Reviews

[itimmay]

”Redefine stereotypes,” Mustafa the Poet, a spoken word artist, says in Spectrum of Hope. His video, produced by Twice Upon a Time, aired as a preview while movie-goers trickled into the Ada Slaight Hall theatre in Daniels Spectrum, anticipating a film that will sweep them off their feet....

[itimmayr]

Ko-Fi Delight: Korean and Filipino Cuisine

           Earlier this month, I noticed a new restaurant that opened up (at the time, it was its third week) along Broadview and Gerrard's Chinatown.  Ko-Fi Delight is a Korean and Filipino restaurant.  After days of craving and thinking about the restaurant, Tuna and I finally went.           We descended the stairway to more food porn access.  Tuna went ahead of me.  As I was still walking down, I heard someone say, "What's up, man?"  I already started to like the laid-back environment.  It was bright, which I like in restaurants because I like to see what I'm eating.  It looked like many Asian restaurants I've been too.  I just hoped the food would be unique, yet satisfying.          We sat a table away from the stairs and looked at the menu.  I was tempted to order Korean food, but my goal was to finally eat Filipino food.  After peering at the menu, we decided to order the spring rolls; seven for $2.99 to "share."  I only ate one or two from what I remembered, but I'm starting to like the taste of pork.  Tuna ordered the chicken adobo; chicken marinated and cooked in soy sauce and vinegar.  It came with rice and side dishes, all for $8.99.  I ordered grilled Tilapia for the same price.            Tuna's side dishes were coleslaw with mayonnaise, edamame, and thinly sliced potatoes.  My sides came with cucumbers, tofu and beans.  Of course, typical me pretty much ate most of it except the coleslaw.  I did slip in a taste, which resulted in, "Why did you eat it?!"  Mayonnaise is not good for me.  I was in love with the tofu and the potatoes.  I pretty much K.O'd the cucumbers.            I didn't really like the thick chopsticks at the restaurant.  Compared to the thin, metal ones I used at Ka-Chi, these thick chopsticks were quite difficult.  Our server was very good at making conversation with us, telling us how he holds the chopsticks the same way I do, and Tuna holds it like the older people.  Old man...            I joke.  Don't kill me.            He then called me "so Asian" because I took pictures for this blog.  Very funny.  Har, har, har... not.            After what felt like a long wait, Tuan's chicken adobo came.  The smell was making me hungry!  I finally got my grilled Tilapia.  Little did I realize, it was literally a whole grilled fish!  I looked at it and thought to myself: "Do I have to de-bone this thing?"  I remember I stopped eating Mom's fish for that reason... and here I was again, but this time it was a whole fish!  And so I began the de-boning of the fish.  I focused more on taking the fish apart than actually eating, but it became a little fun.  As I was taking the fish apart, Tuna started narrating my actions as if I was a wild animal.  I'm sure if I was watching myself, I would be amused and laughing at the same time.           Overall, I was satisfied from the service and the food.  If I wasn't, I wouldn't devour nearly the entire fish!  It was unfortunate that I couldn't eat more of the spring rolls, because I as I looked up while I ate, I saw only four pieces left.  Near the end, I saw none!  Someone had to eat them all... ahem!  However, these spring rolls were the most delicious I've eaten!  Next time, I'll go without him!  Yeah!

                                                Before                                             After                                                      What was left of the spring rolls when I looked up.                                                       My rating for this restaurant: 4/5 stars.

[itimmayr]

Paganelli's Risotteria

           As I was still recovering from food poisoning (it's a slow process for me) and Tuna was recovering from his rolled ankle - which is another story, of course - I slowly dressed myself in a casual summer dress and met Tuna in front of the grocery store in which I currently work.  We were on our way to a casual Italian restaurant, Paganelli's Risotteria, with our Groupon.  The coupon offer ws $49.00 for $116.00-worth for a three course meal, either lunch or dinner.  It was a nice day, I must say.  Quite nice.            The location of the restaurant is on our beloved, and to me, legendary Front street where all the amazing restaurants reside.  We entered the restaurant and Tuna introduced himself to confirm our reservation.  As we sat down, the host handed our menu to us.  He was very nice.  I looked around the area.  It didn't seem too fancy, but it was still nice and dim.  We were sat by the window, where most of the light came from.  There was a lot of wood material around the restaurant.            We looked at the menu, having difficulty as to what to decide.  We finally narrowed down our choices, which consisted of two appetizers each (total of $38.00), two mains each (total of $68.00), and one dessert to share (total of $9.00).  As the server appeared by our table, we ordered:            Appetizer - I chose the Insalata di Rucola con Carciofi Pendolini  e Pecorino, which was arugula salad with grape tomotoes, artichokes, Pecorino di Fossa cheese, and lemon vinaigrette.  Tuna chose the Piadina Prosciutto Stracchino, which was a flatbread with Parma prosciutto, Stracchino cheese, and arugula.  I took a bite out of the sandwich and was quite satisfied with the taste.  My salad was just that - a salad.  Nothing special, but I didn't want to fill up on something that looked like a meal.

                           Main: As we received our meals, the server asked if we wanted a picture together.             "I couldn't help but notice you were taking pictures.  Would you like me to take a picture of you?" he asked in a soft voice.  I looked at Tuna, and he looked at me.             "Sure," he nodded and I handed the server the camera.  He was really nice throughout our stay, and he seemed new and very polite.             Tuna ordered the well-done wild boar in sweet and sour chocolate sauce, served with blueberries, grilled asparagus and rice with cheese.  The boar was too chewy.  It was unfortunate that the server didn't ask how Tuna would like it done.  The sauce wasn't too exciting either.  The main isn't presented on the online menu yet, so I assume it's new.  I ordered the Grilled Meditteranean sea bass with grilled vegetables, deep-fried potatoes and lemon vinaigrette.  This was the first time I tried sea bass, and I absolutely loved how light the fish felt on my tongue.  I didn't like the extra flavouring of butter (I could tell because it was too salty), but nonetheless, it had a delightful taste thanks to the vinaigrette.  The deep-fried potatoes were actually pretty good, and this is coming from someone who doesn't like a lot of deep-fried food.

                          Dessert: I let Tuna decide and finally ordered our dessert: "house made" ice cream cake, which was filled with pistachios, hazlenuts, candied fruits and served with chocolate sauce.  As exciting as it may sound, this dessert isn't something I would recommend.  We couldn't even break the cake.  It was hard as rock.  We kept banging our spoon into the cake, and I feared we would break the plate in the process.

                                  As much as I was disappointed with the amount of butter, the really dry boar, and the hardcore cake, I did enjoy my fish, the atmosphere, the and server's politeness.  I would definitely go back for another lunch date to try their gnocchi.  My current rating for this restaurant:

Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

[itimmayr]

House on Parliament

           The day before I left for Cuba, Tuna and I wanted to eat out and grab frozen yogurt at Yogurt Spoon.  There was a restaurant that I was drawn to because many people gave me good reviews.  The last time I went there, all I remember is the dessert that had Baileys, Grand Marnier and Kahlua.  I don't remember what it's called, or what I ate.            House on Parliament is located along Parliament street, in little old Cabbagetown, renovated and apparently with more space.  For the first time in history, I was actually starving after my workout and needed food.  I actually felt like I was about to pass out.  Tuna kept suggesting places: "Fran's?  Cranberry's?  Young Thailand?"            "I don't care, man!  You choose.  I can't think, I'm starving!" I flipped, also wanting to cry.  It was so funny, now that I think back at it.  It's pretty rare for me to starve like that and just want to eat anywhere.  I'm usually quite picky.            I began to follow Tuna and he led me to House on Parliament.  As Tuna and I entered, the feel of the relaxed atmosphere slowly got to me.  I love places with a relaxed atmosphere, cozy interior, and servers who are outgoing and nice.  Our server was okay.  She was nice though from what I remember.  She gets points for that.  We were greeted and sat by the window seat, our server handed us our menus.  What immediately caught my eyes was the smoked salmon.  Of course, where will life be if there was no salmon?

           Don't answer that.

           I ordered the smoked salmon, which came with crostini (really hard baguette slices), fresh basil cream cheese, capers, olive bits, cucumbers, raspberry jam, and some lettuce.  It was a very light choice, minus the crostini.  It hurt to bite!  Of course, I didn't like olives, so I had a few bites and left the rest.           Tuna ordered the Kobe burger, which was a medium rare steak burger, which also included the biggest onion ring ever!  I'm not sure how many times I've stated that in these reviews.  The burger also came with the most fries he's ever eaten... and he doesn't even like fries.  Turns out he doesn't even like steak unless it's in a burger.           There isn't too much to say about the restaurant, other than the fact that I did enjoy myself there.  Despite the pain I felt from eating the crostini, I had fun.  Tuan was enjoying his time watching me struggle, as always.  Things will never change...

          WHY MUST PEOPLE ENJOY ME STRUGGLING?  That's my job... to feed off of people's struggles in the simple things in life.  Like tripping!

          This restaurant isn't completely amazing, but it's decent enough to come back and try other things.  My rating for House on Parliament:

          Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

          P.S. I rushed this review. Forgive me for any errors.  You can ask questions if you'd like!  There is also a link at the very bottom of this review.

Take care!

[itimmayr]

Tuna Before Tea

           I planned to go to Cuba with my tea-wife, Jennifer, on the 27th of April, so Tuna and I decided we should spend some time together before I leave for a week.  We decided to stay at a hotel a few blocks from Lawrence and Yonge called Glengrove Hotel.  The suite was to have a full kitchen, living room with furniture, and the such.  As we entered, it looked like an old fashion apartment.  Even the elevator had a door and a gate behind it.

           Regardless of its old-fashion look and battered up furniture, it was quite cozy and I really felt like I lived there.  The kitchen came with its own pots and pans, and the rest of the essentials needed for cooking.  Since we had these, we decided to cook our dinner for the first night that we stayed, and it was the first time we ever cooked together.  We made garlic buttered salmon, recreating the salmon Tuna once tried at Hard Rock Cafe... which they didn't have anymore.  We made a spinach salad and mashed sweet potatoes.  I must admit, I was quite satisfied with my food.  We then planned out which day we were going to go to a) Philthy McNasty, and b) Sushi Kai.

Philthy McNasty's

           I was first introduced to Philthy McNasty through a dear friend's bornday party in November 2011.  I walked by it many times when it was located on King Street, but it relocated to Yonge and Eglinton, and that is when I entered it for the first time.            Now, compared to regular pubs, I found that this pub automatically gave a unique feel in atmosphere, much like Les 3 Brasseurs (The 3 Brewers) at Yonge and Dundas.  The first time I ordered something, it was called a Bob Marley: a super spicy flatbread topped with chicken and pineapples.  Let's not forget hot sauce!  I nearly died as I devoured it; died in love, and because my lips were burning.  Tuna was there as well, and since we happened to be staying near Yonge and Eglinton, we decided to revisit.            The first thing that caught my eye was the hot server.  She was pretty laid back and seriously... just really hot.  She's one of those girls who make me question my sexuality, like Shay Mitchell.  She asked what we wanted to order, and of course, we ordered the Bob Marley!  We shared it, because there was a deal for the burgers: two for the price of one!   We slowly munched on the wonderful flatbread, spice and all, and savouring each flavour that was mixed well together.  Who knew pineapples can work for so many recipes!            Finally, our burgers came.  Tuna ordered the Prime Minister burger, which was supposed to include the typical lettuce, tomatoes, pickles - which I ended up eating - delicious (to most) melted cheddar and mozarella cheese, crispy bacon, and the biggest onion ring ever!  I ordered the veggie burger out of curiousity.  I asked the server if she's tried it.  Apparently she's a vegetarian and said the veggie burger is awesome!  Hot girl, vegetarian, and telling me the burger is awesome?  Check!  It was made with soy, of course.  When Tuna was about to eat his burger, he noticed... where was his bacon?  He looked like he was going to blow a fuse or something.  He eventually got his burger and we began to eat.  That veggie burger... wasthe best veggie burger I have ever tasted in all my veggie burger runs... which was probably about two or three.

           Of course, I began boycotting the bread because I really liked the soy.  The pub in general is a lot of fun.  I rated it once before, and I will rate it again from atmosphere, to server, to food and comfort level:

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

Sushi Kai

           Tuna and I ended our two-night getaway by going to a sushi restaurant: another coupon purchase.  Sushi Kai was located along Eglinton.  The location looked quite comfortable, but the service was too slow.  Before we began to eat, a man was furious for waiting forty-five minutes and complained that people who came after him ate and left before him.  I can see why he was frustrated.  I think he eventually was remembered.            I ordered the salad as an appetizer and Tuna ordered the Gyoza, which was quite delicious (these were rounds one and two).  We then continued to order our rounds of sushi - round three: philedelphia rolls; four: BBQ eel; five: Mexican roll; six: rainbow roll; seven: spider roll.  I had a hard time eating the Philedelphia roll, rainbow roll and the spider roll because they had mayonnaise.  However, BBQ has been my favourite since the first time I tried it a long time ago.  It was my second time eating it and the flavour just stood out.  BBQ makes everything better! 

However, my rating for Sushi Kai?

Rating: 2.5/5 stars.

And let's not forget my rating for the hotel: 2.5/5 stars.

That's all the reviewing I can do today.  May the migraine persist.  Have a marvelous day!

[itimmayr]

Fickle: Vietnamese and Chinese Cuisine

           HEYO!

           It's been a while since I made a review, or many reviews for that matter, so I'm going to make these as short and to the point as possible!  During my random hiatus, I have been to many places and done many things.  Most of the reviews will be based on my Cuba trip in my Mission Tea Time section of the blogs.  Exciting, oui?

           Okay, fine.

           Anyways, this is a re-visit to Fickle: Viet and Chinese Cuisine.  At night, the restaurant displays a beautiful mini, colourful light show of swirling hearts.  Perfect place for a romantic dinner, oui?  Although, I question the name "Fickle."  Look up the definition and you'll see why.            Anyways, the first time I went to Fickle with Tuna, we ordered the PuPu Platter, which consisted of tornado rolls, spring rolls, skewers, rangoons (crab and cream cheese-filled pastry-like appetizers), and chicken fingers.  We were already full off of that.

           I also ordered the pineapple fried rice and Tuna ordered the Moo Moo Gai Pan.  The pineapple fried rice had rice servings for two people as a meal, and four to six people as a side.  It was ridiculous!  We were already full off the Pu Pu Platter.  We vowed next time we order that to have more people to eat with us.  My stomach, I'm sure, was perfectly round by the time we stepped out.  I didn't even finish the rice.  I told myself I'd never order that again.  And I didn't.            The second time we went to Fickle, we ordered two different dishes and just rangoons as our appetizers.  Out of the platter, that was the one we liked the most.  I ordered black pepper shrimp with bell peppers, onions and black pepper sauce (to which I added hot sauce to!), and Tuna ordered fried rice.  The shrimp was cooked quite well, so no complaints on that.  The rangoon... oh, how I just wanted to eat more of those over my actual meal!  Absolutely delish!            I must say, no matter how many times I go there, I'm satisfied with the atmosphere.  The dim lighting creates a relaxing feel, which is good when eating.  You can take your time to savour the food and eat slowly instead of eating to the fast-beat music like in pubs.  The service has been excellent in my perspective so far.  I haven't been able to make any complaints yet.  With only two employees, the restaurant seemed to run efficiently.  They're very respectful, calm and very kind.  It's employees like these that more places need to feel welcomed.  However, considering that the food (minus the rangoon) is something moderate to my tongue, the points did have to be dropped a little.

I rate this restaurant: 3.5 out of 5 stars!

[itimmayr]

Rancho Relaxo.

           On the passed cold and ugly Friday, I finally was able to eat out in relief of no more exam-cramming to get in my way.  It was also Tuna's bornday.  Lalalalala... yeah.  With the powers of coupon-hunting, I found a pretty decent coupon deal on Dealfind: $17.00 for $40.00-worth of Mexican food at Rancho Relaxo.  I was waiting for this day since I purchased this coupon.  I bet so was Tuna since he apparently love Mexican food.  Anyways, I probably had my expectations a little higher than usual.  You see, on the coupon, it said call to reserve.  They took forever to respond, and it turns out they don't take reservations for two.  Was specifying that too difficult?            We set out our mission to Rancho Relaxo and entered the moderate-sized restaurant.  We stood for a minute-or-two until someone came to help us.  We had to wait at the bar until a table for two was free.  In the meantime, we were handed cups of water and a bowl of some awkward-tasting nachos, and bland-tasting salsa.  When I first put these "nachos" in my mouth, I liked the bland taste.  It started to taste weird after that.  Thankfully, we were seated at the two-seater right next to the bar as soon as it was available, taking our water and nachos with us.  I looked around at the location's appearance.  It had a nice touch of Mexican decorations, the lights were dim, and it was actually quite cozy.  However, the tables seemed rather small for the two-seaters... or I'm just used to bigger tables.  Anyways, we finally were able to order, and the server was really nice.  Tuna ordered his long-loved tacos, and I ordered a "Pollo Chipotle," which is grilled chicken breast marinated in orange pepper chipotle salsa.  Both orders came with mashed beans, rice and a house salad.  I asked to substitute my rice with more salad because I don't really like rice.  I ended up eating Tuna's as well because he hates salad.            The chicken had an "okay," taste.  I feel like it was difficult to eat compared to Hard Rock's chicken.  The salsa was the same bland salsa with the "nachos," except it has slices of orange on the chicken to give it "flavour."

           I didn't taste the orange in the sauce.

           It was still decent enough to eat.  Tuna was satisfied just from eating his tacos.  I was satisfied from the salad and chicken.  The mashed beans were nearly as bland as the salsa and nachos.

                      We then decided to order two drinks and a dessert.  Tuna ordered something by the name of "Hannah," and I don't have the slightest clue what was in it.  I don't like smoothies in general, so I was completely uninterested in how it tasted, or what it contained.  Of course, you could probably guess what I ordered. 

                                            Green tea.  Duh!

                                            For desserts, the options were chocolate cheesecake, carrot cake, deep-fried ice cream, and sopa pia.  I overheard one of the servers tell the couple behind us that they only had two desserts, which were the deep-fried ice cream and the sopa pia.  I told Tuna, but he decided to ask anyway.  It turned out I heard right.  We looked at each other in internal disgust at the thought of the deep-fried ice cream, and so Bornday Fish decided to order the sopa pia.  What the sopa pia included was a toasted tortilla topped with banana ice cream and drizzled with Kahlua, honey and cinnamon.  At first, it tasted nice.  Then it just got really sweet for me.  I have a low tolerance for sweet anyway, and I only liked the Kahlua flavouring, so I'm not too surprised.  And then Tuna suddenly didn't want to finish it.  The moment of truth I was waiting for:

           "It's too sweet."

           EUREKA!  Oh, how I wish I recorded this moment.  I don't think there will be any proof of him saying that line in history.  But then he backed up his comment with, "I guess there's no such thing as 'too sweet' chocolate."  He does love chocolate.  Overall, I had a nice time just seeing him (fucking cheesy, but whatever) and talking about random things, like we usually do when we hang out.  I'm not actually sure what Tuna rates Rancho Relaxo, since he loves Mexican food.

My rating: 3/5 stars!

                                                                  Cheers!

[itimmayr]

Hard Rock Cafe

           I finally went to Hard Rock Cafe on Dundas and Yonge on Sunday, March 11th.  I’ve been walking passed it for over five years and never stepped foot into the location.  After Tuna told me their salmon was orgasmic, I added the location to my dream list.            We had to wait about “fifteen minutes,” according to the hosts.  We waited longer, but it wasn’t too bad of a wait.  The service was good, and as we stepped into the restaurant, I looked around to see such interested displays to my right, and felt the awesome atmosphere of rock ‘n’ roll.  The music was amazing and really put me in the mood to just enjoy myself instead of stressing about this month.  It’s the last month of school for me, so I need some sort of release once in a while.  The server gave us enough time to ask what we wanted.  Tuna ordered the pulled pork sandwich, and I ordered the grilled chicken Marsala.  However, I couldn’t have cheese so I asked if she could avoid the cheese on the pasta.            “I believe the pasta is already made with the cheese on it,” she informed me.  I paused to think about what I could do.  Before I could ask her, she suggested, “How about I substitute it with more vegetables?”  She read my mind.  I agreed with that suggestion and thanked her.

                       Again, there was a fair amount of time required to wait for our meals, and they came rather quickly.   The chicken was huge, and shaped like a heart, and soaked with sauce, which I wasn’t too happy with, but managed, and tasted slightly sweet.  Tuna was satisfied with his sandwich... or so he said.  I can never tell what “satisfied” means to him, but I’ll go with it.  I took forever to finish my chicken, but it was one of the best chickens I’ve had compared to most restaurant’s dry chicken.  One of – not the best.  Just one.  Of.  Like I said, it was pretty big.  After we were both done, the waitress asked if we wanted dessert, tea, or coffee.  Tuna asked to see the dessert menu, and she came back with a tray with sample desserts – three small ones I can’t remember, and a huge hot fudge brownie.  It had a brownie at the bottom, a scoop of Ben & Jerry vanilla ice cream, walnuts, whipped cream, hot chocolate fudge and a cherry on top!  I’m sure we all know what Tuna chose...            When the hot fudge brownie reached our table, we dug in.  I stayed away from the whipped cream and ice cream and went straight for the walnuts and the brownies.  I was forced to eat a scoop of everything when Tuna told me “this is how you eat it” and held the scoop in front of me until I opened my mouth.  The whipped cream... was... no.  The bill didn’t turn out so bad either.  The food – in my opinion and from what we ordered – seemed like it was a reasonable price.  That’s my opinion though.  With the addition of the server, the music, the atmosphere, and the uniqueness along with the food, I for one will definitely go back there.  The only thing that disappointed me was the spaghetti pasta was already made with the cheese.  What if one really wanted the pasta without cheese – then what?                                  My rating: Four stars!

[itimmayr]

Tappo Wine Bar and Restaurant.

           Hello!  I know it's been a while since I blogged and made a review.  I'm sorry I died for a bit.  School has taken over my life, but that's another story.  I recently had reading week about (we could say now) two weeks ago.  You think I would've had time to type out one blog, but no.  I didn't, because I didn't really do anything or go anywhere.  Anyways, the Friday of reading week, Tuna and I finally went to Tappo Wine Bar.  We decided to dress up a little.  Since we were going to a fine-dining restaurant, and we never dress up for each other often, I thought - why not?  No, we're not balling with cash or anything.  A few months ago, I bought a $19.00-coupon for $50.00-worth of food at Tappo Wine Bar.  I was excited to go, considering it was our last coupon on queue to use before buying anymore.            That night was freezing.  At least it was later that night.  Tuna came by to meet me at the building I live in, and we were off to the district of $10.00 sandwiches!  And yes, that is also another story.  Also, it's not mine.            We were on a mission to find this place and were walking around in circles.  The best thing about wandering around the district is that it's actually a very small, yet beautiful, place. There were lights lit, very few people (possibly because of the time), many art structures, and lots of very neat-looking places I was very tempted to enter.  As we finally found Tappo, we walked towards it and pulled the handle.            It was locked.            I pushed.  Still locked.            I looked back at Tuna and stated the obvious, since he was right behind me.  Finally, an employee at the door opened it.  He asked us if we had reservations.  Mistake number one. I zoned out for two seconds and responded, "No."  He said if he's collecting vouchers, we have to reserve since their space is limited.  I looked around and noticed how small the dim-lit restaurant is and realized all the seats were taken.            "It also says on the voucher you have to reserve," he said as I stared at the voucher.  I felt ridiculously stupid at that point.  We also had an option of sitting at the bar instead.  This made up for mistake number one.  We decided to sit at the further end of the bar and waited.  I didn't like how the man was speaking to us.  He may have been stressed, or annoyed that a bunch of kids don't know how to reserve, but he didn't have to speak with that demeaning tone of voice.  I can be exaggerating, but I'm a girl.  However, at this point, my rating was already a two out of five stars because I felt the atmosphere was uncomfortable and unwelcoming.             As I focused on the various voices in the crowd - and trust me when I say that even though there weren't tons of people, the voices felt like I was in a huge auditorium - a young bartender came up to us and asked, "Hi, can I start you off with something to drink?"  Tuna asked for menus.  She passed us two, and then another for the drinks.  Tuna stated that she probably didn't expect that we were going to eat too.  We first ordered our food:            Tuna ordered a Gallina Vetro al Albicocca - an "apricot glazed cornish hen" with caramelized onion bacon, potato, and green beans.  I ordered Filetto di Manzo alla Griglia with - eight-ounce, peppercorn-topped beef, mashed potatoes, green beans and gorgonzola tarragon cream.

With it, we ordered our wines.  I mean, what the heck - it is a wine bar. Tuna ordered from the white

 wines - a sweet Rosé.  I ordered a smooth Shiraz from the red wines.  As we waited for our meals, the wines and bread came.  The bartender, who we learned is named Anastasia, decided to entertain us.  She was trying to remember a shot made and demonstrated on Youtube called "Alien Brains."  It reminded me of an eerie lava lamp.            We began to eat our meal, and typically, I stole some of Tuna's chicken.  I filled up on so much water that I had to use the washroom and was filled so fast, which is good!  The steak was done medium-rare.  Tuna had to help me choose which would be a better way to eat it when I ordered.  The last time I ate beef, it was done medium-rare and I liked it.  I wasn't too sure how much Tuna liked his food, since he's better at judging taste than I am.  I was just happy I eventually got to eat.  We also drank our wines, and sipped on each other's to compare taste.  As I thought, his was sweet.  I can't go a night without watching Tuna eat or drink one thing sweet!  It makes up for me not having any.  However, we liked our own better.  I didn't feel like having anything sweet anyway... at least at that time.            Slowly, the atmosphere felt a little more comfortable, and also very cold.  I didn't feel the slight claustrophobic feeling I initially had when I realized the small size of the restaurant.           "So, what's your rating?" Tuna asked over the rumble of the crowd.  I thought about it, and asked him first.  He said three stars.  I wasn't surprised.  That was my rating for just the food.  I considered many things.  I usually walk into a restaurant with no expectations, but like elementary school, I set it at the level four first (the five stars) and mend my stars up from there.            "Would you like tea or coffee?" Anastasia came by again as I was thinking.  I agreed to tea.  Of course I would agree to that.            The employee at the front door as we came in dropped the stars to a two because of the way he spoke.  He could have been nicer, even though it's hard when you're overwhelmed with customers.  However, Anastasia was cute and mellow, and made us feel a bit more welcomed.  That went up a star.  I still didn't like much of the environment.  The dim lights are nice, but the restaurant is really tiny.  I don't like tiny spaces, so that went down to a three.  I liked the food though, and especially the wine, so that went up another star.  I was actually quite satisfied, and it really filled me up in a good way.

           My rating: four stars!

[itimmayr]

Winterlicious 2012: Bangkok Gardens

           Here I am – sweating, lying here, completely exhausted from the most intense… shower ever and sitting under the heater.  What did you think I was doing?

          Actually, don’t answer that.

          Well, it’s review time yet again!  It was my second time participating in the “liious” in general, first time in Winterlicious in Toronto.  I was first introduced to Summerlicious the past summer when Jennifer and I had our tea time.  I was surprised at how cheap semi or major fine dining restaurants’ three-course meals cost us per person.  I decided to try Winterlicious, which runs from January 27 to February 9.            After a long time searching which restaurant to go, Tuna and I agreed to have lunch at Bangkok Gardens, located on Elm Street near Ryerson University.  It was good to relieve my exhaustion from working out with some food.  As we approached the restaurant, I noted that it looked slightly bland and sketchy on the outside.  But I also noticed a trend of bland-looking exteriors usually results in decent-looking interiors, and I was right.  As we descended the steps and entered the restaurant for our reservations, as expected, the interior was very nice and even clean.  Even the washroom was pretty!  We were seated and were given water.  Our server, Anna, showed us the menu.            “We also have the buffet at a cheaper price of $14.95,” she told us.  “It’s cheaper and you still get to try whatever’s on the lunch menu, which is $35.00.  Let me know what you decide.”  She walked away while we thought about what to do. Clearly, we both wanted the same thing.  As she returned for our decision, she asked us what we wanted to do.            “The buffet,” we told her.  She nodded and asked us if we wanted anything to drink.  We both ordered tea.  Tuna ordered the Immunity tea, which had green tea, ginseng and something else; I ordered Purifying tea, which also had green tea, some other stuff, and at the end I read it “blood and orange”.  We waited for our tea, and they came in these beautiful tea pots and tea cups!  To be honest, I think that made most of my lunch enjoyable – the tea. 

                      We finally went for the buffet.  I started with tofu and regular stir-fry, mango salad and two fresh spring rolls. It was satisfying for a bunch of vegetables.  I especially loved the spring rolls.  It wasn’t fried!  And tofu’s a given: I love it!  During my second round, I got more of the stir-fry, and just the tofu from the tofu stir-fry.  I didn’t want the bok choy.  I went and took a spoonful of the spicy beef, and the saucy chicken without the cashew toppings.  I took a little bit if fried rice and some Pad Thai, and then walked back to my seat.  I was, again, satisfied with the vegetables, the beef and the chicken.  However, the fried rice didn’t satisfy me much, and the Pad Thai didn’t taste like anything.  Tuna and I agreed that it was pretty much flavourless.  We were beginning to feel full while we ate and filled up on water and tea.  The dessert… wasn’t really dessert.  I didn’t even want to take pictures of it.  There was lychee,  some banana-orange cube, banana fritters and fried sweet potatoes – both coated with what spring rolls are made with, I think – and fruits.  They looked like more appetizers, if anything.  By the end of the little feast, we were super full.  I had to force down the rest of my tea.  It was too good to leave alone.

           After we discussed what each of us would rate the restaurant as, Tuna said, “A two-out-of-five”.  However, as much as I wasn’t satisfied with the rice and the Pad Thai, I did like the atmosphere, appearance, the chicken and beef, and the vegetables.  With a long thought of what Tuna said, that the food is the most importance and the appearance adds to the restaurant, I finalized my rating.

Bangkok Gardens, I rate thee: 2.5/5 stars!  Please do something for the poor Pad Thai.

[itimmayr]

Cafe Mania and Sherlock!

           Last night, another coupon was put into use on Yonge and Gloucestor, Crepe Mania.  Tuna doesn’t really like crepe, and I liked it after going to Spin Cafe that was originally across Eglinton station.  Now it’s closed.  I loved that place!  Anyways, we entered the dimly lit cafe to find a small space, but big enough to move around.  The sofa seats were too low for me though.  I felt as though I couldn’t reach the table!           I handed the Groupon to the woman at the counter and we grabbed a seat (which we had to change later because of the short sofa).  We had to spend $25.00 of food.  Tuna bought a shrimp mania, which consisted of baby shrimp, sour cream, ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and portabella mushrooms.  I ordered the pesto mania, but without the mozzarella cheese and asked for the pesto sauce on the side.  It had marinated chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, red peppers, and mushrooms (and lots of it!).  I also ordered a medium pot of sencha green tea, which now  I feel I should have ordered a large pot instead.            The average time to receive our main order didn’t take too long.  I was excited, only because there was chicken in my crepe.  Sadly, since I didn’t have cheese in my crepe, my crepe didn’t stay together when I cut it, and they kept falling apart.  Near the end, I gave up on the actual crepe and ate just the filling.  I looked in front of me to see that even though Tuan was cutting through his crepe, it looked together and neat.  I immediately felt that the state of our crepe really resembled our personalities...

You can probably let your imagination wild for that part.

            The taste of my crepe didn’t taste like a crepe at all – at least not like the one I first tried with Jennifer.  Instead, it tasted more like dhosai, an Indian version of crepe.  The taste seemed bitterer, and something I typically run away from when it’s made at home.  The tea made up for it because the medium pot let me have three cups of tea!            The atmosphere for the cafe didn’t feel too homely after a while.  At first, the dim lights were relaxing.  Later, it just felt really uncomfortable.  I felt the lights were a bit too dim and really wanted to leave after that. Tuna wasn’t very satisfied after the crepes and we wound up at Fran’s so he can have a sundae and I wanted more tea.            What I did appreciate though is that they didn’t come by a million times to ask how we were doing and if we needed anything else, even though it is nice of them to do so, and it is common courtesy.  Sometimes, I’m just sick of saying, “Thank you” and “No, thank you” repeatedly.  However, I felt they were also too distant from their customers and not connecting even a little.  They seemed bored and not too outgoing.  Perhaps they were just too tired...?

Overall satisfaction? 3/5 stars!

          After, we used my Cineplex coupon to get into the movies for free!  I had one, but I needed a hundred points on my Scene card to get in for free anyway, so I took the coupon's points and Tuna and I both went to see Sherlock Holmes: The Game of Shadows.  I highly recommend this movie, but I recommend also watching the first one.  The direction and acting is amazing, and there is just enough jam-packed action for it to be satisfying.  It definitely kept me on edge.  Robert Downey Jr. never ceases to amaze me with his acting skills.  I think him and Jude Law are just wonderful and talented actors (and quite good looking, I must say!).  There was just the right amount of suspense as well with the help of many of the eerie and dark settings during investigations, and the film flowed with such consistency.            The camera angles were decent, followed by the lighting effect, like the shadows on half the face for mystery.  The background Irish-like music (perhaps, it was a fiddle) for the few chases really did provoke different moods that should be felt during the scene. I didn't get bored one bit.  I know for a fact that this is a movie I would definitely pay to watch.  Even if I didn't have the coupon, and no one wanted to come with me, I would pay and go watch it by myself.

Sadly, I'm low on cash.

My overall rating for this movie: 5/5 stars!  I absolutely am a fan of Sherlock Holmes now.  I plan on watching the series, and maybe even picking up the novel.

Anyways, this was a fun review.  I hope everyone enjoys their upcoming week, and perhaps the weather.  I know I'm not enjoying it.

Good night!

[itimmayr]

Coffee Zone

           I would have done this review yesterday, but I was quite busy.  So, just the past Tuesday I met with my wonderful friend, Luipa.  I haven’t had girl-time in a long time, so we decided to catch up.  I suggested that in Holiday Inn on Carlton Street, there’s a coffee shop called Coffee Zone and mentioned that lattes are $2.00 on Tuesdays.  This excited her, considering that she was also free on the Tuesday.  Unfortunately, because of my illness I was unable to have anything with dairy, so I ended up with a nice raspberry tea.  I first tried raspberry at Just Desserts Cafe, and let me tell you, I fell in love!  Luipa ordered a caramel latte, but the flavour shot had to be paid.            The little coffee shop was quite adorable, I must say, and the service was okay.  Just okay.  The lady serving us before was slightly rude, but I think that’s just how she spoke.  The man who worked later was kinder.           The atmosphere was quite relaxing.  I felt a slight chill because of where I was sitting, I guess.  The tables and chairs were a matching set of cuteness, and few of the seats were couches.  They didn’t seem cozy, but they looked it.  The place was also colourful and bright.  It was a cheerful place, and there were many business people, as well as university students.  There really isn’t much to say about this place, since it is quite tiny and there wasn’t too much interaction with the employees there, as there were two. 

My rating: 3/5 stars!

[itimmayr]

Young Thailand

           Ah, after a long time I am back!  I haven’t had much to blog because I was sick for most of the week (yippie!).  But that’s more for my regular blogging.  Anyways, last Thursday I finally landed at one of my long-awaited desires of eating at Young Thailand, a Thai restaurant on Parliament Street that’s practically empty.  Let me tell you something before I begin: do not judge a restaurant by the amount of people inside, but the food and service itself.  Tuna explained to me how the restaurant is quite traditional from its furniture to its environment; and the restaurant is the first Thai restaurant to open (was it in Toronto?) that only sold Thai food.  Other Thai food restaurants also have a mix of Chinese, Vietnamese, or other ethnicity food in their menus.  He also warned me that it may be a bit pricy.  To me, the price was just right for the quality of food I ate.

           After Tuna arrived to the Starbucks right across his program location, the coffee shop I absolutely love to study in, we took off to Young Thailand.  As I entered, I was amazed at how beautiful the restaurant looked inside... and how empty it stood.  There was only one couple sitting by the window to our left.  The employees were quite lovely.  They seemed very nice and calm.  We looked into our menus and I had such a difficult time, as usual, deciding what to eat.  In the end, as Tuna ordered his Pad Thai, I ordered my garlic chicken with a side of brown rice.  I waited with anticipation as the chefs prepared the food.  When our orders finally reached our table, I was pleased to see how reasonable the portion size was for the chicken and the rice.  If you haven’t noticed, I’m all about portion size.  I hate too much, and I hate too little.  At the same time, there must be some quality.  This is why I agreed to pay the price they had for their selections.  The portion size was agreeable, and their quality really satisfied my taste buds.  What made me laugh in my mind was their “house salad”.  From what I remember, I saw one piece of lettuce and a few steamed broccoli pieces.  I took my first bite of the chicken, and the flavour of the garlic sauce danced along my taste buds, sending tingling sensations throughout my body and crazy signals to my brain.

No, I was not having an orgasm.  At least, not like that...

I took down the entire plate of chicken and avoided the crispy noodles that also came with it.  They did not taste like food to me.  I'm just not a fan of crispy noodles.  Sue me.  I honestly would have ordered Pad Thai, but I feel like it's such a typical thing to order at Thai food restaurants just because it's Thai food.  Maybe next time, I'll order their Tom Yum (a type of soup I heard is slightly spicy), but after I recover from sickness.  This may be the shortest review blog ever, because I can just sum it up to saying the environment and atmosphere of the restaurant was quite relaxing, the food was wonderful, the employees are very nice, and their service was decent.

           My rating: 5/5!

[itimmayr]

City TV's 27th Annual New Year's Bash.

          Review time!

           First, I'd like to give a very special shout out to my girl, Yalini Sabapathy!  Wishing her a very happy bornday.  Love you giiiirll!            Second, I'm about a week late, but I’d like to say Happy New Year to y’all!  It’s been an interesting, and emotional, new year since I refused to spend time with people.  I felt somewhat different the recent New Years Eve.  I normally love spending time with either my Mom and sister, or my lovely friends – but this time, I wanted some alone time.  So what did I do all on my lonesome?  I went to Nathan Philips Square to watch City TV’s 27th annual New Year’s Bash.  I went once in 2009 with two of my lovely ladies, and slightly buzzed, of course.  This time, I stayed sober and saw the girls off since one out of the two, and the random friend, wanted to go to a restaurant.  I told them it was fine, but I was going to stay here anyway, and then made a journey to get as close as possible to take a few pictures... which didn’t go so well.  However, the music was live – and that’s all I wanted.

           I’d like to say that the Bash was much better than the previous one I attended.  It consisted of the following artists: JRDN, Neverest and their manager – and former Backstreet Boy – Howie D, Aleesia, the cast of American Idiot, Anjulie, and Karl Wolf.  The hosts were from City TV’s hosts of Breakfast Television.            The energy in the crowd was absolutely fantastic and I completely forgot that I was on my own... except for the annoying brown man next to me who kept moving his shoulders into me as he was “dancing.”  Earlier, before I arrived to the crowd, I sent a text to one of my former classmates from my summer university class if she was there for this one as well.  You see, in 2009, as the girls and I were on the right side of the stage and right in the front, she was on the exact opposite from us at the very front.  Coincidence? 

          “Not everything is a coincidence, you dumbass!”

          Surprisingly, she was right in front of me.  I tapped her on the shoulder and we had a mini reunion, hugging it out.  It was pretty silly.  Even though there was someone I knew in front of me, at one point, I did feel lonely.  I can’t lie.  I never felt such an emotion before since I’m so used to being on my own for the most part.  Someone told me once that if you begin to recognize the feeling of loneliness, that means you’re with people who really love you and keep your happiness going.  I’m not lying when I say it’s true.  The people I have been close with the past year or two now have really helped me get over so much of my depression that it only hits me when I’m alone and not occupied.  However, the little jokes from the hosts, and the music, kept me going and entertained me.  The music in particular was really surging through my veins.  Most of the music was quite upbeat, such as the tracks "Brand New Bitch" by Anjulie, and "Fuck Shit Up" by Karl Wolf.  Neverest was the the group with the slowest beat tracks with "Everything".             I think there were more people in the crowd this year.  It really did feel that way.  The crowd definitely did not help with body heat though.  I was still freezing, because if I attended this concert with friends, it would definitely have taken longer to get home.            "Five... four... three... two... one!"  I heard the countdown as I was weaving my way through the crowd, hoping to get a headstart to leave.  As the countdown finished, everyone shouted, "Happy New Year!"  I officially spent New Years Eve with people, and alone.  Thankfully, as the solo (and short) person I am, I accomplished getting through the crowd and arrived home at around 1:30 am. My rating for the New Year’s Bash, including the performances, emotion, and excitement:  4.5/5

[itimmayr]

Noël avec un Thon.

           Another late blog, but only because I was super pooped from my little vacation to Montreal and back.  My punctuality for posting things on time is already terrible.  Imagine how this reflects off my school stuff.  Yikes.            Anyways, the ride to Montreal and back was stressful, but not as long as my usual trips there (I only went about two other times; and the first time I went by car, I don’t remember).  It took about five hours and forty-five minutes.  Both Tuna and I were bus-sick (perhaps him more than me).  We were nearly late, so seats were hard to find.  We ended up sitting at the very back, with no windows, and we couldn’t sit next to each other.  Eventually, we arrived at Kingston, where some passengers arrived to their destination.  Tuan and I decided to move to a two-seater and found a set not too far from where were sitting.  We were just about settling down when this woman came up and told us we’re sitting in her seat.  Honestly, what the fuck?  No one’s psychic to know that her laptop bag is below the chair in front of where she was sitting, and there was nothing on the seat to indicate that two people were still sitting there.  Luckily, there was another seat a little further up with nothing on it, so we sat there for the rest of the ride.            As we headed closer to Montreal, we noticed that the sky was becoming more grey, as if the clouds were ready to have diarrhea. Take cover!           We arrived at about 2:45 pm, and were on a mission to find the subway and after journeying around Berri-UQAM, we found the sign reading “METRO.”  We finally reached our hotel, after more struggle trying to figure out directions (it’s good to know that I’m dating someone who’s direction-literate than I am).  We entered the hotel and relaxed for a while and tried searching up a few things.  I was supposed to print out two restaurant/fast-food coupons so we can eat with a good price, but I had no access to a printer!  After a long time of searching for libraries and finding ways to save the coupon, I used the Internet to redeem it through my phone because the coupon said it’s possible to do so either through mobile device or print.

                      Since we hardly ate (Tuna didn’t eat at all) on our way here, we went to Quickies, which was a fast-food place not too far from the hotel on rue Crescent (I called it Montreal’s Yorkville).  I showed my coupon first to make sure we were able to redeem it on my phone, and out of the two employees there, one said we could.  The coupon was $10 for $20 worth of food, so we ordered a medium pizza and really oily coleslaw.  The man who said we can redeem the coupon left the store, and the man there had no idea how to redeem it, so Tuna ended up paying full price.  I was quite upset, but I didn’t want to let it bother me because I was on vacation.  The pizza was pretty good though, so no complaints.  It definitely made up for the oily coleslaw.  Gross. Rating: 2.5/5 stars            We then headed to Pharmaprix (Shoppers’ Drug Mart) to look for graham crackers to build a gingerbread house... and other stuff.  Sadly, we couldn’t find the graham crackers, so we couldn’t build the gingerbread house that night.  However, just chilling at the hotel was cool too with cable and awesome wireless speed.  Before we returned to the hotel, we stopped at Les 3 Brasseurs (The 3 Brewers) because Tuna was still hungry.  Sadly, we didn't try their holiday promotion - a beer of which I forgot the name.  However, we had our own booze back at the hotel.            The next morning, I woke up early to take a short walk along rue Crescent to look at this Indian restaurant Tuna wanted to eat at for Christmas Eve dinner.  As I stepped out of the hotel, a blast of ice-cold air pinched my face and it felt like my nose was going to fall off.  Thankfully, the new jacket that I sadly bought from TNA saved most of my body.  As I reached the restaurant, I saw that the hours and menu were not posted at the store.  I slowly walked back and realized that it felt colder, and the wind was stronger.  I turned a bit too early when heading back to the hotel and passed another Indian restaurant called Le Taj.  After Tuna woke up, we went to the (in my book, anyway) most awesome breakfast place ever that closed down in Toronto, Tutti Frutti Déjeuner.  There was so much joy dancing around in my body when we entered.  It was  while we were at Tutti Frutti that I realized I couldn’t speak a word of French anymore since I hadn’t practiced it for nearly four years.  The waitresses who served us were so adorable!  I wanted to pinch their cheeks!  The atmosphere was amazing as expected.  I wish they kept the one on King street open. Rating: 5/5 stars!            After we ate, we headed to downtown and walked around Eaton’s and Saint-Catherines.  We couldn’t do much since it was -16 degrees and freezing.  However, we noticed we saw three restaurant locations for Amir, and Tuna was able to find a Vietnamese restaurant.  I stated that I wanted to take pictures of all the Amirs we saw: the one near rue Crescent, the one near Berri-UQAM, and the one in Eaton’s.  On our way back to the hotel, I told him about the second Indian restaurant.  We did our research to see what the menus were like and compared them.  In the end, we chose Le Taj (well, I made Tuna choose since he wanted Indian food).  The restaurant looked quite classy as we entered.  It looked partially traditional, but with forks and knives.  Fine-dining Indian food?  Please, bud.  We were born to eat with our hands.  Although the service there wasn’t too disappointing, apparently one of the waiters had given Tuna “a look.”  I tried to figure out who it was, and became very confused.  The food was quite average too... a bit too average for its price.  For instance, the butter chicken there was $20.00.  We can get it for $10.00, and better-tasting.  The vegetable naan was delicious, and of course, the samosas are always so, so good!  The tandoori chicken was pretty dry, so I took the rest as take-out.  I wanted to take it home and butter it up, and make it moist.            “Have a good evening,” one of the younger waiters said.  I thanked him.  When he left, Tuna told me he was the one who gave him “the look” and pointed out that he only spoke to me.  And this is why I hate many South Asian people.  Absolutely rude and judgemental! Thanks to the waiter, and the dry tandoori chicken; Rating: 3.5/5 stars!            We headed straight back to the hotel because it was getting even colder.   I had the heating on full blast and didn’t feel a thing, but Tuna said it was too hot.  And then he lowered the temperature.  After watching TV, dancing around, a couple of drinks, and more dancing around, we called it a night (at 4:00 am) and hit the hay.             Our check out time on Christmas day was 12:00 pm, so I had to force someone to wake up as it neared 11:30 am.   My stuff was already packed, and I was ready to go, and we finally left the hotel.  As we stepped out, white flakes were dropping from the sky.  It was good to know that the clouds weren’t constipated in Montreal, allowing a white Christmas.  This just topped one of the most relaxing weekends in a long time.  We travelled back to Berri-UQAM, visiting Tutti Frutti for the last time this year.  I ordered “les crêpes du Père Noël,” which were four chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes topped with fruits!  We did take-out, and the server remembered us from the lunch before. She.  Was.  So.  CUTE!  Gah...

            We finally boarded the bus back to Toronto, and found better seats.  My stomach pains began to hurt again, and that’s when I knew I was heading back to reality.  Overall, I had a great time – more reasons than just being in Montreal itself.                                             Happy Holidays!

[itimmayr]

Peridot Resto Lounge.

           Again, I post this utterly late blog.  It’s not really Friday anymore, but I was too tired to articulate my feelings towards the restaurant Tuna and I visited for the second time.  The first time we went... well, actually I forgot why we went the first time.  But the second time, I purchased a $37.00 coupon for a three-course meal for up to the value of $74.00 on Groupon.com.  Exciting!  We didn’t even know what to order.

           The first time we went to Peridot Resto Lounge, located on Bloor Street, I ordered the Farm Fresh Three Egg Omelette.  I was convinced by the goat cheese, spinach, and caramelized onions, and the option of having only egg whites used for the omelette for an extra $3.00.  If I had to pay more for a healthier option, so be it!  The omelette was pretty decent, but not better than what we ate yesterday!

           For yesterdays order, we started with the appetizers, Saganaki and Balsamic Glazed Grilled Calamari.  The Saganaki consisted of a Greek cheese and slices of pita bread (which for some strange reason hoped it would be naan bread).  The cheese was flambéed in front of us as the waitress added an unexcited “Opa!”

And then she squeezed a lemon...

  ...so the juice would put out the fire, you dirty-minded rats!

  I gave the Saganaki four stars (out of five).  It felt like something was missing, but it was still delicious! 

             The waitress served our second appetizer, The Grilled Calamari.  The taste wasn’t as good as the first appetizer, but it was still good.  It was not drizzled, as the menu said, but smothered in balsamic reduction and olive oil.  I was pleased to see there were mushrooms on the plate.  The calamari didn’t satisfy me too much, but I still love it.  Three stars for the squid!

           Finally, our mains came.  Tuna ordered the Provimi Veal Scallopini, which unexpectedly came with two patties of veal, pappardelle pasta and green beans (he cringed at this).  I ordered the Atlantic Salmon, which came with salmon – of course – on spinach, steamed vegetables and relish!  Mmm... salmon.  The waitress asked us if we wanted pepper and/or cheese on our mains.  I only asked for a bit of pepper, but Tuna decided to give the lady a workout.  She smothered his main in ground pepper and grated cheese.

                                                         I mooched off his veal and noticed it tasted like beef.  It wasn’t too bad though, but it tasted slightly bland.  My salmon, in contrast, was buttery and flaky.  However, salmon always satisfied me, so I was happy with what I ordered.  I surprisingly avoided ordering a salad.  I gave the salmon four stars.

                                              We had money remaining from our coupon, so I ordered a green tea and Tuna ordered a passion fruit cheesecake.  The cheesecake was quite small com pared to the usual cheesecake I’ve seen, but I loved how the crust was really thick.  I’m not a fan of cheesecake, so I can’t really give it a fair rating.  Perhaps three stars would do for me.

           The servers were quite polite and looked like they were sick of seeing such classy, rich-looking people.  Our main server seemed relieved to see a few normal people in the restaurant, such as a girl wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and a guy wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.  The servers also look like a bunch of casual people who like to go out and have fun instead of saying “absolutely” every now and then instead of saying “yes”.  I give the overall servers, from what I have seen, four-and-a-half stars.  Personally, I give the one server fives stars!

           Overall, from what I remember, Tuna gives this restaurant three-and-a-half stars (or it was just three).  I would still go back again, because this is the second time I came out feeling satisfied and not sick to my stomach.

  However, I did have stomach pains when I got home... but that’s just me all the time.

My overall rating: 4.5/5 stars! Later, foodinators (what the fuck, Timmay?)

[itimmayr]

Carole's Cheesecake Café.

           So, my dream mission has finally been complete.  I went to Carole’s Cheesecake Café in Yorkville (in Toronto, Ontario, Canada – for those of you who don’t know) and entered the cozy location.  I felt sick from a few weeks ago with my consistent stomach pains, so Mr. Le advised me not to eat any.  However, I did steal a bite or two while discussing plans for Montreal!  That’s right.  I’m going to Montreal in almost a week.

Heeeey. Hooooo.

           Anyways, the café’s entrance was quite narrow and the place was small in general.  The seats curved, but in a square-ish way as that of Pickle Barrel’s.  The theme was very Christmas-like and immediately it felt like home.  The servers weren’t too awesome, but the service wasn’t too bad.  I’d give it three-out-of-five stars in that aspect.  We decided to stare at the menu long and hard (no pun intended) until our indecisiveness (mine is especially excessive) ended.  I ordered the salmon and omelette and had it especially made with egg whites. 

Tuna (let's call him that, why don't we?) ordered a spinach omelette and both our food came with toast with butter and jam.  Did I tell you I absolutely love salmon?  It’s one time of seafood I can eat any day.  While I was satisfied with my food, Tuna didn’t feel too satisfied with his spinach omelette.  For dessert, he first chose the Triple C cheesecake (chocolate), and ended up choosing Raspberry Swirl because they ran out.  I ended up with... tea.  No complaints, really.  But who on Earth goes to a cheesecake café and not have cheesecake?  This is why I stole a few bites from Tuan’s before he picked up his plate and turned in the opposite direction.  Perhaps it was to tease me, but I know secretly he didn’t want to share that cheesecake.

                                  I know you didn’t want to!  Don’t lie, you!

           Anyways, atmosphere-wise I give the location four stars.  It’s a nice place to get away from in the cold, and it’s really cozy.

          I need to type my reviews sooner so I can post them on time...