What a BEAST!!!

Ever seen maple bacon doughnuts like these ones??? So so sooooooo good but so bad for you.

Me, Sue and K went for brunch at Beast. I was so excited since this was on my list to try. One look at the brunch menu online I knew I had to go here one day.

At the bottom of the menu there's a disclaimer saying "beast restaurant uses local and sustainable ingredients whenever possible, from farms in Ontario, unless otherwise noted, everything is made in house". How great is that. Have to appreciate the restaurants that make their own products or at least support local farmers.

The artwork on the wall is quite eccentric which kinda goes with the theme of the restaurant. The food is definitely rich or BEASTLY yet sensual in its presentation and taste. Hmm dunno if that makes sense but you will soon see what I mean.

Scrumptious Brunch @ Marben

Been eyeing the french toast at Marben for quite some time now and finally got to make the trip downtown.

Since I was there early I went to the washroom to wash my hands. The decor in the washroom was interesting. This tree caught my eye. I couldn't help but touch it to see if it was made of real wood. Honestly I couldn't really tell.

Reggie's Old Fashioned Sandwiches

After dinner at Brassaii, I was still hungry so I walked down the street to Reggie's to grab a couple of sandwiches for takeout.

The menu is not your regular Subway or Quizno menu. No sireee. It's way better and sounds much more exciting.

After a few minutes of contemplation I chose the Philly cheese steak and the duck confit and brie sandwich. Yes I said DUCK CONFIT.

Here was the philly cheese steak with peppers, onions, garlic, sirloin and mozzarella. I grabbed this for my boyfriend unfortunately, I didn't get to try it since I went to walk my dogs and when I returned he had already inhaled the whole sandwich. Not one crumb was left. Guess it was that good.

Here was the duck confit and brie sandwich with sweet cherry tomato and julienne apple. This was delicious. Brie and duck is a great combination. The bread however was a bit too hard for me. I would have preferred one that didn't rip my gums.

They are opened till 5am which is perfect for club hoppers and other late nite diners. Too bad this sandwich shop isn't close to me otherwise I would add this along with the Owl to my list of places for midnight snacks.

TOTAL BILL $18...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Brassaii

Follow the red door down a hidden alley and that is where you will find Brassaii.

It's a trendy place and think it's a great spot to hang out with friends but food wise I'm not so sure if I would return again.

The complimentary bread was very fluffy but I only got one bite since I was too busy chatting with my friend.

Next was the pan seared foie gras on brioche french toast with cherry-balsamic chutney. This was decadent. I think it is actually comparable to the foie gras brioche french toast at Hoof Cafe. The only thing missing were the crunchy bits and pieces of hazelnuts. Also this is much less sweeter than the one at Hoof. Since Hoof is now closed I know where to go to satisfy my craving for french toast that is with foie gras.

Here was the dungeoness crab filled wonton ravioli with lobster brandy sauce accompanied with sweet pea and mushroom ragout. This would have been more tastier if it was actually hot instead when it arrived it was close to being cold. Wonder how long this plate was left out on the counter. Not impressed considering the price for this dish and only receiving 3-4 pieces of barely warm ravioli.

Here was the panko crusted roulade of chicken with brie, prosciutto and caramelized apple. The chicken was crispy and I did taste the brie however, I was upset that I couldn't find the prosciutto. One of the main reason why I was enticed to this dish was because of the mention of salty ham in the description. False advertising there.

The only highlight of the meal was the appetizer. Other than that the rest of a meal wasn't magnificent although it came with spectacular pricing. The portions are pretty small which I guess is what you would expect at a trendy place. I was still hungry so I actually went down the street to a sandwich shop to grab more food.

TOTAL BILL $81...MAY EAT AGAIN?! (return for the foie gras french toast that is)

Cake Balls

OH-MY-GOD!!!

For the Love of Cake now sells cake balls. It is un-freakin-believable.

They are pieces of cake covered in chocolate. At first glance I thought it was truffles but after discovering it was filled with cake in the centre I simply had to try one out. I sampled the grasshopper flavor and it was fantastic. A burst of chocolatey mint flavor with a moist creamy chocolate cake in the middle. It was so smooth and creamy that I couldn't even tell it was cake.

My friend tried the red velvet cake ball and she loved it as well.

Of course we couldn't help ourselves we split a cupcake as well. We got the cupcake flavor of the month which was chocolate cake with banana and peanut butter. Utterly delicious:)

TOTAL BILL $8...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Petite Thuet

After lunch me and my friend decided to stop by Petite Thuet for a little treat. We went to the location right in front of King station.

They had a nice display of pastries, tarts, sandwiches and other prepared food.

Of course I had my eye on the macarons.

Here is the hazelnut and expresso. Both were delicious.

Here is the pomegranate. I almost didn't want to ruin the packaging since it was so small and cute. I thought the color for the pomegranate flavor would be a deep red or some sort of rich color but instead it was this off white color which was kind of a disappointment. Think it would have made the packaging looked nicer if it was another color. The macaron was tasty with the fruit filling. It tasted like jam stuck in between 2 almond wafers.

My friend got an almond croissant which I had forgotten to take a picture of since I was too busy scarfing down on my macarons. I tried a piece of it and though it did have the almond flavor but I found it to be a bit dry. Maybe it was sitting out too long I don't know.

They also have this whole wall of homemade products such as jams, sauces and pickled food.

I wouldn't mind trying out the sandwiches or prepared foods next time.

TOTAL BILL $11...MAY EAT AGAIN?!

Petite Thuet

1 King St. West

(close to Yonge)

416-867-7977

Lunch at Mildred's

Mildred's Temple Kitchen does it again.

My last trip at Mildred's I had a very good brunch experience. This time I went to try out their lunch menu.

Both me and my friend had our eyes on the gnocchi poutine.

It was spectacular. Picture flaky tender pieces of oxtail with some tasty gnocchi in a rich meaty gravy topped with cheesy curds. Unbelievably mind blowing. It is definitely a must have at this kitchen.

Here is grilled calamari marinated in Thai yellow curry with scallion, garlic chips and lime. It was mediocre to me.

The shrimp crab cakes was my least favorite mainly because the curry flavor was too strong for me. Funny that the previous dish had curry but it wasn't as overpowering as this dish.

In conclusion, the poutine is a MUST TRY. Despite my views on the remaining dishes it was undoubtedly worth the trip.

TOTAL BILL $40...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Mildred's Temple Kitchen

85 Hanna Ave.

(close to King St. West)

416-588-5695

Fynn's of Temple Bar

$5 APPETIZERS!!!

Enough said.

On Mondays at Fynn's of Temple Bar they have a list of appetizers for $5 each. What an awesome deal.

Me and my girlfriend wanted a quick snack and while passing by this pub there was a sign that read $5 appetizers. That appealed to us.

We got four starters and for that price it wasn't bad at all.

TOTAL BILL $ 23...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Mildred's Temple Kitchen

Yesterday me and my friend were looking forward to having lunch at Mildred's Temple Kitchen. Little did we know that they do not serve lunch on weekends. Since we were starving we decided to stay and try out the brunch.

The place was packed. Luckily we arrived a little after the rush so we only waited about 10 minutes before we were seated.

The restaurant was very spacious with a modern decor minus the enormous pig statute right on the bar. The kitchen was an open concept so patrons can watch the chefs working their magic.

Once we were seated me and my friend couldn't help but gawk at the family next to us. Their food looked very tasty. The father was eating poached eggs on a croissant which looked absolutely delish and the kids were eating pancakes which looked just as mouthwatering as well. Immediately we knew what we wanted to order.

On top of that I wanted to try the biscuit and scone since I read some very good reviews on it.

Here is the buttermilk biscuit and black currant scone served with homemade preserves and sweet butter. It was a great start to the meal. The baked goods were hot from the oven. It was truly delightful. My friend really enjoyed the jam. She thought it was better than the high tea at Windsor Arms. I have never really ate much biscuits to have any comparison. The only one place I can think of is Red Lobster's buttery garlic biscuits. Yummy. However, scone-wise so far this place is ranked #1 on my list.

Here is the Veda's choice which is poached eggs on a croissant with smoked salmon, Bearnaise sauce and a side of mixed greens. While my friend was splitting the croissant in half you can actually hear the crunchiness of the outer layer. The Bearnaise sauce was airy light and the amount of the sauce was just perfect. The eggs were well seasoned and was tasty on its own even without the sauce. But one bite of everything as a whole it was definitely scrumptious. The salad however, was mediocre nothing special to report there.

Here is the blueberry buttermilk pancakes piled high with whipped cream and blueberries all swimming in a pool of sweet maple syrup. These were undoubtedly the BEST pancakes EVER!!! Fluffy and sweet. Just heavenly. It did not taste starchy or dry like most places. The pancake itself had a nice sweet flavor to it. Everything complimented each other perfectly. I just couldn't get enough.

So glad we decided to give the brunch a try. Now I wonder whether lunch could top that. Guess we will see.

TOTAL BILL $37...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Mildred's Temple Kitchen

85 Hanna Ave.

(close to King St. West)

416-588-5695

Fred's Definitely Not Here

I went to Fred's Not Here for summerlicious and boy was I disappointed.

I wanted to try out this restaurant because the menu had a lot more options than what the other restaurants were offering and from reading it it sounded pretty good. Boy was I so wrong. More doesn't always mean better.

I went with 5 other friends. The plan was dinner and concert. By the way it was a Lady GAGA concert and I just have to say she was AMAAAAAAAZING!!!!!! Sorry off topic here but I just love her music.

Now back to my review. This was all the way in the summer so kinda sketchy on the details here but will try my best to remember.

We ordered crab and lobster soup, seafood spaghetti, steak with Duck Yukon gold frites, grilled whole Branzino and the mushroom risotto with truffle oil.

Sorry I only took 2 pictures because well the others weren't even worth a shot. Guess that's how much I didn't like the food. So here is the lobster spaghetti and grilled Branzino. Doesn't really look that appetizing does it.

Overall the food was just ok. There was seasoning, unlike Stonegrill, however just didn't have that pizazz I was expecting.

Guess whoever wrote up the menu did a good job at making it sound tasty and inviting but the cook just couldn't deliver to fulfill my expectation.

Now my only issue with this restaurant was when it came to desserts. We saw this flourless chocolate belgium cake on the menu and instantly we all knew what we wanted for dessert. Unfortunately, due to an error on the menu the dessert was not suppose to even be on the list.

We were extremely disappointed since we had our hearts set on this decadent cake. The waitress was extremely apologetic and offered to speak with the manager to see if anything can be done. However, the manager didn't display the similar regretful feelings as the waitress when he approached our table. He just said in a cool tone that it's not on the menu and that we can only choose what is on the other menu. First of all it's not our fault a different menu was given to us. Secondly they should hold up their end and give us what is presented on the menu. If they can't do that at least show that you are regretful that you can't fulfill our request. Don't be rude about it since we are the customers after all. Also it was a party of 5. Doesn't he know that referrals are what restaurants strive on. So 5 people with 5 mouths imagine how word will spread quickly about an awful experience or the fact that I will be blogging about it.

Basically I would never return to Fred's Not Here ever again nor recommend it to my friends. Not only was the food just below par but the service was what ended it for me.

TOTAL BILL $240...ONCE IS ENOUGH!!!

Iron Cupcake

In May, I went to Liberty Village to check out the Iron Cupcake competition. This was my first time attending the event so I didn't know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that the secret ingredient was flowers so the competitors had to somehow incorporate it into their cupcakes.

Once I paid the $5 entry fee I was given a bottled water along with a plate with 5 mini cupcakes each placed on top of a number which was written on the plate. I was told that this was part of the cake tasting portion of the competition. There were a total of 15 competitors in the contest and each patron was given 5 flavors to taste. I assume 5 was more reasonable to taste than 15 because if we were to taste all 15 don't I think I would have been able to differentiate one from the other. The 5 that I sampled was already an overload to me.

The cupcakes that I was given to taste, starting clockwise with the cupcake with the lilac on top, were lavendar & lilac lady cake, Japanese sakura (cherry blossom) & matcha tea, lavendar & pansy, flower power with flowers lilac & daisy, and lastly, Persian L'amour which was orange, rose & cardamom cake with cream cheese frosting and toasted pistachios.

My favorite was number 9 the flower power. It tasted like chocolate cake filled with cream cheese in the centre. The purple buttercream icing I did not like but then again I am bias since I don't like buttercream icing at all. My least favorite was the sakura & matcha tea flavor. Since it contained tea I found it to be a tad bitter like the tea itself so it wasn't as appetizing as the chocolate flavored cupcake. As for the ones in between I'm not sure what flavor it was but it still was yummy.

We were also asked to vote on which display we thought was most appealing. I voted for this Hawaiian themed display since I love Hawaii but then again I like any tropical places with sunny blue skies and white sandy beaches. Now looking back at my pictures think I should have voted for the sakura & matcha tea display instead since there was a lot more effort used in that display with the origami paper and all. Oh well too late now to change my vote.

Even though the show didn't have as many competitors as I had hope but for $5 you get to taste 5 mini cupcakes and see 15 charming cupcake displays, so you can't really complain either.

The next competition is September 19 and the secret ingredient is Cheese. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend so hopefully I can go for the next competition.

For the Love of Cake

For the Love of Cake is by far my favorite cupcake boutique. Once you enter the shop you are bombarded with the scent of freshly baked cupcakes. I was in awe at the range of flavors that was on display. I felt like a kid at a toy store that didn't know what they wanted but just had to have everything.

I've been to the Cupcake Shoppe along Yonge and I was extremely disappointed with what I saw. First of all the only cake flavors they offered were vanilla, chocolate and marble. Unlike the shop in Liberty Village, For the Love of Cake has 24 cake flavors to choose from. From spice cake to red velvet cake to almond flavored cake to ginger cupcake. Also the midtown shop mostly has buttercream icing and I just absolutely hated it. At first I wasn't sure if I liked buttercream but after sampling the cupcakes I knew it wasn't for me. It also didn't taste like the flavor that it represented. For example, the Curious George which was either vanilla or chocolate cake topped with banana buttercream. Well, that buttercream did not taste like banana at all it was just plain cream.

I ended up buying a 12-pk of the junior cupcakes at For the Love of Cake since I wanted to try a bit of everything. I also bought a 6-pk of regular cupcakes since there were still more flavors to try. Here are the flavors starting from left to right at the top: Black & White, Salted Caramel, Maple Bacon (which is suppose to be a mancake hence the bacon...yes that is bacon on a cupcake), Chocolate Hazelnut (my fav.), Death by Chocolate, Japanese Ginger, Rum & Coke, Guinness Chocolate, Pumpkin Pie, Stout Spice, Lemon Meringue and PB & C (peanut butter & chocolate).

The next picture are Japanese Ginger, Strawberry Shortcake, Red Velvet, Raspberry Rosewater, Tiramisu and Stout Spice.

I also bought 2 extra cupcakes so in total I spent $40 on these little sweet delights. So far so good. Worth every penny.

There were other flavors that weren't available that day so definitely have to make a second trip. Still would like to try Mochaccino, Caramel Apple, Grasshopper, Rocky Road, Cookies & Cream, Almond, Crazy Carrot, and Chocolate covered Banana.

So far I highly recommend the Chocolate Hazelnut. It is absolutely divine. It's a chocolate hazelnut flavoured cupcake filled with a creamy chocolate hazelnut ganache and topped with chocolate and a homemade hazelnut truffle. Just wished I grabbed a regular size rather than the junior. Man it taste so good have to return for more. Also the Tiramisu cupcake certainly taste like the flavor it claims to be. Just heavenly.

Can't wait to try the rest but will have to hit the gym after. Why is it that something that taste so good is so bad for you??!

TOTAL BILL $30...EAT HERE NEXT!!!