1320 queen west

This first summer Monday turned out to be a good occasion to revisit the Western side of TO town. So, we ended up back in the only place that reminds me of the vibrant culinary Aussie scene.

We started with delicious crunchy soggy calamari, probably the most surprising of all the dishes to land on our table.

Spicy shrimps balanced the previous sweetness, even if a moderate one, in a very sharp way.

Corn and chicken somehow seem to easily go together, but I had never tried them as "popcorn chicken"; brilliant idea.

A quite original beef tartare to roll inside sea weed leafs was our meatiest selection of the day. I certainly could have eaten more of it.

Chilled almond tofu with tapioca, rhubarb and osmanthus, a flower (Oleaceae family) growing in small panicles with a noticeable fragrance. A nice and smooth textural combination.

It was the right evening to follow our Darlinghurst tradition, and with no Messina around here, we showed up at Ed's just a few minutes before ten. My cassis yogourt with honey ginger ice cream worked extremely well while watching a rather spectacular orangey moon.

dud's day

Last Sunday wasn't just any Sunday; a big day was ahead. Therefore we needed a nutritional surplus, which Stemmler's bacon provided.

The road was waiting for us, and given the time of the year, I had big expectations. Even if it was Sunday, this was not going to be a "dominguero" trip.

A cold drip, still elaborated with beans from Proud Mary of Collingwood, was ideal to distribute all the calories going down my throat, including the sweet cinnamon bun above. Which, by the way, tasted even better with the "brand new" (hallmarked Sheffield 1922) cake/pastry forks Lynn got from Arthur a few days earlier in the nation's silver capital; too bad our dear Collin was in Berlin at the time.

Once we hit the road we had the chance to enjoy the view of some beautiful machines, running as smoothly as back in the 40s. The second leg of our tour took us through more interesting landscapes down road 165; nothing better than true rural inspiration, just the best!

After a not too busy and relaxing day, we had the privilege of enjoying the most delicious lemon tart on Earth, of course, with the best meringue on top of it.

yow

This view reminds me of Disneyland, but it's not. However, from a purely metaphoric point of view, we could perhaps come to that conclusion. Instead of Mickey Mouse we'd find Mickey Beaver, and Dumbo would be replaced by Harpo.

Nothing has changed very much since the last time I was in town. The city keeps its 80s flavour, which has aged extremely well. 

Anyway, our dinner yesterday was one to be remembered, considering the geography of our evening. Josh, the champion shucker, served us a few Indian Creek oysters from PEI, some Northern Nova from Nova Scotia, and a couple of Standish Shores from Massachusetts. The Canadian ones were the clear winners.

A beautiful plate of albacore tuna confirmed the interest of this unexpected and pleasant experience. In the background we were listening to a classic tune from The Irish Rovers, which I had never heard of before; Lynne looked inspired.

The chowder was very unique in comparison to the ones we used to have at Ebb's in Swansea (Tasmania) or more recently at Oyster Boy on Queen St West.

I got thirsty at some point, and I decided to go local. I first tried a Kichesippi beer, described as a hoppy one, but I decided to go on with a darker one from the Ashton Brewing Company, also from Ottawa.

The stellar dish of the trip was the last one to arrive, and worth waiting for: a juicy lobster risotto.

destination leslieville

Finally we've found a small neighbourhood where life seems to make a little more sense. Specially if compared with the defunct place colloquially known as "the loo".

There is no Bourke Street around here, but it's possible to find little tarts that could be apt to replace it, perhaps with a little bit of imagination.