The Alley Review

So many bubble tea places and all so expensive. I don't mind trying though, I just won't go back again.

My friend and I waited for like half an hour. It's quite tiny in there but the décor are pretty nice.

I got their trio milk tea and friend got the hojicha soy milk. (around $6 something each)

My trio already had toppings, it had pearls, pineapple and rainbow jelly. I don't think I see any rainbow jelly. The pineapple jelly has a sweet taste to it but not very strong pineapple.

Taste, I thought it had no taste at all, it seemed to have a milk taste but yea. Didn't taste any tea favour, at least not mine.

My friend liked the hojicha one.

Not coming again, too many to try. I don't think it was worth the wait, come try when it dies down.

Oh, the girl at the counter said my friend's drink only has one size and pointed at the large cup and my friend said that's fine. But when we got the drink, they gave my friend the regular (small) size. My friend asked but that girl said no, we only have it in this size. Like uh, what the heck. We both saw her point at the large one. Whatever, we aren't those people that make big deal out of things.

Passione Gelato Artigianale Review

Saw this new ice cream place online so I decided to try. You know me and ice cream. It was under this hotel, a bit hard to find. There is also a new dessert place opening beside it I think.

I got the pistachio flavour in a charcoal cone ($6.50), friend got 2 scoops, ($7.50).

I loved the pistachio, very pistachio taste but not super duper strong like Umaluma. quite creamy. The cone was very crispy and had a nice taste compared to perverted ice cream. It did not have any tiny holes where ice cream would leak like other places I have tried. The tip of the cone tasted a bit close to bitter to me, I guess because there weren't any ice cram on that part so it taste a bit more strong?

Overall, not bad and I think ice cream are getting more and more expensive as well, crazy. Yes, I think I would come back but I'm still searching for new ice cream places. =)

Taishoken Ramen Review

At first we were gonna go to Jam Café but there was a long line like as usual... I was starving so we decided to go to this ramen place that is on my list. The place isn't very big and it was busy but not too overly crowded. I like how they used wood ladder stools as chairs and the wood table, quite nice.

The service was ok. One thing would probably be just one restroom, have to take turns.

I ordered the spicy tsukemen ($11.95) and friend got the tonkotsu I think ($9.95).

I like how we get to pick fat, lean or half and half for the meat. I picked half and half, friend got fat and lean.

I'm starting to really like this dip ramen stuff for some weird reason. This dip was quite thick to me and made my mouth very sticky. It was very flavoured and a bit on salty side. It had enough spiciness to it but not burning. However my stomach felt a bit uncomfortable afterwards. maybe because I was too hungry and the spiciness was killing my stomach. I like how they put the egg, meat, some bamboo and seaweed in the dip, it's all flavoured.

I thought the bamboo was a tiny bit salty. The egg was nice and still have a soft centre. The meat, I had half and half and some lean meat, it was well flavoured but a bit of the bitter burnt taste to it. It did look black but I know they made it like that. The seaweed soaked up the dip so it was quite salty but good.

Overall, not bad, just a tiny bit salty but if it's not salty it won't taste good I guess. Yes, I will go back again and maybe try their cold ramen. Thanks for the treat!

Tsujiri Soba Review 2

We decided to come here again to try their other ramen. I've always wanted to try the dip soba even in Japan but cousin didn't want to. The place is really dying down, not many people there.

We both got the zaku soba ($10).

When I saw it, I thought it was pretty small for the price. There were no meat or anything on it. There were toppings like green onion, wasabi and nori to add into the soya sauce like dip.

The noodle itself has no taste, but I think the matcha powder or something had a salty taste to it. You will definitely have to dip the sauce for flavour. I thought it has enough flavour with the dip. It had a bonito taste to it which I like.

My friend can't eat spicy but she said the wasabi is good in it. So I added mine in. I normally don't like wasabi but it tasted ok in the sauce. It had a light wasabi taste to it.

Overall, I thought it tasted not bad but maybe a little bit too expensive for just a noodle with nothing else at all.

It would also be nice if they gave us water. I was a bit thirsty from the sauce.

Poke Bar Review

A new poke place so decided to go try.

It's not very big in there. The service was so so. The girl couldn't hear me at all so the guy took over. The guy was ok but then he gave me the feeling like he was rushing me with my order. And he only gave me 1 side! Like normally you will tell them you have one more choice.

I wish poke places would put if certain things are unlimited or not because I kept asking.

I got the small bowl with brown rice, scallop and spicy tuna. Cucumber, edamame, pineapple, corn and sweet onion. Got ponzu and sweet chili as sauce. And only crabmeat but he didn't ask if I wanted anything else and just moved on... What a guy! And I got the seaweed topping only because he didn't ask for anything else.

Taste wise, I can't really taste anything except the spiciness from I think the spicy tuna. I wish they put more sauce in because it's quite dry. They should train them to be a bit more generous, like how much does 1 scoop cost you? Really?

No, I won't go back again. It's quite expensive when my bowl isn't even filled up to the top and he gave me 1 less side when he knows it's included! I feel ripped off!

Sushi Mura Review

A friend suggested this place but I never mentioned it. Someone suddenly mentioned to try this place so we decided to go. It was packed when we got there. The place reminds me of sushi garden. It's ok size but super busy. We had to wait about 10 minutes. We took a take out menu to see what's good to eat.

We ordered deep fried California roll ($5.95), spicy salmon roll ($3.95), mura roll ($8.95) and awesome roll ($8.95).

Our favourite roll was the Mura roll. It had a sweet taste to it and then at the end, you feel this spiciness, I think ginger. The sweetness was from the tamago, which I love.

Next, we liked the deep fried California. The sauce was good, it was sweet, not sure if it's teriyaki or what. Maybe mixed with something?  And I love California rolls so it was super good. I'm surprised the last piece was the crispy one out of all.

The awesome roll wasn't that awesome. It was a cali roll with torched salmon and bonito+green onion on top. I thought the bottom part was good but the top salmon part wasn't that great. It has a salmon fishy taste to it which I don't like.

The spicy salmon, I thought it was a bit too spicy. So spicy that I couldn't taste anything.

Overall, it was not bad. They were super fast with the bill too because there are people waiting for the table. Yes, I would come back again. Lots of other rolls to try. Thanks!

Bump and Grind Cafe Review

I saw a coupon on Social Shopper and someone haven't tried high tea so we decided to go. It's not very big in there but glad they seated us all the way at the very back of the cafe. By the way, Google map has their location a bit off, they may change it later but just a heads up.

Our high tea tray was already prepared and it was tiny but cute. Their tea pots looked normal but it's ok. I wish they had handles on their teacups because I can at least hold and sip when it's hot. Had to wait till it cool down.

The croissant was very crispy so we made a mess eating them. Their custard was pretty good. It had a lemon ish taste to it, very smooth.

The tuna and egg sandwiches were a bit simple to me. I like eggs so I like the egg sandwich more. Someone liked tuna because egg one tasted funny. We were wondering where the other half of the sandwich went. But I think it's just 2 slices of bread chopped into 4 and stuffed with 2 different filling.

The dessert part looked like store bought to me, especially the brownie and the tart. I like that peanut butter chocolate thing. Someone said it's like a reese. I thought it was a crispy one. The brownie was very chewy. The tart was like a mini pecan pie with no pecan, just the sticky sugar. They weren't overly sweet which was good.

The teas, I got the almond rooibos, one of my favourite tea. It had a nice light almond taste to it. Someone got the ginger turmeric. I tried a bit, to me, it had a stronger turmeric taste to it than ginger. Someone thinks there are more ginger, don't know.

Overall, it's ok high tea for someone who has never tried before. To me, who has had better would be disappointed. However, $20 for 2 people, it's not bad at all. I'm sure those croissants and tea are like $4 or something on it's own. I think it's worth a try.

Royal Canadian Circus

I've seen the circus at Lansdowne parking lot before but never actually been to one. I think it used to be white? Don't remember.

One thing I don't get. If you bought tickets online and you don't print it, you have to go get ticket from box office. They should invest in a scanner or something. Good thing the line was ok fast.

When we got in there were concession stands. Food and toys. When we got to the show area, it was packed with people, mainly kids. Got seats near the side and ok up. It's actually better to sit higher, easier to see without lifting your head.

There were kids riding on ponies. Too bad I'm too big... Some ponies actually pooped lol. They had to brush it away.

The shows I liked the most were the white huge thing with 2 circles. Where Mr.Sparkly (host, we gave him a nickname because of his sparkly costume) walk/run around the circle in like mid air. It's quite cool. More fool if the girl on the ground was up there at the same time.

Another one was my favourite motorcycles! That was OMG to me. 2 motorcycles circling around in a ball like cage. They added a human in the middle. Then they had 3 motorcycles in there. That was so scary. I wonder if they ever had any accidents.

The acrobats were ok but they had 2 misses. Misses are ok to me because it's not easy. I like the guy who just kept swinging at the top.i would love to swing up there too.

Some of them makes it feel like something exciting is gonna happen but it ends...

Like the motorcycle one was the last one and the show ended.

Overall, I think it was worth it. Haven't seen it before. I wonder if it's the same stuff every year. If not, I think it's worth going every year. The 2 for 1 deal is not bad, around $32.

Baiyulan Review

Haven't tried this restaurant yet so decided to come try. It's looks a bit different after their renovation after a car crashed into them. Interesting how they use super red napkins.

Service was ok but the lady kept asking if we are ready to order. Kinda too much?

We order 2 noodles that came with a side, jelly pork ($9.50) and smoke fish ($10.50). Also a shao long bao ($6 something).

Their shao long bao looks a little different to me. We thought it looks more flat. I thought the wrapper looks rough, most places look smooth. We ate it when it got cold so the top wrapper was a bit hard. The soup flavour was well flavoured. The wrapper was quite thin which was good. It was not bad.

The noodle was huge! Someone said it looks like they put a whole pack of noodle in. The noodle tasted ok, very "ching" but enough flavour.

The jelly pork was not bad but a bit too salty. The meat is ok flavour but the jelly part was quite salty. It tastes better then when I tried it the first time.

The smoke fish, "fun" fish didn't look like fish to someone. It did look like duck or something. I thought it tasted not bad. It had a sweet flavour to it. I tasted ginger or something. The texture felt like can fish. Someone said it's good but lots of bones.

At the end they gave us oranges.

Overall, I thought it was not bad. Portion was not bad for the price. I think I would come back again.

Wild Sweet Review Again

I have been buying their cakes for awhile now. They look pretty and it's not as expensive as other fancy cake places.

I got the mint citrus cake or something ($28.99). A limited time cake.

I thought it was really pretty and very spring. I was a bit disappointed that the top part that has their name and "sweet spring" on it was a piece of paper. I would be more WOW if it was a thin piece of chocolate, oh well.

                                     

The yellow colour on the outside dyed my finger nails yellow when I was trying to grab each piece and put on plates. I licked the yellow stuff but tasted weird to me, not sure what it was, I guess food colouring taste?

The cake itself is alright. I guess it was similar to their other cakes. The yellow mousse had a citrus taste but also reminds me of mango. It said mint but I don't taste any mint at all from the cake. I like that peanut butter taste for the waffle like bottom layer.

The macaron pieces weren't too great. Normally it has a crispy outside and soft inside. This one I thought it was really soft and very chewy/sticky. The taste was a bit funny to me.

I didn't try the chocolate shells because I'm not a white chocolate person but my brother said some of them were sweet.

Mom prefers the normal Chinese white cream cakes better. My brother said it seemed filling. Dad didn't comment.

I think I would still try their cakes.

Tsujiri Cake Review

Finally get to try their cake! They always run out. The place finally die down.

I got the opera cake ($7.99).

The cake is very tiny for the price. If it was 2 slices together then it's worth it. The taste is not bad. The first 3 layers were more sweet. The last 3 layers had a more bitter taste to it.

Overall, I thought the taste was not bad but I don't think I would buy again. It's a bit pricey for such a tiny cake. But I will keep trying their food. Still waiting for their ice cream cone like Japan branch.

Sushi Wow Review

I saw this place online and thought their special sushi were ok price so I decided to go. It's super tiny but good thing they have a table for 2. You may have to sit by the bar and there is another table for 4 people.

Service was good but it's weird how we have to ask for napkins but they don't just give it to us. A lot of people bought take out and quite a few people came in to eat.

We ordered the wow spicy combo ($9.95), tempura box ($8.95) and Granville ($8.95).

When my dish came I thought it was quite big with a lot of sushi. I was a bit disappointed that the spicy sauce wasn't mixed with the salmon and scallops. Normally it's mixed but they just drizzle on top which wasn't very spicy to me. I had to dip soya sauce, it was lacking some taste. I liked the cali roll, my favourite.

The was ok, also lacking some taste. Normally those special rolls should have enough flavour without dipping soya sauce. The tempura was crunchy at first. It was almost like a cali roll.

The bento box looks pretty slack. The portion was so little. I was worried someone won't be full from it. Someone said it tasted not bad.

Overall, it was not bad but just lacking some taste. I thought the price was reasonable except the bento box. I may come back. Thanks for the treat although I wanted to pay!

Baoguette Vietnamese Bistro Review

Someone decided to take me here and it's good since I've never been there before. It's not too big in there and super packed. We stood at the door for a few minutes and no one cared about us. They were busy and the empty table wasn't cleaned yet. The service was ok I guess.

I ordered the normal everything beef pho ($9 something). Someone ordered the combo ($14 something).

My pho was small but I think I will be really full with the big one. There were ok amount of meat on it. The noodle was nice as usually. I thought their soup was a bit different from other places. It had a slight sour taste to it.

I tried a shrimp meat from someone's dish and it had a sweet taste to it and it tasted good.

Overall, not bad for the price. Be prepare to wait for a bit if it's full. I may go back but still tons of places to try. Thanks for the treat!

Tsujiri Soba Review

My second time here, wanted to try their soba. I couldn't get a hold of them by phone and the online reservation is down. Good thing my brother and his friends were there so I asked him to reserve for me. When we were there I overheard people asking about reservation. The girl said they only take phone and in person reservations because they are pretty booked up right now.

It's still pretty packed in there after almost 2 months. I wanted to try their cakes but they are always sold out, I'll try it when it dies down. The service was not bad, the girl was very nice. One thing though, I wish they gave us 2 sets of soba menu, we had to share.

We both got the tonkatsu soba ($12.50 each).

When it came, I thought the size was kind of small. It looks just like a normal ramen. The look actually reminds me of this soy ramen that I had in Japan. It had this milky colour for the soup and it had enough flavour. It had this spicy oil in it but I didn't find it spicy at all. Neither did my friend who can't eat spicy.

The noodle had a good texture, I think it was a bit more soft than ramen, sometimes ramen has that chewy texture. I like how it was green, nice contrast with the white soup. I didn't like these red stuff in the noodle, I think they were saffron? I don't like the taste.

I honestly think they can put a bit more meat in it for that price. It was like one full cha siu chopped in half. I don't remember what it tasted like.

Overall, I thought it was not bad. I was surprised my friend finished it before me and it wasn't enough haha! Yes, I will come back again. I want to try their dip soba and their cake.

Ooleaf Review

Friend wanted to try this place so decided to come. It's pretty new, I heard it was soft opening.

It's not very big in there, when you come in, the gals greet you. Service was not bad.

When you pay by card, it doesn't ask you to tip. Well, their drinks are quite pricey so I guess tips in included already. Is it me or are bubble tea getting more and more expensive? Crazy...

I got this bitter melon and pineapple drink ($7.80 something after tax). I have tried bitter melon drink in Taiwan and it doesn't taste bitter to me and it was not bad so I wanted to try this. It doesn't have a strong bitter melon taste, I guess the pineapple kind of balanced it out? To me it was more of a pineapple taste than bitter melon. There were pineapple bites and some bitter melon bits as well.

Overall, I think my drink tasted ok but I don't think I will come back again. It's very pricey for a drink, I'll go back to my pop.

Their chairs are so uncomfortable too. There is a pad but it's so thin, my butt was hurting from it. Imagine sitting against a wire fence...yea...