This final meal during my trip in Washington at Brasserie Beck was certainly a highlight for me because 1) It was by far the best meal of my trip 2) this meal was scheduled only a few hours before our flight but thankfully everything went somewhat smoothly so we were able to make our flight in time.

Brasserie Beck (@marcelsbeckdc) is a European style restaurant located at McPherson Square. The decor of this eatery reminds me of Toronto’s Beer Bistro with sturdy wooden tables, blue backed chairs, high ceilings, tiled kitchen “feel” and spacious seats.

So Service at the beginning was somewhat confusing for us. We had made online reservations for 5pm on a Sunday evening a few weeks in advance.  Upon our arrival we were told to wait alongside with other groups of people at the bar for the dinner service to begin – which was fine so we sat at the bar ordered a drink and studied the menu. After 15 minutes or so after dinner service had begun the hostess told us to keep waiting in the bar area, I noticed food started to arrive for diners eating at the bar so I asked the bartender if food was only being served towards diners in the bar area and he said no, we could sit in the dining area. So I went back up to the hostess and reminded him again we had made reservations for the dining area – and so he quickly seated us after. I had no idea why we were sitting in the bar area for so long and why he couldn’t have simply seated us elsewhere after dinner service begun. I usually don’t mind waiting but since we needed to catch a flight everything was a bit time sensitive.

Besides the whole hiccup in the beginning, everything else went smoothly afterwards. After taking our order, everything came one after another. Our waiter checked on us every so often.

Table Setting:

Escargots de Bourgogne ($16.00)

• Garlic Butter & Herbed Bread Crumbs
• The escargot here were incredibly fresh and innovative. The herbs and garlic butter made the escargot taste super yums. Cooked perfectly and super hot

Mediterranean Mussels ($26.00)

• Featuring Penn Cove Mussels / Tomatoes, Chorizo & Fennel
• Full portions include frites
• Brasserie Beck is highly known for their mussels. And Holy crap these mussels were amazing. Upon finishing the mussels,we wanted to drink the soup in the large cast iron skillet. The mussels were cooked perfectly as well, wasn’t too soft or hard – came out of the shell easily.
• The soup itself was creamy and flavourful. The bits and pieces of Chorizo gave the dish a bit of texture.

Belgium frites served with mussels

• A full portion of mussels is served with a side of Belgium frites. I love these frites – especially skinny frites. The 3 dips that accompanied these frites were not memorable but the frites were perfectly seasoned so they tasted fine without them.

I would not come back to Basserie Beck without ordering a full portion of mussels along side with frites. I can totally see myself as a regular but unfortunately I can only think about the day I visit Washington again. Despite the hiccup during the beginning, no restaurant is without flaws, Basserie Beck offers a simple but uber tasty meal for a palatable price. Considering the mussels  here were delicious my subsequent meals better be on par with the ones with Brasserie Beck.

So this post concludes my Washington Trip! Back to my foodie adventures in Toronto (or Hong Kong)!

More Washington Posts: 

WASHINGTON MEMORIES 4.67 
HANK’S OYSTER HOUSE
BIRCH & BARLEY  
OLD EBBITT GRILL
DEAN & DELUCA
BAKED & WIRED 

Believe it or not this was my first time at The Drake Hotel (@TheDrakeHotel). So of course when I first received the invitation to attend the tasting of Chef Corrado‘s new summer menu, I was ecstatic!  Many foodies have raved about their fabulous brunches & patio experiences at The Drake Hotel so I guess it’s finally my turn to have that kind of “Drake Experience”

That evening, Corporate Executive Chef Corrado showcased some highlights from his brand new summer menu shown in the pictures below. He was very friendly and made his way around the group and introduced himself. And the best part of this whole event was, it was hosted on their newly redesigned Sky Yard. So what’s not to love about sipping away on cocktails while slowly burning away under the sun on a roof top patio?

The newly designed bar at the Sky Yard.

The event was SO close to being relocated due to weather issues. Thankfully the sun decided to overlook the patio for a couple more hours =)

Guava Margarita

Green Gazpacho

green tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, cilantro & dungeness crab

Ontario Burrata Salad

100km cherry tomatoes, watermelon, marcona almonds, sherry vinaigrette & crostini

Charred Octopus

fingerling potatoes, roasted peppers, & sun dried black olives

Fried Chicken with Potato Salad

Japapeno corn bread, smoked potato salad & honey

3 Day Short Ribs

charred green onion, red potatoes, creme fraiche

Flourless Chocolate Cake

salted caramel mousse, popcorn, cocoa nib & almond streusel

House-Made Macarons

After an hour or two of fun under the sun, the event ended with a small gift of macarons made in house for everyone to indulge away… I left the event a bit unsatisfied because I simply couldn’t get enough of the Fried chicken drizzled lightly with honey!!  I’m not complaining in the slightest bit but man… I think I’m long overdue for a brunch visit to the Drake Hotel. I’m totally eyeing their Southern Fried Chicken & Waffles on their Weekend Brunch menu!

Please check out Drake Hotel’s WEEKEND BRUNCH MENU here & their NEW DINNER MENU here.

Please also note that the pictures from the tasting were sample sizes and does not indicate the actual portion size of the dishes. 

This meal was complimentary but Foodinthecitytoronto.com remains unbiased in our content. 

Although I very much dislike winter or just being cold in general, last week’s heatwave was pretty much getting to me – which reminded me of a local & seasonal little dessert shop that I needed escape to. And what better way to cool off from this non stop heatwave then to grab some refreshing sundaes which happens to be a close drive from my house!

I was first introduced to Dairy Cream last summer by a few foodie friends and honestly, I would have never stumbled across this hidden gem otherwise. Dairy Cream first opened its doors to the public back in 1958 and is a seasonal dessert shop tucked away in Mississauga. They serve a plethora of goodies including funnel cakes, sundaes, milkshakes, waffles and a whole lot more!

Dairy Cream is a very small shop with the simple concept of grab and go. There are no seats within the shop but a few tables located in the parking lot.

Blueberry Sundae

• Small ($3.05) / Medium ($3.81) / Large ($4.16) – Junior Sundae ($2.24)

Soft Ice Cream Cone

- Chocolate / Vanilla or Twist
- Junior ($1.67) / Small ($2.24) / Large ($2.95)

Chocolate Sundae

• Small ($3.05) / Medium ($3.81) / Large ($4.16) – Junior Sundae ($2.24)
• Chocolate Sundae was super yummy – Refreshing and fluffy! I’m not someone that can handle super rich and thick desserts but this wasn’t the case at all. This sundae was very light and soft with a hot coating of chocolate sauce which amazing – like a cherry on top!

So from a glimpse of Dairy Cream’s menu, everything seems to be quite reasonably priced and  affordable. From what I read of other’s reviews, many recommend their funnel cakes and other plethora of sundae flavours. I counted. There’s exactly 25 flavour sundae toppings to choose from! And probably a whole lot more than I couldn’t see. I guess I don’t have to wait to go to Wonderland or food trucks to find some fresh off the fryer –  funnel cakes. Forget about the calories and give this place a try!

I’m so glad I get through every week. With non stop catching up with readings and assignments being due every other day .. plus crunching numbers all day at work..I think I’m entitled to a much needed break so I decided to reward myself!

So I’m rarely in Vaughan. Actually now that I think about it, I’m only in Vaughan once a year and that is for Wonderland’s Halloween Haunt. But because I decided to reward myself, we decided to venture off to Vaughan.  No, we didn’t go to Wonderland because I insisted we’d visited a particular Italian restaurant that has been on my radar for almost a year.

So we decided to make it an early dinner only because I know the restaurant gets crazy packed around 6 pm and I didn’t feel like waiting. MP restaurant was cozy – decorated with brick themed walls and wooden tables.

The hostess was friendly, she quickly seated us by the window. Our server on the other hand was not so enthusiastic about serving us. He didn’t really go through or even recommend anything on the menu until I asked. He was just quite and did not smile. Well, not until I took my camera and started shooting around. Once he noticed it, he asked me why I was taking pictures and then slowly started to engage in a conversation with us and became more personable. Anyways, moving onto food…

I noticed other tables around us started off with a bread basket. We didn’t get one…

Frittura Di Calamari w/ side salad ($14.50)

• This appetizer was a great start to our meal. It can be made without a side salad for $10.50.
• We choose to start off with a caesar salad and I’m glad we did because it’s always a safe option. The salad was lightly tossed with a more than usual portion of parmesan cheese (the more the merrier!)
• The calamari, served piping hot, was very addicting. Lightly battered with the perfect amount of seasoning. It did not come with any side sauce – but I didn’t need it anyways
• We finished the appetizer no problem

Penne alla Vodka ($12.50)

• penne pasta with leeks and pancetta served in a vodka tomato cream sauce
• WOW. first off, the vodka tomato cream sauce was delectable. I totally enjoyed the bold and creaminess flavours; the penne was cooked to a perfect al dente
• I am someone that rarely orders pasta without a protein – in fact most of the time I order pastas with some sort of seafood – but this penne was so delicious it didn’t need anything else to take away from its taste.

Second picture was taken after parmesan was lightly sprinkled across

Pizza al pollo ($13.50)

• tomato sauce, goat cheese spinach, grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes
• Okay so to be fair, I don’t perfer goat cheese to begin with but ordered the pizza anyways thinking there wouldn’t be that much. I was wrong. In fact, as you can see below, there was a generous amount of goat cheese going around the pizza. Oops…
• We both thought the pizza was alright (he enjoys the goat cheese) –  I usually don’t enjoy crusts because I usually find it  too chewy and a bit bland. I would have preferred the crust to be a bit thinner – then I would have inhaled it.

Last but not least, we ended our meal with a Tiramisu made in house. I personally found the Tiramisu to be learning towards the softer and soggy side. Apparently Tiramisus that are authentic are suppose to be softer. I’m probably just used to the having them with more texture. But nonetheless, it was a rich dessert that ended the dinner perfectly.

So because we completely demolished the appetizer we didn’t have as much room and ended up packing a portion of our mains away. When our bill arrived I was relatively surprised at the reasonable price. Nowadays its rare to find pastas with this kind of quality range around the $15 mark (My penne alla vodka was only $12.50). Its a great value and I expect we’ll return soon but will hope for a more pleasant service next time around.

Everytime I crave for Thai food, I always end up either at Khao San Road or SukhoThai – ordering up my favourite Street Style Pad Thai while never leaving disappointed. And so, Chef Nuit has done it again at Sabai Sabai (@sabaisabaito) –  coming up with a slightly different menu – but still authentic Thai food – offering tapa dishes enabling everyone to enjoy a little bit of everything. (PS. you won’t find pad thai’s here!)

The atmosphere and vibe at Sabai Sabai gives off a laid back – relaxing feel. We sat comfortably towards the back of the restaurant. The tables around us were evenly spaced out – very roomy. The noise level was not loud while not quiet – just enough to be able to hear the people at the table.

Our server was great! Knowing that we were quite indecisive in the beginning, she kindly helped us through the menu with recommendations. She came back frequently to check up on things while constantly clearing our table whenever possible knowing the amount  of food we ordered. The three of us each ended up picking 2-3 items off the menu.

Thai Iced Tea & Thai Iced Coffee ($4.00 each)

• I’m a huge fan of Thai Iced Tea – Its a must order every time I dine at a Thai Cuisine
• Thai Iced Tea is almost like a sweeter version of HK Style milk tea – very refreshing and sweet

This was a Lychee Special Cocktail (Our Waitress highly recommended this!)

Crispy Shrimp Chips with Tamarind Dip ($4.00)

• These shrimp chips were indeed very crispy and a minor hint of spiciness
• The shrimp chips are a bit thicker than your average chips

Tom Ka Soup with Coconut milk & shrimp ($7.00)

• This was my first time trying a Tom Ka Soup –  split between the 3 of us
• Flavours were very bold & a bit spicy for me- I enjoyed the bit and pieces inside the soup especially the shrimp

Deep Fried freshly grated squash Fritter ($7.00)

• I never tried these at Khao San Road but thoroughly enjoyed this
• These deep fried Squash fritters were not greasy at all

Crispy Fried Taro Roll ($9.00)

• These taro rolls remind me of the ones at you can find at a Dim Sum restaurant – but these take a different shape and form
• The crispy fried taro roll takes a paper-ish texture on the outside wrapping some soft and pillowy taro on the inside

Crispy Fish with housemade sweet & tangy Tamarind reduction ($8.00)

• These were my favourite of the night. The fish is lightly battered on the outside and a sweet and savoury tamarind reduction drizzled ontop.
• The fish itself was very moist – didn’t have that “fishy” taste at all.

Khao Soi ($9.00)

• Egg noodles in coconut curry gravy with beef
• The coconut curry gravy was very thick and creamy. Again we split the The Khao Soi  3 ways – Very much like the one at Khao San Road, this Khao soi was firey. I like the layers of the soft egg noodle inside the gravy while some crunch ones sitting on top.

Grilled Northern Thai pork skewers with spicy nam chip dip ($8.00)

• These Thai pork skewers were unexpectedly delicious! These were perfectly marinated while being perfectly grilled.
• The pork skewers turned out to be very moist and meaty – uberly good!

Northern Thai Curry Fish Custard Steamed in Banana Leaf ($8.00)

• This dish was the most disappointing dish of the evening. The Presentation of the dish seems to be appealing but tasted somewhat different then what I’m familiar with
• I guess what intrigued us in ordering this dish was the “fish” and “custard” – sounds great but it was a bit mushy in texture. In terms of the flavour profile – I personally didn’t enjoy the flavours infused into the fish custard

Mango Sticky Rice ($5.00)

• Dessert of the Week
• When I think dessert – I think something cold and refreshing. Although this mango stick rice wasn’t exactly cold, the mango were definitely refreshing – embedded on a warm sweet sticky rice.

Sabai Sabai offers a plethora of solid Thai tapa dishes. It’s totally understandable to be wanting to try a little bit of everything off their menu. Reservations are definitely recommended if you’re not planning to be here right at the beginning of Dinner Service. What I enjoyed most about my experience here is the feeling of not being rushed out of the restaurant. Although the food did come out a little bit faster than we could fit at the table – we still took our time with everything and chatted a bit after dessert with no signs of our server pressuring us to leave.  - Great food. Great vibe.

Last week, I found some time after work hours to drop by Belly Buster Submarine (Twitter: @BellyBusterSub) (Instagram: @BellyBusterSub). This newly Submarine shop recently opened a second location on King Street West after their 1st very successful location in North Toronto. Over the years, they’ve build a solid relationship with (returning) customers from the belief of producing the freshest subs with the freshest ingredients. 

To be fairly honest, this is probably my first sub blog post ever but surely won’t be the last. I’m always down for a good hearty sub. Belly Buster Sub’s 2nd location is conveniently located for those working on King West to grab a quite lunch or even a snack.

Belly Buster Submarine is a small shop with less than 20 seats inside and a few additional seating out on their patio.

Their back wall is plastered with a plethora of poloraids of happy customers!

The staff at Belly Buster Submarines were helpful in choosing their 2 most popular / signature subs for me to check out!

The Belly Buster ($7.85 for 12″)

• Beef, Mushrooms, Salami & Gravy
• Additional toppings of Lettuce, Tomato, Swiss cheese, sub sauce and hot peppers!

Bacon Combo: Ham & Turkey ($5.65 for 6″ / $7.65 for 12″)

• Turkey & Bacon on white bread & Mustard
• Additional toppings of Lettuce, Tomato, Swiss cheese, sub sauce and hot peppers!

I never indulged in subs that were so incredibly tall and stuffed with roast beef or ham. The components inside the sub were literally falling out. My favourite sub was the Bacon & Turkey Sub- I thoroughly enjoyed the crispiness of the bacon embedded on lots of thin slices of Turkey. Whenever I order subs, my go to toppings are always lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese and sub sauce. I like to keep it simple. Belly Buster Sub’s ingredients, as you can probably tell from the pictures, are without a doubt really fresh.  They also heat up your subs if you choose to have it made that way. Belly Buster is a great alternative if you’re craving subs for a quick snack and or lunch if you’re located in the area!

This meal was complimentary but Foodinthecitytoronto.com remains unbiased in our content. 

Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar (Twitter: @SCADDABUSH) (Instagram: @Scaddabush) recently opened its door to the public in the heart of Mississauga. Located steps away from Square One Shopping Mall, Scaddabush, (formerly Alice Fazoolis’) is an Italian slang meaning “a little bit of this & a little bit of that”. Having said that, Scaddabush’s menu does offer a little bit of everything – basing their menu off a traditional Italian feast while also being able to focus on small plates and other shareable dishes.

To be quite honest, if you’ve been to Alice Fazoolis, then you’ll find that the decor at Scaddabush is not too noticeably different. Same coloured brick walls, with dark painted frames, and a huge patio located to the side of the restaurant. Though, they did add a few communal tables out on their patio and one inside.

I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of this shelf! Love the galore of jars!

Each table includes a few mismatched side sharing plates, butcher paper and black wax pencils and large kitchen towels as napkins.

Although the restaurant is still fairly new, our waiter was very knowledgeable about every little detail, plus he was also personable. He carefully went through the entire menu with us and came back frequently to check up on us even though the restaurant was noticeably packed! Our entrees did take a little bit of time to push through the kitchen but the manager came over and apologized – even I had to admit they were pretty packed for a Tuesday evening.

Pinot Grigio ICT, Citra, Abruzzo, Italy White Wine ($5.95 /6oz)

Charity Bread ($2.00)

• Crusty Italian bread, rosemary, garlic and lots of butter, wrapped up in parchment paper, and freshly baked. Proceeds go to a local charity =) 
• So I don’t know which part about the Charity Bread is better – the fact that the proceeds go to charity or that it happens to also taste amazingly good?
• Served piping hot, the charity bread is so tasty – full of garlic, butter and herbs! The inside of the bread is so moist and fluffly

Baked Carbonara ($9.73/Small)

• Parmesan cream sauce, smoked bacon, scallions, garlic, black pepper, soft poached egg, fresh penne
• Long story short, I knew I was going to order 2 pastas and Carbonara had to be one of them because I crave them all the time.
• Because the Carbonara was baked, the top thin layer is quite the texture but slightly dry. But once you poach through the egg and mix it up a bit with the parmesan cream sauce then its quite flavourful with a good kick of black pepper spicing it up a bit.

Spaghetti & Meatball – Stuffed ($15.82)

Scaddabush Website: We love meatballs. And the secret to making them? Our special Sunday sauce. The kind that Nonna would slow cook at the start of the week. Each day we prepare a sauce just like that, adding bits of Parmesan and pancetta for flavour. Our half-pound meatballs are made with Certified Angus® beef, ricotta cheese and parsley, marinated with garlic, black pepper, porcini mushrooms and olive oil. Then it’s into our sauce to be simmered to absolute perfection. Choose between classic or pepperoni and mozzarella-stuffed. Nonna would approve. We’re certain you will too.

• I was quite excited to try their Spaghetti & Meatball. Our Waiter told us these meatballs are marinated in their special Sunday sauce for 24 hours before serving.
• The stuffed meatball was really tasting but with the addition of the mozzarella inside, it was a bit too powerful. I would probably just opt for the classic meatball next time
• The spaghetti on the other hand was quite light in terms of flavour profile after eating the stuffed meatball

Close up Meatball – full of pepperoni, mozzarella, and herbs!

The Butcher ($15.97)

• Bacon, Niagara Berkshire sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella, roasted garlic, red onions, San Marzano tomato sauce
• Although the pizzas here aren’t made in a wood burning oven – its still served on a board & tastes yummy! Our pizza here was taken out of the oven at the perfect time. The crust was crispy but not charred and a lot thinner then what I had expected it to be.

Zeppole ($4.78)

• Deep fried sweet dough, dusted with citrus sugar, served with chocolate hazelnut sauce for dipping
• So after our server helped cleared our table, the manager came over and asked if we’d like to opt for some dessert. We were beyond full so we politely declined. 5 minutes later, she came back with the Zeppole and insisted we try them!
• These little doughnuts were fried to a perfect colour. Lightly dusted in citrus sugar – the dough was very moist inside. I’m glad she had brought them over.

Close up of the doughnut!

Scaddabush is a great addition to the Mississauga scene – with an amazing patio & vibe to sip on some cocktails under the sun. The menu does indeed offer a little bit of everything. Its also not too often you’ll see a restaurant offer 2 different sizes of pasta portions for dinner – the small was quite filling for moi! The highlights for me were the charity bread, baked carbonara and the zeppole. Lots of goodies coming out of their kitchen.   Please remember to make reservations as they do get quite busy (even on a Tuesday evening). Scaddabush is currently offering $25 gift card to those that join their Social Club. For more details please visit: www.scaddabush.com 

This meal was complimentary but Foodinthecitytoronto.com remains unbiased in our content.

Last weekend, my friend and I were aimlessly walking around Queen Street West, when we stumbled past a restaurant with an amazingly spacious patio. We took a step back and then realized it was the newly restaurant Destingo (@destingoTO), opened by owner Monika Vacca.

Destingo, meaning destined to go, opened its doors to the public with the vision of serving  contemporary and casual Italian foods and wine at moderate prices. Monika brought along Vaticano’s former sous-chef Arshad Uwais – together, making some of their favourite dishes.

The restaurant itself gives off a complete relaxing and laid back feel. Lots of natural lighting shining through the clear windows. My friend and I spent quite some time enjoying the surroundings at this new eatery.

The service here was quite attentive but not entirely intrusive. Our waitress thoroughly went through the menu with us and gave us some recommendations knowing that we were a bit indecisive. Our dishes came out of the kitchen at a moderate pace. Throughout the course of the meal, my friend and I took our time to savour the food – but by no means were we rushed out.

Pimms Cup ($10.00)

• pimms No.1, fresh mint, cucumber wheels, lemon, 7 up. 2 oz.
• Pimms Cup is my all time favourite cocktail! The combination of fresh mint, cucumbers and lemon makes it so tasty and refreshing.

Complimentary Bread to start. The bread was served with my favourite type of sweet butter!

P.E.I. Mussels ($12.95)

• choice of house made spiced tomato sauce or white wine broth
• We opted for the white wine broth. The warm plate of mussels tasted great and its presence wasn’t out shined by the broth.
• Though this was a great start to our meal, we felt that the mussels were quite tiny.

Shrimp Burger ($11.50)

• lettuce, local tomato, seafood aioli, red onion, pretzel bun
• Its one of the few times I’ve seen “burgers” listed on a Italian cuisine menu but nonetheless, the section caught my attention and was quite tempted and ended up going with the shrimp burger
• The side of truffled frites were already well-flavoured from a spot of salt – these frites were pretty crispy and addicting throughout the meal.

•  The batter covering the soft bit and pieces of shrimp was delicately crispy, and together with the toasted pretzel buns, provided a nice crunch.
• An explosion of flavours arose from the slightly spicy seafood aioli sauce blending through the fresh pieces of lettuce

Pappardelle alla Marsala ($15.95)

• sautéed field mushrooms, garlic marsala wine sauce
• The pappardelle was cooked well. The sauteed field mushrooms were bursting with a rich, earthy mushroom flavour
• Though the mushrooms and pappardelle paired well, I couldn’t help but notice that this dish was slightly leaning towards the salty side.

There’s no shortage of Italian venues in Toronto, and I’ve had more than my fair share of great dinner experiences. But with that delectable shrimp burger and tasty mushroom pappardelle, and given the price point, I would love to come back and try a few other items on the menu – hopefully the pizza next time. The items on Destingo’s menu are not all expensive and actually quite affordable. Although there were a few minor hiccups here and there, I overall enjoyed the meal, the atmosphere and the patio.

Two freezing nights ago, I had the pleasure of attending Jack Astor‘s(@jack_astors) preview of their Winter Fling Festival at their Dundas Square location. That particular evening consisted of serving new flavours of regionally- brewed craft beer alongside with large portions of their satisfying comfort foods. The Winter Fling Festival is on now through January 19th – at ALL Jack Astor‘s restaurants!! 

CRAFT BEER SELECTION:

Mill Street: Tankhouse Ale

• Described as: redhead, bold, spicy and fiery

Granville Island: Lions Winter Ale

• Described as: west-coast at heart, a premium malt with aromatic specialty  hops and a smooth vanilla finish seems dark

Flying Monkeys: Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale

Described as: this full bodied ale hits you through underneath with sweet honey malts + a clean finish

Cluckin’ Chicken Dippers

• A Jack Astor’s original!
• Tender Chicken pieces tossed in their signature seasoned flour and fried to a crisp golden brown
• Served with their unique sauces and salts
• Sprinkle, Dip, mix and match to make these chicken dippers to your liking

Asiago Shrimp & Smoked Mozza Ravioli

• Roasted shrimp encrusted with Asiago seasoned flour are placed atop smoked Mozzarella basil ravioli tossed in a creamy tomato sauce with toasted tomatoes
• Topped with saved Parmesan and fresh baby arugula

Holiday Brie Chicken

• Grilled double breast of chicken, glazed in a honey dijon sauce and topped with spicy pecans, toasted almonds, diced cranberries, apricos and creamy Brie cheese
• Served with Jack’s mashed potatoes with sweet onion gravy and market fresh vegetables

Brownie Cookie

• A deliciously fresh + gooey soft cookie

Cherry on Top Chocolate Trifle

• A layering of German chocolate cake, fresh whipped cream and brandied cherries
• Topped with more whipped cream, brandied cherries and shaved dark chocolate

My favourites of the night were of course the cluckin’ chicken dippers for the starter. I’m a girl that loves anything deep fried so seeing chicken dipper on the menu made me tres excited!  The little bite size chicken pieces served crispy hot – dipped in my favourite plum sauce was the perfect compliment for each other. The other highlight dish of the night was the Asiago Shrimp & Smoked Mozza Ravioli – I don’t exactly ever recall having arugula in my pasta – usually its served on my pizzas or salads etc. But for whatever reason – the creamy pasta sauce went really well together with the large pieces of shrimp and ravioli! 

At the end of the night, we were given a basket of goodies to take home :) The basket included a glass water bottle, a beer glass, a jar of hot sauce and a $25 gift card! Thanks for everything!

This meal was complimentary but Foodinthecitytoronto.com remains unbiased in our content

When my friend asked me where I wanted to have brunch, I pretty much had my mind set on The Flying Pan. I’ve seen a few brunch pictures on facebook and was quite intrigued and determined to make the effort to check this place out.

The Flying Pan has 2 locations in Hong Kong: Central and Wan Chai. This is their central location that I’ve visited – serving breakfast, brunch, omelettes, eggs, pancakes, waffles, variety of hot drinks for 24 hours a day – 7 days a week!

Photo Credit: The Flying Pan 

Love the diner style feel of this restaurant – from their blue tables, chairs and walls to their red and white checkered floors!

Lemonade

• This drink came with the brunch combo that I ordered
• Very sweet and slightly sour – like its suppose to be. This drink was incredibly refreshing for a hot summer day in Hong Kong

My friend and I both opted for something off their House Specialities Menu which can be turned into a combo! You choose one of their 14 brunch mains from their house specialities menu which then comes which a drink of your choice. Plus an addiction of 2 sides to accompany your main.

{Top} Eggs Guacamole w/ Avocado &Salsa ($47 HKD - $7.34 CAD / $74 HKD w/ combo - $11.56 CAD) 

• My friend opted for a lemonade to drink – and the sides that accompanied the eggs guacamole were baked beans with a nice tomato soup

Eggs Benedict w/ Grilled Ham ($47 HKD - $7.34 CAD / $74 HKD w/ a combo - $11.56 CAD)

• As part of the combo, I opted for a lemonade from a variety of other freshly juices to choose from
• For my 2 sides, I opted Potatoes and Tomato Soup from 8 sides to choose from!
• The eggs were poached just right – the egg yolk was very smooth and still warm. The hollandaise sauce nicely drizzled over the benedict –  not too heavy or filling
• The tomato soup was served slightly luke warm – I personally found it to be a tad salty

The Flying Pan does get pretty packed if you go at their peak times. Fortunately, I was jetlagged and woke up all the wrong hours and came in to a restaurant with lots of table lefts (YAY!). Nonetheless, I do recommend the flying pan if you’re ever wanting to have a relaxing & simple brunch with friends. I personally thought it was a great idea to see Hong Kong’s take of an American brunch while taking a break from endless eats of traditional Hong Kong food!

More Hong Kong Posts

HARLAN’S

GALA CAFE 

FIRST EVER OLD SCHOOL STARBUCKS 

BUTAO RAMEN

WILDFIRE STEAKHOUSE

BURGEROOM

SIMPLY LIFE

SING KEE SEAFOOD

My posts are starting to make it seem like I’ve had quite a few Westernize meals while in Hong Kong (and will probably continue for the next bit)  - which is true. But I’ve had 10X more of my favourite Hong Kong comfort foods then what you’ve seen on my blog so don’t worry, I’m only showing you the meals that I thought were quite interesting and memorable. If I blogged about all my meals from Hong Kong – you will be reading about HK for another few months (lol)

Anyways, I knew that I wanted to try BurgeRoom before I even arrived in HK. It was their latest hot spot so I dragged my cousins along with me to Causeway Bay to check it out on a busy week night!:)

Just like most other restaurants in Hong Kong, there’s always a line. Though we unexpectedly waited for less than 5 minutes during their peak dinner hour.

The restaurant is just one big room with a lot of large circle tables crammed next to each other. Eating in Hong Kong is all about efficiency – so our waiter took our orders pretty quickly and next thing you know the burgers arrived.

Classic Burger ($60.00 HKD)

• Beef patty, peeled tomato, romaine lettuce and homemade sauce
• Before I even start commenting on how the burger tasted – I must emphasize how large these burgers were. My cousin wished we ordered just 1 to share.
• The beef patty was really juicy, delicious and thick – the bun itself was quite large but really soft and fluffy on the inside – It was the perfect amount of sauce going around the burger.
• I was pretty much ready to have my hands dirty and took my first bite as their home made sauce was dripping but in a good way!

Mushroom Smoked Duck Breast Burger ($68.00HKD)

• Smoked duck breast, peeled tomato, romaine lettuce, mushroom and homemade tartar sauce

Melted Cheese Twister ($40HKD)

• My cousin really wanted to try their melted cheese twister. We had also ordered just a regular twister and I much prefer that.
• I personally don’t like a whole lot of cheese poured all over my fries – I’m more of a poutine / ketchup girl!
• Nonetheless, the twister fries were served fresh out of the fryer – fried to a nice colour with  a nice spice coated to it which made the twisters really addicting all night!

The BurgeRoom offers a great selection of freshly made burgers. From the mutual consensus among the group, we all enjoyed our selections. My cousin really liked her melted cheese twister – I liked mine just with ketchup and no cheese – so it’s all about personal preference!

More Hong Kong Posts

HARLAN’S

GALA CAFE

THE FLYING PAN

FIRST EVER OLD SCHOOL STARBUCKS

BUTAO RAMEN

WILDFIRE STEAKHOUSE

SIMPLY LIFE

SING KEE SEAFOOD

One of my many wish hit restaurants include ALL of the Oliver & Bonacini Family restaurants that seem to be delivering & happily satisfying the hungry business crowds in the Financial District. There’s just something about this intimate French restaurant that always draw the crowds back!

After a hustle & bustle day of running errands, I finally winded down and made my way to visit Biff’s Bistro (@Oliver_Bonacini) located at Front & Yonge St  - which also happens to be the second last restaurant that I needed to visit under this large family of restaurants! (Auberge du Pommier being the last)

We didn’t make reservations but managed to snatch one of the last tables available.

Oysters ($1 each)

• I know this may sound crazy … but oysters is not something that I crave for on a daily basis though don’t get me wrong – I still eat them if they are placed in front of me
• Perhaps its the texture that I haven’t gotten over yet (lol) Anyways, this was my friend’s starter, and I think she enjoyed it enough to eat about 15 of these on her own

ESCARGOT ($15.00)

• with gnocchi à la Parisienne, house-cured bacon, smoked beurre blanc & Monforte Toscano
• The escargot was my starter & this was a stunner. Escargot was flavoured well paired with a soft and fluffly gnocchi.  The semi- crispy texture of the smoked bacon lent texture to this dish

DUCK CONFIT ($26.00)

• with white navy beans, buttered cabbage, duck hearts & chili jam
• My friend suggested the duck flesh was rather dry – everything else seemed to be just average

STEAK TARTARE ($26.00)

• as a main course with frites
• The steak tartare can be ordered as an appetizer or entree.
• This cold tartare had quite the tartare flavour – a zing that matched by the greens and textures of crisp bread on the side
• The frites were not particulary enticing – Yes, I enjoy skinny fries but the ones served that evening  were served warm

Classic vanilla bean crème brûlée ($10.00)

• Cracking open the crispy thin caramelized layer, reveals a beautiful vanilla bean custard. I particularly enjoy the subtle hint of vanilla that perfectly suits the light runny texture

Fortunately for me, everything I ordered that evening, I enjoyed. From my  appetizer, escargot to my entree, steak tartare were high-lights of the evening for me and both are worth coming back for in the coming future. The creme brulee I shared with my friend made up for her slightly disappointing duck confit.

Overall, some hits and misses here and there but man, the flavour profiles for the escargot were spot on – left me a lasting impression.

Although I very much dislike winter or just being cold in general, last week’s heatwave was pretty much getting to me – which reminded me of a local & seasonal little dessert shop that I needed escape to. And what better way to cool off from this non stop heatwave then to grab some refreshing sundaes which happens to be…

The post Dairy Cream appeared first on Food in the City Toronto.

I’m so glad I get through every week. With non stop catching up with readings and assignments being due every other day .. plus crunching numbers all day at work..I think I’m entitled to a much needed break so I decided to reward myself! So I’m rarely in Vaughan. Actually now that I think about it, I’m only in Vaughan…

The post Marcello's Pizzeria appeared first on Food in the City Toronto.

Everytime I crave for Thai food, I always end up either at Khao San Road or SukhoThai – ordering up my favourite Street Style Pad Thai while never leaving disappointed. And so, Chef Nuit has done it again at Sabai Sabai (@sabaisabaito) –  coming up with a slightly different menu – but still authentic Thai food – offering tapa dishes enabling…

The post Sabai Sabai Kitchen & Bar appeared first on Food in the City Toronto.

Last week, I found some time after work hours to drop by Belly Buster Submarine (Twitter: @BellyBusterSub) (Instagram: @BellyBusterSub). This newly Submarine shop recently opened a second location on King Street West after their 1st very successful location in North Toronto. Over the years, they’ve build a solid relationship with (returning) customers from the belief of producing the freshest subs with the…

The post Belly Buster Submarines appeared first on Food in the City Toronto.

Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar (Twitter: @SCADDABUSH) (Instagram: @Scaddabush) recently opened its door to the public in the heart of Mississauga. Located steps away from Square One Shopping Mall, Scaddabush, (formerly Alice Fazoolis’) is an Italian slang meaning “a little bit of this & a little bit of that”. Having said that, Scaddabush’s menu does offer a little bit of everything –…

The post Menu Tasting @ Scaddabush appeared first on Food in the City Toronto.

Last weekend, my friend and I were aimlessly walking around Queen Street West, when we stumbled past a restaurant with an amazingly spacious patio. We took a step back and then realized it was the newly restaurant Destingo (@destingoTO), opened by owner Monika Vacca. Destingo, meaning destined to go, opened its doors to the public with the vision of serving  contemporary…

The post Destingo Italian Kitchen & Bar appeared first on Food in the City Toronto.

Although I very much dislike winter or just being cold in general, last week’s heatwave was pretty much getting to me – which reminded me of a local & seasonal little dessert shop that I needed escape to. And what better way to cool off from this non stop heatwave then to grab some refreshing sundaes which happens to be…

The post Dairy Cream appeared first on Grace Lisa May.

I’m so glad I get through every week. With non stop catching up with readings and assignments being due every other day .. plus crunching numbers all day at work..I think I’m entitled to a much needed break so I decided to reward myself! So I’m rarely in Vaughan. Actually now that I think about it, I’m only in Vaughan…

The post Marcello's Pizzeria appeared first on Grace Lisa May.