I recently took a trip to the fine state of Massachusetts to attend a yoga retreat (aka Yoga Camp) at Kripalu. Kripalu is in the Berkshires and is kind of tricky to get to if you’re not driving.  [...]]]> Neptune Oyster
63 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02110
617-742-3474

I recently took a trip to the fine state of Massachusetts to attend a yoga retreat (aka Yoga Camp) at Kripalu. Kripalu is in the Berkshires and is kind of tricky to get to if you’re not driving.  I had the option of travelling through New York City or Boston to get there and chose Boston because a short trip to NYC would be such a tease.  Plus I wanted to check out Boston again because the last time I was there was for work where I was holed up in the JFK Library for 2 full days.

The way my travel options worked out I only ended up being able to have two dinners and one breakfast in Boston. Not a lot to work with.  One dinner I allocated to my nostalgic choice, Legal Sea Foods and the other to Neptune Oyster which supposedly has the best lobster roll in Boston.  Goodness knows I love a lobster roll AND they are hard to find in Toronto, so I was off.

Neptune Oyster is a pretty small restaurant situated in what appears to be a predominantly Italian neighbourhood.  I decided to show up on the early side on  a Friday night and my wait (as a single for the bar) was quoted as being 45 minutes.  When I showed up at 6pm literally every spot in the restaurant was taken. It’s definitely a hot spot.

Once I was seated at the bar I of course needed a beer and asked for a local recommendation.  The bartender recommended a Grey Lady Ale from Cisco Brewers out in Nantucket.  I’m not a beer connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination but I loved this beer.  It had a nice fruitiness (but not too fruity) and spiciness to it.  Of course it’s not available at the LCBO so it will just remain a memory to me until my next trip to Boston.

To start I opted for Neptunes on Piggyback ($13) which featured crispy oysters on top of Berkshire pork with golden raisins and a pistachio aioli.  The whole thing sat on top of crispy bread and was topped with some greenery.  This dish was a great mix of textures and flavours.  Now, I HATE raisins but I loved the contrast of the sweet raisins with the spicy greens and how they both played with the fattiness of the pork and richness of the oysters.  A really great start to the meal.

Now for my beloved lobster roll ($25).  I knew I was in for a treat when the bartender asked if I wanted my lobster roll hot with butter or cold with mayo.  Hold up! Wait a minute! I get a choice?  I have never been anywhere where I’ve had a choice around how my lobster roll was served.  To me, this was magical.  I opted for hot with butter.  The lobster roll was so simple, just HUGE chunks of perfect lobster gently coated with butter and served in a fresh lightly toasted roll.  It was really no frills and the simplicity allowed the lobster to shine.  It was also huge.  By the end I was just eating the lobster without the roll.  Without a doubt this was one of the best lobster rolls I’ve had, period.

This year I was lucky enough to be invited down by the Stratford Tourism Alliance to enjoy Savour Stratford weekend. I enjoyed the festival last year and was super excited to visit once again.  Not only did I buy a ton of produce at the market and consume my fair [...]]]>

This year I was lucky enough to be invited down by the Stratford Tourism Alliance to enjoy Savour Stratford weekend. I enjoyed the festival last year and was super excited to visit once again.  Not only did I buy a ton of produce at the market and consume my fair share of Apple Frits but I did lots of other fun stuff too.

Here are a few highlights…

Wine and Cheese Tasting

The first order of business when I arrived on Saturday was attending a wine and cheese tasting with Chris from Chateau des Charmes and Ruth from Monforte Dairy.  Sure it was only 11am but that’s not too early for wine, is it? We tried 6 wines from CdC and 6 cheeses from Monforte.  I cannot even begin to express how happy this made me. For me the standout of the wines was the Aligote.  Aligote is a varietal that you don’t see often in this neck of the woods at all.  In terms of cheeses they all made me happy but I really enjoyed the Piacere with rosemary and juniper as well as a cheese that Ruth described as being a French cheddar-style cheese.

Charcuterie Tasting

Given my current interest in charcuterie I was particularly excited for this session with Fred from Perth Pork and Connie de Sousa from Top Chef.  We were served a glass of wine and given a plate of meat to feast on while Fred and Connie spoke.  Unfortunately there were no demonstrations at this session and Fred and Connie sort of spoke generally about charcuterie vs. related directly to what we were eating.  Despite this, I definitely enjoyed my snack plate of meat (even though there were no crackers or bread to make consumption easier).  The highlights were the prosciutto and perhaps the silkiest pâté I’ve ever had.  The elk terrine with blueberries was also very unique and delicious.

BBQ in the Square

This BBQ event was new to Savour Stratford 2011 and thank goodness! It was GREAT!  $30 got you a ticket which entitled you to a half rack of ribs, baked beans, coleslaw, baked beans and a roll.  PLUS your choice of either Creemore beer, wine or Harmony Organic milk. All while dining at long tables in the square in Stratford while listening to music.  The setting itself was fantastic.  The vibe was really chill and luckily the weather was nice enough to sit outside.  The true star of this party was the food.  The ribs were provided by Boss Hogs and they were DELICIOUS.  Some of the best ribs I’ve had in awhile.  I go back and forth about whether or not I enjoy dry or saucy ribs more.  These ribs were saucy and had me leaning towards that side easily.  This was definitely a highlight of the weekend.

Savour Stratford Tasting

The tasting is the main event of Savour Stratford weekend.  Restaurants are paired with local farmers and suppliers to prepare goodness for all to enjoy.  I ate a ridiculous amount of the above-photographed Chiang Mai-Style hot dogs with lemongrass mustard. These steamed buns were also right up there as my favourites.  Much wine was consumed by some of my favourite local wineries.  I even snuck in a few ciders and beers too.  Another great year for the tasting.

I’ve blogged a few times about my visits to Niagara to sample some of Ontario’s best wines.  Niagara is a great day trip or weekend getaway for those in Southwestern Ontario and I always feel lucky to have such a great area so closeby.  I was recently invited by the

I’ve blogged a few times about my visits to Niagara to sample some of Ontario’s best wines.  Niagara is a great day trip or weekend getaway for those in Southwestern Ontario and I always feel lucky to have such a great area so closeby.  I was recently invited by the LCBO to come out to Niagara with the challenge of finding my favourite local wine as part of their goLocal campaign. Sign me up!

For my out-of-Province readers and international readers, the LCBO is the Liquor Control Board of Ontario which is a provincial government enterprise. Basically if you want to buy alcohol in Ontario you for the most part have to get it at the LCBO (aka the government) or something like a Beer Store, Wine Rack or direct from a vineyard. Trust me when I say I miss the days of grabbing a beer from the bodega in NYC or picking up wine or other alcohol from the supermarket in other states.

This was not my usual jaunt out to Niagara.  This jaunt started with a private VIA Rail train to get us out of the city.  Who knew that you could commandeer a VIA Rail train for your own usage?  I suppose that’s what happens when you’re the LCBO.  It was pretty sweet and we were even treated to meal service. During our ride we were given cards that separated us into groups that would be whisked away for two different wine experiences.

Our first stop was over to Coyote’s Run to sample some “Crisp & Zesty” wines.  The wines featured included selections from Coyote’s Run, Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery and Vincor. We tried Pinots (gris, blanc, and noir), a few Sauvignon Blancs and a Chardonnay. My favourites from this tasting were the Coyote’s Run Red Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir ($24.95, Vintages #79228) and the Jackson Triggs 2010 Black Series Sauvignon Blanc ($13.95, 58438).

Then we were whisked off to a surprise lunch.  We pulled up to Creekside Estate Winery where we were greeted to the sight of food trucks!  The very popular El Gastronomo Vagabundo and Gorilla Cheese trucks were on hand to help soak up the alcohol feed us. I hadn’t had the opportunity to give these trucks a try so I was beyond excited.

From El Gastronomo I had the fish taco with local corn salsa, Bajan hot sauce and sour cream. HOLY MOLY.  This was really great.  I’m a fan of fish tacos (as evidenced here) so I love to give them a try when available.  I also had the steamed buns which are inspired by the ones served at Momofuku.  The buns feature pork belly, chili jam, cucumber and coriander.  These were just okay.  I remember when I had the ones from Momofuku I was filled with so much joy, I just didn’t get the warm and fuzzies from these ones.  They weren’t bad but they kind of fell short of my memory of the Momofuku version.

From Gorilla Cheese I had “The Lumberjack”  which consisted of aged cheddar and bacon.  Grilled cheese sandwiches, especially when they feature bacon are one of my favourite foods and this was a good sandwich!  The folks at Creekside were also pouring a variety of wines and I was able to reconnect with the lovely Laura’s Red.  After lunch we were divided into two new groups and whisked off to our final destination.

I had the chance to visit a winery whose wines I enjoy but haven’t visited before, Malivoire.  Here we tried wines from Malivoire, Strewn Winery and Cave Springs.  My favourites were the Strewn Two Vines Riesling Gewurztraminer Semi Dry ($11.95, 467662) which also happens to be a great value. I was also a fan of Malivoire 2009 Chardonay ($19.95, Vintages 573147).

Thanks to the LCBO and to Suresh and Trina for such a fabulous day in wine country!

If you’ve been reading my blog for the past year or so, you’re likely aware that I kind of love Stratford, ON.  Stratford is known these days amongst the international teeny bopper set as the hometown of Justin Bieber but Stratford has been holding it down for YEARS as a destination [...]]]>

If you’ve been reading my blog for the past year or so, you’re likely aware that I kind of love Stratford, ON.  Stratford is known these days amongst the international teeny bopper set as the hometown of Justin Bieber but Stratford has been holding it down for YEARS as a destination for great theatre and more recently as a culinary tourism destination in Ontario.

This year’s festival promises to be even more fun than last year. The festival will take place in Stratford on September 24 and 25th.  There’s a great mix of both free and paid workshops, plus the marketplace and many other opportunities for food-related fun.  They’ve even added some well-known names to the line-up including the Food Network’s Chuck Hughes and Connie de Sousa from Top Chef Canada.  If you’re coming from Toronto there is even a special Savour Stratford bus to make your trip that much easier.

To learn more about the festival click here.

To read more about my trip to last year’s festival check out this blog post.

Here are a few of the events that I’ll definitely be checking out this year…

Saturday

Wine and Cheese – A guided workshop with Ruth Klahsen of Monforte Dairy and Chris Giuliani of Chateau des Charmes where we’ll discover some great wine and cheese pairings.  Monforte cheese is amazing and CdC wines are wonderful as well so this will be a great session.

The Craft of Charcuterie – This year I’m all about all things charcuterie so I was delighted to see this on the schedule.  The workshop is hosted by Connie de Sousa (you’d know her from Top Chef Canada) and Fred de Martines of Perth Pork Products (great stuff).

Ribs in the Square – Who doesn’t love a good BBQ?  The Savour Stratford team will be setting up a long communal table in the square and the award-winning Boss Hog’s BBQ team will be serving up ribs, cole slaw, and baked beans.

Sunday

Farmers’/Artisan Market – This is happening on Saturday as well but I’ll likely check it out in depth on Sunday (I’ll go repeatedly on Saturday for my apple fritter fix… they are addictive).    Stock up on local goodness before you head back to the city (and by city I mean Toronto, but I’m biased).

Savour Stratford Tasting – This is THE marquee event of the weekend.  30+ culinary teams will setup under the main tent and feature the local goodness of Stratford.  I attended this event last year and it was great with a really chill atmosphere.

I’ll be in Stratford on Saturday and Sunday.  If you can’t make it down follow me on my personal Twitter account (@wontonfm) for a play-by-play of the weekend.  I look forward to seeing you there!

My recent European jaunt included a 3-day stint in Berlin.  I went to Berlin knowing pretty much nothing about the city. Sure, I knew there was a wall that came down in the 90s and that they probably had some good sausage and beer but that was about it.  Before the [...]]]>

My recent European jaunt included a 3-day stint in Berlin.  I went to Berlin knowing pretty much nothing about the city. Sure, I knew there was a wall that came down in the 90s and that they probably had some good sausage and beer but that was about it.  Before the trip I tried doing some research and planning but the entirely unfamiliar German words couple with my complete ignorance about all things Berlin were both a hindrance to my usually awesome trip-planning.  Plus I knew that the owner of our hostel (yes, princess stayed at a hostel) would give us a good schpiel about Berlin so i wasn’t too worried.

While in Berlin I drank my fair share of beer.  I felt like it was my duty.  Plus you can drink beer literally anywhere.  We’re talking walking down the street, on the subway, in a park… anywhere.  I didn’t really take advantage of the liberal consumption patterns but beer was definitely my beverage of choice when dining out.

Here’s a look at some of what I ate in Berlin…

While walking through the Flohmarkt am Mauerpark (Mauerpark Flea Market) I noticed that A LOT of people were eating corn on the cob.  Seeing as corn season hadn’t rolled into Ontario yet I had to have corn on the cob.  When I saw the corn sitting in water I was skeptical but tried it anyways and was impressed.

Not to far away from the market we stumbled upon a cute restaurant with a great vibe.  Folks were eating good looking meat and cheese platters and I was totally sold.  This was a really simple lunch but totally hit the spot.  I need to recreate the goodness chez moi.

After checking out the Berlin Wall we decided to hit the beach.  Yes, someone had the brilliant idea of creating beaches on the banks of the river behind the remnants of the Berlin Wall and added bars. Score!  Seriously, after walking the kilometer + stretch it was hard to resist a spot to just stop and chill.  I discovered Schofferhofer Grapefuit.  It reminded me of beer mixed with Ting.  I’m glad they don’t have this stuff at the LCBO because it would totally be a problem.

I couldn’t hit Germany without eating schnitzel.  in fact, I had schnitzel for dinner two nights in a row.  This was superior schnitzel.  The restaurant is Restaurant April and it’s near the Nollendorfplatz subway station. Pretty much everyone in the restaurant was eating the schnitzel… and for very good reason.

Our last meal in Berlin was on the fancier side. Or maybe just on the touristy side. We had a late lunch/early dinner at a restaurant on Pariser Platz where the Brandenburg Gates are called Theodor Tucher. The restaurant boasts the fact that Bill Clinton ate there. I decided to forgo my usual beer and instead ordered a Rhubarb Spritzer. It kind of tasted like diluted and kind of flat rhubarb pop but was actually kind of refreshing.

My friend Ben ordered a Berlin specialty… the Currywurst. It’s basically a sausage in what I’m sure is curry spiced ketchup. It’s odd but kind of satisfying. Since we were at a fancy restaurant they made the Brandenburg Gates out of curry powder and then brought the sausage out separately. I won’t lie, it was kind of impressive.

After consuming A LOT of meat over the previous two days I decided to switch it up a bit and have fish… and potatoes! The fish was really fresh and simply prepared. The potatoes were quite possibly the best potatoes I’ve had. Period. The potatoes were fried with bacon and onions… need I say more?

Of course I couldn’t leave Germany without trying a pretzel while chilling in Pariser Platz.

Berlin is a great city worth visiting.  Next time I would do more research into the food scene, but honestly, we didn’t really have any bad meals.

One of my favourite things to do when I travel is visit the local grocery stores. You can learn a lot about a city/country by what they have going on in their supermarkets. You get an indication of the immigrant communities that influence the food, how health-focused a country is and [...]]]>

One of my favourite things to do when I travel is visit the local grocery stores. You can learn a lot about a city/country by what they have going on in their supermarkets. You get an indication of the immigrant communities that influence the food, how health-focused a country is and how much North American culture has invaded that particular locality. I love it!

While in London I was lucky enough to stay with friends in their neighbourhood which meant I had many an occasion to visit my local Tesco, Sainsbury, and Waitrose. While London supermarkets are pretty neat I was even more fascinated by two unique aspects of their grocery culture: food halls and take-away.

Food Halls

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Compared to anywhere that I’ve been, London has a pretty big food hall culture. Now I’m not sure of the exact definition of a food hall but in the context that I’m using it here it basically refers to specialty food “department stores”. Places where you can stock up on variety of fancy food items from superior preserves to caviar to Iberico ham and beyond. In London’s case, from what I could tell, all the major “nice” department had impressive food halls.

My first food hall was at Harrod’s. Their food hall has a bit of whimsical feel to it and feels right out of a fairytale. It’s very ornate and pretty over the top. You can go there to pick up groceries, have lunch at the sushi bar, seafood bar or grill, among other places, or you can pick up prepared foods. I was definitely enticed by some of the desserts that I saw and also resisted buying a few prepared food items. What I wasn’t at all enticed by was the pomegranate for £8! Yes, for one pomegranate!

Next up was a visit to Fortnum & Mason’s.  Their food hall was very luxe and elegant and I loved the focus on their branded preserves.  If air travel wasn’t such a pain these days I totally would have brought home jars upon jars of their preserves.  And if I wasn’t rolling solo I would’ve LOVED to get a Fortnum and Mason’s hamper and have a picnic in the park.

I also visited the food hall at Selfridge’s.  This one was very different from both Harrod’s and F&M as it had a much more contemporary feel to it.  It was very bright and white and had a fantabulous candy section.  They also have a Pierre Herme so you know I made multiple visits.  I love when stores have American food sections.  They ALWAYS have marshmallow fluff and corn syrup! EVERY TIME!

This time around I didn’t buy any prepared foods from the food halls because I was on a constant mission for my next restaurant meal, but the food for the most part looked great.  The food doesn’t come cheap but by the looks and sound of things the ingredients in most cases seemed pretty top notch.

Take-Away

One of the most intriguing aspects of food-shopping in London is the emphasis on ready-made and grab-and-go.  I don’t use either of these terms in a negative way because those Brits sure know how to hook up some pre-packaged foods.  Most supermarkets have a section of pre-made sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes etc. that are packaged and ready to go for the lunch crowd.  Sure, we have those here but they usually look sketchy and the options are never that enticing.  I give huge props to Marks & Spencers for doing this right.  In addition to interesting sandwich combos you can get pre-made snacks such as Prawn Cocktail and Smoked Salmon Terrine to take back to the office.  I think my workday would be vastly improved if I could pop out and buy things like Smoked Salmon Terrine. I paid around £3 for the terrine (with crackers and a cute spreader) and it honestly felt like something I would buy in a restaurant.  I’m hoping that the take-away culture spreads to our side of the “pond”.

Grocery Shopping

Here are a few highlights from the grocery store.

I always have to check the yogurt aisle.  Why don’t we have rhubarb, gooseberry or apple & elderflower yogurt?

KitKat yogurt? Sure, why not!?!?

I’m always so fascinated by the fact that in parts of Europe the eggs aren’t refrigerated.

Don’t these jams sound divine?

Totally cool that these beans come in tetra packs and not cans!

Crisps in Roast Chicken, Smokey Bacon and Prawn Cocktail.  I’ll take it.

I love that Heinz makes both Oxtail Soup and Mulligatawny soup in the can.  But we’ve always known that the Jamaicans and Indians hold down London.

Borough Market
8 Southwark Street
London, UK
Open: Thurs 11a-5p, Fri 12p-6p, Sat 8a-5p

As a food lover I’m always inclined to visit good market whenever I travel.  The name Borough kept on coming up so I paid a visit on my last day around the lunch [...]]]>

Borough Market
8 Southwark Street
London, UK
Open: Thurs 11a-5p, Fri 12p-6p, Sat 8a-5p

As a food lover I’m always inclined to visit good market whenever I travel.  The name Borough kept on coming up so I paid a visit on my last day around the lunch hour.  Conveniently located right by the London Bridge Tube station, Borough Market is a quick and easy jaunt if you’re out sightseeing.

Like many things in London, Borough Market has a long history.  Dating back as far as 1014 (like that was even a year) London Bridge (near to the current market) attracted all sorts of food traders.  If you fast forward to the 13th century, the traders were moved to Borough High Street and from that point on there has been a market in that area.  Today the market is divided into 3 sections with a mix of about 130 permanent shops and temporary vendor stalls. The market is about 90% covered which I guess is a necessity based on London’s weather but as it isn’t really in a building I imagine it gets pretty chilly during the winter.

The market has the usual mix of goods on offer from fresh produce, meats, fish and cheese but also has a pretty solid prepared foods presence which is perfect for a lunchtime visit.

After doing some research there were two items I knew I had to try: the Chorizo sandwich and the toasted cheese.

I managed to find the Chorizo sandwich pretty easily and hopped into line.  The sandwhich features a chorizo sausage that has been split lengthwise and grilled.  It’s placed on a fresh bun that is drizzled with olive oil and is then topped with roasted piquillo peppers and rocket.    You have the option of a double or single, which relates to the number of sausages.  I opted for a single.  Everything about this sandwich was fantastic.  The sausage was perfectly spiced and the bit of the rocket and the texture of the pepper really worked well together.  I almost bought another sandwich but decided to go on a quest for the cheese sandwich instead.

I walked in circles look for this cheese sandwich to no avail.  I ended up standing in a corner with my super slow Blackberry trying to search for more information.  As it turns out Ruth Reichl (former Editor in Chief of now-defunct Gourmet Magazine) said it was one of her favourite foods in London.  Now I wanted it even more!  I found the shop that sells them but unfortunately they are only available on Saturdays and I was there on a Sunday. WOMP WOMP.  I have since learned that the sandwich isn’t even at Borough anymore but has moved elsewhere.

I ended up grabbing a duck confit sandwich from another stall (yes, I had two sandwiches for lunch).  The duck was cooked in a giant pan within view and was placed on a fresh bun with a bit of rocket.  The duck was great with the right mix of crispy bits, fatty bits and meaty bits.  I think the sandwich really needed more rocket or something else to balance it out because the sandwich really felt like a lot of meat on a bun.

The market on a Friday at lunch was definitely hopping and some parts were super congested.  If I lived in London I probably wouldn’t visit it often but it’s definitely a great stop if you’re in the neighbourhood.

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Bloom
2315 Bloor St West (Bloor West Village)
Toronto, ON M6S 1P1
Tel: 416.767.1315

One of the fun things about being a food blogger is getting invites to try places that I wouldn’t normally make it to. The lovely folks at Sizzling Communications invited me to [...]]]>

Bloom
2315 Bloor St West (Bloor West Village)
Toronto, ON M6S 1P1
Tel: 416.767.1315

One of the fun things about being a food blogger is getting invites to try places that I wouldn’t normally make it to. The lovely folks at Sizzling Communications invited me to join a media/blogger dinner at Bloom to sample their new menu. I jumped at the chance because I’m always on the lookout for new Latin spots in Toronto. Having spent 6 years living in New York one of the things I miss is being able to easily (and cheaply) enjoy Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican food. Toronto’s Latin food scene is sadly underdeveloped so I was hoping to find a hidden gem in Bloom.

Bloom has been around for years but was definitely off my radar as it’s located in the Bloor West Village area of Toronto. BWV is a cute neighbourhood with lots of little shops, but it’s not really on my regular route of life so I rarely make my way over to that part of the city.

On a sweaty Monday after a LONG LONG day at work I was thrilled to be greeted with a mojito. I’m generally a fan of mojitos and trust me when I say this one was pretty lovely.

Soon after we were brought out an amuse of Cassava Frites with Mojo Dipping Sauce. These absolutely delighted me. First of all, I love any kind of mojo dipping sauce. I could definitely see this sauce going well with some tostones. The frites were a great match with their soft and starchy interior and golden crisp interior. I literally could’ve eaten a dozen of these.

Next up was the ceviche. The ceviche featured sustainable OceanWise halibut with tomatoes, habanero peppers, lime juice, garlic and spices. The fish was very fresh which was lovely and I really enjoyed the hit of heat from the habanero and the acidity from the lime juice. Interestingly enough, the ceviche was served on top of a sweet potato slice. I thought it was an interesting idea but it didn’t add much to the dish. I think it would have been fun to serve the ceviche on top of cassava chips or something… but that’s just me.

For the mains and desserts Celine of Plato Putas and I decide to split the selections so that we could get a full sense of the menu. This of course was a brilliant idea.

The first main was a flank steak with chimichurri. I have a serious weak spot for steak and chimichurri. Yes, I enjoy a regular steak but who wouldn’t want the addition of herby, garlicky goodness? Luckily this dish really delivered. The steak was perfect cooked and the sauce was perfectly spiced.

Next up was a sesame crusted tuna. I was excited for this as I’m often one to pick a fish dish and I was intrigued by the idea of a tofu-wasabi dressing and roasted vegetables. Alas the dish was just ok. I didn’t get any tofu from the dressing and although I enjoyed the roasted vegetables I found the addition of wasabi peas a bit bizarre. The fish itself was lovely but there was just a lot going on… a bit too much. The steak was definitely the winner.

For dessert we were treated to a Cuban Flan and Churros. I have a complicated relationship with flan — sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it. My funny feelings aren’t limited to flan however, I often feel the same way about panna cotta. This was a dulce de leche flan, and while I enjoyed the flavours I found the texture a bit too eggy for my tastes (and remember, eggs often freak me out). BUT the churros… oh the churros! I could eat churros every day of my life (and when I’m in Chicago I try to). The churros were served on top of vanilla ice cream with a drizzling of chocolate sauce and were pretty darned perfect.

Dinner at Bloom was lovely. Weeks later I’m still thinking about the cassava frites and the steak. They offer a prix fixe for $35 which features an appetizer, main, dessert and choice of coffee or tea. Bloor West Village is lucky to have Bloom.

Here is the conclusion of what I ate in London. Check out Part 1 here!

And on a side note, pretty much the whole trip I had this one line from Wyclef’s “Where My Fugees At?” stuck in my head.  The lyric: Some MCs in the underground, mad at me [...]]]>

Here is the conclusion of what I ate in London. Check out Part 1 here!

And on a side note, pretty much the whole trip I had this one line from Wyclef’s “Where My Fugees At?” stuck in my head.  The lyric: Some MCs in the underground, mad at me cuz I’m above ground/ Counting English pounds.  Random, I know.  So I figured the lead photo should be the sign that triggered this song in my head.

Arbutus
63-64 Frith Street
London W1D 3JW, United Kingdom
020 7734 4545

Arbutus, a well-known Soho restaurant, made it to my list because the menu sounded interesting AND it had a Michelin start… I think I found it via GOOP at some point too!  The menu was one of the pricier ones so I decided to visit it for lunch when they offer a prix fixe meal for 16.95.

After a leisurely morning at the Tower of London I headed over and grabbed a seat at the bar.  While perusing the menu I decided to forgo the prix fixe “Working Lunch” in favour of ordering a la carte where the choices were MUCH more interesting but of course more expensive.

I ended up ordering the Warm crisp pig’s head with young leaf salad and a dish of Roasted Duck with cherries and walnuts.  I’m not sure what the deal is but recently when I go out I’ve been ordering duck or pork belly where available.  Probably because I NEVER cook duck and rarely prepare belly with the exception of bacon.

The Pigs Head salad was amazing.  To be honest I think they just call it Pigs Head because a.) that’s what it contains and b.) for shock value.  It’s not like you get part of the pigs eye staring at you or anything.  Instead it was a sort of terrine of various textures of pork.  There was really a distinction in texture and flavour between the parts used with some being more smooth and others almost granular – very interesting contrast.  It was served with a small bit of green salad that cut through the richness and fat of the pork.

My main was truly a wonder when presented to me.  Yes, there were cherries but the walnuts took the form of a paste or butter that was smeared on the plate.  In addition the dish featured numerous small, roasted beets and a piece of crostini with a duck rillette.  I love rillette so a rillette surprise totally made my day. Oh! And it also came with a surprise side of potatoes gratin.  HEAVEN.

This was probably the most decadent lunch I’ve had in my life.  I felt like Henry VIII when I practically rolled out there.  Lunch ended up coming in at 30 but was totally worth it.

Hereford Road
3 Hereford Road
Westbourne Grove
London, W2 4AB
Phone: 020 7727 1144

Walking to Hereford Road from the Notting Hill Gate tube stop was probably one of the loveliest walks in London.  I walked through Notting Hill and had clearly discovered one of the fancy parts of town as the houses were city mansions and impeccably maintained.  Not that this has anything to do with meal but I just had to say that Notting Hill is adorable!

Set on a street with a few other restaurants, Hereford Road looks warm and comforting from the outside.  It follows the open kitchen concept and even displays some of the days fresh produce in the window (on the day I went it was giant globe artichokes).  The menu here has an emphasis on British cooking made with fresh produce and local products.  I debated amongst many items for both the appetizers (it was between the artichoke and the potted crab) and the mains (between the pot roast rabbit and the pork belly).  In the end the potted crab and the pork belly won.

Potted crab was new to me and the waitress described it as lightly seasoned crab baked and with a layer of butter on top.  You spoon it out and spread it on grilled bread.  Yes please!  The serving was generous and luckily delicious.  The crab was well prepared (except for a piece or two of shell/cartilage) and was a really great appetizer.

The pork belly was presented as a thick slice that had been roasted. The interior was roasted to perfection with an almost melting texture while the outer edge featured a nice crisp bit of skin (my fave). The pork belly was served with courgettes (aka zucchini) and saffron but we also got conned into ordering a side of potatoes by our waitress.  We definitely didn’t need any more food!

For dessert we split the cherry-almond tart with creme fraiche and the gooseberry Eton Mess.  The tart was rich and buttery and pretty much what I expected.  The Eton Mess was not nearly as good as the one that I had at St. John. Yes, I thought that the strawberries at St. John were a better pick compared to gooseberries but I didn’t enjoy how the meringue lacked any crispness either.  The meringue was on the tacky, chewy side which I did not appreciate.

Overall the meal was very good and for the most part (minus being conned into ordering a side) the service was lovely.  We ended up with a server named Tony (short for Elton, who knew!) that made the meal kind of hilarious at points. Hereford Road is definitely worth checking out.

North Sea Fish
7/8 Leigh Street
London WC1H 9EW
020 7387 5892

After my ok fish and chip experience at Fish Club I was excited to try North Sea Fish.  Located close to St. Pancras station the location seemed a little random but it wasn’t too far away so all was good.

North Sea Fish actually encompasses two restaurant: one side specifically for takeaway and another dining room for eat-in patrons.  Yes, the food is cheaper at the takeaway but for the most part I think fish and chips is best consumed immediately so I was willing to pay a premium.

I went all out and ordered a Spitfire beer  (possibly my new fave beer and it’s available at the LCBO!) to start and an order of the cod and chips for my main with a side of mushy peas.  Somehow I’ve never had mushy peas in life!  After placing my order the waitress brought over pretty giant ramekins filled with tartar sauce and ketchup.  I thought the amount was wholly unnecessary and seemed wasteful… but soon thought differently.

The serving sizes were definitely on the generous side.  The piece of fish was pretty big and the batter was on the lighter side of medium which was different than I’m used to.  The fish was clearly very fresh and flaked off in large almost moist chunks.  Truly perfection.  The chips were not the star here.  They were good but nothing to write home about.  If we want to talk about stars however I have to say that the homemade tartar sauce was incredible.  I honestly think I ate nearly half a cup of the stuff which is nothing short of excessive.  I also found a new friend in mushy peas.  They are kind of like Mexican refried beans but with green peas instead.  They aren’t anything fancy whatsoever but they were a great accompaniment.

North Sea Fish definitely deserves all of the votes that it gets for best fish and chips.  I also give it bonus points for it’s old school look.  The dining room is nothing close to modern and looks like it’s probably had the same look since the 50s or 60s.

Dishoom
12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane
London WC2H 9FB
Tel: 020 7420 9320

For my last meal in London I wanted Indian food so we ended up at Dishoom, a Time Out London pick.  The folks on Chowhound weren’t to enthusiastic about Dishoom for the most part but we ventured there anyway since it was close to where we wanted to be for the evening.

The menu at Dishoom didn’t really follow the type of Indian menus that I’m used to. Sure, they had biryanis and chicken tikka but it didn’t have a lot of the saucy curries that I’m used to and there was a big emphasis on grilling.  The menu is also designed for sharing which generally drives me crazy.  Luckily our table was perfectly happy to order separately without the pressure of doing things “tapas-style”.

I decided to forgo a Kingfisher beer and instead had the mango and fennel lassi.  Oh how I love a lassi!  There was a good amount of mango goodness but I’m a bit suspect of the fennel.  Sure there were fennel seeds sprinkled on top but I didn’t get fennel flavour throughout. To start we had the Café Crisps, Vegetarian Samosas and the Dishoom Calamari.  The Café Crisps were super salty and had another odd flavour to them.  Despite that I definitely ate a bunch dipped in a variety of sauces.  The vegetarian samosas were filled with a mash of potatoes and other vegetables and interestingly enough a whole lot of pepper.  Initially our table thought that it was the sauces that were spicy but it was totally the samosas.  The surprise hit was the Dishoom Calamari.  Initially a few at the table expressed interest in the calamari but decided against it because there are few things worse than sketchy calamari.  When we asked the waitress for recommendations she listed the calamari saying it was great and we were sold.  Good thing, it was spicy, not overcooked and overall fantastic.

For my main I ordered Grilled Masala Prawns and the Chicken Biryani.  The serving included about six large prawns and they were dressed lime, tomato, and cilantro.  They were well-spiced and cooked maybe a bit past perfection.  I never order biryani but have had a craving for it for months now and I finally decided to handle that.  To my surprise there were HUGE pieces of chicken throughout, about half chicken and half rice.  The biryani was tasty but not anything to special.  Despite being “sharing portions” I definitely felt stuffed afterwards and didn’t even finish the biryani.

Dishoom was a decent experience but not anything special.  I’ve never been to Brick Lane but I imagine that it is a good alternative to those restaurants and in a central location (near Leicester Square).

Random Stuff

One of the (many) joys of London is the fact that it’s part of Europe and some of my fave French spots have made their way over there!

While walking through Harrods I stumbled upon Laduree and found them again while strolling near Bond Street. I can’t pass up macarons so both times I got two. I went for the rose, salted caramel, and a few other flavours. All were great and reminded me how amateur my macarons really are. It also made me realize that I need to upgrade the amount of filling that I use.

I also stumbled upon Pierre Herme in Selfridges and REALLY couldn’t pass these up since Pierre Herme is my favourite macaron-maker. What I like about PH is that they do really unique flavours. I went for the Olive Oil and Vanilla, Jasmine, Salted Caramel and Pistachio. Reconnecting with my inner macaron lover made me so happy!

While in Bath I was killing time and decided to check out McDonalds. Whenever I’m in another country I have to visit McDonalds to check out what the local menu is like. Interestingly enough they were running an American-inspired menu that featured onion rings. Onion rings at McDonalds? I had to try. I wish I didn’t. They were served with this odd sweet chili sauce and the rings themselves were pretty planned and looked like they soaked up a pound of oil. They left a very bad taste in my mouth.

When I look back at all of my meals, my favourite was definitely Arbutus.  I found their whole menu to be very innovative and the dishes that I had were well-executed and really delivered beyond their menu description.  I would visit again in a heartbeat.

Look out for a few more posts on London including my trip to Borough Market and a look at London supermarkets and food halls.

I recently was fortunate enough to spend five days in London (England, not Ontario).  I visited London about 7 or 8 years ago while studying abroad in France but seeing as I was in broke student mode I didn’t get a chance to do London to its fullest.

This time around [...]]]>

I recently was fortunate enough to spend five days in London (England, not Ontario).  I visited London about 7 or 8 years ago while studying abroad in France but seeing as I was in broke student mode I didn’t get a chance to do London to its fullest.

This time around the plan was to see all the sights, shop and of course eat.  Usually when I travel I spend A LOT of time figuring out what I want to do and what I want to eat.  My theory about food while traveling is why eat mediocre food in a cities with such great culinary options?  Sure cities like New York, Paris and London are filled with restaurants but some quick research can point you in the direction of some of the cities best eats.

In planning my London trip I wasn’t too sure where to start. When I go to NYC I usually have a running list of places to check out, but with London there wasn’t a single restaurant that was on my radar (not for lack of restaurants, I’m just not that tapped into the London food scene).  Thankfully in the age of the internet it’s easy enough to find great options.  My main sources for compiling my London restaurant list were: GOOP (Gwyneth Paltrow’s most excellent newsletter), Time Out London and Chowhound.

A lot of my picks came from GOOP.  Say what you want about Gwyneth (or as I often refer to her, GP) and her recent culinary exploits, but she makes one hell of a city guide when GOOP does the travel editions.  Since Gwyneth lives in London for most the year she has the perspective of a Londoner (a very wealthy Londoner) rather than a culinary tourist.  I appreciate that.   I jokingly refer to my London feast tour as “Eating Like Gwyneth in London”. I checked out Time Out London for their “Best of” section and used Chowhound to validate my pics.

I ate VERY well while in London. Traditionally England has this reputation for crappy food but after my trip I can’t begin to believe it.  Similar to Toronto the trend of nose-to-tail eating is big as is the idea of local raised/source foods. One of my best travel tips is to set a realistic budget and stick to it (most of the time).  That way you can budget for the way you plan to eat.  I wasn’t into doing the city’s cheapest spots every day but also didn’t want to blow the bank so I worked with a daily budget as follows;

Breakfast £5
Lunch £15
Dinner £25
Snacks £5

It balances out because some meals end up cheaper and some end up more expensive.  A £7 lunch makes it easier to have a £33 dinner etc.  It always works for me.

This will be a two-part post. I’ll cover days 3-5 and snacks in a day or two.

Ottolenghi
287 Upper Street
London N1 2TZ
T: 020 7288 1454
(3 other locations as well)

I arrived in London pretty early on a Friday morning and after getting settled needed some food.  I wanted something local and strayed from my day’s pre-planned lunch.  My friend Robin suggested we check out a local spot whose name she didn’t know but she knew they always had meringues in the window.  When we got there and were waiting in line I started seeing a familiar name and logo – Ottolenghi.  Ottolenghi wasn’t on my list of places to check out but I was familiar with it from none other than GP.  In GOOP she mentions that she likes to stop into Ottolenghi when she’s hosting company but doesn’t have time to cook.  If it’s good enough for GP, it’s good enough for me.

Ottolenghi is part “takeaway” (buy food to take with you) and part eat-in restaurant.  When you enter they have a selection of very attractive baked goods lined up on one side and then their savoury salads, meats etc on the other side.  If you are getting your food for takeaway the items are weighed.  If you’re eating in (as we did) you get to choose the number of different dishes that you’d like to try.

For lunch I decided to pick the 3-item plate which was about £11 or £12. Everything on offer looked pretty scrumptious but I chose the sweet potatoes with spiced yoghurt, dukkah and chervil, Jersey royals (potatoes) and asparagus with samphire, parsley pesto, herbs and lemon and lamb kofta (yes I had two starches as sides). I loved the Middle Eastern flavours in the sweet potatoes and lamb. They were well spiced and had flavours that I definitely am not used to cooking with. One thing to note is that the food isn’t served hot, it’s at room temperature which is kind of odd (especially for the lamb) but works when everything is room temperature.

Since Ottolenghi was so close to where I was staying I good part of my breakfast budget went to them.  The banana-date muffin is probably the best muffin I’ve ever had (period), the pain or chocolat is pure buttery goodness and they make a pretty great chocolate-pecan cookie.

Pizza East
56 Shoreditch High Street
London E1 6JJ
T: 020 7729 1888
(2nd location on Portobello Road)

Pizza is easily one of my favourite foods so it’s no surprise that I wanted to check out one of the newish and popular pizza spots in London.  Located in the trendy Shoreditch area, Pizza East is a surprisingly large space (great for groups!) with a really Spartan, warehouse kind of look.  On a Friday night the place was packed with a mostly young group of trendy looking folks (and a wait of about 40 minutes for a table for two).

The menu features a variety of antipastos and what they call “boards” (think cheese and meat boards) which seemed really popular.  A number of tables were ordering the meat platter both while waiting to be seated and once at the tables.  They looked great but we just went right in for the pizzas.

We decided to order two pizzas. The first featured veal meatballs, prosciutto, cream and sage and the second featured a type of sausage with arugula strewn on top. The pizza was good but doesn’t compare with my fave pizza place in Toronto, Pizzeria Libretto. My main beef was that the crust was thin but too chewy in spots. The flavours and ingredients were great however, the crust didn’t stand up. Out of the two pizzas the meatball one was the clear winner.

Fish Club
189 St John’s Hill
Clapham Junction
SW11 1TH
020 7978 7115
(2nd location on Clapham High Street)

I heard about Fish Club through Time Out London and they ranked it as one of the best Fish and Chip shops in London.  Located in Battersea it’s not necessarily far from the city centre but it’s off the beaten path as there isn’t much around there in terms of sigh-seeing and the usual tourist activities.

When I arrived for lunch the place felt a bit unmanned.  There were a pair of customers eating at the picnic tables outside and eventually a man appeared behind the counter.  Given that the place was mostly comprised of stools (with maybe 4 or 6 tables in the back), I went to the counter to order and took a seat.  Eventually a server came around with real cutlery and to offer me water.  Not sure if this is a sitdown place or what, but it worked out in the end.

My first fish and chip experience in London was good but not amazing.  The fish was fresh and flaky and of substantial size. Fish Club gets bonus point for using sustainable fish.  The batter wasn’t too thick, but was on the heavier side of medium.  It was definitely crisp and golden.  The “chips” were not what I was expecting.  They were short and stubby, almost like “chip nuggets”.  Sure, the taste was good but I like more substantial fries.  But that’s just me.

I enjoyed the meal and if I lived I Battersea would probably hit up this place regularly.  After leaving, my general reaction was that I didn’t believe that it could possibly be the best fish and chips spot in London.  I thought some of my Toronto faves were at least on par with it.    I made the trek from Westminster Abbey to Battersea but would not do it again.

St. John Bar & Restaurant
26 St. John Street
London
EC1M 4AY
020 3301 8069

Oh St. John. This restaurant was on my list to try but then I took it off because the menu didn’t excite me.  Online they list a sample menu and it was a lot of random animal parts with what sounded like simple preparations.  I’m all for random animal parts, offal etc. but I wasn’t really feeling it for my trip.  After posting my tentative restaurant list on Chowhound however, a few people really urged me to try St. John.  So I did.

St. John was actually close to where I was staying, which was a bonus.  It is without a doubt an interesting space.  It looks industrial as you walk in and there are tables lining the hallway as you enter.  You then walk into a bar area which also has tables (they have a separate bar menu).  If you turn around and go up a few stairs you are taken to the dining room, which is where I sat.  On a Wednesday at around 8 the place was busy but not “wait for a table” busy which was nice.

Upon sitting down they bring over bread and butter. St. John also happens to be a bakery so I had a feeling the bread would be pretty stellar – and it was.  I decided to forgo an appetizer (saving room for dessert) and ordered a pair of Braised Slip Soles and a Green Salad.  Yup, I had no clue what Slip Soles were until I asked.  Apparently they are Dover Soles and in this case were braised in a brown butter.  I love brown butter pretty much anything, especially with fish so I was fully on board.

I totally made a rookie mistake when the dish arrived.  I cut off a piece of the end and literally met head- (or tongue) on with a mouthful of bones.  I have a very strong fear of getting a bone stuck in my throat so this was not ideal.  In my haste to consume my food I didn’t realize that I was given two whole fish and not two fillets.  I then ate my meal very leisurely as I got my Doctor Yang on and performed some serious surgery on the fish to remove every last microscopic bone.  Once I got into the fish I really enjoyed it.  For such thin fish it was nice to see that they weren’t overdone and dry.  The brown butter sauce was perfectly balanced and really complimented the fish.  The green salad that I purchased to go along with it (dishes arrive as described with no additional sides) was really refreshing and provided a nice break from all of the butter.

For dessert I wanted to try something uniquely British.  There were two things on the menu that I wasn’t too sure about which signaled “British” to me – Eccles Cake and Eton Mess.  When the waitress described the Eccles Cake to me I wasn’t that impressed. Its basically puffed pastry wrapped around a sort of dried fruit filling.  No thanks.  The Eton Mess on the other hand sounded delightful!  It’s essentially crushed meringue layered with whipped cream and berries, kind of like a parfait.  It was AMAZING.  I’ve pretty much been thinking about Eton Mess non-stop since and will be making it promptly.

My meal at St John was definitely a hit but I wish I had ordered a bit more adventurously. I think I ordered fish because I had been in Germany for 3 days prior and was kind of weighed down by the volume of pork and potatoes that I had consumed. St. John is worth visiting.

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Visit the blog in the next day or two for part 2 of my eating adventures in London.