The Reubenesque for lunch at Caplansky's Delicatessen in Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

We're going back to Vancouver! Before that, we grabbed lunch from Caplansky's Delicatessen. I remember Zane Caplansky when watching Guy's Big Project. I remember rooting for him to win.

When searching for places to eat in Toronto, I checked multiple sources like Anthony Bourdain, Michelin Guide, and Food Network shows like You Gotta Eat Here (YGEH) and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (DDD).

I had already ordered when I saw the DDD symbol on the menu. So hubby and I went for starred menu items, which indicates they are fan favourites.

The Reubenesque

I love a good Reuben sandwich, and it's something I use to eat at least once a week at PICA Blue Hat Cafe when I get free lunch from there, paid for by work.

The Reubenesque
Smoked meat, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, coleslaw, and grilled on rye

The smoked meat was delicious, but I wish there was more Russian dressing because it was a bit dry in some sections.

The Caplansky Burger
70% fresh ground beef and 30% smoked meat. Served with lettuce, tomato, onion, & pickle on an everything bagel bun

My husband went for The Caplansky Burger because it's the namesake. I thought the patty was dry, then realized it's 30% smoked meat. The tomato, lettuce, and sauce provided much-needed moisture to the burger.

The Caplansky Burger

I can't wait to come back to Toronto or have a transit through YYZ to try items with the YGEH and DDD symbols.

This was our last meal in Toronto, and it was such a fun, short, and food-filled vacation. I can't wait to travel again soon!

Peameal Bacon Sandwich from Carousel Bakery in St. Lawrence Market

I love the Vancouver Public Library, and in the recommended books I spotted, "World Travel: An Irreverent Guide" by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever. So I borrowed and perused Vancouver, the Philippines, and Toronto.

I want to see what they say about the Philippines because I grew up there. Then, I check out which restaurants in Vancouver they recommend because I live here. Lastly, I was planning to go on vacation in Toronto, so I had to see Anthony Bourdain's recommendation for good food in the city.

I can't remember everything he recommended except the one I know I can visit. The book suggested the Peameal Bacon Sandwich from Carousel Bakery in St. Lawrence Market. I wasn't sure what to expect because it was the first time I heard about peameal bacon.

Peameal Bacon Sandwich from Carousel Bakery in St Lawrence Market

First, the bun was soft, but the real winner was the bacon slabs they used. It's thin enough so you can easily bite into it but thick enough to retain all the bacon flavour. They also use fantastic mustard.

Anthony Bourdain also mentioned in passing how much he liked their butter tarts, so I ordered one.

Pecan Butter Tart from Carousel Bakery

The filling is standard sweet pecan, but the tart shell itself is so delicious. I can't believe the crust can steal the show from the filling, but this one just did. Yum!

St. Lawrence Market is two floors, and you can spend a day just eating your heart out with the different pasta, seafood, sandwiches, and desserts available. I pray to God that I have a chance to come back.

Toronto Maple Leafs Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

As previously mentioned, I have a mild obsession with Dream Donuts from Tim Hortons. So taking a vacation in Toronto meant visiting a new branch and finding a unique Dream Donut flavour or design, this time supporting their hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

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List of Dream Donuts from Tim Hortons

I arranged it alphabetically instead of chronologically.

Apple Pie Dream Donut Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut Black Forest Filled Ring Dream Donut Chocolate Hazelnut Eclair Dream Creamy Maple Pecan Dream Donut Dulce de Leche Easter Nest Dream Donut Hershey's S'mores Dream Donut Matcha Coconut Dream Donut

New York Cheesecake Dream Donut Penguin Dream Donut Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dream Donut Sea Salted Caramel Dream Strawberry Shortcake Filled Ring Toronto Maple Leafs Dream Donut Vanilla Bean Dip Dream Donut Vanilla Cream Puff Filled Ring

Bagel for breakfast from St. Urbain Bagel inside St. Lawrence Market

Our last few hours in Toronto were spent in St. Lawrence Market. We were meeting our friend from the Philippines for breakfast, and while waiting for her, we decided to have a bagel sandwich from St. Urbain Bagel.

One of the things I fell in love with since moving to Canada is the bagel. My current favourite is any bagel sandwich with salmon in it. The best one I've tried is from an adorable French shop in Vancouver: Mon Pitou.

St. Urbain Bagel Bar
Everything bagel, garlic & herb cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, and capers

Delicious bagel sandwich in Toronto

With this in mind, we ordered a Salmon sandwich with an Everything bagel, garlic cream cheese, and all the vegetables. The bagel was dense, and I wish it was toasted a bit longer, but the salmon, cream cheese, and capers are all wonderful.

An excellent first bite of food from St. Lawrence Market.

St. Lawrence Market is similar to the more famous Pike Place Market in Seattle and the smaller Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver.

I didn't have bagels in Pike Place, but the best source of bagels in Granville Island is Siegel's Bagel.

Midnight Snack from Fugo Desserts and Makan

After hanging out in our hotel room for a couple hours, we finally decided to walk to Fugo Desserts for desserts. Yes, we planned to have dinner at Sugo and dessert at Fugo. 😁

Fugo is famous for its Instagram-worthy ice cream, but I'm staying away from anything cold because of my recent acid reflux attack. My mom likes to remind us (me and my siblings) that we have "weak" stomachs and shouldn't skip meals or eat anything cold on an empty stomach. So instead of ice cream, we went for mini donuts!

Fugo Desserts share a space with Makan. I ordered Regular Tots and Truffle Tots for a sweet-savoury pairing.

Box of 16 Specialty Mini Donuts
From top to bottom row: Plain, Churro, Rosewater Pistachio, and Reese's

Mini Donuts

Reese's Mini Donuts from Fugo Desserts

The variety of mini donuts available is overwhelming. There are over 30 different flavours, and when you order a box, each flavour comes with four pieces, so it's impossible to try everything without spending too much money on dessert. Also, the donuts were a bit dry, but it's really the topping carrying the flavour.

Truffle Tots

Regular Tots

The tots from Makan were delicious! Although, I have a bias for salty/savoury things over sweets. This is such a great place to hangout.

Spaghetti, meatball, and more for dinner at Sugo

We booked our flight and hotel for our Toronto vacation on the first week of September. Why? Because our dear friend and maid-of-honour for our wedding is taking a break and visiting relatives in Toronto. We made a last-minute decision to take a vacation and meet with her.

She sent us a list of restaurants she wanted to try, and we picked Sugo. So after spending hours in Royal Ontario Museum, we met with her, and we took Line 2 to Lansdowne Station to Sugo.

Dinner at Sugo

We ordered a lot of food, and I was excited to eat since I was starving.

First to arrive at our table are the gigantic meatballs. They're bigger than what you usually get from other restaurants. Since I was hungry, I took a piece of the meatball and was surprised at how good it was. The inside was juicy and flavourful. So we're off to a great start!

Meatball
Uncle Scotti's famous meatball

Next, our mozzarella sticks arrived, and it was alright on its own, but paired with the tomato dip, it became elevated.

Mozz Sticks
Mozzarella sticks served with marinara sauce.

Afterwards, the Chicken Parm arrived. Even close to the edge, I thought the chicken was a bit dry, and even the delicious tomato sauce couldn't save it.

Chicken Parm
Breaded chicken breast topped with mozzarella and Sugo.

Then, the Gnocchi came, and it was delicious! Highly recommended, especially with ricotta. It was amazing. I can't wait to try the Spaghetti.

I took a bite of the Spaghetti covered in the house-made sauce and understood why my friend wanted to come here. It was excellent, and it deserved all the love from Torontonians.

Spaghetti
Classic veal and pork ragu with parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper

Unfortunately, after a couple bites of the Spaghetti, I felt sick to my stomach and had no desire to eat. My husband is so worried because his foodie wife doesn't have an appetite for delicious food. I wanted to vomit, so I stopped eating and was just nibbling on the delicious food. I want to cry. I felt sick but wanted to eat.

My friend and husband were so understanding that we had most food to go and brought it back to our hotel room so I could rest.

I started feeling a bit better after I burped. Maybe it's acid reflux. I'm not sure. We exchanged gifts and watched YouTube videos in the hotel room, and I started feeling hungry. So we reheated the garlic bread and some of the Gnocchi. Thankfully, my stomach didn't reject it. Whew!

Croissants from Royal Ontario Museum

We had breakfast at 8:00 AM while walking to the train station. Then, we walked around beautiful Casa Loma and explored all the exhibits and galleries inside Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) with no food in between.

By quarter to three, I have a mild headache and am famished. So we hurriedly ordered a butter croissant and an almond croissant from the cafe on the 1st floor of ROM.

Butter Croissant

Almond Croissant

It was stale, but it will do to have some food in my stomach. We're meeting a dear friend from the Philippines shortly after that for dinner, so I need the space for delicious food.

Breakfast from King Blue Hotel Cafe

The cat is out of the bag. I now have to share that we stayed in the newly opened King Blue Hotel at the corner of King Street and Blue Jays Way. On the hotel's website, there's no mention of a restaurant or cafe, but they recently opened one on the ground floor.

On our penultimate date in Toronto, we decided to grab a savoury scone and one of the muffins to go. I wished the scone was reheated longer because the outside was perfect, but the middle was cold. The muffin was perfect the way it was.

Muffin

Scone

We hurriedly ate both on our way to Line 1 on our way to Casa Loma.

Arancini, Seafood Pasta, and Rustica Pizza for dinner at Pizza Rustica

After a busy day visiting Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, CN Tower, and the Distillery District, we had to decide where to have dinner. I want to try Harvey's (I blame all those commercials when we're watching the NFL 😏), but the location closest to our hotel is closed because it's a holiday. 😞

We just continued walking to our hotel from Harvey's location and decided on Pizza Rustica. It's within the block of our hotel, and they're open 24 hours. 

I had low expectations of the place because it's usually empty when we walk past the restaurant. And, for dinner, we're the only ones here. But, to be fair, it's a holiday.

Arancini
Vegetable arancini on a bed of Arugula and topped with tomato sauce.

The arancini were alright and pretty acceptable.

Seafood Pasta
Tiger shrimp, mussels, calamari, herbed tomatoes, and onions in a tomato sauce

I am surprised at how much I enjoyed their seafood pasta. The seafood is perfectly cooked, and the spaghetti is al dente. I'll happily order this again.

Rustica Pizza
Prosciutto, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, mushrooms, and mozzarella in tomato sauce.

The thin-crust pizza was delicious too. I didn't like the roasted peppers and thought it could use a minute or two more in the oven, but it's a great-tasting pizza. We had leftovers which we reheated in the hotel room microwave, which was even better.

Overall, it's an excellent dinner to end a tiring day.

Assorted Butter Tarts from Tartistry Distillery District

After an hour or so in the CN Tower, we decided to ride a streetcar and head to the historic Distillery District. We walked around and learned about the past of the old brick buildings of the area. Afterwards, we decided to grab four butter tarts from Tartistry.

Four Different Tarts from Tartistry

Enjoying them in the tables available.

Plain Butter Tart

Pecan Tart

Maple Walnut Tart

All tarts have the same buttery crust, and the filling is the same sweet goodness. The main difference is the Pecan Tart has pecans, while the Maple Walnut Tart has walnuts. I prefer the Walnut one.

However, the best among them is the G-W Scotch Tart, an exclusive flavour in the Distillery District location of Tartistry.

G-W Scotch Tart

It has the same buttery crust and sweet filling, but an aftertaste cuts through the sweetness, allowing you to go for another bite. I love it!

Vue Bistro CN Tower Main Observation Level Food Menu and Prices

We visited the Main Observation Level of the CN Tower and were unaware that you could grab a bite there from Vue Bistro. If I knew, we could have our lunch there instead. 

The menu below is taken last October 10, 2022 (Thanksgiving weekend) and is subject to change without prior notice. It does not include tax or tip.

Food Items	Price
Kale Salad Baby kale, shaved crispy squash, crostini, hard-boiled free-run egg, Parmesan cheese, creamy Caesar dressing	$14.00
Kale Salad with chicken breast	$20.00
Kale Salad with bacon	$18.00
Vegetable and Grain Power Salad Roasted chickpeas, brown rice, red quinoa, yellow split peas, sweet corn, spinach, heirloom cherry tomatoes, pickled shallots, citrus dressing	$14.00
Vegetable and Grain Power Salad with chicken breast	$20.00
Vegetable and Grain Power Salad with bacon	$18.00
VUE Nachos Three-bean chili, olives, jalapenos, green onions, grated cheese, cilantro cream	$17.00
VUE Nachos with chicken breast	$23.00
Tomato and Mozzarella Flatbread Kingsville tomato sauce, grape tomatoes, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, and black olives	$16.00
Tomato and Mozzarella Flatbread with chicken breast	$22.00
Grilled Cheese Panini and Fries Cheddar and Havarti cheese, panini bread, Yukon Gold fries	$16.00
Grilled Cheese Panini and Fries with chicken breast	$22.00
Grilled Cheese Panini and Fries with bacon	$20.00
BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich and Fries Shredded braised jackfruit, smoked BBQ sauce, red cabbage slaw, Yukon Gold fries	$17.00
Poutine Yukon Gold fries, cheese curds, and mushroom gravy	$14.00
Chicken Fingers and Fries Crispy breaded chicken fingers, Yukon Gold fries, ginger plum sauce	$19.00
Beef Dip Sandwich and Fries 6oz thinly sliced AAA beef, melted cheese, sauteed onions, hoagie bun, beef jus, Yukon Gold fries	$19.00
Fish and Chips Battered East Coast cod fingers, Yukon Gold fries, tartare sauce	$18.00
VUE Sundae Choice of vanilla or strawberry ice cream. Topped with chocolate sauce, mini Oreo cookies, chocolate curls	$14.00
Summer berry Tartlet With whipped mascarpone, strawberry coulis, fresh berries	$12.00

Chicken and Beef Shawarma Platter for lunch at Pita & Grill (Bremner Blvd)

After having breakfast at Tim Hortons, we spent the rest of our morning learning and admiring sea creatures in Ripley's Aquarium of Canada.

Then, we walked along Bremner Boulevard to see which restaurants were open since it was the Thanksgiving holiday. We decided on Pita & Grill since it's a brand not available in Vancouver.

We ordered two platters, hummus that comes with pita, and four falafel.

Left: Chicken Shawarma Platter (Grilled chicken shawarma with salad, rice, and garlic sauce)
Right: Beef Shawarma Platter (Grilled beef shawarma with salad, rice, and garlic sauce)

The chicken shawarma is better. The meat is soft and flavourful. Meanwhile, the beef shawarma was tough, and it felt like it's been there for hours.

Hummus
Chickpea paste, tahini sauce, and virgin olive oil

I recently fell in love with hummus and want it every chance I have. Unfortunately, this one is not good.

Falafel

Thankfully, the falafel is the best thing they have to offer. However, I now regret ordering the beef platter. I should have ordered a Falafel platter instead.

After lunch, we continued our city tour and went to the CN Tower.

Vanilla Bean Dip Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

Happy Monday! We had breakfast at Tim Hortons 30 meters from our hotel and found a second dream donut on their menu: Vanilla Bean Dream Donut.

Vanilla Bean Dip Dream Donut

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List of Dream Donuts from Tim Hortons

I arranged it alphabetically instead of chronologically.

Apple Pie Dream Donut Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut Black Forest Filled Ring Dream Donut Chocolate Hazelnut Eclair Dream Creamy Maple Pecan Dream Donut Dulce de Leche Easter Nest Dream Donut Hershey's S'mores Dream Donut Matcha Coconut Dream Donut

New York Cheesecake Dream Donut Penguin Dream Donut Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dream Donut Sea Salted Caramel Dream Strawberry Shortcake Filled Ring Vanilla Bean Dip Dream Donut Vanilla Cream Puff Filled Ring

Matcha Coconut Dream Donut from Tim Hortons

I am obsessed with Tim Horton's dream donut, and we found the Matcha Coconut Dream Donut at a location 30 meters from our hotel in Toronto. I was so giddy!

Matcha Coconut Dream Donut

Matcha Coconut Dream Donut

Matcha Coconut Dream Donut
Yeast donut, Matcha fondant, and toasted coconut topping

I love the matcha flavour, but the coconut topping doesn't add anything to it. I can't wait for Tims to bring this Dream Donut nationwide!

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List of Dream Donuts from Tim Hortons

I arranged it alphabetically instead of chronologically.

Apple Pie Dream Donut Birthday Cake Confetti Dream Donut Black Forest Filled Ring Dream Donut Chocolate Hazelnut Eclair Dream Creamy Maple Pecan Dream Donut Dulce de Leche Easter Nest Dream Donut Hershey's S'mores Dream Donut

Matcha Coconut Dream Donut New York Cheesecake Dream Donut Penguin Dream Donut Pumpkin Spice Dream Donut Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dream Donut Sea Salted Caramel Dream Strawberry Shortcake Filled Ring Vanilla Cream Puff Filled Ring

Palak Paneer, Chicken Vindaloo, and more for Dinner at Aanch | Michelin Guide Restaurant

Happy Sunday! It's Thanksgiving long weekend, so I originally had planned for us to have dinner at OB Canteen because they have a special Thanksgiving turkey menu. Unfortunately, we arrived too late, and they were closed for the evening. We got there a couple minutes before 8:00 PM.

When researching places to eat, I checked the newly announced Michelin Guide for Toronto, and Aanch is a block away from where we were, so we went there to have dinner instead.

We ordered and ate a lot. This is also our first meal in Toronto that we went beyond a hundred dollars for the two of us. 💸

Dinner at Aanch

We ordered most of our usual when going to Indian restaurants but tried one new item from the shareable section of the menu.

The calamari was unexpectedly delicious. How come I don't order this at other Indian restaurants?! The calamari is covered in masala sauce, which is tangy and spicy in flavour, but the raw onion and dip are great supporting acts to provide balance to the dish.

Chatpatti Calamari

For our mains, I ordered the usual Chicken Vindaloo and Palak Paneer.

Palak Paneer
Cottage cheese cooked with pureed spinach in onion-tomato gravy.

The Palak Paneer is the best one I've tried. It's not spicy, but it's so flavourful.

Chicken Vindaloo
Goan special chicken curry in hot & spicy vindaloo gravy

The Chicken Vindaloo is so hot (as warned by the server) that hubby only got a few pieces of the chicken and none of the sauce, while I enjoy it best with the Garlic Naan.

Garlic Naan
Tandoori bread topped with fresh garlic & coriander

The garlic naan bursts with garlic flavour, which is generally sweet, so it worked perfectly well with the Vindaloo.

To end our meal, we asked for the dessert menu and ordered Kheer. It's the same dessert we enjoyed last time we went to an Indian restaurant. It's even better!

Kaju Kishmish Kheer
Sweetened rice & dry fruits cooked in rose sugar milk.

It was a great evening spending a lovely and delicious meal with my love in a city we're visiting for the first time. 😍

Tiropita for Breakfast from Aroma Espresso Bar

Happy Sunday! Good morning, Toronto! We're joining a Niagara Falls Day Tour today, but we grabbed breakfast from Amora Espresso Bar before leaving.

We chose the wrap-looking thing, but I think it's a Tiropita (feta cheese baked in filo pastry). It's filling to kick start the day.

Tiropita

I want to post things as close to real-time as possible, so I will publish this at 8:20 AM without the picture. 😅

The Priest and OG Cheeseburger for dinner at The Burger Priest

When I moved to Canada and was unemployed (my first nine months here), my comfort show was "You Gotta Eat Here." I tried a handful of places the show featured in Vancouver, so it only makes sense that we visit The Burger Priest now that we're in Toronto.

OG Cheeseburger
It's the OG. What else do we need to say? Our beef patty with American cheddar and your choice of toppings.

The Priest
The Priest burger from the Burger's Priest? I mean, c'mon. Cheeseburger & 'The Option' (panko-crusted mushroom caps stuffed with cheese) with your choice of toppings.

Stern Fries
Fries, onions, cheese, and secret sauce

Poutine
Fresh cut fries, cheese curds, and gravy

The burger is delicious, but the sides are even better. If you love onions and a mustard-based sauce, go for the Stern Fries. If not, the poutine is surprisingly better than what I expected.