St. Clair Ave West is now home to yet another fabulous restaurant. I’m not kidding I can count about 6 restaurants on this street that I adore

Ji opened about a month ago and is brought to you by the same owners as Pukka. Ji is described as an Indian Gastropub which means there’s a great cocktail list (Chutney Mary, Chai Flip, Tamarind Margarita  etc) as well as shareable plates/mains and desserts. This sign says it all!

Not only am I fan of the food, but I think they did a great job with the decor as well.

I usually pay no attention to the art in a restaurant, but this piece was noticed!!

We went with another couple and shared a variety of vegetarian dishes. Every single dish was flavourful and I wouldn’t hesitate to order them on another visit.

CHILI TOFU – pan tossed with onions and peppers.

SWEET POTATO CHAAT – with yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney

SEMOLINA PUFFS – filled with chickpeas, potato, yogurt and chutney

CAESAR SALAD – Romaine hearts, roasted chickpeas, smoky coconut “bacon bits’ with a vegan cashew dressing

 

TRIO OF CHUTNEYS with Papadums

I’m looking forward to my next visit at which time I’m going to order some non vegetarian dishes like: Hakka Shrimp, Naanchos, and Chicken Purris. Can you tell that I’ve been studying the menu? I really can’t wait to grab another couple and visit.

Congratulations Derek and Harsh for opening (and creating) yet another fabulous restaurant.

For more information about Ji. 

Address: 760 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto

Phone: 416 792 5550

Twitter/Instagram: @HelloJiToronto

Facebook: Www.facebook.com/HelloJiToronto

 

I grew up in downtown Ottawa surrounded by hotels so I’ve always been interested in the “hotel scene” in Ottawa. The newest hotel to be introduced to Ottawa has opened up in the fabulous Byward Market area and is called the Andaz Hotel.

The check in process can be done online or on site in their intimate lobby area. Immediately after checking in, I sat down at the bar and enjoyed a complimentary beer. Keep reading as there’s more than just one perk at this hotel!
 Then I checked into my stunning room, that featured very stylish clean decor. I felt like I was in NY but I was in Ottawa!! I love how they incorporated “copper” into so many aspects of the room – the alarm clock, lighting, etc.

Even the bathroom taps were copper and gorgeous.

My room included COMPLIMENTARY snacks. When was the last time you saw that? What’s better is that they truly support local suppliers and that’s something you rarely see in a major hotel. (the booze on this tray wasn’t free but everything else was).Even the soap supplier for the Andaz Hotel is local. Truly they are committed to supporting their local community!

As much as I needed to sleep after checking in, I forced myself to go to their 16th floor roof top lounge which overlooks the city. At 5 pm on a weekday, the roof top was busy and everyone was enjoying the fall weather.

There was no need to leave the hotel, as the hotel has a dining room called Feast +Revel . Once again the space is just beautiful. (just like the rest of the hotel!!) and features a menu that really appealed to me.

I dug into this well prepared Elk dish which was described as a 72 hour Elk Ranch elk rib, with a mushroom + salsify, birch jus, sorrel, lemon honey mushroom conserve. My sister (who owns Stunning Ottawa) joined me for dinner and she was super happy with this Steak dish. On the menu its’ described as a Enright Cattle striploin, with lobster butter sauce, dressed baby gem + roasted tomato with Yukon Gold chips. Both of us wanted to drown in the lobster butter sauce!! SO SO good!!

After dinner, I couldn’t resist going back to the 16th floor to enjoy the views of Ottawa at night.

If you are heading to Ottawa, please consider staying at the Andaz Hotel or dining at Feast + Revel. You won’t be disappointed.

Please note, this hotel is BUSY even though it’s new. Book early #justsayin’.

For more information:

ANDAZ OTTAWA BYWARD MARKET
325 Dalhousie Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 7G1
Tel: +1 613 321 1234

Disclosure: I was provided a media rate but all my opinions are my own

About a month ago, I attended a media dinner at the recently opened Captain’s Boil which is located at 671 College St. This is the 5th location for this restaurant chain, which I know will continue to grow as it’s such a fun concept. The location is uniquely design to resemble the hull of a ship and I must admit that the decor caught my attention.

The invitation to this event also caught my attention as I simply adore seafood. Plus I liked the idea of eating seafood in Little Italy!! I don’t know why …but I love all varieties of seafood – lobsters, oysters, mussels, shrimp, clams etc.

The concept at this restaurant is that you eat with your hands. Yes – gloves are provided.

Cute bibs are provided too and I’m proud to announce that I left the event with a white shirt and not a stained shirt!!

As for the food:

Step 1: You choose your catch: Snow Crab Legs, Lobster, Mussels,Clams, Chicken Slices, Shrimp, Crawfish, King Crab Leg or Dungeness Crab

Step 2: Choose Your Flavour: Cajun Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Captain’s Boil, Garlic Sauce

Step 3: Choose Your Heat: Non Spicy, Mild, Medium, Fire. (I chose the Medium and it certainly had heat to it).

There’s also  a huge list of side dishes to choose from: Okra, Lotus Root, Sausage, Corn, French Fries, Sausage etc.

Before you know it, bags of hot seafood arrives at your table and you dig in with your hands (oh ya – there’s no plates). It’s messy but it’s fun!!

You are also provided with lime, salt and pepper in little containers. I’ve never seen this before and was eager to try it. I will now continue to eat seafood with this idea. Thanks Captain’s Boil!

For more information:

Website: www.TheCaptainsBoil.com

Address: Captain’s Boil – Little Italy – 671 College St.

Telephone: 416 538 8868

Twitter/Instagram: @thecaptainsboil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecaptainsboil

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary however all opinions are my own.

I like to snack.

Don’t we all?

How do I satisfy my cravings throughout the day? Well there’s a few snacks that certainly do help.
For example, Prana, is a Canadian food company that specializes in delicious 100% organic, gluten-free and gmo-free snacks.

Recently they have launched two new products that are helping me with those cravings! (yay)

ProactivChia is an exclusive blend of probiotics and organic chia seed, with each serving providing 4 billion live probiotics – the perfect 2-in-1 solution for busy people!

Nothing beats a quick chia pudding snack ,which I make by adding my favourite dairy-free beverage and some chia seeds. Bingo – I’m not hungry anymore.

Another new product is Prana’s coconut chips. These crunchy and tasty snacks are a great alternative to traditional potato chips! They can be enjoyed in: Charleston (BBQ flavour), Hula (Salt + Pepper), Jive (Spicy Chili) and Classic (Original).

I was so excited about this product, that I decided to incorporate it into a recipe which involved three steps.

1. I took some firm tofu and diced it up and then fried it till golden.

2. Then I basted it with some BBQ Sauce.

3. For the final step, I took some Prana BBQ Coconut Chips and sprinkled it over the tofu. It was so delicious that I ate the whole thing.

However, under normal circumstances I  would package it up into small containers and snack on it.

There’s also Machu Pichu  – Nut & Fruit Mix which contains almonds, raisins, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, goji berries, white mulberries and goldenberries. Yum, Yum and more Yum.

FYI – this product is in my car as I seem do to do a lot of snacking in my car. Anyone else out there have this problem?

What’s even cooler? All Prana products are certified organic, vegan, kosher, preservative-free, sulfite-free and, above all, free of compromise.

For more information about Prana please click here.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this blog post however all opinions are my own.

Today, Aroma Espresso Bar introduced a nutritious AND delicious new salad made with Freekeh!

I had never heard of this  ancient Middle Eastern grain before but rumour has it that its the next trendy superfood. This salad will now be available to health-conscious consumers as new salad at aroma espresso bar.

I had the chance to try it last week and I loved it. Then again, I love all the salads at Aroma! This particular salad agreed with me, due to the lemony dressing and the dollop of labneh cheese with za’atar sprinkled on top. Other ingredients in this salad include: black quinoa, and brown rice blended with organic baby kale, tomato, cucumber, carrot, pickle, red onion, and parsley!

“The 28 aroma espresso bar locations across Toronto and GTA stores are the first among the global chain’s 165 locations to carry the signature salad, which could be adapted in other countries based on Torontonian’s reactions. #verykewl

Freekeh Facts:

• A flavourful ancient whole grain used for centuries throughout the Middle East, freekeh is made from fire-roasted wheatberries
• The word freekeh comes from the Arabic faraka referring to the wheat-roasting process
• High in protein
• High in calcium
• High in wholegrain fibre (up to four times the fibre of brown rice)
• Low glycemic index
• Rich in probiotic properties
• Low in carbohydrates
• Slightly sweet, nutty taste
• Vegetarian
• Kosher
• Not gluten-free

Hope you get a chance to try it soon. I have no doubt that this new salad is going to be a hit with their customers.

For more information:

Website: www.aroma.ca

Twitter: @aromaespresso

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

Disclosure: I was invited to a media event however all opinions are my own