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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Last year I wrote a blog entry about My Bucket List for 2012 and I’m pleased to say that I accomplished everything on that list except for 3 items.

Not bad eh?

This year, I’m going to make my bucket list more specific and write a blog post about the restaurants that I really want to try in 2013.

Restaurant Bucket List for 2013:

1. Belly Busters – this restaurant has been an institution for years, yet I have never been. It’s not even far from where I live. No excuse. I must get there!

2. Owl of Minerva – a well known spot that is open 24 hours a day and yet I have never been. Go figger.

3. Aunties and Uncles – an extremely popular brunch spot. Need to “brunch” more often. LOL

4. Bar Volo – this has been on my list forever. Must attend a “cask” nite. Again, it’s not far from where I live. What is wrong with me?

5. Campagnoloa – I have been reading about their fresh burrata with roasted grapes for over a year and yet I haven’t been. This will be a priority for 2013.

6. La Carnita – Don’t judge me – I haven’t been. All my foodie friends have been but me. Sniff.

7. The Depanneur – Would love to attend one of their drop in dinners. If you don’t follow them on facebook – you should.

8. OK it’s not a a restaurant but I must participate in one of these CSA drop off programs. Thinking to try The Cutting Veg. It’s TIME.

9. Farmhouse – have been following their tweets since before they opened and must must visit

10. Your turn…what else should be on my bucket list?

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Seeing as I was at Yorkdale last week to check out their expansion, I thought it would only be fair to visit the Eaton Centre. I hadn’t been there in years and it was time for a visit.

So I hopped on a subway at St. Clair and before you knew it, I was there.

I knew from Twitter (@toeatoncentre) that the mall had some new stores to check out as well as some decorations to see.

Well ..the decorations were hard to miss. They were SPECTACULAR!!  It was not the typical type of decorations one would normally expect to see plus the SCALE of these decorations were amazing.

Impressive Reindeer.

Worth Visiting.

As for the store mix: No complaints. Everything was there that I wanted. ..not to mention “new and improved’ stores as well. I visited: Ann Taylor, Forever 21 (even though I am no where near the age of 21) H & M, American Eagle, and Williams Sonoma (as I’m searching for this essence that’s only available on Bloor….GRRRR). I also had a great time  in the Sony store, reclining in an amazing chair while enjoying an 84” TV. OMG. What a treat.

Sadly I didn’t go to the Eaton Centre to eat, but did notice that Mr. Greenjeans is celebrating 30 years!! I have such memories of visiting this restaurant when I was 16. It was the cool-est spot to hang out with your friends . (next to the Pickle Barrel, Toby’s, and Inn on the Park). #memorylane.

I also happen to visit The Body Shop for a quick complimentary make up session. I’ve always been fond of their products and can’t seem to resist dropping in to check out their moisturizers. Not to mention that they are having a Black Friday event (Monday Nov 19 to Friday Nov 23)  that I think is a genius idea. Click here for more details.

Nothing like a quick make over while shopping

By the way…just told my mom (in Ottawa) that I went to the Eaton Centre and was blogging about it. She said “you know dear, I’ve only been there ONCE”. I’m not kidding, my mom has been visiting me regularly since I moved here in 1989. Looks like I will be visiting the Eaton Centre with her on her next trip!!
For more info:

Eaton Centre, 218 Yonge St. (416) 598 8560

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Yorkdale  Shopping Centre is near and dear to me for the following reasons:

a. I actually worked there in the early 1990’s as the Marketing Director for 9 months

b. Since I moved to Toronto in 1988, I have always lived no more than 7 minutes away from Yorkdale.

c. I have nostalgic memories of Yorkdale: ie. I remember when there was a Miracle Food Mart where Holt Renfrew is now located

Yorkdale continues to strive to be the best shopping centre with a constant stream of new and amazing stores (and new restaurants too).

Here’s a few highlights of the new stores that you are going to see in the new wing.

ANN TAYLOR – that’s right Ann Taylor is now at Yorkdale and the collection is stunning.

Hello Ann Taylor!!

ANTHROPOLOGIE – don’t get me started about this store. Love. Love. Love.

This store is going to be super popular

TESLA MOTORS – I think it’s a genius idea to have a car showroom inside a shopping centre. Not something you see everyday but what a smart move.

Want. Electric. Car.

L’OCCITANE – this is their Canadian flaghship store and they didn’t hold back!! There’s even complimentary hand massages so you can check out their famous hand creams. Naturally I had one.

I will be back. LOL

LULULEMON– the store is spacious and bright and full of amazing merchandise. IVIVVA will now be located in their old space.

Other stores that caught my eye were Club Monaco, Lacoste, David’s Tea, Best Buy, Starbucks, and even a beautiful looking ScotiaBank.

Seeing as I’m a foodie, I had to check out Joey  (and you should too). This gorgeous looking restaurant is sure to be a hit with shoppers.

Sorry…didn’t use my Canon. GRRR. You get the idea right? It’s gorgeous.

Happy Shopping everyone. Hope you get a chance to see the expansion soon. You are going to be impressed. I promise.

More info:

Yorkdale Shopping Centre, 3401 Dufferin St. (416) 789 3261

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It’s that time of year to enjoy some hot chocolate. So I put together a list of a few places and off I went.

First on the list was Jet Fuel Coffee Shop  (519 Parliament St)

Can’t say I was impressed: it was watery. I would go back for their coffee though in a heart beat.

Second stop was The Grind House (281 Augusta) in Kensington Market. I ordered their chili hot chocolate and thought it was  simply divine. Not to sweet, not to chocolately, not to spicy. It was well balanced and perfect (in my humble opinion)

Third stop was MoRoCo Chocolat ( 99 Yorkville Ave) in Yorkville. This white hot chocolate was certainly pretty but man oh man was it sweet. Not to mention a small cup (12 oz) was over $7. I know they use REAL chocolate and I know they are in Yorkville but still…..I was kind of shocked.

Fourth and final stop was Aroma Espresso (went to the Forest Hill location at 383 Spadina) Love the fact that they put a huge chunk of white chocolate in the bottom of the cup and then add steamed milk in order to produce the perfect cup of white hot chocolate.

Here’s proof of the white chocolate that they use:

I am now looking forward to my next crawl! I think it’s time to do a ________ crawl.

PS really meant to go to Soma (443 King St. W) but never made it. Who knows there might be a hot chocolate crawl part 2. Ya never know.

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It’s that time of year when I return to my favorite restaurants so I can enjoy some comfort food.  I generally want soup but sometimes I want a different type of soup like the one I order at: Buk Chang Soon Tofu.

I use to pass this restaurant all the time on Yonge (just south of Finch on the east side). It took me years to actually check it out as I could see thru the window that it was always packed. One day I finally made it and I was blown over!!  a) it’s cheap and cheerful (my fav type of restaurant) and b) it’s pure comfort food without a ton of calories.

I also found out why it’s packed. You simply can’t make this at home.

So what do I order?

I order the Vegetable Soon Tofu. (#6) It’s basically a bowl of flavourful broth that is served in this piping-hot stone pot (in Korean, this is called dolsot) and is packed with vegetables and soft, fresh tofu.

#6

It arrives with 4 different types of appetizers (soybean, kimchi, radish, and a bean sprout dish) and an egg for you to throw into your stone pot. All of this for $8.50 WITH TAX. Could life get any better?

Now if you want a meat soup – there’s a few options:

Sadly there is no website, no facebook page and no twitter presence. However you can find lots of great reviews on Urbanspoon, BlogTO, and Yelp.

For more info:

Buk Chang Soon Dong Tofu (north) 5445 Yonge Street (416) 430 7458

Buk Chang Soon Dong Tofu (south) 691 Bloor St. West (416) 537 0972

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I wasn’t going to let a little grey weather keep me away from The Toronto Garlic Festival which took place over the weekend, at Evergreen Brickworks. They had moved the festival indoors so this meant no puddles or umbrellas in sight.

I strolled thru the vendors to see what caught my eye ,and it wasn’t hard AT ALL  to figure out what I was going to try:

1. Garlic Fudge:  Kudo’s to Busy Liz’s Farm Shop for developing this recipe. It was perfect.

2. Roasted Garlic Chocolate Ice Cream: It took me a second to whip out some lactose pills so I could try this ice cream that was was made by Greg’s Ice Cream.

3. A Stone Ground tortilla with garlic hummus:  Made with love from the good people at Chocosol. Just what I needed.

4. Ooey Gooey Goodness from Cheesewerks. I am so spoiled to enjoy their amazing food, both last week at Soupalicious and then this week at the Toronto Garlic Festival. I seriously need to organize a tweet up for a Fondue Nite. Who’s in?

I ended off my visit to the Toronto Garlic Festival by participating in the Garlic Breath test that was sponsored by the Ontario Science Centre. What a great idea to have this contest at the Festival. Wonder who won.

Clearly I had fun at this festival!! Not to mention I came home with an amazing variety of garlic for me to experiment with. I love garlic…can you tell?

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I’ve been a fan of Body Blitz for as long as I can remember. The first time I went to Body Blitz was DIRECTLY after completing the Mississauga Half Marathon (many years ago.) In fact after each half marathon that I have completed (4)..I went right there, all dressed in my shvitzy clothes with my Visa in my pocket. It was the best move, as I was never sore the next day and I give credit to Body Blitz for helping my body recover after running for 2 plus plus hours.

On Wednesday nite, I got a sneak preview of their new location that will soon be opening at 497 King St. East. (lucky lucky me)

I’m in love with their water therapy, which consiits of a Dead Sea salt pool, an epsom salt pool, a cold plunge pool, an infrared sauna and a eucalyptus sauna.

Dead Sea Salt Pool

You do a circuit, (see photo below) and then you can simply chill while reading a magazine and sipping a juice/protein shake/tea. Then you do the circuit again and again. It’s bliss to go there on a cold winter day. TRUST ME. I should mention that there are spa services available at Body Blitz too not just water therapy!

The Circuit!!

Congratulations to Rena and Laura on opening a second location. This is great news for women in Toronto!!

Rena (on the left) and Laura (on the right) surrounded by Synchronized Swimmers at the Opening Party

For further info:

Body Blitz – 471 Adelaide St. w (416) 364 0400

Body Blitz East – 497 King St. East (which isn’t open yet -but is now taking reservations!!)

Follow them on Twitter: @BodyBlitzSpa or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bodyblitzspa

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Dear Soupalicious.

Why did it take me so long to find you? It’s your third year running this event, but it was my first time attending. I was super impressed with everything about your event: from the friendly volunteers, to the venue (Wychood Barns, 601 Christie) . But it’s the SOUP that I want to talk about.

Just so you know, I was sick with a bad cold on Sept 30th but I was all too happy to “sip, slurp and savour”!!

I couldn’t believe how many participating restaurants and chefs you had at this event…over 30, right?

Sadly I couldn’t taste every single soup from every single vendor but here’s a few soups that did stand out!!

1. Globe Earth Restaurant: They served a white chocolate parsnip soup with pistachio earth and sour cherry reduction. OMG.

2. Brunchworks Cafe: This vegetarian french onion soup with garlic crostini rocked. There was a touch of fennel in this soup, that made the soup “extra ordinary”. Loved it.

3. A Food Gypsy: They served a savoury, sweet and locally delicious cabbage borsht that was outstanding. Lisa explained to me that she had used a organic beet broth to make the soup extra flavorful and it worked!!

Brilliant.

4. Cheesewerks: Their rustic herb tomato soup hit the spot. Not to mention it was Gluten/Dairy free and Vegan!

Congratulations to Soupalicous and to Plant a Row, Grow a Row. What a great event and what a great organization. I wasn’t aware of this organization before, but found out that the funds raised from Soupalicious are dedicated to the support Plant a Row • Grow a Row which encourages the sharing of the harvest from your garden with neighbours in need.

I’m already looking forward to next years event.

Cheers,

Vicky – @momwhoruns

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For some reason, I don’t spend a lot of time visiting the Danforth even though I really should. It’s a wonderful neighborhood full of great patios, grocery stores, clothing stores and FOOD. (ha…my favorite subject).

This past weekend, I was determined to make the most of my visit to the Danforth and visit some old favorites and check out some new restaurants too. Here’s three spots that I visited:

1. ATHENS BAKERY: It’s always the first place I visit when I go to the Danforth. It’s not new, but there are still plenty of people out there who have not discovered LOUKOUMADES and you really should. The chalkboard menu describes them as “honey coated balls of dough”. I describe them as HEAVEN. Seriously…please go get a half dozen and sprinkle them with cinnamon. You can thank me later.

Heaven. Can you say Heaven?

2. THE FUZZ BOX: I seriously googled “new danforth” and this restaurant appeared. Like a good foodie – I went. First, I called the restaurant to see if they had anything for vegetarians. The owner was super friendly on the phone and told me that they were just testing out a donair with tofu and even though it wasn’t on the menu yet,  he would be happy for me to try it.

I have never had a donair before, never knew the history about donairs, never knew about the special sauce or the special seasoning – but the owner patiently explained everything to me while I was waiting for my donair.

What’s important to know is that The Fuzz Box is the ONLY Toronto restaurant who specializes in Donairs. I’m seriously thinking about organizing a tweet up at this restaurant. Who’s in?

3. The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro: This is a new restaurant on the Danforth but I’ve been eating at the Works in Ottawa for over a decade. So I’m super familiar with their tower of rings and their massive menu which offers a huge variety of hamburger creations. (seriously..someone has a good job creating all those hamburger names).

Here’s an old photo I dug out:

Now this sign can say TORONTO too!!

For Further Info:

Athens Pastires, 509 Danforth Ave, (416) 463 5144

The Fuzz Box 1246 Danforth Ave, (416) 769 1432

The Works Gourmet Burger 888 Danforth Ave. (647) 748 4455

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