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| - Some of the best wins in life come after having input little to no effort, and especially without you deserving it. A couple days ago I not-so-earned one of these wins by having dinner at The Haam.
The Haam is a two month old Asian fusion restaurant located in Toronto's Entertainment District. What is it fused with? You tell me, but whatever it is, all fusions should take note. The restaurant is somewhat small, though it is setup for small group dining. Its warm lighting complements the rustic brick walls, and the choice of Korean & Japanese art fill the space well. Overall, it seems like a great place to bring a date, or just drop by for a relaxing bite.
But a great dining experience isn't won on decor alone. Things started off with a bang with their unimpressively named Spicy Fries. These fries are far more than simply spicy. To be honest, I can't do their seasoning mix justice, but it should suffice to say that these beautifully crispy fries will present you with a combination of unexpected flavours that you'll seldom find elsewhere. Try a couple of them naked first, and then take a ride into flavour town with their ingenious pairing of wasabi mayo.
We kept the party going with their Spider Bao. For the uninitiated amoung us, bao is an open Chinese bun, with a variety of potential fillings. Haam's Spider Bao is filled with deep fried soft shell crab, guar, picked red onion, sriracha, and hoisin. You'll be served two of these large baos, which isn't quite a meal on its own, but is a great addition to an appetizer. All of the fresh ingredients are sandwiched in between their wonderfully fluffy bao bun, which despite appearances, does a pretty good job encasing the mildly spicy filling within. This time around, the flavours are somewhat simpler, but many of them are powerful enough individually that the whole bite makes for a fulfilling experience. The one area where this bao might do a little better is finding a way to not mask the pickled red onion as much. It was tough to notice amoung the rest of the strong cast.
To not make this a novel, I won't dive deep into describing their Popcorn Shrimp, but know that this was hands down the most bizarre and fulfilling part of the meal. The killer combination of deep fried tiger shrimp, sambol, and chili oil is killer on its own, but they have the audacity to add actual popcorn (green apple flavoured) to the dish. It had us laughing and loving it at the same time.
Other items worth mention are their unique mac and cheese, their oh so comforting takoyaki (with bacon, kimchi, and bonito flakes), and their variety of atypical teas. I washed most of the meal down with coconut tea.
My only real complaint is that sitting in the aisle leaves you susceptible to the always annoying occasional shoulder bump. Aside from that, these guys are on to something special. To be honest, I was surprised how reasonably priced their food is. The cheap old man in me doesn't want to admit it, but I would certainly pay more.
I often say that I'd be happy to go back to certain restaurants, yet never do, but you can bet your ass that I'm heading back to The Haam. Great food.
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