[paetrik]

[Web Cam] Mt. Fuji, Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:45:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Seoul, Korea

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:45:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:41:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Toronto, Ontario

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:39:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Times Square, New York

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:38:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Ottawa, Ontario

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:36:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Calgary, Alberta

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:35:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Banff, Alberta

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:34:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Malibu Beach, Los Angeles, California

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:32:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Las Vegas, Nevada

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:26:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:25:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Macau

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:23:00 +0000

[Web Cam] Tokyo, Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:10:00 +0000

Lunch at the Peller Estates

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:06:00 +0000

While I was visiting the wineries at the Niagara-on-the-lake region, I came across this classy restaurant at the Peller Estates Winery. The exterior of the building looks like an estate with great view to their vineyard. Chef Jason Parsons works with winemaker Lawrence Buhler to bring the best of Food and Drinks to their visitors. The menu itself changes every season. The good thing about eating at a vineyard is that great wine straight-from-the-barrel can be paired with the great food. The setting is modern and bright with a warm fireplace in the centre of the dining hall. Great fine dining experience!

Had:

I chose the Lunch Prix Fixe menu that day. The wine was a nice pair with my meal. I had:

Muscat Salmon and Melon (Cantaloupe, Honeydew Salad, Watermelon Gelee and Aged Balsami)
Chervil and Grape Mustard Crusted Lamb Sirloin (Woodland Mushroom, Aged Cheddar Parcel and Golden Beetroot)
Strawberry Meringue Parfait (Strawberry Gamay Sorbet, Balsamic Drizzle)

Menu

Lunch Prix Fixe

1st course

Rose Poached Hens Egg, Organic Watercress Salad - "Peller" Cured Elk Brasola, "Montforte" Aged Sheep's Milk, Verjus Dressing OR
Muscat Salmon and Melon - Cantaloupe, Honeydew Salad, Watermelon Gelee and Aged Balsamic OR
Peller Daily Soup Creation - Prepared From the Bounty of Niagara

2nd course

Fennel Pollen Crusted Salmon - Garden Pea, Fava Bean, Young Carrots and Icewine Butter Emulsion OR
Cabernet Braised Rib Eye - Pulled Pork, "Bay of Quinte" Curds, and Black Pepper Poutine OR
Chervil and Grape Mustard Crusted Lamb Sirloin - Woodland Mushroom, Aged Cheddar Parcel and Golden Beetroot

3rd course

Strawberry Meringue Parfait - Strawberry Gamay Sorbet, Balsamic Drizzle OR
Raspberry Tart - Honey Ice Cream & Fresh Raspberries OR
Sea Salt Brownie - Crème Fraiche Ice Cream Sandwich, Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

290 John Street East, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, L0S 1J0
905-468-6519 or 1-888-673-5537
http://www.peller.com

Lunch: Daily: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Dinner: Monday - Friday: 5:30pm - 8:30pm, Saturday & Sunday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Real Charcoal Fired Steak

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I was lunching at Wildfire Steakhouse with my family the other day. Great Atmosphere! It is in the heart of the great neighborhood of Lawrence Park. It intersects Yonge and Lawrence on the west side of Yonge just past Scotiabank on the south. We parked on the side street to the north of the restaurant. The setting is warm and romatic with oak wood decorations on walls and exquisite tiling on ground. We are brought to a booth seat by the server; the booth seat is raised, giving us a great view of the restaurant. We are surrounded by hundreds of great wines. There is also an open kitchen at the back of the restuarant. It looks sparkling clean!

This is my second time at this restaurant. It is serving a Sunday brunch today. I chose The Classic Cream Cheese & Lox Bagel. It comes with fresh fruits and smoked salmon. It is very tasty. My sister had an Egg Benedict. My mom ordered Hearts of Romaine & Grilled Chicken Salad. My dad ordered Sterling Silver New York Striploin Burger.

I just have to say that the steak in this restaurant is great. I had a Striploin Burger the first time and it is cooked just right! I have never had a real striploin in a burger before. It's the best burger I have ever had. They give you all the sauce you need so you can put the perfect amount for yourself. The steak is grilled perfectly! Charbroiled! I am very impressed!

Another plus of the restaurant is their wine selection. They have tons of wine to choose from in various price range. They also have live jazz entertainment on Thursdays and Fridays from 7:00-10:00p.m.

BRUNCH MENU
Appetizers

Wildfire’s Daily Soup
A homemade blend of fresh roasted herbed roma tomatoes,
with Grano Padano shavings. $8
Succulent Shrimp Cocktail
Succulent tiger shrimp, served with our zesty citrus-vodka infused cocktail sauce. $10
Escargots Provençal
Herbed butter, roasted garlic and shallots. $11
Organic Greens Salad
Fresh organic greens with Woolrich goat cheese, candied pecans and
dried cranberries, tossed in balsamic vinaigrette. $10

Main Course

Eggs Benedict
Traditional eggs Benedict, served with peameal bacon. $15
Substitute with Atlantic smoked salmon. $18
Woodland Mushroom & Goat Cheese Omelette
Fresh wild mushrooms and rich goat cheese. $14
Asiago & Asparagus Omelette
Steamed asparagus smothered with asiago cheese. $14
The Classic Cream Cheese & Lox Bagel
A fresh toasted bagel, served with Atlantic smoked salmon and cream cheese. $15
*above items served with fresh fruit and home fries.*
Hearts of Romaine & Grilled Chicken Salad
Our famous hearts of romaine salad served with homemade caesar dressing,
corn salsa and topped with a delicious grilled chicken breast. $14
Sterling Silver New York Striploin Burger
Topped with Monterey Jack cheese, and Wildfire’s specialty houseblend barbeque sauce.
Served with fresh cut fries. $15
The Vegetarian Club
Delicious grilled portobello mushroom, topped with goat cheese, grilled red onion,
red pepper and served on a fresh Kaiser with reduced aged balsamic & salsa verde.
Served with fresh cut fries. $14
Side orders of peameal bacon, breakfast sausage, or home fries available for lunch items. $6 each side

Location
http://www.wildfiresteakhouse.com/
Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar
3438 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario M4N 2N2
Tel: 416-483-4800 Fax: 416-483-5032
Closest Major Intersection Yonge St & Lawrence Ave.

Hours of Operation Lunch: 11:30 - 2:30
Dinner: 5:00 - 10:00
Sunday: 5:00 - 9:00

Food: Iron Chef Sasi

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:25:00 +0000

My mom was talking about this place she read on the magazine that has good Thai food. So, my sister and I have decided to bring her and her friend's family on Mother's Day, May 11, 2008. Mengrai is situated ion a very quiet neighborhood just off the downtown on the east end between Sherbourne and Mt. Pleasant on Richmond. We parked in front of the restaurant. The atmosphere of the restaurant is quite cozy. We have booked the only booth seats in the restaurant, see the image below. We were greeted by the server who brought us the menu. The menu is similar to many thai food around the city.

After reading the menu for a few minutes, we are introduced to Allen, the chef's husband. As he is explaining the menu, I read that I am eating at a Iron Chef restaurant. Sasi, Mengrai's chef participated in the Toronto Iron Chef Event. He brought us 2 special menus. One is the Mother's Day menu. The other is the special menu. He explained that the special menu is going to be the menu for next week where Four Seasons Yorkville Executives and Chefs are going to have. He also explained that he can do a custom menu in which Sasi is going to cater her best dishes for us. After a long conversation, we took the custome menu. This is the first time which we don't know what we will have. He told us briefly what are the things we will expect and he only confirmed for allergies and the level of hotness we can take.

The first course is a light snack dishes featuring 4 items. The tuna is seared perfectly. The outside has the grilled feeling but the inside is raw. The rice noodle looks like the chinese "cheung fan," it actually tastes sweet. The mango salad is great, the first time i have had mango that is both sweet and chrunchy. Then, we are treated with the Crispy Morning Glory, similar to Japanese Tempura but it is way less oily. They also brought us the dish that Sasi made in the Iron Chef Toronto Event. The avacado sauce is done just right! Next comes the Coconut Soup which is the most delicious one I have ever had in a Thai restaurant. TASTY!

Up to this point the portion of the dishes are quite small, it reminds me of the Tapka lunch we had in Muskoka. We had tons of dishes and yet we are never full. We were feeling that we are in this situation again. I guess this is a common feeling for custom menu because we don't know what is next. As we are planning where to have our late night snacks, the server brought us large plates. I assume that this means the large plates are coming. After about 10 minutes, Allen brought us 6 main dishes. The best main dish is #54 Red Curry Chicken with lychee and pineapple. It is not like any other curry chicken i have ever had. The lychee gave a special sweetness to the curry. YUMMY! The bass is also done just right! The dinner ended with a few desserts. One of them is called Rice Snowball which are like rice pudding although i dun really like that. We were so full from our dinner!

Had: Custom Menu
First Course
-Mien Kam Cashew Peanut Caramel Rice Noodle Wrap
-Seared Lemongrass Rubbed Nori Wrap Tuna
-Seared Lamb Stick
-Warm Organic Beef Salad Mango Sesame Coulis
-Chef Mango Salad topped with crushed peanuts
with sweet belle pepper, gula melaka, onion, roasted sun dried shrimps adn chilli, soy

Second Course
-Crispy Morning Glory
gourmet style tempura with thai spinach, wheat, egg, garlic, gula melaka
-Green Goddess Avacado King Prawns (as featured by chef Sasi at the Toronto Iron Chef Event)
Jumbo King Prawn poached in Avacado mild Green Curry and lemongrass oil
-Royal Style Lemongrass Coconut Soup with Tiger Shrimp Served in a fresh coconut
with Velvety Coconut broth with fresh coconut meat redolent of Thai ginger, kafir lime, basil, chili, tamarind, lime juice, tomato, mushroom, roasted scallions, coconut jus

Third Course
-Original Styled Pad Thai Noodle
with tiger shrimps and chicken, stir fry greens
-Crisp Red Snapper Filet
with red panang curry sauce
-Filet Stripe Bass
with tamarind coconut sauce, steamed asian greens
-Tender Pork Ribs
with tamarind garlic glaze, wok greens
-#54 Red Curry Chicken
with lychee and pineapple - our signature
-Stir Fry Glass Noodle with chicken and shrimps
with egg, soy, garlic, bean sprout, green onion, bok choy. Topped w/ corianders and dried scallions

Fifth Course
-Mango Snowball
with sweet coco-creme sticky rice, fresh mango, thai creme brule and fruits
-Green Tea Ice Cream
-Ginger Ice Cream

Location:
http://www.mengraithai.com/1.html
Mengrai Gourmet Thai
82 Ontario Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 2V3
416-840-2759 or 2754 (Reservation & Takeout),
416-546-0331 (Catering / Cooking Classes /Group Dining / Event Bookings)
(at NW corner of Richmond St E & Ontario St, between Sherbourne & Parliament),

Operating Hours:
Lunch: Monday to Friday 11:30 am to 3:00 pm
Dinner: Sunday to Thursday 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Friday & Saturday 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Parking:
Meter parking is available on the Richmond St side of the building
Green P Parking is available 1/2 block west on Richmond St East

Paris Photo Book

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:13:00 +0000

I have spent lots of time designing this photo book. Check it out and give me some comments! I actually printed it out cus it looks so good! It was a lovely trip! I have heard that it rains a lot in Decemeber but it turns out that it was only cloudy and rained for 1 day.

Quick Summary of the places i have been

DAY 1
Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysée, Élysée Palace, Place de la Concorde, Obelisk of Luxor, Grand Palais

DAY 2
Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame de Paris, Latin Quarter, Seine, BHV Department store,

Day 3
Montmartre
Sacré Cœur Basilica, Moulin Rouge, The Montmartre Vineyards, Place du Tertre

DAY 4
SHOPPING @ MARAIS DISTRIC, Luxembourg Gardens, Pantheon, Le Bon Marché, Place de la Bastille, Montparnasse Tower, D’Alesia

DAY 5
Tour Eiffel, Louvre, Opéra de Paris, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, Place Vendôme, Palais Royal

DAY 6
La Defense, Grande Arche and esplanade, Versailles garden, Palace of Versailles

DAY 7
Half day SPA

Stayed At
Sofitel La Defense

Transportation
Carte Orange - Zone 5

Great Dining Places
Sit out Restaurants in the Latin Quarter, Le Ceil de Paris on the 56th floor of Montparnasse Tower, the oyster restaurant on D’Alesia

Shopping
Great brands on the Champs Élysée (like LV and others), D’Alesia for great bargains

New Home Theatre

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Look at this new Home Theatre I designed on SceneCaster! I have to know how my new LCD TV will look like with the new furniture I am going to have. So, I have used SceneCaster to see how they all blend together! =)

Food: Rosewater Supper Club

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Went to Rosewater Supper Club for dinner with my great friend angelichigo the other day. We drove down and parked at a underground parking on #1 Toronto Street.

The Environment
The outside of the restaurant looks like an entrance to an old bank. As soon as i step into the restaurant, I hear great piano music being played on the left side with a large bar. Afterwards, we found out that the bar does not have cocktail drinks only hard liquor. Near the entrance there are a few comfy chairs and ottomans for guests to hand around and chat in. Beside the bar, there is a grand stairs that leads to the basement of the restaurant which contain a large wine cellar and photos of famous people who had been to the restaurant. We were greeted by the friendly reception and proceeded to the table we booked. It is just on near the centre of the dinning hall beside the orange-brown pillar in the photo. The dinning hall is dark with candles lit on every table. Our candle was off and the server has to come and replace it. That night is packed with guests. All the tables are full.

MENU
Chef: Paul Boehmer

The menu has quite a few first course to choose. We chose Pan Seared White Gulf Shrimp w/ Spiced Lemon Garlic Sauce. Main course has mostly seafood and steak. I thought this is a french/italian style restaurant. One of the course is won ton. I guess it has added a little fusion to its menu. The drinks menu was great with mostly red and white wine. We have decided to pass that because we were expecting some cocktail. I have ordered Roasted Nunavut White Artic Char (Subsituted with Trout) with Jerusalem artichoke puree, pinot-noir demi-glace, garlic Chip. It tastes great! I thought angelichigo doesn't have any idea in mind. So i suggest her to order Roasted Magret of Quebec Duck and Berkshire Pork Belly with braised Berkshire pork belly, pumpkin risotto, natural reduction of pan juices and niagara peach chardonnay vinegar. It turns out to be a great course! The duck is SUPERB! I would recommend anyone going there to try it out! It's juicy! It's done just right! She told me that she was going to order lamb but she liked the duck at the end which is good!

Tips: They have Jazz music every Thursdays and Saturdays.

Rosewater Supper Club
19 Toronto St, Toronto, ON, M5C 2R1
416-214-5888
Closed Sundays

http://www.libertygroup.com/rosewater/rosewater.html

My words made to the news

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:00:00 +0000

My words are being quoted by the new reporter, Kristen Nicole, Industry Standards:

psquare7: "SceneCaster works perfectly with my Google Models. I am able to do more with my Google objects now!"

http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way

Full Article:

SceneCaster: Setting up and sharing 3D scenes, the easy way
Kristen Nicole03.31.2008

10 ‘Net services that will:
Succeed
Trulia | SceneCaster | CafeScribe OverlayTV | Fav.or.it | Hulu
Huddle | Kaltura | ModiFace Cognitive Code
Fail
Joost | Twitter | Zillow | Chumby eCirkit | Flock | Spock | Jobster Squidoo | Second Life

Service: SceneCaster

What it does: Lets users create virtual 3D scenes, which can be shared with the SceneCaster community. Scenes can be viewed, rated and edited by other SceneCaster members.

Why it will succeed: SceneCaster's simple interface makes it easy to create virtual spaces -- something that can't be said for most other 3D modeling tools. It's been integrated with social networking sites as an application for sharing scenes and their objects with friends, and with Flickr for sharing images. Partnerships with Amazon, eBay and other online merchants allow retail items to be placed in users' scenes, presenting shopping and advertising opportunities for sellers, and a more realistic 3D experience for users.

Why it hasn't succeeded yet: SceneCaster is still finding its niche. While it incorporates many of the visual aspects and advertising methods now seen in 3D games, SceneCaster is not an actual vehicle for participating in virtual worlds. The service currently occupies a middle ground that falls somewhere between casual 3D modeling, virtual advertising, and social media sharing.

'Net views:

Larry Dignan, ZDNet: "SceneCaster is well conceived as a collaborative environment and an ecosystem for 3D content."

FaceReviews: "This is one of those applications that you must try. Seeing is believing. This app is super engaging and has quite a depth of features."

psquare7: "SceneCaster works perfectly with my Google Models. I am able to do more with my Google objects now!"
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/27/scenecaster-setting-and-sharing-3d-scenes-easy-way

My Last Year

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:47:00 +0000

I enjoyed my last year at UofT. I also have the chance to take some fun courses since I am done with all of my requirement courses. My convocation was great and the great weather was super that day. The most important thing is that school is finally over, not more GO Train and TTC. Thanks all of you who came to my convo!

Work Term

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:59:00 +0000

It's been a while now, so what have I been doing ever since my last post?

I was enjoying my work term as a QA at ATI / AMD. This is the best work environment ever. I felt like i am in a "True" work hard, play hard environment. Although my workplace now also used this "work hard, play hard" phrase but it's nothing compared to this. There were lotz of activities within our team. Me and my work buddies still hang out now even we don't work with each other anymore. One thing that we do weekly is poker. We would hang out in the 1CV's cafeteria to play poker every friday after work. We so called the 555 meeting. Dan was always the one who has the seriously poker face in him and Katelyn is pissed off quite a bit of times. Another one of my favourite activity is during the day when we throw cake at our bosses. There is an event once a year where boss would stand up on stage in the cafeteria and we would throw cakes at them. It's a very funny scene. I was watching coworker throwing it, the hatred that he had with his boss was released as the cake releases from his hand. kakaka.
We also call each other funny names at work. LuLu and dumbass are some of the names we used. Lulu always comes around and swings his badge. I remembered that we also have those quarterly events where we do team building games. We went to skiing, the docks and playdium. So much fun! There was one time Grosko was away for his vacation and we would literally take everything out of his cubical and replace it with cardboard equivalent computers, chairs, phones, and other equipment. Everything is in proportional. I took pictures of them and they are at work.

My New Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Poon) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:44:00 +0000

It's time for me to get back into blogging. My last post was on April 12, 2006. Here is the last article. Thanks to all of you who have been checking my blog out although it is dead for the last bit.