Photo Diary: the Last of August 2014

"she tucked her coral lipstick away and floated back to the party"

Love the detail on my Kate Spade dust bag!

View from The Porch

Raspberry and Strawberry Bulldogs :9

Blurry nights are always the best nights with this one

Chapters has the cutest prints!

idk

Flower browsing on Davenport

Oysters, mojitos, and life chats with this guy

Love these two-toned pants! (Side note, I really need a lint roller)

Sushi lunch specials make my life

Honoured to be able to witness these boys trying their first cosmos! #hewantedit #worktingz

And the end of August means the end of summer aka no more beach days.. Bye :(

Which also means it's time for university to start!

Spent the last day of August moving this little one into residence :(

BYE BEBE SEESTER!

Simple Saturdays in Silver

with a hint of Chanel red
xo

Big Crow

Yeah, this is a S'mores Burger.

And yes, it was absolutely delicious.

Located on Dupont between Avenue and Spadina, Big Crow (@bigcrowbbq) is located behind  Rose and Sons as a backyard patio that is open all year round. Big Crow has a cute camping theme, and that was mainly why we came here for dessert.

I mean, what kind of camping trip would be complete without s'mores for dessert?

Squished between two buns is a slab of vanilla ice cream, crushed graham crackers, and a gracious amount of overflowing chocolate sauce - all speared together with two toasted marshmallows.

For me, since I don't like coupious amount of bread (and yes, this is a lot of bread), I was not a big fan of the burger buns as it was too much bread for me. So I removed the top but kept the bottom as a base. It was so delicious.
After contemplating how to eat this massive thing for a solid 5 minutes, we devoured it.

I'm not sure I would go out of my way to come back here and get this again, but if you're a crazy s'mores lover like I am...do it.

El Cabillito Tequila y Tacos

Tacos and tequila, anyone?

Located in on a lower level venue on King Street West is this tequila bar + taco heaven.

When walking in, you're greeted by friendly staff and this exquisite tequila tasting room (that is only open for group reservations).

As for food, S and I decided to order 3 tacos each with a side of guacamole.

• Flank Steak taco, with bell peppers, roasted onions, salsa verde asada, and cow's cheese

• Baked Fish taco, with macha marinade sauce, salsa cruda, crispy leeks, red cabbage, and lime

• Chicken Pibil, which was a heap of pulled chicken, black beans, pickled red onion on a corn tortilla

Guacamole and chips ($9.00)

& of course, it wouldn't be a complete meal without shots of tequila.

Besides our meal, we went through Tequila 101 and learned a bit about their tequila and how differently aged tequlia was like and what not.

Overall, I really enjoyed the tacos. They were super filling! I really didn't think I'd be full from 3 tacos but I was stuffed! The tortilla is not too thin (so the sauce doesn't run nor does it break) and none of the meat is dry. So if you love Mexican food + tequila, I definitely recommend El Cabillito!

Crafted by Te Aro

After brunch on a Saturday afternoon at School Bakery & Cafe, J and I decided to head over to Ossington and do some work at a local coffee shop.



Their menu here seems like a normal coffee shop menu, but I'm pretty amazed as to all the different ways they have figured out how to get coffee into a cup. Depending if you're lucky or not, they will have something called the 'cold drip coffee' which actually takes 6 hours to brew.

(Photo from BlogTO, as it was not available the day I went)

But if you are out of luck, they'll have any other type of coffee you can think of. Whether it be a Pour Over or just a normal French Press.

I ordered a Vanilla Soy Latte (my new sugary favorite caffeinated beverage) and it was so good.

I'm starting to realize how good a latte can be when it's made with properly steamed milk and the aroma from the roasted coffee beans seeping through with every sip. Mmmmm.

Ugh, I have problems.

I love this area! I can't wait to come back on a nice sunny day and just stroll around the Ossington Strip.

Day Trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake

In the midst of my studying, I decided it was time for a mini getaway.

When my parents told me they were planning to go to Niagara, I self-invited myself and jumped in the car :)

We stopped by Outlet Collection at Niagara for some shopping (can't say no to that!)

And I didn't leave the outlet empty handed - I made my first Kate Spade purchase! :O

It's not my 'normal bag' but I don't know why I just absolutely love it! Can't wait to wear it out!

I also finally tried the famous Ice Aroma blended coffee! It was...amazing.

Even though it is the opposite of my normal choice of coffee, this is THE perfect summer drink.

Afterwards, we headed out to dinner and then walked along Clifton Hill towards the Falls with my date.

Isn't he cute?!

Happy weekend y'all :)

SCHOOL Restaurant

Brunch time is the best time.



Located in Liberty Village, SCHOOL (@schoolresto) offers baked goods, brunch, and lunch. They've been noted as one of the best brunch restaurants in Toronto, so I obviously needed to go check it out for myself.

Although the venue looks small from the outside, it extends into two rooms with a large patio during the summertime. Unfortunately, the day that I went was a gloomy one so we opted to sit inside.

The decoration is also so fun. They have 'notes' as part of the decor for lighting, clocks on the wall are all set to 3:30pm, chalkboard walls, red apples on the tables for display, and their menu on a clipboard.

This menu may look small as it is only 1 page, but it was packed full of goodness. I pretty much wanted to order everything on the menu.

After reading the menu about 10 times, we finally decided on ordering all of...this.

Yeah...

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Salad
w/ Endive, Fingerling Potatoes, Sunny Egg & Lemon Pepper Greens

Super Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
w/ Quebec Maple Syrup & Brown Sugar Butter

Super Cheesy Bacon French Toast
Fired w/ Loads of Gooey Cheddar-Jack Served w/ Syrup & Greens

Smoked Salmon Scramble
with Cream Cheese + In-House Pickled Onion on a Toasted Biscuit

Report Card for the day:
Food - A+
Service - B+
Food - A+
Food - A+

Oh, did I just rate food three times? It was just that good! Look at that smile on my face :D

Usually when I go to places that a lot of people have recommended, I tend to be disappointed because my expectations were so high. However, I was not disappointed here. The food here was everything I had expected plus more, and everyone I was with agreed.

I will definitely be back. I cannot wait to come here to try something different!

School's out, see ya never!
(Jk, I'll be back)