i++ Last Sunday, magazine reading @ offsite, one of “10 new coffee shops with the best interior design in Toronto” per blogto
i++ Last Saturday, people watching @ dark horse canary, another one of the 10
i++ Les pains au chocolat La Fournée Dorée
i++ Excellent STL dinner @ Bristol Seafood Grill
i++ Citrus BBQ party featuring pickled plum with lime zest, carrot sauteed in orange juice, fried lemon, kumquat and Jess’ super amazing Bergamot cake
Architecture tour thru Regent Park with Jeanine & Jess (effort needed to convince the city to pay for a particular material reminds me that no job is easy)
Amazing earl gray tea cookies made by Jess
First day lunch @ Tutti Matti with Chris & Jess
Brunch @ The Commodore with Denise
BBQ @ Carbon Bar with Marc-Andre (probably not surprising that it’s not as good as STL)
Work Happy Lunch @ Three Brewers with Michael
We are planning what to do for v-day and he suggested brunch at Colette. The place looks gorgeous but the problem with Toronto these days is that there are many gorgeous places. To help make the decision, we tested out the coffee yesterday and it was pretty meh. I’m not saying so so coffee necessarily implies so so food but, since we don’t eat out very often, we need to make decisions.
Pusateri’s opened another location recently in the basement of Saks. We figured that we should get some coffee as we browsed through the shelves. It was not very good yet comfortingly familiar. After a while, I realized that it reminded me of the coffee sold in the math computing building at school. I guess it just goes to show how much the quality of my life has improved.
We did pick up some yummies: Milford Bay trout pate and candied bergamot peel and the latter tastes like crushed velvet. I’m beginning to think that the most interesting taste profile is not that of wine or chocolate or coffee but citrus.
A few European snacks as a follow up to the Asian snack entry
i++ bahlsen dark chocolate afrika (German)
i++ trancetto cacao (Italian)
i++ whole wheat paris toast (French)
But of course the above are best paired with beverages invented in China five thousand years ago 🙂
i++ matcha
i++ earl grey: According to one legend, a grateful Chinese mandarin whose son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey’s men first presented the blend to the Earl in 1803
We are going through his old photographs as part of the minimization process and found some interesting things. He took the one on the left when he was in high school and a friend took the one on the right. Along with pocket ninja, these will be the only decorative elements in the bedroom
img src=thelittleblackcoffeecup
When Neo Coffee Bar first opened, we went for coffee and I had a slice of the matcha cake and it was nice. These days, we go there at least once a month because watching the dusting of the choux is just mesmerizing. This weekend, I got half a roll of the london fog cake for mum’s birthday and it was amazing. Like sniffing bergamot rind and drinking cold pressed bergamot oil. At the same time
Also found an interesting film in the Bloor Cinema newsletter: “I always dreamed of returning to Italy”
1. Perhaps because I used to be one of those people that want to live in different places, I always wonder how different I would be if I lived elsewhere. Although living in Paris was a dream of mine, I’m not sure I would be particularly different in Paris. One place that really feels like it would make me different is New Orleans. I can’t help but constantly look up at the spanish moss and the constant looking up makes me feel dizzy and surreal. This morning, he says: Can you get more muffaletta spread? Please and thank you.
2. After my intriguing encounter with birthday cake tea, I’ve been wanting to visit David’s Tea. For his birthday, I got earl grey rooibos + la la lemon black tea.
3. Until he moved in, I never owned a zester. Yes, it was a lot of work. Now that I have encountered a zester, I need a really good one and was presented with six options at William Sonoma.
img src=wholefully
4. Overdosed on dark choco cereal and now in love with overnight oat
5. Just now in the elevator
Stranger: Grated parmesan? Really?
Me: If it weren’t grated, my husband would eat it all
FUTURA LE SPECIMEN ANIMÉ from Thibault de Fournas on Vimeo.
365grateful 