For this simple recipe, we added protein by using slices of turkey deli meat. Any kind works, as well as pre-cooked turkey meat. The turkey adds a savoury flavour to the broth, while keeping the dish light. I always try to fit a healthy protein into our breakfast, which helps keep Alivia energized until snack time. I like my turkey deli meat cut into thin strips, while Stephen prefers his in whole slices. Everything comes together in under 15 minutes and is a lovely way to start the day.

For more inspiration and recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

Yum

Turkey Deli Macaroni Soup

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 11 minutes

Serving Size: 3-4

Ingredients

• 2 liters of water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas and chopped carrots
• 200g macaroni noodles
• 100g turkey deli slices
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill a pot with 2 litres of water and bring to a boil. Add a bouillon cube to the pot, white pepper, then whisk to dissolve.
2. Add frozen peas, carrots, and macaroni to the pot. Cook the pasta by following the instructions on the packaging (8-12 mins).
3. Add the turkey deli slices, optional to chop into strips and serve into bowls.
4. Garnish with sesame oil and chili oil (optional).

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After moving into a new neighbourhood, my usual MO is to try all well reviewed restaurants nearby. In North York, this was a daunting task. In Richmond Hill, the list of places to try was shorter but more planning was required, especially with Alivia in tow. One of our first stops was 3 Coins Open Kitchen, an all-day breakfast diner on Yonge north of Major Mackenzie.

Atmosphere: 3 Coins was a quintessential diner with lots of primary colours, bar seating and cozy leather booths, mini jukeboxes included. Each booth also had its own coat hook, which was a great touch. The diner had two seating areas and a lot more tables than it appeared from the outside. Most tables were occupied with families and groups of friends. There was one other baby while we were there.

Service: Parking was available behind the restaurant off Arnold Cres, one benefit of the suburbs that I will not tire of. Our server was friendly, brought us over a high chair and even wiped it off for us. So far in my experience dining out with Alivia, this is not a common occurrence and I really appreciated the extra attention. Plates arrived quickly and our coffees were refilled before they were empty.

Food: Stephen ordered the classic 3 eggs special with bacon, home fries and toast while I ordered my usual, eggs benedict with bacon for protein and a side of home fries. We added a side order of breakfast sausages, a plate of 4, that we had trouble finishing. Stephen’s plate was solid and a filling meal for under $10. His over-easy eggs were cooked well with runny yolks and the toast well buttered. The cook on the bacon was a tad crispier than how we fry it at home, but no complaints. I really liked their home made hash, which was well seasoned and crispy.

My eggs benedict had perfectly poached eggs (makes me want to ask what mould they’re using) and a creamy, lemony yellow hollandaise sauce. This was A+ sauce in terms of the smooth texture and rich flavour. Overall our breakfast at 3 Coins Open Kitchen was comforting and homey.

A few weeks ago, Stephen and I met up with friends in Markham for an afternoon of board games. Before diving into hours of dice rolling and strategic meeple moves, we met up to grab brunch at Alchemy Coffee. The popular Unionville spot usually has a line out the door and I’ve heard great reviews about both their drinks and food menu. I was eager to try their version of my favourite brunch dishes, Fried Chicken and Waffles.

Atmosphere: Alchemy Coffee was a small shop located in a strip mall on Highway 7. Free parking was available but spots were limited. The restaurant was cozy with a rustic decor and felt more like a coffee shop than restaurant. Some diners lingered over mugs of coffee with a book while others just grabbed coffee to go. Bar seats lined the windows and one wall while the the rest of the dining room had square tables, which could be rearranged to fit any party size.

Service: Although there were tables, the coffee shop was self serve when it came to finding a seat. Our party of 5 ended up waiting for about 30 minutes with a few people in front of us. Luckily a table of 4 left as we were next in line and we were able to grab an extra chair. We placed our orders at the counter and once they were ready, each plate was brought to our table. Milk and sugar for coffees were set up at a self-service counter along the wall.

Food: Between the two of us, Stephen and I split the Fried Chicken and Waffles and Eggs Benny with Peameal Bacon. First the good, I really liked the eggs benny. The poached eggs had the perfect runny yolk and the hollandaise sauce was glossy and flavourful. A touch more sauce would’ve been nice. I also liked how crispy the house fries were and the seasoning on them.

As for the Chicken and Waffles, I felt like the thought behind the dish was great but the execution wasn’t. The plate came with three drumsticks, great I like dark meat, but they were small. A drumstick and thigh would’ve been much more appetizing. The batter on the chicken was also mildly seasoned and not all that crispy. Not bad, but not on par with other spots in the city. The waffles were fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, a good bite but I would have liked them to be a touch sweeter. A dallop of the spicy syrup served alongside was needed to add some dimension.

In addition to food, I had a flat white and Stephen opted for an americano. My drink was creamy and smooth. While some of the dishes were disappointing, Alchemy Coffee’s espresso drinks were very well made.

During my short trip to Vancouver, dim sum was near the top of my must eats list. I reached out to a few Vancouver bloggers, and the consensus was to visit a location of Kirin Seafood, that was known to be a good balance between quality and price. My friends and I were able to squeeze in two dim sum meals over the weekend, with Kirin Seafood being the most memorable.

Atmosphere: Based on geography and scheduling, we made reservations at the Starlight Casino location of Kirin Seafood for Sunday morning, a few hours before our return flight to Toronto. Pulling into the complex, I was surprised by how many parking spots were occupied so early in the day. The majority of visitors were there for breakfast and the restaurant filled up quickly after the doors opened. The restaurant had multiple rooms and we ended up sitting in one of their regal private dining areas. While dim sum was a casual meal, the restaurant was elegant and I could see it being a popular banquet venue.

Service: Our reservation was for the very first seating of the day and the hostess directly us straight to a table. A server came by to take our tea order and drop off an ordering sheet. Being on a deadline, I was more conscious of the time than usual. Fortunately, dishes arrived promptly and we had plenty of time to savour each item and even contemplate placing a second order. There was always at least one server in the room checking on the tables, clearing plates and refilling tea. Service was efficient and professional.

Food: Usually at dim sum, I order 2-3 dishes per person. I also find going with a group of 5 perfect as most dishes have four servings, like the dumplings or baos. At Kirin, we stuck to 8 dishes, including dessert. All of the dishes were delicious and on par or better than some of my favourite dim sum restaurants in Toronto. If we had more time, I would’ve loved to try a few more their unique or special menu items.

As is, we stuck to ordering classic dishes, starting with fried turnip cake and curry tripe. The turnip cake had a great texture, held it’s shape and had a crispy fried exterior. I liked how tender the tripe was and the honeycomb texture was perfect for picking up lots of tasty sauce. For savoury items, we tried the steamed short rib and chicken feet. Both dishes were tender and had strong flavours. We also tried a steamed tripe dish that had a good texture, but I thought was a touch under seasoned. The two dumplings we tried was the classic shrimp, har gow, and one with an egg and vermicelli filling. Both of the wrappers were on point, thin, not sticky and with just a bit a chew. The tray of shrimp dumplings were plump and folded with even, pretty pleating.

The meal ended with Leaky Sand buns, baos filled with a salted egg custard. I liked the taste of the filling, which was well balanced between sweet and salty, but I wish the consistency was more leaky. Overall, dim sum at Kirin was a perfect meal to cap of my time in Vancouver.

Living in Toronto, my family used to visit Niagara Falls a lot. Whenever we hosted out of town guests, a drive to see the falls was guaranteed. My favourite part of the trip was always a stop at one of the 24/7 American diners that had made their way across the border. Today, I can get my all day breakfast fix right in the heart of Toronto at the Denny’s near Yonge and Dundas.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

I was surprised to learn that Denny’s had 73 locations across Canada, including 3 in the GTA. The Hubby and I stopped by the downtown location a few weeks ago for dinner after some window shopping in the area. We were seated and handed menus by our server, who was cheerful and friendly. At 6pm on a weekday, most of our fellow diners were students lamenting over their recent exams. Our booth was clean and comfortable, but the restaurant decor did feel dated with muted neutral colours and warm yellow lighting. Our server was attentive, checking in on us throughout the night.

I was also surprised at the plethora of menu options Denny’s had to offer, way more than just omelettes and toast. From burgers, to pasta, to fish and chips. The menu also featured lighter dishes like the Fit Fare grilled salmon that had less than 15g of fat and was under 550 calories.

Even with all the choices, The Hubby couldn’t resist all day breakfast and ordered the Lumberjack Slam, which included two fluffy buttermilk pancakes, a slice of ham, two bacon strips, two breakfast sausages, hash browns, toast and two eggs cooked any way. All of that food was served on two hefty plates arrived. He ordered his eggs sunny side up and they were cooked perfectly with golden, runny yolks. Personally, I would have liked the hash browns to be crispier. The stack of pancakes, topped with a ball of butter, was soft and soaked up syrup like a sponge. Delicious. Portions were very generous and this was a lot of food for one person.

Sticking to the breakfast section of the menu, I chose the less traditional Steak Skewer Skillet. Served on a sizzling pan, my dish had a bed of seasoned red-skin potatoes, roasted bell peppers, onions and mushrooms, topped with a skewer of bite-size steak pieces and two perfect sunny-side up eggs. The skewer was brushed with a sweet bourbon sauce that really flavoured the meat. I enjoyed the plentiful amount of vegetables and found the red-skin potatoes very sweet (almost mistaking them for yam).

Alongside dinner, I sipped on a thick, creamy strawberry milkshake that was more dessert than drink. This was an indulgence worth an extra hour at the gym.

Dim Sum in Hong Kong is as ubiquitous as burgers in North American. One difference would be the breadth in quality and calibre of restaurants, there are hole-in-walls serving some of the best traditional dim sum in the city, to 5 star hotel restaurants exploring the definition a shrimp dumpling. Tim Ho wan falls closer to the former and is often lauded as the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world. Dishes range in price from $2.75 CAD to $4.50 (less than some dim sum places in Toronto!).

The original Mongkok location opened in 2009 and earned their one Michelin star the year after. With only 20-30 seats, locals and tourists alike would line up outside in the Hong Kong heat for hours. Today, there are multiple branches of Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong (including one indoors at IFC Mall, which makes lining up more comfortable) and they are expanding throughout Asia.

I visited the Sham Shui Po location this summer with The Hubby and his family while we were in Hong Kong. Since the original Mongkok location closed, this is now “the” Tim Ho Wan to visit. We arrived 15 minutes before the restaurant opened on a Wednesday morning and lucky enough to get a table in the first seating.

Compared to my experiences at other one Michelin star restaurants, I found Tim Ho Wan underwhelming in terms of service and atmosphere. The small, unassuming shop was efficient and tidy but didn’t have any aspects that stood out from other dim sum shops or restaurants. Servers hustled around the shop and lone diners were directed to shared tables. The acclaim and draw must be for the food?

We handed in our order sheet, which included dim sum classics like shrimp dumplings (har gow), shrimp rice roll, sticky rice, turnip cake, siew mai and the famous baked bbq buns. Dishes began to arrive quickly and our table was soon filled with plates and steamers. As I bit into juicy dumplings and spooned up sticky rice, I was enjoying the meal but confused. Each dish was consistently good and excellently crafted but nothing was wow-ing, that was until the plate of baked cha siu buns arrived.

Each order came with 3 buns and I would highly recommend ordering enough for each person to enjoy their own. After the five of us split one plate, we quickly ordered a second. These buns were pretty spectacular. Each bun was filled with saucey bbq pork and topped with a mixture of butter, flour, egg and sugar before being baked. This resulted in a crumbly topping, similar to a pineapple bun. Each bite was sweet and savoury.

While Tim Ho Wan may not warrant a 2 hour wait, 30 minutes would be worthwhile. The price was affordable for even the most budget-conscious traveller and the dim sum, while no frills, was authentic and tasty. If stopping by the Sham Shui Po location, I would recommend going early, otherwise, if it’s summer, the IFC Mall location in Central would be the most comfortable to queue up for. Menus and order sheets were available in Chinese and English.

During my Asia trip this summer I had planned 24 hours in Shanghai, in transit from Suzhou to Hong Kong. My top priority for this day trip was eating the best authentic xiao long bao (soup dumplings) possible. After a lot of research, I narrowed my choice down to Jia Jia Xiao Long Bao, located near People’s Square.

The Hubby and I arrived in Shanghai with his parents and brother just after breakfast. High speed trains between Suzhou and Shanghai has cut the transit down to just 30 minutes, making day trips to the city very easy. We dropped our luggage off at the hotel and set off for our xiao long bao adventure.

We arrived at Jia Jia Xiao Long Bao just after the lunch rush. The restaurant was small, with 20-30 wooden and plastic stools surrounding communal tables. Our group of 5 had to wait longer in order to sit together. This was a no frills hole-in-wall shop, filled with locals and tourists alike. Signs posted on each wall in English and Chinese warned customers of the slippery floors. With the kitchen constantly pumping out xiao long bao, the shop was steamy. Part of the kitchen was open and we could see 4 women making the xiao long baos to order. The finesse and speed with which each worker did their task to make the baos was mesmerizing.

Like many small Chinese restaurants, the menu was a placard system behind the cash and changed based on the day’s availability and as items sell out. We placed our order at the cash before sitting. An English menu was available. I could not believe how low the prices were, 20rmb for 12 pork baos, 27rmb for 12 pork and crab baos. The most expensive filling for 6 pure crab meat and roe for 99 rmb, still a steal really. Sliced ginger and vinegar was an additional 1 rmb charge per person.

For the 5 of us, we ordered two bowls of pork blood and egg soup (3 rmb), two steamers each of pork, pork and crab and one steamer of pure crab. To start, the texture of the wrapper was phenomenal, chewy and springy but delicately thin. With a mostly liquid filling, the baos transformed from spheres to blobs in the steamers and sagged precariously when picked up. Biting a small hole into the bao released the delicious aroma of the savoury filling inside and there was plenty of soup to be slurped up. So good and so satisfying. My favourite xiao long baos in Toronto are good, but these ones had a stronger flavour.

My favourite xiao long baos were pure crab ones. The filling consisted of crab roe, crab meat and were very rich. When mixed with pork, the crab complimented the filling but the texture was still like a soft meatball. With all crab, the filing was more liquid, oil and way creamier. As delicious as they were, it would be hard to eat a full steamer by myself.

I would highly recommend visiting Jia Jia Xiao Long Bao for breakfast (they open at 8:30am) for an incredible start to a day in Shanghai at a very affordable price. The Hubby and I enjoyed our meal at Jia Jia so much, we actually went back the next morning before our flight. I wanted those xiao long baos to be the last bite I had of Shanghai.

Another early morning dim sum outing dragged me out of bed at 8am (after a wedding the previous night) to queue up outside of Dragon Boat Fusion Cuisine. When The Hubby and I pulled into the parking lot of Dragon Boat Fusion, at quarter to 9am, there was already a long line. Since the parking lot was small and it was challenging to find a spot closeby, I hopped out first to secure our spot while he parked. On a weekend, I would highly recommend coming before the doors open.

Atmosphere: Dragon Boat Fusion is one of the classier Chinese restaurants uptown. Popular for weddings, new year banquets and special events, the decor was tasteful and featured lots of gold and red elements. Each table was set with crisp white tablecloths and contemporary chinaware. Square dim sum steamers was branded with the restaurant name and logo. A wall display of wine bottles greeted customers in the lobby and 8 large fishtanks housed an impressive display of fresh seafood.

Service: Despite the refined atmosphere, service during dim sum was a mess. When the doors opened, chaos ensued. Everyone streamed into the restaurant and ran to a table, there was no semblance of order and the staff didn’t even try to assign tables. It was like a mass game of musical chairs, if you took too long to sit down, all of the tables could be taken, regardless of where you were in line outside. Practically all of the large tables were occupied by 1 or 2 people holding them down. Many still didn’t have a full party by the time we left and the line outside snaked around the building. When we were trying to place our order, we were also consciously ignored at least 3 times. I’m not sure if the servers were waiting to collect multiple orders at a certain time, but it would’ve been nice to be told, rather than having them make eye contact and promptly walk away. Even with lower expectations, the service was dismal. It was near impossible to get a teapot refills, but the bill came quickly.

Food: Honestly, I’m torn between rating Dragon Boat 3.0 or 4.0. We had such a poor experience but the food was really good. Good enough for me to deal with lousy service for at least one return visit. Between 4 people, we ordered 8 dishes in total and I thought 6 were above par. There is a reason the restaurant is so popular and I couldn’t disagree.

Deep Fried Taro with Quail Egg – Very crispy, like a small bird’s nest, warm creamy taro filling and soft boiled quail egg.
Chestnut Pumpkin and Corn Congee – Surprising hit, I didn’t expect the rich colour or large portion. Nuttiness from the chestnut, sweetness from the pumpkin and corn, was filling and tasty/
Steamed Tripe – Tender with lots of ginger and green onion.
Steamed Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf – These rolls came out wrapped in parchment paper, on top of the lotus leaves, easier to share than traditional Zongzi but not as flavourful.
Shrimp Dumplings – Decoration shrimp was cute, but overcooked, dumplings themselves were only ok. The skin was sticky and thicker than other dim sum restaurants.
Rice Roll with Dough Fritter – Loved the addition of bonito flakes, the dough fritters were crispy was served with lots of sauce. The style of presentation allowed for maximum saturation.
Baked BBQ Pork Bun – Golden, crispy topping, fluffy bun with lots of filling, would happily order this again.
Steamed Chicken Feet – This dish arrived last, we thought it was actually forgotten and was ready to cancel it when it appeared. I found the chicken feet cooked well, the skin was soft and fell off the bone and was well seasoned.

If service was cleaned up, Dragon Boat Fusion could easily be a great restaurant. Perhaps dinner is a completely different experience than the craziness of weekend dim sum. For now, I’m conflicted.

My eyes light up when a new restaurant opens in my neighbourhood. While there’s plenty of Asian fare in North York, Western cuisine is harder to come by, especially brunch. I usually make the trek down to St. Clair or Dupont when the need for waffles or hollandaise sauce kicks in. Thus, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the brunch menu at the newly opened Union Social Eatery.

Atmosphere: Union Social Eatery has taken over the space that used to be Estrella Taqueria (who used to be Smokey’s). There was a new paint job, some of the decor has changed but overall the restaurant layout has stayed consistent. Tables were lined against the store front with doors that could be opened for fresh air, there’s plenty of booths and room for large groups. Music was loud and the atmosphere relaxed.

Service: The Hubby and I met my friend and her one year old at the restaurant. Our server could not have been more friendly and accommodating. She checked up on us often, made silly faces, and was great at taking care of our table. Unfortunately, our food took almost 30 minutes to arrive. We were the first customers that day at 11am, not early for brunch and few tables were occupied shortly after. If there wasn’t a small child keeping us busy and entertained, the wait would have been painful and far more pronounced.

Food: While we focused on the weekend brunch menu, Union Social’s full food menu was available to order from as well. Each plate was served with fresh watermelon slices and a shot of strawberry yogurt. I chose the breakfast burger ($12.95) while The Hubby had the Eggs Benedict with Pancetta ($14.95). Both dishes also came with a side of smashed potatoes.

For what was plated, I thought the menu prices were a bit high. Both dishes were satisfying but had a list of pros and cons that overall left me feeling meh. Between the two, the eggs benedict was better seasoned and stronger flavours. However the hollandaise sauce looked like it was baked, had formed a crust and was not even remotely liquid. This was pretty disappointing and wasn’t stated in the menu description. I also found the yolk not runny enough.

My breakfast burger was the more filling choice and I enjoyed each bite, but it wasn’t a dish I couldn’t cook at home myself. I would not have missed the small shot of strawberry yogurt.

Overall, I need to re-visit and try their regular menu before settling on a final opinion. On brunch alone, It feels like there are still wrinkles to be ironed out in the kitchen and the hollandaise sauce needs a facelift.

In the midst of this long Canadian winter, a weekend food trip to Montreal was just what I needed to avert any seasonal affective disorder. Yes, technically Montreal was colder and snowier than Toronto, but the change in scenery made the snow a lot prettier. On this trip, the Fiance and I stayed at the Westin, right at the Old Port and took advantage of the great location. I even woke up early on Saturday to get in breakfast at Le Gros Jambon, my quest to fit in as many meals as possible in 48 short hours.

Atmosphere: Le Gros Jambon had the diner feel down. The narrow restaurant has two rows of bar stools, one along a wall decorated with vintage posters and ads, the other facing the open kitchen. I would not come with a group bigger than 3. We were the first customers that day at 10am but the diner filled up quickly.

Service: Since we were there quite early, the staff was relaxed and enjoying their breakfast with us. All of the servers spoke English and were friendly. Food arrived quickly and bills were settled at the front of the restaurant.

Food: The Fiance and I split one savoury and one sweet dish. Both of our meals were served on adorable pig shaped platters. I chose to go with the classic two eggs platter, over easy and side of sausage. The platter came with a hash brown, a thimble of baked beans and two slices of buttered toast. My eggs had perfect runny yolks and the toast was generously buttered (wedding diet right??). The hash browns were almost croquette like and used mashed potatoes along with smoked ham, a tasty variant.

For our sweet dish, we picked the French Toast with fresh fruit, whipped cream, pecan crumble and toasted coconut. This came with three slices of french toast, a has brown and the same thimble of baked beans. I found the toast itself pretty standard but the combination of all the toppings made each bite great. All of the fruits used were ripe and extra sweet. The whipped cream was airy and I loved the candied pecans.