Sugar cookie from Lindsey Bakes at The Stop Night Market in 2012
Lovely weather we’re having, no? I should probably get back to writing real posts, but, ehn, it’s round-up time! So many events. Almost too many – and this is my short-list! (more…)
Benchmark Teas
Friday, April 12, 2013
The guys at Reunion Island Coffee are launching a new line. Went to an afternoon tea at The Federal to sip and sample the blends on offer. (more…)
Rose & Sons
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Had diner with friends at Rose & Sons the other night and thought it a decent neighbourhood spot. Their sides were really good and I enjoyed many of them off the main dishes. Sadly, no fried chicken that night. But, by far, my favourite dish was the fried rice. My inner skeptic didn’t know what to make of it – my Chinese self was reading the ingredient with eye-brow raised. I was waiting to be disappointed, and was more than happily wrong. This fried rice is like nothing what I was expecting. Pickled ginger, whole broccoli, peanuts, soy, and whatever else in there – it was delicious. Loved the hard crunch of actual fried grains of rice and nutty & buttery toasted peanuts being chomped on. Would totally order this dish again.
I hear is pretty awesome too, but I’ve yet to try.
- Rose & Sons 176 Dupont Street, Toronto
Nibbles ‘n’ Notes Around Town [April 5, 2013]
Friday, April 5, 2013
I’ve been really lazy of late on the eating front. Oh, not that I haven’t been eating, but just not posting. Sorry about that! But I’ve been keeping tabs on some events you might like…
Hand To Mouth: Vol.1 (April 8)
Chef Cheska Zarah Ang (Actinolite) takes over Lamesa Filipino Kitchen with Kinamot – A Cebuana Island Dinner. Hand To Mouth: Volume 1 kicks off Lamesa’s eating-with-hands series.
Terroir Symposium (April 8)
I mentioned this last round-up, but… This year’s Terroir focuses on the stories of compelling food experiences, memories, and inspirations. Superstar chefs Magnus Nilsson (Faviken, Sweden) and René Redzepi (Noma, Denmark) are on deck as presenters. I didn’t make it out for their chef shoot (unlike last year), but if you’re interested in the discussion of food, this is a good event to hit.
http://www.terroirsymposium.com/
Beau’s Beer Hall at Parts & Labour (April 11)
4 courses featuring Chef Matty Matheson’s tribute to the king of beasts: the pig! To be honest, all I know is that Matty’s contribution to the Hunter’s Feast dinner was so awesome, this is probably worth checking out. Especially after seeing this tweet.
https://partsandlabourbeausbeerhall-esm.eventbrite.ca/?rank=1
Thorrablot: Edible Sagas (April 13)
So, if you missed that Icelandic meal at the Drake last month, despair not! The Estonian Club of Toronto is hosting a dinner – that includes hákarl! Not to mention a few other really interesting dishes listed under “Viking Challenges.”
http://www.icct.info/thorrablot
Songkran 2556 (April 13)
A Thai new year involves water. And, at Khao San Road, it also includes Matt Blondin (Momofuku) and Alec Martin (Hawker Bar) among others (so the .pdf implied). KSR has been hosting this for a few years now, but this’ll be it’s first with guests chefs.
http://khaosanroad.ca/songkran2556.pdf
Death Row Meals: A Cut Above (April 15)
Geoff Dillon, Allison Slute, Whitney Rorison, and Joel Solish and the Death Row Meals Uncorked with Dillon’s Distillers.
Hand-made pasta with a sauce made with the best cuts of pork. The DRM kids and friends will show you how – and you’ll get to savour the results of your labour too. Bring a cooler: besides leftovers, you’ll be able to buy the remaining heritage Tamworth pork bits at MP along with Dolce Lucano salumi (good stuff).
https://www.uniiverse.com/listings/a-cut-above-toronto-2ESBB
Colborne Lane Reunion Dinner (April 15)
A crazy line up of chefs (Steve Gonzalez, Matt Blondin, Ben Heaton, David Haman, Andrew Wilson, Jonathan Poon, and of course, Claudio Aprile) are set to bring you a 7 course tasting menu (along with a “snack tour”?) out west at Origin Liberty.
https://twitter.com/origintoronto/status/319120032825237505/photo/1
Slurp Noodlefest 2.0 (April 20)
Mie Udang from Babi & Co.
Already on version 2! Even having arrived midway through the first event, I managed to taste everything save one vendor. And no line ups! The 99 Sudbury location is a lot larger than the last one, so I expect lots of room to mill about.
https://www.uniiverse.com/listings/slurp-noodlefest-v2-toronto-55RFA
Group Of 7: Wild Leek Dinner (April 29)
Not much data yet, but hey, wild leeks! These are only guesses at what might make an appearance, but: soup, bacon, charred, confit?
http://www.thegroupofsevenchefs.com/events/wild-leek-dinner-ted-corrado
Good Vs Evil Prix Fixe Dinner (May 5)
Bourdain and Ripert come to the Sony Centre and the Tempered Beast duo of Bertrand Alépée and Scott Vivian dish out a 4-course dinner before the show.
http://www.sonycentre.ca/Food-And-Drink/Good-vs-Evil.aspx
Food Truck Eats at Peller Estates (May 18)
Went last year and had a really lovely time. The space is so perfect for this – lots of room for everyone to mill about and sit and eat. Bring a picnic blanket and umbrella for shade. And, of course, food event tips still apply!
http://www.peller.com/cms/peller/visit-our-winery/upcoming-events.html
Though it’s still cold outside, it’s spring! Lots of food things happening. This is a curated list, so I don’t include everything I hear about, but if you want to let me know about an event, email me!
Nibbles ‘n’ Notes Around Town [March 14, 2013]
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Happy Pi(e) Day!
The Melton Mowbray hand pie that I made for Pi(e) Day.
It’s March 14, and I celebrated it early this past Sunday with food-fanatic friends. 14 of us. 23 pies. 7 of those savoury. Then we had a session where we compared pie dough. Mostly as an excuse to eat more pie dough. Get more details from my lovely friends Bonita (table shot at the end of the post!) and Candy. Or see Frankenpie (on my instagram): a slice of all the pies in one dish (to eat later)!
Now, for some food events in the next while that I’ve ear marked. (more…)
Chinese Restaurant Awards: Toronto
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Rose Essence Premium Top Soya Free Range Chicken (Yang’s Fine Chinese Cuisine). Great texture and taste.
For the last few months I’ve been a part of a small team involved in short-listing some of Toronto’s best Chinese dishes. Yesterday, that list was released from the Chinese Restaurant Awards. Mains, specialty items, stalls, restaurants, sweets, and savouries – anything and everything was game. We were aiming for 10 dishes that we could stand behind, and given the number of Chinese restaurants across the GTA, this should have been simple to do. Yet it wasn’t. But first, I needed to get over my initial hump of self-doubt. (more…)
A Glorious Hunter’s Feast
Thursday, February 21, 2013
They had me as soon as I saw the wooden boards overloaded with sausages, wvrst, and aspics waiting for us.
December is a time of festive gatherings and celebration. It is, most certainly, a time for feasting. And the chefs from The Group Of 7 collective certainly know how to host a feast! Held at Sanagan’s in Kensington Market, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s a small space and most notably, a butcher shop. But as we milled outside in the cold, our curious faces peering into the brightly lit space, a long table set for what looked like 40 people called to me. Waiting for us to partake in this, the Hunter’s Feast. (more…)
Celebrating Australia Day Again
Friday, January 25, 2013
A sink full of smoke. Chef John Placko preps for some ice cream making. Ingredients from for dinner are displayed on the kitchen island.
Last Australia Day, I celebrated by having a really fun and playful meal presented in part by John Placko and Luke Hayes-Alexander. It was a great dinner, full of laughter and great food. This year, in conjunction with Tourism Australia and Wine Australia, Placko and Hayes-Alexander return to revisit and re-mix that dinner for the next two nights (January 25-26, 2013). I didn’t hesitate to accept an invitation to their media event last night. (more…)
Ramen Round-Up: The Top Four & Beyond
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Clock-wise from top-left: Kinton, Santouka, Raijin, and Sansotei.
When I began profiling all the ramen places, I had a mental list of places that I was going to include. In the process of churning over the nuances of noodles, I realized that I wanted to stick to the places that focused on ramen as their core. Turns out that there were only four places that fit my criteria and over the last week, I’ve put down my thoughts on them. But which one is the best? (more…)
Raijin Ramen
Monday, January 21, 2013
Raijin Ramen was the last of the full-on ramen shops to open these last few months. And it opened relatively quietly. So quietly, in fact, that I never have had to wait for a table, even after 6pm. This is partly due to the fact that this space is at least twice as large as any of the other shops. There are also a lot of solo stools for people – particularly students from the nearby Ryerson – to occupy, keeping the turnover quick. (more…)
