After 12 hours of sleep I felt more human like and up for sightseeing. We took the day slowly with lots of stops and water. I was determined to recover in time to enjoy our Bistecca alla Florentina.

Places to See

Our first stop was the Florence Cathedral with its stunning exterior. We walked the entire perimeter, making sure not to miss the building from any angle. Inside, the interiors were simple and unadorned, save for the painted dome ceiling. Free tours were available in English that were quite informative. In between munching on sandwiches, I loved checking out the street vendors selling leather goods near Central Market. There was a black leather backpack that I fell in love with. While Stephen and I tried to figure out if I had the luggage room to bring the bag home, the seller took my indecisiveness for haggling and kept lowering his price. Alas, I ended up walking away, but I still think about that bag with a touch of regret!

We ended our afternoon walking along the Arno river and taking in the scenery. We walked across the covered Ponte Vecchio and then back across the neighbouring Ponte Santa Trinita to view it.

Sandwiches to Eat

I Due Fratellini – A literal hole-in-the wall spot, famous for their Tuscan bread, fresh ingredients and wine. With 30 sandwiches to choose from making a decision was hard. There was a small counter to place orders and the wall behind was filed with shelves of wine. The shop was easy to spot with a line outside and a crowd of people munching on sandwiches and sipping red wine. We stuck to a basic prosciutto filling, which was exquisite, salty and savoury, exactly what I needed.

L’Antico Trippaio – Lampredotto, cow tripe, is a famous Florentine dish and a must eat. For us, tripe isn’t exactly a unique or odd ingredient (actually one of my favourite foods to hotpot or at dim sum) but for many it could be considered exotic. Slow-cooked and seasoned, the Florentine version of tripe was tender and flavourful. The sandwich we tried at this sandwich stand was also super spicy.

Mercato Centrale Firenze – By the time we made our way to Florence Central Market, a full meal was out of the question (especially since we still had dinner in a few hours). Open from 10am to midnight, the two storey, covered market was a delight to window shop and a great rest spot. I was blown away by the selection of vendors, from fresh seafood and sushi to hamburgers and of course all the tuscany specialties. We snacked on a plate of prosciutto with a glass of wine before heading home for our afternoon nap. If we had more time in Florence, I would’ve loved to spend more time wandering the market.

Since my previous visit, Roll Play has re-invented themselves from a board game cafe to a cozy bar/lounge. After a couple of years in the busy neighbourhood catering to a diverse range of customers, Roll Play’s owners felt the need to narrow their scope and redefine their brand. Even during my first visit, I felt that board games were a side attraction at the “cafe”, which focused more on food and alcohol. I was invited to speak to the owners and check out the changes.

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

Sitting down with the owners of Roll Play, I gathered that the biggest driver for their evolution was a desire to better serve their customers. This was a challenge when their reputation as a board game cafe drew a unique crow, who wasn’t necessarily drawn by the food or drinks menu. Today, while there’s still a few party games around (Pictionary, Uno, and lots of dice), Roll Play’s makeover, along with their selection of tasty cocktails, has definitively shifted them into the bar category.

Much of the decor was familiar, with a heavy injection of Asian flair drawing on inspiration from bars in Hong Kong. The room glowed a warm red from string lights strung on the ceiling and red paper lanterns. Pop art featuring the Chinese character for “love” decorated one wall and a large TV showing Chinese movies was mounted on another. I found the space charming and unique.

Reading through the list of Asian inspired cocktails, I had a hard time deciding but ended up ordering the Geisha. My drink had green tea, cucumber infused vodka and a hint of yuzu, all of my favourite things. Another drink that caught my eye was the King of Toronto, which was served under a dome of dome of smoke and used maple infused Canadian Club. What makes these drinks special is Roll Play’s use of mixology, led by bartender Berry Sit, who’s worked in some of Hong Kong’s top bars. Sit creates all of his own liquor infusions in-house, which ranged from rose buds to ginseng.

I didn’t have a chance to really dig into the food menu except for the Peking Duck Flatbread, which has a hoisin sauce base was and topped with cucumber slices after baking. This added a refreshing crunch to each savoury bite. Other items on the menu had the same East meets West concept like Beef Brisket Poutine and Five Spice Popcorn Chicken. The one thing I’m unsure of is value vs price for the snacks.

Roll Play Bar aims to be a place for people to gather, socialize and dip their toes in Asian bar culture. Menus change seasonally and are still under development. I think Roll Play’s new direction suits them very well and am looking forward to where it takes them.

What’s better than having chips for dinner? Getting to try all the flavours of Tyrrells exceedingly English crisps for dinner with chip-tastic creations from The Food Dudes. Held at Rasa, Tyrrell’s hosted an evening filled with English games, beer and crisps to celebrate the launch of their newest chip flavours.

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

At Rasa, we were treated to bowls of chips with English beer pairings, such as Boddingtons pub ale. Throughout the restaurant, old school UK games had been set up like Tiddleywinks and checkers for people to play while snacking away. In the kitchen, The Food Dudes whipped up appetizers using flavours of Tyrrells chips to add texture and enhance taste. These inspired bites included a chip crusted fish, sliders with a chip topping and shredded lamb flat bread with sweet potato chip bits.

The three new flavours Tyrrells introduced that night were Beetroot, Parsnip and Potato Chips with Sea Salt, Sweet Potato Chips with Smoked Chilli and Sweet Potato and Carrot & Potato Chips with Sea Salt. It only takes 43 minutes for a potato to go from picked off the field, to hand cooked and packed into a bag of Tyrrells chips. All of the chips are made with skin on potatoes (and sweet potatoes) and were thick cut.

Of the new flavours, I loved the Sweet Potato Chips with Smoked Chilli. This bag didn’t shy away from heat, which built with each handful. The light sprinkle of salt on the other two flavours contrasted the sweeter vegetables used. I loved how light and non-greasy the chips were. By the end of the night, I had eaten far too many.

Tyrrells hand cooked English chips are currently available in Canada at Whole Foods, Sobey’s and Metro. For more locations, feel free to contact their Canadian partner, Tree of Life, for more information.