When Steph and I meet up for dinner, we usually try something more adventurous, a place that neither of us have been to before. But tonight, we were feeling nostalgic for our favourite Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant, so we went to Shiso Tree Café.
We decided to bypass our usual pasta set (which comes with salad, soup, and dessert) and share an order of fries instead. For whatever reason, Shiso Tree Café is known for their Japanese-style fresh cut fries along with their pastas. I've tried their okonomiyaki fries before, but wanted to try a different variety this time around, so we decided on the nori fries. They take their fresh cut fries — perfectly crispy and golden — and toss it in their homemade wafu dressing and Japanese seaweed (or nori), and serve it piping hot in a large paper cone. Steph thought they were on the saltier side, but I thought they were just perfect. I love the savoury-tart combination of soy sauce, vinegar, and shiso in wafu dressing, and think it works wonderfully with fries (it's typically used in salad). I love the okonomiyaki version, but this one is lighter and more simple, which is a nice option as an appetizer.
For my pasta tonight, I decided on the Smoked Salmon à la Crème Vodka, which is exactly what it sounds like: Spaghetti tossed in vodka-based cream sauce with smoked salmon and fresh dill. For a little more decadence, it's also garnished with salmon roe and caviar (perhaps in an effort to make it more Japanese fusion). I think what I love about the pasta here is that it's not overly saucy. It has just enough sauce that each spaghetti strand is perfectly coated, not dripping or sloppy. The inclusion of vodka (which you can't taste, obviously) in this sauce cuts the cream so that it's not too thick, but still smooth and velvety. The smoked salmon adds a beautiful fleshy, silky contrast to the pasta, and the dill adds a fresh tart aroma that, of course, pairs perfectly with smoked salmon (dill is my favourite herb, so I might be biased here). Honestly, you can't really go wrong with this pasta. It's not really as adventurous as some of the other options, but it's one of those dishes that you know will taste good.
Shiso Tree Café
3160 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 1
Markham, ON L3R 4G9
(905) 479-9319
Nori Fries
We decided to bypass our usual pasta set (which comes with salad, soup, and dessert) and share an order of fries instead. For whatever reason, Shiso Tree Café is known for their Japanese-style fresh cut fries along with their pastas. I've tried their okonomiyaki fries before, but wanted to try a different variety this time around, so we decided on the nori fries. They take their fresh cut fries — perfectly crispy and golden — and toss it in their homemade wafu dressing and Japanese seaweed (or nori), and serve it piping hot in a large paper cone. Steph thought they were on the saltier side, but I thought they were just perfect. I love the savoury-tart combination of soy sauce, vinegar, and shiso in wafu dressing, and think it works wonderfully with fries (it's typically used in salad). I love the okonomiyaki version, but this one is lighter and more simple, which is a nice option as an appetizer.
Smoked Salmon à la Crème Vodka Pasta
For my pasta tonight, I decided on the Smoked Salmon à la Crème Vodka, which is exactly what it sounds like: Spaghetti tossed in vodka-based cream sauce with smoked salmon and fresh dill. For a little more decadence, it's also garnished with salmon roe and caviar (perhaps in an effort to make it more Japanese fusion). I think what I love about the pasta here is that it's not overly saucy. It has just enough sauce that each spaghetti strand is perfectly coated, not dripping or sloppy. The inclusion of vodka (which you can't taste, obviously) in this sauce cuts the cream so that it's not too thick, but still smooth and velvety. The smoked salmon adds a beautiful fleshy, silky contrast to the pasta, and the dill adds a fresh tart aroma that, of course, pairs perfectly with smoked salmon (dill is my favourite herb, so I might be biased here). Honestly, you can't really go wrong with this pasta. It's not really as adventurous as some of the other options, but it's one of those dishes that you know will taste good.
Shiso Tree Café
3160 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 1
Markham, ON L3R 4G9
(905) 479-9319
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