stenoodie

Mon Sheong Summer Retreat 2014: Survive the Mountain

Posted on July 31, 2014 by stenoodie

Treetop trekking at Blue Mountain during our summer retreat!

Last weekend, I got the chance to partake in Mon Sheong’s summer retreat with a group of young and enthusiastic upcoming leaders and adventure-goers! While some of them were already my dear friends who I know from before, I got the chance to meet some new friends as well! It was a wonderful weekend where two chalets at Blue Mountain Village were rented out and we spent time away from our usual technology/wifi spots (at least for me) to learn how to have fun in team games, spend time outdoors, and learn a thing or two about each other and ourselves. It was so fun and such a relaxing yet adventurous retreat! 😀 Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, New Experiences, Uncategorized | Tagged @monsheong, Blue Mountain, friends, fun, leadership, learning, Mon Sheong, msgy, retreat, summer retreat, survival games, survivethemountain, treetop trekking, youth | 7 Comments

Summerlicious 2014 Restaurant #5: STOCK Restaurant Bar & Lounge

Posted on July 30, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at Trump International Hotel & Tower
325 Bay St, 31st Floor in Toronto

STOCK Restaurant Bar & Lounge is located at the 31st floor of the Trump International Hotel & Tower in the Financial District of Toronto (read: fancy schmacy). Danny was awesome enough to make a reservation for the four of us foodies well in advance. We got a table for the 8:30 p.m. table seating on a Friday night. Woohoo!

Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged $45, 2014, 31st floor, @LiciousTO, @STOCKToronto, Bay Scallop & Atlantic Salmon Ceviche, Bay Street, dinner, downtown, fancy, Financial District, fine dining, Flourless Fudge Cake, food blog, foodie, free wifi, Lemon Thyme Roasted Chicken Supreme, prix fixe, restaurant review, Sea Bream, sky patio, Spinach Salad, STOCK, STOCK Restaurant Bar & Lounge, Strawberry Pavlova, Summerlicious, Toronto, Trump International Hotel & Tower, two levels, Veal Loin | 1 Comment

Summerlicious 2014 Restaurant #4: Casa Manila

Posted on July 29, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at 879 York Mills Rd in Toronto

Oh, man. I wanted really badly to have a good review for this restaurant and say that I liked my experience here, but I really didn’t have a good time. You’ll see why below.

For my 4th Summerlicious restaurant — I know, crazy, right, and the event’s not even a week old yet! — my mom and I had lunch at Casa Manila, a Filipino restaurant in North York near York Mills and Don Mills. Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged 2014, @CasaManilaTO, @LiciousTO, Casa Manila, Cassava Cake, chicken adobo, coconut ginger fish, Filipino, food blog, foodie, gamas, garlic shrimp, lumpia, lunch, prix fixe, restaurant review, Summerlicious, Toronto, ube taro smoothie, Ube-Taro Cake, York Mills Road | 10 Comments

Summerlicious 2014 Restaurant #3: Shibui Robata Bar

Posted on July 28, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at the lower level of 230 Adelaide St W in Toronto

Just before we went out to Beyoncé and Jay Z’s phenomenal concert, On the Run Tour, 6 of us dined out at Shibui Robata Bar, a Japanese restaurant that has a fun twist with the way its food is cooked — they are apparently the only restaurant in Toronto that uses live fire cooking. They are located at the downstairs level of the Copacabana Restaurant (serving all-you-can-eat Brazilian meats). Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged $35, 2014, @LiciousTO, @shibuirobata, Adelaide, Black Cod, Chilean Sea Bass Dumplings, Cremini Mushrooms, Crispy Rice with Salmon/Tuna, dinner, downtown, food blog, foodie, Japanese, lamp chops, maki rolls, Passion Fruit Mousse, Petit Gateau, Pirikara Ebi Maki, pork belly, Prime Rib Eye, prix fixe, restaurant review, Shibui Robata Bar, Shibui Salmon Maki, shichimi pepper, Summerlicious, Toronto, Ume Yuzu Mojito | Leave a comment

Dinner at King Dragon Cuisine

Posted on July 27, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at 505 Highway 7 E, Bdg B, Unit 238 in Thornhill

My family and I had dinner at King Dragon Cuisine specifically because it had a lobster dinner special going on at the time. It’s a really fancy-looking and high-end Chinese restaurant that is on the second floor at Commerce Gate in Markham. I say it’s fancy-looking because the interior was decorated with crystals and the service was really good. Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged Bird's Nest, casserole, Chinese, Chinese food, Commerce Gate, Deep Fried Crispy Chicken, dinner, food blog, foodie, garlic, grouper fillet, Highway 7, King Dragon Cuisine, king mushroom, lobster, promotion, restaurant review, second floor, snow pea leaves, stir fried scallop, wok fried oysters | 1 Comment

Yummy Pho Vietnamese Cuisine [Defunct]

Posted on July 26, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at 11 Fairburn Dr, Unit 16-17 in Markham

My mom and I had a quick lunch here at Yummy Pho a couple of weeks ago. Yummy Pho is situated in the plaza behind First Markham Place and close to A LA Kitchen, among a couple of other restaurants. Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged Asian, bean sprouts, Beef Noodle Soup, curry beef brisket, FMP, food blog, foodie, grilled pork chop, lemon grass, lunch, Markham, noodles, pho, restaurant review, rice, Vietnamese, Vietnamese cuisine, Yummy Pho | 4 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer Lovin’

Posted on July 26, 2014 by stenoodie

Carnton Plantation, Nashville. August 2013

This picture was taken almost a year ago when I was travelling with fellow court reporter friends in Nashville for the annual NCRA court reporting convention. Continue reading →

Posted in Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged Carnton Plantation, Nashville, postaday, setting sun, summer lovin', summer sunset, Tennessee, vacation, veranda, weekly photo challenge | 7 Comments

Summerlicious 2014 Restaurant #2: Bloom Restaurant

Posted on July 25, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at 2315 Bloor St W in Toronto

Joyce and I agreed to go to a Summerlicious restaurant to hang out and catch up. I would have never expected this Latin American restaurant, Bloom, to be as good as it was.

Firstly, the restaurant itself is decorated very artfully modern. It felt so comfortable and relaxed to sit there. The host, Pedro, cracked a joke with us as we entered and introduced himself. Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Tagged $35, 2014, @BloomRestaurant, @LiciousTO, beef tenderloin skewers, bloom, Bloom Restaurant, Bread Pudding, ceviche, dinner, food blog, foodie, grilled calamari, ice cream log, Latin American, Nuevo Latino, prix fixe, restaurant review, seafood, South American, Summerlicious | 6 Comments

My First Time Playing Escape Games Canada!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at 11 Kodiak Crescent in Toronto

Yes, it is yet another one. It’s another one of those escape room games. It’s the newest trend, haven’t you heard? Playing Escape Games counts as my third unique time playing one of these escape game rooms. Each location and each game within each location is different and unique. Continue reading →

Posted in Escape Room Reviews, New Experiences | Tagged @Escape_Games_CA, brain power, clues, critical thinking, Downsview, escape, escape games, Escape Games Canada, fun, games, group, locked room, locks, play, puzzles, skill, strategy, teamwork, themes, thinking, Toronto, uptown | Leave a comment

Japanese food at Manpuku

Posted on July 23, 2014 by stenoodie

Located at 105 McCaul St in Toronto

Helen and I dined at Manpuku recently to try out the Japanese food and also to catch up. I really do love catching up with friends over good food!

Manpuku is located immediately on McCaul Street to the side of the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) next to the food court in the Village by the Grange. Continue reading →