I feel like shit. Broke something at work again .. GAAAAAHHHHHHH.
I can't wait to whack birdies tonight ...
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
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]
- Cheryl
Hey Nostradamus! [Douglas Coupland]
Foodie blog: 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"
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"
Sunday, April 25, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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