Looking back at 2015

A few picutres from December 2015

2015
It's been a good year. 
Not everything was great, there were ups and downs but overall, I'm thankful for a good year and for all the people in my life. 

Wrote more on this blog

 (115 posts compared to 41 in 2014!  Eating lots of good meals!)

Baked more

(cookies, cakes, and other interesting treats like the sesame pear muffin in Dec)

Read some interesting books

(about Ramen, French country-side living, and Chinese food in America)

Drank more tea

(at home and at the numerous tea shops that have popped up in Toronto)

Cooked more

(like Jamaican style oxtail...which I have yet to post a recipe for...)

Ate wonderful sweets

(at Petit Nuage and Soma to name a few)

And most importantly, enjoyed more precious memories that my toddler and partner have bestowed upon me.

Thank you to those that have taken the time to read my little space in the blogging world!

Richmond Court Restaurant

Richmond Court is an old standby Cantonese restaurant for me.  They serve HK Style Cafe meals, all day dim sum, and family style Chinese dishes which include a selection of seafood.  For night owls, this place is also open late!
 

I like this place because it's quite large so getting a seat is not too difficult, the food is decent, and the price is on par with the portion and taste.  The servers are also quite friendly.  The restaurant includes a bbq meats section and bakery so it really does offer something for everyone.  Only thing that was a little bit of a sad face on our last visit - lots of ice in the iced tea we got.
 

Wonton noodles and almond milk

On a separate visit... 

Black Pepper Beef

Soy sauce chicken (half portion)

 We ordered veggies as well that was part of a set meal and it comes with soup.  Sometimes all you want is some standard Cantonese dishes that are fast and affortable.

 

 

Richmond Court Restaurant

http://www.richmondcourtrestaurant.com/contactmap.html

550 Hwy 7 East Building A Unit 7-8, 28-30

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

T: 905-709-1628 

Hours: Sun - Thurs 8am -2:30am, Fri-Sat open till 3am. 

 

Lunch AND dinner at ZenQ

ZenQ near my place had started offering food and I've been meaning to give them a try for some time now.  The brand started out trying to establish itself as a dessert and tea place, but the expansion into Taiwanese meals is welcome.  From 12-9 pm they offer a selection of their dishes + drink (a select few) for $9.50.  (I think the Markham location is a little cheaper for their combo?)  ZenQ is actually owned by the same parent company as Chatime, La Kaffa International which I found interesting because I'm sure they must be sourcing the same tea.

For a late (and actually quite rushed) lunch, I ordered the crispy chicken rice combo and I wasn't disappointed, actually quite happy.  The meal comes with a side dish of vegetables, a good portion of chicken and rice with some minced pork on top.  Taste was good and it wasn't greasy.  I would have liked a little bit of basil on the crispy chicken to add to the flavour but it was still ok.  The regular milk bubble tea was good as usual.  I've gotten takeout drinks from them often and it's always been pretty good. 

So...usually I'd try out a place and then move on to try another place but...



Come dinner time...I decided to try their takeout.  Yes, I do things in bunches!  The other entree I was thinking of trying at lunch was the three cup chicken so for dinner, this is what I got for takeout.  The takeout container is not a bento box style but still comes with your main and sides.  There is actually more rice in the takeout container.  Flavour was good and is very typical, could use more garlic but I was happy there was basil.  This time I had a honey jasmine green tea with my meal and it was a nice refreshing drink!

For bubble tea places, this place offers quite a decent meal combo and the hours they offer it is really great as you can have it for lunch and dinner!

  

 

ZenQ (North York)

http://www.zenq.ca/

5437A Yonge St.
North York, ON M2N 5S1
T: (647) 350-ZENQ (9367)



Dayali - Spinach and Peanuts, Stir fried Tea Tree Mushrooms, and Yes, Peking Duck

Dayali Beijing Roast Duck
20 Gibson Dr.
Markham, ON L3R 0M7
T: 905-604-8680

About a month ago I was craving Peking duck, so I invited some friends to come try it out with me. We have ordered Peking duck for just 2 of us but I thought it would be good to try some other dishes and looking at the menu, I wanted to try a lot of other dishes!

We ordered the signature duck which was pricier, but unfortunately it wasn't the star of the show that afternoon. It was good but not "you have to eat this HERE!" type reaction.

The signature duck I believe comes with the extra slices of skin that I are around the chest area, fattier than other parts. It also comes with a warmer for the wrappers and extra sides which actually weren't that interesting after all. Overall, this was an average tasting bird. The special pieces were crisp but also because of the fattieness, the fat was somewhat "spongy" as my partner put it.

We ordered a number of sides to go with our duck...

From top L (counter clockwise): meat jelly, glutinous rice stuffed lotus root, spinach and peanuts, jelly fish, marinated duck wings

The best was the spinach and peanuts but it is a spicy dish.

Here are the other items we ordered...

 

Beef noodle soup

Fried rice

Tea tree mushroom stirfry (You can buy these at Chinese supermarkets...they don't taste like tea though, or at least I don't think so since it was stir fried with soy sauce and chilis)

Braised pork with glutinous rice

Spicy clams

 

Dishes that I'd order again based on taste:

Spinach and peanut salad
Spicy clams
Stir-fried tea tree mushrooms (although the picture in the menu was quite different, showing a mix of different types of mushrooms which would have been more ideal): these mushrooms are chewy and the dish is spicy so if might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Average:

Beef noodle soup
Lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice (sweet tasting)
Braised pork with glutinous rice (very little glutinous rice)
Fried rice (can't remember the exact name but I believe it was seafood)

Lacking flavour and wouldn't order again:

Meat jelly
Marinated duck wings

A number of the dishes seemed quite oily but I know that this is often the case.


Service was sub-par...there weren't many servers to attend to the tables, a friend had to get up and get little things like extra napkins himself!

Baking - October and November

Starting from Top L: 6" chiffon cake, olive, parmesan, rosemary sables, cheese and dill scones, mini choux puffs filled with pastry cream, mushroom shaped meringue, banana muffins, coconut jelly filled papaya, lemon chiffon cake

I've been sporatically baking  or making dessert but just haven't had time to post pictures or a little blurb. Here's a snapshot of some of the items.

Most of the items were quite simple to make and I wouldn't necessarily have anything much to write about except to document my baking progress.  But, I'm especially happy that I got to make mushroom shaped meringues (usually made for Christmas logs)!  They were fairly simple but took a lot longer to dry in the oven then what the recipe stated...maybe I made them a bit larger than stated...but I didn't care :D

Leaf de Tea - one of the best bubble tea deals in Markham!

Leaf de Tea has been around for years but last weekend was my first time trying out their tea.  We were at the First Markham food court and I wanted a milk tea after lunch and noticed Leaf de Tea.  It had the shape of Taiwan in their signage so I wanted to take a closer look. 

I was really surprised to see the prices were so...I don't want to say cheap because the word also has the connotation that the quality is not there...but, you get exceptional value!  How do you beat $2 for a regular bubble tea?! 

Got a regular milk tea and the jasmine milk tea, both without tapioca.  The regular milk tea was quite good, I forgot to ask for half sugar and it wasn't too sweet.  I may ask for less sugar next time but this was definitely pretty good as is.  Tea was flavourful and smooth.  The jasmine milk tea was also good but quite a strong floral taste.

This has got to be one of the best bubble tea deals in Markham, taste and price are both very good!  It doesn't have the youth appeal or social media marketing of Chatime, but it's definitely a good option for a tea drink if you're at First Markham.  And if you're hungry they also have food, also for a great price.  One special included 10 curry fish balls and a bubble tea for $5!!  Anyway, will be back to try other teas and their tapioca for a better review...and their food!

Oh, and free wifi offerred?!  Interesting for a food stand in a food court.

 

Leaf de Tea
First Markham Place
3255 Highway 7, Unit 250
Markham, ON L3R 3P9

December: I'm Dreaming of...

Hot chocolate at Maman Toronto :)

December started out a bit rough for me but I'm glad to have finished writing this post!

 

Christmas shopping, party planning, baking shopping lists have all started.  December is usually when I spend huge amounts of time shopping, baking and eating and it'll likely be the same this December.  However, this December, in the midst of everything festive, I'm Dreaming of...

 

- de-cluttering before the year ends. 

Is that even possible?!  I recently bought a bunch of reading material and plan to add more shortly so I am in immediate need of space!  Hopefully I can de-clutter more than I'm expecting to buy, lol!  But in all seriousness, I tend to hold onto things because I think I'll need something later, but really I should start thinking about what brings me happiness, what things I'll use regularly and what things I use on occasion but will use for mamy many years.  It's probably a good time to donate things too.

 

- an array of side dishes.

I have always looked forward to side dishes at Korean restaurants and about a month or two ago I came across two blog posts (here and here) highlighting places with side dishes that looked so healthy and yummy.  Perfect for balancing out all the sweets and treats this season.  Side dishes are not meant to be time consuming but do take organization to pull off.  Hoping this December I could be just a little bit more organized to make a few!

 

- looking to embrace the coming winter. 

I usually hate the coming of winter because of the cold, snow, slush, and ice.  I was watching an episode about bento boxes and it mentioned that Japanese people take pride in the fact that Japan has 4 distinct seasons and they embrace each season.  This is not a new philosophy and I'm sure not every Japanese person feels that way, but I thought to myself, yes...winter is a season that I should embrace and not lament over the cold.  A lot has to do with perspective.  There is beauty in winter and I love sipping on hot tea while it's cold out; just makes the tea even better!  (Or hot chocolate, coffee, or even hot soup!)

 

Enjoy December!

Kekou - Gelato in Asian Inspired Flavours

Sorry, ate some of the top before snapping! 

I was really tempted to get the whiskey green tea gelato (a combination that all karaoke-goers should know, lol), really, really tempted but alas, I opted for 2 other flavours to top my sugar cone.  I still had work to do, lol!

Kekou specializes in gelato with Asian inspired flavours and their first location on Baldwin was always talked about.  So, when they opened one on Queen West and Spadina, I knew I had to visit. I initially went in thinking I would get their roasted oolong tea gelato (hoping to find something reminisent of the strong tea flavoured ice cream I had in Taiwan), but because you can sample the flavours before purchase (very big plus!), I decided it was a little too sweet for me.  Would have preferred more tea and less sweet, but I could see it being very popular!

In the end, I chose the soursop and black sesame ice cream.  Yummy!  The soursop was sweet and slightly sour while the black sesame had good sesame/nutty flavour and although some people might not like the actual whole sesame seeds in the gelato, I was okay with it.

Service was friendly and they also have a stamp card.  Buy 9 gelatos and get a medium one free or buy 9 drinks and get one free.  And, they also have happy hour, Mon - Fri 3-5pm you get double stamps, sweet!  Oh, AND if you are looking to have other sweet treats or just a hot tea/beverage, all are quite reasonably priced.  My next visit just might involve a lot more than gelato!   

I was tempted to get the milk oolong tea (the only oolong on the menu) as this tea is actually a more unique tea and in Taiwan it is more commonly called "Jin Xuan" (金萱) which is one of the four major cultivars grown there. But, I was headed to Nohohon after.  Being a bit hung up about tea terminology (skip this is your not finicky about terminology), I did notice that when they described oolong tea, they said semi-fermented tea which is not the correct English term.  It is semi-oxidized because the leaf is being oxidized (like how an apple turns brown) rather than fermented which involves yeast or bacteria. In Taiwan, they still use the Chinese characters (發酵) which translates to "ferment" to describe the process, but that was how they historically described it so I can see how it is still used.  Anyway, just a small thing.

Space is quite open with lots of room for customers to stand and stare at the menu, or sample flavours or pay for their products.  There are also 3 large communal tables since eating gelato out in the cold especially during winter is, well..unlikely.  Overall, great place for gelato!

Kekou
394 Queen Street W.
Toronto, ON M5V 2A6
(416) 516-0637
www.kekou.ca

 



Paradise Fine Chinese Dining - Not Worth the Price

House Cold Appetizer: Spicy pickled cloud ear fungus

A month ago we had gone to Paradise Fine Dining for dinner as we were in the mood for something fancier in terms of Chinese cuisine and it was close to home.  When it comes to eating Chinese food, I can be quite picky...especially if they are charging a premium price.  I'm definitely more lenient towards HK Cafes as they are what they claim to be; quick service value restaurants.  So I expect higher end restaurants to serve food and provide service according to their claim that they are "fine dining" and "higher end".

Although the food tasted okay and I was happy to have tried out this restaurant, I don't think the portions, tastes, or service match up with the price they charge. I really had a hard time writing this as I hate spending time on negative things, but I have to tell it like it is.  I did like the cold appetizer they provided free of charge, the spicy pickled cloud ear fungus but, had the prices been more aligned with the taste, I would think more highly of this restaurant. Maybe we didn't choose the "right" dishes or dim sum is much better, but all three dishes we tried just didn't justify the price. 

Steamed fish...ended up being almost $50 for an okay tasting steamed fish.  Nothing wrong with it but it wasn't the best I've had in the city.



Diced Garlic Beef Tenderloin...$22 for beef that tasted good but not spectacular.  The accompaning zucchini pieces were undercooked and lacked flavour as I assume they thought the beef would add flavour to these pieces.  The portion size could have been better.



Braised Tofu and Vegetables...$16 for blocks of tofu and shitake mushrooms that were pretty standard. 

Anyway, if you have deep pockets and want to give them a try, the decor is nice, service was more attentive when we were paying the bill, and food was okay.  They do have a set meal for just over $100 containing lobster and roasted duck (by the way, roast duck alone was $50) that might entice me to return, but right now if I want some high end Chinese food, I'll be looking elsewhere.


Paradise Fine Chinese Dining
5505 Leslie St
Toronto, ON M2H 3B6
(416) 490-8828
http://www.paradisenorthyork.com/

 

 

Nadege - Financial District

I've heard good things about Nadege but have never been to any of their outlets, so when I wanted to pick up a snack I decided to try them out.  The financial district location in the Richmond Adelaide Centre (underground PATH) is a bit of a walk for me, but I figured I needed the walk.

Nice large and open space for downtown. 

After much perusing, I ended up getting a chocolate praline croissant which was pretty tasty.  Good dark chocolate flavour and the layers of laminated dough were good, crispy on top and slightly denser than your traditional croissant which I liked.  The praline didn't play a starring role though.

Pastry section with entrements/tarts was okay looking but nothing enticing enough to buy that day.  I got a chocolate macaron to sample and was a bit disappointed.  The chocolate filling was not very uniform, a bit dry in parts and not really a dark chocolate flavour, more milk chocolate.  The outside did not have as nice a crisp as others. Maybe this was an off day or something because I have heard good things about their macarons.

Had an iced tea (ginger lemon green tea) which was brewed from the brand Kusmi Tea (a French tea brand).  It was okay.  The cup was a bit leaky at the top though and I think the hot cups were a little nicer.  Service was efficient and friendly though.

 

Other offerings include sandwiches, a variety of sweets for gift giving, and chocolates; more specifically Alphabet Chocolate which caught my eye, the P for parmesan chocolate sounded interesting.  Despite the macaron, I'd go back again to give a few other things a try as I did enjoy the croissant or maybe I'll stop by one of their other locations. 

Nadege
THE PATH - Richmond Adelaide Centre
120 Adelaide St. W.
Toronto, ON M5H 1T1
416-368-2009

November: I'm Dreaming of...

Fall is a beautiful time of year and I always feel like apple picking, but this year I didn't make much of an effort to plan an outing.  I've been too obsessed about a few things...one being a milk frother.  I've mentioned before that I've wanted one but the brands I looked at were a little too pricey for me and in the past I tried a battery operated handheld one that didn't work. Then I came across Kuissential and eventually I couldn't resist and bought one off Amazon. 

 

Why a milk frother?  Well, I've always had the desire to make tea lattes and it's perfect for the cold weather that is with us for many months out the year.  And yes, you could just use warmed milk from a saucepan but I want that extra element of froth and the ability to froth cold milk as well...something I've wanted to do ever since seeing some iced tea/coffee drinks in Taipei that look like this:

 

@ La Douceur Patisserie in Taipei - very cute space and the pastries were well made!

 

So, with my new kitchen gadget in hand, I'm dreaming of...

 

...many tea lattes and frothy milk iced tea drinks.

 

And, while I'm making these said tea drinks, I'm dreaming of...

 

...capturing the beauty of the tea leaves. 
I haven't taken pictures with a DSLR for awhile.  I had borrowed my sister's camera once for a few weeks and these were the results:

 

 

 Like them but I remember taking forever!  Hopefully, I'll be able to spend some time practicing my photo taking.





 

Something a little off topic, this month I'm still reading the book 'My Day' The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns, 1936-1962 which is quite a departure from the usual books that interest me. My partner is more knowledgeable on the political scene in America than I and I thought it would be good to do some learning, plus, I liked the aspect that she wrote these columns daily, almost like a blog today, but included her thoughts on political and social issues.  It has been quite interesting as there is so much about American politics during that time and WWII that I never spent too much time learning about before now. Eleanor Roosevelt is definitely a woman that was amazing. 

 

So, I'm thinking of reading other books that differ from my usual.  Maybe about Madame Chiang Kai-Shek who was mentioned in 'My Day'.  Or maybe short stories from Haruki Murakami who's name I came across on 2 different occasions in the last 6 months, one being here, at TheThousandthGirl. I'm definitely going to be on the look out for something else to read after I finish 'My Day'.  Hope it will be just as interesting.

 

Enjoy November!

 

 

Book Review: Picnic in Provence

Rosemary, Olive and Parmesan Sables

Picnic in Provence
Author: Elizabeth Bard

Picnic in Provence is the follow-up book to Lunch in Paris which did outstandingly well.  Her second book is definitely a winner too!

I loved reading this book!  Memoirs or biographies are not for everyone but this one was one that spoke to me in more ways than one. I picked it up from the library by chance as I saw it on display in the browsery. Sometimes you love a book when you read it at the right time in life and the timing of this book was perfect for me. 

Elizabeth had moved to Paris after meeting her husband and her second book chronicles three life changing moments: her move to Cereste, France (which is in the Provence region), her first three years as a new mom, and the opening of a new business in ice cream.  Similar to her first book (which I haven't read), she includes recipes.  So, along with descriptions of life in France, great recipes, the hardships of starting a new business, and the feelings of being a mom, I was interested in all of it.  If she had written this several years ago, I don't know if I would have appreciated her trials and joys as a mom.  But, I think I would have enjoyed the book nonetheless because of all the other aspects.

I started putting little slips of paper into the book to bookmark a recipe and found I had >10 recipes that interested me which is a lot! I can't say they are all unique as I found a similar titled one in another book of mine, but most seem relatively simple (important when you have a toddler), had ingredients that I liked, and a lot were unique in some way.  And it helps that she describes them in a way that makes you want to eat it NOW! 

What I loved...

- Her description of the places she has walked through and the people that have entered her life
- The recipes. I found good variety and as I mentioned, many that I would love to try. But, I've only tried two so far (they were pretty good) - when I have tried more, I'll likely update this space.
- I also really admire her openess about certain things, like how she had to work at being a mom.
- She wrote lines that resonated with me (below are some quotes).
- The difficulties they encountered moving from a big city to the countryside and also the difficulties of starting a new business (a true Labour of Love)
- Little bits of neat info, like how they went to harvest saffron.


What I'd love to see more of...

- I loved the amount of personal info, storytelling, info about the town and recipes offered.  Of course I could say I'd love to see more recipes and more about Cereste but then I'd be greedy! 



Spoiler Alert (well not exactly), here are some quotes from the book that I liked.  There are many more:

"The other day, Amandine let us in on a little secret: the village has a public fig tree. ... See, I wanted to say to my mom, we may not have the Metropolitan Opera, but we have a communal fig tree."

"Americans are used to instantaneous everything, including friendship. We get giddy, a little desperate. making a friend in France is like training a lion; you have to approach slowly, over time." - there is actually quite a bit of America vs France comparison.

"What I really enjoy about being in Cereste is the length of the days, the way time rolls out smoothly in front of us, like the gentle rise of the fields. Don't get me wrong - I'm still greedy, but now I am greedy for time. I crave it like big bowls of soupe d'epeautre padding my rib cage and warming my organs."

"When my mother wants to tell me she's proud of me (and, I'm lucky to say, this happens quuite often), she says: 'You're the best thing I've ever done.' "

"If I can launch a happy human being out into the world, as my mother launched me, it will be the best thing I've ever done, certainly the most important"

Talking about one of their friends Marion..."Listening to her talk about where we could find wild licorice root or the sweetest apricots was equivalent to having an imaginary map of Provence spread out on the table in front of us. Like churchill moving miniature warships, she could pinpoint the best producers for each fruit - sometimes right down to the tree."

"We had stumbled into an unlikely life. All the five-year plans in the world wouldn't have gotten us here. Yet it's exactly the right place to be."

Loved it and would recommend!

Tutto Pronto Ristorante - Good Food and Ambience

Polipo alla griglia (grilled octopus, cannellini beans, potatoes, EVOO pasley oil)

 

This was an invited tasting (thanks Zomato! #ZomatoXTuttoPronto), but as always, opinions are all my own.

 

Good Italian food and ambience.  Dimly lit but enough light to see your food, the candles and lighting pieces were very nice.  It feels a little rustic but very comfortable, loved it!  And if I were to sum up the dishes, I would say the sauces made the meal. The flavours were subtle but good, a nice round of dishes. 

 

Loved the lighting piece above the back bar area

 

Anna Maria (the owner) was also very pleasant and let the food speak for itself. Tutto Pronto actually started almost 12 years ago as a take-out and catering place. They still operate that portion of the business but a year into the business, the space next door became available and she took a leap of faith and opened the dining area we got the pleasure of dining in last week. Next year, they'll have an upper floor for event space/private functions and a roof top patio (love roof top patios) and I expect it to be just as well decorated as the current dining area.

 

We started the night with a number of appetizers, a small portion of pasta, an entree, and ended with dessert; traditional cannolis.

 

Appetizers...

 

My favourite of the night was actually the Polipo alla griglia or grilled octopus (pictured at top).  The octopus was slightly charred and not too chewy, quite tender actually.  There isn't an overly "sea water" taste to it and the accompanying beans and potatoes went well.  I think I especially liked the parsley oil, it added nice flavour to the dish, a little bit of zing without being spicy.  It was also a little more unique.

 

Arancini (rice balls stuffed with meat ragu, mozarella, peas)

 

Pizza Fritta

These pizza fritta's really grew on me, the bottom piece is fried and there was a certain taste to it that I found familiar but couldn't put my finger on it.  (I almost want to say that it somewhat tastes a little like the fried dough sticks you order with congee but a different texture, lol!)  It was quite good.

 

Cauliflower Fritters

Seems like cauliflower is on the menu at a lot of places these days.  The cauliflower was nicely battered, but it didn't have much going on in terms of flavour unfortunately.

 

Involtini di melanzane (eggplant, ricotta, spinach baked in tomato sauce)

 Always a fan of eggplant, this was not bad.  Light on the spinach though.

 

Pasta...

 

Casarecce alla siciliana (handmade pasta, roasted eggplant, fior di latte cheese, tomato basil sauce)

This was a very simple dish but the sauce was quite nice.  Not too sour/tart and seemed like there was a natural sweetness to the sauce that I believe is also homemade. Pasta was cooked well.  I don't know what the portion size would be like if you ordered this off the menu so you might not want to use the above photo as reference.

Main Entree...

By this time we were quite full.  But, I still managed to eat most of this plate.  The veal was a little "chewy" for me, but the sauce was a nice mushroom sauce.  Like I said, the sauces were quite good here.

Scaloppine al Marsala (veal in procini sauce with marsala wine)

Dessert...

Cannoli (ricotta and chocolate filled pastry shells)

Cannolis are always nice little sweet treats that are simple and not too sweet; it ended the meal nicely.

 

This is my first invited tasting and it really is nice to experience a night out such as this.  I will admit that when you are invited to such a tasting, you get great service (we did), so I can't comment on the regular service.  I'll most likely return as the food was good with a home-cooked feel, it's close to home and also moderately priced (after peeking at their menu online). 

 

Tutto Pronto Ristorante

1718 Avenue Rd

Toronto, ON

M5M 3Y6

http://www.tuttopronto.ca/about.html