In the Kitchen: Seafood Vegetable Soup: LAZY Edition

This soup is perfect for when you're having a no-fuss day and want to just throw everything you have into a pot.  Its a pretty basic soup that can be made with any combination of fresh (or frozen!) vegetables. The recipe can easily be double, tripled or reduced.

Seafood Vegetable Soup

Seafood Vegetable Soup

In The Kitchen: Lobster Poutine

Loblaws had a $1.99/lb-of-lobster-tail sale. Bought 5 tails and made lobster poutine - MUCH easier than you would think!

Harper's Burger Bar [Kingston]

Kingston definitely has its fair share of burger joints, what with being the home to Five Guys  and The Works. Decided to check out Harper's (under the same group as Chien Noir and Atomica, also located in Kingston) which many have argued is better than The Works!

HARPER'S BURGER BAR
Where: 93 Princess Street
Kingston, ON
K7L 1A6
Price: $

Sansotei Ramen

The newest contender in the ramen craze taking over Toronto! As Kinton Ramen and Momofuku Noodle Bar join the sudden surge of ramen shops - in comes Sansotei, a smaller hot spot for delicious, flavourful ramen !

SANSOTEI RAMEN
Where: 179 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON
M5G 1Z8
Price: $ (Ramen goes from $8.25 to $9.50)

Tips from the Kitchen: The Bread Code

Did you know the bread code tag actually tells you when the bread was baked?

via First Things

The colour of the code actually designates the day of the week on which a loaf of bread was baked.

Blue: Monday

Green: Tuesday

Red: Thursday

White: Friday

Yellow: Saturday

An easy way to remember is to use the alphabet. The colours run in alphabetical order so the earlier they appear in the alphabet, the earlier in the week the bread was baked.

Universel Déjeuner & Grillade [Montreal]

Located in the heart of downtown Montreal, this trendy diner provides fast and affordable brunches. From pizza and pastas to omelettes, pancakes and waffles, there's something here for everyone!

UNIVERSEL DEJEUNER & GRILLADE
Where: 2055 Rue Peel
Montreal, QC
H3A 1V4
Price: $$

Jean Talon Market [Montreal]

Jean Talon is located in Villeray near Jean-Talon metro station. Local farmers come here to sell their goods so the market is always full of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and plants. The produce is not limited to local food however, many farmers sell exotic produce in bulk at insanely cheap prices.

MARCHE JEAN TALON
Where: 7070 Avenue Henri Julien (near Jean Talon metro station)
Montreal, QC
H2S 3S3
Price: N/A

Au Pied de Cochon [Montreal]

Most agree that one visit to Au Pied de Cochon (The Pig's Foot) in Montreal is simply not enough. One visit will confirm your inability to sample enough of the menu, leaving you disappointed, overstuffed but underexperienced.

As Corey Mintz from the Toronto Star puts it:

"..This restaurant is the marriage of two dining philosophies, the North American obsession with disturbingly large portions and the French tradition of cooking with real ingredients not trademarked by malevolent agribusinesses"

Exterior following the trend of signless restaurants =)

AU PIED DE COCHON
Where: 536 Duluth Est
Montreal, QC
H2L 1A9
Price: $$$ ($189 (without tax) for 5 people)

Garde Manger [Montreal]

Garde Manger is Food Network star, Chuck Hughes' first restaurant and he did not disappoint. It was not cheap, but it was worth every single bite! The star Canadian chef loves seafood (he even has a lobster tattooed on his arm!) and this definitely reflects in this restaurant. It is always packed and it is recommended that reservations are made at least a month in advance! 

GARDE MANGER
Where: 408 rue Saint-Francois-Xavier
Montreal, QC
H2Y 2S9
Price: $$$$ (Our meal came to around $400 for 5 people)

Juliette et Chocolat [Montreal]

The ever famous Juliette et Chocolat is a favourite stop in Montreal! There are several locations around Montreal and if you're a chocolatier, this will be your heaven!

JULIETTE ET CHOCOLAT
Where: 3600 Boulevard Saint Laurent
Montreal, QC
514-287-3555
Price: $$

Restaurant L'Academie [Montreal]

First stop for dinner was Restaurant L'Academie, a popular restaurant and there are several of them in the different areas of the city. The prices are very reasonable given how fancy the restaurant is!

RESTAURANT L'ACADEMIE
Where: 2100 Crescent Street
Montreal, QC
H3G 2B8
514-664-4455
Price: $$ (Our bill was $93 for 5 people)

Toronto Underground Market (TUM)

On Saturday, August 25, we went to our first ever underground food market! Toronto Underground Market (aka. TUM) is a social food market for the community to sample the food of Toronto.  Restaurants/food trucks and pop-up restaurants set up their own booths and offer one or two specialty dishes. This is a MUST TRY-experience event if you ever get the chance! This event happens once a month through out the year so there are plenty of opportunities to go!

Evergreen Brickworks

TORONTO UNDERGROUND MARKET
Where: Evergreen Brickworks (TUM provides a shuttle bus from Broadview Subway Station every 30 minutes throughout the night)
550 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, ON
When: August 25, 2012 - 6pm-11pm
Price: Food ranged from $2 - $7. There is also an $11.25 ticket fee.

Fishman Clubhouse Restaurant

Fisherman Clubhouse Restaurant is truly a hidden gem in Toronto. If you're looking for quality Chinese-style seafood, this restaurant is a MUST.

FISHERMAN CLUBHOUSE RESTAURANT
Where: 4911 Steeles East
Toronto, ON
M1V 4Z3
416-321-0250
Price: $$$ (Our meal for 6 people came to $250)
Special notes: Don't even bother showing up unless you have a reservation as it is always crazy packed. Also, any substitutions to a set menu means extra $$!

In the Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup!

As a university student, I always like quick and easy recipes! I stumble uponed a bunch of baked goods in a cup, so I decided to try them all starting with chocolate chip cookie in a cup!

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup

Beard Papa's

Known as one of the World's Top Cream Puffs, Beard Papa's has extended from its home base of Japan all the way to us in North America.

BEARD PAPA'S

4300 Steeles Ave East (2nd Floor, Unit 9 & 10)

Markham, ON

L3R 0N8

In the Kitchen: Caramel Popcorn (Clean Eating!)

A seemingly heavy snack that's easy on the calories! Super easy and very very quick :)

In the Kitchen: Ddukbokki

Ddukbokki is a Korean snack dish made with rice cakes. I usually love eating these at Korean restaurants.. and I admit, I was craving the ddukbokki from Joon's so I thought I'd give it a shot!

Didn't turn out too bad!

While there are many variations on the sauce, this recipe makes the spicy-sweet kind!

Steam Kitchen - BEWARE of this restaurant

Decided to try the new restaurant at the Golden Court plaza in the little restaurant space under the plaza (that replaced Dickens Now). Left absolutely in shock and disgust at it.

STEAM KITCHEN
328 Highway 7 Easte
Unit B1, B2
Richmond Hill, ON
L4B 3B7

Shiso Tree Cafe

Tucked away in J-Town, Shiso Tree Café is a hidden gem that is easy to miss. It specializes in Japanese-Italian cuisine and boy, does it do a good job! Heaps of steaming hot Italian pasta with Japanese-inspired sauces make this a notable place to eat.

SHISO TREE

3160 Steeles Avenue East

Markham, ON
(905) 479-9319

Tips from the Kitchen: Three is Sweet!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating raw
Peppers with 4 bumps are firmer and hold better when cooking.

Just remember: "THREE IS SWEET"

via. Do it and How

Tips from the Kitchen: DIY Cupcake Frosting Colour Chart

Ever have trouble making that perfect colour for icing? Have no fear, these charts will help you!
The May issue of the Food Network Magazine has a neat cupcake icing colour chart.

These charts basically show you how to make lovely pastel frosting shades with a basic food colouring kit (red, yellow, blue and green)

via Food Network Magazine

In spirit of the 2012 Summer Olympics...

National flags made from their own food!

These delicious flags were designed for the Sydney International Food Festival by the advertising agency WHYBIN\TBWA. Wonderful concept that display's the nation's flag made with foods associated with the country!

Italy
Basil, Spaghetti, Cherry Tomatoes

Butter Avenue

I was finally able to make it to Butter Avenue (@butteravenue) which was conveniently located near my workplace. It's been opened since December 2011 but I just haven't been able to find the time to go!

BUTTER AVENUE
Where: 3467 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M4N 2N3
Price: $ (Macarons: $2.25 each, small cake slices $6-7)

ST. LAWRENCE MARKET

I have a weakness called farmer's markets and food markets. I could honestly spend an entire day at one and still not want to leave.
The most well known food market in Toronto is known as St. Lawrence Market - it's actually ranked the world's best food market!

ST. LAWRENCE MARKET
Where:
92-95 Front Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1C3

Price: n/a

Trevor Kitchen & Bar (Summerlicious 2012)

We ate at Trevor Kitchen and Bar with two of our other friends for the Summerlicious dinner menu. This wonderful restaurant that has become a top hit for Summerlicious for us :)!

Exterior (Sorry for the action shot !)

TREVOR KITCHEN & BAR
Where: 38 Wellington Street East
M5E 1C7
416-941-9410
Price: $35 for Summerlicious Dinner Menu ($45 in the end)

Fred's Not Here (Summerlicious 2012)

Fred's Not Here for Summerlicious lunch 2012! The environment of the restaurant was so-so.. but the food was good - Huge portions..!

FRED'S NOT HERE
Where: 321 King Street West
Toronto, ON
M5V 0C4
Price: $20 for Summerlicious Lunch Menu

Taste of Little Italy 2012

We love hitting up food festivals - first one of the summer: Taste of Little Italy which happened from June 15 - 17 on College Street between Bathurst & Shaw.

TASTE OF LITTLE ITALY

June 15-17 2012

College/Shaw - College/Bathurst

Xococava [CLOSED]

After hearing this was one the best places to get ice cream, of course we had to try it for ourselves!

XOCOCAVA
Where: 1560 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M4T 2S9
Price: Goodies usually range from $0.50-$20 (I spent a total of $21)

Sassafraz (Summerlicious 2012)

Our first Summerlicious pick for 2012 was lunch at Sassafraz. Now, Sassafraz is by far one of the prettiest restaurants (How can it NOT be? It's located in the heart of Yorkville!!) I've been to for Summerlicious. But their food served for the Summerlicious menu can only be summed up in one word: underwhelming. 

SASSAFRAZ
Where: 100 Cumberland Street
Toronto, ON
M5R 1A6
Price: $25 for Summerlicious Lunch

JOON'S

My work term was at Yonge and Sheppard, so we finally had the chance to try Joons which is conveniently located right best the  Sheppard subway station! They have a second location at Bloor/Christie Koreatown which is equally, if not more, as popular!

Just look for the signature bright orange sign :)

JOONS KOREAN CUISINE
Where: 4852 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
Price: $$ (Our meal was $25 for two people)

Hey Meatball

Passed by this adorable little diner during Taste of Little Italy. Decided to stop by and try their self-proclaimed home-made meatballs!

HEY MEATBALL
719 College Street
Toronto, ON
M6G 3C1
Price: $$ (dishes are typically $7-$15)

Tips from the Kitchen: The Difference between Coffees

The lingo used to order a coffee drink is a whole language in itself. Here is a useful chart to help differentiate between all the coffees!

via. Like Cool

Rodney's Oyster House

After the oysters at Taste of Little Italy, we decided to go to an oyster house to fulfill our oyster craving :)!

RODNEY'S OYSTER HOUSE
469 King Street West
Toronto, ON
M5V 1K4
416-363-8105

Dolce Gelato

We got to Taste of Little Italy way earlier than it was to start. Ended up sitting in Dolce Gelato for a while. Great little cafe filled with authentic Italian desserts and of course, gelato!

DOLCE GELATO
697 College Street
Toronto, ON
M6G 1B9
416-915-0756

In the Kitchen: Balsamic Strawberries

There is nothing simpler than this recipe! All you need is a pack of fresh strawberries and balsamic vinegar.
Vinegar? Trust me, you will hardly taste it! The vinegar actually brings out the sweetness of the strawberries even more :)

BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES

Canoe (Summerlicious 2011)

Went here for Summerlicious 2011 for the lunch. Figured might as well try the famed Canoe and enjoy the view and food  too :) We got really lucky with the reservations and actually got the last spot available 2 weeks before our lunch. The lunch price is a MUCH better value than dinner after seeing a few pictures of their meals - the portions were quite the same as the lunch portions.

CANOE
Where: 54th Floor, Toronto Dominion Bank Tower
66 Wellington Street West
Toronto, ON
M5K 1H6
416-364-4273
Price: $25 for Summerlicious Lunch

Tips from the Kitchen: When are Fruits/Veg/Herbs in Season?

A huge misconception when buying fruits, vegetables or herbs is that they are available year round. Yes, you will be able to find them in the store, but they may not be at their freshest. Seeing as we're university students and still learning on how to buy the freshest groceries possible, we thought we'd give a quick run-down on buying fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. Stumbled upon these amazingly helpful charts that displays which fruits/veg/herbs are in season:

via. Chasing Delicious

THE WORKS - Waterloo

The Works has finally come to Waterloo! It's only been the first week and the place is already packed every night! We got their at around 6:30, and we had to wait 40 minutes for an 8 person table. J and I went back on a Friday night at around 7:30 and had to wait 25 minutes. We noticed it started to slow down around 9 so we will try coming around that time next time!

THE WORKS (Waterloo)
Where: 92 King Street South
Waterloo, ON
N2J 4V1
Price: $$ (One burger combo came to $17 tax and tip included)

Buster's Sea Cove

We were attracted by the enormous line up outside of this stall! Knew we had to give it a shot :)

BUSTER'S SEA COVE

Where: 93 Front Street East

Toronto, ON

M5E 1C3

416-369-9048

Price: $ ($10-15 for an entree...~8 for one fish and chips!)

BURGER WEEK!

For the next 5 days from May 30 - June 3 in Toronto, it's The Grid's very first BURGER WEEK :) 

This means three things:

Petite Thuet

Always in search for the next best macaron, I decided to try Petite Thuet, owned by acclaimed chef Marc Thuet (pronounced 'Too-it'). It was a nice quaint place - great for an afternoon snack and a nice place to quickly recuperate if you are ever in the area!

Where: Petite Thuet
1 King Street West
Toronto, ON
M5H 1A1
416-867-7977
Menu

Price: $$ (Total: $16 for a drink, 6 macarons and a chocolate-almond croissant)

THE MELTING POT

The Melting Pot is a huge chain franchise in the USA (with 145+ locations!), but has recently just opened two locations in Canada (Edmonton and Richmond Hill). Lucky us up-towners get to try this new concept. This location took over the old The Keg restaurant that was here. 

THE MELTING POT
Where: 125-135 York Blvd.
Richmond Hill, ON
L4B 1J8
905-764-7770
Price: $$ ($22/person for 2 fondues)

BUK CHANG DONG SOON TOFU

Came here spontaneously one ridiculously windy day! Good place for a quick bubbling hot tofu stew :)

via. Her Toronto

Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu
Where: 5445 Yonge Street
North York, Toronto, ON
M2N 6K7
416-537-0972
Price: $ 

WHOLE LOT-A GELATA

A surprisingly large cafe that specializes in gelata! They also have a pretty extensive (and cheap!) breakfast and lunch menu

  

Where: 120 King Street South
Waterloo, ON
N2J 1N9
www.wholelotagelata.com
Price: $

In the Kitchen: Stuffed Mushroom Caps

C's family is huge on barbecues.. HUGE. So, to start off the summer season, of course they had to have a barbecue! I always like to bring something when I come over for dinner and C likes to cook.. so win-win!

This recipe is extremely easy but not quick! It's the perfect appetizer or as a side. Enjoy!

 Stuffed Mushroom Caps

The Ethiopian House

The Ethiopian House refused to give us cutlery... and we loved it.

The Ethiopian House
Where: 4 Irwin Avenue
Wellesley and Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 1K9
Price: $ (Our bill came to $30 for 4 people, including tax and tip)

FREEBIE: MACARON DAY

MARCH 20 2012 is.... Macaron Day!  

FREE MACARONS FROM PARTICIPATING PATISSERIES. Come one and all :)

Fish Soup Noodle House [*CLOSED*]

Noodle place that took over an old hot pot restaurant! Solid place for noodles and delicious soup :)

FISH SOUP NOODLE HOUSE
Where: 505 Highway 7 East
Unit 50-53
Thornhill, ON
L3T 7P9
905-709-3335

Price: $ (Our bill came to $8.50/person)

FRAT BURGER

Only been opened recently in 2011 and already it's a student favourite. It's about time too - restaurants around the two campuses specialize in chicken wings, or other pub-style food but there are none that specialize specifically on hamburgers. On weekdays it is absolutely packed with students dropping in from the university across the street!

FRAT BURGER

Where: 10 University Avenue

King Street and University Avenue

Waterloo, ON

N2L 3C2

Price: $ (We easily filled up with only a hamburger and a side of poutine for $12 total)