ROSE CITY KITCHEN
406 Queen St W
Toronto, Canada
Sandwiches - Middle Eastern - Take-out - Poutine - Salad
$$

Rose City Kitchen is most definitely an undermined eatery in Queen West, located just West of Queen & Spadina. I avoided this spot (like many other Queen West spots) while residing in the neighborhood since I believed that it wouldn't be worth trying, but really - it deserves all of the praise! Their incredible fresh flavour combinations, made to order. Sandwiches are served up in a half-cut pita. "1 for a snack, 2 for a meal, 3 if you’re starving..." is recommended - but I was strangely super stuffed after sharing (!!!) a poutine, we were struggling to finish up our two half-cut pitas. The beauty is that you start with choosing your protein - Chicken ($5), Falafel ($4), Steak ($5) and Halloumi ($5), then onto the style of condiments and seasoning, there are the "RCK" Original, Greek, Lebanese, Morrocan and Egyptian to choose from. Check out their sweet, sweet menu, here.

Two ever visits from this place, and the same flavour ordered up on both occasions. I have never been to an ice cream parlour before I stepped into the whimsical entry of The Big Chill. Nothing like I would have thought that would come out of in the pages of Archie's Comics, An unevenly lit space, mis-matched props, and an extensive menu for the sweet tooth. The many, out of the usual Waffle cone, is their Ice Cream Sandwiches, Roll Cakes, Cake Pops, Banana Splits, and of course, they got you, my lactose-intolerant (dietary or not) folks, Non-dairy and Sherbert Ice Cream!

The Big Chill is a dandy go-to after a meal in the area, open until 11PM, this is easily an after-dinner spot. Grab a cone (cash only), and if the weather persists, take a walk around the area. College Street is such a nice area to walk along. 

They crispiest Waffle Cone that I've come across, these have definitely been freshly made. They also provide you with the delightful (free) option of a dollop of Whipped Cream on top, and of course, a tasty mini Oreo for a friend.

The outside smokey grill is the biggest attraction to Rasta Pasta, it is a brilliant unintentional advertisement, all by pure attraction by the nose - they save by sending out incredible smokey BBQ Jerk Chicken scents in all directions from the store front. Rasta Pasta only leaves room for you to Takeaway, but, for a lunch deal of $5, you will be more than happy to! Located in Kensington Market, a short walk away from the also, always packed during the lunch hour, Seven Lives.

Quick service, at an awesome price! It's a simple two step, make your order at the counter, and if your choice is Jerk Chicken, you will receive a bed of either Rice and Lentils or White Rice and Coleslaw or Steamed Veggies. 

On the hunt for a sweet treat and cuppa' tea to further introduce my darling newbie Aussie sister to the city - we took a 25-minute stroll to Kitten & the Bear. Having been warned of the simple, hardly-dining shop, we entered, turning a nostalgic faux glass doorknob to be greeted by a counter a brief three meters away. The cafe, former a shop front from where customers could purchase the Kitten & the Bear's fresh, homemade jams and stocked teas from Sloanes. I am glad that they have found space to fit two tiny tables, making it a delightful spot to sit and catch up with a bud.

Kitten & the Bear is owned by a husband and wife, I admire their passion for the products that they serve, I especially love the homey feel that the place provides. They also had big baskets of both peaches and nectarines plopped in a few corners of the cafe, they all looked so succulent and had us eager to get ordering.

Constant rants of the ridiculous line-ups at Saving Grace, I'm glad that I didn't have to wait for more than ten minutes for a seat on either two visits. Having my sister visit from the land downunder for a month, we were to arrange a heck of a lot of snacks, brunches, lunches and dinners. Her ponder of what a "Hipster restaurant" is really all about, I reluctantly put Saving Grace for brunch onto the list. I was seated by an, again - different, but, fairly cold and rushed server.

Saving Grace has specials which they change up daily on a mounted blackboard - the specials range from brunch plates of Waffles with Roasted Plums, to, Quesadillas with Black Beans and Chutney. Other variables are sweets to end a meal, Sausages ($3.50) to add on and fresh Juices ($3~4.25).

Two months of buzzing past the same row of Market 707 Cargo Street Vendors on the 505 streetcar June 2013, I've finally made my way up here upon a mate's craving for mayo and rice (and you better bet he went for an extra drizzle of mayo). Good ol' Gushi. Their menu is mainly focused around their all-time popular Deep-fried to order, Gushi Chicken on either rice or fries ($8~9). Their Deep-fried Chicken uses no eggs or dairy in the process; dusted lightly in a potato starch for minimum oil-absorption and the ultimate crisp! A box of the deep-fried goods alone runs for $9, and a party pack runs for $25. 

 My love for Gelato sprouted over at Millie Creperies, but I was at a loss after being singled out by the same ol' Hazelnut or Vanilla flavour, over and over again. Although so close together, I am in-love with the surprising contrast that Chinatown, Kensington Market and Balwin Village have against eachother. My second time prancing through Baldwin Village in the daytime, it is a true delight. Introduced by a mate, Kekou Gelato is a small, darling gelato house in Baldwin Village. 

Kekou Gelato is a wonderful home to incredible, and very well excecuted Asian-inspired flavours. Their gelato covers a lot you can imagine - in Dairy and Dairy-free flavours. It's a great experience, and you better dive in and help yourself in sampling before committing yourself to a cup of a flavour (or two, or three).  The heaviest I'd like to note, are: 

The Vietnamese Coffee, dang, this one packs a punch, just like my good ol' Vy Vy Garden Cafe days (heh). How a Viet Coffee should be! Strong in bitterness and slightly sweetened by condensed milk.

I found great delight in the Black Sesame, Green Bean Coconut and Red Bean White Chocolate - each are equally a safe bet for anyone, they are exactly how your taste buds imagine it to be - along with being creamy and rich with flavour.

Slightly reluctant, but super curious, I went for the Spicy Mango, and man, it is pretty strong! I felt like a weakling. Legitimate Mango and Chili flavours here though, it's fantastic!

A quick whiff of the Whiskey Green Tea reminded me Karaoke - the memories of Cognac and Green Tea mixers, sticky floors and being enclosed in a large, dark room... I wouldn't be able to handle any more than a sampler of this.

What enticed me to come back the second time around was the word going around that Kekou Gelato now serves HK Milk Tea! It was just how I like my Bubble Milk Tea ☺. The Thai Iced Tea was unfortunate, it had a slighty tangy aftertaste - odd, it was the first time being disappointed in any flavour from here, hopefully they improve it! 

Even though I'm feeling bad after sampling three+ gelatos, the staff are friendly and encourage the repetitive Kekou-ritual, I feel worse when I'm to toss out five sampler spoons though, there has to be a better way!

 With so many Dumpling houses in Toronto, you can very easily be disappointed with any that are anywhere below average. Mother's Dumplings are just one of the many, located at Spadina and College, on upper-North side of the usual, situated shops on the busy Spadina and Dundas. The name 'Mother's Dumplings' brings high expectations of love and care with all sorts of juicy deliciousness in each bite. On the menu, you'll find the usual, extensive list of Housemade Dumplings either being Steamed, Boiled or Pan-Fried. As any Chinese 'Mom and Pop' sort of restaurant, they also offer Housemade Noodles, Buns, Soups, Rice dishes, Congee and, of course, Pancakes!

The restaurant seven days a week, 11:30AM until 10PM, and up until 10:30PM on Fridays and Saturdays. There is plenty of seating, we were only to wait a couple of minutes to have set up at table for three on a Friday evening.

EL ALMACEN

1078 Queen St W

Toronto, ON

M6J 1H8, Canada

Cafe - Latin American

$

 Oh boy. It's been a while. It never occured to me... my cravings for this beauty. I only ever had the pleasure of trying this once, at the South American Food Festival in Fairfield. It was certainly unique. It was the first time I ever tried such a concoction, one of my first steps in venturing out of the Asian food I knew a loved. Here, it was were I had my first Empanada, and began to purchase Lebanese treats. 

El Almacen is all about Mate Beverages. It's a beautiful concept, you can read more about it here. Mate, also known as 'Yerba Mate' leaves are finely chopped and ground up to make up a powder. You can be sipping this drink hours on end. With a couple of teaspoons of Yerba Mate, you even it out with your desired amount of sugar all into a Gourd. Using your metal spoon/straw (also a Bomba), you blend it all together and sip away. 

El Almacen, as expected, has a nice set of Empanadas available, in: Beef & Green Olive, Mixed Vegetable, Spinach & Cheese and Ham & Cheese at $3.50 each. They also serve up combos of Soup of the Day - Grilled Sandwiches - Empanadas.

MOE'S DELI & BAR

Trudeau International Airport

Dorval, Quebec

H4Y Canada

Pub Food - Sandwiches

$

Groaning over the 5:30AM ungodly hour wake-up is a group effort. I narrowly snuck in thirty minutes of snooze after falling asleep awaiting my hair to dry, sitting on the over flowing chair of towels in our hotel room. It was still too dark to have my final moments taking in the beautiful view over Miami. Memories of just hours before, sitting down on a step leading up to Bayside, down the road from our B2 Hotel (most positively the worst experience at a hotel, ever, by the way). The beautiful canopy of palm trees towering above us, and hours would pass. The moment was so serene, we needed no substance to keep us at this high. It was at this moment that I decided that this is exactly what I've ever wanted, nights of deep and meaningful conversations, experiencing beyond my imagination.

The two hour stop-over landed us in Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. My first thought was to snatch up a plate of dirty, dirty poutine with the squeakiest of the squeaky cheese curds. After running through two food-stops, we were disappointed when we were finally told that there was no poutine served at this airport. Are you bloody kidding me? Down for eating just about anything, we headed to next first sit-in restaurant we spotted, Moe's Deli & Bar.

We were seated with famous portraits on various chairs parallel to us. The service was lacking, and the speed of the dishes, even more. Thank golly we had a bit of time to kill.

For a pre-Lego Movie feed nearby Cineplex Queensway, I trusted Yelp to lead the way for me. After five pages of, we decided on The Pie Commission, a take-away shop rated 4/5 stars? It must be good! We took a nice walk, following the three signs to The Pie Commision, and arriving at 6:50 with 10 minutes to closing, we quickly made our picks of what to chow on. Happily greeted, they have 'hot' and 'cold' pies. The hot pies available were only four of the six on the menu, and the cold pies are for takeaway, which is pretty awesome!

Pies in-house made, from scratch on a daily. It couldn't get any more real than that.

The deals for a Pie + a Side is a steal! I wish I would have spotted it earlier. I would have definitely gotten fries on the side. Purchasing an Unbaked 4-Pack over the To-go Baked Individual Pies are at no price difference at all, unless you order the (1) Braised Beef Rib or one of their Seasonal Pies. They also have a 'Soup of the Day' available for $3.50. I'm very curious of their Sausage Rolls and Seasonal Pies.

I was much more excited for the packaging than anything... And I had a reason to be.