Earlier last month, I had the opportunity to attend a Korean Food 101 courtesy of Chopsticks + Forks Food Tour. The tour takes place every Sunday afternoon at 5 pm hosted at Song Cook’s in Thornhill, ON. 

So what is Korean Food 101? It is a dining experience introducing diners to the diversity of Korean cuisine. The program was designed to teach people about the richness of Korea’s culinary delights, one that goes beyond Korean BBQ. The dinner was a 7-course tasting menu, and the portion was pretty substantial for our table of 6 people. Since it was a communal dinner, we were encouraged to socialize with those at the table.

Rice (Bap) - not just a staple, rice is the foundation of Korean cuisine

Bachan - side dishes served in every traditional Korean meal

Man-doo - Korean style dumplings (steamed and fried)

Jap Chae - "Glass Noodle" dish of Imperial decent

Cha-Jang Myun - a dark black bean noodle dish

Tang Su Yuk - deep fried sweet and sour pork

Bulgogi - thinly sliced marinated beef

Donkatsu - Korean version of the pork schnitzel

Tdeukguk - A traditional rice cake soup eaton on New Years [NOT PICTURED]

Brunch culture is very popular in Toronto, where people are willing to line up for hours just for pancakes, or eggs benedict. So, it's no surprise that several restaurants in Toronto offer brunch menus on the weekends. We had the pleasure of attending a private tasting at Momofuku Daishō for the launch of their new Spring/Summer brunch menu. The new brunch menu features several take on brunch classics, but they have put their own spin on it as well. Chef Paula Navarrete helms the kitchen with her team, and they have created a variety of exciting brunch options like the Everything Bun, Buckwheat Pancakes, and Niagara Ham.

 Located on the corner of University & Richmond lies the three-story Momofuku Toronto complex. Momofuku Daishō is located on the top floor that overlooks the busy University Street. The interior was quite nice with floor-to-ceiling windows allowing natural light to seep through. I love the clean space, and the lighting allows people to capture good Instagram photos.

Please enjoy the pictures from our brunch at Momofuku Daishō.

** Pictures by Brian Lai. Visit his Instagram to check out his feed ** 

 English Muffins ($5)

Lemon Meringue Pie ($5)

 Everything Bun ($9) - smoked white fish, capers, dill 

    Potatoes + Onions ($7)

The amazing brunch spread from Sunday Brunch at Momofuku Daishō. Food kept on flowing out!


The new brunch menu offers an array of sweet and savory dishes. You can also complement your meal with a glass of refreshing mimosa. Sunday Brunch is available every Sunday morning at Momofuku Daishō from 11 am to 2 pm.

** Pictures by Brian Lai. Visit his Instagram to check out his feed ** 

A post shared by Sandi ♡ Foodaholic! (@foodaholicblog_) on Apr 3, 2017 at 11:33am PDT

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Disclaimer: The food provided in this post was complimentary. However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.

This Victoria Day long weekend, come join me at the Cabana Pool Bar for the first ever Lobster Clam Jam (Toronto).



Lobster Clam Jam is a highly acclaimed outdoor food festival. It's not just for seafood lovers, but also an affordable, family-oriented culinary showcase offering guests the opportunity to experience the creations of a variety of renowned local chefs and restaurants. Guests will have the opportunity to experience a wide selection of meat, fowl, game, fish (and of course, lobster and shellfish) dishes, while enjoying the nice weather. It is also for a good cause as a portion of the proceeds will be donated to SickKids Foundation.

“The Lobster Clam Jam festival has been overwhelmingly successful the past four years in Montreal,” says Billy Alfonso. “We intend to duplicate this success in Toronto, working with the best local chefs, restaurant brands, and food and drink partners, while partnering with INK Entertainment, Canada’s leading entertainment company, at Cabana Pool Bar.”

The Lobster Clam Jam event launched in Montreal, Quebec in 2013, and will be making their Toronto debut this upcoming Victoria Day long weekend. Come join the fun =) There will be delicious food by talented chefs, and creative and delicious cocktails by marquee mixologists.

EVENT DETAILS

WHEN: Saturday May 20 and Sunday May 21, 2017
WHERE: Cabana Pool Bar at 11 Polson Street, Toronto ON
DATE/TIME: Saturday (May 20) & Sunday (May 21) from 12:00 pm. to 9:00 pm
WEBSITE: http://www.lobsterclamjam.com/toronto/ 

Buy Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/LOBSTER-CLAM-JAM-tickets/artist/2342913?tm_link=seo_bc_name

PRICE

Admission: $25

Currency: 

We have introduced our own Lobster Clam Jam currency called CLAMS.
A CLAM is a branded Lobster Clam Jam token (coin)
Each CLAM is valued at $3 CAN (Including Taxes)
Restaurants will collect CLAMS (Tokens*) in exchange for FOOD.
*TOKENS are available for purchase on site.

There will be over 20 restaurants, a Mojito Bar, a Beer Bar, a Wine Bar, a Coffee Bar and Dessert stations on site!



Enter to win 1 of 5 pairs of tickets to next week's Lobster Clam Jam (Toronto) at Cabana Pool Bar. Contest is open to all Toronto and GTA residents, and will end on 05/18/2017 (Thursday) at midnight.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
IMPORTANT: Tickets include complimentary entry ($25.00 admission per person) only, but no actual food coins. You can purchase the food coins on-site. Winners can only redeem for one day. 

The event will feature delicious creations from well-known restaurants from Toronto and
Montreal such as Patria, Weslodge, Oliver & Bonacini, Jae Anthony of Seasoned Dreams, Blowfish, Notre Dame Gourmet, Queue de Cheval Steakhouse and Raw Bar, Buster’s Sea Cove, The Food Dudes, Bac Ky Pho, Buonanotte, Boehmer, Calii Love and Cherry Street Barbeque, plus many more. Guests will be treated to a culinary experience by each restaurant along with a freshly shucked oyster station. The Festival will also feature their very own signature whole or half lobsters. Mixologists will offer signature flavoured Mojitos, Bloody Caesars as well as a wide assortment of beer, wine and other libations.

Disclaimer: Tickets are courtesy of INK Entertainment

The annual rock and roll themed event, Brewers Plate 2017, returns to Toronto on May 4th from 6 pm to 11 pm. The event will take place at the Corus Quay Building (25 Dockside Drive) in support of War Child Canada.

The event is to help War Child Canada raise money to support children and families around the world. All of the  restaurants and Ontario brewers involved in this charitable event has graciously donated their time and materials to create a wonderful night for attendees. The indulgent food event features an array of craft beer and unlimited sampling of local dishes. 

"We are thrilled to mark the 10th anniversary of the Brewers Plate with our most exciting and diverse roster of brewers, restaurants and Chefs ever," said Les Murray, President of Beerlicious Inc., “sampling great food and beer while having a great time in support of such a worthwhile partner in War Child Canada makes this event a must attend."

Last year's event raised $9,200 in support of War Child Canada to help children in war-affected communities reclaim their childhood through access to education, opportunity and justice. They hope to do the same this year! 

The Brewers Plate 2017 is proud to present its curated list of brewers, restaurants and Chefs including:

Restaurants

Palais Royale

Trattoria Nervosa

Le Dolci Toronto

Heirloom Toronto

Ted’s World Famous BBQ

Hangry Catering Co.

Tundra Restaurant & Bar

Globe Bistro

Cheese Boutique

Mangia & Bevi

Beaus All Natural Brewing

ChocoSol

Brewers

Old Tomorrow Beer

The Collingwood Brewery

All or Nothing Brewhouse

Station Cold Brew Coffee Co.

Henderson Brewing Co.  Walter Craft Caesar

Beaus All Natural Brewing

Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Great Lakes Brewery

Muskoka Brewery

MacKinnon Brothers Brewing

Steam Whistle Brewing

Tickets to the Brewers Plate 2017 are now on sale through www.BrewersPlateToronto.org and start at $90 each + taxes and fees. New for this year: Brewers Plate 2017 is offering an Entourage 5 Pack, valued at $400 + taxes and fees, so if attendees are planning on bringing friends this may be the ticket pack for them. They'll be able to see savings of $10 per ticket with this package. They can also try their luck at winning tickets in the coming weeks by tuning in to Brewers Plate's fantastic partners at Q107 and 102.1 the Edge.

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I love Tokyo and its food scene. Not only do they offer a variety of cuisine, they also have an excellent selection of patisseries and bakeries. One of the bakeries that piqued my interest was Gontran Cherrier Tokyo after seeing pictures of their matcha croissant on Instagram. 

 The two-floors bakery was centrally located in the busy districts of Shinjuku/Shibuya, so definitely a prime spot. The space was of average size, but they had a variety of different pastries out on displayed, and customers are to take a tray and tong to select their pastries.

 The first thing that I grabbed was the Matcha Croissant (¥ 250 each). The croissant was one of the best ones I have had, and rival to the ones in Paris.

We had breakfast an hour earlier, but we will always have room for more food =)

Address: Shibuya, 1 Chome−14−11, BCサロン

Prior to our trip to Stockholm, we had the pleasure of attending a private tasting party hosted by Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to celebrate the launch of Ocean Brands' new line of sustainable seafood. At the event, we learned about the sustainability and traceability in the seafood industry with Ocean Brands such Ocean's and Gold Seal Canada.



Seafood from MSC certified fisheries can be distinguished by the blue MSC eco-label, so that consumers are able to make informed decisions about the seafood they purchase. MSC-labeled seafood products are available in several grocery chains in Canada including Sobey's, Metro, Loblaws, and more.

The MSC is an international non-profit organization addressing the problem of unsustainable fishing, and safeguarding seafood supplies for the future. The blue MSC label and fishery certification program contribute to the health of the world’s oceans. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) aims to transform the seafood market by recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices and influencing the choices people make when buying seafood. They also work with scientists, fisheries, seafood producers and brands to promote sustainable fishing and safeguard seafood supplies for the future. 

To achieve the MSC Fisheries Standard, fisheries must meet 28 performance indicators for sustainability across three principles:

1) Sustainable fish stocks

2) Minimizing environmental impacts

3) Effective management

One of the newest products is Ocean's new MSC certified Pole & Line (skipjack) tuna. The tuna comes from the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, and the fishery used have been independently certified to the globally recognized MSC standard for sustainable, well-managed fisheries.

 We were treated to a three-course meal at the Marine Stewardship Council Event prepared by Chef Darryl Fletcher. The recipes used Gold Seal Canned Sockeye Salmon and Pole & Line (skipjack) Tuna, which are 100% sourced from fisheries that are MSC certified as sustainable.  




Spring Tuna Salad

Ocean’s Pole & Line Chunk Light Tuna - heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, fennel, Kalamata olives, feta, mint, citrus vinaigrette

Happy Tuna Bowl

Ocean’s Pole & Line Flaked Light Tuna - tri-colour quinoa, sweet peas, celery, red pepper, avocado, lime, cilantro, pickled pears

Protein Power Salmon Kofta

Gold Seal Sockeye Salmon (skinless boneless) - lentils, oatmeal, cottage cheese, dates, chia Seeds, lemon, Chipotle yogurt

All three recipes are available here on the Ocean Brands' website.

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Good Earth Coffeehouse is a Calgary-based chain of coffee shops with several locations in Calgary. The first location opened in Calgary in 1991, and they now have over 45 locations throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Earlier this year, they expanded into the Toronto market with a new location on Jarvis and Dundas Street East. They are situated in a prime location as it's steps away from the Eaton's Center and Ryerson University. Students and workers in the area can grab a coffee and a quick bite in the morning.

The new location is an open-space concept with lots of natural light, and has a decent seating capacity. Good Earth Coffeehouse also offers free wireless Internet to their customers, so people are welcome to use it to work or study.



The coffeehouse is dedicated to providing the best quality food and beverage products to its customers and believes in exceptional coffee quality.

"The coffee scene in Toronto is constantly evolving and diversifying. We are excited to launch Good Earth in this market," said Nan Eskenazi, Founder, Good Earth Coffeehouse. "Good Earth prides itself on offering exceptional coffee and fresh food with a down-to-earth attitude, making Toronto an ideal market for us to grow into."

Good Earth Coffeehouse's coffee and espresso menu are based upon the Italian tradition of espresso drinks. They chose the Italian tradition because of its integrity, simplicity and authenticity with respect to espresso drinks. I didn't get their coffee, but I will try it next time. Instead, I opted for their Caffe Latte (frappes) ($4.75) from their cold handcrafted drink menu. It was a nice smooth drink that contained a good helping of caffeine.



Good Earth Coffeehouse serves fresh-baked goods, hot breakfast, soups, salads and various hot and cold drinks. Some of the sweets that they offer are cinnamon rolls, cookies, rice krispies squares, and more. 

I also got the Honey Lemon Squish ($2.75) - fresh lemon zest, wildflower honey, and cream cheese filling as a treat. 

Aside from their coffee and pastries, they also offer a small selection of breakfast items like the Southwest Breakfast Wrap ($5.50) -  egg, hash brown, cheddar, fresh spinach and salsa. 

Good Earth Coffeehouse is a great addition to the neighborhood, where you grab and go.

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Address: 198 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M5B 2B7