tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879061468894879032024-03-13T20:58:51.636-07:00Food Savvy SapienIamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-31120934063854069562013-04-08T14:24:00.001-07:002013-04-08T14:24:37.325-07:00Midi Bistro <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the last part of the Winterlicious'03 saga. Yes, I know I mentioned that I went to four restaurants this year; unfortunately, I did not get a chance to take pictures while I was at <a href="http://www.bodegarestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Bodega</a>. It is a very nice (and a bit pricey) French restaurant, and it is probably one of my favourite 'licious events thus far. I'm still sad I won't be able to blog about that for you guys, but if you're interested, check out their website. </div>
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I craved for French food constantly this winter, and we've heard great reviews of Midi bistro, so we decided to give it a go. Le friend and I liked the place right away, as the restaurant is very quaint and cozy looking. Especially during the dead of winter, the restaurant makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.<br />
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The plate closest to you is a crostini sautéed portobello mushroom, caramelized onion with blue cheese with a salad on the side. The crostini is quite good; they really got the savoury flavour into the mushrooms and onions. On the other hand, blue cheese is a difficult venture. It can easily overpower the delicate flavours of the mushrooms, but this one didn't. Also, people's affinity to blue cheese vary so widely, it is difficult to say how much blue cheese is enough. Midi Bistro managed this well though, there is a nice balance of flavours. My only complaint is the baguette. The inside of the baguette is as hard as the crust making it very difficult to eat. One last note: why are they serving an Italian appetizer in a French restaurant?<br />
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Pâté, toasts and gherkins. </div>
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This is my appetizer. Again, the baguette is a bit too hard for my liking. The pâté was a bit chunky and hard to spread. The salad was good though, the dressing is zesty and light, which compliments the pâté well. </div>
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For the main course, we both chose the roasted confit of duck leg with blueberry sauce. First thought that came to mind was how small our main course is. We're not big eaters, but the duck leg left us wanting more meat. We've had a bigger duck leg as an appetizer in <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.ca/2012/03/classy-dinner-date.html" target="_blank">Annona</a>. On top of that, the meat is very dry and chewy, the skin took us a minute to saw through. On top of that, the sweetness of the blueberry sauce is way too overpowering. This combination of blueberry and duck is not great. When eaten with the sauce, this dish tastes more like a dessert than a main course. On top of that, the bottom half of the duck leg was fried, and inedible. We were left wanting a lot more.<br />
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Poire belle helene - poached pear with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. </div>
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The pear is pre-made at least a while ago. Not only is it just as cold as the ice cream, it is very hard to cut through. The combination of ice cream, chocolate, and poached pear sounds divine, but this dessert left me wanting a lot more.<br />
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Crème brûlée. </div>
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They burnt the sugar, which left a bitter after taste after every bite. </div>
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Overall Review: </div>
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Food: 6/10 </div>
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The tastiest thing we had was the crostini. Everything else left us wanting a lot more. Winterlicious has really taken a toll on their quality. </div>
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Ambience: 9/10</div>
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We loved the cozy feel of the restaurant. It is an intimate yet relaxed setting, good for a date. </div>
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Service: 8/10</div>
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The waitress was attentive, and the courses came quickly after one another. I was just a bit disappointed that she did not know what I was talking about when I ordered my dinner using the French name of the dishes on the menu. I understand not everyone speaks French in Toronto, but I think it's reasonable to say one should at least know the name of the dishes they're serving. </div>
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Price: N/A </div>
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Winterlicious/Summerlicious prices are adjusted; not reflective of their normal price range. </div>
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Final Verdict: 7/10</div>
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I would give Midi Bistro another try when it is not doing one of these 'licious events, solely based on the fact that I've heard good recommendations from friends. </div>
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Address: </div>
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168 McCaul Street<br />
Toronto, ON M5T 1W4</div>
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(416) 977-2929</div>
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<small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=midi+bistro&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=midi+bistro&hnear=&ll=43.655845,-79.392168&spn=0.017511,0.038581&t=m&z=14&iwloc=A&cid=14031673328404941127" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-56624330169267807842013-04-07T20:05:00.002-07:002013-04-07T20:05:41.915-07:00Ciao Wine Bar <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another place we decided to try for Winterlicious is Ciao Wine Bar, an Italian restaurant in Yorkville. The first thing we noticed is how busy this place is! Though we made a reservation and arrived on time, we had to wait around 20 minutes to be seated. This is, however, not the case for the non-Winterlicious crowd. They were seated within 10 minutes upon arrival. (I apologize in advance for the picture quality) </div>
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Top floor of the restaurant, where the non-Winterlicious crowd was seated. </div>
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Basement level, where the Winterlicious crowd was seated. </div>
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Basement level. </div>
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Top level. </div>
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Roasted salmon, winter vegetable risotto. </div>
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This is my main dish (sorry I didn't get to take pictures of the appetizers). First of all, if I knew there were shredded olives, I wouldn't have ordered this, but it wasn't in the description. It wouldn't be so bad if the dish didn't depend on the olives for taste. Okay, lets start with the salmon. It is grilled perfectly, the skin is crispy, yet the meat is still juicy and tender; what it's lacking is flavour. They did not season the fish at all. (To be fair, they were relying on the olives for flavour.) This is also the problem with the risotto. </div>
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Ciao should've either included olives into the menu description or flavour the other components of the dish, so people like me, who dislikes olives would know not to choose this dish. </div>
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Chianti braised short ribs with gorgonzola polenta and crispy onions. </div>
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This is my friend's dish. I only had a small bite of polenta, but it is hearty and flavourful. It is very smooth and buttery. The short ribs are even better. Well, it's either that or the disappointment of my entrée augmented my score for the short ribs. The short ribs are very tender, juicy, and the sauce not too salty with a hint of sweetness to it. It may sound a bit ironic, but I wish the Chianti wine flavours would be more prominent; yet at the same time, I wish the sauce was not so overpowering so that it would actually retain the natural flavours of the meat. The combination of the polenta, the short ribs and the fried onions is a bit too heavy for my taste. It would be nice if they could incorporate another acid element, aside from the wine, to the dish somehow. Though take into consideration that I'm just being nit-picky here. </div>
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Panna cotta. </div>
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It is a nice way to end the meal with a panna cotta. The dessert is smooth and creamy. You can't really go wrong with a panna cotta. </div>
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Overall Review: </div>
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Food: 8/10 </div>
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I tried to be very conscious of not letting the salmon affect my food ratings since the dish probably would've been great for someone who likes olives. Everything else was on par, and one can easily tell the chefs are definitely capable and very experienced in what they're doing. The reason I didn't give the food a higher rating is because they're lacking the creative element. What makes Ciao different from any other Italian restaurant? Basing it on this meal, not much. I can easily find another restaurant that serves similar food with similar taste. Everything is very good; just not very memorable. </div>
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Ambience: 8/10 </div>
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Cookie cutter clean and mod vibe. Like their food, they do it well, but it's not very memorable. </div>
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Service: 7.5/10</div>
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It took forever for the waitress to notice we wanted to order, needed our water refilled, wanted to get the bill, and actually pay. Also, I wasn't able to pick up the phone when they called to confirm my reservation on the day of; but when I called back (several times in fact), they did not pick up.</div>
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Their saving grace is the fact that they gave us new utensil new cutlery for every course. I really appreciated that. Ciao is the first Winter/Summerlicious restaurant I've been to that has done this. They deserve a pat on the back for that. </div>
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Winter/Summerlicious prices are adjusted and is not reflective of their normal price range. </div>
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Overall Verdict: 7.75/10</div>
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The 'licious events are not indicative of the restaurants' usual quality; and given the good reviews, I would most likely give Ciao another try in the future. </div>
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Address: </div>
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133 Yorkville Avenue<br />
Toronto, ON M5R 1C4</div>
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(416) 925-2143</div>
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For Winterlicious this year, some friends and I decided to try out Il Posto, an Italian restaurant hidden in the corners of Yorkville. This was kind of a last minute/random decision since we weren't able to make reservations for the place we wanted to go. I must say, this place is quite a pleasant surprise to us all. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qf7Usdi2cNw/UUjzxbUCo0I/AAAAAAAAA5o/3EwI1-WYQ1U/s1600/IP-8404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qf7Usdi2cNw/UUjzxbUCo0I/AAAAAAAAA5o/3EwI1-WYQ1U/s640/IP-8404.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qf7Usdi2cNw/UUjzxbUCo0I/AAAAAAAAA5o/3EwI1-WYQ1U/s1600/IP-8404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yyDT4JiPv-o/UUjzxHU3C2I/AAAAAAAAA5k/lEWnLl1PomA/s1600/IP-8507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yyDT4JiPv-o/UUjzxHU3C2I/AAAAAAAAA5k/lEWnLl1PomA/s640/IP-8507.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
One thing I must say about this place is that it is quite hard to find, since you have to walk through this tiny (easily missed) alley to get here.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OPTW1eYnun4/UUj0KfGQeaI/AAAAAAAAA6E/DaJzAdsmHKA/s1600/IMG_0187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OPTW1eYnun4/UUj0KfGQeaI/AAAAAAAAA6E/DaJzAdsmHKA/s640/IMG_0187.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<i>Grilled calamari, roasted peppers, spicy olive oil dressing. </i></div>
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This is the appetizer that everyone ordered. It is some of the best calamari I've had to date. It is seasoned perfectly; just the right amount of salt and pepper. There is nothing extravagant about the sauce or the way it is made, but the simplicity of it really compliments and brings out the freshness of the calamari. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e-jIEyHk6og/UUj0IVfBrbI/AAAAAAAAA50/GQEbojkKmn0/s1600/IMG_0189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e-jIEyHk6og/UUj0IVfBrbI/AAAAAAAAA50/GQEbojkKmn0/s640/IMG_0189.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Pan seared salmon with balsamic reduction. </i> </div>
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I didn't actually get to try this, but my friend couldn't stop gushing about how good the salmon was while he was eating. So I guess I'll have to take his word for it. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-_gsEkEHCM/UUj0JhVihWI/AAAAAAAAA58/jQzDmAhsU6s/s1600/IMG_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-_gsEkEHCM/UUj0JhVihWI/AAAAAAAAA58/jQzDmAhsU6s/s640/IMG_0188.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> Homemade veal and spinach ravioli with light tomato basil sauce. </i></div>
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This is what I ordered. I was a little disappointed. As described on the menu, the sauce is light and fresh, since they used fresh tomatoes. The ravioli dough is very nice; unlike the ravioli in <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.ca/2011/07/as-my-mom-likes-to-say-summerdelicious.html" target="_blank">Sassafraz</a>, the dough is very tender, keeps the fillings sealed inside the pocket, yet it is very easy to cut through. However, the filling is even lighter than the sauce, so not only is there no contrast, the dish is a bit bland. I appreciate them taking a different route and not over seasoning with a whole can of tomato paste, but there needs to be a balance between keeping the dish light yet flavourful. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cphylYcYgf8/UUj0Uu4bHbI/AAAAAAAAA6M/R7ZdosfXyk0/s1600/IMG_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cphylYcYgf8/UUj0Uu4bHbI/AAAAAAAAA6M/R7ZdosfXyk0/s640/IMG_0190.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Homemade ravioli of spinach and ricotta cheese, in butter and sage sauce.</i></div>
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This pasta is so good I wanted to steal it from my friend. I don't know how they made it so creamy yet light at the same time. Everything is seasoned well, again, very tender ravioli dough, the flavours of spinach, sage and butter is well infused into the dish. This is a dish I would definitely order again.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aS41oLJ0AB0/UUj0WfxtEAI/AAAAAAAAA6U/C7_w9rv7fWs/s1600/IMG_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aS41oLJ0AB0/UUj0WfxtEAI/AAAAAAAAA6U/C7_w9rv7fWs/s640/IMG_0191.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Banana chocolate meringue cake. </i></div>
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My weakness is wine and sponge cake, so this cake was delicious to me. The bottom layer of sponge cake is soaked in a dessert wine (Marsala possibly?), yet it is not too mushy, which takes a lot of skills. (This is the part in which I often fail whilst making Tiramisu.) The banana also brought dimensions to the cake, and since it added new textures to the cake. One tiny complaint I have is the meringue. It's a bit too heavy, it would've been better if it was more fluffy on the inside. </div>
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Overall Review: </div>
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Food: 9.5/10 </div>
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I took the fact that this is Winterlicious into consideration. (Food during the 'licious events are often not as good as the restaurants' usual quality). Even taken this into account, Il Posto is the second best Winterlicious restaurant I've been to (aside from Bodega). A friend of mine also came to the restaurant after Winterlicious was over and she couldn't stop telling me how good the food is. I really liked how they took a different direction with their pastas and not overwhelm/cover the dish with heavy flavours. It's refreshing. </div>
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Ambience: 6/10</div>
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It's a pass, but everything is very generic looking and seem kind of outdated. </div>
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Service: 9/10</div>
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They asked to take my coat right as I entered the restaurant (a very promising start). The waiters were very attentive, welcoming and polite despite the crowd not being their usual customers. We also stayed there for quite a while after we finished our lunch, yet they were very patient with us and did not try to rush us out in anyway (A+ for this)! The only thing is, it took a while for someone to bring me my coat. I had to hunt someone down to bring it to me (as I had no idea where they put it). </div>
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Price: N/A </div>
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Since it's Winterlicious, the price and food are adjusted, so I'd have to return on a regular day to see if the quality matches the price. </div>
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Overall Verdict: 9/10</div>
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I would definitely come back since the food is outstanding. I've been craving for their calamari ever since I've had it. </div>
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Address: </div>
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148 Yorkville Avenue<br />
Toronto, ON M5R 1C2</div>
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(416) 968-0469</div>
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La Société is one of the higher end French restaurants situated in the heart of Yorkville. I walk by this restaurant all the time but could never justify eating here until the past month. One of my best friends and I have the same birthday, so we decided to come here for part one of our double celebration. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Baggc6uE44U/UUfWTTxue1I/AAAAAAAAA5U/gfsKmIMjo7Q/s1600/LaSocieteHi-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Baggc6uE44U/UUfWTTxue1I/AAAAAAAAA5U/gfsKmIMjo7Q/s640/LaSocieteHi-3.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<i>This is the entrance to the bar area, there is a different entrance for the main dining room. </i></div>
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The first thing I noticed is that my friend and I are the only 20-something in the restaurant. Most of La Société's customers seem to be an established and experienced crowd. You can also tell from the extensive wine list and $1,500 price tag on one of the wine they offer. This restaurant also seems like a popular business meeting-type restaurant. La Société is often compared to a very well known French restaurant called Balthazar in New York. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N5rqaUz3EME/UUfWSUnK4YI/AAAAAAAAA5M/pPbItMrh-pY/s1600/106263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N5rqaUz3EME/UUfWSUnK4YI/AAAAAAAAA5M/pPbItMrh-pY/s640/106263.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>The main dining room.</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LoRoMY8PffE/UUfWRiPm_EI/AAAAAAAAA5E/a99xGmWQdd4/s1600/la-societe-seafood-bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LoRoMY8PffE/UUfWRiPm_EI/AAAAAAAAA5E/a99xGmWQdd4/s640/la-societe-seafood-bar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>One part of their seafood bar.</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qn8TpVsFDos/UUfTj8n_DAI/AAAAAAAAA4g/EaQ_pnEmU2Q/s1600/65495_10151304835185965_1779946403_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qn8TpVsFDos/UUfTj8n_DAI/AAAAAAAAA4g/EaQ_pnEmU2Q/s640/65495_10151304835185965_1779946403_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<i>Happy me, excited to try the food!</i> </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mIYitfWgPeA/UUfT0IB4YgI/AAAAAAAAA4s/XN9WBwa105c/s1600/IMG_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mIYitfWgPeA/UUfT0IB4YgI/AAAAAAAAA4s/XN9WBwa105c/s640/IMG_0195.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>French Onion Soup</i></div>
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Since this is a French restaurant, we decided to give the French Onion Soup a try. I was so excited to try this, since they used my favourite melted cheese, Gruyère, from Switzerland. Sadly, I was sorely disappointed by this.It's good when an onion soup has rich flavours, but not so good when it's over reduced to a point of it being musky tasting and way too salty. As you can see, the cheese is burnt, and you can definitely taste the burnt bitterness in the soup. This soup was so salty that I ended up just eating the (unburnt) cheese. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONKTQEbiAWg/UUfUBQFZy4I/AAAAAAAAA40/-BfSBoAIluc/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONKTQEbiAWg/UUfUBQFZy4I/AAAAAAAAA40/-BfSBoAIluc/s640/IMG_0196.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Roasted sea scallops with fennel, squash purée and lime butter. </i></div>
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This is my friend's dish, and the first thing I noticed was how little there is on the plate, considering this is a main dish. However, the scallops tasted great. It was seared perfectly on the outside, yet the freshness of the scallops remain and it is not overcooked. The squash purée and lime butter is a great combination with the scallops. The zesty flavour of the sauce really brings the freshness of the scallops to life. It would be great if this was less salty; again, this dish is over seasoned. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsUEDxbZpOU/UUfUFYY79yI/AAAAAAAAA48/dzOROaD2GdE/s1600/IMG_0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsUEDxbZpOU/UUfUFYY79yI/AAAAAAAAA48/dzOROaD2GdE/s640/IMG_0194.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>My steak frites. Grilled AAA dry aged striploin steak with 'M</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><em style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">aître d'Hôtel' butter.</span></em></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Simply put, this is a great steak. Medium rare, juicy, tender, perfect amount of seasoning. Along with the butter? Perfection. In the taste department, I have no complaints. However, I was disappointed by the portions. This is does not seem like 8 ounces to me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Overall Review: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Food: 8/10</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">I really want to give it a higher rating, since the quality of the food is there. However, 2/3 things we tried were too salty, and the portions were not great for what we're paying.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Ambience: 9.5/10 </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">As you can probably tell from the pictures, the décor is very nice, and is situated in one of the most fabulous locations in the city (in my opinion). It's a nice place semi-hidden from the busyness of Bloor Street. I took 0.5 off for the spacing of the tables. The tables were a bit too close to one another, and we can hear clearly the conversations beside us without intending to eavesdrop. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Service: 6/10 </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">The service was adequate. The disparity in service is so apparent, and there's just no excuse for it. Sitting beside us were a pair of established, and older couple. The waiter would check on them, ask them about the food, refill glasses often, but it took forever for us to get the waiter's attention, let alone him checking up on us. I was not too pleased. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Price: 7/10</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">The steak frites was $29, scallop $24, onion soup $12. Even if it wasn't filling, I expected the food to be top quality. Yes, the food quality is high, but the cooking/seasoning needs improvement. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Final Verdict: 8/10</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">I would probably give </span>La Société another chance, and give the restaurant a try in the evening. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Address: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">131 Bloor Street W</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Toronto, ON M5S 3L7</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">(416) 551-9929</span></div>
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<small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=131+Bloor+Street+West,+Toronto,+ON,+Canada&aq=0&oq=131+bloor+&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=131+Bloor+St+W,+Toronto,+Ontario+M5S+3L7,+Canada&ll=43.66887,-79.392683&spn=0.017507,0.038581&t=m&z=14" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-39398115725059776572012-06-17T13:39:00.001-07:002012-06-17T13:39:11.670-07:00Now That's a Wrap!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Chinese Dragon Boat festival is here again! As a family tradition, we're making glutinous rice.</div>
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The tedious preparation that took my grandma two days. We're making both the salty and sweet kind. The day before, my grandma had to boil the red beans in sugar water to make red bean paste, soak the rice, mushrooms and conpoy in water, boil the mung beans, marinade the pork and prepare the wrapping leaves. The next day, we had to boil the chestnuts, lotus seeds, and separate the whites from the yolks for the salted duck eggs.<br />
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Et voilà, the end product! Now I will take you through the steps as how to make this.<br />
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First, arrange four leaves so it overlaps each other. Then spread the rice in the middle.<br />
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Add the premixed mung beans, lotus seeds and shiitake mushrooms. Spread it on top of the rice.<br />
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Add a strip of pork belly and the sliced egg yolks on top.<br />
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Then the chestnuts. Then cover the ingredients with the mung bean mixture and finally the rice.<br />
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Wrap it as such.<br />
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Tie it with cotton strings.<br />
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Me giving it a try. </div>
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It's harder than it looks. You have to wrap it really tight so the ingredients don't fall out.<br />
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Tada! Then you put it in a pot, boil it for 3 hours submerged in water. Then it's ready to eat!<br />
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* I will show you the end product once it's done cooking.IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-61190055695878260912012-05-29T13:22:00.000-07:002012-05-29T13:22:10.110-07:00A Cornucopia of Escapades<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Lately, I've been occupied with a writing project, so this poor blog has been quite neglected. I will try my best to update it though. </div>
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This post is a compilation of adventures I've been on near Toronto, but not enough material for a full blown entry. </div>
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One Hour bubble teashop near College and Spadina. I think this is a major hangout spot near the area, with an interesting mixture of customers. The shop is largely composed of Asians and the Kensington Market folks. Its minimalist design unique in the class of bubble teashops. This is definitely not your mainstream bubble tea place which of course is appealing to the many hipsters in the area.<br />
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Hibiscus crushed ice bubble tea with tapioca and clear jelly. I mean, you don't get drinks like these in normal teashops, and it definitely doesn't get any more 'exotic' than this. ;)<br />
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Random photos from a Chinese New Year gathering at home. Apples carved with lucky sayings in Chinese.<br />
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A Chinese delicacy. I'm not an expert in Chinese food, but I'll try my best to describe this. It has shiitake mushrooms, sea cucumber, chicken broth, fish stomach, a while chicken and eggs. People usually eat variations of this dish in all kinds of big celebrations like marriage receptions, big milestones like the 60th birthday etc.<br />
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Stir fry mixed veggies. It has celery, corn, BBQ pork, carrot etc. So much yummy goodness in one dish!<br />
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Steamed chicken. Apparently, the yellower the chicken, the better it tastes. Well at least that's what my grandma told me.<br />
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Stir fry vermicelli with celery, veggies, and dried shrimp. Another traditional Chinese New Year dish.<br />
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Don't panic! The black hair-like object is <u><i>not</i></u> hair. It's another Chinese delicacy apparently. It is a type of rare wild seaweed. This dish contains shiitake mushrooms, dried oysters, abalone, the seaweed and Chinese cabbage at the boom (which you can't see in this photo). This is one of the 'must haves' for Chinese New Year celebrations. It has a special meaning behind the dish. The seaweed rhymes with wealth and prosperity while dried oysters rhyme with 'all good things'.<br />
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The same stir fry as before with nuts cashews. It's very simple to make, just dice up all the veggies you want in the dish, stir fry with soy sauce and add cashew afterwards. Mix well and voila!<br />
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No worries, the black stuff is a type of Asian mushrooms. Mmm.. more stir fry veggies. What can I say? I have a healthy family. :P<br />
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Something I made. Cheese tortellini, with cherry tomatoes, shiitake mushroom and asparagus in Alfredo sauce topped with Camembert cheese I believe. I still prefer my Italian cuisine.<br />
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The maple syrup festival at Brontë Creek in Burlington. These are maple taffy. They pour the maple syrup into the ice wedges, leave it in for a while, pop it out, and cool it some more on the ice blocks and voila!<br />
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A bit too sweet for my taste though.<br />
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Victorian lady teaching us how to make maple syrup.<br />
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Oh look! He's drilling a whole for the spile! (Sorry, I had to. It's a Hunger Games reference for those interested.)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-urP-Y7zv-Zs/T8UjHh8x2yI/AAAAAAAAA0c/4PPRkau2hOY/s1600/IMG_4090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-urP-Y7zv-Zs/T8UjHh8x2yI/AAAAAAAAA0c/4PPRkau2hOY/s640/IMG_4090.JPG" width="640" /></a>Boiling the maple syrup. </div>
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Cherry picking near Niagara Falls! The tractor pulling us into the cherry field/forest.<br />
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The Cheltenham Badlands in Mississauga. </div>
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Toronto</div>
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The only Asians in this whole place. The greetings person at the door was super nice to us.<br />
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Such unparalleled stunning architecture.<br />
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And again.<br />
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And again.<br />
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Thanks for reading. :)<br />
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P.S. If you like my title, you're awesome. :)IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-25629756672669182312012-04-09T20:33:00.001-07:002012-04-09T20:33:10.570-07:00Fishing for Amazing Sandwiches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On a night where my fellow residence mates and I didn't really feel like eating cafeteria food, one of them suggested to give The Fish Store a try. It was afterwards that I found out this place is rated the best sandwich shop in Toronto by <a href="http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/thefishstore" target="_blank">blogTo</a>! </div>
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The shop had a large bulletin board with raved reviews from news papers, different social domains, yelp, urbanspoon etc.<br />
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Their clam chowder. My friend really enjoyed it, saying it is creamy, rich with the sweetness of seafood etc. I also ordered a bowl of clam chowder and compared it to what I had in Seattle. My expectations of a clam chowder skyrocketed after my trip to Seattle last summer, and unrightfully so for a non-coastal city like Toronto. But I found that the chowder was more like mashed potatoes made into a soup with a few pieces of shrimp. There were no clams in my chowder except this small piece of shrimp in the picture above! Total opposite of Seattle. Yeah, it's safe to say Seattle changed my view on seafood forever.<br />
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(Read about my Seattle food adventures in a series of posts named "Sleepless in Seattle" <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.ca/2011/12/sleepless-in-seattle.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.ca/2011/12/sleepless-in-seattle-pt-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.ca/2011/12/sleepless-in-seattle-pt-3.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.ca/2011/12/sleepless-in-seattle-pt-4.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.ca/2011/12/sleepless-in-seattle-pt-5.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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One of the most popular sandwiches from the shop. The grouper sandwich. This sandwich really earned the name for best sandwich shop in Toronto. The ingredients revolve around one very simple but crucial characteristic; freshness! The fish are delivered to the shop daily, sandwiches are made on the spot, and the bread comes from a local bakery delivering daily.<br />
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The basis of their sandwiches is their bread and fresh fish. The bread is crunchy on the outside, but cotton-candy soft and warm on the inside. It just makes you feel so cozy while eating it. Like I said, the fish is very fresh and succulent, which is necessary for a great sandwich. But what made this sandwich different from the rest is the yellow (what I would call it) fairy dust sprinkled on top of the sandwich. I couldn't quite put my fingers around the taste, but it kind of tastes like lemony honey mustard plus some secret ingredient. Whatever it is, it gives the sandwich dimensions and elevates it to the level of awesomeness.<br />
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My res mates' sandwich (their daily special) also sprinkled with that yellow fairy dust! I didn't try it though.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 9.5/10<br />
The sandwich was exquisite, but the clam chowder just didn't do it for me personally.<br />
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Ambiance: 6.5/10<br />
It was a cozy little shop, but a bit too cozy. There were two tables with two chairs and people had to leave (take out) because there weren't enough seats for them to dine-in. The sandwiches would be cold by the time they got home.<br />
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Price: 8.75/10<br />
I think each sandwich is around 5-6$ but I needed the clam chowder also to make me full (sandwich + clam chowder around $10).<br />
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Service: 9/10<br />
The owners were so nice and patient while we were deciding what to get. They're just all smiles. :) The food did take a bit of time to come, but I'm not complaining since they make it from scratch when you order.<br />
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Final Verdict: 9/10<br />
I would definitely go back and try their other famous sandwich, the smoked salmon. I don't know what they put in the yellow powder, but they've got me hooked!<br />
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Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">657 College St</span><br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Toronto</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ON</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">M6G 1B7</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">(416) 533-2822</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"></span></span><br />
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<dt class="attr-BusinessHours" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hours:</dt>
<dd class="attr-BusinessHours" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="hours" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Mon-Sat 11 am - 9 pm (I believe they don't have the hours on their website, so here you go :) </div>
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=M6G+1B7&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Toronto,+Ontario+M6G+1B7,+Canada&ll=43.654968,-79.416264&spn=0.008756,0.01929&t=m&z=14" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-8762829285929415152012-03-25T15:29:00.002-07:002012-03-25T15:29:51.415-07:00A Classy Dinner Date<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So my bestie and I decided to give Annona (in Park Hyatt Hotel) a try because I pass by this restaurant all the time and it always looked so fancy when I was staring in from the outside!<br />
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Bestie: pose with the bread! pose with the breadd!<br />
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This actually tasted pretty good. The homemade cracker/biscuit type thing at the back with sesame, poppy seeds and a light scent of olive oil/garnish. It tastes just like how it sounds; kinda salty, crispy and very grainy lol.<br />
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The cool bred with cheese bits and other unidentified garnish inside. The bread is very soft and fluffy (always a good sign) and the crust is crispy. The cheese and bread worked really well with the olive oil. One of the better bread I've had. And I just really like restaurants that cut up the bread for you since I always find it so clumsy to do it myself.<br />
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Coq au vin - chicken drumstick braised in red wine. The chicken is cooked perfectly; tender and juicy fused with the perfect amount red wine (seasoned really well). The chicken taste is in perfect harmony with the acidity and sweetness of the wine.<br />
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Halibut barley risotto. If you're a big fan of creamy food, this is the dish for you! I like how they replaced rice with barley to make this risotto since it adds more dimensions to the dish. With rice, a risotto is often has this soft, gooey texture, but with barley, it retained the silky texture without the gooeyness. Since barley is quite chewy, it makes it a fun dish to eat. I really liked this since it has chunks of melted cheese mixed into the barley. Though I must say, I'm not a big fan of the halibut nor the olive oil they drizzled on the side. It upsets the balance of the dish and makes it way too heavy and filling to finish.<br />
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This is my entrée, ribeye with mushroom gratin (the grey thing in the middle) and onion rings. Okay, so starting with the ribeye. You can really tell how skilled the chef is by ordering a piece of steak. I asked for medium-rare, but the steak was totally rare (I see strands of white tendons when I cut through it). I feel that I'm starting to lose hope in restaurants in the GTA since I haven't had a satisfying/cooked well steak for a long time. Sigh. The red wine jus was so nicely flavoured, but it was not enough to rescue a ruined piece of steak. R.I.P. steak...<br />
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Moving on to the mushroom gratin (originated from France) is kind of like the French sister of lasagna. The gratin is made of many thin layers of potatoes with mushroom, cream and cheese fillings separate the potato layers. It's the first time I've had a mushroom gratin and I really liked it! Similar to eating lasagna, but it feels more hearty and satisfying. The red wine jus worked super well with the gratin also! Again, the red wine's acidity and sweetness brought a balance to what would've been a very creamy/heavy dish.<br />
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I didn't eat the onion rings so I cannot tell you how it tastes. Overall, I feel that the chef put a lot of effort in this dish, since you have to use such different techniques to cook the three components of the dish. I also liked the idea of using the same sauce for all three seemingly unrelated items to tie to dish together. Too bad the idea wasn't executed well. Sigh.<br />
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Our mini desserts.<br />
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Just mango gelato, granulated sugar and fruits. Nothing too special, though I do feel that the mango is a tad too sour.<br />
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S'more tart. Again, the idea sounds appealing but sadly the taste wasn't. You can tell if a tart is well made but cutting into it. A good tart crust is very easy to cut through (even with just a fork), but a store-bought/grocery store tart, it'll take a hammer and a very sharp knife. And this tart is definitely the most grocery-like dessert I've eaten. Ever.<br />
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Pear bread pudding. This is the least store-bought dessert on the plate. This actually tastes decent, but I don't know what else to say.<br />
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Chocolate lava cake and caramel ice cream.<br />
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It did what it was supposed to I guess. But it tastes like those lava cake mix you can buy from any grocery store.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 6.75/10<br />
My friend and I got more and more disappointed with every course. The appetizers started out great, but the desserts (the part we were looking forward to the most) was a huge flop. I was expecting more for the price I'm paying and from a restaurant in the hotel.<br />
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Ambiance: 5.5/10<br />
It definitely looked better on the outside. The dim light and the tainted glass windows definitely beautified the restaurant. Usually hotel restaurants have such nice décor and definitely very fancy schmancy. This one doesn't look like that and is definitely not going for the minimalist look. Not impressed at all.<br />
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Price: 4/10<br />
Store bought desserts for $35/person? Not worth it at all, since the ambiance wasn't there, the skill of the chef wasn't there, the food is not great quality. So what exactly are we paying for? We're paying for the fact that it's a Park Hyatt restaurant.<br />
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Service: 9/10<br />
The service was the only thing up to par I feel. There was a coat room, and the servers actually help us take our coats off. Before dinner started, they would place the cloth napkin on our laps, and after eating our bread, they would use that silver scraper thing to scrape the bread crumbs from the table. (If anyone knows the name of that silver thing, please tell me!)<br />
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Final Verdict: 6/10<br />
I don't think I'm going to visit this restaurant ever again. I don't understand why they have such high reviews on yelp.ca<br />
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Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Park Hyatt Hotel<br />4 Avenue Rd</span><br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Toronto</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ON</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">M5R 2E8</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">(416) 324-1567</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Toronto,+ON+M5R+2E8,+Canada&aq=0&oq=M5R+2E8&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Toronto,+Ontario+M5R+2E8,+Canada&ll=43.66922,-79.394508&spn=0.008754,0.01929&t=m&z=14" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-1095773979168413682012-03-17T17:35:00.001-07:002012-03-17T17:37:11.862-07:00Food From Above<i>So I know I've been M.I.A. for a while, but I do have a valid reason (not that it's a good excuse, but still valid). My laptop was in the shop for 3 weeks, because it wouldn't turn on. I had to make a few runs to the library each day to finish my paper and 2 exams in these 3 weeks (so proud of myself!) My computer is now fixed (at a substantial price sigh) but I'm back in business! </i><br />
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I did not originally plan on coming to Horizon (the restaurant on top of the CN Tower overseeing the whole city 346m above ground) aka 360 restaurant, but my friend planned this surprise outing which is right up my alley! Thank you again mystery friend! :)<br />
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Cauliflower bisque (smooth, creamy, super seasoned French soup). Believe me, it was seasoned alright. I feel that the soup itself was already super seasoned, but when they added the blue cheese crème fraîche, it just made it a tad too salty. The olive oil was a nice touch though, it helped take away some of the saltiness and added colour to the presentation.<br />
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Hot smoked atlantic salmon terrine. I believe the inside is creme cheese mixed with assorted seeds and wheat type substance wrapped around smoked salmon. Does it remind you guys of a really big piece of sushi? There are also soured olives on the side. Well, I'm not a big fan of raw salmon nor deli-type food, so this was not the dish for me. All I can say is, it tastes like very fancy deli food.<br />
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This is the gnocchi, and eh, nothing special.<br />
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Chicken milanese. What stole the show isn't the fried chicken patty, but the vinaigrette. Though it says it's grainy mustard, but it's infused with honey and citrus flavours. The zesty zing was a good contrast and compliment (paradox?) to the starchy chicken. I swear I licked every bit of that sauce from that plate. Literally. Well, not really literally. The chicken on the other hand, is meh. Nothing special. I also think it's too fried.<br />
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Apple crumble. This is one of those desserts where it tastes heavenly for the first few bites, but you can never finish. The caramelized apples drenched in a vanilla bean broth? on top of melted vanilla ice cream. This is literally the epitome of sugar overload. I'm appreciative of them giving us such a big plat of dessert, but if they gave us a smaller version, I probably wouldn't feel so sick afterwards. Don't get me wrong, this apple crumble is mouthwatering, but approach with caution. Don't eat too much!<br />
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Dark chocolate lava cake topped with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup. I didn't eat this, because I didn't want to walk around downtown sugar high. But according to my friend, this is very chocolatey, even almost a bit too chocolatey. Again, I would advise anyone who order it to approach with caution.<br />
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Glass floor. Too bad it was soo foggy that day! :( We sat there and waited soo long for the fog to clear up but this is the best shot I got.<br />
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Me being the dare devil that I am LOL. Not really.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 7/10<br />
Eh, nothing too special. Standard food.<br />
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Ambiance: 9.5/10<br />
The is the number for what it would've been without the fog! Sadly we didn't see much of the city that day.<br />
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Service: 7/10<br />
Standard service, but at times we really had to hunt down the server. The food came out pretty fast (partly because there weren't many people there for lunch).<br />
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Price: 8.5/10 or 6/10<br />
8.5/10 for winterlicious price. I mean $15 for all we've had is a pretty good deal! I usually get a pasta for that price! But you have to keep in mind we had to pay for a lift fee ~$11 per person to get up there. Therefore 6/10. And if it's not for winterlicious, it's VERY expensive for the quality of food.<br />
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Final Verdict: 7/10<br />
This is one of those tourist traps with overpriced food. BUT with that said, the ambiance is breathtaking, especially at night. And it's a good place to go if you wanna impress someone I guess lol! I may come back during winter or summerlicious if there's a special occasion, but that's it.<br />
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Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CN Tower<br />301 Front St W</span><br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Toronto</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ON</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">M5V 2T6</span></span><br />
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=CN+Tower,+301+Front+Street+West,+Toronto,+ON+M5V+2T6,+Canada&aq=0&oq=cn+to&sll=43.652659,-79.362445&sspn=0.008756,0.01929&ie=UTF8&hq=CN+Tower,+301+Front+Street+West,+Toronto,+ON+M5V+2T6,+Canada&t=m&ll=43.641636,-79.386832&spn=0.01615,0.032015" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-73695183834117095582012-02-05T20:06:00.000-08:002012-02-05T20:06:50.670-08:00Wanda's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>I'm back! I know I haven't posted anything for a while, but I'm officially done with being a lazy bum and will return to blogging regularly (besides, I have so many pictures from Winterlicious!) </i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4f8dE3I96NU/Txt-Y6tVefI/AAAAAAAAAtg/CN_jH0_lWhU/s1600/DSC_0665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4f8dE3I96NU/Txt-Y6tVefI/AAAAAAAAAtg/CN_jH0_lWhU/s640/DSC_0665.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As some of you may have read, I <a href="http://foodsapience.blogspot.com/2012/01/alimentaires-nostalgique-partie-quatre.html" target="_blank">blogged</a> about the amaaaazing Belgian waffles I ate in Belgium. After I came back from the trip, my friend told me to give Wanda's a try. So I did! It has become my favourite favourite Belgian waffle place in Toronto ever since! The follow are photos I took on one of my many visits to Wanda's. (Sorry for the crappy quality, all photos from this blog is taken from my phone).</div>
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In my opinion, although the food is quite authentic, but it's not nearly up to par (will explain later in the post).<br />
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My berries and banana crêpe. Yeah personally, I like their crêpes much more than their waffles.<br />
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As you can see, the prices is not too shabby. The portions are quite good too, as you will see........<br />
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Now.<br />
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My crêpe. It has everything that should be in a crêpe. The crêpe skin is fresh, warm, soft and thin. Most of all, what differentiates a good crêpe from a bad crêpe is the batter. The ingredients inside are pretty much standardized (you have your normal ham & cheese, nutella and fruits etc) but you'll notice some crêpe skin has more air bubbles than others. The smoother & thinner the crêpe skin, the more experienced the person making your crêpes.<br />
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This is a standard crêpe you'll see in the streets of Paris.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1NWCAZoCpiU/Txt9aSntXlI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/KbUJdMjNpRw/s1600/DSC_0667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1NWCAZoCpiU/Txt9aSntXlI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/KbUJdMjNpRw/s640/DSC_0667.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the waffle, with chocolate and nutella syrup and strawberries. If you haven't been to Belgium yet, trying Wanda's waffles is a good way to introduce you to Belgian food culture. Wanda's has a great structure for a good waffle, what it's missing is that "secret ingredient". That is the sugar glaze over the waffle. Don't undermine the power of sugar, it makes a significant difference. But all in all, the waffle was very good. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-28Mq2aB9lRE/Txt9l6HOEQI/AAAAAAAAAtY/QNx2skKNKcE/s1600/DSC_0668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-28Mq2aB9lRE/Txt9l6HOEQI/AAAAAAAAAtY/QNx2skKNKcE/s640/DSC_0668.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is a croque-monsieur. A very French fast food item made with hot ham and cheese (usually Emmental or Gruyère - both Swiss cheese). This one also has tomatoes and a dill pickle. The pickle is for those softies who feel sick after a sandwich filled with cheese and ham (just kidding! even if you don't like cheese, I still <3 you :) This is a very good sandwich, it is like a grilled cheese sandwich in a more epic level. It gives you this warm fuzzy feeling inside, especially during winter. :)<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 9/10<br />
The only thing I'm a bit iffy about is the fact that they put such emphasis on Belgian waffles, but it's just not quite the same as the Belgian waffles in Belgium. But everything else tastes mouthwatering.<br />
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Ambiance: 6/10<br />
Simplicity is their main feature, can't really critique much.<br />
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Service: 7/10<br />
Again, this is a café, not a restaurant, so I can't really critique it. It's more like you pay, grab your food and go. Not much interaction.<br />
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Price: 9/10<br />
Pretty good, especially since it's able to make me relatively full. But I'm not a really big eater, so for those who are, then I don't know.<br />
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Final Verdict: 8/10<br />
Worth visiting if you have a sweet tooth like me. After all, I've been coming to this place for a few years now. :)<br />
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Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">599 Yonge St</span><br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Toronto</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ON</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">M4Y 1Z8</span></span><br />
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For more locations, visit: <a href="http://www.wandasbelgianwaffles.com/" target="_blank">www.wandasbelgianwaffles.com</a>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-31936238701602093382012-01-09T17:59:00.000-08:002012-01-09T18:00:01.566-08:00Smells Delicious!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Warning: The following entry may not be suitable for all viewers and may gross you out (if you're squeamish). Reader's discretion is advise. </div>
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So I've heard about this restaurant while I was in Hong Kong, and I just had to hunt it down and try it! </div>
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I've been to themed restaurants before, but none went all out like this one. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QVPqRe5fkF8/TwuLZfU5wmI/AAAAAAAAAp0/ekBe-8TbeLU/s1600/DSC00948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QVPqRe5fkF8/TwuLZfU5wmI/AAAAAAAAAp0/ekBe-8TbeLU/s640/DSC00948.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Some people may find it gross to eat at a toilet themed restaurant, but I find it grossly amusing. I mean, not everyone can drink out of cups shaped like urinals haha.<br />
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Yeup. Chocolate ice cream.<br />
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That's where we were seated.<br />
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Someone's chicken and cheese spaghetti. Not flavoured enough. You can barely taste the cheese, and the cheese texture is awfully similar to the Kraft Dinner mix. Bleh.<br />
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My cousin's meal. It didn't actually stink fyi. I just made him pose this way :P<br />
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My meal. Seafood hot pot in Hokkaido milk broth. It sounded so good, and it has all kinds of shell fish and other seafood. But the broth totally ruined it. It's way too overreduced. The broth tastes like super concentrated milk powder. It tastes extremely unnatural and borderline dessert like. "Dessert" just doesn't go well with seafood nor hot pot. <br />
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Yeup, eating out of a toilet bowl haha.<br />
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I mean, I had to. :P<br />
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Where we eat.<br />
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It's a real toilet!<br />
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Also where we eat.<br />
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What's inside the table.<br />
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Oh such classy décor right? haha<br />
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Yeah.. they went all out.<br />
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Where we eat.<br />
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So on each table, there's this tiny sticker saying: urination prohibited, customers may be held accountable for any damage to the toilets. This totally made my day haha.<br />
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Overall review:<br />
Food: 4/10<br />
They're very lazy with their food and you can tell. There was either not enough or too much flavour, and they focused too much on the presentation that they compromised their food. I don't like to use this word unless I feel strongly about it, but the food is amateur.<br />
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Ambiance: 10/10<br />
What can I say? They went all out to make their food and décor fit the toilet theme.<br />
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Service: 6/10<br />
Passed, but not great.<br />
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Price: 5/10<br />
Overpriced for the quality of food. But you're paying more for the experience than the food.<br />
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Final Verdict:<br />
4/10 If you're going for the food. Like I said, it's overpriced and amateur.<br />
9/10 If you're going for the experience. This is definitely one of the most memorable restaurants I've been to. If you want to have a good laugh with friends, then I highly suggest paying this restaurant a visit!<br />
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Address:<br />
There are many locations across China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. If you're interested, you can find a location near you in the following website.<br />
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<a href="http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/store.asp" target="_blank">http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/store.asp</a>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-18960941466102849962012-01-05T19:43:00.000-08:002012-01-09T11:08:05.912-08:00Krazy for Koreans Pt. 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So over the Christmas break, my friend brought me to this Korean restaurant "Home of Hot-Taste" and it's surprisingly close to campus. I also eat at restaurants around this street all the time, so I couldn't believe I've never seen this place!<br />
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Ddeokbokki (Korean rice cakes). The sauce is runnier than the usual ddeokbokki but the flavours are not compromised. If anything, the sweetness of the gochujang sauce is even stronger than the ones I've had in other Korean restaurants. If you go to this restaurant, definitely give this a try! If you go during lunch time, they have this under their lunch special menu (which is even cheaper than usual).<br />
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Rice and seafood stew. First time I've seen this on a menu.<br />
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What it is is sheets of dried rice mixed in a very delicious seafood stew with vegetables. This is the perfect dish to have during a cold day because it will literally warm you up from inside out. The flavours of the seafood and the soup base is absorbed by the veggies and the rice cakes. The hardness of the rice sheets and the silky broth seem to work in harmony. All in all, the flavours are there, and the textures give this seemingly simple dish that interesting element.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 9/10<br />
I like what I've tried so far. One thing that disappointed me is that they used frozen seafood for the broth. You can taste the difference. The soup lacks that freshness because of it.<br />
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Ambiance: 6/10<br />
A lazy attempt in decorating the place (and you can tell). Either commit to it or don't do it at all; but don't do half the work.<br />
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Service: 7/10<br />
There's one waiter overseeing the whole restaurant right in the middle of lunch time. The service was slow because of that, but I don't blame the waiter. The waiter is actually pretty nice once he got around to help us.<br />
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Price: 9.5/10<br />
Pretty dang cheap. We paid $10/person (and we gave him more tips than needed already). We also couldn't finish the food because we were stuffed!<br />
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Final Verdict: 8.75/10<br />
I will definitely be a frequent visitor since the food is pretty good and mostly because it's so dang close to campus!<br />
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Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<address class="adr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">710 Yonge St</span><br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Toronto</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ON</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">M4Y</span><br />Neighbourhood: Downtown Core</address>
<span class="tel" id="bizPhone" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(416) 975-0000</span><br />
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=710+Yonge+Street,+Toronto,+ON,+Canada&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=710+Yonge+St,+Toronto,+Ontario+M4Y+1R4,+Canada&ll=43.668251,-79.386083&spn=0.008754,0.01929&t=m&z=14" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-91211403612853808362012-01-04T21:52:00.000-08:002012-01-04T21:52:57.649-08:00Alimentaires Nostalgique Partie Cinq<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another lazy blog entry. </div>
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Destination: Paris. Who knew a photo taken a few years ago would be so fitting for my blog?<br />
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Enjoying some froyo (frozen yogurt) in Paris.<br />
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After the froyo and then some more gelato. Lemon and mango.<br />
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Mussels and escargots. I mean, c'mon, we're in France!<br />
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Best mussels I've had in my life! After 3 years, I still remember the name of the shop! If any of you plan on going to Paris, remember to visit Chez Léon near Galeries Lafayette.<br />
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Salmon.<br />
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Some fish. (Yeah, I'm deep within my lazy mode at the moment).<br />
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Cheese mussels from Chez Léon. Such a heavenly combination..<br />
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More escargots. C'mon, we were in Paris!<br />
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Pear tart.<br />
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Ps, I promise I write a real entry soon!IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-2004599570648122612012-01-04T20:29:00.000-08:002012-01-04T20:29:37.183-08:00Alimentaires Nostalgique Partie Quatre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So a reader asked me continually to update my blog more often and post more pictures. But I'm kinda exhausted, so this will be another photo blog and not a review. </div>
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The following is taken in Brussels, Belgium a few years ago. (Yeah, I haven't really had time to try new restaurants lately..)<br />
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Belgium's famous fries with honey and mayonnaise dipping sauce.<br />
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Belgium's famous mussels in white wine sauce.<br />
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A Belgian dish called Crevette Tomate (shrimp tomatoes). Yeah chefs from different countries try to replicate this, but it is never the same. The secret? The shrimps they use can only be found in Belgium.<br />
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The famous Belgian waffle. Don't believe it when stores in Canada or the States call their waffles "authentic Belgian waffles." Trust me, I've tried many stores in North America, and I still haven't found a store that's truly authentic.<br />
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Difference? All the Belgian waffles are honey/sugar glazed.<br />
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Waffle with mango gelato and chocolate syrup.IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-6770145944698065652012-01-02T19:40:00.001-08:002012-01-05T19:31:03.071-08:00Do You Feel Like Crêpes?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Came here for a friend's birthday.<br />
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Located in the heart of Little Italy.<br />
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Maybe it was the alcohol, but I don't really remember how the stuff tastes. All I remember is that things from Wanda's tastes better. So this is another lazy blog. :P<br />
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<br />IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-52366525767826426072011-12-25T14:23:00.000-08:002012-01-02T11:09:03.867-08:00Sleepless in Seattle Pt. 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our tour guide told us Ivar's is a "must-try" restaurant when visiting Seattle. However, we drove to a small town location near the Puget Sound instead of the one in downtown Seattle since that one is too touristy and the food isn't as good. </div>
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Our appetizer from the daily menu, freshly caught clams braised in wine and garlic marinade. The perfect marinade for shellfish.<br />
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The famous clam chowder. For all the seafood lovers, this is a must try! You can actually see each individual clam; and boy, they sure didn't hold back with the clams!<br />
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My dinner. :) The seafood platter contains mussels, clams, scallops, tiger shrimps, dungeness crabs and Alaskan king crabs braised in a wine marinade. All this fresh seafood for $30! Only in Seattle. Everything's so fresh, and the marinade is spot on. Loved it!<br />
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Freshly caught halibut. Didn't try this, but apparently it's very tender and definitely fresh.<br />
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I would like to think this is crab cakes, but I don't really remember. I just remember my friend really enjoying this.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 10/10<br />
The most important thing for this kind of restaurant is that the seafood is fresh, everything else is extra. The freshness makes the dish and the seafood I've eaten is definitely fresh and everything is spot on. Great job!<br />
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Ambiance: 9/10<br />
This restaurant is geared more towards family instead of business dining. The ambiance is therefore more warm and homey. Through the windows, you can see the Puget Sound. With such a nice location, the restaurant really doesn't need much decor.<br />
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Service: 9/10<br />
The waitress was warm and friendly and very attentive. However, the food took a bit longer than I liked to come.<br />
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Price: 8.75/10<br />
Not super cheap, but very reasonable.<br />
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Final Verdict: 9.25/10<br />
By far the best restaurant we've been to in Seattle. Definitely pay Ivar's a visit when you're in town!IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-3066425637351060312011-12-19T13:34:00.001-08:002011-12-21T08:15:09.706-08:00Sleepless in Seattle Pt. 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This restaurant was recommended by our Taxi driver. It was perfect for a lazy day since it's within steps from our hotel.<br />
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As you can see, the view is pretty dang nice.<br />
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Alaskan king crabs on the house.<br />
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Best. calamari. ever! Tossed in peppers, pepper, garlic salt and basil, dipped in honey mustard and basil purée... a surprisingly refreshing combination.<br />
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Seared scallop, mushroom and cheese ravioli. The scallops bring a freshness to the creamy dish and puts it back in balance. This is a good-all-year-round dish that makes you all warm and fuzzy inside after eating! (Especially if you love seafood and cheese).<br />
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Dungeness crab. I mean this place is called Chandler's CRABHOUSE. Do I really have to elaborate on how flipping yummy this is?<br />
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Ahi tuna (seared tuna sashimi). Well, I don't eat raw fish, so I don't know how this taste. But according to the person eating it, it's delicious and this level of freshness is only found in Seattle.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 9/10<br />
Pretty great, nothing really to complain about except my veggies were kinda bitter.<br />
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Ambiance: 10/10<br />
Eating here is like sitting inside a cottage or a lighthouse staring at Lake Union. I don't think it gets much better than this.<br />
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Service: 7/10<br />
Very professional, you can just tell they had really good service training. I cannot find any fault in the waitress. BUT the food took YEARS to come. By years, I mean we waited for at least 1.5 hour after we ordered, I'm not exaggerating. If it weren't for the great waitress, I would've given them a failing score for that.<br />
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Price: 7/10<br />
A bit too pricey for me. Although the food was good and the seafood was fresh, the restaurant is more suited for business people. I've had better seafood for a better price in Seattle.<br />
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Final Verdict: 8/10<br />
If I was around the area and don't want to travel for food, this is a place I would visit again.<br />
<br />
Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<address class="adr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">901 Fairview Ave N</span><br />(between Valley St & N Minor Ave)<br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seattle</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WA</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">98109</span></address>
<span class="tel" id="bizPhone" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(206) 223-2722</span><br />
<div id="bizUrl" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a class="url" href="http://www.schwartzbros.com/chandlers.cfm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6666cc; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.schwartzbros.com/chandlers.cfm</a></div>
<div id="bizUrl" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<div id="bizUrl" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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x<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chandler's+Crabhouse,+Fairview+Avenue+North,+Seattle,+WA,+United+States&aq=0&sll=47.628901,-122.345638&sspn=0.008214,0.01929&vpsrc=6&g=Seattle,+WA+98109,+United+States&ie=UTF8&hq=Chandler's+Crabhouse,+Fairview+Avenue+North,+Seattle,+WA,+United+States&ll=47.628177,-122.333633&spn=0.01504,0.032015&t=m&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chandler's+Crabhouse,+Fairview+Avenue+North,+Seattle,+WA,+United+States&aq=0&sll=47.628901,-122.345638&sspn=0.008214,0.01929&vpsrc=6&g=Seattle,+WA+98109,+United+States&ie=UTF8&hq=Chandler's+Crabhouse,+Fairview+Avenue+North,+Seattle,+WA,+United+States&ll=47.628177,-122.333633&spn=0.01504,0.032015&t=m" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-56304799501819034312011-12-18T13:55:00.000-08:002011-12-19T13:22:51.368-08:00Sleepless in Seattle Pt. 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UGSbzDMIXDY/Tu5c7K-YaXI/AAAAAAAAAhk/ySYKihC8VOI/s1600/IMG_1779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UGSbzDMIXDY/Tu5c7K-YaXI/AAAAAAAAAhk/ySYKihC8VOI/s640/IMG_1779.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our tour guide recommended us a few must-try seafood restaurants in Seattle, and this is one of them.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PD6exS6-gKM/Tu5dEdjqsPI/AAAAAAAAAhs/qutYkKSGexg/s1600/IMG_1780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PD6exS6-gKM/Tu5dEdjqsPI/AAAAAAAAAhs/qutYkKSGexg/s640/IMG_1780.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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View of the pier from our table.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9byQc8NF3bU/Tu5daZbp5OI/AAAAAAAAAh8/yS5zHAwqhIg/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9byQc8NF3bU/Tu5daZbp5OI/AAAAAAAAAh8/yS5zHAwqhIg/s640/IMG_1784.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Apparently August is the season for peaches and I was told peaches in Washington tastes super amazing, hence we ordered a caramelized peach salad. The combination of fruits and greens creates a very refreshing summery taste; perfect for a hot summer day. This salad is a great appetizer since it increased my appetite.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8SpT9h8btXo/Tu5dyM9sLDI/AAAAAAAAAiM/1Q6d0es_NqE/s1600/IMG_1786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8SpT9h8btXo/Tu5dyM9sLDI/AAAAAAAAAiM/1Q6d0es_NqE/s640/IMG_1786.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Grilled halibut with poached peaches. We asked the waitress for the freshest thing on the menu, and she recommended this to us. I'm usually not a big fish eater, but this halibut changed my view on fish. The fish is so tender and you can definitely taste the freshness. It just, well, blew my mind.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOwvTy7fUcw/Tu5d8mz8mAI/AAAAAAAAAiU/-p3fo25d4-s/s1600/IMG_1787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOwvTy7fUcw/Tu5d8mz8mAI/AAAAAAAAAiU/-p3fo25d4-s/s640/IMG_1787.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sockeye salmon, another local fish, caught daily. Normally, I would've been amazed with this salmon, but after eating the halibut, the salmon kinda fell short. Not as tender, and not as fresh. But compared to salmon in Toronto, it's still very good.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 7.5/10<br />
The score is based on other seafood I've had in Seattle. I don't feel that it's fair to judge based on Toronto standards since every restaurant would get near perfect score if I do.<br />
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Ambiance: 10/10<br />
I mean, it's situated right beside the pier. How much better can it get? The restaurant itself is very sophisticated. What is so unique about this restaurant is it's separated into 3 parts. There's an open bar facing the street kinda designed like a fast-food joint and they sell things like fish tacos and chowders. On the first floor is what they call a diner, designed for casual dining. And the second floor is what they call a restaurant which is designed for a more formal dining experience. The second floor is geared towards the business population. I've never seen a restaurant being divided like this; pretty cool.<br />
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Service: 8/10<br />
Good recommendations, the waitress is friendly and was almost always there when we needed her.<br />
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Price: 4/10<br />
I feel that we're not getting our money's worth. The menu is overpriced. We probably paid ~$30/person for fish and salad!<br />
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Final Verdict: 6/10<br />
This is a classic tourist trap. Situated in the most touristy place with an overpriced menu. Just to play the devil's advocate, if you're looking for an experience, this is the perfect place for it. So it all depends on what you're looking for in a meal.<br />
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Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<address class="adr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2201 Alaskan Way</span><br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seattle</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WA</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">98121</span><br />Neighborhood: Belltown</address>
<span class="tel" id="bizPhone" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(206) 448-6688</span><br />
<div id="bizUrl" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a class="url" href="http://www.anthonys.com/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6666cc; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.anthonys.com/</a></div>
<div id="bizUrl" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=2201+Alaskan+Way,+Seattle,+WA,+United+States&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2201+Alaskan+Way,+Seattle,+Washington+98121&ll=47.610145,-122.346572&spn=0.008159,0.01929&t=m&z=14" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-76044445755519944232011-12-18T13:32:00.000-08:002011-12-18T22:41:29.528-08:00Sleepless in Seattle Pt. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another photo entry. </div>
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One of the main attractions in Seattle is Pike Place Market. Kinda similar to Toronto's St. Lawrence Market, they sell mainly locally grown produce and arts. This place is definitely worth a visit, especially if you like food like me! :) </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dfb2b1Jhshk/Tu4fCKIjlnI/AAAAAAAAAfE/4BzOC342Ixs/s1600/IMG_1701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dfb2b1Jhshk/Tu4fCKIjlnI/AAAAAAAAAfE/4BzOC342Ixs/s640/IMG_1701.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Remember to visit this pastry shop if you're around the area! You could smell the mouthwatering goodness stores away! They have some of the best Russian pastries around!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JMFo0v2eR4E/Tu4fVDy8w0I/AAAAAAAAAfM/TPR0NTl3IPA/s1600/IMG_1702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JMFo0v2eR4E/Tu4fVDy8w0I/AAAAAAAAAfM/TPR0NTl3IPA/s640/IMG_1702.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Yellow Rainier cherries; some of the best cherries around. Even my friend, who usually dislike eating cherries love this stuff! Everyone was left wanting more when we left Seattle.<br />
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I just died a little seeing all these seafood.<br />
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The first ever Starbucks. Although they sell the same drinks as other Starbucks, this one always has a lineup out the door.<br />
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The original logo. They also sell souvenirs with this logo in and only in this Starbucks.<br />
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<br />IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-34167581861376256632011-12-17T21:23:00.000-08:002011-12-18T14:05:46.582-08:00Sleepless in Seattle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This entry will not be a review, mainly because I don't remember the name/exact location for these photos. :P </div>
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So apparently, bars and pubs across Seattle have happy hours in the afternoon from around 2-5 and at night from 9-close where everything on the menu is 50% off. So once we landed in Seattle, we just went to a bar across from our hotel and ordered this yummy shrimp ceviche. The shrimps were so flippin fresh! My goodness! This easily could appear on a nice restaurant's menu.<br />
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Dish: 8.5/10<br />
Perfect treat for summer, but being the healthy person that I am, I kinda wish there were more shrimps and less chips.<br />
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Fried calamari. Fresh seafood really makes the dish. By far some of the best calamari I've had. Definitely restaurant quality.<br />
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Dish: 9/10<br />
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So Seattle is really big on seafood chowders. This is my lobster chowder. Better than anything I've had in Toronto. Even better than the seafood chowders in PEI.<br />
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Dish: 7/10 A bit over reduced for my taste. The taste is so strong that it's kinda bullying your taste buds.<br />
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Dungeness crab chowder. I mean, you can already tell how delicious this chowder is by its name. Need I say more?<br />
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Dish: 8.5/10<br />
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My yummy pecan and citrus salade!<br />
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Dish: 8.5/10 If only it was more zesty...<br />
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My first ever fish taco. Too spicy for me to finish.<br />
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Dish: 5.5/10 Too many different flavours competing for the spotlight. Too overwhelming for me.<br />
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Washington heirloom organic tomatoes bruschetta. "The best in the country". Yeah, definitely the best tomatoes I've ever eaten. You know how tomato is classified as a fruit? The taste never really convinced me, but THESE tomatoes really do taste like fruits. Even those who don't like to eat raw tomatoes will find this quite dang delicious.<br />
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Dish: 9.5/10 It's hard to make such a simple dish leave such a strong impression. But it did, my only complain is that the bread is a bit burnt.<br />
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I wish I remember the name of this pasta. The cheese literally sent me to heaven. It is rich and creamy, yet remained light and fresh at the same time. Quite paradoxical, but once you've tried it, you'll understand. I'm kinda kicking myself for not remembering the name of the restaurant or the cheese. I crave for it every time I see this photo. I'm seriously considering revisiting Seattle just so I can find out the name of the cheese. If anyone knows, please tell me!<br />
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Dish: 10/10 the cheese made the dish..<br />
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Veggie lasagna.<br />
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Dish: 9.5/10 it tastes perfect, it's just the portion is a bit small..<br />
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Now this is what you call a lasagna. The layers are so think and tender. Although it's a vegetarian dish, it does not leave you craving for the taste of meat afterwards. They also imported the cheese they use from Italy and they make their own pastas I believe. Now this is what you call an Italian restaurant!IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-41024516900190806542011-12-17T20:39:00.000-08:002011-12-17T20:43:11.668-08:00Taste of LA Pt. 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I know I haven't updated the site for a long time, but I promise to post a lot more during the holidays! :) </div>
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My first Wolfgang experience. For those who are not familiar, Wolfgang Puck is a California based chef and he's been given the title as "The Greatest Chef in the World." So of course, I had to go to one of his restaurants when I was in LA. His cooking style is a fusion of Cali and French cuisine.<br />
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The whole restaurant is decorated with his photos.<br />
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Complimentary bread.<br />
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Complimentary cream of mushroom soup.<br />
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Our crab cakes appetizer. The hot crab cakes and the chilled tomatoes and onions is the perfect match. The zesty toppings perfectly neutralizes the basic-ness of the crab cakes and the spicy cream sauce at the bottom just gives the dish this extra kick.<br />
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Very underwhelming entrée. After a spectacular appetizer, I expected the entrée to be the same quality, especially because this dish is recommended by the waiter. I just don't know what to say about this salmon, it just feels like I can have this dish in any restaurant.<br />
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Three cheese ravioli. I only had a bite of this, but I remember really liking it. It is rich and creamy; everything a cheese ravioli dish should be plus that special kick of flavour. Definitely up to par.<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 8/10<br />
Lost points for that generic salmon entrée.<br />
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Ambiance: 7.5/10<br />
It's comfortable and clean, yet a bit generic for my taste.<br />
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Service: 8.5/10<br />
I liked how they gave us complimentary soup, most restaurants don't do that. The food came at a relatively good speed and the waiter is almost always there when we need him.<br />
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Price: 8/10<br />
Pretty good since it's a Wolfgang restaurant. ~$25/person.<br />
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Final Verdict: 8.5/10<br />
Is this restaurant worth a try when you're around the area? Yes. Would I come back to this restaurant? Probably not, I feel that we've gotten a taste of what it has to offer already. Would I try another Wolfgang restaurant? Definitely.<br />
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Address:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<address class="adr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="street-address" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1000 Universal Studios Blvd</span><br /><span class="locality" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Universal Cty</span>, <span class="region" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CA</span> <span class="postal-code" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">91608</span><br />Neighborhood: Universal City</address>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1000+Universal+Studios+Boulevard,+Los+Angeles,+CA,+United+States&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&vpsrc=0&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1000+Universal+Studios+Blvd,+San+Fernando+Valley,+California+91602&t=m&z=14&ll=34.136297,-118.351355&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=1000+Universal+Studios+Boulevard,+Los+Angeles,+CA,+United+States&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.184175,79.013672&vpsrc=0&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1000+Universal+Studios+Blvd,+San+Fernando+Valley,+California+91602&t=m&z=14&ll=34.136297,-118.351355" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-37218343252633516102011-11-08T20:33:00.000-08:002011-11-29T12:07:32.569-08:00Terroni; Terribly Terrific.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e6qZdNwUlow/Trm5ydSLjrI/AAAAAAAAAcc/-8LBZDb3rLI/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e6qZdNwUlow/Trm5ydSLjrI/AAAAAAAAAcc/-8LBZDb3rLI/s640/IMG_2112.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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After a very stressful midterm period, my friend and I decided to rewind by having some nice food and a do some catching up. I've heard really great reviews for Terroni, some said it's up to par with food in Italy, so of course we had to try it out!<br />
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It's within walking distance from Eaton Centre, so it's very convenient and easy to find.<br />
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I was also pleasantly surprised by how fast we were seated (it's a big restaurant) despite the fact that we arrived right during lunch time. </div>
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I'm so sorry I didn't get the name of this appetizer. There were too many choices so we simply asked the waitress for recommendations and went with those. This dish is on the daily menu, so I couldn't find the name afterwards.<br />
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Anyways, the white chunk is fresh cheese made from cow's milk, poached cherry tomatoes with basil and bread in olive oil.<br />
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The cheese is very light yet the richness of the milk flavour is retained. It's a good dish even for those non-cheese-lovers (I know you're out there!). The acidity of the cherry tomatoes brought a nice balance to the creaminess of the cheese and bread and the basil is just that nice cherry on top of a perfect sundae.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hwLz-PmaRh0/Trm4f0y9KgI/AAAAAAAAAbs/aS5XxlbE4jM/s1600/IMG_2108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hwLz-PmaRh0/Trm4f0y9KgI/AAAAAAAAAbs/aS5XxlbE4jM/s640/IMG_2108.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="rowtitle" style="clear: none; float: left; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ravioli di Zio Paperone (Homemade Ravioli Stuffed with Duck Confit, Fig, Roasted Butternut Squash, Sauteed with Oyster Mushrooms & Parmigiano Cheese). After a nice refreshing appetizer, this is a very satisfying, rich, explosion of flavours that signals "let's get the party started!" Everything was seasoned to perfection, and it's amazing how I can still taste each component listed on the menu very clearly (except for the fig). The ravioli was well made, and when you bite into it, the duck flavours flow into your mouth. It's quite a bold dish because the taste of duck is not everyone's cup of tea, but I like an edgy dish. :) </span></span><span class="rowtitle" style="clear: none; float: left; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span class="rowtitle" style="clear: none; float: left; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span class="rowtitle" style="clear: none; float: left; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span class="rowtitle" style="clear: none; float: left; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
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Pizza Cosi (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tomato, Fresh Porcini Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Fontina & Prosciutto di Parma). Flat out disappointed. For those who like prosciutto, this may be the pizza for you. But I didn't like this prosciutto. Why? It tastes like rotten eggs to me for some reason. So I tried eating the pizza without the prosciutto, and for those who were wondering, no, the pizza is not up to par with the ones in Italy. Trust me, I know. The pizza dough is not thin enough to be a flatbread pizza, and not fluffy enough to be fluffy. Without the prosciuttos, although it tastes better than Pizza Pizza pizza (lols for pizza x3!), but the amount of ingredients put in is the same. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Overall Review: </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Food: 9.5/10</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">All the dishes were delicious except for the pizza. Terroni probably would've gotten a perfect score if it weren't for the pizza. Despite popular beliefs, pizzas in Italy definitely tastes a lot better. And I'm not just basing this on the prosciutto that I didn't like, but they called it a thin-crust pizza, but it wasn't! The pizza was also a bit burnt. However, I DID see people order more appealing pizzas next to us, so I think I have to go back and try another type of pizza. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Ambiance: 8/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Located in the heart of the business district, the ambiance is very business chic with an Italian accent to the overall design. They had Italian street signs hanging on the wall etc. I loved the high ceiling of the main room, and the foyer. It's kinda like an amalgamation of baroque designs with a modern elements. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Service: 7/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Up to par, but nothing really stood out. But I think the staff and table ratio is a bit off balanced. I also find that before we order, she's always around, but after our food came, it's so much harder to find her. The restaurant is quite big, so we did not have to wait in line much even though we arrived at lunch time (12 o'clock). For some reason, they get really packed around 1 though, so don't go there at 1 if you want to be seated immediately. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Price: 7.5/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The price of the main dishes were quite good, ~$15, but what threw us off was that the appetizer we had was around the same price as the main dishes $13 (I believe). I mean, the appetizer was delicious, but I still think it's a bit steep. But other items on the menu were reasonably priced, ~$15-$18 for pastas. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Final Verdict: 9/10</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I would definitely go back and bring my family along. It's a very nice place to eat. Besides, I've been craving for that cheese ever since I finished eating it! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Address: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span></span><br />
<address class="adr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Toronto,+ON+M5C+1K6,+Canada&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.592876,79.013672&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Toronto,+Ontario+M5C+1K6,+Canada&t=m&ll=43.650889,-79.375706&spn=0.010868,0.018239&z=15&iwloc=A" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-33073284626893455762011-10-28T08:08:00.000-07:002011-10-29T22:15:42.998-07:00Taste of LA Pt. 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a long day in Disneyland, all the restaurants near our hotel is closed, so we ordered room service. On the menu, they had "Peking Duck" under pizza, so I though oh, it's probably because they have no category for it and the bread accompanying Peking Duck looks kinda like pizza dough. But NO, they delivered THIS! Literally duck mixed with plum sauce and cheese. And so, I was laughed at for the rest of the trip for ordering this. It's a really weird combination, and the duck is all dried. So if you decide to order room service from Hilton hotels, do yourselves a flavour and don't order this lol.<br />
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And of course, I had to have my daily intake of veggies. :) This was also the first time I've had pattypan squash (the tiny, fat yellow ones), and they're sooo good... mmm...<br />
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Some crazy woman (my friend) was craving for rice while we were at Hollywood Blvd, so we went to this Japanese restaurant in Hollywood Highland Centre (shopping mall there).<br />
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The sauce on the left side is "soy sauce" and I don't even know what the one on the right is. It tastes like horseradish, sesame, mustard mixed together. Not a very good combination. :/<br />
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Condiments.<br />
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My meal; everything tastes VERY Americanized (not in a good way). If I ever return to LA, I don't think I will visit this place again.IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-72731728344297190712011-10-25T11:39:00.000-07:002011-10-25T11:39:50.554-07:00Taste of LA Pt. 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So the next morning, we were walking around our hotel trying to find a sit-down place for breakfast and we stumbled upon this place. It wasn't until we were seated that we found out that this restaurant belong to the same franchise as the one we had in Beverly Hills.<br />
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I wish we have this in Toronto. If any of you have seen it, pleaseee tell me where I can buy it! I would really appreciate it!<br />
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Best earl grey tea ever! And they give you honey instead of sugar; a very nice touch.<br />
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My chicken panini; ~$6 only. It's very good and they managed to keep it nice and light suitable for a breakfast and toned down the Mediterranean flavours. This is a bit smaller than their ginormous breakfasts, but it's more than enough for me.<br />
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The $6 ginormous breakfast.<br />
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Do we have this in Toronto?<br />
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Inside Universal Studios LA, this is where we ate our dinner. They have a bunch of themed "restaurants" i.e. Parisian.<br />
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I love the retro diner feel.<br />
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Our "angus burgers" and chilli fries. I mean, theme parks are theme parks; their food is theme park quality.<br />
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Restaurant inside Disneyland.<br />
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I love how healthy this looks and tastes. Surprising from a theme park.<br />
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<br />IamDoubleYouEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07851128188334166843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287906146889487903.post-22742393322874793892011-10-24T19:23:00.000-07:002011-10-24T19:39:06.881-07:00Taste of LA Pt. 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Situated in the heart of LA's financial district is this Italian patisserie/bistro/bar in one. You could literally go on any website such as yelp and urbanspoon and check it out for yourself the sheer quantity of excellent feedbacks. It just happened that we stumbled upon a Starbucks and decided to browse through what there is to eat around our hotel when we found this restaurant. All I have to say is, THANK YOU INTERNET! This is <i>by far </i>the best meal I've had in Los Angeles. </div>
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(From left to right) Purple hibiscus, vanilla, raspberry, rose macarons. This is only one of the four sections of their macaron display. They also have earl grey (heavenly!), lemon etc.<br />
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If you didn't want to have a sit down meal here (though I cannot imagine why you wouldn't), you could just buy these pastries (along with others not shown in these photos) and go. The prices of these pastries are comparable to prices in Europe (~$5 per piece), but let me tell you, they are well worth the price!<br />
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Our appetizer; fried mozzarella. On top is an olive with a spicy salsa-esque sauce. The amazing thing is, even though it's fried and it's cheese, it does not taste oily!<br />
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Hallelujah~<br />
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Our cute bread with frozen butter; kinda disappointed about the bread though; a little bit too hard and it literally scrapes the inside of my mouth.<br />
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Short ribs (b<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a18;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">raised beef short ribs served with lardon ragù, white polenta, sage & ricotta)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a18;">. The beef is surprisingly tender and seasoned to perfection. I don't know what sauce they used, but this tastes very Asian. It reminds me of a sweet version of soy sauce and well, the ricotta is like congee kinda. </span><br />
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My yummy entrée: clam linguini (s<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a18;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">urf clams, roasted garlic, garden herbs, Italian parsley & white wine broth). A-ma-ZING! The broth and spices are not overpowering and actually works with the seafood to bring out it's freshness (although the broth is a bit too spicy, more wine, less Tobasco taste would be perfect). The different types of clams were so fresh, so tasty! </span></span><br />
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Open kitchen right in front of us.<br />
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Berries crème brulée. Up to Parisian standards. Enough said.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Nectarine Cobbler (p</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">oached nectarines, aromatic spices, raspberries, crumble & crème fraîche) made with fresh vanilla beans. It's quite sour, especially the raspberry jam at the bottom, but it mesh well with the sugary & heavy </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">crème fraîche and vanilla ice cream. There sure were a lotta different flavours, but I wish it would have different texture to it; it would just be that much more interesting. </span></div>
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Chocolate soufflé with a vanilla sauce. For those who have never had a soufflé, it's a dessert that rises like a mushroom in the oven and it slowly shrinks when it's out of the heat. You usually eat it by poking a hole in the middle and pouring a sauce of some sort (vanilla in this case) into the hole and start eating from the middle. A good soufflé is very fluffy, warm and still moist inside.<br />
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I'm not a chocolate person, and I still find this soufflé AMAZING! It's very light, unlike a browny, but they were able to retain the richness of the chocolate flavours. I don't know how they do it, but I would definitely have this again!<br />
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Yes, we eat 3 desserts in one dinner. We're just cool like that.<br />
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The shrunken soufflé; kinda like popping a balloon.<br />
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So we decided to buy ourselves some souvenirs since we don't know when we'll be back again :'( These are macarons (that we ended up eating). The earl grey and rose macaron are my favourite! Earl grey macaron sounds like an odd combination, but they made it work! They infused the flowery scent of earl grey but left out the tea after taste. I still crave for this today. I just wish they have something like this in Toronto. :'(<br />
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There's conventional and unconventional flavours (i.e. hibiscus). Perfect for a souvenir!<br />
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Overall Review:<br />
Food: 9.75/10<br />
I've never given any restaurant this high of a rating (I think), so that tells you about the quality of the food. Even though the bread is complimentary, I'm still quite disappointed. But I mean, there's always room for improvement.<br />
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Ambiance: 8/10<br />
It has a very slick modern-chic feel to the restaurant with lots of windows and a high ceiling. A very enjoyable place to eat. The only complain is that we were seated right in front of the kitchen and since it's not enclosed, our clothes and hair smelled like food by the end of the dinner. Also, the restaurant is VERY loud. On top of the rowdiness of people, they try to use hardcore rock music to drown the noise (unfitting for the atmosphere and crowd that dines there). This is probably the only major criticism I have for the restaurant.<br />
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Service: 8.5/10<br />
I always love a friendly waiter, but ours was the cool, badass type. We can never find him when we need him and he's always there asking if we need anything else (a polite way of trying to get us to pay when we didn't even finish our food). But the service IS up to par in the mechanical sense and the food came in reasonable time.<br />
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Price: 10/10<br />
Typically, I would expect restaurants like this to be in the $30-$40 range, but their entrées are surprisingly cheap for the quality and the ambiance! Pastas ~$15 (mine's $16), and meat entrées are all $20! This dinner with 1 appetizer, 2 entrées, 3 desserts cost ~$35 per person! I mean, where can you find this in Toronto?!<br />
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Final Verdict: 9.5/10<br />
Dear owner of Bottega Louie, PLEASE come to Toronto! I'll eat here at least 3 nights a week! But please cut back on the rock music. Thanks.<br />
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Address (for those lucky ones in LA atm):<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">700 South Grand Avenue<br />Los Angeles, CA 90017, United States<br /><nobr>(213) 802-1470</nobr></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><nobr><br /></nobr></span><br />
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