December: I'm Dreaming of...

It‘s taken me a while to write this post as I‘ve had a number of things on my mind.  A lot of self reflection actually. Maybe this is the last post of this kind for the year and it‘s the time to reflect... or maybe when I became a mom, I see myself differently.  Becoming a parent tests your character, beliefs, and stamina.  It makes you think about the person you are as you wonder who s/he becomes...

***

I recently made this very sweet, decadent, loaded with dark chocolate and butter loaf cake and it was just...well...okay.  Something between a cake and brownie.  The recipe itself might be good and maybe it was just me...I haven't been baking as much as I'd like and when I do, the results are not too great.  Practice and focus are key, but dedicated time and focus is what I lack right now.  

***

Steeping tea is not a hard thing to do, but I also seem to be very poor at it recently.  Sometimes I pour too early (short steep) making it too light and sometimes I forget about it till it's quite strong and over-brewed.  In some ways, I think it's a reflection of who I am and where I'm at in life.

Too early a pour :: I'm too eager for results that I rush things and produce something with little substance...
Too late of a pour :: I'm not focused, juggling too many things I want to do that I don't pay enough attention to it...and thus forget what's important.

Ahhh, tea and metaphors for life, I'm sure I‘m not the first to say the above.

***

But, I can still dream (because we all need to dream), so this December I'm dreaming of...

light and fluffy cakes (and some simple cookies) made more than once

- a simple chiffon cake, maybe topped with a light as snow whipped cream frosting
- gingerbread cookies...warm spices to warm up these cold days
- a Swiss roll cake  decorated Junko style (I have yet to try a recipe from her book)!  Just because it's sooo cute...this may be my over eager self talking again, but like I said, I can dream...
- watching my favourite movie with a warm tea and the oven on...and not caring if snow is falling heavily or not

Oh, yes...and finish the book The Untold History of Ramen....a very interesting read so far, review to come soon!  

Enjoy the rest of 2014!

CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice - Now Open in Toronto

Another Taiwan bubble tea brand has opened in Toronto; Coco Bubble Tea.  Located in a small plaza north of Finch and Midland (near Keung Kee Restaurant), this past weekend they were just in their "soft opening" stage. The offerings are definitely geared to a North American market with fruit slushes, tea macchiatos, and chocolate flavoured drinks.  Not a bad thing, but different from more common offerings in Taiwan.  Their webtsite shows drinks that are not offered here but I think it would have been good to have some items that would be unique to this brand.

Winter melon, apple, and I think green bean (mung bean) slush would have been good options to include.  I would definitely go for a green bean smoothie as it was common in Taiwan (and supposedly is good for "cooling" the body or reducing acne).  It‘s interesting to note they only have 2 fresh teas.  

I opted for a hot Matcha milk tea as I actually had a cold HK milk tea just before (but I had to try Coco out even if I wasn't thirsty).

Taste: Okay, but it misses a bit on the Matcha flavour.  I wasn‘t asked about my preferred sugar level as I usually will get less or half sugar, but it turned out ok, just a bit sweeter than I‘d like at the end.  I think the real taste test will be on their milk tea and a fruit tea.

Service: Soft opening so can‘t really comment except the service was friendly.

Atmosphere: Clean, spacious. 

Will I return?  Yes, to try other drinks and give a more informed review.  But, they will definitely be competing with Marathon Donuts during the day in the milk tea category as Marathon is known to have award winning HK style milk tea and they are priced lower.  

La Mere Restaurant :: Super Find in Scarborough

La Mere Restaurant
3278 Midland Ave.
Scarborough, ON M1V 0C9
416-297-0297

Every so often I read Yelp reviews and come across a place that I saw a while back but was a bit unsure of trying and then wish I did try it so I could be the one to discover such a great place!  La Mere is one of those restaurants.  In a short time, they've even opened a second location in Richmond Hill at Times Square (Hwy 7 and Leslie).

  

We had tried to go once on a weekend and it was packed!  The tiny restaurant only has tables of four's and two's.  So, definitely go off peak times if you don't want to wait.  I'm not quite sure if this place is considered "Northern Chinese Cuisine" but there are a several dishes that are characteristic of Northern Chinese Food. I'm happy Toronto has more and more Chinese restaurants that showcase the extensive variety of Chinese cuisine.  We ordered a few dishes to sample the range of offerings and all were tasty!

We ordered a cold dish of celery, cloud ears, and bean curd, which was light and crunchy.  Simply dressed with sesame oil and a bit of salt, it started the meal off great.

Cold Appetizer

The pork neck soup came with 3 pieces of pork which were tender and lightly flavoured.  The noodles were  chewy which we liked but became soggy near the end; common for a lot of noodles if you let it sit in the broth too long.  The broth was probably the most disappointing part of the meal.  Not too much on flavour but I'm also glad it wasn't too salty.  The noodle soup offerings are well priced and would be great as a quick lunch.

Pork bone soup with hand pulled noodles

If you like lamb, these were tender and fairly decent.  More spicy than cumin IMO though. Would be great with a beer, especially when served with toothpicks.  My only gripe would be the price is a bit high for the amount you get.  At $13 I expected a little more.

Toothpick Cumin Lamb

Below is the beef pancake that the Chinese name of the restaurant (老媽肉餅) is named after.

Crispy skinned and filled with a ground beef mix that tasted pretty good.  

Definitely a comfort food, oily, crispy, and meaty.

Beef Pancake ("Meat Pie")

Service was okay, nothing extraordinary.  But just an observation, another table had plastic gloves to eat their pork bones with but we weren't given any...maybe we had to ask?

There were definitely a few other things on the menu to try but we'll save that for next time!  Overall, a great find in Scarborough for good, hearty, and (for the most part,) reasonably priced meal.

Drive-Thru Bubble Tea??

Would drive-thru bubble tea be a hit in Toronto?

I recently went to Green Grotto Tea Room at Warden and Steeles to check out their new(ish) location.  They moved to the old Wendy's spot in the same plaza almost a year ago.  And since Wendy's had drive-thru, they kept the window and now have the option to offer drive-thru bubble tea!

I personally think the idea would fly but maybe because I've had moments where I didn't want to park, take the baby out, then line up for a bubble tea.  My personal reasons aside, given the number of people that line-up for bubble tea, I still think it can be a viable option.

In Taipei where you can walk just a bit and hit one or scooter up to a shop, they don't have drive-thrus.  In Toronto, unless you are in specific parts of the city, you're not often walking.  North of the city or Scarborough is where many of those that frequent bubble tea shops reside or hangout.  So, driving is common.

So, again...would drive-thru bubble tea be a hit?  

It definitely got me thinking.  For Green Grotto, I can see it increasing their sales because of higher turnover and sometimes people want something quick.  They would be offering something that no other tea shop can in the GTA.  So, the first of it's kind.  Come to think of it, I think they were also the first Taiwanese bubble tea place in Toronto (since 1993, that's over 20 years!!)

For the consumer there is potential for faster service, you don't have to find parking, and in the winter we don't have to step out of the car.

But, demand is questionable and hiring extra staff is a must.  If the drive-thru is slow because of the variety of offerings or the amount of time it takes to make a drink, this could potentially be irritating to customers.  The other thing is loss of ambience.  Going to a tea room is an experience so would drive-thru be beneficial for the brand image?  Some might argue that if you're already getting take-out, there isn't a difference.  You're just ordering it slightly different.

In some ways, maybe not a full drive-thru is possible right now given the number of unknowns..., so maybe they should do a trial.  (I'd LOVE to see a trial.)

• Drive thru available FRI/SAT/SUN when it's the busiest.
• Condensed drive-thru menu may be needed?  In Taiwan, bubble teas are fast because a lot of what is offered is really simple drinks.  There are usually more varietals of brewed and it just needs to be sweetened and iced.

Well, those are my thoughts anyway.  Let me know what you think!

I asked staff about the drive through and they said potentially next year but no guarantees.  Aside from the drive-thru, I went inside Green Grottos newish (well new for me since it's been 9 months since the last time I visited) digs and it looks great.  Like a college cafe now matured.  Although I loved the atmosphere of their previous place, the new space is a little more modern and grown up but still with a relaxing feel.  Love the tree and bird cages!

Lots more seating and natural light

Several bird cages ^-^

The magazines!  (There's more shelving to the right)

Front area

 New items, drinks and food have been added to the menu.  And their awesome collection of magazines remains!  I'm definitely coming back to try some new items.  Staff are also very friendly and accommodating.

Back patio

November: I'm Dreaming of...

Beef noodle soup from the famous Yong Kang Beef Noodle Restaurant in Taipei

I can't believe it's already November.  It's certainly gotten a lot chillier!  With Thanksgiving and Halloween now over, I always feel like now it's time to plan for Christmas, and plans I definitely have, but...maybe a little break before the craziness of gatherings/baking/shopping begins!

November...I'm dreaming of...

- Hot chocolate, rich and creamy like ones made in Paris...as described here and by David Lebovitz in his book The Sweet Life in Paris.
- Yummy bowls of ramen
- Spicy beef noodle soup...my go to place in Toronto, Beef Noodle Restaurant but the Taiwanese restaurant Mama Bear has been on my radar, the only problem is they're always packed!
- Soupy Xiao Long Baos that are so delicately made (check out Northern Dumpling Kitchen)
- Scarves...scarves...scarves
- And of course...pots of tea!  Hmmmm, maybe many little cups of Alishan Oolong Tea, or a nice roasted tea, or a deep caramel-ly hong shui.

Iced Tea Candy

I found this new tea flavoured candy at T & T Supermarket.  I'm generally not a fan of hard candies, but when it's tea flavoured I'm more interested. So, I gave it a go.

Quick run-down:

• Brand: Bali's Best (also makes coffee candy which I've seen before)
• Hard candy
• Made with tea extracts
• Indonesian tea, from the Java region

The one I purchased was Classic Iced Tea but the other flavours were Green Tea Latte and Citrus Green Tea.  Whole green tea leaves are apparently used to make the green tea candies which was interesting to note and I was tempted to get the green tea latte as that would be the drink I'd choose, but classic iced tea in a candy was a little different.  Indonesian black tea is supposed to be similar to Assam or Ceylon tea rather than Chinese black tea (although I don't think I've had loose leaf Indonesian tea yet), so I expected it to be like the iced tea we know in North America. 

Taste:  Good tea flavour and tastes slightly lemon-y.  More Ceylon tea flavour then citrus.  Some black teas can naturally have more citrus notes to it and it's possible that the tea used has this flavour profile (but I wonder if it can be detected in extracts).  I remember doing a tea tasting using various estate teas and they produced different iced tea flavours without the addition of lemon (i.e. Court Lodge FBOP had citrus notes compared to Kenmare FBOP...and yes, I had to look at my past notes for the names).

Sweetness level is good, not too sweet where you only taste sugar.

But, if you're looking for a strong tea taste, especially if you're used to drinking your tea strong, you won't find the candy as good.

Ingredients: glucose syrup (tapioca), cane sugar, tea extract, natural tea flavor, salt.
I inquired about the tea leaves and it is primarily made from black tea leaves.  They also note on their packaging that they are "all natural".

Price at T&T was $2.99 for 42 pieces.

Overall: This is a pretty good tasting tea candy.  Yes, I'd purchase again and I'd definitely try the other flavours!  

City Food Foraging :: Ginkgo

There was quite a number of clusters, only circled a couple just in case they were hard to see.

I love that sometimes when you walk around the city, there are trees planted that bear fruit AND are free for the taking!  Yesterday, I was out walking to a local supermarket and came across two ladies gathering little orange balls that had fallen from a tree along the sidewalk (well, actually the tree was shook, lol!) and I had a suspicion it was Ginkgo nuts (technically a seed rather than nut).  I was right; the lady showed me the seed inside and said it was used in Chinese medicine.  There was also an unpleasant smell to it which is characteristic of Ginkgo nuts.

I almost stopped to get some myself since they are known to be healthy but I didn't know the first thing about eating them fresh!  Luckily I didn't because after doing some online reading, touching them bare handed might induce a poison ivy like skin rash!  But, if anyone is interested in taking a look, there were about 4-5 trees along Doris Ave. between Elmwood and Spring Garden.  (However, I'm not a botanist or someone that really knows about Ginkgo so, picker beware!)

For sites with some good info about Ginkgo nuts and where to find them elsewhere in Toronto, look here and here.  I also found it interesting that you can request a tree to be planted in your area by the city and the Ginkgo tree is one of them.

Review: Ocean's Seafood Restaurant

HK Style Cafe by day, family style restaurant by night.

Ocean's is a fairly inexpensive breakfast and lunch place for those looking for HK cafe style foods.  I've been at various times of the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner).  Walking in, it reminds us of Pheonix Restaurant but there are features such as the chandeliers that give it a family dinner restaurant feel.

1st Impression:  Value meals
Several Impressions Later:  Value meals for any time of day

When talking about taste, food is okay, nothing out of this world.  But prices are great for what you get.  The first time I went was for lunch and had a baked rice dish.

Baked chicken rice dish

They offer a few lunch and afternoon specials that are under $7 like the baked rice above.  Comes with milk tea or coffee.  It was a little on the salty side but okay for the price and portions were good.  Breakfast is also very inexpensive but I would say the noodles are better than the egg-type breakfasts since you can always make eggs at home.  Note, when they say sausage on their menu they actually mean hot dog weiner...so not so good!

Simple dinner items are $7-8 and were also acceptable in taste.  As you can tell, presentation is not their forte but you can't really complain when prices and taste are good.  Surprisingly, the Peking sauce pork chops was really good.  Meat was tender (didn't need a knife), slightly crispy, and the sauce was not overly sweet and just coated the meat.

Spinach and enoki mushroom

Egg and beef on rice noodles

Peking (Beijing) sauce pork chops

I also went to try their special dinner deals.  Value is definitely there but taste-wise it's just okay again.  But, I was really impressed with our friendly server.  I messed up on the number of people we had so we had to add extra seats and they made it work the best they could.  The server was always polite and she tried to make sure we had everything.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures!  Maybe another time...

Anyway, this place is definitely a good place for lunch or dinner when you want something quick, good, and inexpensive.

Waiting for Ramen!!

Ramen!  I love eating ramen and have missed going to the ramen joints in downtown Toronto as I've been spending most of my days uptown or in the east end where very good ramen is lacking.  But, soon that is going to change.  An exciting new development caught our eyes recently, a golden yellow pig painted on a black background...Kinton Ramen!!!   Their facebook page will likely announce the opening date but it's going to be madness!

Located just north of North York Centre (where the Jetsun's Juicy Burger used to be).

I've also noticed a number of other establishments that have recently opened in the Willowdale - Yonge/Finch - Yonge/Sheppard area...planning to check them out sometime soon.

Toppoki - /Korean snacks like rice cakes located at 5 Northtown Way
ZenQ - Taiwanese bubble tea and desserts, grand opening is actually tomorrow Oct 17th, located at Yonge and Byng.  BOGO special.
Sweet Pea Dessert Cafe - smoothies, juice, western and asian desserts and lunch options.  Located at 4704 Yonge, south of Sheppard.

October: I'm Dreaming of...

October has come and is going fast, fast, fast...

I needed to write this post in order to pause.  Pause, cause lately, I think I lost myself a bit.

I ate at a few new places, went apple picking, and did a few other things but didn't blog about them as I normally would be inclined to do.  I also shopped quite a bit as it's a very easy thing to do when online shopping is so easy and malls are great on weekdays.  I have a small glass cake display stand that sits on my kitchen counter where I like to put things I've baked into it and it has sat empty for quite some time...dust covers the top of the cover...and each day I pass it numerous times...wanting to put something inside.  But it remains empty.

I came across this word (from this blog) which I think reminded me to begin this post.

Tsundoku 

A Japanese word with no English equivalent.  Essentially buying books and creating a reading pile, but that pile goes unread.  I found out more here, and realized I have this but it hasn't been too extreme...however, I'm really interested in buying the book mentioned.  It would be ironic to buy it and leave it unread, which could very well happen!

Anyway, back to October.  October I'm dreaming of... 

- apple tarts and apple pie, using apples picked from an Ontario orchard (here's a great one in Brampton)...and maybe pies like my dad used to make with raisins

- scones...all kinds of scones, cheddar ones, apple ones, buckwheat ones....I think I have too long a list

- a big chalkboard...to post notes, to draw, to imagine I'm in a cafe while I drink my tea at home and read the overseas magazines I bought (or my pile of books),...whatever it is, this diy project has been on my mind for over a year!  

Book Review: The Seed Underground

The Seed Underground
A growing revolution to save food.

Author:  Janisse Ray

Interesting and thought provoking.  Ray really shows her passion for seed saving and pushing forward the local and organic food movement in this book.  (Book cover and other reviews here.)

Why did I choose to read this book?  I'm not a gardener and I don't save seeds.  Although I have grown cherry tomatoes and strawberries in the past, it never became a passion.  I think I like the idea of growing things but for me, the time is not right.  So, why?  What probably interested me most about the book was learning about the many varieties of food, thus in turn making me want to eat and cook with them.  (But I also think I was in need of some brain food too...most of the other books I've read of late are baby bedtime stories on repetition, lol!)

In this book, Ray helps us to understand the importance of seed saving and sustainable cultivation practices.  The book was very informative as she speaks with many different individuals, gives us a run down of plant breeding, and adds her own personal goals and metaphors into the mix.  She is an activist though, so you'll read lots on how local and organic are good and genetically modified (GM) and large agricultural/biotech companies are "bad".  The open-source seeds discussion was quite interesting to read and how in Canada there was an example court case of farmer vs biotech company where genetic drift resulted in a biotech company suing a farmer in the prairies.

Some of the things mentioned like seed bombs I have heard of (luckily I have a friend that inspires and has contributed to the seed saving movement in Toronto, read here), so it's definitely interesting to see it in a book too.


Highlights:  Parts I really liked...

• Seeds as a cultural resource was an interesting way to think about seeds.  Through many quotes and examples, Ray emphasizes this point.

Quotes:
"An heirloom variety of seed, besides being a genetic resource, has another quality.  It is a cultural resource.  It has a story.  The story changes as time passes."  (p.71)

"Seeds are multipronged.  They have so many pouches, full of stories.  A seed is a city full of avenues, a forest traversed by trails."  (p.72)

John Swenson: " 'All these stories, these recipes -- that's what matters.  Take garlic.  Genetically there are maybe thirty genotypes.  But you have hundreds of names floating around.' ... 'Each name has a story.  Each story has a purpose.  We're supporting the preservation of human culture.' " (p.73)

• Sweet potatoes and the process of saving the tubers that eventually sprout (sprouts are called "slips") which serve as the seed was interesting.  I was also reading this section when I started noticing and buying more varietals of sweet potatoes.  Ginseng Red (creamy, not too starchy, and sweet) and Red Gold sweet potatoes are mentioned.

• Notion of growing crops adapted for the area

• Discussion on public universities and private companies breeding new varieties.  Public universities developing new varieties, selling it to corporations that in turn sell back to the public.

• Annual Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa - interesting plants mentioned, keynote speakers highlighted.

E.g. "fantastical allium...the plant looked like a four-story onion, rib-high." (p.102) -- walking onion, Egyptian onions, top-setting or tree onion.


Not so fond of...

• Sometimes there's a feeling that some judgement is being made.  I.e. you were bad if you enjoyed what large corporations offered

Most people are passionate about something and people support all different types of causes but people cannot be passionate about ALL things.  Sometimes economic status, location, and a multitude of other personal factors may put seed saving, buying local and organic at the bottom of the totem pole.


Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to foodies.  A lot can be learned and I think I'm more inclined to support local and organic.  Ultimately, I do think the book inspires some change; small or large, anyone who reads this book is going to think more about local/organic/seed saving and be inclined to do something different.  I've definitely ate more local foods but it's been easier this past summer; winters will definitely pose a challenge.

And one final quote from one of Ray's interviewees Sylvia Dawatz:
"The logical next step for the local-food movement is to establish locally grown seeds."

September: I'm Dreaming of...

September is usually the start of something new or the end of something great.  Whether it's school starting up again and people are geared up for new beginnings or as summer winds down, we enjoy the harvest and prepare for colder weather, September is often a month about transition.  This September, although I have a few things I'd like to do...I think I need to finish up some overdue tasks before starting some of the "new".

So September for me, I'm dreaming of...finishing up and clearing things out.

Like
- finishing several posts I started...one on this book and one on moon cakes
- trying out a few recipes that I've bought most of the ingredients for but have yet to tackle
- finish reading this book
- preserving some figs using this recipe or finding some other use...

It definitely helps me mentally when things get done or your space is clear of clutter but sometimes the month brings other things that are more important.  So, as I write this list, I also feel that if they don't get done, they don't.

And finally, I dream of just sitting back with some moon cake (September 8th is the Moon Festival) and a pot of tea and do nothing...

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration with a New Tea Set

The Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday celebrating the moon and harvest, is September 8th this year.  Every year I buy moon cakes for my mom and my family and this year will be no exception.  But, for best selection, you have to buy your moon cakes in advance of the 8th.  Chinese bakeries and supermarkets all over the city have them for sale now and in so many different versions from traditional lotus seed paste ones to "snowy" ones (冰皮月餅) that are frozen (will have more on this later).  I'll drink tea when I have moon cake, so when I saw that T&T Supermarket was advertising 50% off a tea set with any purchase of a box of moon cake, I jumped!  I already have a number of tea sets but I love collecting tea sets and it does fill a gap in my small collection.  The tea set ends up being $12.99 for a pot and 6 cups in a traditional motif, and at this price I wasn't expecting a high quality tea set.  For a few reasons, it's not perfect...

There is also one in pink, different design though.

Metal strainer included.

The set is a basic set and I like the floral design.  However, the teapot when full did not pour very nicely.  Tea leaks out from the top and I should have expected this as the lid was not snug, with and without the strainer.  I also think this is because the opening where the tea drains is also at the top so you have to tilt the pot quite a bit.  When the tea pot is not as full, it pours fine.  It also drips slightly at the spout unless you pour quickly.

Normally if something doesn't work well I wouldn't bother writing about it but I do like the cups.  I really like how the cup fits in my hand and the edge of the cup is made thin compared to the body of the cup.  This is done to enhance the tea tasting experience.  The body of the cup also doesn't get too hot so you can hold the cup comfortably when the tea is hot.

So, the cups are great in this set,...the pot, not so much.  The pot's volume is about 1.5 cups of water when filled to the brim so you can adjust the amount of tea leaves you use to this volume.  This is perfect for tea for two or enough for a few friends to enjoy a taste, hence 6 cups.

This offer is until September 8th or while quantities last so if you want to pick up an "okay" traditional Chinese tea set, you can get this at a discount at T&T Supermarket with the purchase of any box of moon cakes.

Lee Namjang - Mixed feelings

We came here a while ago but I haven't posted because I wasn't really sure what to say.  But, one of the dishes we had stood out, so it deserves a mention here.  It's one of the few Korean restaurants at Yonge-Sheppard as most are closer to Yonge-Finch.

Lee Nam Jang
Address:  4846 Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M2N 6B1
Phone:  416-512-1345

Food

First of all, the banchans were very good, a good sign.  You receive a good amount and selection but if you ask for a refill, they didn't refill all the dishes (disappointing).  Fish cakes were made spicy (yummy) and the potato salad although simple was also quite good.

a. soy bean sprouts b. marnated tofu c. fish cake d. kimchi napa and radish e. spicy cabbage strips f. potato salad

The menu is not too extensive but does weigh heavier on more pricier items.  For example, they serve braised oxtail and ginseng chicken soup (but we didn't try it).  We ordered the braised beef ribs which was very well made, lots of caramelization and flavour but portions were soooo small for the price!  At Song Cook's, you get double the amount for the same price!  But, they do make it differently, Song Cook's version is more stew-like, and different in taste too.  Here, you can see the thick dark sauce sticking to the meat.  Instead of daikon, thick rice cake sticks are added.  This was definitely a winner.

And now the reason for my tardiness in uploading this post - my soup with beef and rice noodles.  It was not particularly to my liking, but it wasn't bad.  Maybe I just don't know how to enjoy this dish and I'm used to the Taiwanese style heavy braised beef noodle soup; it just lacked flavour.  The beef slices were nothing special and the rice noodles were the same. It was the other end of the spectrum compared to the beef ribs.  The soup stock looks like it would be nourishing...maybe it's supposed to be light on taste but good for you...I should really look this up.

Service/Atmosphere

Service was okay but scattered as we didn't get any utensils until we asked (after our meal arrived).  Restaurant was actually bigger than it looks from the outside, decor was nothing special.


In general, this place is quite expensive for Korean food but their braised beef ribs dish would be one to splurge on!  And judging from their banchans, some of their other dishes may be worth a try even though my soup wasn't as good as I hoped.

"Pear" Dim Sum @ Premiere Ballroom and Convention Centre

This was my second time visiting Premiere Ballroom and Convention Centre for dim sum but this time was with a larger group so we got to try many more dishes.  I was definitely impressed by several dishes this time around but unfortunately did not take pictures!!  Except for one cute, cute one on my plate.  It's very hard to take pictures of food in large groups at dim sum as one, people are hungry, and two, you may be in a conversation when the dish comes that you miss the opportunity to yell "Wait!!  I gotta take a picture!".

So...here is the cutest dim sum dish yesterday ^-^

(鹹水角 variation, picture taken with my phone)

Their version of 鹹水角 or fried mixed pastry with pork or fried crescent dumpling (didn't remember the name on the menu); shaped like a pear!  It was the cutest dim sum of the day and tasted good too.  The pork filling was well seasoned and the glutinous rice dough was slightly sweet.  Fried lightly but not greasy.  The amount of filling is less than in the traditionally shape it seems, but there are 4 per order vs 3 at other places.  I think I enjoyed this the most because it was visually appealing, it probably took a little more time to shape, and tasted pretty good; salty, slightly sweet, crispy, and chewy at the same time.  If you're wondering what the stem is, it's a small carrot piece...cute idea!

Other dishes that got a thumbs up were:  siu mai (steamed pork dumplings), fried tofu which was delicately fried and seasoned (so not greasy), beef tendon, shrimp rice roll, and honey beef ribs (but may be a bit on the sweet side for some).  

There were quite a bit of dim sum dishes that were unique or they made a variation to the standard which makes for an interesting experience.  My first time having dim sum here, I thought it was okay, overall good but it seems like this most recent time it was better.  Maybe it was the variety?  Or maybe we ate after 11am, paying full price opposed to before 11am where S/M/L are $3 each and quality differs?  I really don't know but, we do want to go back and hopefully I'll be able to take more pictures! 

Simple Cookies

Sometimes a simple little cookie is all you need with that coffee or cup of tea.  I have been making these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for several years now, it's kinda my go-to cookie.  Easy to make, a little healthy with the oats, a little bit of a treat because of the chocolate.  It fits most of the time and goes well with coffee or tea.  From Food & Drink magazine, here's the basic recipe; I'll often use dark chocolate chunks, omit the nuts, and use a combination of brown and white sugar.  If you want a crispier cookie, melting the butter is another modification I might do to change it up.

Most recently, I've been wanting to make more simple cookies.  We're so accustomed to over-the-top creations that sometimes it's nice to enjoy something very simple but still good.  So what I'm thinking about is a cookie that looks simple, is a nice little treat, but tastes great.  Essentially, better than it looks.  In Asia, some cafes might serve you a little cookie, biscotti, or cracker on the side when you order a coffee or tea.  (I was reminded of this after I read this blog post.  See picture #8, the blog is in Chinese though.)  I've always found them to be so cute and often they are quite well made.  In a way, getting a little extra treat makes the experience so much better.

Ten Ren's Tea Time - It may be farewell the next time

Ten Ren's Tea Time (111 Times Ave & Hwy 7 location ONLY) was one of my favourite tea houses in Toronto/GTA.  The atmosphere and decor is quite elegant and it was a great place to have a drink, snacks and chat for hours with friends.  The tea drinks were also better, most of their fruit + tea drinks were made with real fruit or juices and not just powder.  You can also taste the tea flavour, drinks were well balanced.  My favourites were the apple high mountain slush tea and the pineapple dragonwell slush tea.  The meals were also presented really nicely, combos were offered, and their Taiwanese salted crispy chicken (鹽酥雞 yan su ji) was the best in the city in my opinion.  But, all this does come at a price though, prices for drinks or food were always higher than other places.  The price of a tea is at least $1-2 more expensive (i.e. 25% higher) than other locations, as are the food.  You had to find it was worth the price to go regularly and several years ago I did.

But in the last couple of years I stopped going; there were several personal reasons that prevented me from going, much more other places to go to now, and it started to get more expensive.  This past Civic holiday we decided to go for lunch as I was craving a shaved ice dessert and thought it would be good to revisit.  Unfortunately, the meal was just so-so.

I ordered the pu'erh beef noodle soup (with green tea noodles).  The beef was still tender as before but the portion size has gotten smaller, less beef and less noodles.  The soup also was lacking in flavour; maybe they were trying to be healthier with less fat and salt but this made for some bland soup.  The noodles were always soft, not chewy, so that was the same.  The price is also higher and you can understand with inflation that prices do rise, but when prices rice and portions drop, you have to think, is it worth it?!

I didn't order a drink as I was having crushed/shaved ice (my main purpose for going).  Their special pineapple and red bean crushed ice was not available, they were out of the pineapple which was disappointing...so I got the green tea ice cream and red bean snow ice dessert.  This was okay, a large portion but reflective in the price ($8.99).  The green tea ice cream was strong in green tea flavour so enthusiasts would be happy.  They use the green tea powder they sell to make the ice cream which was fine tasting, but I think I prefer the taste of matcha green tea slightly more.  I only wish there was a single serving size as I was the only one eating the crushed ice dessert (these desserts are huge!).

My partner had a classic milk tea, still decent, just on the sweet side, we're used to ordering our drinks with half the sugar but forgot this time.

Service in the past was always great, you didn't have to wait long but the last few times have been slow.  Servers are polite but not the same, there used to be more care to the service offered.  Maybe it was just lunch and a holiday, whatever it is, it just didn't leave a great impression.

On a positive note, for families looking for a baby friendly place, they do have high chairs and the restrooms are equipped with baby changing stations.  So this was a plus.  I did notice that there were a lot of little kids at this location.  Maybe it's summer, the time of day, or maybe there's a change in clientèle...maybe this Ten Ren's is drawing a different demographic of people than other locations; families and more affluent adults?  Whatever the case, I think I'll be back another time to revisit their tea drinks and crispy chicken which I hope has not gone downhill!  But, it'll be a while and hopefully I don't have to say farewell.

Jung Soo Nae Korean Restaurant - Yummy Banchans

We're always on the look out for good mom & pop type restaurants and have always wanted to try Jung Soo Nae.  Based on the exterior, this looked like it could be a "home-y" type place.  The restaurant is located at the bottom of an apartment building just north of Yonge and Finch, if you weren't paying attention you'd surely miss it.  We finally tried it a few weekends ago.

Jung Soo Nae Restaurant
Address:  5754 Yonge St., North York, ON M2M 3T6
Phone:  416-222-4267

Exterior of restaurant 

Interior

About 10 tables of decent size, most people were locals as we were one of the only patrons that drove and parked (parking at the back spots 32-50).

First Impression:  Very home-y and quiet
Second Impression:  Good quality and ample banchans (side dishes) are served!

Food:

1. Fish cakes  2. Soy bean sprouts  3. Seasoned seaweed (made from dried seaweed sheets)  4. Potato shredded
5. Seaweed stalks  6. Kimchi napa cabbage  7.  Peanuts with mini dried anchovies 

Upclose view

They served us 7 different banchans and they were all fresh and well made.  The fish cakes had the most fish flavour of any that I've had without being too "fishy".  The seasoned seaweed is one that you don't often see so it was nice to have something different.

I usually get Gamjatang (pork bone soup) but it was a hot day so I opted for cold noodles called "Chik Naengmyeon".  The noodles were made from arrowroot flour and had a nice chewiness to it, not overly chewy that you have to pull and pull  with you teeth to break it, just light enough.  The beef broth was cold as it should be, with a vinegar tang to it, mildly spicy.  Since this was about the noodles and cold soup there is very little of anything else.  You can opt to have the noodles in a sauce instead of the broth.

Half an egg is hiding near the top

My partner had the Galbijjim (braised beef short ribs) which came with purple rice.  Tender beef but not fall off the bone unfortunately.  Taste was decent though.



Service:

Staff were polite and seems to be a Korean family run place, limited English.  But at least one staff member also speaks Mandarin surprisingly.

I usually rate a place based on how well their banchans are made and Jung Soo Nae does a good job.  Overall, the food was quite good, not the best Korean food, but because of the banchans I'm sure we'll be back to try other dishes!!

August: I'm Dreaming of...

Peach season is upon us and Ontario has got some of the best!!  So of course I'm dreaming of ... peaches this month!

- peaches: my favourite are actually white peaches, the taste is a lighter kind of sweetness, some might say more "floral" and usually they are a little less fibrous...but peaches of all kinds are delicious...and of course Ontario peaches are so sweet and juicy!

For the past few months I've been dreaming about ice cream...I still am, but when I think of August I also think of very hot and humid days. And these hot and humid days call for ice.  Yes, ice.

- shaved ice desserts!

Several years ago I was in southern Taiwan in the middle of summer.  Hot and humid were understatements.  Sweat poured from every pore in my body.  I drank 1.5L of water in under 2 hrs while walking outdoors and did not have to use a bathroom for many, many hours later!  When the walking was done, we found a local dessert place that was packed with other patrons taking shelter from the heat.  A few minutes later, sweet relief had come...a large plate of cold shaved/crushed ice with 8 toppings, called eight treasure (shaved/crushed) ice 八寶刨冰 appeared...ahhhh.

I'm dreaming particularly of Taiwanese style shaved ice with either a mix of toppings to include tapioca bubbles and grass jelly or just fruit or shaved green tea ice with red beans...old standby Ten Ren's Tea Time or the lesser known Cha Me Cha?  I've also read that there is also a Korean version?  May have to check that out!

- Italian gelato and ices...I saw a book in the library that had some lovely recipes...didn't borrow it at the time as I had a few other books on loan and wasn't sure I'd have the time...maybe I'll borrow it or maybe I'll be lazy and enjoy it at one of the many in the city ^-^


Clearly my mind is only on food this month!

Scribbles in Taiwan: Oolong Tea Ice Cream, It's So Good!

So, it's taken me a really, really long time to post this and I was contemplating not posting at all but, I recently made ice cream inspired by this place (which is still a work in progress unfortunately) ...and this place is WORTH blogging about!  One of the most unique ice cream shops opened up in Taichung, Taiwan a few years back offering an amazing selection. Taichung is the 3rd largest city in Taiwan, known as the origin of bubble tea, and having climate like Los Angeles.  On my trip to Taiwan last year I knew I had to go just to try out the ice cream!! Yes, call me a bit crazy but I spent a day out of my vacation time solely to try the ice cream (thanks for indulging me AT!).

This ice cream shop is part of a larger store and restaurant called the Miyahara Ophthalmology Department or Eye Clinic (宫原眼科). What?! Yes, Eye Clinic. It is a reference to the eye clinic the building housed during the Japanese occupation.  After renovating, it became a pastry/gift shop with a restaurant, and an ice cream shop. The pastry shop is very photogenic, looks like a beautiful library and some liken it to a Harry Potter-like setting.

Gifts are stacked in these "bookshelves", how cute ^-^ 

The packaging is quite nice, perfect for gift giving.

A variety of goods available

The highlight for me was the ice cream, which did not disappoint!!  In Asia, sometimes you get ice cream that just doesn't have the right texture or creaminess, but not here.  The flavours were pronounced and the texture was smooth and thick!

Prices are on the right, 1 scoop = NTD90, which is about $3 CAD.

They have so many variations of chocolate ice cream it was amazing, I mean chocolate with different percentages of cocoa, from different parts of the world (single origin chocolate)!  Twenty to be exact!!  I wanted to try several but we opted for only two.  We got a scoop of the 68% cocoa Nyangbo and a 64% smoked chocolate from Costa Rica.  The Nyangbo cocoa one was really good and had a nice light nutty flavour (as it indicated) but the smoked one didn't have much smokiness.  It did have a good chocolate flavour to it though with slight bitterness.  If you're a chocolate fan, these ice creams are a must try!!

Chocolate and tea flavours

Another reason I was excited, they also had a selection of ice cream made from tea!  Tea is a major commodity in Taiwan and if I haven't mentioned this before, tea is one of my passions. The flavour of the one we had called "Oriental Beauty" (東方美人 dong fang mei ren) was stunning!

Oriental beauty is an oolong tea that is highly oxidized.  It's origins are quite unique as the tea was discovered by chance.  These tea leaves are prone to bites from the jassid insect, which thus contribute to the oxidation.  You can read more here at the Tea Masters blogspot.  The taste is a lasting sweet taste, with some notes of caramel.

++ Chocolate ice cream (+ a few fruit ones)

Range of toppings.  The more scoops of ice cream you buy, the more free toppings.  We got 3 scoops so you are entitled to 4 toppings.

Our massive ice cream in a waffle bowl!!

Aside from the huge selection of chocolate and tea flavoured ice creams, they also offer about 20 different fruit flavoured ones (looked like sorbets) and some Miyahara specials.  From the specials list Hakka lei tea and brown sugar longan would have been interesting.  It appears all the ice creams except the chocolate ones don't contain colourants, egg yolks, cream, or stabilizing agents which is interesting to note.

One negative, no seating!!!  We had to stand outdoors which made it difficult to eat and it was blazing hot that day!!  The ice cream luckily didn't melt as quickly as I thought...or maybe we just ate really fast, lol!  (So, this is a warning to all slow eaters.)  But despite the lack of eating space, anyone travelling to Taiwan and making a stop in Taichung, this place is a must go for the ice cream lover!