Claudia "Food Pervert" L.'s Profile

Jumping into a bed of fresh, white sheets is on the top of my "favourite things to do in life" list. Add a cozy room, more-than-reasonably priced accommodation and the friendliest husband and wife team as your hosts, and it doesn't get much better than that.

When I was in a scramble to look for somewhere to stay in Toronto on my trip over from Vancouver, I thought it too good to be true that I found a B&B for under $100/night within a 15 minute walk to downtown. So I took the deal and it is now my go-to Toronto place to stay - who needs hotels when you have Roger and Tess?

They accommodated my every need and made even made a decent omelette to warm up my palette. Chit chat and the smell of breakfast always filled the room in the mornings, freshening me up for my day of work. Mom would be jealous.

The B&B is situated on a strip of artsy restaurants for you and your palette to explore and is only a 10 minute walk from Kensington Market, where you'll find endless vintage stores and local foodie treats.

Lucky me it was sunny the week during my stay and I ate, shopped and B&B'd my heart out :)

I'll be back Roger & Tess, I'll be back!

Wow. Has it really been almost three months since my last Yelp? Lord! *spank spank*

I guess a full-time job and trying to save sharks on the side (while also needing to shower, eat and sometimes sleep somewhere in between) has distracted me from my foodie frolicking -- man, I miss frolicking.

That said, this calls for a full-on Food Perverted Yelp review and there is no fare more suited than Bean Around the World's Vegan Banana Chocolate Cookie.

Yeah. I said it.

VEGAN
BANANA
CHOCOLATE
COOKIE

Who said an apple a day keeps the doctor away? I say this cookie does. Each time I take a bite into the scrumptious crunchy exterior to discover a delightful chewy inside sprinkled with sweet bursts of chunky chocolate (vegan of course) and pieces of toffee-like banana chips, all my troubles and stress melt away and I feel happy as as a cat on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

And I swear each time I try and avoid looking at the cookie display when I'm grabbing a mug of tea, time begins to slow down and the notes of the hipster-funk-rock music playing in the backdrop morph into a sexy saxophone tune with old-school beats on the bass (like the kind in soft porn -- or so I hear). The lights go out and it's just me and the cookie display on stage. Woman and cookie. My hair tie comes loose and my shiny long black hair blows in the wind [cue fan] and the glass cookie display cover is lifted by an invisible hand or perhaps my desire to devour it - oh, ever so gently.

And when I do. OH.
I.
DO.

I haven't broke the news to Cookies of Course (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) yet but please don't tell her I've committed these sinful crimes of misdemeanour even though it feels good. REAL GOOD.

Dear Mr. Haas,

I just wanted to let you know that I find your work despicable. You come into our city with your chi chi cafe and just expect me to like you with your fancy macaroons and "special" chocolates. Well, let me tell you something mister - you better check yourself!

You had me for lunch and although your carrot ginger soup was good, $7 for a tiny little cup of it? Puh-leese. Your $8 panini portobello panini was borderline cold even though it took you 10 minutes to fix it up in the hot press.

Last but not least, you think you can get to me with your double baked almond croissant? Do you think that it's delicious crispy exterior and shell of aromatic roasted almonds that hide a decadent custard interior can get me to forgive you? And just because I almost fainted after the first bite doesn't mean that it was THAT good okay?!  It doesn't mean that I'll come back and wait in your unorganized line ups and fork out $20 for a dinky lunch just for your stupid awesome croissant!

*cries in corner of room*

Okay, please don't get upset Tom, I love you. I love your double baked almond croissant and I would die for it. I didn't mean those things I said before. I can forgive you for your flaws because everyone makes mistakes. I know it was meant to be so please save me a croissant before you run out. I promise I won't talk bad about you ever again.

Love,

Claudia "Food Pervert" L.

They even pronounce the name with class!
"It's [shaysh] not [chase] Claud jeez."

Chandeliers encased in box glasses
+
Many pitchers of Bloody Mary's
+
Kilos of cheese covered appetizers
=
^_^ One Happy Yelper

Can't not love the fact that the feature a "Chocolate" item on their chalk menu next to the "Salad of the Day".

Four stars for hospitality in a sexy 60s setting and great drinks (I heard the R&B beer was Really Bumpin' :P - I know I am a dork) with a wish that most of the stuff wasn't wrapped or stuffed with bacon (complaint of the vegetarian). Next time I'll remember to dress in the right era. Loved the theme and can't wait for the next one.

Splish splash I was taking a bath
Long about a Saturday afternoon
A rub dub, just relaxing in the tub
Thinking everything was alright

Well, I stepped into the ocean, put my feet on the floor
I wrapped an octopus around me (http://www.yelp.com/bi...
And I asked Erik for some more, and then
Splish splash we saw a family of spinning dolphins (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Well how was I to know there was a party going on  

The fish were a-splishing and a-splashing, reelin' with the feelin'
Moving and a-grooving, rocking and a-rolling

Bing bang, I saw the whole fishie gang
Swimming in many tiny schools
Flip flop, they was doing the bop
All of it was so super cool

There was-a Needle Fish with-a Titan Scorpionfish
Good golly, a jolly sea turtle was-a even there too (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
A-well-a, splish splash, I forgot about the land
I wanted to take a picture or two

The price is probably the best you can find
They take and send you free underwater pictures
Better keep that in mind
But-a splish splash the best diving school

I know. If I heard it from you, I would have told you you're full of &*%^ too.

But with a hand on my heart and fingers rested on my chopsticks, I swear I have found a Hong Kong cafe with decent - and some may even claim, good - service. They even have killer egg tart [daan taat] and pineapple bun with butter [bo lo yaau] to keep you coming back.

If you've ever sat down at a HK-style cafe in Hong Kong, you know what I mean. There are close to 7 million people (approximately one quarter of Canada's population) packed into that tiny little area. Just to give you an idea,  Vancouver Island is 29 times bigger than HK! In HK, you gotta work fast to make things move. Otherwise, there would be ridiculous line ups and frenzied chaos everywhere. Thus, in HK, we are known to operate in lightning speed, consequently sacrificing good service. This cultural foodservice is one of a kind in its timeliness and has spread across the world.

When I asked family where to get my favourite HK treat (freshly baked pinapple bun with a hunk of butter inside - which is named after the pineapple because of the topping's resemblance to a pineapple) and they referred me to Lido, I was anticipating a delicious snack with a side of tea and horrible service. Hence, how shocked was I when the wait staff responded to me in phrases such as "you're welcome" and "not a problem" when I said thanks.

WHERE AM I? Is this some type of twilight zone where HK cafeteria goodness received a magical makeover from Gordon Ramsay?! Stop playing games with me! Give me my bad service and egg tart dammit! I refused to believe it, so I went back a second time ... and a third time ... and a forth time to confirm that it wasn't good luck before I wrote this review. Again and again: good service and delicious snacks!

So I give up and here is my review: if you can't read/speak Chinese, just get the egg tart [daan taat], pineapple bun with butter [bo lo yaau] and a hot almond drink [hun yun seung]. They have set breakfast and lunch menus that I will translate for you all next time I visit Lido - promise!

P.S. Parking is horrendous in this plaza. Many spots are only 30 minute parking, so watch out for a ticket.

I know I've said I would drown myself in pools of many lovely liquids in previous Yelps but I revoke all those statements and would now like to officially declare:

I would drown myself in the white chocolate pistachio dip by Medina.

Literally.

I would break into their cafe, steal buckets of their dip, fill up my tub with it and devour the entire thing up. All the while, "I would die for you" by Garbage would be playing on repeat in the background.

Parked right next to Chambar, Medina is an elegant yet homey cafe and is famed for their waffles and sandwiches. I almost gave up after multiple attempts to show up before they close at 4pm ... or before they stop serving food before 3pm ... or before they run out of waffles (I know eh, so many restrictions). Medina's employees are strict on enforcing these time limitations and didn't hesitate to give us our bill at 3:59 pm although we've only been seated for 20 minutes - not impressed.

They have a full breakfast and lunch menu fit for the business district (i.e. a tad pricey) but I go for the waffles and tea. Their waffles are tiny little things that come at $3.15 + $1 per dip. The fig and orange marmalade is divine and I've also heard sinful things about the raspberry caramel dip.

...

So.

Does anybody have a super Jimmy that works on Medina's gigantic wooden door?

A suave wine bar at night and a modern lunch bistro during the day. Chic not cheap but definitely worth a peek.

It might have been a mistake taking my caffeine-sensitive friend here because she slurped up their latte like it was the golden river and was buzzing on a caffeine high for hours. Her latte must have been equally as delicious as my awesomely rich mocha. Well, I just love any hot drink in a big fat white ceramic cup :P

Uva has lunch until 2pm with classic lunch items such as panini, salad, soup and pasta. Although I only had the mocha and a mini croissant (that costs $3 -_-), the dishes looked articulated and delicious. They do have wifi and amazing service to accompany it. Our soup went cold from too much chatting and they even added some more broth to reheat it. Don't you just love it when they make sure your food tastes good as it feels?

This is a nice quiet place with great service for a quick business meeting.

--
Why (-1) star? I still need to try the food, dude :)

When I stepped in through the glass doors of Adonia, I felt like I was transported to the Victorian era of England where I imagine people to say phrases like "how splendid", call friends "darling" and always accompany their breathy, high pitched laughter with a head tilt and a hand flip. It's one of those places where you can imagine yourself sporting a pair of long, white silk gloves to hold your embroidered cloth umbrella that keeps you and your white poodle named Toto shady. Perhaps you'd wear a dress that makes your butt stick up with and tuck away a peppermint scented handkerchief under your corset.

How blooooooooody splendid :)

I met my best friend at Adonia for a long overdue catch up session and we could not have picked a better place to gossip, giggle and gobble some goodies. Although it's quite spendy, the service, quality and atmosphere is worth the treat.

A full tea set is $23 and includes
+ Your choice of tea from their wide signature tea collection (I got the Kalahari, which is a blend of Rooibos with citrus peel and lemongrass - "how spleeeeendid")
+ A three-tiered platter of tiny sandwiches and pastries (my favourite was the potato salad, cucumber sandwich and the richly dense scones - "aaaabsolutely delightful")

The full tea set is quite filling but they also have a mini version for $14 if you only wanna nibble. Their a la carte menu is a mix of East meets West items. You'll find Asian tea time goodies like shaved ice and European classics like pasta for dinner. The menu confirmed my Asian-owned hunch as high tea aka mid-afternoon tea [haa-mm-cha] is very popular in Hong Kong. And Adonia has done an exceptionally well job at creating a cozy, Victorian atmosphere with their heavy wooden round set tables, brown sugar crystals, delicate china and a Twinnings autographed poster in the bathroom.

We ended up chatting, sipping and nibbling for three hours and the waitress even offered to refilled our individual tea pots twice.

I think I have officially fallen in love with Adonia.

"Don't forget my darlings, to share this splendid place with your darlings and your darling's darlings as well! Oooooo. Also, park on the side street of East Boulevard (on the corner of McDonald's) for free. Keep that tip hush hush though. We wouldn't want people quarreling over free parking spots now, would we? Aaaa-hah-hah-hah. It's aaaaabsoluuuutely delightful! Ta ta for now darlings."

Foodie Frenzie at The Refinery

Well my friends, we certainly had a Yelptastic time *Carleton arm swing*

There is no better way to spend a Monday night than socializing over some awesome special cocktails and fresh appies from a lounge that prides itself on sustainability. I've passed by the Refinery many times and had it on the top of my "To Eat" list and along came the perfect Yelp Elite event.

I'm not usually a fan of cocktails but their bourbon-egg-white-other-delicious-stuff mixer was absolutely addictive. Dangerously so if I must say so myself. They even made a virgin version for me so I could keep on my toes while I mingled over foodie talk.

The door prizes were awesome, great staff and inspiring owner. They have a deep appreciation of food and drink here and it shines through in their menu and their customer service.

The Refinery is definitely on my list for a place to organize a party, a place to dine and a place to love. Can't wait to come back.