Food Archives

Review | Tetley Tea Cold Infusions

August 13, 2021
Hi Everyone!

Today, I’m reviewing the Tetley Tea Cold Infusions which are “flavoured herbal tea water enhancers.”

Tetley Cold Infusions herbal infusers are specially created to be brewed in cold water. Simply drop in your water bottle (or glass or pitcher), shake or stir and go. No mess – no fuss – just great tasting water!

There are 3 flavours available:
- Strawberry & Watermelon
  - Ingredients: Hibiscus, Sweet Blackberry Leaves, Natural Flavours, Strawberries
- Raspberry & Cranberry
  - Ingredients: Hibiscus, Natural Flavours, Raspberries, Cranberries
- Mint, Lemon & Cucumber
  - Ingredients: White Hibiscus, Peppermint Leaves, Apples, Natural Flavours, Roasted Chicory Root, Cucumber
It’s great that there’s no sugar added and they’re caffeine-free. It’s definitely more convenient to infuse it in cold water. You don’t have to do the extra steps of boiling water. It’s great if you’re going out for the day and you can just throw it into your cold water.

I was sent two: Strawberry & Watermelon and Raspberry & Cranberry teas. The raspberry & cranberry had a bit of a medicinal taste that I wasn’t fond of, so I preferred the strawberry & watermelon. I think the mint, lemon & cucumber one would be refreshing, but that’s easier to make by yourself and you can control the amount of each ingredient.

I will start by saying that I’m not a huge fan of strawberry-flavoured teas. I’m a bit particular when it comes to fruity teas. I prefer mint and green teas. From Tetley, I like the Lychee Pear Green Tea and the Super Herbal Sunshine Tea – Lemon & Orange with Vitamin D.

I tried adding club soda to the teas to add some fizz, but it didn’t really do much. Actually, the fizziness overpowered it. So, I tried something else. I made it into a slushie by blending the tea with frozen strawberries and ice. I also added a splash of club soda (I think it was too much club soda the first time). It’s similar to a strawberry daiquiri. For those who are of legal age, you can add a bit of rum to make it more like a daiquiri.

RATING: 2.5/5

Honestly, I didn’t love the flavours I tried, but I would consider trying the mint, lemon & cucumber one and any others they come up with in the future.

Have you tried the Tetley Tea Cold Infusions?

Love,

*Products were sent complimentary from Topbox Circle to review.
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Review | Chef’s Plate Meal Kit Delivery

July 22, 2020
Hi Everyone!

Today, I’m reviewing Chef’s Plate. This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Chef’s Plate. I’ve always wanted to try a meal delivery service. There are a few options in Canada, I went with Chef’s Plate.

*Descriptions in italics are taken from the Chef’s Plate website.

To start, you select the meal type:
- Meat & Vegetables – our widest selection of recipes in one meal plan
- Vegetarian – Delicious vegetarian recipes packed with fresh produce, whole grains and plant-based protein
- Family Friendly – exciting recipes the whole family will enjoy
Then you select the number of people (2 or 4 people) and number of meals for the week (2, 3 or 4 meals).

I chose Meat & Vegetables, 4 people and 3 meals per week. We tried 6 meals total because I wanted to try at least 1 thing from each: vegetarian, fish, beef, pork and chicken. I decided not to try any pastas or burgers.

Both boxes were delivered before 10am. There’s no delivery email or anything. So, you just have to be on the lookout on the day of your delivery. Similar to UberEats, it’s delivered by a third party. It’s not delivered in a Chef’s Plate delivery van.

The meals are packed in a box with an insulated liner and non-toxic ice packs. There’s instructions on how to dispose the gel once the ice packs thaw. Inside the box, each recipe comes in a brown bag with the ingredients. The meat is packed separately under the bags to ensure that the meats stay cold during transit.

The first box was a bit soggy – the outside of the box. I don’t know if they package up the items the night before or the morning of delivery. It’s possible the box got soggy while on the delivery route.

I think the brown bag packaging needs some work. I know things get jostled along the way, but packets of things can gets squished under the weight of the veggies. The ingredients come in packets, plastic tubs and containers. There was a small soy sauce explosion for one of the recipes, but otherwise everything was fine. The vegetables were all very fresh and were not bruised from the trip. I feel like there’s a lot of plastic packaging. I don’t know how it could be improved upon though since anything other than plastic would be too expensive.

Some things to note:
- 15 minute meals took longer than 15 minutes
- - Even with 2 people prepping, it takes a while to prep the ingredients and cook them. Some took 30 minutes. So be mindful of that. If you have 2 or 3 people working together, it might be faster.
- The recipes are very simple, but they do use a lot of spices (garlic, chili, black pepper). I have a sensitive stomach so I had to cut back on some of the spices.
Below, I’ve provided a description of each recipe (from the Chef’s Plate website), the category (quick meal, vegetarian, etc.), a rating (out of 5 stars), and a little blurb on what I thought of each one.

Sweet Potato Sushi Bowl with Sriracha Aioli

Vegetarian – 35 minutes

We’re deconstructing sweet potato sushi rolls into a colourful and craveable bowl – complete with an obligatory sriracha mayo drizzle. Edamame, crunchy cabbage, and buttery avocado mimic the flavours of the Japanese favourite.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

You could add meat/fish to this if you’re a meat eater. I found it filling enough with the avocado and sweet potatoes. This recipe uses sticky rice and I actually really liked it. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but it wasn’t overly sticky. It’s not as healthy to use sticky rice though, so I would replace it with regular rice.

Pork Souvlaki Bowl with Greek Feta Sauce and Spinach Orzo

15 minutes

Escape to Athens with our hurried-up version of street-cart pork souvlaki! Orzo gets lots of love with Greek-style fixings, hit with chunky tomato-pepper salsa and a generous dollop of Greek feta sauce.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I was excited for this because I enjoy souvlaki, but I found the pork a bit too… porky. I also thought that the dill sauce was a bit too dill-y lol. I would’ve preferred a tzatziki sauce instead of dill. I did like the greek yogurt texture, I would just replace the feta sauce spice mix for a homemade tzatziki recipe.

Filipino Chicken Adobo with a Maple-Soy Glaze

15 minutes

Filipino adobo is famous for its signature soy-garlic sauce that makes anything it touches taste delicious. This recipe is no different, with glazed chicken tenders served over a warm bowl of rice with broccoli and crispy shallots sprinkled over top.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I was a bit disappointed with this one. This came with an Adobo spice mix that has cornstarch, garlic powder, ginger powder, and cracked black pepper. I get stomach aches from eating too much black pepper, so I sifted the mix to get rid of some of it. It just tasted like a regular stir fry with sauce, but I did like the addition of crispy shallots as a topping.

Grilled Mediterranean Salmon with Asparagus and Freekeh

BBQ, 40 minutes

Let’s dine alfresco tonight, with grilled salmon and summer veggies inspired by fresh and vibrant flavours of the Mediterranean coast. A dill yogurt sauce pairs deliciously with lemony marinated salmon, served on top of a bed of warm freekeh.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Instead of freekeh, they sent couscous. This recipe is very similar to a dill salmon recipe that my mom makes. I think I prefer my mom’s since this uses a cold greek yogurt sauce. I like grilled vegetables and this recipe calls for a spice mix using basil terragon and garlic powder. I think I could’ve used less of it or gone without it.

Italian Sausage & Mozzarella Calzone with a Spinach and Feta Salad

35 minutes

Get in the ‘zone’ wth these fresh-baked handhelds, boasting a spiced Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese interior. For an enlightened side, dive into a zingy spinach salad with tomatoes and feta.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really liked this calzone recipe and would definitely make it again. The sausage wasn’t too spicy and even the parts where the pizza dough was a bit thicker was still good. I definitely need to practise working with pizza dough though.

Steak and Swiss Cheese Melts with Roasted Garlic Aioli and Baby Greens

15 minutes

Taking cues from the Philly classic, seasoned steak is loaded onto a roll and blanketed with melty swiss cheese. The best part about making it from home? Elevating the sandwich with roasted garlic aioli and a fresh green salad.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was a good recipe as well, but I think it could be improved by using thinly sliced steak. These strips were a bit thick. With better quality steak, I’m sure this recipe could be even better.

Ranking the meals from favourite to least favourite:
1. Sweet Potato Sushi Bowl
2. Italian Sausage & Mozzarella Calzone
3. Grilled Mediterranean Salmon
4. Steak and Cheese Melts
5. Filipino Chicken Adobo
6. Pork Souvlaki Bowl
Final thoughts:

It’s a nice service if you don’t have time to go grocery shopping. It can be quite expensive if you don’t use the coupon codes, so make sure to find one online. There’s probably one to get a discount off your first box.

I would definitely make the recipes again, but I would just tweak them a bit. After reading these reviews, it’s apparent that I’m not big on using too many spices. I feel like they give you an excess of spice mix. I think I just wouldn’t use 100% of what’s provided.

When you go to the “On the Menu” page, they have the weekly recipes. If you see a recipe you like, you can click on it and it will show you the ingredients and steps to make the recipes.

As someone who hates talking on the phone, I liked that it was easy to cancel this service without having to call or chat with anyone online. You just click the button to cancel and it’s done! I’ve tried the GoodFood smoothie box and I had to chat with a person online to cancel the service.

Have you tried a meal kit delivery service? Which is your favourite?

Love,
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My Favourite Teas

June 20, 2018

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to share some of my favourite teas with you. I have green, fruity, herbal, rooibos and black teas on my faves list. They’re mostly caffeine-free or low caffeine and good either hot or cold. For all of them, you just need water and if you want, you can add a sweetener.

Check out my post on how to make milk tea with grass jelly!

ORGANIC DETOX by DAVID’S TEA – This one is nice to drink in the morning to help detox.

Green Tea – Low Caffeine

Restart and restore with our detoxifying green tea. A blend of sencha, rooibos, ginger, ginkgo and juniper berries, our mega popular Organic Detox will help cleanse your system thanks to its powerful antioxidants. You’ll love its citrusy lemongrass punch and smooth herbal notes. Now all you have to do is find a reason to detox!

Organic: Rooibos (Fair Trade Certified), sencha green tea, lemongrass, ginger, juniper berries, ginkgo. With natural lemon flavouring.

ORGANIC COLD 911 by DAVID’S TEA – This one tastes and smells quite strong and I only put it on the list because it’s good if you feel a cold coming. I don’t like the taste of it, but the peppermint helps soothe the throat.

Herbal Tea – Caffeine-Free

Bad colds require badass interventions. And this soothing herbal tea has definitely got what it takes. It has a throat-calming base of peppermint, with a sweet hint of apple and some potent little juniper berries. And with its super-comforting aroma of eucalyptus and orange, even inhaling the steam feels good. Hey, we can’t guarantee miracle results, but at least we can guarantee it tastes great.

Organic: Peppermint, apple, juniper berries. With natural eucalyptus and orange flavouring.

FOREVER NUTS by DAVID’S TEA – I love this tea during the winter because the apple and cinnamon flavours pair nicely with some yummy sugar cookies.

Herbal Tea – Caffeine-Free

You’ll go nuts for this herbal tea. With its crunchy almond slices, sweet apple bits and cinnamon bark, this tempting caffeine-free infusion turns a crazy shade of pink when steeped. Why? Because of its hint of earthy beetroot. Deliciously nutty, decidedly addictive, it’s one of our all-time bestselling blends.

Apple, almonds, cinnamon, beetroot, artificial flavouring.

ORGANIC CREAM OF EARL GREY by DAVID’S TEA – This one is nice and creamy, no milk needed.

Black Tea – Medium Caffeine

Lovers of Earl Grey tea adore this creamy alternative to the original breakfast blend. You’ll recognize the same high-quality black tea, the same citrus burst of bergamot oil, the same beautiful grey-blue petals. However this version adds a touch of vanilla, and the result is an unexpectedly rich, creamy taste experience. Try it on its own or as a satisfying tea latte.

Organic: Black tea, marigolds. With cornflowers and natural flavouring.

MARRAKESH MINT TEA by MIGHTY LEAF – I love mint teas and this is the brand I usually get at restaurants. For an equally good, but less expensive mint tea, there’s the Moroccan-style Mint Green Tea by President’s Choice.

Green Tea – Low Caffeine

Marrakesh Mint, China Gunpowder blended with refreshing peppermint, will whisk you away to cascading waterfalls deep in the mountains of Morocco. Host friends and family with this lively green tea brightened with peppermint cultivated on a mountain in Tiznit.

Green Tea, Peppermint

GREEN TEA TROPICAL by MIGHTY LEAF – I picked this up in a variety pack with the Mighty Leaf Mint Tea and thought it’d be nice to try other teas since I like the mint one. I’m glad I did because I love this one. Although, I try not to drink it every day because of the pineapple (you know that feeling in your throat when you eat too much pineapple and it gets a little scratchy?)

Green Tea – Low Caffeine

Green Tea Tropical boasts smooth green tea leaves that harmoniously blend with sweet tropical fruits to create a sensation as uplifting as a breeze of the isle of Papenoo. A healthy and refreshing blend, Green Tea Tropical makes ideal introduction to green tea.

Flower Petals, Green Tea, Natural Flavours, Natural Tropical Flavours, Pineapple

PEACHES AND CREAM by SLOANE FINE TEA MERCHANTS – This pairs very nicely with some biscotti or some macarons. It’s not overly sweet, but has a fruity and creamy taste. This is the tea pictured above with the cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory (Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake and Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake). The two cheesecakes are very decadent and the two slices were enough to split between three people after dinner.

White Tea

A Bai Mu Dan white tea is delicately blended with the succulence of “water honey peaches” and finished with a hint of vanilla for a truly creamy finish.

BLUEBERRY BLAST by DOLLAR TEA CLUB

Rooibos Tea – Caffeine-Free

This blend packs a burst of blueberries that will bring you back for more.

Rooibos, blueberries, white apple pieces, natural coconut chips, flavoring, mallow flowers, pink rose flower petals.

PERIODICALLY PAIN-LESS by DOLLAR TEA CLUB – This tea has a lot of claims to help a lot of different symptoms. I don’t know about all of the other symptoms, but it does seem to help during that time of the month. I don’t know if it’s a placebo effect or something, but I actually do feel better after drinking this when I’m feeling crampy.

Herbal Tea – Low Caffeine

The ingredients in this tea have been known to help alleviate symptoms of bloating, cramping, accelerate weight loss and provide dietary supplements. It helps decrease and eliminate symptoms of heartburn, indigestion, other gastro-intestinal distresses, provide relief for constipation, relieve nausea, boost the immune system, act as an anti-septic and an anti-inflammatory aid. A healthy and periodically painless solution for everyone at the time of need.

**These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Anise seed, cinnamon pieces, limetree petals, melissa, green mate, liquorice root, heather petals, ginger pieces, cloves, cardamom, natural flavouring.

PASSION HERBAL TEA by TAZO – I used to get Iced Passion Tea Lemonades from Starbucks every now and then, it’s been a while, but it’s still a fave and it’s so easy to make at home too.

Herbal Tea – Caffeine-Free

An exuberant herbal infusion of hibiscus, orange peel, rose hips & passion fruit flavors.

Hibiscus flowers, natural tropical flavors, citric acid, licorice root, orange peel, cinnamon, rose hips, lemongrass, fruit juice extract (color)

GENMAICHA (GREEN TEA WITH ROASTED RICE) by UJINOTSUYU – They also have Genmaicha at David’s Tea, but it’s cheaper and tastes better if you get the packaged loose leaf from an Asian supermarket.

Genmaicha is a mixture of green tea with roasted rice. It has less caffeine and tastes less astringent. This aromatic blended tea brings together the refreshing lightness, sweetness and the distinctive taste of roasted rice.

Top Row: Peaches & Cream, Genmaicha, Periodically Pain-less, Green Tea Tropical, Blueberry Blast

Bottom: Organic Detox, Forever Nuts, Marrakesh Mint, Organic Cold 911, Passion, Organic Cream of Earl Grey

What are your fave teas?

Love,

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Montréal Eats | Part 2

April 16, 2018

Hi Everyone!

Here is Part 2 of Montréal Eats! Click here for Part 1!

Let me start by saying that I’m sure there are tons of bakeries that have even better almond croissants, but we tried out three bakeries and these are my thoughts on them.

I got the idea to do a blog post on the almond croissants on the second last day. So, my rating of them is based on how good they taste after travelling on a bus for 6 hours and eating them the day after. I wish I had thought of the blog post earlier, then I could have tried them all fresh. I did get to try a pistachio croissant (Mamie Clafoutis) and an almond croissant (Première Moisson) while we were there and both were amazing.

Mamie Clafoutis

On our first morning, we went to Mamie Clafoutis to get breakfast. I had a pistachio croissant and a tea. It was delicious, but also very rich and filling. It probably would’ve been better to share one between two of us. I got full after eating 2/3 and instead of bringing the rest home (which I should’ve done), I decided to finish it (which I regretted a bit later). It was to die for and I would definitely get it again despite feeling a bit sick for an hour after.

Première Moisson

On our next morning, we decided to grab something quick. I got the almond croissant and it was delicious. I was able to finish it without feeling sick and it didn’t make me too full. According to KN and BM, the focaccia was also really delicious.

Pâtisserie Au Kouign Amann

KN wanted to go here to get a ‘kouign amann’ (butter cake) and butter croissants. I decided to get the almond croissant, but according to KN, the butter croissants and cake were amazing. It is their specialty after all, so I should’ve gotten one, but I already had several croissants and a dozen bagels to bring home.

Mamie Clafoutis’ almond croissant had the most icing sugar out of the three. The pistachio croissant also has icing sugar. Because of this, I think it’s the sweetest almond croissant of the three. The filling was different than the other two- it had something dark in it, which made me think that they used real, crushed almonds in their filling.

Both the almond and pistachio croissant were delicious, but I would say it’s the best to get when you’re having a coffee and sitting down to chat.

JENCAT’S RATING: Best afternoon snack with coffee or tea

Première Moisson is a chain of artisanal bakeries, but I think this was the best almond croissant to eat for breakfast. It wasn’t too sweet and they have more locations so you can easily hit one up on your way to work.

JENCAT’S RATING: Best breakfast croissant and most accessible in terms of locations

Pâtisserie Au Kouign Amann is best known for their butter cakes, so I think it would be best to stick with what they’re known for. This almond croissant was the flattest and therefore the densest almond croissant of the three. KN assured me though that the butter croissants and cake were amazing and flaky.

RATING: Cheapest for an almond croissant, but probably best to get the butter ones

Overall, I think my favourite was the Première Moisson almond croissant which is kind of ridiculous since it’s a chain of bakeries. The filling was good and it was also the most buttery of the three, but not overly buttery. Also, I think it travelled the best and tasted the best when lightly toasted. I would definitely do anything to find a good pistachio croissant in Toronto like Mamie’s though.

What are some good bakeries you’ve tried? (Doesn’t have to be in Montréal, but don’t forget to mention the city when you name one!)

Love,

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Montréal Eats | Part 1

April 15, 2018

Hi Everyone!

After years of talking about taking a trip together, my friends and I finally went on a long weekend trip..to Montréal. I’ll admit, it wasn’t very far considering we were originally brainstorming cities like Chicago, New York and even Amsterdam at one point? Eventually, we’ll travel some place we’ll need our passports. It’s weird to think that we’ve been friends for so long, yet we’ve never had a girls weekend away- the most time we’ve spent together was a week at band camp in middle school and that barely counts because we would be with our other cabin mates and then off to lessons with our teachers.

Like any place we would travel, our main focus was food: poutine, croissants, Montréal bagels, etc.

We got Fairmount bagels and they were really good (and we just got sesame and poppy seed).

For brunch, we went to Restaurant L’avenue, it was pretty good. It reminded me of Fran’s Restaurant. Everyone gets a fruit skewer which I thought was nice. I got the Fruity Breakfast which was bacon, eggs, potatoes, fruit bowl, french toast and maple syrup and a baguette. KN and BM both got Eggs Benedict (pictured is the Coin Coin Bénédictine/Eggs Benedict with Duck).

For dinner on one of the days, we went to LOV, a vegan and vegetarian restaurant. We got the Kale mac’n’cheese as a starter and I decided to get a salad for dinner (again, to counteract all the carbs). I got the Greens Salad- mesclun, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sumac vinaigrette and I decided to add avocado. Even though it didn’t look like a lot, it was actually quite filling with the avocado. Sorry about the pictures being dark- it was dimly lit and I didn’t want to ruin the mood of the couple sitting beside us by using my camera’s flash.

We went to La Banquise and got the Classic Poutine. It was huge! Instead of each of us getting the smaller size, we split the larger one. I think you have to get one with meat on it, but we wanted to try the classic to compare it to other poutines. To my surprise, it wasn’t as amazing as I thought it’d be. If I ever go back, I’ll get some type of meat on it.

Click here for Part 2 featuring croissants!

Where are your fave spots to eat in Montréal?

Love,

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Review | Lunch & Dinner at Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar

March 20, 2018

Hi Everyone!

Ever since I went to Scaddabush for my birthday a few years back, I have been raving about the fresh mozzarella! This weekend, we finally went back so my family could try it. I’ve been to two of the downtown Toronto locations: Yonge & Gerrard and Front & Simcoe. They have six other locations: Oakville, Scarborough, Vaughan, Square One, Sherway Gardens and Richmond Hill. I went to the Yonge & Gerrard one for my birthday and we went at about 10:30 and it was super busy still. For Front & Simcoe, we had a reservation at 6 and it was obviously super busy especially since we went on a Saturday which was also St. Patrick’s Day.

DINNER

Peach Mango Bellini – Sparkling wine, peach schnapps, Cassis, mango purée

Fresh Mozzarella (Naked) – Extra-virgin olive oil, San Marzano tomato jam, sea salt, focaccia crostini

Fresh Mozzarella (Prosciutto) – Fig jam, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, focaccia crostini

Straight Up Meatball (stuffed) – Our signature meatball with focaccia crostini, three-cheese sauce, poor man’s Parmesan, Sunday sauce, fresh basil

Mario Pizza – Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce, baby arugula

Zucca Ravioli (social) – Butternut squash ravioli, Grana Padano, hazelnut butter cream sauce, fried sage, poor man’s Parmesan

Fettuccine Capri (large) – Shrimp, scallops, PEI mussels, squid, roasted red peppers, tomato sauce, orange gremolata

Zeppole – Deep fried sweet dough, dusted with citrus sugar, served with chocolate hazelnut sauce for dipping

Favourites: fresh mozzarella (naked & prosciutto), straight-up meatball (stuffed)

The mozzarella is only available after 5pm each day. So, if you want to try it, you have to go at dinner time, not lunch. Both the naked and the prosciutto are great options.

I feel like their best dishes are the appetizers and the pastas. Especially since the mozzarella is made fresh and so is the pasta. I think we all got full on the appetizers before the pasta even came and I think we could’ve skipped dessert. For me, I would prefer to get appetizers instead of the desserts.

The pizza tasted like other flatbread pizzas I’ve had. It was good, but it was your typical flatbread pizza. Maybe one of the other ones with more toppings is better.

The zucca ravioli was good, but quite sweet. We probably could’ve ordered a large instead of the social. We brought the leftovers home and I ate it the next day by frying it up with a runny egg, it was delicious.

My dad ordered the fettucine capri. Although I like seafood, I don’t love seafood pasta, but it was good, especially the pasta itself.

My sister and brother-in-law shared one of the new features: Chocolate Bomba- Sponge cake, mascarpone panna cotta, Nutella mousse, chocolate ganache, toasted hazelnuts, strawberries, citrus sugar. My sister said it was good, but very rich, so I think it could’ve been split between three people or maybe if we hadn’t ordered so many appetizers. I didn’t really like the zeppole because it had a bit too much of an egg taste for my liking.

Next time I go, I might try the chicken parmesan or get the spaghetti and meatball.

LUNCH

I’ve since been back for lunch and here are my thoughts on the new dishes I tried. We went right when they opened and five of us shared one appetizer and three dishes ( sandwich, pasta and pizza).

Italian Burger – Hand-pressed Certified Angus Beef ground chuck, fresh mozzarella, arugula, bruschetta, balsamic reduction, basil pesto aioli, focaccia bun

Shrimp Spaghetti – lemon wine cream, garlic butter, roasted garlic, fresh basil, fried capers, piccante sauce, spicy poor man’s Parmesan

Smoked Bacon & Egg Pizza – Double-smoked bacon, Berkshire sausage, Alfredo sauce, fried russet potatoes, caramelized onions, chilies, chives, two freshly cracked eggs

I loved the burger and the spaghetti was really good as well. I would order both again. The burger patty sort of tasted like the meatball, but it had a nice char on it and the focaccia bun was nice and soft (but not at all mushy). The pizza was pretty good too, but I probably wouldn’t order again. Although it was interesting having potatoes on my pizza. I would get potatoes on my pizza again. Since I shared the pizza with friends, I don’t think everything was on the two slices I ate. I didn’t have any chilies or caramelized onions.

Have you tried the fresh mozzarella at Scaddabush?

Love,

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Taco Fest Toronto 2017

June 18, 2017

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’re having a nice weekend and Happy Father’s Day! Yesterday, I went to Taco Fest Toronto (located at Ontario Place) with my friends. Here are my thoughts on going to food festivals and the food:

Food Festivals

First of all, I think food festivals are a nice thing to try with friends, but it’s quite expensive because you have to pay to get in ($10 for a ticket). You choose a 2-hour window when you have to enter, and you can stay as long as you want once you’re in. Once you leave, you can’t go back in. You pay for food and drink tickets once you’ve passed security and check-in. Plus, if you add the subway and streetcar rides to get there and back, that’s another $6 (if you’re using tokens, $6.50 for cash). So, you’ve already paid almost $20 just to get in the festival and to make it worth it, you buy a few strips of tickets to try at least 3 or 4 tacos and a drink. I paid $30 for 15 tickets and most of the tacos that appealed to me were obviously the tacos that were worth 3 or 4 tickets (so I got a booze popsicle, 4 tacos and a bottle of water for 15 tickets). The one good thing about food festivals is that the vendors are all in one spot so you can try them all and know which ones you would go visit their restaurant or food truck.

It was a fun experience with delicious food, but I probably wouldn’t go to another food fest. I think you could easily have a mini food fest with your friends by finding restaurants that are in close proximity and sharing a meal from several restaurants.

The Tacos

Sav

There were 24 vendors at the Taco Fest (2 popsicle/slushie drink stands, 2 dessert stands, 1 corn on the cob stand and the rest were taco vendors). Amongst the three of us, we tried 12 different vendors. The servings were pretty good (especially the Mexican Poutine, they sold out at around 5pm, I don’t know if they restocked for the evening crowd). Despite the good portions, it was still quite expensive to pay the equivalent of about $4-6 for one taco.

What I tried:

Avocado Tempura Taco from The Food Dudes

Avocado Tempura Taco from The Food Dudes – creamy poblano sauce, grilled corn salsa, pickled cabbage, hot sauce, cilantro (I asked for no hot sauce because I can’t handle too spicy. I’m sure the hot sauce gives it extra flavour, but it was delicious even without it)

Watermelon Margarita Boozy Pop from Chill Pops

Fish Taco from Buster’s Sea Cove

Fish Taco from Buster’s Sea Cove – fish, roja, creamy coleslaw, pico de gallo, and sour cream on a corn tortilla shell

Beef Short Ribs Taco from Playa Cabana

Beef Short Ribs Taco from Playa Cabana – Ontario beef shortrib braised in ancho chiles wrapped in fresh corn tortillas. Served with pico de gallo, guac and homemade crema

Carolina Fried Chicken Taco (rated #1 in 2016) from Fidel Gastro’s – Carolina BBQ sauce, corn and tomato salsa, fried chicken

I can honestly say that I would get all four tacos again. It’s hard to choose a fave but I think I liked the beef short ribs the best (I love my beef/steak). The battered fish from Buster’s Sea Cove was good, but there wasn’t a lot of toppings. The fried chicken from Fidel Gastro’s was yummy and the Avocado Tempura taco would be a good vegetarian choice.

My friends tried other things:

Bulgogi Ground Beef Taco from The Food Dudes

Bulgogi Ground Beef Taco from The Food Dudes- FD cheese sauce, kimchi spicy slaw, cilantro, mint, scallions, taro crisps

Mexican Poutine from Heirloom

Mexican Poutine from Heirloom– crispy potato, local cheese curds, pickled jalapeno, chipotle and lime aioli and cilantro

Lobster Taco from Buster’s Sea Cove

Lobster Taco from Buster’s Sea Cove – chunks of lobster claw and tail, coleslaw, pico de gallo, chipotle mayo, and roja on a corn tortilla shell

Tuna Sashimi Taco from Frida Restaurant & Bar

Tuna Sashimi Taco from Frida Restaurant & Bar – fresh raw tuna, pineapple, and white cabbage with chipotle mayo

Shrimp Ceviche Taco from Little Fin

Shrimp Ceviche Taco from Little Fin – citrus-y Wild Northern Pink Shrimp, avocado, tomato, and srirach a-lime aioli

Banh Mi Chorizo Taco from Los Vietnamita

Banh Mi Chorizo Taco from Los Vietnamita – spicy chorizo sausage sauteed with green peas and spices, served in a soft flaky taco shell layered with lettuce, cucumbers, scallion verde, pico de gallo, and pickled carrots and daikon- spiked in-between with our famous ancho chipotle sauce

Pollo (Chicken) Taco from Taco.TO (not pictured, forgot to take a pic)- homemade corn tortilla filled with shredded chicken topped with fresh vegetables, salsa and homemade taco sauce. Garnish: cilantro and lim

Yummy Mango Lassi from Kathi Roll Express- mango and yogurt smoothie

Mango Lime Ice Pop from The Pop Stand

Both of my friends liked the lobster roll and would get it again. A favourite was the Bulgogi Ground Beef Taco from The Food Dudes. Both of them have gone to a few food fests: Brunch Fest and Mac & Cheese Fest. They both liked the taco fest.

We didn’t get any of the desserts (they had funnel cake and ice cream) or corn on the cob because you can get those at any fair .

Where do you get your tacos and what are your faves?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Love,

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Two Weeks in Paris & London

April 24, 2016

Hi Everyone!

About this time last year, my parents, sister and I were planning for our two week trip to Paris and London. It was our first family trip since 2000. It was also the first time I was travelling outside of North America. I loved Paris and London and would definitely go back to both cities. The food was yummy and the sights were beautiful.

We visited the usual sights in Paris and London- Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Sacré-Coeur, Champs-Élysées, multiple bridges in Paris and London, Big Ben, London Eye, and Stonehenge.

I wanted to get macarons while we were in Paris. Before the trip I looked up the best places and we decided to go to Pierre Hermé. I guess when it comes to certain things, I’m a simple girl. I prefer simpler flavours like raspberry, matcha and hazelnut. We got an assortment, but some of them included rose, lemon and salted caramel. Since there’s four of us, we each had 3 (so none of us tried all of them), and if there was a good one or one we didn’t like, we split it in half to share.

In London, we visited Madame Tussauds Wax Museum where we rubbed elbows with the celebs: I sat with George Clooney and stood beside Tom Cruise, photobombed Benedict Cumberbatch and posed with the other Sherlock…Robert Downey Jr. My sis and I got a little creeped out during the Spirit of London ride, but we powered through. We went on a GoldenTours bus tour to Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths (where we actually tasted the water from the fountain…it was lukewarm and tasted like metal). By far, my favourite excursion was to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour for Harry Potter. If you love Harry Potter, I would highly suggest visiting the studio. My sister, dad and I geeked out (My mom wasn’t as excited, but still impressed). We mostly went sightseeing on the trip, but we did manage to visit Oxford Street in London.

My family indulged me in visiting multiple filming locations from TV shows and movies. In Paris, we saw the bridge from Inception (Pont de Bir-Hakeim). In London, we went to Baker Street, and multiple Harry Potter locations: the building used for the exterior for Gringott’s Bank, and the location for the muggles’ entrance to the Ministry of Magic. We planned to visit the location where they film BBC’s Sherlock, but didn’t have enough time and also thought it was a bit too far away from tourist areas and didn’t want to get lost.

For the trip, we bought two of these Universal Travel Adapters on Amazon.

Check out my Carry-On Travel Essentials post!

My Faves from our trip:

Shopping- Primark (Oxford Street, London)

Sightseeing- Warner Brothers Studio Tour London (Leavesden)

Drink- Butterbeer from Warner Brothers Studio Tour (Leavesden)

Lunch in London- Roast Hog Roll from Roast Hog (Borough Market, London)- pic above

Lunch- crepes from Crêpe Brocéliande which are made with Buckwheat and they don’t look like the thick ones we have in North America, but they are just as filling- don’t let it fool you (Montmartre, Paris)

Dinner in Paris- Magret de canard rôti (duck)- the potatoes that came with the duck were to die for (Café du Trocadéro)

Dinner in London- Fish from Poppies Fish and Chips– we didn’t have the chips, but they are probably delicious as well (Spitalfields, London)**

**Warning, they use groundnut oil (peanut oil), but can use vegetable oil if you tell them you’re allergic (we didn’t know this, and my sister is allergic to peanuts, luckily she didn’t have a reaction)

Love,

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Top Row: Peaches & Cream, Genmaicha, Periodically Pain-less, Green Tea Tropical, Blueberry Blast

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