Category Archives: american

Southern Brunch Indulgence @ The Carbon Bar

28 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in american, barbecue, BBQ, breakfast, brunch, canadian, comfort food, toronto, Toronto restaurant, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

_DSC0004

It’s finally summer, and in fact this Canada Day long weekend is about to have super hot weather at over 35 degrees C!!! I can’t wait, I live for this! Summertime calls for lazy weekend brunches (RIGHT?!) and let me just say, I just visited the perfect southern inspired brunch spot this past weekend! I am still dreaming about the suuuper refreshing Blood Orange Mimosa…and pretty much everything that I ordered at The Carbon Bar. From the apps to the mains, the dishes were really well made, plated beautifully and indulgent!!

_DSC0049

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile now, you’ll know that I LOVE comfort food, and The Carbon Bar is really comfort food at it’s finest. My best friend and I started off with Smashed and Fried potatoes (with kimchi, parmesan and green onions) and Jalapeño and Cheddar Pork Sausage – both so delicious! The potatoes were crispy, cheesy and super rich in flavour, and well balanced because of the kimchi. The sausage on the other hand was deliciously tender, succulent and cheesy with a nice amount of spice. I really enjoyed the fact that these sausages were made in house!

dsc0022.jpg

_DSC0114

Up next were the Buttermilk Pancakes + smoked bacon, with wild‎ blueberries, Ennis Farm maple syrup, and lemon yogurt – SO YUMMY! The buttermilk pancakes had a delicious lemon flavour to it, and were really light and fluffy. This is a hefty portion, but I highly recommend it if you’re craving for some delicious pancakes. The highlight of this was the juicy, thick cut bacon, made in house as well. You really can’t go wrong with that!

_DSC0099.jpg

Who doesn’t love juicy and succulent fried chicken?! Their version of Chicken ‘N’ Waffles featured buttermilk fried chicken, citrus crema, chili + honey + garlic sauce, and it was absolutely amazing! The chicken was really well seasoned, and super crunchy! The waffles were also on the crisp side too, and tasted delish with the honey + garlic sauce.

_DSC0197

OK now for my favourite dish. At this point, I had already mentally unbuttoned my pants, and basically was in food heaven. I really loved the Huevos El Carbon, served with warm tortillas, black beans, two eggs sunny, Manchego cheese, chorizo, guacamole, charred pico de gallo, coriander and a charred lime. This is the dish that I highly recommend and would definitely come back for. It’s a fun dish – you can build your own tortilla the way you want it, and is also perfect for sharing. I really liked how the rich flavours of the beans, chorizo, and egg were well balanced with the freshness of the coriander, lime and charred tomatoes. Topped off with some guac, it was perfection! My mouth is legit watering as I type this!!!

_DSC0202.jpg

_DSC0012

So, have you called them to book your spot yet!? Well when you do, don’t forget that they are offering a FREE mimosa if you snap a photo sharing your brunch experience + tag @TheCarbonBar! Definitely take advantage of this, their mimosas are bomb!! I truly enjoyed my brunch at this super chic spot, the service was also amazing – you won’t regret going!!

_DSC0180

The Carbon Bar
99 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M5C 1S1

Advertisements

Sunday Brunch @ East Thirty-Six

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in american, breakfast, brunch, comfort food, review, reviews, toronto, Toronto restaurant, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

_DSC0001

Okay, I’ll admit that I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to brunch with my boyfriend… and we’ve been together for FOUR years! I normally don’t lean towards it, and maybe it’s because the area that we live in, Yonge and Sheppard, doesn’t have a good brunch spot (sadly). I also always crave for heavier meals like Japanese or Korean, which I can find a lot of near me. Well, after checking out East Thirty Six this past Sunday, my feelings for brunch have now changed!!

East Thirty-Six just started their brunch service, which takes place every Sunday from 11am-3pm, and invited me to sample a few of their dishes.  The food was incredible, and my mouth is legit watering right now just thinking about their Fried Chicken & Waffle. I really can’t wait to go back!!! But first thing’s first: they offer $5 Mimosas and $5 Caesars. A super awesome deal! I really enjoyed both, especially the Caesar, which was well spiced, and even had horseradish in it!

_DSC0019

Up first from the starters were Kimchi Fries and Cauliflower. Both delicious in their own ways, with the Cauliflower being the lighter of the two. It was cooked (roasted?) with capers, lemon, brown butter, roasted hazelnuts and topped with parsley. A unique ingredient list but it works! The Kimchi Fries on the other hand is an indulgent starter, with authentic kimchi made in house by their head chef. I loved the pecorino aioli which went really well with it!

_DSC0031

For the mains we tried the French Omelette, which was a lovely and light dish served with a salad and crème fraiche. If I could describe it with one word it would be: BUTTERY. Wow, totally blown away by the soft and tender texture. The mushrooms inside just adds to its richness. But it’s really the slightly tart flavor of the crème fraiche that really elevates and adds an extra savoury flavor – I really wish I knew how to make this dish!!

_DSC0066

The Eggs Benedict with salmon was also extremely delicious! Everything from the buttery toasted muffins, to the salmon, creamy hollandaise sauce and the perfectly poached eggs – all beautifully done. An indulgent treat of this classic dish and is done exceptionally well! Enjoy my failed egg yolk gif below:

egg.gif

We also got to sample their Waffle + Fried Chicken, which I’m still dreaming (drooling) about. Their spin on it is unique, because it’s topped with cheese garlic mayo and pickled radish, but they all go with the dish!! First bite of this and my day was instantly better!! The fried chicken was so juicy, crunchy and spiced extremely well. The waffle was light and a nice contrast to the super tasty chicken. This is the dish I would come back and have every Sunday if I could!!

_DSC0083

_DSC0076.jpg

Finally, we got to also try their dessert, an awesome chocolate ganache piece topped off with salted caramel sauce and peanut brittle. WOW. What a way to end a delicious meal. The ganache (which I believe was dark chocolate), just melted in your mouth. Ohhhhh boy. You’d be crazy not to love the salted caramel and chocolate combo!!

_DSC0100

If my blog post hasn’t made you grab your phone and make a reservation now (which I highly recommend as they get booked up) – you need to do it ASAP!! I really can’t wait to come back.

_DSC0098

East Thirty-Six
36 Wellington St E,
Toronto, ON M5E 1C7

Fried Chicken Fave!

23 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by in american, comfort food, food, review, reviews, toronto, Toronto restaurant, travel, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

_DSC0424

There are two things that I look for in my fried chicken: crispy skin flavoured with salt and spices, and inside… really juicy meat. It doesn’t seem like a lot to ask for, but it’s really tricky and can be easy to mess up if you’re cooking it yourself (read: undercooked and bloody). You really need a ton of oil and patience, because it can take almost half an hour to cook!! Fried chicken falls under the category of something I can eat everyday (like my love of ice cream), AND paired with spaghetti. Yup, you read that right, spaghetti!! But I’m not talking about the Filipino sweet spaghetti you may heard about, which has little cut up pieces hotdog in it. I’m talking about classic Bolognese but with some slight sweetness to it. One of my favourites growing up! Such an interesting combo but it really works.

_DSC0421

Now back to fried chicken, I recently tried some outstanding, juicy fried chicken from Cluck Clucks, a spot in downtown Toronto known for their chicken and waffles. Let me tell you that you have to drop everything you’re doing right now and run over to their location at the Esplanade!!! Ooooooohhhhhhhhh boy. I got to sample a few dishes, and their fried chicken really stole the show! My mouth is watering just thinking about how much I loved their fried chicken: huge pieces, lightly battered, and super flavourful. Every bite was an explosion of spices, and they were perfectly cooked and juicy!

_DSC0464

You really can’t go wrong with anything that you choose (I’m loving their wedges), even the wings were on point!! Dare I say this is the best chicken and waffles place I’ve tried so far in Toronto!? I’ve had School and Dirty Bird but their fried chicken don’t even come anywhere close to Cluck Clucks, which is also Halal by the way. MMMmmm can’t wait until my next visit!!

Cluck Clucks
222 The Esplanade
Toronto, ON M5A 4M8

In love with the Cheesecake Factory Toronto

17 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by in american, comfort food, review, reviews, toronto, Toronto restaurant, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

_DSC0415

Oh man. The Cheesecake Factory and I go waaaaaaay back! 2010 to be exact, when I visited their San Francisco location for the first time. Big portions, super legit comfort food (I am all about this), and an amazing strawberry cheesecake… I was HOOKED!!! My go to is for sure their Chicken Alfredo, with it’s really creamy, parmesan goodness. Ah, I love comfort food so much!

So when I got a chance to try the first Canadian location in advance of the opening, I started counting down the days!! No lie. Finally… the day arrived! My first impressions are that the Yorkdale location is huge and extremely busy. They’re expecting it to be busy for a few months though, so get ready for long wait times Toronto.

_DSC0431

Ok now on to the food. I should say though that they offered a limited menu for the media preview (with their full menu being around 200+ items). First up, apps. My boyfriend shared their Buffalo Blasts, which came as a HUGE portion of a lot chicken pieces. Man, I really forgot what their sizing was like. The only way I can describe it is cut up chicken pieces with buffalo sauce and cheese that had been coated in a spicy wrapper and deep fried. I’ve never tried anything like this app before and I really have to say that it was an awesome surprise. A super interesting take on chicken fingers. This is definitely best paired with a pint. By the time we finished this, I was feeling pretty stuffed (and we were only on the apps!!).

_DSC0449

For the entrees we tried the Chinese Chicken Salad, and the Bacon Bacon burger. Again these were huge (I LOVE this about Cheesecake Factory). Let’s start with the Chinese Chicken Salad, which is a staple for me whenever I visit a location. Presentation wise it was awesome, but taste wise it felt lacking and a bit bland, kind of like they went light on the dressing. The ingredients still tasted fresh though!

_DSC0451
The Bacon Bacon burger is not a typo!! This burger is pure American goodness with two different types of bacon: crispy bacon and thick cut slow roasted smoked bacon. Loved how juicy the patty was, and the slight sweetness of the smoked bacon. This also came with fries. At this point, I was struggling to breathe and mentally unbuttoning my pants… and I was in heaven!!!!

_DSC0470.jpg

And now we get to my favourite part, the cheesecake!! I typically get the original with whole strawberries and whipped cream, which is a classic and something I would recommend anybody. This time we shared the Oreo Dream Extreme cheesecake, and man the name reflects how decadent and delicious this was! Everybody, this is the best Oreo cheesecake that I have ever tried!!! They’ve baked whole Oreos into their original cheesecake, sandwiched between layers of fudge cake and an Oreo cookie mouse, topped with a milk chocolate icing and a huge piece of Oreo. I died and went to heaven!!!

To wrap up this super long post, I strongly urge you to give one of my favourite classic spots a try (hopefully when the lines die down). You will for sure love the food and not to mention the service is pretty great!

The Cheesecake Factory (opening November 21, 2017)
3401 Dufferin St,
Toronto, ON M6A 2T9

Double Layered Nachos + Pico De Gallo

04 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by in american, beef, comfort food, easy, food, recipe, recipes, snack, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Processed with VSCO with e2 preset

Oh maaaan. These nachos were really, really legit. I inhaled these… Couldn’t stop eating them!!!

Crisp tortilla chips with beef that had just the right amount of heat, plus a mix of melted sharp cheddar and monterey jack and finally topped with fresh pico de gallo and sliced avocados! My mouth is watering just typing this up. These are definitely the perfect Superbowl snack!

You really need to DOUBLE layer your nachos. Yup, scatter a bit of tortilla chips, cheese and beef to a baking tray, then do that all over again. Really makes a huge difference in getting cheese and beef to most chips.

For this recipe I ditched the Tostitos for something a bit different, the brand I picked up was called La Vista Nachos. So delicious and added a bit more authentic flavour. I also made my own taco seasoning, super easy stuff if you have the ingredients in your pantry. Also passed on the mozzarella and used monterey jack, which tasted better when the nachos cooled down (vs the hard mozzarella). Perfect to go with a glass of Coke – seriously, water doesn’t work with this.

Get the Recipe!