My love of watermelon is well known amongst family and friends. I am the one who always brings a watermelon to camping trips, the one craving it all year round and the one who easily eats a watermelon by herself every week. Alivia’s recently fallen in love with the delicious, sweet melon as well and Stephen and I are seriously pondering if we need multiple watermelons per week (so I don’t have to share). While more popular during warmer months, watermelon is in season all year round thanks to sourcing from the U.S. The Canadian market imports over 300 million pounds of U.S. watermelon annually.

How to Pick a Good Watermelon?

Watermelon makes a great snack as it’s a great source of hydration, being 92% water, and vitamins A (8% DV) and C. It’s also cholesterol, fat and sodium-free. While my favourite way to eat watermelon is scooped with a spoon, straight from the rind, there are also lots of ways to cook watermelon flesh, juice and rind. A cold pitcher of watermelon juice is a must when enjoying hot pot and watermelon gazpacho is the definition of summer next to a watermelon mojito. This recipe for watermelon sago is sweet, rich with a bit of bite. Served chilled, it’s a perfect dessert.For more watermelon recipes, information and tips, check out https://www.watermelon.org/.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with The National Watermelon Promotion Board. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

Yum

Watermelon Sago

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

• 2L of water for boiling sago
• 1/4 cup of sago
• 1L of ice water
• 4 cups watermelon flesh
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk (chilled)
• 1/4 cup simple syrup (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot on high heat, bring 2L of water to a rolling boil. Add 1/4 cup of sago. Once the water begins to boil again, lower the temperature to medium heat and maintain a low boil. Boil for approximately 20 minutes until the sago turns clear and transparent.
2. When the sago is done boiling, remove from heat, strain, and place into a large bowl with 1L of ice water.
3. Cut watermelon flesh into chunks, add 3 cups to a blender with coconut milk, and pulse until smooth. For more sweetness, add simple syrup and stir well.
4. In a glass or bowl, add the remaining watermelon chunks, 2-3 tbsp of strained sago and top with blended watermelon.

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Game of Cheese is a new restaurant in Markham from the mind of Chef Frank, head chef at Kaka All You Can Eat, featuring a menu of fusion dishes that stars, of course, cheese. When I first heard about the concept, I wasn’t sure what kind of cuisine to expect. Cheese boards? Fondues? Cheesecake? Luckily, I was invited to discover the menu for myself, which turned out to be a fusion of Japanese, French and Italian flavours.

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

Dinner began with a tall parfait each for Stephen and I. His had passionfruit, mine had mango and both were creamy and topped with a scoop of refreshing, incredibly tasty sorbet. I was so surprised with how much natural flavour was packed into the housemade dessert. Add in the textures of jelly, cream and fruit slush, this parfait was really good.

From the food menu, we started with an order of Baked mussels with cheese and mentaiko mayo. The melted cheese was gooey and the mayo had a generous amount of mentaiko adding lots of umami and seafood flavour to the meaty mussel. A touch of furikake added even more seasoning, making the dish addictive slurp after slurp.

Aside from appetizers, the other two main sections of the menu were pastas and pizzas. Stephen and I couldn’t resist the Black Truffle Carbonara Tagliatelle with smoked pancetta, plenty of parmesan cheese and tons of truffle. Topping the plate of creamy pasta was a poached egg with the perfect runny yolk. With so much earthy flavour from the truffle in the dish, I felt like the chunks of button mushrooms in the sauce weren’t needed and distracted a bit from the pasta. Priced at under $20, the plate was such a good value and made with good quality ingredients. For anyone who’s never tasted black truffle before, the Black Truffle Carbonara Tagliatelle would be a great initiation. For our pizza, Stephen and I tried the Seafood Pizza, which was loaded with salmon, scallops, and crab on a yuzu cream sauce base, and topped with wasabi mayo and tobiko. I found the pizza had a lot of potential but was actually overloaded with toppings and sauce. I really enjoyed the flavours but could have done without the salmon and perhaps only one sauce. Looking at the Game of Cheese menu on their website today, I couldn’t find this exact pizza listed. One thing I really respect is when a restaurant takes feedback from their diners seriously and continues to evolve their menu. Game of the Cheese is still a fairly new restaurant and it’s great to see Chef Frank refine and fine tune his dishes.

The dessert section was less cheesy but had a wide variety of items. I loved the Layered Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta with sake jelly, cherry blossom and a lychee raspberry compote. So so good. Getting a spoonful with each layer was sweet and tart, creamy and jelly. Topping all the layers was a scoop of Chef Frank’s delicious sorbet. This dessert may only be a seasonal item, I would say if it’s on the menu, get it! We also tried the Oreo Green Tea Cheesecake, which had a dense texture and a strong matcha flavour. If Chef Frank ever decided to open a dessert cafe, I’ll be there when the doors open!

During my second trip to Paris, my friend and I spent half a day in Versailles touring the palace. We had hoped to spend more time wandering the gardens and Marie Antoinette’s estate but had to get to Paris to meet friends in the afternoon. So when Stephen and I visited last year, I planned for us to spend a full day in Versailles.

Getting There

We headed out bright and early after breakfast at the W Paris, which had amazing croissants. Getting to Versailles from downtown Paris was easy and direct via the subway and commuter train (RER) system. The train ride takes an hour and then it’s another 10 minutes to walk from the station to the actual golden gates. Keep in mind that the train also only arrives every 10 minutes, so if you just missed one, the hour commute can end up being closer to 90 minutes. Once we arrived at the station, Gare du Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche, we followed the crowd that being being directed down the street. Turned out they were being directed to line up outside a third party travel agency that sold admission tickets. After realizing this, we left walked around the queue towards the official office, closer to the palace. Stephen and I decided on the passport ticket, which gave us entry to all of the attractions.

With our early start and visiting during off-peak season, the line to enter the grounds was fairly short. We even got to snap a few photos in front of the gate all by ourselves. Looking at the map, we decided to head first through the gardens to The Estate of Trianon, wander back in time for the afternoon fountain shows and end the day with touring the palace. For the most part the plan worked, there was a lot of walking involved and we only got slightly drenched in rain.

The Estate of Trianon

To get to The Estate of Trianon, Stephen and I walked straight down the certain of The Gardens. The landscaping was immaculate, but it did feel a bit sparse. I loved exploring the estate, which was a far more intimate and close-up experience than The Palace. We wandered around the grounds, exploring the Queen’s Hamlet, Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon. There were only a few other tourists around and for the most part, we felt like we were on our own.

I found Marie Antoinette’s estate super charming and loved being able to take my time walking through it. The walk back however was really far. Even though it was really only 30 minutes (one way), it was 30 minutes after being on our feet for over 2 hours already. We contemplated renting bikes, or buying a ticket on the little train that runs between the two attractions, but decided to just power through. We spent about 2 hours at The Estate of Trianon.

The Gardens

At first glance the gardens while expansive, were a bit sparse. However, I think the perfectly manicured lawns and trees look that way all year round. Based on the fountain show schedule, there was a recommended 1 hour or 3 hour tour. We opted for the 1 hour with some optional stops. My favourite fountain and music shows were the ones inside groves. Hidden away, behind tall trees and around bends, were beautiful intricate fountains, each different from the other and pretty spectacular. I would highly recommend stopping by as many groves as possible. I enjoyed the shows there more than at the large water fountains. While we were outside, it began to rain, first a light drizzle that became a steady shower. We took refuge in one of these groves, but eventually called it a day and went inside.

By this point, my feet were also very tired. Golf carts were available for rental and Stephen and I eyed them longingly as they drove by. We spent about 2 hours in the gardens.

The Palace

I have to admit, The Palace of Versailles was overwhelming. Partly due to the number of people and the tight hallways, but there’s just so much to see. From the wall size paintings, to the rich brocade walls to the ridiculously over the top ceilings, I wished I could sit in a corner in each room to take it all in. I’d highly recommend getting the complimentary audio guide that was entertaining and informative. One of my favourite paintings is The Coronation of Napoleon that takes up an entire wall of the coronation room. Listening to the audio guide, you learn about how the painting depicts Napoleon’s perspective of history, not necessarily the truth.

Each bedroom was more extravagant than than the previous with deep reds and lots of gold, so much gold. The rooms were a bit dark with the drapes closed to preserve the fabrics and paintings. I did feel like a sardine shuffling through the bedrooms, where much of the room was corded off, and tourists paused and crowded to listen to their guides.

The famous Hall of Mirrors was the definition of extravagant. Only photos can do the room justice. We spent about an hour touring the palace itself.

Laduree Versailles

Last but not least, my favourite souvenir from Versailles is the limited edition box of macarons from Laduree Versailles. The brocade mint box is available only at this location of Laduree and prepacked with their more popular flavours. I also picked up a Laduree keychain, my one souvenir from Paris to take home. I staged this photo on a guest bench inside the palace, I wouldn’t recommend it as there’s a strict no food or drink policy inside. The security guard watched me like a hawk but didn’t say anything until I tried to eat one, at which point he quickly came over to remind us of the rules. Oops. My bad. The temptation was too much.

My favourite Parisian macarons are actually Pierre Hermes, which are light and airy versus Laduree’s more cookie like shell. Whenever I see either though, I need to pick up a box.

Of all the monuments and tourist attractions in Paris, my favourite is The Notre-Dame de Paris, specifically climbing the tall towers to get up and close with the gargoyles and take in their view. If you’re researching the cathedral, note that access to the Towers is managed by a separate organization than the cathedral itself.

• Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral – Daily from 7:45am to 6:45pm, Free to access
• Towers of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral – Varies, generally from 10:00am to 5:30pm, 10 Euros

The Towers are not open everyday, so I would highly recommend checking the website ahead of time and not all levels are accessible everyday. The total climb up is 422 steps and mostly circles around a tight staircase. On my last trip to Paris, I climbed both the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame. Between the two, I 100% wanted to climb Notre-Dame again.

This is a popular attraction and there is a limit to the number of people admited daily. The last admission is 45 minutes before closing and there is usually already a line outside an hour before the towers open. I’d recommend aiming for 9:00-9:30 depending on how the rest of your day looks. On this trip, it actually took us two tries to get in. The first day, we stopped by around noon to a 2 hour queue and decided to just take in the stained glass windows and interior. The second day, we got up earlier.

From the top of the tower, there’s a stunning view of the back of Notre-Dame, the bell tower, the Eiffel Tower and even Sacré-Cœur. Each of the stone gargoyles are unique and charming, a few even carry a fish in their mouths, a snack for later. I won’t lie, the climb up isn’t the easiest, but going at a steady pace, I made it (lagging just a bit behind the main group). There is time to take breaks and windows along the way.

After touring the towers I would recommend going inside the cathedral if you haven’t yet. We proceeded to walk around the side and back of Notre-Dame, another beautiful perspective of the building. We then crossed a bridge, making our way to the neighbouring island and more importantly, Berthillon ice cream stand. Two scoops of creamy tiramisu ice cream makes the perfect reward after the morning’s exercise.

Another 10 minute walk North across Pont Marie brought us to lunch at L’as Du Fallafel, and arguably the best falafel sandwich in Paris. Stephen and I opted for the Chicken Shawarma and after the first bite, I was convinced. The pita bread was thick, almost naan like, and the garlic sauce was so good, tons of garlic flavour but also balanced with a bit of acidity. Lucky for us there wasn’t a line but even if there had been the ordering process was very efficient. As soon as we approached the shop, someone asked us if we were eating in or taking to go and took our order right away. The pickup window was a peek into the speedy production of sandwiches in the kitchen. All in all, we had our shawarma in hand within 5 minutes to share. I debated going back for a second of my own.

Eva’s Chimney Cones was the food truck star of last summer serving up freshly baked doughnut cones filled with soft serve ice cream and topped with sauces, nuts or fresh fruit. There was always a line wherever Eva’s truck went, including their semi-permanent booth in front of Union Station. Eva’s now has a permanent home in The Annex with the opening of their flagship store last month. The shop is baking up fresh chimney cones and chimney cakes everyday with 16 mouth watering creations.

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

Walking into the long, narrow shop, I was greeted by the aroma of freshly baking dough and cinnamon sugar. An open kitchen filled the front of the store where customers could watch the making of the chimney cone from gooey dough to golden brown goodness. The freshly baked cones have a crunchy exterior (from a thin layer of caramelized sugar) and a soft, fluffy interior. After baking, the cones are coated with more cinnamon sugar, filled with soft serve ice cream (including a vegan coconut option!) and loaded with toppings.

Eva’s menu ranges from $9-$11 and the cones can easily be shared between two people. After staring at the menu, struggling to pick just one, Stephen and I decided to try the Tiramisu Chimney Cone that had coffee-soaked lady fingers tucked inside the cone and espresso and cocoa powder sprinkled on top. This was one of the simpler cones and a wonderful interpretation of the desert. The coffee flavour was strong, the ice cream was creamy and I loved the lady fingers. Each chimney cone also has a chocolate truffle at the very bottom to prevent any ice cream from leaking, brilliant and a decadent final bite.

After satisfying our sweet tooth, I had to try Eva’s new savoury cake, the Herb and Aged Cheddar. Oh my god this was good. So good that Stephen and I fought over our first one and had to order a second. We ordered the cake plain (there are also 4 spreads that can be added) and fell in love. The cake was richly seasoned and incredibly fragrant. It’s a must try.

For drinks, there was freshly made coffee and classic espresso drinks in addition to pop, juice and Boylan sodas. If the full-size cone is too much, Eva’s has recently introduced The Mini O.G. priced at $6 with optional sauce toppings. Note that Eva’s is a cashless shop and accepts only electronic payment, perfect for me since I rarely ever carry cash. Once the weather warms up, I foresee Eva’s becoming the go-to dessert spot for the neighbourhood. To get the perfect shot for Instagram, there’s black brick wall just outside the store that makes for an ideal backdrop.

Light Cafe was one of those restaurants that looked stunning on the screen. With a vibrant live wall, whimsical drinks and colourful desserts, the menu defined Instagrammable. Since we don’t eat only with our eyes, I had high hopes that my tastebuds would be equally delighted, and for the most part they were. Light Cafe proved that they were more than just visuals with fresh ingredients and creative combinations.

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

To start, our group ordered a couple of drinks including the Berry Iced Tea, a Grapefruit Italian Soda, Tiramisu Latte and we couldn’t resist the Cotton Candy Coffee. Light Cafe also offered a selection of smoothies, espresso drinks, and loose leaf teas. I sipped on the bubbly Italian soda myself and liked how many slices of fresh fruit my glass came with. Similarly, the Berry Iced Tea was topped with lots of apple slices, sliced grapes and blackberries. I really liked the Tiramisu Latte, but it was unsweetened and a little hard to add sugar without getting cocoa powder everywhere. As for the Cotton Candy Coffee, a drink designed for Boomerang, the presentation of the drink was adorable. Two small milk bottles filled, each with milk and coffee, were served with a glass mug topped with a fluffy cloud of cotton candy. Pouring the coffee and milk through the cotton candy into the mug melted it and sweetened the drink at the same time. Fun and whimsical. Personally, I like my coffee a little sweeter than the level of sweetness provided from just the cotton candy.

As for food, we tasted at least one item from each section of the menu. For myself, I ordered the Lobster Bisque ($6.50 for a single bowl) and really liked the savoury, creamy soup. The warm cup was served in a copper measuring cup and was very comfortable on the chilly day. Continuing the lobster trend, I also ordered the Lobster Roll. At $15.50 for two buns this was pricey for a sandwich but pretty good for the amount of lobster on the plate. The cold chunks of lobster, tossed with a creamy dressing, was served on two toasted hot dog buns, perfect. I still dream about the hot butter lobster rolls from Boston, one day I hope to find one in Toronto.

The next few dishes were shared at the table. The Truffle Mushroom Croissant was visually interesting with the mushroom heads spilling out and had a generous drizzle of truffle oil, adding even more earthiness to each bite. If you like mushrooms, this would be the sandwich to order. With the Smoked Duck Breast Salad, the duck was incredibly flavourful and well seasoned, but only 5 slices were included. The salad itself was fresh with greens, a few chunks of citrus, tomatoes, cauliflower and radish. When ordering a salad, diners can choose from 4 different dressings. I picked the sesame, which was creamy and fragrant. Both the Yuzu and Mustard Soy dressings also sounded interesting.

I only took a few bites of the next two plates, the Creamy Shrimp Mini Pizza and the Smoked Salmon and Caviar Baked Potato. Between the two, I preferred the baked potato. Both dishes were weak in comparison to the other items I tried that night. The texture of the mini pizza was more like a flatbread and difficult to cut through.

When it came to dessert we tried three different waffle flavours, the Strawberry Waffle, Charcoal Black Sesame Waffle and Mango Waffle. The strawberry and mango waffles were more traditional, topped with whipped cream, fresh fruit and ice cream. I liked the idea of the flavour shot inserted in the scoop of strawberry ice cream, but it was hard to drizzle out. Both waffles were crispy and a great base for the topping. The black sesame waffle was cut into individual hearts and used actual (food safe) charcoal in the batter to achieve the dark, black colour. A little pitcher of black sesame sauce was served alongside.

Overall Light Cafe would be a great place for any type of meal, from a full dinner, to coffee, to dessert.

Tendou Matcha and Dessert is a relatively new cafe in Markham that has quickly gained popularity for their premium matcha soft serve ice cream and drinks. Using high quality matcha powder imported directed from Japan, Tendou’s desserts have a strong natural flavour and mild sweetness, letting the matcha shine. Although I crave ice cream year round, not everyone feels the same. As temperatures outside cool, Tendou’s menu has expanded to unveil a host of new desserts that feature more Japanese flavours, which will surely keep them busy through the fall and winter season.

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

At the media preview for Tendou’s Fall Menu I had the chance to chat with Rylen, the owner of Tendou, and learn about the different grades of matcha powder. Similar to coffee beans, based on the origin and grade (from food to ceremonial), cost and taste of matcha varies greatly. Tendou only uses matcha sourced from the south of Japan, which was vibrantly green in colour.

I tasted 4 matcha desserts that night, the mille crepe, cream puff, fruit tart and opera cake. Everything about the cream puff was perfect. Filled with an airy matcha flavoured cream, the cream puff was flakey with a cookie crisp topping that created a very satisfying contrast in textures. All three of the cream puffs we tried that night were phenomenal. The opera cake had layers of matcha sponge cake that was fluffy and lightly sweet. Rylen’s goal was to bring out the natural flavour of the ingredients without overpowering them with sugar, a goal I think he was successful in. When it came to the mille crepe, I enjoyed the flavours of the matcha, which was consistent throughout the evening, however the ratio of cream to crepe leaned too much towards cream for me.

The two black sesame desserts featured were the mille crepe and cream puff. Similar to the matcha flavoured desserts, the black sesame cream puff was delicious. The cream of both items had such a strong black sesame flavour that it tasted almost nutty. We also tried a Hokkaido Milk cream puff and Hokkaido Milk fruit tart. This was my first time tasting Hokkaido milk, which has 3.6% fat content, and the flavour was incredibly rich and milky. I would love to see this Japanese flavour be the next trend in Toronto.

Apart from the three main flavours, we also tried Tendou’s Tofu Cheesecake and The Hubby promptly fell in love. The cake had a mild cheese strong tofu flavour, reminiscent of tofu flower dessert. In fact, The Hubby liked the cake so much, he requested a full size cake for his birthday this year. I was lucky Rylen was able to fill my order.

The latest dessert trend to hit Toronto this summer has been Thai rolled ice cream, made with fresh ingredients and cream on a chilled steel surface. The ingredients like fresh fruit and cookies are “chopped” with two pastry scrapers on the steel pan and provides the flavour for the ice cream. As the cream and ingredients get chopped together, the chilled surface freezes the cream, transforming the mixture into a creamy texture. Made popular on the streets of Thailand and on phone screens globally via Instagram, the dessert is now available at many locations throughout the GTA. QQ Thai Ice Cream is one shop in Scarborough serving up the new treat.

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

QQ Thai Ice Cream was located in a large strip mall full of restaurants and snack shops in Scarborough, a great spot to stop by after dinner. Currently, QQ offers 10 flavours with the ability to combine two into a single ice cream roll. Flavours were created using fresh fruit and made into rolls, packed into a container, and finished with toppings like cookies, whipped cream, pocky and wafer straws. Prices for each cup start at $6.50 (plus tax), with an extra $1.00 charge for a mixed batch.

Of their 10 flavours, I had the chance to try Matcha, Strawberry, Nutella, S’more, Taro, Oreo and Morning Latte. The flavours of the Latte and Matcha were light and creamy, while the fruit based flavours for refreshing and sweet. One of my favourite flavours was Taro, which was rich and had a strong, sweet, taro taste. If mixing flavours, I’d recommend Latte and Oreo, Matcha and Oreo or Strawberry and Banana.

The process of creating each ice cream roll was quite labour intensive, up to 5 minutes of chopping, and involved much more than just scooping. This means there could be a wait for orders to be prepared, especially if there is a line. I think the final product is worth it.

Bake Code is a bakery specializing in Taiwanese style baked goods with locations in North York and Hillcrest Mall. Bake Code combines French baking techniques with Asian flavours to create delicious sweet and savoury treats. Bake Code has also partnered with Chatime to provide a reduced menu of Chatime’s most popular drinks (including roasted milk tea with herbal jelly!) Since the North York location opened last year, Bake Code has quickly become a regular stop on my way home for both a snack and my favourite bubble tea. I was recently invited to check out a new assortment of baked buns and desserts being introduced at a blogger event. In addition to tasting the new menu items, we got to go into the Bake Code kitchen and create our own speciality buns.

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

Two of my favourite breads at Bake Code are both sweet, the Multi-Grain Lychee roll and Sweet Taro roll. With the lychee roll, I love how the strong the fruit flavour is throughout the fluffy dough and I really enjoy the mochi like filling of the taro roll. The 4 new breads being introduced were all savoury.
Bacon Cheddar Twist – Long twisted bread with bacon, onion and cheddar cheese
Baked Pork Floss Puff Pastry Sandwich – My favourite, a sandwich made of puff pastry with a layer of pork floss and a layer of cheddar cheese
Sausage and Corn Bloom – A fancy twist on the classic sausage bun, sweet and salty
Pork Rou-Song Roll – A basic bread bun topped with a generous amount of pork floss and filled with mayonnaise

Any bread from Bake Code would make a delicious and filling snack. I like to buy 3 or 4 buns at a time, cut up half to munch on and freeze the other half for later. For diners eating in, Bake Code now offers a new toasting service.

Bake Code has also introduced an entire menu of desserts, including cakes, tarts, roll cakes and cream puffs. All of the cakes were soft and moist. I liked the lightness of the tiramisu cream puff and the matcha green tea roll cake. The natural flavours really shined through without being overly sweet. The lemon tart made with freshly squeezed lemon and lime coulis was also a good balance of sweet and tart with a great flakey crust. All three of the new roll cakes had an equal ratio of airy whipped cream to spongy chiffon cake.

While tasting the new menu items was already a treat, what made the evening extra special was getting to go into the kitchen at Bake Code and bake my own bread creations along with 5 other Instagrammers. Bake Code’s head baker, Chef Xiang from Taiwan, demonstrated how to put together two buns and we were then left to our own devices with 4 rounds a dough and a plethora of filling ingredients. There were sweet ones like red bean and savoury ones like shredded chicken and asiago cheese.

I tried my hand at creating 2 sweet and 2 savoury buns, which were baked while we sampled desserts. Once the buns came out of the proofer, doubling and tripling in size, we topped them with as many ingredients as we could layer. My most successful invention was a kimchi chicken filling topped mayonnaise, sriracha and green onions. Seeing the effort, and imagination that goes into creating each of Bake Code’s breads gave me a better appreciation for the bakers behind the scenes.

This year, I only picked two restaurants to visit for Winterlicious, choosing quality over quantity. For date night, The Hubby and I re-visited Cafe Boulud and continuing with the French theme, I picked Colette Grand Cafe for girl’s night. With high ceilings, white columns, marble floors and plenty of chandeliers, Colette Grand Cafe well suited the occasion.

Atmosphere: Colette Grand Cafe was a lovely vision of blue and white. Plush baby blue bench seats lined the dining room filled with white marble tables. I felt like I was in a life-size dollhouse. Lighting was dim, creating a sense of privacy in the open room, but tables were close to each other. It was hard to tune out the discussion in my left ear.

Service: I found service was pleasant, efficient and unobtrusive. Writing this post, I don’t have much to say. My friends and I were quite engrossed in our conversation and our servers took care of us without us even noticing.

Food: What was remarkable, was the food. Each course on the Winterlicious menu had a good number of options with two vegetarian appetizers. All of us went with the French Onion Soup, served piping hot in a classic, white, lion head porcelain bowl. The soup was sweet, savoury and cheesy, all soaked up by the crouton. You could taste the strong beef broth and onion flavour.

For my entree, I had the Boeuf Bourguignon with wine braised celery root, potato puree and pearl onions. The medallion of beef was super tender and fell apart at the touch of my fork. I liked that the vegetables were still crunchy and lightly seasoned, contrasted the strong seasoning in the broth creamy potatoes. The plating also showed off the ingredients, making a typically heavy, neutral coloured dish look fresh and colourful. When the dish first arrived, I was unsure how full I would be but the portion proved to be quite filling. One of my friends opted for the vegetarian option, a wild mushroom risotto, that was also satisfying and well-cooked.

Since there were three of us, it only made sense to order one of each dessert. There was a rice pudding, a chocolate brownie cake and salted caramel ice cream, which was unlisted and amazing. Of the three, I loved the salted caramel ice cream that was indulgent and the perfect balance of salty and sweet. The rice pudding was light, fluffy and nutty while the chocolate brownie would’ve satisfied any chocolate lover.

This was Colette’s first year participating in a Licious event and I would love to see them continue to take part. I hear great reviews about Colette’s bakery and will have to return to sink my teeth into some flakey croissants.