Sweet Korean Lentils

After a busy July, here we are at a long weekend! We had no plans this weekend, and needed to stay home, eat healthy & save money. I found this recipe here, and it turned out great. My only complaint is how few leftovers there are. The lentil mix was so flavorful, it was really surprising. I really can't wait to try out more lentil dishes since it has been pretty easy to make and so tasty. I would probably double it next time and do less rice, more of the lentil mix. We both enjoyed it, despite our usual trepidation toward vegan food, and we really didn't miss the meat. The original recipe said 2 green onions, but I went too hard and chopped up 3. In reality, 1 probably would have been enough, so I have left it at 1 in the recipe (look at all that extra green onion). This recipe really satisfied us both in how quick and easy it was, but also how delicious!

To make this you will need:

• 1 cup basmati rice, uncooked
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 cup red lentils, uncooked
• 1 green onion, chopped
• sesame seeds (for topping)

1. Cook the rice and set aside.
2. Heat peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add white onion & cook until soft.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper flakes.
4. Add the mix and lentils to the skillet. Simmer until lentils are cooked and the liquid is all absorbed (~20 min).
5. Spoon over rice to serve & top with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Flapjack's Canadian Diner

Scott loves pancakes. I don't really get it, but they are his food of choice. For breakfast on his birthday in Ottawa, we decided to go to where hopefully the best pancakes in the city would be waiting for him. After a little bit of internet hunting, it became pretty clear we wouldn't find something to compete with The Early Bird's Full Stack of pancakes here in London. We decided to try Flapjack's Canadian Diner. When we pulled up, it was immediately obvious this was a tourist trap. Everything was Canadiana to the extreme, but we still kind of loved it, after all, we were in Ottawa as tourists! All the lumber, plaid, and maple syrup imagery was really setting the bar high. While we waited, we played Barrel of Monkeys at the table, which was a nice addition - except everything was sticky with syrup from previous little hands. I instantly loved the music they happened to be playing, it could have been one of my own playlists with Of Monsters and Men, Mumford and Sons, and other folksy indie artists (although I didn't notice any Canadians). Scott started with a Cookie Dough Milkshake that in theory sounded great, but was a real mess. The straw was one of the cheapest thin little straws that had no business anywhere near a milkshake. The drink was thick, with chunks of cookie dough at the bottom that just doesn't make sense for a beverage. At least it tasted good! The coffee was decent, too. Service was slow and erratic, I can only assume our server spent a lot of time talking in the back, and then came out when she felt like it. It wasn't busy, just us and a couple of other tables. Despite us sitting there with our menus closed, she put in the orders for the table that came after us first, which is always annoying. Coffee top ups were sparse, and she didn't check in much. We had a lot of time to play Barrel of Monkeys. Too much time.

So what about the pancakes? Scott ordered buttermilk pancakes filled with blueberries and topped with banana, and a side of sausage. The pancakes were as promised, fluffy and delicious. The way the options are, you can go as crazy as you want with fillings and toppings, and I think Scott made some decent fruit choices that made these pancakes not too ridiculous. Each meal came with house-made tomato jam that we both found way too acidic. It was actually kind of surprising to see that they had jars of it to be sold, since it really wasn't very appealing. Maybe we just didn't have the right combination of food for it, or got an off batch. Sorry for the blurry picture on this one - I had to be quick before Scott devoured the pancakes!

Buttermilk pancakes filled with blueberries & topped with banana

I am more of an eggs-for-breakfast person, so I went with The Big Feller omelette. Each of the omelettes came with home-fries and toast. I should have taken another shot of it cut open, because you really can't see what was going on in there, I guess you can see a bit of the meat coming out the end on the left but... oh my goodness this omelette! First of all, of course cheese curds belong in an omelette! Why haven't I seen this before? It is genius. Also, all the usual suspects of breakfast meats are always invited to my omelettes - and they didn't hold back on amounts here, this omelette was packed. Unfortunately, only half the plate came to impress. The home-fries were the most bland pile of lazy potatoes I have ever been served. I am not sure why they even wasted their time cutting them up. There was no seasoning, and smothering them in ketchup made them a little tolerable, but since I was filled with delicious omelette there was no point in even trying.

The Big Feller - bacon crumble, chopped sausage, diced ham, onion, and cheese curds

And then we got the bill. This was way too expensive for how hit & miss it was, or how little the ingredients actually cost. The real tourist trap nature was made extremely evident. I would never go back here, and would never encourage other people to even try it, instead I am just hopeful more restaurants use cheese curds in everything!

Likes: Cheese curds. Scott liked the pancakes too.
Dislikes: Value. Tomato jam. Home-fries. Stickiness. There was a lot of room for improvement.
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3/5
Would I go again?: Nope. I would rather make my own breakfast.

Elgin Street Diner

After a long car ride, we made it to Ottawa! This was our first time using Airbnb (if you want to join & get a $30 travel credit, click here). It was actually fabulous, we had a studio apartment for 4 nights that was walking distance to everything with underground parking & rooftop patio for just $314. We didn't have to meet anyone or check in or out with anyone, everything was through keyless entry that I got the codes for through email. I am glad it was a great experience, since we have 2 other Airbnbs booked in the future!

As weary travelers, we headed to an Ottawa staple:  Elgin Street Diner. I ordered the Chubby Checker Chicken Burger, and made my side poutine instead of just fries. The poutine is really what it is all about here. The gravy is thick and meaty, and the St. Albert cheese curds are fresh and squeaky. If you haven't been eating St. Albert cheese, you have been missing out entirely. Go get some now, I want to. The chicken burger was fine, nothing special. It hit the spot in terms of the greasiness I was there for, bacon & cream cheese are rarely a mistake. That pickle was delicious, but the coleslaw... not my thing.

Chubby Checker Chicken Burger - Grilled chicken breast with cream cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato, served on a fresh bun

Scott decided on the Smokey Burger, also with poutine. He said the smoked Gouda was great and the burger was cooked well, so what more can you ask for?

Smokey Burger - All beef patty topped with bacon, smoked Gouda cheese, house BBQ sauce, lettuce and tomato, served on a fresh bun

This was 9:30 at night. and there were only a couple other customers in the diner. We got the food we imagined when we chose a diner for dinner. Not only would I go back, but we did! For breakfast on our last day we both ordered the Hangover Breakfast before starting our long drive home. Again with the poutine, how could we not? The beans were delicious, and we both ended up breaking our poached eggs over the poutine, a decision I recommend. The bacon was cooked perfectly for me, crispy and delicious. The egg bread toast wasn't a hit. it was over toasted in a lot of ways that didn't make it great. The coffee and the service were on point. Between both meals, our water and coffee was never long between being topped off. Our service was friendly, yet still felt genuine.

Hangover Breakfast - 2 poached eggs, bacon, baked beans, poutine, and egg bread toast

I had been here before when I lived in Ottawa and knew the Hangover Breakfast was a personal weekness. I was excited to see that things hadn't really changed, and we lucked out with our timing not having to wait for a table. The diner is also a Pokestop, which is a new thing you have to deal with. It means you can hear people playing all the time, and maybe it will wear off as the novelty does, or maybe they will incorporate it into their marketing, but at the time it was a cheerful thing that everyone was in on, and no one seemed too annoyed (yet).

Likes: The poutine is one of my all-time favourite things to eat. The atmosphere is great.
Dislikes: Coleslaw and egg bread are not my thing. I knew about the coleslaw, but I thought going in that the egg bread would be a good choice. Now I just wish I ordered Rye.
Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Would I go again?: Yep. Next time I am in Ottawa I will probably try. The poutine is just so delightful, and I love the diner vibes.

Casa Manila

In February, I bought three-day passes to Ottawa Bluesfest for July 15-17th. I was so proud of myself - Scott's birthday is July 15th AND the Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing that day. I told pretty much anyone that would listen (except Scott), and tried really hard not to spoil the surprise. Somewhere along the way, I let it slip we were headed to Ottawa, no big deal, he still didn't know what we would be doing! Then the new album dropped, and as a fan, Scott asked his friend what he thought of the new songs. Unfortunately for me, said friend also loves the Chili Peppers, and said he wanted to go see them in Ottawa on the 15th of July. Entirely excited, Scott had a pretty solid guess what I had planned for his birthday. At least I didn't let it slip myself this time!

In our cute little Accent hatchback rental car, we set out for Ottawa on July 14th, but first - Summerlicious in Toronto! If you haven't done it, Summerlicious (and Winterlicious) are special times of the year when lots of Toronto restaurants serve three-course prix fixe menus. Places book up pretty fast, but you still have time - it ends July 24th this summer. On our way through Toronto, I chose a couple cheap ($18 each) lunch options that were near the highway, then Scott and I settled on Casa Manila. We had never had Filipino food, so we were both pretty excited. The highlight: Crispy Pork Belly Adobo. The pork belly was crispy on the outside, but melted in your mouth on the inside. The sauce was delicious, and mixed well with the perfectly cooked garlic rice. I am not entirely sure what veggies were involved in the fritter, but it was really tasty. Our server recommended vinegar, and it was a nice addition.

Crispy Pork Belly Adobo - tangy garlic, laurel & soy sauce with crispy pork belly, served with garlic rice & okoy vegetable fritter

We also ordered Kare Kare, an Oxtail stew. The peanut sauce on this dish was unbelievably rich and creamy. The oxtail was the most tender meat I have had in a while, it was falling apart when I tried to pick it up. The secret highlight of this dish is lurking in the back under the vegetable fritter - the fermented shrimp paste. It reminded me of anchovies mixed with a strong olive tapenade. It wasn't something I imagined I would like, but it mixed well with the rice and the peanut sauce.

Kare Kare - ground peanuts, delicate spices, combination of oxtail, beef and tropical vegetables, served with our fermented shrimp paste, jasmine steamed rice & okoy vegetable fritter

I started with the mains, because they were amazing. The starters were a little underwhelming. I picked the Chicken Chicharon Medley. The chicken skin was very crispy, but not very flavourful. The pickled papaya slaw that was on both mains was pretty tasty and not too heavy in vinegar.

Chicken Chicharon Medley - Chicken skin crackling harmonized with adobo seasoning, pickled papaya slaw, garlic aioli & seasoned vinegar

Scott chose the Embutido Terrine. It was two slices of a sausage meatloaf that reminded me so much of a pate. While it looks pretty similar to the other appetizer, they tasted completely different. Scott seemed to really prefer this one, but I was more into the chicken skin. Both were a little boring.

Embutido Terrine - A Filipino festive meatloaf with boiled egg, sausage, pickles, raisins & carrots, topped with garlic aioli, served with pickled papaya slaw & olives stuffed with garlic

Finally, the desserts! We both barely had any room after the mains, both were really filling. We ordered the Leche Flan Creme Caramel (left) and the Cassava Cake (Right). They looked and tasted so similar. There was only really a difference in texture. The Creme Caramel was a perfectly creamy custard that was the winner here. The Cassava Cake was a great soaked cake, I just love custard.

Leche Flan Creme Caramel (left) & Cassava Cake with custard topping (right)

This place seemed really authentic, from the servers to the patrons, we were some of the only white, non-Filipino looking people in the restaurant. Of course, I could be completely wrong, as this was my first experience with Filipino food, and we are usually the minority in a lot of great restaurants in Toronto. It felt like we were being let in on the secret of amazing Filipino cuisine. The service was pretty good, although it kind of seemed like we were forgotten about as we neared the end of our meal and the server took to busing tables around us while we just sat and looked at each other. We weren't in a rush, and it wasn't that long before she checked in on us again.

Likes: The pork belly. The oxtail. The peanut sauce. The custard. Overall, the food here was a hit!

Dislikes: The appetizers were not impressively presented or orchestrated and didn't make us too excited for the rest of the meal, a shame since it was all uphill from there.

Food: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Would I go again?: Hopefully. There are so many places to try, but this was a great experience and I would love to try out their regular menu beyond Summerlicious.

Strawberry Oat Bars & Strawberry Brie Crostini

Last week we took some time away from the city and went strawberry picking at Ego's in Oro-Medonte. Fresh-picked Ontario strawberries are so much sweeter and juicier than anything you will find in the store here! With more berries than we know what to do with, now comes the kitchen fun. I decided to try to make Strawberry Oat Bars (originally found here). In the original recipe, there is some attempt at pretending they could be healthy, which I don't really believe with all the butter and sugar involved. I doubled the recipe and still had tons of berries to spare, it just meant I used two baking dishes. The timing was also kind of strange, as they didn't look anywhere near done after only 35 minutes in the oven. I ended up leaving them in for over an hour, they are still pretty moist in the middle and crisp on the bottom, with no burnt bits, although some of the edge exposed berries dried out a little.

The final product is delicious, and I am trying to limit myself to under 4 squares a day... hard work. They make a nice breakfast treat, or dessert, or snack - okay, eat them whenever you want! To make them, you will need:

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups of unsalted butter
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 cups chopped strawberries
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line two 8 x 8 (or one 9 x 13) baking pans with parchment paper, with excess paper sticking out of the pans for easy removal.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger & salt.
3. Melt the butter, and pour into the mix. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
4. Set aside 1 cup of the oat mix for later. Press the remaining oat mix evenly into the bottom of each baking dish. Use your hands, or a spatula, but make sure it is pressed down well to form the base of the bar.
5. In a small dish, mix the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of the sugar (leaving 1 tbsp for later).
6. Scatter about half of the berries over each base. Sprinkle cornstarch sugar mix over the berries evenly. Sprinkle the lemon juice evenly on top. Scatter the remaining berries, followed by the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar.
7. Cover with the reserved oat mix and press down, with berries peaking through all over the place.
8. Bake the bars until you feel good about it. The original recipe said 40 minutes, I went for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking on them regularly. The berries bubbled, but nothing ever set in the oven to resemble a solid bar.
9. After cooling in the dish for 20 minutes, move to the fridge to get cooled completely. It is in this stage that they actually start to harden up and it all makes sense.
10. While cooling, in a medium bowl whisk together the icing sugar, vanilla and milk to make a glaze.
11. Pour the glaze over completely cooled bars and return to the fridge overnight. I waited about 8 hours before cutting into squares.

There were of course many more berries we needed to make use of, so we also made a tasty crostini (originally found here):

On slices of French baguette, we melted some sliced brie at 350 F, then topped with sliced strawberries, sliced basil, and drizzled honey over each slice. This was actually our entire dinner for 2, and I was so, so satisfied. Oh, brie...

Sunfest & Gelato

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in London, Ontario. We headed out to Sunfest - a music festival in Victoria Park downtown - and true to form, I got way too much sun. We ate our way across the park, particularly excited to try what Kosmos had on offer. There was a guy holding delicious looking food out in front of the booth that made it impossible to skip. The line was long, and the sun was hot. After waiting way longer than we anticipated, we were presented with an amazing looking Crispy Chicken:

Crispy Chicken - chipotle aoli, lettuce, jalapeno, onion, honey mustard, pickles

The chicken breast was HUGE, and freshly fried to crispy perfection while we waited. It was so, so crispy. Everything seemed to have its place in each bite. The most unfortunate part of this enormous sandwich was how much it fell apart when I tried to eat it. That little dish did not catch it all, but it tried. Overall, I am excited to try Kosmos in the future, as everything we saw come out looked delicious (I'm looking at you, Fish Tacos).

After crisping up in the sunourselves, we headed up closer to home for some of the city's best gelato at Angelo's Italian Bakery and Market. When Scott and I first started dating, we frequented Angelo's a little too often. This was our first gelato trip of the year, and I was so ready!

Gelato - Mango & Mixed Berry, Pomegranate & Chocolate

We both made great choices. Scott picked one the all-time favourites: Mango. It has little pieces of mango throughout the gelato and is so refreshing. The mixed berry was a new one for us, and it was very nice. I tend to also go chocolate in some way or another. Pomegranate made a nice sharp and sweet addition to the semi-sweet chocolate gelato. If you haven't been for gelato at Angelo's, get out there!