We ended up being an hour late for our reservation at 6 because of all those rubberneckers who apparently have never seen cops giving tickets to a couple people before. We were backed up soooo much - with no lanes being blocked at that! People...KEEP DRIVING!!
We finally arrived thinking that they probably gave our table away but luckily someone had canceled so we were able to enjoy our dinner at leisure.
Brant House
522 King Street W
"Not just a trendy lounge"
After we settled down into our nice, big, comfy booth, we all checked out the menu and we ALL got steak - even the ex-vegetarians! It was wonderful. A note to self though, although it was nice sitting in a comfy booth, the table was definitely too low for dinner and was only appropriate for drinks and snacks. We spent the whole dinner practically hunching over our food.
The entrees: salad was great apparently and the leak soup with grilled flat bread was alright - nothing spectacular.
My flat iron steak with ponzu sauce was perfect (the second time around since they overcooked mine the first time, I had asked for Medium-rare) - it was a decent size, succulent, perhaps a tad too much pepper (this is coming from someone who LOVES pepper) but overall it was delicious. I allowed Anita to taste mine (she had ordered hers Medium) and in her words "this is like a different steak, it's soooo good!" Now she knows ;) The side asparagus and thick fries were a nice addition. For $25 the meal was definitely worth it.
The dessert - Pumpkin Ginger Torte with caramel - was really good. It wasn't fantastic but it was better than expected. It wasn't too sweet and the ginger gave it a tang that help brought out some of the pumpkin taste.
They have their Australian Shiraz, which I don't recommend - it tasted terrible. The Merlot however was decent.
Brant House changes into a lounge/club around 11pm and by 11:30 the place was packed with people. The crowd was mainly Caucasian around late 20's to mid 30's, which was good. Overall it was a fun night! Look forward to Truffles soon!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Dream Job
It's not Brand Marketing (although that's close) - it's .... A PROFESSIONAL BED TESTER!! I actually have put a lot of time into this thought and in all honesty meets all of the following criteria:
1. I'm allowed to sleep on the job (or work in my sleep probably sounds better on the resume...with this whole thing about dedication)and no one would fire me for it
2. I can make money sleeping (like Bill Gates and Donald Trump although not as much money...eventually maybe)
3. Be challenged - dreams are sometimes difficult to interpret! I also like the whole non-repeated aspect of this...
4. Not have to deal with politics
5. Have time for myself during the day
6. Enjoy work (who doesn't like to sleep?)
7. Relaxing, non-stressful job (although some dreams can be a mindful!)
8. Can work on multiple projects so I am not bored -- I can test pillows and comforters too!
9. Time is flexible
10. It's something I have to do anyway!
So as you can see, there are not a lot of jobs like this...I mean, there are people who get paid watching t.v and playing video games...why not bed testing?! It's a big industry and EVERYONE is a customer! If only...*sigh*
1. I'm allowed to sleep on the job (or work in my sleep probably sounds better on the resume...with this whole thing about dedication)and no one would fire me for it
2. I can make money sleeping (like Bill Gates and Donald Trump although not as much money...eventually maybe)
3. Be challenged - dreams are sometimes difficult to interpret! I also like the whole non-repeated aspect of this...
4. Not have to deal with politics
5. Have time for myself during the day
6. Enjoy work (who doesn't like to sleep?)
7. Relaxing, non-stressful job (although some dreams can be a mindful!)
8. Can work on multiple projects so I am not bored -- I can test pillows and comforters too!
9. Time is flexible
10. It's something I have to do anyway!
So as you can see, there are not a lot of jobs like this...I mean, there are people who get paid watching t.v and playing video games...why not bed testing?! It's a big industry and EVERYONE is a customer! If only...*sigh*
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Evilness of Financial Institutions
I am so tired of banks and financial institutions squeezing every single penny out of us using sleezy ways!!! First it's the "service" charges, fine, I let that slide, then it's the double interest rates where if you fail to pay on time (I forget sometimes), interest is incurred twice even if you've paid off the balance, which I'm still fuming about! The most current episode is allowing you to go over your credit card limit and then charging you a fee!! What is the point of a LIMIT if they're going to let you go over?! That's crazy! They're supposed to right off REJECT the card once your limit is up! I will simply use the other card. I will remove myself as a client from BMO once they give me back that overlimit fee!!!! Evil evil banks, isn't there one out there that isn't a scheming jackass?!
Monday, January 15, 2007
The Red Carpet
I'm here watching the Golden Globe awards and I just watched Martin Scorcese win an award for Best Director for The Departed. I absolutely detested the movie and in my opinion, the movie could not even light a candle compared to the original Infernal Affairs. I could not finish the movie although I did try. It did not have the same intensity, generate the same excitement or have quite the same passion as Infernal.
I went to Rotten Tomatoes to see critiques' reviews and I was shocked to see "92% Fresh" - how can it be "fresh" if it was an imitation (a poor one at that) of an existing film. There was no originality and completely lacked "spirit" . For those who said The Departed was a fabulous film, I suggest that they watch Infernal Affairs (although it would be in Cantonese with subtitles). The acting in The Departed was good I can admit, but this love triangle is completely unbelievable, the lack of development between these characters was a major weakness in the movie. In the nutshell, I just didn't feel it.
I went to Rotten Tomatoes to see critiques' reviews and I was shocked to see "92% Fresh" - how can it be "fresh" if it was an imitation (a poor one at that) of an existing film. There was no originality and completely lacked "spirit" . For those who said The Departed was a fabulous film, I suggest that they watch Infernal Affairs (although it would be in Cantonese with subtitles). The acting in The Departed was good I can admit, but this love triangle is completely unbelievable, the lack of development between these characters was a major weakness in the movie. In the nutshell, I just didn't feel it.
Winter Driving Phenomenon
G-d, I hate traffic, especially when there shouldn't be any. I don't understand. A little snow and a little ice and people start driving like they're new drivers. I mean come on, you'd think after 10-15-20 years of driving in Canadian winters, you'd expect people to be able to drive better than an 80 year old. Not only that - these drivers drive in ALL the lanes because they want to put DISTANCE between their cars and other cars. So here you have 10 cars spread along 10KM of highway going at 40KM/Hr. Then of course, they complain about us drivers, who have to get places without having to drive 1 hour that normally takes 20 minutes. Not to mention the fact that it's gas consuming (don't forget the heater to keep you warm from sitting at the same left turn lane for 30 minutes). So people who can't drive significantly increases inefficiency and pollution. I think that in order to get one's driving license, the person would need to go through a winter driving test. You can only really judge one's driving ability in the right environment after all...
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Winterlicious
I know the previous two posts were basically food reviews, but it's that time of the year! Not to mention that Winterlicious (http://www.menupalace.com/menupalace/Winterlicious.aspx) will be starting in less than 2 weeks! It's a general food tasting extravaganza that happens in Toronto twice a year, the other being Summerlicious (not counting cultural food festivals...those are fantastic as well).
Andrew and I made reservations for Truffles at the 4 Seasons and Hemispheres at the Metropolitan Hotel (guess we're doing a hotel theme this year for Winterlicious!). Their menus look fantastic and I can't wait to go. Last year we tried out Far Niente (which was mediocre and I was disappointed) and North 44 (which was great!). Although we tried to book Canoe this year, it was near impossible. The restaurant booked 2500 seats on the first day (AMEX card holders get two days advance booking, which left the rest of us no chance for Canoe)! Even holders had difficulty getting reservations! I'm looking forward to that, not to mention my birthday dinner...I think we're going to Auberge, but I'm trying to get my boyfriend to go to a vegetarian restaurant...he's fighting it.
Andrew and I made reservations for Truffles at the 4 Seasons and Hemispheres at the Metropolitan Hotel (guess we're doing a hotel theme this year for Winterlicious!). Their menus look fantastic and I can't wait to go. Last year we tried out Far Niente (which was mediocre and I was disappointed) and North 44 (which was great!). Although we tried to book Canoe this year, it was near impossible. The restaurant booked 2500 seats on the first day (AMEX card holders get two days advance booking, which left the rest of us no chance for Canoe)! Even holders had difficulty getting reservations! I'm looking forward to that, not to mention my birthday dinner...I think we're going to Auberge, but I'm trying to get my boyfriend to go to a vegetarian restaurant...he's fighting it.
Chez Thuet!
Just a few days later, Andrew's parents took us out for dinner for his birthday - it must be one of the longest celebrated birthday I have ever partook in... So on Saturday night, we went to Thuet - right beside Lee (see previous post for review).
Thuet
308 King St
"Qu'est que c'est un..."
Unlike Lee, Thuet (which reopened tonight) was situated upstairs and from the moment we went in we saw a dimly lit room with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling - each with its own charm. The paintings that decorated the walls acted as a nice backdrop for the two dozen or so tables draped with cream coloured table cloths. I also couldn't help but notice a lot of rooster ornaments. We checked our coats and eventually we were seated (it seems like they couldn't decide where to put us or something). By 7:30pm, the restaurant was full and the 3 or 4 black and white clad waitresses were bustling around. This is definitely a place where you have to make reservations. There is also a small private dining room that can hold about 12 people as well.
After staring at the menu for about 15 minutes and asking our waitress what some of the dishes were, we were finally ready to indulge our taste buds. We ordered a bottle of Australian Shiraz, which was recommended by the waitress, although I have to admit, she did not seem very knowledgeable. She also wasn't as attentive as she should have been for a place like Thuet.
My appetizer (above), which was part of the Seasonal menu -- Pan seared foie gras with duck confit. This was absolutely delicious! The foie gras practically melted in my mouth (ok, so it was basically fat...), it was lightly seasoned on the outside with spices and perfectly prepared. The duck confit was wrapped in a small cabbage leaf and went well with the foie gras. Although by itself, the confit was a little too salty. It was actually my first time having foie gras prepared this way, I generally preferred the pate.
From the Classic menu, Shirley chose the Arctic Char, which looks very nice but was a little too salty for my taste. The greens on top will lighten the salty taste - but just a little.
This was the most interesting looking appetizer. Can you guess what it is? Marrow (Seasonal menu). Although I did not taste this, Raymond said that it was quite interesting since he's never had marrow before. The marrow came with crispy bread, salt and pepper to taste. If you like to try something different and don't mind working a little for your food (the scraping of the marrow out...), this is the dish for you.
Andrew ordered the Scallops from the Seasonal menu. A sea urchin vinaigrette gave the scallops a very unique taste although the urchin was very light and did not overpower the taste of the scallops. The presentation of this dish was also very nice as can be seen from the picture above.
Now it was time for the mains. It took quite awhile for it to come out after we finished our appetizers - they must have been still catching the pigeon and killing the lamb. Either that, or as we suspected, our waitress had forgotten to tell the chef that we were close to finishing our appetizers...
Also from the Seasonal menu, this is the wood oven pigeon and lamb loin farci duo. Both were stuffed (farci) in something neither I nor Shirley could figure out (we both had the same dish). To me, it tasted like gefilte fish with poppy seed, at least the texture and taste reminded me of the Jewish dish. The lamb was good - slightly over cooked in my opinion, but the pigeon was basically raw-rare, which was not what I was expecting. It was still good though and the sauce paired with this course was great. It was slightly sweet, which helped cover some of the raw taste of the pigeon. One thing that I would have liked was to have slightly more vegetables (I guess you have to order it as a side but in my opinion, for a $40 dish, it should have came with...).
This was the other dish on the Seasonal menu I liked - the Red deer. Although I can't seem to remember the garnishes that this main came with...maybe you can tell by looking at the picture above! The portion was a little small and I knew Andrew wouldn't be full from it, so I shared my pigeon with him (I was getting full anyway).
Raymond was the only one who ordered from the Classic menu. This is the Braised lamb shank Provencal. I think Andrew was visibly drooling when he saw the size of this main in comparison to his! The shank sat on top of what looked like lentils. For the size of this, $25 was definitely worth it!
It was close to 10 now and we've been here for nearly 3 hours now. It was time for dessert! During intermission (as we were patiently waiting for our meal), we noticed the couple next to us. Shirley and I guessed it was a "date" and Andrew initially thought they were bf/gf. They seemed to be on a date by looking at their body language. It was very interesting though because the girl then gave the guy a birthday card. So we were wondering who would have paid the bill...we tried to wait them out to see, but alas, we finished our dessert and coffee before they asked for their bill. Speaking of dessert, here's ours!
Swans!! This is a Profiteroles with warm Soma chocolate sauce. One word: delicious.
This is after Andrew and I rearranged the swans. Originally I only put two heads together (trying to make a heart shape) but Andrew wanted a threesome, typical. He said it was a "conference".
So we finally left a half past 10 and made it home by 11. I was definitely farcied out...
Thuet
308 King St
"Qu'est que c'est un..."
Unlike Lee, Thuet (which reopened tonight) was situated upstairs and from the moment we went in we saw a dimly lit room with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling - each with its own charm. The paintings that decorated the walls acted as a nice backdrop for the two dozen or so tables draped with cream coloured table cloths. I also couldn't help but notice a lot of rooster ornaments. We checked our coats and eventually we were seated (it seems like they couldn't decide where to put us or something). By 7:30pm, the restaurant was full and the 3 or 4 black and white clad waitresses were bustling around. This is definitely a place where you have to make reservations. There is also a small private dining room that can hold about 12 people as well.
After staring at the menu for about 15 minutes and asking our waitress what some of the dishes were, we were finally ready to indulge our taste buds. We ordered a bottle of Australian Shiraz, which was recommended by the waitress, although I have to admit, she did not seem very knowledgeable. She also wasn't as attentive as she should have been for a place like Thuet.
My appetizer (above), which was part of the Seasonal menu -- Pan seared foie gras with duck confit. This was absolutely delicious! The foie gras practically melted in my mouth (ok, so it was basically fat...), it was lightly seasoned on the outside with spices and perfectly prepared. The duck confit was wrapped in a small cabbage leaf and went well with the foie gras. Although by itself, the confit was a little too salty. It was actually my first time having foie gras prepared this way, I generally preferred the pate.
From the Classic menu, Shirley chose the Arctic Char, which looks very nice but was a little too salty for my taste. The greens on top will lighten the salty taste - but just a little.
This was the most interesting looking appetizer. Can you guess what it is? Marrow (Seasonal menu). Although I did not taste this, Raymond said that it was quite interesting since he's never had marrow before. The marrow came with crispy bread, salt and pepper to taste. If you like to try something different and don't mind working a little for your food (the scraping of the marrow out...), this is the dish for you.
Andrew ordered the Scallops from the Seasonal menu. A sea urchin vinaigrette gave the scallops a very unique taste although the urchin was very light and did not overpower the taste of the scallops. The presentation of this dish was also very nice as can be seen from the picture above.Now it was time for the mains. It took quite awhile for it to come out after we finished our appetizers - they must have been still catching the pigeon and killing the lamb. Either that, or as we suspected, our waitress had forgotten to tell the chef that we were close to finishing our appetizers...
Also from the Seasonal menu, this is the wood oven pigeon and lamb loin farci duo. Both were stuffed (farci) in something neither I nor Shirley could figure out (we both had the same dish). To me, it tasted like gefilte fish with poppy seed, at least the texture and taste reminded me of the Jewish dish. The lamb was good - slightly over cooked in my opinion, but the pigeon was basically raw-rare, which was not what I was expecting. It was still good though and the sauce paired with this course was great. It was slightly sweet, which helped cover some of the raw taste of the pigeon. One thing that I would have liked was to have slightly more vegetables (I guess you have to order it as a side but in my opinion, for a $40 dish, it should have came with...).
This was the other dish on the Seasonal menu I liked - the Red deer. Although I can't seem to remember the garnishes that this main came with...maybe you can tell by looking at the picture above! The portion was a little small and I knew Andrew wouldn't be full from it, so I shared my pigeon with him (I was getting full anyway).
Raymond was the only one who ordered from the Classic menu. This is the Braised lamb shank Provencal. I think Andrew was visibly drooling when he saw the size of this main in comparison to his! The shank sat on top of what looked like lentils. For the size of this, $25 was definitely worth it!It was close to 10 now and we've been here for nearly 3 hours now. It was time for dessert! During intermission (as we were patiently waiting for our meal), we noticed the couple next to us. Shirley and I guessed it was a "date" and Andrew initially thought they were bf/gf. They seemed to be on a date by looking at their body language. It was very interesting though because the girl then gave the guy a birthday card. So we were wondering who would have paid the bill...we tried to wait them out to see, but alas, we finished our dessert and coffee before they asked for their bill. Speaking of dessert, here's ours!
Swans!! This is a Profiteroles with warm Soma chocolate sauce. One word: delicious.
This is after Andrew and I rearranged the swans. Originally I only put two heads together (trying to make a heart shape) but Andrew wanted a threesome, typical. He said it was a "conference".So we finally left a half past 10 and made it home by 11. I was definitely farcied out...
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Fine Dining Begins ... at Lee
So far the year has started off well (New Year's Eve didn't count!) considering my life now revolves with going back to school and sitting in hours and hours of classes. No matter how busy I get, there's always time for good food and drinks!
LEE
603 King St. West
"Beautifully presented tapas."
For my boyfriend's birthday (Jan 11), I took him to Lee (www.susur.com) - great atmosphere, very lively. The decor had an asian eclectic feel to it - glass tables and candles, the long screens on the walls added texture along with a wall painting of animals. The room was lit with slightly ruby reddish lights to (it seems) give "life" to the room. Although the place isn't very big, the high wooden ceiling gives you the sense of a little more space. The glass wall allows you to look outside and watch people walk by (if you like that sort of thing...or watch your car). In the back, there is a nice looking bar for those who just want to grab one of their martinis or sample their quite decent wine list.
The menu presented us with a lot of choices, in the end we chose 5 tapas. It was difficult to choose a good wine but in the end we opted for red - a Chilean Sauvignon and Cave Springs Gamay. The tapas were very good and nicely presented (although I thought the braised beef was just ok...). Below: Braised Beef with sour cream and shallots.
My favourite dish was definitely the duck confit (below). It was wrapped in a crepe and topped with sweet walnut, goat cheese with pineapple on the side - the combination of flavours was fantastic! Even my boyfriend (who does not like nuts or goat cheese) enjoyed it.
Another surprise was the tofu, it was crispy on the outside and fluffy in the inside. I think it was paired with some sort of sticky sweet satay sauce and side vegetable garnishes. It was a very colourful and tasty dish! Again, tofu was not one of my bf's favourites but somehow Susur Lee managed to come up with one that he was willing to indulge in. That's quite a feat.
The roasted scallops (below) was also delicious! I think the top was garnished with little bacon bits "glazed bacon" coupled with pea puree on the side. The scallops themselves were fresh and succulent and was definitely a good choice.
The winner for best presentation was the garlic shrimp - and it was the only one I didn't get a picture of!! Not only did it look fantastic, it also tasted great too. Although the last 2 that we had were slightly overcooked.
We ended the meal with the Molten Chocolate cake - it was yuuuuum. The centre had melted chocolate with mini slices of banana. Fortunately, it wasn't too sweet and ended the meal perfectly. The night was all in all - great!
LEE
603 King St. West
"Beautifully presented tapas."
For my boyfriend's birthday (Jan 11), I took him to Lee (www.susur.com) - great atmosphere, very lively. The decor had an asian eclectic feel to it - glass tables and candles, the long screens on the walls added texture along with a wall painting of animals. The room was lit with slightly ruby reddish lights to (it seems) give "life" to the room. Although the place isn't very big, the high wooden ceiling gives you the sense of a little more space. The glass wall allows you to look outside and watch people walk by (if you like that sort of thing...or watch your car). In the back, there is a nice looking bar for those who just want to grab one of their martinis or sample their quite decent wine list.
The menu presented us with a lot of choices, in the end we chose 5 tapas. It was difficult to choose a good wine but in the end we opted for red - a Chilean Sauvignon and Cave Springs Gamay. The tapas were very good and nicely presented (although I thought the braised beef was just ok...). Below: Braised Beef with sour cream and shallots.
My favourite dish was definitely the duck confit (below). It was wrapped in a crepe and topped with sweet walnut, goat cheese with pineapple on the side - the combination of flavours was fantastic! Even my boyfriend (who does not like nuts or goat cheese) enjoyed it.
Another surprise was the tofu, it was crispy on the outside and fluffy in the inside. I think it was paired with some sort of sticky sweet satay sauce and side vegetable garnishes. It was a very colourful and tasty dish! Again, tofu was not one of my bf's favourites but somehow Susur Lee managed to come up with one that he was willing to indulge in. That's quite a feat.
The roasted scallops (below) was also delicious! I think the top was garnished with little bacon bits "glazed bacon" coupled with pea puree on the side. The scallops themselves were fresh and succulent and was definitely a good choice.
The winner for best presentation was the garlic shrimp - and it was the only one I didn't get a picture of!! Not only did it look fantastic, it also tasted great too. Although the last 2 that we had were slightly overcooked.We ended the meal with the Molten Chocolate cake - it was yuuuuum. The centre had melted chocolate with mini slices of banana. Fortunately, it wasn't too sweet and ended the meal perfectly. The night was all in all - great!
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