It has always been my hopes and dreams to see my childhood idol on stage performing her hit songs. When I was younger, my mother won the chance to see Janet Jackson in concert through a radio competition. I was too young at the time, so she took a family friend with her. I was disappointed that I couldn’t go that time because I knew Janet would never make her way back to Australia ever again! It’s always a rare opportunity to see good artists in Australia in concert so I had the feeling that I missed my one and only chance.

When I moved to Canada, I always hoped that I could see more concerts since artists travel to Canada more often as it is much closer for them and their fan base is probably much bigger. When I heard Janet Jackson was coming to Canada I was soooo excited but at the same time I was so disappointed that she would hold a show in Hamilton of all places! But my boyfriend offered to take me all the way to Hamilton which was 1 hour away from Toronto.

So on August 3, 2011, Janet’s one and only show in Canada, my boyfriend drove me all the way to Hamilton. It was a crummy of an evening – dark and rainy but I was so happy to be able to get to see Janet! She performed all her hits, and all my favourite songs. It brought back all the great memories of my childhood. I love Janet!

Janet Jackson #1s World Tour in Hamilton, Canada Video

Janet Jackson #1s World Tour in Hamilton, Canada Photos

On a heaty summer night, we waited in line for 50 minutes at the famous Dutch Dreams Ice Cream Parlour. I couldn’t get over that we would wait for 50 minutes for ice cream, but I kept convincing myself that if this many people would wait in line for ice cream – it’s gotta be good!

So after we got that whopper of an ice cream for a whopper of a price, I still tried to convince myself that it had to be good if that many people would wait in line for it. So what’s the verdict? Well, by the time it was my turn to order – there weren’t any flavours left for me to order! I went through my list of preferences, and it was only up to my 7th where I found that they finally had what I wanted. After 50 minutes in waiting in line, you would think they should only settle for my first preference! Sigh. This was not the case, however.

But I must say, the flavours that I did settle for (despite being my 7th preference) was pretty good. I didn’t need the cream towering my ice cream without my consent however – but I guess this was the signature Dutch Dreams experience. The fruits were nice, but I dislike melon. I really wish they had’ve asked me… but back to the ice cream. It was great, delicious, yummy, lovely, yada yada.. but I am never going to wait 50 minutes for ice cream again no matter how good it is! Plus, it wasn’t that good. I really wanted my sorbet flavour, dammit!

Dutch Dreams Ice Cream Parlour Review

In 2009, I went Tree Planting with the Canadian youth of Soka Gakkai International  (SGI) in Caledon, Ontario. It was a great experience to be with fellow youth, making a direct positive impact on our environment. I decided to go again in the fall of 2011 and it was again a wonderful enriching experience.

I believe we planted over 250 trees that morning, and we could see the progress of SGI’s tree planting over the years. This is because we go to the same conservation area every year and we can see all the trees SGI Canada has planted. It was really nice to be in nature and trying to do something for our environment. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard work but a great workout and it was lovely to be in the sun.

SGI Tree Planting 2011 Photos

I recently had the opportunity to take a cooking class at Great Cooks on Eight. It was such a wonderful experience where I believe every single person truly had a great time. It was so enjoyable to let loose and learn to cook a dish with the help of a professional and learn some culinary art. But most importantly, it was so good to eat up all that awesome food we cooked without having to clean up the kitchen!

We made Bruschetta, Thai Spring Rolls, Grilled Peach Salad for appetizers, a steak for the main and a chocolate cake for dessert. Mmm!

It was amazing to cook at this place with such a great view too. If the classes weren’t so pricey, I would sure do it again.

Great Cooks on Eight Photos

About the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa

The Canadian Tulip Festival is held for 3 weeks in May of every year in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada. I had the great opportunity to visit this year, although it was unfortunate that it rained throughout the whole weekend I was there. I still managed to get a great first hand glimpse of the beautiful flowers that decorated around Parliament Hill. The festival features over 1 million tulips and receives over 500,000 visitors annually. This is a really enjoyable event to visit in Ottawa if you ever get the chance to go.

Canadian Tulip Festival 2011 Photos

L’unita Restaurant Review in Yorkville, Toronto, Canada

In the spur of Summerlicious 2011, we decided to visit L’unita after reviewing the favourable reviews on Urbanspoon. It is a little boutique Italian restaurant located in Yorkville on Avenue Road. Because of all the positive reviews and squeezing in a reservation on Saturday at 6pm (anything later was all booked out), I was convinced we would be walking into a crowded restaurant but we were proven wrong. There were hardly anyone else there, and there wasn’t that many until almost 7:30pm. It was fine for us, because it meant faster service but it did some a little eerie and also they stuck us in the front of the house, which was probably the worst table available. Initially, we accepted it but then realized even when we were eating dessert there was still hardly anyone else there. I admit, was a little annoyed. 

Nevertheless, the place was cute and I think with a bit more atmosphere it could be a lovely intimate and romantic restaurant. As for the food – well it was presented beautifully. The olive oil provided with the bread was fresh. The cucumber and arugula salad was full of flavour and crisp. The salt cod on the other hand, was not so much. The ontario fish was made beautifully, though I may be biased as I love lemon flavoured fish. However, the pasta was bland and stale. I found it hard to believe I wouldn’t like a seafood pasta. The pasta tasted like it either had not been cooked properly or it had been sitting out to dry for too long. There was hardly any clam taste either.

The desserts were probably the best course – though they weren’t that good either. The panna cotta had a lovely smooth consistency, while the orange mascarpone was a perfect combination to go with the espresso flavour. The strawberry conserva was packed full of sugar, which made it full of flavour and the lemon merengue was delish. Mmm. I’m glad I was able to leave the restaurant with the sweet strawberry goodness still on my tastebuds.

In all, I won’t go back to L’unita. We enjoyed the experience to dine in Yorkville and it wasn’t a bad downtown restaurant but we weren’t too delighted with everything. We walked away a little disappointed.

L’unita Restaurant Photos

L’unita Restaurant Interior Set Up

L’unita Menus

L’unita Bread and Olive Oil

Cucumber & Arugula Salad with Shaved Bottarga & Lemon Olive Oil

Baccala Montecato (Salt Cod over Fried Polenta & Spinach)

Ontario White Fish ‘In Saor’ with preserved lemon, swiss chard, farro & capers

Tagliatelle Pasta Con Vongole with clams, saffron, fennel & peperoncino

Espresso Panna Cotta with Dark Chocolate Crisps & Orange Mascarpone

Niagara Strawberry Conserva with floating lemon meringue & basil oil

About The Thousand Islands (Ontario, Canada & New York, USA)

In late July of 2011, we decided to hit the road and make it to the 1000 Islands (The Thousand Islands). This is an archipelago (cluster of islands) situated in the Saint Lawrence River at the border of Ontario, Canada and New York, USA. It emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario and stretches for 50miles (80km) which makes it perfect for Canadians and Americans to visit and enjoy many of their summer hobbies such as boating, kayaking, fishing, and simply just vacationing in a cottage.

Kayaking through the Thousand Islands

It has gorgeous and serene atmosphere, especially when the water is still. Even when a boat zooms by, it makes small ripples in the water and then its back to stillness is no time. This made it perfect for kayaking which I never knew how much effort it would take! It looks so relaxing to watch, but not AS relaxing to do. Nevertheless, it was still extremely enjoyable. It was my first time kayaking and I was especially tense as I was worried I would tip over (which was silly considering how still the water was).

It was a great work out for my arms and abs and is relaxing if you aren’t as worrysome as myself. The second time I kayak I think I would be more confident so I would be able to take better strides, be a much more efficient kayaker and thus, enjoy it much  more.

Nevertheless, the Thousand Islands was perfect on a sunny day, it was so nice to just sit back in my kayak and feel the sun on my face and arms. The Thousand Islands is approximately a 3 hours and 30 minute drive from Toronto and approximately 6 hours from New York City. It was a worthwhile road trip.

Kayaking and The Thousand Islands Photos

Driving Directions from Toronto to the Thousand Islands

Salad King Restaurant Review

The infamous Thai Restaurant re-opened this year bigger and better. It is still located in the Yonge/Dundas area but is now situated across the street from its old location. The devastating incident whereby bricks collapsed over the old Salad King location probably gave them the publicity they deserved. They now have a much larger and modern location and is jam packed full of hungry people no matter what hour you visit.

The atmosphere at Salad King is always buzzing, with its cafeteria style tables. It’s kinda annoying since you’re sitting much closer to strangers than you’d like and when their food comes first, you can’t help but sit there and stare with your mouth watering and listening to every word of their conversation. I find that it becomes a competition of who can talk the loudest over the person next to you, and it’s just extremely difficult to have a pleasant conversation.

A great feature is the seats they have here as they have a compartment underneath for your coat, bag, etc. It wasn’t enough for my umbrella or a thick coat however so given the tight space between your left and right neighbour, coming to Salad King on a rainy cold day was quite annoying.

But despite all of this, the food here is definitely worth it. It’s no wonder they tried to pack as many people in here as possible as there is typically long lines to get in and they do not accept any reservations. It’s first come, first served and expect to wait unless you go and beat the rush. As soon as I step inside, my tummy starts rumbling and my tongue can’t help but hang outside my mouth. The desire to bang my hands on the table and demand food now becomes irresistible as I can smell the food coming out of the kitchen.

I’ve been to Salad King a couple of times now in which I’ve tried the Green Curry, Thai Basil Noodles, Hot Thai Noodles, Siam Noodles, Pad Thai Noodles and Khao Soi Noodles. Out of all the dishes, I must say that the Thai Basil is my favourite but I just love the taste of Thai Basil. The dishes always taste fresh and full of flavour.

But my most favourite feature of this restaurant is the ability to choose how many chilli’s you want in your dish. Some dishes already have a spicy sauce so it would be even spicier than the amount of chilli’s you pick. You can choose from the options: mild, medium, 1 chilli, 3 chilli’s, 5 chilli’s, 10 chilli’s, 15 chilli’s and 20 chilli’s. The hottest I’ve tried was 15 chilli’s and it was aweeeeeeeeesome but my stomach made a few noises afterwards. It was damn hot! I typically go with 5 or 10 chilli’s now depending on whether the sauce is already spicy or not. It’s difficult to find a restaurant that will have the courage to serve their patrons a decent amount of spice so that’s why I love Salad King. Salad King is my most favourite place to go for decent Thai cuisine.

Salad King Photos

Obika Mozzarella Bar Restaurant Review in Downtown, Toronto

Obika Mozzarella Bar has opened up downtown in the middle of Downtown Toronto at BCE Place (Wellington & Bay).  It has been an extremely busy place, especially during the hours of weekday lunchtimes filled which is not unexpected given its location. I dislike however, the food-court atmosphere they have when the tables inside (to which they don’t have many at all) are full.  The seating is tight, and are exactly the kind you would find at a mall food-court. It’s loud and not very intimate at all, and the ambiance competes with the loudness coming across from Obikà at Marché. Terrific.

The table setting is modern, with interesting menu items but service is lacking. Although we came here on a weekday lunchtime we waited over 50 minutes to receive our meals, despite arriving at 12 on the dot. Poor. I realize there needs to be some allowance for such a busy time at such a busy location – but over 50 minutes? We were absolutely starving.

Nevertheless, each item here was delicious. I may not be an expert in burrata cheese (a soft buffalo milk mozzarella) but it was amazing. One taste and I was in heaven. The cheese immediately melted in my mouth and it was neither too creamy or too salty. Divineeee. The tasting plate of cheese items was interesting, but not really to my liking. I’m not a huge fan or prosciutto or pizza, but the pizza was so crisp & fresh. 5 stars for the pizza.

Overall, it was expensive and the service/atmosphere was really lacking. Initially I thought I would come back here again for the food but on the second time they really disappointed me on all levels. Sorry Obika, you didn’t come up to par.

Obika Mozzarella Bar Menu

Tasting Plate Mzarela Di Bufala Campana

Burrata, Tomatoes and Basil Pesto Prosciutto Crudo di Parma DOP, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, Organic Tomatoes filets, Arugula

Prosciutto Crudo di Parma DOP, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, Organic Tomatoes filets, Arugula

The Toronto Jazz Festival has become one of North America’s premier jazz festivals and takes place annually during the summer in June and July with most events located at approximately 40 locations around the Toronto downtown core. It began in 1987 and now attracts more than 500,000 people over 10 days, with 350 performances and 1,500 musicians.

The core of the Festival is located at Metro Square, the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District which offers free events to the public. I visited Metro Square on June 25, 2011 for some free jazz music. It was so lovely to enjoy the summer with some jazz music along with fellow Torontonians in the middle of the city!

TD Toronto Jazz Festival 2011 Video

TD Toronto Jazz Festival 2011 Photos