Dad was in the mood for HK-styled milk tea and so we went to one of our usual haunts to satisfy his craving.  HK-styled milk tea is made with English red tea, evaporated milk and sweetened with sugar.  It's thick, creamy and oh so yummy but a big no-no for the tummy.  One of my favourite expressions come to mind: What's yummy for the lips, is dangerous for the hips."

For such a cutely named cafe, it delivers poorly in design.  Simple chairs and tables and large hand-printed menus instead of pictures decorate the walls.  But what they lack in style, they make up in price and of course, their milk tea!  Dad and Mom swears the tea here is the best.

Their afternoon tea menu starts at $2.50 for a number of different breads or toasts and a drink.  For a bit more, you get French Toast or soup noodles.  We went for their deep friend chicken wings, 2pcs and fries for $3.99 and Singaporean Fried Vermicelli (stir-fried vermicelli with ham, bean sprouts in a light curry paste).
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Too bad the wings were a bit burnt but it was big and tasty. Love fat crinkle fries!
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A Singaporean friend told me that this is NOT a native dish of Singapore.
 
Power King on Urbanspoon
Looking for an afternoon left us frustrated this day.  The first place (Red Tea Cafe) was crowded which has never been in all the times I went...The second place (Pacific Mall)  was a nightmare to drive into due to heavy traffic...So we ended up in New Mongkok Plaza.

We did a walk-around of the plaza and ended up at  'Power King Restaurant'.  A few tables were already taken but it wasn't too crowded.  They had two specialty 'lunch boxes' for $5.99.  (a.) Short-ribs, fried rice and a spring roll or (b.) lemon chicken, fried rice and two deep-fried wonton.  We choose set (b.) and beef fried noodles.  Both came with a drink.
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Quite a generous portion and the beef was tender. The noodles were a bit soggy and not the crispy-style ones I prefer.
The food was tasty and the portions large but it was your usual congee & noodle stops.  We probably won't come back because there are so many more similiar ones to try.  

We couldn't finish the noodles and asked for a take-out box and found out that take-out boxes for afternoon tea costed an extra $0.25. 
 
Five Guys Burgers & Fries on Urbanspoon
Was watching an episode of 'Once Upon A Time' and watched a character eat a hot dog; was thinking I hadn't had a street dog in ages...They don't have any in Hong Kong...The real ones anyway...And that led me to think of burgers and before you know it, we were in the car and on our way for a greasy, satisfying burger from Johnny's.  Unfortunately, they were closed!  We decided to give 5 Guys a try.  There are 3 locations in Toronto, we went to the one on Warden as it was closest. 

As it was late in the evening (nearly 9pm I think), it wasn't too crowded but as the burgers are individually crafted with your choice of toppings and condiments, there was a bit of wait.  To pass the time, we munched on the roasted peanuts available in open sacks.  Was very satisfying to pop and munch!
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Those are sacks of peanuts, just ready to be popped and eaten. Crunch! Crunch!!
The burgers arrived but I was disappointed that the buns were not toasted.  In fact, they were cool to the touch.  the meat was juicy and the toppings fresh.  I chose the small regular burger at $5.19, figured smaller burgers meant fewer calories...Ha!  Didn't help that I also ordered a small fry; comforted myself with the thought that since I'm sharing, it means half the fat. 

There's a small blackboard near the cashier which states where and what type of potatoes are used for that day's fries.  The small fries we ordered was plenty enough for us to snack on...Was late after all and we didn't want to feel too guilty afterwards.  Think they were $2.99 and the soft drink had free refills.
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This is the small burger with one beef patty for $5.19. The regular has two patties and is $6.99.
 
Patisserie la Cigogne on Urbanspoon
One recent Saturday, we decided to try one of the brunch places we had looked up on blogTO.  Cora's and Wimpy's may be good but we were on an adventure to try smaller establishments and/or indpendent ones.

We were in the Danforth Ave. when our hunger got the better us and so we stopped at a cute cafe we spotted while driving down the road.  Patisserie La Cigogne is THE cake and pastry place.  Beautifully crafted tiered cakes, pies, macaroons, eclairs...Just heavenly.  The only reason we didn't order any of these delectable offerings was that it just seemed wrong to have cake as our first meal fo the day.

Aside from the bakery section, they do have an all day breakfast and brunch menu but it doesn't seem that extensive, a few crepe, quiche and breakfast options.  This is not your egg/sausage type of brunch and I suppose it's the breads and cakes which are the feature products.  We decided go for their weekend brunch special, Tart Flambee but was informed that it is only available at their Bayview sister branch.  In  the end we chose Croque Madame and a ham/swiss chess crepe as well as their $2.00 coffee with free refill.  Specialty coffees are also available. 
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Toasted brioche, ham, swiss cheese and topped with a sunng-side-up egg. Warm and savory but the egg was a bit on the too-raw side.
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This turned out to be quite delicious! A much healthier option that the egg, sausage and hash I was initially looking for.
 
Chinese Northern Flavour Restuarant on Urbanspoon
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440 Spadina Ave. (Toronto) (416) 966-9688
Hungry and cold from walking and touring around downtown Toronto, we ended up in this little restaurant specializing in Northern Chinese cuisine in Chinatown.  The resaurant was clean, bright and had private booths along the side.
Lamb seems to be a specialty here and featured in several dishes including 'Lamb Fries' which were **Gasp...Lamb testicle skewers!  While I'm an adventurous eater, I wasn't up to it. 
We ordered boiled dumplines instead of pan-fried ones in a bid to keep healthy, Stinky Tofu and on a follow-up visit, leek pancakes and spicy lamb skewers.  All very delicious!
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15 pieces ofr $6.99
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Juicy, tender morsels...A little red vinegar and chili oil...Just lovely!
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Crispy and pungent; definitely for those with an acquired taste. $4.99.
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Meat had a good bite to it, the chili flakes were just the right amount heat for me. $4.99/4pcs.
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These were big! Filled with leek, a little bit of egg, dried prawns...It was quite taste and crispy but a bit too oily for me.
 
Madeleines Cherry Pie and Ice Cream Parlour on Urbanspoon
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1087 Bathurst, Toronto (Bathurst/Dupont) (416) 537-9596
Looking for a cup of coffee and a savoury bite led us to this quaint little shop in the Bathurst/Dupont area on Sunday.  There weren't many patrons, just one other lady enjoying her spot by the window.  During the time we were enjoying our food, a few more came, some just for a coffee and one to purchase a pie.  A tempting sweet table kept me busily eyeing that particular corner of the cafe.
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A tempting sweet table kept me busily eyeing this particular corner of the cafe.
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Boxed pies ready to go. We didn't buy any this time but they sure did look good!
The cafe features pies and quiches.  The nice man who seated and served us apologize that the naan selections were unavailable as the delivery guy was  unable to make it last Friday due to the snowstorm.  But he recomended the two  specials of the day, meat tortiere and the sweet potatoe pie.  We choose the  meat tortiere and selected one of the quiches.  This is part of their brunch selection which does not include drinks. 
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Tasty, savoury bites packed in a buttery tart. It was a bit too crusty for me though.