OPENING | Nam Sandwich - a new bao & Vietnamese sandwich shop near Trinity Bellwoods

There's a new Vietnamese sandwich shop in the city, located just West of Trinity Bellwoods Park on West Queen West. Last weekend, I was invited to the new Nam Sandwich Shop to get a bite of some of their delicious offerings.

LAUNCH | Bounce Off - game night with Mattel Game On at Snakes & Lager

When Clara and I get together with our friends, we love playing games: board games, charades, you name it! There's something so fun and appealing about board games especially that can keep everyone entertained and having a good time. Last week, we were invited for a game night at the Snakes & Lagers location on College and Bathurst to celebrate a launch of Mattel Game On's newest addition, Bounce Off! There's no better place to do this than Toronto's most popular board game cafe & bar.

EVENT | Celebrating National Tequila Day at Milagro Cantina's patio in Queen West

On National Tequila Day, it's only natural that you head to a patio to soak up the sun with Tequila cocktails in hand, or if you had a real bad day at work, shots.  That's exactly what I did - went to the gorgeous patio party at Milagro Cantina on Queen West. 

EVENT | Taste of Toronto July 24 - 27 at Fort York - this summer's foodie event you don't want to miss!

It's finally here! I feel like we have been talking & writing about Taste of Toronto for months now, and after attending the opening night yesterday, I urge you, don't miss out! Celebrity chefs, demonstrations, wine tastings and most of all, the delicious food was very worthwhile. In fact, I'm going again on Saturday ;) 

10 Toronto Restaurants with Stellar Summer Specials

Time is flying by and we want to enjoy summer as much as we can (patios anyone?). Of course, we want you to as well! As we don't get a long summer season like other cities in the world, the month of June, July and August need to be taken advantage of. Here are 10 summer specials in the city that you should keep your radar on for:

REVIEW | My Beauty Tea - Natural tea for beauty from within

In a world that is primarily dominated by coffee and coffee inspired drinks, tea has been slowly creeping back into the main stage as an alternative to coffee. We absolutely love how much tea has evolved and now there are so many different blends of tea that you can enjoy!

LAUNCH | Portland Variety - a café, bakery & tapas bar, all-in-one on King West

The newest business to grace the bustling King West neighbourhood is no other than Portland Variety. When I first heard the name, I couldn't quite figure out whether it would be a convenience store, a snack shop, a cafe, or a bakery.  Little did I know, it's actually a café and bakery from 7AM to 3PM and transforms at 5PM, into a tapas restaurant and cocktail bar serving delicious and sharable pintxos.  Portland Variety caters to pretty much everyone at any time of the day or night. I mean, the name says it all, doesn't it?

Grilled Octopus with Iberico Chorizo, smoked tomato, olive oil & lemon ($18.00)

All photos by: Katie P. 

GIVEAWAY | Win 1 of 5 pairs of tickets to Taste of Toronto!

If you love food, you're probably looking forward to next week's Taste of Toronto Festival at Fort York. We're preparing ourselves for the 4-day pig-out bonanza that will soon force us up a dress size or two and we want our readers to join! Our generous friends at Ice Volcano Ice Cream are sending 5 lucky winners (& their +1's) to Taste of Toronto so you can feast with us.

EVENT | The Food Sisterhood spends the day with Farm & Food Care Ontario!

For some of us, trips to the supermarket is a weekly routine. We are certainly blessed to have a wide variety of supermarkets, farmers markets and butchers to get all of our grocery needs. Although we're buying produce all the time, we don't always know where it's coming from. We were very fortunate to be able to attend a day trip organized by Farm & Food Care Ontario  to learn more about the grain and cattle industry in Ontario. 

LAUNCH | Bar Mercurio - introducing the 'Love our pizza or it's free' challenge!

For the past 17 years, regular patrons have come in and out of Bar Mercurio solely based on word of mouth. Rather than continuing to keep its authentic Italian cuisine a secret, they are launching their “love our pizza or it’s free” challenge. After having tasted their food first hand, we don’t think they’ll be giving many pizzas away for free!

REVIEW | Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse, a classy & sophisticated steakhouse on King West

There's a good number of steakhouses in Toronto that are supposed to be "the best," one of them being Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse, which has been on our list for quite a while. With my birthday being the perfect excuse to go splurge on a dinner, we finally made a visit.  We were excited to finally get a taste of their famous in house dry-aged steaks. Located just off King St. and Spadina Ave., the restaurant is really accessible with a few spaces for parking in front of the restaurant as well as valet parking option.

EVENT | What's better than a juicy watermelon in the summer time?

Summer is here and one of our favourite summer fruits is watermelon!! Why? We love it because there are so many different things you can do with a watermelon whether it's eating it on its own, in a salad, making juice or cocktails or even making your own watermelon Popsicle to cool down in the heat!

OPENING | Los Colibris - Toronto's first upscale Mexican dining experience

Los Colibris is Toronto's first upscale Mexican dining venue located right next to El Caballito (read our review here). Los Colibros translates into hummingbirds and it's no surprise why this name was chosen as hummingbirds play an important part in Mexican culture where many believe fallen warriors are reincarnated as hummingbirds.

REVIEW | Easy recipes & fresh ingredients delivery with Fresh Canteen make meal planning a breeze!

For many, working 9-5 five days a week can become pretty tiresome. We often turn to quick and easy meal options because we're tired to cook or we just don't have the time to do it. As easy as that option seems, most of the meals we choose are highly processed or all in all not so great for our health. Fresh Canteen takes grocery delivery to the next level making meal planning for the week so much easier and something to look forward to.

LAUNCH | Jack Astor's Ultimate Patio Experience: new menu & selfie contest to take you to Muskoka!

What better way to beat the heat in Toronto than with a drink-in-hand at a patio? There's a lot a patios that you can spend your summer on but Jack Astor's is offering something special for all of us this summer - a special summer menu, discounted beers & sangrias on rainy days and a chance to be whisked off to Muskoka on a private pontoon plane for the ultimate patio experience up North!

EVENT | Taste of Toronto Safari to El Caballito, Yours Truly, Hopgoods Foodliner, Barque BBQ & Weslodge

Who's looking forward to the biggest food event of the year, Taste of Toronto this summer - remember the post a month ago when we attended the launch (read here if you haven't yet)?  There will be over 20 Toronto restaurants and 21 Chefs attending so don't forget to buy your tickets before they run out. Last week, we were invited to attend an exclusive "Taste of Toronto Safari" to tour 5 of the participating restaurant for a preview of their offerings. Who can say no to that? 

REVIEW | Khao San Road - popular Thai restaurant in Toronto's entertainment district

I love Thai food - curries, noodles dishes and soups, etc, I love them all! Khao San Road is one of Toronto's most loved Thai restaurants and I finally got to try it last week (don't ask why it took so long). My friends and I made our way there for 6 P.M. and already there was a long line - we ended up waiting around 20 minutes, which isn't TOO bad.