Adventures near the Old Port: La Banquise, Ice Fishing, La Maison du Macaron

Since I had a week from school for reading week, I had time to come to Montreal and do some of the fun stuff that le bf and I have been wanting to do for ages!

We kinda had to pack a few places to go within a Sunrday since le bf still had to work during the weekdays. So to be efficient, everything we did that day was located near the Old Port.

Starting off with brunch at Poutine La Banquise, which is a restaurant specializing in, of course, the French Canadian delicacy: poutine!
Located on 994 Rachel Street East, this casual restaurant is opened 24 hours and serves 25 different types of poutines.
As we arrived, there was already a line of people forming outside the store. Luckily the queue progressed quickly and we were inside and seated within 15 minutes.

We picked 2 different regular sized ones: La Miam and La Danse, they were both delicious! Le bf and I both preferred La Miam though, since it had a heavier flavor and various different ingredients in the toppings.

La Miam: ground beef, merguez sausages, onions, tomatoes & swiss cheese

La Danse: chicken, onions, bacon, pepper sauce

So happy with food :D

Note: These are only regular sized dishes! If you’re REALLY hungry or with a group of people, you can always go for the large size (:

We overestimated the size of our stomachs and had to pack the rest to go. The leftovers made a good dinner after being reheated though :D

Afterwards, with full tummies we felt ready to do some ice fishing at the Ice Fishing Village (Village de Pêche Blanche) on the Old Port.

After getting our fishing permits from the reception, we were assigned a tent and given various equipment: a fishing rod, a bucket full of live baits, and a sifter to filter out ice.

Our bucket full of baits

I was a bit worried beforehand about standing hours on a lake at -20C. However, upon entering our tent, I was pleasantly surprised by the heater and little chairs that were inside. 4 holes were drilled inside the tent, and 2 were outside. Though inside the tent it wasn’t as warm as it is in a house, it was a lot better than having to stand outside with the wind chills.

Inside of our tent (#15)

I was surprised that they had given us little fish as bait, and couldn’t bear the thought of having to put hooks through their tiny, writhing bodies ): Fortunately le bf was there to do the necessary tasks.

Ready to do some fishin’!

We stayed for about 2 hours, and decided to leave as the sun was starting to set and we were getting hungry. Though we didn’t catch anything, I was able to convince le bf to let me free the rest of the bait fish, so it wasn’t a total lost :D

Sunset by the Old Port

We decided to go to La Maison du Macaron for some tasty desserts before heading back home.

Sortilège: Frais et parfumé, ce mélange réunit le thé vert pencha aux parfums des fruits exotiques, papaye et
mangue. des notes sucrées et fraîches.
suggéré : en accompagnement des desserts à base de fruits… $3.10

Miam! : Macaron garni d’un crémeux au citron et de framboises fraîches… $6.75

Mûre-mûre: Pâte sablée, crème légère à la pulpe de mûre, morceaux de mûres fraîches, mousse à la purée de marron, confit à la pulpe de mûre… $11.50

Just a couple of macarons for the road:

Macaron du mois: Rose
fraise & rhubarbe:
Biscuit macaron bicolore parsemé de sucre rouge garni d’une ganache aux pulpes de fraise et
rhubarbe

I have to say, even though Ladurée is still my favorite brand for macarons, the ones from La Maison du Macaron were really good!

Sexy Bathrooms & Sexy Foods– Mildred’s Temple Kitchen

After reading the article “Restaurant promotes sex in its bathrooms”, of course le bf and I were curious to investigate the restaurant in question, Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, during our weekend in Toronto.

The interior of the restaurant was spacious and modernly decorated, incorporating lots of graphics of animals on the walls (which I enjoyed :D).

Interior decor of the restaurant

We started off with some drinks:

Mulled wine (gluvine) — Warm red wine along with various mulling spices

Le bf with his beer — Lake of Bays Pale Ale…$7.50

Roast chicken Biryani —
inspired by fragrant notes of clove, cardamom & roasted onion, served with
basmati rice pilau & a date chutney…$25

Bison short ribs —
braised in red wine and served on a creamy herbed polenta, garlic sautéed greens & jus…$25

We were seriously hungry after a day of walking around in Toronto, so we ordered the biggest dessert on the menu:

Mildred’s Venus Bar — layers of dark chocolate marquis, whipped ganache, caramel, salted peanut & nougat & toasted banana marshmallow…$11

And of course, we didn’t forget to go check out the famous bathrooms:

Inside the bathroom

This looks like a hotel lol

The sign on their famous “co-ed” bathrooms

For those couples looking to spice things up for Valentine’s day, it may be a good idea to go check out the Sexy Bathrooms at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen ;)

Finally, a nice view to end the post:

Sunset from the top of the CN Tower (:

Being Touristy in Toronto

Some new photos added to the Around the World section from our mini weekend trip in Toronto :D

We were particularly happy with this one (it looks good enough to be an ad for the CN Tower or Moose Knuckles, doesn’t it? :P):

CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

Aside from the CN Tower, we also visited the new Ripely’s Aquarium and went to some interesting restaurants there. More updates will come shortly!

Ristorante Portovino – Company Christmas Dinner

So my dad’s company decided to have a fancy dinner at the Italian restaurant Ristorante Portovino.
There were a lot of people going, so we had a custom-made menu which included: the antipasto, a choice between 2 main courses (salmon or ossobuco), and dessert (cannoli, chocolate mousse, or crème brûlée) with coffee or tea.

I was surprised at how big the portion of the antipasto was, luckily it was meant to be shared between 4 people. I liked that there were a variety of different things to choose from from the plate, and I particularly enjoyed the smoke salmon and prosciutto and honeydew.

Antipasto – Crispy calamari, smoked salmon, bocconcini, Italian tomatoes, capicollo, salami, prosciutto, grilled Italian sausage, honeydew and cantaloupe, capuccine capers, olives, roasted peppers and marinated eggplants

Salmone Alla Griglia Mediterraneo – Fresh grilled Atlantic salmon, topped with a mixture of cold pressed olive oil, lemon juice, fresh oregano and garlic.

I picked the ossobuco without really knowing what it was. Though I don’t usually order red meat at restaurants (I’m more of a seafood kinda gal), I was glad the I accidentally made this mistake this time. The meat was so tender that it felt like it was melting in my mouth. And as it was my first time eating ossobuco, it was interesting for me to eat the bone marrows with the tiny spoon that came with the dish.

Ossobuco Alla Milanaise – Quebec milk fed veal shank braised in its own juices with tomatoes, fine herbs and white wine, garnished with gremolata.

The portions of the desserts were quite small, but I was happy to get to get a taste of all 3 different kinds (:

Dessert: Cannoli Portovino

Dessert: Chocolate Mousse

Dessert: Crème brûlée

We were even each given a box of Lindt chocolate at the end :D

Lindt Gourmet Truffles

How was everyone’s Christmas food adventures?
Omnomnom (:

Majestic Hotel Restaurant

Ever since our one day trip to Miami and Le bf told me about the huge cocktails they have at the hotel restaurants by South Beach, I’ve been dying for an opportunity to try them. Luckily, after our visit to the Theater of the Sea, Le awesome bf drove us all the way back to Miami the night before leaving Florida, so we could have the chance to get a taste of the famous “big” drinks at the Majestic Hotel Restaurant .

Sample Paella dish on display in the restaurant. They’re HUGE!

More fancy display food. They’re actually real too

I couldn’t believe my eyes when the waiter walked over with our cocktails. The drinks were literally bigger than my head!

My white Sangria (:

I was happy with my choice though, there were plenty of fruits in the Sangria, they were so yummy. I spent the whole night fishing out pieces of pineapples, melons, cherries ,and grapes :D

Le bf’s Raspberry Mojito

We only ordered an appetizer and a salad since we were both not feeling super hungry. This was a good choice on our part, since by the end of the night we were so full from the drinks (and we couldn’t even finish them all).

Cheese and charcuterie plate for two

Palm Beach: Ta-boo American Bistro & Bar

I know that from the things that I’ve been posting on my blog it looks like we did nothing but eat LOL. I swear this is the last restaurant review I’m doing from the Florida trip!

We were introduced to Ta-boo American Bistro & Bar through my friend Helena, whom I’ve met in Paris an year ago. We wanted to meet and catch up while I’m in Florida, so she suggested this restaurant. Ta-boo is situated on Worth Avenue, an upscale shopping district. Squeezed between two luxurious clothing stores, the entrance of the restaurant appeared to be a little hidden since it didn’t have a big obvious sign advertising it. Once we entered though, we were surprised by how spacious and comfortable is was inside.

Brie And Pear – a pizza crust topped with brie, pears, grapes, candied pecans and red onion with a balsamic reduction

When I looked at the menu, I was a little doubtful about the combination of brie, pear and grapes. However, with the strong recommendation from my friend, I decided to give it a try. It was an excellent decision on my part, since it turned out to be delicious! Some how the soft texture of the brie worked very well with the sweetness and crunchiness of the pear and grapes. I’m usually not a big fan of pizzas, let alone ones with fruits on them, but I was really impressed by this one. I highly recommend you guys to order this if you ever get the chance to eat at Ta-boo.

Le bf ordered the steak, which was very tasty as well (also recommended by my friend):

Grilled Chopped Steak – topped with gorgonzola cheese and fried onions served with sauteed spinach and roasted tomato

We were so impressed by this restaurant, we decided to come back again, this time with le bf’s parents as well, as our last lunch before they leave Florida the next day.

I ordered the mussels, which had an amazing meuniere sauce/soup. The portion was, as usual, a bit too much for me to handle on my own though :P

Mussels Meuniere – from Prince Edward Island

Le bf’s mom ordered a simple, classic pizza, which was quite good as well:

The Classic Pizza –
our classic tomato sauce with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese

Le bf’s tuna steak burger came with an interesting seaweed salad in it which he didn’t like, but I happily devoured.

Ta-boo Tuna Steak Burger – on a toasted english muffin with wasabi mayonnaise and wakame served with french fries and mixed greens

Le bf’s dad took the tuna carpaccio salad:

Tuna Carpaccio Salad – seared marinated loin of native yellowfin tuna encrusted in sesame seeds and black pepper on a bed of mixed field greens, red and yellow pepper strips and red onion in a balsamic vinaigrette. served with pickled ginger, wasabi and lite soy sauce

We also ordered the fried calamari to share:

Fried Calamari – served with an orange aioli and marinara sauce

And then for dessert, the chocolate mousse, which was surprisingly good (by French standards apparently :P). To me it seemed more like a cheese cake than mousse. A bit too sweet for my standards, but I’m sure the dessert lovers would appreciate it more than me.

Chocolate Mousse

ALSO, they have a bowl of free chocolate mint sticks by the entrance, so don’t forget to be a cheap Asian and take a bunch of them before leaving like I did :P (What can I say? I love free stuff!)

Orlando: Aquatica Waterpark & Capriccio Grill

After a 3 hour drive from Wellington to Orlando, we arrived at the The Peabody Hotel. It was the first time I’ve heard of this hotel, their symbol is a mallard, and everything was duck-themed (even the soap in our room), which I found was super cute :D

They also had was is possibly the biggest, fanciest hotel pool that I’ve ever seen: the Grotto pool with an interactive water feature, sandbox, and a 20-foot slide!

The Grotto pool at Peabody

After checking in and settling down a bit, we went for dinner at one of the hotel restaurants: Capriccio Grill, an Italian steakhouse.

Le bf choose their signature steak, which was 20oz (O_O)! Clearly a good choice in his opinion, as he later told me that’s the best steak he’s ever had in his life.

Le bf’s plate: 20oz Bone in Rib Eye – Capriccio’s Signature Cowboy Steak

I took the Chicken Française, in the spirit of wanting to order something that I haven’t tried before (plus I figured it can be bad since it has the word “French in it and all).

My plate: Chicken Française –
Sautéed Chicken Breast in Egg Batter, Lemon Parsley Butter Sauce

The meat of the chicken was very tender, and the sour taste of lemon was just strong enough to make it very appetizing. The portion was a bit big for me since I ate a lot of the bread and the sides too, so the others helped me with it, and they all enjoyed it as well.

Le bf’s mom’s plate: Pappardelle Pescatore –
Shrimp, Crab, Clams, Calamari, Sweet Peppers, Capers, Olives, Tomatoes, Wine and
Lemon Butter Sauce

Sides:
Risotto del giorno, creamed spinach

The waiter surprised us after our entrees with an assortment of dessert samples in shot glasses. Each shooter is a sample of one of their signature dessert. I thought the idea was smart, these dessert shooters are just the right size for those who just want a taste of something sweet after a satisfying meal (plus they look really cute :D ).

Desserts: signature dessert shooters

Somehow le bf still had room in his stomach to want to order this:

Desserts: Hot Godiva chocolate cake

Though I was really full I couldn’t help but steal a few bites, since it smelled so heavenly. The quality of the Godiva chocolate was really good and sufficiently warmed up, so that the contrast between the hot liquid and the cold vanilla ice cream created a perfect match in the mouth.

After such a rich meal I tried to work some of it off by taking a quick dip in the hotel pool:

Night time swim in the huge pool

The next day, we woke up bright and early for a full day of fun at Aquatica Waterpark :D It was quite pleasant spending the day in different water rides since it was scorching hot outside.

And they also had various animals in the park! One of their most famous animal attraction are the Commerson’s dolphins:

Commerson’s dolphins

The black and white dolphins were smaller than I expected, since their appearance made me thought of killer whales. Commerson’s dolphins are one of the smallest dolphins and are found in shallow waters of the sub-Antarctic.

We also saw the big African spurred tortoise, they are the third biggest type of tortoise in the world.

African spurred tortoise

It came over so that I could touch it :D

The park was not very big, so we were able to go on all the rides at least once. Some of them include:

The Dolphin Plunge: 2 side-by-side enclosed tube slides going underwater where you can see the Commerson’s Dolphins.

The Taumata Racer: a high-speed competitive mat ride where the racers rip down a staggeringly steep hill, head first.

Mojito – Latin Cuisine and Bar

We decided to celebrate our one year anniversary with a simple dinner date at City Place, a plaza with lots of shops and restaurants, located in downtown West Palm Beach.

We’re all dressed up for the big night(:
I feel as if we’re going to prom lol

We walked by Mojito, a Latin Cuisine and Bar and decided that we would eat there, since the atmosphere and menu seemed pleasant. It turned out to be a pretty good choice, as both the food and drinks were delicious.

Kiwi Apple Mojito

We decided to order 4 different tapas, which are small plates of Spanish appetizers designed to be shared. I liked this since I enjoy tasting a variety of different dishes. We each chose 2 tapas, I took the paella and lobster guacamole, and le bf ordered the sliders and the “Ropa Vieja” (clearly he likes his meats :P).

Paella – mussels, clams, featured fish, shrimp, chorizo, saffron rice

Lobster Guacamole – maine lobster, tomato picante, Mojito chips or crispy plantains

Mojito Sliders –
ground chuck, shaved romaine, tomato picante, spicy aioli, manchego cheddar

Ropa Vieja – shredded beef, tomato ragu, sweet pepper, cripsy plantains

We were especially impressed by how much seafood was in the paella. The sliders were really tasty too, the meat patty was tender and the small size was perfect for me. The portion of the plates were more than enough for the 2 of us, I had to depend on le bf to finish most of it of at the end as usual :P

The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit and the atmosphere was quite casual. Towards the end there was a live music group playing and it got quite loud, so we left a bit earlier to walk around outside in the plaza. Overall it was a wonderful night :)

City Place Plaza

Back to school for fall term

Hello everyone, sorry for not updating the blog for so long. After my last final exam I was caught in a frenzy of packing to go back to Montreal, and then packing again for 2 weeks in Florida. With fall term starting again in 2 days, I’m back again in Waterloo, and I finally have time to go through the numerous amount of photos that I’ve taken during the trip and do some belated updates.

Here are some of the things from Florida I want to cover for the next few days:
– Restaurant reviews (we went to so many good restaurants during the trip, and I took a ton food photos being the foodie I am :P)
– Some of the cool places that we’ve visited:
> Aquatica
> Busch Garden
> Clearwater Beach
> Miami
> Bahia Honda Beach
> Hemingway House
> Theater of the SeaAnd of course I’ll try to keep up with the L’Amour du Jour quotes and Places to Visit Before You Die as well. Looks like I’ve got a lot of blogging to do! :P

Restaurant Français: Le Surcouf

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, since I’ve been done exams I’ve been on holiday mode and finally enjoying the joys of being a lazy bum and hanging around all day just chilling :P

Since le bf and I are leaving for our Florida trip soon (TOMORROW!), we decided to have a dinner with him and my family before (treat of le lovely bf, might I add (: ).

We landed on choosing the French restaurant Le Surcouf, located on the island of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. We discovered it one day after having lunch in the area, the quaint appearance of the restaurant caught our eye (also their sign advertised a 3 course meal for $25:P ), so we went in to take a look at their menu. I fell in love with the interior decor and atmosphere immediately.

Interior view of the restaurant

So the 5 of us (le bf, me, my sister, my parents) decided to order 4 of their Formule bistro, which is a set menu offered on Sunday to Thursday nights.

We were delighted when they served the Amuse-Bouche, which my parents weren’t expecting since they’re not familiar with the courses of a French meal.

L’Amuse-bouche: mousse au avocat / avocado mousse

The white objects on the couscous that I thought were so sort of fruit (like pear slices) at first glance turned out to be big pieces of scallops. I really liked the contrasting textures of the grainy couscous and the soft scallops.

Entrée (Appetizer): La suprise du chef – Couscous with scallops

Entrée (Appetizer): Salade

We asked for medium rare for the steak. The blue cheese sauce was delicious, and the portion was hearty. I highly recommend this for all the meat-lovers.

Plat Principal (Main Course): Bavette de boeuf sauce Roquefort (Beef bavette with blue cheese sauce)

Plat Principal (Main Course): Pavé de thon grillé, sauce vierge aux tomates sèches et olives noires (Grilled tuna with sundried tomatoes and black olive salsa)

Plat Principal (Main Course): Croquette de confit de canard sur verdure (Duck confit croquette on mixed greens)

Dessert: Crème caramel

Dessert: Sorbet

Dessert: des fruits

Dessert: Mousse au chocolat

La Mignardise: Cholocat covered orange slices

Le bf and I

Papa and Mama Chen

All in all, a very satisfying and sophisticated meal, my parents were quite impressed and are already planning to come back again.
Also, We were lucky we only ordered 4 portions instead of 5, it would have definitely been too much!

Finally, a giant pepper grinder found in the restaurant to end this post:

It’s literally half my size!

Bon omnomnomage everyone! (:

Places to see before you die

Waterfall Restaurant, Villa Escudero, San Pablo City, Philippines

Villa Escudero, located at San Pablo City in the Philippines, is a resort with cozy rooms and a museum. But the villa’s true attraction is the amazing restaurant at the foot of a small waterfall. Unlike most waterfalls that would be deadly or dangerous to eat near, at the foot of the Labasin Falls people are encouraged to take their shoes off, relax and eat their popular Filipino dishes. Labasin Falls is a not a natural waterfall. It is actually a spillway of the Labasin Dam.

Places to see before you die

The Summer Cave, Grotta Palazzese hotel, Polignano a Mare, Southern Italy

Voted as one of the most romantic places to dine, The Summer Cave is a restaurant located above a limestone cave, belonging to Grotta Palazzese hotel. Dimly lit and only funrished with items made from natural materials, the restaurant has a magnificant view of the Adriatic Sea.

This Seaside Restaurant is open during the summer, from May to October

Places to See Before You Die

Ithaa: The Underwater Restaurant in the Maldives

Ithaa means “mother-of-pearl” in Dhivehi. Located 16 feet below sea level, Ithaa restaurant offers an amazing 180° undersea view while you dine. It is the first underwater restaurant, opened in 2005, designed and constructed by M.J. Murphy.The restaurant is part of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort.
I’ve always been so fascinated by the amazing world undersea with all the mysterious underwater creatures. If I ever get a chance to go here, it would definitely be like a dream come true for me!

Foodporn for Daddy’s Day

We couldn’t do much on Father’s Day this year due to the pouring rain, and since I was leaving Montreal to go back to Waterloo the next day. So we decided to just go low-key and grab dinner at the Bâton-Rouge near my house. It was my first time trying this restaurant, and everything was quite delicious. The portions were pretty big though, we couldn’t finish all the desserts! (Which was surprising to me since le bf is an eating-machine :P)

Salad: Caesar Salad

Soup: Canadian Cheddar

And the boys love their meat:

Daddy: Prime Rib

Le bf: BBQ Pork Back Ribs and Chicken

Mommy & I: Two-Tail Nova Scotia Lobster Dinner

I shared a lobster main course that was on their featured menu, the portion was more than enough since we were all sharing our plats between the 4 of us anyways (there were so much fries!)

Dessert: Mango Cheese Cake

Dessert: Heavenly Cheese Cake Trio