Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill (Tasting Menu)

It was Andrew's @_aneb birthday dinner and he organize a tasting at Oliver & Banacini Cafe Grill (@Oliver_Bonacini) with Chef Markus Bestig @ChefBestig who was given free rein of the menu (^_^) It was a Birthday dinner but it look like a foodie event as well with all us food bloggers; Mary @citrusblack, Justine @foodigatorJ & Carmen @carmenhungry .

We were given a round table right by the kitchen door, so we were smelling all sort of deliciousness whole night long :) It's my first time at this location and i really like their decor and they have a rather big patio (should come back for brunch). Oh and remember parking is available for $2 after 5:30pm upon validation at their underground parking.

Cateye?!?

You may have notice that I have been posting outfit post less and less, there's mainly 2 reason #1 It's been so hot that haven't been wearing anything special #2 Have gain so much wait due to the food part of this blog that I'm really not looking my best =P

This a a dress that I got from Old Navy more than 5years ago for $10 but it's just such a simple basic that I keep going back to and I actually have one in grey (^_^)

Just love my new Prada sunnies, waited for so long to get it but it's all worth the $$

Outfit Details :

  Necklace - H&M; Dress - Old Navy; Bag - Danier; Flip Flop - Juicy Couture; 

Sunglasses - Prada

Starfish

We (as in me, Andrew @_aneb and Mary @citrusblack) had a sudden craving for oyster and Andrew suggested we head to Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill (@StarfishOyster)  for some major oyster time :)

We were seated at the bar right in front of Patrick (@ShuckerPaddy), just look at all his titles :

5 times Ontario Champion

4 times Canadian Champion

2004 North American Champ

2002 World Champ

2 times Fastest at Worlds

Guiness Book Record ~ 38 Oysters opened in one minutes

nota bene

 Many people are surprise that I have never been to Nota Bene (@NotaBeneToronto) but apparently I am not the only one, Amy (@lu_amy7) haven't either so we decided to take advantage of the Dinning Date Night deal $10 for 30% off entire bill including alcohol (it's FREE to join)

We arrive about an hour early since we were so hungry and couldn't wait for our resevation time, so they suggested us to sit at the lounge area instead of the dinning room which we were fine since it was much brighter which is a lot better for picture taking =P

They carry my fave local winery : Megalomaniac

Crispy Duck Salad $15

~ Sumac-Dusted Green Papaya Slaw, Cashews

Frankly there was more coriender than the papaya slaw but the duck was definetly crispy and flavorful

and love the addeded touch of the chopstick (Asian style, which sort of justified the large amount of corriander I guess)

The Black Hoof

I have been a big fan of The Black Hoof (@TheBlackHoof) since it first open but I have never found time to go back until recently and I actually have never blog about it (>_<)

The Black Hoof have been able to keep it's popularity since it first open and with the no reservation policy, I would recommend to go early in order to avoid long wait since it's a pretty small space :)

 That small corner by the bar is their kitchen; and it's pretty impressive how they use only  a standard electric 4 burner household range and been able to throw out all these yummy dishes.

In the middle is the head chef, Brandon Olsen (@King_of_Ginger)

Simple menu with a group of 4 or more, you could probably order everything from the menu.

Too bad the 2 of us was still a bit full from our late lunch, so we didn't order much :(

 Moulin Rouge $14

~ gin, lillet rouge & blanc, blood orange, orange bitters

Bread $2

~ Thuet bread are always so good

Kampai Toronto Sake Festival

Kampai Toronto which took place on May 31, 2012 was the largest sake event ever taken place in Canada. Since Ben (aka the bf) is a big sake fan, I bought tickets for us as soon as I heard about it as a belated anniversary gift (he was on a work trip for 5 weeks). As per their advertisement, there was over 100 types of sake to try but frankly I don't think there was as much which was ok since we arrive later than expected due to work.

Frankly I like sake but not as huge a fan as the boyfriend but we have been trying to taste as much as possible since we met 4 years ago.... I won't pretend to be an expert and same as wine, I always though that you should drink what you like, everyone have different taste and preference so why judge by region, year or price.

But here are some of the most common sake styles that you'll normally find/hear :

Genshu ~ Undiluted Sake which is bolder in flavor w/ higher alcohol content

Nama ~ Unpasteurized sake

Nigori ~ Unfiltered or "cloudy" sake which has more texture and creamy on palate

Tokubetsu ~ "Special" sake. Brewers typically use this to make a Tokubetsu Honjozo or Tokubetsu Junmai. Usually there's a higher milling rate or a special process being use.

And sake are graded from low to high as follow :

Futsu, Honjozo, Junmai, Ginjo & Daiginjo

 Here are a few that have been my favorite for years  (^_^)

Wakatake Onikoroshi "Demon Slayer" Dai Ginjo & Ginjo

(Agent: Ozawa Canada and they are conveniently located next to where I work)

Hakkaisan "Eight Peaks Sake" Honjozo & Tokubetsu Junmai

(Agent: Ozawa Canada)
.

Somewhere in the middle of the event, I pass the camera to Ben and he just manage to not take any picture since someone was too busy sampling :(

And he didn't take a picture of one of my all time fave, the Southern Beauty (the below was taken by Instagram, hence the quality).

Nanbubjin "Southern Beauty Super Premium" Junmai Dai Ginjo Sake (shown in below pic)
& Nanbubijin "Southern Beautykubetsu Junmai Ginjo (n/a pic)
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Butter Avenue

I have finally been able to made my way to Butter Avenue (@butteravenue) last month. It has been open since December but I just happen not to be in that area since then... I arrive on a Sunday afternoon which was Mother`s Day and was surprise to find the store empty (no customer) and the store was so hot with the sun blazing in, we didn`t feel like staying at all. I find the lcation a tad unconvinent since parking is not allow at the front, so no dropping by for a quick buy (>_<)

Butter Avenue have a very clean, simple, bright and spacious space which is really the norm for "macarons" places these days. In my opinion, it was a tad too simple, just plain white space all over.