The food business in Toronto is currently in a rapidly evolving state with an increase in Street Food, Pop-ups & Food Trucks. Many of the businesses that are forming around these concepts are offering a great alternative to getting delicious food at a reasonable price. Unlike many of their brick and mortar competitors, these concepts are often much more creative with their menus and are offering some refreshing takes on old food favourites. Most of these businesses rely heavily on the use of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Unless you are active on these social networks there is a good chance you might not even know about them!

Here are some of my favourite concepts that have become quite popular in the last few months:

Street Food

One of the trends that I am most excited about in Toronto right now is the rise of popular “street food” dishes from around the world. This concept can be found at both pop-ups and in food trucks but is also becoming popular in brick and mortar restaurants as well. I wrote previously about Banh Mi Boys, which is probably my favourite of these right now, but other restaurants have opened recently including Hawker Bar, a restaurant specializing in Singapore style street food.

Banh Mi Boys Tacos

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Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited to a tequila tasting event for Sauza tequilas for bloggers and some mainstream media (one of the perks of writing a blog). The timing was probably not the best as I recently started a health kick and swore off drinking shots this year as a new years resolution (the most common way tequila is consumed), but when I saw there would also be tequila infused food and Mexican music I figured why not! I also have a pretty good collection of tequila in my house already so I was curious of different things I could use them for, whether it be food or a cocktail, so thought this would be a very educational event. Furthermore the event was being held at Reposado, a tequila bar I had really wanted to try after seeing how highly they were rated on Yelp making it a no brainer decision to attend!

My tequila collection (with the Hornitos added that I received at this event)

Upon arrival I was greeted by Brittany and Gosia from Praxis PR (the company organizing the event). I was told the first drink right when walking in was to do a shot at the bar, then the bartender would help me with another drink. I stuck to my resolution and skipped the shot and went straight for a cocktail. Continue Reading »

One of my favourite cities to visit that is relatively close to Toronto is Montreal. With the rising prices in gas it is becoming quite costly to drive there, especially if you are travelling alone or with 1 other person. During my trip there last weekend I decided to do some investigation into the cheapest ways to get from Toronto to Montreal.

Megabus (Bus)
Cost: $40-$90 Return Trip (depending on when you book and which times you select – prices may increase during long weekends and other busy times if you don’t book ahead)
Total Travel Time: 5h 45m to 6h 30m each way
Departing / Arrival Station: From Toronto Bus Terminal at Bay & Dundas to the Montreal Bus Terminal (1717 Rue Berri, Montreal)
Comfort: 6.5/10 Continue Reading »

Eating out at restuarants can be quite costly, especially if you are like me and want to try new places all the time! Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, there are lots of great ways to save money at some of the best restaurants in your city! Here are some of my favourite money saving tips for eating out:

1) Check The Daily Specials

Many restaurants offer specials to attract customers to them on the slower days of the week. This can be anything from 1/2 price deals, no corkage fees, specific item sales, drink specials and other promotions. Finding these deals can be time consuming as you need to check each restaurants’ website for their individual specials, but fortunately my friend Tiffany has made this easier on her site ShesSoSavvy.ca. If you look in the top right corner of her site you will see a restaurant specials search field that will list all of the daily specials for restaurants in a specific area of the city. Her site is exclusive to Toronto, so if you are reading this from another city in Canada you will need to actually check the website for each of the restaurants you are considering. Here is a screenshot of what you will find on She’s So Savvy:

ShesSoSavvy Example Screenshot

2) Group Deals Continue Reading »

Last week I was invited to check out a media party for the release of Kultura‘s new Spring Menu. I really didn’t know much about Kultura and thought it was another sub-par overpriced Toronto restaurant but as it turned out I was actually quite impressed with the food and the menu items (though slightly pricey in relation to places I typically review) weren’t as expensive as I had thought.

Kultura Spring Menu

Just to be completely clear and upfront, all the food and drinks I received while there were complimentary and I am in no way letting this sway my opinion. Also, I am not sure what portion sizes are usually like as we received hors d’oeuvres versions of each of the dishes. Continue Reading »