The Citizen

The Citizen opened in 2014, which means it took me roughly two years to visit... but heck, I made it! Located at the former Brant House space, The Citizen (Instagram: @thecitizen_to, Facebook: The Citizen) is King West's version of a casual sports bar.

Inspired by the restaurant-bars of the early 1900's, The Citizen's space gives off an old school rec hall atmosphere. Patrons can catch sports games from the eight flatscreens mounted above the wraparound bar.

In a nod to Toronto’s heritage, you'll also find numerous vintage accents, including original floating beams from the historic Gooderham and Worts distillery.

Retractable screens printed with vintage photos separate the large restaurant, allowing for private parties and gatherings.

Lucky Red - Asian Bar Snacks in Chinatown

Brought to you by David, Phil and Peter Chau, the brothers behind Banh Mi Boys re-launched Lucky Red six months ago in April. I went to check out the place recently and I'm happy to report that I absolutely love it there. I loved the space, the food, the cocktails, and the prices.

A bit of background for you guys. When Lucky Red (Twitter: @LuckyRedShop, Facebook: Lucky Red) first opened its doors in the summer of 2014 its set-up was similar to Banh Mi Boys - think an order-at-the-counter, street food-focused eatery that served steamed baos and noodle soup. Due to unforeseen execution issues the concept didn't work out as planned and after just a few months the Chau brothers decided to shut down Lucky Red in September. I never had an opportunity to visit Lucky Red Ver. I before it closed - so no thoughts on the place - but after hearing good things about Lucky Red Ver. II I knew I was due for a visit.

In one sentence, I would say Lucky Red Ver. II is a fully-licensed, sit-down restaurant that serves affordable and delicious Asian bar snacks and drinks :)

Lucky Red's menu is divided into six categories: Steamed Baos, Small Plates, Snacks, Veggies, Fried Chicken, and Sweets. All are meant to be shared. Other than the the 4pc and 6pc fried chicken everything is priced under $10 (click here for online menu).

Brunch Preview at Earls

Starting this Saturday, August 3rd, Earls on 150 King St. W. (Twitter: @earlskingst, Facebook: Earls King Street) will be offering a brand new weekend brunch service (other Earls locations to start brunch service on Saturday, September 14th). Opening a half hour earlier than weekdays, Earls will serve brunch Saturday, Sunday and holiday Mondays from 11 am until 3 pm alongside their regular menu. Thanks to Jacque from Earls, I was invited to preview their new brunch menu yesterday.

Beautiful day. Perfect weather for a patio brunch.

Earls’ new fresh sourdough bread is really the star of their brunch. Rising slowly and naturally from an in-house grown sourdough starter, the dense, chewy new bread make its début on the brunch menu. Each of Earls restaurants has a starter of their own that they need to nurture and feed twice a day. 

Complimentary house made brioche cinnamon buns brushed with cream cheese icing for each table. 

My Chubby Cinnamon Buns

Not many things can beat the taste of a cinnamon bun, especially during times when you are suddenly craving something warm, something doughy, and something really really sweet, then a cinnamon bun will definitely do the trick. 


Although I say that, I know not many people like cinnamon buns either because 1) they are not a healthy snack (an average cinnamon bun with frosting contains over 500 calories, with lots of fat and no nutrients), or 2) because they are too sweet (probably enough to create hyperactivity lol), or 3) some people just don't like cinnamon, or 4) they like cinnamon buns but they don't like it enough to buy them at Cinnabon, one of the most obvious place to get a cinnamon bun. I fall into category 2 and 4. I sometimes think they are too sweet, especially if they slather on too much frosting. And in terms of actually buying them, not sure if I'm just cheap or something, but I usually don't feel like forking out $4-$5 for a snack made of dough, cinnamon, and brown sugar, all of which are super super cheap ingredients. 

Personally, I don't know how many times I have walked by a Cinnabon at a shopping mall and think "wow that smells soooo good". Probably every time! It is just plain dangerous because the aroma of cinnamon buns can travel far and wide, even before you SEE the Cinnabon store you know it's coming up. So then, how many times have I actually stopped by to buy one? Two times. That's a pretty low number considering how much I go to the mall lol.


Solution? Make my own cinnamon buns without the frosting, although I did include the recipe for the frosting in case you feel your cinnamon buns would be incomplete without it. The cinnamon buns turned out absolutely wonderful and delicious - my boyfriend loved them too =) These chubby bad boys are quite filling.