Meet "P.J.O'Brien"

If you can see my face in the picture how red it is, cause it was right after the yoga session.. I left the class and was starving, so I thought why not trying P. J. O’Brien, which is right under the yoga centre on 39 Colborne Street (Behind the King Edward Hotel).

I heard before about this super famous authentic Irish pub, known for an after-work bite and a beer, authentic live Irish music, business parties and great beer, so I thought it was the right opportunity to give it a try.

I couldn’t wait for the waiter to give me the menu and take my order, and of course after the class I felt I should go for something healthy, so I ordered the Grilled Salmon with vegetables..

The place was quite busy and it was clear that most people there were taking their business break or having business lunch, and the staff were vey friendly and on top of their game.

My dish was fantastic, I enjoyed every bite, the Salmon was well cooked and very juicy.. I will definitely have it again.. And I will return to P.J. O’Brien for another great meal but this time for few beers as well.

Meet "Da Silva"

Ok.. Time for a bit of drama..
It was February 14, Valentine's day.. I was enjoying a walk alone in Montreal, taking pictures, especially of the beautiful graffitis on St Catherine street and St Laurent street, it was around lunch time, and I felt Like have a bite, so passed cross this little restaurant, looked from the window and was attracted but the charming interior, it was a Portuguese restaurant.. Da Silva, Grillades Portugaises..

They had at the door a poster with a special offer that day for couples.. And here I had this dramatic look on my face.. What about the single people like me? But still I walked in and ordered a grilled salmon with rice and vegetables.. It was great.. And the ambiance was super cosy and warm and the staff very friendly..

I enjoyed my meal, payed and left wishing that next year I won't be alone, so if I'm in Montreal I'll be definitely going again to this restaurant but at least I can get their special Valentine's deal :)

Joke aside, if you're in Montreal and feel like having Portuguese grills, give Da Silva a shot, I'm sure you'll enjoy it the way I did.

Meet "Angelica"

Up to Summer 2011, I was always afraid to try Thai food as I'm not a big fan of spicy food and in general Thai food is known to be very spicy.. Until I went in August 2011 to Bangkok for a TV  commercial shoot and my colleagues started pushing me to try, and they made sure to ask for the mildest version possible.. And I realized that I didn't need all this fear and that Thai cuisine has a lot to offer for people like me who can't handle spices.. And since then I became a big fan of Thai food, of course by knowing what I can pick and always asking for the level of spiciness of the dish if it's not clearly mentioned on the menu.

In a cold evening I went to Sukhothai restaurant on 52 Wellington Street E, alone, after I've been to it with my friend Maz, and I liked the food a lot so decided to go again..

Even though I can be boring when it comes to food and when I like something I stick to it, but at SukhoThai, I tried many things so far and all of them are real flavorful and so tasty..
Starting with the mango salad, to the creamy coconut and chicken soup Tom Khai Gai, and from the main the two curries, Gaeng Kiaw Wan and Gaeng Masaman.. Each dish is better than the other and the ideas is to go with friends and order different dishes and share to be able to try their wonderful different flavors..

Angelica was the waitress who took my order and was so kind and reassured me that what I ordered can come very mild , and after serving the food she kept checking if I'm, if I liked it and if I like anything else.. And here of course she recommend the dessert and I didn't say no :)

We took a picture with the daughter of the owner and I left thanking her for a great food and a very nice Thai experience, and I know for a fact that I'm hooked to SukhoThai and will be going often, so who's in?

Reading more about the restaurant on their website, here is the interesting story of how SukhoThai started as told by its owner Ving Rhames:

"IT ALL STARTED ON AN ELEPHANT (hence the logo). That's where I met the girl of my dreams. I was backpacking in jungles of Northern Thailand. One special day had me as the comfort of a terrified stranger on an elephant ride.  After making Nuit's acquaintance I found her to be a kind, hard working nurse at the local hospital and, wow, could she cook! The flavours that came out of her little kitchen was extraordinary.
Fast forward a couple of years and we open a cozy little restaurant in Pai, Thailand, called the Curry Shack. Nuit would come in to cook dinner every night after her shift at the hospital.  Everything was prepared to the finest detail as she infused her meticulous nursing habits and knowledge of health to her cooking, creating her own unique style.  It was a hit with the frequent travelers as well as the Thai locals.  People just couldn't help but notice the enthusiasm of the local nurse who finally got the chance to showcase her other skills.
PLUS THE FOOD WAS JUST AWESOME!
I finally snatched her off the 'singles' list in 2004 and Nuit came with me back to Canada.  By 2008, with the much needed help from family and true friends, we opened Sukhothai.  Our goal was simple:  Make real Thai food.
Blessed with a talented and hard working staff, who share that passion to make great food, Sukhothai invites you to experience a taste of Thailand.
Yeah… that’s Ving Rhames!"

Meet "Julie's Snack Bar"

This was my first time trying Cuban food, my friend Maz who' s been there before recommended we go have dinner at Julie's snack bar, the Cuban restaurant at 202 Dovercourt Road, Toronto.. I had to say, I now am a fan of Cuban food.

The atmosphere was wonderful. It was homey and friendly, and it felt like you were in someone's house while the host was cooking your food. I even liked the bathroom downstairs was super cute.

We started off with the tapas. They were all amazing, especially the plantains. We shared couple of entrees and they were extremely flavorful and full of interesting spices (even though we asked for mild versions as I m not a spice fan) and to ended we had to try the Tres Leches dessert which was a bit of disappointment and not as good as the Tres Leches at tried couple of times at a Mexican restaurant..

Julie's snack bar opened in 1954 and used to be a convenience store of sort. She (Julie) eventually even started selling fresh made sandwiches. After Julie passed away, her daughter Syvlia took over. Her and her Cuban husband turned the place into a mini homestead Cuban restaurant.

The place is warm, inviting and ambient. The setting inside with the shelves and the decoration and the different Cuban items are beautiful and super charming..The servers are unbelievably personable.

If you visit Julie's, expect a warm inviting, almost romantic atmosphere. Order a few drinks and a few tapas.. Then you'll have an amazing time and you'll get the charm of Julie's.

Meet "Chloe"

So far I found people in Canada being friendly and respectful, and meeting Chloe just confirmed that, but she wasn't just friendly, she was funny, and made us feel like we're her guests and she's taking full care of us and engaging with us in a very nice conversation..

I went with my cousins to Bayshore shopping center at 417 & Richmond Road, Ottawa, and after an hour touring there, we felt like having lunch, so my cousin Rania recommended we eat at Moxie's Classic Grill and Chloe was the waitress taking care of our order and our table.. My cousin Riman can't eat anything with heist, sugar or gluten so Chloe helped her and was patient enough explaining every single item on the menu and what she can or can't have or what is good or less good (yes she was that honest).

I told Chloe I'll have the braised ribs burger with caramelized onions and mushrooms and very spontaneously she replied: yeah you're so having it.. It's amazing.. And she was right the burger was so good, and I couldn't wait to start eating, and only at the end I remembered that I forgot to take a picture..

Chloe continued passing every now and then checking if all is going good, and sharing with us a story about her and her husband and her favorite food cooked fresh like the macaroni with cheese and the Pillsbury croissant.. And she ended it by recommending the cheesecake with pecan pie which was super good.

After paying the bill, we thanked Chloe for her super welcoming, warm and spontaneous attitude and hoped to meet her again in my next visit to Ottawa.

Meet "St. Lawrence Market"

What a beautiful vibrant place full of life that brought to me lots of good memories and childhood stories, and made me nostalgic for a very old souk in my home town Zahle.. and couldn’t agree more with National Geographic by calling it “The No 1 food market in the world”..

After moving to King Street, St Lawrence Market was one of the places that I was looking forward to visit as I heard a lot about it, and heard that there is much to see, taste and discover.

And here is a short description of the Market*:

The South Market

The main and lower levels of the South Market contain over 120 specialty vendors, known for the variety and freshness of their fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, grains, baked goods and dairy products, as well as for the uniqueness of the non-food items for sale.

The second floor of the South Market is home to the Market Gallery, an exhibition space for the City of Toronto's Cultural Services.

The North Market

The North Market is primarily known for its Saturday Farmers' Market, and on Sundays, over 80 antique dealers fill the North Market and the surrounding plaza, displaying their wares from dawn to 5 p.m..


St. Lawrence Hall

St. Lawrence Hall, built in 1850, today houses retail businesses on the ground floor and City offices on the second floor. The third floor, restored in 1967 as the City of Toronto's Centennial project contains the Great Hall which, with the ancillary rooms, is available for rental for weddings and other special events.

_* reference from www.stlawrencemarket.com

I felt really overwhelmed , by the authenticity of the market and so many yummi stuff and didn’t know what to pick for a bite and then decided to go with a delicious Italian sandwich with chicken, fried eggplant, mushrooms, onions and parmesan cheese.. and then had a fresh vegetables fruits.. and before leaving picked some fruits to take home..

On top of the fresh and yummi food, I liked the vibe of the market, the people, the energy, it felt really good and I was sure I’ll be visiting often.

Meet "Doris"

Walking in St Clair, it was 11:20 in the morning, but I don't know why I felt starving, so I spotted a Chinese restaurant, Kwan, Dim Sum & Chinese cuisine.. that at least the interior looked nice to me and decided to have a bite there.. I was freezing outside and had to wait 10 min for them to open so I was their first costumer for the day..

Doris was the waitress that welcomed me and asked me to sit wherever I feel like.. The place was still empty.. So it felt nice to get all the attention.. She gave the menu and helped me to pick some nice stuff she recommended.. She was so friendly to a point I almost felt like I m not having lunch alone, but rather with a good friend.. she's born and raised in Canada and started working at Kwan 2 month ago since the opening of the restaurant, as it seems that place was a French restaurant for years and years and it's only few month ago that someone bought it and turned it to a Chinese one.

The food was delicious and felt full but couldn't resist her best recommendation.. the dessert, the tiny Bees with Almond.. I m sure she knew I have a sweet tooth.

Thank you Doris for this enjoyable experience and for sure I' ll be back to indulge in more yummi food and charming smiles.