Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Starving Artist [Brunch / Waffle Cafe]

 I have been meaning to try Starving Artist  (@Starving4waffle) famous waffles for a while and finally was in the area of it's original location this past weekend.
 The weather was so nice that it was perfect to hang out on the patio and saw the waffles from the next table, it looks delicious. Unfortunately apart from the mango-banana smoothie we order came right away, we waited for more than 45 minutes for our order.... I assume they missed our order and they apologize for orders being backed up.


B.Benny Until 4PM Waffles $14
~ 2 potato waffles topped w/ poached eggs, caramelized bacon & hollandaise sauce
Love the potato pancakes that goes so well with the hollandaise and egg,  although the poached egg was a bit overcooked (no runny yolk here).


B.L.T Between Waffles $11
~ bacon, lettuce, tomato & secret sauce + $2 egg
Love these super crispy yeasted waffle and although they are super light, I am surprise how well it hold up all the fillings especially with the added egg. 


Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Bar Begonia [French]

We went to Bar Begonia (@barbegonia) for our Anniversary dinner back in April and it didn't disappoint just like all the other restaurants by Anthony Rose. Everything was perfect from the space, service, drinks to food.









Since they do not take reservation, we decided on an early Sunday dinner at 5:30pm, it was pretty empty when we got there but the place filled up within an hour. 


Sonambula $14
~ jalapeno infused blanco tequila, lemon, chamomile, peychaud's, mole bitters
Started with a cocktail and it does pack some heat which I love

Picon Biere $6


Gougeres $6
Best way to start off the meal, who doesn't love cheese puffs


Hot Black Coffee

Finally a coffee shop at Queen Street West near Osgoode Station apart from the standard Starbucks where I can get a good cup of coffee before shopping.

Hot Black Coffee (instagram: @hotblack_coffee) is pretty innocative, it's deck out with a modbar espresso system that I don't think I've ever seen in Toronto.







The space it strip almost bare from the previous stationary shop which gave the space a minimalist open concept space with a over-sized communal table at the front and the added fun from the copper melted bubble pendant lighting.


Isn't the modbar slick looking !
Everything is hidden under-counter which gave the simple and open look. 


Special HotBlack blend beans from Detour Coffee, no wonder their espresso was perfect.
We tried their Cappuccino & Cortado, they were both very smooth.


Hot Black Coffee Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Monday, May 23, 2016

Pure Leaf Unsweetened Tea #TweakYourTea [Product/Recipes]


To celebrate the launch of Pure Leaf (Instagram: @pureleafcanada) unsweetened portfolio, I was asked to be part of their #TweakYourTea campaign where I had to create my own perfect Pure Leaf Tea combination with my own personal style.

 Pure Leaf is brewed from real tea leaves picked at their freshest to deliver a genuine tea experience. The Unsweetened Portfolio has 0 sugar, 0 artificial sweeteners and 0 calories.

I love creating my own simple cocktails during summer time and this was the perfect challenge for me. Plus being a tea lover, I usually brewed my own ice tea at home since I find the usual bottle/can ready made version out there to be too sweet to my taste but Pure Leaf tasted nothing like them.

Cucumber Mint Lemon Tea
 Ingredients: Cucumber / Fresh Mint Leaves / Honey / Ginger (optional) / Unsweetened Lemon Pure Leaf Tea / Egg White (optional) / Sake (optional)
Cucumber and Mint have always been two of my favorite summer flavors, I especially love infusing water or teas with it, there's nothing more refreshing on a hot day.
Here I muddles the mint leaves, cucumber and ginger before adding the rest of the ingredients to a shaker with ice but if you have time I would suggest to infused the tea with the cucumber and mint overnight in the fridge to incorporate the flavor more subtly without overpowering the tea flavor and also a clearer looking drink. 


Basil Balsamic Strawberry Black Tea Cocktail
 Ingredients: Strawberry / Fresh Basil Leaves / Balsamic Vinegar / Maple Syrup (optional) / Unsweetened Pure Leaf Black Tea / Tequila (optional)
Muddle the strawberries and basil leaves (tear it up to get extra flavor) directly in your shaker, add the balsamic with a light hand since you don't want your drink to taste like a salad dressing. Add the tea, tequila and ice to the shaker, shake, taste (add maple syrup or more balsamic as needed), use a fine mesh strainer when poured into glass and garnish with slice of strawberry and basil.


Thursday, April 21, 2016

Old Flame Brewing Co. [Beer - Port Perry]

With the nice weather this past weekend, we couldn't resit going on a mini road trip again and to Port Perry this time for a visit to Old Flame Brewing Co. (@oldflamebrewery)












Love the rustic garage / barn feel here with a garage door that opens up to the patio.


Love the live band playing!!! At Old Flame, they always have different bad featured and with a large tasting room and patio, it was fun hanging out on this sunny Saturday.



Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Vineland Estate Winery Restaurant [20 Valley]

Went to Vineland Estate Winery Restaurant (@VinelandEstates) this past Easter Weekend for lunch and they were having their Spring Fling 3-course prix fixe menu for only $25pp. Their menu changes regularly depending on the what's seasonal and fresh.







The view and atmosphere is so breath taking no matter the season or weather at all the Wineries in Ontario that I've been, I am always surprise when someone from Toronto told me that they have never been to a winery in Ontario, they are definitely missing out.  That's the best vacation you can give yourself over a weekend, so relaxing and it just make me so happy each time (I swear it's not the alcohol talking)


East Coast Mussels
~ Mustard, Baby Fennel, Green Apple, Riesling
Love the presentation of the mussels, it's like a mini DIY project in itself (^_<) and it was so tasty, especially love the pop of texture and flavors of the mustard seeds.


Soup of the Day
Love the salty spicy chorizo and the tangy pesto with the creamy soup.


Nails ~ Dry Brushing


Dry Brushing is probably my favorite nail trend from last year, all you need is a few different color nail polish with no other tool needed.

Basically, you need to apply a base color (I like using white since it's like a blank canvas that you can create your own piece of art on) and dry brush random color on. Dry Brushing is basically try to get rid of as much polish as possible from your nail polish brush and paint on random stroke, the brush stroke/lines is what make this so cool. There's no right or wrong just like art and east to do!


Silver Base here with metallic fuchsia and blue.


Follow me on Instagram @kiki_bff  (#kikisbffnails) for all my DIY mani.


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