Morals Village Hot Pot ("德莊火鍋") in Markham

What's better than having hot pot at home with friends and family on a cold winter's night? Not much. I can picture it now. My dining table - overflowing with plates of thinly sliced marbled beef, plump shrimp, fish balls, dumplings, cubes of soft and fried tofu, spinach and noodles - all fighting for space amongst strainers, chopsticks, dipping sauces, jugs of prune juice and soya milk. And of course the star of the show - the generous pot of bubbling broth in the middle of the table - cooking all night long. Ah, yes.

Alright, maybe there is one thing better than having hot pot at home with friends and family on a cold winter's night, and that's having hot pot with friends and family on a cold winter's night at Morals Village Hot Pot (Instagram: @moralsvillagehotpot, Facebook: Morals Village Hot Pot). Morals Village, with close to 600 locations in China, is an all-you-can-eat ("AYCE") hot pot restaurant with a lot to offer. Guests can chose from 12 different kinds of soup bases and six dipping sauces to get started. As for food? Oh man, so many options. Meat lovers can choose from slices of rib eye beef, beef tongue, hand-rolled pork, pork kidney, New Zealand lamb shoulder, marinated beef / pork, and 10 varieties of meat balls (you can also pay $3 extra for AYCE certified Angus beef). For everything else there's tasty stuff like fresh cuttlefish, shrimps and mussels, 20+ different kinds of vegetables, 7 tofu options, various innards, noodles...and more.

If all that doesn't impress you maybe Morals Village's space will. Unlike a lot of the dingy hot pot places in the suburbs Morals Village's interior is modern, spacious, and clean. Check out these comfy booths which are great for small groups.

So in a nutshell, you can enjoy Morals Village's AYCE menu thoroughly without ever getting bored, but if you're feeling particularly fancy you can also order from their Chef's Recommendation menu. Paying a little extra gets you premium cuts like Wagyu short rib slices and Kagoshima pork slices, seafood offerings like tiger shrimps, Alaskan snow crab legs, fresh oyster, Japanese scallops and abalone. 

In terms of drinks, aside from cold soy milk, pop, and the usual sour prune drink (a staple beverage for hot pot) Morals Village also serves freshly squeezed kiwi juice, pear juice, wintermelon tea, lemon juice and watermelon juice. I immediately opted for the juices; I've hated that prune juice ever since I was a kid >< The juices were delicious and very refreshing, perfect for hot pot.

Sweet O'Clock - Taiwanese Dessert Shop in North York

If you love soft and chewy textures like mochi and tapioca and shudder at the thought of sickly sweet chocolate desserts, then Sweet O'Clock in North York may be your key to dessert heaven.

Specializing in Taiwanese desserts, Sweet O'Clock (Instagram: @sweetoclock.tor, Facebook: Sweet O'clock) is all about the shaved ice, milk teas, boba (or tapioca), grass jelly, red bean, and of course, mango - dare I say, every Asian's favourite fruit?! What Sweet O'Clock prides itself on, however, are their “freshly made, cooked and served” taro balls, herbal jelly and tofu pudding.

There is a lot to choose from at Sweet O'Clock, and I really do mean a lot. The dessert shop's menu is separated into the 10 categories: Hand-made Taro Ball, Herbal Jelly, Creama, Cold Desserts, Signature Tea, Special Mix Tea, Fresh Brewed Tea, Pudding, Traditional Tofu Pudding, and Fresh Fruit Slush. Customers can even choose from 19 different toppings as add-ons such as barley, taro, peanuts, and various flavoured jellies, beans and puddings.

TARO BLENDED ICE CREAMA ($5.5)

A real thick and tasty creama with lots of taro flavour. I loved it.

SWEET O'CLOCK SIGNATURE HERBAL JELLY ($6.9)

Herbal Jelly + Herbal Blended Ice + Taro Balls + Sweet Potato  Balls + Boba + Cream 

Seafood Brunch at Pearl Diver

Serving dinner seven days a week, lunch Monday to Friday, and Sunday brunch, Pearl Diver opened quietly this past summer on 100 Adelaide Street East. Although there wasn't too much buzz about the raw bar back then, the restaurant has been making a name for itself lately with its 100 oysters for $100 Thursday nights. Hmmmm I wonder how many oysters I can eat in one sitting? I feel the need to find out now. Right now.

While Pearl Diver (Twitter: @PearlDiverTO, Facebook: Pearl Diver) is a seafood-focused spot, their menu also offers numerous non-seafood items. The kitchen is headed by chefs Tom Malycha and Martin Zechel, who ensured that there's a balance of menu choices that appeal to both seafood lovers and meat lovers, with meat options like dry-aged beef burgers, PEI Rib Eyes, Ontario hanger steaks, and pork side ribs. I think this is fantastic because there were times when after indulging on a bunch of delicious oysters and clams at a seafood restaurant I found myself craving red meat - it's like my carnivorous side decided to suddenly emerge out of its shell right at that moment. It doesn't happen every single time but nevertheless, Pearl Diver gets a thumbs-up from me when it comes to that.

Not many of you may know but Pearl Diver has a sister restaurant in Beijing, China, called C Pearl. The eatery specializes in oysters and has been opened since Fall 2014.

I dropped by Pearl Diver for Sunday brunch and ordered my favourite brunch cocktail right away. This one has a clam garnish. Yum!

PD CAESAR ($14)

Dulse rimmed glass, fresh Horseradish & Quahaug clam

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!

New Winter Cocktails at The Keg Steakhouse + Bar

Contrary to what some of you may think I actually really like The Keg. I go there whenever I feel like having a tasty piece of steak. I go with friends and family for casual dinners and for special occasions. The thing I like the most about the steakhouse is that it is very consistent - it doesn't matter which location I go to I know I'll be served their warm house-made sourdough to start, that their French onion soup will be just as cheesy as the bowl I had last time, and that their twice-baked potato will always be my favourite side. I also know that with my steak I would be sipping on a decently-priced glass of wine in a nice, comfortable dining room, and I would leave content and full all without putting a big dent in my wallet. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for supporting independent restaurants but truth be told, there's nothing that can replace The Keg in my mind.

Anyway, you know how I mentioned I like having wine with my steak? Like most people? ;) Yea, although I love cocktails I always stick to wines at The Keg, this is because I've tried a few of their cocktails on several different occasions and they were all less than stellar. They were either too sweet, not boozy enough, or both. So, when The Keg invited me to their new King West location (Twitter: @TheKeg, Facebook: The Keg Steakhouse + Bar) for a cocktail tasting I was game. I was really curious to see whether their cocktails have improved 'cause in my opinion, there was really nowhere to go but up.

In celebration of the new season, The Keg has introduced 10 brand new cocktails and martinis. Between my friend and I, we tried five cocktails and one martini:

BOURBON MAPLE MARTINI (2oz, $11) - Woodford Reserve bourbon, maple syrup, fresh lemon and cranberry juice.

GINGER DARK AND STORMY (2oz, $11.5) - Gosling’s Black Seal rum, ginger syrup and fresh lime juice, simple syrup and a splash of ginger ale.

CRANBERRY MOJITO (2oz, $11.5) - Havana Club 3 Year Old rum, fresh lemon and lime juice, soda and muddled mint, cranberries and sugar.

CRANBERRY SMASH (1oz, $7.5) - Woodford Reserve bourbon, Chambord, Jägermeister, cranberry juice and simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and muddled cranberries.

KEG NEGRONI (3oz, $12) - Hendrick's gin, Aperol and sweet vermouth.

HONEY VANILLA MANHATTAN (3oz, $12) - Jack Daniel’s whisky, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey liqueur, red and white vermouth, Galliano and house-made drunken Bing cherries.

There's no question that The Keg has stepped up their cocktail game. You can now find pretty trendy cocktails and martinis there. One of my favourites was their spicy twist on the Dark and Stormy (made with fresh ginger) and albeit a bit sweet, I also enjoyed their Bourbon Maple Martini and their Cranberry Smash (I'm a bourbon girl). Both the classic Negroni and Honey Vanilla Manhattan seemed a lot boozier than I remembered ... which is, of course, a very good thing.

So. Much. Booze. NEED. FOOD!

Although I frequent The Keg I've never written about them. To be honest, I don't find writing about steaks particularly interesting which is why I've never blogged about The Keg, Ruth's Chris, Jacob's & Co., or Harbour Sixty. But I guess this is the perfect opportunity to do so! Because aside from the cocktails we also tried a new appetizer and a new cut of steak...

TUNA TARTARE ($15)

Sesame-soy seasoned Ahi served on fresh avocado

This was my first time having the tuna tartare at The Keg. Introduced in November 2014, the starter consists of well-seasoned ahi tuna cubes on a bed of smooth and creamy avocado served with crispy wonton chips.

Dairy Farmers of Canada's 2016 Milk Calendar

I know a lot of you love milk, and I do too! Containing up to 16 nutrients that are essential for health, milk is not only extremely good for you it's also very delicious. Come to think of it, I seriously cannot imagine my childhood without milk...cornflakes and milk, chocolate milk, warm cookies and milk. Even now, one of my favourite desserts is a glass of milk and warm chocolate chip cookies. So simple but so good, you know? Anyway, besides drinking milk though have you considered using it as an ingredient in cooking? If you're looking for different ways to incorporate milk into your cooking or baking, then please read on!

Featuring delicious food pairings, insightful cooking tips and share-worthy recipe variations, the 2016 Milk Calendar, presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, features 19 nutritious, easy-to-make recipes. Each of the 19 new recipes includes at least a cup of milk and can be ready in 45 minutes or less. Recipes include delicious and easy-to-make Pumpkin Granola Muffins, Homestyle Lemon Cauliflower Orecchiette and Family Night Pizza. Almost 2.5 million will be distributed in 2016!

The 2016 Milk Calendar is a time-honoured tradition. From the day that the very first calendar launched in 1974, the Milk Calendar was an instant hit with Canadian families. Originally printed on heavy paper and featuring eight recipes made with the goodness of milk, today’s Milk Calendar is printed on recycled paper from sustainable forestry operations and contains over twice as many recipes.

Thanks to Dairy Farmers of Canada I received a copy of the 2016 Milk Calendar as well as my very own Milk Calendar apron :) And because my birthday is in June they also sent me all the ingredients I need to make June's recipe, FRESH PESTO BEANS AND GREEN ORZO!

The FRESH PESTO BEANS AND GREEN ORZO recipe makes four servings. I decided to follow the recipe as is without reducing the measurements since I can always eat it for lunch the next day and give any extras to my friend.

FIGO

FIGO, offering Italian-inspired cuisine, is the newest restaurant to join the Icon Legacy Hospitality and INK Entertainment empire of restaurants including Byblos, Patria, NAO Steakhouse and Weslodge (Citta closed a few weeks ago). Located at the corner of Adelaide St. W. and John, FIGO (Twitter: @FigoToronto, Facebook: Figo) officially opened on Monday, November 2nd, and is serving lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday, with a lunch menu that offers puccia (oven-baked sandwiches) and a $19.95 three-course prix fixe.  Sunday brunch features classic brunch plates and an assortment of pastries.

The FIGO space is stylish and elegant, with an open kitchen at one end of the restaurant framed by a subway-tiled archway. The traditional wood-fired oven is for their pizzas and sandwiches.

A shot of FIGO's long dining room. This was taken from my table which was at the direct opposite end of the restaurant from the kitchen. Notice the beautiful hand-painted roses on the ceiling. I really like the interior at FIGO - the whites and pastels give a very contemporary and stylish feel to the restaurant, and it's very different compared to Byblos, Patria, and Weslodge, where darker shades dominate. The restaurant seats 13 people at the bar and 105 in total, with plans for an outdoor terrace in the summer with seating for 80.

FIGO's cocktail list includes shareable beverages, like this Punch Americano, a four-person cocktail served in a crystal decanter:

PUNCH AMERICANO ($15/ glass, $60/decanter)

Cocchi americano + cocchi rosa + bacardi superior + vino bianco + white cranberry + fresh lemon + peychauds + angostur

Nothing against Sangrias but it's nice have another shareable cocktail choice. This punch didn't seem boozy until five minutes in....that's when you will feel it :) 

FIGO's dinner menu is divided into eight sections: House Ricotta, Salads, Starters, Pizza, Pasta, Seafood, Meat, and Sides. Below is what I had for dinner last week at FIGO:

SEA BREAM CRUDO ($14)

Chili, basil 

With less than a handful of ingredients, the delicate sea bream was allowed to shine on its own. This plate was very light and fresh.

St. Lawrence Market's Evening at the Market 2015

St. Lawrence Market's Evening at the Market took place last Thursday, November 12, in support of FoodShare Toronto, a non-profit organization that works with communities and schools to deliver healthy food and food education. 

From 7pm to 10pm and $75 pp, guests enjoyed a culinary journey exploring and savouring all of the great menu items throughout the Upper and Lower levels of the historic South Market.

Evening at the Market also had special live entertainment such as the spectacular circus feats performed by artists from Zero Gravity Circus,

Amalia Leandro aka DJ Amalia spinning sets,

The Winners of the 2015 Gourmet Food & Wine Expo Giveaway are

@shelk
@robwong
@moi1975

Congratulations! You've all just won a pair of tickets to this year's Gourmet Food & Wine Expo VIP Preview Evening on Thurs, Nov 19 from 6pm - 10pm. Get ready to experience a sneak preview of the the 21st annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo amongst the city's most elite guests! Please email me at foodjunkiechronicles@gmail.com :)

And a big THANK YOU to the 113 contestants who participated in this contest! 

Here's a snapshot of the Excel spreadsheet where I tracked the #fjcgfwe hashtag from day one of the contest. The tracking was done using chronological order, as in, #1 was the first person to enter the contest. To enter, the person had to tweet "Win a pair of tickets to the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo VIP Preview Night from @foodieyu! http://bit.ly/1OBNcv3 @GFWE #gfwe #fjcgfwe". Each person could tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Once the contest was over and everybody's entries were accounted for, I checked to see if they follow me (@foodieyu) on Twitter. Below are the 198 valid entries:

.I used "True Random Number Generator" from random.org to pick three winners for me:

It's a Bao Time

It's a Bao Time opened its doors a week ago on Friday, November 6, at 230 Commerce Valley Drive in Markham. Serving steamed baos, banh mi sandwiches, tacos and fries, it's certainly a bao time that uptown gets their very own modern Asian street food joint (sorry I couldn't help it...too easy!) Being the keener that I am, my friend and I went to check out the place last Saturday for lunch.

 The 40-seat restaurant was quite empty when we dropped by; I wasn't surprised though since it was only their second day. Not only that It's a Bao Time mostly cater to the weekday lunch crowd - there are a lot of corporate offices nearby so it's an ideal spot for a quick grab-and-go lunch (in case you still have no clue as to its whereabouts It's a Bao Time basically took over part of the former Go For Tea space). Having said that, more and more people trickled in as we started eating.

The It's a Bao Time (Twitter: @itsabaotime, Instagram: @abaotime, Facebook: It's a Bao Time) menu is divided into three categories:

1) Bao - Steamed Chinese rice bun with daikon radish, carrots, cucumbers, and coriander;

2) Banh Mi - Demi French baguette with daikon radish, carrots, cucumbers and coriander; and

3) Taco - South American soft wrap with daikon radish, carrots, cucumbers and coriander

From there you can choose Pork Belly, Japanese Fried Chicken, Korean Beef Bulgolgi, Veggie, Grilled Chicken, Beef Brisket, Battered Fish or Duck Confit. All these options are available for the Baos but only selected ones are available for the Banh Mi and Tacos. It's a Bao Time offer three sides - french fries, kimchi bulgolgi fries, taro fries - and a selection of pop and bottled drinks. Feel free to click here to view the whole menu.

I always choose Boylan Sodas over regular pop ($2.50 ea).

Below is what happens when I want to try everything on the menu:

PORK BELLY BAO ($4.69)

Roasted pork belly, lettuce with hoisin mayo

2015 Gourmet Food & Wine Expo Giveaway - CLOSED

I'm giving away THREE PAIRS of tickets to this year's Gourmet Food & Wine Expo VIP Preview Evening on Thurs, Nov 19 from 6pm - 10pm. Each pair of tickets is valued at $90.

The 21st annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo offers more than 1,500 wines, beers, spirits and gourmet foods to choose from. Learn from the pros and meet the makers from some of the worlds best venues, brewers, vintners and distillers. 

VIP night admission offers a sneak preview amongst the city's most elite guests. VIP Admission includes:

• Exclusive sneak preview of the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo 

• Attend alongside major corporate sponsors, trade buyers and industry professionals

• Network with cities elite media and industry partners at this fabulous affair

• Be part of the opening celebration with dedicated enthusiasts and socialites

• Interact directly with winemakers, agents, restaurant owners, chefs and celebrity guests 

• Attend the Expo before the crowds attend over the weekend 

• Explore and learn about nearly every wine region from around the globe 

• Attend Celebrity and local chef demonstrations at the Gastropost Chef Stage 

• See talented local artist perform live on the Central Entertainment Area

• Sample from over 1500 premium international and award winning wines ($*)

• Limited quantities of reserve and vintage wines may be available on VIP evening only ($*)

• Sample cuisine from Toronto’s hottest chefs and restaurants ($*)

• Access to premium spirits and Toronto’s finest craft and micro breweries ($*)

• Preview the newest accessories and gift items for wine and culinary enthusiasts 

• Dress to impress!

• Must be 19+ to attend, and present a government issued photo I.D at the door, no infants or children are permitted

*Sample tickets required

HOW TO ENTER

1) You MUST be following me (@foodieyu) on Twitter

AND

2) Tweet the following sentence, exactly as shown, nothing before or after it: 

Win a pair of tickets to the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo VIP Preview Night from @foodieyu! http://bit.ly/1OBNcv3 @GFWE #gfwe #fjcgfwe

1. For your entry to be valid, you need to tweet the above sentence exactly as shown

2. You may tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Re-tweeting others do NOT count as a valid entry

3. Contest is tracked by the #fjcgfwe hashtag. If you don't see your tweet in the hashtag stream it means there is no entry from you. Read this to find out the possible reasons why your tweets are not showing up
4. The tickets are only valid for the VIP preview evening on Nov 19.

CONTEST DURATION

Contest starts on Tuesday, November 10 and ends on Tuesday, November 17 at 12PM. 

Three lucky winners will be chosen randomly from www.random.org and I will announce the winner shortly after.

GOOD LUCK!!! ^_^

The Winner of the Evening at the Market Tickets Giveaway is ...

@Jdkennedy54

Congratulations, Dan! You just won a pair of tickets to Evening at the Market taking place at St. Lawrence Market on Thursday, November 12 from 7 to 10PM. Get ready to experience the unique offerings from merchants of the Market and be treated to great food, drinks, and live entertainment! Please email me at foodjunkiechronicles@gmail.com :)

And a big THANK YOU to the 107 contestants who participated in this contest! 

Here's a snapshot of the Excel spreadsheet where I tracked the #fjcatthemarket hashtag from day one of the contest. The tracking was done using chronological order, as in, #1 was the first person to enter the contest. To enter, the person had to tweet "I want to win a pair of tickets to "Evening at the Market" at @StLawrenceMkt from @foodieyu! http://bit.ly/1RpBC3O #fjcatthemarket". Each person could tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Once the contest was over and everybody's entries were accounted for, I checked to see if they follow me (@foodieyu) on Twitter. Below are the 309 valid entries:

.I used "True Random Number Generator" from random.org to pick a winner for me: