Futures Bakery & Cafe

Are you a hungry student? Futures has all day breakfast for $5.99 when you show your student ID. Futures used to be my to go place for breakfast while I was in school (where was this discount when I was in school?). Very close to UofT, affordable and tastes great! Also the wide selection of pastries and cakes kept bringing me back here.

My sister had the three eggs with bacon while I had the smoked salmon eggs benedict. Thanks to Karen, we paid student price for both meals. I was contemplating whether I should get the omelette or the salmon benedict and I wish I had gotten the omelette. The smoked salmon didn't really work for me; it was really salty and I didn't like it with the hollandaise sauce. The traditional egg breakfast was executed well, simple, plain, nothing to complain about. We liked the homefries that came with the dishes. Again, it was bit salty for my liking but Karen enjoyed it very much.

Pleasant vibe, busy cafeteria scene, a great place to hang out, morning or late at night. It is always packed and I can see why. The food is not over the top but definitely has some heart into it. Need some comfort food? This is the place.

Futures Bakery & Cafe

483 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON   M5S 1Y2
416.922.5875


posted by rin

Butler's Pantry @Roncesvalles

Butler's Pantry is a small sized restaurant that offers unique set of menus for Asian-fusion dishes. There are two locations, Roncesvalles and Markham Street. Both locations are decorated with vintage furniture and have cozy atmosphere.

This is the best salad dressing I have ever tasted. Yes, they are very secretive about the ingredients or how it is made. I asked the waitress one time for the recipe and she said only the owners know the recipe. This made me itch so bad to find what is in this dressing! It is sweet, fruity, rich, little savoury, citrusy... it has a little bit of everything! I wish I had the super palate to figure out what ingredients were used. Unfortunately, my tongue is as plain as it gets, so all I can do is to just come back and enjoy this salad dressing with fresh greens at butler's pantry.

The Cricket Club ($9)
Traditional Club sandwich, with charcoal grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato with a mango chutney flavored mayonnaise spread

You can't go wrong with a club sandwich. Period. The whole wheat bread was lightly toasted (no it will not hurt your upper mouth as some crispy breads do) and cut into four pieces. The sandwich contains an extra slice of bread in the middle, so it requires you to open wide to bite down the entire sandwich. The mango chutney flavoured mayo is a very nice touch, it adds more flavour compared to plain mayo. It comes with potato chips which I am not sure if it is home made or store bought. It just tasted like lays to me.

Jambalaya ($12)
Our version of the classic Cajun dish. Spicy tomato rice with chicken, zucchini, carrots, leaks, mushrooms and onions

This was my first jambalaya ever and I don't have anything to compared to but I liked it. I am not a tomato fan, but I liked how the tomato didn't overpower everything else. It is not really spicy. The portion was generous and the green salad was a perfect side dish for this savoury dish. I will have to try the real classic jambalaya soon to compare.

Khowsway ($11)
Our version of the famous Burmese dish. Chicken pieces cooked in a coconut milk sauce, mildly spiced served on a bed of egg noodles and garnished with chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber and coriander

This dish was a surprise. We read the description but didn't know what to expect. The noodles were little hard and didn't have much flavour. The chicken was tender and well soaked in coconut milk sauce which was good.

The staff here are very friendly and down to earth. I like Butler's Pantry because of the amazing, mouth watering salad dressing, but also because the menu is quite unique. Some people might find it strange or all over the place to have so many different dishes but I like it that you can go to one place and try various dishes. Since the menu is Asian-fusion, you won't find any traditional ethnic dishes here but Butler's is a great place for your creative appetite.


Butler's Pantry
371 Roncesvalles Ave
Toronto, ON
416.537.7750
butlerspantry.ca

posted by rin

kinton ramen

There has been so much hype about Kinton Ramen. I have visited this place three times in the past two months and became the Kintown Bowler twice. The menu offers seven types of Japanese ramen with choices of light, regular or rich broth and belly or shoulder part of the pork. There are toppings you can add onto the bowl for those who like to customize their dish and few selections of appetizers. I have heard good things about their tofu, I have yet to try them.

The first thing I noticed was the interior design. I was captivated by the rough zigzag puzzle-fitted wood deco on the walls. Simple yet effective. This place is tiny; very narrow and crammed. It will seat about 30 people at a time. Please note, expect a LONG line, especially during dinner hours (yes they have lunch hours and dinner hours; closed between 3-5pm).

The ramen I have tried are: Miso Ramen, Shoyu Ramen and Spicy Garlic Ramen; all with regular broth and shoulder part of the pork.

Miso Ramen: This one is my favourite. The broth had richer flavour compared to others (even on the same regular broth level). I found it little strange to have corn as a topping but overall, I really enjoyed it.

Shoyu Ramen: The broth was lighter compared to miso ramen with a saltier note. It came with hard boiled egg and two sheets of nori.

Spicy Garlic Ramen: I didn't think it was that spicy, but definitely spicier than the other types of ramen they have. I was surprised to see the golf ball sized chopped garlic served with the dish. I am not a huge garlic fan, so I only used half of the garlic ball. Perhaps this was why I didn't think the dish was spicy. I was expecting the cayenne pepper spicy not garlic spicy.

The noodles are soft and chewy. The pork shoulder is very soft and juicy. I tried the belly (from a friend's) and it was bit too fatty for me.

 

Kinton Ramen actively promotes their menu and events online through their facebook, twitter and mobile app. One of the things that kept me coming back was the Kinton Bowler. If you finish your bowl of ramen completely to the last drop of the broth, you are rewarded a Kinton Bowler badge (above) and the honour of your photo posted on their facebook page. If you become a Kinton Bowler for the tenth time, you also get a certificate.

It is very much like Guu, in terms of atmosphere and loudness. The entire staff welcomes and bids you farewell in unison, also occasional shouting of Japanese cheers. Despite the long wait (usually about 20-40minutes), I always enjoy Kinton Ramen. I find they really captured the taste of Japanese ramen (compared to other places in Toronto). The noodles are tasty and the experience is entertaining. Get your group picture taken and become a Kinton Bowler!


Kinton Ramen
51 Baldwin Street
 Toronto, ON
647.748.8900
kintonramen.com


posted by rin

[nyc] 230 fifths

A year ago today, the purples were celebrating at 230 fifths, one of New York's best rooftop lounges. It has an amazing view of the city but it is known for an excellent view of the Empire State Building which is very close by. We opted out doing anything touristy, so this was the closest thing we did, "viewing" the Empire State Building with martinis in our hands.

Strange how all the photos turned out weird. The heating lamps created this invisible haze that only appeared on camera. It was quite chilly even with the heating lamps on hence the red snuggie as you see some people are wearing. I heard 230 fifths is a great place for a party and has different atmosphere in the summer, but in the fall, it was rather cozy and relaxing (minus the cold wind).

Pair of Pears  ($14)
Grey Goose 'la Poire' Pear Vodka, Freshly Squeezed Anjou Pear Juice

Delicious ($14)
Seagram's Apple Vodka And Freshly Squeezed 'Delicious' Apple Juice 'The First Real Apple Martini'

Hot Black And Blue Cider ($12)
With Blackberry Cider And Stoli Bluberi Vodka


The drink prices are average considering the venue and the view. They also had food menu which was very simple and reasonably priced. We only had few drinks here and headed to the real party afterwards.

I really miss New York. It is much livelier that Toronto, much to do, to eat, to see.... etc. But I can't imagine living in New York, it must be so hectic. I am getting nostalgic. I think I am due for another visit to New York soon.




230 fifths
230 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
230-fifth.com

posted by rin

return to La Forchetta for some desserts

The purples returned to La Forchetta to celebrate a lovely couple's anniversary. We tried different dishes but this posting will be for the three desserts we shared.





from top left..


Classic Sicilian Gelato ($7)
Three scoops of Natural Italian Ice Cream

Traditional ‘In-House’ Tiramisu ($9)
with strong brewed espresso, Marsala desert wine, spiced rum,
cognac & kahlua finished with semi-sweet chocolate shavings


Twice-baked Warm Chocolate Cake ($10)
with a centre of warm chocolate ganache, topped with a Sicilian Vanilla gelato scoop
and drizzled with a Belgium white chocolate sauce

The twice-baked chocolate cake (left) was very sweet and rich in chocolate flavour. It had a warm chocolatey core which melted in your mouth like heaven. If you are a chocolate fan, this is a perfect dessert to go for.

The gelato was soft and mild tasting. It tastes like how you think vanilla gelato tastes like. I am not sure it is worth $7 other than the fact that it was presented in a martini glass topped with gooseberry. Which, by the way, all their desserts (at least the ones we ordered) were decorated with gooseberries. I liked it because gooseberry is juicy and tangy (nice palate cleanser after heavy sweets) and looks elegant placed in its shell.


The traditional tiramisu did not look like a traditional tiramisu. We thought it was actually two scoops of ice cream. It was fluffy like a mousse and did not have ladyfingers. It had rich espresso scent and taste which is always a plus when it comes to tiramisu.

And of course, the house rosemary bread. It is absolutely to die for. I did find it little bit saltier than last time but still my number one complimentary bread given at any restaurants in Toronto.



La Forchetta

613 College Street
Toronto
416.534.3100
aforchetta.ca


posted by rin

Hua Sang - Lobster Lobster and Lobster!

My parents were visiting on Monday afternoon. Unanimously we decided to go to Hua Sang because where else would you go when you can get two delicious lobsters for $29.99?

We were very very hungry and decided we will need other dishes to tame our empty stomachs. We ordered Rice Noodle with Beef and Black Bean Sauce ($9.95), General Tao Chicken ($11.95) and Deep Fried Stuffed Bean Curd with Oyster Sauce ($11.95). The first two dishes are my mom's and my sister's favourite dishes at Chinese restaurants. I find these two are very common yet difficult to find a place where they are executed superbly. At Hua Sang, both dishes were very satisfying in terms of presentation and taste.

The noodles were soft and chewy, well mixed in with the rich black bean sauce.
The chicken was tender and was not overpowered by the batter. Little bit spicy but not something you can't handle.
The tofu (sorry no picture) is often found on dim sum menu and I was happy to see they have it on their dining menu. Very soft inside and chewy on the outside. I really like how the oyster sauce does not overpower the taste of tofu.

Finally, our main dish of the day. THE LOBSTER! We got the black bean sauce, even though we already had a black bean sauce dish, because we just love black bean sauce (also tried the onion&ginger before). The lobster tasted amazing. It was chewy, juicy and packed with black bean love. Make sure you nibble on the shells for the true flavour of the sauce. Yes, it is messy to eat but it is worth the mess.

It is very difficult to say which flavour wins the lobster challenge (black bean sauce or onion & ginger) because they are both so good. The ginger lobster is dry and deep fried which will have that crispy and deep fried goodness. If you are a sauce fan, go for the black bean.

At the end of your meal, the server will provide you with a hot towel to wipe your lobster fingers. Our stomach was filled with lobster and joy. On a Monday afternoon, the place was very empty. Perhaps  Hurricane Sandy played a part in it too as it was pouring that day. Maybe the lack of patrons led the waiter to stare at our table endlessly. It was strange. He just stood by the counter and stared and stared and stared. We were little uncomfortable but overall, he was attentive and polite.

I will definitely come back for some more lobster lovin especially for the 2 for $29.99 specials on Mondays and Tuesdays!



Hua Sang
41 Baldwin St
Toronto, ON  M5T 1L1
416.596.1628
huasangseafoodrestaurant.com


posted by rin

orchid latte at aroma espresso bar

Orchid Latte
A sweet milk-based pudding, flavored with rose water and garnished with coconut, walnuts and cinnamon. A luscious treat you can drink with a spoon!


a very unique latte is available at aroma espresso bar. it is very creamy and aromatic. this thick dessert drink will fill you up with warmth and full of love. perfect for cold cold winter.


aroma espresso bar
aroma.ca