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HOGGER & Co. media

photographing what everyone wants to remember. since 2006

  • Work
  • Work With Me
  • Weddings + Engagements
  • Publications
  • Travel - Canada
  • Travel - USA
  • Travel - International
  • Prints
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    • Travel Tips
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    • Aruba: One Happy Island
    • Beers Around the World
    • Boston City Guide
    • Downton Abbey: Filming Locations
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    • New Orleans City Guide
    • Puerto Rico: San Juan Guide
    • Stockholm: 10 Things to Do
  • Blog
    • PHOTOHOGGER
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Vancouver: Granville Island's Public Market

Vancouver_Granville_Island_HoggerCo._title002.jpg

I love a good market. Vancouver's Granville Island's Public Market is ah.mah.zing. The only snag, not being able to buy fresh produce that I could actually take home. Hmm...although, I did buy the most insanely divine Ice Wine Chocolates from Rogers' Chocolates and beer from Granville Island Brewing Company (so my priorities may be questionable) BUT I must say, the beer served us well during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the public market....where the selection is vast and the freshness, out of bounds.

For lunch, I had fish and chips (obviously) from Celine's and I had to make a stop at the famous Lee's Donuts (as seen on tv) after which I parked myself at the Granville Island Tea Company with a pot of Earl Grey admist a crowd of market goers.

Come with me to smell the peonies, maneuver pyramids of fruit while oogling the abundance of fresh fish...

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tags: Fish and Chips, Lee's Donuts, Public Market, Tea, Vancouver, donuts, farmer's market, fruit, granville island, granville island tea company, market, veg
categories: Bakery, Donut, Farm fresh, Market, Snack, Tea, Travel, Vancouver, Vegetarian
Wednesday 07.03.13
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 3
 

Product: Nutella Snack & Drink

Happy World Nutella Day!

Lately, I've been snacking on Nutella on marble rye toast, which is positively better than Nutella on crepes, but which also reminded me of this product that Lurgs brought in to work one day; her sister bought it in Italy:

Nutella_HoggerCo._01.jpg

If there's anything that sounds better than this, please let me know, 'cause the words Nutella and Snack go hand in hand...and whilst the drink is iced tea, it's still a good package.

Compact. Cute. NUTELLA! Portable. Fits in your purse. NUTELLA!

Nutella_HoggerCo._02.jpg

Okay so the biscuity bits were a bit strange but what a great idea for kids and real kids!

Love.

tags: Italian, Nutella, Nutella Snack & Drink, Snack, chocolate, drink, ferrero nutella, iced tea, nutella ferrero, nutella on toast, nutella snack, nutella snack and drink
categories: Chocolates, Product, Snack
Tuesday 02.05.13
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 7
 

Greece: Santorini, McDaniels

I don't recall the location of McDaniels, but boy was it packed (a good sign, no?)

Tasty gyros at a decent price. Although not really a sit down restaurant, we did manage to snag a couple of stools to sit on. It was mighty delicious and the fries were fresh - the bonus is the fries IN the gyro, like we had in Mykonos. #BESTTHINGEVER

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tags: Chicken, Greece, Santorini, french fries, fries, gyros, pork, santorini food
categories: Greece, Greek, Road-side, Santorini, Snack, Souvlaki, Take-out, Travel, fries
Tuesday 06.12.12
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 3
 

DIY: Create a 3-tier Stand

This is the best Martha Stewart idea I've ever implemented into my own parties. It's the DIY 3-tier stand for cupcakes or sandwiches!

It's ridiculously easy and looks fantastic in any table setting, especially when covered with pretty edibles. (This can also be done with paper plates, if you wish)

You will need:

3 plates of 3 sizes, large to small

2 bowls of the same size, but smaller than the plates

1. Take a large square plate, (can be square or round, I prefer square)

2. Place one bowl upside down on the 1st plate

3. Add a smaller sized plate on top of the upside down bowl

4. Repeat with remaining bowl and smallest plate, TA DA!

If that wasn't the easiest thing, ever, I don't know what is!

Add whatever fancy finger foods to each tier, and there you have a 3-tier stand!

 

 

tags: 3-tier stand, Afternoon Tea, DIY, cupcake stand, cupcakes, party, tea party
categories: Cupcake, DIY, Dessert, Samosa, Sandwiches, Snack, Tea
Tuesday 05.22.12
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 6
 

Greece: Athens: After the Agora

After seeing the entire Ancient Agora, it was time for lunch! We wanted a cafe that wasn't touristy. Alas, they all were, so in the end, we came back to this one because the view could not be beat.

The name of it? Anyone read Greek? Let me know. The service was quick and efficient and the iced coffee was heavenly after the longest walk. The baklava? Tell me you don't want a bit of that, right now?

tags: Coffee, Greece, Greek food, Lunch, ancient agora, athens, baklava, greek, greek coffee
categories: Brunch, Cafe, Coffee, Dessert, Greece, Greek, Lunch, Mediterranean, Snack, Travel, View
Wednesday 03.28.12
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 3
 

Boston: Francesca's Cafe

 

Location:

564 Tremont St, Boston, MA

Everyone talks about the South End, so we made it there this past Sunday - it was cold you guys, and everything was closed! Why do they do that? Made it to Francesca's Cafe in a frozen state and thawed out nicely with a hot chocolate, tea and a tuna melt (apty named for this occasion). Oh, a pretty cupcake made the cut, too.

 

tags: Bicycle, Boston, Boston Francesca's Cafe, Cafe in boston, Foodhogger, Sandwiches, South End, Tea, cafes in Boston, francesca's, undefined
categories: Bakery, Cafe, Cake, Coffee, Cupcake, Hot Chocolate, Lunch, Sandwiches, Snack, Tea
Friday 01.20.12
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 16
 

NEW: L'eat

Location:

410 Adelaide St W

www.leatcatering.com/home.htm

In the cursed location where Zimbel's Cafe and before that,  Mosaic used to be, L'eat Express is the newest addition to the building beside Toronto School of Art.  Herbal Infusions is faring quite well so far, so maybe there is hope for L'eat (such a difficult name to wrap my head around.  Sometimes I think "teat", wrongly, of course).

I hear the brownies are amazing, but I walked by earlier today and the door was locked!  Will try again in a bit and keep you posted.

** So went back with some co-workers but they were still closed.  Someone did inform us that they were open this morning for a training session which included free pastries and plan to open again later this afternoon for another training session.  We were told they'll be open again tomorrow, so fingers crossed!

*** Went back on Friday and they were OPEN!  Found out a few things. 

Most importantly it's pronounced "ELITE", literally pronounce the letter "L" and the word "EAT".  I feel so much better, now. 



Owned by Tony Loschiavo with hand-crafted  goodies and gourmet meals made by Chefs Christopher Palik and Eric Walker, L'eat Express looks promising, especially with their original full service catering business (started 1983) in full swing at their Bathurt location.  I DID try the brownie, and it did not disappoint.  Shared with several co-workers, it was a huge hit! 



The complimentary bran muffin and double chocolate fudge cookie I scored was equally as satisfying, although I have to admit the cookie can't compare to Le Gourmand's chocolate chip walnut cookie which still reigns supreme. 





The teas on hand are from Language of the Leaf, which I love and which Neeta Khanna had sent me a package of teas to review in 2009.  I've also heard great things  about Paese, the sister restaurant to L'eat on King St W.

 

 

I really hope L'eat Express does well in this district, it's such a beautiful space and after speaking to Christopher, Tony and Rahim about their vision for this location, it looks like it's got all the ingredients to being as successful as the original.

Open Monday - Saturday (7:30am - 7pm)

tags: Adelaide, Baked Goods, Catering in Toronto, Chef Christopher Palik, Chef Eric Walker, Cookie, Foodhogger, L'EAT CATERING, L'eat, L'eat Express, L'eat on Adelaide, Leat Toronto
categories: Bakery, Breakfast, Brunch, Cafe, Cake, Coffee, Cookie, Croissants, Cupcake, Dessert, Salad, Sandwiches, Snack, Tea, Toronto, catering
Friday 04.08.11
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 3
 

Product: Pita Break

I was recently sent a large box filled with  Pita Break products: a variety of One Bun pitas and Lavash "Flax and Honey" crackers.

Now, it's no secret that I like to eat, so it was almost instantaneous that I broke into the Lavash cracker box!  It just so happened that I'd just met up with some friends for after-work beers, and these crackers were the perfect snack for the walk over to our Chinese restaurant for dinner.

Slender maybe, but quite "Lavash" in size, the nutty, natural, fibrous flavour would appear to be rather tasteless, but instead is quite the opposite.

Full-mouthed and double-fisting the crackers, all of us agreed they were addictive!

The pitas?





Are quite simply, fabulous.  And the variety that they have is astounding!

My favourite is the Breakfast Pita: Cranberry Orange.  They were so good in the morning and as a snack (of which there were many while these babies were around) they were perfect with a bit of almond butter and/or jam (usually both, who am I kidding?).



My hubby preferred the Apple Cinnamon.



And because we often like making breakfast egg sandwiches the Breakfast Muesli was perfect for this.



And let me just say, what an ingenious idea to make hamburger buns THINNER!!!

 

Hooray, right? These sandwich and burger buns didn't last very long; especially with my husband's home-made burger recipe; they work together so well!


What's better than the thin hamburger bun?  The OneBun Hot dog bun - not only thinner, but like a taco, sits neatly on it's side. Love it. And multigrain, to boot!



We can't get enough of these pitas..they're all -natural, preservative free, kosher and made in Toronto.   And they even won the Best Lunchbox Item and Best Snack for the Canadian Live Foundations LIVERight Awards.

Congratulations you guys, I'd have to agree.

tags: PITA BREAK, Product, foodhogger product, lavash, lavash crackers, pita break pitas, pitas, product review, thin hamburger buns, thin hamburger pitas, thin pitas
categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Burgers, Snack, Toronto, bread
Thursday 09.16.10
Posted by Smita Jacob
 

Raq n Waq

Location:

739 Queen St. W. 2nd Floor, Toronto

www.theraq.ca

The Raq is a great place for summer after work drinks.

They have a really nice partly-sunny patio, pool tables (hence the name) and fireplaces indoors.  The service is semi-attentive and the food, although nothing to write e-mail  home about, is fine for drink snacks, but don't expect much.

Basically, if you're looking for a place to raq it up (or possibly shack it up on a Friday night club night), this venue is for thou.

chunky fries

finger foods

Raq n Waq on Urbanspoon

tags: Beer, Foodhogger, Queen street the raq, The Raq, Toronto, Urbanspoon, bathurst and queen pubs, food, pool, pool tables toronto, pubs on queen west near bathrust, the raq in toronto
categories: Beer, Snack, Toronto, fries
Tuesday 04.20.10
Posted by Smita Jacob
 

Red Room

Location:

444 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

Cost: $7-10 for an entree

Ah, the Red Room....takes me back to my university days...when "dining out" meant spending less than $5.

An item on the eclectic menu will set you back about $7 - 10 and the portions are decent enough to split when you order a few items.

That's what a bunch of us did one snowy Friday night after work.

The chicken quesadillas, wings and spring rolls are good (it's so dark in there that there's no way you can get away without using flash). Also, the service is slow, but that's not what you're paying for.

Spring Rolls

Wings

If you want an atmosphere that allows you to feel years younger (relatively), and a meal that won't cost an arm and a leg, the Red Room is a great place.

Red Room on Urbanspoon

tags: Foodhogger, Red Room, Red Room in Toronto, Toronto red room, bar, bar college and spadina, college and spadina toronto, eats near college and spadina, red room u of t, toronto bar, urbanspoon bar
categories: Beer, Dinner, Drinks, Mexican, Snack, Toronto, Wings, bar
Saturday 12.19.09
Posted by Smita Jacob
 

Rude Service @ Whole Foods (Whole Hearth), Yorkville

Location:

87 Avenue Road, Toronto

Cost: Hot chocolate $2.99 (mint shot $.50), cooked sushi combo 6.49, avocado roll $5.99

To clarify; this review is not about the Whole Foods Market in Yorkville....which I actually like very much and can't complain about. Instead, this post is in regards to the absolutely disgraceful service we received at the Whole Foods cafe, Whole Hearth (located on the street level of Avenue Rd.) one afternoon after a day at the spa.

It's very surprising that such a location as this in Yorkville (or anywhere, for that matter) would have staff like this employed.

Imagine this, if you will. Three perfectly relaxed women, sauntering into the cafe for a mid-day snack after a leisurely few hours at the Nova Spa across the street. Each picking a sushi snack tray from the freezer section and standing at the cashier ready to pay.

At once we notice how our server is incredibly short with us...ringing in my friend's sushi while impatiently gesturing for mine as well. I tell him we want to order a hot chocolate which he doesn't even acknowledge, still waving for my sushi tray. I try to tell him that my sister and I will be sharing our hot chocolate (my friend had also ordered a hot chocolate) but it goes unacknowledged (although appears on the receipt).

We take our sushi to the table (sans hot chocolate) and begin to eat, all the while looking to see if our hot chocolates are being made. Instead he seems to be occupying himself with other tasks and then begins moving around from one end of the cafe to the other.

At one point, my sister stops him mid-walk and asks about our hot chocolates to which he snaps, "In a minute, I'm not going in that direction..", meaning he was heading away from the coffee counter. Seriously?

Finally..and I mean by this time, my friend has already finished her sushi, he plops down her hot chocolate whereas ours is nowhere to be seen. So again, my sister begins to ask for an extra cup for the hot chocolate (assuming he plans to bring it) to which he rudely retorts, "In a minute, after these customers". So now they are other customers waiting, but weren't we also waiting?

Eventually we receive our drink (and the second cup) but are not happy with it (besides the manner in which it was produced, it didn't taste all that good either).



Later he returns with some 'leftover samples' from the bakery - some pizza which he shoves in front of our faces without explanation so I ask what kind of pizza it is, veggie or meat (my sister is vegetarian). His response? A classy, "chicken!" and then whips it away from me offering it to my friend who helps herself.

Wow.

As we get up to leave, we're barely out of our seats and gathering up our things when he comes over and starts moving the tables apart. I was practically still sitting in the chair. Yikes!!

My sister and I were appalled and even my usually zen-like friend was amazed at his actions.

Forget Whole Hearth, we sure got a WHOLE lotta attitude! What a horrible person to keep employed. Shame on you Whole Hearth.

Whole Hearth Bakery & Cafe on Urbanspoon

tags: 87 Avenue Road, Bakery, Cafe, Foodhogger, Sandwiches, Sushi, Toronto, Twitter, Urbanspoon, Whole Foods, bad service, cafe in yorkville
categories: Bakery, Cafe, Coffee, Sandwiches, Snack, Sushi, Take-out, Tea, Toronto
Friday 10.09.09
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 7
 

Product: Ricepod Wasabi Mix

From: Fresh & Wild

Location:

69 Spadina Avenue (King & Spadina)

Cost: $2.99

My friend just offered me some of this. 



It says it's 'spicy' on the package but I know spicy; I laugh in the face of spicy. Bwhahaa.



I had two that were stuck together and my head just exploded. 

It's raeally hared to teaype with brain awell ovwer teh kyewbaord.

tags: Toronto, fresh & wild, ricepod, wasabi, wasabi mix
categories: Snack, Toronto
Sunday 06.21.09
Posted by Smita Jacob
Comments: 8