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Business Travel, Downtown Toronto, Food & Recipes, Vacation Travel

The Best New Restaurants in Toronto to Try

March 1, 2017

Fantastic new restaurants in Toronto are popping up so quickly that you would have to dedicate yourself to eating out several times per day just to see them all. (Sounds pretty fun, to be honest…) With so many great eateries to choose from, you’ll never go hungry when you are exploring this vibrant Canadian city.

Let’s take a look at some of the restaurants that have opened in recent months and should be on your foodie bucket list for 2017.

New Restaurants in Toronto : La Banane

This sophisticated French restaurant, run by Chef Brandon Olsen, opened its doors on January 3rd, 2017. It is pricey, but if you want to treat yourself to a date night the cuisine is superb. Olsen gives a modern twist to traditional French dishes such as liver and onions and fluffy omelettes. Try the mussels marinated in an espelette pepper vinaigrette or the duck breast with charred endive and jus. Make sure that you make your reservation in advance and dress your finest, this is a swanky spot!

Calii Love

Start your morning off with a bit of healthy nourishment at this Hawaiian inspired cafe. The new restaurants in Toronto focuses on superfood smoothies, healthy snacks and poke bowls that are heaped with nutritious ingredients such as shredded coconut, blueberries, strawberries, chia seeds and more. It is a breakfast that will give you the energy to conquer anything.

Imanishi

This Japanese gastropub hasn’t been around for very long, but it’s garnered a lot of interest due to its top notch food. It features homestyle Japanese cooking made with fresh high quality ingredients. They have excellent dishes such as sticky, smoky short ribs, spring rolls filled with curry chicken, squid tentacles with soy sauce and butter and seared beef tataki. The Japanese soul music sets the scene in this Dundas Street spot and the staff wear vintage sweatshirts, salvaged denim and Toronto Blue Jays caps.

Charidise

This new gourmet Taiwanese restaurant opened in January and is already well known for its authentic cuisine and friendly staff. The food is steeped in Taiwanese tradition and includes classic dishes such as Basil Chicken Rice, Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Noodle and Golden Squid Balls. Charidise also has a great selection of bubble tea flavours such as Honeydew, Mango and Taro. It’s a great place to stop for a drink or a snack if you are walking around downtown Toronto.

El Local Loco

This new Mexican restaurant on Church Street is work checking out. It’s laid back and welcoming, with heavy wooden tables and brightly coloured Mexican-inspired murals on the walls. How about braised beef rib with roasted corn and a cerveza chipotle reduction? Or maybe cod ceviche with jalapeno, cucumber, sweet peppers, citrus, avocado and honey? They even serve up a whole lobster tail taco that sounds muy deliciosa.

These are just a few of the exciting new restaurants in Toronto that you can check out this year. However, there are many others that we don’t have room to list here. Toronto is paradise for a foodie, as there is always something new and exciting on the menu. Dont forget to check out our picks for healthy restaurants and cafes!

Downtown Toronto, Fitness and Health, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk

Healthy Toronto Restaurants and Cafes

January 11, 2017

Is your New Year’s resolution for 2017 to eat healthier? Here are some healthy Toronto restaurants that will make your goals easier to achieve.

Eating healthier and more nutritious food will bring you many benefits. Not only will you lose weight, but you will also find yourself with more energy, better skin, a boosted immune system and much more. Most of the time eating healthy means stocking up on veggies, whole grains and lean proteins from the supermarket and cooking up nutritious meals at home.

However, what about those nights when you just don’t have the energy to cook for yourself? Eating out at a restaurant or café doesn’t have to mean giving up on your healthy food goals. There are many places that serve up nutritious and delicious food that will be good for your body.

Live Food Bar

This healthy Toronto restaurant in the Annex will help you to feel more vibrant and alive, with its inventive and flavourful sugar free, gluten free, raw gourmet dishes. The entire menu is gluten free and they use high quality organic ingredients. Try the Mediterranean Platter that is great for sharing, with cherry tomatoes, cashew dill ricotta, hemp basil pesto and sunflower falafel.

Impact Kitchen

This healthy cafeteria focuses on serving up healthy dishes that are as nutritious as possible. It aims to dispel the myth that good-for-you food has to be bland or boring. Some of the tasty dinner options include grilled flank steak and bison meatballs, or you can head there for breakfast and feast on granola bowls or a Power Breakfast that features salsa, scrambled eggs, sweet potato, avocado, spinach and chorizo.

Urban Herbivore

Healthy Toronto Restaurants This vibrant Kensington Market restaurant offers a fantastic salad bar where you can fill up on greens and quinoa, as well as yummy healthy sandwiches, dairy free cupcakes and gluten free treats. Try the grilled vegetable sandwiches which are warm and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and stuffed with veggies such as zucchini, grilled eggplant, spinach, sweet potato and shredded carrot.

What’s one of your favourite healthy Toronto restaurants you’ve visited before? Please feel free to share your recommendations with us in the comments below. Dont forget to check out these quick and easy healthy snacks when you are busy and on the go!

Business Travel, Customer Service Experience, Entertainment, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk

Tipping Etiquette in Toronto

September 23, 2016

If you are visiting Toronto and you are from a culture where tipping is not the norm, you might be wondering what the appropriate local tipping etiquette might be. Who should you tip, and how much money should you give?

In Canada the tipping culture is similar to in the USA – tips are expected for many staff in the service, hospitality and food and beverage industry. Here are some important tips to keep in mind when it comes to tipping etiquette while visiting Toronto.

In a Restaurant

Unlike some destinations in Europe, a gratuity is not included in the bill at most Canadian restaurants. Instead, you should calculate approximately 15-20% and add that onto your bill. If the service was unsatisfactory, you can give less and if the service was exceptionally good you can give more. You essentially tip based on the service experience.

Sometimes if you have a table with a large group, usually 8 or more, the restaurant will add an automatic gratuity to the bill. Some servers may rely on tips to bump up their wage and may feel frustrated by a large group who take a lot of time and effort to serve but don’t tip.

If you have a poor restaurant experience and you are considering not leaving a tip as a response, consider whether your experience was the fault of the server. If the food was bad or the service was slow because there weren’t enough staff, this is the fault of the kitchen and the manager. Consider asking to speak to the manager so that you can voice your complaints in a constructive way – you might even be offered a discount or a free meal as an apology.

Other Places to Tip

Tipping is also customary in other situations in Canada. You would be expected to tip your taxi driver, valet parking attendant, hotel room attendant, hotel concierge, hairdresser and manicurist. If you visit a spa during your visit to Toronto it is expected that you will tip your spa service provider around 10% of the cost of your treatment. Also, if you go on a guided tour and your guide offers you great service it is good to tip them around 10-15% to show your appreciation. When you are drinking at one of the many great bars in Toronto it is customary to leave around $1 per drink for the bar tender, depending on the cost of the drink.

In some situations, there will be a “Tip Jar” on the counter of a business, such as in a coffee shop, cafeteria and sometimes even in retail stores. However, in these situations the tip is optional. You can put a tip in these jars if you have enjoyed great service but you don’t have to – and it won’t be considered rude not to.

It can be tricky at first to remember who to tip while visiting in Canada, but if you are unsure you can always ask a Canadian friend or colleague about the appropriate tipping etiquette. Make sure to carry around a few small bills, loonies and toonies so that you have the right change whenever you need it!

Remember to tip on the sub-total, and not on the taxes!

Business Travel, Family Vacations in Toronto, Fitness and Health, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk, Toronto Family Travel

Quick Healthy Snacks when You are Busy

August 8, 2016

It can be incredibly challenging to eat healthy when you are travelling. Whether you are on a long flight, a bus journey or an epic road trip, often the only food available is from convenience stores and fast food outlets. Greasy fast food will not only pack on the calories, it will make you feel bloated and tired when you are in transit. If you can bring along some quick healthy snacks on your trip, you can refuel with nutrients that will give you energy and help you feel great.

Looking to prepare some healthy foods for your next trip but don’t know where to start? Here are a few ideas of some quick healthy snacks:

Dried Fruit

This travel snack ticks all the boxes – it is healthy, tasty and extremely portable. It is also great for kids because it won’t make a mess or cause stains in the car or the plane. There are many great tasting types of dried fruit including dried bananas, apple rings and dried peaches. Look for fruit that has doesn’t have any additives like sugar, colour, flavor or preservatives.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Having travel snacks that are high in protein is important, because the protein will keep you feeling full for longer. Hard boiled eggs are a great travel snack, so boil up a few before you go and keep them in a container. They can last a long time if you don’t peel the shell, as the egg itself is the perfect wrapper.

Trail Mix

Another great portable healthy snack is trail mix. You can bring it along in a Tupperware container or Ziploc bag and grab handfuls whenever hunger strikes. There are lots of different types of trail mix out available out there in the bulk section of the grocery store. Or, you could make your own by combining the nuts, seeds, dried fruits and other items that you prefer.

Granola Bars

A store bought granola bar can be the perfect item for keeping you fueled up when you are on the road. However, when choosing your granola bar be aware that some brands are loaded with sugar that you may as well be eating a chocolate bar! Look for these quick healthy snacks with low sugar and plenty of natural ingredients.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a fantastic food! It offers lots of protein and energy and it’s very portable. You could bring along a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter on a road trip and stop for sandwiches whenever you are hungry. You can also bring along some crackers or celery sticks for spreading peanut butter on – whatever tastes good to you. Finally be sure to check out some healthy on the go snacks children love.

These are just some ideas for portable quick healthy snacks that are great to bring with you when you are travelling, so you can satiate your hunger without filling up on junk food and arrive at your destination or furnished apartment in Toronto feeling great.

Business Travel, Downtown Toronto, Food & Recipes, Vacation Travel

New Restaurants in Toronto

February 24, 2016

Toronto has an exciting and thriving culinary scene and it draws some of the best chefs in Canada and around the world. There are always new restaurants in Toronto opening up in this booming Canadian metropolis and visiting Toronto means that you get to enjoy the best of its gastronomical offerings.
So what are some of the hottest dining spots in the big TO? Here are a few restaurants in Toronto that have opened up recently and are creating a buzz:

Boralia
What defines Canadian cuisine? Canada’s culture is a mosaic of influences from around the world, but this restaurant delves deep into the indigenous and early history of Canada to serve dishes that are linked to the origins of our home and native land. You can try pigeon pie or tender squab, or perhaps a bowl of buttery mussels smoked in pine needles. The dishes here are full of heritage, so why not give them a try?

Dandylion
Dandylion is the creative project of chef Jay Carter, who offers up a menu of nine dishes that change almost daily. The portions are generous, the meals are fresh and flavourful and there is always an option for vegetarians.

Otto’s Berlin Donor
This new sandwich shop in Kensington Market caters to the Torontonian craving for German street food. Try the delicious Berlin doner, which starts with a circular flatbread and is filled with chicken, veal, lamb, fried halloumi cheese or a vegan mix of zucchini, garlic, peppers, secret spices and onions. There is also the much-loved German street food dish Currywurst, a juicy bratwust sausage topped with a spicy tomato-based curry sauce.

Pai Northern Thai Kitchen
Do you love the spicy, fragrant and fresh flavours of Thai cuisine? This restaurant brings the flavours of Thailand to the streets of Toronto. Northern Thai dishes are the focus, such as crunchy fermented crabs and papaya salad or Massaman curry with tender chunks of beef.

These are just a few of the restaurants in Toronto that have opened up, so why not check them out during your visit when staying in your furnished rental?

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