Banh Mi Boys

Banh Mi Boys, located at 399 Yonge St, just North of Gerrard, and also at 392 Queen St West. For this review we visited the Yonge Street location. We rolled up to the doors on Sunday at exactly noon, as they flicked on the 'Open' Sign. Awaiting us inside was a fully staffed, and rocking kitchen that despite being open for all of 30 seconds was running full out. This Asian Fusion blend of Vietnamese and Korean style dishes does not disappoint. A well oiled machine of friendly staff take your order, with name to identify you at the next stage. From there you slide left to the counter, where there seems to be a lot going on. Your name is called, and additional info is plugged into your order such as 'desired level of spice' and 'for here or go"? Always waiting for that radio on my shoulder to squawk out a new call... I take the 'Go' option.

Today's order... the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. This dish is simplicity in all its perfect glory. Starting with a still warm, in-house made 8" baguette  they add their signature grilled chicken with a creamy delicious sauce. Topped with simply shredded carrots, cucumber slices, and cilantro... the blend of flavours and textures is bang on. For about six bucks, I could ask for nothing more. It is wrapped, and we are out the door ready to enjoy on the move. Lucky for me on this visit, my on the move is from the comfort of the passenger seat, as Morgan dines from the drivers side on his Banh Mi choice.

Usually, I get the sandwich.  It is portable, travels well, relatively unmessy to eat and still tastes good cold, but for the sake of variety for this review, I ordered the chicken taco.  Oh, what a wise decision that was. The taco is smaller (although I think the major size difference is less bread, so depending on how you feel about carbs, this could be ideal) and a dollar less, but even more flavourful and juicy.  The mess factor goes up, but so does the delicious factor.  Still manageable from the driver's seat, but just barely.  When asked how hot I wanted it, I replied 'very hot', which means hot sauce and jalapeños. It wasn't painful hot, I'd say it was perfect. Enough bite to wake you up, but not be overwhelmed. The taco shell is the soft kind and it is filled with tender chicken, cilantro, and other wondrous ingredients that I wish I had written down.  They really had me at the sauce. The more I think about it, the more I'll be coming back to the taco.

The kimchi fries are a glorious invention of Banh Mi Boys.  Think of it as an Asian-fusion poutine.  French fries, mayonnaise, pulled pork and kimchi.  Kimchi is a Korean dish composed of fermented cabbage.  I believe the historical/cultural role of kimchi is to provide a pro-biotic boost to digestion.  Soooooo delicious.  Make sure you stir it up and don't daintily stab at it. The flavours need to mix together.  It is large and filling.  I could, and have, eaten an entire kimchi fries and a sandwich alone, but then I hate myself afterwards and swear to start jogging. Personally, I find the ideal plan is to share the fries, but I leave that to you. 

Today the Gods who control the entertainment from the street lit us up with a live band "The Sidewalk Crusaders" performing rather they were 'Absolutely Killing It' at Yonge and College to fully highlight our day. With several dudes blasting on drums, sax, tuba, and guitar, rocking Psy's Gangnam Style, we sat filling our faces with Vietnam-Style food-fare. Needless to say to all my past English teachers, I learned how to spell 'Perfection".

As usual our meal was interrupted by a call to service the public of Toronto, but fortunately it still re-wrapped well and was still delicious cold.

I would gander that the chances of getting the same musical accompaniment to take this meal to the highest level again is slim to none... but that being said the food really does stand apart and is ideal for that bite on the go. 

The only downside to our needs is the hours of operation... as they close at 10pm Mon-Fri, 9pm on Sat, and 7pm on Sun. That being said, if you find yourself on Days they open at11am everyday but Sunday which is Noon.

A little shout out to "The Sidewalk Crusaders" @sidewalkcrusade - Check them out.
Jon Harper
Paramedic
Founder and Writer for Emergency Fuel

Morgan Jones Phillips

Paramedic

First Mate and Writer for Emergency Fuel

"No Bull Burgers"

No Bull Burgers, located on 179 Parliament St, just North of Queen St E. For a while I believed this to be a vegetarian restaurant that would specialize in burgers containing anything but 'bull'... But upon closer inspection it would prove quite the opposite. Sure, they do offer an Organic Quinoa Burger that I am told by my animal loving friends is quite good, but today we went a different direction. My Partner and I decided to each try one of 'No Bulls' signature burgers of which they have three.


Caution... although this review may not contain any 'bull', it definitely contains meat.


For my experience today, I went with the signature "Redneck" burger. Let me jump off with the statement that this was the best burger I have ever had. Priced at $8.85 plus, I let the man behind the counter work his magic. He offered up the 'recommended' toppings  to which I said 'sure' and I can honestly say they have done their homework... no additional condiments were needed.

Drink this in... the "Redneck" is a 1/4lb burger, with 2 kinds of cheese, beer battered peameal bacon rolled in chips, and topped with the recommended lettuce, tomato, and whiskey BBQ sauce. This outta-this-world, gourmet burger was ready quickly and presented beautifully. As I watched one of the guys hand chopping the potatoes for their in house 'fresh-cut fries' I questioned whether or not I made a mistake by not ordering them on the side. I did not. This burger had it all, and there is no way i would have been able to have fries as well... but they did look great.

For Morgans experience today, he went with their Signature 'No-Bull' burger, of course. Sit-down for this one. It's pricier at 13.95 plus, but you are about to see why...

From Morgan…

I have been trying to get Jon down to No Bull for quite sometime, but the challenges of eating on the fly have been too much.  Today, the stars of the injured aligned and we were able to make it there, as it is a short drive from St Mike's.




First off, I want to say that my burger was ridiculous.  It was unreal.  More of a fantasy writer’s imagination than a real meal.  Reading the ingredients is like porn for Foodies. The Signature No Bull Burger consists of two 1/4lb patties, two types of bacon (regular and peameal), and a fried egg between two grilled cheese sandwiches. It is topped with chipotle mayo, whiskey BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, sauteed onions and mushrooms. As all great greasy food, it should come with a nitro spray on the side and be sprinkled in Lipitor. You can imagine the height of it. Seriously, it was so large that, short of dislocating my jaw like a snake, it was impossible to eat in proper bites.  Rather, I had to alternate chewing bites off the bottom half, and then the top half.

As I said, it really is ridiculous, but ridiculously glorious.  It is more of a challenge than a meal. I ate just over half of it, and nibbled away at it for the rest of the day. It is so large that it begs to be shared, but it is taller than it is wide, so cutting it in half would make it even more ridiculous.

Traditionally, I have always gotten the Redneck Burger, and will most likely have it again, but the Signature No-Bull Burger is an experience you should have.

A while ago, I ordered my burger, paid for it and then got a high priority call and was unable to wait for it to be ready.  Just before closing, I called them up to say that the call had gone long and that I wasn’t going to be able to return until after they were closed.  They offered to make me a fresh burger and said they would leave it in a warming oven at the Greek restaurant next door. I was very impressed and became fan for life.

Go there.

     Our experience was fantastic, and we were made to feel that not only did the staff appreciate their burger craft, but have an appreciation for the on-the-go need we have. This location offers a call-ahead option for that fly-by pick up, and, by the accord of Morgan above, should that call arise, a return pick up, can be wonderfully accommodated.

Jon Harper

Paramedic

Founder and Writer for Emergency Fuel

Morgan Phillips

Paramedic

First Mate and Writer for Emergency Fuel

Launch Day - Big Fat Burrito

Well, "Launch Day" as we are calling it for Emergency Fuel came and went... and to ear-mark such a great event, lunch was had at one of our favourite places "Big Fat Burrito" at 112 Dundas Street West.
So fittingly enough our first food review on here is going to be about them. After 3 attempts to stop and get food, we finally made it inside the doors, and as always we were greeted warmly. My order of a Large Steak Burrito with everything, and a #3 on the 'hot sauce' scale was rung in quickly with a dollar off for 911. The guys had us out the door promptly, as they know our battle with grabbing a meal on the go quite well. I have been to many a burrito place this year, and they all have their pros as will be covered in future blog entries, but for this one I give a full-bellied recommend to the guys at 'Big Fat' on Dundas Street West.
     The skinny on the big fat experience.
Big fat has three locations in Toronto, but given our typical coverage area I would say that 8/10 times we go to the above Dundas St. W. location. Big fat offers variety across the board. For a us it comes in the form of their burritos. Chicken, Steak, Pork, or Yam. As for myself I usually get the large steak. And it is that! I find especially on the go that the large makes for a solid meal, and still leaves a generous proportion for a later snack. I mean sure that "later snack" is often a saucy disaster as the juices from its departed morsels break down that beautifully pressed tortilla... But man up, and be prepared with some napkins, its worth it.

In addition to their staple burritos, submitted for your burrito pleasure, the Dundas location offers an incredible breakfast option. This location opens up earlier and from 8am to 11am offers a 5 dollar, not to be disappointed breakfast. Equivalent to the small sized burritos, the b-fast burrito is fresh cooked bacon, egg, cheese, salsa, potatoes and an generous hit of awesome. I am always a fan of your standard greasy spoon breakfast, but make no mistake this burrito option is the real deal.

The one down side to big fat that we have found is that unfortunately for us they are not open very late for us night shifters. (9pm/10pm) However, if you can get there during their hours you won't be disappointed.

Jon Harper
Paramedic
Founder and Writer for Emergency Fuel.

Welcome...

Welcome to Emergency Fuel! An idea born of the hungry belly, inside an Ambulance, on the streets of Toronto. As a Paramedic for almost 10 years I have learned a lot. A lot of different streets, neighbourhoods, people, problems, partners, and styles of practicing paramedicine. But most importantly (to this venture) a lot of different places to eat! We are always meeting new people... be it a new partner for the shift, a new allied service on the scene, a new Nurse at the ER, or a new patient in the back of the unit. Everyone has their ideas of a great place to grab lunch. (Listen carefully to the guy having chest pain when it comes to a great meal). 
Now, how this venture came about... well I have been thinking for a few months now on how awesome it would be to have... well to be honest... this very idea. An idea of a social media based platform that shares places for 911 to eat. Places that have as our slogan says "Late Hours, Good Deals, Fast Service, and Great Food". As I was cultivating this idea a few weeks ago, the proof of how this platform has its place in our day to day came to me while working with one of our many new recruits. While driving back to the station she says to me "where is a good place to grab lunch, I am new to 'downtown' and I am putting a list of places in my phone...". I almost spit out my coffee. Here I am working on this idea, getting the site going, and brainstorming the avenues to explore with this venture, and the very proof that this is needed is sitting next to me. 
Needless to say... I felt pretty validated on this one.
I believe I have mentioned in this post that "we all have our favourite place to eat"... well the reasons for these places to be so liked by each of us fall in many different ways, or a combination of these reasons. Be it the obvious great food, or be it fast service. Maybe they throw in a free drink once and while, or maybe its the safest place to eat at 3am when the other options are a little boring or even a little sketchy. Any of these above reasons are ones that prompt us to share with our friends and colleagues. There are the 'chain' restaurants that we all know, and the hole-in-the-wall shops that may seem sketchy but experienced guests know are absolutely dynamite. So why not promote these vendors for their great service and help each other get a great meal at the same time. Anyway... I hope that you find this platform as exciting as I do, and that we can all stop trading our 'snack-pack' puddings and enjoy a great lunch today. (Sorry for all you newbies who's moms packed you a 'snack-pack' today.)


Jon Harper
Paramedic
Founder and Writer for Emergency Fuel