The Cantina by Campbell’s is a pop-up restaurant that recently opened at 501 Queen West and will be serving delicious soups created by Rock Lobster Food Co’s Chef Matt Dean Pettit.

There will be four delicious soups designed by Chef Matt Dean Pettit, and trust me all four were DEE-LICIOUS. I wish I could tell you my favourite soup but I loved all four of them equally. I sampled: spicy vegetarian ramen, roasted beer can cream of chicken, creamy tomato black bean taco soup and a thai chicken & rice khao so (curry). Recipes for all four soups can be found here.

The Cantina by Campbell’s will offer complimentary walk-in lunch and dinnertime soup tasting options. Fact: lately I’ve become a fan of these broths due to the rising cost of celery, parsnips, carrots and other veggies that I usually put in my vegetable stock.

I’ve also become a fan of the Campbell’s Soup Kits as they provide a head start to homemade soup. As you know, I lead a pretty busy life so I don’t mind a little help once in a while and these kits will certainly come in handy!

Campbell’s has truly provided customers with a unique experience and something tells me The Cantina By Campbell’s will be a hit. P.S. This pop up restaurant is FREE.

For more information:

Where:  Cantina By Campbell’s – 501 Queen St. West
When: Tuesday, February 2nd – Sunday, February 21st

Hours: Monday – Friday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Twitter; @CampbellsCanada

Hashtag: #WeAllSoupTO

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Recently I had family visiting from abroad (London and Israel to be exact). They had no interest in visiting attractions or museums and basically just wanted to walk around. I was pretty happy with that objective. LOL

So here’s where I took them:

a) Breakfast at Fika in Kensington Market. (78 Kensington Ave)

I knew they would like the space and the food and I was correct.

b) I thought I was a great tour guide as I introduced my visitors to a unique store,  Cocktail Emporium.  (20 Kensington Ave).  For some reason I’ve never been to this place (my bad). We loved milling around the store – someone has truly curated an amazing assortment of  “all things associated with Cocktails”.

c) We then proceeded to Queen St. West so that I could take them to the new Fluevog store. (686 Queen St. W) Um…three pairs of shoes were purchased, which means that it was a hit. Their cool bank vault made an ideal backdrop for a photo.

d) Then it was time for lunch. I decided that Gusto 101 would be the perfect place and indeed everyone enjoyed their meal. However the shining star was their Sangria. One word to describe it:  PERFECT. Something tells me I will be returning for another pitcher, in the near future.

d) Actually there was one attraction that we all attended; the Andy Warhol Revisited Pop Up Exhibit that’s now taking place at 77 Bloor St. W. This exhibit will only be in Toronto till Dec 31 and it’s worth checking out. Tickets: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for youth and students.

I had a fantastic time hanging out with my family and enjoyed my role as “tour guide”. Curious to know where you would take visitors if they mentioned to you that they weren’t interested in museums or attractions!! Please do share.

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A few weeks ago I received an invitation to a media event at Mata Petisco Bar and I have to be honest…I didn’t reply in a timely fashion as I wasn’t sure if I was going to like South American Cuisine. At the last minute, I quickly replied “Can you please squeeze me in?”. I’m ever so grateful that I changed my mind.

The restaurant is located at 1690 Queen St. West and just opened recently. (errr…in time for the World Cup).

Here’s what I inhaled!

Top photo: Cheese Bread and Lobster Pastel; Bottom Right: Corvina Ceviche with Maple Candied Sweet Potato, Celery & Lime Marinate & Fresh Cilantro.  Bottom Left: Smoky Crispy Chicken Hearts w/Cauliflower Puree & Ancho Chili Oil.

The meal continued….

Top left photo: Grilled Octopus w/Hearts of Palm Puree, Raspberry & Balsamic Reduction & Taro Root Crisps, Bottom Left: Beef Cheek Poutine w/Casava Frites, Fresh Curds & Scallions. Right Photo: Picanha Sliders w/ Cachaca Carmelized Onions, House Made Catupiry Cheese & Malagueta Pepper Aioli.

I was enamoured by these small jars of HOT sauce which I put on everything…ok not everything but close to it.

If you asked me to nail down my fav dishes…here ya go: a) the crispy chicken hearts, the grilled octopus and the beef cheek poutine. Yum..Yum..and more Yum.

Hope you get a chance to check out this restaurant soon.

For more information.

Mata Petisco Bar….1690 Queen St. West, Toronto (647) 691 0234

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5 pm to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 5 pm to 11 pm

Twitter: @MatabarTO

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