consistently fleshy skin, a silky smooth surface, and just the right ratio of seared sashimi to rice assured that flavours and textures would be kept consistent.

​< Pictured above and below: Salmon Pressed Aburi Sushi, Chirashi Lunch, Unagi Kimchi Donburi >

Chirashi Lunch was requested for the purpose of sashimi-tasting. Normally, I find this dish a tad too costly for its genuine value, yet oddly enough, I had a tremendous amount of faith in Hub's version even before visualizing the dish.
When ochungg and I visited Sushi Bong, I hadn't exactly been impressed by the amount of imitation crab meat and tamago on her plate. The portions of seafood appeared minimal relative the quantity of rice present. This wasn't the story at the fusion spot north of Clark.

​Arranged on a narrow boat were fresh slices of salmon, tuna, each roughly 1 to 1.5 cm thick. Tamago and imitation crab meat were still present, but in surprisingly low proportions. The rice was almost unperceivable until a closer analysis was performed. (I had actually raised the question to the sushi chef who had delivered the item before peering more carefully.)
Sheer surprise was expressed at the uniformity of the sashimi pieces, as most chirashi usually involve bits and bobs tossed together. The amount was definitely more than our stomach capacities allowed.

​At the time of my previous visit, or the day after anyway, I had dropped a message in foodieelove's inbox, proclaiming my newfound love for the Thornhill restaurant. Two plates of Pressed Aburi Sushi may seem a simple supper to many, but it generated more joy than thinkable in actuality.
As these opinions were relayed to the fellow enthusiast, it was met with an equally ecstatic response - "You need to try the Unagi Kimchi Donburi next time!" She insisted that its deliciousness was enough for her to demolish entirely by herself.

I followed suit with this recommendation, as her picks are never wrong (including the Pulled Pork Sandwich from last year's MWF).The stone pot dish required the lengthiest preparation period, and reasonably so, since rice was plated in a sizzling hot bibimbap pot and garnished sophisticatedly with strips of soft, marinated eel. Finishing touches of red tobiko and a jiggling egg yolk added colour as well as depth of flavour to the dish. Oil drops were popping as the scorching tray landed before us - a display of its temperature and indication of urgency to mix the components together, ensuring even cooking.

​We sat upright to start the emulsion process, eager to spread kimchi-eggy goodness over the rice grains and dig into the finished product. Making our greatest efforts to avoid smashing the supple unagi into mush, rice was carefully whisked, divided, and pressed onto the insides of the still crackling pot.
A minute later was the emerging of a masterpiece: the best unagi donburi on the planet took the form of crispy rice tossed in sweet-savoury sauces, and heightened with a gentle kick of slightly sour kimchi bits. Whoever invented this kimchi fried rice-unagi donburi hybrid truly deserves an award (even if we <i> were </i> a bit dehydrated afterwards).

Each spoonful guaranteed a bite of everything. It deserves recognition as the ultimate dish in Japanese-Korean fusion cuisine.

​Woes were few, as the rate and quality of service maintained its flow under the skillful assistance of one of the sushi chefs. The weekday lunch rush invited men clad in business casual/tech casual for both dine-in and takeout, causing the smile to disappear from the young, wavy-haired man. His abilities in managing a completely full floor were slipping; it was at this point that the cheery thirty-plus man alleviated tension by temporarily leaving his position.

​Our water remained unfilled for a while, which was characteristic of lunch rushes. Requests for the bill, takeout boxes, and plastic bags were also dismissed for a short while until the same man lent a helping hand. He was extremely friendly, with the warmest smile I've ever seen someone wear during the busiest hours of the day.
It ensured that we were able to depart Hub in high spirits and in a timely manner.

The next stop was, obviously, Love Me Sweet. How could I possibly leave the void unfilled?

As luck would have it though, the Matcha Cheese Tarts hadn't even entered the oven yet. Neither did the Chocolate Cheese Tart reside on the rack long enough for its filling to solidify.
I eventually convinced the girl behind the cashier to sell both the Original and Chocolate Cheese Tarts, along with the Coffee Cheesecake that never fails to make a splash in our household.

​The Original is quite the appetizing post-dinner dessert. Its size is suitable for consumption by one person, or the sharing between two or three.
An interior of cheesiness is pale in hue, yet powerful in flavour. The crust is very firm, but exhibits a stronger flour content compared to Uncle Tetsu; the brittleness was a infallible giveaway.

​Lightyears better than the initial batch, the last-minute lunch excursion gave me a proper reason to drop by and try them out. They may still lack in terms of satisfaction levels (Uncle Tetsu BAKE is more cheesy) and fundamental texture variance across its cross section, though the tarts were delicious nonetheless. A slight shame was the omission of cocoa powder from the chocolate version; honestly, I probably would not have been able to decipher the differences if blindfolded.

​Gong Cha was the final stop of the day.

​< Pictured above and below: Wintermelon Oolong Tea + Coffee Milk Tea >

I'm not quite sure how I feel towards the launch of Oreo Coffee Milk Tea and regular Coffee Milk Tea, since the former bore an almost identical profile to McDonald's Iced Coffees (and I assume the latter could be easily recreated).

Wintermelon Oolong, on the other hand, is a refreshing iced tea with hints of wintermelon - mostly suited for pre-/post-work shenanigans.

​With that, we were back on our way!

Until next time, the hill of pricklies! (cough Thornhill cough)