Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant

Located in a busy Chinese Plaza, tucked away in
the far left corner, Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant can easily be missed, so keep an eye out, but first keep an eye out for a parking spot
as there aren't many.

Other than eating Dimsum in Scarborough and Markham most of the time, my grandma brought up a place she used to go all the time. With limited seating, suitable for about 50 people, this place did get really busy both times we were here. You can order straight from their Dim Sum menu or their menu which offers a variety of noodles, fried rice, soups and vegetarian dishes.




We started off with the Deep Fried Taro 
Patties  (4/5), which were wrapped in
beancurd. If you love Taro, you will absolutely LOVE this dish. As a Taro fan myself, these were fried to a  perfect crisp and were loaded with Taro that was piping hot. There was
definitely no absence of Taro here. These were even better dipped in the Sweet & Sour Sauce that came with the dish.

We saw a few other fellow diners ordering the Vegetable Fried Rice Noodle (4/5) and we immediately knew why. Although it may look fairly simple to make, it was delicious. Loaded with tons of crunchy bean sprouts, chinese mushrooms, parsley, carrots and green onions, the colours and taste of this dish were vibrant. The sweetness of the veggies were a perfect
compliment to the soft rice noodles.


The Fried Dough Fritter Stuffed Rice Noodle (1/5), was just sad. I was disappointed at the
fact that they would even serve such a poorly executed dish to anyone like that. The whole thing was more like a deconstructed rice noodle than a supposedly stuffed one. The rice noodle
was very thick and slimy for some reason, possibly the reason why it was falling apart. Such a shame, as the dough fritter was crispy.







Somewhat of a disappointment as well,
the Pan Fried Bean Curd Roll Stuffed with
Vegetables (3/5) were lacking veggies on the inside. There were a few strands
of carrots, chinese mushrooms and pieces
of celery, but overall it was too thin in my
opinion, resulting in a very chewy and
slightly crispy exterior.








 We enjoyed the Pan Fried Vegetable Stuffed
Bun (3/5), but felt like it should've
been called a Mushroom stuffed Bun, as
it was stuffed with a plethora of Mushrooms
ranging from Shiitake and WoodEar resulting
in a satisfying crunchy interior. The Bun itself
was a tad too greasy, but nonetheless it
was definitely tasty!

The Vegetable Spring Rolls (4/5) were
definitely one of the best ones I've ever
had. Stuffed with mushroom, carrots and
cabbage, these were super crispy without
the wrapper being too thick.

I did enjoy my visit and I will come
back to try their other vegetarian dishes.

RECIPE: Corned Beef Hash

While I enjoy going out in search of
good eats, I also enjoy cooking!
I will start posting a few of my favourite recipes to share with you all so stay tuned!


This week's dish is one that I grew up eating, whether for Sunday morning brunch, or for dinner. It's simple and easy to make, and super delicious!


This Recipe serves more than 5 people and takes less 45 minutes.












Ingredients:

• 5 Yukon Gold Potatoes (Any type works fine, I prefer Yukon as they taste sweeter)
• 1/2 Can of Corned Beef (Any Brand works fine)
•  Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper 
• 2 Tbsp Oil

Directions:

• Wash & Peel Potatoes
• Boil Potatoes until they are fork tender. Add a pinch of salt.
• Drain Potatoes
• Preheat a large pan, and add Oil
• Add 1/2 of Corned Beef & mince using Spatula
• In another Bowl, mash potatoes until they are in small chunks
• Once the Corned Beef is golden brown, add in Potatoes.
• Mix the Corned Beef with the Potatoes and flatten using spatula.
• Add Cracked Black Pepper and Salt to Taste.
• To ensure crispiness, mix the Corned Beef and Potatoes again and flatten the mixture.
• Once the mixture is golden brown, it's ready to eat!

Great when eaten with eggs and avocado!

Shanghai's on the Norwegian Getaway

Every night on the cruise, guests would receive a guide to the next day's activities also known as the Freestyle Daillies. I enjoy reading these before I go to sleep, so I know if there is something I should wake up bright and early to attend, such as the morning jog around the track ( No I did not attend haha). It also lists the complimentary and specialty restaurants and where they are located on board the ship. Little did I realize, Shanghai's, which used to be a specialty restaurant, which denotes a fee, was now complimentary. Of course I had to try! One thing that was odd to me, was that they opened at 5:30 pm and not lunch as well. Anyways, we
got there right at 5:25 and noticed a small lineup already and were quickly ushered to our seats. The noodle bar itself is not big, therefore it tends to fill up quite quickly.








We started off with the Pork Pot Stickers (3/5)
which could be ordered Steamed or Fried. We
went with the Fried which was nice and crispy without being too greasy. The filling was a mixture of pork and cabbage, which complimented the ginger-soy dipping sauce well. We didn't expect too much in terms of authenticity but these were ones that could be had at some dumpling spots in Toronto.









The Vegetable Spring Roll (4/5) was great, loaded with crunchy cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts. It arrived piping hot and crispy which we enjoyed. At this time we noticed the long line of guests waiting to be seated while there were essentially not enough servers and wait staff.

The Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (1.5/5) were just not good at all. I did somewhat expect the Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow) you would find at dim sum joints rather than these. The filling consisted of very soft and mushy shrimp, which was quite unpleasant to eat. The wrapper was thick and doughy, and the accompanying plum
sauce didn't do much justice.










Another dish that we did not enjoy, was the
Spicy Seafood Udon Noodles (2/5). The noodles
 were chewy and very doughy, unlike normal
udon noodles. The soup was just spicy from
the chili oil, and had no seafood taste at all.
 It was topped off with some shrimp and crab
meat as well as nappa cabbage. I can't see them
charging the original price of $5.50 for this,
especially when you could spend that amount
on many other things on the cruise.



My sister tends to be the pickiest when it comes
to food in my family. She'll eat it if it tastes the way she likes it and she could eat it all. Before she could devour all of it in a mere minute or two, I had to grab a bite of the Beef Chow Fun (3/5). Again, my expectations were a bit too high, as I expected the dish to taste and look like the Beef Chow Fun you could get at Chinese Restaurants. Although it didn't look, or taste like
the Beef Chow Fun I was expecting, it was pretty good in my books. The noodles were thinner, but were not chewy and cooked perfectly. There were slivers of thin sliced beef, shitake mushrooms and egg which complimented
the dish very well. It had more of a sweet soy sauce taste to it, rather than being salty.




I was actually really looking forward to the Glass Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables (2/5)  because they go well with everything, including steamed oysters! Mmmm yum.....
Well, another disappointment, as the glass noodles were just too hard and barely cooked.
There was nothing 'rich' about the broth like
advertised on the menu. I enjoyed the chicken and the shitake mushrooms though.


Out of the three fried rice choices, we went
with the Combination Fried Rice (3/5), which
was loaded with a adequate amount of shrimp,
diced BBQ Pork, peas, scallions and carrots.
This was well executed, as the rice was soft with
a slight chew, and surprisingly there was a significant
 amount of wok heat evident.


The dishes we've tried at Shanghai's were just
 okay, especially for a non authentic joint. I do
 recommend it, if you want to try something
different and the portions aren't that big either
so it was great to try a little bit of everything.
I do suggest coming early to, because they don't
take reservations and being a small restaurant
on board, it tends to fill up very quickly.

Tropicana on the Norwegian Getaway

The beautiful Norwegian Getaway in St. Maarten.

I recently came back from a wonderful week long cruise vacation on the beautiful Norwegian Getaway! Of course going on vacation wouldn't stop me from taking pictures of the good eats I had along the way! I have already starting posting pics of the food I greatly indulged on my instagram (tiffanyeats_) if you haven't checked that out already!




The Norwegian Getaway is one of the newest and largest ships from Norwegian Cruise Line,
launched in early 2014. Having cruised with NCL twice prior to this trip, on the Spirit in 2008 and the Jewel in 2012, we knew that we were not going to be disappointed as the past trips were full of fun. The Getaway offers a bunch of specialty restaurants on board, such as Food Network Star Geoffrey Zakarian's Ocean Blue, and the famous Carlo's Bakery.  Tropicana, is one of the main dining rooms that can be found aboard the Getaway. My family and I dined here, as well as at Taste, and Savor, the other two complimentary main dining rooms. The overall decor here at Tropicana is beautiful, with a small
stage in the middle for dancers while the band
played throughout the night. The waiters and
staff were incredibly friendly and the
service was great as our food was never rushed or was too slow.



The menu features a variety of starters,
entrees and desserts, as well as a chef's suggestion and some featured dishes
that would be seen on the menu throughout the week.  My sister loved the Caesar Salad (4/5), which featured some crisp and garlicky croutons and anchovies. It was nicely dressed without being too salty.

Another dish that she loved, and ordered almost every night was the Norwegian Smoked Salmon Tartare (3/5). In her favour, this was on the menu everyday, and no surprise she had it every single night. I didn't enjoy this as much as I like to eat it without the Smokiness from the salmon. However the avocado provided a nice creamy texture while the diced cucumber
added some crunch. You can taste hints of the Lemon Mustard Dressing but it was too overpowering. The toast was a bit too hard for my liking.

The Shrimp Ceviche (2.5/5) was pretty bland even with the ample amount citrus juice. I usually eat it raw, but the shrimps were nice and plump. Some more red onions would've added a bit more impact to the dish, but coming out of a large kitchen that caters to 4 main restaurants and almost more than 2000 people, it was decent. The Wild Lump Cakes (3/5) on the other hand, surprised us as it was loaded with so much crab meat, we were wondering if they used any filler at all. This was not imitation crab meat either which ensured that the crab meat inside was fluffy and sweet. Unfortunately, the outside wasn't as crispy as we would've liked it to be, but this was a well executed dish in my opinion. I really enjoyed the slaw as it was a perfect compliment to the crab cake and it helped add some moisture and tanginess, as the crab cake alone would've been too dry.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Oh the Vegetable & Pork Spring Roll. How I've missed you since those days we were sailing together on the Atlantic Ocean. How we've met and couldn't be torn apart. The way you made me feel when I laid my eyes on your existence on the menu. The joys you've brought to me when I found out you were making an appearance again! I honestly cannot express my love for the Vegetable & Pork Spring Roll (4.5/5) in any other way. This was on the menu every night  back in 2012, and for just one night this featured. The peppery filling, made with cabbage, julienned carrots and small niblets of pork, is such a perfect combination. The sweet chili sauce adds a kick of spice that compliments it so well. The papaya salad helps cool things off. Back then I would've given it 5/5, but unfortunately the wrapper wasn't that crispy this time around and was somewhat doughy. Sigh...maybe next time It'll still be here...

Wow the steak. Just wow. This was incredible.
Never did I expect I would enjoy this so much. It was honestly that good. Who needs to pay extra to dine at the steakhouse when you can have steaks just as good here? Nah, I'm just joking, but this was really good. Luckily the Striploin Steak (4.5/5) was on the menu each night, so of course I had to order it 5/7 nights we were on the cruise. I think this was almost 10oz and was prepared beautifully. I always got it medium-rare which I prefer and it was the most tender and juiciest steak I've ever had! The Cajun butter to go with it, melted perfectly on top and the Black Pepper Fingerling Potatoes were addictive. Something about the season on them was
 just so good. The Onion Rings were like ones
you could find in the grocery aisle at your
local supermarket. I would highly recommend
ordering the steak at the Main Dining Rooms
even just for one night.

The Vegetarian Lasagna Roll (2/5) was a huge disappointment, as the noodles were undercooked to the point that it still tasted very doughy. The spinach and portabello mushroom filling was undercooked as well, resulting in chewy and bland taste. The Pomodoro sauce however was nice and zesty which I loved. The Mozzarella cheese sure was melted, but it added on to the unpleasant texture of the noodles. I would have to say this was the most disappointing dish I have had throughout this cruise.

Onto the Bahamian Fish & Crab Cake (3/5). This made me think prior to ordering whether it would be just like the Crab Cake I had a few nights ago. Well, ding ding ding, I was right. This tasted exactly like that with the heavy amount of crab meat except flattened out a little. The salsa, however was a tad spicy and sweet and it made all the flavours come together. The sweet potato fries were cold.

The Thai Chicken Green Curry (3.5/5) was surprisingly tasty. There were alot of big and tender pieces of chicken and the jasmine rice was cooked perfectly without being too chewy. The curry was executed well, as there were hints of coconut milk and a slight kick from the spice.
Unfortunately it was a bit cold when it arrived to our table, and this often is the case for mass-prepared food items. It was also a tad bit too salty. 

On the first night, we ordered the Pappardelle Duck Ragu (3.5/5) which again was a bit too heavy on the salt. However, the noodles were dense, and the duck was tender. The mushrooms added a nice crunch which we enjoyed, but the sauce was a bit runny for our liking. The portions are on the bigger side, which is I guess an upgrade for those who love to eat, but then again we all love to try a bit of everything!

Speaking of trying a bit of everything, my brother, was the only member of my family who ordered a different starter, entree and dessert everyday. He is I guess, quite adventurous when it comes to food. On first night, he opted for the Grilled Mahi Mahi (3/5). I had to ask him early for a bite before he devoured it all to himself because he was so hungry. The fish was flaky, and cooked perfectly. The fried plantains were nice and crisp, and the pineapple salsa had the right amount of sweet and sour flavours. The beans and rice were chewy which he did not enjoy.

Onto the best part of the meal, in my opinion,  DESSERT! One of the items appearing on the everyday dessert menu, was the Warm Chocolate Volcano (5/5) with Stracciatella Gelato and Strawberry Compote. This was simply amazing! The volcano, which was essentially a lava cake, erupted with a warm chocolate filling with the touch of a spoon. The Stracciatella Gelato complimented this perfectly as the cake would've been too sweet without it. It was creamy but started to melt really fast. The addition of the Strawberry Compote was nice as it added some tartness. Like the steak, I had this I believe 5/7 nights of the cruise. As I am writing this, I just wish I could've brought some back!

 
Another well executed dessert, was the
Tiramisu (4/5). The coffee taste was strong,
but not too overpowering, while the cake was nice and dense. We did not enjoy the Mexican Chocolate Brownie (2/5) as it was really dry, and it wasn't that sweet which was okay. The flavour was a bit different from brownies you would find at the grocery stores such as two-bite brownies. We happened to notice this when tasting any dessert that had brownies throughout the cruise.

Overall our dinners at Tropicana were great. The  atmosphere was wonderful, without being too loud even with the band playing. Never did we feel rushed to order or to leave and the service was just amazing. One of our servers, Froilan, was super friendly and was our favourite at Tropicana. The food really amazed me, especially coming from a large kitchen catering to many other dining rooms and patrons on board. What I love about NCL, is that there are no arranged seating times for when you eat, therefore you could walk into any restaurant, make reservations and get seating right away or soon. This allows you to eat whenever you want, wherever you want!

Da Fu Seafood Cuisine (Best Dim Sum in Scarborough?)

Yes I know, I did a review back in July about my Dim Sum experience at Da Fu. Ever since then I probably
have gone back more than 20 times..
and yes 20!! When your Grandma
and Uncle calls you every Saturday
for Dim Sum, oh you can't possibly
reject!

One item that we always order first, well actually the waiters carry these around, are the Portuguese Chicken Pies (3.5/5). Filled with tender pieces of chicken in a creamy curry like sauce, these are not to be missed. The flaky pie pastry is oh so buttery, but can easily fall apart.

Another go-to item of ours is the Da Fu Vegetable Spring Rolls (4/5). Packed with shredded taro, carrots and bean sprouts these are a delight especially dipped in Worchestershire Sauce. The colouring might look off, but these are fried to a nice crisp.







Occasionally, the waiters can be seen holding plates of food that are most likely not found on the Dim Sum menu, like the Portuguese Chicken Pie. During one of our visits they were walking around with
plates of the Deep Fried Chicken Cartilage (3.5/5). These don't sound appetiting at all, but trust me I'm not a fan of cartilage either, but these were very tasty. Piping hot, these were fried with Chili's as they exhibited a little bit of heat. The cartilage was not too hard where it was inedible, and the batter was nice and crispy.





 An absolute favourite of ours, would be the Steamed Chiu Chow Dumplings (4.5/5) , also known as Fun Gor. Loaded with minced meat, Chinese mushrooms, bamboo shoots, toasted peanuts, celery and cilantro these literally explode in your mouth with the first bite. These are honestly that good. The filling isn't too salty while the dumpling skin isn't too thick. The celery and bamboo adds a nice crunch. One tip while eating these morsels of goodness. USE A SPOON! 




Speaking of explosions in your mouth, the Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun (5/5) is something that'll you'll definitely have to eat with caution! Man these are amazing! The bun is nice and soft and filled with Salted Egg Yolk goodness! These aren't too sweet and honestly I could eat a whole order of these. It is recommended that you eat these as soon as possible as the custard will sit and cool eventually making it somewhat dry. Not alot of Dim Sum places offer this dish so I'm glad this was on the menu!

The Steamed Short Ribs in Black Pepper Sauce (4/5) will make you crave for more. Tender, succulent, and moist, these literally fall off the bone. The ribs are aggressively seasoned with Black pepper to the point where it does not over power the dish which I enjoy. It definitely adds a nice to kick to it. There wasn't alot of fat content which is good.

The Steamed Shrimp Dumplings or Har Gow (4/5) were nice and plump. The wrapper was slightly thin but no to the point where it broke easily. The shrimp filling had a good crunch texture and was seasoned with a bit of sesame oil which brought out the flavours. Very good.











 The Sticky Rice filled with Salted Egg and Pork or Jung (3/5) was slightly better than the types you would find at the grocery store. The pork wasn't too fatty and there were big pieces of the salted egg yolk which is my favourite part. The mung bean and rice to filling ratio was good so that with each bite you could get some of both. This arrived with a small plate of sugar, which according to my parents, make the dish a whole lot better. I think I'll stick to eating these 'sugarless'.



The Steamed Black Bean Spare Ribs with Pumpkin (4/5) were meaty and moist, while the soft pumpkin soaked up all the goodness. I especially liked how the pieces of spare ribs didn't have too much bone and fat content and was beautifully tender. The black bean sauce wasn't too overpowering, maintaining the flavours of the meat.










The Beef Rice Noodle Roll or Cheung Fun (4/5) is one of my grandma's favourite dishes when we eat Dim Sum. She is quite the expert when it comes to a Rice Noodle Rolls. Trust me, after one bite of the Beef Rice Noodle Roll we had at Health Gourmet (See previous posts) she didn't touch it.
You know she loves it here when she can almost eat the whole plate herself. The Rice Noodle is nice and soft but not to the point where it is soggy and loose. The tender beef filling is mixed with bamboo shoots and cilantro which add a nice crunch texture.

When you arrive early during the lunch time rush, you'll usually see the BBQ Pork Puff Pastry (4.5/5) floating around. These are a very popular and go fast so be sure you come early just for it! Trust me, these are worth it. The puff pastry is super buttery and flaky, while the BBQ Pork filling is meaty and not overly sweet. These aren't like the ones you find at a Chinese Bakery.
They make these in house like their Baked Portuguese Chicken Pies, so you bet these are hot and fresh.

The Steamed Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce (4/5) was perfectly cooked where they weren't hard or too soft either. The black bean sauce was flavourful where it wasn't overpowering and the addition of minced garlic was tasty. It had some chilli's in it which provided a bit of heat.










 The Sui Mai (4/5) is another must order here. Made with with crunchy shrimp and tender pork, these almost instantly melt in your mouth. These are incredibly juicy especially when you eat these hot, and the large pieces of Chinese Mushroom add a nice smoky flavour. The Tobiko (Fish Eggs) on top add a slight saltiness as well as crunch.

The Fried Donut Rice Noodle Roll (4/5) is my uncle's favourite dish at Dim Sum and Congee places. He believes the one here at Da Fu is way better than the one at Congee Queen. What?! Yup, you read that right, and I couldn't agree with him more. The fried donut is light and crispy even with the rice noodle around it. The rice noodle wasn't too thick or too thin either which we enjoyed. The addition of dried shrimp would've nice but this was great with or without.

The last dish to arrive was the Coconut Milk Pudding (3.5/5). Rich, creamy and smooth, these were a nice end to our meal. These were topped with Toasted Shredded Coconut which was texturally pleasing and added a nice smoky flavour. The texture was firm and not too soft.


After quite alot of visits, Da Fu has instantly become one of my go-to places for Dim Sum. They do not skimp on ingredients and there food is always served the right temperature. Their food is consistent from the times I've been there, and it is quite inexpensive. The wait times for a table is usually 15-30 minutes, depending on the party size and time you go (Busier during Weekends).
I totally recommend Da Fu for great
Quality Dim Sum well worth your buck.



The Good:

• Inexpensive
• Consistent
• Great overall quality

The Bad:

• Parking may be quite hectic as it is located in a mall with T&T and other surrounding establishments
• Wait times for a table can be quite long

Dinner at Congee Queen (Hwy 7 and Leslie Location)

Congee Queen is one of my go-to spots for lunch. With locations scattered around the GTA, they offer an affordable variety of Chinese, as well as Thai and Vietnamese options. My family and I decided that we head over to Congee Queen one night for dinner. This time, we decided to visit their fairly new (Hwy 7 and Leslie) Location, right by the 404 in Richmond Hill.

While browsing the 'Hot Picks' menu, the Tiger Shrimp tossed in Custard Sauce (2/5) caught our eye. The Shrimp wasn't 'tossed' in the Custard Sauce as advertised which made us quite disappointed as some pieces were lacking in sauce. The shrimp was nice and crispy which we enjoyed. The custard sauce drizzled on top was really just mayo.

We decided on the Two Assorted BBQ Combo (3/5) , which included Roasted Duck and BBQ Pork. The Roasted Duck was beautifully prepared in my opinion where there was little to almost no fat and the skin was not soggy at all. The meat was moist and not dry. The BBQ pork was great as well, as it wasn't too fatty or chewy. The soy sauce on the bottom made the meat taste overly salty which I didn't enjoy, as I would've preferred to have it on the side. Maybe next time I'll ask for that.

I'm a sucker for anything in a Hot Pot. Even rice in a clay hot pot. With 9 varieties to choose from, and more than 10 long minutes of deciding, I decided to go with the Chicken and Chinese Mushroom with Rice in Hot Pot (3.5/5). The large pieces of chicken were moist, but had very big pieces of bone still attached. Most restaurants I've been to, tend to use boneless chicken which would've made it easier to eat. Nonetheless it was tasty, especially the Chinese mushrooms which added a nice smokiness to the dish. The rice was aromatic from the chicken and Chinese mushrooms.

The Beef with Mushroom On a Sizzling Plate (3/5) arrived piping hot and sizzling as advertised. The large pieces of beef were tender and not chewy at all. The caramelized onions were sweet and flavourful, while the mushrooms exhibited a nice texture and weren't too soft. Oh man pair this dish with a bowl of rice...

Also on their special menu, was the Golden Milk Pudding (4.5/5). My goodness these were delicious! Creamy, Smooth and full of milk flavour, these are definitely a must try! These weren't too soft which I enjoyed. Something about the rich milk flavour makes this dish so tasty, I couldn't stop eating them. Yes Yes, I know these can be easily made at home, but something about these make them a must try.












Something that can be easily made at home that I
wouldn't have again here is the Fresh Mango Pudding (1.5/5). Texturally, it was nice and smooth, but really it was the average mango pudding you find at a dim sum spot. The taste was pretty generic and I expected some pieces of Mango as it was called Fresh Mango Pudding. For $3.99, I'd rather add an extra dollar for another order of the Golden Milk Pudding.




The food at Congee Queen can be consistent at most times which is great. It can also get quite busy during lunch and dinner hours, so be prepared for a short wait (Depending on the Location). The staff at the locations I've visited are nice which is a plus.


The Good:

• Not a long wait for Food
• Everything was at the right temperature
• Spacious

The Bad:

• Food can be inconsistent at times