Noce

Restaurant: Noce
Address: 875 Queen St. W
Phone: 416-504-3463
Operating Hours: Various operating hours depending on which room you prefer to book, view website for details
Website: www.nocerestaurant.ca

Interior

Menu

Insalata Noce 2.0

Bufala Campana

Olive All'ascolana Tartufate

B.C. Savoury Clams

Pizza Al Baccala

Sausage and Aged Beef Ragout

Torta di Nocciola

Sbrisolona e Zabaglione

Review

Noce is a lovely Italian restaurant in Trinity Bellwoods. I went for Winterlicious this year along with a few of my girlfriends for lunch. At $33, we got to choose from a curated menu of Italian delicacies. They have three rooms for you to dine and wine in: the Queen West Room, the Tuscany Room, and the Octopus Lounge. The Queen West Room is their main dining room, which was the room my friends and I were placed in. You get a nice view of Queen Street West and Trinity Bellwoods Park. The Tuscany Room is more of a relaxed atmosphere to get a bite and the Octopus Lounge allows you to unwind and socialize during late hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed each and every single dish I had at Noce! I ordered the Bufala Campana, B.C. Savoury Clams and Torta di Nocciola. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these dishes. The appetizer and entree were incredibly savoury so I highly recommend the Bufala Campana and B.C. Savoury Clams if you like savoury food. The Torta di Nocciola is perfect for someone who wants gelato with a crunch to their dessert as well.

When I go for Italian food I typically order pasta or pizza because it's normally what I can afford on the menu. But with Noce's Winterlicious menu, I was able to venture out and try items I normally wouldn't get. I am glad to have had the opportunity to try Noce's diverse menu. Our waiter was not only charming but he made sure we were comfortable and provided excellent service. I highly recommend Noce to anyone who loves Italian cuisine or is looking for a nice place to eat lunch or dinner.

Sho Izakaya

Restaurant: Sho Izakaya
Address: 1406 Queen St. W
Phone: 647-350-1406
Operating Hours: Mon CLOSED, Tues-Thurs 5-10 PM, Fri-Sun 11:30 AM - 11 PM
Website: www.shoizakaya.com

Interior

Menu

Wasabi Tako, $4

Black Pepper Steak

Spicy Avocado Rolls

Black Bean Noodles, $7

Pork Belly Ramen, $9.50

Mackerel Boxed Sushi, $11

Review

I went to Sho Izakaya for my first ever food Instagram meet. I met a couple of cool Instagrammers and we bonded over some delicious Japanese food. Sho Izakaya is a fairly new restaurant on Queen West that's quite low-key and provides a limited, but very affordable izakaya items! Since they are a newer establishment, they are still in the testing stages of the menu.

The restaurant was kind enough to let us try a couple of things that were not yet on the menu, including the Black Pepper Steak and Spicy Avocado Roll. My favourite dish would have to be the Wasabi Tako. It was my first time ever trying it, so I was excited to consume a lot of wasabi. The Black Bean Noodles were surprisingly a lot bigger than any of us expected. It was basically a full size bowl, which one could consume as an entree instead. There's currently only one ramen dish, which is the Pork Belly Ramen. So if you are looking for a variety of ramens, then I recommend checking elsewhere. However if you do order this bowl, it would be great to eat regardless.

I highly recommend Sho Izakaya if you love izakayas but you can't afford places like Kinka Izakaya without crying over your bill. Sho is not only wallet-friendly but provides delicious food and Japanese-quality service. Plus, if you go now you don't have to worry about the craziness of lineups before it actually gets the recognition it deserves.