The youngest bamboo girl is flying off soon and requested another round of dim sum as good dim sum is hard to come by where she will be going.  Since Bamboo Girl #2 had a dental appointment nearby, it was decided to dim sum at Very Fair Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Scarborough.

Again, it's Scarborough, don't expect fancy decor or furniture.  But, it's decent food and fair prices and everyone comes away with a full tummy and very satisfied.  About 6 - 7 dishes were ordered and that came out to about $25.00.  Not bad for feeding a family of fiveI  While many of the more up-to-date restaurants have moved towards the cook-to-order system (you mark what dishes you want on an order sheet); this place has retained old-school charm where 'aunties' pushed food carts up and down the aisles.  It's fun seeing what's being offered and then you can just pick off the carts.  I enjoy this more though granted, the food may get cold by the time the cart makes it to my table.

A couple of dishes that stood out: the deep fried sesame balls...Huge hollow crispy balls rolled in sesame which the waitress punctures and snips into manageable bite-size pieces.  Surprisingly, none of the usual dishes such as shrimp dumbling, pork sui mai or steamed rice rolls were ordered.  But, we were all full on the BBQ pork steam buns, the mini sparerib claypot rice and others.

Please excuse the poorer photos as my camera mal-functioned...Need a new one :(

This will be my first not-so-postive review :(

After such a postive experience at the  Francesca Italian bakery last week; I was interested to try Nino D'Adversa Bakery which I happened by.

I'm not sure where to start but everything was a just a bit off that just made the overall experience a bit of a sour one.  The actual cafe/bakery is spacious with clusters of tables in the general middle area.  There are small displays/shelves of dried goods such as pasta, olive oil etc. for sale.  There are a number of enticing food counters; one each for pastries, cakes, deli, gelato, coffee counter, sweets and cookies and a hot table with reasonable prices i.e. veal sandwich at around $7.00.  This was probably where the problems started.

The hot table was the only place were visible prices were posted.   The rice balls looked yummy but having tried it at Francesca, decided to go for something different. I sampled the small gnocchi in tomato sauce for $5.50.  Not a particularly good price for a small dish on its own but I was willing to give it go even if it was dished up by a rather sullen looking server.  It was warmed up slightly in the microwave but by the time I've finished ordering pastries and coffee and paid for everything, it was just lukewarm.  I also started snapping some photos but one of the employees there called out saying no photos were allowed.  Thinking that she's thinking I'm a competitor or something, I explained that I'm a social blogger and that the cafe was very lovely and I wanted to blog about it.  She waved or hands and rudely said to go speak to the  manager though she didn't indicate who the manager was and/or the manager was in the cafe at the time.   

While coffee was being ordered, it only seemed right to order a pastry or two.  No visible prices could be seen  anywhere and the no one looked particularly friendly or interested in answering queries about the pastries.  In the end, two Portuguese tarts where quickly ordered to get away from another less than cheerful person.

The total bill came up close to $17.00 which just seemed a bit much considering that for a couple dollars more, you could probably have had a nice dinner.  Turns out the large coffee was $2.50 and the tarts were $3.50 each; much more than expected.  They were kept in the same display case as some of the cakes so there were cold and the shell hardly flaky.  (Visited a supermarket recently and saw a box of 6 for $4.99 and at various other bakeries, one can get them for less than $2.00 each).

And while I'm unhappily eating away my now barely warm microwaved gnoochi and my cold Portuguese tarts; a lady behind me asked to have her coffee changed to tea...Perhaps she found it too strong or something.  One of the employess called out, "That's how our coffee is!," and "People like our coffee!".  

Overall, this really wasn't a good experience :( 

Rice rolls...Another one of my favourites.  I love them plain, I love them stir-fried with chili sauce, I love them stuffed with meats or shrimp or with a crispy doughstick...I even love the Vietnamese ones. 

I just have to share a few choice pics I found via Google Image.  I'm hungry just looking at them!

Rice rolls weren't regarded as classy food; made with watery rice water; a scoop was poured over heated bamboo slats and covered with a lid.  In minutes, a solid hot rice sheet was made and rolled up, chopped into pieces and served with condiments such as sweet sauce, chili sauce, soy sauce and a sprinkle of toasted sesame.  Restaurants roll scallops, shrimps or meats into them and serve them with some sweet soy sauce thereby elevating the lowly status of the rice rolls.

One small shop in HK specializing in rice rolls got an honourary mention by Michelin and since then, it's almost always busy and difficult to get in. 

At my recent trip to New York, a delicious little restaurant was found tucked inside Chinatown.  The rice rolls with liver and the rice roll with tofu was so good, a repeat visit was needed.  But this yummy thought coupled with a delicious spareribs and rice roll claypot sampled at the Miliken Bar & Restaurant inspired the below recipe.

When I was a young kid, my parents decided it would be fun to bring their three little bamboo girls to a maple farm...We're proud Canadians after all and isn't that what every family does during March Break holidays?

But, not being particularly articulate at the young age coupled with the fact it would be a lost-of-face to complain about the could when your younger siblings haven't made a peep about it; I held my tongue for as long as possible.  When my feet went from uncomfortably cold to downright painful; I started to express my discomfort.  But, I suppose when one's got two younger kids to attend to...Well. there really wasn't much they could do other than to tell me to deal with it.  

But you see, I was and am (or so I've been told), a very impressionable child.  Images of blue toes amputated due to frostbite (I had been reading the Little House on the Prairie books about pioneers and the dangers of being frostbitten) and the fact that all fair maidens and princesses (I still entertain the idea that I'm a descendant from Chinese royalty from mom's side as her maiden name is a Wong and kings are known as Wong Dai) always had all their toes and fingers.  Bitter thoughts of how I was on the brink of losing my fingers and toes coupled with the chilly wind led to bitter tears as I fashioned up all sorts of pretend-headlines in the next day Toronto Star newspaper about this poor Chinese kid who lost her toes...Sacrificed so her parents could better attend to the needs of her younger siblings.  I'd be a heroine of sorts...Besides; as the eldest in the family, one hardly gets good roles in fairy tales as the eldest is almost always painted as wicked or selfish and thus it will be my duty to show that the eldest can also bring glory to family and country...

But I digress...And you can see why I had trouble expressing all that in the above at the age of 9ish.  Anyway, now as a full-grown articulate adult, I visited Mountsberg maple farm out in Halton.  

Quaint and informative as it is; this definitely something more suited for the young families or tourists who's new to maple farms.  Tickets were $7.25 each but family packages were available.  There are wagon/hay rides, maple candy demonstrations (and samples!); informative trails through the maple trees with signs explaining the process of turning sap into the maple syrup and everyone's favourite, the pancake house!  But very pricey!    I can't recall the exact price but was remembered feeling taken aback by it considering an admission fee was already taken. 

On the way out, we stopped at a small aviary for birds of preys.  The snowy owl was breathtakingly beautiful. 

All in all, it was an educational trip (I learned that a maple tree produces 50L of sap and that 40L of sap is needed to make 1L of syrup); a bit pricey as we finished it in about 40 minutes.  But, I can see for young families it can be a great outing for the kids. 

Dim Sum.  One of my all time favourites...Sipping tea and slowly enjoying a variety of small dishes ranging from crispy or soft, steamed or fried, buns to cakes, meats to veggies...You really can have it all!  In Hong Kong, seniors are a common sighting in the early mornings enjoying earlybird discounts.  Families tend to crowd in for weekend lunches and the leisure ones enjoy the afternoon tea discounts. 

If you picked up anything about my character from reading this blog; you'd probably be able to guess my preferred dining times...That's right!  Afternoon tea from 2:30pm - 5pm...Ahh, it signals a life of leisure.

Since returning to Toronto, the parents have taken to Milliken Bar & Restaurant (the name is kind of mis-leading...No way you would think of this as a bar) near Kennedy and Finch.  The prices are good and the selection and quality reasonable...But, the Scarborough area has many nice dim sum places around.  It may not be the fanciest of locations but good food at good prices score high on my priority. 

A few of our favourites from this particular dim sum place: steamed spareribs and rice rolls, egg custard sesame balls and preserved egg pastry.  The usual standard of pork siu mai, shrimp dumpling 'ha-gow' and beef balls are tasty but similar to other locations.

At $17.00 per admission ticket, it does seem a bit dear.  However, with admittance to both the National Home Shoe and Canada Blooms event, you are sure to have a busy day.  Fortunately, we were given a few free tickets and so decided to take advantage of it.

I worked at the CNE for about 5 summers as a youth and everytime I see Prince's Gate, I always remember fondly of my adventures while working there.  Fortunately, in this cold weather, the two events are hosted in the same building and connect into each other.

The National Home Show first.  It was HUGE and covered everything from booths promoting windows/doors producets and services, flooring, tiles, kitchen counters, patio furniture, home furniture, alarm systems, sinks and taps, lighting fixtures etc.  The massage chairs were awesome and once you're all laid out comfortably in one, you just don't want to leave...I had be pulled out one :p  There was a booth promoting sewing classes and I had a lot of fun making a small cosmetic bag.  There were also live cooking demonsrations and other small home-improvement demonstrations. 

I entered a few lucky draws...I know, I know...They just want your info to do marketing but I play along...Maybe, just maybe I'll win  something!   Don't mind the Canadian Tire cash card; a car, a VIA train trip or maybe even the portable sewing machine like the one I worked on!

After stopping for a little snack...A large order of freshly deep-fried onion rings washed down with a large free sample of iced tea from Keurigs; it was time to tackle the Canada Blooms exhibition.  Unlike the National Home Event, things were spread out more so it was less claustrophobic.  There were numerous vendors selling seeds and bulbs, floral care items, artisan crafts made with flowers or based on a floral theme. There were many different types of floral arrangment competitons...Two of my favourites were on the themes of wedding cakes and shoes. 

I do enjoy the big-name eateries but every now and then, I like to venture into the smaller establishments and I rarely regret my choices.

Francesca Bakery at McCowan and Sheppard seems to have always been there (I measure this against my pre-and post-disappearance to HK for 10+years) but I've never paid it a visit before.   It's unassuming and you can't see much for the outside.  But feeling the need for a baked treat and possibly a coffee, I popped in one day.  Had the most delicious custard-filled croissant that I went back the very next day to sample more.  That croissant was sooo good that I didn't even get a chance to snap a quick picture.  Unfortunately, on my second visit, it was already sold out.  Probably a good thing too, so I could sample some of the other lovely baked treats they had.

Francesca is an Italian bakery cafe.  Now, as much as I love my Asian food, when it comes to bakery...I generally prefer western ones (unless I'm in a serious mood for eggtarts).  Francesca's food is roughly divided into four sections; cookies, cupcakes, cakes and pies; deli; hot food (pasta, pizza bread etc.) and pastries.  They also have a selection of fresh bread, olive oils and other similar items for sale. 

On this second visit, I had a regular croissant...Oh so flaky and buttery! A small rice ball from the hot table...Delightfully crunchy and savoury with a mix of rice, meats, peas and carrots and I just couldn't pass up trying the Italian canneloni...A crisp pastry wrapper filled with a ricotta cheese filling and topped with chopped pistachio.  This was all washed down with a lovely cup of latte.  This is a terrific bakery cafe and perfect with afternoon tea or if you just want to treat yourself to some exquistely baked treats. 

The Chinese love their soups and differ from western soup in that ours is never creamy.  It may be thick and chunky but never creamy.  Most often they will resemble broths.  Growing up, mom would always remind her bamboo girls to drink soup as it will nourish body and face.  

The Chinese have this idea that if one is having stomach problem, one makes soup with a pig's stomach; if it's your liver or kidneys, make sure to make a soup with liver or kidneys.  I'm not sure if a subscribe to this believe 100 percent but I do love soups.  

Feeling particularly dry; perhaps from the dry winter weather or from having too much fried food; it was time for a pot of soup.  A couple of bruised apples and carrots and some chicken was quickly boiled down and simmered into a nourishing soup.  I usually use lean pork or pork bones for a more flavourful soup but there was only chicken in fridge so chicken it was. 

INGREDIENTS:
4 apples - cut, cored, quartered
1 large carrot -  peeled and cut into 3-4 pieces
quarter chicken or a large thigh (the more meat, the more flavourful)
a handful of dried apricot kernals

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil a pot of water.  If using pork bones, blanch the bones briefly to remove any dirt.  Throw out the water and boil another pot of water.   Add the blanch pork bones, lean pork or chicken.  Bring to boil.
2. Add apples, carrots and apricot kernels.  Bring to boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for an hour. 
3. Add salt to taste.

**NOTES
This soup is tasty with whole corns (broken in halves or thirds).   Makes the soup even sweeter. 

Ohh..What a feast.  We had some coupons for The Fish House and with everyone home from afar, it was time to celebrate!  Still thinking of my low-carb diet, I thought, 'no problem'...It's just fish after all.  Oh, but then there was the appetizer and then the dessert...Guilty!

Fish House, located on Woodbine Ave. serves up all sorts of seafood.  It'll cost a pretty penny but thanks to mom's quick thinking, had purchased some promotional coupons in earlier in the year.  Tonight, we ate like kings but did little damage to the wallet.

The place is suitably decorated with fishes decor dotting the walls.  There are wide booth seats as well as regular seats and a bar area too.  It was a busy day and our server was kept quite busy.  We ordered from both the regular menu and the special dinner menu.  There's Early Bird menu too for those who dine from 4:00pm - 6:00pm.  Seems like quite a good deal, including appetizer, main and dessert.  Next time.

Now check out what we had!  Most of the fish was salmon or tilapia and seems like the specialty here is for it be 'crusted' which is a topping of crushed pastachio or macademia nuts and served with two sides.  We had extra asparagus, daily vegetalbes (carrots, peppers, zucchini) and my favourite, sweet potato mash.  Warm crunchy bread was served together with our drinks.  We then sampled the clam chowder and fried calamari for appetizers...The chowder was thick and chunky and full of yumminess but the calarami I found to be too salty; actually I did find the overall meal a bit heavy on the salt side.  A lovely ley lime pie helped round of the meal.  It's tartness was refreshing of such a big meal.