Southern Accent

The past 2 weeks was Toronto's Winterlicious event and the only restaurant that I went to was Southern Accent. It was a solo mission since Ann couldn't go because she had to work on the day when our friends wanted to go. Regardless, it was a great experience.

Many of my friends enjoy the Winterlicious/Summerlicious events every season, but we usually have a difficult time in choosing a restaurant. How we ended up at Southern Accent was actually quite the coincidence since two of my friends that I went with actually picked the same place separately.

The night before we dined at the bistro, I did some last minute studying of the menu and it looked legit. The prix fixe menu had something in each course that I had wanted to try and boy did I hit the jackpot. I'll explain later.

This was the outside of the restaurant. Lots of lighting, hard to miss right?

Or so I thought, but I wouldn't have found it if my friend hadn't guide me. It's hidden on Markham St. just slightly south of Bloor.

This was our table, the atmosphere is pretty nice for a get-together. It's not exactly what I'd call romantic if that's what you are looking for. There's just too much "Christmas lights" and strange decor for that.

Shortly after we all arrived, we talked about what we planned to get. I stuck to the plan and ordered: Southern Combo (appetizer), Nawlin's Combo Chicken and Lamb (main course), with Creme Brulee (dessert).

My appetizer was amazing. There were 4-5 different things on the plate and their flavors really complimented each other. The calamari was great and that's saying a lot because I don't like calamari (I ordered it because it looked like a better option than the other appetizers).

I was actually almost full by the time I finished the appetizer. The Southern Combo could've been a meal itself since the portion was huge for fine dining. My friend deviated from the plan (he originally wanted the Southern Combo too) and regretted his decision in changing his order to Seafood Cornbread. Lol, this isn't the first time that this happened. Last year we went to Cafe Moroc and he changed his order from steak to salmon (another big mistake on his part). Lesson to be learned here is to always stick to the plan!

This thing... is the Chicken and Lamb combo. Or what I'd like to call, 2 main course on the same plate. At any other fine dining places, they would've placed lamb and mash together and call it a dish with the chicken, veggie and jambalaya together as another. But no. This beastly thing was the best main I've had for fine dining.

And to finish the night off with Creme Brulee. Pretty standard stuff, except they plated it with some fruits on the side. Eating this only made me realize that I only like what's underneath the caramel crust of the Creme Brulee.

I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone, which I have so far. My overall experience of it is... simply superbly sublime. I haven't been to many Winterlicious/Summerlicious places but this is the best one yet.

MoRoCo

I discovered Moroco last year when, after dinner with friends, someone suggested to grab dessert somewhere close by. At the time it was summer and Moroco had a lavish, princessy type patio setting surrounded by a white fence, throne like chairs, candles, and lots and lots of purple. To top it off, Moroco is a chocolatier, so they have a lot of chocolate. Moroco, in my opinion, has managed to create the perfect woo-ing atmosphere: the decor and chocolate alone was enough to make any girl feel woozy in the head with love, all the guy has to do is to be a gentleman.

Moroco is in Yorkville, one of the most interesting parts of Toronto (if you have enough money that is). It's a bit hidden and easy to miss, which adds all the more to its woo-ing qualities. It's like a purple, chocolate oasis in a concrete jungle, what girl wouldn't be intrigued by that?

This is the outside of Moroco in the inside of the building. Since it's winter, there unfortunately was no patio.

The inside was a bit dark because they had drapes hanging around, which created an interesting atmosphere. Maybe they're aiming for a vampire-esque gothic setting with all the dim lighting, chandeliers, and lamps around the place. Or maybe they just wanted the place to look like someone's living room.

And look, a purple, studded couch!

Johnny said having a picture of just a couch was weird, so I jumped in the shot. This looks just like a reading nook you'd have in your living room.

Close up of the bling on the couch:

The purple menu.

They have a drink menu with wine, beer, and champagne. They also have an entire afternoon tea section for those who want to test out their manners and drink with pinkies up. This is their cafe menu, which we eventually ordered from because I just wanted a truffle and macaron.

Their entree selection:

With all the chocolate lying around, I was almost surprised they didn't have anything outstanding like chocolate drizzled chicken, dark chocolate roasted lamb, and penne with seasonal salad covered in white chocolate dressing. Then again, that'd be gross. Overall, nothing too outstanding about their menu though.

Cappuccino and latte with a macaron, which was interesting to bite into because I didn't expect it to be a bit chewy.

Americano with espresso with the truffle which melted against the cup. And no, that's not a cup of chocolate chips to sweeten the coffee with, it's unrefined brown sugar lumps (chocolate would have been awesome).

Omelette du Jour, a mix of cheese, chicken, and egg - a very heavy combination.

Johnny said yes when the waitress asked him if he wanted pepper, so she went at it with the pepper grind. It wasn't until his salad and egg were covered in pepper did he tell her to stop. At least the pepper didn't ruin the meal for him (maybe it was the ketchup he later added that saved the meal).

And finally, the humongous Artison Bison Burger with one pickle missing because I ate it before remembering to take a picture, with a side of scalloped potatoes.

Mango and Taro

The story of Mango and Taro begun when Johnny wanted to be a big shot youtube celebrity by doing nothing but eat a lot in front of a camera. So armed with his trusty camera man, Ann, they set off to their favourite Korean Restaurant where they learned the hard way that improvising is not as easy as it seems. Unfortunately, the embarrassing footage of Johnny eating got lost - and so they're back to square one with a blog this time. Maybe some day Johnny will want to be a big shot youtube celebrity again and Ann will have a better camera to film with.

Johnny's adventures in Chinatown with his trusty sidekick, Ann (the no longer trusted camera man), once again begins at a bubble tea shop.

Tea Shop, Food or Tea Shop Food or Tea Shop and Food is found on Yonge just outside of North York station with a very funny Engrish sign that says, "Grand Opening 6 Years Anniversary."

Johnny explains: "It means they had their grand opening 6 years ago and are having an anniversary now."

Seems dubious.

The inside interior is decorated plainly with white chairs and white tables. Nothing outstandingly Asian-ish except for the flat screen t.v. on the other side playing a mix of Taiwanese/Korean music videos.

Johnny: "Let me translate it for you. He's singing about loving his dead brother and he's sorry that his wife murdered him. He's torn on who he should love and be loyal to."

"He just said marry me in English."

The menu:

It says Stop and Seat inside a heart. Perhaps the menu is inviting us for a quick rendevouz. Interestingly enough, Tea Shop Food is Taiwanese owned in a very Korean area. This got Johnny very excited because he is Taiwanese.

Incase you needed a brief lesson on bubble tea, the menu explains what bubble tea and tapioca is.

Apparently everything on the menu was good, according to Johnny who also happens to be an expert on Taiwanese cuisine. We settled on getting popcorn chicken. You can tell it's authentic because of the fried basil leaf and the slight spice in the batter.

And of course, this wouldn't be a real first post without the infamous Mango and Taro. The mango bubble tea is an ice crush, which means they used fruit syrup. The taro is a sherbet, which means they used powder.


And so ends our first adventure in Johnny's Chinatown, more commonly known as Toronto.