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Toronto

Traipse in Toronto

Dining At Goldfish CuisineMore Photos
  • by nik-nak
  • A January 2006 travel journal
  • Last Updated: March 16, 2006
Journal Usefulness Rating 3 out of 5
Journal Usefulness
8
Reviews
4
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Toronto is a melting pot of marvelous. With divine ethnic eateries, boutique shopping galore, and good vibes from the people, I could live here—easy!

Traipse in Toronto

Overview

By some stroke of luck, or answered prayer I'd say, my friend Tereska invited me to tag along with her to Toronto. Since the year 2005 saw me Chicago-ridden, without a "real" vacation, I jumped on the invitation.

I was pleasantly surprised by all that Toronto had to offer. It seemed very welcoming of tourists, and as one who loves experiencing the richness of other cultures, I found the interweaving of ethnicity great to see.

Usually when I travel, I'm always trying to see as much as I can as fast as I can, but this time, I took my time and let go of the "scurry" in me. It was all about bringing it down a notch. I instantly felt a relaxed comfort level uncommon to many other places I've traveled to.

As for my consideration of living overseas, I think Toronto could be a good preliminary step. For an American, it's the whole international flavor without the annoyance of language barriers.

Quick Tips:

When making purchases in Toronto, don't forget to save your receipts so that you can get a refund on the taxes you paid. Remember to handle this at the airport on your departure home, BEFORE you go through customs and security, or you won't be able to get anything stamped. (Been there, done that).

Best Way To Get Around:

Of course, being the Chicago city girls we are, Tereska and I were prone to hopping in cabs and splitting the cost. I didn't feel it was any more or less expensive than what we're used to. We also found it easy to utilize the train system. You can get an all day pass, good for two people for less than .

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Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel

Hotel

Marriott Bloor-Yorkville

Upon arriving in Toronto on a Thursday evening, I didn't really know what to expect, but I welcomed the change of scenery.

Our stay at the Marriott Bloor-Yorkville was a prime location. From the brisk stroll to find dinner on Bloor Street, it looked like Chicago's version of the Magnificent Mile. Many of the well known designers, from Gucci to Chanel, lined the streets.

The staff was friendly as well as helpful, and the artistically eclectic decor was very pleasing to the eye; not at all stuffy. Typically, our goal is not to hang out in the room, however, I found its snugly, pillow-ridden beds and tidiness inviting. More than once I slept in too long and retreated to the bathtub after a day of traipsing the streets of Toronto.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel
90 Bloor Street East Toronto, Ontario M4W1A7
(416) 961-8000

Flow Restaurant & Lounge

Restaurant

Flow Restaurant + Lounge

The cold chased us into Flow Restaurant + Lounge, located among the chic shops of Yorkville (http://www.flowrestaurant.com/home.html). The menu was a fusion of Asian and American cuisine.

We first warmed our bellies with the tasty ginger soup garnished with carrots and chunks of grilled chicken; a good start for an overall delightful meal. The decor was swanky-chic with muted hues of blue and gray; the service, thorough and pleasantly friendly.

I must mention that the customer service in Toronto was a breath of fresh air. Everywhere we dined, I never got the hasty rushed vibe that usually plagues big cities. Even when shopping in the high-end boutiques, customer service was noticeably pleasant.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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Flow Restaurant & Lounge
133 Yorkville Avenue Toronto, Ontario
(416) 925-2143

Goldfish Restaurant

Restaurant

Dining At Goldfish Cuisine

Goldfish Cuisine

Lucky for us, Tereska had a connection with a friend of a friend in Toronto. June, a world traveler with a love for culinary arts, was kind enough to pick us up.

We happened upon dinner at Goldfish Cuisine on bustling Bloor Street (www.goldfishcuisine.com). With such a lively crowd in a somewhat cozy space, it was a bit conversation challenged, but the friendly staff and beautiful presentation of the food spoke volumes.

The food gods were smiling on us because we just happened to be in Toronto for the kick-off of Winterlicious. From January 27th through February 9th, over 120 of the city's top dining establishments offered eclectic three-course, prix fixe menus for only $25 ($15 for lunch).
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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Goldfish Restaurant
372 Bloor St W Toronto, Ontario M5S 1X2
+1 416 513 0077

Yummi's Shishkabob Shawarma House

Restaurant

Yummi's Shishkabob Shawarma House

Saturday, our plans were to rise early and hit the streets for more shopping, but we were so bushed that we slept until noon! Blessed with sunshiny skies and 40ish degree weather, we hopped on a subway uptown to Young Street, a seemingly never-ending strip of eateries and boutiques.

We found a middle-eastern restaurant called Yummi's Shishkabob Shawarma House (http://www.yummis.com/). It seemed to be a casual drop-in kinda place where you could meet a friend, or spend a Saturday afternoon reading a book. Here is where we fueled up on "yummy" shawarma sandwiches, fries fried up just right, and mango Israeli juice. Indeed, we are two gals who feed off the new and different (i.e., food, shopping, people, etc).
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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Yummi's Shishkabob Shawarma House
2383 Younge Street Toronto, Ontario
(416) 486-2200

Real Jerk

Restaurant

The Real Jerk

By the end of the day, our dogs were barking from strolling down block after block of boutiques on Young Street! The original plan was to attend a dinner party at June's house, but we were so worn out, we took a pass and mustered up enough strength to get a cab to The Real Jerk, a Caribbean restaurant. It was a good thing we'd opted to take a cab, as the area was a little shady and deserted. I didn't hold that against The Real Jerk since the best food isn't always at the fancy-shmancy hot spots.

Seems as though we weren't disappointed. I don't typically like reggae, but the music was bumpin' and had me swaying in my seat. After eating a hearty meal of jerk chicken, oxtails, and plantains while sipping on guava juice, Tereska and I polished off our meal with soursop ice-cream, made from the Guanabana fruit. The whole meal was less than $20, so no complaints from me!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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Real Jerk
709 Queen St East Toronto, Ontario M4M 1H1
+1 416 463 6055

Babalu'u

Activity

Ba-ba-luu's

We were purposing to call it an evening on Friday night, when to my surprise, June (our tour guide for the evening) mentioned that the most popular salsa club, Ba-ba-luu's, was right behind our hotel! It was late, but she and Tereska offered to wait in the car while I took a peak inside.

After being tired only seconds before, well, you can imagine what happened if you know me. No trip is complete without sampling the salsa scene, so long story short, I went dancing solo.

I charmed my way to getting the American discount off the cover charge, and scanned the crowd. Space was tight and you had a few non-dancers on the floor, but the music was good and I found a good lead for the night. There were some decent salseros there, but I still kept thinking, man, Oscar (my salsa partner) and I could burn that dance floor up!

At nearly 3am, I was hobbling into the hotel. Salsa dancing in 3 inch pointy shoes? Big mistake—but it was worth it, eh?
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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Babalu'u
136 Yorkville Ave Toronto, Ontario M5R 1C2
(416) 515-0587

Queen Street West

Activity

Car in the Wall

Queen Street West

Friday afternoon, we three headed via cab to start our shopping. We lost Tanya on our way through a nearby mall with little hope of meeting back up with her before her friends were due to pick her up, so Tereska and I hurried on to hit Queen Street West, a supposed hot spot for shopping according to most publications.

It was bustling with people, but our anticipation was met with disappointment. Sprinkled along blocks of more riff-raff stores than not, were familiar shops such as FCUK, MaxMara, blah blah blah. Yes, I admit, I am a boutique snob who looks for the closest thing to couture that I can afford. Trends? Nevermind...

The only store that got my attention was Fashion Crimes, a mix of vintage and just plain crazy! This store is all about the princess in a girl, and overloaded with dresses ranging from bridal to cocktail, glam accessories, and even girly greeting cards by Fluff.

Although I was on visual overload, the whimsical fun of the store actually made me smile and stirred my creative juices to start jotting down notes for this travel journal.

Nearly 3 hours later, it was clear that we'd wasted precious shopping time, but heck, we went and we saw, right? At least we didn't go broke in a shopping frenzy. Proud of our discipline, we settled into the casual Cafe Crepe for a tasty crepe of hazelnut chocolate and almonds.

  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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Queen Street West
From University to Spadina Toronto, Ontario M5V 2B7
n/a

Yorkville/Bloor Street Shopping

Activity

Me and the Dames

Yorkville/Bloor Street Shopping

Before heading back to our hotel Saturday evening, we wandered into the three-level, upscale Holt Renfrew Center. I would liken it to Saks, and how delighted we were that we just happened to be there for their biggest sale ever! In fact, most stores were having end of season sales. After at least two and a half hours of shopping bliss, we headed back to the hotel to set our evening plans in motion.

So much for the good weather on Sunday. Blue skies were turned a drabby gray and it literally rained all day. Streets were hushed on this Sunday afternoon with most people, I imagine, taking refuge from the weather. Tereska and I linked arms to share an umbrella and did the shops of Yorkville.

It's an area comparable to Chicago's Oak Street with the high-end price tags to match. Sprinkled among the boutiques were art galleries, eateries and specialty shops. I was drawn to the metal sculptures that lined the streets (sort of beckoning you into the stores). It was there that we marveled at a thousand-dollar stiletto.

Ironically, that was enough to send us to lunch at a New Orleans Cajun/Creole restaurant called Desire. With a comfy atmosphere and delightful vittles, it was a perfect ending to my mini-escape from Chicago.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by nik-nak on March 16, 2006

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About the Writer

nik-nak
nik-nak
chicago, United States

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