Foodie Heaven at Taste of Toronto

Taste of Toronto @Fort York

There’s no better way for foodies to kick off summer than to check out Taste of Toronto! This year, it was held at Fort York, just days before the first day of Summer. And while the weather was finicky that weekend, it did not stop the crowds from enjoying the many activities and partaking of the delicious taster-sized signature dishes from Toronto’s top restos.

Taste of Toronto @Fort York

The fam and I came for the afternoon and tried not to get too full from all the food and drink samples! Of course, that was not quite possible so the taster-portions turned out to be good.

DD#1 tried the Kaisen Poke from Miku which had Albacore tuna and black tiger prawn! I definitely could've eaten a full-sized portion!

Kaisen Poke from Miku @Taste of Toronto

Hubby tried The McEwan Group’s Grilled Duck Dog. Quite rich with foie gras mousse and duck bacon.

McEwan Group's Grilled Duck Dog @Taste of Toronto

DD#2 and Grandma already got too full with free pizza and samples. We also got a taste of Grill Master David Neinstein’s BBQ rub on salami and chocolate covered pineapple.

Learning some Grill Skills with David Neinstein @Taste of Toronto

I snacked on Taiwanese Fried Chicken from Kanpai—deliciously crispy and tasty,

TFC (Taiwanese Fried Chicken) from Kanpai @Taste of Toronto

while grilled scents wafted from Antler Kitchen and Bar’s fire-roasted deer.

Fire Roasted Deer from Antler @Taste of Toronto

After all the eating and sampling from the many, many booths, we checked out the entertainment at the Big Feastival. There was something for everyone, indeed!

Entertainment @Taste of Toronto

There were many more activities we no longer had time for but I wished we could’ve checked out--learning to mix drinks from the Mixology Lab, tutored tastings at the Tasting Room (with additional fee), hearing masters respond to burning culinary questions at the Chef’s Table and watching cooking demos at Taste Theatre.

one of the many samples--Nespresso coffee @Taste of Toronto

What we did instead, after taking a break at the American Express Lounge, was to attend a Metro Masterclass by Chef Mark McEwan. 

Chef Mark McEwan at Metro Masterclass @Taste of Toronto

And, as it happened, I gladly gave up all the other activities (given our limited time) for this activity. We made Grilled Sea Bream with capers and mint in our own cooking stations while Chef McEwan demo’d up front. I got to cook with the girls and Chef McEwan went around to check out what we made.

Metro Masterclass @Taste of Toronto

Kids below 12 were free. For me, if you participate in most, if not all, the classes/sessions, the adults’ admission ($17-22), was worth it. Each taster size order from the food booths average about $10 so things can really add up--especially if you can only charge it to your credit/debit cards. Drinks, of course, were also extra. I would definitely go again but must make sure that I get to attend most of the free classes/sessions that come with the admission.  After all, one must make the most of this foodie heaven.

Taiwanese dining with bubble tea at TenRen’s

Banana Mango slush @ Ten Ren's Tea

It was time for lunch one Saturday but the girls wanted to have some bubble tea. So, we decided to go to Ten Ren’s where, apart from lunch, they also serve delicious bubble tea!

For their dine-in combo meals, they had a promo discount of $3 for drinks so it did not hurt so much to spend $6-8 for each bubble tea! Their menus did not call it out specifically nor did the server mention anything but I thought the meals were also cooked in tea as I read somewhere. Either way, I couldn’t taste the tea in the dishes we had but they were all good. 

Hubby and I felt like having noodle soup so I got the Creamy chicken soup with noodles and he got the Creamy Pork Soup Noodle with Satay Sauce. Both the broth and noodles were good. The crispy chicken was the same as DD#1’s Taiwanese Crispy chicken (made with pou chong tea?) —although hers was not soaked in soup, and instead came with rice. It was very flavourful and the serving was decent.  

Creamy Chicken and Pork noodle soup @ Ten Ren's Tea

DD#2 also had chicken, but she got a fried chicken leg.

Fried chicken leg @ Ten Ren's Tea

Grandma got fried pork cutlet (made with osmathus tea?) which tasted similar to the crispy chicken. Quite flavourful but a bit on the dry side.

Pork cutlet and Crispy chicken @ Ten Ren's Tea

We got some bubble tea for dessert —we got all slush of banana mango, mango, strawberry lychee and grape lychee. Of course, we had to get tapioca. Quite delish! DD#1 especially liked her newfound favourite strawberry lychee while I stuck to my usual mango slush.

Mango slush and Strawberry Lychee slush @ Ten Ren's Tea

Grandma’s grape lychee tasted of artificial grape juice, but it wasn’t so bad. She wouldn’t pick it again next time.

Grape Lychee slush @ Ten Ren's Tea

All in all, a decent meal with good service and yummy bubble tea. Without the discount for the drinks, it would not have been a good value.

Sunday brunch in Midland: Stackers Pancake House

There was a bit of a wait on a packed Sunday morning at Stackers Pancake House in Midland. Obviously, half of Midland was here for brunch. We got a table in about 10-15minutes--I guess that was not too bad.

The food, though, did take a while to get to our table. We waited about 30 minutes for our orders to arrive, much longer than the wait for a table. Good thing I was not starving, although that would’ve meant that anything would taste great! In terms of service, it was friendly despite the busy, busy dining area.

When our orders finally arrived, everybody just dug in. Grandma got a Homestyle Omelette with bacon, ham, sausage and peppers.

Homestyle Omelette @Stackers Pancake House

DD#2 got a Bacon Cheeseburger. A kid-size was a single patty vs double patty for a regular order. DD#2 enjoyed the juicy and flavorful burger. She had the side salad upgraded to her favourite Caesar’s salad.

Bacon cheeseburger @Stackers Pancake House

Hubby got a roast beef on a bun which he said was ok but nothing particularly remarkable.

Roast beef on a bun @Stackers Pancake House

DD#1 got an ultra-yummy Peameal Benedict. She managed to finish the 3 eggs, 2 of the three peameal bacon slices and a slice of English muffin. Talk about a growing girl!

Peameal Benedict @Stackers Pancake House

I tried their chicken and waffles, but to set expectations, they did qualify that it was “Waffles and Chicken Fingers.” The waffle was nice--soft with some crunch and no tough edges. The chicken fingers were just ok. I prefer Pickle Barrel’s chicken and waffles.

Waffle and Chicken Fingers @Stackers Pancake House

Food was good value with big portions and was pretty okay. All of us were quite stuffed after that meal. 

Off season at the Village at Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain Village

As I have mentioned before, we don’t ski so it works out well that we check out ski places during off season and there are no crowds. And while it may not be as fun and vibrant as when the place is in full swing, it was still nice to walk around the Blue Mountain village in the spring.

@Blue Mountain Village

shops @ Blue Mountain Village

 There was a lot of fun shopping with a few novelty stores. There were tons of goodies from Beaver Tails to candy stores and ice cream/froyo shops! As well, there were several restaurants to choose from.

Stores and restaurants @ Blue Mountain Village

Spring was a bit quiet around here but the girls did a hike which they really enjoyed. 

Activity Central @Blue Mountain Village

We got some coffee while waiting. It was also nice to just relax by the pond.

@Blue Mountain Village

I think next time we should really just come in the winter even if we are not skiing just to check it out. They also have many activities during summer including going to the beach or scenic caves nearby. All in all a nice getaway for everyone.