Jessica Eats

Shepherd's Pie for 1

2011-08-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Nom Nom Nom.

Here's a shot of my second helping of my delicious homemade shepherd's pie with a glimpse of part of my 5head. so really, its' a shot of a 2head?

Super!

I know i have totally been MIA. mainly cause i'm super lazy. I mean i made super amazing slow cooked ribs yesterday that turned out amazing and i just ate them. the whole rack. myself. without blogging about it. maybe it's laziness? or maybe i am ashamed that i ate a whole rack by myself?..... NAH. it's laziness.

Anyway, today i got the urge to make some shepherd's pie, i had a bunch of little yukon golds sitting and probably rotting away, and i'm feeling for some comfort food, and this hit the spot.

Here's a quick recipe for people who dont follow recipes (IE ME), basically

1. cooked the potatoes til tender, mashed with grated cheese, butter and milk, and more cheese

2. sauteed ground beef, i like adding paprika to everything, salt and peppered it, onion and garlic seasoned it.

3. added chopped shallots to beef. layered in casserole when done
4. sauteed chopped carrots, layered
5. sauteed peas and layered
6.sauteed corn and layered
7. poured gravy over everything
8. layered the potato mash and baked at 400 til i thought it was ready for me to eat.

9. Eat. for dinner. for lunch. for dinner. til done.

haha. i am the worst at instructions. but it was sooo good. i used packaged gravy, i am not above packaged gravy.

timmys rant

2011-08-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

Timmys Rant

----- Original Message -----

From: Jessica

To: Chris

Sent: Fri Aug 12 10:59:56 2011

Subject: timmys

I don¹t know why I keep buying food there, the food is disgusting

That wrap is so gross

Thanks,

Best Regards

Jessica L

On 11-08-12 11:51 AM, "Chris"

wrote:

The wraps aren't that good but I don't mind them. But my stomach is

bothering me now

On 11-08-12 11:58 AM, "Jessica"

The wrap are so overly salted, I can feel my blood thickening... Sooo much

sodium

I kept thinking, shit I can make this, and it would be so much better, put

a tomato in there, some mayo.

Need to wake up earlier.

Soon these sunny mornings will be gone :( its almost fall again

And the tea, the sugar is always on the bottom, its like drinking creamy

water til I hit the end and its sugarville, population: diabetes.

Ugh

Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to sleep outside today.

And don¹t get me started on that muffin.

Even the muffin top isnt satisfying, its like gluttonous starchy rubber.

One note flavour.

If I didn¹t need to eat every 2 hours to survive.... Stupid tim hortons, I

wish they brought that mac and cheese here, it was good...

Thanks,

Best Regards

Jessica

Hot Lazy Friday Link: move, eat, learn

2011-08-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

I'm heading up to cottage country for the first time as an Ontario!
But keep tuned cause i really want to update my meet with Chef Lynn Crawford @ Ruby Eats last Saturday! (my SD card got corrupted cause i prematurely ejected....whoops)

Anyway, my friend Aimee sent me this link, it's pretty awesome, it's a series of 3:

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

move, eat, learn

Ugh, so much more moving than that trinity of female douchness known as Eat, Pray, Love. (sidenote: i bought that book cause Oprah told me to after my break up, and i returned it after like 3 pages, i couldnt... it was so bad)

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Doughnut cheeseburger debuts at CNE

2011-08-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

My coworker showed me this gem today:

This is the link to the article

Here are the highlights:

Epic Burgers and Waffles's $8 dollar donut burger: American cheddar cheese, tomato and lettuce.

For $2 dollares more - you can top it with a fried egg and bacon.

the CALORIC intake, of just the donut+cheese+tomato+lettuce is 1500 calories! That's WITHOUT the bacon and egg.

I've seen a similar version of this on MAN VS FOOD, however they grilled the donuts with the icing facing inside, so the frosting melts into your burger, and you get a cleaner finish.

Last year at the CNE, i tried the deep fried mac and cheese (too dry!), and the deep fried butter (like a buttery timbit made of corn dog batter), and they were all ooookayyyy...

This burger DOES look pretty epic...but i'll think i'll pass on this one... for that many calories,

Golden Star Restaurant: "Burgers are amazing my dad used to go there in high school, its so old" - Mark Barbetta

2011-07-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Golden Star Restaurant

7123 Yonge St., Thornhill, 905-889-6891

When I drive up to Golden Star, I feel like I've been transported back into time, when gas was cheaper, and the ozone hole was smaller, and asian people hadn't taken oven all the communities.

I constantly see "Golden Star" on all these "BEST BURGER IN TORONTO" lists, and I've always passed by on my way home from work when I used to take the Viva bus down Yonge.

I would think. This place looks old. and its stayed around this long, must be good, gotta check it out!

I asked my coworker Mark, who grew up in Thornhill, this is what he had to say:

"Rich history, quality product, pillar of the community"

"Burgers are amazing, my dad used to go there in high school, its so old"

I may not known the history, having grown up in Vancouver, but its true the burgers are pretty awesome!

Check out my vintagy looking photo of the Golden Star sign!

If you can read it (click to enlarge), here's the Golden Star menu board.

heehee, greeted by this sexiness when we arrived. I showed this to my coworker and he's like, "oh! this guy!" he's famous!

here's our burgers being gussied up! Everything please! (Eveything on my face)

2 home burgers and a side of onion rings

"can i have some pickles on the side" = THIS. AWESOME!!!!!

Burger says =P . I say i'm going to eat you for your cheekyness.

omg my burger was a huge mess. i used up 20 napkins just to wipe burger off my face and hands. but it was sooooo worth it.

cash total. BTW, CASH ONLY but they have an ATM on site. but let's not waste your hard earned money on ATM fees ok, just bring the cash.

Bone Sucking Delicious Jamaican OxTail Stew

2011-07-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

I was GONNA stay home today, cause for the 2nd time, the A/C guys were gonna come fix the leak in the A/C. and for the 2nd time, that fell through. So what a bitch, coming in to work for a few hours, (we have summer hours), and then going back home. I wasn't even going to go… But!!! Thank the food-gods that I did! Cause my awesome friend and coworker, Maria, left me a container of her home made jamaican oxtail stew on my desk.

Marvel at the glistening gelatinous supple meat. If you're a fan of sucking meat off the bone (like I am, myself, thank you very much!), then you'll love oxtail! Which I think is really just cow tail.

I've only had Oxtail soup, like the chinese kind, so this was a first for me!

Maria's end result was delicious!!!! I say was cause I ate it all up in 5 minutes. Its now just bones at my desk.

Here's her recipe for Jamaican Oxtail Stew:

"Before preparing everything I washed the oxtail in lemon juice (you can do either lemon (bottled juice) or vinegar)

Everything was cut is small to medium pieces….

2 pounds of Oxtail

6 cloves of garlic

2 large onions

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 spoon of pepper

1/2 spoon of salt

Soya (this is to make it dark, you do this but don't put too much salt)

1 scotch bennet pepper

1 sprig fresh thyme

Carrots

In order for it to be tender I cooked it for 5 hours. The first 1.5 hour I cooked it in a pressure pot with 2 cups of water the rest of 3.5 hours I put on a crock pot in threw it in the oven and added 3 cups of water)

I pretty much follow this recipe, but I didn't follow everything.

http://www.negril-tour-guide.com/jamaican-oxtail-recipe-stew-in-a-crockpot.html"

Wow! Fall off the bone deliciousness!

Thank you so much Maria!!!! xxx

Aimee Eats!: MIHO Gastrotruck, San Diego California

2011-07-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

One of my bestest friends, Aimee lives across the country, in another country... from me :(

It's no surprise that friends of Jessica (hahaha i could have easily said my friends! Third person is way more creepy!), ANYWAY, friends of Jessica LOVE to eat too!

MIHO Gastrotruck

The gourmet food truck craze has hit San Diego and I've become a regular food truck seeker (http://sdfoodtrucks.com/). Lucky for me they always show up near my work so I never have to travel far.

Today's nearby truck was http://mihogastrotruck.com Their slogan is farm to street, and you can really tell from their fresh ingredients that this is all true! Their menu changes weekly depending on what is in season.

I got the Grilled Peach Burger: grass fed beef, grilled local peach, local arugula, chipotle aioli, gruyere, local brioche bun* with a side of Mixed bean salad: local mixed beans, local wild mushroom, local cherry tomato, local arugula, roasted garlic vinaigrette, hard boiled free range egg.

YUM. the beef was tender, flavorful, and juicy. The peach added a sweet flavor and the chipotle aioli was spicy and tangy. What a delicious combo! Green bean salad was fresh and crispy, made me feel less guilty because I was getting my greens.

My coworker got the BLAT: brown sugar & black pepper glazed all natural Vande Rose duroc bacon, local lettuce, local avocado, local heirloom tomato, roasted garlic aioli, local multigrain bread with Belgian style fries on the side: hand cut kennebec potato, hand made moroccan spice catsup.

He is not a fan of avocado or tomato (not sure why he got the BLAT) so I got to eat them..hehe. Fresh heirloom tomatoes were sweet and juicy. The avocado was smooth and creamy, but I must admit I've been pretty spoiled by good avo here. I had a nibble on some leftover bacon which was everything I dreamed it would be. Brown sugar on fat. also YUM. The french fries were delicious, just the right crispiness and just enough beef oil flavor without being too overpowering

All in all one of my fave food trucks so far. I also got a HOMI stamp card, 10th meal is free! which is great, because these meals are kind of expensive ($8 for burger, $4 for salad or fries). I think it's better than restaurant food though and I would gladly pay that plus tip, so it's still a good deal.

Friend of jessica eats too!

2011-07-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

Fresh mango tart from an authentic Italian bakery in San Diego called
Pasta Pronto. Sweet and refreshing slices of mango on a bed of light
cream in a tart shell. Beautiful, subtle and tasty! It was our good
friend's birthday and I wanted to get something special since he is an
amazing chef that always feeds us. Everyone thought I made the tart
myself with my nimble asian fingers but alas I paid $30 for the tart.
It was so worth it though since every slice has at least half a fresh
mango in it, and every bite was delicious!

T&T 2nd Annual Waterfront Night Market - Toronto Impresses!

2011-07-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended the last night of T&T's 2nd annual Waterfront Night Market. in the T&T parking lot and general grounds @ 222 Cherry St, downtown Toronto.

If you read my Vancouver/Richmond Night Market Review, it was that i wish Toronto had its own longstanding summer night market like Vancouver/Richmond in B.C.

Maybe because I've gone so many times to the Richmond Night Markets, but i thought this Toronto version was AWESOME!!!! The food was way more inspired, more unique, food was CHEAPER, it was great!!!! I attended last year, the size was half it was this year. The line ups were insane, 20-30+ mins per stall, i gave up (I probably turned off a few friends with that tidbit! sorry!), but this year, it was seamless, lines were quick, I hope this Night Market keeps expanding. It's more food oriented than the Vancouver/Richmond one, where it's probably a 30 %Food, 70% Random Crap Vendors, (tho the van food itself = this whole market). There is so much potential for this to grow, I look forward to next years!

This was our first stop. WHO are the Bahn Mi Boys and WHERE can i find them????? I didn't have much to eat that day, since my girls brunch meal turned out to be a glorious pile of inedible crap. I was HUNNNGORRY.

Look at how cheap the prices are!!! Who needs a 12 dollar momofuku steam bun (i forget, how much is it?).

Got a HUGE pulled pork steamed bun for 3 bucks, with fixings of arugula, cucumbers, and jalapenos

And $1 - $2 dollar meats/spring rolls on sticks. OMG today is going to be a good day.

Up next, a stall i remembered from last year for being deliciously awesome. Again with my new fixation on lamb, we got 5 LAMB SKEWERS FOR 5 DOLLARS! (take that

Amazingly juicy and great spicy kick! $5.00 DOLLARS!

tentacles resting before going into my mouth

That sauce they put on, was so amazing, it was juicy and tender and damn it it was gonna be a GREAT DAY! (2 for $5.00)a

This is Susar Lee's Cheeseburger Spring Rolls. I had this last year, i think it was $5.00 each (total premium if you check out my spring rolls super buy). It was pretty interesting for sure! beefy crunch spring roll surrounded with all the applicable cheeseburger ingredients.

Tonnes of refreshment stalls were available, no doubt! with these kinda weathers, you could drink outta coconuts (2 for $5!), freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, drink outta a whole huge watermelon (they sold out in this pic). Tropical drinks for tropical weather!

I got myself this $6.00 pineapple (FREE REFILL) with spring roll. the spring roll was a throw away. bleuch!

I think this was a free ice cream stand cause the line up was huge. free + asian people = long lines.

I got some of this last year too! Really awesome jerky, not like anything i've ever had, and i'm super happy i got their name in this too! Bagahon Singapore Bak Kwa, they have a store in Pacific Mall (largest indoor Chinese Mall in North America!!!???!!) if you're in the mood for piping hot delicious jerky!

Takoyaki! I'm not even a huge fan of these, but i can't resist buying them. balls. cant resist them.

close up shot of balls.

We saw people walking around with paper baskets of lobsters and I as like. I want to go to there. And as soon as we spotted it. B-line.

Crates and crates of lobsters were being dropped off while I was in line. Fresh lobster :)

And lots of sea snail. I keep calling it conch. I think to mess with my head. cause yeah, as i was pulling these suckers out, its 2 eye/tentacles popped out. and all i could think of was the Never Ending Story Racing Snail....

another gratuitous shot

my 6 for $5.00 snails!

My $10.00 lobster!!!!!! FREAKING AWESOME!

I saw another seafood vendor, with much larger snails. (along with mussels and oysters), that would be a giant bite of chew.

I gave this a go last year (cause of the insane lines, looks like there were none this year again...), but churros are churros! yum! next time!

Up next, i was swayed into trying this, kinda glammed up version of condense milk toast that you'd get at any BBT shop. With gourmet flavour combinations:

The lady who was hawking it said they were all professionals who had this dream, i guess and vision, and got together with a chef to put these out. Which is totally good for them, follow your dreams! I hope it works out for them! It's an interesting and intriguing concept.

With 2 for $5.00 I checked out the bacon cheeseburger... (SOMEBODY dropped the gherkin.. :(

and then the best selling Caramel Coffee Crunch.

It was super interesting! The concept is very BBT snack house with a touch of gourmet, i think. My complaint is that it's more like a teaser! a 3 bite Amuse Bouche! the caramel coffee crunch was pretty good, i wish i tried more!

The next stall over was this super cute ice cream stand. I really wished I gave this a try, with amusing menu options such as: Death by Bacon, The Kevin Bacon (can he sue?), Ninja Panda. The combinations, though hardly adventurous now with this whole Bacon+Chocolate trend, would have still loved to given it a try at $4.00 each. Also, i love the pictures!

Across the aisle i spotted these Fusia Dogs. My first instinct was: japadogs? japadogs? Close but no cigar.

Looks like there's a lot going on here. And i'm not talking about the table cloth.

If you're interested, you can read up on it here, i just thought there was way too much to put in my mouth (thats what... she... said?)

Something I didnt try, that i saw a lot of stalls for, was Oyster Omlette. Actually, lots of oysters everywhere.

Like raw oysters from Diana's Seafood, I tried a dozen of these at the Taste of Lawrence last year, I passed today, they were pretty big and juicy, too big and juicy (is there such thing?).

crowd shot!

Another little interesting gem, actually i saw a girl with this, and almost chased her down to find out where she got this... hehe. Hey Meatball! They got a store coming up soon on College Street, 5 bucks says they're selling meatballs. It's a 50% Pork 50% Beef blend lil Meatball Slider, and the guy said everything was from within 100 miles. Pretty cool. The meatball was super juicy and they put this sweet tangy spicy sauce. I think it was asian inspired? cause asian people are sweet tangy and spicy??? I know I am!

I really like taiwanese chicken wings so I went for these $3.00 popcorn chicken bites

I ordered 2 orders of spring rolls. SEEN HERE is 1 order. 5 spring rolls for $1.00. Are you kidding me!?!?!?! I foolishly ordered 2 orders. Yeah. we couldnt finish it. Shame :(

I had to take a picture of these old people doing Tai Chi. Cause my mom is one of these old people now, and if she was here, she would SO be on that stage.... er I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!

I still havent tried smelly tofu. I got yelled at a few times for walking by the tofu aisles! I can't help it! the smell travels!!! Can anyone tell me what it tastes like and why i should eat it?

Dolled Up Cupcake Inc.

$1.00 cookies!

Lovely Cupcake bouquet

I got myself a red velvet for $3.00. The frosting was really yummy, however i think that the cupcake was refrigerated so the texture was like the cold, fridge dense-like. i wish i could have had it fresh.

There were a lot of these Tornado fries stands too! I still havent had one yet, i feel like its such a waste of stomach space to eat a whole potato while there's endless stalls of meats on stick.

Some freshly fried something or other! MMMM!!!!

This pic is for Kristine! I told you Chinese zombies do this!!!! hahha "GERN SEE!"

Aside from the Lobster + Sea Snail, I didnt partake in the T&T stands, mainly cause, i can just go to a T&T and get it. Though they had lots to offer!

Like Szechaun hot pot

more sticks to boil

and their skewers

and tofuyaki

More BBQ

I'm used to the fishies waffle maker in a different shape, so it was interesting to see these little guys. I can get an unlimited supply a few blocks from my place so i passed! But love these!

There were so many stands i couldnt try everything, but here are some pics to show the variety of some of the other stalls i was able to get pics of. Oh. did not take a picture of the Corn Stand.

Call out in action!

I wish i checked Titaflips out!!!!! their website looks AWESOME!

Finally! A night market with live animals for sale! Now this is a night market!

And no street festival is complete without a random shot of a dog! New York had side eye husky, and Desifest had shy lab. Waterfront Night Market has...this... Mogwai?

All in all. it was a wonderful experience. I spent about 2.5 hours there gorging my face fat. I coukd hardly move at the end of the night! It was a lot of fun, a lot of good food! Good job organizers!!! I can't wait for more food festivals! Bring it all on!

T&T 2nd Annual Waterfront Night Market - Toronto says, step it up Vancouver!

2011-07-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

1. don't say it. i suck at collages. its also 12:41am so cut me some slack.

2. i am STUFFED beyond recognition ok, you're lucky i can move my fingers to type this.

OK tonight i checked out the last night of the 2nd Annual T&T Waterfront Night Market. I have A LOT to update however i also have to sleep. So i leave you with a teaser! I will update this ASAP!!!! I also work better with encouragement! And I know i will get none!!!!

Blog soon! Stay tuned!

Against the Grain Urban Tavern: Glorified pub on the water. great view. subsubpar food.

2011-07-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Against The Grain Urban Tavern

25 Dockside Dr
Toronto, ON M5A 1B5
(647) 344-1562

Oh.

Damn.

Well, today was a lovely day. The sun was out, the humid x was down, the breeze was high! And what a lovely day to have a girl's brunch by the water. Against the Grain Urban Tavern opened up a few months ago, and one of my girlfriends took charge and booked a table for 6 of us.

I got off the subway at union and walked from Queen's Quay (while my friends went south on Jervis), while on Queen's Quay, i was pretty concerned that the sewage smell would linger to the restaurant. Happy to report, that it did not! Toilet Smell Free!

I wanna say, that i was pretty excited to visit this place, their website boasts that their Beer Braised Short Rib Burger was featured in Toronto's NOW magazine as one of the top 15 deluxe burgers in Toronto. And THAT was the burger i was gonna order.

Beer Braised Short Rib Burger - all-natural Ontario Angus beef burger topped with pulled Cobblestone Stout Braised short ribs in a dark ale and molasses sauce, Blue Cheese, bacon, and fire roasted onions straws on Fred's Bread brioche bun - $17.00

THE REVIEW: OK. i'm usually not that harsh. Someone said that i could never be a reviewer cause i just like everything. but SURE, if it's worth it to like. I put up a caution sign, cause, you have to admit, it's a pretty hot picture. the fluffy brioche bun, crispy fried onions (which was the redeeming character of this tragedy), goblets of blue cheese, lots of meat. All the good stuff..... sadly. no. The ingredients are full of the right stuff, it's like reading the personals, and it's like "6'2", athletic, blonde hair blue eyed doctor fire fighter ambidextrous cobbler, loves rom coms, and dressing metrosexually" and failed to mention he's a nazi racist vapid kitten killer. My burger, just like the nazi racist vapid kitten killer, is a disgusting, dense, inedible piece of shit. AND unfortunate! cause i was so looking forward to the date!!!! I couldnt even finish it! It was so bad. I think i got lock jaw trying to chew that rubber piece of patty shoe. made of the finest old construction boots i bet! Nothing but the best for $17.00!!!

bleugh! back from where ye came from vile creature!!!!

EXPLANATION: So girlfriend next to me ordered this Stone Oven Baked Pizza, Barcelona: tomato, Chorizo sausage, green and Kalamata Olives, sun dried tomatoes, fresh Fior de Latte Cheese - $15.00. I'm pretty sure THIS wasn't what she envisioned when she ordered this. Is there a cheese shortage that they could only afford to spare 3 slices of cheese? Was this imported from italy by carrier pigeon and they could only carry 3 tiny pieces in their tiny little feet? Seriously WTF. She declined the pleasure of experiencing this cheese worth its weight in gold, probably. and made the third mistake, but ordering the horrid shoe burger I got. First mistake, was reservations.

Tavern Benny: poached eggs on Cheddar buttermilk biscuits and witbier marinated Canadian bacon topped with a citrus Hollandaise sauce, served with red-skinned potato hash browns and mixed greens - $12.00. This was apparently decent.

Pulled Pork Tacos: molasses and Tankhouse Ale braised pulled pork on soft flour tortillas with smoked Gouda, avocado creme fraice and pickled watermelon and radish salsa - $12.

This was apparently beyond OK. so good for you pulled pork.

Salmon Nicoise: roasted salmon salad on grilled herb flatbread with arugula, Roma tomatoes, fine beans and a black olive and caper ailoi - $15

This was apparently underwhelming but OK.

THE SITUATION: So we got there at 12:30, I think we ordered at around 1PM. At this point the drinks came in wrong. Girls who ordered iced americanos got the hot steaming kind. An additional Caesar (tho cheap! at $3.00) took about 20 minutes to mix.

This is actually a long ass story, so to summarize i'm going to quote miss Kristine.

-So slow they comp'ed all our drinks

-so bad they comp'ed our food

-so messed up our server had a meltdown

No i'm not coming up with my own material, you said it perfectly.

Our poor server, she was a cheerful upbeat lady, though i think the weight of an unorganized rusty machine collapsing over her head proved to be too much for her. I've never worked in the food industry, but we had 2 veterans at our table, who were disgusted by the way things were run. Chaotic, manic and disorganized, untrained staff was the general condenses. If you check out the reviews on Urban Spoon, pretty much sums up our experience today.

It was super slow getting anything out. We watched anxiously as tables who arrived later than us, all got their food. WHAT THE HELL. thankfully, the smarts in my head got a broccoli and cheese croissant at Union Station to prepare for my 1.5 km trek to the restaurant (i love how i know myself sometimes). The sever was totally apologetic, and said she involved the manager with the lateness of our food. Brought extra iced coffees to make up for those who got the wrong hot coffees.

When our food finally came, 45 minutes later. I know, cause there's a time stamp of 1:45PM of when i took a camera shot of my hot burger, all before tasting it, i was impressed, i was so eager, it looked HOT! oh. how looks can fool. As described above. it was crap. The manager came to ask us how things were, I dont complain unless i find a human body part somewhere, i'm very passive agressive (SEE: BLOG), so i let the people around me complain... a lot..... She said she'd take care of it, agreed the burger was dry upon looking at it, they were new, and for sure there were kinks they had to work out, appreciated feedback, she was very gracious.

Then things got weird. We were pretty much done eating/not eating our food, and the server came by and we asked her to clear the plates, she was totally emotional and abruptly grabbed the dishes and stated that after her shift she was going to quit. I thought she was going to cry, i'm pretty sure she was. I think all of us felt bad, (well some WITH HEARTS), i hope we didn't make her quit! We (THEY) weren't that bad? It was quite rational to not want sub par food and service, we are after all paying customers....

We got our bill. $88.75 of the food was comped (ok they even got the bill wrong but whatever....)

The manager came by with a stack of coupons to let us give it another chance. Promising a better experience.

Upon leaving, one of the food industry veterans wanted to let the manager know that our server was actually really nice and sweet, i mean, we did feel bad. BUT apparently it wasnt us, well, maybe a cumulative of things involved, the owners were there and had just given the whole staff a stern tongue lashing. OK seriously, maybe the owners watch too much Kitchen Nightmares or something and taking a page out of the Gordon Ramsey book, but verbally accosting your staff during service is totally demotivating and what good does that do really. I read some reviews and it's all the same, slow service, untrained scared shitless staff, cold food, crap food. It's a total shame cause this restaurant is on some hot real estate. If the owners can pull their heads out of their... and stop yelling at people...and if people can stop telling me they're being yelled at... and if i can just get food that didn't used to be a tire. or an old goat that ate a tire. But right now it's just glorified bad pub food with fancy window dressing.

Also. my rebuttal is to NOW magazine and their stupid deluxe review. Seriously? did you even EAT this burger? My bet is NO. pathetic.

Useless Things I Want: SodaStream Homemade Soda!

2011-07-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

So Today after lunch and dessert, me and my friend Andrea checked out The Bay.

And i saw this:

http://www.soda-maker.com/

You can carbonate your water at home!!! Make your own sodas! and um... carbonate your water for mojitos! Am i the only one who thinks this is cool!??!

According to the website:

Genesis Starter Kit

Genesis Starter Kit
1x Genesis Home Soda Maker
(Includes Soda Maker, 60 Litre Licensed Carbonator & One Carbonating Bottles)

Email to a Friend

Be the first to review this product

$129.00

Availability: In stock

Though pop syrups range from $7 - $11 bucks... making an average 12 litres..
plus you have to buy refills of gas... plus things break...

ok it's not really worth it. but its so cool!!!!

Yorkville Lunch Date: Hemingway's + MoRoCo

2011-07-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Andrea moved to Toronto 3 months ago and we never found time to see each other (boo!!!! READ MY BLOG lol) so it was totally awesome to see her today! We went for lunch in the super elite neighbourhood of Yorkville (Yonge & Bloor), stopping first at the patio section of:

Hemingway's

142 Cumberland Street
Toronto, ON M5R 1A8
(416) 968-2828

OH. it's a new zealand joint??? that totally explains the kiwi pictures everywhere.... i am so slow.

ALSO this makes me happy that i chose their lamb burger (cause im totally getting into lamb now... slow to start but it's growing on me!) cause there are more sheep in NZ than people right!

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH BRIE AND APPLE - $10.89

Tender chicken breast with slices of granny smith apple and brie cheese served on a fresh twelve grain bun with mango mayonnaise

Andrea got this, she said it was really good! and loved the fries

KIWI LAMB BURGER - $12.89

New Zealand ground spring lamb, grilled and served on a lightly toasted bun with goat cheese and mint

sauce, garnished with a slice of onion, tomato and lettuce

To curb new new lamb fixation i got this lamb burger, it was SUPER juicy, in fact it juiced all over my fries the first bite. I woulda been pissed that i sogged my crispy fries in the first 2 seconds, but then again we were willingly sitting under the plant mist to cool ourselves down from the INSANE INTENSE HEATED SUMMER WEATHER.

After lunch, we were super stuffed. and just wanted to get ourselves in an A/C environment ASAP. Did a little, well window shopping around (couldnt find anything :( but with the intent to get some gelato or frozen yogurt after. She brought me to Moroco Chocolate:

Moroco Chocolat

99 Yorkville Avenue

Toronto, ON M5R 1C1

(416) 961-2202

this place is sooo pretty! Intent: Frozen Yogurt...

You step into their chocolate boutique area, i swear if i didnt know better (which i dont) i would have thought this was some fancy jewelry store. Everything is delicately displayed, with a touch of decorum and class, fancy schmancy.

Beyond the chocolate boutique is a dining area. Black white and purple. Crystal studded plush black couches, and crystal chandeliers, zebra printed pillows.... basically if Lisa Frank had a back room for grown up parties, this is what it would look like.

Case and point (from the star)

Well, we couldnt get our frozen yogurt :( Apparently, too many people came into the dining room area to order the frozen yogurt that it crammed up the dining room space. They only let you order if you have a big party and somebody wants it, or if its a private party or something other reason where there's a lot of money involved and not some schmutz who wants a measly froyo when they could be serving big spenders.

They actually serve food, (but we were full). We noticed they do a high tea service here too! Would be nice to check out one day.

Well. these were my dessert options.

I REALLY wanted a frozen desert type, cause it was soooooo hot.

The only option that carried anything frozen that we saw was The Melteaser - $18.00

If i would have paid attention to the menu instead of seeing FROZEN... GET THAT. i would have read:

"Watch the Chocolate Sauce melt the Cocoa Shell to unveil three sweep scopes of Frozen Yougurt and Fresh Seasonal Berries"

If i saw that i woulda had my camera preparred! instead of just gawking at the waiter as he brought me a plate of chocolate globe. and poured a stream of chocolate over it, melting the chocolate globe away revealing the OVERSTATED scopes of FroYo. more like melon ball scoops. and a pinch of berries.

But HELLS was it AWESOME!!!!! those little malteaser balls added an awesome crunch! I gotta say, it was totally impressive to eat, and felt a lot healthier than using my 18 bucks to buy a DQ chocolate log. The chocolate sauce was not too sweet, so it wasnt overbearing to consume such a large amount of chocolate.

I ordered a glass of milk..... um... apparently nobody has ever ordered a glass of milk.... um.... except for children..... she gave me a straw.

Andrea got the Kiss Me Kate

Moist Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. - $14.00

I think the presentation was very nice. Although i think Andrea (and myself) were a lil disappointed with the cake... it was less red velvet than super chocolate. I much rather have a nice traditional red velvet with lots of perfect cream cheese frosting!

It was a gorgeous place. I kept saying, I FEEL LIKE A PRINCESS!!! it's a really nice place for girls to get their brunch and desserts on, you can fondue too, and the service was really good. I would go for special occasions.... I would also go there if i didnt have to pay..... but next time i have a frozen yogurt craving.... i'm going to Yogen Fruz... um that's more my budget....(unless someone wants to pay for my food!)

Richmond Night Market 2011: A must stop eat and shop.

2011-07-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

I. Love. The. Night. Market. Stop.

For obvious reasons i totally love the night market: street food and vendors stocked with random crap nobody needs (see last picture). It's true, you could probably get the food cheaper somewhere else, in a sit down or Aberdeen (or any other asian mall food court) but its the excitement of it all! and little chubby asian girls singing justin beiber in the background, the pushing, the crowds, what is there not to love?

I went twice this time back, it was high on my priority list, especially since Toronto only gets weekend night markets. plus (like this weekend's T&T 2nd annual night market, that i attended last year, was only in the parking lot), lines are waaay too long (like 20-30 mins!!!) cause there's not enough vendors and space for the demand. I say Toronto, take a hint and stop being so multicultural and accommodating to all cultures every weekend, and make an asian night market staple!

NIGHT ONE!

I went with my friend Jenny, and with my Mom and Dad who drove us! hehe, the parentals let us get our eat on, and my mom let my dad get his shop on, so we were suppose to meet up after we gorged ourselves. First Stop! Ha Gows! in a spicey soy. (shrimp dumplings for the unfamiliar)

Dish 2! Sui Mai!

Dish 3. I wanted to try something new. and although this isnt new to me, as i've had some amazing version at the Richmond Public Market, it was new at the night market, i also felt bad for the stand, it was 2 ladies, one kept yelling out "BEEF PIES BEEF PIES" so i went to try it.

It was actually really really good! I recommended it to 2 white dudes who were confused on what to get. I hope they liked it, i didnt bother to hang back to check. if i were a better person i would.

Up next was some vietnamese treats!

They also sold birds nest there too! It looked really good, but seemed pretty difficult to eat standing up.

we settled on some spring rolls!

And now comes the part where i tell you how i ate some random guy's food.

OK so this year, there's a bunch of new "western" vendors at the night market (beaver tails, deep fried snickers/mars/lycee???), which i would personally call "lap sap"... (or garbage) cause im at a freaking chinese night market, not the national fair, not that i wouldnt eat it, im all for buying mini donuts at the PNE/CNE, but i will not give a second look to the mini donut vendor at the night market.

Anyway, me and jenny were kinda intrigued with this new Butter Chicken Poutine truck, like when a puppy cocks its head to the side. but not enough effort to sniff it out.

There was this older dude holding his new purchase and im like, "how's the butter chicken poutine?"

"pretty good, you see the unused fork, why dont you try it yourself?"

i'm a lil apprehensive about eating a stranger's food. but i figure. i'm the one who approached him! it's not like he walks around with poisoned poutine! so im like "ohhh. ok"

and he's trying to be cute at this point and is like "so you go around asking guys how their poutine is?"

and i'm like. ha. ha?

So i take it! and im like, can i take a picture? you know for my blog. and he's like,

"do you have a card?"

i'm like "no"

he's like "do you want my card"

i'm like... "no... i just... wanted a bite..... of your poutine"

i got jenny to take a bite. and went on our merry way.

i gotta say. that combination is WEIRD. i would not have paid for it. and will not again solicite free butter chicken poutine.

There was a huge crowed around this Jiang Man BBQ place, i THOUGHT he was selling "san geen baos", like pan fried beef buns on a stick, but it was just bun. so we ended up getting a lamb, beef and chicken skewer. The wait is ridiculous. i swear i stood there for 20 minutes. which i shouldnt be complaining cause beats being on the other side of the fire. I'm starting to like lamb more and more.

skewers galore!

While i was waiting, Jenny went to get some japanese yam fries. smothered in japanese mayo and whatever that green stuff is. i know so little about anything.

Along our travels there were some stands we passed:

Since i live in Korean town in Toronto, no need for a Korean party of my mouth when i get it whenever i want at home.

Was pretty full at this point, so passed on the grilled squid.

Passed on the Thai Satay. for no reason really!

NIGHT MARKET PART DEUX

I hung out with my friends Pam, Kris and Josette after a dinner at the Afghan Horseman, where the waiter, upon finding out our pilgrimage to the night market after dinner, was like, you guys shoulda just eaten there! i love honesty.

I think the theme of that night was: Balls.

Jo got some takoyaki balls, which she shared with us.

Passed by these super cute bean curd coin purses!

Krissy eventually got some of that Dragon Beard candy, can someone tell me how they make that stuff? hmm according to wiki "It is common for street vendors of dragon's beard candy to carry out the folding process at their stall, which attracts customers fascinated by the process as much as by a desire to purchase the candy..".... wow. that really does work!

On our journeys, we found this stand of giant turkey legs

the penny for comparison photo

Pam got the 6 for $5.00 to share with us, i've only ever had the red bean version so it was cool to try the other fillers: Custard and Chocolate. I have a personal fishie food vendor a few blocks from my place in toronto, so i think i know all about the fishie waffles. but these were super yummy!

fish face krissy totally agrees!

oh on the theme of stuff nobody needs. i present the stuffed toy bouquet.

And that's it for this year! On my second trip we ended up getting a bunch of stuff! tights, coloured contacts (why does everyone tell me i'm going to go blind with those! is it really that weird to buy prescription contacts at a night fair???? lol) I'm hoping to check out the T&T night market again this year, though this sweltering toronto heat is starting to deter me, but would be nice to see if they expanded their venue and vendors!

Value Buy: Costco $7 dollar roasted chicken

2011-07-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

My first grocery shopping trip back to toronto was at the local Costco! $250 bucks after!!!! hahaha. You'd think i was shopping for me and my child army.... but fortunately no! just for 1 (sometimes 2!).

I want to give a shout out to Costco Roast Chicken. AT $6.99. You are the ultimate super buy! I can do everything with you! Put you in my salads, make a sandwich, make a casserole, use the bones and meat for congee, make fried rice! the combinations are limitless!!!! Today, is my 2nd flatbread pizza (I used the legs + thigh for a salad for 2, and the left breast for a flatbread pizza yesterday, that fed THREE), today I'm using the right breast! What a way to stretch a chicken! (In Vancouver, me and my family bought a costco chicken and stretched it out for 3 meals, feeding 4 people each meal!)

Such an quick and easy way to get some veggies in my diet too! hehe. if you are interested, my flatbread pizza (from costco) hosted a bunch of items i procured at Costco. including: mushrooms, zuchinnis, shallots, spinach, little tiny tomatoes, montery jack and swiss cheese, and of course Costco Roast Chicken. and just used ragu as pizza sauce! So quick! So easy! So cheap!

Ebisu on Robson, Vancouver

2011-07-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

Congrats Selina & Brian!

I just wanted to give a shout out to one of my oldest friends, who recently got hitched to her high school sweet heart. I went back home to attend her wedding last weekend, and she had her stagette dinner @

Ebisu on Robson

827 Bute Street

Vancouver, BC V6B2Y4

Tel: (604) 689-8266
Fax: (604) 689-8335

http://www.ebisu.ca/robson/

Wow. so i didnt know that Kamei group owned all of this: Kamei Royale, Ebisu on Robson, Broadway and Richmond, and Daimasu in Richmond and Burnaby, I'm pretty sure i've been to 5/6 of these.

It's not my favorite japanese izakaya joint, or one i would go to myself, but not one i would vehemently protest (at least not on the outside)... i've been before with other friends and they have pretty creative rolls, and their menu looks pretty solid http://www.ebisu.ca/robson/menu-ebisu2.html, but somehow i've never been sold. i'm not sure what it is, i dont really have loyalties when it comes to food, if it pleases me, it pleases me. I find Ebisu, while offering an extensive and impressively solid menu, somehow, am a little bit undersold. There's a lot of bells and whistles that go on i think, they've got good cheap drinks and happy hour deals, and everything is really pretty! BUT, and there is a BUT, the food is..... its OK. i wouldnt even write about it if not just to tell you that, at the dinner, while everyone was being NORMAL and ordering a few tapas to share, or a few dishes to eat, i went a little overboard, (i blame being secluded on an opposite island. .... you know where im being surrounded by land instead of water,) and kinda ordered a family sized Fire & Ice Sashimi platter for myself... (see last picture)... um and also an Oyster Motoyaki (not pictured, ate it quickly... eating raw fish upon raw fish, i needed something in my stomach quick), I later regretted having only devoured seafood, as we were going to the bar after and i had nothing to absorb the alcohol but raw fish... and then you have to burp/throw up drunken raw fish.... bleeeuuggghhh

Well, here are some pics, here's my neighbour's beef carparccio...food i didnt try... but looks pretty!

Black Cod Saikyo, marinated in sweet miso... i heard it was delicious

Ah, and this is my platter, for... myself... 6 oysters, raw scallops, spicy tuna in a huge chunks, ebi, and lots and lots of salmon and hamaci tuna. impressive eh!!!!! i thought so too!!! until my 20th bite of raw... haha. im such a greedy little fellow.

omg. i just saw this on my friend's (jess 3!) fb.... ok. i think this makes all the difference in letting you know how ridiculous i am... and what a spectacle it was when i ordered this (plus another dish) for myself and other people had NORMAL sized dishes..... ok i shared. a bit. LOL... also check out the penis pictures on the table, one of my fav in front, the elepenis! haha.

Happy Happy choco face icecream sandwich

2011-07-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

So my cousin Lincoln took me on an all out eating feast at Rodney's Oyster Bar the first day I came back to Vancouver 2 weeks ago. After dinner we walked over the cambie bridge to check out Whole Foods, my first time experience. What can I say, except. $40.00 disposable bamboo cutlery? Yeah sorry, I don't enjoy the smell of my own farts that much (lies)... So this is not for me. However before leaving we stopped by the gelato area and this girl was making ice cream sandwiches outta ginger cookies... Hazelnut and chocolate filling.... Mmmm wonderfully intruiging in theory!!!! HOWever!!!! The cookie was waaayyy too hard and each bite smooshed my happy faced friend into flat oblivion... Very messy. The combo was too strong for me, I would have liked to try a fruit gelato maybe, pineapple? Or pear? And a softer or thinner cookie. It was a nice attempt. But. Fail. Thanks cuz for paying for everything!!!!

Jessica

Home is the best

2011-07-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Ah my first mobile post! Let's see if this works! I'm trying to eat more mangoes cause I'm starting to get this horrible dermititis shit on my arm and somewhere on the interwebs it says mangoes cures bad bumps. Too bad I don't have a dad servant anymore, cause when I'm home, after every meal, my dad will cut fruits up into little bite sized pieces and slosh yogurt on it and make a bowl for everyone (mom, grandpa).... Awww my dad is so nice (when his mouth is closed)

Guu with Garlic aka Guu Robson! aka 2nd Guu of all!

2011-07-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

According to the Guu website, Guu Garlic was born in 2001 as the younger (what gender is a Guu?) to Guu Thurlow. Apparently with the concept of Garlic is SEXY? you know what i say to that? damn straight!!! garlic is sexy!!! (if everyone has garlic)... garlic for one, is uncomfortable without a good rinse.

anyway, last week i came back to Vancouver, and did the Sea Wall with one of my BESTEST FRIENDS <3 Jenny. Look what we saw!

(I know this is not relevant to this eating blog unless i picked one up and ate its liver but come on! they're all in a row! so cute!)

Man. Vancouver is so beautiful! A long walk calls for a delicious meal! and so we go!!!

We had intended to go to Guu Thurlow, but after ending up in english bay (and a few stops at other options) we were like. let's just do this. Here we are, sitting at our stoup, while waiting for a seat... damn reserved spots!

Ohhhh!!! daily specials!!!!

a delicious and refeshing melon type drink with a dollop of ice cream? mmm!!! was there even alcohol in it? who cares! bring me another!

We started with a Beef Tataki with a Ponzu Sauce. hmmm did they change this? I'm used to a different lay out with garlic chips on top, however, still delicious!

A staple at every Guu meal is the Pumpkin Croquette. why? hmmm deep fried pumpkin with a boiled egg drenched in tangy thousand island dressing, how does that NOT sound.. well. you just gotta put it in your mouth! Jenny wanted us to order one for each of us... i almost want to admit i made a mistake to stop her... but... gotta fit up on other stuff... silly!

I had to take a picture of the inside, Guu Toronto, THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT!!!! (this is how you do it!).... omg i cant tell you how disgusting the Guu Church is in comparison (beggars cant be choosers), if you want to see the Guu one, here is my Guu Church review

Jenny ordered this, Okonomi Yaki: deep fried squid and cabbage pancake with tonkatsu and mayo. Hmmm. im not a fan tonkatsu, im not sure why. its a lil too tangy for me, and i also felt this was filler. but, a few days into being back in Van, i think i'm just picky. back to normal.

Salmon Yukke, the menu claims to have garlic sauce, green onions, and pine nuts. Which is what i was used to previously, with quail egg on the side, and shrimp crackers. Today was a nice change with little garlic toasts instead. I could have eaten a plate full of this! but i wont. because there is other food.

I wanted to try this Hotate Butter, Grilled Garlic Butter Scallop on Onion w/ Bonito Flakes and Garlic Chips. Hmmm. if i must say, this was probably my least favorite of the night. There were only 3 scallops, and the bonito flakes were way to overpowering for me. I would have preferred just Garlic Butter Scallop, or i would have also preferred if i had read the menu, because i know what bonito flakes are.....

MMM part of the daily specials, was this Steamed Mussels with Garlic, Sake, Butter & Brother... Jenny wasnt a big fan of mussels so... more for me!!!! the mussels were huge! and sake broth, couldnt go wrong, nothing better than hot sake broth on a 16 degree summer evening (beats this 40 toronto heat...)

Kaki Mayo - Oyster, Creamy, Cheese = how can you go wro... im having at heart a.. just kidding! i just took a long ass walk! It was really good except i wish i got more oyster! though i also like eating creamy and cheese!

Well! originally I wanted to order the Pork Belly off of the Daily Specials but Darn It! it was sold out, so the waiter suggest this, it was very delicious! he said. Here I wouldnt think of ordering a Beef Tenderloin Pastry with Gravy Sauce, but i'm easily sold, on everything... don't try it. It was quite tasty... and there was quite a bite for $8.80. Man i love this place!

Oh! piece de resistance! Gin Dara. Man. I love Black Cod. (COD), its so amazingly melt in your mouth deliciousness. It's a shame they always serve it in such small portions... i guess to leave me wanting... oh delicious fish. i want you... all the time...

How come the yaki udon always comes at the end? Is it like a, here is a carbo, because i bet you werent full from all the tiny dishes, filler up! well wrong! I was full! (for 20 minutes)

Here's the Bill, pretty reasonable i think! i would have paid double!... for double the food....

This was my neighbour's food. she got an BBQ Eel rice gratin

She also got this sashimi salad. i think. i love sweet shrimp sashimi.

Well! that was my Guu Vancouver Adventure. til next time!

Oriental Cafe Part II: Now with actual Camera

2011-07-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Oriental Cafe

905-884-8678

9425 Leslie St. Unit 3, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3N7

Here is my first visit to Oriental Cafe with my coworker Maria

It seems like it's the co-worker's restaurant of choice when im suggesting we hit up the AWESOME RICHLANE MALL. Today, i wrangled my quad neighbourino Mark to hit up Richlane Mall when i heard him retort he wished to try something new. And just when Maria agreed to go, i gave them both the tour, you have:
Most Excellent BBQ (hanging meats galore!)
Lemon Grass (delicious southeast asianess!)
Ichiban Fish House (a staple for quick japanese fix)
Some HK Cafe that i've been too but didn't post! (something something)

My conclusion. is that my non asian coworkers are freaking scared of the unknown. and Oriental Cafe had the most non-threatening decore, and white pleathery seats in an open space.

This picture really does nothing to explain my theory.

Anyway, Mark's friend swore by Hot and Sour Soup, and he'd never had it before, so we ordered 1 to give it a try. I was a little apprehensive cause he's a picky mofo (who kept asking me if there was fruit in anything... he really doesn't like fruit!) So i wasn't sure how he'd take this flavour combo. I was almost afraid to tell him what the black stuff was, but he ate it, and i confessedd, it was fungus. haha. shrooms! He almost finished 1 bowl. good job!

One of my fav parts of Shang-Hai cuisine are Xiaolongbaos! mmm those tasty lil soup dumplings filled with tasty moist and juicy pork... well unfortunately/fortunately Mark isn't the biggest fan, so my attempt to WOW him with little pockets of meat and juice was um, unsuccessful. He did finish one whole dumpling! and dumped the juice :( To be honest, these werent the best dumplings so i'll let it go. I had to eat the other 5. So i'll let it go.

If you've ever read my blog, or know me. you know that everything is my dad's favorite. This is my dad's favorite. The green onion beef brisket green wrap. Again, i was apprehensive if Mark would like it or not, with his distain for fruits and sweet. Im not sure what kinda sauce, im just guessing its some hoisin type sauce, or equally sweet (if you know, please correct me), i compared it to a sweet BBQ type. He actually kinda liked it. and he finished a whole one! good job Mark!

Mark picked this one, we were going to go for Shanghai noodles but this caught his eye. A pretty basic dish i think, beef and veggies on rice. I normally go for the flat rice noodle variety (HOR FAN!), he asked me if this is what my family eats, i explained it was usually steamed rice, with several accompanying dishes, like a veggie dish, meat dish, etc. which explains why i would choose a noodle dish over rice, since it's like something i would get at home. makes sense.

All in all, i think Mark had a good experience, i was totally impressed he tried something new outside of his usual subway, mr. sub, wendys, etc lunches. And the total came to around $23, so it wasnt bad at all! I think he would have really liked the BBQ meats place (cause what man does not like a plate full of BBQ meats), if he can get past the hanging meats part. next time!

Tea Shop @ 5184 aka Stop and Seat

2011-07-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

So on yonge street, between finch and sheppard, there are a few bubble tea places, there's teashop 168, near by is Ten Ren (by the Loblaw's), and then there's the teashop with no name other than Tea Shop Chinese Characters.... WELL, good thing i took a picture of the menu, because the elusive name of this little tea shop is indeed:

"STOP & SEAT"

5184 Yonge Street, North York, ON M2N5P6
Phone: (416) 229-6288

where i would have translated it as... one bustop one seat. oh. there was no bus in there. so i would have been right if i could actually read things without associating them with other words...

I like this place.

they let you sit there for as long as you want, there's free wireless, you get to play with cards. wait. that's every other bbt place. ok how is this place different....

i really like their Taro Sherbert. which is what i get. and all that i get.

and my date only ever gets the watermelon sherbert.

There's a nice assortment of yummy taiwanese treats... tho many have been crossed out... i really would have liked to try the "Onion Intestine"...

Here's the Spicy Salt Crispy Shrimp -$3.99

I love eating this, heat and all, and the deep fried basil adds a touch of greenery, so i feel this is a healthy dish.

Golden Fried Chicken Wings - $3.99

mmmm i've probably devoured a couple dozen of these, which tells you how many multiple orders i order each time i sit! at one stop and one seat! the wings are super juicy! (though i must say that Teashop 168 has pretty juicy wings itself!)

Pan Dried Onion Pancake $2.99 (I wonder if they meant "Fried")

These are mini pan fried onion pancakes, i like them cause they're perfectly fried up cause they're small, and i also get to feel like a giant.

I usually only order the appeys, but there was one occasion (and if you know me, it was known as the time i spent $60.00 at a BBT place... and now you know why)... anyway, i was not in the mood to go home (scared of my roommate), and decided to hang out all night and play age of mythology at BBT..... haha... hey also i ate, so its ok.

Shanghai Fried Rice Cake - $6.99

For around the price of an extra value meal... you can get a burger and fries or shanghai fried rice cake. I'm not sure why i'm making the correlation cause now i really want a burger so there is no point to this sentence. But! i always like gluttonous rice cakes, i love the chew chew chewing, its like eating salty gummy bears. if... that appeals to anyone... at all.

Here's some sort of fried rice in egg, im sure it was around the same price range, like $6-7 bucks. Im an OK with this, i'm always impressed by a thinly fried scrambled egg, with really no other reason than it looks pretty cool when it's covering a plate of rice. i think i remember the rice was also ketchupy tasting. so... kind of overkill on that.

Another attempt to try something new, some lemon chicken. again it was OK! Obviously it was all devoured but... i really like the lemon chicken at Oh Geul Buh Geul the Korean bbq place a few blocks down.

I think the next time i go, i'll continue to stick to the appy's. They're deliciously tasty, though it can rack up the bill, and a few bucks each, but washing it down with an ice cold sherbert... mmmmm. thank goodness it's opened late!!!!

Rocket Pop!

2011-07-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hi the 3 people who read my blog!!!!
OMG!

i am so sorry i have been totally MIA!
so as per my last post! i have recently moved and my days consisted of watching TV on the only available (and still only available) lounging furniture, my bed, until i passed out.

Also! 2 weeks ago, I went back to my hometown of Vancouver, so look out for updates for those!!!! (eventually...)

Anyway! this is short and sweet. but our work sent over an ice cream truck today! Free ice cream/slushies/popsicles for everyon!!!! I myself chose a rocket... not much to say but if i develop diabetes (as my dad predicts), you'll know why!!!

OK. Back to work! I promise to update ASAP!!!!

Jessica

I GOT NEW PLATES AND A NEW PLACE... actually the place is way more important than the plates...

2011-06-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

but the plates are also very important....

Anyway! by the way! i moved out yesterday to my own place! yay! congrats to me. btw, it was not posted but was celebrated by a DQ ice cream cake... for 2. ha ha. sorry, not as impressive as a DQ cake for 1. but this isn't Valentines day... when i was 19... ha ha ha. ... ha?

Anyway! So I used to do tradeshows for work, we did the Vancouver Olympic stuff and i had access to all these Canadian Gift Shows, where they sell the most random stuff like... down filled luxury diapers for your child... but also super awesome stuff like homewares, like plates!!! I actually missed my flight from Edmonton back to Toronto cause i was lost in realm of awesome wholesale plate buying, for why i am not too sure, probably my own wedding registry... um starting to see a theme here...

Anyway! In order to place my first purchase, i had to make an order of $300.00..$350??... wholesale. and what i got.. was AWESOME, like fig dishes (who needs one?), gravy boat, egg holders (a set of 4?), plates, at some point i even bought 2 cake plates (that i returned.. ), quiche dishes, ramekins, small and big square dishes + bowls, coral fruit bowl, barware, etc etc etc, completely random and useless. but alas when i moved back to Vancouver during the Olympics I moved them back, and have been using my roommate's THREE plates since... plus there was never ANY ROOM for anything in that place (even plates, long story... long long story), sooo i never bought any, until now!!!!!

I am so excited!!!! Now i have actual places to serve and eat off of! Not those 6" plates .. all both of them she had....

anyway. this is not so much food related but food eating receptor. my fav is that soup bowl and saucer set! I cant wait to make soup!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-06-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's my birthday tomorrow, and i came into work with this lovely chocolate floral turd on my desk!!! sooo sweet! thanks princess... i forgot your alt name...banana hammock? Anything! thanks lara!!!! sooo sweet! and even came with a bow on top! It's so pretty! and definitely death by chocolate! i'm not sure you call this? I've had like half and i already have a chocolate coma... time to nap!!!!

Ethical Foie Gras, not an oxymoron?

2011-06-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is a great video i saw posted on my friends facebook on youtube, its from 2008 but the message is timeless, especially in our society's treatment of nature and her creatures. Chef Dan Barber (Best Chef: New York City and in 2009, Outstanding Chef. The James Beard Foundation also named him the top chef in America in 2009), talks about this dude Eduardo Sousa, who has found a way, through nature and natural processes to produce natural foie gras, (oppose to force feeding).

Personally, i think foie gras is ridiculously amazing, and i have seen those sad videos of force fed geese, and it makes me sad. but foie gras is also really ridiculously amazing, i think its really awesome this exists but also weary cause mass production and mass consumerism are kinda the way, but its great to have options to purchase, as a home consumer or diner.

um. in other news.
my dream is to go to Au Pied de Cochon, in Montreal, after seeing it on the food network, the crazy french dude with the show, The Wild Chef... you know? here's his foie gras menu....
drooooolllllllzzzzzzz......

foie gras
	Cured Foie Gras Tart Foie Gras 'Tout Nu' Foie Gras Poutine Terrine Apple Foie Gras PDC Pizza Cured Foie Gras & Boudin Tart Foie Gras Hamburger Foie Gras Duo	$20.00 $21.00 $23.00 $24.00 $25.00 $25.00 $28.00 $39.00 $51.00