Best Tom Yum and Seafood heaven at Jiyu Hotpot

Meal combo @Jiyu Hotpot

When I found out there was a Thai hotpot place in Markham, I immediately marked it as a destination for our next family celebratory meal. It turned out to be a great choice as the food itself was definitely something to celebrate!

Now, our family loves Tom Yum soup. However, in Canada, we have not really found Tom Yum similar to what we enjoyed in Thailand. The ones we had here were either too sweet or too sour. The Tom Yum broth at Jiyu was the best we have had here! We loved it so much, we all estimated we took in a liter each, just of the broth! It certainly hit the spot with just the right blend of spicy, sour and just the right spot of sweet. Ten thumbs up from us!

Abalone on Tom Yum broth @Jiyu Hotpot

We ordered a Meal for 3 combo and a Vancouver Curry Crab to share. Maybe we had all been eating too much these days but the Meal for 3 was just enough for 5 of us. We just brought home the 1-lb Curry crab as we were already too full. The curry was good, though it was more of the Japanese-type sweet curry instead of the Thai curry I would expect. And well, what is not to like about crab? Yummy!

Vancouver Curry Crab @Jiyu Hotpot

Anyway, the Meal for 3 came with shrimp, abalone, snakehead fish, mussels, scallops, octopus, basa fillets, baby cuttlefish, squid, shrimp paste (not bagoong but more of almost pureed shrimp), crabmeat sticks, sliced beef, crown scallops, swimming crab, bamboo mushroom with shrimp and a combo of veggies (napa cabbage, mushroom, spinach, taro). 

Meal combo @Jiyu Hotpot

The presentation was just so delightful, a feast of the eyes! It was almost a shame to remove the food from the display so that we can cook them. Our server helped cook some of the items, which took 1-2 minutes each type/batch. The food was just delicious and the seafood was fresh–we know since we saw crab tanks near the kitchen. We were in seafood heaven. While there was an array of sauces at the counter, we were quite content to just have the seafood with the Tom Yum broth. We did partake of the shrimp crackers and edamame on the side, which we could get to our hearts’ content.

Meal combo @Jiyu Hotpot

Our meal also came with onion rings and fried rice, and as well, All You Can Eat dessert. They had a nice selection of mini cakes (such as mango, tiramisu), grass jelly, pudding, fruits and even soft serve ice cream. It was not the cheapest of meals but it was worth it for us as we were quite full and very happy. Both the quality of the food and the service were very good. I will try my darndest not to crave their Tom Yum soup. I just hope I last until the next occasion to celebrate. 

All you can eat dessert @Jiyu Hotpot

MAMMA MIA !! our 10km hike from Fira to Oia, Santorini

 

Fira to Oia Hike

Before I start, let me clarify that I quote Mamma Mia as an expression of our experience, not because it was set in Santorini. The movie was set in another island, Skopelos.

Santorini was majestic and beautiful. We got to appreciate its beauty through our 10-km hike, a true challenge to this mamma.

By the time we got to Santorini and the start of our hike from Fira to Oia, we had already clocked in way over a hundred thousand steps over the previous days. We had hiked to the top of the Acropolis, Cynthos, got lost in the streets of Fira and even hiked to the beautiful Heart of Santorini. We were feeling tired. Ok, so now that I’ve got that disclaimer out…it took us 5 hours to complete the average 3 hour hike. Well, we were strolling and taking lots of photos—this was what we kept saying, every time another group of hikers overtook us on the trail.

Fira

Anyway, we were aiming to catch the sunset at Oia and I wanted some time to go around Oia so we started at about noon, at the height of the heat. But as it was so windy, we did not feel sticky nor did we overheat, even if we wore long-sleeved shirts to protect us from the sun. It was the best hike we had ever taken. It was not the most difficult, but it was definitely challenging, with the trail changing from cobbled path to paved roads and then gravel and stone. 

gravel path on Fira to Oia hike

we have to go through that?!

trails at Fira to Oia hike

There was hardly any shade, which was a challenge in the noon-day heat. It was also hard for me to keep my hat on because it was very windy. There was enough signage to make sure you were going in the right direction and the views were just amazing. Anywhere you point your camera, it was just beautiful. Walking through the hotels along the caldera and passing many, many churches on the trail was just something we would not normally have on any hike. We passed by the beautiful towns of Firostefani and Imerovigli.

boutique hotels @Imerogivli

 We skipped (and thankfully we did) the side hike to Skaros Rock which would take us an extra hour (so they say. This would probably take us two, with our pace).

Skaros Rock

We got to Oia at 5pm, tired and not finding any public washrooms. The one we did find was closed. So, we couldn’t drink so much as well. We had planned to have dinner back in Fira (taking the bus back) after watching the sunset. In hindsight, we should have just eaten in one of the pricey restaurants, used the WC and watched the sunset relaxingly. The most popular place to view the sunset was…well… popular. It was so crowded, we really didn’t want to squeeze in. There were a couple of cruise ships that I saw docked so that didn’t help with the crowds. If you had the time or inclination, you can also book a catamaran sunset cruise. And while it was a great experience, we wished we could have enjoyed the destination as much as the journey. Our feet were not happy (nor were our bladders) but all in all, it was an experience I would not trade off. The journey was very memorable and the sunset was gorgeous.

Oia

Sunset @Oia

Sunset @Oia