Inspire Restaurant

Fusion food done right! Inspire Restaurant is located on Main St. Markham, a street with a bit of olde town feel, the chefs bring a level of quality to the area that is not usually found in the suburbs.  They don't serve foie gras or other high end staples, but they dress up comfort foods very nicely.  It's definitely a place I would go to regularly if I lived or worked closer.

融合美食做的很好!  Inspire Restaurant 設在 Main St. Markham 路, 那個路有一點點的古城的感覺, 可是廚師帶來quality食品,這個地區沒那麼有.  沒有鵝肝, 但是爽心美食更上一層樓.  如果我住在或是上班附近, 我會常時來. 

There were actually a number of items I would have love to order, but I could not resist ordering the Chicken with Waffles.  So happy that I did.  Tender pieces of fried chicken in a lightly spiced breading (I'm thinking cumin seeds?) with waffles and maple syrup...a sweet and salty combo that made me devour it!  The chicken was very moist, especially for chicken breast and the seasoning was slightly different but works. The only downside, too much syrup so the chicken loses some crunch and parts of the waffle get soggy.  Would have preferred less drizzled on top, and a side amount offered instead.

My partner had the INSP burger with duck fat fries...it looked great and from what I hear, it was very, very good.  I tried the fries and liked the flavour but they were softer than I'd like due to all the toppings...but kinda like a poutine.

Service was good, polite and efficient.  For the quality, everything was reasonably priced.

Interior is modern with a relaxing zen vibe, fits well with the fusion food.  I'd love to visit more often but the drive is a bit far...great for those that live in Markham though. 

Inspire Restaurant

144 Main St. Markham North Unit 1

Markham, ON L3P 5T3

905-554-2889

http://www.inspirerestaurant.com/

(Parking spots available at the side of the restaurant.)



Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Peking Duck at NCE BBQ (Northern China Eatery) - One of the Best in the City!

When I saw NCE a few weeks ago and then read a review on Zomato, I was really eager to try it out.  So about 2 weeks ago we did...just the two of us plus toddler.  The Peking duck was very good and luckily it was just us or we'd probably have to order another one if we there was another couple with us!

兩個星期前我們...兩個加一個小童...試試看 NCE BBQ.  北京烤鴨非常好吃! 好財沒有第三第四位詪我們一起吃飯,否則要點多一隻鴨子!

The duck skin was crispy and flavourful and the duck meat was tender and moist.  I've had duck at various places across the GTA and this one is the best I've eaten in recent memory!  I would definitely give this place a 5/5 if I was just eating Peking duck.  What makes this meal a cut above others are two other things, the wrappers and condiments.  The wrappers are very thin, sometimes we would pick up one, but it would actually be two thin ones.  They still held up and did not break.  The condiments are the usual but they give you a good amount.

However, for those that are used to having 2 or 3 courses of duck, example lettuce wrap as the second course, they don't offer that here.  Most of the duck is cut up and can be eaten with the wrapper or as is.  The second course is what they do with the bones, either in a soup, fried with salt and pepper or fried with cumin and chili pepper.  We chose the cumin.  It was very spicy!  I'd say it's good as a snack to accompany a few drinks.



They started us off with some banchan...

And here are the other dishes we tried.  Unfortunately they weren't the best choices as they weren't typical Northern Chinese dishes, but we needed noodles and non-spicy items for our toddler...so we ordered Shanghai noodles and garlic stir-fried broccoli.  Both were average.

Service was pretty quick and courteous but we went on a weeknight just before 6pm so it was pretty empty.   Glad they have lots of tables though, especially if this place gets very popular!

NCE BBQ
180 Steeles Avenue W
Unit 20A
Vaughan, ON L4J 2L1
T: (905) 597-1885

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Little Fin

Crispy haddock sandwich

If you've got a hankering for a fish sandwich or lobster near Yonge and Queen, Little Fin is a good choice!  Well, actually, I can only attest to the fish and only one fish at that, the haddock.

如果你在 Yonge-Queen 街附近, 渴求吃魚漢堡或龍蝦, Little Fin 是一個很好的選擇!

I had seen pictures of the food on various blogs and review sites and when I was looking for something for lunch, I headed there.  East of Yonge St. on Temperance, you'd never really notice it if you were walking on Yonge.

The fish is battered in what seems like panko and served atop a nice brioche bun.  The fish meat had good texture and it was fried just right; a good tasting sandwich.  The tartar sauce was okay too, it was a little spicy which I'm surprised that they don't offer a plain tartar sauce for those that don't like spicy. Comes with two sides; seaweed salad and potatoes were my choices.  Enjoyed both the sides, the potatoes were slightly crispy on the outside and lovely inside.  It might have been a tad on the salty side but I'm also the same person that doesn't have an issue with just eating tofu and broccoli steamed for lunch, lol!  So, I'm sure for most people, it would be perfectly seasoned.

Bar seating inside and in the warmer months, they would have patio seating.  Very clean looking too. Service was okay and I was greeted when I walked in.

A decent option for lunch in the area...maybe a little pricey for lunch but fish and lobster ARE quite pricey these days, so it's expected.  Oh, they also have a Chicken BLT which I saw someone order as I was leaving and it looks really good too!  I was surprised to learn they are affiliated with the Colette Grand Cafe, both are part of the Chase Hospitality Group.  I haven't been to Colette yet but have read good things and Little Fin was a good intro to the kind of quality of food that is offered by this group without the higher price tag of their fancier establishments.

Little Fin
4 Temperance St.
Toronto, ON M5H 1Y5
T: 647-348-7000
http://littlefin.ca/

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

a warm cup - rose black tea latte

Rose black tea latte...great for a late afternoon on a cold wintery day.
玫瑰紅茶拿鐵...下午時光冷天氣的朋友

 

5g loose leaf black tea

2 rose buds

175ml boiling water

(if using delicate black tea, use 90-95 °C hot water)

steeped for 5 mins

 

2 tsp sugar

175ml milk

(warmed and frothed)

 

Inspired to make this as I was listening to a podcast from Jess Lively, she mentioned this black rose latte from The Rose Establishment in Salt Lake City.  I checked out their website and their menu sounded great for a brunch or a light meal. But, what was interesting was they use bitters in their lattes...something I've never tried in tea.
 

 

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up! Thanks!

Love Me Sweet - New Japanese Cheesecake Bakery

A new Japanese cheese cake bakery, Love Me Sweet, just opened in Markham (or I think of it as Thornhill since it's just north of Steeles on Yonge) and it is every bit as light and airy as you would expect!  The cake is lightly sweetened and the cream cheese taste is there, but not has heavy as a New York style cheese cake.  We got it right out of the oven so it was also quite moist, letting it cool down definitely helps it set a bit.  Or leave overnight in the fridge and you've got a thicker cake if that is your preference.  If you've been to Uncle Tetsu's, it tastes pretty much the same from what I can recall (with the popularity of Uncle Tetsu's, it's hard not to compare).

We did have to wait 30 mins (Sat afternoon) despite being told 15 mins because I think the cashier didn't realize when we ordered that we would have had to wait for the next, next batch to be ready.  There were people that ordered over the phone and people were allowed to buy more than one making it a lot more customer friendly!  The bakery is located at The World on Yonge, a condo and shopping complex so if you do have to wait you can wait inside (there actually isn't too much shopping but you can do grocery shopping at Season's supermarket).  Parking is also available underground.

Unfortunately no seating

Love Me Sweet

7181 Yonge St. Unit 16

Markham ON L3T 0C7

647-699-1899

https://www.facebook.com/LMSbakery/

 

Jule Tea House

House special noodles ($7.49)

Jule tea house started out as just a bubble tea and dessert shop, but over the last few months to half a year (?), they started offering Taiwanese style meals which I was curious to try.  From the menu I think they say they named their tea house Jule because it resembled the pronunciation of the word 'to gather' together (聚) in Mandarin.

The tea house has really nice seating and is quite spacious so it's definitely a nice place 'to gather' with friends.  Soft music plays in the background and on the back wall they also have a nice green wall to add to the comfortable feeling of the space.
這個茶館很寬敞, 是一個很好的地方和朋友聚集在一起. 音樂播放輕輕的, 後牆有綠色植物給人以舒適的感覺.
I ordered their House Special Rice Noodle which was a spicy mala rice noodle with pork ribs.  The meal was decent and it was indeed spicy, but portions were a bit small.  If you were a big eater, you'll need to add a drink and a dessert to be full. Otherwise it's good as a light meal.  Too bad there isn't a drink special if you order one of their meals.



Jule does have a number of desserts on offer that makes them a little unique, but I wasn't up for trying them so I can't comment.  The bubble tea we ordered was the regular milk tea and on a previous visit I had ordered the same but with tapioca.  Both occasions the milk tea was good but the tapioca could have been better, they were not all soft and chewy.

Overall, the food and bubble tea didn't blow me away, but it's a good place to hang out with friends as the seating is nice and service was decent.

  

MaMa Beef Rice Noodle (soup was a little lacking in flavour)

Jule
20 Carlton St.
Toronto, ON M5B 2H5
T:416-509-7888
https://www.facebook.com/JuleToronto/

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

New Things for a New Year: New Washi Tape and Tea Set

Happy Chinese New Year!  新年快樂!! I was going to write a Chinese New Year post but then I was too busy cleaning, making things, and eating out.  So now I have a ton of food posts to write, but since it's the new year I decided to share a few of the new things I started the year with: my new washi tapes and new tea set :)

I've loved looking at washi tape for years but I knew that if I bought it it would stay virtually unused because I didn't want to waste it...kinda like when I was a kid and realized stickers were expensive, I just didn't waste them on anything.  Anyway, I finally purchased a bunch from Yozo Craft and I love them!  Great colours and designs and quite affordable for 10m rolls.

 

Most will be used in my notebooks since I'll be holding on to them and some for card making.  And maybe, just maybe I'll let my child use them...but she'll just stick them everywhere (including my nose) without a second thought!  Like how my friend so aptly mentioned to me today, love how children eat foods (like cookies) without guilt.

I love getting anything tea related, whether it's tea leaves or teapots or tea cups.  Although I already have two other clay teapots, I couldn't resist buying this one.  (Some people buy new clothes for Chinese New Year, I like to buy new tea or teaware.)  My new tea set is a pear shaped purple clay tea pot made in Taiwan (from Taiwan Tea Crafts).  It's a nice little set and pours really nicely.  I used it to brew a lightly oxidized oolong tea from the Aowanda area in Nantou, Taiwan. The clay will enhance the flavours of certain teas and if you continue to brew the same tea in the clay pot, you are in a way 'seasoning' it so future brews become more flavourful.  Over time, you could get tea from just pouring hot water into the pot without leaves!  With any unglazed clay pot, it's best to use only one type of tea so the hardest part for me is now deciding which tea to use in the pot.  Hopefully this is the hardest thing I'll have to do this year, lol!

Black Tea from Taiwan - Golden Dragon Red Jade Black Tea

Leaves after the 2nd steep...love to look at these after they've all opened!

Gosh, as much as I tell people about the good oolong teas from Taiwan, Taiwan black teas are really good too!  Here are my tasting notes for the Golden Dragon Red Jade Black Tea from Taiwan Tea Crafts.  Again, this tea was part of my gift set that I got for Christmas.

I have several black teas from Taiwan, but I don't have this varietal.  It's made from the T-18 cultivar or some know it as Ruby 18 which was developed by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station (TRES) by combining an Assamica leaf variatal with a native Taiwan wild leaf varietal.  I had read how popular it was so I was eager to try too, but the price was so high or supply just went quickly. So I'm so happy to have it and have tried it now!

我有幾種台灣紅茶, 但是沒有這一種.  這個 Golden Dragon Red Jade Black Tea 栽培品種叫紅玉十八號 (T-18).  是台灣自製的.  前幾年, 我聽說很好喝, 所以我也要試試看, 可是 那年價錢很貴也貨量快就賣完了. 現在我很高興可以品嘗這個茶!

Anyway, enjoyed it very much!  我很希歡!

1st steep

Vessel...175 ml/6 oz gaiwan
Wt...approx. 3g tea leaves
Temperature...95°C

Infusion time...1 min

Aroma...
Very nice and strong!  Notes of cinnamon and I was thinking camphor but I wasn't too sure.

Taste...
I tasted dried fruit, more specifically I think dried longan taste with notes of cinnamon and what I think was camphor or mint like.  Luckily the description of the tea made me feel a little more confident (there was camphor in the taste profile).  I know tea taste profiles can be subjective and it should be more about what you yourself experience, but sometimes it's nice when you and someone else can taste the same thing.

This tea was not astringent at all, very smooth so this tea definitely does not need milk or sugar.

Steeped two times and the tastes were very similar except the first infusion carried more aroma.  My third steep was actually several hours later.  I left the house and came back and decide to refresh the tea with some near boiling water and then brew my third cup (2 min infusion time).  Surprisingly, the flavour was still fairly strong but the camphor was missing and there was maybe a hint of bitterness.  Not sure if it's because I over steeped it or if it's a result of the time between steeps.

It was picked in 2014 but still is quite fresh.  I've found vacuum packed teas can last quite a number of years.  This tea is also grown in their own tea garden where they had to tear down an old one and start anew.  I always thought tea gardens lasted and lasted but I guess they don't...they need to be revitalized in some way or in their case replanted from scratch.  As the tea tree matures, I'm sure it will produce very good tea!

I'd definitely recommend this tea for those interested in a black tea with strong dried fruit and spice notes and no astringency.

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!