REVIEW | Brassaii - Brunch

Let's be honest. There's no shortage when it comes to brunch spots in the city - the only problem is... the lines, especially at places that do not take reservations. Brassaii is known more for nightlife - dinner, cocktails, bottle service and music but they actually have great brunch selections during the day. Plus, they take reservations!

LAUNCH | A Taste of FELIX LA at Gusto 101's Private Wine Cellar

Last week felt like real Canadian winter in Toronto: snowy, slushy and dreadful. Thankfully I had a memorable dinner in the Private Wine Cellar at Gusto 101 - one of my favourite Italian restaurants in the city. The Prosecco, wines and of course the food left me and my tastebuds so satisfied that the cold was the last thing on my mind for the rest of the week.

EVENT | Get a taste of Barcelona in Toronto from August 14-23 with Estrella Damm

Who said summer's coming to an end? With better weather than ever before in Toronto, it's hard to head home after a day of work. This week's about to get better with Barcelona's popular beer brand, Estrella Damm launching a fun and delicious Tapas Journey program to run for 10 days.  20 of Toronto's best restaurants will be offering a pint of its smooth lager and 3 different tapas dishes for $20!  Tonight, we had the pleasure of getting a preview at some of my favourite restaurants: Marben, Valdez and Patria.

REVIEW | Patria

Any news about brunch comes as extra exciting for the both of us. It's probably because everyone we try to have brunch, we search high and low for a place that can accommodate or even find that hidden gem that takes reservations. We could barely contain our excitement when we found out that Patria also serves brunch! 

REVIEW | BarFish at BlowFish Restaurant

Just a few weeks ago, we blogged about the newly launched sake bar addition, Barfish at the BlowFish Restaurant situated in the hip King West neighbourhood. We raved (read about the launch here) about the delicious sake cocktails but this time around, it's all about the food, 'bout the food, 'bout the food - ha ha, see what I just did there? Keep reading to get your tastebuds tickled on some unique and creative Japanese fare!  

 

REVIEW | King Street Social at Hyatt on King

Winterlicious is back for 2015! We're still unsure of where we'll be dining (need to make reservations ASAP) but after the menu tasting at King Street Social, a restaurant inside the Hyatt on King Street, we strongly encourage you guys to check them out for this year.

Pan Roasted Ricotta and Baby Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast 

REVIEW | Home of the Brave

At last! My long overdue visit to the Home of the Brave finally happened for a late night dinner with my girlfriends.  Situated upstairs at the corner of King Street West and Portland Street, it's quite accessible by public transit but it could be hard to find parking.

REVIEW | BarFish Cocktail & Lounge

Blowfish Restaurant & Sake Bar on King West has extended their space to launch BarFish, their new cocktail bar & lounge.  With tasty drink creations by resident award-winning mixologist Nishan Nepulangoda and BlowFish menu favourites, we can see this new addition quickly become a hot spot in the King West neighbourhood.

 

REVIEW | Ovest Cucina e Vineria

Ovest Cucina e Vineria, a cantina inspired Italian Kitchen has recently set roots in the ever growing King West District. With its wide pane windows, it definitely sparks interest to anyone walking by to take a peek inside to find out whats going on. Oh, and we forgot to mention, it's also a wine bar, meaning this might be the next go to place for anyone that wants to grab a drink during happy hour or on the weekend. 

REVIEW | Valdez Restaurant - Celebrating the launch of #ZomatoToronto with Latino street food

Do you love sharing restaurant reviews, food photos and exploring the growing food culture in Toronto? If you said yes to any of those things,  Zomato is an app your should have on your mobile! Read our post about what Zomato is & how it works here.  Zomato Toronto officially launched on October 21st, so we had dinner at Valdez for some Latino street food to celebrate! 

REVIEW | Marben Restaurant on Wellington for dinner with some foodies from Zomato Toronto

Marben Restaurant has always been on my list but for some reason, I have yet to try - so when Zomato's foodie dinner was at this restaurant, I was beyond excited.  Marben is well known for its farm-to-table menu that is constantly evolving, and mostly catering to the after work crowd in the King West neighbourhood.

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. 

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.

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 | The One That Got Away - Fish house that's here to stay!

Opening a restaurant that has a very small menu can often prove to be an obstacle but gaining popularity and staying open in industry that has such high turnover is another challenge all on its own.  On one hand, it saddens me to say that I have only recently tried The One that Got Away but on the other hand, if I had tried it any sooner I probably would have missed out on trying a lot of other restaurants.

LAUNCH | King West's new El Caballito features a unique Tequila Tasting room

Just a couple of weeks after my first visit to El Caballito Tequila Bar during it's soft opening (read review here), we were invited back for their official media launch event.  Of course, without hesitation we accepted as I couldn't wait to indulge myself in their Fituras Mixtas again and to try the Antojitos that I missed out on last time!

REVIEW | Cibo Wine Bar for Winterlicious 2014 - a trendy ambiance with tasty dinner & cocktails on King West

Cibo Wine Bar is a sister restaurant to Yorkville's Ciao Wine Bar by Liberty Group. Both Cibo and Ciao offer the same menu by Chef Saverio Macri, an authentic rustic Italian and exudes a very trendy and chic vibe that many nightlife venues by the Liberty Group signifies. I have always been a fan of the food and ambiance of Ciao Wine Bar, so I took the advantage duing Winterlicious to try the spot on King West.

REVIEW | Luma for Winterlicious 2014 - another O&B restaurant that doesn't disappoint

Located in the Tiff Bell Lightbox, Luma is another restaurant by Oliver & Bonacini that doesn’t disappoint. Its understated entrance does not do justice to the atmosphere of the restaurant. The restaurant is classy and spacious and leaves more than enough arm space between you and the next table to let you have a comfortable conversation with your diners. 

REVIEW | El Caballito Tequila Bar - after work drinks & late night snack bar #MidnightTaco on King West

I love, love, love tequila & tacos, so when I discovered that there's a new spot in town, I made my way there without hesitation.  The new El Caballito Tequila Bar is located at King and Simcoe, a great location to head to after work!

REVIEW | Gusto 101 - tasty Italian fare in Toronto's King West including a sweet potato pizza!

We absolutely love pizza… and not just the fast food pizzas that you can get but restaurant quality pizzas that make you feel like you’re sitting at a restaurant in Italy. There are classic pizzas such as  Margherita or Funghi but each restaurant will usually have their unique take with toppings that you are unlikely to find anywhere else, like the C’T Mang pizza from Terroni (read the review here). Gusto 101 is no exception and I finally decided to pay a visit!

Image from Gusto 101 website