I had the pleasure of attending a menu tasting at MoRoCo Chocolat to try their afternoon tea service and brunch a couple of weeks ago. MoRoCo Chocolat is a restaurant and chocolate boutique nestled in the affluent Yorkville neighborhood. Established in 2008, the restaurant offers a French inspired menu for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, desserts and afternoon tea. As you walk into MoRoCo Chocolat, you are greeted by the bright chocolate boutique filled with various pastries, and treats such as hand-crafted chocolate, and macarons; all available to-go.



The interior of the restaurant area of MoRoCo Chocolat is heavily influenced by French decor, as the space is truly reminiscent of a Paris cafe. The subtle yet sophisticated details of the dark walls with the crystal chandeliers and mirrors blend both modern and traditional decor. It's also furnished with purple detailing, and velvet couches. Although, the couch was comfortable, it was unfortunately way too low for my comfort.



Looking through the menu, MoRoCo Chocolat offers an extensive menu of contemporary French bistro fare including two Parisian café staples; the croque monsieur, and croque madame. I had plenty of those two French dishes while in Paris, so I opted for the afternoon tea service instead.

J decided to get start the afternoon off with a warm cup of cappuccino ($7) - served with a macaron. I think it's great that each cup of beverage comes with a macaron on the side.



Missing Paris - I got us a pot of Breakfast in Paris (tea) to share as well - our tea master's version of a traditional breakfast blend. Created with smooth summit level black teas from three top growing regions. A full body with depth and refined balance. The tea was perfectly light, and tasted great with both milk, and sugar.





Next up was my choice of afternoon tea, which I opted for the MoRoCo High Tea ($60), which comes with the following:

Choice of a selection of our tea or sipping chocolate
Choice of truffle mac & cheese or daily quiche
Fresh MoRoCo scones served with devonshire cream, lemon curd, and an assortment of seasonal preservers
A variety of lovely mini pastries

Like most traditional afternoon tea, it's served on a three-tier stand. The first course is from the bottom tier, which consists of four finger sandwiches. If my memory serves me correctly, the sandwiches were cream cheese with cucumber, smoked salmon, avocado/mushroom, and L.T (lettuce/tomato). My favorite was the smoked salmon, as the creamy cream cheese was the perfect complement to the smoked salmon.




The middle tier was fresh MoRoCo scones served with Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and an assortment of seasonal to be used as a spread. It came with two large scones; classic, and chocolate. I really enjoyed the classic scone with the Devonshire cream - completely heavenly. On the other end, the chocolate scone was a little overly sweet for me, but if you love chocolate, then this scone is for you.





Finally, the top tier consisted of sweets including a passionfruit macaron from their front boutique. It was a great end to a lovely afternoon tea with the mister.
 




The afternoon tea also gives you the option to choose one of two savory items available, and I ended up choosing the truffle mac & cheese. The dish consisted of macaroni topped with crispy layers of cheese, truffle, and buttery panko. This was a tasty spin on the comfort food that is mac & cheese. Lastly, there's also a full-size version of this dish on their brunch menu.


J opted out of the afternoon tea, and ordered the Classic Benny ($15) - poached eggs with roasted peameal bacon, topped with hollandaise sauce, and our finest mixed cheese, served on an English muffin, and a side order of sausage ($6) off the brunch menu.
 


 

If you're looking for a place to chat over some tea, and pastries, then look no further. As one of Toronto's leading afternoon tea establishments; MoRoCo Chocolat has that to offer, and more. The staff were knowledgeable, and attentive to details. I wasn't able to finish my mac & cheese, so our server quickly packed it up to go for me, which I appreciated. I was all sugared out that day, but I will definitely be back to MoRoCo Chocolat to get a box of their colorful macarons.

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morocochocolat

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morocochocolat/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/morocochocolat
Website: http://www.morocochocolat.com/

 I recently had the opportunity to attend the launch of the Toronto chapter of Camp Campbell last month. The mentorship program aims to connect women leaders and entrepreneurs with each other "to inspire thought leadership and foster creative collaboration". Camp Campbell was started by Campbell Soup CEO, Denise Morrison, who wanted to create a program that would help mentor the next generation of female leaders and entrepreneurs. Camp Campbell does a lot to support their members, as they provide access to mentors, encourages the exchange of ideas, stimulate conversations, and connect members that share similar passion or aspirations.

#CampCampbell

 Camp Campbell did an excellent job of decorating the basement of Gusto 101 to brand Camp Campbell for the dinner. There were red banners displaying boldly the Camp Campbell name, and cards with our names and hashtags were neatly placed on the table. Camp Campbell encouraged us to use social media and live-tweet or Instagram the dinner. Unfortunately, since we were in the basement level of the restaurant, many of us (myself included) had weak cell reception.
 

Jeffersonian Dinner

The dinner brought together a group of female entrepreneurs, foodies and community leaders who shared similar interests. We were joined by a few members of the Campbell Company's team, along with the President at Campbell Company of Canada, Ana Dominguez. For most of the dinner, we discussed various topics from social media, to how food brands and products can best cater to their on-the-go lifestyles.

The dinner was held in the private dining area at Gusto 101 (basement level), and the meal was designed to be family-style. Additionally, the focal point of the dinner was that it was based on a Jeffersonian-style dinner, which encouraged deep discussion around a chosen topic. The purpose of the Jeffersonian dinner was that it allows people to connect, listen, and learn from one another. The conversation is more or less directed to the entire group, and not just to people sitting nearby. Overall,  I found this format of discussion to be much more effective, as I got to hear the opinions from everyone there. Prior to the dinner, everyone in attendance were asked to prepare answers to the following questions: "What qualities do you look for in a leader and what leadership styles have affected you most?" The purpose of the two questions was to use it as an ice-breaker, and learn a little bit about one another before starting the Jeffersonian dinner.

 As our night drew to a close, we were asked specifically to share our takeaways from the night. Many of the guests expressed their gratitude for the night, and how much they have learned from the discussions.

Gusto 101

Arancini - wild mushroom risotto, fontina cheese, tomato sauce

Cavolo Nero - organic lacinato kale, zante currants, toasted pine nuts, pecorino, parmigiano, lemon vinaigrette

Mozzarella di Bufala - champagne tomatoes, basil pesto, arugula, vincotto garlic breadcrumbs

Spinaci - spinach, buffalo mozzarella, pecorino fresh ricotta, and garlic

10-oz Bistecca - dry aged centre cut striploin, porcini puree grilled king oyster mushroom, asparagus

Budino Bar - gianduia chocolate, caramel, candied hazelnut

Since my trip to London (UK) in September 2015, I have grown very fond of the city. So, when I received my invitation to attend the Tyrrells Launch at Rasa; I didn't hesitate to RSVP. Tyrrells is an English-based manufacturer of potato chips, and they have been in business for more than 10 years. They are available in Toronto at Whole Foods, Metro and Sobeys as well as several other smaller retailers. Tyrrells Chips are all natural, and hand cooked using only natural-ingredients. Additionally, the chips are hand cooked in small batches in sunflower oil, and then dressed in natural seasoning. I liked that they do not contain any sort of artificial flavoring, and are gluten-free as well. It's a great brand of chips for light-snacking.

The Tyrrells event was held at Rasa to celebrate the launch of three new vegetable chips to the Tyrrells line up in Toronto. The three new chips were Sweet Potato with Smoked Chilli, Beetroot, Parsnip and Potato Chips with Sea Salt, and Carrot & Potato Chips with Sea Salt. Additionally, all the food served that night are on Rasa's main menu, but for the event, they incorporated various Tyrrells chips into the dishes. Overall, I thought that the event was well organized with carefully curated tables set up with various Tyrrells chips for consumption, and games for guests to play. I thought that it was pretty neat that the ambiance emulated the British way of life, and it definitely made me miss London. I had a great time taste testing various Tyrrells chips that night.

 Tuna Tartare - yellowfin tuna, yuzu chili aioli, apple slaw, and ponzu glaze, served on top of a Tyrrells Beetroot, Parsnip & Potato with Sea Salt Chips.


 Assorted cured meat platter - cured meat


 Fish & Chips - deep fried halibut, tartar, crispy capers, served with Tyrrells Sweet Potato, Carrot & Potato with Sea Salt Chips.


 Steak Slider - ground steak, beef cheek, provolone, gochujang sauce, and squash kimchi with Tyrrells Sweet Potato & Smoked Chili Chips


 Assorted cheese platter - cheese


 Truffle Arancini - local mushrooms, porcini vinaigrette, walnut pesto


 Lamb Neck - with hummus, feta tabbouleh, pickled jicama, and tzatziki, served on top of a Tyrrells Sweet Potato & Smoked Chili Chips.


Many thanks to Tyrrells for the gift bag containing their chips.

Other Coverage of the Tyrrells Launch @ Rasa:

http://xiaoeats.com/2015/11/tyrrells-exceedingly-english-crisps/
http://www.shedoesthecity.com/photos-tyrrells-vegetable-chips-homecoming-at-rasa-restaurant-2
http://www.humarakausar.com/tyrrells-chips-launch-party/

Despite not liking the cold weather all that much, I still love the holiday season. I get to spend quality time with my family, and friends, go shopping, relax, and of course attend multiple holiday dinner parties. Earlier last month, I received a lovely cheese board gift set from PC Home as a gift. I will definitely be using it at my parents' Christmas dinner this December, as they love cheese. President's Choice is a store brand owned by Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest food retailer. They don't only offer food products, but also have a wide variety of household products at more affordable prices. I recently learned that PC Home has a quality line of a wide variety of products that are available at your local Loblaws, and Real Canadian Superstore stores throughout the city. Their products range of cookware, bakeware, tabletop needs, kitchen gadgets, and appliances. Below are some of the products from their fall/holiday season line that caught my eyes.

To celebrate the fall season, you can serve individual casseroles to pies in these cute PC’s Mini Harvest Bakers. I liked these when I saw them, as they would add a lot of colours to the dinner table. 

PC Mini Fall Harvest Baker Pumpkin - $6

PC Mini Fall Harvest Baker Maple Leaf - $6

PC Mini Harvest Bakers Set - $14

PC Mini Harvest Baker Leaf - $6

I don't really eat as healthy as I should sometimes, but this looked like an amazing product to have in the home if you want to create healthy home cooked meals. You can definitely use this vegetable spiralizer to create thin ribbons of vegetable to make healthy dinners like squash or zucchini pasta.

The brightly colored all-in-one PC starter set will definitely come in handy in the kitchen during the holiday season, especially for those who love to bake, or cook. it's also convenient, cause all the pieces come together to save space in the kitchen cabinets.

I love the designs of these cushions from PC Home; as it definitely adds the holiday spirit to any room in the house.

Keep warm with the sherpa from PC Home, and they would make a great gift as well. There are various designs, and patterns available at your local Loblaws, and Real Canadian Superstore.

Throwing any parties this holiday season? These dinnerware definitely caught my eyes, cause of the cute holiday designs. These bright, and colorful wares would also make the perfect gift to those who entertain dinner parties a lot. I also love the gold colored chip/dip plate, as it would clearly stand out at any parties.

PC Bold Cocktail Shaker, PC Bold Ice Bucket, and PC Martini 2 Pack - $10-$26

Life at Home 25 Set 100mm Mixed Texture Ornaments, Red - $25

Life at Home Deer Table Decor 18", Blue - $8

Life at Home Set 100 Multi Size Ball Ornaments, Fun & Bright - $27 For more information on all of these holiday gifts, please check out http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA.html.