Thursday, August 26, 2010

Is the Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?

Most of my friends I talk do agree to some extent that the grass is always greener on the other side. I had, I think, one friend who begged to differ.

When you are a guy, do you want to be a girl? When you have one job, do you wish you had the other one? Would you rather be employed or unemployed?

A lot of times, I use to feel that the other side's great things outweighed the bad things....when I wasn't working, I wish I was that full time employee with a steady income and when I was working 9-5, I wanted to be like others that had all the time to do what they needed to do.

Now, I realize I should be ecstatic and happy with my side and not worry about being on the other side. Because I'll just end up hop-scotching back and forth...forever.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Munching on Toronto - Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Recently I've fallen quite in 'love' with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. There is one really close to me now, and I've tried their ice cream and candy apples (I have also purchased dog treats for my dog too but no, I haven't try them). I stare at the chocolate counter too, but I have to control myself.

To be honest, I would choose the ice cream here over the ice cream at Marble Slab. It is more gourmet and the biggest thing for me is that it is not as sweet. It has a delicious flavour without feeling like you need to reach for a glass of water after several bites.

Can't remember the name of this candy apple, but its
suppose to be one of the most popular ones.
They are also very famous for their signature candy apples. The shelves are filled with different flavours  of candy apples, from Rocky Road Caramel Apple to Cheesecake Apple, just to name a few.
It was my friend's birthday and I decided to buy her a candy apple. I was in luck when I got to the shop. They were in the process of making 'Happy Birthday Candy Apples' for the next day. I was lucky enough to get one made that night. It was so colourful and all I wanted to do was look at it.
Happy Birthday Candy Apple

Sometimes we all just need a little sweetness in our lives. Rocky Mountain has definitely satisfied that for me.





Sunday, August 1, 2010

Munching on Toronto - La Merceria | Le Gourmand | North

I introduced La Merceria in my blog 'A Stroll Down Queen Street' last month and showcased a few photos of the inside of the cafe and the area where they sell merchandise. The other day, I decided to get out of the office and read. Initially I was thinking about going to the park to read but all the benches in the shaded area were taken. It was way too hot to sit in the sun, so I decided to go to La Merceria. They have a little table outside on the sidewalk but I decided I needed some air conditioning (yeah, I don't really enjoy the heat that much).
I ordered a Yerba Mate Lemonade and two mini Alfajores. The lemonade tasted a lot like iced tea and it was very refreshing. I decided to do a little research on Yerba Mate and found out that it is a herb that was introduced by 'Guarani Indians of Paraguay and Argentina'. It is used to "boost immunity, cleanse and detoxify the blood, tone the nervous system, restore youthful hair color, retard aging, combat fatigue, stimulate the mind, control the appetite, reduce the effects of debilitating disease, reduce stress, and eliminate insomnia". (taken from Yerba Mate: the Ancient Drink for Health and Friendship) Very interesting. If you like ice tea, you would like this refreshing lemonade.


Le Gourmand. (their site isn't working, I guess that's not a great sign?) Not sure what happened but they seemed to have closed down :( Well, the one and only time I was there, I enjoyed a really good salmon salad and my friend had a yummy squash soup (can't remember what he got exactly anymore).
Salmon Spinach Salad with Strawberries
Looks like pumpkin tomato soup..can't be sure though.
Anyhow, not sure if they will revive and open their doors again. If they do, try them out. They are on west side of Spadina north of Richmond (I hope that's right, my memory is a little wonky).

North Restaurant is a Persian Restaurant located on Steeles west of Yonge. I can't seem to locate a website for them, if you know, please post.The food was actually pretty good but unfortunately I can't remember the names of the dishes we ordered but do enjoy the one picture I took of our meal. Again, we ordered way too much "eyes too wide, stomach too narrow" (its a Chinese saying - straight translation). I remember we also had a jug of yogurt drink and it was very different than anything I've had before.
I recommend all three places in this post as they represent very different cultures, countries and tastes.