In the event that you don’t have a cottage or you aren’t taking a summer vacation – DON’T WORRY.  I swear to you, that there’s no shortage of events and festivals right here in Toronto.

BlogTO recently posted: Top 54 Festivals in Toronto this summer. Click here to read that list. It’s quite impressive.

BlogTO also posted: Top Ten Food Festivals near Toronto this Summer. Click here to read that list. Again – quite impressive.

I love BlogTO. Don’t you? May I suggest that you subscribe to them or download their app so you can stay on top of all the fabulous events/restaurant openings, etc that are taking place? #hint.

There’s also neighbourhood events like the Mount Pleasant Village Shop, Dine and Wine on June 16th.

My Summer Bucket list includes:

–Camping: Went last year to Elora. As you can see from this photo we picked a pretty quiet spot. #score

-Hiking in the Hamilton area to see waterfalls. Specifically Webster Waterfalls. (which I keep seeing photos of on the internet)

-Learning to row. (I say this ever summer)

-Biking along the lake shore and on county roads. Believe it or not I bought this used bike in the Spring of 2015 and have never used it. ARGGHH

-Visiting a pick-your-own- cherry farm.

Let’s see what I can accomplish. Time will tell.

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

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A few weeks ago, I read about Archery District on BlogTO. I said to myself “hmm…that sounds like SO much fun”. (um, like 6,000 sqf of fun) So I picked up the phone and went to visit this unique space a few days later.

I found out that Archery District is a franchise that can be found in the States, but four friends from high school got together and brought the first franchise to Toronto.

When I arrived, I was given goggles and then headed over to a practice area for a few minutes of training.  Once my training was over, I was eager to see if I could hit the target. I actually hit it once and then that was the end of my “luck”. LOL

Even though Archery District just opened up a few weeks ago, they are already popular and groups were actively playing Archery dodgeball when i arrived.

Grab a bunch of friends and go. I have no doubt that everyone will have a blast.

For more information:

Website: www.archerydistrict.com 

Address: 770 Birchmount Rd, Unit 22

Phone:  647 955 3111

Hours: Mon-Thur: By booking only, Fri: 4pm-1am, Sat: 10am-1am,  Sun: 10am-10pm

This place is really worth checking out if you are looking for something fun to do!

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I went on a Ramen Crawl last winter and guess what? My fascination for Ramen continues.

The lastest ramen restaurant I checked out just opened on Dec 29th. It’s called Isshin Ramen and is located at 421 College St.

The menu consists of:  8 different types of ramen (including TWO vegetarian options), 4 appetizers, 3 rice bowls and 3 desserts.

I asked the waitress to assist me in ordering and before I knew it I ordered the “Isshin “Spicy” Black Tan Tan Ramen”– Thick twisty noodles in a miso broth, topped with wok fried ground pork, spicy chives, bok choi, black sesame, pork belly, cha-shu and a home made chilli oil. Once again – I’m no expert but all 3 components really worked for me (the broth, the noodles and the toppings). It was DELICIOUS.

They encourage you to use the mortar and pestle to grind the black sesames and add it halfway through to enhance the experience. I was impressed with this added touch!!

I also had the chance to try “Crunchy Chicken Karaago” – crispy crunchy flavourful bits of chicken, deep fried to perfection and served with a garlic kupe mayo. Ate all three pieces even though I’m not such a huge fan of chicken and I was FULL.

The meal ended off with a Fresh Mango Pudding which is made in house daily with fresh mangoes. It was light and refreshing not to mention a perfect way to end the meal.

I read a review on BlogTo today that highly recommends the Isshin “Red Miso” Ramen. I have no doubt that I will be returning. Cant’ seem to get enough Ramen during the winter.

For More Information:

Isshin Ramen, 421 College St, Toronto, ON 416 367 4013

Twitter: @isshinramen

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ramenisshin

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Restaurant Review: Jungle Juice

This little gem just opened a few weeks ago and is located on College St (smack inbetween Caplansky’s and Fancy Franks).

After reading a review on BlogTO, I then checked them out on Facebook. (PS and you should too). When I saw the photos that they were posting I knew I had to visit!!

It’s owned by a lovely Brazillian entrepreneur that only moved to Toronto five years ago. She was so passionate about cooking Brazilian food to her Canadian friends, that she opened up a small juice bar/restaurant.

I tried the “cheese bread” (pao de queijo) and was instantly in love. One could definetly tell that it was not made with white flour and had a diffrerent taste and texture to it.

I also tried the special of the day which was scrambled eggs with cassava.

Next visit, I’m going to try a “cleanser” which is ginger, apple, grapes, ice and water and a panini.(Brazilian style of course).

I also love the prices at Jungle Juice – everything is under $8.00. My type of “cheap and cheerful restaurant”.

Please welcome this great little (unique) juice bar to Toronto. They deserve a warm welcome!!

For More Info:

Jungle Juice 370 College St. Tel: 647 748 4899 Hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 8pm. Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Closed on Sundays

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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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