Spring Blooms: a visit to the National Home Show and Canada Blooms exhibit

  

We decided to check out the National Home Show and Canada Blooms exhibit on the last day of this year’s run. We drove to the Direct Energy Centre downtown after a late and heavy breakfast.  The carpark was already almost full when we arrived--considering the exhibit’s doors had opened only thirty minutes earlier! And, were it not for the subways being serviced that weekend, we would have saved ourselves $15 for parking! We wouldn’t have gotten there as fast, but still! Oh well, that’s downtown for you.

The Home show part of the exhibit was very interesting. The various design possibilities for the home that vendors offer these days are just amazing!  Having studied Interior Design, I was excited to see the current trends in furniture and fixtures. I would love to get one of those retracting screen doors or ethanol-burning fireplaces!  

The kids, who were able to get in for free, were not bored at all. There were hundreds of vendors and the kids were as excited to see the many things for the home as we were. Of course, by the time we got to the last row of the Home show, it was already lunch time.

We thought we were going to have to cough up another $8 for pizza until I saw the poster of EDO:  100% genuine Kobe beef sausage. I just had to try that! I know, I know, it was a waste of Kobe beef, but it was either that or Pizza Pizza. So, for $7, I got to try the best hotdog I’ve ever had! Sure, I love chili dog and the best-value-ever hotdogs at Costco, but this was tops! I put Wasabee ™ mayo and crunchy onions on top of my hotdog instead of the usual ketchup.  The hotdog was juicy and the meat very flavourful. It was perfectly complemented by the Wasabee ™ mayo which was the right blend of spicy and creamy.  The fried onions gave it a nice crunch. Initially, Hubby and I shared one hotdog along with the sushi for the girls. But I loved the hotdog so much that we had to get another one (which we shared as well, okay? I did NOT eat one and a half. Although, maybe I could have if I did not have the sushi…). Thirty minutes later, the fulfilled family went over to the Canada Blooms part of the exhibit.

The Canada Blooms exhibit was wonderfully relaxing. With so many beautiful and exotic flowers in the exhibit hall, it was like being in an indoor botanical garden. Benches were strategically placed around the hall, allowing visitors to just sit and admire the view.  All the different colours, shapes, and sizes from so much floral variety were truly a sight. The areas which had water features were very calming. I would have wanted one of the fountains in my backyard (that is, if I had one). There were various floral arrangements and of course, all things one might need for gardening.  There was also a play area for children where the girls enjoyed going down slides and banging (yes, banging) on a giant wooden xylophone. There were also craft activities for the kids, which we decided to skip. By this time, we had already been walking about 4 hours (minus the 30 or so minutes for lunch) and we were ready to go home. It was a nice, sunny day and mint-chocolate ice cream on a waffle cone was beckoning us from home.  It was a great way to spend our day.

The Magic continues at Downtown Disney California

When you're alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go…to Downtown Disney. Okay, I am not Petula and that was not my era, but I will say that the lyrics are pretty apt. After all, Disney is the happiest place on earth!  Anyway, since we were exhausted from our full day trip to Disneyland, we had to check out Downtown Disney another time.

After an early dinner, we went to Downtown Disney just a few days before New Year’s. This time, we didn’t have to spend so much time looking for parking and having to ride a shuttle. The parking area was close to the district.

We went to all the wonderful stores like the big Build-a-Bear workshop, Disney Vault 28 with nice vintage Disney items, my favorite Anne Geddes store and many others. The kids greatly enjoyed the Lego Imagination center and we posed beside the life-sized Lego Darth Vader. Cool! There were also other kiosks around which had nice merchandise.

 The main attraction for us was the World of Disney. It was HUGE! I would say it is about 20 times the size of a regular Disney store. The girls and I were giddy looking at all the stuff and even hubby wanted to go shopping. Now that’s a feat! No other Disney store (at least to date) will now compare to this. There was a section for pretty much every Disney character (at least the famous and current ones). At that time, Alice in Wonderland was the current Disney release so there was a section dedicated to tea—as in Mad Hatter’s tea. There was a section for apparel, for head gear, for toys and even time pieces. You can actually spend hours inside this store. DD#2 managed to lose her hat in the store and that added another 30 minutes to our jaunt. We managed to find it at one of the lost and found counters after a bit of searching.

After getting a few items (including the lost hat), we then caught the fireworks display. Of course it was not as grand as it would have been inside the park, but it had to do. As it was DD#1’s first time to see fireworks, I would say that there is a slight chance she will remember this. She has slept through all the other fireworks display since. Downtown Disney is a destination I would recommend. Indeed, the lights are much brighter there, we can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares…

A Magical Place called Disneyland

My mom insisted on taking her grandchild, DD #1 to Disneyland when she was not quite two years old. We said she wouldn’t remember a thing (and she doesn’t), but we couldn’t take away a grandmother’s joy at seeing her granddaughter have fun, even if the moment is fleeting.

DD #1’s second trip to Disneyland was when she was 4 and DD #2 was about 21 months. That trip DD#1 now remembers. We went to Disneyland days before Christmas. School wasn’t out yet but there were a lot of people already at the park. We got there at about 10am with pre-purchased tickets. Getting into the actual park took some time though, because we had to find parking and then take a shuttle. We also had to make sure that the stroller and our bags were complete with all the essentials that we would need to last us until the evening.

The first ride we took at the park was the “Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage” ride. Lines were still okay at that time, and by ok I mean, about 15 minutes. We went inside a “submarine” and watched the story of Nemo unfold through the portholes. Nice!

By the time we finished with the ride, it was almost lunch time.  To avoid the crowds, we decided to go ahead and eat already. We brought some jarred food for DD #2 and the rest of us had burgers and nuggets from the concession stand. While eating, there was a Star Wars show going on, which kept us entertained through our meal.

Then, we took the boat ride on “It’s a small world.” I had gone on this ride a couple of times in the past. It didn’t fail to bring happy feelings as the wonderful dolls serenaded us. Of course, this one had a Christmas theme which made it a bit more festive.

Not surprisingly, Mickey’s Toontown was a real hit with the kids. First, we checked out Chip n Dale’s treehouse and Donald’s boat. Then we went to each of Mickey’s and Minnie’s house. We had nice family photos taken with Mickey and Minnie. Minnie was in her Christmas garb.  Afterwards, DD#2 and I enjoyed the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin and the Go coaster, while hubby and DD#1 sat these rides out.

Next, Grandma spent some quality time with DD#2 at the Mad Tea party teacup ride while hubby, DD#2 and I lined up for the other rides in Fantasyland. We pretty much covered this place well. We went to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, and Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Some of the rides were a bit scary for DD#2. The Snow White ride, in particular, had some creepy shockers where even we, the adults, were surprised! But well, with a ride called, Scary adventures, we should’ve expected that. Peter Pan’s flight was a fun ride and the magical, starlit sky at the end of the ride was awesome. Of course, we did not pass up the chance to ride on King Arthur’s carousel.

We then decided to see the princesses. While DD#2 took a nap, I lined up for almost two hours just so DD#1 could meet some princesses! I hope one day she remembers the lengths I go through to make her happy. Sigh. Prior to this trip, we got an autographed picture of Cinderella and DD#1 was quite excited to see the princesses in person. They don’t guarantee you, however, as to which three princesses will be there when you finally get to the front of the line. Tired but happy, we finally got to meet Belle, Arielle, and Jasmine. DD#1 had photos taken with each of them. We were given a card which had a barcode linked to our photos. These photos we could later on pick up at one of the gift shops (at tourist prices, of course) or could be shared and/or purchased online as well. DD#1 was so ecstatic that she no longer felt tired. I, however,  was tired but mustered the energy any wanderlusting mama should have.

We walked through Sleeping Beauty’s castle and browsed for souvenirs at the Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique. The merchandise was so cute, I would not be surprised if one racked up a huge shopping bill…I mentioned that we browsed, right? We skipped the Indiana Jones and Jungle Cruise rides at Adventureland as well as the rides at Critter country. We did buy the Mickey caps for the girls at the Briar patch store where they had a huge selection of Mickey caps. The girls chose a pink Mickey cap with a tiara and we got them embroidered with their names. It was a nice souvenir for this trip. I wanted to get one of those pirate Mickey caps but I managed to avoid the temptation.

With Grandma watching the girls, hubby and I managed a few rides of our own. We went on the Pirates of the Carribbean (over an hour’s wait!) and the Haunted Mansion rides. These were good, fun rides.

By this time, we decided to get some gumbo dinner at the New Orleans Square. Nothing really spectacular, but we had expected meals to be non-descript. We had to eat—and eat fast—so we could do more! After all, we didn’t go to Disneyland for dining.

We then waited at Main St. for the Christmas parade. Hubby had DD#1 on his shoulders while I had DD#2 on mine. The parade was wonderful. The girls finally saw Cinderella (the princess that DD#1 did not get to meet earlier) and Prince Charming. Toy Story characters were there too! At the end of it though, my shoulders and back ached so much, it felt like the Seven Dwarfs stomped on me-- while carrying a barrel of jewels! That was my sign that we had to head home. We had planned to return after a couple of days to check out Downtown Disney and catch the fireworks, albeit not from the New Orleans area.

My mom was right, as mothers always are ;) The girls may or may not remember this trip, but we do. The trip might not be known as “our trip to Disneyland” but more likely “the day we took the kids to Disneyland.”  And by now there are newer rides that the girls will love to go on. But there always is a next time. Next time, we hope to check out Disney World and go on another magical journey to yet another one of the happiest places on earth.

Sweet Spring: Our First Sugar Bush Maple Syrup Festival

Spring… my other favorite season. It means summer is almost here! Spring also means Maple syrup festivals. We went to our first sugar bush Maple syrup festival at Horton’s farms. A sugar bush is a group of Maple trees (used to make Maple syrup) growing in the same area. We arrived at Horton’s around 10am just in time for the wagon ride. It was still a bit chilly so the open-air wagon ride made for some icy cheeks.

We went on a guided tour where we were shown how maple syrup was made traditionally and how it is done the modern way. We saw the taps and tin cans from the maple trees where sap is collected. We also saw the long tubes used these days to send sap from the trees straight to the sugar house. We got to sample Maple syrup in the sugar shack. Yum! Wafts of sweet smoke came from the pots as the sap was boiled down to make syrup. Did you know that it takes about 40 gallons of sap (depending on how concentrated it is) to make one gallon of Maple syrup? No wonder pure Maple syrup is pricey!

We then proceeded to the log cabin for some pancakes and other maple treats. Pancakes hot off the griddle with melting butter and maple syrup (of course!) made us very hungry.  The line-up was a bit long but we finally got our pancakes. We sat down to enjoy our Pancake “lunch” on the benches outside. Breakfast for lunch was not a bad idea at all! We also bought some maple candies and even tried out maple coffee (which is really coffee sweetened with maple syrup). Truly perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth!

With our tummies full, we took a stroll in the woods while the kids ran around. After that, we were back in the wagon to head for home. We have gone to a couple of other sugar bush Maple syrup festivals and the set up is pretty much the same. Other festivals would have more activities for the kids while others would stick to the more traditional adventure. Either way, Maple syrup festivals are a sure sign of Spring! Sweet.

Retail Therapy Pacific-style

When “happy food” is not enough to get rid of stress, sometimes, it is time to try some retail therapy.  We had not been to Pacific Mall in Markham for ages so last week, we decided to see what was new. We got there before noon and we decided to have some dimsum first before going around. There was a long wait list at Golden Regency and we were number 81!!! Okay, I don’t know when they started counting. Maybe this was from yesterday’s sheet of paper? Really, there were about 7 groups ahead of us and of course, getting a table depended on how many you were in your party. We got seated 15-20 minutes after. It was good dimsum, though not the best I’ve ever had. Communicating to the folks pushing the carts was a bit tricky.  One had to gesture and just try to interpret what they were trying to tell you.  The kids enjoyed the shrimp dumpling (hargow) and fried squid tentacles. I enjoyed the dishes as well, but my favorite taro puff had a tad bit too much 5-spice. A dozen dimsum containers later, we were finally done with our meal.


At the Heritage court stage

We went around Heritage court where they have the food court and other stalls. We were drawn in by the wonderful aroma of freshly-made waffles. We were planning to get some but were distracted by Beard Papa’s after making our rounds. I don’t know where else in Toronto they have this, but we usually get their yummy cream puffs in California. So, we were quite excited! Of course, I ordered mocha (check out my other favorite mocha treat: Desserts for the Stressed). They inject the cream only upon taking your order. The pastry tasted fresh and the cream was not too sweet. It was delightful!

With a box of cream puffs to take home, we made our way through the different aisles. Everything you need for your phone, you can find in this place. It was amazing! Each aisle had tons of cellphone shops.  I wish I hadn’t gotten my cellphone screen protector at the other mall! I didn’t dare check the price to save myself from feeling bad about my purchase. I am sure it was half the price!  There were also plenty of clothing and optical shops, Chinese/Korean DVD stalls, and Bubble Tea joints! Speaking of Bubble tea, we had to get ourselves some slushies with tapioca pearls—perfect for sipping while we browsed through the stores. DD#1 got papaya and the rest of us had mango. We happily sipped our drinks with chewy black tapioca pearls; mine even had fresh mini mango cubes. Yum!

I did not end up shopping for a lot of stuff, but it was a fulfilling trip. Power walking in the mall to burn off the dimsum, and having bubble tea and cream puff while checking out stores we rarely see were therapeutic as well.

Desserts for the stressed

One tremendously stressful day, hubby took me and the kids out for some “happy food.” The only rule we have when we are having happy food is not to think about how much sugar, salt or calories we are consuming. We just had to bask in the sugar (or salt) rush. More often than not, we would have something sweet. However, french fries and chips have also made it to the “happy food” list in our house. This time, I needed something guaranteed to pick me up so hubby took us to Caffe Demetre for some ice cream.

Being a mocha-lover, I ordered La Vida Mocha. This was a wonderful, freshly-made crepe filled with home made mocha ice cream and topped with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and Oreo crumbs. The crepe was warm and the ice cream was very velvety-- with that heavenly mocha taste I absolutely love. If you had a heavy dinner, I suggest you share this dessert with someone as it is quite filling. Hubby ordered a cake a la mode which was just okay--nothing compared to my La Vida Mocha, I would say! The kids shared two scoops of mint-chocolate chip ice cream. This is DD#1’s favorite ice cream flavour and she definitely enjoyed this non-commercial version.  While DD#2 agreed with the order, she said she would have preferred strawberry. We knew they would not have finished it had we ordered more--this left over was not something we could take home! So, she took bites from daddy’s and mommy’s  dessert instead. At the end of it, we were all happily full (and less stressed).

We enjoyed Caffe Demetre so much, we decided to make this our go-to dessert place. We had subsequently tried the sundaes and banana splits. DD#2 finally got her strawberry ice cream. I still order my La Vida Mocha. It is my tried and tested pick-me-upper.  Maybe next time I will try something else. Then again, maybe not.

Chilling at the Ice Fest

This year we decided to skip the Bloor-Yorkville Ice Fest. We had gone the two festivals prior but this year we had a bout of laziness. After all, it is a 45 minute train ride to get to Yorkville from our place. As well, the Cumberland strip where we usually go is short and we would have seen all the sculptures in about 30 or so minutes.

  

Our trips downtown usually begin with our tradition of getting Tim Horton’s donuts for the kids at the train station. Since it is not a short ride and one they do not take often, we try to make it fun and memorable.  The first time we went to the Ice Fest, we got to Yorkville before lunch. The theme was Canadiana. We just walked about to check out the various ice sculptures. There was an Inukshuk, a life-sized bear and moose, sleds…so that should be Canadian, right? We had a nice photo taken by Henry Lin with a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. We posed in a sculpture of a full sized sled pulled by six huge Siberian Huskies. The sculptures were done in such amazing detail! The kids were delighted to see all the ice sculptures and ice carving demonstrations. I, meanwhile, was thrilled to sample a martini from an ice luge at Sassafraz, a ritzy downtown resto. Needless to say, we were all feeling quite festive afterwards. We then walked along Bloor to check out some more sculptures and shops. We capped our trip with a nice Pad Thai lunch at Yonge-Bloor to make the most of our trip downtown. Good thing we brought the stroller for DD #2 so she was able to get her nap on the train ride back.

Last year, we were just in and out of Yorkville. After our usual donuts on the train, we arrived at the festival to a carnival theme, Step Right Up. There were clowns, lions, and a fortune teller complete with an ice crystal ball! With another donation to the Heart and Stroke foundation, we posed in an ice carousel. The horse in the carousel was awesome.  There were real clowns making balloon animals for kids and several mimes and buskers. The cotton candy and candied apples truck was there too!  It did feel like a carnival.  We then got some nice hot chocolate which was perfect to keep us warm. Too bad there were no martinis this time. We headed back home after that quick excursion and were able to have some more snow play in the park.

All in all, I would say that both were nice festivals. They usually have other activities in the event but we really just chill and look at the sculptures (and take photos—a favorite activity of mine). Maybe we’ll go again next year or maybe we will find another festival to check out.

Korean meals north of Toronto for less than $10

Being in an area with a lot of Koreans, we cannot help but try out different Korean restaurants—higher end, lower end, and everything in between. Even the fast food stalls at the Korean grocery were not spared. However, the places we go back to are those which give us good value for money. One has even earned the title, “my favourite restaurant” from the kids. Here are three Korean restaurants we love going back to. These are not in any particular order as going to one of these would depend on what we feel like having.

1.       Buk Chang Dong Soon tofu (North York)—perfect for a cold, winter day. Parking is a bit of a challenge at the North York location. If you park at the back, be prepared to have your meal interrupted while you go out and move your vehicle (or go back to get someone else to move theirs so you can leave). Don’t be discouraged by the line-up to get a seat, as service is quite fast. There are only 8 items on the menu consisting mostly of soon tofu soups, hence the name. Nothing costs over $10.  Soon tofu is a savoury broth with soft, custard-like tofu and meat or veggies.  They also offer dumpling and kimchi soon tofu soup. The soon tofu dishes come with a raw egg.  This is cracked open onto the boiling soup and is promptly cooked. One can also select the level of spiciness of the soup from white to hot.

Each order comes with the usual banchan (appetizers) of Kimchi, bean sprouts and beans. Hubby prefers the Combination Soon tofu (meat and seafood) while the girls and I usually have the Bulgogi soup. Their Bulgogi soup is a great comfort food for me. It has just the right sweetness, a good serving of beef and nicely-cooked noodles. As well, you get a hot stone pot rice with your order. The waiter scoops out purple rice with dates onto your bowl and adds hot water to the stone pot. Hubby likes to eat this leftover rice with water, whereas I am usually already too full to have this. He claims it cleanses his palate. It may be true, because honestly, that one is quite tasteless.

2.       Korean Grill house (Richmond Hill)—when we are craving all-you-can-eat bbq. Again, for under $10, you can have all-you-can-eat bbq. Their basic bbq has pork, beef, chicken, fish fillet and squid.  For additional $3-6 you get more choices of fish and meat. Of course, you also get your banchan ( Kimchi, bean sprouts) and rice with your meal. Half the fun is cooking, but be ready to have your clothes smell like the grill. The meats are lightly seasoned and are fresh. They are served in small square trays stacked on top of each other. You can request for additional meats and side dishes as you go along. The last time we went, we managed to consume 15 of these 5”x5” trays!  My tip would be to start cooking the chicken first as this takes the longest to cook (we usually don’t get pork). The beef is thinly sliced and cooks the fastest.

3.       Song Cook’s (Vaughan)—the kids’ favourite restaurant. This is our go-to place for everything else Korean. You have the choice of being seated on the regular table or the matted, elevated section. We love sitting on the mat for that authentic Korean feel—even if our legs cramp after a bit! Be prepared to remove your shoes! You sit on a cushion and eat over a low table. The kids enjoy it as it is an experience in itself.  The Kimchi comes in a huge serving with scissors for cutting. I often order the LA Kalbi and the marinated sliced meat and they are both yummy! The meat is tender and the sauce wonderful. The girls usually have the Seafood udon. The noodles are well-cooked and nice to the bite. The big serving is shared by the girls with left over to boot! Hubby prefers the Black Bean noodles (noodles tossed in black bean sauce) in any combo meal. He tries a different one each time. Dishes are also about $10.

I would say that it is the total experience which makes us come back--whether it is eating left over rice on water in a stone pot, cooking your own meal, or sitting on a heated platform and cutting your kimchi with scissors. Throw in good service and great, under $10 meals,  and you will definitely have more than one favourite restaurant!