Guu
Having heard so much about the new Guu SakaBar, a Japanese tapas restaurant that reclaimed the old Burger King corner lot in the Annex this past spring, it was overdue for a visit. Upon arrival, you’re immediately submersed with attention, the ambient chatter halts for a moment in a synchronous burst of hellos from both employees and patrons. We ask to be seated in the shoeless sitting room where dining occurs at ground-level. They provide you with slippers in case you need to go take a washroom break creating a very homey atmosphere as you parade around wearing the house slippers, ubiquitously found in Asian households. Although Japanese cuisine is commonly synonymous with sushi, Guu offers everything but the usual California roll our North American palettes are so accustomed to. Wandering off into the unknown, we ordered an array of small savoury items, from tantalizingly mouth-watering calamari with wasabi mayo (so good we ordered two), succulent miso short ribs, a surprisingly delicious udon carbonara, baked hokkaido scallops in butter and garlic, and finally, after stuffing ourselves, the Okonomiyaki – a deep fried pancake with squid and tonkatsu sauce (the famous brown sauce you find on chicken katsu). The dinner was absolutely scrumptious and I think I’ve depleted my adjective bank of words to describe food. Here are the results:
(more…)
Sol
This is a set of photos I’m eager to share, because they’re with some of the most brilliant kids I’ve gotten to know throughout this school year. I began volunteering at my old elementary school, with some grade 4s and 5s, in my former grade 4 class, actually. It’s a French Immersion classroom, so I had the opportunity to teach a French drama lesson to them. They had to act out four acts of a play from Sol, from the old popular CBC children’s show Sol et Gobelet, written by Quebecois actor, Marc Favreau. They were super excited to be able to dress up and act in front of each other and that made my job much easier, although I had a real hard time getting them to sit still and watch each other instead of planning out their own scene, which I guess, isn’t that bad. On my last day, I promised them they could put on a small production in class where they could dress up, bring props, and I’d put together a little movie to send home as a keepsake (still in process).
Here are some of their makeup and costumes behind the scenes, and some nice group shots.
All the red makeup provided by my brand new lipstick. Note to self: When you’ve just bought a new tube of lipstick, and are fond of it, do not lend it to a group of 10-year-old boys.
Winter
I guess the theme of this post is mostly Eric. I forgot about these photographs, and, sorting through them today, I remembered all these “test” photos I had taken of Eric right when I had just gotten my camera and was eager to take it for a test run. A nice winter’s day spent inside, chez Chloe, just hanging out and then after much coercion, I managed to get them down to Sushi Gen for some delicious dinner.
So as promised, here are some silly photos of Eric, especially since he’s been MIA running off to Northern Europe and not here in North America with us…
The Shop
I spent the day at the shop to document my sister’s last day at work. After ten years at the shop, she’s moving up North and settled in the woods with her family (bf & two polar opposite dog-children). The day I shot these photos was a nice day, calm and relaxed, as if it were just any other work day. I shot a lot of incognito footage while my sister was working, and hopefully, after I sort through all of it on this overflowing mini laptop, I can, hopefully, soon – materialize the little film I promised to make.
Most of the photos I took were of the little tools and mechanical knick knacks I found around the shop. Enjoy.
I recommend
Sanko in Toronto
[http://www.toronto-sanko.com/en/]
Sanko is probably the awesomest (yeah, it’s not a word – so sue me, spellcheck) store in Toronto. I cannot resist a giant smile every time I enter the store, not to mention Steve Mizuno, the son of the owners is the chippiest hilarious dude and a pleasure to chat with every time. Sanko is a Japanese trading store and it has everything from wasabi kit kat bars to pickled veggies in a transparent plastic tube. Must-get is my all-time favourite Morinaga Hi-Chew fizzy milk chews. You will not regret it.
The gallery I work at
[http://www.glendon.yorku.ca/gallery/english/index.html]
Shameless plug – I work at a kickass gallery nestled on campus in a gorgeous corner of Uptown Toronto. We feature talented artists with a focus on francophone and hispanophone artists. Take a stroll around the Bridle Path, knock on Prince and Celine Dion’s doors (or gates, I should say) and then stop by and say hi!
Going to see some films at NFB
[http://www.nfb.ca/]
I always feel like a sucker every time I forget about the fact that instead of paying $15 for a film at Paramount, I could have sat in the cool (AC!) personal screening booths at the NFB and watched an endless amount of films for free. They have most of, if not their entire, library online but going in person always feels like time well spent. Located right across the Scotiabank theatre on John St, it’s a good affordable alternative if you want to save $15 and can wait 2 weeks to stream that new Robert Pattinson flick on Megavideo.
Picking something up from craigslist’s free section
[http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/zip/]
From the usual free firewood and dirt (literally), you can find some hidden gems from Russian stamps to a Barbie Jeep (actual examples just taken from the free stuff section). While you’re at it, you can skip on over to the [ETC] section and make a quick $20 subjecting yourself to research in the name of medical science or perhaps have a man tickle you with a feather plume for ten minutes.
Taking a ride on the Railpath
[http://railpath.wordpress.com/]
My fifteen minutes of daily bliss is when I turn off boisterous, door-prize laden College/Dundas/Bloor St. strip and onto the 3km of beautifully paved , unobstructed beauty named West Toronto Railpath. Surrounded by wild weeds, questionable art, train tracks, and strolling mommies, the North-South bike expressway is a paved dream getting to and from downtown if you have the privilege of living in Toronto’s West End.
Bowlerama $1 Bowling Wednesdays
[http://www.bowlerama.com/cenWest.asp?lh=1]
A small tradition within my circle of friends, the Kipling Bowlerama between the hours of 10:30pm -2am is the place to be on a Wednesday night. The only place where families, stoners, couples, teenagers and thugs from all walks of life come together in the name of cheap bowling and deep fried food all (individually) for ONE dollar. All you need is an arm and a clever nickname. The alley’s also flask-and-420-friendly.
$3 Mainsha Jerk Chicken
Honestly the best bang for my three bucks in food I’ve gotten in the city. It’s delicious and filling, and doesn’t get better than that. I’m all for cheap eats, and with all these strict street food regulations in Toronto, they’re hard to come by. A heaping of rice and peas, topped with a whole leg and drum stick – hacked into sizable pieces, and covered in your choice of oxtail or red sauce gravy and a side o ‘slaw. Sound good? I give it 3 fuck-yeahs out of 3.
$2 Cheese empanada at Jumbo Empanada
I literally melted into another dimension of satisfaction the last time I bit into one of these delicious deep fried pockets of joy. Paired with the most delicious spicy fresh homemade salsa , I can’t think of anything else I could eat 50 of and not want vomit a little at the sight/smell/sound/mention of it for the next 4 years (see: baklavas).
Cafe Sua Da
Vietnamese coffee, translated directly is Coffee Milk Ice, which is exactly what it is. Not to boost my own ethnic ego, but the best part of this drink is the Vietnamese part. Vietnamese coffee is the best. I would be saying the same thing if I were Ukrainian or Ugandan (I’d imagine) because it’s THAT GOOD. It’s thick and strong and sweet and is a beautiful punch in the mouth in the morning to get you going. Nothing will beat the $.50 cafe stands in Saigon but it’s still good at authentic Vietnamese restos in the city. Tip: If ever in Viet Nam and ordering a cafe the fast way, tug your hair for it black, and squeeze your nip if you want it with milk.
A slice of Margherita pizza at King Slice
[http://www.kingslice.ca/]
I swear this is not another ethnic ego boost, but this famous Vietnamese owned West-End pizzeria is the shit. They have BBPS (Big beautiful pizza slices) with the classic being Margherita you can’t go wrong with. I’m not being endorsed by the Vietnamese community, I swear if you ask anyone west of Lansdowne they’ll know King Slice and can vouch for how kickass their pie is.
Panko-crusted anything
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panko]
Screw beer batter, it’s all about that panko crusted everything and anything. You’ll probably know panko from its distinct light crispiness on shrimp tempura at sushi restaurants. They’re essentially just breadcrumbs, but solely white bread, no crust. It gives it that pure white crispy texture that pairs beautifully with anything about to be sentenced to the deep fryer.
Lime, salt and chili as a dipping sauce for anything.
I love salt… and spice… and limes. All three produce the tastiest combination for about anything. Eating a mango? Lime, salt and chilli dip that shit! Soup? Salad? Crab?! Can’t go wrong!
Riding the 501 Queen streetcar from Ronces to the Beaches, or The Beach – whatever.
[http://www3.ttc.ca/Routes/501/Eastbound.jsp]
An amazing cross-section of Toronto can be sampled riding through from Roncesvalles to Parkdale, West Queen West, Liberty Village, Trinity Bellwoods, Queen West, The Fashion District, The Entertainment District, Moss Park, Regent Park, Leslieville, to the Beach!
Tap Phong Trading Co. Ltd
[http://tapphong.com]
This is a glorious megastore of those ubiquitous items you’d normally find in any establishment. It’s the place to go if you ever misplace your … heavy duty deep frying basket…or oil drizzler nozzle. Stocked with every utensil and kitchen appliance imaginable this is the place new restaurant owners go to town at. Specializing in Asian cuisine accessories from cheap bamboo steamers to the arguably unnecessary chopstick holder, this place is a galore of random necessities.
Going out for dumplings
This should be more of a thing than it is, going out and sharing plates of dumplings is a blast with friends and family, or anyone for that matter. Choose from a delicious assortment of pan fried, steamed and boiled dumplings, you really can’t go wrong. My favourite are the pan fried dumplings at Dumpling House on Spadina (despite the Ratatouille incident) and the Lamb Char Siu from Mother’s Dumplings just up the street.
Mexican Candies
Finally, a solution to my spicy / sweet tooth! I was introduced into the flavourful and firey world of Mexican candy when my sister gave me a sack of 100 lollipops that our cousin had sent us from California. These lollipops, Chiletas, are coated in chili spice atop a sweet & tangy watermelon or mango lollipop. Taken aback at first, I quickly became accustomed to the flavour and man oh man is it ever delicious.
Fiverr
[http://fiverr.com]
A website dedicated to some creatively desperate people willing to do some wacky things for a fiver ($5). You can put up offers or request a gig if you’re in town for something specific. Or, if you’re bored with a fiver to spare, you can pay some guy in Oklahoma to film himself ranting for a minute about a subject of your choice.
Boston Globe’s Big Picture
[http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/]
An amazing and frequently-updated photojournalism news blog, rounding up the most phenomenal photographs every week. Each week features a few new set of images of the most current international events. Really really breathtaking images and really really good stuff. Check it out.
Foodgawker
[http://www.foodgawker.com /]
This is where I go daily to salivate over my laptop and pick out some recipes for everything imaginable. Beautiful clean layout rounding up top notch food photography from all over the interwebs. User-submitted by blog owners, you can create an account and dog-ear recipes and forget about it until you come back and re-discover the amazing recipes you’ve backlogged.
Sakura
After weeks of religiously tracking the status of the cherry blossoms in High Park online, I, along with hundreds of other photographers/asian girls, found out that they had conveniently bloomed a day shy of Mother’s day this year. Although blooming later than usual in the season, it still came at an ideal time, during the sunshine and after the weeks of rainfall we experienced.
2000 cherry blossoms were donated by the Japanese ambassador to Canada in 1959 to us on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo. This was a token of appreciation for accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians after WWII. Interesting little tidbit of history that re-blooms every year. Trees are something you never think of as being a possible gift. It reminds me of the Centre Island Hedge Maze donated to Toronto by the Dutch-Canadian community as a centennial gift, totally abstracting my idea of a gift being something you can fit into a square box tied with a ribbon.
In keeping with the pattern, some photos from the little Sunday afternoon outing I invited my má and family out to…
Redpath by the Harbourfront
Door Open Toronto 2011, A small collection of photos from a lovely weekend spent biking around in Toronto’s humidity between sun and overcast. Waking up too late, and slowly crawling around on our bikes while stopping for caffeine in the Market, we made it for the last tour of the sugar factory after visiting the sparkly Corus Quay building, home of YTV and others… giant slide!
Starting with a visit to the shiny new Corus Quay building, I sat down with my two lovely buds for a bit and shot some… what I’d classify as “conversational action” shots. Exciting name, I know. Anyways, I wish I found some way to embed some comments underneath the photos in the slideshow, but because I have yet to figure it out, some captions would include “T-REX HANDS” and “Blue Steel”…
And roll slideshow!
17th parallel 