Days like these

Sunset: [suhn-set]

–noun

1.

the setting  or descent of the sun  below the horizon in theevening.

2.

the atmospheric and scenic phenomena accompanying this.

3.

the time when the sun sets.

4.

the close or final stage of any period.

 The end of a day or the anticipation of a new day? A sunset signifying the end of a tenuous day of work. A sunset symbolizing continuous, unrelenting repetition. A sunset as a reminder of regrets, of mistakes that have passed time and stayed with you.

The end of a day is the birth of a new one. With a new day comes hope and the sweet anticipation of having the opportunity to renew yourself, live like you've never lived before and to appreciate all those around you for one more day. So, thank you to all those who have either made an appearance or have permanently established themselves in my heart. I've made some bad chances, some good chances and I have never regretted anything so far. 

 Hope

Opportunity

 Life

“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever.” - Horace Mann

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Montreal&NYC

Sorry for not being in touch, I blame my school & reading week. Speaking of reading week, I've been on abit of a travel frenzy. Went skiing in Mont Tremblant, Montreal, where I had a chance to brush up on my french & went on a shopping fever (& food what else?) for the first time in New York.

I enjoyed a thoroughly relaxing and intense reading week which did not involve catching up with my readings whatsoever.

Mont Tremblant

The Ski Village

Up on the mountains

A bowl of creamy delicious clam chowder @ Bullseye Steakhouse 

I'm pretty sure it is easily one of the best clam chowder I've ever had, or maybe it was just because I did 9 hours of skiing...I don't know.

Fondue de Fromage @ La Savoie

We got the Montagnarde with Parma Ham, Grison Meat & Rosette de Lyon (french pork sausage). Boiled potatoes, unlimited salad, bread. After the 3 hour meal, I was personally melted in all the cheese I consumed (I have never had this much cheese in my entire life). Note to self if I ever end up having cheese fondue again: don't wear thick jackets because the smell stays forever. I'm pretty sure my jacket still smells mildly of cheese...

Carb overload @ Grand Manitou

Penne Bolognaise with Asparagus & Cheese soup. Skiing is the perfect excuse to load up on carbs because I'm burning so many calories anyway right? ...Right? 

Out on the balcony of Grand Manitou

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Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Made Of

Times Square

No english major and a major Sex & the City fan would dare not to go to the New York Public Library - so I did.

Mini Cupcakes @ Baked By Melissa

Brunch @ Balthazar, SoHo

They offer a french menu serving traditional bistro food

Very very cheesy, maybe a little too cheesy. But when you wade through the layer of cheese halfway, you'll be pleasantly surprised by a delicious broth with onions. Not too salty. Mmmmm.

Onion Soup Gratinee

Warm Goat Cheese & Grilled Vegetable Salad 

&to top it off....

Apple Tart Tartin with crème anglaise | Warm Chocolate Cake w/ Milk Chocolate Ice Cream | Crème brûlée

Shopping on Broadway in SoHo

 The Met Museum

Mussels @ Bubba Gump

Chocolate w/ Melting Marshmallows

Brunch @ Max Brenner

If any of you go there, I wouldn't get the ChocolateCheesecake Crepe - It was so sweet it gave my sweet tooth a whole new meaning. I could only finish one out of three... 

Brooklyn Bridge

For more pictures check out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiffng/

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Winterlicious

So, after a couple of arduous weeks consisting of staying at Robarts for more than 9 hours straight, an inadequate amount of sleep, endless cups of coffee, drowning myself in a sea of books and overloading my brain with information that might not possibly help me later on with my life...I'm surprised I'm still alive. Throughout these past few weeks, I've been pulling at my hair asking myself if it's all worth it, asking myself what I'm doing with my life and concluding with absolutely nothing.

I've decided that I will find the answer when I'm done with UofT.


Anyway, every winter in Toronto theres an event called "Winterlicious" and it allows you to sample 3-course prix fixe menus at Toronto's top 150 restaurants, so it allows you to discover new places without having to tear your wallet up. 


This time I went with Joyce to 'Kultura,' a restaurant/lounge on 169 King East. We decided on this place because of the eccentric way they combined Eastern & Western influences in producing one dish.

For starters:

Soy Cured Ocean Trout with Watercress, Tempura Pieces, Lemon Caper Sauce, Wasabi Pea | Shitake Mushroom stuffed Naan with roast garlic blue cheese herb salad.


For the mains:

  Mushroom Orecchiette with Malivoire Pinot Noir Pear Chutney, Aged Cheddar | Spiced Miso Flatiron Steak with Honey Glazed Rutabaga, Crisp Okra, Squash Mustarda

For dessert:

Espresso Brule with White Chocolate cream, Chocolate Malt Crumble butterscotch |

Chocolate Torte with Pear Ice-cream, Cocoa Nougat

The chocolate torte was abit too thick for my taste, I'm not particularly used to putting a chunk of chocolate in my mouth and waiting it for it to melt (I think Joyce agreed with me on this one). 
The pear ice cream tasted like a mix of cinnamon/detergent for obvious reasons, I didn't like it at all - the presentation is basically around the same as the taste. Mediocre.

Apart from the torte, everything was delicious. It wasn't too expensive and it wasn't cheap either but I guess this is 'fine dining' where everything is served in amuse bouche portions and they expect you to drink until you don't feel the hunger. I'm kidding - I thought the portion sizes were just right for us and I would definitely go there again for Summerlicious or Winterlicious, just to give them a second chance to redeem itself for the chocolate torte.

From Coffee With Love

Vanilla Latte @ Dark Horse Espresso Bar

First blog for the first month of the year. I've decided to dedicate the first blog to my love for coffee - the month of Jan has been a very chilly and very lonely one. With winter comes indulgence. &the only thing that kept me going was a decadently flavoured cup of coffee drowning my tastebuds in the excess of smooth, thick crema.

Macchiato @ ZaZa Espresso Bar