When I was in elementary school, pizza pockets were my go-to after school snack. We always had a box in the freezer and I burned my tongue often on the cheesy, saucy treat. When Alivia first started eating pizza, we would deconstruct her slice, toppings in a pile next to squares of cut up crust. She’s only recently started to enjoy pizza as a complete entity, which made me excited to share the magic of a pizza pocket with her.

Stephen and I decided to try making our own pizza pockets using turkey breast deli meat and turkey pepperettes. The result, was delicious and Alivia’s proclaimed turkey pepperettes as her new favourite snack. The recipe makes 8 and I had planned to eat 1 or 2 but somehow ended up devouring 5 of them hot from the air fryer. By using pre-cooked turkey products, the pizza pockets were super simple and quick to make. Alivia loved helping out, even though more of the turkey pepperettes ended up in her belly than inside the dough. We used a simple pizza dough recipe but any store bought rising dough would work as well. With the flavour of the pepperettes and tomato sauce, no additional salt was needed. This was such a great way to use turkey deli meat and the fillings customizable to individual palates. The pizza pockets would be great to freeze for meal prep and reheat wonderfully in an air fryer for an instant, satisfying warm lunch (or afternoon snack…or two).

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 Pizza Pockets

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 8

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients

• ? 1 pizza dough crust
• ? 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• ? 1/2 cup turkey deli meat, chopped
• ? 2 turkey pepperettes, sliced
• ? 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• ? 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• ? 2 white mushrooms, sliced
• ? 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ? 1 tbsp olive oil
• ? 1 tsp dried oregano
• ? 1 tsp dried basil

Instructions

1. Cut pizza dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and roll out into a wide oval shape.
2. Spread a spoonful (approx 1 tbsp) of tomato sauce in the centre of the dough, top with chopped turkey deli meat, turkey pepperettes, red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, shredded cheese.
3. Fold the dough over the filling in half and crimp the folded sides together using a fork. Be sure to fully close the edge to avoid leaks of sauce and melted cheese.
4. Brush the top of each pizza pocket with olive oil and sprinkle a mix of dried oregano and dried basil.
5. Cook the pizza pockets in an air fryer at 380°F for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and dough is fully cooked.

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Somehow Stephen and I have made it this long without an air fryer. His parents have raved about theirs for months and even brought the appliance over to our house once to make dinner. When we were contacted to continue working with the Turkey Farmers of Canada in collaboration with CHEFMAN to test out their 3.5L Air Fryer, I was very excited to get on board.

The CHEFMAN Air Fryer has a dual knob on the front that sets temperature and time. The large basket has a 15-cup capacity and is dishwasher-safe. In addition to frying with 90% less oil, you can also roast, cook, and bake using it. I like how quick dishes are to make; there’s no need to wait for an oven to preheat, and the cleanup is easy. Stephen usually fries using his wok, but storing the oil takes up lots of room in our fridge and you need to watch it closely. With the air fryer, the results are crispy (crispier than baking!), there’s no need for constant attention, and there’s way less oil.

Brainstorming recipes we wanted to try in the air fryer, buns popped to the top of our list, especially sausage buns that we usually buy from our Asian grocery store. Alivia loves these buns and I loved the idea of making them healthier by using turkey dogs, and more fun by turning them into flower buns. We used a simple milk bun recipe that required a second rise, but any rising dough will work, including store-bought puff pastry or even pizza dough. The flavour of the turkey is perfect with the pillowy bun, and if you can find smoked turkey dogs, even better! We played around with making flowers using different numbers of “petals” from 3 to 6. The 3-petal flower buns were a perfect snack for Alivia and two fit in the air fryer basket at a time to cook. The buns came out of the basket crispy, airy, and gorgeously golden. This is an easy, fun recipe to make with just a handful of ingredients!

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 Flower Buns

Prep Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• -1 Tbsp canola oil
• 250g bread dough (premade)
• 4 Turkey Dogs
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Cut 4x5-inch squares of parchment paper and lightly oil one side of each piece. Set aside, laid out.
2. Split the proofed dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough out to a rectangle the length of the turkey dog and about 2-4 inches wide. Place the turkey dog in the center of the rectangle, lengthwise and wrap the turkey dog fully with the dough.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough wrapped turkey dog into 6-7 equal discs. These are the petals of the flower.
4. On the parchment paper, form each flower bun by placing one disc of wrapped turkey dog in the centre and 5-6 petals around the centre.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for remaining dough and turkey dogs to form each flower bun.
6. Let the dough sit for 1 hour and proof for a second time as needed.
7. Once the dough is ready, make an egg wash by whisking the egg with 2 Tbsp of water. Brush the bun with the egg wash, top with green onion and sesame seeds.
8. Cook each bun in the CHEFMAN Air Fryer at 325 degrees F for 11 minutes total. After 5 minutes, remove the parchment paper from under the bun and cook for the remaining 6 minutes.

Notes

Tips: Any rising dough will work from store bought puff pastry to pizza dough. To second proof your dough, put the tray of buns into the oven and add a bowl of hot water. When removing the parchment paper, if the bottom of the bun is still sticking to it, let it cook for another minute.

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Like everyone else on our social media feed, Stephen has become a baker this year. He’s even earned the title of “master baker” from Alivia. While his no-knead bread is essential to my avocado toast breakfast, it’s his milk buns that’s won her heart. We’ve followed China Sichuan Food‘s recipe to a tee until the forming part and the buns always turn out beautiful, golden, fluffy and just the right level of sweetness.

We’ve used this recipe to make plain buns topped with sesame seeds, which are great as burger buns, or filled ones from sausage to curry. Just make your filling and fill the buns between the first and second proof. Here are some quick and easy filling ideas:

• Meat Floss – Straightforward and easy, fill the buns with a teaspoon of meat floss and sprinkle some on top of the egg wash
• Sausage – Wrap the long piece of dough around the hotdog (like the photos below) or just over it like a hotdog bun
• Char Siu Pork – If you have some leftover roast pork left over, follow this recipe from Woks of Life for the filling . We also sub with ground pork if it’s what we have in the fridge
• Curry – Stir fried ground beef (or pork) with minced onions and garlic, add curry powder and any other spices you’d like (ie. tumeric, cumin), a dash of soy sauce and salt

Plain or filled, these milk buns are delicious and the perfect lunch/afternoon snack. We make 8-10 at a time and they vanish by the middle of the week.

Yum

Milk Buns

Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 8

Credit: https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/milk-bread/

Ingredients

• 300g flour
• 50g sugar
• 2g salt
• 2 eggs (1 for egg wash)
• 160g 3.25% milk
• 1 1/2 tsp yeast
• 30g unsalted butter at room temperature

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, mix together four, sugar, salt, 1 egg, milk and yeast on low speed for 5-7 minutes. Add butter and knead until dough comes together and is elastic, approx 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the kneaded dough to a lightly floured surface and manually knead for 2-3 minutes, until smooth.
3. Place dough ball back into stand mixer bowl, cover and set aside for first proof, at least 1 hour in a warm space. The dough should double in size.
4. Punch down the proofed dough and divide into 8 portions. For plain buns, form each portion of dough into a ball. For filled buns, flatten the dough, fill and wrap the dough around the filling and pinch together.
5. Place each bun on a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and a few drops of oil. Make sure the bottom of each bun is oiled, or it will stick. For the filled buns, place the pinched area facing down.
6. Place the baking tray of buns into the over with a large bowl of warm water for a second proof, at least 1 hour The buns should double in size again.
7. Preheat oven to 340°F.
8. Brush tops of buns with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water) and garnish as desired.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes

Notes

Tip: To help proof the dough, turn on your oven at the lowest setting for one minute with a bowl of water, then place in your buns and proof inside.

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Whenever I travel to a new city, I like to include a few walking tours early in my itinerary. All of the past tours I’ve been on were informative and fun. Walking around a foreign city with a well-versed guide gives me the chance to get my bearings, learn some interesting facts and ask for food recommendations. When Bria of Food Nook Tours contacted me about a walking food tour in Roncesvalles, I realized it would be a great way to explore Toronto as well. My interest was also piqued as I know there’s a ton of great food in Roncesvalles but rarely visit the area myself. Spending an afternoon with Bria checking out some neighbourhood gems sounded like a lovely time.

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

As a guide, Bria was friendly and engaging. On our tour, The Hubby and I were joined by another media person, her BF, and a family with two kids. Bria expertly shepherded our group of 8 at a comfortable pace through 5 stops making sure everyone had time to grab samples and take photos without any lulls. She was sure to point out which stops could double as a washroom break and tried her best to keep us in the shade when possible. I liked how she introduced the tour with a short speech on the history of the neighbourhood and pointed out popular restaurants and shops as we walked.

The 5 stops on our tour that sunny afternoon were all local businesses that I would frequent if I lived in the area:
Chocolateria – A chocolate shop that had an amazing selection of housemade chocolates and ice cream. We had the chance to sample a plethora of chocolate dipped goodies including my favourite, chocolate dipped chips. The mix of sweet and salty was perfect. I also spotted a selection of chocolate frogs near the cash.

Fantail Bakery and Cafe – Run by native New Zealander family members and named after a bird from their home country, Fantail serves up flakey baked goods and savoury snacks. Each owner is an artisan specializing in their own media (fashion, painter, woodwork) and worked together to create Fantial. We had the chance to sample their amazing chocolate croissant and vegan brownie. The cafe was cozy and would be a nice spot to sip a latte and enjoy a cookie.

The Mercantile – A specialty food shop with a wide array of spices, treats and kitchen gadgets. Our time at the fully stocked shop was spent trying out Meredith’s Ginger Syrup, a potent elixir, and browsing. The Hubby and I found whole dried chipotle pepper, which we’ve been looking for all over the city.

De La Mer – This is the fish market’s third location and based on the steady stream of customers while we visited, a popular spot in Roncesvalles. In addition to their selection of fresh fish, De La Mer also sold smoked and candied salmon, both of which we sampled.

Barque Butcher Bar – Concluding our tour, we stopped at Barque Butcher Bar to grab a chicken wing and sample their spices and BBQ sauces. Being the middle of the afternoon, the restaurant wasn’t too busy and our group had a chance to mingle with each other and Bria.

Overall, Food Nook Tours in Roncesvalles was an afternoon well spent exploring and eating. The tour lasts from 1 ½ hours to 2 and kicks off at 2:30pm. Priced at $30 per person, it would make a great gift for a family activity. To me, the tour focused on highlighting and introducing local businesses, not necessarily eating a ton of food. The samples at each stop were a good snack but I would recommend eating lunch before hand.

I drink tea everyday and as the weather warms up, I like to swap my hot comforting drink for a cool, refreshing one. Drawing inspiration from my favourite summer foods, here are three easy to assemble tea-centric drinks made with Pure Leaf unsweetened teas. With 0 sugar, 0 artificial sweeteners and 0 calories, the Pure Leaf unsweetened teas were a perfect base to start with to #TweakYourTea. I also liked the natural, genuine tea flavour of the drinks themselves. Personally, I am not a fan of iced tea sodas and the Pure Leaf teas tasted nothing like them.

1. Watermelon Mint and Unsweetened Pure Leaf Tea
Ingredients: Cubed Watermelon / Fresh Mint Leaves / Lime Slices / Unsweetened Pure Leaf Tea
In a tall glass (or pitcher), add mint leaves, diced watermelon and lime slices, pour over with tea.
This drink is sweetened naturally from the watermelon and full of summer flavours. For a stronger taste, muddle the mint leaves at the bottom of the glass first, and squeeze in a wedge of lime before adding the tea.
Optional: Add a splash of rum to turn this into a summery cocktail

2. Scotch and Unsweetened Green Pure Leaf Tea
Ingredients: Scotch / Lemon / Green Pure Leaf Tea / Mint to Garnish
In a tumbler glass, add a shot of scotch and fill with Green Pure Leaf Tea. Top with slices of lemon and a sprig of mint.
Optional: Add simple syrup to sweeten this drink

3. Ginger and Unsweetened Lemon Pure Leaf Tea
Ingredients: Simple Syrup with Ginger / Lemon Slices / Unsweetened Lemon Pure Leaf Tea
Make a simple syrup (2 parts water to 1 part sugar) with slices of ginger added in. In a tall glass, add two tablespoons of the simple syrup and the cooked slices of ginger. Pour in Unsweetened Lemon Pure Leaf Tea and top with fresh slices of lemon.
This is a perfect drink for the evening to stay warm after the sunsets with a touch of spice and heat.
Optional: Add a splash of dark rum for even more spice.

These drinks are perfect for summer BBQs, paired up with dinner or a boozy cocktail hour. The Pure Leaf teas were versatile and easy to work. Also, since I’m still working on shedding my winter insulation (aka 5 lbs), I really liked how the teas were 0 calories and still super flavourful. A great beverage alternative for those who don’t love to drink just plain water.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Disclaimer: Products reviewed below were provided complimentary by Buddha Brands Co. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine and not indicative of the opinions or positions held by Buddha Brands Co.

The Basics:
Thirsty Buddha Coconut Water comes in 520ml cans, is all natural and Non-GMO Project certified. Varieties include coconut water with and without pulp, coconut with mango and the newest offering Coconut Water with Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera is a common addition to drinks in Asia (ie. Bubble Teas), is high in antioxidants and can help with digestion. Thirsty Buddha Coconut Water with Aloe Vera can be found at Whole Foods and London Drugs in Ontario.

My Experience:
90% of the time, when I’m thirsty my go-to drink is water. The other 10% belongs to Coke Zero. The only time I’ve drank coconut water was on a beach in Bali from a coconut and enjoyed the mild, salty flavour. I found Thirsty Buddha’s coconut tasted very similar, without any added flavours or colouring. I had chilled my can of Thirsty Buddha to enjoy after a gym workout and it was refreshing. Shaken well, each sip a few chunks of aloe vera, which added a sweetness to the drink.

What I liked:
Only 100 calories per can with no added sugar
A good source of electrolytes and I prefered the natural flavour to the artificial taste of sports drink
Comparably priced ($2.50 regular at London Drugs) to other brands
A reliable source of Aloe Vera, I used to drink Aloe Vera drinks from Asian grocery stores regularly, but have stopped due to stories about fake aloe vera being used.

What could use work:
Honestly, I didn’t have any points for this section. The product is solid, honestly labeled and a great drink.

TL;DR: All natural coconut water that’s well-priced, refreshing, and with a hint of sweetness from the added aloe vera.

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.

Turnip cake, also known as Radish cake or Law Bok Gow, is a traditional Lunar New Year dish made with daikon. It is also often featured as a side dish in congee restaurants. Every year, we celebrate new year’s with both my family and The Hubby’s. My family is from mainland China, and his are from Hong Kong, so our traditions differ slightly. With both families though, the main celebration revolves around the New Year feast. The dining table is filled with home cooked dishes (whole fish, dumplings, wood ear fungus, to name a few) and the meal lasts hours. This year’s Lunar New Year is quickly approaching (Feb 8th!) and The Hubby and I decided to try making turnip cake ourselves. We tried both cutting the daikon by hand and using a grater, and found that grating created a smoother texture.

Turnip Cake

2016-02-06 21:23:35

Turnip cake, also known as radish cake or law bok gow is a traditional Lunar New Years dish

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Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 45 min

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 45 min

Ingredients

1. 1200g of daikon radish
2. 1 tbsp white pepper
3. 1 tbsp chicken powder
4. 1 tbsp of sugar
5. 2 tbsp of salt
6. 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
7. 75g of dried Shrimp, soaked and drained
8. 2 Chinese sausages
9. 45g of preserved pork belly (1/2 stick)
10. 4-5 shiitake mushrooms, soaked and drained (optional)
11. 2 shallots (optional)
12. 200g of rice flour
13. 200ml of water
14. 4 tbsp of wheat starch

Instructions

1. Soak the dried shrimp (and shiitake mushrooms if using them), dice shallots, grate daikon, dice salted pork belly and preserved Chinese sausage
2. In a hot wok add the vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot add in the shallots, salted pork belly, preserved sausage, dried shrimp (shiitakes) and sauté. Add in Chinese cooking wine as the meats cook. Set aside.
3. Using the same wok, add the grated daikon and enough water to just cover the daikon. Season with sugar, salt, chicken powder, white pepper.
4. While the daikon cooks, combine in a mixing bowl the rice flour, potato starch and water. This will form a paste like mixture.
5. Pour the paste mixture into the cooked daikon, stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Then stir in the cooked meats and mix well.
6. Pour the turnip cake batter into a greased cake pan and steam for one hour. Once steamed, the turnip cake can be served as is, or pan fried to add a crispy crust.

Tips

1. Immediately after steaming, the texture of the turnip cake can be goopy, making it hard to pan-fry. Resting the turnip cake in the fridge for a few hours will help it firm up.
2. If using a different amount of daikon, use a ratio of daikon to rice flour of 6:1 and a ratio of rice flour to water of 1:1.

xiaoEats | Toronto Food Blog http://xiaoeats.com/

Step by Step Photos

Assemble ingredients, cut or grate daikon

Dice meats and shallots

Grate the daikon

In a hot pan with oil, saute the shallots, meats and season with cooking wine

Set aside cooked meats

Measure out rice flour and wheat starch

Combine rice flour, wheat starch and water to form a paste

In the wok, add daikon and enough water to just cover the daikon. Cook until the daikon is soft

Pour the paste mixture into the cooked daikon, stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming

Add cooked meats to daikon

Pour the turnip cake batter into a greased cake pan and steam for one hour

Optional, pan-fry the cooked turnip cake to add a crispy crust

I was invited again this year to join the Food Blogger tour at Night it Up!, a weekend street festival in Markham celebrating Asian culture. When I went in 2013, there was only 3 of us bloggers. This year’s tour drew a much bigger turnout including bloggers and popular Instagram names. The popularity and scale of Night it Up! has continued to grow and one important aspect has remained consistent, the amazing food vendors. our giant gaggle of bloggers sampled food from 9 generous vendors to get a small taste of what’s available.

Disclaimer: All drinks and food were provided free of charge by the event organizers. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Sweety Bird – Ice Cream Egg Waffle
Hong Kong egg waffle topped with green tea ice cream, fresh fruit and whipped cream
The waffle was toasted crispy on the outside, made fresh and moist on the inside

Chatime – Wintermelon Ice tea
A refreshing summer drink with a strong tea flavour and little wintermelon
I was impressed with that the quality of tea from the booth was on par with in-store orders
Lines at the Chatime booth can be long

Happy Twist – Taro Chips
A more recent addition to food festivals and very welcome
Fresh potato or chunk of taro is sliced using a special rotating machine on a skewer and then deep fried
The taro chips we tried at Happy Twist were the perfect thickness, super crunchy and surprisingly filling

Yakikuza – Okonomiyaki
Fried to order, the okonomiyaki at the Yakikuza booth was gooey and generously topped with mayo
This version was more batter than cabbage

Kakigori – Matcha Red Bean Shaved Ice
Green tea flavoured shaved ice topped with red bean and a mochi ball
The shaved ice had a strong, intense flavour but melted quickly
Other flavours included Chocolate Oreo, White Peach Calpico and Sakura Mochi Milk

ShareTea – Ice Lemon Tea
Plenty of lemon flavour, customizable sugar and ice level, chewy multi-sized tapioca

M.E.N.U. Food Truck – Peking Duck Poutine
Shredded Peking duck on a bed of onion rings, topped with fresh green onions, mayo and ketchup
A delicious fusion of Asian and Western foods
Also available, M.E.N.U.’s signature deep fried rice balls and fresh coconuts
Follow M.E.N.U. on Instagram and Twitter to find out where they’re located daily in Toronto

Ice Cream Sandwich – Matcha Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
A collaboration between Christopher Siu from Masterchef Canada and Feedmyphone
Green tea ice cream, sandwiched between two soft matcha flavoured cookies, topped with a crunchy cookie crumble
The stall sold out every night!
Christopher can be found at Sweetery Toronto this weeked from Aug 15-16 serving up Chinese flavoured French macaron and Matcha Crepe Cake

1. General Tips
   – Night it Up! is a night market and most people visit once the sun sets, however this can mean incredibly long lines and very few parking spots
   – If you’re coming at night, try to carpool, walk or get dropped off
   – Be patient
   – To avoid a crowd, visit in the afternoon when the festival opens, lines are much shorter but there is no shade and the sun can be intense
   – If you’re coming in the afternoon, bring sunscreen, a hot and water
   – This year paper towel stations were set up around the festival, I like to bring a pack of wet naps and a bottle of antibacterial handwash
   – One of the most popular stalls are the Stinky Tofu ones that generate a cloud of aroma around all the food stalls, be prepared to get used to the smell or stay down wind

On a Thursday afternoon, my brother and I had some time to kill before picking up my cousin at Union station. After a quick Google search, I found Roll Play Cafe, a boardgame cafe within walking distance of our final destination. I’m a big fan of board games and have been visiting Snakes and Lattes since they opened. Since then, many similar establishments have popped up in Toronto with varying business models. After this visit, I have to say my favourite is still the original.

Atmosphere: Roll Play Cafe aims to be more upscale with a large wine selection and dark sleek furniture. The space has lots of booths for 2-4 people (each equipped with a set of Connect Four) and tables in the centre of the room that can accommodate large groups. Two shelves at opposite ends of the space housed a decent selection of board games. They did have lots of popular games and we found plenty to keep us occupied (Zombie Dice, Love Letter, Tokaido and Kingdom Builder), but nothing really new or hard to find. At Roll Play Cafe, the board games felt more casual, entertainment but not the focus. Kind of like the magazine selection at a bubble tea place.

Service: Honestly, service was over the top friendly, to the point of suffocating. Our server checked in on us constantly, hovering close by, asking we needed any more food or drinks. When I’m engrossed in a game, I’m not really looking for friendly banter with my server. Food did arrive quickly, and we had no issues getting the bill. Complimentary wi-fi was also provided.

Food: My brother and I were at Roll Play Cafe from about 5pm-7:30pm, just shy of 3 hours. Without a food purchase, 3 hours of game usage is $20/person. With a food purchase per person, the game usage fee was $5/person. Our total bill ended up being >$50, pretty steep for the amount of food we ordered and the time we spent there.

In total, we ordered a Hawaiian flatbread pizza ($18), Wild Boar Bites ($8) and two Americanos ($4). The americanos were very good, had a strong and rich coffee flavour. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Wild Board Bites and it turned out to be a sausage, cut up and served with a cheesy, tomato, sauce. The sausage had a lot of strong flavours, savoury and the sauce was tasty. I’m not sold on the price. Also considering the only other snack options were $5 for nuts, $6 for olives or $12/person for charcuterie, the choices were limited.

The Hawaiian pizza was a good size, but again overpriced. I did like the crust and the spicy sauce, but there was little cheese and the toppings were fine, but not noteworthy. I wasn’t visiting Roll Play for a gourmet meal and was looking more for snacks to be enjoyed while I played. A selection of cakes were on display and I’ve been craving cake for weeks, but when I found out the price tag was $10 for a slice with some added flair, I chose the skip dessert.

Reading reviews online, it seems that Roll Play Cafe has changed how they bill guests several times since they’ve opened. Personally, I’m not convinced the latest iteration works. We could’ve easily stuck to ordering just the americanos and kept our bill below $20, but I would’ve been happy to spend another $20 on reasonably priced snacks, and naturally increase my spend without being forced to. As is, the menu offerings were limited, with hefty price tags and doesn’t encourage ordering. I believe they’re trying to attract an older crowd, more office workers with larger wallets than students and it may be working. For me, I’ll have to pass.