Current [Pin]speration

My Pinterest & Tumblr have always been a compilation of photos that showcases things I love and/or describes how I feel.

Here are a couple of my current obsessions:

Happy end of May, xo

Main Street Strollin'

Sunshine + Ice Cream = a happy Karen

Happy Thursday, xo

Richmond Station

"The next station is Richmond, Richmond Station"

(said in the TTC lady's voice)

In my world, a mid-week pick-me-up includes good company, good food, and laughter.

Richmond Station is opened by Top Chef Canada Season 2's winner, Chef Carl Heinrich.

Not only have I heard amazing things about this restaurant, but I have a thing for daily chalkboard menus.

It just screams 'We use fresh, seasonal ingredients!!' - and what wrong can that do?

(just an example - this wan't the chalkboard menu when I visited)

When you first walk in, you're greeted with a narrow seating area, with a large bar space on the right and diners on the left. 

There is also an upper level section where we were seated at the Chef's Table.

So not only did I get to watch all the chefs cook and plate the food, I got to watch a Dinner Service happen in real life! (Yeah... I'm clearly watching too many cooking competitions right now.)

It was really amusing to watch the orders come into the kitchen and being placed on the tab, with the chef yelling (okay no, he was just reading) what needed to be done.

Priding themselves of being ingredient focused and technique driven, I could definitely see that when they were preparing all the meals for the tables.

It also felt awesome to get to be served by the Chef himself.

To start, we ordered Rabbit & Crackers.

It had an oily top and the texture of the rabbit meat was a little dry. Is it supposed to be like that? I'm not sure, as I've never had rabbit (poor bunnies!!) But it reminded me of canned tuna. It did not taste like how I expected, but it was nothing to complain about.

For our mains, J and I decided to both order the two specials on the chalkboard menu.

I ordered a Brown Butter Poached Halibut with a squash puree, glazed vegetables, basted sunchoke, shiitake, and hazelnuts. It was cooked beautifully. I loved watching them pour the puree onto the plate first, plop the sides on, and then delicately place the halibut on top with a sprinkle of cilantro.

J ordered the Grilled Sirloin Steak with glazed celtuce, turnip mash, radish salad, capers, and gherkin crème fraîche. I tried a strip of it and it was super juicy and flavorful.

Overall, I had a great experience here and very glad I stopped by. The food and the staff was great, and I cannot wait to go back to The Station and try their famous stn. burger!

Aroma Espresso Bar

After a day of walking around the new outlet mall in Niagara, an affogato seemed like the perfect treat to fuel back up on caffeine while admiring the beautiful summer weather. 

{ An affogato is a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowning happily in a shot of hot espresso. }

So that's exactly what I got.

Stripes + Keds

If you haven't already figured it out, 

Stripes and Keds are going to be two of my summer staples.

(As for jeans... We'll see)

If I'm not in denial about winter being over (aka wearing black on black, or shades of black), then I haven't not worn an outfit without Keds or without stripes. I can't help it!

Ps, to the beautiful sunshine... Don't ever leave me.

SJCB

Everyone could use a latte love :)

I was introduced to SJCB by a friend one day when I was on a coffee date.

I've been wanting to go back ever since.

There always seems to be a line up at this place and I finally know why.

Their lattes are amazing.

Espresso is brewed to perfection and the milk is steamed to make the perfect latte art.

(I haven't tried their coffee as I am so intrigued by how they make the lattes haha)

Fun fact of the day:

SJCB stands for Sam James Coffee Bar, and is *dun dun dun* owned by Sam James.

Sam James was the 2008 regional barista champion (who knew there was something like this?)

Good thing I don't work near here or else I'd be in trouble!

Photo Diary: April'14