Hello Reader!

Raymond from Travelling Foodie here, and welcome to the latest update!

Summer is such an amazing time to be in Toronto. This month, I’m taking you on a journey through the vibrant culinary and cultural scene of Toronto. From exclusive media events at restaurants to exploring food festivals, there's been no shortage of delicious discoveries.

We’ll also dive into movie reviews, recipes, food news, new tech from Made by Google launch, and travel tips.

Toronto

• I "travelled to South Africa" thru wine by attending the media event, A Taste of the Cape Winelands, on the private patio at The University Club of Toronto.
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  From what I tried that night, my fave red: Stormy Bay Cab Sauv 2023; my fave white: Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2024.
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• The people behind one of my favourite Thai restaurants opened a Filipino restauraunt, Makilala. I attended the media event and loved the food. So happy to see proper traditional Filipino food in downtown core area.
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• There are so many festivals in Toronto during summer, a lot revolving around food.
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• On one Saturday, I checked out Indonesian Food Festival and, even though it a small venue, it was very busy and focused on Indonesian food.
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• On the same day, I randomly stumbled into a time that Old City Hall was open to public so I took the quick 15 minutes I had before meeting a friend to check it out. Very nice space and photo opp as you can take pictures while seated on the judge's chair.
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• And then I met my friend for lunch at KAKA All You Can Eat, used to be one of my fave AYCE sushi spots in the city BUT sadly the time restrictions by the restaurant was discouraging (seems to be a new thing).
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  I arrived before my friend. Initially not knowing if we're doing ayce or ala carte, I was told AYCE has a 2-hour time limit and ala carte has 1-hour time limit. And if I sat now before my friend, the timer would start already. The place was not even full since our lunch was for 1:30PM.
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  And when we finally sat, we saw a solo diner next table doing AYCE still having food she's enjoying being told by the server her time is up while presenting the bill.
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• On the same day before I went home, I checked out Taste of Vietnam at Nathan Phillips Square for the first time. It was very busy with lots of things going on. In contrast to Indonesian Food Festival, one thing I noticed is a lot of the food vendors aren't serving Vietnamese. I'd say majority is other Asian food so it felt more like Taste of Asia than Vietnam.
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  My first time seeing Mochi Banh Mi, and it came highly recommended by Andrew Phung (Chinese-Vietnamese actor, KimChee, from Kim's Convenience) when I ran into him at Makilala. And the funny part is when I was lined up for this dish, I saw him again lined up for it - this time with his wife.
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  The banh mi was flavourful and delicious especially due to the spicy satay sauce. But I didn't find anything special about the bread. I didn't think there was anything mochi about it, other than it's not the typical crusty bread used for banh mi.
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• My friend invited me to watch the new Fantastic 4 at Imagine Cinema, which amazingly still has $5 Tuesday promos. It was my first time there, and I was amazed because the theatre is akin to the VIP theatres at Cineplex where you get a reclining chair. Plus, $5 popcorn or nachos too!
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  The movie was ok. The action was good, but the duration definitely could've been shorter. I also found the actors were less similar to what you'd expect them to be from the comics. I still found Mr. Fantastic and The Thing from the 2005 movie were more to what I expect the characters to be.
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• With the recommendation of a friend, I finally tried the Pan Pizza of Domino's. And it was really good - definitely much better than Pizza Hut imo. I still prefer the crunchy thin crust though.
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• I finally tried Minami, the popular spot from the same people by Miku. I did a media tasting sampling various appetizers, entree, sushi, cocktails and desserts. You can always expect good sushi, especially aburi, from the spots by Miku. Some of the more creative/fusion rolls were quite sweet with the sweet sauce they put so I hope they reduce that. Their lunch gozen set is really great value and equally delicious.
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• I attended the Korean K-Expo Canada for the first time. It's a free-to-public expo with some programs requiring sign-ups/tickets. It was so busy when we went with lineups for everything. We were mostly there for two things: (1) A cooking demonstration from a popular K-Drama Actor and Chef Ryu Soo-young where we got to try his food. (2) A K-Pop Concert at night with three acts: Fifty Fifty, Cravity and BamBam. This was my first K-Pop Concert, and the energy was unreal! Can't believe the concert was free!
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• I went back a 2nd time to Som Tum Jinda because I wanted to try the grilled pork jowl plate (which comes with fried rice and egg) since the last time I tried with friends was only an appetizer plate of the pork jowl. It was so good, and the accompanying sauce gives it depth. But do ask for their chili oil as well!
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• It's that time of the year again for CNE ending this Labor Day long weekend. The crazy food trend this year seems to be... butter?! Butter Burgers to Butter Soda…and even Butter Ice Cream.
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• I attended the Canada preview of the Made by Google Launch of new products which are the Pixel 10 line of smartphones, Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds, plus the brand new Pixelsnap devices and accessories. Pixelsnap is their new magnetic feature (think Magsafe on Apple products).
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  And then a week after, I was gifted a spanking new Pixel 10 Pro XL, which I can't wait to use in upcoming trips.
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• And lastly, also that time of the year again: the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is celebrating its 50th year next week from Sep 4.
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  I did a media tasting of the limited-time TIFF Afternoon Tea and Cocktails at Shangri-La Hotel, available from Sep 4-28. The creativity and deliciousness of the afternoon tea are on point. My top faves: Emperor's Deviled Egg, German Chocolate Cake, Ceremonial Sipper Cocktail (for a sweeter one), Treasure Cocktail (for a stronger one).
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• Our condo finally had a summer event for the first time. It was great chilling and meeting people from the building in a fun casual setting with food, games and music.

Recipes

• ​Italian Meatballs from a Popular Toronto Restaurant​
• ​Traditional Indian Spinach Lentil Curry​
• ​10-Minute Recipe Collection​

In other news...

• In Canada, you can now renew your passport online! I did that recently, and received the passport in 9 business days after submitting the application. You do need to get your digital passport photo done by a professional though. They don't allow you to do it yourself, and they'll ask the store location and address where you took it.
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• A lot of food awards coming up close to each other:
  • Toronto Michelin Guide 2025 Reveal is happening Sep 18! I can't wait to attend for 4th year.
  • The inaugural North America's 50 Best Restaurants (by World's 50 Best) is coming out on September 25.
  • The Best Chef Awards 2025 is taking place on Oct 1-2, and I'm attending again for my 2nd year.
• I finished my updates for Tokyo with a Neighborhood Guide, Restaurant Guide and Things To Do Guide.
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• I shared some of the best weekend getaways from Toronto so you can plan a road trip before summer ends, or for fall.
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  Speaking of getaway, Niagara just launched Niagara Takes Flight, its newest flying theatre attraction.
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• Finally got around to writing more from my Turkiye trip, starting with What Really Happens on a Hot Air Balloon Ride in Cappadocia.
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• TV Shows & Movies:
  • Matlock (2024) - highly recommend if you love law-type shows like Suits.
  • Upload (season 4) - the series finale. I think it started going downhill, so they wrapped up properly.
  • Squid Game (season 3) - the series finale. The games were still done well, but they didn't wrap things up well. So many unanswered and useless things that happened.
  • The Bear (season 4) - I still really enjoy this show despite declining interest from viewers.
  • Drop - fast-paced thriller movie. Fun and entertaining, although plot is quite predictable.

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Thank you for being part of my journey! Stay tuned for more adventures and delicious discoveries.

Didn't I say I'll be more consistent? :) But please still keep me accountable, or caffeinated lol.

Now, I'd love for you to share your experiences, be it a memorable trip, meal or movie/show you had recently. Just reply to this email.

As always, happy travels and eating!​

Cheers,

Raymond Cua​
Travelling Foodie & Journey Traveler

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