I went to Rock Lobster Food Co. on Ossington back in the winter and was totally blown away by their epic Rock Lobster Caesars. I had read that a second location had opened on Queen W and knew that I wanted to go check it out (like a good foodie) Once I read Abbey’s Kitchen blog post about the Queen W. location,  I knew that I wanted to visit sooner than later.

When I heard my mom was arriving from Ottawa on the 7 pm bus, I mentioned to her that we would be enjoying some Lobster Love for dinner. She was just as eager as I was to head to Rock Lobster Food Co. on Queen W.

Here’s a picture of  us with those epic Rock Lobster Caesars.

The menu includes many other delicious sounding cocktails but I can’t stop ordering the Rock Lobster Caesar.  There’s a part of me that really wants to try the other cocktails and another part of me that just wants to have this lobster caesar each time I visit!! #firstworldproblems

We ordered:

Peel and Eat Shrimp – which were plump, fresh, meaty and served COLD. I’m thrilled I ordered this dish.

We also shared the Lobster Poutine (Nova Scotia Lobster, hand cut fries, Quebec Curds and Lobster Bisque Gravy). I love poutine so this was not hard for me to enjoy!!

Naturally, we ordered  the Lobster Roll as well (Nova Scotia Lobster, Yukon chips and McClure’s Pickle). I will describe this in one word: YUMMY.

Now that I’ve shared with you what we ate I would like to talk about the space. To begin with – it’s a much bigger space than their  Ossington  location. This is great news for those of us who aren’t fond of line ups!!

Here’s a photo of the space (kudos to the designer).

 What appealed to me (besides the food and the cocktails) was the fact that we could take advantage of the summer and sit on the outside patio. Again, whoever designed the space thought of every little detail.

As for the service: our waitress Renee was completely charming and was super friendly and attentive too. She had the type of energy you would like to see in every waitress that serves you.

I’m sure I will be returning to try: more cocktails and the Steam Whistle Steampot. Who want’s to join me?

For more information:

Rock Lobster Food Co

Twitter: @rocklobsterfood

Instagram: Rocklobsterfoodco

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rocklobsterfoodco

118 Ossington Ave, Toronto 416 533 1800

538 Queen St. West Toronto  416 203 6623

ps please note that each location has different hours and different menus too.

I’ve just returned from a fantastic event called Night It Up Night Market, which takes place July 12 -14 at the Markham Fair grounds. This event raises money for Second Harvest and is run by an amazing group called the Power Unit Youth Organization.

What exactly is Night It Up? It’s an outdoor night market similar to the ones you see in Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places in Asia.  At Night It Up you will find an impressive line up of food vendors as well as entertainment. I was clearly there for the food. LOL.

These photos will give you an idea of what I ate:

a) cold noodles with peanuts, corriander, bamboo shoots and more b) Salted mandarin Juice c) Ice Volcano (had the marshmallow) d) Calamari Taco from @TheTacocat

I continued to nibble and try a few other goodies:

a) Green Tea Shaved Ice w/coconut from @ChillyRibbons (ps first franchise in Canada) b) Hachiko Hot Dog c) Dragon ball from @MenuFoodTruck d) oyster omelet (just snapped a photo – the line up was too long).

Here’s what you need to know about Night It Up:

Where? Markham Civic Centre
101 Town Centre Boulevard
Markham, Ontario

For parking info, shuttle bus info – please visit their website

When? Friday, July 12, 7pm – 12am, Saturday, July 13, 12pm – 12am, Sunday, July 14, 12pm – 8pm

Admission is free and all proceeds go to Second Harvest.

 

 

 

I think I found out about Aborigens by googling these three key words “food tour Barcelona” and then of course I connected with them via twitter and email. I’ve now completed several food tours (two in New York), one in Israel and one in Barcelona. Each one offered me a unique experience.

Aborigens is run by three partners and one of those partners was the tour for the evening. We met at 545 pm and I swear the tour ended at 11: 45 pm even though it was suppose to be a FOUR hour tour. Our group was so dynamic and friendly that we kept shmoozing and eating and shmoozing and drinking. The fact that Alex didn’t mind, said volumes about their service.

Here’s a photo of our lovely group: there was a mother/son visiting from NY, a couple from South Africa, a mother/daughter from outside Philadelphia, a young women from Australia and moi.

Our evening included SIX restaurants and at each restaurant we ate and DRANK. There was no shortage of food or booze. I can assure you that NO one left hungry. In fact I didn’t eat anything the next day till 330 pm.  (not even a coffee).

I took lots of photos and arranged them into a few collages to make it easier to show you exactly how much we ate and drank!! This is just a SAMPLE of what we ate. There was more but as always …I don’t want to bore you.

 And then we visited another restaurant and ate some more…..

 Plus we walked to another restaurant (that we would have never discovered on our own)

We are now getting full. ..but we manage!

What made this food tour so memorable?

-the group itself was super fun.

-our tour guide Alex was accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable. He let the group have fun and we did!!

-the restaurants that were selected were NOT touristy at ALL. Very local. Very Authentic.

-I could have never done this by myself. Its a great way to try a lot of restaurants in a short period of time.

For more information:

Aborigens Food Tours  – please check out their website for further information about their tours and other services they offer to chefs or visiting food industry professionals.

Twitter: @aborigensBCN

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aborigensBCN

The list of restaurants we visited included: Moritz, Koska Taverna, Els Sortidors Del Parlament, Gran Bodega Elkano, Amigo Cascaries, Rosal 34. However please note that the restaurant and what was served might change from tour to tour.

 

About 6 years ago, my parents went to Barcelona. When they got home my mom showed me pictures of the Boqueria Market (or Mercat de la Boqueria) and I knew that I had to go there one day. Finally I made it happen! On my  back from Israel to Toronto, I made sure to book a few days in Barcelona.

Clearly visiting the Boqueria Market was high on my list of “things I wanted to do”. I hope the Picasso Museum forgives me!. I wandered up and down the aisles of this spectacular market – snapping photos with my iPhone 5. I also ate. (what else is new?)

I had several friends tell me that I must( must) go to El Quim  and I was thrilled that was I able to find it amongst the hustle and bustle!! My neighbor at the bar was an American who now lives in Barcelona and visits El Quim every Saturday morning with his kids. He’s a “regular” and was all to happy to introduce me to the Chef.

I ordered squid with eggs thanks to a few email exchanges with @DeliciousDishTO who told me it was the best …and she was RIGHT!!

As you can see, I just couldn’t stop taking photos. Aren’t these gorgeous bundles of Bouquet Garni?
These zucchini blossoms are pretty gorgeous too.

The Boqueria market is so spectacular that I’m going to return on my last day for one more visit to make sure that I saw EVERYTHING. I’m sure I will be taking more photos and enjoying some more food as well.

ps the coffee is from La Virreina and I’m definitely going back there for another cappuccino!!

For more information about Barcelona please visit their website.

I’ve done food tours in New York with Urban Oyster and knew that I would love to go on a food tour in Israel. Thanks to Twitter and @funjoel – my cousin and I had the opportunity to have a food tour thru Mahane Yehuda with Joel.

Please meet Joel!!

Joel is originally from the New Jersey and is now a licensed guide in Israel. He’s also a foodie and knew exactly where to take us in Mahane Yehuda, which is a popular food market in Jerusalem.

Here are the highlights.

Jachnun Bar: (30 Ha Egoz) This is a Yemenite restaurant that recently opened in the market.  I ordered a Fatut salad and would order this again in a heart beat. I loved the texture and the originality of this dish. What is Fatut? small pieces of malawach fried with egg, cheeses and toppings. Joel brilliantly described it as “kind of like matza brei”.

Halva King: (10 and 72 Ets Hayim St) These guys sell a gazillion types of halva (pure halva – not sugary, processed halva) AS WELL as a gazillion flavours of tehina. I was so impressed with how they make the tehina (see the photo) – that I purchased a container of tehnina to take home!! This is indeed AUTHENTIC tehina.

Manou Bashouk. At this restaurant we enjoyed a sliver of some meat pie. I say a “sliver” cause we were so full from lunch!!

Oozi Eli: At this store, we were introduced to some interesting combination of natural juices. i.e Gat juice, Almonds and Dates, Lemon Mint and Etrog, Passion Fruit and Goats Milk and more. We even shmeered some lotion on our necks in the hopes that we stay young and youthful forever!!

We even visited a family member of the Dr. Laffa owners. What a small world!

My cousin has lived here for 4 years and said (early on in the tour) “I would have never found these places”. Clearly Joel was instrumental to our  tour thru Mahane Yehuda. It would not have been the same visit without him.

I am also eager to connect Joel with many of my foodie friends and other friends who visit Jerusalem on a regular basis. Fun tour guides are hard to find and Joel was definitely fun and knowledgeable. Once again, I’m thankful to twitter!!

Our night ended at a restaurant that was suggested to me by three separate Toronto foodies (@rosieschwartz, @abeworno and @foodie411). Once again, my twitter friends guided me to the most amazing restaurant in Jerusalem called MachaneYuda (10 Beit Ya’akov St) The menu changes daily so I’m not going to list exactly what I ate as there is a good chance that it wont be on the menu the next time!!  What I can tell you is that the flavours, execution, presentation, service and atmosphere will be flawless!!

There is a reason why this is one of the top restaurants in the country!

Sadly my trip to Israel has ended.  I’m really really sad about leaving but know that I will be saving my loonies for another trip soon!   However my  vacation continues and the next blog post will be about my food adventures in Barcelona! Stay tuned.

For more information:

Joel can be found on twitter (@funjoel) or on facebook and has a great website too.

 

 

 

Let’s just say that there is no shortage of amazing food in Israel. Here’s a sample of what I’ve been enjoying.

1. Shakshuka (Full House, 198 Ahuza St, Ra’anana, Israel). This dish is made with tomatoes, eggs, onions, red peppers and a special blend of spices. I asked around for the best Shakshuka in Ra’anana and this restaurant came highly recommended. See the green vegetable in the bowl? I thought it was a green pepper. WRONG. It was jalepeno. Lesson learned.

 2. Hummus. Sadly we just can’t get hummus like this in Toronto. This is the real deal. Again – it’s from Full House.

 3. Beer!! I discovered that a microbrewery does exist in Israel and it’s called Jem’s. The founder of this bar/restaurant had a dream and made it happen. Congratulations Jeremy!

  4. Root Salad. My cousin took me for a beautiful lunch in Herzilaya at a restaurant that overlooked the beach. We certainly did enjoy the atmosphere and the salald!!

6. Fatoush Salad: I ordered this salad from Bread Story, (86 Dizengoff, Tel Aviv). Again, many thanks to my cousin for the recommendation! Loved everything about this salad.

 7. Cheese:  Discovered an amazing gourmet food store in Ra’anana called Basher Fromagerie   (89 Ahuza). Naturally I gravitated towards the cheese that was not only colorful but flavorful too!

 

Can you tell that I’m having a great time in Israel? I only have a few days left before I continue my travels to Barcelona where I will continue my food adventures!! #happydance

On my first day in Israel, I went to a beautiful shopping centre. However I didn’t buy anything. But when my friend took me to Eden Natural Market in Ra’anana , I couldn’t stop buying stuff.

Here’s what I went crazy for:

DRIED POMELO

DRIED ORANGE:

DRIED STARFRUIT:

OLIVE OIL WITH ZATAR:

PAPER TOWELS (my mom brought back ONE roll last year and loved it. I was smart (or am I crazy? LOL) and bought FOUR rolls) 

SALAD TOPPINGS

 I bought other stuff too: dried bananas, dried apple with cinnamon, dried pineapples and more. It will freeze beautifully and I know I will enjoy using them in recipes or serving them to guests.

Wonder what goodies I’m going to find next week when I visit Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem with @funjoel?

Background: I went to Tel Aviv University and lived in the dorms for four years. (1984-1988). I returned to visit in 1996 and in 2009. On my last visit I went to a restaurant in Jerusalem that left such an impression on me, that it was the first thing I did in Jerusalem on my current visit. I went directly on a bus from the Central Bus Station right to Caffit, which is located in the German Colony.

Actually that’s not exactly true, I ordered a beautiful cappuccino from Aroma Espresso, that was perfectly located at the Central Bus Station and THEN got on the bus that would take me to Caffit!!

I knew exactly what I was going to order when I got to the restaurant. Check out the ingredients in this Sweet Potato Salad. 

 

When the salad arrived, it looked and tasted exactly like it did in 2009. Our friendly waitress told us that this salad has been on the menu for the last 12 years! I hope it’s on the menu FOREVER!!

Sadly I didn’t order anything else cause I was too full to have anything else!! Infact, 8 hours later – I’m barely hungry even though TWO of us didn’t eat the entire  salad.

If you visit Jerusalem, please put this restaurant on your list. Pretty Please!!

Caffit, Emek Refaim 35, Jerusalem, 02-563-5284

Back for a second year, the TO Food Fest brings together top foodie-reviewed restaurants and local hidden gems into one exciting event. I thought I was going to have to miss it but MY FLIGHT GOT DELAYED which meant that I was able to go!! WOOT

Why do I like this event so much?

a) It’s a small event

b) It’s both indoors AND outdoors

c) There is NO entrance free

d) It’s a local community event. Specifically, it takes place at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto

e) There’s plenty of volunteers

f) The food vendors are a nice combo of established and aspiring chefs

g) The committee does an amazing job at reaching out to food bloggers that they discover on Yelp, Urbanspoon, Twitter etc.

Now let’s talk about what I ate, shall we?

I swear three bloggers and three forks enjoyed the FRIED CREPE from nom nom crepes.

There was no shortage of food to enjoy: Moussaka Sliders from Kafologas, Volcanic Ice Cream, and yummy street food from Babiandco!

I personally loved this one dish from Capcapkecapi and will be looking for them at the CNE. Sorry there’s no photo but I did take a picture of the sign!! I DEVOURED item #1.

Congratulations to everyone who worked on this event. Looking forward to your event in 2014 already!

For updates throughout the year, please follow them on Twitter (@TOFoodFest) or Facebook.

I’ve never been east of Montreal before but today I had the chance to “pretend” that I was in Nova Scotia!! I simply went to the Waterfront Festival  at HTO Park in Toronto!  It’s easy to find as you can spot these giant (magnificent) Tall Ships a mile away!!

I made a be-line to the Nova Scotia Eatery, where I enjoyed a Nova Scotia Lobster Roll, Sea Salt Caramel Apples and a Wild Blueberry & Honey Lemonade.  

Not only was my tummy happy but my eyes were pretty happy too. I got the chance to enjoy  my lunch while staring at the beautiful lighthouse with the CN Tower in the background.

The Nova Scotia Eatery  will also be making it’s way to Ottawa, London and Belleville over the next few weeks. So make sure to follow them on twitter, @TasteoNS to get the latest updates or visit their website!

 I’m also super impressed that Taste of Nova Scotia is using social media to get the word out about their amazing province and the culinary adventures that they have to offer.

For more information about Taste of Nova Scotia:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TasteofNS

Twitter: @TasteofNS

Instagram: TasteofNS

For more information about The Waterfront Festival that is taking place at HTO Park in Toronto from June 20- 23, 2013, please visit their website.

Twitter: @WaterfrontFestivalTO