Eat it: Iceland

The Icelandic Fish and Chips was my favourite meal of the trip. It was affordable and healthy, well, as healthy as fried fish can be. They’re an organic bistro that use spelt flour and rapeseed oil! They provide dips made of skyr (an Icelandic yogurt that is sold everywhere) with different flavours. We chose (from left to right) coriander and lime, truffle and tarragon and tartar. The truffle and tarragon was by far our favourite. They have different fish to choose from depending on what they can get, I had a haddock and it was very flaky. The potatoes on the other hand were so so.

Clockwise from the top: smoked puffin, lobster soup with cognac, Skyr, whale peppersteak and grilled puffin breast. We decided to splurge on a meal of Icelandic fare and found Hereford Steak House to give us the best bang for our buck. They had a whale or puffin prixe fix meal for $60. Puffin tasted like jerky and the whale tasted like a beef steak. It was pretty tasty but I don’t have to have it again.

This is the infamous Icelandic hot dog, Baejarins Beztu Pylsur. It has fried onions at the bottom, topped with a weiner with remoulade sauce and Icelandic sauce (which tasted like mild mustard) squeezed on top. For $3.80, it was the cheapest thing I ate. I still think a Toronto street dog taste better, although I might be biased.

The Saegrefinn was an interesting restaurant, you first choose the already skewered fish and vegetables. Then they take it to the kitchen to grill it and then bring it to your table. The lobster soup was very good but I do suggest sharing it if there are two of you, it was very filling.

My last tip for eating on a budget in Iceland is to go to Bonus, a chain grocery store with a funny pig as their logo to buy food to make breakfast and snacks. We made breakfast every day and had dinner in the apartment once. Icelanders love organic food so all the vegetables we bought were organic. My omlettes have never tasted so good because the vegetables were much sweeter than the ones back at home! I really do miss those Icelandic eggs.

Read what to do in Iceland here.

eat it: petit dejeuner

from top left clockwise: apple and brie panino, beef stew, apple and brie panino, chicken crepe

If you read my blog often enough, you know that I love eating and trying new restaurants. But lately, I’ve been going back to my favourite restaurants that I know will deliver a delicious, solid meal that won’t disappoint.

One of my top favourites is Petit Dejeuner, which I’ve written in the past here about brunch. I tried their lunch menu for the first time today and the chicken crepe truly didn’t disappoint. I probably could have licked the plate clean. If it’s your first time here, I would recommend getting their waffles, they’re very light and fluffy and voted the best in the city!

191 King Street East, Toronto, ON
(416) 703-1560

eat it: madras masala

I can’t believe I’ve never had a dosa before! These are Indian crepes stuffed with potatoes and sauce served with three different kinds of chutney. I was so surprised at how big they were when they came to the table, I would definitely share one next time and order an app. I had my dosa at Madras Masala which had a patio, a beer goes well with a dosa!

796 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON

eat it: rose and sons big crow

I love barbecues, especially in the summer. Rose and Sons Big Crow has a wonderful patio at the back with strung lights, an open barbecue fire near the back and wooden tables and benches. The atmosphere was amazing and the food was so delicious! I loved the baby back ribs, even more than the ribs at ribfest but those mostly rely on how good the sauce is. These were smokey and so amazing.

176 Dupont Street (in the back), Toronto

eat it: hawaii edition

It’s still hard to believe I was lying on a beach in Hawaii just two weeks ago. Especially in Maui, it was so serene with no light pollution, I loved sitting on the terrace, having wine and watching the shooting stars.

If you know me, you’ll know that I love trying local food, here are my favourite spots I dined in!

Hands down, the best breakfast place I’ve been to. Eggs ‘n Things in Waikiki constantly had a line up but it’s well worth it! My favourite was the Hawaiian Loco Moco, the Portuguese sausages and the pancakes. My father had stacks of pancakes every day!

343 Saratoga Road, Honolulu Hawaii 96815
2464 Kalakaua Avenue Honolulu Hawaii 96815
451 Piikoi St. Honolulu, Hawaii 96814

Shirokiya is a Japanese department store in the Ala Moana Centre, America’s largest mall and the world’s second largest. On the second floor is a Japanese food market with takoyakis, skewered meat, ramen, shaved ice, yogurt, packaged foods and a whole lot more. Just the sheer abundance of choice will overwhelm you. They also do $1 happy hour beer!

Ala Moana Center. 1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 2250, Honolulu, HI 96814

You can’t leave Hawaii without having Japanese food, we found Magokoro, a tiny sushi restaurant with modern decor. The sashimi was very fresh and everything we ordered was really yummy!

1831 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 102, Honolulu, HI 96815

We found Bluewater Shrimp and Seafood truck in Haleiwa, a cute surf town in the north shore of Oahu that I fell in love with. We had just gone surfing and I was ravenous! The truck is parked behind a gas station with a couple of picnic tables set up next to it. Everything we got was so delicious The garlic bread and shrimp was my favourite. I regret not trying more shrimp trucks while I was in Hawaii!

66-031 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712

eat it: millie creperie

A new creperie, Millie Creperie opened up in Kensington Market. It’s specialty? Japanese crepes and parfait. The sweeter crepes and the way it’s folded is what makes it Japanese. I love how they’re easy to eat on the go, especially for a messy eater like me. I had the Rabbit food with home made Japanese mayonnaise and shared the Japanese specialty sweet crepe with my friend. I was pleasantly surprised that the crepe was crispy on top and soft near the bottom. I’ll be back for more!

161 Baldwin Street, Toronto