Teara Lab: Japanese Fusion Sandwich Shop

Opened less than a month ago on 181 College Street is Teara Lab, the first Japanese fusion sandwich shop in Toronto. Helming the kitchen is chef Frank Liu, who is also responsible for the menu at KAKA All You Can Eat, a popular AYCE restaurant located in Markham.

The modern and casual sandwich shop is conveniently situated across the street from University of Toronto, making it an ideal spot for students, whether it be quick grab-and-go lunches or sit-down meals in between classes.

Which is your favourite ramune flavour? Mine are "Original" and "Melon" :)

At Teara Lab (Twitter: @TearaLab, Facebook: Teara Lab), diners have the option of getting a sandwich or a sandwich combo, which comes with seasoned fries and a drink. Teara Lab's drinks selection is pretty impressive so don't go for just soda. Customers can choose from a variety of fruit teas (passion fruit green tea, mango green tea, fresh watermelon juice), slush (mango or match red bean), milk teas and creamas.

My friend and I ordered a Hokkaido Milk Tea ($5) and a LemonDada ($5). Both were fantastic! I would actually consider just dropping by the sandwich shop for a drink if I'm ever in the area.

Lunch at Little Fin

I made my way to the financial district a couple of weeks ago for lunch at Little Fin (Twitter: @Little_Fin, Facebook: Little Fin) located at the Dineen building. First thing I noticed was suits everywhereee! Did you know I used to be one of them? Well, not literally in a suit but I was in finance ever since I graduated from uni until two years ago. I remember the rat race from Union Station every morning, and getting lost in The Path, and climbing that never-ending corporate ladder like it was yesterday.

Ah, memories. Anyway, back to Little Fin! This small seafood shop from The Chase Hospitality Group (the same people behind The Chase, The Chase Fish & Oyster, Colette and Kasa Moto) focuses on gourmet salads, fish sandwiches, and lobster offerings such as lobster poutine, lobster grilled cheese and lobster rolls. Little Fin is very small but there's still seating available...not many but it's there (more seating in the summer with the patio). It gets really crowded during lunch so a lot of people also do take-out there.

If you're in a hurry you can always grab one of these salads and eat at your desk ;) That day Little Fin had a cumin, carrot and chickpea salad for $3.50, and a radicchio and panzanella salad for $4.

Little Fin is also partnered with UberEATS, the newest door to door delivery service launched three days ago in Toronto. 

'SHIPWRECKED' SALAD ($12)

Poached shrimp & creamy avocado dressing

I really liked this salad. The crisp greens were well-dressed with a light and creamy avocado dressing. There was also a hard-boiled egg...plenty of shrimps too!

Accord-Ing to Stella: A Weekend in Montreal

Squeezing in a road trip before winter was the best idea ever! Two weeks ago, Jon and I took a road trip to Montreal for three days - Friday to Sunday - where we filled our tummies with food and drinks...a lot of food and drinks. I gained almost five pounds! No regrets though because every calorie we consumed was worth it; we didn't have a single bad meal there.

Thanks to Honda Canada (Twitter: @HondaCanada, Facebook: Honda Canada) we took the 2015 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring to Montreal. This was my first time driving a hybrid and I hope it's not my last. Truth be told I really didn't want to give it back, not only because it was such a nice ride but it was so good on gas.

I'm not sure if you know but aside from being into food I'm also really into cars. I've loved cars ever since I was little. From gawking at cars on the street, spending hours building Tamiya models and watching Initial-D at home, to learning how to drive manual, attending car shows and making the trek up to Shannonville and Mosport with friends, cars have always been a big part of my life. As corny as it sounds I have a special place in my heart for Hondas too. I think it runs in the family! Right now my dad drives an Accord (his third one), my mom an Acura RSX, my brother a CR-V (he drove a Civic and a Prelude before too). As for me, I have a 2003 Civic Si-R. It's an oldie but a goodie.

So, was I stoked that Honda lent me an Accord Hybrid Touring (#AccordHybrid) for my road trip? Hell, yeah! Especially because I know the Hybrid will be amazing on gas The car achieves its excellent fuel economy by basically using three drive modes: EV, Hybrid and Engine. EV drive draws solely from the power of the lithium-ion battery  Engine drive utilizes the 2.0-liter DOHC i-VTEC® Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine, sending power directly to the front wheels for medium to high speed cruising. Hybrid drive blends the two for powerful acceleration and more efficient driving in stop and go traffic than Engine drive.*

*from Honda.ca

With our bags packed and the navi all set up we were ready to hit the road. But first, McDonald's! Every road trip should start with breakfast at McDonald's :) Mad love for their hash browns.

La Cubana Ossington

After eight years, Delux - a bistro serving Cuban food by day and French food by night - closed and re-opened as La Cubana Ossington in February of this year. At the time Delux owner Corinna Mozo had already opened her first, and very successful, La Cubana in Roncesvalles Village in late 2013 (I have not been to the Roncesvalles location but I always hear good things about it). A bit about Mozo: She grew up with Cuban food because her father, who spent much of his childhood at his father's diner in Cuba, would often cook Cuban food at home after emigrating to Canada. Mozo eventually became a chef and opened Delux on Ossington Avenue in 2007.

Fast forward to 2015 to La Cubana #2 or La Cubana Ossington (Twitter: @lacubana_oz, Facebook: La Cubana Ossington). The seafoam green walls, patterned tile floors, camel-coloured banquettes and brightly lit signage all give a very retro look to the Cuban snack bar.

Similar to the Roncesvalles location, La Cubana Ossington serves casual Cuban food. The difference between the two locations is that the Ossington menu is much more condensed than the one at Roncesvalles; it has a smaller selection of sandwiches and Cuban plates. Roncesvalles also offer an appetizer/snacks menu which Ossington doesn't (you can compare the menus here: Roncy menu vs. Ossington menu).

Order at the counter then take a seat. Your food will be brought to your table when it's ready.

LA CUBANA BEER ($4)

RASPBERRY LIME RICKEY ($5)

Dufflet High Tea

After 40 years in the bakery business, Dufflet Pastries' name is now synonymous with delicious and creative desserts and cakes in Toronto. The reputable bakery now boasts three retail cafés and a wholesale division that supplies over 500 restaurants, cafés, hotels, caterers, grocers and specialty gourmet shops throughout North America. Using only premium ingredients, with no hydrogenated fats or oils, no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, each Dufflet (Twitter: @dufflet, Facebook: Dufflet Pastries) product is handcrafted from scratch, never made from a mix. I must say, this is all very impressive! Speaking of being impressed, I had the opportunity to try some of their gluten-free chocolate fudge tarts back in September (the Dufflet Gluten-Free line was a finalist for the 2013 SIAL Innovation Award). I mentioned in the blog post that I'm always skeptical about gluten-free products (in that they won't taste as good as the original version) but I was completely blown away by those Dufflet tarts! They were rich and decadent, and never in a million years would I have guessed they were gluten-free.

I was invited by Dufflet recently to try their High Tea. Available every Sunday from 1PM to 5PM exclusively at the Dufflet beach location (Facebook: Dufflet Beach), guests can enjoy a selection of sumptuous desserts and canapés from Dufflet Pastries paired with a premium selection of Sloane Teas.

This 24-seat café is open seven days a week and offers a wide selection of signature cakes, pastries, pies, cookies, as well as light lunches and specialty beverages for eat-in or take-out. 

They also have a lot of cute greeting cards, gourmet candy and chocolates for sale at the café.

Bar Fancy

Bar Fancy (@BarFancyTO) is not fancy. It never was and it never will be. The one-month old snack bar on 1070 Queen St. W. may have a lavish gold facade but I beg you, don't let that metallic glow or its name fool you. Am I being too harsh? Not one bit. Actually, owners and chefs Jonathan Poon (@J6poonTo) and Jesse Fader want Bar Fancy to be anything but fancy. They serve fun and tasty snacks with cheap drinks at the new neighbourhood bar.

Forget trying to find a door at the front. Instead, walk through the left alleyway (you can't miss the bright neon tiger sign) and the second door on your right is where you're supposed to be. 

Continuing with the ironically "not-at-all-fancy" theme, the interior of Bar Fancy is pretty cozy with warm woods, candlelight and splashes of stainless steel. There's no gold in here! It's a laid-back place with mellow vibe. Take a look at that teeny tiny kitchen.

There are a few reds and whites by the glass, each priced at $11 for a 5-oz pour, and several beers. No cocktail menu though - if you want something just ask. The first time there I had a glass of white and an Old Fashioned, the second time I opted for beer.

Dieu du Ciel! Rosée D'hibiscus

With Poon still in the Chantecler kitchen (he is the chef and co-owner of the successful Parkdale restaurant) Fader runs a one-man show at Bar Fancy (Fader was sous chef at Chantecler). The short snack menu at Bar Fancy is comprised of classic bar snacks as well as several new creations (we were told that more plates will be added as things settle in). Except for the ribeye, I've tried everything on the menu during my two visits: 

1/2 DOZEN OYSTERS ($16)

Easy & Delicious Jammin' Recipes

Have you ever thought of using jam as more than a condiment? More than just a spread on bread? Sure, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will forever be awesome but, for one reason or another, many people fail to realize that jam is also a fabulous ingredient in many recipes! I felt particularly inventive over the weekend and experimented with different flavours of jams, pairing them with foods to create some pretty tasty recipes. Take a look :)

PEACH, PROSCIUTTO AND BRIE GRILLED CHEESE

This super easy grilled cheese is hard to beat. It is simple and quick enough for weekday lunch yet can also pass for the dinner table. I love the addition of the peach jam since it serves as a "glue" between the sweet, creamy Brie and the savoury prosciutto. I made this tasty grilled cheese on Saturday for lunch.

Ingredients

2 slices of bread

1 tbsp of melted unsalted butter

2 oz Brie, thinly sliced

2 tbsp of peach jam

2 oz prosciutto

Heat a large pan over medium-heat. Brush half of the melted butter on one slice of the bread, and lay it down on your prep area, butter-side down. Spread 1 tbsp of jam onto both slices of bread, then layer on the cheese and the prosciutto. Place sandwich in the warm pan butter-side down, and press down every now and then while it cooks. Brush the rest of the butter on the top of slice first before flipping the sandwich. Grill on each side for about 3 minutes each, or until the bread has thoroughly crisped and the cheese has started to melt. Makes one sandwich.

STRAWBERRY BANANA YOGURT SMOOTHIE

If you love strawberries and bananas, you will be delighted with this smoothie. Not only does it taste like dessert it is also extremely healthy. Loaded with calcium, potassium and vitamin C, this perfect combination of fruit and dairy is a guarantee hit in the summer. This glass of cold, refreshing smoothie was exactly what I needed after spending an entire day of running errands.

Ingredients

2 tbsp of plain yogurt

2 tbsp of strawberry jam

1/2 ripe banana (peeled)

1 cup of milk

3 or 4 ice cubes

In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth and frothy. Makes one large smoothie.

ORANGE MARMALADE CRESCENT ROLLS

Whether you're hosting a casual get-together at home or preparing an after-school snack for the kids, everyone will love these delicious and fluffy orange marmalade crescent rolls. With only two ingredients there's really no excuse not to make them! Served warm, I had these light crescent rolls for breakfast Sunday morning with a bowl of cereal. 

Ingredients

1 tbsp of orange marmalade

1 (4 oz.) package of refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll crescent roll dough into 8 triangles and spread orange marmalade onto each triangle. Roll up each loosely, starting at shortest side of triangle, rolling to opposite point and curving each into crescent shape. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Makes 8 crescent rolls.

Smucker’s Pairings are a simple, easy way to create delicious food combinations with jam and other ingredients, designed help you discover how flavours mingle together for mouthwatering results. Each pairing has 5 ingredients or less, and is ready in less than 15 minutes. Because with a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good. For specific information on our jam flavours and varieties, please visit www.smuckers.ca 

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Smucker’s Foods of Canada via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Smucker’s Foods of Canada. 

London Calling High Tea at Shangri-La

Executive Pastry Chef Nicholas Patterson from soon-to-open Shangri-La at The Shard in London made a guest appearance at Shangri-La Toronto last week (Twitter: @ShangriLaTO, Facebook: Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto). Known for his wealth of patisserie experience and accolades, chef Patterson brought to Toronto - all the way from the U.K. -  his best selection of signature pastries. Chef Patterson's London Calling High Tea menu (#londoncallingslto), which debuted on January 13th at the hotel's Lobby Lounge, is priced at $40 per person and is served daily from 2pm to 5pm. And don't worry everybody - this High Tea menu will continue to be offered well after the chef Patterson's departure on the 19th.

Named ‘UK Pastry Chef of the Year’ at the Craft Guild of Chefs’ awards in 2008, chef Patterson - prior to joining Shangri-La - was most recently head pastry chef at Claridge’s, where he created some of London’s most eye-catching edible gift items and awarded the Tea Guild’s ‘Best London Afternoon Tea’ in 2006 and 2011. He also spent two years between Paris and Tokyo as Chef De Poste with the renowned French Pastry Chef, Pierre Hermé. 

Shangri-La's 90-seat Lobby Lounge.

The Lobby Lounge is very spacious. It still manages to be very cozy though with all the leather sofas and chairs, and of course that incredible fireplace. I also love the natural light coming in through those large floor-to-ceiling windows.

 Large statement paintings and sculptures can be found throughout the lounge.

Home of the Brave

Welcome to Home of the Brave, an all-American diner brought to you by the La Carnita folks Andrew Richmond (owner) and chefs Jonathon Hamilton and Nate Middleton. Nestled above Lou Dawgs on 589 King St. West, Home of the Brave dishes out classic American cuisine that "feels different, but also feels like home". In less than a month since the second-floor restaurant opened, Home of the Brave has already become quite the popular spot in the neighbourhood. With modernized American comfort food, creative cocktails and the motto JOIN OR DIE, it appears that Torontonians are happily joining in on the good eats at the new diner.

I went for an early dinner at Home of the Brave (Twitter: @theHOTB, Instagram: @thehotb) last Friday with three friends. Since the restaurant only takes reservations for more than 10 people, we thought it's wise to go earlier than later. We arrived at 6pm and snagged one of the large orange booths on the side.

The bar at Home of the Brave features spiked slushies and root beer on tap, as well as a rotating selection of Guest Book cocktails imported from some of America’s finest cocktail creators.

SUMMER IN SAKON ($12)

Thai spiced vodka, pineapple, ginger beer, lime (that's a bottle of water beside the cocktail)

Crush Wine Bar's Sandwich Showdown

For this entire week, Crush Wine Bar (Twitter: @CrushWineBarTO, Facebook: Crush Wine Bar Toronto) is hosting "Sandwich Showdown" (#sandwichshowdown) in which their chefs compete each day for a chance to be featured on Crush Wine Bar's upcoming lunch menu. 

Below is the schedule for the sandwiches that Crush will be featuring each day:

Monday, June 24th

Jonny's California Club vs. Taylor's Tuna Tartin

Tuesday, June 25th

Kain's Halibut Club vs. Clarky's Prosciutto Swiss

Wednesday, June 26th

Ricky's Fancy Fried Egg vs. Raven's Fried Chicken Club

Thursday, June 27th

Edgar's Porchetta vs. Paddy's Slow-braised Chicken

Friday, June 28th

Ian's Lamb Meatball Sub vs. Kain's Kimchi Reuben

So what's in it for you? Well when you visit Crush from 12PM - 2PM this week, you get to try BOTH sandwiches for just $8.50 (what a steal!) and then vote for your favourite. Crush Wine Bar will even give you $5 off your next visit. 

The Crush gang looking fierce

I'll be there on Wednesday to check out Ricky's Fancy Fried Egg Sandwich and Raven's Fried Chicken Club. Will I see you there? :)

Note: please call Crush Wine Bar @ 416.977.1234 to make reservations.

Sunday Brunch at Splendido

I remember taking my parents to Splendido (Twitter: @Splendido_TO, Facebook: Splendido Restaurant) for Mother's Day brunch last year, which was the one and only day of the year that the Harbord landmark restaurant serves the mid-morning meal. However, that all changed a month ago when Splendido started its first ever regular brunch service in its 23-year history. From 11am-2pm, you can now indulge in Splendido's two-course brunch, dubbed "The Spread", every Sunday for $35. And if you want to do it up in style, the restaurant also offers large-format communal dishes catered for larger groups for pre-order, such as whole roasted lobes of foie gras with fresh brioche, seafood platters, caviar service and whole sides of house-smoked trout, etc., that will guarantee to tickle your fancy and enrich your favourite Sunday pastime. Oh yes, those who decide to splurge on a bottle of champagne can even put on a show and sabre it at the front of the restaurant ;)

My friends and I ordered a couple of cocktails to start.

MILANO SUNRISE - Tanqueray, Aperol & Fresh Grapefruit Juice ($12)

RUDE AWAKENING - El Jimador Tequila, Averna, Punt e Mes, Khalua, Espresso ($12)

The following assortment of pastries, charcuterie, cheeses were shared amongst the four of us:

Croissant, Scone, Country Bread

Butter, Preserves, Whipped Cream Cheese, Farmhouse Cheese, Cured Ham, Potted Parfait, Terrine & Pickles

Recipe For Change 2013

FoodShare Toronto (Twitter: @FoodShareTO, Facebook: FoodShare Toronto) is Canada’s largest community food security organization. Founded in 1985, FoodShare works with communities to improve access to healthy, affordable, sustainably-produced food through community-based programs and policy recommendations, with a vision of Good Healthy Food for everybody. FoodShare's programs, which reach over 155,000 children and adults per month in the City of Toronto, include fresh produce sourcing and sales, childhood nutrition, hands-on food education from junior kindergarten to grade 12, a healthy school cafeteria model, gardening, composting, cooking, and urban agriculture. 

FoodShare’s annual Recipe for Change event, presented by GE Cafe Appliances, is a celebration of food as well as supporting FoodShare's work. This dining event raises funds to teach school aged children how to cook, grow food, compost and more. It also raises needed consciousness as to why teaching children these skills are important, in that they can become food conscious, competent and literate. 

Thanks to Mary Luz Mejia of Sizzling Communications, I was invited to Recipe for Change last night, which took place at the historic St. Lawrence market. The event consisted of 30 chefs, 30 VQA wines and 9 local beers. All the chefs created plates that showcased their own creative vision, combining foods and flavours to form a small meal.

Here is a recap of what I had last night.

Hooked: Cooke's Cove, PEI, and Leslie Hardy & Sons oysters - Served with house made horseradish, Ontario Riesling mignonette, Hooked hot sauce and fresh lemon

Chococrepe: Savoury pulled pork mini crepes and vegetarian mini crepes.

Momofuku: Momofuku brisket on a steamed bun with mustard, cabbage, and horseradish

FRANK at the AGO: Vegan fava puree with sunchokes and winter vegetables

Palais Royale: Rosemary smoked duck breast served with a mousse of duck confit, and a blueberry and raw chocolate coulis

George Brown Chef School: Savoury bread pudding with seasonal root vegetables and house made pickles

Fidel Gastro: PeKing Elvis sandwich  a butter grilled pita featuring spicy orange duck meat, green onion and the King's secret sauce

Mildred's Temple Kitchen (Winterlicious)

Unexpected lunch dates are the best, especially on those mundane days where I fully anticipated working in front of the computer all day for 8 hours straight. Then suddenly, out of the blue, my friend texted me asking me if I'm free for lunch. That in itself is nothing out of the ordinary but get this, my friend was willing to come all the way down (up?) to Liberty Village and have lunch with me here, in Liberty Village. This is amazing because this is rare, guys. RARE. And this is not because I have no friends (man I certainly hope that's not the case) but it's all about location, location, LOCATION.

Despite being a terrific neighbourhood (I often associate Liberty Village to a lovely and serene campus) and a very up-and-coming area with tons of condo development, a lot of people think Liberty Village is "out of the of way" and  "too far". You know, just because it's not the downtown core, nor the financial district, nor Ossington, nor King/Queen & Spadina...you get what I'm saying. Meh, I guess it's kinda true. After all, none of my friends work in Liberty Village! So anyway, deprived of a regular lunch buddy, I jumped at the chance yesterday when my friend offered to drop by for lunch :)

I decided we should hit up Mildred's Temple Kitchen (Twitter: @mildredstemple, Facebook: Mildred's Temple Kitchen) for their Winterlicious lunch (Twitter: @LiciousTO, Facebook: Winter/Summerlicious). I'm gonna admit it right now; what really caught my eye on Mildred's Temple Kitchen's Winterlicious menu was their sticky toffee pudding. I'm a huge sucker for those things.

I was a few minutes early for my reservation so I lounged at the waiting area by the bar. So roomy and comfortable there.

A large and gorgeous space with floor-to-ceiling windows allows a good amount of natural light into the restaurant. The decor at Mildred's Temple Kitchen is contemporary, simple and very modern.