Tag: record stores

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Most travel blogs will tell you to explore these two neighborhoods together. And they’re right. But also, how much food can you REALLY eat? But if you only have a limited time to see this part of town, might as well do it all in one day, eh?

Kensington Market is a neighborhood in Toronto that houses an eclectic mix of vintage shops, bakeries, off-beat restaurants, coffee shops, an independent brewery, a few bars and quirky shops. It gets extremely packed during the weekends on those long summer days where you just want to hang out in the patio with a cold pint, dreaming of halcyon days.

The reason why I like this place is because, to me, it’s a microcosm of what the city of Toronto is: a collection of culturally diverse shops, colourful street art, patios and old houses in Victorian style architecture.

As you make your way east, you will reach Chinatown on Spadina Ave. where it is a whole different vibe. Here, you will see a lot of restaurants serving food from China’s 8 great cuisines.

Here are some of my favourites from these two areas:

Dirty Bird

79 Kensington Ave.Tel no. (647) 345-2473

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Like I always say, chicken and waffles is the best combo since Snoop and Martha. Their fried chicken is the way chicken should be, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Their waffles are soft and have a certain crunch to them. The interior walls are painted in black, giving it an industrial vibe.

RASTA PASTA

61 Kensington Ave. Tel no.(647) 501-4505

Aside from the clever name, this is an example of what Toronto is: an mix of two totally different unrelated cuisines, beautifully coming together to form a completely new thing. Their specialty is the aptly named Rasta Pasta($15) – gnocchi sauteed in Marinara sauce or alfredo mixed with Jamaica’s national dish, ackee and salt fish.

PANCHO’S BAKERY

214 Augusta Ave.

Pancho’s Bakery has been around for over 10 years and serves delicious churros. Churros are fried dough snacks that are dipped in chocolate or caramel not unlike donuts.

Great with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon.

HEY NOODLES

478 Dundas St W, Toronto
(647) 352-8999

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Hey Noodles is one of my go-to places in Toronto. They serve Chongqing-style street noodles. The broth is spicy and numbing (You can choose your level). The Chinese peppercorn gives it the unique flavor associated with that part of China (similar to Sichuanese cuisine). I usually order the pork intestine noodles. They also give free noodle refill for dine-in. Vegan options are also available.

HOUSE OF GOURMET

484 Dundas West, (416) 217 0167

From what I understand, House of Gourmet has been opened in Downtown for a long time. They specialize in in congee, noodle soups and barbecue. I usually go to this place for their Hong Kong-style soy sauce western breakfast. Macaroni with some ham in light chicken broth. It’s not really that good but it takes me back to my favourite city in the world – Hong Kong. They also serve HK style milk tea.

Their congee and noodles on the other hand, are good. After a night of heavy drinking, this will sober you right up and remedy your hangover.

SONIC BOOM
215 Spadina Ave. Toronto

Remember the good old days of record shops where you buy your cd’s like Virgin Records and HMV that have gone the way of the dinosaurs? I miss holding a record or a cd and thinking to myself, while looking at the cover, “What is the cover trying to tell me? What can I expect when I open this?” Sonic Boom allows you to play the record before you decide to purchase just like the record stores of the past.

Sonic Boom is an indie record shop that has a wide selection of vinyl, band tees, a mini bar and a small concert stage. They also sell quirky stuff like what you get from typical hipster shops.

I love this kind of shop and am happy to see it still thriving because it gives off a sense of community and I feel that can only be good.