Long weekends are for ramen & ice cream đđđŚâđźđłđđŻ #toronto #the6ix #longweekend #milkbar #beachedwhalestatus (at Momofuku Noodle Bar Toronto)
Cosimo Galluzzi

tannertan36
ojovivo

Love Begins

oozey mess
Three Goblin Art

#extradirty
Game of Thrones Daily
i don't do bad sauce passes
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open

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Janaina Medeiros

Product Placement
DEAR READER
Mike Driver

pixel skylines
todays bird
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Jules of Nature

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@beachedwhalestatus
Long weekends are for ramen & ice cream đđđŚâđźđłđđŻ #toronto #the6ix #longweekend #milkbar #beachedwhalestatus (at Momofuku Noodle Bar Toronto)
Happy New Year, y'all, and holy guacamole it's cold out there!! It's about that time of year when I'd normally be on a beach in Mexico soaking up the sunshine. Since I'm not, here's a pic of the BEST most authentic guac I managed to put in my belly, in none other than my fav place on earth, Tulum. I can still taste the flava flav (plus, now I get to make use of the new AVO EMOJI!!!) đ¤¤đĽđł #elvegetariano #throwback #tulum #mexico #holyguacumole #getinmybelly #beachedwhalestatus
Wishing everyone an ooey-gooey whale of a Merry Christmas, filled with all the yummy delicious things...and hopefully a humungous stack of blueberry cinnamon almond milk pancakes! Love, The Beached Whale đłđđ đźâď¸â¤đ #beachedwhalestatus (at Toronto, Ontario)
...and sometimes we make slow cooked turkey noodle soup đđ #bonebroth #winterishere #nutriciousanddelicious #beachedwhalestatus (at Queen St West, Toronto)
Absolutely loving today's special @chadwickskitchenbar đłđłđł a twist on the classic fish & chips - insanely delicious pan fried trout (with the most flavourful skin) & shoestring chips w/ a couple splashes of malt vinegar + side of coleslaw. If you like it hot, their house-made habanero pepper hot sauce is addictively FUEGO đĽ #midtown #toronto #dupont #the6ix #torontofood #fishnchips #yumma #getitbeforeitsgone #getinmybelly #beachedwhalestatus (at Chadwicks)
#TFW @bobbiesuesmac saves your life đłđłđł ... if you haven't had the Hamburger Who Lends a Hand, you are seriously missing out. Special s/o to @ubereats for making dreams come true đđ¨đŻ #ossington #toronto #the6ix #tablefortwo #weekendvibes #sharingiscaring #getinmybelly #beachedwhalestatus (at Bobbie Sue's Mac + Cheese)
Sweet baby wolfhead, it's the weekend đłđłđł complete with horseradish cream cheese, red onion, dill cukes & capers đđđ˝đŻđ#ohmylanta #schmaltzsaturday #dupont #annex #toronto #getinmybelly #lunchtime #beachedwhalestatus (at Schmaltz Appetizing)
#snacktime is any time đđ˝ pizza pockets & crispy pork dumplings đđ˝ #praytell #collegestreet #ossington #toronto #the6ix #yumyuminmytum #friyay #beachedwhalestatus (at Pray Tell)
Sometimes, you just gotta go cod, fennel & endive đđđťâşď¸ ....and maybe the chocolate cake with sage for dessert đłđłđł#Dandylion #QueenWest #Toronto #Torontofood #Torontoeats #Foodstagram #seafood #pescatarian #healthyeats #beachedwhalestatus (at Dandylion)
Chocolate Crepes with Nutella and Mixed Berries
curent mood *
Brunching at Bar Raval (new digs by Bar Isabel's Grant van Gameren)
Weekends are for relaxing and hanging with friends and last weekend I did just that - reuniting with a girlfriend who I havenât seen since back from her travels. Just as much as I was excited to see her, I was equally excited to check out Bar Raval - Grant van Gamerenâs newest venture where he has posted up at College and Palmerston in the old Teatro location. No reservations and the only seats are the (maybe) ten bar stools scattered around the joint - youâll have to try and beat the crowd in order to snag one.
Iâve been waiting to check this place out for some time, as my first failed attempt at going here was on the evening of their soft launch. A friend and I were having cocktails at the neighbours, and decided we wanted a change of scenery. No signage (yet), darkened frosty windows and only silhouettes could be seen which made it that much more tempting and disappointing when I was told âtonight is invite onlyââŚ. WELL, that day had finally come - it was 1:30pm and so into Bar Raval we went.
Stepping into Bar Raval is like walking into the center of an art installation where the outside world is (essentially) forgotten and you are engulfed in the warmth of this wooden glob-sphere-type form. I actually donât think there are any hard edges or corners to be found. The woodwork alone, is a conversation starter and all anyone wants to do is run their palms along the smooth finished curves that seem to just beckon you for a hug. My favourite part however, is that we can witness first-hand, Gameren being a boss in the kitchen - through a oval cutout by the entrance â there he is in all his glory, behind a curtain of cured meats, just slicing them up for us to enjoy. ... A slight smile and nod on the way in, so as not to disturb the master at work.
Once youâre done admiring (and probably touching) the woodwork, eating brunch at Bar Raval is like being served a la carte charcuterie â on steroids. All the goods are labelled and laid across the main bar and you literally walk up, pick and choose what youâd like and a server will bring you all your little plates until there is a smorgasbord of tasty treats in front of you. We ended up with a variation of croissant sandwiches (smoked cod, cured jamon), thinly sliced chorizo, a fried quails egg on top of some more jam on, the casual shavings of pigs head on a baguette â with a few pieces of red pepper of course â and then some. You can eat as much or as little as you want but definitely try and save some room to try at least two of their doughnuts (baked in-house). My recommendations: Honey & Orange, and Peanut Butter & Bacon - weird, right? Sweet and savoury - big win.
One thing is for sure, Gameren is definitely a hot topic. The food is quite tasty (while most of it is savoury) and relatively affordable, although I donât think I have ever consumed more smoked / cured meat in one brunch sitting. If you are looking for the classic eggs & homefries kind of brunch, better head to your neighbourhood spot, as there is no sign of that here.
My next trip here will be to try the dinner and the cocktail menu more extensively, and with a bit of luck, I'll be able to beat the crowd.
Until then...!
- The Beached Whale
Matcha Mini Cheesecakes with White Chocolate Covered Strawberries
actually. obsessed. with matcha.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites
current mood....
Sunday Night Family Dinner: Streetfood at the Noodlebar
In my world, and as Iâm sure in everyoneâs, the work week can get pretty hectic. At the moment, Iâm working three jobs and in the home stretch of completing my Interior Decorating Certificate at George Brown College, which as you can imagine leaves little time for socializing these daysâŚbut, obviously, a girlâs gottaâ eat! and well, I love to spend Sunday night dinner with my fam which includes both friends and loved ones at restaurants old / new. I believe that as long as the company is excellent, you can't possibly have that bad of a time ... and last night was no exception!Â
As you saw in my previous post, Iâve been anticipating last nightâs meal at Momofuku Noodlebar all week, where the team from King West hotspot, Valdez, participated in the Noodlebar & Friends series. The restaurant was busy when we arrived and according to Exec. Chef Steve Gonzalez (Valdez), there was a steady flow of people all evening. It was nice to see some familiar faces from around the King West neighbourhood, out to show their support.
In standard Noodlebar fashion, there were tons of servers bustling around but no complaints here about the service. After hugs & kisses "hello", a bowl of Valdez' guacamole was sent out with "Noritos", ramen chips and shrimp chips to dip (PS. Loved the little play on the "Dorito" name...) while we waited for our 4th to arrive and it gave us time to review the menu and order some drinks - I ordered the Momo-Verde (cilantro infused tequila, yuzu, sencha). Delicious.
Getting down to business, a few classic Momofuku items were on the menu, alongside some great renditions of Latin street food dishes like Sopa de Caracol (conch, king crab, smoked pumpkin, plantain, coconut) and larger sharing plates âplancha/binchoâ: El Jefeâs Family Meal (arepa, rice, beans, pork, guacamole, fried egg), Grilled Octopus Ssam (whiskey tare, ânduja, sweet pickles) and Oysters Escobar (black kale, cream cheese, miso royale). We ordered the Ceviche (albacore, leche de tigre, cilantro, citrus, scallion) and two orders of the Chicken Meatball Bao (ssam sauce, pickles, thai basil) to start.Â
I regrettably skipped out on the sopa and bao, but the ceviche was smooooth like butter. Normally I hesitate with ceviches because of the overwhelming amounts of citrus, but this time around there was a perfect ratio of citrus-to-seafood ... Fresh. To. Death. WIN! I do have to point out here, the starters involving raw/smoked fish are excellent at Momofuku (at brunch just last weekend, we had the Everything Bao with smoked whitefish â to die for - so much that we had to order two. Check my instagram for a real good closeup). Definite must try the next time you find this on the menu.
One of my all-time favourite people to share a meal with is my girlfriend, Houston, who decidedly calls herself a "bottomless pit". I can definitely relate ... and so naturally we ordered all of the planchas/binchos with a side dish of Very Extremely Spicy Noodles (sichuan chili, zha chi, scallion). This dish could have been a tad spicier, but according to my friends, my apparent tolerance to hot and spicy foods is next level, so I'm sure it did the trick for most.
The noodles came out at the same time as El Jefeâs Family Meal. Momofuku noodles have that perfect wiggly noodly texture that I just love so much in my ramen, so mix that with some extremely hot fire as they say, and you have yourself a winning side dish. The hot hot heat from the noodles sets the stage nicely for the Family Meal, comprised of rice & beans (a little undercooked, "but that's how you know they're not from a can"), Valdez guacamole and topped with a fried egg. I couldn't help myself and took one of the two arepas to soak up some of the leftover sichuan chili sauce from the noodles â MAJOR YUM. Unfortunately, the Family Meal was  one which needed to be consumed quickly. I found this out the hard way when the fried egg exploded onto my helping and quickly became an impromptu bowl of soup. Kind of a drag.
What made up for this though, was the Oysters Escobar â a little fusion piece from the kitchen. I found the combination of the toppings super tasty and original and the flavors from the kale and cream cheese were definitely well-balanced - not too bitter, rich or creamy.Â
Our last main was the Octopus Ssam which was a fun little interactive part of the meal - Boston lettuce wraps are always a hit. The octopus however was a tad overcooked, therefore chewy but that didnât deter us from eating it. What was definitely enjoyable here were the generous chunks of ânduja sausage and the sweet pickles â flavor central.
Finally, a trip to Momofuku isn't complete without a visit to the Milkbar on the 2nd level. I have an open addiction to the infamous Crack Pie, so had to snag myself a piece and last night I tried the B'Day Truffles for the first time. I can't tell you how pleased my sweet tooth was. Although one truffle is enough, the package comes with three - perfect for sharing and just enough to leave you wanting more. I will definitely be stopping in again just for this.Â
All in all, a high level of beached whale status was achieved and surrounded by great company. Check out the pics below and let me know your favourite dish!
xo The Beached Whale
Current mood...
One fine day: MOMOFUKU x VALDEZ
How excited was I to see this event come across my desk this morning??Â
Two very exciting Toronto restos joining forces to create a pop-up dinner event at Momofuku Noodle Bar. BRILLIANT. If you are a major fan of ramen or just love a hot bowl of soup on a warm day, then you already know the rep that momofuku carries. Combine that with the Latin street food creations that Chef Steve Gonzalez has been pumping out at his King West spot, Valdez, and we have a menu that peaks my interest and imagination!
The vitals:
When: Sunday February 22, 5:00pm & onwards
Where: Momofuku Noodle Bar (Street Level), 190 University Ave. Toronto ON, M5H 0A3
How: Click the image below to reserve, or call 647 253 6225Â
Make sure to reserve ASAP (more like, yesterday) to get a spot, because reservations will be booking up fast!
My mind is overflowing with endless possibilities of what the menu will offer and I couldnât be more excited. Stay tuned for my thoughts, and see you there!
Garlic Braised Pork Belly Ramen
with recipe (link)