Okay, here's my latest favourite tilapia recipe. Inspired by Olivado's Lemon Zest Avocado Oil! Nyum nyum.
Ingredients:
8 frozen or fresh tilapia fillets
Enough lemon juice to wash and lightly coat the fillets
2 tbsp Olivado's Lemon Zest Avocado Oil (or any lemon infused oil or olive oil)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of Ajvar (spicy relish that you can find in any grocery store)
1 tbsp of maple syrup
pepper if desired
Directions:
Set oven to 350 degrees F
Cover two standard baking pans with foil.
Wash the fillets thoroughly with cold water and then with lemon juice.
Place four fillets in each pan.
Lightly drizzle the oil over the fillets.
Add chili, turmeric and salt evenly to fillets, using utensil or hand to rub the dry spices into the fillets, on both sides.
Add Ajvar onto fillets, evenly on both sides.
Drizzle maple syrup on top of fillets.
Add pepper is desired.
*Optional, crush handful of cornflakes and add to the top of fillets.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until fish is tender. Then broil on high for 2-5 minutes (or longer if you prefer it more crispy/dry).
Serve with anything you like (rice, pasta, salad).
Tastes incredible wrapped in a tortilla shell with with avocado, refried beans and spanish rice, like a fish taco. YUM!
LOCAL FEATURE: The Blake House
Location:
449 Jarvis St Toronto
www.theblakehouse.ca
Open only three months, one of the last standing heritage structures (built in 1891) in Toronto has been converted into a restaurant called The Blake House (previously, The Red Lion).
One of the three owners and brothers, Jim Vasilakakos sat down and chatted with us as well. He described The Blake House as being "comfort contemporary"; a feeling we instantly felt when we arrived, as Jim himself greeted us at the door.
The interior is gorgeous...all dark wood, warm lighting and lined with giant black and white photographs from Jarvis Street in the 1800's.
We were blown away by the food; everything was so fresh and so tasty! As Jim told us, they only buy local, fresh ingredients and everything is house-made. So, our compliments to the Chef David Araya; thank you for a wonderful meal!
We started off with a local beer, Mill Street Original and an Okanaagan Shiraz...which was delightful.
10oz $3.75 - 20oz $5.75 - 60oz $15.95
Mill Street Original
Prospect Red Willow 8 / 23 / 35
Shiraz, Okanaagan
Had to try the poutine; how could you not?
Poutine 8
Hand Cut Fries and Cheese Curds.
Topped with Bourbon Beef Gravy.
We were warned about the large size, but were blown away by it in reality. It was huge! For $8?! And not drenched in gravy, we could actually taste the hand-cut fries. I've personally decided it's a keeper.
Then, arriving smoking hot, we had the Chicken Pot Pie which I was dreaming about ever since checking the menu prior to arriving at the restaurant.
Chicken Pot Pie 13
Root Vegetables and Roasted Chicken Smothered in
Herb Cream Sauce. Served with Green Salad.
It was one of the best pies I've ever had, not to say I eat a lot of pies, but the very best pie I'd had was in Edinburgh from the Pie Maker. That's, Maker of pies and THIS was on par with THAT.
It was flaky and oozing with such a delicious filling, atypical from the usual potato and rubbery-and-questionable chicken filling. You could actually taste the vegetables (and distinguish them!) from the chicken. The green salad wasn't doused in dressing, either.
The bread and butter are both house-made, the butter changing every night or week according to the chef's desire: Roasted red pepper butter one night (what we had), sage butter, citrus butter... Brilliant and well executed!
Maple Glazed Salmon 18
Roasted Atlantic Salmon. Served with Smashed
Seasonal Potatoes, Braised Leeks with Bacon Burre Blanc.
I found it refreshing to get potatoes (smashed, at that, with salmon, 'cause usually you get salmon:
"seasoned with crushed black pepper and salt served on a bed of basmati rice with vegetables"
OR
"seasoned with a dash of dill and served on a bed of wilted spinach"....
I question a restaurant when they consider salt and pepper SEASONING.
This maple glazed salmon we likened to the way we cook at home: with flavour! The crispy top and break-away center of the salmon was exactly the way I like it. The sweetness of the leeks with the potatoes brings makes me salivate even as I write, as it was just melt in your mouth delicious.
Market Crumble $6.00
Seasonal market fresh fruit and homemade oats baked
golden brown and topped with ice cream (ask your server)
How to describe this market crumble, made to order with blueberries and arriving smokin' hot and so fresh? Oh, I think I just did.
Crème Brulee $6.00
Baked vanilla custard topped with a crusted layer of
caramel and fresh berries
I don't usually order crème brulee, but lately have had cravings for it, and this was a remarkable one and unforgettable. I'd get it again.
The place was packed, even when we were leaving, a group of 25 showed up; but it was no issue to seat the large crowd as the open concept of the interior allows for big as well as intimate gatherings. Our server Kaitlyn was gracious and efficient as well, not missing a beat.
We met with the other two brothers, Nick and Mike, as well; it was so nice to talk to each of them and learn how much it meant to them to preserve the history of the building.
It's evident in the interior design that the original stained glass windows and wood burning fireplace only add to the ambiance of the restaurant. Their patio is possibly the largest in the city, as well.
With an upscale environment serving upscale food but with a down-to-earth vibe and certainly down-to-earth prices, we'd have to agree with Jim and his expression of The Blake House being "your home in the city". Afterall, three hours later, we still weren't ready to leave.
Amaya Express
Location:
1574 Bayview Avenue, Toronto
The "real" Amaya was closed for lunch and only opened at 5pm so we went express!
Looking like a somewhat modern-retro (isn't that an oxymoron?) cafeteria, we were the only group sitting inside the restaurant; the rest were outdoors on the patio. We felt like we had the whole place to ourselves! Our server was quick to take our orders and ORDER WE DID!
Spicy Fries:
I was in the company of like-minded gourmands (including A&M who we met back in my "SAD" King review) and we all agreed that the dishes were excellent in flavour and presentation. Those spicy fries were a highlight and are only superseded by the ones had at Haldirams in Delhi!
TRAVEL: Mr. B’s Bistro, N’awlins
Location:
201 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA
www.mrbsbistro.com
So, this is another one of those overdue/back-burner pieces.
Better late than never, right?
Located in the French Quarter, and coming highly recommended from many a source on the world wide web, my first impression of Mr. B's was that it seemed more suited towards a 40+ suit crowd.
Suits and in our case, bibs.
The bibs for de-shelling the shrimps in Mr. B's signiture BBQ shrimp dish!
(Gulf shrimp barbequed New Orleans style, served in the shells with a peppery butter sauce, and French bread for dipping $18.00)
Apart from the de-shelling, this dish was fantastic! And I love that they share the recipe online!
The other dish was less painful. Also, a bit bland. Catfish with beans (Pecan crusted farm raised catfish topped with Creole meuniere sauce $15.00 )
The fried oysters $6.75 were excellent.
Blueberry Cobbler $8, perfectly old fashioned.
Suits or not, bibs or not...Mr. B's Bistro is everything you imagine "N'awlins" to be.
LOCAL FEATURE: 360 Restaurant
Location:
CN Tower, 301 Front Street West, Toronto
The 360 Restaurant at the CN Tower has a magnificent revolving view of Toronto and is located more than 351 metres (1,151 ft) from the ground. The subtle rotation of the restaurant takes a few minutes to get used to but the changing landscape takes no adjustment at all! It's quite simply, stunning!
In addition to their dinner menu, they also offer prix fixe menus and as we were happy to discover, a whole vegetarian menu ! Everyone at the table was very pleased and it didn't take us very long to decide what to eat. Orders placed, we feasted on their magnificent bread basket while we leisurely enjoyed the view.
When our dishes arrived, it was clear that everything was not only exceptionally presented, but we also felt well taken care of.
CRISPY EGGPLANT “PARMESAN”
WITH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA
Piquillo peppers, beefsteak tomatoes, grilled asparagus, cherry tomato jus
$35
PAN ROASTED WILD BLACK COD
Wilted Swiss chard, preserved orange, fennel pollen, black olive vinaigrette $38
PAN SEARED FILLET OF ATLANTIC SALMON
Toasted almond and ginger vinaigrette, steamed baby bok choy, shiitake scented brown rice $35
BLACK TRUFFLE HONEY GLAZED BONELESS HALF CHICKEN
Fennel and olive oil mashed potatoes, summer squash, cider jus $35
A lovely Birthday treat!
The 360 Restaurant is definitely a special place to bring your favourite person (or people) or if your quest is to impress! And make sure you are there at sunset..it's absolutely breath-taking!
The night view ain't too shabby, either ! ;)
Highly recommended for visitors but I think especially if you live in Toronto, 'cause chances are you've taken the La Tour CN for granted! It really is a wonderful architectural and engineering wonder of the world, in our city.
Frugal Fare #6: The Banknote
Location:
663 King Street West, Toronto
The Banknote is one of those work-lunch and after-work dinner/drinks places serving up burger & beer type meals in a bank setting. Yes, aptly named The Banknote, as it used to a bank, they still have the ol' vault in the back and teller booths. If that ambiance doesn't suit you, there's always their cosy patio on the King Street side.
It's a great place for post-rock-climbing eats as Rock Oasis is just around the corner! I'd choose this over The Wheatsheaf, if you were wondering. :)
Burger and fries special
Pasta of the day:
Eggplant Parm Burger:
Penne:
Chicken Burg:
Fish n' Chips:
Thai Senses
Location:
www.thaisenses.ca
How apt, we came to our senses and left Compass's Grand Opening to grab some real grub and found Thai Senses.
A wonderful hospitality and creative dishes made for a memorable meal.
The coconut ice-cream was complimentary!
Besides the creepy fish head, the meal was quite tasty and a welcome change in hospitality from Compass Lakeside Grill.
The Wine Bar
Location:
9 Church St., Toronto
So, clearly I missed the boat on Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar, instead this place is now known simply as The Wine Bar.
And, I know I've said it before and I should've listened to me:
If a restaurant is EMPTY, go somewhere else.
The Wine Bar was eeeempty.
Aside from the wine (good thing it's called the Wine Bar), this place is a disaster!
Oh, and I still don't get "tapas" - small portions are not for me. I love food and I love seeing LOTS of it.
First the positive:
The service.
Very attentive, polite, accommodating to dietary needs.
The negative:
We ordred the grilled flatbread (with house smoked chicken, tomato and mozzarella) and requested less mozza, to which our server suggested he could do less on one half and no mozza on the other if that was preferred. Great! Perfect.
The flatbread arrives and the chicken looks a bit pink in the low-light.
The taste? Awful. The chicken truly is pink, is bad cuts of meat, and doesn't taste at all fresh.
The next thing we had ordered was the artic char (smoked) - with arugula. The smoked artic char arrived looking...smoked. And fishy smelling - fresh fish should never smell fishy - and overly salted. Were we ever grateful for the salad!
Then there was the scallops - OMG!! Both of our upset stomachs the next day verified what we'd thought all along: neither the scallops (nor the fish or chicken, for that matter!) were fresh. One bite of it was all we needed - it tasted like the bottom of the bay, like how you'd imagine a fish tank tasting.
And the wine? Besides the fact that we thought it was $10 for a glass (turns out it's $10 for a TASTE and $22 for a glass!) they were both very good.
Needless to say we drank every last drop of the wine, mostly to rid ourselves of the terrible food flavours. Soooo gross, you guys!! And we were so sick after!
I must admit I'm glad the portions were so small!
We ended up having to go for dinner again after that meal.
We headed over to JUMP where we KNEW we'd get incredible food, wine and service.
Cafe Cinquecento
Location:
791 King St W., Toronto
www.cafecinquecento.com
Went here for a friend's birthday, one who is a trusted foodie with great taste, and she was right.
I loved the atmosphere and the service and the story behind Cafe Cinquecento.
The menu left me absolutely TORN...there were many routes I wanted to go: there was pizza, pasta, the specials...and then....I saw BRICK PRESSED CORNISH HEN.
Our server explained it to me as follows: they cook the hen with a brick placed on top (exactly how you imagine) so that it cooks both sides crisply and keeps all the moistness within (like so).
I was convinced.
And pleasantly surprised.
Everyone else's meals looked wonderfully put together as well, and although it all took a while to arrive, to be fair there were 20 orders made! In the meantime we enjoyed rounds of bread, bowls of mussels and anitpasto plates. Yum. There was a spicy salami on there that was very memorable.
The only dish that didn't stand out was one of the specials: The tilapia on a bed of risotto with sausage. Which, at least, four of us agreed, was bland and the sausage tasted like Oscar Myer weiners.
But, the wine was flowing and it was simply a lovely evening of celebration. There also suddenly appeared a lovely vase of red roses for the centre of the table!
And, I'm still astounded that the birthday girl picked up the whole tab!!
TV, the next one's on me!
Fynn's of Temple Bar
Location:
489 King Street West, Toronto
www.fynnstemplebar.com
It used to be a Fionn MacCool's and now the name isn't all that different but the menu certainly is. For one, they have these God-awful photographs that don't really look related to anything ON the menu. Things like three scoops of vanilla ice-cream that looks as if a bite were taken out of one of the scoops. And tomatoes. Just you know, random tomatoes.
Regardless, Fynn's is always a staple lunch time spot for us 'cause it serves what we really want for lunch on Fridays: beer. In my case, Guinness.
The food is still yummy and plentiful in portion-size.
Can't ever go wrong with the Fish n chips.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="fish n chips $14 (one piece $9)"][/caption]
Unfortunately my fave Jerk Tilapia has now been changed to tilapia with pesto and tomatoes (ah, I see where the image of tomatoes comes in useful now). It's not bad, but I miss the Jerk Tilapia 'cause it had a delicious pineapple salsa on top. Bring it back, please!
Overall, no complaints though, this is definitely the best pub on King street near Spadina.
Moxie’s, Yorkdale Mall
Location:
Yorkdale Mall, 1 Yorkdale Road, Toronto
Moxie's has the lowest lighting possible, which is really no excuse for bad photos, and these really are the worst pics ever, so I'll just leave you to them whilst I turn away.
Harbour Sports Grille
TRAVEL: Banff: The Maple Leaf
Location:
137 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB
www.banffmapleleaf.com
After a two hour trek across Lake Louise and back to the Chateau and by the time we reached Banff, we were riddled with cravings for salmon (or really, anything other than sandwiches and soups), so we headed straight to The Maple Leaf, number one on my list of Banff eateries.
Also, after not finding a single fireplace (working) at the Chateau, we were tempted to ask if there was a fireplace at the Maple Leaf, to which we got the response, "one moment please", and then, voila! A table RIGHT beside the fireplace! Mind you, not only a fireplace, but a giant moose head to go with it, right above us.
I love Banff. Everything's so rugged, so earthy, so natural. If it isn't wood, it's leather or stone. The Maple Leaf ambiance was beyond cosy.
We'd scoured the outdoor menu to make sure that there was salmon and I knew what I was going to have:
The Atlantic Wasabi Salmon...sesame-scented Asian noodles, nori, pickled ginger.
The other item we ordered was the Mahi Mahi sandwich (I know I said enough with the sandwiches, but it sounded so good!) with potato and leek soup (okay, I take it back).
Yummeh x 2!
Our only - and very slight - qualm was that the "Coke" tasted more like Cola and then we figured out it was DIET Coke. Er, no thanks. Not on vacation (or any other time, for that matter). Our server was very accomodating and made no fuss. Our adjoining table of seven or eight however, complained about their regular burgers being too pink and found out that the regular burgers also had a mix of bison in them (the server said something about bison burgers being more on the pink side). They voiced that the menu made no mention of the bison mix in the regular burg and they'd have loved to have known beforehand...etc.etc.
If I hadn't overdone the whole burger thing having had two in the last four days, I would have ordered the regular burg as well, but the salmon and mahi mahi sandwich was exactly what we needed.
The salmon dish was amazingly good. Surprisingly, the noodles were chilled, but together with the crispy (breadcrumbed and fried) salmon and the fresh ginger slices, the dish was refreshing and satisfying.
The fish sandwich was tasty as well; we tried to pinpoint the "indian" flavour in it. At first I accredited it to the chilly yogurt mentioned in the menu, but then it dawned on me as being CILANTRO (to the joy of N and to my dismay). If you know me, you know I am not a fan of the green stuff and its overpoweringly horrid scent. That said, it was still a good sandwich. Washed down with a cold glass of real Coke, that is.
The potato and leek soup was the perfect antidote to an active Winters day, while the Maple Leaf was the perfect end to an active Winters vacation.
TRAVEL: Palm Beach, Charley’s Crab
Location:
456 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL
www.muer.com
Our first place to dine in PB was Charley's Crab...a highly recommended restaurant along the beach.
Apart from the Guinness that was poured out of a bottle (egh)...
the sandwiches we ordered were amazing and I'm not a huge sandwich person! (We quickly realized that most of the lunch fare in PB was sandwiches and/or burgers.)
Our server suggested the Bistro Chicken Sandwich with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, field greens & balsamic vinaigrette, which looked like this:
and tasted great although it was a bit heavy on the goat cheese (for me, but then I don't do cheeses well). The second sandwich, the Chili Dusted Ahi Sandwich - chargrilled with bacon & pepperjack cheese, and honey mustard aioli, served with French Fries and coleslaw was kick-ass!
Juicy and very filling!
We got it with green beans instead of fries, and I could have done without the slaw entirely. Still a very satisfying lunch for a day at the beach.
TRAVEL: Palm Beach, Hamburger Heaven
Location:
314 South Country Road, Palm Beach, Florida
Cost: $25 for two
Hamburger Heaven is a cute little diner in Palm Beach and one of two places suggested to us to get breakfast in the area - I'm sure there are more joints to grab freshly squeezed OJ, but HH was super close to our hotel and the beach which made it perfect.
We didn't make it in time for breakfast the first day...missed it by more than a few hours (breakfast is served until 11am and we were there around 3!), but our lunch consisted of what we considered to be makeshift breakfast dishes...ie. quiche (eggs and spinach) and fruits!
It was gloooooooooorious!!!! Ta DA!
And we thought we'd try the special of the day - Blackened tilapia on salad....my oh my was it ever delush! SO glad we missed breakfast! It was the perfect 3pm meal!
We did make it in time for french toast and eggs the next day though! And they remembered us and sat us in the same booth - so sweet! The service was amazing, they didn't make any fuss seating us in a booth even though there were just two of us and even though they had a lineup later for lunch with groups of four waiting. It just reminded me of horrible Mildred's Temple Kitchen and their huge a** fuss of seating us!
We had freshly squeezed OJ (how could you not?). Omg you guys, soooo good!
The eggs, toast, side of potatoes and....bacon....
I always get french toast for breakfast...and these were tasty (I have to admit Testa's was better, though especially with their serving of fruit on the top) but I was loving the giant Texas style toast.
The breakfast was all very good but I think it's called hamburger heaven for a reason and we really wanted to come back for one of their burgers but they were closed on Sunday, our last day there! Oh well, next time for the hamburger! We ended up jokingly calling this place Hamburger Helper but it truly is a little taste of heaven.