the graceful glutton

Scandal Queen by Fairdrops

2012-01-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

dance the minuet

I heard about Fairydrops back in 2009 while I was in Asia. I am telling you, some of the BEST products come out of the Orient and the world has caught on.

Fact: The MAJORITY of mascaras do not play nice with Asian eyes.

Fact: This was lost on most people in the industry.

Fact: The industry changes.

Fact: Change happens. The proof is in the pudding: Sephora started carrying Fairydrops in February 2011. (Although admittedly I didn't rush to pick up a tube. I have stockpiles of MJ and Benefit in my vanity.)

Now imagine the happiness I felt when I open by LashStash and there it was. What makes Fairdrops so special? Personally, I think it starts with the bling packaging.

It also the most unique brush I've ever seen:

Three puffs.

Bare lashes

Tada! Fairy-ed.

How she delivered overall:

Water-resistant - check

Lengthening - check

Volumizing - check

Curling power - soso

Longevity - soso

I'm a fan (perhaps not a superone).

Like it.

Toronto: Real Sports Bar

2012-01-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

no love in this club

:Lakeshore:

Don't you love that I can go from eating a $200 meal on a Thursday to munching on footlong hotdogs on the Friday. It's how I roll. You want to roll with this.

So, a few weekends ago I rolled into North America's #1 sports bar. We Torontonians thought it would be superfun to show some out-of-towners Real Sports before the game.

Unfortunately, as soon as I walked in I realized I should have done my due diligence. It seems sometime in the intervening timeframe since I was last there, Real has turned into a club. No, not literally, but you wouldn't know that just by walking in.

My senses were expectedly overstimulated, but my ears, my poor ears - tremendously overwhelmed. It was so loud the hostess couldn't even hear me. When I finally made it to the table, my ears were ringing.

I'm not pulling a Debbie Downer, the music was legitamately too loud for a bar; screaming across the table doesn't really work at 6 pm on a weekday.

Now, other than that, the service was average and the food was tasty. I especially enjoyed my hot dog:

Footlong goodness of weiner, pulled pork, coleslaw and a bun
(with fries...always with fries)

If I had to say something to MLSE, it would go something like this:

Dear Maple Leaf Sports + Entertainment:

Keep it real, turn down the music.

With Kindest Regards,

Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara by tarte

2012-01-17T15:39:00.001-05:00

:Lash Stash Buy:

I'm not here looking for absolution

I know I've already called out the "best" mascaras (right sidebar), but they're facing some stiff competition. I feel the need to have another mascara throwdown. Oh this could get dirty.

The other obvious fact could be that my lashes have just grown. If they have, I owe tarte for that.

For now, I will just expand my list of loves, and leave the "best" intact because truly, MJ and Benefit still rule.

I'm making my way through the LashStash, slowly. I am 2 for 3. (Loved Lashgasm and will post all the misses in one.)

Tarte's Gifted Amazonian Clay volumizes your lashes and has longevity.

I love it even more now that I know it repairs your lashes. The Amazonian clay hydrates and replenishes to prevent fallout (a natural daily occurrence). The clay also absorbs oil which helps keep the volume in your lashes without the mess.

I'll also point out the obvious: what a pretty tube...I'm a sucker for presentation/packaging. Love it.

Time elapsed: 5 hours
Elements encountered: Wind and a wee bit of snow

Love it.

Toronto: Spring Rolls

2012-01-16T23:07:00.012-05:00

you can't make your heart feel something it won't

:Yonge + Bloor:

I'm not a Spring Rolls eater. I make the odd exception for newness - they started serving all-you-can-eat lunch for about $15 (Monday to Friday) per person. Bana was excited about ordering some gyoza and cheese dumplings. I was excited to see Bana.

The menu has a wide assortment of dim sum, thai, chinese, and sushi. No wait, I take that back, they don't actually serve sushi. The spicy tuna roll had some random hot sauce, and the dragon roll had smoked salmon. It's highly offensive.

Calling this sushi is like saying Madonna is humble.
You got that right?

Nevetheless I am still taking five minutes out of Monday to tell you that about their lunch buffet because it was 50/50. 50 percent of me didn't mind it, and the other 50 percent of me wants to delete his post.

The shrimp rolls were yummy. Shrimp rolls are always yummy.

But like all 50/50s, if you order with a crtitical eye, you can have a decent meal. Stay away from the sushi, expect less than authentic and you're guaranteed a quick, diverse meal.

Mango salad
Shanghai noodles

Toronto: Splendido

2012-01-13T15:23:00.005-05:00

like a shooting star

:The Annex:

I don’t 'fine dine' as much as I’d like because it’s terribly costly. Not to mention that most of my friends who appreciate food snobbery (in all its ostentatious glory) don’t live in Toronto. That said, I do it enough. I've tried Auberge, once, Canoe, once, Sotto, once...and so on and so on.

The exceptions to the "once" rule are what I consider the best, because I walk to the beat of my own drum. Perhaps I just don't understand the rating systems or the opinions of arrogant know-it-alls who work for some publication (unless, of course, said know-it-all is Andrew Knowlton or Jeffrey Steingarten, my two critic crushes).

Splendido is such an exception. I have eaten here three times. My favourite item on the menu is the lamb. It's always amazingly spectacular.

Generally I find it difficult to write about restaurants in this category because there is only so much one can say without sounding repetitive or pretentious. I have read enough reviews about Toronto’s “top dining destinations” to know that reviews are often hoity-toity, difficult to understand and occasionally have an air about them – “subtle and pleasing flavours...smoky and texturally appealing with a soft finish...lingers on the palette...", etc.

I will keep mine as monosyllabic as possible.

Let me set the stage. Last week a group of us gathered in the private dining room and prepared ourselves for pre-set menu 3. Do keep in mind that the opinion expressed herein includes feedback I received from everyone, and I was eating in the company of some serious foodies. They’re all about Michelin Stars and Red Hats and other ranking systems I know nothing about.

Canapés

Vickie’s Veggies Early Fall Greens Salad

Apple, Walnuts & Blue Cheese

British Columbia Chanterelle Mushroom Salad

Celery Root Puree, Truffle Vinaigrette, Triple Crunch Mustard

Roasted Sunchoke Soup

Black Truffle Coulis, Pickled Sunchoke, Sunflower Oil & Granola

Victor’s Foie Gras Parfait

Niagara Bose Pear Puree, Walnut Oil, Pickled Mustard Seed & Chayote

Agnolotti

Pumpkin & Ricotta, Spiced Pumpkin Seeds & Amaretti

Linguine

Parmigiano Reggiano & Burgundy Black Truffle

Pastured Veal Tenderloin and Smoked Brisket

King Oyster Mushroom, Cippolini Onion & Bone Marrow Jus

Mediterranean Sea Bass

Roasted Endive, Confit Grape, Verjus & Pine Nut Vinaigrette

Papparadelle

Wild British Columbia Mushrooms

Chocolate & Caramel Verrine

Peanut Ice Cream & Caramel Espuma

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Cranberry, White Chocolate and Concord Grape Granite

Each guest orders one item from each group. Amongst all of us, we pretty much covered the whole menu, save and except the Fall Greens Salad and Pappardelle. Personally I love pappardelle, but if I see bass on a menu I get tunnel-vision.

Service was excellent. Charming and relaxed, instead of pompous and polite.

The canapés were stellar. The oysters blew my mind. I generally prefer my oysters plain but their apple-garlic mignonette was a perfect pairing.

Poseidon's present to mankind, gingerly prepared by Splendido

The potato-leek soup with rosemary biscuit and parmesan tuille (cheese baked into a chip).

Warm, subtle and creamy.

Victor's Foie Gras Parfait was plentiful and served with a nice buttery brioche.

I love foie gras.

The linguine was rich and earthy. The general consensus was that they could have been less generous with the truffle. There was so much it was a bit overpowering.

Linguine - I slurped it up in about a minute

Agnolotti - Sweet & Cozy

I stole bites of the tenderloin where I could, much to the chagrain of my friends. I can't help it - I steal food. Both the tenderloin and bass were perfectly cooked and delicious.

Beneath that skin was beautiful, tender, soft, milky white meat.

Panna cota. Didn't quite reach the bar that Buca set.

Think Peanut Butter Parfait to the Power of 100

Everything was amazing. Beautifully plated, perfectly cooked, well-seasoned, and a nice mix of traditional flavours and contemporary ideas.

The average cost was about $200 per person, including wines and drinks.

Applying my system,I asked myself was it worth the money? My response, absolutely.

Will I be going again? Yes, but not this year. I can only wrap my head around spending that much at one restaurant a year. It’s how I stay accountable for the things I choose to spend money on.

Splendido has been a fixture on Toronto’s fine dining scene for a long time. They focus on locally sourced, seasonal, high quality food. They have had a few changing of hands (the last time I went, in 2009, David Lee was the co-owner and Chef), but whether there are new faces front or back of house, the food and experience has remained consistent. Fine dining should start at Splendido...

So you can end here.
Food heaven.

LashGASM Mascara by Too Faced

2012-01-12T16:48:00.005-05:00

i'm hot just like an oven

:LashStash Buy:

The name is so childish...LashGASM. Then again, this mascara has me all hot and bothered. Against all odds...

The odds:

I came close to chucking without trying.
I'm not a fan of Too Faced.
I detest their other mascara.
The wand is thin and skinny.

...it came out a winner (for length, not fullness):

These are 100% unadultered photos. My lashes. Insane right?

Please ignore the lifeless eyes. I am a walking zombie right now. In fact, today is the first day in about a month I have NO PLANS. Zero. Nada. Except I am going to watch Vampire Diaries and message Cracker in tandem. I miss her.

Love it.

Toronto: Pantheon

2012-01-12T11:04:00.003-05:00

mediocreon

:Danforth:

I don't come out this way often enough. I really should. There's so much love in Greek food - you have savoury souvlaki, flaky and gooey spanakopita, and cheese flamed with cognac (a personal favourite). Greek food was my favourite cuisine between 1996 and 1998. Of course my mother seems to think it still is. Then again she also thinks Esprit is my favourite store. I don't fault her, it's us daughters, we change our minds so often and ten times over as we grow and learn about ourselves. (Actually, it's a little too early in the morning to have this heart-to-heart.)

This past Tuesday night was the birthday gathering for an old "friend". I use the quotations because in the interest of full disclosure, she and I used to be quite the opposite. But that was the past. Today, I enjoying seeing her, she's quite funny. Fight as children, forgive as adults I say.

There were about 20 of us and we got seated in their "semi-private" room with a fireplace (The fireplace is indeed one of their selling points?!?)

Pantheon is exactly what a family owned restaurant feels like; it even has grumpy grandpa, who, unfortunately, served our table. Crotchety. Not exactly the appetizer I wanted for my meal.

Moving on, the dishes were baseline good...some, barely.

The garides saganaki appetizer was delicious. But how can you screw up garlic butter sautéed shrimp melted in cheese? Really, you can't.

Delicious!

The salad that comes with the souvlaki dinners:

Nothing special, but very fresh.

I asked for pork, but got chicken. There were 20 of us and it was hectic so I decided to be agreeable and just ate the chicken:

Plate of Mediocrity

Nothing on that plate tasted any better than the Jimmy the Greek I used to eat at the food court (before the Urban Eatery, dirrtttyyy) of the Eaton Centre. It wasn't as greasy, but I'm not convinced that Pantheon deserves the accoldes I've seen and heard - "best Greek in Toronto". Those are fighting words and necessarily need to be backed up by knock-me-off-my-feet food.

Oh look, I'm still standing.

Pantheon did have one saving grace, its tzatziki. One of the best I've had and it made my night. The taste just pops and your entire mouth fills with creamy cucumbery garlicky goodness. I've always thought the best tzatziki should zing.

Toronto: Pita Q Restaurant

2012-01-11T09:47:00.002-05:00

peeta peeta

Were your holidays full of feasting and fatness? I hope so. I don't want to be the only one who ate a family. I kid, I kid. After eating at friends' I got back to true form last week. I spent most of it eating out, starting with one of my all-time favourites, Splendido. I hope to post that within a week or so.

For now, guess what I ate yesterday? The same thing I had the day before. That's right - two days in a row!?!

Late Sunday afternoon I was running errands along Bloor, near Spadina, when I realized I was starving because I hadn't had time to eat all day. Then I remembered that my dear Jimmy Neutron likes Pita Q. I had never gone in because of their signage. It's horrific.

But I trust Jimmy, and he likes it. Chicken shawarmas are 1 for $5 or 2 for $9. I had one on Sunday (and then two on Monday...). It's simple, flavourful, and garlicky. Four sauces - hummus, tahini, hot sauce and some other garlic infused goodness – shaved chicken, turnips, pickles, fresh lettuce and tomatoes. I prefer to skip the onions and parsley.

Then they toast it. Not everyone does that. Everyone really should.

It was delicious. Cheap and cheerful. I really need that right now. I spent the last two-and-a-half weeks having way too much fun. Too much fun means my pants don’t fit and I'm haemorrhaging money.

But good times are priceless, aren't they?

It's good to be back. I said that already...didn't I.

Lash Stash by Sephora

2012-01-11T09:38:00.000-05:00

better in bulk

Happy new year! I've missed this, it’s nice to be back. Sorry for the extended delay but I have been crazy busy. I just found my bearings again and have so much to share I could burst. No seriously...my stomach is about to blow, I’m so full. Last night I was at a gathering of about 20 old faces for two birthdays and the farewell of my BFF. I ate a lot. I’ll share more later.

So my holiday haul was extra extra. I just kept buying, so expect a lot of product reviews, including all the mascaras in this baby:

Multiple mascaras in one box...so beeeaauutiful. Tear.

I love that Sephora releases this every Christmas. I look forward to it like I used to look forward to Christmas morning.

The smudges are my excited little paw prints...

Love it. Love them all? You'll soon find out.

This Good Girl is MIA

2011-12-21T16:12:00.001-05:00

Early holiday happy greetings. I am well aware that things are quiet on the resto-front. I had a fellow Yelper point it out. Unfortunately, that's how it goes during the holidays. There's no time to eat out because I'm stuffing my face full of homecooked meals. So many holiday lunches, potlucks, dinners and parties. I love that about the holidays. Everyone wants to feed the ones they love. I feel very full and thus, very loved.

If you haven't noticed, however, I have taken the liberty of posting a bunch of my holiday haul items. I wanted to give you something to chew on before I took a little break. I hope y'all find at least one thing that piques your interest.

I have huge plans for 2012. I finally threw caution to the wind and gave the ball of change a kick. It's going and so far everything is falling into place as it rolls along - slow and steady. That's how I manage big change, in baby steps.

I will now be taking a short break to enjoy all that 2011 has left to give me. If you really miss me, you can meet me under the mistletoe. *wink*

Happy holidays lovers, haters, friends and foes.

Enjoy today because tomorrow doesn't exist without it.

3 Little Wonders by Ole Henriksen

2011-12-21T15:51:00.003-05:00

ole, ole, ole!

:Pricey at $83:

Skincare sets are amazing. They're even more amazing when they're worth every penny. I am a big fan of Ole Henriksen. I would recommend it to anyone without hesitation. That is epic.

During the holidays he has this:

It had two things I already use and love, and one I had never tried. That is why sets are a great way to shop around for a new skincare product. You can try a handful of items, for roughly the cost of one or two.

I will keep my breakdown of these three award-winning products short and sweet:

GREEN: Invigorating Night Gel - This was my first time. I approached with caution and I'm glad I did because it instantly dried out my skin . But now we're on the same page and things are goingn well. It uses botanial alpha hydroxy acids for rapid cell proliferation. Basically - a mini peel. And if you don't know, peels are like exfoliating on crack. Any exfoliating treatment gets rid of dull, old skin to make way for younger firmer skin.

ORANGE: Truth Serum Collagen Booster - One of my all time favourite products ever. Amazing hyration for your skin with a Vitamin C boost.

BLUE: Sheer Transformation - A light and silky moisturizer that gradually reduces hyperpigmentation.

How do you use all these wonders? Easy. It's paint by numbers.

Apply ORANGE to your face in the morning. And then in the evening a little GREEN, followed by BLUE and then into bed for some ZZZZZZs.

NOTE: If you have sensitive skin like me, I would gradually introduce GREEN and then only use it once every other day.

It's a truly amazing skincare regimen that has garnered me a slew of compliments. I would love to show you how glowy and happy my face is, but alas, I'm still undercover.

I just want you to no that I don't joke around about skincare. I especially don't make sh*t up. So when I say that my skin looks noticeably better, trust that it does. So much so that in the past two weeks friends have commented on how great I look. Sure, you're thinking they're my friends, they're biased or they're just fangirling me. Well, they're not. My friends don't fan-girl. We're better than that. They say it like it is, always and forever because in my hood, we keep it real.

Love it.

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush by Tarte

2011-12-18T10:59:00.002-05:00

amused

:Pricey at $33:

It's no secret, I love tarte. My sister needed new blush so I suggested she get the new Amazonian clay one from tarte. It's a great alternative to their gel cheek stains, and Amazonian clay works for all skin types. They come in lovely colours, like all of tarte's products, and is a great (more) natural alternative to other brands.

It comes in a eight beautiful shades. I got exposed (nude).

Pretty case.

My sister was very specific about the look she wanted. She wanted the 'I just went for a brisk walk' look. Easy....I got her amused:

Amused - Bright pink

Woohoo.

Love it.

Lip Butters by Revlon

2011-12-15T22:57:00.001-05:00

tasty treats

:Cheap at $11:

Creamy, buttery, and lovingly tinted. If I had to give you a simple comparison, it's like colourful chapstick. I am so down with that.

Creamsicle and Tutti Frutti

Caress your lips with fun colours.

Love it.

Naked Palette by Urban Decay

2011-12-12T11:32:00.001-05:00

i like to get NAKED

:Pricey at $58:

I love this palette on so many levels. I adore Urban Decay's shadows - they're long-lasting, highly pigmented and easily blendable. Their primer is also easily hands-down one of the best. Look how sleek, slim and sexy this palette is, yes, that's velvet. A panel of 12 neutral, sultry shadows wrapped in brown, soft velvet.

It's not so pricey if you apply my use per dollar formula. It's the same as my wear per dollar for clothes. Apply my logic and you'll see that the $60 you shell out for this is well worth it's value because you get 12 versatile, universally-flattering shadows, a mini bottle of primer, and a brush. It's the same logic I used when I bought my $200 Smythe blouse. As of today, I've worn that blouse about 40 times. That's about $5 per wear. Doesn't that make more sense than the Club Monaco knit top. It's wear per dollar is $79. Bought it and wore it once. Shame.

Back to the sexiness. Here are the shades in NAKED 1.5:

Version 1.5 has a brush; NAKED 1.0 had a 24/7 liner.

The added bonus of my purchase is that it's for the jet-setter. I'm off on holiday in January and this will be coming with me. It's very travel friendly.

As far as palettes go, this one is simply irresistable. So much so that you want one too? Do it. Version 2.0 is coming. Everyone should be naked.

Love it.

Stay-There Eye Shadow by Buxom

2011-12-09T13:36:00.001-05:00

runt of the litter

:Pricey at $21:

Buxom calls this line "a whole new breed" of shadow. Right now they're "exclusive" to Sephora. They come in cute names and support a wonderful cause, Canine Companions for Independence, a not-for-profit organization that provides assistance dogs to people with disabilities.

That alone made the purchase worth it. But take that away, and it falls flat. I didn't love it, nor did I hate it - i.e. there was nothing special that made it worth its pricetag.

Mutt, a bronzed taupe, is a universally flattering colour and perfect for everyday use. So my purchase wasn't a total bust.

Skip it.

Pretty Amazing Lip Color by Bare Escentuals

2011-12-06T23:21:00.001-05:00

self-promoting

:Pricey at $17:

I loved the applicator. It's pretty amazing.

Precise enough to make a star:

For real.

The range of colours is nice, but as always, I gravitate towards nudes so I got Allure and Free Will.

They're all creamy and high impact.

Like it.

Starry-Eyed Baked Eyeshadow Trio by Lorac

2011-12-03T14:23:00.002-05:00

good comes in threes

:Pricey at $34:

It's pricey as a unit, but considering you're getting three complimentary colours, it's a good deal.

I have a penchant for stars, and after LOVING the Lorac blush I bought a while back, I picked this up. It's part of my wonderful, winter, holiday haul.

Lorac's palettes are highly pigmented baked shadows wet or dry:

Dry

Three stupid-proof shades to make you a superstar. I literally got Superstar (golden beige - highlighter, golden tan - contour, and deep bronze - eyeliner).

Like it.

P.S. Beauty FYI - Lorac is Carol backwards. Why Carol? Carol Shaw, celebrity make-up artist.

Matte Finish Nail Treatment by Seche Natural

2011-12-02T15:43:00.001-05:00

"beauty knows no color"

:Cheap at $5:

Their motto is quite the poetic metaphor.

Seche is by far one of the best basecoats ever. Only the best for my nails because I put them through the ringer - I change my polish up to three times a week. That begs the assumption that I'm either crazy or have beauty ADHD. Or perhaps, I'm just taking after JLo, after all, she changes her polish every episode of American Idol. I'm not a fan of her music, but I'm a fan of her diva-ness.

Seche provides a smooth, healthy clean base:

Left - Bare | Right - Seched

Yes, exactly.

A clean, fast drying layer to protect your nails. It's also nice on its own if you're in the mood for muted matte nails.

Gopher it.

Love it.

Toronto: Hue's Kitchen

2011-12-01T15:50:00.003-05:00

who? hue.

:Yonge + Bloor:

Everything is better with Bana. Our impromptu lunch date landed us at Hue's Kitchen. I had heard it was good.

It is, for what it is; fast, cheap, good food.

Honourable mention to the rolls - salad and fried. Both tasty and cheap. I also need to point out the terrasse, sorry, patio...it is lovely and totally unexpected.

At $1.50 I should have ate 10.

My lunch was the pho, bad choice; butter chicken roti, better choice.

$5.99, what!

Apart from the communication mishap Bana and I experienced with our server, it was an easy lunch: in-eat-out.

Hue's secured a spot on my lunch draw. And that my friends, is a good thing.

Buxom Lash Mascara by Buxom

2011-12-01T15:46:00.000-05:00

i say no, no, no

:Average at $24:

I really, really, really disliked this mascara.

The wand looked promising:

But the finished product was anything but:

It's wet and heavy. Translation bad mess.

No one wants that.

Dislike it.

Cream Eye Liner by Smashbox

2011-11-29T12:12:00.000-05:00

too much smash-in-me-box

:Pricey at $27:

I think I OD-ed on Smashbox. I never LOVED the company to begin with, but when I went to get the Limitless Liner, I threw in a couple other things that piqued my interest.

How unfortunate that the only think I liked was said liner.

This is their cream eye liner in Midnight Brown:

It was average. For the price, I'd rather get MAC's Fluidline and spend less to sit above baseline. I sit prettiest on top.

Skip it.

Toronto: L'Ouvrier

2011-11-26T19:32:00.003-05:00

a worker's love letter

:Dundas + Bathurst:

Another restaurant opened up in hipsterville. It's unassuming, so unassuming that Aerie and I walked right by it. We almost got to Clinton when we realized we had gone too far.

Quality Aerie-GG time is not frequent enough so we always make sure to pick a place that will make our taste buds happy. The last time we got any one-on-one action was Bannock, and that was questionable happiness. Oh how times have changed, quality Aerie-GG time used to consist of getting completely wasted and tearing up the dance floor like we were the only two b*tches who knew how to dance...sometimes, we were. It was like rhythm nation but two tiny Asians.

L'Ouvrier means worker, and the restaurant's philosophy has something to do with believing that food is less art and more hard work. The space used to be an afterhours club, and well, you can tell. It looks a bit like a pop-up restaurant. The restaurant stripped everything down and kept the space raw and white except for some noticeable flashes of hot pink - one hot pink table and the aprons the servers wore. I didn't like the decor, except for these:

Brunch should always be this pretty.

But after some digging, at least now I understand it: A friend, Courtney Wotherspoon, designed the installations for them:

The materials in the baggies are evidently from the reno.

Before I get to the food, I thought I should mention the napkins. L'Ouvrier gives their patrons dish towel in lieu of napkins. I don't know about you, but I don't like using dish towels to wipe my mouth or hands - at least not while I'm eating. They look like your run-of-the-mill dish towel...they smell like them too. I took a sniff while wiping my mouth. Bad idea.

Now onto the food, Aerie and I had some quality time laughing over scones:

They were okay. A little dense and dry.
The preserve was mango; I would have preferred something else.

Comparing our choices (both served with really well-seasoned, well-cooked french fries):

Aerie's burger ($16) - She liked everything but the crumbling meat.

Fried egg sandwich with house smoked bacon ($13)
I really, really liked this. The bacon was so good.
The bread was really, really buttery. My hands were soaking in grease post-sandwich.

That is a perfectly cooked egg.
Yolk spillage. Beautiful.

It was a lovely brunch. And we worked off some of the delicious calories by taking a nice stroll through the city. Quality time is so very precious.

L'Ouvrier's brunch menu, because by now, you want to know more? Right?

Toronto: The One That Got Away

2011-11-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

did he really get away? or did you let him go?

:King West:

I have been waiting and waiting to eat here. "Everyone" already came and went. Now it's my turn.

I love the name (course if it got away, how'd they catch and cook it?) I'm not sure how the name came about or what it is they're playing on, but that's okay because I love fish & chips and this place does sustainable fish - cooked on demand. If I had to sum it up, I'd say this place is like Big Smoke but instead of meat, it's all about fish. Same idea: simple drop-in decor and eat-in seating, reasonable prices, custom choice menu, and fresh ingredients made-to-order. It is a winning formula.

Halibut is a classic so we ordered that:

And then I had to get the Barramundi because I like saying it:

I will definitely go back. Although there was a bit too much excess batter, the fish inside was so buttery and meaty that I can still say I really liked it. The fries were delicious, of course. I've never had bad chips at fish & chips.

Next time I will be coming for the fish tacos...and chips. Always have to have chips.

The Nude Lip Liner by Smashbox

2011-11-24T09:10:00.001-05:00

definitive article

:Pricey at $19:

The Nude Lip Liner comes in four colours: Fair, Light, Medium and Dark.

This is Fair:

It's staypower is limited.

Fair...how fitting, since this liner was just that. It wasn't terrible, just forgettable.

Skip it.

Limitless Eye Liner by Smashbox

2011-11-23T09:29:00.001-05:00

know no bounds

:Average at $22:

I was looking for a new pencil liner and was feeling indecisive. It happens, a lot. So I threw a bunch of brands (MAC, Smashbox, Urban Decay, Bobbi Brown, and Lancome) into a bowl (I have a pretty glass bowl for such occasions).

I pulled out Smashbox and then went and bought their Limitless Eye Liner. I liked how the name just rolled off my tongue.

It's not the sharpest point, and the colour didn't seem rich, but I gave it a go.

After 16 hours. I desperately need sleep.

It glides on and stays put.

Like it.