Located in uptown Toronto, just north of Yonge and Eglinton, this little coffee shop and roaster has been making quite the stir in the neighbourhood. With it’s modern decor and shelves littered with interesting brewing equipment, walking into this shop feels more like a research lab than a cafe. They’ve only been open for a …
Author Archives: Lemon Tart
Sushi 930 – Toronto
Located just outside the trendy Liberty Village, Sushi 930 (930 King Street West), is a great little place for a quick dinner or lunch. It may not be worth going out of your way for this Japanese fare but if you’re in the area, don’t be shy. The fish is fresh, the rolls beautifully rolled …
Food Art – Shay Aaron
So this is a little unusual since this artist doesn’t use food to create his art pieces but his creations always end up looking like food, in miniature. Shay Aaron is a 24 year old jewellery designer from Israel who creates Mini Food Jewels. His creations are mostly made from polymer clay that has been …
The food of Croatia
To be perfectly honest, while travelling the coast of Croatia from one end to the other, we didn’t really have a chance to experience any real Croatian food because we didn’t find any restaurants offering it. That’s not to say that there weren’t any restaurants, quite the contrary actually, but none that would offer something …
Baluard Bakery – Barcelona
Located right across from the Barceloneta market in (surprise surprise) Barcelona, this amazing tahona (bakery) serves up incredible masterpieces made of flour, water, butter and love. The croissants served here are by far the most amazing I have ever had: they’re flaky and buttery to their saturation point. Since they bake at various intervals during the …
Food Art – Carl Warner
Carl Warner is a famous British photographer whose rise to fame was thanks to his Foodscapes series. These photographs consists of food landscapes made from fruit, vegetables,bread, meat, fish, cheese, herbs and condiments. He assembles these compositions in his London studio using the finest specimens of whatever foodstuff he is currently working with. Each photograph deserves …
Food Art – Hong Yi (aka Red)
Hong Yi is a Malaysian artist that likes painting pictures through unconventional methods. She experiments with a certain material for an entire month creating beautiful works of art almost every day. If you check her out, look at her flower petal collection since it’s pretty wild. For our sake, I’m just going to focus on …
Food Art – Beth Galton
I think it’s time we had a little culture on Notes on a Meal so I’ve decided to post some “Food Art” that we can all feast our eyes on. Some of it may be strange but it all sure looks tasty! I hope you enjoy this neat little Notes on a Meal feature and …
Paleo Upside-down Cake
I know we’re all salivating over our Europe pictures but as a little break from all that sugar and flour, I have a quick recipe for a Paleo Upside-down Cake. It’s a very simple dessert to make, takes about an hour from start to finish with about 15 minutes of prep. It’s a perfect dessert …
The desserts of Spain
Being completely obsessed with anything dessert, I took advantage of our European adventure to visit some pretty neat pastry shops in Spain and enjoy their traditional and not-so traditional treats. I can honestly say that given better ingredients, North American desserts would be on par with what I tried in many of these places. However, …
Crema Catalana
If I was to be banished on a deserted island and could only take one thing with me, it would be a lifetime supply of crema catalana (may not be the smartest choice but it’s definitely the tastiest). Crema catalana is like creme brulee done right, a lot more in the way of complex flavours …
Can Culleretes – Barcelona
One of the main reasons Notes on a Meal returns to Barcelona is the Can Culleretes Restaurant, located in the heart of the Gothic neighbourhood, lost somewhere among the alleyways. It is a magical spot, still decorated and running the same since it first opened its doors in 1786. It is not pretentious, not fancy, …
Pintxos in pictures
In order to end our pintxos chapter on a good note, here are some photos to drool over! Enjoy…
How to order pintxos
If you suddenly find yourself in the north of Spain and enter Basque territory unprepared, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find the process of ordering pintxos intimidating. To ease your stress, the Notes on a Meal crew has sacrificed it’s pride and consumed many tasty morsels in order to compile this list of tips and …
Pintxo basics
To put it simply, a pintxo is any snack served in the bars and restaurants of Northern Spain (the Basque region). They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, generally spiked by a toothpick or skewer (that’s what makes them different from tapas) and often on a slice of bread. They are served after …