Oliver and Bonacini Canteen

Price: 3/5

Taste: 3.5/5

Authenticity: 3.5/5

Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

My boyfriend and I were wandering on King Street West trying to find a place to eat lunch. We passed by O&B Canteen and since it was lively and filled with lots of people, we decided to check it out.

It wasn't until I got home till I realized what O&B stood for: Oliver and Bonacini. These two individuals have created a fine dining restaurant empire in Toronto! They are the owners of amazing restaurants such as Canoe, Jump and Luma and this cafe definitely is an asset to their restaurant empire. 

Being in the TIFF Lightbox, Canteen is a casual cafe/bakery unlike Canoe or Jump. It is very spacious and opened with a large sidewalk patio and ceiling high windows that bring in a lot of light. The design of the restaurant is simple and clean and it also caters to busy customers with their "grab and go" counter. They have great service, fresh ingredients and unique dishes. Overall, Canteen has a beautiful atmosphere and great food! 

This is what I ordered for lunch: 

1) Grilled Chicken and Swiss Club with the side of Puree Turnip Soup ($14.00) 

• menu description: focaccia, arugula, bacon-aise, Roma tomato and includes a choice of soup, salad or fries
• thoughts: 
• The sandwich:  The chicken was nice and juicy, the bread had a nice crunch to it, the swiss cheese was not overpowering and by having the sandwich simply grilled just made me enjoy this dish more. Some complaints I have about this sandwich is that there wasn't enough vegetables in the sandwich which also contributed making the sandwich being on the drier side. The bread/any bread is on dry so having more juices like more tomatoes could have definitely helped with the ingestion of this sandwich. Also, the taste of this sandwich is more on the bland side (which I personally like) but for others, it may be a turn off. 
• The soup: The soup of the day was a Puree Turnip Soup and it was DELICIOUS! The turnip flavour was just right and the texture was nice and smooth. 

Overall, this cafe has a wonderful atmosphere! They even serve something called The Knuckle Sandwich when the Blue Jays play at home in Toronto which I find adds to their creativity.  I'll definitely come back here if I'm in the area! 

Joey's (Part 2)

Price: 3/5
Taste: 3.5/5
Authenticity: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service: 2/5 (during this visit)

I had a quick lunch with my cousin at Joey's at Yorkdale last week and decided to finally try the Ahi Tuna Tacos. 

Ahi Tuna Tacos ($12.50) 

• menu description: seared rare ahi tuna, toasted sesame, ginger, coleslaw and wasabi aioli
• thoughts: The dish itself is quite small, even for me! It barely made me full and I definitely wanted more. Because of it's size, I felt that being priced at $12.50 was a bit too much.  Nevertheless, it was really yummy! I loved the shell because it's not your typical taco shells that come in those Old El Paso Kits. Instead, it has the same texture and taste as fried wontons (without the shrimp inside of course)! The Ahi Tuna was seared nicely and overall, it was very good! All of the components came together and the wasabi aioli gave a nice flavour to the tacos. This dish left you wanting more and everybody should try these tacos once in their lifetime. 

The only thing I had to complain about this visit to Joey's was the fact that nobody served us until I complained to one of the waitresses. We were left with the menus and nobody gave us water or took our order until I complained and that was 15 minutes after we were seated by the hostess. After that, the service was typical. 

I would come back to Joey's (like I said in my previous post) just to try out the different dishes they offer!

Butter Avenue

Price: 3.5/5

Taste: 3.5/5
Authenticity: 3/5  

Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Butter Ave Macarons Box

Today, my friend and I decided to have some nice (EXPENSIVE $$$) Afternoon Tea at Butter Avenue. Though it is expensive, it was delicious and it's nice to treat yourself to afternoon tea once in a while because let's be honest, almost all afternoon tea places are pricey so might as splurge! 

Afternoon Tea Menu (the coffees were listed on the other side) 

We had to reserve a few days before hand for the afternoon tea set (my friend said that you have to make reservations at least the day before before 3pm). 

Tea Menu

We thought the tea menu was SUPER ADORABLE! The menu contained mini tea containers that were stuck onto the menu with velcro so that you could pick it up, twist the lid off, and smell each of the tea leaves! Though this was super adorable, I wanted a cappuccino drink instead :)

We ordered the Lumiere Set and this is what they served:

1) Mini Snack: Macarons 

Matcha Macaron and Earl Grey Maracon

This came BEFORE the amuse-bouche so it's not really listed on the menu. The chef served us mini macarons: a matcha macaron and an early grey macaron. Both were really good and had a nice texture; soft but still hard enough to have a little crunch and the filling inside was nice :) I really liked the matcha macaron because I love green tea flavoured things and it had the perfect amount of sweetness to it. The early grey was also REALLY GOOD (definitely want to eat this one again) though I can't really pinpoint why........Regardless, these two flavours are a MUST if you go buy macarons from Butter Ave.

2) Amuse-Bouche: Sun-dried Tomato Quiche and Croissant

Sun-dried Tomato Quiche and Buttered Croissant

Being the clueless girl I am, I had no idea what amuse-bouche meant until I went home to wiki it:

"An amuse-bouche [aˌmyzˈbuʃ] (plural amuse-bouches) or amuse-gueule [aˌmyzˈɡœl] is a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre.^[1] Amuse-bouches are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but, when served, are done so for free and according to the chef's selection alone."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amuse-bouche

So the chef decided to serve us quiche and he described what was in it but I don't remember all of it: sun-dried tomato, home made sausages, cheddar cheese, and more stuff......but those were the important ones! It was yummy and flavourful but it was kind of more on the dry side in my opinion. The croissant tasted like any other but the texture was very nice! It was flaky on the outside but very soft and doughy inside which is what I like :)

3) Mini Tarts/Cakes and Macarons

Assorted Tarts and Cakes

They served us 6 mini cakes and we were supposed to eat it in the order of front to back because it went from light citrus flavours to dark rich flavours. I don't remember what was in all the cakes but I'll try my best to descriebe them.

From front to back

1. mango mousse with pistachio tart bottom
• thoughts: I really liked this one because it was fruity (obviously) and it wasn't too sweet nor sour so to me it was just right! I think this was my favourite because by that time, I was so full from eating rich sweets (especially drinking a cappuccino) that eating something fruity was a nice change. 
2. mini dark chocolate macaron and ____ mousse with pistachio tart bottom 
• thoughts: I don't really remember much about this cake. I just remember I really liked the mini macaron. I don't think I could pinpoint what flavour that mousse was but it was nice and light to say the least. 
3. strawberry mousse, strawberry jam and kiwi filling?
• thoughts: I remember the blueberry being super sour and the strawberry jam to be super sweet, but the kiwi portion was alright. Clearly, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. 
4. raspberry with gold foil shavings, ground tomato, banana cream and dark chocolate crust 
• thoughts: I REALLY liked the banana cream! I thought it was really nice, smooth and had the right amount of sweetness to it. I completely ignored the ground tomato because I'm not a fan of them, especially them being on my cake >:( 
5. green tea mousse, _____ mousse and dark chocolate crust
• thoughts: I also really liked this cake but I don't have much to say about it. I just liked it because I LOVE green tea flavoured things....LOL 
6. dark chocolate cake 
• thoughts: By the end, I was super full and my sweet tooth needed to take a break so having this super rich dark chocolate cake was kind of too much for me. Nevertheless, if I was hungrier, I would have enjoyed it more because the cake itself was yummy. I was expecting and dreading something super sweet but it wasn't THAT sweet! It actually had a nice balance of sweet and bitter. 

Lime and Honey Macaron 

We got to choose a macaron to eat and I picked the lime and honey macaron because I was done with eating chocolate sweets and wanted something more.....refreshing I guess.  To be honest, I was disappointed   because the lemon filling inside was too citrusy for me.

4) Coffee: Cappuccino 

LOL I don't have much to say about this, it's just a cappuccino.....nothing special THOUGH I needed to add sugar into it because it was pretty bitter for me. 

5) Macarons To Go 

Since a lot of my friends instagram or facebook macarons from Butter Ave and say that they are the best macarons they've had so far, I decided to take half a dozen home. I chose the Blueberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Matcha, Earl Grey, Dark Chocolate and of course Caramel Macchiato (this is their best seller). I haven't eaten all of them so I can't comment on them YET but I'm excited to! 

Overall, the cakes and macarons were well prepared but it was pretty pricey and I don't think it was worth the price. I think it's nice to try this afternoon tea set ONCE (or once in a few years) but I DEFINITELY don't want this for a long long long time. 

Though that is my opinion about their afternoon tea set, I would definitely come back for their macarons. They are on the pricier side (each cost $2.25.....or something like that) but they are actually delicious!

If you're looking for a meal to satisfy your sweet tooth for a LONG TIME, this afternoon tea is for you LOL! But ladies, please go on an empty....okay emptiER stomach than my friend and I; we had lunch before coming here which was NOT good idea. On the other hand, gentlemen, eat something before you go to Butter Avenue 

Joey's

Price: 3/5
Taste: 3.5/5
Authenticity: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5 (during this visit)

My boyfriend and I did some shopping at Yorkdale and he decided to treat me for dinner at Joey's in order to celebrate my recent admission to professional school! The restaurant itself was nice; it was lively and had good service. 

This is what ordered: 

1) Real Peach Bellini [1¼ oz.] ($6.75)

• menu description: Appleton V/X Jamaica rum, real peach, sparkling wine, sangria 
• thoughts: Whenever I'm overwhelmed by a drink menu and can't decide what to get, I will always go with a Peach Bellini and it hasn't failed me yet! It was very fruity  and the alcohol taste was minimal. The only thing I had a problem of was the slice of peach that it came with because I swear it was just from a pack of frozen peaches. When I ate it, it was cold and icy so I was not happy :( If I'm paying $6.75 for this drink, I would like a real peach slice please....even a canned peach would be better :( OTHER THAN MY FRUIT PICKY-NESS, the drink was yummy :3 You can never go wrong ordering a Peach Bellini! 

2) Appetizer: Pesto Shrimp Flatbread ($14.50) 

• menu description: whole milk mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, chipotle aioli, fresh basil
• thoughts: Let me just start with how AMAZING the flatbread itself is. They bread was baked so well: crispy on the outside and super soft and doughy inside. The herbs on the bread was DELICIOUS and I couldn't get ENOUGH OF IT! Now, for the other components like the sauce, basil, cheese and etc, they were decent. I loved how the shrimp was NOT lost in all the flavours so you could still taste it most of the time. One thing I had a problem with is the fact that the the chipotle aioli was very strong (and somewhat spicy) so all other components like  the cheese, tomatoes and the basil were lost. We couldn't taste the basil at all! I'm not saying this dish didn't taste food but the sauce was just too powerful in my opinion. Also, the dish almost had the texture or a mini pizza or something. Overall, this dish was still really yummy; that flatbread gave me a food-gasm!  Next time, I would try the other flatbread appetizers like the Italian Flatbread or the Tandoori Chicken Flatbread. Nevertheless, you guys HAVE TO TRY the bread! 

3) Sashimi Tuna Salad ($18)

• menu description: seared rare ahi, mixed greens, mango, peanuts, avocado, crispy noodles and cilantro mint dressing 
• thoughts: A lot of my friends have gone to Joey's and have told me to go get this ahi tuna salad and thank god they did. THIS IS THE BEST SALAD EVER! The Ahi Tuna is soooo good, seared on the outside while still raw inside. The dressing in the mixed greens with the mango makes gave the salad a nice citrus taste. The only negative thing I would say about this dish is the fact that I think the server put a bit too much dressing in the mixed greens so the citrusness got to me by the end. Anyways moving on......the fact that they added avocado slices to this salad makes it even better (especially since I'm a huge fan for avocado). The mint dressing on the side was just amazing! Everyone has to try this salad! I would come back to Joey's just for this dish. Also, this isn't the only dish that offers the ahi tuna, they have Ahi Tuna Tacos as well! 

4) The Beach Salad ($17)

• menu description: strawberries, goat cheese, quinoa, candied pecans, avocado, lemon poppy dressing and grilled chicken breast 
• thoughts: This wasn't the dish I personally ordered but I did try the chicken and it was soooooo good. The chicken had an amazing char taste to it that made the chicken taste even better instead of the opposite. Other than that, I don't know much about the flavours of this salad but my boyfriend seemed to enjoy it; especially that chicken! 

Overall, Joey's serves unique and amazing dishes. They have cool dishes such as Steak and Sushi (which includes steak and Japanese surf and turf), Baja Fish Tacos, Lobster Grilled Cheese, Sushi Cone and etc. I like how these Asian fusion dishes but also the classics like Fettuccini Alfredo or steaks dishes like Filet Mignon. Also, though we only had salads, they were really filling and it satisfied our hunger :)

The restaurant has nice decor and has a classic, formal but cozy kind of feel to it. My boyfriend says that this restaurant is like Moxies but with better food (which I do agree with). It has the same environment and feel as Moxies but the dishes are more unique and better tasting and with better tasting food comes an emptier wallet. 

Conclusion: Everyone needs to check this place out if they haven't already!

Raku Ramen & Izakaya

There was a new Ramen and Izakaya place that opened in the Asian plaza at Kennedy and Highway 7! 

It's a new place and small but the they offer pretty unique things! They not only serve the popular Ramen but also fried rice/fried rice with curry in hot stone bowls and cool dishes such as "Fried Tofu with Eel on top". They also offer normal dishes that you'd find in Japanese restaurants like sushi rolls and stuff like that..........

This is what we ordered: 

1) Pork Bone Soup Base Ramen 

• thoughts: I thought the soup was really good, it wasn't too salty and there wasn't a lot of MSG (which is good)! The noodles were nice and chewy which I like. Now the portion was just right for me but it may be a bit too small for some people. Also, It didn't come with much pork; I think it only came with 4 slices of pork which was kind of disappointing. Overall, I liked the soup and noodles a lot but the toppings were mediocre. 

2) Stone Pot Chicken Don 

• thoughts: Okay I don't ACTUALLY remember the name of this dish but it was something like that :) It was rice in a hot stone bowl with egg (which was still cooking in the stone bowl so that's super cool) with chicken and onions and other stuff.........Overall, it was decent! I really liked the rice because it was more on the chewier side AND it became crunchy when it stuck onto the stone bowl long enough (which is also very yummy). The flavours on the other hand weren't that strong so to me, it was more on the bland side. 

Overall, I think this place is alright. The ramen soup base and noodles are really good so if you check this place out, definitely order the ramen! The flavours in my opinion could be stronger though and the dishes could maybe consist of more "toppings" I guess. 

There are a lot of unique side dishes that I would also want to try next time I go like that fried tofu eel thing. The place is very clean and service is decent. The only thing about this restaurant is that parking is REALLY HARD to find since the plaza is always packed! 

CN Tower's 360 Restaurant

My boyfriend treated me to the 360 Restaurant in the CN Tower last summer so it's been a while since I've actually been there! Nevertheless, I thought these pretty pictures of the food and the view shouldn't be wasted so I decided to share this experience with everyone....a year later. I don't remember the specific flavours of these dishes but I just remembered that it was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD (well it has to be, it is the CN Tower restaurant). Though it's pricey, it's definitely worth it and it was nice dressing up with le boyfriend :) Definitely a nice anniversary dinner restaurant or a date restaurant (if you want to spoil your date like crazy).

Did I mention that the food was DELICIOUS?!

The lunch menu has a fixed price of $55 per person for an appetizer, main course and dessert. I'm not going to comment MUCH about the pictures because I don't remember much about it. LET YOUR MOUTH SALIVATE AND LET YOUR BRAIN CRAVE THESE DISHES LOL! 

Restaurant Menu

The View #1

The View #2 

For you non-Torontonians that don't know about this restaurant, the restaurant is constantly spinning so you get a 360 view of Toronto and it's very pretty :)

Dish #1:

Seafood Platter

I remember that this platter was NOT on the fixed price menu but their regular menu. They are known for their seafood so we decided to get it :) SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOODDD

Appetizer #1: 

Stacked Heirloom Tomato Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella

Appetizer #2: 

CHILLED LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

Main Course #1:  

WILD PACIFIC KETA SALMON

Main Course #2: 

SUPREME OF CHICKEN WITH BLACK TRUFFLE BUTTER

 Dessert #1: I don't remember/can't find the name of this dish (sorry!)

Dessert #2: I don't remember/can't find the name of this dish (sorry!)

Soma Chocolatemaker

After dinner at Terroni's, we decided to get some gelato for dessert. We went to Soma Chocolatemaker on King Street and ordered the following:

1) Sicilian Pistachio 

• picture: at the very front 
• thoughts: I personally ordered the sicilian pistachio and I really liked it! It had a really strong pistachio flavour to it (which I love) but if you're not fond of pistachios, the flavour of this gelato will be too strong for you. The gelato was creamy and smooth so it was very yummy :) 

2) Dark Chocolate 

• picture: the dark brown one obviously LOL 
• thoughts: I only had a mini scoop of this to taste and I think it was the best one out of the 3 (which makes sense since Soma IS a CHOCOLATEmaker). It was creamy, rich and just had the right amount of sweetness to it. 

3) Something that has to do with lemon....but I couldn't find the actual name on the website menu

• picture: the furthest one to the back
• thoughts:  I don't even remember the name of this one because it was a pretty long name. I had a mini scoop of this one as well but I don't really remember much about it; I guess it wasn't memorable then LOL 

Soma is a very cute store that has lots of products such as truffles, different flavours of hot chocolate that you can take home to make (which they call Elixers) and etc. They don't only have gelato but also sorbet which I would definitely want to try next time I go. 

Overall, Soma is a unique chocolate store where you can spend hours just looking at the different unique products they offer. Also, when it comes to gelato/sorbet, you can always ask for a taste test (thank goodness)! 

Terroni

Terroni is an Italian restaurant located on Queen Street West. Our other friend decided to join us for dinner and said that he loved the pizza here so we decided to give it a try. Now, the lighting in the restaurant was very dark and the red table cloth did not help when it came to taking pictures of the food so I'm sorry for the pictures :( PS, credits to my friend for letting me use her camera! 

My friend who recommended this place said his favourite pizzas are from here so the three of us decided to share two pizzas. He also said that the pasta was good so if you come here, you might want to check those out too!

 What we ordered:
1) Peach Bellini (front)

• thoughts: This drink was SUPER PRICEY (it was $9 and there was so little in my opinion). Nevertheless, it was what you'd think it would be, just peach juice and Prosecco (which is why it's expensive I guess). Anyways, it was very typical, nothing special at all. 

2) Puzza 

• menu description: white pizza with mozzarella, italian mascarpone, gorgonzola, mushrooms, italian ham 
• thoughts: I really liked the gorgonzola on the pizza and it was really nice! I personally like tomato sauce on pizza more than just pure white pizza (aka no tomato sauce on it). Nevertheless, the dough was thin and the crust was very nice; it had the right amount of chewiness for me :)

 3) San Giorgio

• menu description: tomato, mozzarella, hot calabrese salame, fresh mushrooms 
• thoughts: I thought this pizza was really good! The only problem I had with it was the fact that the salame was REALLY SPICY for me but that's because I cannot tolerate any spiciness. But then again, even my friend who has a higher tolerance for spiciness said that the salame was quite hot. Nevertheless, the salame was really good; I just wished I could eat more of it without tearing up or having the sides of my mouth burn. Again, the pizza was perfectly cooked and the crust was nice, soft and had the right amount of chewiness 

This place was quite nice. The restaurant is quite dark and sadly it was a bit too dark for me. Though I found it REALLY COOL how they had their own live DJ that was remixing typical restaurant soundtracks you'd hear in the background. Also, the washroom sink/waiting area is beautiful but the stalls are SMALL; there are only 2 stalls (for the girl's washroom) and they are very cramped. The  service was decent and the hostess treated us very well! Long story short, we almost had to wait for 30-45 minutes for a table of 3 but she felt bad because my friend had already waited 20 minutes at the restaurant (he waited for my friend and I to walk from Church and Bloor to the restaurant >.<). So she said rearranged a few tables and gave us a table right away which was really nice of her! 

Overall, if you're into authentic Italian food (especially Pizza and Pasta), you should come check this place out! Just watch out for your wallet because this place is quite pricey :) 

Bier Markt

Bier Markt Lunch Menu

Downtown Toronto is pretty far from where I live so I don't go there often. My friend was nice enough to spend a full day with me and show me around downtown. Lunch at The Bier Markt was the beginning of our 11.8km journey around Toronto. 

The Bier Markt Beer Bible

This is what they called The Beer Bible. This restaurant contains 150+ different types of beer and they have paired each beer with their dishes so that it could compliment one another which I think is super cool. Sadly, I'm not really a fan of beer at all, especially during lunch hour. Though that may defeat the purpose of coming here, I still enjoyed the food and drinks. 

This is what I ordered: 

1) Swedish Mojito 

Swedish Mojito

• menu description: blend of Somersby Apple Cider, housemade strawberry coulis, fresh mint and Swedish berries 
• thoughts: This drink was so good! It was fruity (which I like) and since the alcohol component of this drink was Somersby, there was obviously no bad alcohol taste to it. I think it has become my favourite cocktail even beating the classic Bellini from Moxies or Milestone! 

2) The Chicken A.B.T. 

Chicken A.B.T.

Chicken A.B.T. with Markt Frites

• menu description: Hoegaarden White Ale and citrus poached free-range chicken breast, avocado, smoked bacon, vine ripe tomato, Iceberg lettuce, Dijon mayo, ciabatta bun and hand cut vegetable crisps
• thoughts: 
• First of all, I substituted the vegetable crisps (which was home made chips basically) for Markt frites because a lot of people around had the fries as a separate order so it seemed like it'd be worth the $3 substitution. The fries were tasty but they may be a bit on the saltier side for some of you; I just happen to like saltier things :) 
• The chicken was juicy and I love avocado so I liked the avocado component of this sandwich. Overall, the sandwich was great but it wasn't memorable. It tasted like a typical sandwich with special things here and there but it wasn't memorable. 
• If you come here with people that you want to impress, don't get any burgers or sandwiches like these LOL The juices and sauced and lettuce are constantly dripping down and falling out so it gets quite messy.

Overall, I think this place is VERY unique because of how they pair their beer and food but as a girl who doesn't like beer, I think it defeats the purpose of coming to this restaurant; it is called BIERmarkt for a reason. But if you love beer and want to try different ones all around the world, you should come here! They even have this beer platter where you can try 6 different beers at once!

Cafe Princess

After trying Pastel Creperie and Dessert House, I decided to try ANOTHER dessert house down the street called Cafe Princess. Now I saw that a lot of my Facebook friends came here and enjoyed it so I decided to give it a try. There are SO MANY cute and unique restaurants/cafes on Yonge! I guess it's because I don't live anywhere near Yonge and Finch so I'm clueless about that area. 

ANYWAYS, my friend and I went for the first time and this is what I ordered:

The Princess Waffle (with 1 scoop of cookies and cream and 1 scoop of green tea) 

• menu description: waffle + 2 scoops of ice cream of your choice + fruits 
• thoughts: There were SO MANY desserts to choose from and it took me a good 15 minutes to decide what to get but I decided to play it safe and just get waffles (I was craving waffles anyways). Oh my goodness, it was SO YUMMY! I guess it was because I wasn't expecting much from it but Cafe Princess surprised me. 
• the waffle batter: the batter itself was a lot lighter and fluffier; not as heavy as you'd expect. It was lighter also in taste so you don't get that intense "cakey" flavour so you can enjoy the flavours of the ice cream and fruit more. 
• the cookies and cream ice cream: I read on other blogs that they thought this ice cream was too sweet but I actually thought it was perfect! I don't know if they make it themselves or what company/brand the ice cream is from (if anyone knows, please tell me) but it was different than the regular cookies and cream and it tasted a lot better :) 

Though the outside may look kind of sketch, the cafe on the second floor is very cute and cozy. There are so many different things to try and I definitely want to come back and try them all. For example, I heard that the Oreo milkshake is good and there are these yogurt parfaits that I want to try! 

Tips: Like I said on the Pastel Crepe and Dessert House post, if you are going anywhere near Yonge and Finch, there is free parking after 9pm from Monday to Friday and if you go before 9, I think the parking metre said it's $2.25 per half an hour. 

Overall, I think it's a cute and yummy dessert place and I would make the extra trip just to come here and try everything. But I think once I try all the different desserts that they offer, I wouldn't be as enthusiastic about this place. I think this place is a unique and cozy place and everybody should go try it at least once.  

A Berry Yummy French Toast

LAME TITLES ASIDE, I revamped the normal french toast recipe and thought it'd be nice to share my creation with you guys! It's a simple french toast made with ingredients you can find around the house.

Recipe (Serves 4)

• 4 pieces of bread 
• 4 Egg
• 2/3 Cups of Milk 
• Honey 
• Greek Yogurt (or any yogurt you like)
• Any fruit you like
• I just chose blackberries and blueberries because I think they go with Greek yogurt best 

Directions: 

1. Beat the eggs and mix it with the milk 
2. Dip the bread into the mixture and make sure you cover all parts of the bread
• Most people just dip the bread but I found it easier to FIRST slightly toast the bread in a toaster 
• that way, the bread doesn't soak up as much of the mixture thus it won't stick to the pan as much and fall apart 
3. Get a pan and put it on medium heat
4. Grease the pan a bit 
5. Place the bread into the pan and leave it till that one side is golden brown 
6. Flip the bread onto the other side and wait till its golden brown
7. Don't forget to check to see if the crust is cooked as well 
8. Drizzle some honey on top of the french toast
•  I find that honey compliments the Greek yogurt best and it isn't overpowering
9. Add as much Greek yogurt and the fruits as you like
10. Enjoy :) 

Pastel Creperie and Dessert House

Shortcake Crepe

My friend brought me to Pastel Desserts which is located near Yonge and Finch and it was a cute little dessert cafe :)  The good thing about their menu is that they show pictures for a lot of their desserts so you know what they look like at least!

I got the Shortcake Crepe:

• menu description: strawberry, blueberry, sponge cake, strawberry ice-cream 
• thoughts: It's like any typical crepe except that there is sponge cake inside the crepe and that's a first for me. I love cake and it's "bready" texture (which I know not everyone likes) but I think the cake component in this crepe adds.....thickness to the dessert? It's as if you have more to chew and more to taste LOL I hope that makes sense to at least someone! The plating was very nice as well :) 

Tips: If you are going anywhere near Yonge and Finch, there is free parking after 9pm from Monday to Friday all along Yonge so you save money! (I think it's usually $2.25 per half an hour otherwise)

Tip #2: My friend found out on Pastel's website that THERE IS FREE PARKING for Pastel customers!  More details about that can be found in the link below :)
http://www.pasteldesserts.com/Location.html 

Overall, I think it's a nice dessert place but it's not a place that I would make the trip for. 

Pure Spirits Oyster House and Grill

For my boyfriend's birthday, I took him to Pure Spirits Oyster House and Grill because he loves seafood. This restaurant is located in the Distillery District in Toronto and the food is AMAZING! 

Warning: though we went for lunch and had the lunch menu, the portions are quite large so don't make the same mistake we made and order 4 dishes. 

1) Appetizer

The Diver Scallop Ceviche 

• menu description: jicima, green apple and red watercress, smoked chili and orange dressing 
• thoughts: this was our first time trying any ceviche so I don't have anything to compare this dish to but let me just say, it was soooooooooo good!

2) Entrees

a) Traditional Provencale Mussels from Prince Edward Island 

• menu description: white wine, tomato and fresh herbs 
• thoughts: I really liked this dish because it was traditional (like the dish says in its name). The broth that was at the bottom of the bowl was DELICIOUS and when I dipped bread into that broth, oh my goodness it was AMAZING; I had a "foodgasm" lol. There are other flavours of mussel that they offer like thai green curry :) 

Traditional Provecale 

Mussel Broth 

Empty Mussel Shells 

b) Grilled Swordfish Sandwich 

• menu description: swordfish steak grilled with chimichurri celeriac remoulade and pea shoots 
• thoughts: Swordfish is known to be more on the dry side but the fish in this sandwich was quite juicy! Though the fish was juicier than expected, the bread they used just added back the dryness factor back into the dish. I also wasn't a fan of the greens they used in the sandwich :( I wouldn't recommend this dish if you were going to Pure Spirits; there are plenty of other dishes to try!

c) East Coast Lobster and Shrimp Sub 

• menu description: shredded iceberg, parsley and pickled lemon, chipotle
• thoughts: Well, my boyfriend was the one who ate this so I don't really know what it tasted like. All I can say is that he devoured this sub pretty quickly so I think it's safe to say that it tasted good :) 

 Overall, I really liked this restaurant! Next time, I definitely want to try the oysters since it's KNOWN for it. If anybody has tried the oysters from here, please let me know if it's good or not! 

Hana-Bi Sushi

I SWEAR I DON'T JUST EAT JAPANESE FOOD! It's just the last few times I went out was to eat Japanese food.

This is just a local sushi restaurant that my family and I go to when we're craving for some sashimi and rolls. We like this place a lot because their fish is fresh and their rolls are decent (less rice on the outside, more "stuffing") and most importantly, it's close! Best thing about Hana-Bi is that THEY ALWAYS GIVE YOU FREE DISHES! The past few times I've gone there, we've gotten grilled salmon head, shrimp tempura, vegetable tempura, hand rolls and dragon rolls ON THE HOUSE! 

Overall, they have great quality fish and it is affordable.

Though this is not my favourite"go to sushi" restaurant, it is in my top 3 for sure! Check it out if you haven't :)