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 :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

😻 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

Alchemy Coffee *.

I visited Alchemy Coffee twice for brunch and loved it! 

The service and food quality were great but it was really hard to find a parking spot, especially during prime brunch/lunch hours. Most people created their own parking spot at the empty lot on the right of the cafe. There were only 5-6 parking spots that were "legitimate", every other spot is reserved for another store at the plaza. This coffee shop is not for large groups!! I'd say 4 people max. It's a boutique-sized shop so it's hard to accommodate for a large group of people.

DRINKS:

* Cappuccino - My boyfriend got the cappuccino, he really liked it until he saw my latte coffee size difference. I guess next time he's sticking with the latte haha. 

* Latte - It's a bigger cup than the cappuccino! I liked it :) Not too bitter and not overly sweet - just the way I like it.

I'd recommend coming here during odd hours or else you'd be expected to wait 30 mins for a seat. Seats are first come first served!

I'd recommend:

* EGGS BENNY - served with house fries and salad (4/5)
(Smoked salmon, portobello mushroom, kale)

Loved this! This is VERY filling - come here for brunch and expect yourself not wanting to eat anything until dinner. The portions are big! It's a good idea to share this with someone (and the other person can order another thing on the menu - try a bit of everything!).

* OPEN FACED OMELETTE - served with house salad (3/5)
(Pan fry shrimp, avocado, cheddar, roasted carrots)


By open faced, it means that the egg isn't covering the ingredients. It looks better for photos haha. The shrimps looked more boiled than pan-fried but it tastes great with the avocados. I'd want to try the braised pork belly next time. This lacked just a tad a bit of flavour.

Alchemy Coffee

$$  Cafes, Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch

4361 Highway 7 E
Markham, ON L3R 1M1

The Rosé Picnic *.

😻 Happy September 1 Everyone! 😻

I'm backlogged for all the foodie posts. 
Rose Picnic occurred in.. July! It was a lot of fun, here's my post about it!

The Rosé Picnic was such a fun event! I've always loved themed parties and this satisfied my liking for pink and girly things.

I enjoyed the food that we purchased at the picnic. We took a lot of nice photos from this event and the pink-nic blankets that we got as part of our admission ticket created a pretty atmosphere :)

😻 Here's us sipping on the Pink Drinks!

* Panini - The bun was very surprisingly crispy and the chicken meat was marinated deliciously

* Burger & fries - Not your average burger! It's not as much of a messy eat in comparison to the panini. 
I'd recommend this to those who don't want to make a big mess while eating haha

* Tacos - My friends ordered this and they said that the tacos were delicious but the portions were too small

* Pink drink - There was alcohol in this drink but you can't really taste it.  My friend and I really enjoyed this!

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food! Props to Chef Mark McEwan :D We got to take a picture with him too!

The Rosé Picnic

Food

100 Garrison Rd
Toronto, ON M5V 3K9

Gal's Sushi (North York) *.

My boyfriend took me to Gal's Sushi (North York) for dinner. 

At first I didn't know this place was called Gal's Sushi, so when I came here I was like.. why didn't we just go to the one in Markham? It's same thing no?! Turns out noo, it's not! This restaurant's specialty is their flounder's fish and it was amazzzingggg!! (They don't have the flounder fish at the Markham location) I even took my family here to try it out :D

I'd highly recommend:

* Flounder Fish Sashimi - It's super fresh! I'd recommend saving some to cook in the spicy soup (it comes with the combo)
* Spicy fish soup - It's pretty spicy when it's just a 'regular spice', so those who cannot take spiciness, ask the server for mild!

Things that were included:

* Tempura - Not a big fan of tempura but it was included as part of the combo

You can choose either grilled fish or soju as part of the combo. We chose the grilled fish haha.. not a hardcore dinner. We were super stuffed after dinner.

Gal’s Sushi

$$  Japanese, Seafood, Sushi Bars

23A-5 Glen Cameron Road
Thornhill, ON L3T 2A9

東京スカイツリー Tokyo Skytree *.

I love  東京スカイツリー!! 

😻 The view! It was amazing - loved every view from the tower!

😻 Tokyo Tower from the outside :) We were lucky we had blue skies for this pretty shot!

I was debating on revisiting the Tokyo tower or Tokyo Skytree.. I'm glad we chose Tokyo Skytree :D There were so many mini stores in the tower to visit. It is possible to spend the whole day shopping here. 

😻 The Pokemon Centre was also part of the Tokyo Tower - here I am with Oddish haha


My favourite shop within the tower is the fake-foods shop. There's a fake-foods making demonstration everyday for those who want to see how the workers make fake-foods. 

😻 Look at the details!! Amazing!!

😻 The mold to make fake sushis

😻 Fake sushi painting

😻 Putting fake sushis together!

😻 These looks DELICIOUS - they're ALL FAKE. I was so amazed. Love this shop.

😻 Look at that pizza!! too real

😻  The grilled fish looks SO YUMMY!

😻 Check out that Katsu-don :)

😻 Loved this pictorial display at the line up for Tokyo Tower. Very creative.

There are lots of souvenirs and specialized shops here. I'd recommend that you block off a few hours so you have time to go through the whole tower.

😻  C for Cherie!

Tokyo Skytree

Landmarks & Historical Buildings

押上1-1-2
墨田区, 東京都 〒131-0045
Japan

Woodstone Eatery *.

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch. We're always down to try new CCTs! :D 

Woodstone Eatery gets 3.5 / 5 stars. The interior of the place is modern and clean. Service was just ok - they kept forgetting to give us the menu and utensils. The place was pretty packed, I believe most people are here to try this new restaurant out. Be prepared to wait 10-15 mins for a table. We were lucky to get a table right away because someone just left as we arrived.

DRINKS: 

* ICED LEMON TEA (2/5)

This was pretty watered down..

* CHEESY BAKED BBQ PORK ON RICE (3.5/5)
(with poached egg on top, but my egg was over cooked so it wasn't poached haha)

I ordered this because it was one of the most recommended items on the menu. I liked it!! The cha siu (barbecued pork) was very sweet and came in large chunks. I liked how much sauce was drenched in the rice - #saucebause. I would've given this dish a 4/5 if they added more cheese. 

* SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE 
My boyfriend ordered this dish and said it was pretty delicious. He said that he would choose my choice over his though. I tried some of the spaghetti and thought it needed more flavour.

I'd come back to try other items on the menu :)

Woodstone Eatery

$$  Asian Fusion

10 Apple Creek Boulevard
Markham, ON L3R 0P4