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]