Cheap and Fancy eats in Windsor

Windsor, ON

We were only able to check out a couple of spots in Windsor during our visit back in the pre-pandemic days. There were other places we wanted to try especially in downtown, and will hopefully get to try next time.

Pho Red Mango--The kids were craving pho so we decided to try Pho Red Mango in the complex on Huron Church Rd. The menu was a good selection of Vietnamese and Thai dishes. We liked the Spring rolls, Tom Yum, Pad Thai and of course, the pho. However, the Shrimp Red Curry was not the best. While it was tasty, there were too many fillers—red peppers, bamboo shoots and a big serving of rice. Service was fast and friendly and there were a lot of locals dining. 

Tom Yum @Pho Red Mango, Windsor

Rare Beef Pho @Pho Red Mango, Windsor

Shrimp red curry @Pho Red Mango, Windsor

Spring roll @Pho Red Mango, Windsor

Pad Thai @Pho Red Mango, Windsor

Spago—located in the Augustus tower (where kids are allowed) at Caesars. We had a wonderful Italian meal although grandma went there early to get us seats. They only allow reservations for a group of 8 or more and the line ups can be long. This is also different from Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in the Bellagio.

Grandma had the fish feature which was cooked beautifully. Nicely seasoned and flaky, it came in such a nice presentation.

@Spago Trattoria, Caesars Windsor

Folks noticed that I couldn’t resist myself and again ordered Risotto (see my posts from Paris). The dish had a very, very generous serving of squid, clams and mussels. The risotto was perfectly cooked in the white wine sauce.

Risotto Pescatore @Spago Trattoria, Caesars Windsor

Hubby got one of the more expensive meals but while it tasted good, we all agree that the other seafood dishes were better. He got the Pollo Spago which is a boneless and skinless chicken breast with shrimp sautéed with garlic, EVOO and spicy tomato sauce.

Pollo Spago @Spago Trattoria, Caesars Windsor

DD#2 got the Pizza Quattro Stagioni. We should note that this dish is to be shared as DD#2 only had about 3 slices before she got full. It had fresh mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts and ham. While the crust was nice and thin, it wasn’t my favourite dish (nor my favourite pizza).

Pizza Quattro Stagioni @Spago Trattoria, Caesars Windsor

DD#1 had one of the best dishes again. Great that she ends up ordering one of the top favourites of the fam. She had Linguini alla Vongole which again had a very generous serving of baby clams on linguini noodles with fresh tomato sauce. It was very tasty and filling!

Linguini alla Vongole

Unfortunately, we were all too full for dessert. I think we could have done with one less dish, especially knowing we were too far from home to bring back a doggie bag. Service was good and we did not wait too long for our meals. Prices were reasonable given the good quality.

Getting Chocolate on Everything at Chocolats Favoris

Chocolats Favoris in Aurora

I just had the best soft-serve ice cream treat ever.

We had passed by Chocolats Favoris in Aurora a few times but haven’t had the chance to go in. One time, albeit with a few fam members absent, we made sure to try this out. They boasted their famous soft-served ice cream dipped in real chocolate. Enough said. Doesn’t matter if it is summer or winter. I’m sold!

They had the menu posted by the door which should help narrow down choices before coming in to order. Or so I thought. I wanted to try everything! They had ice cream cookies, ice cream bars, cake, but what got me quite excited was their ice cream poutine. Say what?

But, to keep you in suspense, let me tell you what Hubby and DD#2 had first:  soft-served ice cream, of course.

DD#2 got the classic vanilla soft-served ice cream dipped in salted caramel. YUM! The rich and decadent chocolate with salted caramel flavour covering the creamy vanilla ice cream beats other soft-served ice creams we have had so far.

Classic Vanilla soft-served ice cream dipped in salted caramel @Chocolats Favoris

Hubby took it to the next level with the Kooky vanilla soft-served ice cream and, like DD#2 who loves salted caramel, had it dipped in salted caramel.

Kooky soft served ice cream @Chocolats Favoris

Now here’s a little guide for us newbies. While the options were on the menu, looking at all the goodies can be quite a task! So, for soft-served ice cream, you pick the ice cream (vanilla, chocolate or sorbet). Then, you select classic or Kooky (amping it up with popcorn, pretzel, coulis). Then, you select the dipping sauce from about 12 different options! Apart from the usual white/dark/milk chocolate, they had salted caramel, maple, dulce de leche, a couple of hazelnut options, s’mores, cookies and cream, a special treat like apple, and they even have a Vegan option with 75% chocolate! And BOOM! You have the best soft-served ice cream ready to be savoured.

As Hubby and DD#2 started with their cones, I eagerly anticipated my ice cream poutine. Served in a red checkered paper bowl, it was a sight to see! Rest assured, it is not actually fries (though I know some folks who enjoy actual fries with ice cream). They served churro-style dessert fries (sort of like funnel cake shaped like fries) on top of my selected chocolate soft-served ice cream. Then, some hazelnut praline chocolate was poured over this concoction and topped with mini marshmallows! It was amazing. It is usually hard for me to resist the regular poutine (fries topped with gravy and curds), but for this, I found that I was still on a happy-food-high hours after I had my ice cream poutine. Needless to say, I LOVED it!

Ice Cream Poutine @Chocolats Favoris

I cannot wait to go back and try the other goodies. Next time, too, I will set aside some time to check out the other items they have in store! Will have to check out their fondue, chocolate crème and even boxed chocolates! After all, being in this pandemic for so long, we all deserve a treat! And chocolate on everything is key.

Chocolats Favoris in Aurora

Comfort Food in the heart of J-Town: Tanuki Restaurant

Chicken wings @Tanuki

I had been craving Japanese food recently so the fam and I went to J-town in Markham to get many things, well, Japanese. We made a point to time our outing so we can have brunch at Tanuki. And boy, we were ever so glad we decided to check this place out! While the interiors were modern and bright, we decided to make the most of patio dining. They have an alternating menu for brunch, and everything looked so good, it was hard to choose! 

 They made the menu item names fun (although a bit too long for me to ever remember). DD#1 and DD#2 shared the “Memories of Harambe Tonkatsu Curry” (see what I mean?). The crispy pork cutlet was tender, juicy and perfectly crisp. It had a generous dousing of house curry and drizzled with kewpie (Japanese mayo) and bulldog sauce (tonkatsu sauce). It also came with a serving of rice. DD#1 claims she can eat this every day! 

Tonkatsu @Tanuki

Grandma got the “Gentle Blade Omurice” which was a soft omelet on chicken fried rice with salted duck egg. Well, of course, I had a taste! The omelet was light and fluffy and the chicken fried rice was very flavourful. While it was good, it wasn’t the winner for us. 

Omurice @Tanuki

 Hubby got what became the family favourite for this brunch—“Buddha Palm Pig Knuckle.” The pig knuckle was packed with meat despite the bone and beautifully braised in shoyu. The egg was nicely soft boiled and there was habanero hot sauce on the side. The shoyu braise had the right balance of sweetness and saltiness. It was the perfect comfort food! It was hard not to eat more rice even if it was just the sauce! 

Braised Pork Knuckles @Tanuki

 I had an equally delicious and hefty serving of “Getting into a Sticky Situation Keishi Chicken Wings.” Do you still remember the name of the first dish without going back? The chicken wings were crispy fried with shishito peppers on a bed of fries. Y.U.M. Love their marinade! This one is now way up there with Buffalo Wings in my books! 

Chicken Wings @Tanuki

I think Tanuki perfectly hit the spot in focusing on comfort food with a modern twist. The food was amazing and service was pleasant. There is so much more I would like to try and we will definitely be back! This is now our favourite non-sushi Japanese resto! Love it!

Patio Dining at Snug Harbour, Port Credit

Snug Harbour, Port Credit

Hubby and I managed to take some time off and went on a mid-week lunch at Port Credit. As restrictions are lifted, we wanted to treat ourselves to some patio dining. They don’t take reservations for patio dining at Snug Harbour so we just took a chance. We had been here a couple of times before and we had always enjoyed our meal. Anyway, we lined up for a few minutes and then had some drinks at the bar while waiting for a table. We didn't mind as we hadn't been to a bar in SOOOO long. Our table was ready soon enough.

my favourite drink--Classic Caesar!

We got a spot with a nice view of the marina with beautiful weather to boot.

Hubby and I shared Blue Crab Cakes, which our server warned us was a small serving. She wasn’t kidding. It was only two small pieces, but it was SO GOOD. The crab cakes were packed with crab meat and I hardly saw any fillers even with onions and celery in there. The orange pineapple coconut curry sauce was simply divine.

Blue Crab Cakes @Snug Harbour

Hubby had Blackened Catfish which was a boneless filet, seared and seasoned with Cajun spices. Of course, I had a taste. It was fresh, light and yet packed with flavour.

Blackened Catfish @Snug Harbour

I ordered the Seafood Pescatore which was linguini with scallops, tiger shrimp in lobster cream sauce. It was one of the best pastas I have had in a while. My photo may not show it but there was actually a decent amount of scallops and shrimp in there.  And the sauce was absolutely delicious! The serving was good, and I had no more space for dessert—good thing I only had a small crab cake prior, eh?

Seafood Pescatore @Snug Harbour

We enjoyed our meal while watching the boats go by. The ambience was lovely and service was efficient—so efficient that our server was already clearing away hubby’s plate when I was still on my last few bites. She could have waited a few minutes as we were not really close to our 90-minute limit… Outside of that, all good. Highly recommend this place!

Thai goodness: take out from Chiang Rai Thai Kitchen and Bar

 

Chiang Rai at Kennedy

We had passed by Chiang Rai a few times on our way to the garden centre. I made a mental note to check them out sometime as Thai restaurants are not so prolific in Markham. So, when the craving hit for some Thai food, I ordered at Chiang Rai for pick up. Their pick-up system was so convenient as they had a table set up right at the door—and you didn’t have to go inside the actual restaurant to pick up your order.

When I opened the paper bag at home, I was delighted to see that the containers were made of paper vs styro or plastic! A few brownie points can be deducted though for including plastic cutlery. But I forgive them since they included some personalized lovely notes written on the take-out boxes. What a nice touch and this certainly put in me a positive mood right before diving into our order, with the beautiful aromas wafting out of the bowls.

Panang Curry, Pad Thai, Tom Yum fried rice and Fish Cakes @Chiang Rai

We started with their homemade fish cake. Marinated in red curry paste and served sweet chilli sauce, it was delicious!

For our mains, we got chicken Panang curry: homemade Thai red curry paste with coconut milk, roasted peanuts, red pepper, long green beans, lime leaf and comes with Jasmine rice. We just got medium spicy but now I wonder if getting Thai Spicy would take me back to the streets of Bangkok (which, I know is quite far from Chiang Rai) where I vividly recall practically burning my tongue with the spiciness of the curry! I had to take sips of pop with every.single.bite. I will save this adventure for next time.

The rest of our orders, I chickened out with the spice level and just got mild. I will have to step it up a bit next time. These were all very good, though!

We got their Pad Thai with chicken. It was a decent serving and packed with egg, tofu, and generous amount of chicken. It was pretty good. One of the better Pad Thais around.

The Tom Yum Fried Rice caught my eye when I was perusing the menu. So, I got this with shrimp. It was Yum-my indeed! The stir-fried rice with tom yum sauce was very savoury with just the right amount of sweet and spice!

The fam and I absolutely loved their dishes! The drive to Kennedy road was totally worth it and will do it all over again—maybe next month? 😊 until then…

Doing the Impossible: Whopper, that is

Burger King Whopper and Impossible Whopper

I joined a Green Challenge and one of the items was to eat plant-based meals. Now, we have tried plant-based proteins before, and they practically tasted like cardboard. Plus, when you look at how much sodium and preservatives are in the ingredient list, you would think twice about this being a better option to meat. These plant-based proteins are also highly processed—in the attempt to make it look and taste like meat. Add these to the fact that our family is essentially composed of carnivores, we have not fully embraced plant-based protein. Now, having said that, I had to get my points for this Green Challenge. So, when I saw that Burger King had the Impossible Whopper, I took it as an opportunity! 

Burger King Impossible Whopper

The family did not commiserate with me and ordered the regular beef Whopper. Only I had the Impossible Whopper. And I do have to say, it tasted good! As I was hyperaware of the fact that it was not the usual beef patty, I can detect that it did not have the same mouthfeel and grilled tasted of the regular burger. But it was not bad at all! It offered the same taste and almost quite the satisfaction (unless one had a serious craving for a Whopper—which we do get sometimes) of the regular Whopper. 

 The Impossible Whopper does have fewer calories and less fat, but the difference is not very significant. It is also packed with Sodium (3x more than Whopper) but a winner on cholesterol (with the Whopper having 9x more). Guess you just have to pick your evil. 

nutritional facts from Burger King website

Overall, it kept me full, made me happy, and I will have it again, if I had to select a plant-based option.

Hexagonal gourmet donuts from Donut Hive

 

Donut Hive

I got a surprise box of gourmet donuts from the office delivered from Donut Hive and, boy, was the family excited! We all enjoy a delectable hit of sugar every so often (often, is very open to interpretation 😊 )! Plus, the donuts looked so scrumptious! We couldn’t wait to try them all!

I haven’t heard of Donut Hive before so I did a little check--Donut Hive was formerly known as The Box Donut, a chain making square donuts, but now makes hexagonal donuts. I would say though that unless you looked really hard, it was hard to see that these were hexagonal. I think the box-shaped ones were more unique. Beyond shapes, the quality and taste have to rise above!

 

Donut Hive donuts

Anyway, we got the following flavours:

     ·         Mango Passionfruit-- with mango passionfruit cream, citrus sprinkles, and honey  

·         Cookie cream-- with Belgian gold chocolate filling and a Lotus cookie (a shortbread spiced cookie)

·        Salted Caramel and Brownie—with cream and Belgian gold chocolate filling and topped with brownie bits

·         Pistachio and Lemon curd—with lemon curd cream, Belgian white chocolate filling and topped with pistachios

·         Raspberry and Chocolate—with Belgian ruby chocolate filling and raspberry frosting and bits and chocolate drizzle

·         Rainbow—no filling, topped with Belgian milk chocolate and rainbow-coloured cereal balls

 Overall, the donuts were fresh and light. They don't taste oily at all and the flavours were refreshing! Most of us in the fam, however, are partial to chocolate (except DD#1), so we preferred those with chocolate filling to those with fruity fillings. We totally enjoyed these donuts and would definitely buy again when we finally get to head over to Yorkdale Mall! They have delivery, though and are great surprise gifts!

 

Shawarma love at Osmow's

Shawarma at Osmow's

 It might seem a bit weird but I do get shawarma cravings once in a while. Maybe it's the sauce, maybe it's the spice, but there--now, it is out. My fam is never surprised when I announce that I want to eat shawarma. The closest shawarma place we have is Osmow's. 

 When we first discovered this place, we didn't realize it was a chain, we were more fixated on figuring out what the name of this joint is! Can I just say, it's a bad font! Anyway, good thing is that it tastes great! And you can customize what you want to include in your order.  Some of us like pickles, some of us hate onions, but we all like the garlic sauce and the heat.

While hubby enjoys the lamb shawarma wrap, the girls and I always order the regular beef shawarma wrap. Grandma likes chicken shawarma. Hubby tried their super size one time, and it was so huge, he had to eat it over two meals. Soggy on the second installment, but filling nonetheless. 

The ingredients are fresh and the medium heat is just right for us (it does get us reaching for tissues). There is sufficient meat, although I would prefer a better ratio of meat to lettuce. The sauce is really good, though. 

Beef Shawarma at Osmow's

They have other items on the menu (like falafel, philly cheese, kofta), but since I pretty much only go there to get what I am craving for, these have not yet been tried. There are other good shawarma places, but not as close to us. Osmow's is my go to place for shawarma. 

Celebrating Pi day with Blaze Pizza

Blaze Pizza

I don’t really like adding apps in my smartphone, much less order anything using the apps. But for Pi day (3.14) which we had been attempting to celebrate the past couple of years, Blaze Pizza was offering the Pi Day pizzas for $3.14 only via app. Ok, so was it really worth it to go through the trouble for a $3.14 pizza? I realized it was not much trouble at all! I didn’t realize it would be so easy. I put in my order, which would not be subject to misunderstanding since the options were quite clear, and then, I was ready to pick up in 15-20min. The other thing which made me try was that we didn't have to line up or get crazy on the actual Pi day as there were a few weeks to avail this offer.

My pizza monster DD#2 was craving pizza and since it was her birthday, her request was easily granted! Special requests deserve pizzas fast fired in a dome oven at 800-900F in a couple of minutes!

For the regular 11 inch that came with the promotion, I ordered a classic dough with garlic pesto sauce, fresh mozzarella and single-topping pepperoni.  I would have to say that while it was very tasty, this pizza seemed thinner than the regular one we ordered. Hence, by the time we got the pizza home, the oil had saturated the pizza. It was quite oily. I don’t think we will order the exact same combination next time.

11-inch one topping Blaze Pizza

I also got a large Meat Eater ‘coz that’s what we are--meat eaters! :P But hey, our 14-inch, 8-slice, classic dough is gluten-free and vegan! I’m not all that evil :P Meat Eater was a winner our home! With pepperoni, crumbled meatballs, onions, mozzarella and amazing red sauce, this yummy pie hit the spot in our tummies and satisfied cravings. I thought since it was a thin crust, we will be left feeling still hungry, but the 11inch plus 14inch was just enough for our family of 5.

Large size Meat Eater Blaze Pizza

Overall, this was great quality pizza and I haven’t deleted the app yet (Hey, I am collecting rewards points!) so I think their marketing plan worked…even if we all try to make new celebrations out of things such as Pi day!

 

A taste of the Caribbean at home: take out from Aneal’s

 

Jerk Chicken @Aneal's Taste of the Islands

On days (and nights) where wind chill drops to minus 20, we cannot help but wish we were in the Caribbean. Since we cannot go there now, we just tried to get a taste of Caribbean…at home.

We ordered from Aneal’s Taste of the Islands, a low-key joint serving authentic Caribbean dishes.

Hubby got some Goat Curry and we also tried their Curry Chicken Roti. Both of these were just on the ok side. The goat meat was a bit tough and the chicken curry roti was bordering on dry. 

Curry Goat @Aneal's Taste of the Islands

The flavours were good, though. I also actually liked the roti (the actual “bread”) and the serving was huge.

Chicken Curry Roti @Aneal's Taste of the Islands

Of course, we got Jerk Chicken, which was a winner!

The Jerk Chicken was wonderfully seasoned and had a nice heat level (although it might be too spicy for some). The skin was caramelized with all the wonderful sweet, savoury, and earthy spices. Every few bites will have you going for the coleslaw (or tissue) which was included. It was really yummy!

Yummy Jerk Chicken at Aneal's

They also had Shark and Bake in their menu but unfortunately not available at the time. As we ordered a lot, we no longer got to try their patties, which we heard was really good. Well, the fam and I know what we are going to try next and what to order again!

Great to know there is a real-deal jerk chicken place in the Richmond Hill area!

Winter Hike by Webster Falls

 

Webster Falls in winter

Winter is not my favourite season. I know quite a few people who look forward to winter so they can do their winter sports like skiing and skating. But not me. However, since we are pretty much immersed in cold weather for about 6 months (notwithstanding Wiarton Willie’s spring forecast), the fam just tries to find something that we can do ONLY in winter. Being cooped up at home for months with cabin fever running high, snow has become a welcome sight so we can toboggan down the neighborhood hill.

But sometimes, we need just a little bit more fresh air, more sunshine and more ground to trek. Luckily, we got the chance to do a short winter hike by Webster Falls/Spencer Gorge Conservation.

at the Spencer Gorge conservation

There was a fair amount of paid parking slots in the park, which was great. As you know, ensuring there is sufficient parking has recently become more important to us! The accessible Dobson-McKee lookout, where you have fantastic vistas of the gorge and falls, is also not too far from the parking lot.

The view of the falls from the lookout was just stunning. The 22-metre classical curtain Webster Falls is one of Hamilton’s most iconic waterfalls for a reason. It is beautiful in any season. I saw some beautiful Autumn pics, but we were so glad we got to see its frozen state. It was majestic! Of course, not to the level of the American or Niagara Falls in the winter, but still very much awesome.

The nearby trails were clearly marked and as there was fresh snow, it was not too slippery. Of course, we didn’t stay as long as we would have during kinder weather. But we survived with layers of clothing and good winter boots. My cleats came in handy for some tricky trail spots!

winter hiking

There are also other waterfalls (Tews, Borers, among the 156 waterfalls) and many trails in the area, so it’s well worth the trip. Hamilton is known as the Waterfall capital of the world!

Wanderlusting through take out--Persian dining at Shatter Abbas

kebab platter from Shatter Abbas

So, what does a Wanderlusting Mama do in winter, during a lockdown? While this whole pandemic continues to bring different degrees of difficulty for everyone, we can all agree that this has been truly challenging. 

I have definitely not lost the desire to discover new places, try new things. But I will also continue to say that some things are more important than others, particularly safety. These days, I just try to embrace everything that we miss out on during the pre-Covid times—board games, movie nights, and freshly baked bread for breakfast or goodies for snack! Outside of that, I continue to discover new places to eat with take out or curbside pick up!

Hubby and I recently binge-watched Tehran on Apple TV+. Of course, I had to look for some Iranian/Persian food! So, I ordered food from Shatter Abbas which started as a family-owned restaurant, from its first location in Thornhill.

Order for pick up was quick and straightforward. Their website has an updated take-out menu which describes the dishes--great for non-Persians like us who are not quite familiar with the traditional dishes. We got the Kebab Platter which included two skewers of the more popular koobideh (ground beef) and two skewers of joojeh (marinated chicken leg and breast). These came with oh-so-fragrant saffron basmati rice, grilled whole tomatoes and peppers. The kebabs were so tender and juicy! So nicely-seasoned and perfectly grilled. It went so well sprinkled with the sumac powder they included. A dash of this tangy spice gave the grilled meat a pop without the overpowering effect its acidic counterparts (lemon, vinegar) would have provided. I went to Google to get a little more insight into this interesting spice I've never tried before! Sumac powder is ground fruit of the sumac plant commonly found in Africa, North America and some countries of the Middle east. It is not only used for cooking but was also used medicinally as an astringent, antiseptic and tonic. I am now on the search for recipes to make with sumac powder at home!

portion of kebab platter @Shatter Abbas

generous serving of Saffron Basmati rice from Shatter Abbas

We also ordered the Ghormeh Sabzi, known to some as Iran's national dish. It is a stew made with fresh herbs, beef cubes, kidney beans and Persian dry lime. Again, wonderful with the saffron basmati rice. The Persian dry lime gave the dish a subtle sour taste popping through the fragrant herbs. One of the herbs used is fenugreek, another ingredient we do not stock in our home. It adds a hint of bitterness to the stew for balance.  We do not know how authentic Shatter Abbas' version is or what should be the standard. While it was not a hit in our family (well, compared to the kebabs), it was still an interesting dish we will not soon forget with its unique flavours. Will definitely try again in another Persian resto just to compare.

Ghormeh Sabzi from Shatter Abbas

The fam decided this was a great discovery and that we will include koobideh and joojeh as some of our favourite dishes. Shatter Abbas, we will be back!