The Designer Cookie

Prada, and Dolce, and Yves, oh my!

I am not referring to the top brand fashion houses here but rather the baked goods at The Designer Cookie.

This cute little pink & white boutique looks like a perfect place for a little tea party.

Here you can create your own flavors for either cupcakes or cookies and within minutes it is baked fresh right before your eyes.

If you are indecisive like me then you can choose the cupcakes that have been freshly prepared on that day. The flavors will vary each day but nevertheless, still tasty and also they have cute lil designer names such as Chewy Vuitton, Mocha Blahnik, Donna Carrot, etc.

Here I have is Jean Paul Brule which is caramel cake with toasted buttercream, topped with toffee sprinkles, Christian Dioreo which is chocolate cake with oreo buttercream frosting, topped with an oreo cookie, Miu Miu maple which is apple cinnamon cake with maple buttercream frosting topped with pecans and finally, the classic red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

I only ate the red velvet so far and I was sweetened out. The cake itself was dense and wasn't as moist as what I would've expected. I think the concept is unique where you can create your own flavors but taste wise I just don't think it was spectacular.

TOTAL BILL $15...MAY EAT AGAIN?!

Boom??? More like a Bust

I finally got my boyfriend to go try out Boom Breakfast today. He absolutely hates driving midtown since parking is such a pain. When we arrived along Eglinton at 10 in the morning surprisingly we still couldn't find street parking anywhere. Drove around in circles before we finally found a spot. Not a good start so far along with the fact that it was pouring rain.

Once seated I was overwhelmed with the menu. There were so many options I didn't know what to choose. Well I decided to go for the buttermilk pancakes since that was what I was craving for along with a side of peameal bacon. My boyfriend got the regular eggs and peameal bacon combo.

I also ordered the honey bee smoothie which consisted of non-fat yogurt, blueberries, banana and honey. It was a bit watered down for me. I wished they added more fruits or even more honey for that matter. Another disappointment here.

When our food finally arrived, boy oh boy, another disappointment there. My boyfriend's dish had only 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon and a side of fries and toast. His eggs were undercooked. How can you go wrong with eggs? The most simplest item yet they couldn't even prepare it correctly. Also he thinks the fries tasted like McCain frozen fries. They were baked and the texture was identical to the frozen item that you would find in the freezer aisle at a grocery store. Wow!!! Can't believe we drove all the way here for some frozen fries. His dish costed $8.49 and he got undercooked eggs, only 2 pieces of bacon, and some frozen fries. Definitely hating me now for dragging him out in the rain on a Sunday morning for substandard food. He wasn't even full.

My dish was just as disappointing as well. I got 2 pancakes and 2 pieces of bacon. The bacon was tasty but just wasn't enough. As for my pancakes, it was an epic fail. It was extremely doughy where it almost got lodged in my throat. I had to gulp down my smoothie just so I wouldn't require a heimlich maneuver.

We left around 11 or so and there was a huge lineup. I wondered if it was their first time just like me or whether they were regulars. I just don't understand if they can't cook the most basic food items right how can they even cook the other items such as the benny and omelette.

The food is way overpriced and poorly prepared. My boyfriend would have done a better job cooking it himself.

After this experience don't think my boyfriend will be letting me choose a breakfast joint again in the near future. Guess I should go buy a box of eggs and some Aunt Jemima pancake mix if I want to eat breakfast again.

TOTAL BILL $29...ONCE IS ENOUGH!!!

398 West Still a Hit

On Monday night, I went to 398 West for dinner. I have to say the second time around it was still as great as the first time. During my first experience, I was surprised by the size of the restaurant. From the outside it didn't look that big at all but once I entered I was shocked to see how spacious it actually was. This time around I thought I would snap a photo of the huge bar. Wished I had also snapped pictures of the Judaic artwork as well. I don't know much about art but I do like to see pretty pictures on the wall. There was one artwork that caught my eye. It was a painting of colorful trees which made me think of the wonderful autumn leaves that we have right now. Living in Canada sometimes we forget what natural beauty we have surrounding us. Sometimes we just need to take a moment from our busy lives just to stop and open our eyes and actually see what is happening around us. Can't believe people actually travel to Canada just to look at the leaves changing colors while we view it as another chore having to rake the fallen leaves. Ok off topic now back to the restaurant.

We received complimentary bread and veggie sushi to begin with. The sushi was freshly made and very tasty. Next was our appetizer. Maple smoked veal brisket with onions, poached duck eggs, toast points with grainy mustard maple drizzle. It was delicious. Once again their sauce is still a bit on the sweet side more than savory but nevertheless still a delight to eat.

For our entrees, me and my boyfriend ordered the grilled tuna steak with spelt risotto and mustard greens and the 16 oz 30 day dry aged rib steak with broccoli and fries. At first I wanted the duck two ways but sadly the waiter told me they were sold out for the night. What a disappointment since that was the only item on the menu that caught my eye so I was really looking forward to trying that out. Still, everything was delicious. My only critique would be that the tun steak was a bit too salty. Think they went a bit overboard with the kosher salt.

Nonetheless, with t

he contemporary decor, relaxing ambience, friendly staff, and exquisite food those are all the components to an amazing dining experience. Hopefully on my third trip I can get my hands on the duck two ways.

TOTAL BILL $110...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

398 West

A few weeks ago me and my boyfriend celebrated our monthly anniversary at 398 West.

It's a Kosher restaurant located in midtown right next to The Eglinton Grand. It was both our first time at this restaurant so we were looking forward to trying it out. Also once again I was watching Toronto Dining and this establishment was featured on the show and left me craving for their food.

We arrived at the restaurant at 6:30pm and the place was empty except for two tables. First of all, standing outside the restaurant we assumed the place would be small but once we entered the place we were surprised to see it was actually larger than what we thought it would be. Shows you how looks can be deceiving. Never judge a book by its cover. With towering ceilings and a contemporary decor it was definitely not plain and simple inside as it was outside.

After browsing through the menu we finally decided to order the forest mushroom bisque with truffle essence and snipped chives, boneless whole cornish hen stuffed with wild rice, barley, walnuts, craisins, orange turnip and roasted beets, beef crossrib slow-cooked with caramelized Cippolini onions and truffled Yukon mash, and braised lamb shanks with minted new potatoes, bourbon squash, long beans, sauteed greens and natural jus. The only picture I'm missing of is the soup because we were starving and just couldn't wait but I did take at photo of the remaining three which is the most important of all.

Everything was scrumptious. The soup was full of mushroom flavors. The chicken was undeniably moist and juicy. It was the best chicken I had EVER had. It was cooked to perfection. Not a single part of it was dry or grainy at all. The lamb was extremely tender but the sauce was a tad too sweet. My boyfriend enjoyed the meat but not the sauce since he isn't a fan of meat with sweet sauces. The crossrib was also succulent but once again the sauce was a bit too sweet even for me. Even the complimentary bread and pate was also delicious as well.

After we inhaled our food we noticed that the place was partially full. Don't know where the people came from. One minute it was practically empty and the next almost packed. Guess we went a good time.

The grand total came to approximately $115. I think it was worth it. Amazing food, modern and hip atmosphere and friendly staff. It's a winner in my books. Wonder what other Kosher restaurants I should try???

TOTAL BILL $115...EAT HERE NEXT!!!