Day 201: Dinner Date – Kibo Secret Garden

I had an incredible dinner at Kibo’s Sushi’s newest location, Kibo Secret Garden, an intimate, high-end omakase and sushi house in Yorkville. They have 23 locations in the GTA! Kibo Market in the Junction Triangle (near our place) is definitely a local favourite. I was excited to hang out with Natalie and attend my first dinner event in a LONG TIME. We wore masks and were socially distanced from other diners & staff. We sat at the omakase bar and had a great view of the dinner served by Chef Jin, with barriers between us and other guests. Omakase is a Japanese phrase meaning ‘I leave it up to you’ that describes the traditional Japanese dining style where the culinary experience is left in the hands of the chef. We also enjoyed their selection of Japanese sake and beer. ? Dinner Details The menu highlights the highest-quality fish, seafood, and premium-grade meats. Bo Seo, CEO & Founder, takes pride in only serving fish within 24 hours of its catch. We had the 20-course dinner omakase, starting with Kobacka Soup (sweet pumpkin & rice), Hirame nigiri (Japan), Kurodai (black seabream, Turkey), Kanpachi Nigiri (Japan), Madai Nigiri (red snapper, Japan). Next, we had a round of sashimi with king salmon, fluke, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, and amberjack. Honestly, it was so good. Other items on our menu included bluefin tuna belly, ika (squid), oyster, Wagyu Beef, lobster, prawn, black cod, and sea eel from Japan. I haven’t had much sushi the past few months and everything was an absolute treat. The presentation was also incredible. I reckon it was the fanciest sushi dinner I’ve ever had. “Everything from the location to the design, to the menu has been thoughtfully chosen to create a luxury sushi dining experience. I can’t wait to welcome people in!”  Simeon…

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Day 163: Visit Spain w/ Do Rueda’s Online Wine Event – Sept. 22nd!

Last summer I went on a press trip to Spain where we did something like 13 wineries in 4 days. It was awesome! Our adventure took us all over the Do Rueda region where they specialize in white wine and 1,000-year-old indigenous grapes (Verdejo). A wine tour here is a good idea if you plan on visiting Spain! Since you’re most likely not heading to there anytime soon, take a virtual trip to Spain’s Do Rueda with an online wine class and wine & snacks inspired by the region. I received a box to try, everything paired perfectly with the wine. See my video here! Learn about wine this week in Do Rueda‘s online wine class with Master Sommelier, Bruce Wallner (Sept. 22), and mark October 5th in your iCal for Wine Night Instagram Live with wine expert, Angela Aiello (@superwinegirl).

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#Takeoutday: My First Writeup on Muskoka411!

#TakeOutDay is a nationwide effort to help our favourite local restaurants by ordering takeout. The national campaign was started by Canada Takeout in an effort to help Canada’s hard-hit food industry and is now being co-signed by celebrities, chefs, and notable Canadians nationwide. I chatted with a few notable Canadians to find out their fav spots to eat in the Muskoka region. See tweet below or read it here. Last week we ordered takeout from Muskoka Beer Spa, they’re offering pizza from pie Muskoka, beer & food from Clear Lake Brewing, and several other local items. We even got meat pies! ? For more information on how you can help, visit CanadaTakeout.com.

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byMINISTRY Enlightened Dining Club

I recently attended a new kind of dinner with amazing food that was infused with cannabis (THC & CBD). The entire experience was highly curated to take us on a journey through incredible food and unique experience. The team at byMINISTRY aims to show how cannabis can be integrated into life through food & drink, culture, and wellness. They’re taking your plant-forward lifestyle to a higher place and I am here for it. The Experience Sean and I arrived to be greeted with a non-infused temperance cocktail as there was no alcohol on site. Before each course, the chef (Ted Corrado) walked us through what we were about to eat and if it contained CBD or THC. It was nice to learn about the food before eating it, including how the mushrooms were foraged or fish arrived at our plates.

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Van Der Pop & Cooking w/ Cannabis

Last week I went to a cooking class hosted by Van Der Pop, a female-focused cannabis brand, and had my mind blown! I’ve been interested to try cooking with cannabis now that it’s legal but was kinda worried about stinking up the whole house, wasting the flower, or making a mess. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I learned you can sous vide your weed. SOUS WEED! We learned tips and tricks from Monica Lo and her sous chef, Big Bad Wolf, both from San Francisco. Monica’s Instagram hangle is @sousweeed, (so smart!), follow her! I left feeling inspired and thinking up all kinds of things I could make for the holidays, as gifts, and to enjoy at home. How to Make Cannabis Oil for Cooking Here’s a few recipes you can try. Sean and I are going to the cottage this weekend and I’ll be having a go at making my first sous vide weed. You can use any kind of oil ex. olive oil, vegetable oil, bacon fat, duck oil. I am quite interested in making my own hot chili oil. Woo hoo! Cannabis-Infused Butter Cannabis-Infused Roasted Tomato Soup Cannabis-Infused Tropical Smoothie Cannabis-Infused Simple Syrup Cannabis-Infused Vegan Green Goddess Dressing Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil THANK YOU Van Der Pop for a fun time, look forward to your next event! Have an awesome day!

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The Food God at The Food District

When you get invited to have lunch with Kim Kardashian’s BFF, you go! A couple weeks ago I joined a suite of media babes for a late lunch at Square One Mall’s soon to be epic food market. The almost 40,000 sq ft Food District opens later this month is now OPEN and aims to provide shoppers with an elevated culinary experience. There’s a few downtown Toronto favourites like Pie Commission, Hale Coffee, La Carnita, Sweet Jesus, and other options including Italian, Indian, bbq, Danish, and DIY cupcakes. There’s also a fresh flower shop. The space was still under construction during our visit but it’s now open. For more info about the Food District, check out Blog TO and read about the opening on Toronto Sun.

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