Sammylicious - food travel & the life of sammy

Janet Jackson #1s Tour 2011

Sammy — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:33:36 PST

It has always been my hopes and dreams to see my childhood idol on stage performing her hit songs. When I was younger, my mother won the chance to see Janet Jackson in concert through a radio competition. I was too young at the time, so she took a family friend with her. I was disappointed that I couldn’t go that time because I knew Janet would never make her way back to Australia ever again! It’s always a rare opportunity to see good artists in Australia in concert so I had the feeling that I missed my one and only chance.

When I moved to Canada, I always hoped that I could see more concerts since artists travel to Canada more often as it is much closer for them and their fan base is probably much bigger. When I heard Janet Jackson was coming to Canada I was soooo excited but at the same time I was so disappointed that she would hold a show in Hamilton of all places! But my boyfriend offered to take me all the way to Hamilton which was 1 hour away from Toronto.

So on August 3, 2011, Janet’s one and only show in Canada, my boyfriend drove me all the way to Hamilton. It was a crummy of an evening – dark and rainy but I was so happy to be able to get to see Janet! She performed all her hits, and all my favourite songs. It brought back all the great memories of my childhood. I love Janet!

Janet Jackson #1s World Tour in Hamilton, Canada Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxiXYGXoPhs

Janet Jackson #1s World Tour in Hamilton, Canada Photos

Related posts:

Dutch Dreams

Sammy — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:38:37 PST

On a heaty summer night, we waited in line for 50 minutes at the famous Dutch Dreams Ice Cream Parlour. I couldn’t get over that we would wait for 50 minutes for ice cream, but I kept convincing myself that if this many people would wait in line for ice cream – it’s gotta be good!

So after we got that whopper of an ice cream for a whopper of a price, I still tried to convince myself that it had to be good if that many people would wait in line for it. So what’s the verdict? Well, by the time it was my turn to order – there weren’t any flavours left for me to order! I went through my list of preferences, and it was only up to my 7th where I found that they finally had what I wanted. After 50 minutes in waiting in line, you would think they should only settle for my first preference! Sigh. This was not the case, however.

But I must say, the flavours that I did settle for (despite being my 7th preference) was pretty good. I didn’t need the cream towering my ice cream without my consent however – but I guess this was the signature Dutch Dreams experience. The fruits were nice, but I dislike melon. I really wish they had’ve asked me… but back to the ice cream. It was great, delicious, yummy, lovely, yada yada.. but I am never going to wait 50 minutes for ice cream again no matter how good it is! Plus, it wasn’t that good. I really wanted my sorbet flavour, dammit!

Dutch Dreams Ice Cream Parlour Review

Related posts:

SGI Tree Planting 2011

Sammy — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:17:14 PST

In 2009, I went Tree Planting with the Canadian youth of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) in Caledon, Ontario. It was a great experience to be with fellow youth, making a direct positive impact on our environment. I decided to go again in the fall of 2011 and it was again a wonderful enriching experience.

I believe we planted over 250 trees that morning, and we could see the progress of SGI’s tree planting over the years. This is because we go to the same conservation area every year and we can see all the trees SGI Canada has planted. It was really nice to be in nature and trying to do something for our environment. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard work but a great workout and it was lovely to be in the sun.

SGI Tree Planting 2011 Photos

Related posts:

Great Cooks

Sammy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:46:30 PST

I recently had the opportunity to take a cooking class at Great Cooks on Eight. It was such a wonderful experience where I believe every single person truly had a great time. It was so enjoyable to let loose and learn to cook a dish with the help of a professional and learn some culinary art. But most importantly, it was so good to eat up all that awesome food we cooked without having to clean up the kitchen!

We made Bruschetta, Thai Spring Rolls, Grilled Peach Salad for appetizers, a steak for the main and a chocolate cake for dessert. Mmm!

It was amazing to cook at this place with such a great view too. If the classes weren’t so pricey, I would sure do it again.

Great Cooks on Eight Photos

Related posts:

Boston Public Gardens

Sammy — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:35:49 PST

Boston Public Gardens is a large park located in the heart of downtown Boston. It was built in 1837 and is next to Boston Common, another public park in Boston. As soon as I visited Boston Public Gardens, I immediately fell in love with its beauty. It was so well kept, so green, so lush, so relaxing, so tranquil. I couldn’t stop snapping shots everywhere and at one point, I nearly fell asleep on the grass with a smile still on my face.

Many people come to visit Boston Public Gardens to take a ride on the famous swan boats. A popular attraction at the park is the statue of George Washington. There were so many flowers in the park, but my favourite were the Allium flowers, they were so purple and round – so cute! You can’t forget those cute squirrels too though :)

Boston Public Gardens Video Guide in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1emoQ9VPes

Boston Public Gardens Photos in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Related posts:

Canadian Tulip Festival 2011

Sammy — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:07:58 PST

About the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa

The Canadian Tulip Festival is held for 3 weeks in May of every year in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada. I had the great opportunity to visit this year, although it was unfortunate that it rained throughout the whole weekend I was there. I still managed to get a great first hand glimpse of the beautiful flowers that decorated around Parliament Hill. The festival features over 1 million tulips and receives over 500,000 visitors annually. This is a really enjoyable event to visit in Ottawa if you ever get the chance to go.

Canadian Tulip Festival 2011 Photos

Related posts:

L’unita

Sammy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:17:09 PST

L’unita Restaurant Review in Yorkville, Toronto, Canada

In the spur of Summerlicious 2011, we decided to visit L’unita after reviewing the favourable reviews on Urbanspoon. It is a little boutique Italian restaurant located in Yorkville on Avenue Road. Because of all the positive reviews and squeezing in a reservation on Saturday at 6pm (anything later was all booked out), I was convinced we would be walking into a crowded restaurant but we were proven wrong. There were hardly anyone else there, and there wasn’t that many until almost 7:30pm. It was fine for us, because it meant faster service but it did some a little eerie and also they stuck us in the front of the house, which was probably the worst table available. Initially, we accepted it but then realized even when we were eating dessert there was still hardly anyone else there. I admit, was a little annoyed.

Nevertheless, the place was cute and I think with a bit more atmosphere it could be a lovely intimate and romantic restaurant. As for the food – well it was presented beautifully. The olive oil provided with the bread was fresh. The cucumber and arugula salad was full of flavour and crisp. The salt cod on the other hand, was not so much. The ontario fish was made beautifully, though I may be biased as I love lemon flavoured fish. However, the pasta was bland and stale. I found it hard to believe I wouldn’t like a seafood pasta. The pasta tasted like it either had not been cooked properly or it had been sitting out to dry for too long. There was hardly any clam taste either.

The desserts were probably the best course – though they weren’t that good either. The panna cotta had a lovely smooth consistency, while the orange mascarpone was a perfect combination to go with the espresso flavour. The strawberry conserva was packed full of sugar, which made it full of flavour and the lemon merengue was delish. Mmm. I’m glad I was able to leave the restaurant with the sweet strawberry goodness still on my tastebuds.

In all, I won’t go back to L’unita. We enjoyed the experience to dine in Yorkville and it wasn’t a bad downtown restaurant but we weren’t too delighted with everything. We walked away a little disappointed.

L’unita Restaurant Photos

L’unita Restaurant Interior Set Up

L’unita Menus

L’unita Bread and Olive Oil

Cucumber & Arugula Salad with Shaved Bottarga & Lemon Olive Oil

Baccala Montecato (Salt Cod over Fried Polenta & Spinach)

Ontario White Fish ‘In Saor’ with preserved lemon, swiss chard, farro & capers

Tagliatelle Pasta Con Vongole with clams, saffron, fennel & peperoncino

Espresso Panna Cotta with Dark Chocolate Crisps & Orange Mascarpone

Niagara Strawberry Conserva with floating lemon meringue & basil oil

Related posts:

Kayaking through the Thousand Islands

Sammy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:40:35 PST

About The Thousand Islands (Ontario, Canada & New York, USA)

In late July of 2011, we decided to hit the road and make it to the 1000 Islands (The Thousand Islands). This is an archipelago (cluster of islands) situated in the Saint Lawrence River at the border of Ontario, Canada and New York, USA. It emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario and stretches for 50miles (80km) which makes it perfect for Canadians and Americans to visit and enjoy many of their summer hobbies such as boating, kayaking, fishing, and simply just vacationing in a cottage.

Kayaking through the Thousand Islands

It has gorgeous and serene atmosphere, especially when the water is still. Even when a boat zooms by, it makes small ripples in the water and then its back to stillness is no time. This made it perfect for kayaking which I never knew how much effort it would take! It looks so relaxing to watch, but not AS relaxing to do. Nevertheless, it was still extremely enjoyable. It was my first time kayaking and I was especially tense as I was worried I would tip over (which was silly considering how still the water was).

It was a great work out for my arms and abs and is relaxing if you aren’t as worrysome as myself. The second time I kayak I think I would be more confident so I would be able to take better strides, be a much more efficient kayaker and thus, enjoy it much more.

Nevertheless, the Thousand Islands was perfect on a sunny day, it was so nice to just sit back in my kayak and feel the sun on my face and arms. The Thousand Islands is approximately a 3 hours and 30 minute drive from Toronto and approximately 6 hours from New York City. It was a worthwhile road trip.

Kayaking and The Thousand Islands Photos

Driving Directions from Toronto to the Thousand Islands

View larger map

Related posts:

Salad King

Sammy — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:45:22 PST

Salad King Restaurant Review

The infamous Thai Restaurant re-opened this year bigger and better. It is still located in the Yonge/Dundas area but is now situated across the street from its old location. The devastating incident whereby bricks collapsed over the old Salad King location probably gave them the publicity they deserved. They now have a much larger and modern location and is jam packed full of hungry people no matter what hour you visit.

The atmosphere at Salad King is always buzzing, with its cafeteria style tables. It’s kinda annoying since you’re sitting much closer to strangers than you’d like and when their food comes first, you can’t help but sit there and stare with your mouth watering and listening to every word of their conversation. I find that it becomes a competition of who can talk the loudest over the person next to you, and it’s just extremely difficult to have a pleasant conversation.

A great feature is the seats they have here as they have a compartment underneath for your coat, bag, etc. It wasn’t enough for my umbrella or a thick coat however so given the tight space between your left and right neighbour, coming to Salad King on a rainy cold day was quite annoying.

But despite all of this, the food here is definitely worth it. It’s no wonder they tried to pack as many people in here as possible as there is typically long lines to get in and they do not accept any reservations. It’s first come, first served and expect to wait unless you go and beat the rush. As soon as I step inside, my tummy starts rumbling and my tongue can’t help but hang outside my mouth. The desire to bang my hands on the table and demand food now becomes irresistible as I can smell the food coming out of the kitchen.

I’ve been to Salad King a couple of times now in which I’ve tried the Green Curry, Thai Basil Noodles, Hot Thai Noodles, Siam Noodles, Pad Thai Noodles and Khao Soi Noodles. Out of all the dishes, I must say that the Thai Basil is my favourite but I just love the taste of Thai Basil. The dishes always taste fresh and full of flavour.

But my most favourite feature of this restaurant is the ability to choose how many chilli’s you want in your dish. Some dishes already have a spicy sauce so it would be even spicier than the amount of chilli’s you pick. You can choose from the options: mild, medium, 1 chilli, 3 chilli’s, 5 chilli’s, 10 chilli’s, 15 chilli’s and 20 chilli’s. The hottest I’ve tried was 15 chilli’s and it was aweeeeeeeeesome but my stomach made a few noises afterwards. It was damn hot! I typically go with 5 or 10 chilli’s now depending on whether the sauce is already spicy or not. It’s difficult to find a restaurant that will have the courage to serve their patrons a decent amount of spice so that’s why I love Salad King. Salad King is my most favourite place to go for decent Thai cuisine.

Salad King Photos

Playa Blanca Beach

Sammy — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 06:31:37 PST

About Playa Blanca Beach in Cayo Largo, Cuba

In a recent post, I blogged about how I vacationed at Playa Blanca Resort in Cayo Largo, Cuba. The name “Playa Blanca” actually means “White Beach” which rings very true. It was beautiful to stay at Playa Blanca Resort (a beachfront all inclusive resort) to be so close to long stretch full of white sand and clear blue skies. We could just wake up and walk over to the beach which was so relaxing, especially since the beach was kept so peaceful. It was the perfect Caribbean getaway.

In Cuba, you can actually sunbake nude on the beach. As long as you are not sunbaking nude in front of the resort. The beach was so large, you could go far in the distance to sunbake nude peacefully. I would recommend this place for honeymooners or just people trying to get cheap travel to a relaxing beach vacation.

We managed to get 7 nights at this resort for only $630 for the whole vacation package trough Travel Zoo (all inclusive of flight, accommodation, all meals, unlimited drinks, and unlimited use of non-motored watersports). Such an awesome cheap travel deal especially for an island vacation.

Playa Blanca Beach Photos at Cayo Largo, Cuba

(Fotos de Cuba)

Related posts: