XiangZi Hotpot *.

I didn't actually want to have hot pot here at Xiang Zi after reading all the low reviews on Yelp. 
I've only decided to because my dad wanted to give it a try. 

The interior is very nicely decorated - it reminds me of those Chinese palaces in the olden-times . This place is very spacious but I felt like they wasted a lot of space by creating a huge hallway when you walk in. The service was good but it was over-staffed when I visited. 

😻 Here's myself and mama with our fancy aprons.

Now now.. it's not because I'm camera-shy. It's because I was extremely EXHAUSTED! 

😻  The selection

As expected, there were so many hidden fees!!

😻 Hot Pot time ^

Expect lots of fees:
* add money per person for hot pot
* add money for one big pot or add money for each small pot per person
* add money for "better beef"/ "better food"

😻  I didn't expect to have such a clear cameo in my shot. Smile you're on camera!! haha

We spent approximately $70 per person for hot pot. The food was okay, but not worth the money!

XiangZi Hotpot

$$$  Hot Pot, Chinese, Soup

3989 Highway 7 E
Markham, ON L3R 5M6

Dazzling Cafe - Markham *.

😻 Happy November! 😻
October has been a crazy month, hence the lack of posts! With the weather getting cold, I hope everyone has plans to get away this winter ;) 


I visited Dazzling Cafe recently. I love the decor here!! 
I wanted to visit Dazzling Cafe in Taiwan but my schedule was too packed. They have locations everywhere - even in HK. I'd want to go to the OG of them all of course - Taipei's.

Happy they opened one in Toronto - not one, but two locations! I love the bunny chairs. This is a great place for photo ops and to have GNOs. 

I got the Special "Dinner for two" - it comes with 2 drinks, 1 appetizer and 2 mains:

* ICED HONEY GREEN TEA (2/5)

This would've gotten more points if it wasn't for 80% of my drink being filled with ice! The drink was good! But by the time I was a quarter into my meal, everything was watered down (melted ice lol).

* CARAMELIZED CHICKEN WINGS (3/5)

The portions looked smaller than it actually is, they used a plate that had a deeper bottom haha. This was pretty good, they had crispy sweet potato chips under the chicken wings.

* MENTAIKO SPAGHETTI (3/5)

The sauce was pink... We found that a little weird when we first got the meal, is this edible?! Andd it was yummy!! I guess it was themed 'pink' because of how Dazzling cafe was decorated. It would be a big improvement if the spaghetti was not all grouped together. I shared this dish and it was hard spilling because of how long the spaghetti was - we had to chop it with our knives haha.

* POPCORN CHICKEN CURRY RICE (4/5)

I liked this!! The curry was a little spicy which I prefer. I think if there was more sauce, I would like this dish even more. I'd order this next time I visit.

Dazzling Cafe - Markham

$$  Asian Fusion, Desserts, Coffee & Tea

28 South Unionville Avenue
Markham, ON L3R

Toronto Catering Show *.

I was invited to attend the Toronto Catering Show from a fellow foodie. 

I had so much fun trying out the different foods the participating vendors had to offer! The event was held at the Toronto reference library and was very nicely decorated. P and I were very impressed with the foods that were offered as part of this foodie experience. People dressed up for this event (and we did not expect that). 

😻  Live band - they played Tay Tay's new song :)


Highlight of the event:

😻  P really liked the octopus tapas!

😻  I preferred the oyster tapas 

* Drake Hotel: The octopus and oyster tapas were delicious! One of our favourite picks!

* Succulent chocolates and sweets: Their chocolate truffles were amazing! Just the right amount of sweetness - my favourite was the truffle that was covered with hazelnuts.

😻 Wagyu Beef slider

* Food Dudes - Wagyu beef big mac was so good! 
Loved the tenderness of the meat - very juicy.. Would love to try a bigger portion hahaha

😻  Huge line up for this dessert that incorporates Nitrogen infused ice cream!

😻 Torched bananas

😻  Vietnamese bowls - I didn't try this because I was way too stuffed!

😻  Deep Fried Cheesecakes!

😻  fusion style peking duck wraps

Toronto Catering Show

Food, Event Planning & Services

789 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M4W 2G8

Taco Festival *.

😻 Happy October!! 😻

Starting off the month with a post about the Taco Festival!! 

I'm actually nowhere near finished for blogging the places that I went to in Japan still. I thought the Taco Festival would prevail over all Japan posts, before it gets too cold - how unsuitable! haha.. Now, let's date this back sometime in June..

We went to the Taco Festival with high expectations - we all love tacos, was it good? Selective ones. 
Was it worth it? Nope.

* TACO FEST SITE *

😻 Here's the Taco Crew!! 

😻  P & I with our prized possession

😻  A whole pamphlet of Taco vendors to choose from 

😻  RANCHO RELAXO = a no go.

😻  Joining our pack!

😻  Heirloom had the best tacos that we've tried that afternoon!

Ontario Place

Venues & Event Spaces

955 Lake Shore Boulevard W
Toronto, ON M6K 3B9

Daldongnae *.

P and I visited Daldongnae after hearing many good reviews! 

We got here during prime dinner time and was so lucky to get a seat right away. Very impressed on how clean they keep their tables considering how oily KBBQs can be haha. The OCD in me is very happy with this.

The interior is decorated like Korean olden days - lots of old school cameras, newspaper articles, advertisements and pictures. We were seated at a booth and it was pretty comfortable! I was surprised at the ventilation of the place, it wasn't burning hot like some KBBQ restaurants. Service was excellent. 


* MEAT CHOICES:

BEEF BONELESS SHORT RIBS & BEEF CHUCK FLAP TAIL (4/5)

This was so gooodd!! I loved the kalbi - and it's even better because it's boneless!

* KIMCHI COLD NOODLE SOUP (5/5)

The cold noodle soup was amazingly delicious!! I'd highly recommend this cold noodle soup with your meal if you're ordering something spicy. It was fresh and light. I'd definitely order this again!

Side dishes includes: mashed potato scoop, spicy seaweed, spicy cucumbers, kimchi & spicy salad. We also got a spicy tofu bean paste soup, which I really enjoyed. The KBBQ plate comes with garlic pieces, eggs, corn and cheese. Lettuce also comes on the side. 

I'd definitely return to try other meats on the menu :)

Daldongnae

$$  Korean, Barbeque

6034 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M2M 3W5

NextDoor Restaurant *.

I saw many posts on instagram of NextDoor's food and decided to come here on a weekday to try their brunch menu... to find out they don't offer brunch menu during weekdays :*(
So tidbit for everyone, come on the weekend if you want to try their brunch!!!

**UPDATE: They serve brunch on weekdays now! :D

We were only able to choose from the lunch menu so I decided on something that's closest to "breakfast" foods. 

* MUSHROOM GRILLED CHEESE (4/5)
(Truffle mushroom duxelle / roasted mushrooms / mozzarella / sundried cherry tomatoes / arugula)

This was yummy!! I really liked the sauce that was cooked with the mushrooms. The salad on the side was also very light and delicious. I'd recommend sharing this sandwich with another person because portions were kind of big. 

Service was excellent. I'd come back to try more items on the menu :)

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😻 I was invited to NextDoor's Brunch Menu Launch event! 😻
I was excited to try out the new (and old) items on the menu! Everything was bite-sized.

😻  It's French Toast on a stick!! Such a cute display :) You can dip this with strawberry sauce, which is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - because there's literally no taste if you just eat the toast itself hahaha

😻 ND Caesar - the alcoholic content is not vodka / rum, it's BEER! It's something different, and I liked it because I love Clamato.

😻 This is how they displayed the French Toasts!

😻 I really liked this! 

😻 ND Sliders were too dry for my liking - I wouldn't recommend this if they decide to put this item on the new brunch menu.

😻 The other featured drink: Mimosas! I thought this was too bitter. I only tried the strawberry guava flavour (I had to drive LOL) - but I heard from the others that the mango orange flavour was really yummy.

NextDoor

$$  Canadian (New)

139 Main Street Unionville
Markham, ON L3R 2G6