foodie Archives - clothes to food

Roselle Toronto – Cafe Review

November 27, 2016November 27, 2016Uncategorizedbakeries, blogger, caramels, clothes to food, clothestofood, cookies, food, foodie, rosaalyn, roselle, Toronto bakeryLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

I’d like to introduce you to Roselle. I am sure many of you have heard of Roselle before but for those of you that haven’t… You’re welcome.

Roselle is a bakery located in the east end of Toronto at King St. and Parliament St. The space is small and minimalistic with only enough seating for about 8 people. They do have a patio but I’m not sure if it’s open now since it’s starting to get chilly here in Toronto. They offer an assortment of delectable treats that aim to make you happy. Hence the “dessert makes you happy sign”. They have seasonable offerings so make sure to check these out while you can. Of course, some of these are available year round (I think). Don’t quote me on that.

From back to front (left to right), there is the lemon tart, the chocolate one, latte tart, apple pie eclair, turtle tart, and banana cream pie eclair.

Lemon Tart: Silky tart lemon cream, toasted meringue in an almond tart shell

The Chocolate One: Dark chocolate mousse layered with dark chocolate biscuit, ganache and chocolate crispy pearls.

Latte Tart: Milk cremeux, espresso cream, roasted white chocolate whipped ganache, espresso soaked vanilla sponge in an almond short crust.

Apple Pie Eclair: apples, spiced cream and brown butter almond crumble.

Turtle Tart: Milk chocolate mousse, rum soaked chocolate biscuit, salted caramel and candied pecans in an almond shell.

Banana Cream Pie Eclair: Rum caramelized bananas, vanilla custard, and whipped chocolate ganache.

Their cookie selection is pretty impressive too. (From left to right): Earl grey shortie (my fave), double chocolate sea salt cookie (also really good), classic chocolate chip, and ginger(?).

New to the menu, Roselle offers a banana milk, which warms my belly in a way I cannot explain. It is just the right amount of sweetness with a heavy banana flavour. Love. The chocolate souffle cookie is also good. It is chocolately but somehow manages to be “light”. On the top right, is a slice of spiced pumpkin chiffon cake which is (no surprise) delicious.

Of course, a trip to Roselle would not be complete without some house-made/handmade caramels. Seriously, the best caramels ever. When I went, they had salted caramel, passionfruit caramel, and raspberry caramel flavoured caramels available. Sadly, they ran out of the apple pear vanilla which sounds so freaking good. I will have to try my luck another time I suppose.

Have you visited Roselle? I bet you want to now. You better hurry before the menu changes again. xo, Rose

Planta Toronto – Review

November 22, 2016December 14, 2016Featured, Reviewsclothes to good, desserts, eat clean, flatlay, foodie, foodporn, interior design, planta, planta Toronto, rosaalyn, vegan, vegan food, vivalaplanta, yorkvilleLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

On Sunday I went to Planta for brunch with a bunch of my instagram friends. In case you don’t know what Planta is, it is a newly opened plant-based restaurant in Yorkville (Yonge and Bay). Basically, they are a vegan restaurant that focuses on creating inspiring dishes without the use of any animal products.

Let’s first start off by admiring the beautiful decor. Swings, rose gold flamingos, and plants galore! Seriously, such a stunning space with pockets of natural light for you to chase in order to get some instaworthy pictures. I managed to get some empty shots of the restaurant right when it opened at 10:30am before it started to fill up with people.

There is ample seating in the restaurant, and I hear they host events too. I wouldn’t mind having a little shindig here. Like I mentioned, the restaurant is pretty specious and is perfect for larger groups. Sometimes brunch places are tough for groups because they tend to be small but this is definitely not a problem at Planta!

Moving on to food, pictured below we have the cauliflower tots with truffled parmesan ($9.75) and nachos with fire pit beans, queso, avocado, and crema ($12.75). I kid you not, these were probably some of the better nachos I’ve had in the city. Even though they are vegan, they are full of flavour and each chip had a generous coat of toppings. I hate when the topping to chip ratio is off but there were no problems here. Tots, A+.

Next up, avocado toast on rye bread with olive oil, lemon, and puffed wild rice ($12.25) and their Harvest Salad which had brown rice, caramelized squash, chickpeas, roasted pears, cranberries, napa cabbage, and pecans, with balsamic dressing ($17.00). I have to say, I did have a bit of trouble with the avocado toast. The rye bread was super toasted and was a little tough to munch on. The flavours were nice though, with a generous amount of creamy avocado, and tomatoes that burst in your mouth. The Harvest Salad was really good and I loved the squash the most.

Next, I want to mention the banana pancakes ($13.25) which were also really good. I normally don’t order sweet brunches but I’m glad I got to try these. They were nice and fluffy (as pancakes should be) and who can say no to maple syrup and pecans? Not me.

Finally, we had 4 different desserts which consisted of a coconut jelly and passionfruit sorbet served in a coconut, avocado lime cheesecake with raspberry sorbet, a chocolate terrarium, and a smoothie bowl. My favourite was definitely the coconut dessert which was nice and refreshing with a great crunch because of the coconut chips sprinkled (generously) on top. My other friends seemed to enjoy the smoothie bowl and chocolate terrarium so I suppose it all depends on what you like. You can read Isabelle’s review of Planta Toronto which goes more in-depth.

Overall, I had a great experience at Planta. It is a great spot for brunch even if you are not a vegan. The dishes are packed with so much flavour that you won’t even miss having eggs or meat. (Okay, maybe a little bit of the eggs).

Let me know if you plan to go or any other vegan restaurants around the city you recommend. xo, Rose

Light Cafe in Toronto – Baldwin Village

November 14, 2016November 13, 2016Foodie Adventures, Reviewsbaldwin village, blogger, brunch, clothes to food, clothestofood, food, foodie, light cafe, light cafe toronto, rosaalyn, rose macaron, toronto, toronto foodLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

I finally got the chance to check out Light Cafe in Baldwin Village and I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Good news, the place is super cute and some of the food is really good. Bad news, the lighting is awful and some of the food could be better.

I got the mushroom truffle croissant sandwich which was amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone…unless you don’t like mushrooms of course. Just thinking about it is making me salivate. The croissant was nice and flaky so expect lots of crumbs. To drink, I got the iced southberry herbal tea which is beyond beautiful. I love the effort they put into presentation! Definitely makes it Instagram worthy. It is light and refreshing but might come off tasting medicine-y to some. You’ve be warned.

My friend got the lobster bisque soup which I have to say was quite a disappointment. The soup was very watery and did not taste like lobster at all. It’s a shame because it looked promising, especially in that rose gold mini pot. She got an italian soda to drink which was refreshing as well. Perfect for those who like a little fizz.

Here is a close up of the beautiful drink. Bonus, you get to eat the fruits after or while you’re drinking!

Sadly, I didn’t get to take pictures of the restaurant because the lighting was horrible. We actually waited specifically for the only window seat in the restaurant. If you’re looking for a nice brunch spot and don’t care for photos, I would suggest going to Light Cafe. If you’re like me and need to have pictures of the food you eat, be ready to wait.

They’ve got a bunch of interesting looking desserts that I didn’t get to try this time around but I’ll have to go back sometime to try them. Let me know if you’ve been to Light Cafe or if you plan on going.

xo, Rose

The New Teriyaki Experience

November 5, 2016November 7, 2016Collab With Rose, Foodie Adventuresbake code, black sesame, blogger, chicken teriyaki, clothestofood, foodie, matcha, matcha hunt, matcha puff, matcha roll cake, new teriyaki experience, rosaalyn, teriyaki experienceLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

A little bit of a story time today.

When I used to work near Union Station in downtown Toronto, I would often go to Teriyaki Experience for lunch. It was easy, quick, and not to mention delicious. The teriyaki sauce is what really makes the dish I think. It was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. You can imagine how expensive it gets to eat out every day though. So when I stopped working near Union, I inevitably stopped eating at Teriyaki Experience as well.

Chicken Teriyaki

Recently, it came back onto my radar because I had been told that they were looking to rebrand and now offered sweets from Bake Code. Anyone who knows me or has taken a peek at my instagram would know that I am a huge fan of anything matcha. So, I obviously decided I would revisit memory lane and taste the new teriyaki experience.

Black Sesame Roll Cake

Currently, they offer the black sesame roll (see above), matcha puff, matcha roll, and japanese cheesecake. I got 3/4 because I like my desserts and two are only shown here because I devoured the matcha roll before I could shoot it (Whoops). #sorrynotsorry.

Matcha Cream Puff

Even Haru wants a piece!

Thank you to Teriyaki Experience for sponsoring this post.

Are you excited to try the New Teriyaki Experience? Let me know. xo, Rose

The Dime Toronto – Restaurant Review

September 21, 2016September 21, 2016Featured, Foodie Adventuresblogger, budget friendly restaurants, cheap eats, cheap eats toronto, clothestofood, dime on queen, dime toronto, drinks, foodie, Queen St warehouse, restaurant, rosaalyn, the dime, the dime on queen, the dime restaurant, the dime toronto, toronto, toronto foodLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

I stumbled across The Dime on Queen while walking on Queen St. W. the other day. It was just around lunch time so I was looking for something to munch on. What really drew me in were the tiles that said “Made in Canada” in front of the restaurant but alas, I could not take a picture because there was a big sign in the way. As I looked closer at this sign, I realized that everything was $4.95! What?! So upon investigation, it turns out that The Dime is a brother/sister/cousin/whatever you want to call it company to Queen St. Warehouse which we all know is a budget friendly (read cheap) place to eat but usually with massive lines. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that The Dime was relatively empty so I of course snagged the window seat in hopes of being able to get some nice pictures.

Like I said, everything on their menu is $4.95 so being the little piggy that I am, ordered 3 dishes for myself. I got the avocado toast, street tacos, and cajun carbonara. The avocado toast was made with avocado (duh), toasted focaccia, chilies, feta, radish, balsamic reduction, and peppered greens. I definitely am a huge fan of the balsamic reduction and the flavours overall were really nice. My only wish was that it had a tiny bit more avocado since it seemed to be swallowed by the peppered greens.

There are 3 options for the street tacos and each order comes with 3 tacos. Unfortunately you can’t order one of each and have to pick between the Al Pastor (slow cooked, spiced pulled pork, grilled pineapple, red onion, cilantro), Baja shrimp (battered shrimp, avocado, carrot-cabbage-broccoli-honey miso slaw, toasted brioche bun) or the Jerk Chicken (jerk marinated chicken, roasted red pepper mayo, fresh cabbage, pickled onion, cilantro). I ended up getting the Al Pastor and boy was it spicy. I liked the flavours but it was definitely too hot for my palate. Be WARNED!

The Cajun Carbonara was what I looked forward to most since I am a huge fan of carbonara pasta. This one came with smoky bacon, fresh cream, cajun spice, parmesan, black pepper, linguine, and fresh tomatoes. At $4.95, it was such a steal. I would definitely get the Cajun Carbonara again.

Lastly, I could not resist getting some donuts when asked if I wanted some. Pro Tip: NEVER SAY NO TO DONUTS! This is the only dessert they offer at The Dime but I’m okay with that. Made fresh to order, they may take a bit of time to get to your table if they’re busy but I can tell you, they are amazing little balls coated with cinnamon sugar with some having strawberry filling served with a side of chocolate sauce.

All in all, a great restaurant with cool vibes and the nicest wait staff. I can’t wait to visit again to try some more items. I would definitely recommend you check out The Dime on Queen before more people find out about it. I anticipate there will be massive line-ups like their sister/brother/cousin company.

Let me know if you try out The Dime on Queen or if you have any other recommendations for cheap eats around the city! xo, Rose

Butter Avenue Newly Launched Afternoon Tea

August 25, 2016June 29, 2016Collab With Rose, Foodie Adventuresblogger, butter, butter avenue, clothes to food, clothestofood, event, food, foodie, love, macaron, macarons, toronto, toronto foodLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

For those of you that don’t know yet, Butter Avenue has launched a new afternoon tea menu. I got to try it in May, the weekend before Mother’s day, but haven’t gotten around to posting until now (whoops). I’m sorry I’m so bad at blogging (haha).

Anyway, you can see that we started off with some tea, there is a selection of tea you can choose from. They have some that are specifically for afternoon tea or you can choose something from their regular menu. What are the options you ask? Well, I forgot to take a picture of the menu so I guess you’ll just have to go and ask yourself.

As for now, here are some lovely pictures of the tantalizing desserts that they offer for the afternoon tea set. I can guarantee you that even the biggest sweet toothed person you know will be completely satisfied with the offerings.

We start with a savory quiche type thing. I think there was ham or bacon or some type of meat in it. It was delicious. I highly recommend the almond tea option (it’s my favorite). There are apple slices, cinnamon, and chai in it as well if I recall correctly (don’t quote me).

Next, we moved on to the dessert portion. A.K.A this tower of goodness. Really, are any words really needed?

What are you waiting for? Catch you at Butter Avenue. xo, Rose

Kitten and the Bear

May 25, 2016May 17, 2016Foodie Adventuresafternoon tea, bear, best scones and jam, blogger, clothes to food, clothestofood, foodie, jam, kitten, kitten and the bear, queen west, saucer, scones, shop, tea, teacup, teatime, toronto, vintageLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

Today’s post is on Kitten and the Bear a.k.a the BEST place to get scones and jam in Toronto.

Situated in the West end at 1574 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6R 1A6, it is quite the trek for those that live in the East but well worth it.

Kitten and the Bear specializes in artisan preserves and buttermilk scones. When I say specialize, I mean totally dominate the game. Is it no wonder that there aren’t many other places that sell scones and preserves? It’s because, they would fail because Kitten and the Bear sets the bar so damn high.

They are a relatively small space with a very small seating space available (usually reserved for the tasting menu which is what you see below).

How cute are all the vintage teacups and saucers? The answer is too freaking cute!

For the tasting menu, you get a pot of Sloane tea that you may choose (I would suggest the Darjeeling), 3 scones, clotted cream, and the special jams of the week to taste.
After the tasting you will probably want a jar of some preserves to go. Luckily they have a whole wall filled with them to satisfy your urges.

Are you planning your next tea party yet? Let me know!

xo, Rose

Club Monaco Market Toronto Edition

May 18, 2016May 18, 2016Fashion & Beauty, Foodie Adventuresclothes to food, clothestofood, club monaco, cmmarket, event, fashion, fashionista, florals, flowers, foodie, love, popsicles, poptails, rose macaron, spring, summer, summer events, summer events in toronto, summer market, toronto, toronto coffee shop, toronto eventsLeave a Comment

Hello Loves!

So I was invited to the grand opening of the Club Monaco Market (#CMMARKET) by @ROIrelations (thank you). If you don’t already know, the Club Monaco Market is back at their Bloor Street location. The market has some wonderful treats of flowers by Sweet Woodruff, baked goodies from the Bake Shoppe, coffee from Sam James, juice from Evolution Food Co., sandwiches and salads from Delica Kitchen, and most importantly, POPTAILS (OMG) from the Pop Stand!

I love that they brought back the market. It’s always so nice to just sit and people watch while munching on some yummy treats. The weather in Toronto just needs to hurry up and be consistently warm so that I may actually enjoy the nice patio seating. Can you believe that it’s been hailing? It’s MAY for goodness sake. Sometimes I wish I lived somewhere warmer but now I’m getting off topic so maybe I’ll save that for another post.

Thank you ROI Relations for providing these pictures.

THE POPTAIL!!

Make sure you check out the Club Monaco Market this spring/summer! They are open from May 12-September 3, 2016.

What are you most excited about from the Club Monaco Market? Let me know!

xo, Rose

Gift Guide For All The Foodies In Your Life

December 16, 2015December 16, 2015Collab With Rose, Featuredblogger, butter avenue, cake, caramels, christmas, christmas wishlist, clothestofood, cookies, davidstea, dessert, fashion, foodie, foxy, foxy originals, holiday gift guide, jam, katb, kitten and the bear, love, macarons, necklace, nougats, roselle, santa baby, short and sweet bakeshop, short and sweet cupcakes, silver spoons, tea set, thrift shop, tova, tovastore, vintage, yo sox, yosoxLeave a Comment

So Christmas is about a week away and you have no idea what to get your foodie friends? Don’t worry, I got you covered. Everyone is a foodie so technically this ‘gift guide for all the foodies’ is actually a gift guide for every person in your life. Not only is one or all of these gifts suitable for everyone you know, most are gifts under $15 so yay!

How fun are these food themed socks from Yo Sox? Pineapples, sushi, donuts and coffee?! Yes please. It’s winter so I’m sure whoever your gifting is going to appreciate some cute socks to keep their toes warm. I know socks kind of seems like a lame gift but hey, they’re so fun! They should be grateful that you’re so considerate to think about their little piggies. And if anything, you can just keep them for yourself!

If you’re really not sure about food themed socks, how about some actual food? I don’t think I’ve ever met a foodie that’s turned down cute festive cupcakes. The best part? Short and Sweet Bakeshop delivers! For all the girls in your life, how about some necklaces. Whether she’s a statement piece wearer, or prefers a more dainty style, there are tons of jewelry places around the city that cater to every type of girl. These, I confess are not under $15 but I’m sure you could find some decent ones for around that price range.
Okay okay, let’s actually move on to things that are really under $15 and all your foodie friends would love! I have been super obsessed with Kitten and the Bear as of late and their jams are to die for. Plus, their packaging is super duper cute so you could choose not to wrap them if you’re lazy.Macarons from Butter Avenue is another option for those wishing to give food this holiday season. They have pretty holiday packaging at the moment and their winter flavours are so good! They also have a Frosty cake that is so adorable and yummy, perfect for bringing to family/holiday parties. Next up, we have caramels and nougats from Roselle. The caramels come in a variety of infused flavours like raspberry, mango, salted, and my personal favourite, coconut macadamia. I seriously love these so much I ended up buying some just for myself when I meant to just buy them as a gift for friends.Another gift idea for all your foodie friends are cute props! (For all their instagramming needs obvi). Tea sets and vintage silver spoons are what I would love to receive this holiday season. Kitten and the Bear has a few vintage silver spoons like this one that I snagged. Let’s pretend my name starts with “K” (shh). You can find a lot of things at your local thrift shop if you look hard enough. I actually got my set for $5 a while back! Crazy right?

What are you waiting for? Getting shopping! And don’t forget to let me know what other great gift ideas you have for all your foodie friends.

xo, Rose

My Belmonte Raw Juice Cleanse Experience

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015Collab With Rose, Foodie Adventuresbelmonte, belmonte raw, blogger, cleanse, clothestofood, eat clean, fit fam, fit life, foodie, juice, juice cleanse, torontoLeave a Comment

Day 1

I went to pick up my juices from Belmonte Raw‘s Leslieville location before work. I completely underestimated how heavy 2 days worth of juice would be. I’m glad that Belmonte suggested I pick up my third cleanse on a separate day ensuring both freshness and my arms to suffer a little less.

I decided to do 2 days of “The Intro” and 1 day of “The Deep“. Here’s how it went.

I’m glad that “The Intro” came with a raw meal. It was a nice way to ease into a juice cleanse. All of the bottles come numbered so you know exactly which one to take next.

01: Clarity (Carrot, Lemon, Ginger) I surprisingly really liked this one. I thought I wouldn’t be a big fan of it because of the carrots and ginger but it was actually really nice and refreshing.

02: Vanilla Milk (Cashews, Filtered Water, Vanilla, Dates) I thought I would like this one the most because look at the ingredients! Cashews, Vanilla, Dates? Yes please! Sadly, I didn’t like this one as much as the Clarity but it was still good.

03: Chlorophyll Elixir (100% Chlorophyll) I was so nervous to take this one. It looks extremely potent and revolting in the bottle, almost like poison. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but it wasn’t that great either. It honestly just tastes like mouthwash.

04: Revive (Lemon, Filtered Water, Cayenne, Agave) Probably one of my least favourite juices ever. I’m fine with lemon, water, and agave but the cayenne definitely kills it for me. I understand that it has a purpose, but to me, spices should be in food, not juices.

05: Spaghetti and Neatballs (Spinach, Arugula, Zucchini, Butternut Squash, Creamy Cashew Pesto, Sun-dried Tomato, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, Pea Shoots, Hemp seeds with Apple Cider Miso Vinaigrette) One word: Delicious! Honestly, so so so good. I would definitely eat it again.

06: Uplift (Spinach, Cucumber, Apple, Lemon, Parsley, Ginger) This one was also pretty light and refreshing. I was worried that the parsley and ginger would be overpowering but it wasn’t. You really taste the apple, lemon, and cucumber the most which is nice.

07: Aloe Elixir (100% Aloe) I’ve had aloe juice before but those are filled with sugar. This was 100% aloe and it was terrible. Sugar please!

I’ll admit, I did cheat on Day 1. I ended up going to Bar Ape’s Pop Up Event and ate gelato desserts. Hey, honesty is the best policy, right?

Day 2

I think day 2 was the hardest part of my Belmonte Raw juice cleanse. I woke up with body aches and a headache as well as a sore throat. I also felt extremely tired and laid in bed for most of the day. Apparently these are detox symptoms that show the cleanse is working. Let’s just say I’m glad I had the day to myself so I could lounge around and not have to worry about exerting energy (because I had none).

For day 2, I had the same juices and elixirs as day 1 above. The only difference was the raw meal which was changed to the “Sicilian Green Bean” salad (Spinach, Arugula, Green Beans, Tomato, Sun-dried Tomato, Olives, Red Pepper, Red Onion, Sprouted Beans, Lentils, Dill, Parsley, Olive Oil, Almonds, Hemp Seeds, Pea Shoots with Sunflower Pesto). I love the crunch the green beans add, the use of both fresh tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes as well as the olives in this dish.

Day 3

By day 3 my body was finally accepting the fact that I wasn’t eating much. I still woke up with a few body aches but overall I did feel more energized. I also wasn’t as hungry as I was the two previous days even though my 3rd day cleanse was all juice and no salad!

“The Deep”

01: Antiox Smoothie (Blueberries, Almond, Oat, Vanilla, Chia, Dates, Açai) This was so yummy! Probably my favourite juice of all the juices in the cleanse. It has a lot of chunks due to the ingredients so if you don’t like juices that have bits in them then you might not enjoy it as much. Also, be careful because blueberry skins do stick to your teeth, make sure to check your smile.

02: Refresh (Carrot, Apple, Beet, Lemon, Ginger) I love the colour of this juice. The beet and carrot separate and there is a nice gradient of red to orange. This one is too similar to the clarity juice because of the overpowering carrots but still good.

03: Chlorophyll (100% chlorophyll) Still tastes like mouthwash.

04: Vanilla Milk (Cashews, Filtered Water, Vanilla, Dates) By the 3rd day I started to like this one more and more. At first I wasn’t a big fan of the vanilla but somehow this one tasted more like cashews and dates which I liked.

05: Revive (Lemon, Filtered Water, Cayenne, Agave) SO SPICY.

06: Clarity (Carrot, Lemon, Ginger) Carrot juice has won me over. Never would I have thought I would like carrot juice.

07: Uplift (Spinach, Cucumber, Apple, Lemon, Parsley, Ginger) Still good. No complaints here.

Overall, I’m proud of myself for accomplishing 3 days of juice cleansing (minus the little lapse on day 1). I think they’re nice for when you want to reset your body or get a jump start on healthy eating. I do feel lighter and notice that I don’t crave as much junk as I did before. (Let’s see how long this effect lasts). I think a juice cleanse would be particularly beneficial after the holidays because everyone indulges during the holidays. Have you tried a Belmonte Raw Juice Cleanse or any other juice cleanse? How did it go? Let me know!

xo, Rose

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Chicken Teriyaki

Black Sesame Roll Cake

Matcha Cream Puff

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Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

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