Thanks to facebook (and not twitter..LOL), I saw an update that there was FREE vegetarian bimbimbap at a new restaurant called Seoul Food Co. Seeing as I love bimbimbap and I love the four letter word called FREE, I decided to go.

For those who don’t know what bimbimbap is, here’s a definition from Wikipedia:

Bibimbap (비빔밥, Korean pronunciation: [pibimp͈ap̚]^[1]) is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means “mixed rice”. Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.^[2]It can be served either cold or hot.

The restaurant is located at the back of the Yakatori restaurant and is colorful with plenty of natural light.

The menu is posted and is pretty straight forward. It’s a perfect menu for busy students and professionals. Not to mention, it’s so so healthy and at the right price point too.

Here’s what my lunch looked like:

What makes this dish even better is the following condiment. I want this condiment on everything I order…LOL..it’s SO SO good.

Not only did I enjoy the food, but I enjoyed meeting the owner Sang Kim who greeted each guest and took the time to chat with each guest as well. I was so impressed with his hospitality. The restaurant officially opens on Tuesday Dec 18th and I wish Sang Kim and his team, all the very best!!

Note to self: Must return to Yakitori to try their Kimchi Flight and Kimchi Served Three Ways #lovekimchi

For Further Info:

Seoul Food Co. 1 Baldwin (corner of Baldwin and McCaul)

Website: www.yakatoribar.ca

Twitter: @yakitoriToronto

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A main course with only FOUR ingredients…Ya Gotta Love it!! Right?

The other day I wanted to make something with items I had in my fridge or freezer…without having to go the grocery store. (I’m sure you know what I mean)

The items I’m referring to are: Mushrooms, Puff Pastry, Onions, and Goat Cheese

This is what I did:

STEP ONE: I fried the onions

STEP TWO: I added  mushrooms into the frying pan to saute them. I also added some salt and pepper.

Not pretty but oh so tasty

STEP THREE: I rolled out the puff pastry.

STEP FOUR: I placed the mushrooms onto the puff pastry and then “dotted it” with chunks of goat cheese. I also sprinkled some dried rosemary for added flavor.

Easy Peazy

STEP FIVE: I rolled it up and egg washed it to make it look all pretty!!

Bake at in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

FINAL PRODUCT:

Not bad eh?

I served this mushroom puff pastry along with a caesar salad, potato latkes, sour cream, home made apple sauce, phyllo cups with roasted garlic and olive tapenade.

Dinner looked like this:

Happy Cooking!!

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Thanks to Twitter and tweets that I was reading from @Foodie411….I knew I had to go to Rose and Sons one day soon. Seeing as I have some time on my hands, I round up two friends and we met for lunch at 12:30 p.m.

The first thing you should know about this restaurant is that it’s not easy to spot from the street. So here’s a photo to help you find it.

178 Dupont. Repeat after me..178 Dupont

The next thing you should know is that it’s POPULAR and for good reason. The space is small but I love how it’s designed so you don’t feel like you are 2 inches away from the next table. Plus I love that there are a few bar stools so if you are on your own you can just grab a quick bite and be entertained by the kitchen staff. (who are all awesome by the way – the entire team, actually).

12:30 p.m on a Tuesday

Now for the food. It was mighty tough what to order but we tried 4 items and each item was well executed, flavorful, moist and delicious. I was super impressed by the bread (supplied by Thuet) and the small details (great condiments).

Patty Melt Burger – Grilled Cheese, Fried Onions, FF, chili may0 ($15). Everyone loved this.

There. Are. No. Words.

Chicken Souvlaki – flatbread, tzatziki, greek salad ($12). The tzatiki rocked.

Super Tasty

Pork Fried Rice – peanuts, china town sauce, egg, ginger ($12). Oh so flavorful!!

The peanuts are sourced from PERTH!! Not your average peanuts.

Club-bacon, turkey, herb mayo, brie, pickles, ff ($13). What a sammie!!

Yum. Me.

I now need to return to check out their breakfast menu and their dinner menu! This restaurant has a menu that really appeals to me….unique, flavorful and well executed. A winning combo for a restaurant. Not to mention, a super nice owner (Anthony Rose)  and a great waiter (David) too.

Info:

Rose and Sons 178 Dupont Street Toronto 647 748 3287

Closed Mondays, Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 3:00 p.m and then 6:00 p.m to close.

Licenced

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The first nite of Chanuka was Saturday Dec 8. and just like every year…..I would be making Potato Latkes. However  this year I decided to make potato latkes using a different recipe (it was time to change things up a bit).

I also decided to throw a Chanuka party for a few friends for the first time in many many years.

This is what was on the table:

Chanuka Party!!

• cinnamon walnuts (from Ottawa that my mom brought in for me)
• lemon almonds (see above)
• smoked almonds (see above)
• phyllo cups stuffed with goat cheese and roasted garlic and olive
• roasted chestnuts
• chips
• blackberries/raspberries
• mandarin oranges (the pretty ones with the leaves)
• and booze of course: Luksusowa vodka! Perfect with potato latkes seeing as it’s a potato based vodka!!
• homemade apple sauce and sour cream
• Chex (from Buffalo – of course)

As for the latkes, here’s my not so perfect recipe: I say this as I went to a friends chanuka party and tasted her latkes and there was a world of difference. Hers were so much lighter! I asked her what recipe she used as she said “potatoes, eggs, a bit of flour and a LOT of oil”.

POTATO LATKES

10 cups of grated potatoes (oh how I love my Cuisinart)

4 eggs

1/2 cup matza meal

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Grate the potatoes (I didn’t bother peeling them)

10 cups took 2 minutes to grate!! Love it.

2. RINSE

an important step

3. Wrap the grated potatoes in a dish towel and squeeze, squeeze and squeeze some more!!

4. Add eggs, and matza meal. Stir.

5. Heat oil in a frying pan. Form latkes in your hand and then place carefully into the frying pan. Fry till golden on both sides

FINAL PRODUCT:

10 cups made 33 nice sized latkes

Plus I made my own applesauce. This is a no brainer – 3 fuji apples (not peeled, chopped), cinnamon, a bit of water. Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and bingo you have applesauce. I threw it into the Cuisinart to get it to the right consistency.

YUM

Happy Chanuka!!

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Today’s blog post is dedicated to the question: How Many Knives Do You Own? I have a lot….errr….WAY TOO MANY. It all started 20 years ago, when I never invested in a decent knife. My attitude was “I’ll buy another one”.

My useless knife collection

This is NOT the right attitude. Here’s why.

A long time ago, I saw a blog post (or was it a tweet???) with the question: “What’s Your Favorite Kitchen Tool”. Many of the replies were  “MY KNIFE”.

Think about it. Do you think you could make a dish without a knife? It truly is an instrumental tool to have in the kitchen.

Because it’s so important,…I will be giving away a CUTCO knife to one lucky reader!! (value $138). All you have to do is go to the Cutco Website and leave a comment telling me which knife you would want to own.  If you haven’t heard of Cutco before, here’s what you need to know about this North American company: a) they have a Forever Guarantee b) they produce quality, SHARP knives c) they are all about offering exceptional knives and customer service.

Isn’t that easy? Isn’t this a great contest? Something tells me, I’m not the only one with a million knives in their kitchen. Actually I’ve decided that these knives are going into the GARBAGE. Ever since I was introduced to Cutco, I’m now dicing vegetables like a pro and have no need to  have useless knives in my kitchen!!

What a difference a good knife makes!!

The contest will run from Thursday Dec 6th to Friday Dec 21st and is open to all Canadian residents. A winner will be selected using random.org and will have one week to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Happy Knives = Happy Cooks. Yes?

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• Tilapia filets
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of beer (I used Molson 67, of course)
• Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

step 1

• In another bowl blend the egg and beer together

step 2

then quickly stir into the flour mixture.

• Don’t worry if the batter is a little lumpy (seriously…it’s lumpy)

Lumpy Batter (but it’s all good)

• Heat oil (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a skillet) in a frying pan until extremely hot
• Now lightly dust your tilapia filets and dunk into your beer batter mix
• Fry until golden and crisp, then drain on paper towels

The fish was moist moist moist and no one had any fish left on their plates after the meal. Definitely a good sign!!

FINAL PRODUCT:

PS. Costco had haddock on sale this week. Anyone have a good recipe to share?

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My mom was visiting from Ottawa over the weekend, so it was a perfect time to book “Afternoon Tea” for some mother/daughter bonding. Seeing as my mom is from Glasgow, she has always adored scones with clotted cream and the whole “afternoon tea” ritual.

I decided to book afternoon tea at the Windsor Arms after reading some blog entries. (I do my research. Surprise. Surprise).

We got all dressed up and off we went. Well not exactly. Afternoon tea requires reservations as it served daily at 12:30 p.m, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm, and even 6:00 pm. So please ensure that you make reservations and call in advance as it’s more popular than you might think!!

When we entered the dining room, we immediately felt relaxed. The atmosphere was elegant without feeling too stuffy. Here’s what a table looks like:

After we sat down, the waitress quickly served us chilled water with lemon along with the menus. She then explained how afternoon tea at the Windsor Arms works. We were impressed with the service from the get-go!

We selected our tea and when it arrived it’s poured with style. (see photo).

Then the “serving tray” arrives! I quickly made myself a little plate that looked like this and then tried my best to take my time and enjoy each bite while sipping my delicious tea (#33 in the event that you are curious).

For me, the best part were the scones. They were so light…so fluffy ….so warm. The scones were even better after I shmeered them with the strawberry guava jam and the mixed berry jam and the clotted cream! The whole experience was just heavenly.  Just so you know, both jams are made in house!! #impressed.

It was real treat to spend some quality time with my mom while enjoying this special ritual at the Windsor Arms. We certainly will be doing this more often!

For more info:

Windsor Arms 18 Saint Thomas, Toronto 416 971 9666

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Even though I am on this no carb diet, I will never refuse going out for sushi. Ever. It’s seriously one of my favorite meals. Therefore it took me a nano second to find out if I could attend the launch party for Kanji Sushi!

When you walk thru the doors, you soon realize this isn’t your average sushi restaurant. Half the space is dedicated to a bar/lounge and the other side is the sushi restaurant. I couldn’t decide where to go first.

Actually…that’s not true. I’m a foodie so I headed directly to the restaurant. Drinks are not a priority….well, they are but not until after I have eaten!!

Here’s a few highlights of the evening:

I was in love with this one dish called FISH AND CHIP. (cute eh?). It’s a brilliant dish that is so simple yet so effective. Basically it’s a pringle with chopped salmon on top, sprinkled with sesame seeds and nori bits. Freakin’ awesome. I loved the concept of  using a pringle as the base. This dish has so many things going for it: salty, crunchy, nutty  and more.

Will return for this dish!!

There was another dish called “Sushi Tortilla” that had also my attention. Described on the menu as …sushi salmon, mashed avocado, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, grape tomato, eel sauce and wasabi mayo.

Not your average sushi dish.

I also loved my cocktail that was called a Mantago. Sorry…no idea what’s in it. I just know that it wasn’t too sweet, not too sour and had the perfect amount of alcohol in it.

Can you see all the lemon zest floating thru this drink? Love it.

This restaurant is certainly worth checking out – for a cocktail or for dinner – or for both!!

Kanji Sushi 1346 Queen St. West Toronto 416 536 8448

Twitter: @KanjiToronto

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KanjiToronto

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I’ve been on a no carb diet since early June, and needless to say I’m a bit bored of my breakfast options:

• Kale Smoothies
• Egg Whites
• Yogurt with berries (Iogo ….sugar free….is my brand of choice this days which has ZERO carbs. YES…ZERO)
• Almonds and a coffee

Then I received the Milk Calendar and said to myself “Vicky – you need to find a new breakfast option. It’s time”. Not to mention, I wanted to include more milk into my diet.

I discovered these Mini Crustless Quiches from a website called Smells Like Brownies. It’s exactly what I needed/wanted.

They are so so easy to make as you only need FOUR ingredients: ….eggs, milk, spinach, and grated cheese. Could life not get any simpler?

Here’s the recipe:

Crustless Mini Quiches

inspired by Laura Rees
makes 12

Ingredients:
½ head broccoli, cut into stems and florets (I didn’t have any broccoli in my fridge and the recipe came out fine)
⅔ cup spinach leaves, roughly chopped (I used frozen spinach that was thawed and drained)
⅔ cup shredded sharp cheddar
6 eggs
1½ cups milk
salt and black pepper

***my two cents: throw in some fresh thyme, or parsley. I really think this recipe needs some fresh herbs to give it more “oomph”.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a regular muffin tin with cooking spray.
Blanche the broccoli, then drain very thoroughly. Layer the broccoli, chopped spinach, and cheese into the muffin cups. Cups should be nearly full with veggies and cheese.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and seasonings until smooth and slightly frothy. Pour over the vegetables, filling the muffin cups about ¾ full.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the tops are slightly puffed and golden.

Happy Breakfast!!

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The other day I was heading to Mother’s Dumplings to have lunch with @nearafar, and I passed  by  by Fancy Franks en route. While enjoying our lunch, I said to her “Hey, can we go check out Fancy Franks after lunch?”.

She agreed like a nice foodie friend.

When we walked in, I noticed the “decor” right away. Out came the iPhone to snap a photo!!

We stood at the counter and stared at the menu board which is a massive chalkboard on the wall. The kind server, noticed we were struggling and quickly passed us a written menu. It was like she was reading our mind as it was SO much easier to read when a menu is in your hand.

We were overwhelmed by the choices:

Fancy PB & J – Peanut butter, Strawberry Jam (what do you think?)

Frankathenapolis – Greek Feta Cheese, Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Green Pepper, Onion, Extra Virgin Oil , Lemon

Fancy Francine – 2 Fried Eggs, Bacon, Hollandaise Sauce.

Po’Boy Gets Fancy – Panko Fried Shrimp Lettuce, Horseradish, Mayo, Hot Saue.

Plus a dozen more options!!!

We asked a guy in line what he was ordering and we chatted with the counter staff as well – as we had no idea what to order.

We decided on: “Franks Got Seoul” which is described as Korean Beef Ribs, Kimchi, Sesame Seeds, Scallions. ($7.50)

I was a happy camper. I love this concept and wish Fancy Franks all the best.

I’m already thinking of a tweet up where we order a half dozen hot dogs, cut up the hot dogs into small bites and have a “Fancy Frank” gourmet hot-dog-a-thon.

Who’s in?

Oh yeah – one more thing- they have one of those donut machines on site and serve 4 different varieties of freshly made donuts. Looks like “momwhoruns” will have to run a bit faster so she can try these donuts next time.

P.S A veggie option is available

More info:

Fancy Franks Gourmet Hot Dogs 326 College Street, Toronto 416. 920 3647

Twitter: @FancyFranks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/FancyFranksGourmetHotdogs

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