Got flowers sent to the office .. I was at someone's desk and K wanders over and and points to my desk. I'm confused because I can't see and when I look over, there's a small gaggle of people around my desk and I realize there's a HUGE vase of flowers inside!! They're absolutely gorgeous and I went bright red.

He's the sweetest guy ever .. Happy anniversary hunnie!! Love you :)

I heart you :)

Foodie Blog: Graceful Vegetarian Restaurant

Graceful Vegetarian Restaurant
7131 Kennedy Rd, Unit #8
Markham, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Dim Sum, Vegetarian
Date visited: September 2010

We weren't in a particular veggie mood and the name DOES sound a lil weird but I saw good reviews on it on restaurantica so we decided to check it out one evening.

Food: 4.5/5
The food was mmmm so good. We ordered pancake with curry sauce (appetizer), egg noodle with white and king mushrooms, and deep fried tofu with vegetables. The pancake arrived hot and crispy and the curry sauce was delicious. A bit thicker than I liked but very good nonetheless. The egg noodle dish came next and it was fried to a great consistency. The mushrooms were good and after you mix the sauce with the noodle it ends up being a nice softer crispy taste. Wasn't out of this world but it was good. For the tofu dish I was expecting just small deep fried blocks of tofu sitting on a bed of veggies. Probably wasn't a great English translation because it turned out to be something completely different! When these things came out, I was like wow, not what I was expecting! They looked like these lightly fried tofu turds lol. But, they were amazing!! There were I think 8 of them (waaaay too many to finish in addition to our other dishes) .. ended up taking 4 home (and loving them re-heated/toasted!).

Service: 5/5
Service here was impeccable. When we came in we were seated immediately and the head waiter was extremely courteous. All the other wait staff were also very attentive and polite, catering to all our requests, even checking to see if our teapot was full without asking. Fantastic service, that's all I have to say.

Atmosphere: 5/5
The place sits outside of Market Village and I mistakenly thought it was inside. The sign is in neon pink with some green. When we walked in, it looked like a mini banquet hall. I was taken aback at how immaculate the decor was. It looked like Ginger and Onion (next door) but a lot smaller but so much nicer. Everything from the carpet to the table cloths to the chairs were very nice.

Price/Value: 4/5
The dishes here are a bit more expensive than I thought - about $10 a plate, depending on what you order. The appetizer was $4, noodle dish was $13.50 and the deep fried tofu was almost $10. But, despite the higher price tag, the service and food more than make up for it.

Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
I was very pleased with our experience here. I actually wanted to try the mock meat (which is different in Chinese cuisine than Western mock meat .. and I know what it tastes like), but the bf was a bit skeptical after having the mock meat at a Western place (yuck!). He's ok with tofu and strictly vegetables so that's what we ordered. He was very impressed with the service and the food as well. I think it's a mutual decision that we'd like to return!

Foodie Blog: Hot Mama Noi Thai on the Fly

Hot Mama Noi Thai on the Fly
1410 Bayly St, Unit #6A
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Thai
Date visited: September 2010

I wanted to try something different than our usual pickings on a Saturday night. I wasn't particularly craving asian food but the name caught me completely off guard and had good reviews on Restaurantica so we decided to check it out.

Food: 4.5/5
The food was fantastic! We ordered pad thai, red curry, cashews with chicken and mango chicken. The pad thai was really good (the sauce tasted a tad thick but that's ok, at least it didn't taste like ketchup like the other place). Chicken dishes were good with a healthy serving of peppers (it was a bit saucy). My favourite was the curry. It was delicious .. I think I had most of that dish haha. Everything but the pad thai came with a large lump of rice (it was put on one plate so we could share). Chef also gave us some home made chili sauce - whooo that stuff is hotttt.

Service: 4.5/5
There was next to no one there at 8pm (I guess all their business comes from lunch/take out) so we were seated immediately and our drinks were gotten promptly. The food came out quite quickly and the "waitress" came to check on us frequently. At the end, the chef (Mama Noi, I presume) came out to talk to us, and we complimented her on the great food. Talked for about 10 minutes and got to know her a bit. She was so grateful for our support, and it seems like she gets to know her customers on a personal level, which is pretty nice (and rare).

Atmosphere: 3.75/5
When we tried to find the restaurant, we actually passed by it without knowing. The place is actually sitting in what looks like a business plaza so it didn't really stick out. It's quite a small place but the chef has said that on a weekday basis it's packed at lunch. There are a handful of tables, with a buddhist shrine and a small cashier on the side. However the tables and the area are quite clean. Didn't get a chance to hit up the bathroom.

Price/Value: 4/5
Price was expected for thai dishes - around $8-10 for each dish. Some dishes don't look like a lot but at the end we were quite full. Service was great and the food was good.

Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
I don't think I've ever been at an establishment where the cook comes out to talk to the customers! It was nice that she came to talk to us, and we could sense the tremendous effort she puts into the food, as it's a small family run business. You know there's lots of love going in. Really liked this place (esp the name, hahha), we'll definitely return another time.

France banned burqa's today. I don't agree with it ..

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/860669--french-senate-votes-to-outlaw-islamic-veils

Proof that the world is getting worse ..

This idiot and his "followers" need to be smacked a few times and then some

http://www.thestar.com/article/858519--cancellation-of-qur-an-burning-a-possibility-pastor-says

Foodie Blog: Pho 88 Vietnamese

Pho 88 Vietnamese
325 Bamburgh Circle
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Pho, Vietnamese
Date visited: September 2010

We wanted to try some place different than our usual pho place.

Food: 4.5/5
For the four of us, we ordered a large bowl of pho, two grilled meat plates and a plate of veggies. The pho was decent, and the other dishes were pretty good (not overly salty like the other Pho place). The pork was very tender, as was the chicken. The beef was mediocre. Plate of veggies looked kind of small. Oh yea and we had a deep fried tofu appetizer - very yummy!!

Service: 4/5
Service here is snap snap. You wave your hand and once someone catches wind they're at your table before you can slurp up the last of your noodles. May not be greatest but I wasn't expecting much and they delivered decent service.

Atmosphere: 3.75/5
The arrangement of seats is for maximum capacity. When you see it packed, it looks like a cafeteria. Not pretty, but there was enough space between "aisles" to get thru. Tables were clean and it was a bit loud but there were a lot of people. Didn't get a chance to use the bathroom.

Price/Value: 4.5/5
Great deal on the food. For what we got, we ended up paying like $8/person and ended up quite satisfied (and not over salted)

Overall dining experience: 4/5
Quite satisfied with the experience. At these kinds of places I expect prompt (but not necessarily great) service, good and fast food, and Pho 88 delivered. Will come back.

Foodie Blog: Akashia

Akashia
607 Kingston Rd West
Ajax, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Japanese, sushi
Date visited: August 2010

Wanted to try something new while we were in town for the afternoon.

Food: 4/5
We ordered spicy salmon roll, some other specialty rolls (spider/dragon? I don't remember), and a teriyaki beef bento box. We don't usually order bento boxes, but it was quite a steal for the amount of food you get for the price. Our meal came with soup, salad (for both of us, even tho we only ordered 1 box), I think there was a noodle appetizer too! The specialty rolls were ok, but the spicy salmon roll was quite something. Wasn't very spicy, but I could taste the freshness of it. I think it's one of best tasting and freshest salmon rolls I've ever had. I think also got green tea ice cream at the end too .. bf was ecstatic.

Service: 4/5
It's a husband/wife run shop ..I saw the husband making the sushi while the wife was tending everything else. That's when you know they put the love in it. Could have come around to refill tea more often but both were very nice.

Atmosphere: 3.75/5
It sits opposite to a busy plaza, right beside a car auto shop with parking a bit sketchy. Inside is small and quaint, with about half a dozen tables. Didn't get a chance to use the washroom but didn't even see if there was space for one!

Price/Value: 4/5
I think we walked out paying about $32, and were absolutely STUFFED. The bento box does numbers on any sized stomach and wow it was a lot of food. Probably ordered too much for lunch but can't beat the value.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
Overall, we quite liked Akashia. The food was very good, as was the service. As we were leaving, they gave us 2 coffee mugs and even a frequent eater card! (you know, buy 10 spicy salmon roll, get 1 free) Not sure how good it'll work out for them but hopefully it does. It's a bit far from us but if we're in the area again then I wouldn't mind returning.

I was bitchy and selfish today.

I wanted to go out with him in the evening
But I couldn't
I wanted to have my own place where I could just be by myself or be with him
But I couldn't

So I got quiet. My selfishness overtook me. I silently reeled about how badly I wish we could be like every other couple I know where both parents know and are cool about our relationship. I want to be able to sit in his kitchen and chat with his family like it's an everyday occurrence. I want to be able to hold his hand while walking in Walmart even if his relatives see. I just want us to be known in each other's family without feeling like we have to hide each other from them.

And as I sit here crying silent tears, my selfishness will not leave me tonight. All I can think of is this, instead of thinking about the wonderful person who loves me. Maybe this is the cause of my recent sleepness nights ...

Food

Saag paneer roti @ Gandhi's on Queen is one of my favourite things to eat. It's incredibly delicious, but incredibly deadly, in terms of nutrition .. here's the damage:

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/diet/article/855899--the-dish-vegetarian-roti-outrageously-high-in-calories-fat-and-sodium

Proof that the world is getting worse ...

Shame on the guy running this scam
Even MORE shame on the people stupid enough to bring $200K+ CASH in a BAG. IDIOTS.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/847812--man-wanted-for-currency-exchange-scam

British told how to treat visitors – including Canadians – to the 2012 Olympics

This is scarily true ... at least for moi

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/846560--british-told-how-to-treat-visitors-including-canadians-to-the-2012-olympics?bn=1

EXCERPT FROM VISIT BRITAIN BROCHURE

Section on Canadian tourists from Visit Britain brochure “Delivering a first class welcome”

CANADA

Social practices – not laws – govern many types of behaviour in Canada. Some traditions are well established and are politely but firmly enforced.

For example:

• Lining up, or queuing: People normally line up or queue according to the principle of ‘first-come, first-served.’ They will be angry if you push ahead in a line-up instead of waiting your turn.

• Not smoking in private homes: Most Canadians do not smoke.

• When you are in people’s homes, you should always ask their permission to smoke. However this may be different in Quebec.

• Being on time: You should always arrive on time. People who are often late may be fired from their jobs or suspended from school. Many Canadians will not wait more than 10-15 minutes for someone at a business meeting. For social events, it is expected that you will arrive within half an hour of the stated time.

• Respect for the environment: Canadians respect the natural environment and expect people to avoid littering.

• Bargaining: Bargaining for a better price is not common in Canada, but there are some exceptions. People who sell things privately may also bargain.

• Smart shopping: Stores compete on price with one another to attract customers. Note: the price marked on goods in stores does not include taxes, which add from 7-15% to the cost of an item, depending on the province.

• Shaking hands: It is customary that you always shake hands at a first-time meeting and always in business situations.

• First names: Canadians are always on a first name basis; especially in social situations and informal business environments.

• Not Americans: The Canadian visitor to Britain is not an American.

• Many in Britain treat Canadians as Americans even though they are quite different from their American neighbours. Canadian may take offence if labeled as American. Canadians often identify themselves as Canadians by wearing a maple leaf pin, or a maple leaf on clothing, etc.

Foodie Blog: Vietnam Noodle Star

Vietnam Noodle Star
4188 Finch Ave E
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Pho, Vietnamese
Date visited: Monthly since 2008

This place is a staple in our (me/bf, me/family) food life. Monthly, I'd say I come here at least twice.

Food: 3.75/5
I come here for the pho. You get a piping hot, decent sized portion of noodles and meat for about $6 (although, I've noticed the portion size has decreased in recent days). Sometimes when me and my groupies come here, we order non-pho dishes, like the fried rice and noodles. This is where the deductions start to kick in. Went here yesterday with bf and another couple after a movie and we weren't really feeling for pho. Our staple dish, spicy clams, was not available at 10:15pm (dang it). But you have to try it - sauce is fantastic (albeit a bit salty and the portion on it has shrunk a bit). Ordered some fried rice, beef noodle dish, chinese lettuce and sweet and sour pork. Everything was overly salty. Even the vegetables! We've done this a few times now and it's not the first time we've noticed the extra-saltiness. I guess we don't learn. Most of the other stuff isn't that bad .. the pork was good and we've tried some of the "main course" dishes before - the "steak" is actually pretty tender.

Service: 3.75/5
Although this is a sit down restaurant, food FLIES around quickly. And what that means is snappy service. You won't see the waitresses check on you. But once your arm hits the air to beckon them, they're on you like flies, ready to get what you need. Service may not the friendliest, but it's snappy and efficient (there's always one waitress who always smiles and always asks how we are - we make sure we tip well).

Atmosphere: 3.5/5
This place is pretty simple - lots of tables and a few "palm" trees spread along an aisle. Floor is a bit slippery so watch out. There are 2 doors to get in/out, but in the winter times, sit away from the door as the coldness comes in! Bathrooms are mediocre but usually clean.

Price/Value: 4/5
If you're ordering just pho, this is the only place I would ever eat at. Like I mentioned before, you get a decent sized portion of noodles and meat for $5-6 + tax/tips. Order anything else and things can get a bit pricey.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
The main reason I give it 4/5 is because we primarily come here for a quick pho meal. The pho is hot and the noodles and meat are always consistently good. Service is quick and you can probably have a quick meal in 10 min (assuming you can get a seat at the busy hours!). I think we'll always be regulars at this place .. they know us too well.

I thought this was cute ...

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/843740--my-big-fat-geek-wedding

Proof that the world is getting worse

It's sad how manipulative people can be .. and how compassionate (read:victims) can be ...

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/844614--woman-faked-cancer-to-raise-money?bn=1

Foodie Blog: Ali Baba Kabob House

Ali Baba Kabob House
1801 Lawrence Ave E
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Afghan
Date visited: August 2010

After Amy's wedding service, we had some time to kill before the dinner reception. It was a bit after lunch but both me and the bf had breakfast a few hours ago and were getting hungry. I was feeling like falafels and the bf wanted meat (shwarma) and this place had good reviews on restaurantica so we decided to check it out

Food: 5/5
So, let's get this straight. I asked and they don't serve falafels or shwarma. I don't know where the restaurantica poster gets a "falafel sandwich" from because I didn't get one!! Anyways we sat down and checked out the menu. Everything kind of looks the same to me .. I realized this wasn't a shwarma place but rather an Afghani little restaurant. Kind of scared by the ~$10 prices, we ordered one kofta kabob dinner (even tho it was lunch) for the both of us, and assumed we'd grab a snack after somewhere else. The guy was really nice and went away with our order. Within minutes a fresh green salad appeared along with some spicy sauce and "complimentary" bread/naan. This was one of the FRESHEST salads I have ever had eating out. It wasn't smothered in dressing but rather lightly dressed, which was exactly what we wanted. Great salad. Yes, salad. A minute after the salad arrived our main arrived - a giant plate of yellow and white basmati rice with two huge kofta kabobs. For those who don't know, kofta is .. middle eastern "meatloaf" or meatballs. Kabobs, if you will. I took one bite out of the kabob and instantly heaved a large portion onto my plate - it was absolutely delicious. Tender, juicy and well spiced. The rice was also very yummy as well.

Service: 3.75/5
This place is a little family run business. We were greeted by a man when we entered and he politely offered the menus. When I asked if there were lunch portions, he referred to the signs outside that advertised lunch specials that were only for take out but would give it to us for the same price sitting down (we were the only ones in the place). He wasn't outstanding, but he was quiet and nice. Didn't expect a lot but wasn't disappointed.

Atmosphere: 4/5
This was a quaint little restaurant situated in plaza surrounded by other brown stores. The place was clean and had maybe a dozen small tables. The good thing was that the chairs and tables weren't rickety! A bit bare but by no means bad (I actually don't remember too much of the decor). It was just very simple. Didn't visit the washroom (if there was one)

Price/Value: 4/5
The bill came up to ~$10 for two people. We were stuffed. We're both average sized portion eaters so it was quite filling for us. We left a hefty tip. The lunch special was probably the same thing but without a pop and salad, and that was going for maybe $7. I'd still say it's a good deal considering the rice and meat portions are pretty generous.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
I was disappointed I didn't get to eat my falafels but was quite surprised at how yummy afghani food was. I had never experienced it before and was really glad that I was able to stumble into this small place and have such a delicious meal. I was blown away by the kabob and rice. We'll definitely be returning to this place when we're in the neighbourhood .. keep up the good cooking!

I'm more than just an option
Refuse to be forgotten
I took a chance with my heart
And I feel it takin' over

I better find your loving
I better find your heart
I bet if I give all my love then
Nothing's gonna tear us apart

I ran so much this weekend .. 4K on Saturday, almost 5K on Sunday and then another 4K on Monday .. felt soooo good to actually run more than my usual 2K :)

Proof that the world is getting worse ...

Who would think of something like this? Who would be so sick???

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/842157--spiked-plank-found-in-cherry-beach-off-leash-area

Proof that the world is getting better ... !

"Experts" are recommending that salt content should be shown on menus. FINALLY!! Someone else in the world who cares about sodium! This is definitely a step in the right direction ...

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/article/841712--show-salt-content-on-menus-experts-say?bn=1

Proof that the world is getting worse ...

An immigration judge bribes a claimant for sex in exchange for a favourable decision. Kudos to the woman who bravely brought this jerk to his knees. I hope this guy rots in jail.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/841675--immigration-judge-sentenced-to-jail-after-trying-to-bribe-refugee-claimant-for-sex?bn=1

The bf and I hit up the beach today. It was an absolutely gorgeous day out. The sun was out, a few clouds in the sky, and there was a light breeze. The beach wasn't packed and there lots of happy people out.

We sat on the rocks for a while and chatted. I could sit there all day long and still have a wonderful time. Looking out into the beautiful lake, it's one of those images you could think of when you're at work and looking at the window and wish you were at.

Being with him at the beach made my day. Thanks hun :)

Foodie Blog: Super Sushi House

Super Sushi House
1891 Kennedy Rd
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Sushi, Bento Boxes
Date visited: July 2010

So yesterday we were supposed to go to our usual sushi dig, Ama Sushi (AYCE), but we were still full from lunch and decided to hit up something new. I've seen this place dozens of times seen good reviews about it. Here's our (my) take on it:

Food: 3/5
For all sushi restaurants, the key, absolute key, is the spicy salmon roll. We ordered spicy salmon and hamachi (yellow tail) maki, red dragon and edamame. The edamame was nice and crunchy with some salt to boot (we forgot to ask for it sans-salt, as we find it tasting just as good). The price for the "simple" maki's were quite cheap, so I had my suspicion that the outer part would simply be the seaweed, and not another layer of rice. Yup, I was right. The "spicy salmon" was disappointing - not spicy at all, and the rolls weren't very big (well, for the price I guess it's what you'd expect). Hamachi was alright. The only good thing was the red dragon roll. In fact, it was really good. The salmon, avocado and tobiko on the cali rolls were very generous and it was really good.

Service: 3/5
Service here was good to start. The fellow was quick to take our order, he said "you're welcome" to every "thank you", and topped our tea frequently. The woman however, lacked any kind of enthusiasm. No smiling, very robotic. As our meal progressed, it took more than 5 minutes to get anyone to recognize our attention-seeking gazes so we could order another roll. The place is quite small and all tables visible so it's not like they couldn't see us. They didn't come back to check up on us after food was served nor did they come top off our tea. We were hoping to get a scoop of green tea ice cream, but the kicker was that the woman brought us the bill without us asking and when I asked if we could just get it added to the bill, she did not understand. How hard is it? The bf's mood was spoiled and he said to forget it, so we paid and left. As we were leaving, she looked up from the cashier and without a smile said "thank you". Do you really take it as a "thank you" if it's robotic without any emotion?

Atmosphere: 3.5/5
The restaurant sits on the corner of a busy plaza at a busy intersection. From the outside it looks a bit sketchy but when you enter it looks like a decent japanese restaurant. There weren't too many tables (maybe 10?) to generally seat 2 or 4 people. It looked clean (enough), and decor was average. You could see the people preparing the sushi which is always kinda nice. Didn't hit up the washrooms.

Price/Value: 4.5/5
This place was quite cheap compared to some of the places we've eaten at. The "simple" maki (6) rolls ranged from 2.99 to 3.99 but they're quite small. The "special" ones like red dragon and soft shell crab came in 8 and were about $8. However, there was a lack of selection for the "special" ones. The menu offers bento boxes for an extremely low price - ~$10 for soup, salad, salmon/beef/chicken teriyaki, rice, 6 cali rolls and dessert (there might be another item in the deal). Even the "dine-in special" looked like a good deal - for $14.50 you get up to 27 (pre-selected) pieces of sashimi and rolls (some specials include hand rolls). In total we paid like $32 for edamame, "spicy salmon" maki, hamachi maki and 2 orders of red dragon. Not a bad deal.

Overall dining experience: 3/5
For us, the food wasn't that great and the service was the clincher. Had the spicy salmon rolls actually been spicy and a bit bigger of a portion (I don't mind paying more for bigger rolls, but I guess that's how they roll here), and had the lady server been nicer/more attentive/smiling, then we would have enjoyed it more. Despite the cheap price, I don't think we'll return.

I was watching Food Network just now and there's a show called The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Chocolate, and the guests talk about the best chocolate things they've ever eaten. One of them described a creme brulee chocolate at a little chocolatier shop in New York.

Oh good heavenly mercy. Creme brulee. And chocolate. Put together.

I must go back to New York.

Kee's Chocolates
http://www.keeschocolates.com
Their macaroons look quite delicious too :)

I went jogging outside this morning .. it was absolutely gorgeous out :)

Quote ...

"I don't think anyone ever gets over anything in life. They merely get used to it."

-Roger
The Gum Thief [Douglas Coupland]

Proof that the world is getting worse ...

An elderly woman is charged with putting sewing needles in sausages. You have to be severly deranged to do such a malicious thing ...

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/834413--elderly-woman-arrested-for-tampering-with-sausages

Foodie Blog: Saravanaa Bhavan

Saravanaa Bhavan
1571 Sandhurst Circle, Unit 153
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Vegetarian, Southern Indian
Date visited: May 2010
http://www.saravanaabhavan.ca

For the bf's birthday, his sister and bro-in-law wanted to take him to out to dinner. I was invited, so trying out South Indian was something new than the usual "Indian" food

Food: 4/5
I like to try vegetarian food. I'm not always craving meat so this was a nice change of pace. I had no idea what dosa's are until that day. We ordered 2 dosa's (masala and something else), a stuffed paratha (or maybe it was a utthappam?), and two marriages made in heaven, paneer biryani!! (oh, how I love paneer). When the dosa's arrived, I didn't expect it to be such a giant serving. It looked like giant edible construction paper folded up with little curries/sauces on the indented dishes. They were very good! My paneer biryani was delicious (but very spicy). We ordered a few mango lassi's and they were quite well done too - nice and thick, tasting the yogurt.

Service: 3.5/5
Service here was good. It wasn't extraordinary but it was good - the waiters/waitresses came by promptly to take our order, to top off our water, to give us more napkins.

Atmosphere: 4/5
The restaurant sits in a plaza, and one side is completely glass. It's got a very nice view outside (of the parking lot), but the openness of it gives it a nice feel. The decor was nice and simple, and the tables and atmosphere felt very clean. Because everything is eaten with your hands (and the food is very hot!), they have conveniently placed a hand washing station in the corner. It consists of two small sinks with nice faucets, soap and paper towels. Very simple and well designed and placed.

Price/Value: 4/5
This was a decently priced restaurant, with mains going at around $8-$13. They offer a great variety of dishes, and take-out options are available.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
I enjoyed eating at this restaurant. The openness and cleanliness of the place instantly gives you a relaxed feeling, and you might spend up to 10 minutes looking at the menu as I did, debating on all the choices (many of the menu items were new to me, that's probably why). The hand-washing station was a nice and smart touch to the dining area. The food was great and I think I'd return for another visit!

Quote ..

Shiva jumped up to the board, uninvited, and wrote: 10,213,223.

"This number is the only number that describes itself when you read it. 'One zero, two ones, three twos, and two threes!"

- Shiva Praise Stone
Cutting for Stone [Abraham Verghese]

Do you want to share your dreams
See a different side of me
You're everything I need

There is no one like you
And in a world of black and white
You are the only one in colour

There is no one like you
Into history I slide
I want you to keep it all uncovered
You are the only one in colour

Foodie Blog: Vegetarian Haven

Vegetarian Haven
17 Baldwin St
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Vegetarian
Date visited: May 2010
http://www.vegetarianhaven.com

For my birthday, I wanted to try something different .. something healthy .. something vegetarian? Sure, why not! I dragged the bf and Ewie here (Peter couldn't make it).

Food: 2.5-3/5
I was excited to try the tofu drumsticks .. they looked really good on the menu and actually tasted pretty good. For mains, I ordered Mushroom Tofu in clay pot; bf ordered sizzling seitan in black pepper sauce; Ewie ordered Singapore pad thai I think. My food was very good .. I really liked the mushrooms and tofu and the rice and sauce were good. Unfortunately, that was all that we found good. Bf's "meat" didn't taste as good as the sampler looked - I think it was the texture that really threw me off .. I couldn't stomach more than a few bites of it; I don't know how he ate 3/4 of it! Ewie's noodles were really heavily spiced with .. spice? I can't remember what exactly it was but it gave a really strong unpleasant taste to the noodles - she didn't finish it either.

Service: 4.5/5
The service here was fab. The waiters/waitresses were very jubilant and happy to point out suggestions and cater to questions. They were there to to off water. I think the main difference you'll find is that they actually enjoy serving people vegetarian food. I don't remember the bathrooms but from what I do remember is that it was clean (there's a small little lip of a curb that I tripped over, tho).

Atmosphere: 4/5
I think the clientele here is different than what you might find at a regular chain restaurant. It's a long cozy corridor with tables tightly packed. You hear light chatter from all around but it's not overwhelmingly loud or pitch quiet. The decor was quite simple and nice.

Price/Value: 3.5/5
Most people expect that meat-less food would cost less, but not so here! Prices range at around $9-$13 for a main. However, I didn't expect $6 meals either .. I think it's actually decently priced for organic, meat-less meals with a twist.

Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
I think the biggest thing here was the fact that we didn't find the food very appetizing. My vegetarian coworker really likes this place, and my friends being quiet carnivorous didn't find the food very tasty. Food aside, the service was very good as was the decor. The great thing about this place is that you don't find "normal" vegetarian options on the menu - most of the things on the menu are things I've never heard of, and that's what drew me to this place. It wasn't just "veggie burger", or "salad", but meals with an exotic twist. I don't think we'd return, but if you're a vegetarian, I would suggest this restaurant.

Foodie Blog: Tandoori House

Tandoori House
4862 Yonge St
North York, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Indian
Date visited: June 2010
http://www.tandoorihouse.ca

So one day Dile found a deal on teamclick - $15 for $40 of food at Tandoori House. Being the Indian food nuts that we are, 5 of us went to scarf down some Indian food.

Food: 4/5
For starters, we got veggie pakoras. One order was only 4 so we got 2 orders. Expecting spiky little fritters, I was a bit surprised when the pakoras came. They looked more like pancakes. After one taste, it didn't matter what they looked like - they were pretty good! And not very greasy, to add. A few of us got mango lassi's - also very good. It was a bit thick and you could taste the yogurt - yummy! For entrees we got lamb palak (very flavourful), mutter paneer (mmm paneer), shrimp vindaloo (whooo it's got some heat), butter chicken (classic) and .. some other chicken dish lol. The rice and naan were good too.

Service: 3.5/5
Service was good. The woman tending to us at the beginning was nice - she was prompt to check on us with our orders, topping off our water and what not. It wasn't out of this world service but it was good enough so that you didn't have to keep beckoning them.

Atmosphere: 2.5/5
The decor at this place is kind of drab. The tables are spacious so that you're not bumping elbows and chairs like you might find at Little India. But the wallpaper and booth cloth fabric looks very outdated and generally old. Five seconds into my visit into the bathroom and I was dying to get out. Out of two stalls, only one had a working lock. It was a very cramped space, with the toilets looking rather old, yellow and stained. Fortunately there was warm water, soap and paper towels (although, still on the roll just sitting on the counter). At least the upstairs was better than the washrooms.

Price/Value: 4/5
It was very average-priced at this restaurant; around $10-13 for a main and rice/naan being a few dollars. I guess the main reason it seemed quite good was because of our teamclick coupon. We ended up paying $16 per person with tax/tips included. Had we not had it, it probably would have came up to around $26. At the end of the dinner, we had 4 dishes and some rice to pack home!

Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
It probably depends from person to person, but Indian food tastes mostly the same to me. I've had so much paneer that it tastes the same everywhere, as does the butter chicken, naan and basmati rice. I like trying new places and this place was good. I should stress that it wouldn't be my first choice .. but I'd be willing to come back.

Venting

I cried in the shower today. I was completely emo all of a sudden and I can't figure out why.

I was hoping to take Dad to FS today to look at tv's. Here's our conversation from this morning:
Me: "Hey Dad, you want to go to Future Shop?"
Dad: "For what"
Me: "To .. go look at electronics"
Dad: "[pause] No."

I fail to understand why he is so reserved, so unwilling. I stalked out of the kitchen, keeping my anger to myself, my fists balled up. The second my feet hit the shower floor, I cried. I don't think it's just that .. I'm used to lack of interest from him, the silence when I say I'm going out with my "friend" (read: boyfriend).

Last nite I went to a wedding reception. The bf was one of the groomsman and the reception was wonderful. Keeping tradition, the single ladies were called up to catch the bouquet. Some idiot (read: the emcee) called my name out and I hauled myself to the back of the mob jockeying for position. Don't get me wrong - eventually I'd like to get married and pop out some kids, but not right now. I looked up at the bf who was sitting at the head table and he was mouthing "noooo" and waving his hands as if to say "don't you dare catch it!". I smiled and stood at the back with arms crossed as one of the bridesmaids caught the bouquet. Standing in the shower with my thoughts clouded and recalling the night's events, was he trying to say, "noo I don't want to marry you" or "noo I don't love you that much"? I know it's a silly thought but when tears are streaming down your face, you think of anything. I love him to death but doubt he has the courage to stand up to his parents and marry someone outside of his culture. I have already and faced the silent beatings. I don't want him to suffer through the misery I did for him, but at the same time I do because I hope he is willing to do the same for me.

I'd like to say it's in God's hands but since I'm not religious, it is in my hands. And I don't know what to do. All I know is that I love him.

Venting

My beef: Cars who blare their music so loud that your coffee is pitching waves in your travel mug.

We were at the gas station today filling up, when a loud thumping vibration gets closer and closer. I feel like I'm next to a speaker when a car rolls in about 20 yards away to pump his tires .. it is SO INCREDIBLY loud I swear it felt like a magnitude 4 from the vibrations alone (never mind the sound - that was worse). The bf is done pumping gas when the earthquake turns into a 7, and I find that the lame car has pulled up in front to fill up gas. I seriously want to shoot his speakers out (and then his tires, for good measure).

Foodie Blog: The Roti Hut

The Roti Hut
351 Pitfield Rd
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): West Indian
Date visited: June 2010

We've been to Roti Hut before, and after finding out the place I wanted to go to was closed, we opted for something different than our usual Asian choices.

Food: 4/5
We ordered a goat roti and beef with rice (after standing in line for a good 5 minutes figuring out what was what). The portion was very generous - the rice covered the entire plate, with curry beef spilling out on top while the roti was a giant lump wrapped around goat meat sitting in the middle of the plate. Both meats were very tender (I thought I recalled once the beef was a bit chewy last time I came but I think my memory is failing me). The rice grains are larger than what I'm used to but were good; the roti was a good consistency, but I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more sauce in the roti lump as it was getting a bit dry at the end.

Service: 3.5/5
Service is hard to determine at this place. The layout of the restaurant is fashioned so that there's a "front" area where you can get in line to order your food at single counter, much like a fast food place. However, you can opt to dine in as there is a wonderful seating area. The only time you really deal with "service" is when you're ordering, and since most of the patrons opt for take-out, that's about it. But if you choose dine-in, you just grab a seat and they'll bring the food out to you. So there is little service interaction here .. the cashier looked a bit bored (well, that's kind of expected) but was nice.

Atmosphere: 5/5
I love the dine-in area. It's quite spacious, with maybe a dozen tables. It's very simple, with well chosen decor and furniture that goes very well together. The tables are nice, as are the chairs - cushioned and well fashioned - not cheap like you'd find at a diner or any other fast food place. All the tables are nice and clean with a simple (fake) flower pot in the middle. The tiles also give it a clean and "uppity" feel and match everything else (the blinds are nice too, I have to mention). There is a sink equipped with soap and paper towels right by the dining area, should you need to rinse your hands before or after your meal. The washrooms are single-use but are actually quite nice - you notice it again in the tiling and sink/faucet.

Price/Value: 4.5/5
For $7-$8, you get a pretty big portioned meal (add another buck if you want a drink). If you opt to sit down, you don't even have to tip because you're not being served! You get the benefit of a nice dining area and nice sinks to wash your hands! For lunch, some people might find this a bit pricey but there are cheaper options on the menu should you want something else. For dinner, I think you get a pretty good bang for your buck at under $10 a person.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
Although the roti was a bit dry at the end of my meal due to the lack of sauce/curry, everything else seemed to set a positive tone with this establishment, especially the decor to the bathrooms to the good food. Next time I'd like to try the paratha roti with channa :)

Foodie Blog: Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant

Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant
1550 Kingston Rd
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Japanese, sushi
Date visited: June 2010

I like reading up on Restaurantica to find good eats. The problem is that a lot of "newbies" post reviews and you have to take those posts with a grain of salt because you don't know whether they're legit posters or people just boosting up the rating and reviews for the restaurant. A few people had posted about this place so we decided to try it out for lunch one weekend.

Food: 4.5/5
We ordered edamame for starters, and then spicy salmon roll, dragon roll and spider roll. We were given a small trio dish of appetizers before the edamame - and wow were they good! I don't remember what they all were but one was a warm dry noodle sample, and another might have been cabbage. Our edamame came piping hot along with our sushi (we were hoping the sushi would come a bit later so we could eat the hot edamame). The spicy salmon roll was good, as was the spider roll. The dragon roll was very good - you could taste the freshness of the sushi.

Service: 3.5/5
One of my biggest peeves at restaurants is if the waiter/waitress doesn't top off your water or tea. The waitress was very nice - smiling and always saying "you're welcome" to our "thank you"'s, but she didn't come back very often after the sushi was served. We ran out of tea quite quickly and had to beckon her a few times. I could hear the chef welcome regulars whenever they came in, and that's always nice to hear.

Atmosphere: 4/5
The restaurant was small but cozy. The door was propped open to circulate air and it was a tad warm. We were seated in a well endowed booth, and it had a very nice Japanese feel to it. Didn't get a chance to use the washroom.

Price/Value: 4/5
For dinner we usually order what we ordered here - an appetizer and 3 rolls. But it looks like our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and it also turns out that their portion sizes are a little bigger! Usually spicy salmon rolls come in 6 and special rolls come in 8 or 10. But here, there were 8 spicy salmon rolls and I think up to 12 for the spider roll. Throw in the the free appetizer they gave us on top of the one we ordered and we found ourselves crawling at the end to finish all of it off. The spicy salmon rolls were a bit bigger than what I'm used to (and the "sauce" looked a bit strange) and the other rolls were of average size. Given all this, I think the price was very justified for the amount of food we got.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
Squished in the plaza, we almost didn't find this place. We were very pleased with the food and the quantity. The free appetizer they gave us were very much bonus points as it was free AND delicious. I think we'll definitely be returning to this place; I just hope that next time they top off our tea more often :)

Foodie Blog: Arkadia House

Arkadia House
2007 Eglinton Ave E
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Greek
Date visited: May 2010
http://www.arkadiahouse.com/

In the mood for Greek food somewhere in Scarborough, we wanted a nice sit down restaurant instead of fast food (although, Mr. Greek Express is decent as well). I've seen this restaurant a number times when traveling on Eglinton so we decided to try it out.

Food: 4.5/5
I ordered the lamb exohicko, which is lamb wrapped in a filo pastry. It came with vegetables and potatoes, as well as a greek salad to start. The bf ordered the chicken souvlaki dinner, which also came with vegetables and fries and a greek salad to start. My plate was huge! My plan was to finish half and take the other half home. As I neared halfway, I decided to eat a little more and a little more because it was delicious .. and by the time I hit 75% I didn't think it was worth to take it home! The vegetables were good too - I think they were just steamed, but it was crunchy and not soggy like Swiss Chalet's vegetables. The bf's plate was also good, although some of the souvlaki pieces were chewy. There was a very generous portion of meat and he was quite satisfied with it.

Service: 4/5
All of the servers in the restaurant were middle aged men dressed like waiters on a luxury cruise ship. He was courteous and friendly but I didn't get that nice open and loose vibe like you get at the Keg. Almost like it was too formal. He was prompt with our drinks and getting our order but service lagged a bit during our meal with topping off water.

Atmosphere: 4/5
That night, it poured. It didn't rain - it poured. Doing the 50m dash from the car to the restaurant will make a sprinter out of anyone and when we first set foot, I thought we were way out of place (we usually opt for casual dining places). This place looked quite formal, from the carpet to the tables, to the well dressed waiters and the clientele. I actually felt very out of place showing up in half soaked jeans and a sports jacket. However, I found the place a bit dim to my liking and a touch cold (but maybe that was because I was wet from the rain).

Price/Value: 4/5
Compared with all the Greek restaurants we've been to, we found the menus a tad pricier. Not by much tho, maybe 5-10% more? But with the food tasting quite good and the portion size being decent to a tad large, I think the price was justified (although, who ever wants to pay more for their meal?).

Overall dining experience: 4/5
I was quite pleased with the overall dining experience at Arkadia House. The menus were appealing and the atmosphere was generally nice. The waiter was courteous and the food was quite delicious. Although we wouldn't come here all the time for Greek food (because it's a little more expensive), we will definitely be back when we want a "finer" dining experience.

Foodie Blog: Pearl Harbourfront Chinese Restaurant

Pearl Harbourfront Chinese Restaurant
207 Queen's Quay West, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Chinese
Date visited: sometime in 2009
http://www.pearlharbourfront.ca/

We visited this restaurant last year but I still have that sour taste in my mouth from the dining experience. Visiting my sister and her bf downtown in 2009, we thought we'd try something nice.

Food: 5/5
For an expensive restaurant, I expect good food. And the food was good. Excellent, I dare say. However, the dishes we ordered bordered on the small size so we had to order a number of dishes - I think we ended up getting 6 or 7 plates for the 4 of us. I don't quite remember what we had, but somewhere along the lines of sizzling beef, guylan vegetables, stir fry chicken and veggies. They were all nicely presented and delicious to eat.

Service: 2.5/5
We went on a Saturday night, and I expected the place to be packed - instead, it was quite empty. There were maybe a handful of tables occupied near the window and a large group of maybe 20 on the side. When they seated us, we were sitting right beside the group of 20. As you can expect with a large group, they were loud and quite boisterous. Tell me WHY you would sit a small group away from your other quiet patrons beside a large loud group? There are PLENTY of tables all over the place. After about 10 minutes of sitting there listening to people try to yell across the table, we asked the waiter to be moved. He did not look pleased but honoured our request. The head waitresses posed a snobbish attitude and the waiters seemed disinterested when taking our orders, but they were all quick to our table when our hands went up.

Atmosphere: 4/5
Overlooking Lake Ontario, the restaurant does have a nice view. We visited at the dinner hour in the winter time so we didn't get any view but I can imagine it looks quite nice during the day. The restaurant is nicely decorated, with elegant tables, chairs and the like.

Price/Value: 2.5/5
As I mentioned before, the portions for each dish were quite small. Whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant with my family, 4 dishes and some rice and fill us up pretty good for a decent price. The dish portions here were on the small side, and at around $15 a plate, it adds up quite quickly. You can get quite decent Chinese food for a decent price, and this was not decently priced. Dare I say it was gouging?? I think we ended up forking over almost $35 a person for 4 people (2 averaged sized guys, 2 smaller gals). I was not completely full when I left.

Overall dining experience: 2.5/5
After we were re-seated, and the rude attitude from all of the staff, I was already itching to leave before we had even ordered. The food was delicious but the service was the clincher in this one. The cost is also a big factor as it was quite expensive for a decent sized meal. This is the first and last time I'll be returning to this restaurant.

Proof that the world is getting worse ...

BP's oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico is the man made disaster of this year ..

http://thestar.blogs.com/photodesk/2010/06/gulf-oil-spill-takes-toll-on-wildlife-.html

There's something kind of cool about kissing your sweaty hockey player boyfriend .. heehee .. don't ask.

I heart him :)

Proof that the world is getting worse ..

In today's news:

Drunk passenger sues driver
"A lawsuit launched by a woman who drunkenly jumped from a moving car during an argument with her partner could make drivers liable for intoxicated passengers who cause themselves harm." AMAZING what society is coming to these days ...

Foodie blog: Red House - Thai and Malaysia

Red House - Thai & Malaysia
705 Kingston Rd
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Thai, Malaysian
Date visited: twice in April 2010
http://www.theredhouse.ca/

Wanting to try something different, the bf and I found a small thai place to try out with another couple.

Food: 3/5
The first time we came here, we ordered 4 dishes - fried rice, red curry, noodles and stir fry. The fried rice was spicy but good; the red curry was mediocre, lacking flavour; the noodles were good but I hinted at a bit too much oyster sauce, and the cashew nut stir fry was very good. On this occasion, I would have given them 4/5 on food. This is the reason we decided to come back (with a drawback - mentioned in Service). The second time we came back we decided to go with the tried and true cashew nut stir fry, along with another stir fry, pad thai, and a different fried rice. The stir fry's weren't very good and the cashew nut definitely tasted different. The fried rice was decent, but the worst of them all was the pad thai - it was a unanimous agreement that it was the worst we've ever tasted - put bluntly it tasted like rice noodles with ketchup, sugar and spice thrown in. I don't know how Shen ate the rest of what we didn't want but somehow he did. The dishes as they were mediocre at best and the pad thai skewed the rating of the entire night to a very low one.

Service: 4/5
Service here was good - we were always attended to fairly quickly, and they topped up water. The only thing I have to complain about was the first time we were here. When the bill came we split it evenly - there were a few 20's and some change so we didn't have to wait for change. As they took it away and we were getting ready to leave, we overheard the owner talking to another staff member talking in Chinese - he said "is this money real??". I was completely taken aback - I was fully ready to come back (which we did) but I was hesitant to return because of that comment. No, I don't print money and yes, I get my money from the bank, so yes, my money is real.

Atmosphere: 4/5
The restaurant is quite small and seats maybe 20 people at most. We've had to wait both times we came but only for 15 minutes. The place is quite popular with take out as a lot of people come and go with take out orders. The decor is nice with a clean feeling, although it might be a bit cramped. I've never used the washrooms.

Price/Value: 4.5/5
Prices here are very reasonably priced - you're looking at an average of $8-9 for each dish. We walked out quite stuffed for $12 a person. For take-out, I'm sure you get more bang for your buck without having to fork over tips

Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
After having dined at this establishment twice, I'm reluctant to return. The food was good the first time but not so much the second. In general the service was very good and the atmosphere was nice. If we do return, it won't be anytime soon, but I might be willing to try it again some time later once I've gotten the bad pad thai taste out of my mouth.

Foodie blog: Regal Chinese Cuisine and Banquet Hall

Regal Chinese Cuisine and Banquet Hall
1571 Sandhurst Circle
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Chinese
Date visited: May 2010

My family and I decided to go out for dinner to celebrate my parents' anniversary and my birthday. A new restaurant had opened up after Ruby Restaurant had closed down a few months earlier due to sanitary violations. I had high expectations for this place since Ruby was regarded as a high class restaurant, but I walked out of that restaurant with a bitter and sour taste in my mouth.

Food: 5/5
My father was very adamant about trying to order the set dinner - quite frankly, it was the best "deal" since everything on the menu was very highly priced. After convincing him to order a la carte, we decided upon "crab" claws, oysters in honey/garlic, angus beef in maggie sauce (?), seafood birds nest and some steamed rice. The birds nest was made with rice vermicelli instead of the usual taro that I'm used to - but it was crispy and good, as were the seafood and snow peas. The first piece of beef I had was chewy but every other piece from then on was tender. The oysters were yummy and the sauce was tasty. The "crab' claws were a bit smaller than I expected but were still pipping hot and delicious even after sitting on my plate for 5 minutes.

Service: 1/5
We had a reservation but it didn't matter because the place was only 60% filled. After being seated, no one came by to ask/bring us tea for almost 5 minutes. The waiter who took our order was nice, but that's about as far as "good" goes when it comes to service. My father tried to make a suggestion to a waiter about the "food printout" they give you when you order - it's pretty much a receipt of what you order. Half of it is in English but the food items you've ordered are only written in Chinese - do you expect all your customers to be bilingual? Anyways as one of the waiters was clearing up the table he completely ignored my father making a suggestion. After dessert, our bill came and I reached out to get it. At every other restaurant, "high class" or not, staff leave it on the table and come back in a few minutes once you've sorted out all the bickering over the bill. But no, the lady STOOD (dare I say hovered) over us until I produced my credit card. She came back promptly with the portable credit card machine processor, and I expected it to be handed to me to fill in the tip and my PIN. The next kicker is what she said. Translated equivalently to English it would be: "how much tip are you giving?". I was taken aback by the direct and blunt question/request. Her voice was so cold and direct, it could not possibly be translated to, "how much tips WOULD you LIKE to give?". I simply replied that I'd fill it in myself. She went to wait on another table and came back as the receipt was printing. The final slap in the face: she put the receipt on the table and left, without as much as a smile or saying thank you.

Atmosphere: 4/5
Despite the awful entrance, once you step inside, the place really does look like a banquet hall. All the chairs and tables have nice covers/cloths and it is spacious. You get a bit of a grand feeling when you're in there and the bathrooms are pretty nice (although, my mother commented that it was a bit dark).

Price/Value: 3/5
The first thing that hits you when you look at the menu is the prices. Peking duck, shark fin soup, sure I expect to pay absorbent prices. But $16 for Cantonese Chow Mein? Come ON now. My father was firmly set on ordering the "set dinner" but my mother noticed a sign that stated a 20% discount for seniors. We managed to convince him to order a la carte. Granted, the food was delicious, but we've been to other Chinese restaurants with quite good food for half the price.

Overall dining experience: 2/5
Despite the good food and nice decor, the service at the end of dinner left me with an incredibly soured experience. Never have I experienced such bad customer service in my LIFE (I'm sure there's plenty of more bad ones to come). My entire family was unanimous on how awful the lady treated us and that we would never come here again (and also spread the word on not to eat here).

Random

I feel like shit. Broke something at work again .. GAAAAAHHHHHHH.
I can't wait to whack birdies tonight ...

Quote ..

"Math class was x's and y's and I felt trapped inside a repeating dream, staring at these two evil little letters who tormented me with their constant need to balance and be equal with each other. They should just get married and form a new letter altogether and put an end to all of the nonsense. And then they should have kids"

- Cheryl
Hey Nostradamus! [Douglas Coupland]

Foodie blog: Embrujo Flamenco

Embrujo Flamenco
97 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Spanish, Tapas
Date visited: April 2010
www.embrujoflamenco.com

So one day Dile decides that it's time for a girls night out. And not just dessert - we're going for dinner! We (well, she) narrows it down to two places (can't remember what the other one was called) and Embrujo Flamenco won out. I was excited to try it - never tried Spanish tapas before but I likened it to Spanish dim sum. Now if you don't know what tapas is, think of chinese dim sum, where you have small dishes of food to share among the table, rather than one large dish per person.

Food: 4/5
We ordered almost 8 things I don't remember which ones we ordered (not the cow tongue tho .. they were out of it that day. BJ almost cried .. haha j/k). A few shrimp dishes - one was chocolate covered shrimp. It wasn't that great, although the thought of it was quite different. There was one with some sort of cheese like thing with little bread squares that was delicious, as was a dish with steak pieces with different sauces. The calamari was yummy; the eggplant was alright, and the paella was very flavourful. The main tapas dishes I thought were standard fare - good, but nothing stuck out at me (except for that cheese/honey/bread one). The paella was very good.

Service: 4/5
Reservations are indeed necessary for this place - it seems there's pretty much only 1 sitting through the entire evening (we were there for almost 3 hours!). Our waiter was helpful in suggesting what to eat and how much to eat, but I suppose he also overestimated how much we were capable of eating. We wanted to get one order of paella, and on the menu it says for 2 people, so I said paella, I guess for 2 people? And then he suggested about 8 tapas dishes on top of that. We got about 7, and thinking that our one order was going to come out it would be about good. Turns out he put two orders down - waaaaay too much food for us. We ended up doggie bagging an entire plateful of paella. I suppose that was partly my bad for saying "for 2 people?" (and I pointed to the menu), but perhaps he could have clarified. Oh well, I won't split hairs over that. Dile was upset he didn't top the water off (maybe cuz she was drunk .. heehee).

Atmosphere: 4/5
The restaurant is a tiny place tucked in on Danforth. If I had to hazard a guess I would say maybe 10 tables of 2-6 could fit, with a stage for live Spanish dancing. The dancer was very good - she danced (with those clam shaped instruments that are really loud when clapped) and stomped on the stage along to a guy on a guitar for some time (maybe 30 min?). The only problem is that because the place is so tiny and the stomping/instruments were a bit loud, it was hard to talk amongst ourselves. But after the show was finished it was fine. Ewie and I decided to hit up the ladies room - I was not impressed with it. It looked like something I'd see at camping - a single light, with none shining into the stalls; the stalls were dark and wooden and rickety (one stall didn't lock properly). The only "cool" thing was the mirror/advertisement board in there - you think you're looking at a mirror but in the corner there's some electronic advertising. Parking is available in a public lot about a block away.

Price/Value: 3.5/5
This being my first time to a Spanish tapas restaurant, I didn't know what to expect. The menu had a lot of selections (expected, since you're probably going to choose a bunch of dishes), but at an average price tag of $9-$12 for each plate and you need to get a lot of plates, you're looking at a large dinner tab. For the 4 of us, we ordered around 7 tapas dishes, 2 paella dishes (the cheapest ones, at $40 a pop), and a few drinks. The total damage was $200, so about $50 a person after tax and tips. Even if there wasn't confusion about the second paella, it'd still be about $40 a person.

Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
It was nice to try out a new cuisine - the tapas idea was nice and the food was decent, but the price tag and bad bathroom can't keep my opinion above water. I'm not dirt poor but I'm not filthy rich either, but in my opinion $40 per person was a bit pricey. Would I return, not likely, but I wouldn't not recommend others from going either (yes, a double negative); it's not my cup of tea (or plate of dinner), but someone else may like it and find the price tag alright.

Proof that the world is getting worse ..

In today's news:

Women strut their stuff for Boobquake
"On April 16 senior Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi suggested women who wear revealing clothing are to blame for earthquakes. “Women who do not dress modestly…lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases (consequently) earthquakes,” he was quoted as saying by Iranian media."

79-year-old man robbed on subway
"A 79-year-old man was left with minor injuries after he attempted to fight off two men who robbed and beat him while riding the subway Saturday night"

My bf is awesome

He got me flowers for our monthly anniversary. So sweet. One of the ga-jillion reasons why I love him .. :)

Foodie blog: Ding Tai Fung

Ding Tai Fung
3235 Hwy 7, Unit 18b (First Markham Place)
Markham, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Chinese
Date visited: April 2010

A few months ago, t.o.night had a small blurb about this place and their to-die-for xiao long baos (direct translation: little dragon buns), which are steamed balls of meat inside a flour wrapper. Kind of like dumplings, but round. I convinced the bf to give it a try (well, not much convincing to do, because a) what I say, goes, and b) he loves dumplings/meat inside a flour wrapper). So we get to First Markham Place and I'm scanning the units for this place. We pull into a spot (near the Jacob outlet!) and begin our dumpling quest.

Food: 4.75/5
The first thing we tried to find on the menu were these precious buns. As expected, it was under the Dim Sum section. We decided to get one order of xiao long bao, pork meat with chives dumplings, and shredded beef on Chinese broccoli and a bowl of rice (yea I know, not all dim sum but oh well). The dim sum came out rather quickly - steaming hot in a bamboo container. One look at the bf at his first bite and he was already reaching for his second one lol. They were very delicious. The pork and chives dumpling were very .. chive-y. I thought there was too much chives and not enough meat, but the dumplings themselves were quite large. The wrapper had a nice texture. Our shredded beef on Chinese broccoli arrived shortly, and mmm it was very tasty. The beef was well marinated and not chewy at all, while the veggies were perfectly cooked (a bit oily, but that will be forgiven). There was actually a lot of veggie/meat than expected.

Service: 4.5/5
We came in around 2pm and were seated quickly. Unlike western restaurants, you can beckon any staff member to come to your table for service, and staff there always had an eye out for a hand going up to wave them over. They were quick, efficient and friendly for the most part, whether it be taking your order sheet, bringing our order, getting a requested item or getting your bill/change. Maybe they could smile more? Maybe that's just me.

Atmosphere: 5/5
The first thing you notice when you walk in is how pristine clean it looks, and the decor/layout of the restaurant. A large yet simple painting/frame on one wall was a nice look, the openness of the windows to let the light in, and the simple design/layout of the tables and chairs were a nice touch. A simple yet important thing I look for is how comfortable the booths/tables/chairs are - and they were. Enough space behind you to get in/out/put your jacket on, and the chairs weren't rickety. Washrooms were small yet clean, and the hand dryer was nice! Very impressed with the atmosphere in this restaurant.

Price/Value: 4/5
My first look at the menu and I was taken aback that 6 xiao long baos and our dumplings were $6 a piece. Our other usual dumpling place gives 12 for $5. Well, we did come here for the baos/dumplings, so we're gonna get it and complain later. The baos/dumpings were very good but I felt it was a bit overpriced. The beef/veggie was a bit pricey at $11.50 (I was expecting $8-9) but I have to admit it was extremely tasty. Rice ... well, it's rice so I'll let that fly at $1.50.

Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
Despite the higher price tag, I was very impressed with Ding Tai Fung. The food was superb and the service and atmosphere was very good. I can expect to see a very long wait at busy weekend lunch hours (11am-1pm) for dim sum/brunch but I guess this is why we have late lunches lol. I think we'd come back to this place again when we're in the area.

Foodie blog: Little Tokyo Sushi

Little Tokyo Sushi
726 Kingston Rd
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Japanese, sushi
Date visited: April 2010

So after a late lunch at Belaggios Gelato nearby and hitting up Pickering TC for a movie, our dinner menu was open for something new. Our usual sushi place was a bit away and we didn't want AYCE so we decided to try Little Tokyo Sushi

Food: 3.75/5
Every time we eat sushi, spicy salmon maki roll is a must. We pretty much base our entire rating around it. Biased much? Probably, but that's how we roll. We started off with green tea and edamame - it came out hot but with too much salt for our liking. The spicy salmon roll was spicy - done well but I wasn't impressed with the lack of salmon in the roll. I'm also a fan of having a layer of rice on the outside. Spider roll and Skydome roll (shrimp tempura with the usual cucumber, avocado, tobiko, etc) were tasty but the end pieces were a bit sloppily put together.

Service: 3.5/5
When we came in, we were directed to a specific booth, not "sit anywhere you like". Our hostess/waitress was nice but had a hint of snobbishness. We didn't asked about drinks while looking thru the menu - I'm used to drinking green tea while looking it over. Small oversight I suppose. Our appetizer and sushi rolls came quite quickly (there was maybe 1 or 2 other couples in the place too). She topped off tea and checked on us frequently at first, but it fell off the cliff in the last 15-20 minutes. We ran out of tea and because we were seated in a booth with tall wooden walls we couldn't gesture to her without practically walking out of the booth (which is what I did).

Atmosphere: 4/5
The place was clean, with a nice japanese look to it. Booths hugged the walls on two sides and had the usual display of fish with the "sushi-maker" person in view. The booth was nice, and we got a cute little soya sauce dripper. The only problem is that the booth is so enclosed that your view of the outside is limited. When we ran out of tea, the lady was talking amongst others not in plain view, and I had to stick my head out of the booth to get her attention. Had service been a bit better I might not have ranted about the booths.

Price/Value: 4/5
Edamame was well priced at $3.50. 6 spicy salmon rolls were a bit pricey at $5.95 but the specialty rolls were expected: ~$9-10 for spider and skydome rolls. Food was good with exception of the spicy salmon roll.

Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
Although the food was good, I was a bit disappointed with the service. That, combined with our make-or-break opinion of the spicy salmon. I might come back for take-out, but I don't think we'll return for another dine-in experience.

Foodie blog: Belaggios Gelato

About a year or two ago, the bf and I decided to try some new restaurants out instead of going to our usual food joints. Amateur food critics we are at best (at least, I am :)), but we love eating. After eating at a number of restaurants, I really wanted to write about my awesome/sub-par experiences. Yes, there's restaurantica and chowhound but I guess I wanted something different. Too lazy to create a site for it so I guess I'll just blog about it for now then c-p it over :)


Belaggios Gelato
705 Kingston Rd
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Deli, gelato
Date visited: April 2010

Hoping for a small lunch to hold us over for dinner, bf and I decided to see if there was something in the vicinity of Pickering TC. Tucked in a corner of a plaza at 705 Kingston was Belaggios Gelato that advertised Italian deli sandwiches. Walking in I sensed a very homey and clean atmosphere, suspecting a family run business.

Food: 5/5
The menu was a bit limited but that didn't bother me. We were planning on sharing a sandwich and salad but got stumped between the veal on a bun and roast beef sandwich. Asked for an opinion, the cashier suggested the veal. Also asked for a side Italian salad (never heard of "i-talian salad" previous to this). We had a choice of a "topping" on our bun - I wanted sweet peppers and he wanted eggplant. No problem, the cashier replied, they can put half and half. NICE. Sat down for a few minutes and she brought out each of our half sandwiches on nice plates, followed by the salad. The bun was a nice texture (not sure if there was whole wheat available), veal and topping very delicious. A good portion, given it was only half the sandwich. The "i-talian" salad was simple greens tossed together, but with sauteed peppers, sliced button mushrooms and onions in a light vinaigrette. Also very tasty. I glanced behind me and hinted to the gelato. Bf had no choice. We got a small cup of ferrero rocher and stracciatella, with lil whee spoons that I always want to keep. It was FANTASTICALLY MIND BLOWING. I was very satisfied with our selection.

Service: 5/5
There were only two people in the little deli at the time - the cashier and the "cook". The cashier was a pretty young woman who was extremely nice. When our food was ready she even brought it out to us - I had fully expected the cook just to shout out our order and to go fetch it. She gave us her opinion on what was good, and even suggested we could do half/half toppings on our sandwich.

Atmosphere: 4.5/5
The deli was very small, with 3 small tables and a bar counter on the side to seat another few. Had a simple decor. The floors were nice and clean, as were the tables, plates and cutlery. Most important - the chairs and tables weren't rickety!! (big beef of mine). I didn't get a chance to use the bathroom tho (also a biggie), so N/A on that.

Price/Value: 4.5/5
Veal on a bun was ~$6 and a small salad was $4 (bottle of water was $1) + tax. Average priced, and the portions were decent. At first I thought the salad was pricey but after finding out there was delicious sauteed veggies in there I retracted that opinion. For two people for a small lunch, $13 was a pretty good bang for our buck.

Overall dining experience: 5/5
I really can't find anything bad to rant about this place. Food was delicious, service was nice and the atmosphere was pleasant. The only thing I'm worried about is eating here at a busy lunch hour (we went around 3pm) and how busy it will be and the wait for food. Will definitely come back.