Good Food Moment #89: Dinah and the Amandine

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Val David, one hour north of Montreal is a scrumptious artisan bakery called La Vagabonde. Family run and 100% certified organic, a single bite and I fell deeply in love with their chocolate amandine. I sat happily basking in the sun, savoring my treat while watching the family kitten whom I named Dinah.

Good Food Moment #71: Mystery Fruit, March 2009

It was a common cold rainy morning when I found fruit in my path to work. Two separate days, same canal edge, different fruit. Someone else's good food moment. Any city, like Amsterdam, can surprise you if your eyes are open to it.  

Good Food Moment #154?: Sprouts for breakfast?

Q got this from the St. Lawrence Market today. I am reluctant to touch it. He tells me it's Arugula sprouts and you're meant to trim off the tops, throw them into your salad and enjoy. I tell him we have a chia-pet growing in our fridge. What do you think?

Good Food Moment #89: Les Glaceurs, July 2009

Quick visit to Montreal must include a walk through its Old Port where Les Glaceurs sells the cutest little cupcakes that make you reconsider scoffing it down. Best shared with friends on a cool summer days while walking and catching up.

Good Food Moment #72, 85, 322...: Ossington

There are so many little gems on Ossington between Queen and Dundas I could spend days just hopping from one place to the next depending on the time of day/night. My perfect Ossingtonesque weekend would look a little like this:

Friday night dinner at Pizzeria Libretto as pictured, followed by Mango Margaritas at Reposado. The jazz/blues band would be playing on Fridays and they make you want to sing unabashedly along to Sinatra. Saturday brunch at Lakeview with an order of Lemon Ricotta French toast. Shopping at Jonathan and Olivia and a walk down Queen street furniture store hopping, afternoon coffee with Peter of the Communal Mule, back down to Ossington for drinks at the bar and later dinner at Union. I'd then quite simply spend all day Sunday lounging at the Trinity Bellwoods park eating Natas from a nearby Portuguese bakery. *sigh*

Good Food Moment #94: Brunch at Le Cartet

My absolute favorite place for brunch in Montreal, Le Cartet. Their menu is delicious and all their brunches come with a Mimosa option, what could be better on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Old Montreal?

Good Food Moment #3: High Tea at the Oriental, Bangkok

I simply love high tea. It's divine. My family and I are classically trained in high tea admiration. This was at a particularly magical spot, overlooking the Chao Praya river at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.

Good Food Moment #23: Taho at Goldilocks, San Francisco

Comfort food number one: Taho is basically soft tofu, tapioca balls (similar to the ones used in bubble tea) and hot brown sugar syrup.

As a child I would sit by the window in the afternoons at my Grandmothers house and wait for the Taho man's cries: "Tahooooooooooooooo!" before running out to greet him with pesos in hand.

Pictured: Liana as she happily devours her half of the Taho. Taken in Daly City, South San Francisco, which is basically Pinoy central.

*Posted in loving memory of Angelina Santiago Tucker.

Good Food Moment #261: Bistro A Champlain, July 2009

Every summer my family and I go to a gorgeous little restaurant in the Laurentians called Bistro A Champlain. Their food is to die for, and their wine selection is legendary, no really, there are over 35,000 bottles in the private cellar below the restaurant. The wine list is just over 200 pages.

The owner and his wife are actually sitting in the next table over in this picture.