No French fries here: dining and dessert at Petit Potato

cool menu and utensils @ Petit Potato

There was nothing French and nothing with potatoes in the menu, but we went to Petit Potato with mostly dessert in mind.

We wanted to save some space for dessert so we shared a couple of dishes. Hubby and DD#2 shared some ramen 

Tender Pork Rib Ramen @ Petit Potato

while I shared the seafood bibimpap with DD#1. 

Seafood Bibimbap @ Petit Potato 

Both were just ok, nothing really earth shattering, but not bad at all. And really, it was good for one person. So, without dessert, we wouldn’t have been satisfied with sharing.

Grandma tried something new—Pork Cutlet Omurice with Spicy Curry sauce. Omurice is a rice omelet. Grandma gave me a bite and it was quite tasty.

The most awaited dish, though, was the Golden Toast, which we ordered along with the main courses as it took 30minutes to prepare.

Pork Cutlet Omurice with Spicy Curry Sauce @ Petit Potato

We ordered the Strawberry Golden Toast, a beautiful 10-inch dessert of ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries on a stack of French toast. It was so delightful. Perfect for sharing, hubby didn’t quite know initially how to slice it. We ended up just digging in! The vanilla ice cream was yummy, the whipped cream was light, and the French toast was airy and not too sweet. Delicious!

pièce de ré·sis·tance: Strawberry Golden Toast @ Petit Potato

They have other Taiwanese desserts as well—tapioca, pudding, grass jelly, snowflakes (flavoured shaved ice), milk teas, and slushies! We will be back to try out the other treats (or maybe have the Golden Toast again :) )

Chicago style pizza outside of Chicago

Stuffed pizza @ Chicago Style Pizza in Hamilton

 Coming from our Chicago trip a few years back, we thought we’d never find a great deep dish pizza outside of Chicago. Well, we found it—less than 2 hours away from Toronto!

Chicago Style Pizza is a hole in the wall restaurant in an unassuming street with hardly any parking, just outside downtown Hamilton. The place was packed and the wait for a pizza was at least an hour (two, we were told, for pasta). We didn’t go all the way from Toronto to go here, but we were here so we had to try it. Now let me tell you, the pizza was totally worth the wait!

Chicago Style Pizza, Hamilton

Featured in You Gotta Eat Here, the place just kept churning out pizza after pizza for dine in and pick up. They were open only at 4pm and we didn’t want to get stuck in traffic so we decided we will just bring our pizza home. What we should have done was called ahead to order and then just drop by to pick it up. But as we didn’t have a copy of the menu and we were not regulars or locals, we had to check the menu first. We got a 10-slice, 14-inch stuffed pizza with pepperoni and bacon (each topping cost an additional $1.75).

a good wait for tables @ Chicago Style Pizza, Hamilton

When we finally got to eat our pizza, we got an explosion of melted cheese and bacon perfection. Soooo delicious. With pepperoni and bacon added to zesty tomato sauce and two pounds of cheese, how can you go wrong? This large stuffed pizza ended up for two meals for our family of 5. Each slice was that filling.

Yummmm....Stuffed pizza @ Chicago Style Pizza, Hamilton

If you do prefer a regular or thick crust, they also have it. But, I know for sure that when I do go back, I will still order the stuffed pizza. I can get the other pizza closer to home. Maybe, just maybe, I will try the ooey, gooey pasta that I saw one table had—if it takes two hours, it must be good too, right? They also have chicken, veal and meatballs. So if you are not into deep dish, there would be something for you--even salad!  

Their pizza is a must-try. It will be hard to stay away from.

If you like Key Lime Pie...you'll love the ones at Dyments

Key Lime Pie @ Dyments, Dundas

In Dundas, a town off of Hamilton, we went to Dyments Market and Bakery to try some of their pies. They are famous for their home-made pies and tarts but they also have a dairy bar, dinners to go and other produce. We got some meat pies, soup and even apple cider. Of course, we had to try some of their pies. We happily ended up with a stocked fridge of fresh goodies from the farm.

It was unanimous—the family absolutely loved the Key Lime pie. It was definitely the best Key Lime pie I have ever had. The pie was truly delectable and we tried our darndest to not eat the whole pie in one sitting. We lasted 2 days and with so much effort! It was light and creamy with a distinct lime flavor. The candied lime on the whipped cream was also a delightful treat.

yummy treats @Dyments, Dundas

We also tried the Buttertart Apple pie. They were apparently known for their butter tarts and apple pies so we tried a combination of both. It was just okay. We will pick Key Lime Pie any day. The girls also loved the light and fluffy asparagus quiche and the hearty chicken pot pie.

Chicken pot pie @ Dyments

Apart from the goodies, they also have fun farm activities. Their farm holds school tours and family fun events as well as weddings and special events. 

Schools and Places of Worship: Doors Open Toronto at Tyndale, Jing Yin Temple and Historic Zion Schoolhouse

Jing Yin Temple in Scarborough

 Every year, we try to check something out for Doors Open. This year, in Toronto, we discovered a couple of places of worship and a historic schoolhouse.

Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto

1.    Tyndale University College and Seminary: we got a guided tour in this Christian university culminating in the chapel. Originally we thought they focused mainly on theology, but they apparently also have other (and growing) undergraduate programs such as Business and Math. The Seminary offers doctoral degrees and graduate programs. The Toronto Bible Training School (later on, Ontario Bible College), established in the late 1800’s, moved to this 53acre property in 2006 after purchase from the Sisters of St. Joseph. The interesting fact we got was that this was Pope John Paul II’s residence when he visited Toronto during World Youth Day in 2002! It was a nice university with big-windowed classrooms, furnished with AV equipment as well as some nice meeting/breakout rooms. The chapel was also quite beautiful with rose marble carved Stations of the Cross and stained glass windows.

Chapel @ Tyndale University College and Seminary

Chapel @Tyndale University and Seminary

Carved Rose Marbles, Stations of the Cross @ Tyndale University and Seminary

2. Jing Yin Temple in Scarborough:  we checked out this chapter of the True Buddha School founded by Grand Master Lu Sheng Yen. It was built by Master Lian Xong who also designed the temple, patterned after ancient Chinese Buddhist temples. Construction was mostly done by a group of volunteers over two years and completed in 2012. Outside, the structure gave some glimpse of the Forbidden City with ceramic roof tiles and stone walls, a beautiful pagoda, dragon relief, and lion guard statues. 

Pagoda @ Jing Yin Temple

Dragon relief @ Jing Yin Temple

We got a tour of the main worship hall as well as the basement. The main shrine was just magnificent comprised of over 100 different gold plated bronze Buddhas. The biggest at the top supposedly weighs a ton each! 

Main shrine @ Jing Yin Temple

There were smaller shrines at the sides with hundreds of carved tiles on the wall. 

blue backlit glass tiles at the backdrop of one of the smaller shrines @ Jing Yin Temple

Mini Buddha statues at the Main Hall @ Jing Yin Temple

In the hall you can buy offerings of incense and food (we were told these are later donated to food banks) and there were also booklets and religious articles for sale. 

Offering table at the Main shrine @ Jing YIn Temple

The basement was a venue for meetings and gatherings and it also houses a smaller shrine. As you can see, I was able to take more photos here!

Shrine at basement @Jing Yin Temple

3. Historic Zion Schoolhouse in North York: the smallest of the structures we visited. This was built in the time of Queen Victoria in the 1860’s for the free education of children in what used to be a small farming community in the area. The great thing about this structure was that it is the last unaltered one-room schoolhouse in North York. They made the event seem more authentic by having the guide dressed in mid-century teachers’ uniform. While the majority of the artifacts are apparently not original to the building (but acquired through purchase and donations appropriate for the time) we enjoyed sitting at the school desks and looking at attendance forms and books. They even had a 19^th century piano and a stove there.

Historic Zion Schoolhouse

school desks @ Historic Zion Schoolhouse

So excited to check out interesting spots in next year's Doors Open! Happy Summer!