Cafe Mania

Another dessert lunch with Mr. Szeto.  Bought this Groupon for $7 on $25 of food and drinks at Cafe Mania, and I knew it would be great for our dessert lunch.  The environment at Cafe Mania was very comfortable.  They serve breakfast, savory and sweet crepes & waffles, along with coffee and different drinks.

Of course, we both ordered sweets.  I chose the Mania's Darling with fresh apple slices, walnuts, chocolate ice cream, caramel fudge and cinnamon.  The waffle was quite heavy.  It would have been better if the apple slices were in thicker slices for better textures.  Overall, it was very satisfying. 

Mr. Szeto ordered the Exotic Mania served with hazelnut nutella,fresh strawberries, fresh banana, shredded coconut, chocolate ice-cream and sugar icing in a crepe. 

We ended up spending up to our $25 and when we went up for our bill, we saw that most tables there have purchased the Groupon as well.  Overall, Cafe Mania was definitely worth a try and to.live.my.life rates it with a 7.5/10. 

Wanda's Belgian Waffles

Another dessert hunting lunch with Mr. Szeto.  There aren't too many options around where we work, so we chose Wanda's Belgian Waffles today.  The cafe is small and it is a bit of a 'food-court' style, since we ordered and paid up front first.  Both of us got a Wanda Original Vanilla Waffle topped with Ice Cream.  One of us chose chocolate sauce and the other chose maple sauce with our Belgian waffle.

The price is around $5 which is considered cheap for dessert waffles. However, it is worth what it's charge due to its quality and quantity. The only word to use to describe the waffle is "DIFFERENT". It's different from other Belgian waffle, there's this weird softness in the batter. I personally think it is not bad, but I know high quality waffles are not suppose to be like this.  A rating of 6/10 will be given to Wanda's Belgian Waffles due to my bias ratings for desserts (again :P) and the absence of high quality in the waffle.

Cheesecake Factory @ Buffalo

A day of shopping at Buffalo and a meal at Cheesecake Factory is relaxing and care-free.  I am NOT a big fan of cheesecakes at all because it is very fattening and if there is a choice I would choose other types of desserts.  However, one cannot say NO to cheesecakes from Cheesecake Factory.  We arrived at around 4pm and we got a table right away.  However, usually there are long waits and line-ups during lunch and dinner peak hours.  The main purpose of being at Cheesecake Factory was for the cheesecake, so we only ordered the Factory Nachos and the Carlton Salad as our 'mains' to share.

The Factory Nachos are served with crisp tortilla chips covered with melted cheeses, guacamole, sour cream, jalapeños and salsa.  Not too much cheese were melted on the tortilla chips, so I really like it that way.  Also, the 'Nacho Expert' seemed to enjoy it since he finished the whole thing, so I believe it was above average but not exceptional since no specific very positive comments were given.

I mainly ate the Carlton Salad, which is served with romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, feta cheese, avocado, organic dried cranberries, raisins, pears, fresh orange and pecans tossed with vinaigrette.  I really like this salad because I never had this type of salad before.  It had both a sweet and sour taste at the same time.  I like the pecans and the fruits served with it.  However, I tasted goat cheese in the salad which I dislike, but it is weird how the ingredients did not include goat cheese at all.

My 'main' dish was actually the cheesecake.  Out of the whole list of cheesecakes, I chose the Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake because I love pecan turtle chocolates.  The dessert is a pecan brownie and caramel-fudge swirl cheesecake, topped with caramel turtle pecans and chocolate.  It was very very very good, the cheesecake is very soft and I have never had such a delicious cheesecake.  I just want to try all their cheesecakes as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, I was too full yesterday, so didn't get a chance to have another piece until I go to Buffalo again next time :(

'To.live.my.life' rates a 9/10 to Cheesecake Factory because their food is very good.  The price is low as opposed to the portion, so luckily, I get to share their appetizer, salad and cheesecake with another.  It is very hard to finish such large portions and able to eat desserts by an asian small-eater girl like me. Also, the cheesecake is soft, not too sweet, and one word: 'ADDICTIVE'.  Everything is perfect for the cheesecake.  I just can't wait for another piece of Cheesecake Factory's cheesecake. 

Cafe Mirage Grill & Lounge

First day of long weekend, the weather was super nice and I really had the urge to have dinner at a patio.  Sadly, I failed to find the 'perfect' patio and I was lazy to drive downtown, so ended up at Cafe Mirage on Sheppard.
(My definition of a 'perfect' patio' is one with good food, not on a main street, and can be comfortably seated, please give suggestions if anyone have anything in mind.  Thanks!)

I have always wanted to try the desserts at Cafe Mirage, so I know this will be a great chance to.  Miss. A.Wong and I arrived at around 7-ish but the restaurant was pretty quiet, so we even picked where we want to be seated.  Both of us didn't want to have a heavy main dish, because we want to save our tummies for desserts!  I ordered a Chicken Caesar Pita with side-salad.  It is a whole-wheat pita stuffed with tender chicken breast, crispy romaine, and sautéed onion tossed in creamy Caesar dressing.  I love their pita because it was toasted, so it was crispy.  

Miss. A. Wong ordered a Chicken Chipotle with house salad.  It has grilled chicken breast, golden onions, and Swiss cheese with spicy house chipotle sauce and is served on toasted foccacia.  I tried a quarter of it, I like my Chicken Caesar Pita more because the toasted foccacia is just very similar to toasted sandwich so it wasn't too special.  

Last but not least, our dessert!  We ordered a Chocolate and Strawberry Ice-Cream Waffle with strawberries.  I rarely have negative comments about desserts, so of course it was very good and actually very filling.  However, it wasn't 'too special' and 'one-of-a-kind' thing.  I actually  really want to try their cakes next time because they look delicious and the portion served is enormous too.  

'To.live.my.life' give Cafe Mirage on Sheppard a 7/10 because overall everything was just standard.

Crêpes à GoGo

Crêpes à GoGo concludes my last food hunting destination for my first month of food blogging.  It was a great month with a lot of sweetz and fat!  There are way too many places to eat that I never discover, want to try or explore into before.  I was never a big fan of eating, unless it's chips, egg tarts, gingerbeard cookies, desserts.  However, I want to find new crazy favs to add to my list now. :P

As our crepes hunting continue, Mr. K.Szeto and I purposely TTC-ed up to Bloor to Crêpes à GoGo for lunch.  After our unsatisfying experience last time from Cafe Crepes, I did not set a high expectation for Crêpes à GoGo this time even though I've read many many positive reviews and a few friends actually recommended me this place.  The cafe is very small, and it was packed and hot during lunch time.  The waiters and waitresses all speak french and the cafe is decorated in a Paris theme.

We both ordered sweet crepes, because of our craziness toward desserts.  I got a Sweet Dark Chocolate Crepe with Banana.  The crepe was very warm and delicious.  It wasn't too sweet and the crepe itself tasted just perfect with the right texture and softness.  However, many actually recommended their savory crepes and the selection is greater too, so I am for sure going back and trying those .

At the end, Mr. K.Szeto saw many people drinking from a bottle drink, so he got one to try too.  It is 'lemon juice with mint leaf'.  I thought it was just Lemonade but I tried it too, it is very different.  This drink was produced by Crêpes à GoGo and most likely you would have not tasted a drink like this before.  I couldn't comment too much about it because I only had a sip.  However, it should be refreshing and the word to use is 'different'.

Overall, 'to.live.my.love' is very satisfy this time about this crepe hunting destination Crêpes à GoGo and will give a rating of 9/10 to them.

ColdStone Creamery @ Tim Hortons

Since today's high tea event got cancelled, my sweet tooth needs something sweet to fulfill my lonely day at home.  I heard many good reviews about ColdStone Creamery, and I knew that it is located within a few Tim Hortons around Toronto.  However, I did not know that I am actually really close to one of them until I started researching for their locations, so I went over for a dessert dinner tonight.  Basically, it has the same concept as Marble Slab with even fewer selections (maybe there are more options in the U.S.), so nothing to exciting for me.

I ordered one of their Signature Creations : Founder's Favourite in small size with a waffle bowl.  It is sweet cream ice cream mixed with pecans, brownie, fudge and caramel.  I was surprised by small the ice-cream was when the cashier was mixing my ice-cream with the toppings.  The quality is a lot worst than Marble Slab and the price is actually about the same considering the quantity served.  If you do go to Coldstone Creamery @ Tim Hortons, don't get the waffle bowl because it is not fresh at all.  Unfortunately, 'to.live.my.life' rates it a 3/10 because of the quality and quantity of the ice-cream and waffle bowl.

Cafe Princess

The main purpose of today's meet up with Miss.Kan was so she can dessert hunt with me!  For weeks, we've been talking about going to "Cafe Princess", and my first finally happened today.  I was surprised by the environment and atmosphere once I stepped in.  I never thought "Cafe Princess" gives such a relaxing and comfortable feeling.  It was not decorated like other cafes, and one word to describe "Cafe Princess" is girly (hence a great place to chat and gossip!)

"Cafe Princess" serves coffee/tea, cakes, waffles, ice-cream etc.  We shared a slice of Jamoca Almond Fudge Cake, it was soooo delicious.  All the cakes are actually from La Rocca, hence no complains but only complements were made.  

We also ordered a small Red Bean Sorbet with vanilla ice-cream, fruits, corn flakes etc.  I didn't enjoy this as much as the slice of cake since the red beans were too sweet and there were quite a lot of ice cubes at the bottom.

'To.live.my.life' loves sweets and will give "Cafe Princess" a 9/10 because both the cake and sorbet were yummy.  Most importantly, the relaxing and warm environment add many points to this cafe.

deKefir

Another dessert lunch today! After reading the post on blogTO about deKefir, I knew that it will be on my 'wishlist' because it is so close to where I work.  However, it is hidden in the PATH at Bay & Adelaide so it is unnoticeable.  From the pictures in the blog, I always thought that deKefir is another frozen yogurt cafe.  Not until I walked in today when I was introduced to Kefir.  KEFIR is made from milk and kefir grains, it is similar to yogurt but contains a wider range of bacteria and yeasts that are friendly to the stomach.

I ordered a small kefir with mango.  There is an option to add 4 more toppings for $1 as well, and the toppings include fruits and nuts.  Kefir is not as smooth as frozen yogurt or ice-cream, however it contains a lot less fat.
'To.live.my.life' rates deKefir with a 7/10, because it did not give me a 'wow' taste but I like the fact it is low in fat.

Prairie Girl Bakery

A dessert after lunch is always delighting. I’ve stopped by “Prairie Girl Bakery” at 5:45pm two weeks ago, and there was a sign hanging at the door saying “All Cupcakes are sold out for the day” while the store was supposed to close at 6pm. I walked away with disappointment craving for some cupcakes that night. Yesterday after lunch, my friend and I went over to grab mini cupcakes. The selection was limited, but I like the fact that they offer MINI cupcakes. I got a Strawberry Chocolate Cupcake, while my friend got a Strawberry Vanilla Cupcake. After disappointment with my recent cupcake experience, I wasn’t expecting too much. However, when I took the first bite of the cupcake from “Prairie Girl Bakery”, I’m loving it. The cream filing on top tasted just right, and the cupcake was so soft. I will defi-nitely go back for infinite number of times and 'to.live.my.life’ rates “Prairie Girl Bakery” with a 10/10. I am just hype about their cupcakes now!

Cafe Crepes

I was excited about this dessert lunch all along because "Cafe Crepes" was a crepes place I've been longing to try for years.  It was either because I am too full from lunch/dinner or I need to go shopping that's why I never stopped by "Cafe Crepes".

The selection of crepes is wide, but many of the crepes were just different combination of ingredients used. My friend and I both ordered a crepe from the "Crepes Specialies" in the dessert section of the menu for lunch.  He got an "Exotique", which has rum, coconut, banana and sugar.  Mine is a "Crepe du Chef"  with apple sauce, banana and cinnamon.  Both found the crepes extremely dry, and one major complain from my friend was he cannot taste rum in his crepe at all.  Overall, it was a major disappointment for the both of us and "to.live.my.life" can only rate "Cafe Crepes" with a 2/10.

The Cupcake Shoppe

As my dessert hunting continues, I somehow ended up at "The Cupcake Shoppe" this afternoon.  Last week, I actually went to "Prairie Girl Bakery" after work. I got there 15 minutes before they close but there was a sign saying "All sold out for the day, so I left with disappointment.  I told my friend about this, and he told me about "The Cupcake Shoppe".  I recognized the store right away when I got there because I was actually there few months ago but didn't end up buying anything.  I got attracted to the store last time because all the cupcakes in the store were very colourful and pretty.  The smell of baked cupcakes is very strong once I stepped into the store.  I got 6 cupcakes.

From top left to bottom right,
Opposites Attract - chocolate frosting on chocolate cake
James Brown - chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream
Sticky n' sweet - vanilla cake dipped with caramel
Cookie D'ough - chocolate chip vanilla cake with cookie dough buttercream
Curious George - chocolate cake with banana buttercreram
After Ate - chocolate cake with mint buttercream

Once I got into my car, I ate James Brown.  It wasn't all that special, the cake was soft and fresh, and the buttercream wasn't TOO sweet.  'To.live.my.life' gives "The Cupcake Shoppe" a 6.5/10 because these cupcakes are not cheap ($14.50 for 1/2 a dozen), yet they probably don't deserve that high price. 

Hollywood Gelato

I've been craving for Gelato ever since I came back from Italy last year.  For the past year, I have not discovered a good gelato place in Toronto, however I've heard ONLY good reviews about "Hollywood Gelato" so it has always been on my 'must-go-to-try' list.  From my trip from downtown back to uptown, I somehow stopped by "Hollywood Gelato" during noon time (partly due to my dessert hunt obsession).  I must admit that my expectations were set pretty high due to all these extremely positive reviews and talks about Hollywood Gelato.  Once again, I am disappointed, I guess it's hard to compare to gelato from Italy.  There weren't as many flavours as I thought it would be.  I got a small sugar cone with Roasted Almond and Tiramisu.  I like the Tiramius but more almonds would be better in the Roasted Almond.  I was also surprised that Hollywood Gelato does not only offer gelato, they have coffee, tea and baked goods too.  Overall, 'to.live.my.life' gives Hollywood Gelato an 8/10 because of my bias towards desserts and ice-cream.  Gelato does taste yummy after all!!!

Yogoberri Bakery Cafe

My 8-por friend and I decided to go for some afternoon dessert today.  Our decision was never on "Yogoberri" to start with, but due to our long ride and turns we ended up at Yogoberri.  I certainly did not regret it. 

Desserts and sweets are always great, especially in this hot summer weather.  My friend highly recommended the yogurt ice-cream they offer, and I was actually given samples of their vanilla and green-tea yogurt ice-cream to try.  Both are really good, it is certainly different from YogenFruits yogurt ice-cream.  The ice-cream is a lot softer and smoother.

Of course, my friend ordered yogurt ice-cream with fruits.  I ordered half a fruit waffle.  It smelled and tasted very good.  The ice-cream on top of my waffle was just some regular vanilla ice-cream but if it was ice-cream then it would be so much better.  They have cakes too, and the next friend that I am going to get a cake for birthday will certainly be a cake from Yogoberri (because I really want to try their “Sweet Potato cake” :P)

Yogoberri deserves a 8/10 in ‘to.live.my.life’ because of my bias towards des-serts.  I certainly did enjoy the Korean music and the chat w/my friend in this small quiet café.