Cooking at Home: Tikka-Style Lamb Burgers with Potato Wedges and Curry Mayo

Tikka-style lamb burgers with potato wedges and curry mayo
Today, I felt the extreme craving for a burger and thus, for dinner: Tikka-style lamb burgers with potato wedges and curry mayo. Literally everything about this burger was delicious, almost as delicious as the other lamb burger I made last December. I don't think I've ever had Indian-inspired burgers, but the tikka in the patties, the Indian spice mix in the fries, and the curry mayo all worked beautifully together in an otherwise very stereotypically American dish. I had said before that pairing feta might be the only way to eat a lamb burger, but I'm glad I've proven myself wrong.

Cooking at Home: Shrimp Diavolo Linguine with DIY Chili Oil

Shrimp Diavolo linguine with DIY chili oil
I haven't made pasta at home in a while, so I decided to cook the shrimp Diavolo linguine with DIY chili oil kit from Hello Fresh tonight. This was okay. It definitely had a good spicy kick (I added quite a lot of chili flakes) but the dish overall was a little too acidic for my liking. I know the parmesan was meant to mellow out the pasta and make it a bit creamier, but I just don't think it goes well with shrimp. And I also don't think shrimp is the best protein to go with tomato-based sauces because it's so bland on its own. It lacked depth. This pasta would've been better with beef, in my opinion, and also cut the acidity of the lemon and tomato. 

Cooking at Home: Za'atar Beef Bowls with Hummus and Spiced Rice

Za'atar beef bowls with hummus and spiced rice
Tonight's dinner kit from Hello Fresh: Za'atar beef bowls with hummus and spiced rice. This was DELICIOUS. Fantastic combination of flavours — weirdly enough, it tasted like a mix of Middle Eastern and Mexican cuisines — and easy and quick to prep. The tomatoes and parsley add a really nice, fresh contrast to the spice-forward beef and rice. Even my mom (who is staying with me for another week) didn't have much to complain about. Then again, she is biased towards rice dishes.

Dining Out: Phở Dặc Biệt, Chả Giò, and Bánh Mì Cà Ri Bo at Nam 2

It's my mom's last day staying with me at my apartment, so we decided to go out for dinner. Since it was -12°C today (Spring is bullshit here), I was in the mood for pho and thus took the opportunity to finally try out Nam 2. (My colleague, Linh, told me to try this place and when a Vietnamese person tells you to try a Vietnamese restaurant because it's one of the best they've had in Toronto, YOU TRUST THEM.) We tried going there last weekend, but there was a line out the door, so we figured we'd get a table for sure on a Monday, right? Well, if it's any indication of how popular this place is, we still had to wait 10 minutes to get a table tonight. Was it worth it?

Phở Dặc Biệt
Chả Giò
Bánh Mì Cà Ri Bo
Yes, yes it was. Of course, we got a large bowl of Phở Dặc Biệt (rare ribeye slices, tendon, tripe, brisket, and beef tendon balls with fresh noodles). We also got the deep fried pork spring rolls, and the Bánh Mì Cà Ri Bo (light coconut curry with beef brisket, potato, and tomato) served with a toasted bun. The pho is the star here, in my opinion. It actually tasted homemade — flavourful from the meaty broth rather than MSG (which makes me ultra-thirsty) — and was packed with a good amount of meat. Noodles were firm with a good chew, and loose instead of all stuck together in a massive pile at the bottom of the bowl like at most other pho restaurants. The spring rolls were perfectly crispy — puffy and airy on the outside — and jam-packed with ingredients. The curry had a good flavour and texture, but I did think it could've had a bit more coconut flavour. It included a good amount of beef brisket, though. 

Even though they forgot to exclude the coriander after I specifically wrote "NO CORIANDER" in the notes section, I still think it's worth eating here. Even if it means I have to remove every offensive leaf myself.

Nam 2

8380 Kennedy Rd., Unit C7

Unionville, ON L3R 0W4

(905) 470-1271

Foo Fighters — Best of You (Live at Wembley Stadium, 2008)

We lost one of the greatest, most legendary drummers in rock and roll history last night.

RIP Taylor Hawkins.

Friday Five: Twenty-four months

This week's Friday Five:

1. In what way have these past two years made you better? I've definitely matured in the past two years and changed my priorities. I've learned to take care of myself better and found things to enjoy within limitations.
   
   
2. In what way have these past two years made you worse? Perhaps I've become lazier...
   
   
3. In the first six months of the pandemic, what was your most effective form of escapism? BTS.
   
   
4. What remains part of your life from those first six months? BTS.
   
   
5. What do you envision for yourself in the next year, and how are you feeling about it? I envision myself getting a new car (my current vehicle is turning 10 this year and doesn't have Bluetooth or a rearview camera so I think it's time) and I envision myself traveling more because it's been too damn long. I also envision myself seeing BTS live on an actual world tour, preferably in Toronto. Yes, this is me manifesting.

Dining Out: Club Sandwich and Macau-Style Baked Portuguese Chicken Rice at Good Catch Bar & Cafe

I was way too lazy to cook after work today so I took my mom to Good Catch Bar & Cafe for some good ol' HK-style cafe food. (I did say I wanted to come back ASAP, after all.)

Club sandwich
Macau-style baked Portuguese chicken rice

On tonight's menu, a club sandwich and the Macau-style baked Portuguese chicken rice. (So much for trying to be healthy this week.) The club sandwich, which totally falls into the category of "something I could make at home but would never take the effort to," lacks bacon and sliced poultry, but it does replace those with a deep-fried pork cutlet, so it's forgivable and totally delicious. Their Portuguese chicken rice uses regular white jasmine rice instead of fried rice and doesn't include potatoes, but it does have an excellent coconut curry flavour, a great thick, saucy texture, and includes quite a lot of chicken, so I still thought it was worth ordering. Each food item also comes with a complimentary hot or cold coffee or tea which negates the need to order drinks, so our meal ended up being less than $15 per person after tax and tip.

GOD, I LOVE HK CAFES. AND NOT HAVING TO COOK EVERY NIGHT.

Good Catch Bar & Cafe

179 Enterprise Blvd., Unit 109

Markham, ON L6G 0A2

(905) 940-3232

Cooking at Home: Beef Kofta Tray Bake with Couscous and Lemony Hummus Sauce

Beef kofta tray bake with couscous and lemony hummus sauce
Okay, Day 2 of Cooking for Two. (No, I'm not pregnant. My mom is staying with me for the week.) Tonight's dinner kit from Hello Fresh: Beef kofta tray bake with couscous and lemony hummus sauce. Okay, so my kofta turned out way rounder than intended, but whatever, they were still really good — tender, savoury, spicy — and paired beautifully with the lemony hummus. And aside from the couscous, cooked entirely with my air fryer. (My baby love.) Surprisingly, my mom liked tonight's dinner more than the steak I made yesterday, which I disagree with. But then again, tonight's dinner had more carbs.

Cooking at Home: Steak Fajita Plates with Lime Crema and Sweet Potato Rounds

Steak fajita plates with lime crema and sweet potato rounds
My mom is currently staying with me because her house is on multi-listing, so I ordered double the amount of Hello Fresh kits for this week. She's someone that doesn't like carb-heavy dishes like pasta or burgers, so tonight's dinner was steak fajita plates with lime crema and sweet potato rounds. Okay, first of all, I cooked some goddamn perfect medium-rare steaks. I don't often use the word "perfect" to describe my cooking, but yeah, I nailed it with these. Also, my air fryer roasts veggies better than my oven can because, yes, those sweet potatoes also came out perfectly. (The lime crema was supposed to be cilantro-lime crema, but y'all know cilantro is evil so I threw it out the moment I opened this kit.) But even she, someone who criticizes all food, said dinner was "kind of salty, but pretty good." So I stay winning.

Cooking at Home: Smoky Falafel Bowls with Tahini Drizzle

Smoky falafel bowl with tahini drizzle
I have been going out to eat a lot lately, so I thought I'd be try to be healthier this week, starting with the smoky falafel bowl with tahini drizzle from Hello Fresh for dinner. It was pretty good — you can't really go wrong with falafel and tahini — but I still prefer to eat them in a pita or laffa. There's just something way more satisfying into biting into falafel that way. But I guess this meal is healthy for a reason...

Cooking at Home: Caprese Salad, Three-Cheese White Pizza with Mushrooms, and Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Caprese salad
Three-cheese white pizza with mushrooms
Shrimp fettuccine alfredo
My friend Amanda invited me and Viv over to her house for dinner and she cooked us a most incredible Italian dinner, complete with Caprese salad, a three-cheese white pizza with mushrooms, and shrimp fettuccine alfredo. It was honestly one of the most perfect combinations of Italian food I've ever had in a single meal. So I just gotta say, it is FREAKING AWESOME to have an Italian friend who knows how to cook.

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Group

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — RM

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — RM

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Jin

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Jin

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Suga

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Suga

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — J-Hope

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — J-Hope

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Group

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Jimin

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Jimin

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — V

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — V

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Jungkook

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Jungkook

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — Seoul Photo Sketch — Group
(Photo source: Weverse)

T-minus 26 days until it's my turn to see them!!!

BTS V LIVE [BTS]: Surprise! BTS!!

[RM confirms that Jin is recovering well]

Yoongi: "I tend to get injured in November and December."

Namjoon: "That's the first time I'm hearing this?"

Tae: "I don't get injured."

Namjoon: "Yeah, same."

Jimin: "[Namjoon] Hyung, you don't get injured. The things around you get injured."

Jimin: "Jin-hyung bought the Pokemon bread and gave me this sticker."

Jungkook: "I just like the bread. Can you give me the bread?"

[Attempts at doing the ARMY Time Clapper Event]

Yoongi: "If this were me, I would have given up."

[Talking about the "Fake Love" performance during the Seoul Day 3 concert where Jungkook's entire jacket became unbuttoned to the absolute delight of ARMYs everywhere]

Jungkook: "The reason I laughed was because I closed the button once but it opened again and I was kind of confounded."

Namjoon: "He was thinking, 'I rather like this...'"

Jimin, laughing: "'I rather like this!'"

Yoongi, pointing at Namjoon: "In the past, you ripped his shirt open during promo activities."

Namjoon: "Yeah, I did that once."

Jungkook: "I did think about it, like, 'Since it's already unbuttoned, should I just unbutton one more? Should I just unbutton the whole thing?'"

Tae: "I wish you'd just take it off and do it one day."

Jimin: "I heard that the fans that day couldn't keep in their screams. The screams escaped their mouths a bit."

Oh, man. I have missed the utter chaos that is a BTS group livestream. T-minus 27 days until I see them live in Vegas!

Friday Five: Take me to the old playground

This week's Friday Five:

1. When did you most recently swing on a swing? Probably in my late teens when I was a pot head and the only places to blaze were at parks. There was always a playground nearby.
   
   
2. On what issue have you teeter-tottered? Getting the booster shot. There was a lot of debate on it because so many people were getting crazy side effects. I did end up getting it in January, but I put it off for over a month.
   
   
3. How close is your residence to a park, and when did you last visit? I live a couple blocks from a park but I have never visited.
   
   
4. How capable are you with a charcoal grill? I'm not sure because I've never actually used one myself. Even at barbecues, there was always someone else manning the grill. So I'm leaning more towards not capable...
   
   
5. With what are you playing hide-and-seek? Nothing. Since moving into my apartment a couple years ago, I've organized everything and threw out anything I didn't need so everything has its place.

Take Out: Pineapple and Tahitian Vanilla Soft Serve from Butter Baker

Pineapple and Tahitian vanilla soft serve in a handmade waffle cone
Starting the weekend off right with ice cream because after nearly five (long, dreary, bitter) months, Butter Baker has officially come back with their soft serve. They announced the return of their soft serve yesterday, so obviously, Ying and I rushed over there after work. (We are serious about our soft serve.) Their first flavour of the year? Pineapple and Tahitian vanilla! Even if pineapple wasn't one of my favourite fruits, I'd still give this 5/5 shiny, golden stars. Butter Baker still does one of the best (if not the best) vanilla soft serves in the city, and the tart sweetness of the pineapple cuts it perfectly. It's so good, in fact, that it almost made me forget that it's still winter. (Almost.) Indeed, a triumphant return to the ice cream scene. 

Butter Baker 

140 Amber St., Unit #10

Markham, ON L3R 3J8

(905) 604-3997

Food Delivery: Firenze Pizza from Nonna's Oven

Firenze Pizza

My boss decided to treat us to our choice of lunch at work today, so all of us decided to get pizza from Nonna's Oven, which I have been wanting to try it for some time. Each of us picked a 14" traditional thin crust gourmet pizza — I chose the Firenze, which is a focaccia pizza topped with mozzarella, sliced potato, caramelized onions, goat cheese, whole black olives, oregano, olive oil, and rosemary. It was FANTASTIC. Great crust with a good amount of chew but perfectly crispy edges, fresh ingredients in generous portions, and an excellent topping to crust ratio. Plus I have enough left over for dinner, too, so I don't have to cook tonight! I will absolutely be coming back here for my next pizza craving.

Nonna's Oven

1285 Elgin Mills Rd. E., Unit 8

Richmond Hill, ON L4S 0B5

(905) 770-6800

Dining Out: Spam & Egg Sandwich, Deep-Fried Calamari & Fish Balls, Prawn & Beef Scrambled Eggs on Rice, Stir-Fried Udon with Swiss Beef, and Baked Rice with Chicken & Creamy Truffle Sauce at Good Catch Bar & Cafe

Went to the (relatively) new Hong Kong-style cafe restaurant by Good Catch Boil House, aptly named Good Catch Bar & Cafe, with Ying and her family for dinner.

Spam and egg sandwich
Deep-fried calamari and fish balls
Prawn and beef scrambled eggs on rice
Stir-fried udon with Swiss beef
Baked rice with chicken and creamy truffle sauce

Our (pretty random) menu for the evening: a Spam and egg sandwich (simple but SO FREAKING GOOD — I still don't know how they get the eggs to be so fluffy — and did you really go to a HK cafe if you didn't get a Spam and egg sandwich?), deep-fried calamari and fish balls (carried over from Good Catch Boil House — decent, but the fish balls were dry and chewy, and not in a good way — wouldn't order again), prawn and beef scrambled eggs on rice (excellent, again with the fluffy eggs, plus plump shrimp, and sauce-drenched beef with two carefully placed broccoli florets — you can't go wrong), stir-fried udon with Swiss udon (this is usually made with flat rice noodles, but I love the chew of the udon), and baked rice with chicken and creamy truffle sauce (an indulgence but SO WORTH IT — baked dishes at HK cafes are definitely one of the few instances where I prefer rice over noodles). 

Nostalgia aside, there are just way too many things on the menu that I need to try. Baked Portuguese chicken rice? Curry beef brisket with instant ramen? Crab cake Benedict? God, I need to come back ASAP.

Good Catch Bar & Cafe

179 Enterprise Blvd., Unit 109

Markham, ON L6G 0A2

(905) 940-3232

Dining Out: Bona Pizze, Pappardelle alla Iosa, and Tiramisu at Terroni

After leaving the BTS cup sleeve event this afternoon, Ying and I met up with my friend Austin for a late lunch at Terroni. I'd wanted to try Terroni for years but I don't find myself downtown often — and even when I do head down, it's usually for a BTS event and I just find a restaurant near the event cafe to eat at. But Austin and I texted each other last week and I told him I was going to be downtown today, so we agreed to meet for lunch because we hadn't seen each other in a few years and there was so much to catch up on. I asked him to pick the restaurant, so he chose Terroni because it's coincidentally one of his favourites. And the three of us proceeded to have one of the most leisurely, entertaining lunches I've had in a long, long time. Sharing stories, re-hashing old memories, and catching each other up on the last three years over delicious Italian food was a truly healing experience. 

Bona Pizze
Pappardelle alla Iosa
Tiramisu

Ying and I shared the Bona Pizze (white pizza with mozzarella, mortadella, montasio stravecchio, pistachios, and honey), I had the Pappardelle alla Iosa (homemade spicy sausage, button and oyster mushrooms, peas, parmigiano, and extra-virgin olive oil), and the three of us split the tiramisu for dessert. There was not a bite of food I took during this lunch that I didn't absolutely love. I loved everything so much, in fact, that I think I will make Terroni my new go-to downtown restaurant. For 2.5 hours, we forgot about our woes, our stresses, and even the gloomy, bitter cold weather outside. So much so that we didn't even realize we were there for so long. (Seriously, when's the last time you had a lunch that was over two hours? Never? Yeah, same.) I just hope we get to do this again soon. I really missed that kid.

Terroni

57 Adelaide St. E.

Toronto, ON M5C 1K6

(416) 203-3093

BTS Birthday Event: "SOPE WORLD" for Suga and J-Hope at Bloom Cafe

SOPE WORLD Min Yoongi/Suga Cup Sleeves
SOPE WORLD Decorations
SOPE WORLD J-Hope Photocard
Made a quick stop at Bloom Cafe with Ying this afternoon for the "Sope World" BTS cup sleeve event which was honouring both Suga's and J-Hope's birthdays. There were three cup sleeves to choose from for this event, but since we celebrated J-Hope's birthday last month, both Ying and I chose Suga cup sleeves today since his birthday was just several days ago. (In case you're wondering, I got a matcha latte for today's drink because Bloom Cafe does one of the best ones in the city.) Thank you to Cynnie/Rock Bison Shop for hosting and organizing today's event, even in the freezing cold and snow! And of course, happy birthday to our Min Yoongi a.k.a. Suga a.k.a. Agust D! 💜🎉

At the Theatre: BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Seoul — Live Viewing

Just came back from watching BTS' Permission to Dance: On Stage in Seoul at the theatre, and I am FLYING. 

Tonight's set list:

1. ON
2. Fire (Remix)
3. Dope
4. DNA
5. Blue & Grey
6. Black Swan
7. Blood Sweat & Tears
8. Fake Love
9. Life Goes On
10. Boy With Luv
11. Dynamite
12. Butter
13. Telepathy 
14. Outro: Wings
15. Stay
16. So What
17. Idol
18. Epilogue: Young Forever (ARMY Clapper Event)
19. Home
20. Anpanman
21. Go Go
22. Permission to Dance

It was so fucking good. The set list is pretty similar to the LA concerts except for some minor changes in the second half (I love that they decided to change up several songs for all three days in Seoul), but man, the energy is truly different when you're actually cheering with other ARMY and not just watching a livestream alone at home. (Ironic because they didn't allow any cheering at the actual concerts due to COVID regulations in Korea and had to provide them with clappers — it was a little awkward to say the least.) God, I can't wait until Vegas. (Where they allow as much live cheering as you want!)

Friday Five: Chocolate-covered mothballs: they always satisfy!

This week's Friday Five:

1. How did you have it your way this week? Ying finally convinced her husband to let her go to Vegas with me to see BTS! I managed to buy tickets for us after a very long, painful queue with Ticketmaster, and then when she asked her husband, he wouldn't allow her to because of the cost and for safety reasons. But after three weeks of sheer perseverance (e.g. begging, silent treatment, and guilt-tripping), he finally agreed!
   
   I was getting stressed because I could not find anyone to go with me, whether it was due to time, money, or convenience (the concert is during Easter weekend and flights are insanely expensive from Toronto to Las Vegas right now), but I also didn't want to give up the tickets because a) I actually got them (all four BTS shows in Vegas sold out within first day of the ARMY presale — currently the resell value for my tickets are $900+ USD each), b) I am hell-bent on seeing BTS live because their Map of the Soul Tour got cancelled and I couldn't go to their LA shows last December, and c) who knows when they'll actually go on a tour again before their military enlistment? So, yes, the stars finally aligned and I got my way! Now we can finally book our flights and hotel room!
   
   
2. Where do you want to go today? I want to go to Seoul to watch Day 2 of BTS' Permission to Dance: On Stage in Seoul in person, but alas, that is not an option. So I will go with where I need to go to today, which is the Nespresso store. Because I am running out of coffee and that is very, very dangerous.
   
   
3. How have you recently taken a licking but kept on ticking? I mean, Canadian winters always give us a licking because IT WON'T STOP SNOWING, but hey, we just have to deal.
   
   
4. In what manner are you thinking different(ly) these days? With the announcement of the mask mandate being lifted in Ontario on March 21, and with the government also removing capacity limits and proof of vaccination mandates earlier this month, I am beginning to get cautiously optimistic that things will return back to pre-COVID times soon. It's why I'm not hesitating to go to Vegas next month. I haven't left the city in over 2 years out of paranoia, but I got my booster shot and I'm good about wearing masks and washing my hands and sanitizing everything, so I've done all I can. I can't care anymore.
   
   
5. This weekend, how will you indulge because you're worth it? Well, tomorrow, I'm going with Ying to watch the live-viewing of BTS' Permission to Dance: On Stage in Seoul at the movie theatre. And then on Sunday, we're planning to go downtown for a BTS birthday cup sleeve event for Suga and then meet up with my friend Austin for a late lunch because I haven't seen him in over three years. I have a surprisingly eventful weekend coming up.

HAPPY SUGA DAY 2022! 🐱

(Source: BTS Weverse)
To ARMY's Lil' Meow Meow, Bangtan's most savage rapper, and one of the music industry's most talented producers, happy 29th (30th in Korean age) birthday! Thank you for your adorable gummy smiles, for your words of comfort and wisdom, for always standing up for your rights, for always voicing your opinions, for speaking up on global issues and mental health, and for being the ultimate softie even though you don't like showing it. Happy birthday, Min Yoongi a.k.a. Suga a.k.a. Agust D a.k.a. Min Suga Genius Jjang Jjang Man Boong Boong. Wishing you nothing but happiness, health, and comfort. 💜