Kimchi

Who says that food courts are bad? It is true that the chance of finding authentic food is very low, but to find some yummies there is definitely possible.

Since McGill is located in the center of downtown, I tend to have lunch in shopping malls' food courts very often. One of my favorite places is from Kimchi, a korean fast food.

The following is a Bibimbap in a fast food style. Bibimbap is one of the most popular dish in Korea where people mix rice, vegetables, meat (usually beef), a raw or cooked egg, with red chili pepper paste, sometimes served in a hot stone bowl. This dish is simple and delicious.

From fast food Kimchi, you find bean sprouts, carrots, raddish, omelet, chinese spinach, kimchi (korean style marinated spicy cabbage). Everything is cut into shreds and placed nicely in the bowl. You may choose to have a vegetarian Bibimbap or a regular one with chicken or beef. In any of the choices, you have a small container with sesame oil and another one with chili paste.

You agree with me that it looks very appetizing with all the bright colours in this dish?
Pour both the sesame oil and chili paste into the bowl. Don't be scared that it would be too spicy. Korean chili is not fully that spicy and has a sweetness. I guess the fast food is not targeting real Koreans, so the sauce is well adapted to everybody, thus really not spicy in my opinion.
Mix it and enjoy!
The taste of the chili paste is savory; all the veggies make every mouthful very "crunchy". A true (fast food) delight!

This Kimchi is situated in the big shopping mall in downtown, Eaton Center.

OPI Planks a Lot

Hi everyone!

As promised, this nail post is about another nail lacquer from OPI's collection inspired from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Planks a Lot, a rich purple creme. Nice but you will not fall in love with it. I love Skull & Glossbones's unique light grey that sometimes brings a hint of green-tea-green shade. Although it is not a colour that I would wear often, the colour is evidently very special. On the other hand, OPI Planks a Lot's shade might be easier to wear and match but in the same time it is just another dark pastel purple that enormously resembles to Gosh Wild Lilac. I guess the S&G surprise has raisen my expectation. I thought that it would be a lighter purple so another shade of lilac will be added to my collection of nail polish. And.. did anyone question about how a movie about pirates come up with a lilac colour? hahah

Even though Planks a Lot is somehow an ordinary colour, I must say that application was a total surprise. The perfect formula makes the nail polish amazingly smooth, I would even say that it is one of the best nail polish in terms of application. Thumbs up for this part!

This is it for now!

Love,
Miss K

My favorite food from Raku Izakaya

I miss sushi, I miss Raku, I miss the friendly people there too! Because of its location (in Brossard), I cannot visit the restaurant as often as I would like to. I haven't enjoyed any delights from Raku since my last end-of-semester busy final exams period.

This post is about nothing more than my favorites from Raku Izakaya =)

My #1 is... uni sushi!! It looks amazing, does it? Only those big sea urchins can "stand alone" on its own. Usually, uni sushi is presented in gunkan, meaning that a seaweed is wrapped around the sushi rice, forming a type of basket to contain the sea urchin. Raku Izakaya serves my uni sushi as a nigiri, sea urchin on top of the sushi rice. I was informed by the chef that only those high-quality sea urchin with a rich texture can be served as nigiri.. like this one! The sushi rice is also mixed with toasted nori (seaweed) to form the best uni sushi. I LOVE IT!
This one is Raku Prince. I am sorry I do not remember the ingredients inside the sushi roll, but on top of the maki are shrimps and mayonnaise. It looks and tastes a little like melted cheese. The pink sauce that forms a heart is strawberry syrup. Cute?

There is a Prince, so of course there is a Princess too! Yes, you guessed it right! This maki is named Raku Princess. Shrimp tempura, avocado, apple, cream cheese, caviar.. on top are "the princess fruits" strawberries, mayonnaise and tempura flakes. One of the secret ingredients listed is "sweety".. so maybe this is why, just like a princess, this maki roll tastes sweet! =)
It is sweet, but not too sweet to be considered as desserts. I like!
Have you tasted beef sashimi before? I have tried this cold appetizer in perhaps 10 restaurants..and Raku Izakaya's is so far the best. The beef used is filet mignon so it is tender, but in the same time, you have to chew it a few times, so it is not those difficult-to-accept raw meat texture.

What differentiates Raku's beef sashimi from the other ones is the sauce!! yummy tasty sauce! If I remember correctly, it is a mix of soya sauce, plum, lemon juice.. probably more than these 3 ingredients.. Worth a try!
Curry katsu pork with rice. The japanese curry is never too spicy and has a pleasant sweetness. From the presentation to the taste, this dish will satisfy you! Succulent!
If you are a follower of my food posts, you know I am a crazy sashimi fan! Chirashi is no doubt one of my favorite dish in the japanese cuisine. Chirashi is simply seafood sashimi on a bed of sushi rice. As I mentioned before, Raku Izakaya serves you a different chirashi everytime, by putting only the best seafood of the day. This one was fantastic! Sweet shrimp, slightly spicy tuna tartare, salmon, tamago (japanese omelet), seaweed salad, yellowtail, scallop... The only treasure missing was...sea urchin!
A plate of different sushi chosen by my boyfriend and me.
Starting from the row behind, from left: red snapper, smoked salmon, tsubugai (a type of clam), sea urchin (yes, it is the gunkan sea urchin sushi).
In front are big sweet shrimp and scallop.

Again, I highly recommend Raku Izakaya to all of you who are sushi lovers!! I know Raku has a lunch menu with much lower price. If you like to go on the week-end, you simply have to call them and you can enjoy yummy food at lower price during lunch hours (Yes!! lunch specials are available on Saturdays and Sundays at Raku Izakaya!!). Give it a try if you have time and tell me what you think ; )

Miss K

Raku Izakaya
8080 Boulevard Taschereau
Brossard, Quebec,
J4X 1C2
(450) 671-7386

OPI Skull & Glossbones

Hello readers!

Another cream colour collection from OPI. I could not resist and finally brought it home! This mini set comes with 4 colours.

For now, I am very excited to present you OPI Skull & Glossbones!! It is the first bottle from the left. This colour is gorgeous! It is a neutral grey with a hint of green that reminds me of some green tea desserts. I didn't think I would love it so much! The unique and formal style it creates is amazing. Fashionable yet subtle, it is appropriate even for work! Very lovely!

Application was so-so to me. 3 coats were necessary to achieve opacity.

Next nail polish post will be... Planks a Lot!

Miss K

Crêpe @Saint-Cinnamon

Who doesn't like crêpe? This delight is my favorite dessert =) The above pictures are a delicious crêpe that I highly recommend to all crêpe lovers. Saint Cinnamon is not a creperie, but they serve crêpe and I believe you all should give it a try! It might not be the BEST crêpe but it is no doubt a lot better than many dessert places. This one has some "elasticity" as it is not too dry and not too thin.

This Saint-Cinnamon where I enjoyed my banana and strawberry chocolate crêpe is found in Place Vertu, a shopping mall in St-Laurent, Quebec. The place is quite new and the staff are super friendly. I first ordered a berry crêpe but since the coffee shop does not use any frozen fruits, the person suggested me a simple banana strawberry one. Classic but it is the best combination!

Really, the crêpe itself was really good!! As they say it, "Cinnfully delicious"!! After a few hours of shopping, you want to sit down to enjoy a coffee and snack? Try to find Saint-Cinnamon! Yes yes, the cinnamon rolls and sticks are good, but don't forget the crêpe ; )

Miss K

Cera's

Another breakfast/brunch place like Chez Cora! What I present to you today is a relatively new restaurant: Cera's. The name comes from the first letter of the 4 owners: Caterina, Elia Chelsea, Rino Joshua and Antonio. The place used to be a bar so it's very different from Chez Cora. Perhaps because of its name and the type of restaurant that resemble enormously to Chez Cora, I can't stop comparing Cera's to Chez Cora. heheheh

My boyfriend and I went there on a Friday afternoon. The restaurant was very empty. I guess it's mainly because of its location. Everytime I go to Chez Cora, the place is always full (on the week-end) and half full (on weekdays).

Cera's offers a great variety of plates, including the usual breakfasts such as eggs and crepes, to pasta, fish, burgers and even pizza. At Cera's. the name of the dishes are names of cities and other known places, whereas at Chez Cora, you see mainly person's names. That day, I opted for a crepe-omelette, one of my favorite breakfast. Just like Chez Cora, the plates served are very colourful. =) My suisse cheese and muchroom crepe-omelette is served with Hollandaise sauce, potatoes and a cup of fresh fruits. The potatoes are clearly less tasteful than the ones from Chez Cora, and even the crepe-omelette served at Chez Cora is visibly more appetizing. Overall, although I prefer Chez Cora, this one was not bad. It is worth mentioning that Cera's mushrooms are the fresh ones, and not those from cans.
My boyfriend chose Le Big Ben, eggs benedicts with spinach and bacon served on an English muffin and Hollandaise sauce.
Taste was good but the eggs were slighly overcooked that day. Spinach and bacon is a new combination to me. They are actually not bad together!
This following picture is eggs benedits with spinach and suisse cheese from Chez Cora. The potatoes from Chez Cora are also more burnt so they are more crunchy. Their presentation of food are very similar, isn't it? But Chez Cora looks more meticulous =)
In both places, coffee is included and the waiters and waitresses are very friendly. Since Cera's and Chez Cora are so similar, I recommend Chez Cora. However, if one day, you want to have other choices of food that resemble to the ones from Chez Cora, Cera's is the place for you!

An online menu is available here: http://restomontreal.ca/restaurants/index.php?section=viewresto&resto_id=3506&show=menu&lang=fr#viewthumbs

Cera's
6005, boul Henri-Bourassa Ouest
Montréal, QC,
H4R 1C4

Miss K

Fantasy

Hello readers!

What I have for you today is a simple nail art again! I love French manicure so I just found different ways to wear it on my nails ; )

This time, I used my friend's nail glitter nail polish to come up with this manicure which I named "Fantasy". The brand is unknown to me: Canmake. It sounds like the izakaya Imadake.. so I'm guessing it is one of those small japanese nail polish brands. Anyone has heard about it before?

It looks like my Little Mermaid mani, but it takes less time because I only had to apply 3 coats of this Canmake red glitter nail polish on my tip and voila Fantasy! =)

Miss K

Yummy sashimi @Kyoto

Hi all!

I'm super happy to have discovered a little gem that I must share with you in my area! This little restaurant is called Kyoto. (It is also the name of the city I want to visit the most in Japan after Hokkaido d= )

The owner of this place is Korean, but the japanese food I had there was very yummy!
Let's have a look at the restaurant.
Bamboo, Japanese folding screens (I checked on wikipedia, they are called Byōbu), pictures of sushi on the wall.. You see many japanese decorations. Nice little cozy place dominated by a zen ambiance!
These chopsticks are NOT the wood ones =) A little detail that seems insignificant, but when you eat with the wood chopsticks, it is just a little unpleasant.
Now, the plate I loved the most, the star of the night: Sashimi plate!

The pieces of every sashimi are very big. You taste the sweet freshness of every single piece!! One of the best sashimi you could find in Montreal is here, at Kyoto restaurant!
I particularly loved the squid sashimi. Rolled inside are red caviar and seaweed salad. From the texture to the taste, this combination is amazing!
Look! Unagi!! This is 3 pieces! Gigantic, isn't it?
We also ordered ika, a grilled squid. Not too dry, so I would say it was not bad.
Tempura soba. I do not know why it took a long time to get this dish, but it was worth it. The waiter asked my boyfriend and me if we wanted to share it so he could bring an extra bowl. We said yes, but I thought he would simply give us a bowl, an empty bowl. We ended up having 2 of these. =)
The soup broth was very light and tasty. Tempura soba is a very simple dish. All you have is soba, tempura flakes, seaweed, green onions in a tasty soup. Very simple but I loved it!
2 shrimp tempura were served aside. They are not small huh? =)

In the past, I have tried sushi from Kyoto once. I remember I really disliked the sushi rice, which I found was too sour and hard. Maybe that day was a bad day.. after I savoured the perfect sashimi, appetizing grilled squid and simple yet delicious tempura soba, I will give Kyoto a second chance for their sushi!

I believe quality-price at Kyoto is very reasonable, so I highly recommend this place to you, especially for the yummy sashimi!! Kyoto serves big pieces of fresh sashimi, which are better quality than those big and well-known japanese restaurants in Montreal, yet the little restaurant charges a slightly lower price. How can you not fall in love with Kyoto? d=

Here, you will find a brief presentation of Kyoto:
http://www.restaurantkyoto.com/
861 Blvd. Décarie
St-Laurent, QC
tel: 514.448.7874

I am so glad I discovered this little gem.. I can have fresh sashimi so often.. and even if I eat too much, I would not feel too bad about it since I can just exercise by walking home kekekek ; )

Miss K

OPI Katy Perry's Last Friday Night

Finally, I am back to Katy Perry's Collection! I used my second favorite nail polish of the collection, Last Friday Night, to create this lovely and simply nail art, which I decided to name "Little Mermaid".

It was very difficult to achieve bottle colour, so after more than 7 coats, I gave up! Nevertheless, this lighter blue is still very sweet and reminds me of the sea and the fairy tale Little Mermaid. This blue glitter is really cute, I think I prefer this colour over Teenage Dream =)

I asked a few colleagues at work whether I should add a stampling but they all said no.. what do you think?

Miss K

BioGel manucure for 35$

Teambuy offers BioGel manicure service for 35$!

I am not certain of what BioGel is exactly, but I will try it very soon (hopefully). From what I have understood, BioGel is a type of artificial nails, but it is not a fake nail stick on your real one. It is so far the best artificial nail treatment you can find on the market. Since it is Bio, it does not harm our nails and it lasts longer than acrylic and the regular gel. Once I get my BioGel nails, I will review more about it.

Today, you can purchase a BioGel manicure service for 35$ from Teambuy and you enjoy a BioGel treatment (worth 140$) at Ongles DX. Notice that the 35$ does not include taxes and tips. Usually, you get taxed on the 35$ but they expect tips on the 140$. This treatment includes a choice of colour or French manicure or 2 designs on 2 fingers. I believe appointment is necessary, but don't forget to look at the expiry date.

For more information, visit http://www.teambuy.ca/montreal/

You have about 12 hours to think about it!

**Remember to check the location of Ongles DX before buying it in case it is too far for you! =)

Miss K

Imadake

Another new izakaya in Montreal! Imadake is situated on the same street as Kazu. They are actually not far from each other, so if one day, you really crave for japanese izakaya food, and you are afraid that the queue for Kazu is too long, Imadake may be an interesting alternative.

This day, my friend and I decided to try Imadake, yes for my birthday again! We thought that since this izakaya was new, we probably didn't need to reserve. Surprisingly, the restaurant was very full! So maybe next time, it's better to call for reservation first! In general, izakaya serves more appetizers than main courses. The concept of izakaya is like bars in the Western culture. You go there to have a drink with friends, so food like tapas are designed to be shared. We ordered many appetizers to share together to enjoy a "real izakaya time"!

Imadake has an open kitchen, which I like because you get to see how the chefs are busy preparing your food, the smell that comes directly to your nose intensifies your appetite, and more importantly, the restaurant is forced to keep the kitchen clean! heheheh

Look! The chef responsible of the grill is so busy!
Black cod is one of the specialties of Imadake. It is one of the BEST cooked fish I have had in my life! It is cooked PERFECTLY! If I could recommend only one dish, this would definitely be the one! It is marinated with miso, allowing a lightly sweet taste and the texture of the fish is not dry at all, very very smooth. Truly impeccable!
Beef tataki. Outside grilled, the middle is raw. Some oil, some sauce, a tiny sour, a tiny spicy, served with green onion. Taste is very good.
Grilled chicken skin. My expectation was very high for this dish since this is a very famous appetizer in Japan. Unfortunately, this was simply deep fried. It tasted like the Chinese deep fried fish skin.
Cow tongue. This is grilled. The texture is different from what I remember I have tasted in Hong Kong, this one is smoother. I personnally find this appetizer looks more like a Vietnamese meal hahaha Nevertheless, the taste was wonderful!
Takoyaki. Another famous snack from Japan. It is a flour ball with a piece of octopus inside. I believe this one was also deep fried, so the outside is more dry than what it should be. Otherwise, the taste comes mainly from the brown sauce and the mayonnaise, so takoyaki tastes almost the same in all restaurants.
Unagi canape is a specialty that I do not recommend. There is nothing special about it. A piece of rice cake deep fried topped with a light mayonnaise-like sauce, avocado, unagi (eel) and cucomber. It was dry to me. Nothing impressive.
Lastly, we ordered 2 desserts. Green tea cheesecake looks better than it tastes. The taste of green tea was subtle..too subtle we could barely taste it. The strawberry sirop was also too strong and hid the green tea even more.
Black sesame ice cream was all right. It was not my first time having this ice cream so I was not as amazed as my friend was.

Bigger than Kazu, Imadake provides a very comfortable and nice ambiance. Since it is darker, you feel like you are eating in a Japanese style bar. It is a place that I recommend to all of you!

4006 St. Catherine St. West
Montreal, Quebec
H3Z 1P2

(514) 931-8833