Can You Resist Bang Bang Ice Cream?

There is always a long line at Bang Bang Ice Cream & Bakery for a reason. They have some of the most innovative ice cream flavours out there.  Flavours such as London Fog, ginger milk, mission fig and rocky roadkill to name a few, are not only creative but delicious!

Flavour Wall!

Totaro!

On my last visit, I tried out Totaro flavour in a cup - a play on the Japanese animated character Totoro. As you can expect, it was taro ice cream but with coconut shavings!  I'm a happy sucker for successful Asian marketing... :P

Uncle Tetsu Expands with New Matcha Cafe!

Still with a sprawling line at Uncle Tetsu, it was no surprise to see this Matcha Cafe pop up right beside the original to offset demand. As the name entails, this cafe serves all things matcha from soft serve to madeleines. The madeleines, which are $2.99 each or buy three, get one free, have a subtle green tea matcha aroma and flavour with a nice crust. There wasn't a line in the afternoon today for the cafe but that can change in the blink of an eye especially with the ever popular cheesecake getting its own matcha version in August. 

Yelp's Passport to Patios Launch Party

I was at Porch for Yelp's Passport to Patios Launch Party!

What a View!

Porch is a rooftop patio with a fantastic view of the CN Tower and it was the perfect venue to start patio season!  Although it rained, it didn't dampen our experience.  The friendly and unpretentious Porch staff served us a never ending assortment of bites from various salads to bar favourites such as wings, fish tacos, meatballs, wraps, coleslaw fries and deep fried mac 'n cheese squares... the list goes on!  The staff brought food to us with a smile and also cleared our plates in a timely fashion. Great service!

Salads

Beef with Potato Salad

Chicken Wraps

Meatballs

Coleslaw Fries with Bacon Bits

Salt and Pepper Wings

BBQ Wings

Pigs in a Blanket

Fish Taco

Deep Fried Mac 'N Cheese

The Tromba Tequila bartender dispensed us delicious margaritas consisting of lime juice, a lavender bitter, and smashed rosemary. Along with the Sol beer reps, were never thirsty!

Tromba Tequila!

Great View!

Sol Reps

Sol Beer

What a great event!

Cluny

Review to come...

Avoid the Vesta Food Truck!

@vestalunchto Food Truck | Bulgogi Wrap with Fries || Unfortunately, a gimmicky wrap with muted Korean flavours and diluted sauce. The sauce wasn't thick enough and dripped everywhere!  They should stick with diner basics and not promote Korean fusion. ||| This food truck was parked at Bloor & Bedford, right beside the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning. It originated from the owners of Vesta Lunch Diner at Dupont and Bathurst. #VestaLunchTO #VestaLunch #foodtruck #fries #bulgogiwrap #bulgogi #lettuce #redonions #carrots #foodie #urbanfoodie #TOEats #TOFood #Toronto #torontoeats #yyzeats #lunch #Korean #KoreanFusion #KoreanNotReally

Mealshare Yelp Event at Marben

Tonight there was a Yelp event at Marben promoting the worthy charity Mealshare, an organization whose mission is to end hunger in Canada and around the world. Mealshare has partnered with PARC (Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre) to provide meals in Toronto. Partner restaurants such as Marben (and others such as Khao San Road, Pizza Libretto, and Richmond Station) are giving a portion of the proceeds of certain dishes at their restaurants to Mealshare!

Here are those dishes that will be making a difference:

John's Burger
Braised Beef, Branson Pickle, Cheddar

John's Burger - I loved how this burger was served medium... The braised beef was very flavourful and melt-in-your-mouth.  Great bun selection... It was fluffy and soft. The cheese brought everything together. It was a bit on the salty side though. 

Fries

You gotta be fast!

Barley and Rye Kernel Risotto
 Fresh peas, asparagus, golden beets, puffed wild rice

Barley and Rye Kernel Risotto - This was my favourite dish of the night!  The risotto was flavoured with an asparagus sauce and was perfectly "al dente."  The barley, rye kernels, and puffed wild rice elevated the dish by adding a delicious crunchy texture. Terrific!

There were two options of drinks: a classic gin & tonic as well as the creative Dark & Stormy - 1.5 ounces of dark rum, 1/2 ounce of lime juice and topped up with ginger beer!

Dark & Stormy

Gin & Tonic

Go check out Marben today and support Mealshare!