Simply Snacking: Taste of Nature Bars

Posted on Saturday, July 18, 2015 by

Granola bars, cereal bars, breakfast bars … whatever you call them, they are generally: sickingly sweet, high in calories and keeps me full for about an hour. Or there’s the other end of the spectrum: where the bars are bland but chocked full of powders and additives that blending it with liquid will make a protein shake. Please, find me a recipe that makes sense!

Taste of Nature’s product is different and when two mini-sized ones arrived in the June Yummy Goody Box, it reminded me of why I like them. Firstly, it’s called a “food bar” and their bars contain just that: whole nuts, juice sweetened dried fruit and grains for texture/crunch without it being overwhelming. The well-balanced sweetness to the product allows it work as breakfast or a snack.

Secondly, the texture is appealing: a soft chewiness that has satisfied a cookie craving in a pinch. Taste of Nature says they make their bars in smaller quantities leading to quicker inventory turnover and a fresher product. I believe the claim, the bars do seem fresh – perhaps, it’s due to their manufacturing facility being just up the road from Toronto (located in Markham, Ontario).  

The bars are cold pressed, rather than baked, to help protect the ingredient’s nutrients. And the company strives to be environmentally friendly by partnering with green suppliers and recycling food waste for animal feed. All great practices that makes eating the food bar even more guilt-free.

My only complaint is that they’re difficult to find in a multi-pack box – they’re available at Whole Foods, but purchasing them as singles starts to become expensive. Plus, I’ve yet to find the mini-sized ones in stores - the perfect format for snacking on.


Regardless, I’m just happy to have discovered an alternative to the candy bars hiding beneath “great breakfast option” claims. Ah Taste of Nature … you taste good. 

NEXT: Prana's Machu Pichu Fruit & Nut Mix
MORE: Back to Simply Snacking

How To Find Them 
 Website: http://www.tasteofnature.ca/
 Approx. Price:  $1.99 for a regular sized single

CLOSED: Bestellen (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, July 18, 2015 by
Bestellen makes a meat-lover’s heart go a flutter with promises of dry-aged beef and house-cured charcuterie. When the restaurant offered both on their Summerlicious menu ($35), it became a no brainer that a visit was in order.

The charcuterie was made for me with thinly sliced basturma, coppa and prosciutto; all cuts where the meat and fat are distinct, not a salami in sight. Prosciutto is a commonly loved with its large slices of leg meat. Personally, I prefer coppa as it has a richer flavour and having the fat in the centre of the meat gives it a different mouth feel.

Bestellen charcuterie

Bestellen introduced me to basturma, a dried cured beef. The curing process must have involved plenty of peppercorn as the earthy heat from the spice was prevalent. Much leaner than pork, I found the basturma was best eaten plain. Whereas, the toasted olive oil laced bread with grainy mustard went best with the fattier pork options: the bread's heat nicely warming up the fat.

After such a great starter, the dry aged striploin was disappointing – salty so that any chance of enjoying the beef’s flavour was minimal. Being a leaner dry aged cut, I didn’t anticipate the steak to be juicy. However, I did expect the aging process to condense the meat’s flavours and the connective tissues to break down so it’d be more tender than it was.

Bestellen striploin

The wedges of roast potato were even more salty; I had to wipe it against the edge of the plate before it was edible. Only the charred rapini was spared. One redeeming quality is the kitchen did cook the beef to the exact medium rare doneness requested.

Dessert was surprisingly good. The warm lemon and pistachio cake a great combination – the nuttiness of the pistachio balanced by the citrus. Also, the nest of candied lemon on top had just the right amount of sweetness to set off the neutral cake. The chocolate budino’s texture was oh-so silky and jazzed up with the addition of salted caramel.

Bestellen budinoBestellen cake

Bestellen’s softly lit environment is great for dates but its loud music makes conversing difficult. For a restaurant that encourages large groups with a family style whole suckling pig, côte de boeuf and Sunday chicken dinners, it should really lower the volume so that guests don’t need to shout to be heard.

A printed wine-by-the-glass menu would also be nice, even if written on a chalkboard. Our waiter was friendly and helpful, but I felt a little bad for him as multiple people asked about it and he had to dutifully recite the list and answer pricing/country of origin questions every time.    

From reading other reviews, it seems Bestellen does meat dishes well (think charcuterie, beef tartare and their burger). But, it’s not a steakhouse and this is where opinions start to falter. In the end, the charcuterie peaked my heart’s interest, but the striploin makes a long-term relationship doubtful.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Is Summerlicious worth it (based on my meal selection)?
Summerlicious - $35
Regular menu - $47 - charcuterie ($13), striploin ($28) and cake ($6)
Savings - $12 or 26%
* The striploin and cake were based on the cornish hen and a wild guess from me
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 972 College Street


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
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Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

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Simply Snacking: Neal Brother's Tortilla Chips

Posted on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 by
Neal Brothers Extremely Tasty Tortillas

Before a BBQ, it’s great to have something on hand to satisfy hungry guests before the food’s ready. A quick and easy dish, which can easily be prepared ahead of time, is an avocado and corn bean dip. There’s no real recipe, I just throw a bunch of things together in a bowl and mix!
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained
  • 1 can of corn kernels, drained
  • 1 large or 2 small avocados, diced
  • Splash of lemon or lime juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional: diced bell peppers or jalepenos


After experimenting with various supermarket tortilla chips, my favourite to use with the dip is Neal Brother’s Extremely Tasty Tortilla Chips – particularly, the organic blue with flax version.

It’s not oily or too salty, so you can taste the dip. The chip is thin enough to have a brittle crunch, but can still scoop up the ingredients. Plus, the flax seeds mixed into it adds a great sesame element.

chips and dip

Brothers, Peter and Chris, started Neal Brothers Foods in 1988 making croutons out of their parents’ kitchen in Aurora, Ontario. They have come a long way since then expanding into various snacking products and sauces, which are distributed in major grocery chains (I purchase them at Loblaws or Whole Foods).

So, stock some beans, corn and chips in your pantry. With the addition of a semi-ripe avocado, you’ll be amazed with the delicious snack you can create.

NEXT: Brussel Bytes
MORE: Back to Simply Snacking


How To Find Them 
 Website: http://www.nealbrothersfoods.com/
 Approx. Price:  $3.99


Simply Snacking: Marvellous Creations Jelly Popping Candy

Posted on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 by

Marvellous creations: jelly popping candy

Generally, super sweet items turn me off. So, imagine my surprise when I really enjoyed the jelly popping candy from Cadbury Marvellous Creations that my friend introduced. Indeed, it’s loaded with sugar from the candy coated chocolate, popping candy and chewy gummy pieces packed into each piece of the Dairy Milk chocolate.

And perhaps due to its sweetness, I can have a small piece each time. That one little oddly shaped triangle (they aren’t squared like other chocolate bars) lasts quite a while as I nibble through the candy and am greeted by a new texture. My favourite are the popping candy (think Pop Rocks) mixed into the chocolate, which sparkles against the tongue as the chocolate melts. Meanwhile, the gummies could be switched out for cookies – I hate the sensation of having sticky candies on my teeth.

The Dairy Milk bar was first introduced in the UK in 1905 as a new high milk content chocolate. After over a century they are still well loved and have spun off various flavours. Although I haven’t tried the entire Marvellous Creations line, I think the Jelly Popping Candy one is a hit. The fact that one bar lasts me months is just a bonus.  


How To Find Them 
 Website: http://www.snackworks.ca/
 Approx. Price:  $1 for 47g bar

CLOSED: A La Carte Bistro (Toronto)

Posted on Monday, July 13, 2015 by


Gardiner Museum Doors at 6PM

You may have heard about Friday Nights at the ROM and Thursday Nights at the AGO; popular evening events in Toronto that allow us to have drinks and absorb culture. Over July 2015, add the Gardiner Museum to the list as they have launched ‘Doors at 6PM’: a series of Friday events … that is FREE with half-priced admission. 

 Events differ by week, so check their website for details. However, each evening features special craft beer and wine on their patio and a clay station so guests can get their creative juices rolling. And if you’re feeling hungry, it’s a great opportunity to visit A La Carte Bistro upstairs. 

 Recently, the restaurant invited me to try their new summer menu and I got a peak of what Doors at 6PM had to offer. It’s a low-key evening compared to the ROM, with a crowd of varied ages. That Friday, the Writers’ Trust of Canada presented recipients who did a reading from award winning short stories and there was a live jazz band that serenaded us during dinner. 

 Given the size of the tuna nicoise ($18), my friend and I split the salad. At first I was a bit apprehensive when the flaked tuna came into view; the essence of the smelly canned variety came to mind. Luckily, the fish used at A La Carte was fresh and light that it quickly dispelled my fears. The tuna, along with the spring mix, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, egg and olives were all well flavoured – the salad was easily hearty enough to be a main. 
A La Carte Bistro tuna nicoise

Pan-seared chicken breast ($24) is generally not something I get excited over, but something about the sweet corn risotto was beckoning me. I’m glad I gave it chance as the chicken was delicious – moist and topped with salty crispy skin. The risotto had a decadent cheesy element to it with the addition of whipped goat cheese and Grana Padano parmesan, while a sweet corn puree pooled around it. 
A La Carte Bistro chicken breast

The petit pain ciabatta ($20) contained three fair sized sandwiches (each about the size of 1.5 sliders) that were filled with different meats: a braised brisket with Belgian ale, roasted pork with caramelized onion and roasted lamb with fig and walnut pesto. They all had sufficient flavour from all the sauces, which were tailored to the individual protein. My friend and I both agreed these were tasty, but if they were hot, would have been even better. 
A La Carte Bistro petit pain ciabatta

 Despite being stuffed, we tucked into the beautiful mignardises plate for two ($10). It contained a selection of rich chocolate truffles, pistachio biscotti, chocolate dipped cookies, vanilla powder sugar dusted madeleine and berries with cream. The cookies were the highlight - soft and satisfying without being too sweet or oily. 
A La Carte Bistro dessert

The transition of the menu into lighter salads and fare is ideal for the warmer weather. Gone are the chicken pot pie, paella and baked lobster mac ‘n’ cheese of the winter menu, you can certainly see the transformation and taste the lightness. It shows the Chef puts thought into what’s best for the summer. 

 As my friend and I exited the building after an evening of great food, interesting entertainment and a bottle of bubbly, we couldn’t help but laugh at the ROM’s line snaking down University. So, if you’re in the neighbourhood and don’t fancy waiting, just remember there is another delicious option. And it’s just across the street.

 Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
* Disclaimer: the above meal was complimentary. But, rest assured as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.



How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 111 Queens Park


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

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