Brunch @ Laika

This is a long overdue post regarding my last trip to Montréal. I've already talked about the cupcakes I had there, but of course cupcakes weren't the only things I ate. My friends brought me to a place called Laika to have brunch one day. At first glance, it wasn't very impressive on the outside but the inside was very cozy. It was a casual place with a very hipster/funky feel to it. It's a restaurant by day and it turns into a lounge by night, equipped with a house DJ! Think of it as a sort of a superhero of eateries! Lame jokes aside, the food I had there was really good and was in appropriate proportions.

I was actually there twice, once for brunch and once at night to grab a drink. The atmosphere changed so much it felt like 2 completely different places. At brunch, it was pretty full by the time we got there and there were a lot of people studying too (bonus: it had free Wi-Fi)! If I recall correctly, my friends and I stayed there for about 2 hours just chit chatting away (before we finally left to go shopping).






For brunch, they had omelettes, various egg dishes, crepes and French toast. There were little side dishes, and drinks like coffee, tea, and juice. We ordered a croissant, omelette, and two of us ordered the same French toast dish. I was one of the two with the French toasts and it was a good decision. It came as a French toast baguette which had a nice crunchiness to it, served with a English cream/strawberry caramel mixture. As for drinks, we all had either tea or coffee. All of the dishes we ordered (and on the menu) were about $9-12 each. Overall, good food + good company = excellent brunch!

Overall rating: ★★★★
Location: 4040 boulevard St-Laurent, Montréal, Québec

photos taken by my friend AY!

Fruity Froyo Pops

Dear readers, I'm sorry I've been terrible at blogging lately and have no legitimate excuse for it other than out of my pure laziness. However, a lot has happened since my last post and part of it is the good news Lulu was referring in her last post. Starting this September, I will be back in Toronto again full time for school. Horray! (not for the school part). I can already foresee Lulu and I exploring a whole bunch of tasty new joints in town again!

In the meantime it is Victoria Day today... so Happy Victoria Day to all those who gets a day off today! I don't know what's going on with the weather here in Ohio lately, but it has been terrible. Raining, thunderstorming, with severe winds, you name it! It's been a gloomy 2011. But the past Saturday could not have been nicer, it was a sunny 28°C here! So to savour as much summer sun and activies as possible, I made these fruity frozen yogurt pops, or Froyo Pops!



They are super easy to make, requiring only THREE ingredients! Well, technically two, one is optional.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 cup frozen fruits (you can use any fruits you like or even mix n' match)
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (optional: really depends on the fruit you use and your own preference)

Combine the yogurt, fruit, and sugar (optional) in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and fill it all the way up. Freeze for at least 2 hours.




I used frozen peaches this time and made 6 pops using my popsicle molds. Mix and match is a really good idea too, one of my favourite is with strawberry and kiwi! These are the perfect snacks to cool off on a hot summer day. Best of all, it's healthy too so I don't feel bad indulging in them!

Kenzo Ramen

I've been meaning to update this blog for the past two weeks but I recently started started working, which means less time and energy to update this blog (I know, excuses, excuses). Fear no more readers, I have adjusted my work-life balance and will be updating a bit more frequently!

Some exciting news happened to c.xu recently, but I will let her reveal it as she pleases.

Anyways, c.xu, her friend and I visited a ramen house not too long ago called Kenzo Ramen. It's located in downtown Toronto within a short walking distance from the Eaton Centre. For those who know me, I love noodles because my lazy self enjoys eating food that can be served one bowl (I even bought a cookbook called "Bowl Food"). There is something about having the mixed taste of different ingredients in one bowl that tend to satisfy my taste buds. Kenzo Ramen is a cute but narrow restaurant with a typical Japanese-inspire interior. The menu is limited to probably less than 15 different types of ramen noodles.

Karashi Ramen 
Special Ramen with Karashi Hot Sauce


Sho-yu Ramen
Super noodles with tasty Japanese soy sauce


C.xu chose the spicy ramen dish (~$8.00) and I chose a more basic soy sauce-based ramen (~$7.00). Having had ramen from one of my favourite ramen joints (Ajisen Ramen), this place does not quite compare. Maybe it's because I generally like the broth to taste rich and a bit on the saltier side, I found the Sho-yu broth to be a bit too mild. C.xu said that her dish wasn't quite spicy either. In addition, the place was crowded and the service was almost non-existent, which means this place is only good for small groups of 2-4.

Overall rating: ★★★ 1/2
Location: 138 Dundas St W, Toronto, Ontario

Easy Peasy Carrot Cupcakes

As a fan of carrot cakes, I really wanted to try this recipe when I first stumbled across it. It's a really simple cupcake recipe and the end result was great! But one thing to watch out for is that these overcook/burn very easily so make sure to keep an eye on these suckers when they're in the oven!



(please excuse my poor decor skills)

Carrot Cupcakes with Honey Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
(recipe adapted from Cupcake Magic by Kate Shirazi)
Make about 12 cupcakes

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 175mL sunflower oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups grated carrot (about 1 medium-sized carrot)
• a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line a muffin pan with baking cups.
Mix the sugar and oil in a large bowl. Add the eggs and mix well. Sift in the dry ingredients and beat everything together until really well combined. Next add the grated carrots and stir through well.
Place spoonfuls of batter int he prepared baking cups and bake for 15-20 min. (Mine were done at 15min)

While they cool, make the cream cheese frosting:

• 8 oz (1 packet) cream cheese
• 2 tsp honey
• orange zest to taste and decorate

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and beat until softened. Stir in the honey and orange zest. Add honey to taste, depending on how sweet you like it. Lastly, spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes to decorate!

Cupcakes in Montréal

During my last trip to Montréal, my two food-loving friends took me to a cupcake shop that was too cute for words. It is named, Les Glaceurs, and it's located in Old Montréal right next to the Notre-Dame Basilica. We spent the day in the area and Les Glaceurs was the perfect place to take a break. And plus, my friends have been talking about this place since I got there, so it was a "must visit"!

I had the Red Velvet, while my friends had the Choco-Orange (chocolate orange), and Thé Vert (green tea). The Red Velvet was one of the best I had, with a classic vanilla icing with cream cheese. The choco-orange had a creamy chocolate icing with orange zest, and thé vert has a mixture of powdered Japanese green tea, Belgian chocolate, and cream cheese frosting. All looked and tasted amazing! It was my first time trying a green tea cupcake so that was the most memorable, and it did not disappoint!

For any cupcake-lover visiting Montréal, this place is a must!

... And while you indulge in deliciousness, you can enjoy the view of Notre-Dame Basilica (where Celine Dion got married)!

photo taken by me and my friend AY!