Akram's Shoppe

I am yet to review anything quite this cheap that is quite this tasty.  This week I visited Akram's in Kensington market to chow down on their cheap chicken shawarma wraps.

191 Baldwin St. Toronto.  In Kensington Market

Akram's looks pretty great from the outside, the inside did however seem a little dim.  The small containers of various spices and seeds that lined the walls gave off a small not too dissimilar to bulk barn.

The food at the back however, was where I was headed.  On the front door there was a sign that drew me in very quickly...

Other items on the menu were pretty interesting too, the nice lady working at Akram's informed me that the falafel was equally as popular as the chicken shawarma.  Apparently this is a pretty popular place for cheap food in Toronto, rightfully so when it is seemingly surrounded by great bars within walking distance.  I would imagine this is also popular among students looking for cheap eats.

As I entered Akram's there was one person leaving and two more came through as I was eating.  Akram's seats around 12 people if you are willing to get cozy and I get the vibe that most of their customers are in and out in under 5 minutes.

My shawarma came with all the normal fixings that shawarma would, including some extremely moist and flavourful chicken, all in a freshly grilled pita.  Well done Akram's, you make it hard to justify spending any more than a $5 bill on a shawarma wrap ever again!

I also got a can of pop and a Turkish delight square, after the sweet lady behind the counter insisted that I do so.  This made my mini meal feel a little more like a meal, after all it DID include a dessert!

It is not often that you can get a drink, treat and some food for under $5.  This little meal cost me $4.85.  Here is the register after I had paid $20.  That;s a lot of change!

The menu was full of many other items that would come to well under $10.  That's a lot of cheap food!  If you want to bring more than a little food to a party or split with a few friends, lets just say I wouldn't mind being your friend.

Lets get this down to an at a glance view.

The shawarma wrap was all in all very tasty, very minimally messy as most wraps are, didn't leave me feeling too gross and left me with plenty of change.  The little cube of Turkish delight was an awesome touch and I am pretty sure I need to eat some more of that.  I think this may be some of the cheapest food I find in Toronto, perfect mid-night out food.  Well done Akrams!

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Sneaky Dee's Breakfast

Yes, Sneaky Dee's may be an obvious choice for cheap eats.  There are many who are skeptics about their food and many more who are regular patrons of this famous Toronto establishment.  My impression of the food from Sneaky Dee's is usually paired with (a few of) whatever beer is on special.  My experiences are always positive and full of amazing nachos, enchaladas, guacamole and frijoles.  This post, however, is going to be my morning-after hang over cure of classic Sneaky Dee's breakfast.

431 College St. Toronto, Ontario.  South East corner of College and Bathurst

The exterior of Sneaky Dee's is covered in almost psychedelic, graffiti style paint and stone that looks like it could have been sourced from a 1970s fireplace.  Combining those elements with the awkwardly small patio and cigarette butt encrusted curbs that surround this place, it is easy to see why this place is overlooked by the upper crust of Toronto society.  

No, it's no four seasons, but it holds a special place in the hearts of many.  The venue above the restaurant has hosted some of the best bands you could think of during many different stages of their careers.  Then again, I'm sure there are plenty of U of T, Ryerson, OCAD and other post secondary students who have enjoyed many a drunken night at this establishment.  I know I have.

Eating at Sneaky Dee's in the morning was, admittedly a bit of a different experience.  I had never been for breakfast before and now I can say I am still a believer in their food.  While sitting in the graffiti laden and definitely psychedelic interior, I am still very honestly impressed by the work that went in to decorating this place.  

So the food.  I ordered the classic bacon and eggs because if you can't do bacon and eggs...  Something is not right.  I was not disappointed.  The size of the portion that was put in front of me was exactly what you would expect.  The presentation of the meal was obviously of little to no importance as this meal didn't look like much.  However, if you were going to a place that looked like Sneaky Dee's and expected dainty food, it would be a lot like going to a demolition derby expecting to see a formula 1 race.

The ketchup came in its own little jar, the potatoes were chunky and starchy, the eggs were eggs and the bacon was bacon (good no matter what).  This plate to anyone who is hung over is like a mirage in the Sahara after a week without water.  That fruit cup on the side was full of fresh fruit, which does earn this cheap meal a little bit of finesse points.  Of which it originally had very little.  Around me there were other plates of french toast and eggs Benedict, I did feel a little bit of food envy but that bacon, like a good friend does, held my hand through the whole meal.

Here is the proof on the bill.  $7.25 comes out to $8.19 and thanks to the demise of the penny, it rounds out to $8.20.

So lets get down to my rating of this meal at a glance.  When you think about the application for this meal, it is understandable why it does not have the best scores.

Thanks for reading!

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Java House

This week I thought I would post something that I think most people are aware of.  A place where anyone with virtually any craving can be satisfied for under $10.  Whether you are craving thai, a burger or even a vegan cheap feed- the Java House on Queen more than likely has your fix.

The Java House, 537 Queen St. W, Toronto.  Between Spadina and Bathurst

Located at Queen and Augusta, the exterior of the Java House looks run down and not exactly somewhere that you would expect to spend much money on food.  But the East facing patio is a fair size, seating over 40 guests comfortably and the jungle themed wall is an added bonus.  

The interior matches the exterior perfectly; quirky and run down.  I suppose that along with being run down comes the question "is it clean or is it just character?"  My response to this is "yes", the table I sat at had a worn down, but clean chair and a table that had been cleaned recently.  The salt wasn't chunky and the top of the sugar jars was not caked from intense previous use.  Looking at the cushions on some of the booths, the Java House did have me wondering...

The staff were very polite and extremely patient as I mulled over my massive amount of cheap food options.  Toronto, consider this a total gem if you are looking to eat cheap as a carnivore, omnivore or herbivore.

I decided that I would go for a vegan option, as I have focused primarily on meat-related items and I do not want to feel like my vegetarian or vegan audience is being neglected.  I decided upon the vegan pad thai, priced at $6.95.  Totalling a mega cheap $7.85.  Another cheap eat option well below $10, you could even get a soft drink with this one and still be under budget!  Or a tip.

This pad thai came to me in an impressive stature.  A very decent portion for the price paid!  In this pad thai was cauliflower, broccoli, bean sprouts, rice noodles, carrots, red peppers, mushrooms and the sauce was very sweet and tasted like tomatoes had something to do with it.  The half lime that came with it added some more flavour for those of you searching for an extremely small vitamin C boost or a massive flavour boost.

The flavour of this pad thai was okay, it lacked seasoning.  Even with all of those mushrooms and lime juice, I still felt like it needed a bit more.  I am not completely blown away by this dish, however I may be missing the saltiness usually gained from meat.  Regardless, this a massive serving that left my stomach satisfied and a grin on my face.  I didn't even mention the salad that prefaced this massive plate!  

This salad was small, but not small enough to not matter or be mentioned.  It was a simple romaine lettuce, carrot and an asian salad dressing.  Now we are talking about value.  A starter salad is something that you would normally have to order before your meal, they take care of that for you at the Java House.  I love that.  

Looking for a way to go out on a cheap date?  The Java House came to under $15 for two meals without drinks.  I prefer to drink water with most meals, unless there is a good beer on special of course.  All in all, very pleased with this meal.

So lets get down to an at a glance view of how I felt about the cheap eats at the Java House.

All in all- the vegan pad thai at the Java House was okay.  It was a great cheap eat and I didn't feel groggy afterwards.  I loved the amount of food I got for the amount of money I spent.  Maybe other items on the menu would be better.  The stuffed french toast that sat across from me had me feeling some food envy!

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Guu Saka Bar Lunch

It is time to venture out and do a different review at a restaurant in a different neighbourhood.  This time, for lunch!  So welcome to an amazing way to eat cheap for lunch on Bloor.  The Guu Saka Bar was probably one of the best restaurant experiences I have had in a long while.

559 Bloor St. W, Toronto.  Just East of Bathurst

The exterior of this place is very peculiar, with nearly no natural light inside it is definitely a unique spot.  It does not seem like the kind of place you would expect to eat cheap.

The lunch menu was covered in great cheap options, including several options that meet with my sub $10 price constraint.  I decided however to go for the Cha-Shu Don, consisting of BBQ pork, cabbage, rice, karashi mayo and scallion.  All for $8.80, coming to $9.95 with tax.  Cutting it close with this one!

This does not look cheap, but it is, especially once you take in to consideration the amount of food you are getting and the quality of the food that you are getting.  This meal came with sweet potatoes in a sweet poppy seed dressing and a piping hot bowl of miso soup.  Holy value!

The pork was tender and a perfect mix between sweet and salty, the cabbage brought a nice cool crunch, the rice at the bottom was perfectly cooked and soaked in a sauce and juices of the pork.  The whole dish worked so well together and those sweet potatoes were amazing!

So let's see this amazing cheap lunch reviewed at a glance.

If you are having a somewhat informal lunch meeting on Bloor, this would be a great place to eat.  I ate with two other friends, both of whom ate meals under $10.  One was pork belly ramen (first of the pictures below) and another was a vegetarian option made with egg, fermented beans and big thick noodles.  All dishes were incredible cheap meals.  See you again Guu Saka Bar!

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Ravi Soups

It is no secret to anyone in Southern Ontario that fall is right around the corner.  The past few days have felt pretty damn chilly in Toronto and as a result I think it is about time for a warm up meal.

Here are some cheap eats that will help you trump any cold or impending flu.  It's time for a healthy serving of Chicken Hot Pot Broth from Ravi Soups.

1128 Queen West, Toronto between Dufferin and Ossington

  The exterior of the place is much cooler than its interior, I must say.  However the open kitchen in the centre of a place that sits roughly 25 on one and a half levels was not without its charms.

This location of Ravi Soup does not have an extensive menu, but what is there is unique and all excellent value.  The wraps are sizeable enough to split between two people and be sufficiently full, which could equal out to some good cheap eats for 2.

The soups come in two sizes, one of which is not listed.  Normally, the soups would come in a larger format, selling for around 20 cents over my $10 limit.  Luckily they also have a size that comes in at $7.90 which gets you a decent single serving of awesome, hearty soup and a cheddar cheese biscuit.  This meets with my eat cheap rules nicely.

I got my soup to go and it took around 10 minutes before I was walking out the door.  There were two orders in front of mine and only one person working, so again, I think that is very understandable.

So on to the actual soup!  This soup was packed with chicken, tofu, noodles, bok choy, mango, pineapple, lemongrass and all based on coconut milk.  It was very chunky and plenty there to form a filling meal, especially with that cheese biscuit.  For under $8, this is some high quality cheap food.

The soup tastes similar to Thai green curry but just a bit sweeter.  This soup is not without it's heat either, but then again if you have a cold, this may be the tastiest answer to congestion.

So lets get this review down to an at a glance view.  Good scores in all the right places.

This soup had a great flavour and the ingredients that are present in this soup were excellent.  This soup was packed with lean chicken, fruit, vegetables and I felt great after eating it.  Minus one star for that cheese biscuit though...  For under $8.00 this was a great cheap feed.

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Barton Snacks

B a r t o n   S n a c k s

Hey everyone, welcome to the first post on Eat Cheap TO.  To kick off this content party I decided I would go to one of my favourite places for a cheap bite; Barton Snacks at 1120 Queen Street West, Toronto.  Between Dufferin and Ossington.

This little place seats 6 on bar stools and however many you can squeeze onto a bench outside the front window.  The makeshift wooden bar is a popular waiting area for customers awaiting their tacos, burger or poutine.  This waiting area also holds an ATM, which, unless you carry cash, you're going to have to use as Barton Snacks is a CASH ONLY eatery. 

I ordered a pair of Jerk Pulled Pork Tacos for $8.00 without any sides.  Barton Snacks offers up a bevy of different flavours of taco from fish, to chorizo, to vegetarian.  Not to mention the other cheap food they have to offer.  In the past I have had the beef brisket tacos which were less enjoyable than the Jerk pulled pork tacos.

While waiting for my tacos, which took roughly 15 minutes, I was entertained by the street traffic of Queen West, bordering parkdale.  If you have been, you know what I mean.  I know 15 minutes is a bit of a wait for 2 tacos, but there was a line of 5 in front of me and only one person working.  Taking those factors into consideration I would say it is totally reasonable.

So my Tacos were finally in my hands.  They seem small when you first pick them up, but trust me, there is enough here to get you through whatever your night may bring.  ...unless it's something like the gym or extreme physical activity.

You'll have to forgive the images here as my camera was without a memory card, I promise better photos of the food in the future.

These tacos come wrapped with 2 corn tortillas, stuffed with a fair portion of their Jerk pulled pork, as well as a hefty serving of coleslaw and some kind of sweet BBQ sauce.  Landing firmly on the sweet side of the spectrum- these tacos also packed a bit of heat.  The spice emanating from the Jerk pulled pork, the spice was not too much for me to handle.  ...then again I do love spicy food.

In regards to eating these on the street- I would not attempt it without a hefty stack of napkins as Barton Snacks does not have a washroom or a sink.  Nearing the last bite my hands were coated in a shiny mixture of pork juices and coleslaw dressing.

So lets break it down into a quick at-a-glance review, shall we?

So after spending a total of $9 (they rounded that 4 cents down to the dollar for me) I was pleasantly full of some high quality chow!  Eating cheap has treated me pretty well so far!  Not too shabby Barton Snacks, not to shabby at all.

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