Valens @ Baldwin Village, Toronto. Summerlicious 2019

For foodies, the annual Summerlicious (and Winterlicious) are the best times to visit Toronto. Each season, about 200 participating restaurants offer discounted prix fixe menus. Today, I went to Valens on Baldwin Street.

Harbord Fish & Chips Toronto

On the way to Royal Ontario Museum, we passed by Harbord Fish & Chips which is on every list of the Best Fish & Chips in Toronto.

The Keg. Amazing Prime Rib. Get it whenever you are Near an Outlet in Canada or USA

We had dinner at The Keg Steakhouse & Bar at York Street in Toronto's Financial District. The Keg established in Vancouver in 1971, now has nearly 200 outlets in Canada and USA. They are in 3 locations in Toronto - York Street, Yonge Street and The Esplanade.

Cluny @ Distillery District, Toronto. Summerlicious 2019

Our Summerlicious 2019 food trail took us to Cluny, a fine French restaurant in Toronto's Distillery District.

John's Chinese BBQ Restaurant in Richmond Hill Toronto 敍香園海鮮燒臘酒家

We joined Joyce's family for dinner at the popular John's Chinese BBQ Restaurant 敍香園海鮮燒臘酒家 at Richmond Hill - it's their favourite Hong Kong Roast place in Toronto.

Canoe. Summerlicious Toronto 2019

Today, our Summerlicious 2019 food trail took us to Canoe, a fine Canadian cuisine restaurant at level 54 of TD (Toronto Dominion) Bank tower. The annual Summerlicious (and Winterlicious) is a good time to be in Toronto, as we get to experience participating fine restaurants at budget friendly prices. Our 3 course lunch at Canoe costs CDN33++ per pax.

Auberge du Pommier Fine French Restaurant. Summerlicious 2019 Toronto

Went to Auberge du Pommier, a fine French restaurant set in a beautiful century old country cottage and garden in North York along Yonge Street, Toronto. The annual Summerlicious (and Winterlicious) is the best time to try the best restaurants of Toronto as participating restaurants offer prix fixe menus at discounted prices. We went for the Auberge du Pommier's Summerlicious 3 course lunch deal at CDN33++ per pax.

When the Customer is God of Fortune. Three Hawker Success Stories from Singapore, Malaysia & Taiwan

Public domain photo

Through the years of chatting with many hawkers, I enjoyed the privilege of hearing many interesting stories they shared. One of the things that struck me was how sometimes, just one honest comment from a customer can change the fortunes of food stalls or restaurants. During blogging, I came across a few and these are just three at top of my mind. (If you have other success stories, please share them with us.)

Sometimes, God of Fortune visits hawkers disguised as a picky customer 😄

Ching Cheng Famous Hainanese Chicken Rice in Taipei 慶城海南雞飯

Ching Cheng Hainanese Chicken Rice is probably the most popular chicken rice shop in Taipei. Their chicken is famously tenderly juicy sweet and it is eaten with their signature hand made daily fresh spring onion and ginger sauce.

Famous Olde Yorke Fish & Chips @ Leaside. One of Toronto's Best

Gotta have another fish & chips before heading home to Singapore. We picked Olde Yorke in Leaside because we needed spices from the Indian spice shops in nearby Thorncliffe, so we can kill two birds with one stone 😄

Quinn's Steakhouse & Irish Bar. Summerlicious 2019 in Toronto

Each year the Toronto City Hall organises Winterlicious and Summerlicious where participating restaurants offer prix fixe lunch and dinner menus from CDN23++ to CDN53++. This is a discount from the normal menu, so it is a good time to experience the higher end restaurants without stressing our budget too much. Running from today 5 July till 21 July, I picked Quinn's Steakhouse & Irish Bar to start my Summerlicious foodie trail.

Dagu Rice Noodles & Pork Soup 大鼓米线. Ancient Chinese Comfort Dish comes to Canada

Walking along Dundas Street West, we stumbled upon this large shop - it's Dagu Rice Noodle 大鼓米线. The glass windows were plastered with promotional posters. The claim that their pork soup is freshly made daily with 300kg of pork bones used for every barrel of soup drew me into the restaurant to check it out.

Aloette Restaurant. No Doubt the Best Diner in Toronto (& Inexpensive too)

Went to the popular Aloette Restaurant at the intersection of Spadina and Queen Street West in Toronto. Opened in 2018, ALOette is the little sister of ALO (located on the upper floor of the same building) which is listed in The World's 50 Best Restaurants.

Home of Woah Kueh (Traditional Tainan Rice Bowl Cakes) 吳碗粿之家

Over half century old traditional Woah Kueh 吳碗粿 or literally bowl cakes. Shop owners are fastidious in ensuring that their woah kueh today tastes exactly the same as when they started in 1959 - the way their regulars like it.

Golden Turtle Vietnamese Restaurant. Toronto's Most Famous Pho

Golden Turtle is Toronto's first pho restaurant and also its most famous.

Marathon Cafe Donuts & Coffee in Scarborough Toronto. Best Hong Kong Milk Tea in the World

After lunch at Yunnan Steam Fish Pot, Angel suggested that we walk across the parking lot to Marathon Cafe. Our mutual friend Joyce had tried the tea here and strongly recommended it.

Delightfully Delicious Yunnan Steam Fish Pot in Scarborough Toronto 云南蒸汽石锅鱼

Happy today, we had a nice eat together with friends and experienced a new way of eating steamed fish which I have never tried before. It's called Yunnan Steam Fish Pot which is delicious and healthful too.

Local Favourite Budget Vietnamese Restaurant. Pho Tien Thanh @ Ossington Ave, Toronto

So I was enjoying my pho yesterday at Que Ling Vietnamese Cuisine in East Chinatown, sharing a table with a stranger. My new friend David suggested that I try the pho at Pho Tien Thanh at Ossington Avenue. "The best pho in Toronto" David said.

Que Ling Vietnamese in East Chinatown Toronto

Went walk walk, see see at East Chinatown of Toronto and had pho (Vietnamese beef noodles) for lunch at Que Ling Restaurant.

Best Budget Shanghai Restaurants in Taipei @ Lu Ji 盧記上海菜館

Well loved, dingy 20 year old little Shanghainese diner owned and run by veteran chef from Shanghai with 40 years of culinary experience under his belt. Must order their signature Grandma Stew Pork with Squid, Stewed Crab with Rice Cakes, Stir Fried Eel with Leek and Braised Duck. There are over 100 dishes in the menu.

Chinese Indian Food Trail in Toronto. Hakka Garden Halal Restaurant in Thorncliffe East York

In Toronto Canada, Hakka cuisine is synonymous with Chinese Indian food. Many Hakka restaurants in Toronto are owned by Hakka Chinese whose ancestors first migrated from China to India in the late 1700s. So, most Hakka restaurants in Toronto serve food imbued with Indian flavours. Today, we went to Hakka Garden Restaurant in Thorncliffe which is popular with locals.

Yueh Tung Hakka Indian Restaurant in Downtown Toronto

After a delightful lunch at Federick Restaurant, we told ourselves to look for more Chindian (Chinese Indian) restaurants in Toronto. Our next target was Yueh Tung which has a very high media profile.

Pljeskavica Serbia's National Dish @ Bonimi in Bloor Street West, Etobicoke, Toronto

Today, we went to Islington (Etobicoke) to try Serbian food at Bonimi Restaurant on Bloor Street West. Etobicoke is the Serbian / Balkan neighbourhood of multicultural Toronto.

Kingsway Fish & Chips @ Etobicoke, Toronto, Canada

Exploring Etobicoke near Royal York TTC (subway) station, walking down Bloor Street West on a blistering hot summer's day, we stumbled upon Kingsway Fish & Chips. As I had old school fish & chips on my bucket list for this Toronto trip, we decided to give it a try.

Federick Restaurant in Scarborough Toronto for Chindian Hakka Cuisine

Today, we went to Scarborough for Chindian (Chinese Indian) food at Federick Restaurant which is popular with locals.

The Cheapest Restaurant in Toronto 💵 Gale's Snack Bar

OK! I stumbled upon this video by Toronto Eats about the cheapest 💵 restaurant in the city. So, I followed Toronto Eats to Gale's Snack Bar in Leslieville.

Vesta Lunch Diner @ Dupont Toronto - Miriam Reinoso's Baby

Exploring the disappearing old school diners of Toronto took me to Vesta Lunch in The Annex district slightly northwest of University of Toronto. Vesta Lunch was founded in 1955.

George Street Diner, Toronto. Little Red Diner in the Movies

Ask any Torontonian to recommend an old school diner, and George Street Diner will always be among the handful mentioned. Old school diners are like kopitiams (traditional coffee shops) in Singapore. They are friendly, warm hangouts for affordable meals but a disappearing breed today, both in Toronto and Singapore.   

Patrician Grill @ King Street Toronto - Proudly Serving Nothing Fancy since 1967

When I am in Ang Moh land, I like to visit old school diners which are the equivalent of kopitiams of Singapore and Malaysia.

Tofu Village Toronto Koreatown for Gamjatang - Korean Pork Bone Soup

I like many Korean dishes and one of my favourites is gamjatang. It literally means potato soup but I think of it as the Korean version of bak kut teh (Singapore/ Malaysia pork bone soup).

Hotel Boss Singapore

Buddy from Hong Kong checked into Hotel Boss at Jalan Sultan and invited me to join him as I am showing him around Singapore.