Southern Georgian Bay Waterfall Tour: Day 2-3

curry salmon sandwich

trout omelette

Honey house with homemade honey

local art gallery, featuring local landscape

Walters Falls

Marshy highland

Inland lake

McGowan Falls

Beautiful Sunset at Stoney Island CA

Overlooking Lake Huron, lots of pebbles and clear water

Steak/mushroom pizza + seafood pasta

Before a long day of driving, we ate brunch at a French cafe called Cafe Chartreuse in the town of Collingwood. We got the sandwich + soup combo as well as the homemade omelette. Nothing special about the potato+leek soup, but the curry salmon sandwich and the trout omelette were unusual choices and exceptionally delicious! After that, we visited the honey house and a local art gallery called the loft in a nearby town. Next we went to Walters Falls which situated right beside an inn. It's mentioned that some wedding pictures was taken here. On our way to the next waterfall, we passed by some interesting landscape, including a marshy-flooding highland and many wind turbines. Our last waterfall is called McGowan Falls located in Durham CA. It's relatively wide and flat but the water flowed very rapidly. We ended the day with waiting for sunset at the Stoney Island Conservation Area overlooking the shoreline of Lake Huron. Fortunately we made it in time and it was a clear, sunny day. Hence, the sunset was magnificient!!! It was a long drive back to the hotel, so we ate a brief dinner at Boston Pizza. 

Spa Bath Passes :)

Blue Mountain Village... there's still some snow visible on the mountain!

Wild Wings

Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster

Giant chocolate chip cookie :D

Sunset Point Park

The last day consisted of relaxing at the Scandanavian Spa at Blue Mountain. I had to say one of the hot baths was too warm for the day! Then we ate lunch at the Blue Mountain village's Wild Wings. There were so many flavours to choose from, but our pick was texas honey (honey + maple sauce). Unfortunately it was raining and we could not try the new roller coaster styled ride at Blue Mountain. Before we left the village I bought a chocolate chip cookie at the Royal Majesty Espresso Bar Bakery, it was very big, thin, and crispy! I also wanted to try their butter tart too. Before driving back to Toronto, we made a stop at Sunset Point Park in Collingwood, which had an Inukshuk, an amazing shoreline, aqua waves, and a lighthouse from afar. It was noted in a local magazine this would be the best place to capture the perfect sunset in Collingwood.

Southern Georgian Bay Waterfall Tour: Day 1

Northwinds Beach

Weaver's Creek Falls

Jones Falls

Jones Falls

Owen Sound Shoreline

Indian Falls

During the Easter break this year, we went on a trip to the Southern Georgian Bay area. First stop was the Northwinds beach in Collingwood, overlooking the shoreline of Georgian Bay (clear water with pebbles). Next stop was the Weaver's Creek Falls which was located inside Harrison Park, but we somehow could not locate the waterfall (disappointing >.<). After that, we went on to look for Jones Falls in Pottawatomi Conservation Area. After a short hike through the woods, we heard water and saw a waterfall... but when we turned around, we saw an even bigger one on the other side of the cliff. It was breathtaking!!! During the drive to our last waterfall of the day, we came across Owen Sound/Georgian Bay shoreline, and again, the view was magnificient! Finally we reached Grey Sauble CA just before sunset, and had to hike through a very rocky path and a steep slope to get to Indian Falls. The waterfall looked like a bridal veil :) We finished our day with a delicious meal at the Oliver & Bonacini Grill at Blue Mountain, with tuna tataki salad, sea scallops & red wine braised oxtail, and soma gelato (lemon sourcream & pumpkin pie) ^_^

 

Dining @ elle m'a dit - modern Alsatian cuisine

Alsatian cuisine refers to cooking in Northeastern France, which serves rustic homemade cuisine using locally grown products. This restaurant resides in a house, and is famous for their tarte flambee, the French pizza. We order the original flavour, which comes with bacon, onion, and cheese. The crust is so airy, thin, and light. An addictive and delicious snack. I want to try the duck confit and potato one next time ^_^. I also want to try the seared foie gras next time... hmm... should be yum. Too bad they run out of the fish dumplings soup. The bavette steak and frites are very easy to eat. The meat is tender and sliced and has been marinated for 48 hours to absorb the flavour of the jus. For dessert, the pineapple/coconut sorbet/bread pudding is served in a little jar and has a nice contrast of sensation (warm pudding vs. cold sorbet). A wonderful way to finish the meal :)   
 
Food: 4.4/5 (tasty, pretty, unusual selection of food)
Service: 4/5
Decor: 3.8/5 
Price: Most dishes range from $10-20 each. Portions are a bit small, it's French cuisine afterall :P

Location: 35 Baldwin Street
Phone: 416-546-3448
Tues-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm; Tues-Sat 5:30-10pm
Website: http://www.ellemadit.com/

P.S. Trying out a new ipod app (pic collage) to upload the pictures above.

Weekend of Apr 13-14

Thinking about what to do this weekend? This is my pick:

Green Living Show
Apr 13-15
Direct Energy Center @ Exhibition Place
Bring an electronic waste (e.g. mouse, keyboard etc.) for FREE admission!
(Regular admission costs $15)
http://www.greenlivingonline.com/torontoshow/
Perfect show for anyone who is eco-conscious, from products to food

Another possibility is going to view the cherry blossom in High Park, but the weather forecast doesn't look good for this weekend (rainy). Best to view would be on a sunny weekday (much less people). From my previous experience, it's extremely difficult to find parking there during the weekend. But if you have never been there, it's worth the trip... the sakura road is amazing :D

Newest Asian Eatery in Chinatown: Banh Mi Boys & One Hour

I recently come across two new Asian eastery in Chinatown. The first one is the highly anticipated Banh Mi Boys, which sells Vietnamese banh mi and bao. I start to notice banh mi when I watch the Great Food Truck Race on Food Network and two attractive and competitive Vietnamese girls are selling banh mi on food truck (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0-LT3rTKR4&feature=related).

Now back to the Banh Mi Boys, whose family owns a bakery + deli meat business. The menu consists of bani mi, taco, or bao. And then you can choose the toppings you want to put in it. Toppings range from pork belly, grilled chicken, to braised beef cheek. You can also choose spicy or mild. Sides include kimchi fries and sweet potato fries (but cost extra, no combo option available). They are constant line-ups in this place, that indicates how popular this place is. Both the beef cheek banh mi and the pork belly bao are really delicious. Although the banh mi at this place costs much higher than other places you'd find in chinatown, their homemade toppings may have worth that. I will go again to try out the other flavours!

Food: 4.2/5 (taste is pretty good, though portion is a bit small for bao)
Service: 3.8/5 (though it's fast food style, waiting for food can take about 10 mins, depending on the line-up)
Decor: 3.2/5 (the sitting area has been renovated but when it gets busy there is no one to clean up tables/counters empty containers may pile up like in a food court)
Price: Everything is under $10

Location: 392 Queen Street W.
Phone:416-363-0588
Open until 10pm daily
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Banh-Mi-Boys/177836625612197
















The second place I want to talk about is One Hour. It's a minimalist style bbt shop in Chinatown. Food options range from homemade pork/beef noodles to chicken rings and cheesecake. Drinks include various bbt and specialty tea. The food and drinks taste pretty good, but choices are quite limited. Hopefully they will expand their menu in the near future. Pork noodle is quite spicy (too spicy for me!), but the rose jelly slush duo is fun to drink. Unlike Destiny or Go for Tea they don't have the latest magazines to browse, but they do offer free wifi service. The gigantic beanbags are interesting part of decor but no too comfortable to sit in for an extended period of time. The service is very good though (friendly and pretty asian girl waitresses).

Food: 4/5 (drinks are pretty good)
Service: 4.2/5 (friendly and efficient)
Decor: 4/5 (nice decor, can choose to sit in front or back of store)

Location: 435 Spadina Avenue
Phone: 647-346-2172
Open until 11pm daily, except Sundays in winter
Website: http://www.facebook.com/onehour.cc

Modern Japanese Eastery: Manpuku

Right across from OCAD, in an unnoticeable plaza, is this cozy Japanese cafeteria. Very quick and attentive service, it serves homey style cooked Japanese food such as udon, curry rice, and appetizers like takoyaki. Udon sits in a simple refreshing broth with silky noodles, plenty of seaweed, tempura-like bits and a mouthwatering-looking semi-cooked egg yolk and fishcake slices. Japanese beef curry is not spicy at all but sweet, just as Japanese curry supposed to be. The portions are on the small side, which I have heard is typical of this type of Japanese eatery. But all dishes are under $10, so it's still great value. Next time, I want to try their homemade pudding for dessert. I think this place is run by Japanese, so it should be quite authentic. A Japanese friend tells me Tokyo Kitchen on Yonge/Bloor serves similar style authentic Japanese food, I will go try that next time!

Food: 3.8/5 (taste is pretty good, though portion is a bit small and selection of food is limited)
Service: 4.2/5 (timely service and polite)
Decor: 3/5 (comfortable space but no specific decor)
Price: All dishes are under $10! What a great value!

Location: 105 McCaul Street, Unit 29-31
Phone: 416-979-6763
Closed Sunday.
Website: http://www.manpuku.ca/