Happy Carnival 2015!

Carnival is upon us, quite early this year. Though I respect those who adore Trinidadian Carnival and partake in the mas, it's not really my thing. Old Mas I find a lot more interesting, as well as the pan and calypso music. I'm not a fan of soca or fetes though I have been to fetes before and enjoyed myself. My money is reserved for other things. So instead of indulging in the mas of Port of Spain, my friends and I headed to the North Coast and spend the weekend, Saturday to Tuesday, at the beach. We had a great time relaxing and enjoyed a lot of incredible homemade food. I would say that was a weekend well spent.

To those who do partake in the Carnival festivities, Happy Carnival 2015! Have fun and be safe out there!

Meatless Monday: Thai Chopped Salad

I'm not sure what inspired me here but I've been craving a Thai chopped salad for quite a while. No better way to satisfy that than to make it myself (it's also Monday ;-)). Salad is something that can tend to get boring, only because we're not adventurous enough with it. There are so many different types of salads and dressings, much more than caesar or basic lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber tossed salad. It's a light and healthy choice as long as you don't load it with too much bacon! 

I'm not writing a cookbook (right now, haha), so I'm also not recipe testing; I'm sharing with you my food adventures! My salad consisted of kale, red bell peppers, carrots, celery, edamame, cashews and portugal with a peanut-sesame dressing (grapeseed oil, peanut butter, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil & sesame seeds). As with most dishes, there's no one way to make it; substitute based on what you like and you surely won't be disappointed.

Have fun and get adventurous with your salad. There's more to salad than lettuce. Roasted vegetables, beans, grains, you name it... make a salad out of it!

Breakfast at Hyatt Trinidad

Happy Birthday Arista!!!
(Sorry waitress, I hope it's okay that you're in my photo.)

Tomorrow is the birthday of a dear friend of mine. Part of her celebrations included an overnight stay at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, to sort of "get away". She invited me to breakfast with her (even though we are still recovering from sushi the night before), and being a breakfast lover, it was quite a treat.
I started with the hot chocolate and she had the fruit punch (she seriously loves their fruit punch). We both continued with an omelette from the live omelette station, then on to breads, cheeses and smoked salmon, pancakes, sausages and finally a little fruit to round it off. While the service was fantastic, it's Hyatt after all, the price is still a bit steep. However, if you're in the mood to splurge a little on a delicious (large) breakfast with a view, Hyatt is definitely the place to go. Or if you're a guest, breakfast is included in your stay!

Happy New Year 2015!

2014 is long gone and so is my time to blog about it. I've neglected my blog (and my love for cooking) for quite a bit of the year. The passion isn't gone, but the inspiration has been lacking. I haven't been cooking as much and it's been too long since I've tried anything new. That's going to change in 2015!
It's time for a rediscovery... of myself! It's time for me (and you) to get to know me all over again... food, travel, random rants about bad service and everything in between. I can't guarantee it'll be very consistent or even worth reading, but I'll be writing!

So what's been up since September? Not too much... work, life and Canada! Oh how I love Canada. My first visit was great, second was just as brilliant. I spent a week there in November and the Christmas/New Years break I spent there as well. I can't say I've had even one bad meal or that I can remember having bad service. They say Canadians are too nice, but there's no such thing in my opinion... I love it! I haven't been photographing my food adventures as much as I used to but I'll be starting that back as well. In the meantime, let me share what I do have!

My first snow!

Green Thai Chicken Curry at the Royal Jasmine.

Apple Green Tea at Go For Tea

Grilled Salmon at Go For Tea

Niagra Falls

Niagra Falls

Moussaka at Ithaca

Mixed Souvlaki at Ithaca

POUTINE!!!

Loved the cool finds at the Asian Supermarket.

Lunch at Makimono

Great sashimi.

Good value for money.

Bulk Barn!

Such a cool store!

Breakfast at Sunset Grill

Pomegranate on the snow.

Beer/Cider and Wings with the guys!

South Beach Mini-Vacation

Lots of little mini vacations makes real life a bit easier and more tolerable. At the end of September, two friends of mine were heading to Miami for a concert so I made the last minute decision to go as well. I'm glad I did because it was a blast! We walked, we ate, we shopped and then we ate some more! And after they left, I stayed back for another two days and had a wonderful, relaxing time, getting reacquainted with myself. There's so much to see and do (and eat!) in South Beach, I can't wait to return!

Fantastic bagels and flavoured schmears
at Einstien Brother's Bagels.

If you're a beer fan, check out Sharkey's at Bayside.

Alligator Nuggets and loaded potato skins at Sharkey's.

Laduree, South Beach

Macarons!

Buying some rambutan on Sunday.

I decided to go to the South Beach Culinary Tour, which was very fun and the food was good. It focused mainly on Cuban food which is available everywhere in South Beach. The tour guide was very nice and seem well-educated. 

Stop 1: Ceviche with passion fruit and canchitas and an empanada
at Bolivar

Dulce de leche filled churros at Manolo's!

Cafe Cubano at one of the many ventanitas in South Beach.

Vaca fritas served with plantain chips at Habanos.

Italian pocket with spinach, feta, sundried tomatoes, kalamata
olives and pesto at Block's Deli.

Argentine Empanada at Charlotte's Bakery

Empanada with avocado-cilantro sauce.

Gelato at Milani's Gelateria to end the food tour!

We LOVE Red Lobster's biscuits.

Maine Lobster > Rock Lobster

Now let me start by saying, I wish so very much that there was better lighting in this restaurant or I wasn't so shy to use flash because I suppose the dim lighting was part of the setting that contributed to the incredible ambiance you can immediately feel when you walk in to The Bazaar by Jose Andres. This simple 5 "course" tapas meal was the best meal I had during this vacation (with the Mushroom Tobanyaki at Sushi Samba being a very close second). I will definitely be returning once I am in South Beach to try some more menu items, and bringing some friends with me as well. If you're in South Beach, try this restaurant!!! The prix fixe is very affordable at 5 courses for US$39.00. You can't go wrong!

"Jamón Serrano and Tomato Bread" 

"Bao Con Lechón (Chinese Bun with Pork Belly)"

"Endive with goat cheese, oranges, marcona almonds and orange dressing."

"Cuban Coffee Rubbed Churrasco"

"Deconstructed Key Lime Pie"