DIY Teppanyaki at Aka Teppan

Aka Teppan

Location: 3235 Hwy 7 (First Markham Place)

Access: Along Viva bus route, Public Parking Available
Price: Avg $11-$30
Blogsters' Rating: 4/5

On a rainy evening after a long day of work, Janet and Joyce decided to have something special for dinner with their friends. What's special about Aka Teppan is that their main course is served uncooked on a sizzling hot plate and we have to toss and cook it ourselves before the plate cools down!

Aka Teppan is a small Japanese Fusion restaurant located in one of the largest Asian mall / plaza in the area. The restaurant has around 12-13 small tables and does get busy after 7pm. Luckily we immediately got a table when we got there.

There are quite a few items on the menu with a vast selection of appetizers, mains, desserts and specialty drinks. This is not the first time we're visiting this restaurant and we all came here for the teppanyaki rice which is our favorite item on the menu and also the most popular dish. Other mains include Teppan pasta, Teppan steak and hotpot which are also served in a similar style.  

The teppenyaki rice dishes are flavored with corn, green onion, teppanyaki sauce, lots of ground pepper and your choice of meat. We ordered the supreme beef, ox tongue and house special chicken. Unlike the beef and ox tongue dishes that came raw, the chicken had been pre-grilled since it doesn't cook as quickly as beef does. Beware of the extremely hot plate and sizzling oil as you're 'cooking' the meal!

Joyce's favorite dish is the chicken as it doesn't easily overcook compared to the beef. The savory teppanyaki sauce is balanced with sweetness of the corn and a proper amount of ground pepper gave it a nice kick yet it wasn't too spicy. Janet added a raw egg to her supreme beef which gave the dish more texture and moisture. The ox tongue was tender yet not too soft and was flavored perfectly.

Service was good as the wait staff were very friendly and filled up our tea quickly several times without us having to request for more.The restaurant was well-lit and felt clean in general. Seats were comfortable and there was adequate space for customer and staff to maneuver through the restaurant. 

It was a hearty meal that warmed us up on a rainy and cold evening and we would definitely return again to try other exciting items on the menu! 

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It's Crab Season! Jung Soo Nae's Ganjang Gejang

Jung Soo Nae
Location: 5754 Yonge Street (Yonge St. Bishop Ave.)
Accessibility: Along TTC, VIVA & YRT bus route, parking available
Price: Avg. $8 - $13
Blogsters' Rating: 3/5

Ganjang Gejang has always been one of my most wanting to try Korean dish for the past year.  Until recently, I finally had the chance to get a taste of it.  Recommended by one of my friends, Jung Soo Nae has one of the best Ganjang Gejang in Toronto.  She said it tastes exactly the same as the one she had in Korea.  Of course, without a doubt, my boyfriend and I went there for our Saturday night dinner.  Jung Soo Nae is a very small family restaurant hidden on the ground floor of an apartment building.  We were there around 6:15pm, and it is already packed.  Luckily, we got the last table available, we sat down and started to order =)

Here are the side dishes.  The best ones are FISH CAKE, bean spouts, and mung bean jelly.  We had them refilled couple of times.

Since it is crab season, all tables have at least one order of Ganjeng Gejang.  We were very excited once the waiter bought the gejang to our table.  Seeing the tomalley and roe just make us salivate even more and we couldn't wait to give it a try =)  The crab itself was pretty good, however the marinating sauce was a bit too ordinary.  It seems like they used nothing else but soy sauce to marinate the crabs.  There was no other taste than saltiness in the sauce.  In addition, the claws were not cracked, so we have no way to get the claw meat.

Their bimbimbap comes with heukmi (black rice), which is a much healthier options to plain white rice.  Heukmi has much more nutritious values such as iron, vitamin E, and antioxidants.  The bimbimbap was loaded with veggies and beef, the portions are bigger than any other Korean restaurant we have been to.

The Gamjatang was served extremely hot, as you can see the steam coming from it in the picture.  The taste was a little bit to salty, it is great if you have it with rice.  However, if we were to eat it alone, the flavours were just too rich.  We also found ourselves drinking a lot of water after having it.

On the whole, Jung Soo Nae is a very nice restaurant for family gatherings or small parties. The Ganjang Gejang was a little disappointing and overpriced, but it is worth the experience.  Even though the staffs do not speak fluent English, they are very friendly and tried their best to serve us.  We look forward to revisit and try something new on their menu.

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3CE Dot Eye Shadow Palette [beauty review]

3 Concept Eyes Dot Eye Shadow Palette (Saddle)
Price: $36 USD (on StyleNanda)
Blogsters' Rating: 4/5

This is my current favorite eye shadow palette that I use daily. Although this is a shimmery and sparkly palette, the earthy brown tones make them very versatile for all sorts of different occasions from daily makeup to formal event looks.  

About 3CE

3Concept Eyes is a Korean makeup brand launched by Stylenanda in 2009. "3CE means creating unique individualities based on three colors: pink, orange and beige." There aren't many stores in North America that carry 3CE products so their online store is the best way to shop this brand while having full access to the entire collection. 

Packaging

Very simple, clean and cute packaging with polka dots all over. The only down side is that it doesn't come with a brush or a mirror. For a 4 color palette, the packaging is quite big as well , making it not as convenient to carry around in the purse for touch-ups. (This is not a huge problem for me as I do not have a habit of touching up my make up on a day to day basis.)

Stylenanda.com

Colors

Pearly ivory and orange-y beige has hints of red while restrained sand beige and sparkling deep brown  are darker earthy brown tones. For an everyday look,  I use the restrained sand beige and sparkling deep brown with pearly ivory as a highlight. 

Application

While this eye shadow applies very easily and is easy to blend, the color comes out more subtle than it looks on the palette. If you want more color intensity, you might want to double up the layers just as I have done on the picture above. 

Does it smudge or crease?

Nope. It doesn't smudge easily or give you panda eyes. It also doesn't crease and stays on quite well. 

Does it last long?

Without using an eye shadow primer, it is fairly long lasting but it did fade just a little bit by the end of the day.

Voila! A subtle everyday look for work using all 4 colors of the 3CE palette. 

Overall I am very happy with the performance of this neutral color eye shadow palette with an added sparkling glamour. A downside would be that for a 4 colors shadow palette, the price is relatively high compared to other neutral color palettes with a wider color selection. (Probably because it is imported from Korea.) As I have heard a lot of good reviews about this brand in Asia, I am excited to try out other products from 3CE soon!

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Japango - Fancy Japanese Restaurant in T-Dot

Location: 122 Elizabeth St. (Dundas St. W. & Bay St.)

Access: TTC, street parking available

Price: Avg. $25 per person

Blogsters' Rating: 4/5

Japango is a little tiny Japanese restaurant tucked away in Elizabeth St.  They offer tradition Japanese food with a modern twist.  If you are in that area and would like some Japanese food, this is the place for you.  They have less than ten tables in the restaurant, so do remember to make reservations or be expected to wait in line.

As our appetizer, we ordered the Tempura Appetizer and Gyoza.  We were quite disappointed with the Tempura as it is not crispy or crunchy at all.  They were soft and soggy.  The Gyoza were good enough, but not memorable as it taste like any other gyoza we had before.  

The taste of the Katsu Don was very good.  It has a well balance of sweetness, sourness, and saltiness. However, the texture was not that great as the deep fried pork was very soggy as well.

The Japango Roll is their signature roll.  We are not quite sure what exactly it is made out of, but we are certain that it is a California Roll topped with salmon, scallops, Tobico (flying fish eggs) and some of their signature sauce.  This is truly one of their best dishes.  The Japango Roll has a very soft, creamy, and buttery texture.  The salmon and scallop sashimi are fresh and rich.  In addition, the sauce that they have used is spicy, which adds a little kick to the whole experience.

One of the special dishes that Japango offers is the Tobico with Quail Egg.   With the raw quail egg yolk, the sushi is very rich in flavour.  You can also feel the bursting of each individual flying fish eggs in your mouth in every bite. 

Happy chefs making sushi at the bar =)

In general, we did enjoy our dinner at Japango.  We loved their sushi and sashimi. Their staffs are very friendly and helpful in explaining their menu.  We would definitely come back again!

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Toronto in PINK! Sakura Blooming at High Park

Toronto High Park
Location: 1873 Bloor St. West, Toronto.
Access: Along TTC subway line, streetcar and bus route, public parking available on park grounds

Hey Everyone! It's that time of the year again! On a beautiful Thursday evening after work, Joyce and her friends went to High Park for the first time to witness the beauty of Blooming Cherry Blossoms. 

Ohanami is a traditional Japanese flower viewing activity. Every spring as cherry blossoms bloom, friends and families would gather together at the park for a picnic to celebrate the beauty of sakura flowers and the arrival of Spring. Toronto is privileged to have our own sakura trees which allow us to have an opportunity to experience Ohanami as well. It feels so unreal as we're walking through the pink blossoms.

Under the impression that Sakura is pink, the blossoms here seem to be more pale in color, closer to white. The blossoms gave off a very light flowery scent but was not very apparent.

There are many newly planted sakura trees in the park. Although they may seem small and fragile, they are in full bloom  and getting a lot of attention from photographers as well!

This magnolia tree is in full bloom too! I love the pink to white gradation on these flowers! 

Everybody in Toronto wants to catch a glimpse of Sakura's short lived beauty. Because of its short blooming period, crowds and line up of cars are inevitable. Blooming period lasts from a week to a week and a half so this weekend is the best time to pay a visit to High Park. It is recommended that you take public transportation to avoid being stuck in traffic in and around the park. If you are planning a visit, here are some details including some tips you should know, a blossom locator and also additional activities to do at the park. 

If you haven't seen sakura bloom before, you don't need to fly all the way to Japan! Now is a good chance to go check them out at Toronto's High Park! Good luck and have fun!

   

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Toronto's Favorite 24 Hrs Korean Supermarket - Galleria Marketplace

Galleria Market Place
Location: 7040 Yonge St.Thornhill (Yonge St. & Steeles Ave.)
Access: Along TTC, YRT, and VIVA bus route, free parking available
 (Other branch at 865 Yorkmills Rd. Toronto open from 7am- midnight)

Galleria Marketplace is very well known in the Asian community here in T-Dot.  Their very first Galleria Supermarket opened in November 2003.  Since then, they have been changing and improving their services to ensure that customers are satisfied with their shopping experience. The very best part about Galleria is that the Thornhill branch is open 24 hours! 

Here's a look at their produce section.  If you are planning to make a Korean / Asian dinner tonight, you can pretty much find all your ingredients here.  Galleria has put in their best effort to keep their produce fresh and clean at all times.  They also have a membership program where you accumulate points to redeem various items at a later time.

A huge fridge filled with Angus Beef for Meat Lovers. This is THE place to find thin sliced beef for homemade hotpot and BBQ as they offer top quality fresh beef for a reasonable price. 

Tiny Blue Crabs are in season, it's time for Ganjang Gejang! *Slurp*

Galleria also has a section of ready-to-serve food, like kimbap, japjae, pancakes, tangsuyuk etc.  They usually go on sale after 7:30p.m., as they make fresh ones everyday.

The discount ranges from 30% to 50% depending on what you are getting.  We got our kimbap 50% off that night, which turned out to be around $1.50. =)

Kimchi overload.

Currently, they have a special booth for Dried Seafood.

We wished we could try all the different kinds of ramen on this rack.

Besides grocery, Galleria has a Home Hardware section, where you can find appliances or other essentials for the kitchen and bathroom.

There are a lot of fancy teacups, saucers and utensils that are indeed very pretty and unique.  Most of them are decorated with floral patterns that are great for spring. Joyce spends a great deal of time admiring this section every time she's here. 

Bakery Gateau opens their shop at 5 a.m. everyday to make fresh bread.  They offer a variety of buns and cakes.  Our all time favorite is the Sweet Potato Cake- a unique cake flavor that you can't find elsewhere. ( 3rd row of cakes on the top right picture above) It is very light, fresh, and creamy.  Most important of all, the sweet potato does not taste artificial.  It costs around $26 for the 7" which makes an ideal birthday cake. You can also pre-order your cake online on their website.

In addition to the supermarket, there is also a food court, a beauty store, and some clothing stores along the side. Unlike the market that opens 24 hours, the bakery, food court and other stores do close around 10. However, for those of you who are still up during wee hours and have nothing to do or nowhere to go, Galleria might just be a good place for a late night adventure!

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