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Novello Desserts

November 7, 2011Leave a comment

166 Bullock Dr. Unit #2
Markham, ON
L3P 1W2
http://novellodesserts.ca

After trying to come here the night before but miserably getting lost; I went home and went on google maps and looked up the address again, I was determined to visit Novello the next day! As soon as I saw “Sfoglia” (kind of like a lobster tail pastry) on the website I knew I had to come here.

We headed into the old school store, everything looked super dated like it was somewhere your grandma would go to when she was young. And as soon as you walked in you could see the bakery at the back, a gelato station in the middle and the rest of the room surrounded by cakes and pastries units.

Nothing really appealed to me because of the lack of pastry selection (it was the end of the day also they didn’t have anymore sfoglia!!) but I couldn’t really leave without trying something, I mean being a foodie and all. We got two mini cannolis to share, one filled with ricotta and the other with chocolate.

I liked the ricotta one the best, it was sweet and creamy and the shell was crispy and flaky at the same time. Hands down one of the best cannolis I’ve had in Toronto. The chocolate was just so-so. Both were only $1 plus no tax!

The next time I visit will probably be on a Saturday so there would be more of a selection.

P.s they also serve pastas and hot sandwiches.

Loui’s Kouzina

October 30, 2011Leave a comment

Loui’s Kouzina
9255 Woodbine Ave
Markham, ON

I can say Loui’s Kouzina is probably the best Greek restaurant in the GTA, it’s not a franchise, it’s just a simple family run restaurant. There’s a home-y, warm feeling as soon as you walk in, you’re immediately greeted by super friendly hostesses.

We got the fried Kalamari to share, it was light, crispy, the squid was perfectly cooked and not chewy. There was a side of tzatziki to dip and I usually drown it in the sauce cause I love tzatziki but honestly this calamari didn’t need anything but a spritz of lemon juice.

My sister and Chris both got the “large plate” chicken souvlaki dinner, it came with two sides (fries, rice, roasted potatoes or mixed vegetables) of your choice and a Greek salad. They both loved their dinner, I don’t think I can stress how happy Chris was with his dinner, he just kept saying “I didn’t know Greek food could be this good!”.

The waitresses/hostesses were incredibly accommodating, both Chris and my sister are lactose intolerant and they forgot that Greek salads always have feta cheese. My sister asked them if they could re-make one because of the cheese, the waitress sounded a little annoyed at first and told my sister she should have said something before cause now they would have to throw out the whole salad but made a new salad none the less. Chris started scraping the feta off and the waitress asked if he wanted a new one too and Chris it was okay and started explaining that he was allergic to cheese, the waitress quickly grabbed the salad and said they would make a new one but in a super nice, concerned way.

I got the Moussaka which is kind of a Greek shepherd’s pie (I hope I don’t get shot for saying that) and it was served with a Greek salad. There are layers of potato, ground beef, zucchini and egg plant topped with a béchamel sauce. I love moussaka and try to order it every time I see on a menu. This one was delicious, super flavourful without being salty but I thought the beef was a tad dry.

Next time you’re in the mood for Greek food, head over to Loui’s cause you won’t be disappointed but make sure you make a reservation if you come on a weekend for dinner cause every time I pass by, it’s pretty packed. I’ve also read great things about the homemade dips they have so I guess I’ll have to try it out for myself next time!

THE HURST BAKERY

October 30, 2011September 16, 20191 Comment

15543 Yonge Street | Aurora, ON
www.thehurtbakery.com

My lovely friend, Kate, came to visit me at work today and brought me some goodies! I’ve never even heard about Hurst Bakery but it’s been around since 1986 (holy moly!), the bakery is owned by a husband and wife couple and everything is made on premises.

Kate got me four macarons: salted caramel, chocolate, lemon poppy seed & a purple one (didn’t really know what flavour it was).

I think my favourite was the lemon poppy seed, I love the lemon poppy seed combination but I’ve never seen it in a macaron form. At first I was a little skeptical but it was great!

She also got me the apple & spice muffin, a nice balance of spices with a hint of sour cream. It was super moist and delicious,I’m not really a muffin person but this one was really good. It’s baked in brown parchment which makes it look more rustic. (well it looks more rustic in my mind)

I will definitely trek up to Aurora to visit this bakery one day. Thanks again Kate!

Osechi Japanese Cuisine

October 19, 2011Leave a comment

230 Commerce Valley Drive East Unit#9
Markham, ON
L3T 7Y3
http://www.osechi.ca/

Osechi opened up probably a month ago where Dozo used to be and everything is the same, besides their menu, staff and sign outside the restaurant. Osechi put no effort in changing the layout or decor, I’m not complaining cause I find the interior very modern and lounge like which is kind of nice.

They’re having a grand opening special, 15% off, and who doesn’t like discounts? Carmen and I passed by the sign one night when we were heading over to Go For Tea and decided we had to try it out because 1. it’s a new restaurant, 2. it’s a new Japanese restaurant and 3. DISCOUNT!

I don’t think I had high expectations walking into Osechi because I didn’t like Dozo and I thought it was probably just under the same management but I was surprisingly wrong. The sushi was good, fresh and the rice to filling ratio was good but the cooked items were even better. Everything was cooked or deep fried to order and came to the table piping hot but it wasn’t too busy when we went. Orders came at a timely manner, not to fast (meaning everything was pre-made) and not to slow to piss me off.

crab meat, tamago & fish egg sushi

Chicken cutlet, nice crust on the chicken and yummy sauce.

Our plate of rolls! Spicy white tuna, spicy crispy salmon, futo maki, salmon roll & shrimp tempera roll.

This is the shrimp tempera roll, I just wanted to show you the size of the shrimp compared to the batter! But having that said, the tempera shrimp were delicious but just a tad greasy.

We ordered a lot more but I didn’t take a picture of everything.

Another thing I like about Osechi is that you write down what you want on an order form with the quantity and hand it to the waitress, oppose to having the waitress there taking your order and feeling rushed or a fatty for ordering so much!

Bonus they have black sesame ice cream!!

My only compliant is if you don’t eat by a window, it’s extremely dark and I HATE eating when I can’t see my food! I even made Carmen ask the waitress to clean a window table for us (thanks for asking btw!).

South St. Burger Co.

October 16, 2011Leave a comment

7355 Woodbine Ave
Markham, ON
http://www.southstburger.com

My first time visiting South St. Burger Co., I drive by all the time but never really got a choice to try it but super glad I did. Came here with Satya one night cause I couldn’t really make up my mind on what I wanted for dinner (I just kind of drove till I remembered this place).

As I pulled up I was having second thoughts about trying it cause of the lack of people inside (keep in mind we went on a Sunday night though). But as soon as I walked toppings I knew we were staying, they had unexpected toppings like wasabi mayo, mango chutney, cajun onions, dijon horseradish etc. Just a crazy amount of gourmet toppings you don’t usually get at burger places or even in restaurants.

You had a choice between a regular burger which is 6oz. or a small burger which is 3oz. (baby sized). Their burgers are hormone and antibiotic free! We both got the regular burgers with (NYF) fries and a drink.

I stood there for so long cause I wouldn’t make up my mind on my toppings, the guy building my burger just laughed at me cause it took me so long to decide what I wanted.

LOOK AT ALL THOSE COMPLIMENTARY TOPPINGS! (Just half of the options)

In my burger I got: wasabi mayo, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and guacamole.
Satya had cajun onions, chipotle BBQ sauce, hot peppers, swiss cheese & bacon. Man, he gobbled his burger so fast I didn’t get a chance to take a picture and he just kept raving about how good his burger was while eating it.

Bonus! They even have milkshakes but it was too cold to have one but I will one day!

We will definitely be back!

Hana-Bi Sushi

October 16, 2011Leave a comment

Hana-Bi Sushi
3255 Highway 7 East
Markham, ON L3R

Alittle restaurant located at First Markham Place which probably could only seat about 30 people. Also the owners are Korean but I guess a lot of Japanese restaurants now are owned Koreans.

The tiny sushi bar.

Satya ordered the crispy spicy roll (spicy salmon, avocado, tempera bits topped with a sweet teriyaki sauce) & shrimp tempera roll. He thought the crispy spicy roll was really good but the shrimp tempera roll was meh, nothing special.

Both rolls in above picture, I wish they separated the rolls so we knew which one was which (they kind of just mashed both rolls together.

I ordered the tempera udon and I loved almost everything about it, how they separated the udon from the tempera (keeping the tempera crispy), how flavourful the broth is and how incredibly hot the broth and noodles were. I would definitely would recommend ordering if you’re a noodle person like myself.
Tempera was hot and crispy but not the best I’ve ever had. Also it came 10 minutes before my noodles which kind of annoying.

My mom had the chirashi sushi, lovely presentation and fresh fish. What else can you ask for?

Near the end of our meal, they gave us a complimentary tempera salmon roll, which was not that appetizing in my opinion. Also it didn’t make up for the slow service, it took them quite a long time to get our bill and we also had to ask two different waitress’ and remind one of them twice.

Overall a decent sushi place to come to but wouldn’t be on my top 5 picks.

Nadege Patisserie

October 9, 2011Leave a comment

Nadege Patisserie
780 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
http://www.nadege-patisserie.com/

I was blog surfing one super late night or early morning and I stubbled upon a fashion&food blog. She did a review on Nadege, and I knew I had to try it out for myself.

Just along Queen Street West, I would advise you to just take a walk down Queen Street because there are plenty of great little shops that sell awesome things.
You walk into a super minimalistic space, everything was white (white walls, white shelves, white uniforms etc.) except for the lovely creations and the “Nadege” sign just behind the counter.

I got there around 5:30pm so the selections of desserts and croissants weren’t that great but there it still took me a good 15 minutes to decide what I wanted.

Plenty of macarons though. Love the colours!

I got a bunch of things to go because I had to pick up a special someone from the airport.
From top going clock wise: first I got the Raspberry Tart which is a raspberry crème brûlée with fresh raspberries. probably my favourite dessert of the night. Then it’s the Salted Caramel Tart which is exactly what it sounds like. I thought it was too much caramel (or too rich) and if anyone knows me, they’ll know how much I love caramel anything! Lastly I got the Earl Grey Grapefruit Tart, an early grey scented tart topped with fresh grapefruits. I liked it but probably not enough to order it again.

I also got lychee and rose flavoured marshmallows! They were incredibly soft like a cute little pillow of cloud! I LOVE cute things but unfortunately they tasted more like soap, somewhere disappointed. How could I go home without trying some macarons? The flavours I got were: pistachio, chocolate, rose, pumpkin (flavour of the month), and salted caramel! All the flavours were mediocre, all except the salted caramel; hands down the best salted caramel macaron I’ve ever had.

I would definitely go back to Nadege again, probably during the summer time so I have more time to browse and they have a giant patio facing a little park. If you’re in the neighbourhood you should absolutely check it out, lovely french pastries and I heard the croissants are amazing too!

Wasabi Japanese Buffet

September 14, 2011Leave a comment

Wasabi Japanese Buffet
270 West Beaver Creek
Richmond Hill, ON

Wasabi is one of many AYCE sushi places in the Markham/Richmond hill area, I’ve only been here once prior (probably at least 4 years ago) to this visit. It is hands down the biggest AYCE sushi restaurant I’ve ever been to, when I say big I mean BIG; it’s the home depot of AYCE sushi restaurants. It’s kind of weird cause you have to order all the sushi/sashimi from a waiter but everything else is buffet style oppose to just ordering everything from your waiter like most AYCE sushi places.

The menu with all the sushi/sashimi that you can order.

Right behind the sushi bar is where you get all your cold appetizers/salads/D.I.Y leafy salad. On my plate I have some coleslaw, jelly fish salad, conch w/ cucumber, seaweed salad and steamed egg. Best thing on the plate was the steamed egg, if you know me you’ll know how much I love steamed egg.

The maki rolls I got: shrimp tempera roll, futomaki, spicy salmon roll & california roll. None of them we’re that good to be honest.

As soon as you turn around from the cold salad bar, there’s a teppanyaki / grill station; from salmon, mackerel chicken teriyaki etc, . Here I have beef with garlic and mushroom with onions & peppers. Everything was just mediocre and the steak was a little chewy.

Sashimi! The fish was cold which I like and it was pretty fresh.

This is my deep-fried foods plate! Spring roll (not very Japanese!), deep-fried scallop, “tempera” shrimp, tempera zucchini & yam. Oh, and this disgusting wonton package with shrimp. It had this slimy texture that I spat out after biting into it.

There’s a ramen/udon station near the back of the restaurant where you can pick all the ingredients you want and this nice man cooks it right in front of you. It was pretty good, very flavourful.

Wasabi has also has a Cantonese foods area where they have fried rice, noodles, sweet & sour pork etc. As for the desserts, everything is brought in so I didn’t take a picture and by that time I was pretty darn full, typical cakes, figure desserts, fruits & ice cream. There’s a chocolate fountain but it wasn’t on when I went.

Overall, I wouldn’t come back willingly nor would Wasabi be on my top ten picks for AYCE Japanese food. Over priced for what they give you but if you have a giant party there will be plenty of room.

The School Fine Dinning

September 12, 2011Leave a comment

The School Fine Dining
4121 14th Avenue
Unionville, ON
http://theschoolfinedining.com

The School Fine Dining has been around since 1888 and it was an actual school 30 years before hand. My family and I have been driving by this place ever since I could remember, the thought of trying this restaurant never really occurred to me until recently. I came here with Carmen for lunch and I was super excited because I read great reviews online; great ambiance, delicious food and attentive servers.

As soon as we walked in we were greeted by a really nice old man, as he walked us to our table you passed by actual pictures of classes that we taught at the school, really cool but kind of creepy at the same time. We got seated, it was pretty quiet for lunch (there were only about 6 other tables there eating). I love the brightness of the restaurant. All the servers are pretty old, I assume they’ve been working there for a really long time.

We got pickled mixed vegetables and a bread basket to start while we waiting for our food. I love it when restaurants give you warm bread, I love how they take that extra step into warming it up; makes me feel all warm inside I don’t know why though.

Carmen and I got the crab cakes to share. They were served with a tarragon tartar sauce and pineapple-pepper relish for $9. It was Carmen’s first time trying crab cakes and she liked them but I wasn’t so impressed with the crab cakes. I feel like they just used canned crab meat and I think the crust could be a little crispier. They were just mediocre, I’ve had much better. Also the pineapple-pepper relish just tasted like the free pickles they gave us with the bread.

Each entrees came with your choice of soup of the day or a house salad, we both got the soup which was a squash chowder. It was so good, super creamy and flavourful. It was piping hot which I love, I hate when my my soup isn’t crazy hot.

I got the Yellow Fin Tuna Steak, sushi grade tuna, crusted with Japanese style breadcrumbs, herbs and lemon which was pan seared and served with a wasabi soy vinaigrette, $22. Man, by the time I got my entree we were both pretty stuffed but my tuna was perfectly seared and the crust was crisp. The sauce was excellent but I didn’t taste any wasabi flavour but there was a giant chunk as garnish. The rice that came with the meal was light and fluffy, I couldn’t stop eating it even though I was stuffed to the brim (just ask Carmen).

Carmen got the special of the day which was a pan seared beef tenderloin which a potato cake and vegetables, $19. I had a bit of her beef and it was tender, a little overcooked for me but I like my beef medium-rare or rare. Carmen seem to like it, no complaints from her.

We didn’t get any desserts cause by the time we finished, we both wanted to throw up from being so full. I really enjoyed my meal and our waiter was great. I think I would definitely come back occasionally but wouldn’t be my go to restaurant As we were eating I kept thinking how it would be a really nice place for a date (good food, great service and it’s pretty quiet do you can actually have a conversation).

Amadeus Fine Cakes

September 9, 20113 Comments

7380 Bathurst Street
Thornhill, ON
L4J 7M1

The first time I heard about this place was when I was talking to my boss about different pastry shops in the area, she named a couple but this one and Le Délice Fine Cakes were the ones I wanted to check out the most because they specialize in European desserts and pastries.

After dinner tonight I really wanted some desserts but not your typical crepe from Demetres or chinese desserts, not even bubble tea; I wanted something decadent. I quickly went home and googled the closing times for each shop, first I looked up Le Délice and saw that they were already closed (they close at 7pm and at that time it was nearly 8:30pm) so I checked out Amadeus and I was so excited to see that they close at 10pm! I quickly shoved my mom and aunt into the car and off we went.

We walked into a large bright store with about 4 tables of two, one large bar table seating about 6 and a large display case taking 95% of the back wall. I didn’t really take any pictures because as soon as I whipped out my camera, the nice man told me I couldn’t take any pictures. They have A LOT more pastries in their showcase than they do online.

I stood there for about 10 minutes deciding on what I wanted cause I wanted to try everything! We finally settled on 3, I got the “Harmony” which is soft walnut meringue with light coffee cream and chocolate with crispy walnut. My favourite part of mine was the little pieces of nuts in the middle, it was a nice contrast to the soft everything else. Too sweet for my taste buds tho, I would definitely recommend ordering a tea or coffee with your dessert.

My mother got the “Hazelnut meringue” which is two layers of hazelnut meringue sandwiching a chocolate/hazelnut cream. The meringue was nice but the cream was too hard, either they put a lot of gelatin or we should’ve eaten it at room temperature for the cream to soften. Either way I don’t think I would order it again, it was just too simple and again too sweet. If I wanted a meringue cake I would go to Maxim’s, they have a fabulous almond meringue cake with whipped cream and fresh fruits! (one of my favourite Asian cakes)

My aunt ordered the “Duet”, a soft coconut meringue with coconut mousse, diced pineapple and praline cream. Again too sweet, and nothing too special.

I brought home some fatty snacks; I got a hazelnut macaron and a pistachio cookie.
Nothing special here.

Overall all the desserts were too sweet and too old school for me (even my mom said their tiered cakes looked very old fashion), there weren’t enough tables and chairs but they do have a wide selection of pastries, cakes, tarts and cookies. I don’t think I will be coming back anytime soon cause their desserts are just too sweet for me.