Last night I experienced how kareoke in Edmonton is a lot different than in Toronto.
Here's the Toronto scene: you pay $X for a few hours in a booked room, which can seat 2-10+, and consists of you plus your friends. If it's happy hour, you could end up getting one or two drinks included (typically bubbletea or some Asian drinks), extra for alcohol. You choose songs you like from the kareoke machine, pick up the mic and sing as loudly and proudly as you can whether or not you have the voice. Your friends are all sitting around the couch around the television.
Here in Alberta... you choose your song (in this case, a kareoke company/lady that goes from bar to bar prepared two binders, "By Song" and "By Artist"), write down the info on a sheet of paper and wait til you're called up, and you sing infront of whoever shows up that night. I guess it's a good way to get exposure or get discovered...or something. But WOW, totally different. Also, I'm not sure if it was the crowd, but the songs were 99% country and decade(s) old...
I was never actually into "k" much when I was in Toronto, but now I suddenly miss it and want to go for happy hour. :) Something about enjoying my own bad singing... :D
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Hunt for food to remind me of home
One of the things I miss most about Toronto is definitely the food. :) In terms of food trends, Toronto isn't far behind when it comes to getting whatever's hot at the moment (USA first, of course...), whether it's froyo (although, US still gets it first), izakayas, ramens, or gourmet burgers.
But there's always simple things I love like tea shops, Asian snacks, and random new discoveries such as a renewed love for Chai Lattes....so here's some of the good places I've been recommended to... maybe I'll cover other areas in due time, after I post about some other topics.
Bubbletea
There's no such thing as the $1.99 original milk tea special here. :( The laid back atmosphere of Dream Tea House reminded me of Sweet Dreams in Waterloo, Ontario, where you can play games or surf the net or chat. There is also another location right outside T&T at West Edmonton, where the cashier will give you a blank stare at their order... when you have a mile long line and your product sells itself, you don't really need to be friendly. Still, their daily specials are worth look and I found their quality pretty consistent. They also only have one size (large), but it's a decent price (around $4) and doesn't have an overly "fake" taste.
Gama Store's name reminds of gangham style, but it's essentially a Taiwanese tea shop. You order up front, and get your drink when the # is called. Little seating areas scattered all over the store (I could swear those were a bunch of Ikea Lack tables), and fun novelty gifts (like candy condoms, whaaat!) are available for sale. I came here for the signature Green Cap Milk Tea which is basically a tea with a foamy layer of...uh, salty cheese on top. When mixed together, it tasted good, but what will get me going back is probably the drinks that have a decent tea taste and their fun, cheap snacks (hot and freshly made Taiwanese cakes and more).
I want to try another place that was recommended to me in Chinatown, but that'll be for another day.
Asian Snacks/Food
I've now been to Lucky 97 and T&T, and discovered that the Banana Cake at Lucky 97 is actually...REALLY GOOD! I LOVE LOVE LOVE banana cake... I've been using T&T as my baseline for grocery store banana cakes (although here the regular price is over $4!), and it's been hard finding anything better (except maybe for the single slice Treats sells for around $2, yummy snack but not good for the wallet). But this version is delicious; with a good crust and savoury flavour (and probably tons of calories, woo). Maybe I got "lucky"with the mini loaf I bought, so I'll buy the $3.99 loaf next time and see if it's still as memorable.
Unfortunately, I only found the BBQ pork at Lucky "so so". Well, the thing with BBQ pork is usually the places I go to give you thin slices of meat that are kind of red and dark on the outside and a lighter colour on the inside where the meat is. I ended up with thick, uneven slices that were dark all over that was almost $5 for a small take-out box. That said, the taste was still decent though despite it being a bit more "chewy" than normal. I fried up an egg, added some soy sauce, and this could've been a meal I was having in a food court in Markham. I might go back if I get a craving for BBQ meats, after I try the T&T stuff.
I can't find a good independent Chinese bakery. As in, not the packaged T&T stuff (which I would still buy, if it comes down to that, but T&T is also far). People recommending the place I went to in Chinatown clearly haven't been to bakeries elsewhere. I'm not a bakery snob, I swear, but I think I just got spoiled by bakeries in my home town where one plaza could have 3-4 bakeries in the mall and then another 2-3 in the adjacent plaza. If your bread sucks, you'll probably go out of business. Individual bread (like pineapple bread, sausage buns) are supposed to stay good until at least the next day, but this was not the case. Bakeries where you pick up a tray and choose your 6 buns (tax free!) that are still warm (or at least, heavenly soft), and maybe order a milk tea and egg sandwich on the side. Here, a person behind the cash picks the buns for you, and damn, it's just not the same. (Even if it's "cleaner" or whatever...)
I don't mean to sound bitter, though...honest. :) I'm sure the bread makes some people happy. But I'm searching for a taste of home, and maybe that's why it's so hard to satisfy me when it comes to simple things.
I did drop by a nice Chinese cafe though, the kind where you can get ramen, toast, milk tea and bubbletea, but forgot the name! It's on a corner though, a short walk south of Lucky 97. :)
Best discovery: the Remedy
The worst thing ever is when your favourite Indian restaurant closes, like the one I loved in Mississauga, ON did (or moved without putting up notice!) -- where do I get the best butter chicken from with such an amazing blend of flavour that tastes like it was made with love over hours and hours? Turns out, The Remedy has some decent Indian flavours. I'm glad my new Edmonton friend mentioned it. :P
They are lacking in appetizers though, they have some pastries, but in terms of hot snack food, I only noticed samosas. So, not being a huge samosa person, I tried them anyway, and they were damn good. Ordered it with their Chai Latte and let me just say, I am now a believer! I've never had a Chai Latte so flavourful and delicious, not at those independent coffee shops, not at Starbucks, not anywhere. I ordered their butter chicken, which was comparable to the one I LOVED in Missisauga. Included is your choice of naan (which I found just okay) or rice (which is fragrant and you can still see some herbs or whatever it is they put in it).
I'm sure some people go for the atmosphere: it's either hippie, or hipster. But if the food and drink wasn't good, I'd never go back, and I'm so happy to say it's good. :D They have lots of seating areas, but they get full even on "quieter" nights; people can get a drink and surf the web, chat for hours, and/or get a full meal. I would contemplate taking out next time if they're full, but their mugs are SO BIG and are just screaming to be enjoyed there on the spot.. :)
So there it is, some good and not-so-good food and drinks. Telus came by today so I have internet and TV and uh, I'm basically just living within civilization again. It's nice.
But there's always simple things I love like tea shops, Asian snacks, and random new discoveries such as a renewed love for Chai Lattes....so here's some of the good places I've been recommended to... maybe I'll cover other areas in due time, after I post about some other topics.
Bubbletea
There's no such thing as the $1.99 original milk tea special here. :( The laid back atmosphere of Dream Tea House reminded me of Sweet Dreams in Waterloo, Ontario, where you can play games or surf the net or chat. There is also another location right outside T&T at West Edmonton, where the cashier will give you a blank stare at their order... when you have a mile long line and your product sells itself, you don't really need to be friendly. Still, their daily specials are worth look and I found their quality pretty consistent. They also only have one size (large), but it's a decent price (around $4) and doesn't have an overly "fake" taste.
Gama Store's name reminds of gangham style, but it's essentially a Taiwanese tea shop. You order up front, and get your drink when the # is called. Little seating areas scattered all over the store (I could swear those were a bunch of Ikea Lack tables), and fun novelty gifts (like candy condoms, whaaat!) are available for sale. I came here for the signature Green Cap Milk Tea which is basically a tea with a foamy layer of...uh, salty cheese on top. When mixed together, it tasted good, but what will get me going back is probably the drinks that have a decent tea taste and their fun, cheap snacks (hot and freshly made Taiwanese cakes and more).
I want to try another place that was recommended to me in Chinatown, but that'll be for another day.
Asian Snacks/Food
I've now been to Lucky 97 and T&T, and discovered that the Banana Cake at Lucky 97 is actually...REALLY GOOD! I LOVE LOVE LOVE banana cake... I've been using T&T as my baseline for grocery store banana cakes (although here the regular price is over $4!), and it's been hard finding anything better (except maybe for the single slice Treats sells for around $2, yummy snack but not good for the wallet). But this version is delicious; with a good crust and savoury flavour (and probably tons of calories, woo). Maybe I got "lucky"with the mini loaf I bought, so I'll buy the $3.99 loaf next time and see if it's still as memorable.
Unfortunately, I only found the BBQ pork at Lucky "so so". Well, the thing with BBQ pork is usually the places I go to give you thin slices of meat that are kind of red and dark on the outside and a lighter colour on the inside where the meat is. I ended up with thick, uneven slices that were dark all over that was almost $5 for a small take-out box. That said, the taste was still decent though despite it being a bit more "chewy" than normal. I fried up an egg, added some soy sauce, and this could've been a meal I was having in a food court in Markham. I might go back if I get a craving for BBQ meats, after I try the T&T stuff.
I can't find a good independent Chinese bakery. As in, not the packaged T&T stuff (which I would still buy, if it comes down to that, but T&T is also far). People recommending the place I went to in Chinatown clearly haven't been to bakeries elsewhere. I'm not a bakery snob, I swear, but I think I just got spoiled by bakeries in my home town where one plaza could have 3-4 bakeries in the mall and then another 2-3 in the adjacent plaza. If your bread sucks, you'll probably go out of business. Individual bread (like pineapple bread, sausage buns) are supposed to stay good until at least the next day, but this was not the case. Bakeries where you pick up a tray and choose your 6 buns (tax free!) that are still warm (or at least, heavenly soft), and maybe order a milk tea and egg sandwich on the side. Here, a person behind the cash picks the buns for you, and damn, it's just not the same. (Even if it's "cleaner" or whatever...)
I don't mean to sound bitter, though...honest. :) I'm sure the bread makes some people happy. But I'm searching for a taste of home, and maybe that's why it's so hard to satisfy me when it comes to simple things.
I did drop by a nice Chinese cafe though, the kind where you can get ramen, toast, milk tea and bubbletea, but forgot the name! It's on a corner though, a short walk south of Lucky 97. :)
Best discovery: the Remedy
The worst thing ever is when your favourite Indian restaurant closes, like the one I loved in Mississauga, ON did (or moved without putting up notice!) -- where do I get the best butter chicken from with such an amazing blend of flavour that tastes like it was made with love over hours and hours? Turns out, The Remedy has some decent Indian flavours. I'm glad my new Edmonton friend mentioned it. :P
They are lacking in appetizers though, they have some pastries, but in terms of hot snack food, I only noticed samosas. So, not being a huge samosa person, I tried them anyway, and they were damn good. Ordered it with their Chai Latte and let me just say, I am now a believer! I've never had a Chai Latte so flavourful and delicious, not at those independent coffee shops, not at Starbucks, not anywhere. I ordered their butter chicken, which was comparable to the one I LOVED in Missisauga. Included is your choice of naan (which I found just okay) or rice (which is fragrant and you can still see some herbs or whatever it is they put in it).
I'm sure some people go for the atmosphere: it's either hippie, or hipster. But if the food and drink wasn't good, I'd never go back, and I'm so happy to say it's good. :D They have lots of seating areas, but they get full even on "quieter" nights; people can get a drink and surf the web, chat for hours, and/or get a full meal. I would contemplate taking out next time if they're full, but their mugs are SO BIG and are just screaming to be enjoyed there on the spot.. :)
So there it is, some good and not-so-good food and drinks. Telus came by today so I have internet and TV and uh, I'm basically just living within civilization again. It's nice.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The day to day life
A few things have happened since I last posted:
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| Those new boots from Costco were worth it! |
 | ||||
| Merino wool socks from Costco - I swear this post isn't an ad for Costco. |
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Snow, beautiful snow...
It's been snowing the past few days. Nothing bad, just a light layer, until today there was tons of snow piling up on the ground, and we actually got a staff advisory telling us we can go home early. Normally it would be great, but today is my move-in day. :D So I don't have keys yet...
Also, my car shipment got magically delayed due "weather" and when I called to find out whether my car had arrived in Edmonton yesterday, I find out it's just left Toronto. Weather delay was due to some frozen truck ramps in the west... sigh. Not even sure how that impacts anything; I'm sure it didn't cut down the phone lines either so I don't know why they didn't bother calling me to tell me about a five day delay. (Even Telus called me earlier about a "potential" delay in my installation later this month...)
So I'll be driving a rental back from YEG in this mess. :( Yay. And I don't have my snow brush and hope the rental has one.
On the upside, my co-worker gave me some great recs for places to go this weekend with Mel, so I hope the weather clears up, because it's supposed to be above 0 next week. Hope so! I also met a random friend online who's into Post Secret, and now I have a little group of people to go with to see Frank later this month at U of A. I'm super excited!! I've been wanting to see him since my university days, haha.
Also, my car shipment got magically delayed due "weather" and when I called to find out whether my car had arrived in Edmonton yesterday, I find out it's just left Toronto. Weather delay was due to some frozen truck ramps in the west... sigh. Not even sure how that impacts anything; I'm sure it didn't cut down the phone lines either so I don't know why they didn't bother calling me to tell me about a five day delay. (Even Telus called me earlier about a "potential" delay in my installation later this month...)
So I'll be driving a rental back from YEG in this mess. :( Yay. And I don't have my snow brush and hope the rental has one.
On the upside, my co-worker gave me some great recs for places to go this weekend with Mel, so I hope the weather clears up, because it's supposed to be above 0 next week. Hope so! I also met a random friend online who's into Post Secret, and now I have a little group of people to go with to see Frank later this month at U of A. I'm super excited!! I've been wanting to see him since my university days, haha.
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