Food Critics

Like most of my trip, food is the top priority. Here are the places I remember I went.

1. Crepe Breton (Quebec City): We had crepe for dinner the first night. I chose egg, mushroom, spinach, ham and cheese. It was alright, not the best one I had (I like the one on Denman St better) Sangria there seem to contain more alcohol than here, even than in Spain (if I remember correctly).

2. Le Petit Coin Latin (Quebec City): I had French toast for breakfast. It was not bad. Coffee is a bit disappointing though. I sort of expecting coffee in Quebec would be like in France, where I could walk into any cafe and they would be sooo good that make Starbucks coffee tasteless. Here, I rather miss my Starbucks.

3. Fondue place next to Le Chateau Frontenac (Quebec City): We had a fondue trio, which mean cheese fondue to start with, a fondue Chino (huh? Chinese?) and a chocolate fondue. I liked the cheese fondue, it taste less sour than I made it (hehehe..) a very mild cheese they used. The fondue Chino is some sort of meat booth you dip your raw meat in. It seems like hot pot, but it is not boiling booth. So we chose beef to be on the safe side. It was alright, not very tasty though. I always like chocolate fondue (mmmm...chocolate...). I hated that we don't have much place selling chocolate fondue anymore.

4. Schwartz's (Montreal): Of course I went for the famous smoked meat. It wasn't too bad. But I was never big fan of smoked meat sandwich. But it is still all good. Still good even we took our left over back to my friend's place and put in soup with noodles.

5. Fairmont Bagel (Montreal): Another thing I had to try in Montreal. It was supposed to be the original bagel place in Montreal. To be honest, I didn't like it that much. I had a fresh (still warm) blueberry bagel. The dough was too blend. I like Siegel bagel way better.

6. Jardin Nelson (Montreal): Another day of crepe. It was actually pretty good. At least their choices were more special. I had one with different kind of mushroom. It was good. I wouldn't sit outside again though even if it was nice and sunny. Cause the bee liked attacking my food and I had to eat very quickly so they wont' touch it first.

7. Royal Thai (Ottawa): They claimed to be the best Thai in town, and it actually wasn't too bad. The night I stayed in Ottawa was freezing cold (and walking in the dark over to the Hull side didn't help either) so I decided I desperately want something spicy. I had a chicken green curry with rice. It was a bit watery than I liked but the taste was fine. I was sooo hungry that I end up eating more than I should.

8. Timothy's (Ottawa): This probably is a coffee shop chain in East coast. They had a light mocha which I really liked. They used a different kind of chocolate that is not very sweet. I always like my coffee a bit on the bitter side. Too bad I didn't get a chance to have another one before I left.

9. Acqua Ristorante e Bar (Toronto): This is a restaurant I walked in at random. I wasn't planning to go to such fancy restaurant. The restaurant I was planning to eat at was all full and I randomly tried several places and they all said I had to wait for 30 min (what the....even for one person) and I saw this place is rather empty. I was beyond hungry when I arrived and the price looked reasonable (though a bit on the high side) It turned out quite nicely. I started with a vegetable soup which had a bit too much pepper but quite nicely done. Followed by a linguini with spinach and mushroom which was exactly what I want to eat. My stomach was going to explode when I finished. I was going to pass dessert but the waitress tempted me with the menu and the moment I saw orange dark chocolate creme brulee, I knew I just have to work out harder when I got back.

10. Spring Roll (Toronto): This was the place I want to go the night before. It was voted best Chinese, best fine dining, blah blah blah in Toronto. Result, I would say rather disappointing. Since it was lunch, I ordered a spring roll and a salad roll. The salad roll was fine, though the peanut sauce was not that good. It was not as creamy as I like. The spring roll is the real disappointment. One would think when you name your restaurant that, it got to be the specialty. They tasted fine, alright. But the best spring roll was when they were hot and crispy, and mine just ain't crispy enough. Good that I didn't wait for half an hour the night before.

11. Okonomi House (Toronto): This is an Okonomi house I found on my tour book. I thought it would be self made one I had in Japan. Turned out to be one that you sat down and ordered. It was not bad okonomiyaki, but it was kind of stupid that I had to order Bonito separately. So when the waitress gave me the box to add on myself, I added as much as possible. The taste was not bad, but I could use more sauce. A big part I like okonomiyaki is because of the sauce. The cook just put a thin layer on it.

12. Starbucks (Niagara Fall): This is definitely the most expensive starbucks I ever been. I never know Starbucks charge differently across Canada. Toronto is a bit more expensive than Vancouver, and Niagara Fall is definitely INSANE! IT WAS SUCH A RIP OFF! I thought I heard wrong when the girl told me how much it cost for a latte. For that price, I could get a latte AND a muffin in Vancouver.