Chatime

Date: June 20, 2013

Location: 132 Dundas Street W (west of Bay), Toronto
Website: http://www.ichatime.com.tw

Cuisine: Chinese/bubble tea

Meal: drinks

My thoughts:

I brought a friend here to introduce him to my favourite bubble tea drink – roasted milk green tea with grass jelly (less ice and no sugar). It probably sounds as bizarre to you as it did to him, so I ordered it for myself and let him have a taste. He wasn’t a big fan of it. He preferred his drink, coconut milk green tea with tapioca, which I thought was too sweet and tasted strange.

If you ever are in the area, though, trust me on this one and give my bizarre-sounding drink a shot. I’m willing to bet that after the first taste, you won’t think it tastes nearly as bizarre as it sounds. 

My only gripe is the price. My drink, a small, cost nearly $5! While the taste justified the price, I can only enjoy this drink every once in awhile, even though it is a short walk from my work. Also, be warned that at night, this place can get pretty busy and I often see long line-ups. We were lucky that we came in the early afternoon, and it wasn't busy at all.

Chinese Dumpling House

Date: June 7, 2013

Location: 3290 Midland Ave #2, Scarborough
Website: N/A

Cuisine: Chinese
Meal: dinner

My thoughts:
It was a Friday night, I had just finished a long week, and I just felt like indulging in some comfort food.

I called my dad up and he suggested this place (no surprise - this is one of his favourite restaurants.)

We ordered the usual vegetarian dumpling with egg and chives ($5.99). This is not on their menu and it comes with 15 dumplings. Everytime we have this, we reminisce on the times when this used to be $4.99. The current price is still very good, but the old price was practically a steal. Hot, in-house made steamed dumplings - soooo good.

We also had the cumin stir-fry beef ($6.99). Mmm.. The beef was incredibly flavourful and tender. The cumin was definitely discernible but not at all overpowering. There was also some green peppers and onion mixed in. Just thinking about it now makes me crave it. Just try it!

As usual, this place really delivered on some great authentic northern Chinese dishes at a great price. We'll be back soon!

Corned Beef House

Date: June 3, 2013

Location: 270 Adelaide St W (east of Spadina), Downtown Toronto

Website: http://www.cornedbeefhouse.com/

Cuisine: sandwiches
Meal: lunch

My thoughts:
I've been meaning to try this place for so long, and on this very sunny day, I really had no excuse not to go out for a bit of a walk. I checked their hours before going and decided to go right when they opened for lunch to avoid a wait (my lunch break just isn't long enough for that!)

I arrived at around 11:15am. I came hungry and ready to eat, so I ordered their "colossal" (10 oz) Montreal smoked meat sandwich ($8.75) on onion kaiser bread with honey dijon mustard. And, not knowing just how big "colossal" was, I decided not to order a side. (The other sizes are "huge" at 7 oz and "gigantic" at 14 oz).

My order came within 10 minutes, and one look at my sandwich and I knew I was going to be a happy camper (at least a full camper anyway). With the buns included, it stood at about 4.5-5 inches high.

Then I took a bite. Mm-mm-mmmh! I thought. Now I knew I was going to be a full, happy camper. The meat was lined with a bit of fat, which I didn't mind because it made it very juicy. I couldn't taste the onion in the bread, but the honey dijon mustard pairing with the meat was excellent. The bread-to-filling ratio was also perfect, too. Delish! I'll definitely be back and will order this sauce again, but I'd like to try their other sandwiches.

The colossal turned out to be just the right amount of food for me. I think I may try the gigantic next time or order a side with my sammy. The service was mediocre, but oh well, I'm there for the food anyway. Check this out!