Feed Yourself, Feed Everyone: The Stop’s Night Market

Leave a comment July 22, 2013 CHANRY THACH

You know that saying “Better late than Never?” – well say hello to my “Stop’s Night Market” Post. Yes, I am aware this event happened last month and I’m a wee bit late on the post – but I had to share the food porn and the amazing cause behind this two day eating extravaganza! Before I get into the nitty gritty – enjoy the food porn and I’ll see you at the end of the tunnel… 

416 Snackbar: Korean Fried Chicken 

Momofuku:  Brisket with Tiger Vegetables 

Momofuku: Cuttlefish Salad 

Tori’s Bakeshop: Mini strawberry cream and Vanilla Bean donuts

Paulette’s: Garam Masala Donut 

Yours Truly: Mechoui Lamb, Goat’s yoghurt, flatbread & pickles

GwaiLo: Spicy wontons with crispy onions and toasted nuts

The Drake: Shrimp Roll

Farmhouse Tavern: Barnyard Burger – beefy patty, goat cheese, pork belly, fried quail egg .

Delica Kitchen: Tandoori duck breast with mango slaw, curried almonds

Pizzeria Libretto: Meatball with Ricotta

Sullivan & Bleeker: Mini Red Velvet + Mini Cookie Dough cupcakes

Arisu: Grilled Beef Short Ribs , Pork Belly & green onion roll,  Bibimbap 

Babi & Co:  Shredded Chicken on a Chinese fried Bun 

The Gabardine: Ontario Pickerel Tikka with Puffed Rice

Phew! Congratulations you made it to the end of the post! I’m a little embarassed to say I even omitted a few pics to keep this post “short & quick”. LOL! 

Let me tell you what happens when more than 60 chefs and 35 one-of-a-kind food carts (designed by local designers) pack into the back parking lot of Honest Ed’s? – It quickly becomes my most favourite summer culinary event. This event has definitely spoiled me when it comes to any other food event – the line ups were short and the food and drinks were free flowing – it was everything I ever wanted in a food festival. 

Besides the amazing food & drinks – me stuffing my face was actually benefitting someone else – the Stop Commnity Food Center is an amazing local charity that “thrives to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds health and community and challenges  inequality“. The two day event  raised $80,000.  Tickets were $50 and it was all you could eat and drink – at least till the vendors ran out of food. 

The Stop did an incredible job running the event. I walked in thinking it was going to be a complete shit show and a feeding frenzy. In fact, the crowds were calm and the line ups were decent and only about two or three stands ran out of food/drinks – two hours into the event – not too bad. 

Look out for this event next year – where I’m actually considering buying tickets to BOTH days! 

Bubble Republic

Leave a comment July 19, 2013 CHANRY THACH

I have this theory that the further you drive away from Hamilton, the better the Bubble Tea gets. We headed to Bubble Republic in Missisauga to test that theory.  My friends Ken & Jess suggested this place and highly reccomended the Caramel Pudding Black Tea and either the fried chicken or fried pork chops. Sarah, Sam and I decided to order one Diamond Black Tea, Honey Dew Iced Black Tea, and of course, the Caramel Pudding Black Tea.

The flavours were pretty legit – super rich and creamy and not at all powdery. You get two size options for tapioca (yay!) and they were fresh and perfectly soft and chewy. There were also tons of other BBT toppings like lychee, green apple, and coconut jelly – even ice cream! 

The Caramel Pudding Black Tea  came with actual huge chunks of black grass jelly. I loved it – super refreshing and great texture/flavour. 

Sarah ordered the  Taiwanese Sausage on Rice ($8.25) combo – which comes with a small chilled black tea or milk tea. Underneath that mountain of sausage was sautéed veggies and underneath that egg were tiny morsels or sautéed pork belly Yea, – what pleasant surprise!

Sam went with Fried Squid Balls and Taiwanese Fish cakes. These were a huge fail in our books, no flavour and just soaking in oil. Blah – what a let down. No one does fried balls like Pacific Mall. Thats right – I said it. 

I ordered the Fried Pork Chop ($7) combo. Don’t be fooled by this picture – the pork chop was huge. Just like Sarah’s dish, mine came with veggies and pork belly as well. The pork was juicy and crispy and not at all over cooked – very pleasantly surprised.

The verdict? Sadly, bubble tea does get better outside of Hamilton – but you don’t have to go too far. I will definitely be going back to Bubble Republic for the fried chicken. Everybody and their mom was ordering plates of them while we were there.

Bubble Republic
4040 Creditview Road – Unit 24
Missisauga, On

Itty Bitty Pie Party

2 Comments July 17, 2013 CHANRY THACH

If you haven’t heard yet, I’m on a mission to explore as many Farmer Markets as possible this summer. On this occasion the Itty Bitty Pie Company is what triggered my visit to the Grimsby Market. The Grimsby Farmers’ Market has more than thirty local farm vendors – and they’ve only been doing this for three years.

It all started a few months ago at the Peller Estate’s  “Food Truck Eats”“. I was disappointing with Itty Bitty Pies and mentioned it in my post. The next day, Pam from Itty Bitty Pies contacted me, apologized for my unfortunate experience and offered me a dozen of her pies so I can have my own Itty Bitty Pie Party. Who doesn’t like the sound of that?

I’d like to commend Itty Bitty Pies – they took a moment that left a sour taste in my mouth and completely turned it around – great customer service. I didn’t reach out to them so I was pleasantly surprised when Pam reached out to me, it showed me how much faith she had in her pies to offer me a do-over. Because she’s based out of St. Catherines, the Grimsby Market was a happy medium between the both of us. 

Anyways – back to the market! So many amazing things!  We found garlic scape, fresh flowers and a beautiful deli stand selling gluten free sausages and cooking up fresh gourmet links on the bbq! There was also a lovely gentleman offering local cranberry juice samples.

I’m gunna be honest and say, farmers aren’t always the friendliest of people – they’re not exactly veterans in the customer service world so some of them are a little intimidating and even a little standoff-ish. But I find once you start asking questions about their produce/product – that’s when the chatty kathy’s come out. Love talking to people who are passionate about their jobs!

We actually walked by and saw these pies being set up but hesitated because we were here to already pick up a dozen sweets – turns out as we were circling our way back – these were the Itty Bitty Pies we originally came for!

Unfortunate Pam herself was not at the market but her darling mom was. I walked away with a little bit of everything. Key lime, s’mores, rhubarb crumble – just to name a few. Her mom was so sweet, I could have spent all day chatting with her. Itty Bitty Pies also dabbles in savoury meat pies, but there were none to be had the day we were there.

I shared half a dozen with the girls and brought the other half with me to my internship at Hamilton Magazine. Both groups devoured them – especially the team at Hamilton Magazine!

Another brilliant discovery at the market was Home Town Ice cream. This lovely lady makes them from scratch – no preservatives or artificial additives. She has fresh, and unique flavours – such as basil, carrot cake and rhubarb + strawberry. The basil ice cream was some of the best I’ve ever had. She does an incredible job of really giving you intense flavours – I will definitely be back for these.

For a market that isn’t very large – they sure pack a handful of delightful surprises. I could have spent all day exploring the market and the rest of Grimsby – but it started to down pour so we quickly skedaddle outta there! Check them out every Thursday from 3-7pm.

No Brainer Rhubarb

2 Comments July 12, 2013 CHANRY THACH

When I was a little kid growing up in Camrose, Alberta I use to break into people’s backyards and rip apart their rhubarb bushes, pick their crab apples, and pull up their carrots. Why? Because I was a total douche bag.  Now, I love the stuff and I just head to the Farmer’s market  to satisfy my rhubarb cravings. I still love crab apples though, so watch out for me in your  backyards =) 

Here are two of my favourite  no brainer rhubarb recipes. 

Rhubarb Iced Tea

1 part Rhubarb
2 parts water 

Simple Syrup to taste 

Basically if you have one cup of Rhubarb, use two cups of water. Let it come to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for about thirty to forty minutes. It really isn’t rocket science.

Strain the liquid from the Rhubarb – I like to press the remaining rhubarb against the strainer so I can get every last ounce of juice.

From there, add simple syrup to taste (equal parts hot water and sugar). I like to finish it off with a squeeze of lime juice just for an extra tang!

Let it cool down and Enjoy!

Strawberry, Rhubarb & Raspberry Popsicles

1 Part Strawberry
1 Part Raspberry
Splash of Rhubarb Iced Tea or Fruit Juice 

For this recipe I used a Food Chopper I bought at Fortinos for $9. It’s the “Everyday Essentials Mini Chopper” in a green box. It can hold 1.5 cups at a time and is perfect for chopping garlic, veggies, herbs – I even used it to chop up my cauliflower for “faux fried rice”  It was THE BEST investment I ever made. Go out and get yours – you will not regret it! I swear I am not getting paid to say this … but if the people at Everyday Essentials would like to pay me – you know where to find me ;-D

I pureed everything into a jam like consistency, then I mixed it with a splash of the Rhubarb Iced Tea and then spooned them into these popsicle moulds I got at the dollar star. 

Like everything else you get at the dollar store – the mould was total S%^$  – I couln’t get the popsicles out! So I scoped up the mixture into a bowl and voila – you have sorbet! C’est la vie right? Not every recipe will work out as planned. 

Get out to the farmers market and enjoy farm fresh rhubarb while you can – they’re cheap and delicious! 

Hamilton Farmers Market

Leave a comment July 10, 2013 CHANRY THACH

If you follow me on Instagram – you’ll know I’ve been on a mission to explore as many local Farmer Markets as possible. The quality and variety of the produce surpasses anything you’ll get at the grocery store. You’re given the opportunity to pick the brain of the individual growing what you plan on eating! 

My first stop of the season was the no brainer – Hamilton’s Farmer Market – open everyday but Wednesday! I love the variety of meats, produce, breads and baked goods available a this market. There is also a handful of lovely stands selling tasty treats and ready to eat meals. 

Head on over to Hamilton Eat Local for a list of Farmer Markets near you. Supporting local farmers not only helps the economy but ensures you’re eating everything while it’s in season and when it taste the most delicious! 

Cafe Crawl: The Cannon Coffee Co.

Leave a comment July 8, 2013 CHANRY THACH

As much as I loved Detour Cafe, and  Tamp Coffee Co – Cannon Coffee Co is definitely my go-to spot for breakfast, and maybe a cup of coffee or two. Not only are they located a few blocks away from where I live but they’re down the street from my newest obsession – Target! They also have some of the friendliest staff I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering. Rain, shine or hail – every time I step in, I’m always greeted with a smile and genuine kindness. 

Like many of the other independently owned coffee shops, Cannon does  individual drip poured coffee. I’m told by the girls at the counter this allows them to control the amount of water the coffee grains receive, giving you better control of the final cup of coffee. 

Besides the coffee, my sister ordered the fruit and yoghurt bowl and I ordered the California BLT – jalapeño havarti waffles with avocado salsa, smokey bacon and fresh tomato ($8). A fruit bowl is a fruit bowl but my California BLT was a masterpiece.

They actually gave me real bacon – REAL bacon. Like from a slab! It was lean and perfectly cooked – sexy bacon is what I like to call this. My eggs were poached perfectly and the combination of fresh salsa and salty bacon were excellent. The waffles were the perfect platform for all the different flavours.  I absolutely loved this dish!

My only qualm, was that there was no jalepeno or havarti in the waffle battler like the menu suggested and the avocado – although fresh needed just a tad more salt and pepper. Other than that – the entire dish was mighty sexy – especially that bacon!

A little bit of sweet maple syrup didn’t kill anyone either! I love the combination of a sweet & savoury breakfast. Cannon Coffee Co. definitely knows how to give you the best of both worlds!

The Cannon Coffee Co.
179 Ottawa Street North
Hamilton, On

July Foodie Events

Leave a comment July 5, 2013 CHANRY THACH

Last month we headed out to the Waterdown Ribfest and it was a spectacular marathon of ribs and corn on the cob.  Check my Instagram for the most recent foodporn fron June. I also had a great time at Brews & Bands, The Stops Night Market as well as the Launch Party for Taste of Burlington – but a new month calls for new Foodie events .. get your stretchy pants out!

JULY 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th – Sunday Marche at Evergreen Brick Works

Artisan Market featuring craft, art, and food – vendors include Jamie Kennedy Kitchen & Caplanskys Thunderin’ Thelma Food Truck

JULY 7th – Chefs Around The Block

A new Culinary Series that lets you explore the brains of some of Burlington’s best Chefs – and taste their tasty creations.

JULY 5th – 21st – 11th Annual Summerlicious

You know the drill by now- Price Fixe menus across the city at participating restaurants. Read about my most recent ‘licious adventure here.

JULY 13th – Farm Crawl

I’m really big an Farmer Markets this year so I was super excited to discover Farm Crawl – each farm has  unique experiences  and different scheduled events. Great opportunity to bring the family out to see where food comes from.

JULY 12th-14th – Night It Up!

Outdoor Market similar to those found in Taiwan, Hong Kong & Thailand. Over 100 food and merchandise vendors selling street food and trinkets. The closes thing you will get to an authentic night market in Asia without jumping on a plane. 

JULY 13th -14th – Neob Lavender Festival

“Taste Niagara Lavender” – Enjoy lavender in all types of Culinary Delights! Roam lavender fields, watch demos, learn how to grow lavender – basically a complete Lavender Fest! 

JULY 13th  – Barrel Cellar Dinner

Dining in the barrel cellar under candlelight – sparkling wine reception, five course tasting menu, dessert after party – all within the breathtaking Peller Estates Winery Compound 

JULY 21st- AUGUST 5th – Taste of Burlington

I love the idea of TOB because I’m personally brand new to the Burlington Food Scene and this provides me with a great opportunity to check out the restaurants without breaking the bank!  We were invited to The Martini House last year and I’m looking forward to checking out some new places this year.

JULY 21st – Abbey’s Kitchen Stadium – Battle Two 

“Abbey’s Kitchen Stadium, (AKS) is a celebration of Toronto’s vibrant food culture that brings together the city’s hottest restaurant, food truck and pop up vendor chefs to raise money for local food initiative, My Food My Way. AKS combines the model of the casual pop up party with the dinner interaction and entertainment quality of an action-packed cooking competition”

JULY 21st – 10th Annual Brazilfest Toronto

Try Brazilian drinks, cockails, bbq, bake goods and of course – dancing!

JULY 22nd – A Night of Cooking with Cutco at Vittorio’s!

Tickets include dinner and one drink ticket, a goodie bag and a chance to win some great prizes! There will be cooking consultants teaching you knife skills using Cutco cutlery. 

JULY 27th – Shuck’em Suck’em Eat’em Raw – Featuring Oyster Boy

John Petcoff from Oyster Boy on had at Henery og Pelham Winery shucking oysters paired with ‘oyster wines’ 

JULY 27th – Dine Amongst our Vines

Hosted by Peller Estates Winnery,  enjoy summer -inspired wine and food pairings. Evening starts with sparkling reception, strolling through the vineyards and then dinning on a 4 course menu alfresco. 

JULY 27th – Oysters + Riesling – Oh My!

Tide & Vine Oyster Company leading a spirited wine and oyster tasting seminar with Thirty Bench Winery.  

Tast of Burlington Summer Launch Party 2013

4 Comments July 5, 2013 CHANRY THACH

For seventeen years, I lived a stones throw away from Burlington and not once did I ever venture out there for a meal. I just chalked it up to be a few chain restaurants and pubs. 

Until I got invited to the Martini House earlier this year to experience their three course prix fixe tasting menu. I was completely blown away and spent the next few weeks ranting and raving about the place. Since then, I’ve made the conscious effort to explore more and more of the food scene out there  – and I haven’t been disappointed yet! 

Two weeks ago, I was invited out to the Taste of Burlington (TOB) Launch Party – Summer Edition (happening July 21st – August 5th). Nineteen restaurants all offering up tasty samples. Myself, Dave from Goat Roti Chronicles and eventually Christine, spent an amazing two hours feasting, socializing, tweeting and just having an all around bomb diggity time. 

Here’s what we devoured  inbetween tweets and making vine videos: 

The Stone House Restaurant (@StoneHouseFood)  :  Hoisin Glazed Pulled Pork Taco (pictured above) This was the first sample I had once I got there and it was a great opening to the whole event. The perfect bite of something fresh, flavourful and familiar. 

I’ve heard lots of great things about Eatalia and was thrilled to see they were a participating restaurant.

Eatalia (@Eatalia) : They served Grilled Tomato and Asigo Stuffed Jumbo Ravioli with sun dried tomato pesto with toasted sunflower seeds – loved everything, minus the sunflower seeds.

Plan B Organic Farms offering up a delicious locally sourced summer salad – see I didn’t just eat pork the entire event.

Ye Olde Squire (@YeOldeSquire1) : Succulent Shrimp sauteed in house made Butter Sauce and house made Naan bread – shrimp was overcooked and the butter sauce was over reduced and was slightly bitter, kudos for making the naan in house though!

Red Canoe Bistro (@RedCanoeBistro) : Summer Vegeatble Gazpacho with marinated Canadian Waters Scallop Kebob – I usually run the opposite direction when I see gazpacho because most people butcher it and it ends up tasting like cold pureed tomatoes – this one was the opposite. Intense flavour profiles with a light, refreshing finish. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the presentation was sophisticated and appetizing. Dave and I went back for seconds. Christine was allergic to seafood so this was a no-no for her. 

Ivy Bar & Kitchen (@IvyBarKitchen) : Braised Pork Belly and Roasted Peaches on a house made Pork Rind – loved the concept but the execution was a little off the mark, all you tasted was soggy peaches.

Celli’s Osteria (@CellisOsteria): Porchetta sliders – the porchetta was cooked to perfection and was crazy tender, I just wished the flavour packed more of a punch.

Paradiso (@ristroparadiso): Pepper chicken Liver & Andouille Sausage Pate with mushroom ketchup on olive oil crostini – My favourite dish of the night. Great flavour and texture on the pâté, with a perfect ratio of pâté to crostini – it’s what we foodies like to call “nom nom nom” worthy.

The Purple Heather (@PurpleHeatherGP) :  Seared Tuna on a Cucumber Crostini – Tuna was cooked  to perfectly and I loved the concept of a cucumber crostini but it was cut too think and completely overpowered any tuna flavour. Would have definitely gone back if they’d just let me pick off the yummy tuna slices.

The Rose Garden Restaurant (@RoseGardenFam) : Sweet & Spicy Shrimp – way too sweet not enough spicy.

West Plains Bistro (@bistrobound) : Coffee & Ancho Braised Beef Short Ribs with a bell pepper salad with pumpkin and sunflower seeds and a cilantro honey oil – Perfect portion and fall off the bone tenderness. The flavours needed to be pumped up a notch but the colours on the plate were beautiful.

Honey West  (@HoneyWestBar) :  Pulled pork wontons with Apple Bacon Relish – This was definitely a pleasant surprise – for one, it looked nothing like a traditional wonton but resembled more of a spring roll. The sweetness from the relish went really well with the salty greasy “wonton”. They were slightly on the greasy side only because they’d been sitting in a hot box but if they had been fried to order – they would have been mind blowing and crazy addictive!

I had a great time at the launch and especially enjoyed the opportunity to mingle and get to know a few of the other local bloggers. Dave, Christine and I definitely noshed to our hearts content that night!

Now it’s your turn! Mark your calendars July 21st – August 5th, for now, head to the Taste Of Burlington website to scope out all twenty five participating restaurants and start counting down the days till TOB. Thanks to Tourism Burlington for hosting a great event.

*Disclaimer//  I received media tickets to this event 

8090 Tea House

Leave a comment July 4, 2013 CHANRY THACH

I’ve been itching for Bubble Tea (BBT) for weeks now and I thought I was finally going to scratch that itch when Joanna took me out to her new favourite BBT place in Hamilton. Little did she know – it wasn’t new to me, and it definitely wasn’t my favourite – more on that later! 

D’s Cafe on Cannon St. has been our go-to BBT place for years but let me just clarify that D’s Cafe is no where near “The Best” BBT – but it’s the best option when compared to the rest and it’s consistently half decent, – thats right, 90% of the time it’s “okay”. I’m pretty convincing aren’t I? 

Well, when Joanna told me she had a “new” BBT spot for us – I was a little skeptical because Hamilton isn’t known for its BBT. 

The first dish to come out: The Seasoned Vegetables Cooked with Pork on Rice ($8.49) was easy on the eyes – not so much on the taste buds. For drinks, we ordered the Almond Milk Green Tea ($3.49) Coconut Slush ($4.99), Milk Black Tea ($3.99), and something random and pink pictured on the menu. 

Next comes the Sausage with Minced Pork on Rice ($7.99), Corn and BBQ Pork Ramen ($8.29), & Osaka Burning ($6.99) and Fried Beef Balls ($4.99) – last two dishes not pictured. 

First off, the service was mediocre – wasn’t overly friendly but somewhat efficient. No biggie, most Asian joints are like this. Next the presentation of the food was great, everything that came out of the kitchen looked delicious! The BBT itself was pretty good as well. There wasn’t a powdery after taste and the tapioca was soft and fresh. The fruit flavours of the BBT were slightly underwhelming but nothing was as bad of a let down as the food itself! Sure it looked great but everything was bland, bland, bland – exactly the way I remembered during my first visit last summer. 

I can honestly say – I’m still on the hunt for great BBT in Hamilton! Let me know in the comments if you know of a great place! 

8090 Tea House

149 King Street E

Hamilton, On