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This Mother’s Day, you can give a sweet surprise for Timbits lovers out there. It is available exclusively for Mother’s Day weekend on Saturday, May 12th and Sunday, May 13th starting at 8am each day and while supplies last. If you’re mom has a sweet tooth for Timbits, she’ll find this alternative a sweet touch outside of traditional flowers.

It’s not the first time fun delicious bouquets have been created in Canada. There have been ketchup chip roses and even fried chicken bouquets.

Each bouquet comes with a variety of 24 long-stemmed Timbits, wrapped and ready to give to mom. The Timbits Bouquets are available for $12.99 plus tax at participating Tim Hortons Restaurants. The bouquet includes flavours like chocolate glazed, old fashion glazed and sour cream glazed to name a few.

#TimbitsBouquet Contest

To spread the love on Mother’s Day even further, Tim Hortons is giving Canadians in three cities – Toronto, Calgary and Montreal – the chance to nominate a mom to get her very own Timbits Bouquet hand-delivered in an exclusive Tim Hortons Flower Truck just in time for Mother’s Day.

If you are live in the participating cities, you can nominate a mom by posting why she deserves her own Timbits Bouquet on Twitter or Instagram using #TimbitsBouquet between May 7th and 10th.

Websitehttp://www.timhortons.com/

Now that the weather has dropped, it feels like the cold has sapped me of all motivation, to leave the house, to scavenge for food, etc. Luckily for me, Skip the Dishes reached out to us last week. They must have intercepted the cry for help that I sent out to the universe when it was -10 in Toronto as they they kindly offered me the chance to try their meal delivery service.

Contest open to Canadian residents. Contest ends Wednesday November 29, 2017 11:59pm EST.

Comment below with which restaurant on Skip the Dishes would you order from.
For additional entries, check out the widget below for more ways to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skip the Dishes

Skip the Dishes offers meal delivery services across North America, including Toronto and Vancouver. You can access their services either through their website or the app. Personally, I like the option of using the website version (because who needs another app on their phone). I simply entered my address and a long list of the nearest restaurants comes up.

I liked that the service offered a diverse mix of cuisines (Italian, Indian, Chinese, etc.), local restaurants and chains, plus a several options for “hangover food” (Smoke’s Poutine, Burger’s Priest or Fat Bastard Burrito) . You can choose delivery (which may be free above a certain amount, or have a flat rate) or pick up. Then you choose your preferred time, so if you’re super organized, you can order at work and have it delivered as soon as you step through your door. The website and app tracks your order status and let’s you know where your driver is with your food. I chose the delivery time of “ASAP” and the food was delivered to my friends and I within the estimated delivery time (45 minutes on a Friday night in downtown Toronto – not bad).

Levetto

Since it was a frigid Friday night we decided to embrace our carb up. We ordered from Levetto, a fast casual chain Italian restaurant that makes their own homemade pasta and fresh pizzas. Right off the bat, we noticed that the portions were massive, more than enough for the three of us (even considering that my friends and I are all prone to overeating on the regular).

Romano Pizza

We kicked off the decadent carb-fest with a Romano Pizza. We had the Patate and it was delicious with thin slices of Yukon Gold with rosemary, green onion, grana padano, ricotta and lots of white truffle oil. We really liked their crisp, olive oil glazed, foccacia-like crust.

Carbonara

Next came our pastas…The Carbonara was piled high with smoky bacon, grana padano and scallions. The creamy sauce was a bit stiff and dried out given that carbonara is served best straight off the stove. But the many chunks of thick bacon made up for it. And the fact that the Carbonara could have fed three people alone.

Cavatelli Pasta

The Cavatelli Pasta was with a pea pesto, roasted red peppers, baby spinach and topped with ricotta and a drizzle of truffle oil. Mmm, in my mind, pesto + ricotta + truffle oil is the ultimate pasta trifecta.

Trecce Pasta

Finally, we had the Trecce Pasta which was a sundried tomato lover’s dream. It was also infused with garlic olive oil and topped with arugula and tons of goat cheese.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s definitely a convenient service for those meals where you can’t be bothered to face the cold, the lines and the wait. Skip the Dishes is offered all across the major Canadian cities, so if you would like to stay in and try the service yourself, Skip the Dishes has offered readers $7 off their first order of $25+ with this referral link.

As someone who grew up on the West Coast, sushi is considered a basic food group. So when I moved to Toronto and heard about this magical invention that took my favourite fresh elements of sushi and rolled in into my drunk food of choice…I was very intrigued.

Last week, I attended the opening party for Rolltation’s newest restaurant at Yonge and Carlton. This is Rolltation’s third location in Toronto and their first franchised location. The restaurant is bright, with light wood accents and a Toronto graffiti mural wall. There is some booth and bar seating, but the restaurant is definitely geared for the grab & go customers.

We munched on octopus takoyaki balls as the owner introduced the new location.

Each of the guests were invited to roll their own sushi burrito. First, we watched the servers press the sushi rice onto the seaweed. Next I chose raw tuna as my protein. There’s also raw salmon and cooked beef, chicken, shrimp or tofu. For my vegetables, I chose cucumber, carrot and cabbage. My sauce of choice was the Sriracha Mayo. Finally, I topped it with tamago, tobiko and avocado. I definitely had a lot of fun choosing all my toppings because there was a large variety of fresh Japanese, Asian-inspired and vegetarian ingredients.

The sushi burrito was hard to roll (because I got so greedy with my toppings – no regrets), but thanks to some expert advice from the owner Chris, I managed to compress my hefty baby into something that sort of resembled a sushi burrito.

My masterpiece!

If you are the sort of person that gets overwhelmed by too many options, you can select from the eight signature burrito options, or several poke and salad options. Prices rage for the sushi burritos range from $9 to $15 and the portion sizes are large and filling.

If you’re looking for a personalized, fresh & filling lunch, check out Rolltation at 3 Carlton Street. Or you can order it online for pick up or from the Foodora app for delivery.

Address:
3 Carlton St, Toronto

Website:
http://rolltation.com/

Hogtown Pub and Oysters in Toronto is located in the Little Italy neighbourhood. I was meeting up with my friend Flo for a pre dinner meal while I was in town. Always good to catch up with friends over appies and drinks. They are a local favourite and have locally sourced produce where possible. You will also find a good amount of local craft beers on their menu too.

Interior

The restaurant is pretty narrow and has a good pub feel with all the picture frames on the walls and the booth style seating. Good for small to large groups.

Drinks

My friend got a ginger ale and I got Stiegl grapefruit radler, which is delicious, light and sweet. A good Summer drink.

Oysters

We got a dozen oysters for $30 and I thought it was a bit mediocre. If you’ve ever had a fresh West Coast Oyster, these didn’t compare. I think these were from the East Coast and it has more salty notes to the taste. If you love oysters, they do have some specials throughout the week if you want to save.

You can add some sauce to the oyster to give it some added taste. My personal favourite is always a drop of tabasco sauce.

Mussels

Mussels sauced with either white wine and garlic, zesty tomato or green curry. We went with white wine and garlic sauce and it was pretty delicious. There is toasted bread served with it too. The mussels inside the shells were pretty small sizes.

Sauteed Octopus

This dish has tender octopus served with chorizo sausage, purple fingerling potatoes and rapini tossed with their secret octosauce. It was a good dish that I really enjoyed.

Final Thoughts

Being from the West Coast in Vancouver, the seafood doesn’t compare, but since Toronto is far from either coast, I hear that local do love this place. Perhaps I just have higher standards since its readily available to me. It’s still a nice place to chill over drinks and bites with friends.

We rate Hogtown Pub & Oysters: 

Address:
633 College St, Toronto

Website:
http://www.thehogtownpub.com/

When I was in Toronto, my friends highly suggested I go to Kekou Gelato for a taste of their unique flavours of gelato. They specialize in Asian-inspired frozen desserts. Since I sometimes have a sweet tooth, I couldn’t say no to coming here with my friends. I had less than 24 hours in Toronto, so I needed to eat as much as I could.

Interior

There are lots of tables inside this location and the line starts on the right side of the shop. It was late into the evening, but there was a good amount of people inside.

Menu

Tasting

There were lots of flavours to choose from, so I tried a bit of everything. How could I resist? All the flavours were pretty darn delicious, so it made deciding on one flavour very difficult.

In a Cup

One of my favourite ones that I tried was the HK Milk Tea gelato. I got it as one scoop in a cup. It was pretty smooth and made well. The tea flavour stood out and was addictive.

In a Cone

Instead of a cup, you can get it as a cone too.

If you are in Toronto for a visit, I would highly recommend this place for a nice sweet gelato treat. I sure enjoyed it.

We rate Kekou gelato:

Address:
394 Queen Street West, Toronto

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/kekougelato/

Kellys Landing recently opened at Front and York, right across from Union Station. This is the newest location of the Landing group of restaurants and it’s biggest to date, with seating for 550. It’s more of an upscale bar and grill that caters to the Financial District crowd and those that are a fan of Cactus Club, King Taps or Milestones.

When we went on a Thursday night, it was packed with the after work crowd. It had a high energy atmosphere but the servers definitely know how to manage the crowds.

We sat were under the retractable roof which was open that night in the 25 degree weather.

Behind this fireplace is the outdoor patio which has several large patio seats as well as cozy fireplace couches.

At our server’s recommendation, we shared the Pan Seared Scallops to start. The three scallops were juicy and served on a lightly charred slice of pork belly and finished with a maple sherry glaze. The glaze was so addictive and made me proud to be Canadian…

 God bless that maple glaze

The highlight of the meal was definitely Chef Marco’s famous Landing Carbonara. It was spaghetti alla chitarra with house-smoked chicken, local pork belly (one can never have enough pork belly), parmesan cheese and topped with a fried egg.

Check out that oozing food porn egg

We also ordered the 100Km Roast Half Chicken.  The dish came with market vegetables, roasted herb potatoes and pan gravy. The maple cider chicken was satisfying but I didn’t taste the maple cider and I found that the gravy was too salty for my taste.

For dessert, we ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Mascarpone Cheesecake. The Pudding was soft and gooey with a chili salted caramel glaze that was amazing with the slightly melted vanilla ice cream.

Mascarpone cheesecake had a light and fluffy texture but unfortunately it didn’t have much taste, especially contrasted with the pudding.

All in all, Kellys Landing is high energy, well-located restaurant for large groups, after work drinks or if you’re en route to the Air Canada Centre. In the summer, I can definitely see how the patio will be a tourist favourite as well.

Address:
123 Front Street West, Toronto

Website:
http://kellyslanding.ca/

When I first received my invitation to this event, I honed in on two things: there would be an abundance of farm-to-table goodness & the suggested attire was “country chic.” I’m the girl who lined up an hour and a half for barbecue and I’m counting down the days until Boots & Hearts Country Music Festival, so this event could not have sounded more promising.

In honour of their 25th anniversary, Beretta Farms hosted a dinner at Wynchwood Barns, a historic streetcar facility that has been transformed into an arts and event space. As we approached the entrance, we were greeted by Priscilla, the whole roasted pig slowly spinning over the coals. Lucky for me (a carnivore), this event continued to impress with melt-in-your-mouth beef brisket, fresh cocktails and some classic Shania songs!

Since we were invited to learn about Beretta’s “Good Food Journey,” let me share their story with you. Beretta Farms is an organic meat producer based in Etobicoke, Ontario. Their founders, Mike and Cynthia Beretta, have been dedicated to producing healthy meat products since 1992, when they started their first farm as newlyweds in Huron Country. Today, they still own their 800 acre farm and they partner with other committed ranchers across the country. The best way for you to get a sense of what Beretta Farms is all about is to see for yourself below!

Here’s a snapshot of Beretta’s early years. They started off in Huron County but moved to a bigger farm in King City as demand grew, and they still operate the King City farm today.

Gingham + horseshoes = country, white flowers in mason jars = chic.

One of the talented chefs assembling a delicious pulled pork slider.

It’s like this event was tailor-made for me. I’m a gin girl through and through, and their signature cocktail was Beretta’s “Beef Eater” Gin with peach juice, sparkling water and fresh cranberries. They went down way too easy, but hey, cranberries are high in vitamin C!

This is their 12 hour smoked brisket with pear and cabbage slaw and a dab of Kozlik’s triple crunch mustard. It was fall apart tender and my favourite dish of the night. Let’s just say that the chef manning this station became very familiar with me…

These sliders were a bite-sized delight. They were served in a soft bun with pulled pork, caramelized onions and crunchy arugula. Why are miniature things so much more satisfying to eat?

Beretta’s team also prepared some Ocean Wise sustainable shrimp with a tequila lime chimichurri and red chili crème fraiche. These were a great contrast to the meat options.

Walter’s was serving their all natural craft Caesars at the event. While they were fine-looking Caesars, I didn’t try any as I don’t like the taste of Caesars in general. I know, it’s very unpatriotic of me.

Here’s one of their many desserts. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take a food blogger-worthy photo of the mini vanilla cupcakes and the flaky strawberry jam tarts but they were as good to eat as this cake was to look at.

I left the event happy and stuffed and with a heavy goody bag in tow. While the bag contained many culinary treats, my favourite item was Beretta’s own beef jerky. Man, I can never touch another piece of jerky from the gas station again.

I’d like to give a big shout out to Beretta Kitchens. This is Beretta’s “farm-to-fork” catering company and they did an incredible job. They definitely set the bar very high for the next few events I attend. If you want to experience a taste of Beretta yourself, you can find their products at retailers across the country.

Website: https://berettafarms.com/

Summer’s Ice Cream Shop in Yorkville invited me to try their ice cream the other week and since I consider ice cream a major food group, I obviously obliged!

Summer’s Store front

Summer’s is a family-owned ice cream shop that’s been making homemade ice cream since 1984. Tucked away on Yorkville Avenue, it’s a great place to catch a break from the Toronto heat (and stilettoed ladies with tiny dogs). They have 24 flavours that are made in small batches daily. Since the shop was crammed with customers, it was difficult to take a photo of all their offerings. Instead, I decided to include a preview of their top flavours along with a recommendation of the type of person I think would enjoy them…

I apologize for the photos, they don’t have the most blogger-friendly lighting. For the full list of flavours, check out their website.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie: this is their most popular flavour, it has homemade brownies and rich fudge in Summer’s signature chocolate ice cream.

Pairs well with: that friend that never disappoints. They’re always down to grab beers, they actually carry cash, and they pick you up when you’re down (in life, beer pong, etc.)

Birthday Cake: chunks of real birthday cake swirled in vanilla ice cream

Pairs well with: that gal/guy that LOVES red velvet. And probably Taylor Swift.

Toronto Pothole: Almonds, marshmallows, peanuts, chocolate chunks

Pairs well with: the life of the party. Whether it’s keg stands or spontaneous karaoke, this person is full of surprises that will leave you with a stomach ache from laughing too hard (or drinking too much).

This girl is stressing hard about picking a flavour…

Yes…I was being judged by many passersby as I attempted to take this shot. Do it for the Gram right? That English butter toffee swirl though…

I tried a scoop of their Almond Butter Toffee in a freshly made waffle cone. The ice cream was made up of a creamy almond base with bits of toffee, crunchy almonds, and an English butter toffee swirl. It was very delicious. I wish I took the time to savour it but unfortunately I had to gobble it quickly as it was melting in the 27 degree heat. I don’t know what this choice says about my personality, but please feel free to slide your psychoanalyses into my DMs.

If you need a break from the boujee-ness of Yorkville, I recommended stopping by Summer’s Ice Cream. I rode the TTC in sweltering heat to try a scoop and I’d do it again. If you knew me and my low tolerance for the Toronto transit system, then you’ll know that means Summer’s is worth it. And if you’re unable to come by the store, their pints are sold at several retailers across Ontario like Loblaws, Sobey’s and Rabba’s. The Summer’s team was kind enough to let me take home a pint of their Pistachio ice cream. It reminded me of marzipan and was very tasty with some shaved coconut and berries.

Whoops I wasn’t able to take a picture of my delicious homemade sundae – the aesthetics weren’t “right” (which means I ate it before I could take a picture, sorry I’m only human).

Address:
101 Yorkville Ave, Toronto, ON

Website: https://www.summersicecream.com/

Summer's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Captain’s Boil held a pirate-themed party on Toronto’s Tall Ship Kajima to celebrate the launch of their new Lobster Roll and Lobster Bisque. The ship was docked at downtown Harbourfront and attracted a lot of attention with its pirate flag, loud music and Instagram-worthy lobster pool floaties. As soon as we boarded the ship, we were greeted by an elaborate seafood spread. There were huge pots of shrimp, crawfish, king crab and of course, lobsters, displayed grandly like floral centerpieces at a wedding.  There was also a photobooth with crustacean and Captain Jack Sparrow-themed props which many people (me included) took part in. Within an hour, the boat was filled with hungry bloggers, many dressed in their best sailor stripes.

Spotted: a king crab trying to photobomb and take attention away from the evening’s guest of honour: the lobster

Warning: several lobster rolls were harmed during the making of this photo.

While the ship and décor were fun and engaging, more importantly, the lobster rolls lived up to the hype. Large chunks of fresh lobster were tucked in between a toasted buttery bun, with crisp lettuce and a slice of bacon for good measure. We weren’t the only ones that inhaled our lobster rolls as quickly as we grabbed them. As soon as the servers emerged from below deck, they would be swarmed by hungry bloggers. If you couldn’t elbow your way to the front, you would be left hungry, disappointed and lobster roll-less. Good thing we made friends with one of the servers who kept us happily supplied with plenty of rolls.

This cocktail went really well with the lobster – there was also a lemonade soju and a mixed berry option.

After an ungodly amount of rolls were consumed, (it’s embarrassing how many we had, all in the name of “research”), we washed them down with some refreshing mango & passionfruit soju.

One of the brave servers on deck (no one wants to tell food bloggers that they have to wait a few minutes until the next round of food)

Mmm…

Next we tried the lobster bisque. They were served in small cups that made it way too easy to shoot down, one after the other. The bisque was delicious, savoury and creamy, but balanced with a tangy spice, similar to the Cajun and Asian flavours found in the famous Captain’s Boil sauce. Every serving of bisque had a chunk of lobster. The bisque was definitely tastier than other bisques or chowders I’ve tried, as those can be too heavy on the cream and potatoes with not enough seafood flavour.

To sum it all up, here’s what I have to say: I was lucky enough to experience fresh Nova Scotian lobster last summer and with the sea breeze (ok fine, the Lake Ontario wind) blowing and the fresh delicious seafood, it (almost) felt like I was back in Halifax! Since we Torontonians don’t have the luxury of local lobster, I suggest hurrying down to the nearest Captain’s Boil if you want a similar seaside-like experience.

The Lobster Rolls and Lobster Bisque launch July 15th. Downtown Toronto is home to three Captain’s Boil locations, with 16 restaurants in Ontario.

Website: https://www.thecaptainsboil.com/

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Off to our next destination – Orlando. From Vancouver, we made a stop in Toronto (YYZ) and then got on a connecting flight to Orlando (MCO). Air Canada doesn’t offer direct flights, so this was the only option at a cheaper price.

We were on the Air Canada Flight 1864 boarding at 2:45pm and arrives at 5:28pm. The duration of the flight is 2 hours and 41 minutes.

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Our gate was awesome! There were a bunch of iPads available to use for free. We were able to catch up on the news and browse our Facebook before boarding.

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The plane was an Air Canada Rouge fleet – Boeing 767-300ER.  The economy section has a 2-3-2 seating configurations and can seat up to 256 passengers. In business class, it has a 2-2-2 configurations and seats 24 passenger.

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There are no entertainment systems on board. They want you to rent their devices from them. Since it’s a pretty short flight, you might as well use your own device.

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There is a power outlet for laptops under the seat in front of you. If you have an iPhone, there isn’t a USB charger, so make sure you bring the adapter with you. Since I basically carry an entire desk with me in my backpack, I am always set.

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This time on the flight, I asked them for a whole can of soda. You can ask for a whole can and its free. You might as well since you do get a bit dehydrated from the flight.

They have food and snacks that you can purchase on the flight, but I never buy anything.

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As we began descending to the Orlando International Airport, the weather changed quite dramatically from the dull cloudy skies to bright blue. Very smooth flight too with no issues.

Now, our journey to Disney World and Universal Studios begins!

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Website:
http://www.aircanada.com/

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Le Petit Dejeuner is located near St Lawrence Market and I came here for breakfast with 2 of my friends during a quick layover in Toronto. It was Saturday and there was already a line up at 9:30am.

They are known for their breakfast, especially the waffles, so I decided to make this our rendezvous point.

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I was in dire need of coffee since we’ve been up on a red eye flight. Yeah for refills!

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Brussel’s Belgian Waffles with Fresh Fruits and a dollop of chantilly cream. A bit of powdered sugar is sprinkled on top. Berries, honey dew, strawberries, cantaloupe, and bananas.

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Brussel’s Melody has a slice of peameal bacon, egg, apple slaw and brussels style Belgian waffles. It is served with organic maple syrup from Temple Sugar Bush.

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Brussels Benny with your choice of peameal bacon or bacon strips with a poached egg and apple slaw. Since we were in Toronto, you have to choose the peameal bacon.

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The Brussels-style Belgian waffles were light and fluffy, but I would have preferred it to be slightly more crispy on the soutside. Breakfast was ok, but nothing really wow-ed us.

We rate Le Petit Dejeuner3rated

Address:
191 King Street East, Toronto

Website:
http://www.petitdejeuner.ca/

Le Petit Dejeuner Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Making a quick stop in Downtown Toronto during our long layover, we got off Union Station from the UP Express Train and then walked over to St. Lawrence Market.

Carousel Bakery is known as the home of the award-winning “World Famous Peameal Bacon Sand­wich. Last time in Toronto, I wasn’t able to get this. They have been at the market for over 30 years and line ups can always be seen on weekends and the weekday lunch rush.

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Slices of grilled peameal bacon slices are put inside a soft country bun. It was so good! The fatty pieces of bacon just melted in our mouth.

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They also have an amazing selection of over 300 types of international breads, rolls, bagels (Montreal style), baguettes and pastries.

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If you have a chance to stop by St Lawrence Market in Toronto, definitely give Carouse Bakery a try for their Peameal Bacon. Make sure you bring cash too since they are cash only.

We Rate Carousel Bakery45rated

Address:
St. Lawrence Market, Upper Level 42

Website:
http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/vendors/vendor_detail/56

Carousel Bakery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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What is the best way to get to Downtown Toronto from Pearson International Airport? If you have a group of 4, it’s easier to take a bus, Taxi or Uber. If it’s just you and a friend, the new UP Express is a great alternative that is also cheap and fast. Since we had a long layover for about 6 hours, we thought it was the best way for only $12 to go to and from the Airport.

It gets travellers to and from the airport in 25 minutes, with trains departing every 15 minutes.

UP Express tickets can be purchased online, on your mobile device and at the vending machines or service counters at UP Express stations. I was a bit confused on what tickets to get since the names of the tickets aren’t intuitive.

  • Long Layover Return $12

You just need to return back to the Up Express within 7 hours.

Between Pearson and Union, UP Express stops at Weston and Bloor stations as well.

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We just followed the signs and eventually get there. It was a bit of a walk from the Domestic arrivals, but the signs are pretty clear.

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They have automatic doors that open when the train arrives. A cool feature that reminds me of the MTR in Hong Kong.

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Trains are equipped with convenient amenities including:

  • WiFi
  • Flight disruption information
  • Overhead luggage storage
  • Luggage racks at access doors
  • Space for oversize baggage
  • Power outlets
  • Tray table on seat backs
  • Toronto events information

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Once the train starts, one of their staff comes through the train checking tickets. When they make stops at Weston and Bloor stations, it’s very seamless and doesn’t stop for too long.

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At every seat, there is a guide to the city. There might be some useful information to those new to the city, but since I knew where I was going, I didn’t have to read it.


Photo Credit: UP Express

Once we were at Union Station, everything is within walking distance. We didn’t have any luggage with us, so we didn’t feel weighed down.

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Since we did arrive really early at 9am, we headed off to St. Lawrence Market for a snack before meeting up with a few friends.

Websitehttps://www.upexpress.com/

 

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Air Canada Flight 1172 from Vancouver (YVR) to Toronto (YYZ) departs from YVR International Airport at 12:25am and arrives at 7:55am at Pearson international Airport. Total time of about 4 hours and 30 minutes.

As this is a domestic flight even though we were on our way to Orlando, Florida. There are a lot of connecting flights that go through Pearson International. Air Canada didn’t have a direct flight to Orlando.

We check-in online 24 hours ahead of time, checked our seats, and got our tickets loaded onto our phones. We also had to check a bag in, so it cost us $25USD. Pretty annoying how it’s in USD, but we didn’t have a choice.

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Since it was late at night, going through security was seamless. Staff were very friendly and if you are Canadian, you can show your passport, Drivers License or Government issued ID.

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None of the shops or stores are open, so you won’t have anything to do to kill time waiting for boarding. There is Wifi, so as long as you have a device of some sort, you can browse the internet.

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It was a packed flight, so they asked that anyone with a carry on that wanted it checked in for no additional price can do so.

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The row configuration is 2 -2 in Business class with 14 seats and then in Economy class, a 3-3 configuration with 169 seats. They use their Airbus A321-200 fleet.

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The seats have a USB outlet, touchscreen entertainment system and an outlet for charging other devices like laptops.

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They have pretty recent movies like Star Wars: The Force Awaken.

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Once the plane lifts off, they offer passengers a complementary beverage and the option to buy any snacks or meals off their menu. I went with water because I always get so thirsty on flights.

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Most of the flight, everyone is sleeping. There was a bit of turbulence, so there was announcements once in a while to make sure people have their seat belts on .

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Once we get closer to Toronto, they offer another complimentary beverage.

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This time I went with tomato juice since it tastes a lot better in the air. There were studies done where loud noises suppress sweet flavours and enhance savoury ones.

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The flight wasn’t eventful, which it shouldn’t be. We were able to sleep through the plane ride with no issues. I can fall asleep even with the loud engine noises as it is a consistent noise.

We got to Toronto and had a long layover, so we explored the city for a little bit a met up with a few friends before heading off to Orlando.

Website:
http://www.aircanada.com/

buca-dat

After touching down in Toronto, Flo and I went to Buca on King Street for dinner. It’s been a few years since I’ve been here but I will remember they had some pretty damn good Italian food. They have 2 more locations Buca Bar and Buca Yorkville.

Like always, remember to make reservations or else you will be out of luck. We managed to snag a reservation on Open Table at 6pm a day before due to cancellations.

buca-dining

We were seated in their wine room and it was really beautiful seeing all their varieties of wine.

buca-inner

There are lots of tables and seats in the area. It’s much more calm and relaxing here compared to their main dining area.

buca-beer

Peroni is served in a large wine glass. I never felt more sophisticated drinking beer out of this glass. I like Peroni because it’s light with a hint of citrus.

buca-plate

We chose two types of their Salumi Di Buca, which are their daily meat.

  • Prosciuttini, which is a cured leg of pork with colonata spice.
  • Coppa, cured pork shoulder with ciociare spice

Then we got 2 of their formaggi, which are their cheeses:

  • Ricotta Di Bufala, is their whipped water buffalo milk whey cheese
  • Pecorino Toscano, Tuscan DOP Sheeps milk cheese, aged 8 years

All the the choices were great and they came with their daily preserves. It’s a fun item to pick a few meats and cheeses and enjoy a good chat with friends while picking at the plate.

buca-dumpling

Gnocco Fritto ($7) are Tuscan spiced crisp dumpling. It is basically a big dumpling that is hollow. It is served with lardo, which is basically fat.

I thought it was an average dish. It looks beautiful, but I didn’t like the idea of eating fat and deep fried hollow dumplings.

buca-pig-ears

Orecchio Di Maiale ($8) is a great dish to share. It is crisp pig’s ears with wild fennel and sale di cervia. It is so crispy and is music to my ears. It was good for the first few pieces, but it did get quite salty after a while.

buca-funghi

Fungi Pizza ($24) has sauteed seasonal mushrooms, marscarpone, gorgonzola and marjoram. This pizza was quite rich and heavy. The mushrooms didn’t shine through as it was overpowered by the various cheeses.

buca-pasta

Bigoli ($18) has torchio-cranked duck egg pasta, duck offal ragu, venetian spices, mascarpone, and basil . The portion was small for the price, but it tasted good.

Their food is pretty good but you have to choose the dishes carefully. Here is my last visit from 2012. I do like the atmosphere of Buca and it is quite lively.

We Rate Buca:

Address:
602 King Street W.
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://buca.ca/

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Lee-menu

Lee offers private dining experiences for group of 10 – 30 people. It’s a cozy space for special occasions for friends and family…or even an office party. I was here for my friend’s rehearsal dinner for her wedding and gathered in the room to celebrate.

lee-private-room
Photo by Lee

The space has a long table to seat all your guests and cozy up to the fireplace.The room over looks their narrow private garden.

Lee-room

The room is located past their kitchen and has their own washroom away from the rest of the restaurant.

Lee-saketini

Saketini has moonstone Plum Saké, Tozai Living Jewel Junmai Saké, Belvedere Vodka, Yuzu, and Flower Petals.

Lee-slaw

Singaporean-style Slaw has green onions, taro root, rice vermicelli, cucumber, carrots, jicama, daikon, tomatoes, sesame seeds, ginger, peanuts, edible flowers, purple, basil, coriander, daikon sprouts, shallots, pickled red onion, with their salted plum dressing and onion oil. This is an amazing dish! Everyone must order this.

Some people love this so much that they just order one of these to themselves.

Lee-curry-top-chef

Top Chef Green Curry Chicken has crispy multi-grain rice cake, pine nuts, spiced tomato jam, oven dried pineapple, and chili mint. This was the Top Chef award winning dish when Susur Lee was on the show. I always find this dish ok and not as jaw dropping as what some other people say.

Lee-chocolate-cake

Warm Molten Chocolate Cake has caramelized jackfruit & banana with vanilla bean ice cream. Oh man, this dish was a surprise. It seems pretty normal, but once you cut into the cake, it oooooozzzzeeessss with the chocolate inside. So good! I ate most of this and I kept craving more.

Lee-dessert

The vanilla ice cream with the blue berry sauce and chocolate decoration paired nicely too.

Overall, I was pretty satisfied with the meal. We had a lot of dishes, but I kinda enjoyed the meal a little too much. I usually don’t forget to take photos. For more dishes, you can view my previous review of Lee. When in doubt, always order the slaw.

We Rate Lee

Address:
603 King St W
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://www.susur.com/lee/

Lee on Urbanspoon

LeNeuf-door

Le Neuf Cafe is located near Spadina and King by Clarence Square Dog Park. This cafe is cute because it’s located among a row of cozy town houses. The cafe is founded and staffed by lifelong Parisians, so you may get a bit of some attitude when ordering.

Flo took us here when we were in Toronto and it was a delight to try some authentic French brunch.

LeNeuf-inner

It was very busy when we came here at 10:30am, but barely managed to get a table for 5.

LeNeuf-cappuccino

Cappuccino ($3.75) is large and topped with a good amount of foam.

LeNeuf-benny

Benedicto ($12.90) has prosciutto, basil, tomato, and hollandaise. You can choose it to be served on top of brioche or english muffin. There are sides of homefries and salad. The egg was poached perfectly and oozed all over the brioche bread.

LeNeuf-crepe

Mediterranean Galettes ($13.95) is a savoury crepe with prosciutto, fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella. The galette was really good!

LeNeuf-french-toast

French Toast ($11.50) is served with fruit, cinnamon butter, housemade caramel and topped with powdered sugar.

LeNeuf-menu

Overall, the food is pretty decent and the cafe has a really nice charm. Service is ok, but if you ask for customizations, the staff might get feisty.

We Rate Le Neuf Cafe:

Address:
9 Clarence Sq
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://leneufcafe.com/

Le Neuf Cafe on Urbanspoon

caplanski-deli-truck

Caplansky’s Delicatessen has been pitched on Dragons Den in 2011 to expand his business by opening food trucks, but was unsuccessful. He went on again to pitch a second time, but still unsuccessful due to their evaluation.

When I was in Toronto, I saw them at special events, but didn’t have time to stop by their truck. They have claimed to have Downtown Toronto’s best smoked meat, so when I was at the airport, I knew it was my last chance to give it a try.

caplanski-deli-airport

In August 2014, they opened their first franchise at Toronto Pearson Airport in Terminal 3 after the security check. They bring their famous BBQ beef brisket and deli classics like blintzes and kniches to people traveling out of Toronto. I had dinner here before my flight back to Toronto.

They have a dining area and also a take out area for people in a rush. It was really busy during dinner time, but I had to give it a try before my flight. You will find them near gate B39.

caplanski-deli-coke

Coke ($3) is what I ordered to quench my thirst and add a little kick of caffeine without drinking coffee.

caplanski-deli-smoked-meat

Smoked Meat Deli Sandwich ($9.95)  comes with a slice of pickle.

caplanski-deli-mea

The quality of meat was ok, but wasn’t as succulent as they portrayed on tv. The smoked meat with pretty lean, but did need their signature mustard to add more flavour. This item was featured on Diners, Dive-ins and Dives, but it doesn’t look the same, but perhaps its because it’s a franchise.

We Rate Caplansky’s Delicatessen:

Address:
Terminal 3
6301 Silver Dart Dr Mississauga, ON

Website:
http://www.caplanskys.com/

Caplansky's Delicatessen on Urbanspoon