Korean Grill House @ Toronto, Canada

We stumbled upon Korean Grill House on our stroll down Yonge St in Downtown Toronto. Dad suggested that we try it out and I’m definitely game for some Korean BBQ meat! Mmm…..The best part of this eating galore was that the grill dinner is CAD$12.95 per person for an EAT-ALL-YOU-CAN which all of us took. With that you get 10 different kind of meat (Pork, Beef, Salmon, Beef Ribs, Ox Tongue, Ox Liver, Chicken, White Fish Fillet, Squid). For CAD$3 more, you could get lamb and shrimp in addition to those 10 meat. The Eat-All-You-Can came with about 6 different kind of side dishes, soup (which we were given like 1/4 cup each) and rice. Fresh vegetables are however additional at $3 per vegetable/per person. If I’m not mistaken, when someone orders vegetables, everyone at the table would have to order it as well. That’s where they get you, I guess!

The side dishes were nothing to shout about. They were edible, but definitely not the best I’ve had. I’ve been to other (more Authentic, perhaps?) places where over 20 different kinds of to die for side dishes were brought out. The side dishes however were replenished quickly, upon order.The meat arrived quickly in small dishes. There were so much meat that they soon look quite alike that nobody questioned what kind of meat that was and just started grilling and eating. The grill was set slightly lower than the table, which both had a pro and con. The pro part is that you get less oil splatter and probably don’t feel as much heat from the grill. The con was, it was hard to cook and watch the meat in the lowered grill; especially difficult if you’re short =P.

 

Meat was also replenished very quickly upon order. The wait staff were pretty efficient in topping up our drinks and constantly asking us if we want more of anything. They were pretty generous with the meat refills. Huge plus. I enjoyed chewing on pieces after pieces of beef ribs…..Mmmmm…..It would be heavenly if there were lettuce and bean sauce to wrap those grilled meat and gobble them down. My ice cold Heineken did however compliment my grilled dinner very well. =).

This place is perfect for meat lovers to fulfill their lust for loads of grilled meat. It’s seriously cheap eats (even if you ordered vegetable, or took the premium set) at CAD$12.95 per person for Eat-All-You-Can at a Korean Grill House, as ordering an entree at a similar joint will easily set you back $20.

Thumbs up for this place but don’t look forward to their side dishes!!! =) They do have other stuff on the menu other than the Eat-All-You-Can sets which we did not get a chance to try. I’m surely getting hungry just thinking about all the beef ribs I ate there…………………..

Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant @ Toronto, Canada

It was Wan Qi’s suggestion the night before heading to Toronto that both families get some Dim Sum there. With no idea of which restaurants should we entrust our hungry tummy to, I turned to Google for help in finding a Dim Sum in Toronto Chinatown.

I found three options and decided to go with the first I found; Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant located on Spadina Avenue. It took me a while to locate this restaurant as I initially keyed in the wrong address into my faithful GPS. =P. And asking people in Chinatown; “Do you know where Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant is?” was not much help. It would have been helpful if I knew the Chinese name of the place (which I found out is “Fung Seng” in Cantonese) and no one knew I asked knew where Bright Pearl was and it was just about a block away!

We arrived at a bright yellow corner shop and took the stairs upstairs to the restaurant. We were greeted by the host and were seated immediately  (even though there were a few people waiting for tables) as they so happen to have big table ready. Yay! Location of our table was prime, near where the carts of fresh Dim Sum rolled out! Another Yay! Clean looking dining area was of typical Chinese dining banquet hall with gaudy out dated looking interior. =) I bet many Chinese weddings are held there though! Who cares as long as Dim Sum is YUMMY!!

 

They had a good variety of the usual Dim Sum and other not so common ones. The push cart ladies and our waitress were quite nice and friendly. Thumbs up for that as I’ve encountered restaurant wait staff in Chinatowns that are rude and overly pushy while trying to convince you to pick Dim Sum off their carts. The food was overall yummy, although I did not really enjoy the egg tart as much. I find the crust having some weird (stale?) smell? My other comment was the “Char Leong” (Steamed Noodle with Fried Dough Filling, below)…..which was good except they serve it with a sweet sauce instead of the regular soy sauce like what I’m used to in the US. I do not know what the final damage came to as Wan Qi’s family picked up the billed.THANKS!!Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience and an awesome way to kick off Mother’s Day! I would certainly recommend this place. =)

Family Trip : Toronto, ON, Canada

It took me about 3 hours and $130 (multiple entries) to get my visa from the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo. 8 years ago when I went into Canada the first time, we never needed the visa. A year after that (I think), the Canada changed their immigration law and required Malaysian passport holders to apply for a visa. The family (along with Wan Qi’s) crossed the US-Canadian border the day after graduation.

Being the designated driver and tour guide (and with the help of my brother’s navigation), I brought my family to Toronto for some sight seeing and food feasting. Toronto was SO MUCH FUN! I enjoyed the food there especially in Chinatown! There are so much yumminess in Toronto. I saw fresh exotic Asian fruits…..a rarity in US Chinatowns. Mangoesteen, Longkong, Dragon Fruit, among the few. Though some of those fruits are a lil on the pricey side,…it was ok to spend a little bit on them delicious fruits! =) Too bad, I can’t bring them over the border upon returning to the US. =(

Upon reaching Toronto, Dim Sum was first on the itinerary. Two families celebrated Mother’s Day at Pearl Bright Seafood Restaurant. Review about this place will be on a separate post.

After some yummilicious Dim Sum, we stopped by Kensington Market which was just a few blocks up. I had envisioned an enclosed market with people elbow to elbow and street vendors pushing to sell their goods. This market (and looked like it had some residential homes in the area) was open air and more eclectic. There were hippy looking shops selling unique, rustic clothing …..Another parts of the market had fresh produce, cafe, tattoo parlor (i think)….etc.

Next on the itinerary was Casa Loma; an European style castle nestled in Toronto, built in the early 1900. It was a work of art with the amount spent (at that time) to built this magnificent castle which was filled with elaborate carvings, filled with handsome furniture, incredible garden and more. Tour to this castle will set you back CAD$17 and in return you will get to walk to various part of this castle with the use of their audio guide. Parking at premises is at CAD$3 per hour up to CAD$9 max. 

                   

The rest of our Toronto trip was walking around downtown area for more FOOD. =). We stayed overnight at Courtyard Downtown Toronto (rooms are spacious and quite decent), which was quite a convenient location for food and shopping. It’s a 5-10 minutes walk to Eaton Center (bottom left) where more retail shopping are concentrated. I would probably not walk around the hotel later at night as some of the shops there looked a bit creepy to me. You never know what kind of people you would encounter late at night =P

Before leaving Toronto for Niagara Falls, we drove by CN Tower for a quick photo opportunity. No one in the family had interest to pay over CAD$20 to ride the elevator up the CN Tower for a view of Toronto and vicinity…Hehe…

My New Kitchen Gadget!

Been eyeing an ice cream maker for the longest time…..and I finally bought it today! Yay! Presenting: my Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker! Was contemplating to get the other model (ICE-30BC) which is slightly bigger and has a stainless steel casing to match my kitchen appliances (and cost about $30 more too). After some thoughts and inputs from hubby, Seyda and Robert…I got the none matching white 1.5 quart ice cream maker instead. No difference white or silver, since I won’t be displaying this on my kitchen counter everyday! =)

Can’t wait to try out new ice cream recipes this summer……Yay!! Am so excited!!!!!

Family Trip : Buffalo & Niagara Falls, NY

The whole family did some touristy thing before the graduation weekend…. We toured Buffalo and visited some local attractions. Among them were the Buffalo Botanical Garden (left), Buffalo Naval Park/Musuem & Our Lady Of Victory Basillica (right; spectacular architecture, unfortunately closed).

My green thumb parents were thrilled with the visit to the indoor Botanical Garden featuring various plants and flowers. I did not inherit the green thumb trait from my parents as I manage to kill the only bamboo plant in my house =P. I found the garden all right, the building is really pretty from the outside. Entrance fee is $6 and you get discounts for being a senior or student! =)

The Naval Park was not too bad either and entrance fee was $9 per person. You get to walk thru retired war ships and submarines, absorbing pieces of history. Warning: The ships tend to get a little musky, and after walking in and around the ships…we were all a little nauseous! The following day (after picking up the hubby from the airport); we drove to Niagara Falls National Park (NY). We were blessed with wonderful weather that Friday. The Niagara Falls were picturesque. It was simply breathtaking to see the mother nature’s wonders! I’ll just share a couple pictures to take your breath away, as it did mine!

It has been my mom’s longest dream to visit the Niagara Falls, and we’re all happy that she was able to fulfill this dream of hers. All of us were in awe with the falls. Even though everyone except my mom has been to the Falls at least once, we’re still amazed with the scenery and the rapidness of the water!

 

Besides walking by the falls and soaking in the awesomeness of the scenery, we did 2 paid touristy thingy. Both activities gained 2 thumbs (and 2 toes) up from everyone in the family! Hubby and I especially enjoyed the Cave Of The Winds walk. For $11 per person, this is so worth every penny of it! Ponchos and waterproof sandals were provided (and yours to keep). You will take an elevator 175 feet down into the Niagara Gorge and from there you’ll be walking on decks near the base of the water falls and experiencing storm like weather conditions with water gushing (at certain areas) at you! This great adventure is definitely not for someone who’s fear of waterfalls or is aqua phobic! =P

Maid Of The Mist is a must ride when you’re in the Niagara Falls area. This was our first time on the boat, and my dad’s second time. Coincidentally, it was about 25 years ago when he first visited the falls and sat on the Maid Of The Mist! Boat ride costs $13.50 and each person is given a poncho. The 30 minute boat brings you quite close to the base of the Niagara Horseshoe Falls where you’ll be able to “soak” in the powerful rushing waters of the falls. It’s truly a once in a lifetime experience! Boats leave both from the US and Canadian side.

 

If you plan to do both activities, may I suggest that you do Cave Of The Winds first and keep your waterproof sandals!! Wear the sandal aboard the Maid Of The Mist when you’re doing that tour! You’re bound to get wet and your shoes soaked on the boat! We were lucky as I planned for the family to do the Cave Of The Winds first as my logic was to let lunch settle before we do the boat ride, in case the ride was bumpy. Now, we don’t want lunch in the river…do we?! =P