Zoku Character Popsicles - Cherry Yogurt Popsicles

So cute!!  I picked up two of these Zoku Character Ice Pop Molds at Williams Sonoma and finally put them to use last week (great during the hot weather we've been having!).  Princess Bella and Cadence the Kitty. 

It was pure luck that a piece of cherry landed right where Bella's top was, lol!

Look at the detail!  The mold is a silicone mold and you pull the pop out and the mold inverts as you pull.  I was really impressed that everything came out okay without needing to rinse the outside with water!  The popsicle is small, about 2 inches but perfect for my little one.

It's not much of a recipe but just in case you were wondering, here is what I used.  (You also might wonder why I used simple syrup too...I was reading in Smitten Kitchen's Berry Yogurt Popsicles comments that you need a bit more sugar for frozen treats).

Cherry & Yogurt Mini Popsicles
Make about 4

1/2 cup balkan style sweetened vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
2 cherries chopped

Mix all ingredients together and pour into molds. 
Insert reusable stick and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Maman Toronto - Cute French Styled Cafe and Lunch Spot in the Financial District

Maman (Toronto)

100 King St. W Toronto, ON M5X 1B1

First Canadian Place, Upper Level Food Terrace

647-879-3642

http://mamantoronto.com/

Open: 7am- 6pm

 

Yes, it‘s true...there's a cute French-styled cafe and bakery located in the financial district!  Originally from New York City, they serve light lunches, baked goods and a selection of espresso based drinks and teas, I predict it‘s going to get very popular.  Located on the new upper level food terrace at First Canadian Place, this place stands out among the usual vendors in terms of decor and food choices.  Decor alone is worth the visit!



Communal tables inside

Soon serving cocktails!

Now that they've got you in the door, their baked goods also are pretty decent.  Actually, their lavender loaf cake is really good! 

Food Menu (Unfortunately didn't get a shot of the drinks menu)

They have some croissants, tarts, and a few other sweet treats on offer as well, but their loaf cakes really stood out.  Two were on offer when I went, a pistachio and the lavender.  I'd usually opt for pistachio but thought I'd try something different.  The cake was very moist and was just the right amount of sweetness and my first impression was that it was pretty good but I luckily saved half for later (it's quite filling) and when I ate the second half, I realized it was more than pretty good, it was really good!  Why, you ask?

 

Pistachio cake



Because, as always, I'm a sucker for matcha-anything and they had an iced matcha tea on their beverage menu so although I was going to get a basic tea (they carry Sloane Teas), I changed my mind at the last minute and got the iced matcha.  The matcha was okay but I think the matcha flavour overpowered the lavender. When I had the cake later, the lavender flavour was more apparent and it wasn't excessive.  The cake was also still quite moist hours later. 

The iced matcha as I mentioned was okay, but I'm not sure if I would get again.  Their lemon thyme madeleine was quite good as well and would be a nice mini treat if you weren't looking for something too heavy.

Iced Matcha Tea

The only thing that I would recommend is the drinks menu should be visible from the front door as well.  The menu is actually at the front of the line so as you're moving through the line and picking up your food items, you can't see the drinks menu until you get to the front where payment happens.  So then, you end up holding up the line if you haven't quite decided on what you'd like.  They have two staff up front so that helps, it just a small thing but it'd be nice to see what is available for beverages earlier.

 

I think the next time I'll try their salads and quiches; that would really tell you if it'll survive as a lunch spot.  Overall, a great place and there is nice seating outside as well!

 

Outdoor patio

 

Mean Bao - a tasty snack

Mean Bao
Village by the Grange 275 Dundas Street W, #19
Toronto, ON M5T 3K1
(416) 850-5616
http://www.meanbaotoronto.com/

I went to Mean Bao (a cute take on the pronounciation of the word bread in Cantonese) recently for a quick lunch.  Open for about 2 years now, the brand has expanded and will be opening a third location in Toronto's Queen East area (according to one of the founders who happen to be there that afternoon).

Mean Bao serves up Taiwanese inspired steamed buns filled with savory pork belly (known as  割包 "gua bao" in Taiwan) and several other buns with differing meat options.  In the last few years Toronto has seen this item appear on the menus of a number of restaurants and has become quite popular, especially after David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar first introduced his Steamed Pork Bun version in New York a decade ago (read here).  Note, Chang's version is not authentic tasting Taiwanese gua bao but it did make a mark and made people take notice.

Anyway, back to Mean Bao.  They also serve other items such as dumplings and quinoa lunch boxes but the pork belly baos are probably the most popular; and after tasting, I can see why!  I tried the pork belly and the braised beef bao (both were $3.95).  The pork belly was very tender. The layer of fat held it's shape and was uber soft.  I'm not one to eat a lot of fat but have grown to enjoy this fatty treat.  The flavour of the braised pork belly was very nice with the five spice seasoning and star anise.  I only wish the piece of pork was just a tad bigger for the price!  Topped with pickled veggies it was well paired.

Pork belly bao

The braised beef bao was okay, the flavour didn't leave much of an impression, but I think it was also a little too lean for my taste.  A little bit of fat would improve the flavour and texture but I can also see others loving the lean meat.  Maybe offering lean or fatty options would allow for more appeal.

The bun itself was so light and pillow soft, it tasted like it was made fresh - loved it.

It definitely brings me back to Taiwan where I had these wonderful little buns from street vendors.  I remember one little shop in one of the back alleys of Shida night market.  It was just a open window of a door and they offered these steamed buns filled with pork belly, lean pork, fried pork cutlet or fried chicken.  Topped with cilantro and peanuts, it was soooo tasty.  This pork belly bao reminds me of that shop except when I ate one in Taiwan, that was enough for a meal.  Maybe my appetite is bigger now, lol!

Koi Sakana Ramen

Koi Sakana Ramen 井上拉麵屋
360 Hwy 7 E.
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Y7
T: 905-882-8802
https://www.facebook.com/Koisakanaramen

Uptown ramen!!  A good bowl of noodles when you‘ve got a craving and just can't head downtown. 

I‘ve actually been eating quite a bit of ramen these days but I love eating ramen!  More specifically tonkontsu ramen with chewy noodles and this place does a very good job.  Broth was flavourful and slightly creamy, the meat was slightly seared and tender, and the noodles had a chewy bite.  The bowls might be slightly smaller than other places but I was satisfied.  The service was also outstanding.  We didn't have to ask for extra water or napkins, the waitress was there before we even knew we needed it!

They have a few other items on their menu but we were there for the ramen so didn't try anything else.  More items can be viewed on their FB page.
 

The space is small but there are a few booths and some tables that could be for individual diners or pushed together for larger groups.  Will definitely be back.  I love when I find a place that I know I'll revisit and it's not just a, 'yes...I've been there' type situation.

They have a house special tonkotsu ramen which has less salt than the original. 

 

 

Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That? - Meiji Strawberry (Hershey-Kiss-Shaped) Chocolates

I've decided to start a new series on my blog called Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That?

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been debating about whether to start this series.  As a kid, we always got Asian type snack foods as a treat.  Pocky, dried mango, and dried cuttlefish were the most frequent (yes, dried seafood was better than chips to me, lol!).  My sisters and I loved getting these treats, and they were treats to be shared so we always just got a bit.  Enough to enjoy but never enough to get bored of it and frequent enough that we didn't crave it and go overboard the next time.  But now, I don't eat too many snacks these days.  For whatever reason, snacks usually reach the expiry date before I get to them.  So, I didn't want to start something I wasn't going to update regularly. 

But sometimes, just sometimes, I'll see a package and want to try it.  I'm usually quite fascinated by products from Japan or Taiwan.  But, usually they're very expensive for the portion size (definitely good for portion control though!).  And usually I wonder what it'll taste like but often not buy.  In comes the Meiji brand with a strawberry chocolate snack that I found hard to resist (my eyes light up when I see strawberry chocolates, unless it's ultra sweet strawberry syrup filled chocolates which I don't particularly enjoy). So, to indulge my curiosity and inner child, I purchased this pretty little pink box, and so begins this series...

the back panel

Individually wrapped, cute packaging and there is a symbol for recycling (I think), but it's in Japanese.

Now for the most important part, how it tastes.  Yummy :)  The strawberry filling is like strawberry mousse but dehydrated (if you can imagine that), not sticky or chalky though.  The strawberry flavour is present and mild and seems natural which is nice.  Shaped like a Hershey Kiss, it's coated with a thin layer of chocolate and cocoa powder and the bottom is a chocolate cookie. 

It's not as sweet as North American chocolates/candies, so if you're expecting that, you'll be disappointed.  I'm not floored by this candy but it's still a cute treat, quite light, and definitely good if you like strawberry flavoured sweets.

Luckily in Toronto, there are a number of places to buy treats from Japan and Taiwan.  This box was purchased at T&T Supermarket for $5.49 (for a 49g box), it's a little steep, but I guess it's like getting a bubble tea, a sweet treat.  Well, there goes my bubble tea for the week!

Sometimes we are in need of a little treat and need to turn to something boxed, bagged, or wrapped.  
Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That? will be my space for highlighting snack foods from Japan and Taiwan or snacks new on the Toronto marketplace. 

Old Bleu Cafe Eatery - Boxed Lunch



Medium Lunch Box

 Old Bleu Cafe Eatery
73 Queen St. E. (just west of Church St.)
Toronto, ON M5C 1R8

I love coming across little cafes or eateries that are about good basic eats with a vibe like you're at a quaint little town.  Old Bleu is one of those cafes.  It's a cute little cafe offering sandwiches and boxed lunches that tastes homecooked good and won‘t break the bank - a hidden gem!  Well, I haven't tried their sandwiches, but last week I had their jerk pork lunch special.  There is a small, medium and large box ranging from around $5 - $8 - $10 after taxes.  You can customize you lunch with the different sides on offer, choosing a little of each or just a lot of one; basically enough to fill the box.
 

The jerk pork was tender, had good flavour with a little bit of a kick.  Not too salty like many other places I've had jerk at which is a definite plus!  The sides were basic, the spring salad was tossed with a basic oil and vinegar dressing, and the rice was light and fluffy.
 

Service was also very friendly.  Seating is limited though, a few seats looking out the large front window.  Definitely a great place to pick up lunch and a tip from the owner, every day the lunch is different except Tuesdays and Fridays which are the same.

They also offer coffee and tea and a few pastries.

Seats facing the large storefront window.

 

Tao Tea Leaf Spring Tea Tasting & Purple Bud Puer

Bai Mu Dan White Tea Leaves

In June, Tao Tea Leaf hosted 3 tea tastings showcasing his new Spring teas.  It was definitely an event where you‘ll get your fill of good quality tea!  We sampled 12 different teas, yes twelve, ranging from white to green to yellow to oolong to black and puer in 2 hours.  Several teas were quite popular, including a rare Silver Needle white tea that is grown at over 1000m above sea level and a purple bud puer picked from ancient tea trees.  The Silver Needle white tea that had lots of people ooohing and ahhhing over was definitely a nice and smooth tea, refined and sweet.

Silver Needle

The set up

Everything was set up very well with each tea label and a sample of the dry tea leaves were on display.

Huang Shan Mao Feng - a green tea from yellow mountain in China

Golden Needle Black Tea

Wild Purple Bud Puer

These wild purple buds are very different looking and I was very intrigued.  The taste is also unlike the earthy puer tea that I‘m accustomed to drinking.  The aroma has a hint of earthiness but when you taste it, it‘s quite mild and light with maybe notes of apricots.  There is a slight earthiness to the taste but very subtle and if you let it steep longer than expected, it doesn‘t become too strong which is great. 

Tao notes that these buds are from ancient tea trees that require climbing to pick.  As well, these trees are located on mountainous terrain.  

It seems there‘s always a new tea to discover!  As one of my new favorite bloggers has posted, 學無止境, there is always something new to learn.

Wild Purple Bud Tea

At home, infused wild purple bud puer tea buds

Snacks while sampling the tea, I believe they were purple yam cookies and pumpkin seed cookies.

One side of the wall, Tao carries quite a selection of teas.

Exterior of the shop (they were undergoing renovations inside)

I also picked up a green tea called An Ji Bai Cha.  It‘s name includes the characters "white tea" but that is because the tea leaves are whitish in colour before harvest and not a reference to the type of tea.  I'll likely be doing a separate post on that as it's also one I've never come across before and need to learn more.

Definitely check out Tao Tea Leaf if you want to pick up some good quality tea.  They specialize in Chinese teas but do offer other teas, blends, and tissanes.  Tao is also great at allowing you to sample a tea in the store and they are happy to answer any questions.

Tao Tea Leaf

934 Yonge St., Toronto ON, M4W 2J2

www.taotealeaf.com