A Hangry Girl Eats..

[ahangrygirleats]

a lot of cheese.

I love cheese. When I read Heidi as a kid, the one part that stayed with me was her grandfather handing her a lump of cheese and bread. I couldn’t stop thinking about that lump of cheese throughout the rest of the book, hoping it would show up again. It didn’t. I could live on cheese and bread my entire life, if it was nutritionally fulfilling. I am so, so grateful for our ancestors who thought the best way to save milk was to turn it into a funky smelling solid. 

So obviously, I’m pretty big on cheese plates. I’m lucky to have people around me who enjoy it as much as I do and will join me to just eat embarrassing amounts of cheese off a large wooden board. 

Depending on how prepared I am, who’s joining me and what the occasion is, my cheeseboards are pretty varied. Sometimes I’ll just put whatever leftovers I have in my fridge on a nice-ish looking board/plate and eat it with whatever carbs I’ve got. Other times I’ll go to the store and pick the right combination of cheese, meats, crackers and bread for the perfect cheesy experience. 

The first time I had a great cheeseboard was at an agency I worked at, called Community. They used to do these cool birthday parties for everyone where the birthday boy/girl/man/woman got to choose what they wanted to treat the agency to. Some saint of a human being asked for a cheese plate. 

Here’s what it looked like:

We had sweet, seedless red grapes, double cream brie, goat cheese, herbed goat cheese, aged cheddar, boursin, red pepper jelly, aged gouda, and a variety of crackers and a lot of wine. 

I really love mixing a bunch of different things with cheese — fruit, meat, jellies, etc. I’m convinced you feel less dairy-sick after eating that much cheese if you add a couple of non-cheese things. 

My go to cheese plate on a regular day, consists of boursin, double cream brie, sharp white cheddar, bocconcini and or chèvre. It’s still fairly expensive, and you can make do with the cheddar, bocconcini and brie, but I like the variety. Throw in some red grapes, hot genoa salami and a variety pack of crackers, maybe a baguette and you’re gold. 

Here’s the formula for a perfect cheese plate: 

Any three or more of the following: 

A creamy cheese: brie, camembert 

A fresh cheese: goat cheese, feta, fresh cream cheese, boursin 

A sharp cheese: aged cheddar, gruyere, aged gouda  

A funky cheese: stilton, roquefort 

A smoked cheese: smoked swiss, smoked mozzarella, smoked gouda 

Any one or more of the following: 

Hot genoa salami 

Proscuitto 

Pancetta 

Soppressata 

Iberico Ham

Bresaola

Any one or more of the following: 

Dried or fresh figs

Dried or fresh apricots (or any other fresh stone fruit) 

Sliced apples 

Sliced pairs 

Dates 

Olives 

Grapes 

Nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts are best. 

Any one or more of the following: 

Red pepper jelly 

Wine jellies 

Berry jellies

Fig jams 

Onion jams 

Raw honey 

Then just add your choice of carbs. I like those cheese crackers that have dried cranberries and nuts in them, or the very neutral ones that taste like nothing much, or plain melba toasts. Water crackers are great, too. 

Now, I’m trusting you guys not to have dead taste buds and obviously pick the flavours that go together from the above lists. I find that contrasting flavours go great together. I love popping a piece of aged cheddar and a sweet red grape in my mouth at the same time, I feel like Remy from Ratatouille. Apples go great with brie and camembert, and figs and apricots or peaches go beautifully with goat cheese, when drizzled with a tiny bit of honey. Figure out what combinations and flavours work for you and go forth young grasshopper and may your boards always be full of cheese. 

Here are some pictures of my cheese plates and what’s been on them and a couple of things I recently discovered that are going to make a regular appearance on my cheeseboards:

A cheeseboard I made for my housewarming party last year - red pepper jelly, baguette, crackers, camembert, boursin, gruyere, hot soppressata, basil and tomato turkey and aged cheddar. 

Fig topped with goat cheese and drizzled with honey. Also makes a wonderful snack. 

A mini work cheese plate with some goat cheese, mini brie and cranberry jam. 

A cheeseplate for this year's housewarming: aged cheddar, boursin, double cream brie, bocconcini, goat cheese drizzled with honey, red pepper jelly, smoked salmon, cream cheese and a lot of crackers. 

This morning's breakfast cheese plate: truffled brie, wine cured aged cheddar, aged yellow cheddar, red pepper jelly, cranberry-raspberry merlot jelly, hot pepper chardonnay jelly and not pictured: medium boiled eggs. 

I recently discovered these wonderful wine jellies, they taste like merlot and chardonnay and go with any creamy cheeses. The chardonnay one goes well with aged cheddar too. It's amazing. 

Cheese night with buds: Water crackers, baguette, fig jam, onion jam, cranberry-onion jam, red pepper jelly, hot genoa salami, aged cheddar, double cream brie, gruyere, red pepper hummus, chive boursin, mini pitas, arancini 

Go eat a lot of cheese. The next day on the toilet is totally worth it. 

[ahangrygirleats]

See what I mean about having a refined palate? This is factory deliciousness.

[ahangrygirleats]

Burgers (in Toronto)

First of all, apologies for the huge hiatus. I didn’t want to do that with this blog, but you know, life happens. I moved apartments, which was a huge undertaking in itself, and then before I had had time to unpack, TIFF happened. I would have liked to do a couple of TIFF posts but everybody else had it covered, I guess with the usual recommendations of Khao San and Windsor Arms and Smoke’s or whatever. 

Secondly, I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time, but I felt like I hadn’t had enough burgers to be the authority on this. I think I’m ready now. 

For those of you who don’t know, my burger eating life began in 2012, when I was convinced (forced to believe — but for real, shout out to Devin for drastically changing my food life) that the best way to worship cows is to eat them, and ate a burger from Burger Brats for Burger Week. I enjoyed it, quite a bit. Ever since then, I’ve had some bad burgers, some good burgers and some really fucking good burgers. This is a list of burgers I think are amazing. 

Note: My favourite burger in the world comes from a little restaurant in New York/Dubai called the Shake Shack. It’s not on this list because this list is very localized and only talks about Toronto burgers. 

But here is a pic of the perfect Shackburger anyways. REAL. AMURCAN. CHEESE. AND THE BEST FRIES. 

Another note: Burger or food lists kind of suck for me, because taste is subjective. Your taste depends on what you grew up eating, your preferences and such. You could say I have a highly refined palate because I’m into truffles and foie gras but then I can devour 20 chicken nuggets like nobody’s business so who the fuck can really say what a “refined” palate is. Just eat what you fucking want and what you find delicious. Anyways, that said, let me tell you what kind of burgers I’m into. I know a lot of people love burgers topped with chilli and onion rings and all sorts of craziness, but I’m a simple gal. Wtf. Ew. Did I just say gal? I could backspace I guess but who has time for that, gotta keep moving. Anyways. I like my burgers simple. Lightly seasoned. Melty beef. Ground in-house is best. And topped with a simple, lightly toasted white bun, tomato, lettuce, cheese, mayo and maybe a slice or two (Two. Two! Or three!) of bacon or onion. Nothing too crazy. Simple and delicious. So that’s what this list is based on. 

Here’s a definitive list of burgers in Toronto that you must eat (in no particular order): 

Burger’s Priest: I love Burger’s Priest not only because of the quality of meat and the flavour, but because of the ridiculous amount of options. You can be somebody who likes simple burgers or somebody who likes crazy, fancy burgers and you will find something you want at Burger’s Priest. I usually get the bacon cheeseburger, just one patty. Their meat is ground in-house, and they do the thing where they put a ball of meat on the griddle and push it down and cover it. This results in a supremely moist, juicy patty with a crunchy, browned outside. They toast the bun on the griddle, so it soaks up all the grease, and is warm. Pull your sleeves, tie up your hair. It’s greasy. My only complaint about Burger’s Priest is that it tends to be too greasy. Personally, I can’t get a double patty because the grease then coats the back of my throat and it feels disgusting. But other than that, this is a pretty damn perfect burger. They also have a veggie option, sigh, don’t make me talk about it. It’s a fried portobello mushroom. Get out. They don’t do combos and everything else is extra, but they have some awesome things on the menu, like a grilled cheese ice cream sandwich and some delicious milkshakes. Fries are nothing to write home about, but because I like those double-fried fries like at McDonald’s. 

Burger’s Priest burgers have weird names so I can’t remember what this one is called, but it has fried jalapenos in it. Didn’t work for me. Too spicy. 

The Emerson: We actually had a burger here during Burger Week, and I’m not sure if they always have it on their menu. But this was likely closest to the most perfect burger I’ve had. I love when burgers are cooked medium rare. If you’re using good meat, let that shit shine. Don’t cook it to a crisp. There’s nothing worse than a tough burger. Shut up. I know exactly which of you are laughing at this “authoritative opinion”. This burger was a mixture of ribeye, chuck and brisket in a patty, garlic aioli (WHO DOESN’T LOVE AIOLI. Non-believers, get out.), quick pickles (marinated cucumbers), tomato, lettuce, Beemster cheese sauce and caramelized onions. The meat just melts in your mouth like nothing I’ve tasted before and all of the toppings/accompaniments were just perfect. The quick pickles were a refreshing touch, a nice contrast against the heavy cheese and rich caramelized onions. I think it was a lightly toasted brioche bun, too, which is my favourite kind of bread for burgers. Brioche or Challah foreva. I hope for your sake they still have this burger because it was heavenly. This was the point in my burger eating life that I was like “This is the right way to worship cows. By combining delicious parts of their body into one medium rare patty”. 

La Societé: This burger was actually pretty close to the Emerson’s. Medium rare. MEDIUM RARE. I ate the slider version of this, still pretty damn perfect. The patty is AAA dry aged ground strip loin. The thing with dry aged beef is that it’s so flavourful, and the flavour is so concentrated, that simple is best. This burger had no other flavouring except for salt for seasoning, and it was beautiful. That dry aged strip loin was the star of that god damn burger.  It was topped with tomatillo fig chutney, brie, maple bacon, pickled onions, tomato aioli and arugula. Arugula is the best leaf to put on your burger because it cuts through the grease with its sharp taste. The brie complements the richness of the burger with its own dairy fat, as does the bacon. Everything else is a bit sour, cutting through the deep flavours of the meat. Gorgeous milk bun (I think) with sesame seeds. And their shoestring fries served with garlic aoili are a great accompaniment to the burger. Worth every penny.  

Five Guys Burgers & Fries: I really, really, really like Five Guys. Just super classic. Bacon cheeseburger. Tomato. Mayo. Lettuce. They do the same ball thing where they toss a ball of ground meat on the griddle and then squish it, cover it, etc. Juicy patty, whatever bread, but just a good simple burger. Again you have to order fries for extra $ because they don’t do combos, but it’s a pretty damn delicious burger. Also free peanuts. I don’t like those kind of peanuts so I don’t care, but for those of you who like free things and peanuts, it’s cool I guess. Free drink refills, if I’m not crazy. Also very cool. Their fries are actually pretty delicious, and come in a spicy version, which is pretty sweet. 

P&L Burger: I actually just recently ate here, I’d heard a lot about it. Burger n00bs, burger connoisseurs, beef haters, burger haters and basically everybody has talked to me about this burger. I’ve heard people say it’s much better than Burger’s Priest, it’s the best burger in the city, etc. etc. I’m sorry folks. I wasn’t impressed. It was a good burger. But like I said, I’m all about the balance and this was a mess. The bread didn’t hold the patty well because the patty was huge, it wasn’t packed together properly so it fell apart, it was overcooked (not tough, but not melt-in your mouth either). It was pretty flavourful and I really enjoyed the toppings: bacon, cheddar, onion jam, ice berg lettuce and dill pickle mayo. The ice berg had wilted right into the burger, so didn’t care much for that, but the onion jam, cheddar, bacon and mayo did wonders for this burger. You can also ask for various sauces on the side if you wanna do your own thing. This burger was too juicy but not from the patty itself. The thing is, it’s on this list because it was flavourful, and delicious. But I wasn’t a fan of how it was made and how nothing balanced anything out. The toppings were kind of lost in the mess that was my soggy bread. Big potential though. Wish the patty was smaller, that would solve a lot. 

Burger Brats: Burger Brats is very low-key, and underrated. It’s in a basement shop on Adelaide. I haven’t been in a long time, but it’s a good place for pre-post-mid-TIFF meals. I don’t really know how to describe Burger Brats because they have so many different burgers and each time I eat there (two, and counting) I eat a completely different burger. I think I’ve had the Mushroom Melt and then a special burger they had for Burger Week that I remember had BBQ sauce on it. Don’t remember much else. Great, simple patty, delicious bread and wonderful toppings. Flavourful beef. They don’t overcook it, so it’s not a gross tough, chewy patty. The burgers are also suuuuper greasy, so don’t wear white. They also have delicious milkshakes so don’t forget to get one! 

Apache Burger: Apache Burger is a bit of a legend. My 40+ year old boss would hang out there when he was a TEENAGER, so you know they have been around for fucking forever. Their burgers are huge. Plate size. It’s pretty intimidating. But they are very very very delicious. They do the thing where you get to put what goes on your burger which is super awesome. Always just get tomatoes, mayo, lettuce, onion. Nice and simple. They have some pretty crazy burgers with like three patties and two types of bacon etc., but I always go for the bacon cheeseburger. It’s crazy filling. They also do really great onion rings, very crisp and oily, perfection. Their fries are ok, I just get them because I NEED STARCH. While you’re there, get delicious baked good from Bake Sale mmmm! 

The Burgernator: I went here one time because my friend insisted it was the best burger of all time. While it was quite delicious and superior to many burgers in the city, it was not the best. It was pretty damn delicious though. Also, I’m a fan of eggs on burgers, since the Burgernator. The Burgernator is a hipster looking joint, perfect for Kensington Market. I think I got the Bazooka Jr., it was a 6 ounce beef patty, a fried egg, hot peppers, monteray jack cheese and chipotle aioli. It had some heat, but wasn’t super spicy. The egg was an awesome, creamy accompaniment. Yummers. Their burgers are not overcooked, but not super melt in your mouth either. But the toppings make this. Get milkshakes. 

Gangster Burger: I had a Korean something burger during burger week here and it was beautiful. A crisp bun. Kimchi sauce. Fried egg. Spicy and painful on my butt but totally worth it. Good burger, they grind their beef in-house. They’re kind of kind Burgernator in that sense, they have a lot of different kinds of burgers (all named after Gangsters, duh) and they are all pretty delicious. Limp fries, but honestly when the burger is good, you don’t care. Remember how I said I don’t really adore fancy burgers and am more into simple burgers? This one is a huge exception. I’m not sure what it is about Kimchi but it goes with everything, and with an egg on good ground beef, it was truly amazing. Go get one. Any one. 

The Works: I love a lot of things about the Works. I love their patio. I love their milkshakes. I love that they serve drinks in glass measuring cups and I love their menu. The restaurant is aptly named. Their menu is extensive. There are seven burger patties to choose from, from ground beef to domestic elk and even veggie! Oh, and a cheese stuffed beef patty. Yeah. You can really go crazy here. They have a ridiculous amount of burgers, some topped with mac and cheese, onion rings, cheese, brie, a mini poutine, mini nachos, mini pizza toppings and there’s also a Plain Jane that has a burger and a bun. So whatever burger you’re into, you’ll find something you like here. Oh, and they’re huge. Which is why I can never get anything else. After a meal here go for a walk down the Esplanade or something. You’ll need it. The burger patty is huge but so is the bread so it all balances out. BALANCE. Is key. Also good fries.

  Big Smoke: This is the best fast food burger and it costs a fucking arm and a leg to acquire it. Okay not really but it’s as pricey as a restaurant burger. Big Smoke actually has decent burgers, it’s on this list because it’s better than places like Gourmet Burger Company and Hero Burger. They have a bunch of different burgers, they try to keep them all pretty simple, nothing outrageous. They also do a Lamb Burger which is interesting. Their onion rings are fucking phenomenal. Seriously probably the best I’ve had. 

If you would like a RANKING, here it is: 

(Shake Shack) 

Burger’s Priest 

The Emerson 

La Societé

Five Guys Burgers & Fries 

Note on ranking: This is based on price, value for money and flavour. Flavour is given the most importance, but price also plays a role. 

RESTAURANTS AT WHICH I HAVE YET TO EAT BURGERS BUT I HAVE HEARD ARE AMAZEBALLS 

Merci Mon Ami 

South St. Burger  

Stockyards

Holy Chuck

The Harbord Room 

Marben 

Nota Bene 

Bymark 

The County General 

E11even 

Origin 

Queen & Beaver 

Here is a bonus pic of me eating my favourite burger ever. 

[ahangrygirleats]

Food hack: roast garlic in a little olive oil and a sprinkle of water and spread that on your baguette instead of butter/cheese etc. Easy, no fuss garlic bread.

[ahangrygirleats]

at Red Bench Pt. II

Last time I wrote about Red Bench, I was so excited by its actual existence and the fact that I could make any cookie I wanted, that I forgot about taking pictures. And that’s how you know I’m having a really great time, when I forget to take pictures. To be fair, sometimes I’ll be having a great time, but I’ve asked people around me to remind me to take pictures, so, you know. Exceptions. 

So Red Bench is truly a unique café. They keep adding more cool stuff, and so I had to make another visit to capture everything. This time, I took pictures. 

Do you like cookies? Of course you do. If you don’t, get out. Just kidding, stay, there’s more than cookies at Red Bench. But cookies seem to be the star. 

I don’t know how to write coherently, so I’m going to list the things that you can get at Red Bench, and you’ll see how unique it is. The best part: everything is ORGANIC. And you can’t tell the price difference, no, if there is one, even. 

Pre-made cookies: Red Bench has jars of delicious cookies about the size of your palm that are pre-made to buy. They’re all delicious and here are the flavours that you can buy them in: 

The Classic – Chocolate Chip Cookie (pictured below. foreground)  Cookies n Cream – Oreo Chunks (pictured above)  Brookie – Brownie in a Cookie Costume Buzzed – Double Chocolate Cookie & Espresso Granny Oats – Oatmeal Cookie, Cinnamon & Raisins Salt Flake City – Triple Chocolate Cookie & Fleur de Sel S’mores – Marshmallows, Graham Crackers & Chocolate Chip Breakfast Muffin Top - Oatmeal, Bananas, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Hemp & Maca Peanut Butter & Jelly – Peanut Butter Cookie & Strawberry Preserve Ginger Molasses Yin Yang - When Peanut Butter met Chocolate (pictured below, background) 

I’ve eaten every single one of these except the buzzed, granny oats and breakfast muffin top. I probably won’t ever, because of my PREFERENCES, but based on the standard they keep with everything else, they are probably amazing, too. My personal favourite is Salt Flake City: I made sea salt triple chocolate cookies once, and they turned out amazing, but were very hard to make, and discovering ones that tasted very close to mine at Red Bench was a life changer. Best cookie ever. 

Made to order cookies: Yep. It’s exactly what you think it is. A damn cookie bar. You walk in, and you pick your (organic) dough base from original, chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal and gluten free. Yep, glutenerds, you can totally eat here too.

And then you get to pick any two mix-ins, which range from deliciously unhealthy things like Snickers, Oreos, marshmallows, chocolate chips, M&Ms and potato chips to nuts, coconut and various dried fruit.

I do this every time I go to Red Bench, and make a double chocolate cookie with Snickers. It’s as indulgent and delicious as you think. But you get 5 mini cookies, and go with a friend so you’ll be forced to share. These cookies are softer than your regular ones, I’m not sure if you can ask to leave them in the oven longer, but it never hurts to ask! 

Here are some that my sister made: chocolate dough with white chocolate chips and almonds. 

Cookies & milk: You can get a COMBO. Yep. I mean they have ones with tea and stuff but this one is my favourite, it’s so… old school. And something you’d eat in the privacy of your own home. It’s adorable that they serve it at a cafe. So you can get your five cookies and a dollar more or so add a cup of milk, and regress back to your childhood in the best possible way! 

Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches: I mean. Ice cream sandwiches are the best thing ever, right? Right. Glad we’re clear on that. These are ice cream sandwiches made with some REALLY DAMN DELICIOUS cookies, that are made fresh, in store. I know, I know, we all love Bang Bang and Bakerbots but not all of us live in that hood, and need ice cream sandwiches that are just as good (sometimes better depending on what combination you create) closer to home (the downtown core).

They stuff your cookie with your choice of ice cream, push that sucker down just like this, so the ice cream doesn't slide around: 

And then, they roll it in whatever mix ins you picked. I picked Oreo, so mine's being rolled around in Oreo crumbs. 

Frozen Yoghurt: BONUS. They do froyo. It’s all organic. It’s all delicious. So if you go with a group of friends and they’re not feeling froyo and want something else, or vice versa, there are a lot of different options here. The froyo is your standard self-serve with lots of different toppings. It was voted one of the best froyos in Toronto, so stop with your Menchies obsession and try something new (that was more to myself than anybody else). 

Tea: Yeah. They also do tea. Delicious smelling, organic teas of all kind. Roibos. Herbal. Flavoured. Plain green. Etc. 

Red Bench is unique in that they serve so many different things, and it’s got a very casual atmosphere. So you can take a bunch of friends and go hang out there for a bit, or take your laptop and hang out there and eat and drink your way through the menu, or you can pop by and grab what you need. 

Red Bench is located three blocks north of Wellesley station, and four south of Bloor, at 611 Yonge St. Go check it out, and say hello to Elie, the owner. 

[ahangrygirleats]

Lucky Red/Banh Mi Boyz

Every time I ask my friend Bon (who works about two blocks away from my work) what to get for lunch, he says LUCKY RED. Without fail. It’s a little bit of a walk from where I work, so I never really paid heed (what is this, a fucking fairy tale? Maybe.) to his suggestion. Last Thursday though, I had a stupid craving for noodles. BlogTO’s review of Lucky Red included an image of some really delicious looking lo-mein and I decided that I needed my face in that bowl like asap.

So I made the trek to Lucky Red (a little north of Dundas-Spadina, in China Town), and it is actually a trek because Toronto will never fucking stop being under construction so you have to walk all around this stupid track laying to just get north of Dundas. Whatever. It was going to be worth it. So I find Lucky Red, it’s really cute and totally fits in with the Chinatown vibe, but it’s still obviously hip. So I walk in and order my Banh Mi and Lo-Mein. I’ve been looking forward to these noodles all day (since I looked at the menu). The cashier tells me they don’t do noodles anymore. Worst day of my life. Okay not, but like, I was really really really upset, like here’s the picture on BlogTO, tell me you aren’t upset FOR ME. 

Anyways, I did get a Banh Mi (for dinner, later) and a pulled pork taco and a fried chicken bao. But it was the order I would get at Banh Mi Boyz, so it wasn’t ridiculously exciting. Exciting, still, because I love Banh Mi Boyz. So consider this a Banh Mi Boyz/Lucky Red post. 

A Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich, typically made by filling a crusty baguette with various different types of western and eastern style meats, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumbers, scallions and coriander. To give you a little bit of historical context, Banh Mis were introduced during the French colonization of Vietnam. The sandwich typically uses a single serving baguette, or a six-inch sliced baguette. According to Wikipedia, “Banh Mi” is a term for all kinds of bread. Vietnamese baguettes are much airier than the dense French baguettes you may know of.The historical context kind of adds to the appeal for me, it’s exciting. I’ve never had a Banh Mi from a restaurant in Chinatown, which I assume makes it super authentic, but I can assure you that Banh Mi Boyz is DELICIOUS. Plus the owners’ parents actually do own an authentic Viet Resto, so you know, you can rest assured it’s as real as it gets. 

Here's my dinner Bahn Mi. It was delicious, even hours later. 

The bread is toasted, just enough so that it’s slightly crisp but soft on the inside. It’s filled with various types of meat: pulled pork, grilled pork, grilled chicken, tofu, braised beef cheek, pork belly, meatball, kalbi beef, squid and duck confit, topped with a chilled cucumber, some pickled daikon and carrots and topped with cilantro. It’s rolled up so the fillings are nice and snug, there are no over the top sauces that drip all over your hands and arms and it’s just very comfortable to eat. I like that. Not that I hate sandwiches that are messy, but it’s just nice to look like a lady while you eat without really trying. 

The grilled chicken is well marinated, I’m not sure what the seasoning is, soy sauce and some pepper-like thing? I’m not sure but it’s fucking delicious and tender. Same with the kalbi beef and braised beef. Very tender, delicious, rich meat. Top with a fresh, crunchy, chilled cucumber and pickled daikon and carrots and it’s a fucking party. 

If you’ve never had a bao, it’s a steamed bun made from refined flour. It’s very soft, smooth and doesn’t have a crust. It’s so soft, in fact, that sometimes it gets stuck on your teeth, and you feel like you need to brush your teeth after. Sometimes they look more like a thick, but small pita and sometimes it looks like a dumpling and comes filled with a variety of different meats. My favourite is Char Siu Bao, a steamed bun filled with barbecue pork. 

This is the fried fish boa, I think. I could be wrong. 

Baos are typically filled with braised pork belly, but modern restaurants are adding their own twists on the traditional Chinese bao. At Banh Mi Boyz and Lucky Red, I always do the Fried Chicken Bao, because contrasts. Hot, fried chicken with crisp pickles and cucumber on a warm, soft, melt in your mouth steamed bun… You get it. Right? If you don’t just go get one. Stop reading. 

Here's a picture of my take-out fried chicken bao. 

At Lucky Red, they do ice cream sandwiches in fried baos. Which is pretty damn amazing. They have a s’mores one. Seriously. Ridiculous. 

Lucky Red/Banh Mi Boyz also do Korean Tacos. Korean Tacos actually originated in LA, where hip food truck owners starting merging their eastern influences with their LA lifestyle. Korean tacos (at least the ones at LR/BMB) don’t use corn tortillas, but a flatbread that resembles a chewy indian roti. I love it, obviously. Maybe it’s the brown in me.

My favourite one is the pulled pork. It’s delicious and has a lot of different flavours and elements that explode all over the inside of your mouth. In the best way possible. These are best eaten as soon as they’re served, even though I was pretty ballsy and took it home one time, for dinner. A few minutes in the microwave is all it needs but it’s never as good as when it’s just been served. Kind of the same with all of these, actually. 

They also do a pretty rad jicama salad. In case you didn’t know, that’s a raw green papaya salad. It’s not fully ripe yet, so it’s crunchy and has a slight tropical flavour. It’s close to a coleslaw, with julienned papaya, carrots and daikon in a vinaigrette that likely has soy sauce and fish sauce in it. It’s really delicious and fresh — think Fresh Rolls. Great accompaniment to all the rich, meaty carb party that are all the sandwiches here. 

They also do pretty good fries and Kimchi Fries. I’m not a fan of Kimchi fries because I don’t really like their Kimchi. I like my Kimchi very Korean and spicy, and Banh Mi Boyz kimchi is pretty tame and almost sweet. Not a fan. But if you’re not picky about your kimchi, the kimchi fries are actually a lot of people’s favourite item. 

The best part is that everything on the menu is below $10, so you can buy a bunch of different things and try them out. (For the record, this was just for the picture. I did not eat all of it. I promise.)

Banh Mi Boyz has two locations, one on Yonge, 399 Yonge Street, a block south of College station and just north of Gerrard. The other one is at 392 Queen St West, that’s just west of Spadina on Queen, past the McDonald’s. Lucky Red is located at 318 Spadina, less than a block north of Dundas. If you’re close to any of these locations, I highly recommend you get this for lunch or dinner.

[ahangrygirleats]

Vietnamese Comfort Food (in MTL)

As much as I try to go out of my comfort zone in all aspects of life, with food, I typically need at least one trusted companion or at least a super clean looking interior. I’m open minded, not brave. So, a few weekends ago, armed with a trusted friend who knew my palate and her authentic American-Vietnamese friend, I walked into a restaurant I typically wouldn’t waltz into, right by Montreal’s Jean Talon subway station. 

Chez Tau Bay has a simple, red on white sign and red brick front. You walk up some grimy-looking stairs, next to which sluggish goldfish float around in a little tank. Various Buddhist trinkets, knickknacks in red, gold, papyrus paintings and laminated pictures of Vietnamese classics (like food, not Viet cinema, if that’s a thing) adorn the walls. Our authentic American-Viet had approved this place the day before, after going through the menu extensively. So we were sure. Or they were sure. 

I was still pretty nervous, slightly concerned by the badly designed, scratched up laminated menu and the blackened plaster between the floor tiles. This is all me judging a book by the cover. Freaking out about things that don’t really matter, because I have problems. I ask for a straw with my water, as always, because I’ve learned — no matter how clean or high end the restaurant, smelling the glasses will put you off your meal (or at least me). Always. 

I look through the entire menu, and decide to not get pho, because I’ve had pho before, and what is the point of getting the same thing over and over again? I ask our authentic American-Viet if number 59, the choice that looked best to me, was good. She’s getting a similar thing, so yes, it’s good, she assures me. I wasn’t sure how good until I ate it. 

On the menu, it’s called “Bun Tom, Ga Nuong Ga Gio” — no, do not ask me to say it out loud. I’ve decided to call it “that meat & spring roll comfort food rice noodle thing” which may be longer, but much easier to pronounce. STFU. Seemed like American-Viet was okay with it. Her name is Margaret, by the way. So let’s call her Margaret instead of American-Viet like she’s a creature defined solely by her ethnic background. 

So my meal arrived at the table, and I kind of forgot about the blackened plaster, the bad lamination and even the sluggish goldfish because holy shit, it looked beautiful. I seriously could have been sitting on a makeshift patio by a bright green rice field in Vietnam. The colours were so fresh. White. Purple. Green. Orange. Red. Crisp spring rolls (“imperial rolls”). Marinated, juicy looking chicken. Fresh, grilled pink shrimp. Cold rice noodles. A bowl of light vinaigrette.

Look at how beautiful that is. I want my face in it right now. Noodles and all. 

So just to be clear, this is what is in it. Cold iceberg lettuce and chilled rice noodles. Two cut up spring rolls filled with ground chicken, glass noodles and shaved carrots. Marinated, grilled chicken and tail-on shrimp. Thinly sliced crunchy purple and green cabbage, cilantro and crisp, fresh pickled daikon and carrots. And of course, a vinaigrette made of rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, crushed ginger, garlic and red chillies.   

Here’s what it looked like mid-meal. FYI, this comes in various combinations — Pork & Shrimp, just Shrimp, just Chicken, etc. 

You’re meant to pour the vinaigrette over the rice noodles, and eat it with the various toppings. You know how I go on and on and on and on about texture and contrasts? Yeah. Basically why this is the best meal of all time. Chilled noodles with warm, meaty chicken and shrimp, crunchy cabbage, crisp daikon and carrots, sweet, sour and spicy vinaigrette, perfume-y cilantro and deliciously fried crisp spring rolls. It was one of the most delicious thing I’ve eaten, ever. The flavours complemented each other perfectly, the subtle herbs lifting up the meat, the vinaigrette, causing an explosion of flavours and textures in your mouth. You know that scene in Ratatouille with Remy eating the strawberry and cheese in one bite? Yeah that was me with every bite of this meal. You have to get every single element in every bite, it’s perfection. 

Good bye beautiful bowl. 

In Toronto, you can get a very similar (but not as good, I assume) version at Pho Hung in China Town, or virtually any Vietnamese restaurant that sells pho. Here’s what the one at Pho Hung looks like, pretty good, I think: 

Margaret informed me that this is actually served as a comfort food in Vietnamese households and would actually be served at home, as opposed to being a restaurant-only dish. This is surprising to me because there are very few Indian restaurants that will serve Indian home cooking. Almost all of them serve North Indian dishes that are catered to the restaurant goers palate, far from what you would find on the dinner table (or floor, you know, for actual authenticity) in an Indian household.

The owner of Chez Tau Bay is Vietnamese so it makes sense that they have some ridiculously authentic, ethnic items on the menu — jelly fish salad which I’m told I NEED to try. Jackfruit and avocado smoothie. Don’t get the avocado smoothie unless you ADORE avocado, it’s got a horrible avocado-y aftertaste that is not fun at all. Reminds me of the time my mother forced it down my throat as a child. 

I didn’t want to do a post on pho because almost everybody has had pho. This is something I’ve never seen people get at Viet restaurants, and it’s actually pretty amazing. Wonder if it’s not as popular or talked about because it’s difficult to pronounce. This isn’t a joke in bad taste, I’m serious. Also, I hear their pork chops are great, so try that, too, next time you go for Viet food. Stop with the pho obsession, this country apparently has a lot of other food you need to try!

[ahangrygirleats]

things and drinks beer(s) at Toronto Beer Fest

The weekend of July 26th was super relaxing. I’d had a chilled out night of movies and being entertained by drunk friends doing stupid stuff on Friday, a fun barbecue with delicious food (where I discovered MERLOT jelly, but that’s a story for another time) on Saturday and so on Sunday, keeping with the pace of the weekend, my sister and I took a relaxing, (late) walk over to Exhibition place. 

As it turned out, the walk wasn’t as relaxing because it was hot as balls and we were wearing terrible shoes. After we got our plastic beer tasting mugs (that informed us to “know our limits and drink within them”), we walked around briefly to get a “lay of the land” so to speak. It was a bro-fest. Not as bad as Brosheaga, but definitely a “good" collection of bros, if you’re into that sort of thing. 

Here are some bros playing giant beer pong. "Ice-ing your beer" (yes, with Smirnoff ice) is apparently a thing. 

For those of you who have never been to one of these (food/drink festivals), you have to get tokens from booths which are located deep inside the Beer Fest grounds, which I found was a little inconvenient. It would have been cool to have them sort of spread out, and maybe one at the entrance. My sister and I spent at least 20 minutes watching people hard, trying to figure out how they were paying. Thank God for boobs or they would have been super creeped out.

Beer Fest had a lot of free water refill stations all over the grounds, which was great — because it was cold water, and you want to be rehydrating yourself if you’re drinking all that beer in the heat. A lot of festivals don’t have this, and I feel like it should be mandatory. 

DISCLAIMER: I’m not a beer connoisseur, and I rarely ever drink it — only out of desperation and peer pressure and sometimes for trial. 

We began with a Crabbies Ginger Beer. I’d only ever had it in a Dark & Stormy, before so this was new. Ginger Beer is delicious. I may be the only person who had no idea about its existence (as an alcoholic drink), but whatever. I really like ginger flavour — in desserts and cocktails especially. I don’t have a lot of benchmarks to compare it to, but Crabbies was extremely refreshing and not too sweet. I’m going to be bringing at least 6 bottles with me to the cottage this weekend — it’s a great casual summer drink.

While we were sipping on Crabbies Ginger Beer, we bumped into Patrick, the owner of Pie Commission and we had a brief chat. By brief chat I mean I gushed about their pie crust. If you’ve never been to Pie Commission, read my review here, and make your way down there. It’s well worth the trek, it’s the best pie crust I’ve ever had. They primarily do meat pies, but they also have some sweet pies on their menu. Oh, and their sausage rolls are to die for. They had a tent at Beer Fest, and my sister had never had a sausage roll, so I made sure she had one. 

We mostly stuck to ciders and crisp looking beers because, when I do drink beer, I’ll either get a stout or a lager, pilsner, etc. So Guinness or Steamwhistle. Summer isn’t the best time for stout IMO, so light beers/ciders it was. 

So let’s talk cider. 

I’ve had Strongbow, Sommersby and Pommies before, and that’s about it. But I do know that I like crisp ciders like Strongbow, that taste closer to beer than something from a juice box went through a soda stream. 

The first cider I tried was Mad Jack, and it was too sweet for me. Not a huge fan at all. It was fun to drink for a bit, and I had about half a pint, which was just about enough. I think my teeth would have melted if I had a whole glass. Okay, I’m exaggerating, it was normal amounts of sweet. 

I also had Wood Chuck Hard Cider which was more my type. Sharp, crisp, and more beer-like. It also has an awesome name. 

Sidenote: cider goes with almost ANYTHING except super-rich cuts of beef, and seafood. 

I didn’t really try anything I had had before. So that’s about it with ciders. 

I would say “let’s talk beers” but the only beer I had was Sam Adams Summer Ale because it looked (and was described to me by the nice server) like it would taste like cider. And it did. It was extremely refreshing, crisp and like a slightly sweeter, lemony Steamwhistle. 

I had a Rasher’s bacon butty (which is amazing, if you’re around Rashers, you should definitely get one — they use English-style bacon) in my hand when I ordered it and let me tell you, it was a delicious cooincidence. Super rich, fatty sandwich and smokey meat goes really, really well with a fresh, lemony wheat beer.

It’s a great beer for barbecues and any kind of seafood as well. We were sad that Rock Lobster was all sold out, because a Lobster Roll would have been the perfect accompaniment to such a summery beer. 

You can't tell but this is the saddest thing ever, that sign says "SOLD OUT". 

They had such a cute looking little lobster shack, too. 

This is my bacon butty. 

FYI, it will also go really well with the Pie Commish’s pies and from experience, the sausage roll as well. A really good contrast to the rich, thick pastry. 

Eventually, were out of tokens and full of beer, burps and really delicious food, which meant it was time to go home (and sleep it off). We had a super lovely time spending our day eating and drinking and huge thanks to Toronto's Festival of Beer for having us! 

[There was a sip in there, I promise!] 

If you want to do Beer Fest next year, I suggest you keep an eye out for tickets sometime in the fall, because they sell out super fast. If you’re big into beer, it’s definitely a great weekend event to do — all beverages are about $1-2 or 1 or 2 tokens. Food is pricier, but less than 15, always but mega delicious so worth it. If you're not a beer connoisseur but want to be one, this is a good place to start! 

[ahangrygirleats]

at La Société

Last Wednesday evening, Hilary and I found ourselves awkwardly introducing ourselves to the hostess at La Société for a showcase of their summer bar menu.

"Umm we're here for the summer.. showcase.. bar thing.." *quietly* "...um media?"

The hostess grabs a couple of menus and starts to walk us over when one of the girls at the bar stops her, says we're here for the bartop menu tasting, and briskly checks our names off the list while Hilary and I nervously giggle. The good thing about Hilary and I being at events where we don’t know anybody, is that we’re double-awkward. Twice the fun. For nobody. 

The hostess was nice enough, and led us to the bar, where Nishan Nepulangoda (cocktail designer, drink architect, etc.), was mixing some delicious looking pink cocktails. We sat ourselves on the bar, not really sure what to do with ourselves, watching the army of pink drinks.

Thankfully, Nishan came over, bringing with him two of those delicious looking pink cocktails. He introduced himself, and the cocktail. 

Nishan Nepulangoda is the Head Bartender at Blowfish, and does consulting for various upscale bars around the city. He’s won more awards than I can remember, all from prestigious patrons. He designed La Société’s summer cocktail menu. And it is great. 

Great cocktails are difficult to find in Toronto, but Nishan is changing that. He’s traveled all over the world making drinks, winning competitions, learning and being inspired. He’s brought a lot of those tropical, exotic flavours to La Société this summer. If you get a chance to pop in to their bar/patio, I can assure you it is definitely worth your while. 

The drink he handed us was a Polynesian Storm. The name sold me on it. My favourite bar back home, in Dubai is called Trader Vic’s and is Polynesian themed — from the cocktails to the decor. As bad as I feel saying this, Nishan’s Polynesian Storm was much better than anything I’ve had at Trader’s. He used an aged rum with cherry liqueur, lime juice, ginger infused tiki syrup, ginger beer and fresh mint. It was sweet, fruity, with a little sour kick perfumed with ginger. I loved the ginger, a lot. If you like ginger beers, you’ll love this cocktail. 

Our friend Sabrina who knew everybody, finally joined us after she was done work, and we moved over to another table to catch up. Marble bar tops. Love love love. I have a soft spot for marble anything. Might be in the Indian in me. 

The first bar snack we tried was called C’s Sliders. They’re AAA dry aged ground striploin, cooked medium rare. Medium rare is how all burgers made with good meat should be cooked. Look at that perfect melt-in-your-mouth pink. 

I can see some of you who know me laughing because I’ve only been eating beef for 2 years now, but whatever. I’m the authority on burgers now, I’ve decided. Deal with it. 

These sliders are delicious, and they come with tomatillo fig chutney, brie, maple bacon, pickled onions and tomato aioli. They melt in your mouth and have this aromatic grease just oozing out. Great, rich, filling snack to accompany your refreshing Polynesian Storm. 

Next up, King Crab Legs Tempura. Let me tell you. I basically forgot my fucking name after I had these. Think about this. Alaskan King Crab legs. Wrapped in ham. DEEP FRIED in tempura batter. And they’re each as big as a fried fish (from fish n’ chips).

The tempura batter is super crunchy, and the ham just lifts the flavours of the crab. I couldn’t actually even tell it was ham. I dream about their tempura crab every single day. Look at that gorgeous flaky crab: 

I could eat about 5 right now. It’s pretty pricey on the menu, but if you’re ever going to blow money, this is the dish to blow it on — it’s absolutely incredible. Obviously, if you’re not into crab, don’t do it. 

We got a Bella Donna while we waited on our next round of bar snacks. A Bella Donna is vodka, Campari, grapefruit juice, lime juice, prosecco and a grapefruit flavoured ice cube. I’m not a huge fan of grapefruit itself, but this was the perfect amount of sweet and sour, and the grapefruit ice cube ensured that your drink didn’t get diluted. 

By the time we’d gone back to our table, the next round of food had arrived. This time, it was a Canadian Lobster Brioche sandwich. Yep. Cold, flavourful lobster with miso coleslaw and ripe, juicy tomatoes on warm, grilled brioche.

The bread was a bit crumbly, seeing as it was a brioche, and I found it a little dry. However the slightly sweet, rich bread with cold, fresh lobster and coleslaw was a great contrast. And if you’ve been reading my blog you know I’m all about contrasts. 

The sandwich came with some shoestring fries and garlic aioli. A lot of restaurants serve aioli. 90% of the time it is not aioli. La Société does aioli. Real aioli. It is freaking delicious. Fries + garlic aioli is the best way to eat fries. Second best is hot sauce + mayo. No pictures of the aioli because I ate it all before pictures. 

If you’re waiting for any more awkward anecdotes, there are none. We don’t really speak when we are eating delicious food, so there’s little room for awkwardness. Unless you consider me going “HOLY SHIT that’s good” after every bite of food. Then maybe. 

So now we’re on our third cocktail, a Cucumber Lemon Grass Cooler. It’s actually the most gorgeous cocktail I’ve had. That’s how it tastes. Gorgeous. Gin. Green Chartreuse. Lemongrass syrup. Lime juice. Cucumber. Perrier. The lemongrass perfumed the cucumber flavour in this really refreshing, clean way. I can’t even explain or describe it and do it justice. It’s the greatest cocktail I’ve had. Please go get one. PLEASE. 

This cool, refreshing, light cocktail went beautifully with our next bar snack: Onion Soup Grilled Cheese. Basically an onion soup in a toasted sandwich. The bread was soft but crunchy on the outside and had glossy, sweet onions inside.

You know that crostini thing on top of french onion soup? That’s what the sandwich tasted like. If you really, really, really like french onion soup, this is heaven on a plate for you. I’m not a huge fan of french onion soup but it was still delicious. 

Hilary and I have never eaten steak tartare. We straight up just hurl at the thought of raw beef. As much as we like burgers and steaks, and sashimi, raw beef is just the scariest. I don’t know. Anyways, so they bring us this gorgeous board with some pickles, ginger and steak tartare with a quail egg in it.

“Are you supposed to mix it in?” “I think so, I’ve seen people do it” “Okay hold on, I want to take a video I wanna make a gif” “Am I doing this right?” “I don’t know! I've never had steak tartare before!” “I think I'm messing this up” 

And that’s how it went. Once the quail egg was combined, we sat back on our stools, sighed really deep, dug our forks into the pile of meat, knocked our forks together, went “cheers!”, gulped, and took a bite. 

Sabrina was watching us, expecting something exciting to happen. 

“Hmm. That wasn’t horrible.” “No, I could only really taste the mustard.” “Yeah kind of just tastes like slightly tough tuna.” 

So that wasn’t bad. I didn't LOVE it, and I don’t think I would order it. Note that this has nothing to do with La Société, just my personal tastes. If there’s god damn King Crab Tempura on the menu, I’m not getting steak tartare, that’s all I’m saying. 

By the time the raw beef shenanigans were done, we found a cast iron pan of Moroccan style curry and couscous. All vegetarian. So if you're vegetarian, you're in luck, they have something for you, too. It's a surprisingly hearty meal -- I'm usually never full when I eat meatless things. The chick peas, squash and eggplant in the curry really fill you up. We were now super full, so only picked at it, but it was extremely flavourful -- spiced with cumin, paprika and tumeric, I assume. 

Once the plates were cleared away, they were replaced with these: 

Fascinating, right? They smelled like donuts. Surprise filling on the inside. Guess. GUESS. 

NUTELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

YASSSSSSS. Why don't all timbits or donut balls or whatever come with NUTELLA FILLING? This should be a rule. 

They also brought us some super delicious macarons, perfectly crunchy and chewy. Lavender, strawberry lime, etc. I can't remember what flavours they were exactly -- maybe DELICIOUS flavour? Hilary confirms that it wasn't mac sauce, so that's good, I guess. I'm a huge fan of macarons, so they won me over with these. Easy. 

So La Société’s summer bar menu has my approval. The cocktails are delicious and very unique, the food is absolutely delicious. Definitely on the pricier side, but if you’re looking for a big-spender night, or don’t care about money and only care about great cocktails and food, this is the place to go. Great food, great cocktails and great location.

It's on Bloor, right across the street from Holt Renfrew. Go. 

[ahangrygirleats]

Scallops and Brussels Sprout Hash (+bonus!)

This is the first time I’ve made something from one of Buzzfeed’s Weeknight Dinners or whatever those posts are called. I didn’t really follow the recipe because recipes are for suckers ha ha ha. Just kidding. I would probably fuck up a lot less if I just read a damn recipe. I took a quick look at the recipe made up my own measurements according to my tastes. 

It’s rare that I will take Buzzfeed’s advice to “not be afraid” to buy seafood that isn’t salmon. Seafood is expensive, man, you gotta be sure you can actually cook it, or you’ve wasted like $13 which is a lot. To me. But I was craving scallops and after an hour of making sure my sister really did know how to cook them, I finally caved and we bought some really nice, big, non-fishy scallops at the store nearby. 

I would say this recipe is easy and a good weeknight dish, but anything that takes an hour is really not. It’s the hash that takes forever. Especially chopping brussels sprouts. If you have like a food processor or a Slap Chop, use that. Make the scallops right at the end, just before you eat, because they take 10 minutes. 

Here’s what you need: 

about 10-15 brussels sprouts 

150 g of pancetta 

2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (go ahead and use white wine or apple cider vinegar or just a squeeze of lemon or nothing) 

1/2 teaspoon of pepper 

salt to taste 

half an onion 

3-4 cloves of garlic 

sea scallops (we used 8) 

salt and pepper 

Start by frying the pancetta. Once it’s crispy, try not to eat it, and add the garlic and onion and fry until the onion is transparent. Throw in chopped brussels sprouts and rice wine vinegar (or alts), salt & pepper and let that shit cook until the brussels sprouts are tender. I like all my vegetables to have a bit of a bite, so I make it to my taste, but keep tasting and figuring out how you want it. When you’re about 15 minutes away from taking brussels sprouts off the heat, start the scallops. 

Heat a pan until it’s smoking. Prep the scallops by drying them and rubbing them with salt and pepper.

Then, get ready, cause this is going to be ninja-quick. Add oil in your pan, drop your scallops in, for a total of 3-4 minutes or less, until they have an even, golden brown crust on the top, and then flip, same on the other side.

Don’t worry about cooking them through, scallops are delicate, so when you take them off the heat, the extra heat thats on them will travel to the center to cook them through. Trust me on this, these were the best scallops I’ve had in my LIFE. 

Take your brussels sprout hash off the heat, serve it on a plate, or bowls and top with the scallops. Eat. Go to heaven. Pinch yourself to see if this is real. Get mad at yourself for being stupid and hurting yourself. 

BONUS: 

FIDDLEHEADS

I’ve always been intrigued by fiddleheads. They’re weird and rustic looking and seem like something an elf would eat. I’ve never cooked with these, so my sister and I did a bunch of research beforehand. 

Here are the few things you need to know to prep: 

Wash them carefully, get all the mud out, spend some time on it

Cut off the brown parts - make sure your fiddleheads are bright green and fresh-looking 

Do not eat them raw

Steam them until they’re half-cooked. The cooking times are similar to asparagus. We stir-fried them with some garlic, onions and salt and pepper. I’m not a big fan of fiddleheads. They’re not gross-tasting, but they’re not exciting either. I wouldn’t bother buying them again, to be honest. 

[ahangrygirleats]

at Weslodge (Summerlicious)

On Sunday I finally watched Boyhood. Brilliant movie, by the way, everybody should watch it. It’s only out for a little while so if you can catch it at the Varsity you really should. I was pumped from how great the weekend had been, even though it rained almost everyday, which was super annoying. 

Luckily it stopped raining after the movie, when I had to meet my sister for dinner. We walked to Weslodge because I have this idea that walking places will push food further down my digestive tract, and I had eaten a gigantic movie hotdog and some gross movie nachos with that bright yellow cheese. As a wise lion once said: slimy, yet satisfying. 

We’d reserved our table for 6:30 but again, super accommodating (like Ocho) and they bumped us up to 5:30. We were seated inside, where it was kind of dark but then I had to be that asshole and asked to move by the window where the lighting was better. AKA better pictures. You’re welcome. I did this for you, the one (two? maybe? hi mom, you don’t count) person who reads my blog.  

I really like the interiors of Weslodge. Totally my scene. Antlers everywhere. Old heavy furniture. Cowboy looking - lots of leather, wood, metal. V. nice.

  Obviously, we did the whole swapperoo again. Almost didn’t, because we both wanted the Scotch Egg but we knew we owed it to our inner foodie selves to try the Salmon Tartare too. The third option was a Romaine salad and I really didn't read past salad. 

The Salmon Tartare was placed on top of a warm, crisp latke. I’ve only ever had bad latkes. This one was more like a hash brown and less like the dry, yellow, weirdly flavoured latkes I’ve eaten. It was perfectly crisp on the outside, and I mean panko-crisp, and perfectly soft on the inside. And steaming hot. Just out of the fryer, I assume. 

It was just so damn perfect with the chilled, fresh salmon tartare and cottage cheese it was topped with. I could only eat half, which I was pretty sad about, but I also got a Scotch Egg. 

Weslodge does their Scotch Eggs with a quail egg and chorizo. I love chorizo. A LOT. If you’ve never had a Scotch Egg before, it’s just a hard(ish) boiled egg covered in sausage meat and deep fried. My mum used to make them when I was little with chicken eggs covered in ground chicken and they were incredible. 

Look at that perfect, cheesy yolk, and that rich, red tomato jam. A smoky, tart accompaniment to the rich sausage and egg. Perfect. Very sad that it was only two bites. I’ve vowed to try and make it one of the days that my sister is home. Speaking of which, if anybody has a deep fryer they want to lend me… 

Next, we had a Braised Beef Cheek and Seared Sea Bass. The Sea Bass is actually on their regular menu and we were told to get the Beef Cheek because it was a Summerlicious special. But we’re too poor to come back to Weslodge so we got both. 

The super tender beef cheek sat on top of a super smooth potato goat cheese cream. So this is basically mashed potatoes, the smoothest you’ve ever had, literally like whipped cream. It was generously doused in jus. Beef cheek is my new favourite part of a cow.

It was ridiculously tender and extremely flavourful. It had this deep beef-flavour, almost like Bovril, but obviously in a delicious way. I didn’t even have to use my knife, it just fell off when I touched it with my fork. No knife needed. I made this really stupid tiny gif to show you guys: 

Look at that crust. And the creamy mash. Beautiful. 

The best part was that it had these slightly crusty parts that just had a concentration of flavour. I kid you not, my eyes rolled back into my head it was so good. You take some of the beef on your fork, place a dollop of that potato cream, and it’s fucking heaven. Delicious. 

The Sea Bass was just as good. I love white fish, and bass is actually one of my favourites (bass, halibut, cod). This one was a thin filet, skin on, fried till the edges were browned and crispy. Perfectly cooked, of course. Skin crispy, of course, gooey, chewy fish skin is nasty. 

It was served on top of a very fresh, creamy red quinoa salad. The dressing almost tasted like coleslaw, but my sister was pretty certain it was buttermilk something. Perfect accompaniment to the fish.

My favourite bits are those browned bits on the fish. So damn good. Look how delicious it looks. LOOK AT IT. 

For dessert we decided to not do a swapperoo and get our own. We weren’t really interested in the sorbet or the panna cotta (we’ve each had pretty terrible experiences with panna cotta) so we got the Instant Cake. 

It was simply torn up pieces of extremely moist cake, on olive oil pudding and a little cuboid of chocolate mousse. And see those little red things on there? THOSE ARE RASPBERRIES. We thought they were pomegranates, but they were sections of RASPBERRIES. The only way I can think of, was that they froze them and then separated them using a thin scalpel or toothpick. SKILL. 

The instant cake itself was super moist, and with the olive oil pudding it was just heavenly. The pudding was mostly vanilla with a very subtle hint of olive oil flavour - fruity, though, not oily. So good olive oil. The kind you can just drip bread and yourself into. 

The mousse was dense, rich and extremely chocolatey. I didn't want it to end. It was so god damn fucking delicious I can't even think right now. They have this on their regular menu so PLEASE GO GET SOME RIGHT NOW. It's so worth it. 

See Weslodge did Summerlicious the smart way. From a business standpoint, Summerlicious is a restaurant's chance to showcase their offerings to people who might not have visited on a regular day. My sister says keeping some regular items on the Summerlicious menu is smart because you don't have to go out of your way to do prep or train your staff, which means you save on time. You may not save on money, but it's 3 weeks, get your shit together. An excellent, excellent meal, and a great way to end the weekend. Props, Weslodge. 

[ahangrygirleats]

at California Sandwiches

Saturday evening I was supposed to watch Boyhood after a well deserved nap. It was sold out at 5:45 on Saturday evening -- the next two shows as well. After some discussion we decided to watch it on Sunday, because we had a very (un)important party to attend. I’m kind of glad we went Sunday because they had projection issues and we got free movie passes!

Because we couldn’t watch Boyhood, we decided food was a good idea. Food is always a good idea. It was supposed to be Banh Mi Boyz, but Bon walked right into California Sandwiches in the middle of us trying to explain to him what a California Sandwiches was. Guess he saw the pictures through the window? 

I’ve been meaning to write about California Sandwiches for a while but I keep forgetting to take pictures. I’m glad we ended up there when I was still in blogger mode from Hotel Ocho earlier in the day. Which means I remembered to take pictures. And yeah. I ate a three-course meal and then ate a gigantic sandwich. I do it all for the blog, don’t judge me.  

I got what I always get, a mild Chicken Parmesan Sandwich with mushrooms. I usually get fries but I wasn’t HUNGRY as much as I wanted to eat. Thankfully, Bon got fries so Devin and I just stole his. 

We have to talk about the bread, first. Because bread is the key to any sandwich. I’m one of those people that never buys white bread, but I make exceptions when I go out and for barbecues. So my sandwiches are usually really great filling in really upsetting bread. High fibre-sunflower-seed-omega-300 bullshit. It’s disgusting. Bread is not supposed to be crunchy. That’s all. 

The bread at California Sandwiches is a really huge, very white and soft on the inside, perfectly crusty on the outside kaiser bun. I kind of wish I knew where they bought it from so I could just buy it and throw all sorts of shit on it. PB&J. Nutella. Fish. Just like, BUTTER. I don't know, the possibilities are endless. 

So this sandwich begins with a beautiful bread, this is already a win for me. Then they throw on some super italian, simple marinara sauce, and MANY pounded-to-paper-thin-thickness pieces of chicken, in a crispy parmesan crust. You have the option of getting a bunch of toppings that you pay extra for, provolone cheese, mushrooms, peppers, jalapenos, mixed veggies and rapini. 

I usually get mushrooms and provolone but I was in the middle of an interesting story (probably not) and forgot about the cheese. Which was upsetting, especially when we were eating, and I looked over and the boys had melting provolone on their sandwiches. Worst decision ever. Lesson: never converse when you’re ordering. Talk can happen later. Lost provolone will always be lost. 

I’m told that the ORIGINAL California Sandwiches, in Etobicoke or whatever, is the real deal — more meat and less clean/modernized. Also they don’t have any sides which is a bit of a deal breaker for me BECAUSE THEIR FRIES ARE AMAZING. Seriously. I don’t know how they do it but they are incredibly crispy and warm and soft on the inside. Perfection. Also regret not getting fries but thank God for people who don’t mind sharing (I am not one of them). 

So apparently their Veal sandwich is pretty good too, and the Yonge-College location does like a bunch of different meats (meatballs, steak, sausage etc.). There are veggie options like eggplant and just straight up "veggie" that I assume is peppers and eggplant. They also do mini-size sandwiches in steak, veal, chicken and veggie. I keep forgetting about these, but I think I'll have to get some next time I'm there. I haven’t tried much on their menu besides chicken parm because I've only been there twice. But I have full faith in CS. Go eat it all. 

If you get sides and a drink etc., it gets a little pricey, but for the size of the sandwich I don’t mind paying that much. I almost always take half home with me for lunch the next day or whatever. 

If you’re not into spicy food and hate when your asshole is on fire the next day, don’t get anything above the medium. That shit will set your tongue and eventually your butt on fire.

California Sandwiches is located just south of College, on Yonge. Keep walking past the Shawarma place. 

[ahangrygirleats]

at Ocho Restaurant (Summerlicious)

Saturday morning I went and got a cool tattoo. I had to wake up at 7am to go line up for a walk-in. This place used to have crazy line ups because of an artist who I now learned is on indefinite hiatus. Which explained the lack of people at 8am (or 9am, or 10am). So I had arrived 3 hours early for no reason, I was sleepy and hangry until my 10am uninspired ham and cheese croissant from Fika. It is the place to go to for iced coffee, by the way, not a ham and cheese croissant. But I needed breakfast. 

Anyways, here is my cool tattoo. 

Yes it’s a Harry Potter reference. 

I had had a pretty shitty morning, had willingly gotten a pretty picture carved into me that really fucking hurt, so I was in a pretty bad mood. 

My sister and I had reserved a Summerlicious lunch for that afternoon. It was at 2pm, to be safe, in case my tattoo appointment went longer than expected. It didn’t, and I called to change it to 12:30pm, and they were extremely accommodating. Which was enough to be put me in a better mood. But then the food. 

My sister is one of the two people I eat with who does the get-everything-you-want-eat-half-and-swap thing with me. We get two things we want to try on the menu and then eat half, and swap. That way you eat enough to really taste it. Sometimes it sucks because one of the dishes is not as delicious as the other, but if both dishes are great, you get to eat two yummy meals!  

At Ocho, we started with a Smoked Salmon Arugula salad, and a Chilled Sweet Potato Mango soup. 

If you don’t like arugula, you will hate the salad. I love arugula. It’s great with oily smoked meats (like prosciutto, and in this case, smoked salmon) because the pepperiness just cuts through that oil like a sharp little rocket. Maybe that’s why they call arugula rocket in the US. Anyways, this salad was arugula, feta cheese, creme fraiche and de-seeded kalamata olives topped with smoked salmon. All of those things sound weird together on paper, but together, they were perfect.

Sharp arugula, cold creme fraiche dressing with crumbly feta (which by the way, was not as salty as feta typically is) and the sour flavourful pop of kalamata olives against a meaty, oily smoked salmon. Try to imagine it.

It’s a pretty great salad to make at home - few ingredients and the dressing is just cream with some lemon juice and salt and pepper. 

The Chilled Sweet Potato Mango soup was my favourite. I don’t think I’ve had a chilled soup before, and I’ve always been wary of them. Soup is supposed to be warm, and comforting. How can it taste good if it feels like it’s been left out on the counter all night? 

Surprise. It’s fucking delicious. It wasn’t too sweet, because the flavours were extremely subtle. The mango perfectly lifted the sweet potato and the little dash of yoghurt made this an extremely refreshing course to start your meal with. I actually don’t think it would have been as good hot, because the warmth would have made it sweeter, somehow. 

Good bye Chilled soup. 

For entrees, we got the Mandarin Glazed Halibut and the Brie & Beef Stuffed Filo. 

Here's the Mandarin Glazed Halibut. 

Here's the Brie & Beef Stuffed Filo, basically a giant cigar. 

I don’t have a favourite between the two. I really don’t. 

I was a little concerned about the “mandarin glaze”. Looking around at everyone’s entrees, all I could see was bright orange. I expected a sickly sweet, sticky glaze, something you might find at a Mandarin Buffet. I was so wrong. I am so glad I was so wrong. The bright orange that I was seeing was actually little segments of mandarin, cooked in a little bit of sugar, happily sitting on my gorgeous one-inch thick piece of halibut. 

Look at those glistening little segments of mandarin, just crowning that gorgeous piece of fish (almost typed shit, out of habit). 

Seasonal vegetables weren’t exciting - apparently July isn’t great for exotic vegetables. It was just zucchini, broccoli and a pepper, but that doesn’t really matter. Also on the plate, was wild rice, which lightly scented like tea. I’ve cooked wild rice before and it’s never tasted like tea, so I’m not sure if that was something the chef intended. It was delicious. A perfect subtle accompaniment to the fish. 

The fish was obviously perfectly cooked. It’s difficult to cook white fish, you either overcook it or you undercook it. The halibut was flaky, soft, and the mandarin glaze was the perfect compliment to the subtle white fish flavour. The edges were browned and crispy, and that’s my favourite part. 

Here's a picture that shows you how perfect it was - moist, flaky, perfect white fish with that delicious golden crust. 

Okay let’s talk about this filo. Brie and New York Triple A beef baked into pastry crust, covered in mushroom jus, topped with sliced mushrooms and served with baked potatoes and a mixed spring salad. 

First of all, fuck salad. Didn’t even touch that. 

I like filo pastry more than shortcrust sometimes because it’s extremely crispy and has a lot of layers. It’s kind of like a very crispy croissant. It gets chewier on the inside. I love biting into a crunchy filo casing. This one is all about the texture. Crunchy filo casing, gooey, creamy brie and rich beef. All of that with some mushroom jus. It was glorious.

Look at brie just oozing out and that mushroom jus EVERYWHERE. 

I love mushroom flavour, and mushroom jus is mushroom juice, basically. Smokey mushrooms are the best complement to beef. I was surprised by how well the brie complimented the beef. I don’t typically think of eating brie with meat (usually only red pepper jelly) but it was delicious. 

Here's a close up of a bite. I am fucking ridiculous and really annoying to eat with because I think people care about what each bite looked like. Whatever, humour me. 

Some might find this meal too rich and meaty, but I thought it was great. I guess that’s why they had the salad, to cut through some of the richness, but I like to live on the edge. 

For dessert, we got a raspberry cheesecake and a lime mousse. I’m not a huge fan of fruity desserts, but there weren’t any chocolate options, and I’m okay with fruity cheesecake. I’m okay with any cheesecake, really. 

I’m not sure how but Ocho managed to get that distinct raspberry flavour into their cheesecake. I wasn’t a fan of the chunky raspberry topping but after the horrifying dessert at Rock Lobster, I wasn’t going to complain. Cheesecake is all about the balance of the sweet with tanginess. And the creaminess, of course. This one was all of the above.

I will have to mention that this cheesecake looked like it was in the freezer because it had the texture of ice on top of it.

Here’s a picture so I don’t sound crazy. Notice the icy looking bits on top? 

Not that this is particularly good or bad, it still tasted great, just something I noticed. 

The lime mousse was quite sour, almost sour-candy like. I’m a fan. I like sour candy. Some people might find it too sour, but I enjoyed it. The raspberry coulis that accompanied it might have also had a place on top of the cheesecake. This is only because I don’t enjoy raspberry seeds. The mousse was light and airy but creamy at the same time. And that is what amazes me about chefs. How do you make something airy AND creamy? 

Look at the inside. Look at it. 

So yeah. A brilliant lunch. The ambiance was really great as well. Quiet. Bright lights. Clean, modern interiors. Nothing too crazy. Just a simple restaurant with great food. 

I realize Summerlicious is done, and so this may seem pointless to you guys, but this really reflects on their regular food menu. So whether or not you go during a Licious event, the food will be great, guaranteed. If a restaurant does a great Licious, you know they really care about the kind of food they place in front of you. Definitely will be visiting Ocho again. Genuine thanks to the chef and team at Ocho for restoring my faith in Summerlicious. Rock Lobster really had me worried there, for a second. 

NOTE: Some of the items on their menu were locally sourced, which is always great to see. Wish Toronto focused on local as much as Montreal did.

Ocho is just north of Queen & Spadina, at 195 Spadina. I think it's also a boutique hotel. 

[ahangrygirleats]

Grilled Bananas

A long time ago, so long ago that I don't remember when (and I'm pretty good at remembering things), a friend of mine told me about this dessert she made while barbecuing with her family. 

For some reason that recipe was burned into my brain but I never actually tried it, because "trying new things" is difficult with my family. So when we went camping a few months ago, and during a recent barbecue, I finally made them. 

Here's what you need: 

some foil 

same number of bananas as people you want to feed

3-4 squares of chocolate per banana (I prefer Dairy Milk Peanut Butter and Pretzel flavour, but feel free to go all fancy Lindt and shit or just chocolate chips will do too) 

other toppings like graham crackers, cookies, marshmallows, peanut butter, nutella, etc. 

With a knife, make a slit down your banana, vertically. Squish it right at the cut so that it opens up. Stuff your fillings into it, and wrap the banana in foil. Stick it in the fire/on the grill/in the oven for about 15 minutes max, and then unwrap the most beautiful, gooey dessert of all time. 

BONUS: You could put scoop all that shit out and throw some ice cream on it. Or just put the whole thing in a bowl and scoop ice cream on top. Warm, gooey banana + ice cream, like a hot banana split holy shit I am a genius. 

[ahangrygirleats]

at Poutineville in Montreal

I’m told that the best poutine in Montreal is served at the places you won’t read about in magazines, online lists, etc. I was told this AFTER my trip, so while I was there, I went to the place that Yelp said was the best for poutine. 

I will, however, say that poutine in Montreal is generally very good. And the reason is not because they have some magic touch or a magic ingredient. It’s just simply because most places in Toronto use canned, glossy gravy. I would equate most poutine in Montreal with Poutini’s or Smoke’s. The gravy is house made, and fresh, and very delicious. It’s thick and cloudy, not glossy. Glossy gravy to me, just screams processed. 

There are also a lot of options for Poutine in Montreal. We ate a post-partying poutine meal at Frites Alors! which was almost just as delicious as the sit-down restaurant we ate at. In Toronto, fast food poutine is always crap. I’m not sure if it’s me, but Smoke’s is losing its touch, too. 

Anyways, let’s talk about Poutineville. It’s possible that it’s because I’m not a 100% about the public transport in Montreal, but it was a bit of a trek to get to Poutineville. However, totally worth it. 

Poutineville is famous for its “build-your-own” style poutine. They give you a little form to fill out. You pick between a regular ($7) and a large ($9). I don’t suggest getting the large unless four people are eating from one. 

You then pick your fries: you can choose from crushed potatoes (which I am SO CURIOUS ABOUT, I think it would be DELICIOUS), house cut fries (regular), julienne or shoestring fries and sweet potato fries. You then pick your cheese, and the regular cheeses are included in your $7 poutine price, and ones like brie, feta, blue cheese, queso, have an extra charge. 

You can add veggies, for a few extra bucks, and you have your usual options of tomatoes, onions, peppers, peas, olivers, corn, etc. The meat options are also a couple of extra bucks, and range from hot dogs, to Montreal smoked meat, eggs and filet mignon. Finally, you can choose your gravy: you have a choice of regular house gravy, red wine gravy, pepper gravy, meat gravy and brown gravy. 

That’s just their poutine menu. In addition to building your own, they have their own pre-made poutines that you can take a look at on their website. As well, they have super unhealthy junk food like hot dogs, corn dogs, onion rings, salads (haha), burgers and sandwiches. 

We got a plate of poutine to share, and a plate of jumbo hot dogs. We were with my mother, who does not appreciate any meat that’s not chicken or fish, so we got a roast chicken poutine, with pepper gravy and mushrooms. 

My favourite thing about this poutine were the fries. I’m not a huge fan of hand cut fries, only because they’re almost always limp, not crispy. Poutineville had really good, crunchy fries, which was the best thing about their poutine. Not sure if they were hand-cut or house-made or whatever, but they were delicious. That is the big thing about poutine for me, warm gravy, cool, gooey cheese and crunchy, starchy fries. If you’re gonna serve limp fries, you might as well give me mashed potatoes. 

The pepper gravy was amazing. I want a whole jar of it, and I want to eat it with everything - chicken, steak, fish, eggs, I don’t know. It was great. Simple brown gravy with a LOT of black pepper. I’m a huge fan of the flavour of black pepper so I loved it. The mushrooms provided the perfect meaty companion to the smokey gravy. The chicken was grilled, and cut up into bite sized pieces. For a grilled chicken breast, it was surprisingly tender, and added more grill-smoky flavour to the poutine. I feel like it would have been incredible with the filet mignon, but I’ll work with what I’ve got. 

The poutine came in a giant plate, and along with the hotdogs and onion rings was incredibly filling. A regular poutine can be easily shared by two people. 

Our hot dogs weren’t much to write home about - your regular jumbo, 100% all beef hot dogs. They came with coleslaw, ketchup and mustard. The hot dogs came with a side that we could pick, so we picked onion rings since we had so many fries under that blanket of pepper gravy. 

By the end of our meal, it was very, very, very difficult to walk. The thing I dislike about poutine is that if you even have that one extra bite, you feel like crap after. But it was completely worth it.

The location we went to was at 1348 Beaubien. 

[ahangrygirleats]

"No. That is not good. No no no. It's too messy. Too careless. Ugh." 

*shakes head vigorously* 

- My sister on the Rock Lobster plating. She looked pained. Then again, this girl went out and bought $30 tweezers so every leaf could be in the right place. So maybe she overdoes it. 

[ahangrygirleats]

Summerlicious at Rock Lobster

Semi-pro tip: Make dinner plans with good company. That way, if the food sucks, at least the outing wasn’t a complete waste of time. 

I love Rock Lobster. I’ve been a couple of times. They did a great burger with a damn lobster tail on it for Burger Week last year, and their regular menu is pretty great. Great seafood, fresh lobster, and a pretty good Caesar (which I’ve found is the best it gets in Toronto). 

Because I like it so much, this isn’t an angry post but a, “here’s-how-bad-my-experience-was-so-please-fix-it” post. I still love you, Rock Lobster. I’ll be back, but not for any Licious events. 

I’m truly sorry about this, because I was hoping to never have negative reviews on my blog, but I feel obliged to write about this experience. 

Dinner actually started off really well. I got the devilled eggs, and they were as you would want perfect lobster devilled eggs to be. The lobster was cool and fresh, tender, and paired well with the creamy yolk filling of the egg. Loved it. Eggs were perfectly boiled, and easy to eat with a knife and fork - which means the yolk filling wasn’t crumbly and super velvety - helped it all stick to your fork. 

I’m told the lobster taco, the other appetizer option (that wasn’t vegetarian) was great as well. Perfectly balanced with a seafood sauce (I think?), onions, and other things that complimented the lobster meat really well. One is left wanting more, I’m told, which is always a good sign. 

Our next “course” was chicken and waffles. Rock Lobster is good at hand cut fries. They’re still limp, like all hand cut, house-made fries are, but these are like, double fried and taste kind of… meaty. Okay, starchy in a creamy way. It’s good. Not as good as that Montreal place, but it’ll do. 

The fried chicken was great. Well seasoned, crunchy batter, tender chicken. Just as you would want it. It was covered in the kind of mayo that you would find in a sushi restaurant. Not sure what that was about, but ok. The gravy was cloudy, with some bright green peas floating in it miserably, and some less green, more depressing versions hiding under the chicken, on top of the waffle. I’m not a huge fan of peas so I picked them all out. The gravy reminded me of a chicken pot pie kind of gravy. I’m not a fan of it, but eaten with the chicken, it was actually pretty good. 

I think what ruined this dish for me was the waffle. It was a sad excuse for a waffle. I am convinced mine was undercooked, but I was told that it was simply soggy (by my dinner companion, not by the servers or anything). Not any better, IMO. I still say it was undercooked. You know how waffles that you crave have are golden, crisp and smell what you imagine living with Dominique Ansel smells like? (He’s the guy that created the cronut, if you can’t imagine that just replace his name with somebody you know who is really great at baking). 

Yeah this waffle was nothing like that. I think there was some rosemary in it, but it was a pale, upsetting yellow, with dull flakes of rosemary that didn’t even look like they wanted to be there. No air bubbles. Not a fluffy waffle. Also why I am convinced it was undercooked, because it was almost translucent, like dough that hasn’t been allowed to rise and cook fully. The final test will be how many times I use the washroom tomorrow. Will keep you guys updated. 

I think dessert was the worst. If you know me, or have ever eaten dinner with me, you know that I will eat dessert if it kills me. Literally. Even if it means that I will throw up almost immediately because I’ve eaten too much. Don’t care. Will eat dessert. Will do odd jobs for dessert if they don’t involve running and heavy lifting. 

Anyways. Back to my point. I love dessert, my sweet tooth is larger than most people and so is my dessert stomach. One look at the dessert at Rock Lobster and my stomach sank (both normal and dessert stomach). I ordered the “Strawberry Summer Cake” because the name reminded me of British Summer Pudding, which is cold, sweetened bread filled with fresh berries and covered in a sweet and sour berry syrup. It’s really delicious, and fresh and gorgeous, in Nigella Lawson’s words. 

This was nothing like that, at all. It reminded me of all the sad North American versions of cute British things. It was a large, unevenly cut piece of stale pound cake with a dollop of whipped cream and berry “compote” which seemed like surplus berries cooked down in sugar. 

Not only did it taste like a cloudy winter day, but the presentation was really bad, too. The presentation was bad overall. Very careless. I know about presentation because I live with somebody who bought a tweezer for more accurate plating and presentation.

By this point, I had lost all my enthusiasm so I didn’t even take a picture of the other dessert. It was a chocolate chip cookie filled with cream and an Oreo cookie. Yeah. I don’t know. It would have been great if it was an ice-cream sandwich cookie (I’m told), but it looked pretty boring. 

This is me when I am offered bites of people’s dessert, on a normal day: :O 

This is me when I was offered this cookie in cream in cookie situation: :X 

5/10, RL, and that’s only for how the chicken tasted and how nice the appetizer was. 

Here’s my problem. If you’re going to half-ass something, don’t do it at all. That’s my life motto. I would rather not do something at all than half-ass it and be embarrassed. 

I’ve been doing Licious for many years now. About 4 years, I think. I do them all - Autumlicious, Summerlicious, Winterlicious. I don’t know if I’m really good at picking restaurants or what, but I’ve never had a disappointing meal. Never. Best believe, son. 

I’ve enjoyed every meal. So when people tweeted in response to my disappointed-in-licious-at-rock-lobster tweet, saying that Summerlicious is always a hack, I respectfully disagreed. Look, if Summerlicious is going to be a burden on your restaurant financially, don’t do it. If your food is good, people will still come to your restaurant. And we all know that Rock Lobster is popular enough to not need more advertising. 

So I can only assume they did Summerlicious to make money. But that says to me that they care more about making money than food, and that is truly disappointing. 

But, because their lobster roll and lobster poutine are damn delicious, I will be back. Never for Summerlicious, for sure. Not worth $25, save your money, add $10 and go to BENT.