Sunday 30 September 2018

A new whirl 2018.09 edition

Greetings! I've been documenting the new fun activities that I tried every month since March this year. In September, my new whirl was easy thanks to a few of my friends who invited me to meet them individually for lunch. We cook and eat meals at home most of the time so these lunches were nice opportunities to try restaurants that are new to me or that I visit infrequently. I should mention that Toronto is a multicultural city and the wonderful restaurant choices reflect our diversity.

On my first lunch date, my friend and I just walked into Penelope's, a Greek restaurant, without reservation. We got seated right away. My friend ordered grilled lamb chops while I tried the Grilled Atlantic Salmon. My grilled salmon was served with salad, rice pilaf, oven roasted potatoes, lemon, and oregano. I could have easily gone for the souvlakis, or moussaka, or dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) but I felt like having fish that day. The service was prompt and friendly. The lunch crowd was mainly business people. We were both satisfied with our meals and would come again.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon at Penelope's

On my second lunch date, my friend reserved a table for the two of us at Scaddabush, an Italian restaurant. She ordered a gluten-free meal while I tried the Spaghetti Sorrentina with their Charity bread. My spaghetti was served with tomato sauce, basil, baby arugula, olive oil, cracked pepper, and a fresh mozzarella cheese ball at the top. The service was prompt and friendly. Both of our meals were tasty and came with big portions even though we ordered the Small portion. The next portion size is called Regular in the menu. We would come again to Scaddabush.

Spaghetti Sorrentina at Scaddabush

On my third lunch date, my friend and I went to Pai, a Thai restaurant, without reservation. This place is much bigger inside than what it looks like from the outside. I arrived first and got a table for two right away. Within ten minutes all other tables were taken so Pai is a popular place. The atmosphere was casual with loud music in the background so we needed to speak louder than normal. I ordered Chef Nuit Pad Thai with mild level of spice, while my friend had the Green Curry dish which he thought was amazing. My Pad Thai included stir fried rice noodles, house-made tamarind sauce, bean sprouts, tofu, egg, chives, Thai coriander, fresh lime, home roasted peanuts, and my choice of shrimps. It was delicious. We both agreed that we would return here for Thai food.

Chef Nuit Pad Thai at Pai

My fourth lunch date was at Il Fornello, an Italian restaurant where my friend and I had a nice table by the window with street view. We each ordered a two-course lunch prix-fixe. Mine was Pizzetta Pollo "BBQ", a mini pizza with Pomodoro sauce, mozzarella, slow-roasted chicken, chipotle BBQ sauce, roasted red pepper, charred red onions, and a small mixed green salad. I forgot to take a photo before eating my meal. Both of us enjoyed the food but the waitress was rushing my friend unnecessarily so her service could be improved.

My fifth and last lunch date in September was at Aroma Indian Cuisine, a restaurant that offers all-you-can-eat Northern Indian lunch buffet, and mild to hot à la carte options. My friend and I got a table right away just before the place filled up. We both went for the lunch buffet. I tried their Naan bread, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, veggies, beef, and Gulab jamun with ice cream for dessert. My friend is from Goa, western coast of India, and she said Aroma's food is very good. I agreed! I forgot to take photos of the buffet before the lunch crowd arrived so maybe next time. The service was good with frequent water refills at the tables and plenty of food at the food stations. We'd return for Indian food here.

I'm grateful for good friends, good food, and fun conversations that made me happy in September.

RELATED POSTS:
Do you like trying food from different cultures? Does your town or city have diverse cuisines? What's your favourite food? I'd love to hear your comments.


40 comments:

  1. Aroma is very good, our go-to when craving Indian.

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    1. Glad you concur, Jackie. Thank you for your comment.

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  2. I enjoyed reading about your gastronomic adventures in September, Natalie. Perhaps you should visit Australia and we could enjoy a seafood buffet?

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    1. Hi Sue - Australia is on my travel list, and enjoying a seafood buffet with you sounds fantastic-licious!

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  3. Love new cultures and pretty much love all food!!

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    1. Enjoy your holidays with great food. Thanks, Lydia, for stopping by.

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  4. It sounds like you had the perfect meals and perfect companions - you can't ask for much more than that when you're on a lovely holiday.

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    1. I'm grateful to have good meals with good friends, Leanne. It was perfect.

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    2. Hi Natalie - just popping back to say thanks for linking up with #MLSTL and I've shared this on my SM :)

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    3. Thank you, Leanne, for hosting MLSTL. Have a beautiful week!

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  5. What a beautiful idea, Natalie! Great way to celebrate your friendships.

    SSG xxx

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    1. Thanks, SSG, for stopping by. It's really great to have good meals with good friends and to catch up one on one.

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  6. Yum! This post has made me VERY hungry, Natalie. Your pictures made my mouth water!!

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    1. You're right, Donna. I look at my photos and they make me hungry now :)

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  7. Ooh I love a nice lunch date! The food looks amazing :)

    Di from Max The Unicorn

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    1. Thanks, Di, for you visit and comment. A nice lunch date with a good friend is delicious fun.

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  8. I'd love to take Thai cooking classes in Thailand. But all of these meals look great and I hope the catch ups alongside the food were too.

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    1. Thanks, Vanessa, for stopping by. Thai cooking classes in Thailand sound like fun. I did have a great time catching up with my friends. The good food only distracted us for a few minutes :)

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  9. What a beautiful idea to have those lunches. I am super hungry now, having read this!

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    1. Thanks, Becky, for stopping by. I look at my food pictures again and think it's time to set up another lunch date with my friends :)

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  10. I love pretty much all food. Except I can't usually eat a lot at one time. I especially love Asian, French, Italian, Seafood, Fusion, Vegan - oh everything really! These look delicious.

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    1. Thank you, Bronnie, for your comment. Small meals are good for us, and to be able to enjoy various cuisines is wonderful.

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  11. Hi, Natalie - I have shared this post on my social media. It was my turn to make other people feel hungry!! :)
    #MLSTL

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    1. Thanks, Donna, for making me smile with your comment :)

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  12. All of that food looks so good and yummy. Thanks for sharing it. #MLSTL

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    1. Thanks, Patrick, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it.

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  13. This was an enjoyable read Natalie and what a fun idea! I've shared for #mlstl

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    1. Thanks, Debbie, for your comment. It's fun to have lunch or coffee to catch up with friends from time to time.

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  14. That is very cool to be doing it with friends and getting to try new things. I am so not like that...and even less so my mouth is compromised for eating so I enjoyed that visually!! Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek. Next week's optional prompt is Best Friend Stories. Denyse.

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    1. Thank you, Denyse, for hosting #lifethisweek. We eat at home most of the time so it was special for me to meet up with my friends to catch up and it was fun to try different restaurants.

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  15. Oh, lucky you to enjoy all this good food! Yum!

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    1. Thanks, Amy, for your comment. I'm grateful for good friends, good food, and fun conversations.

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  16. Isn't it amazing how many different and delicious types of food there are? Your multi-cultural meals all sound wonderful. And food with friends always tastes better. #MLSTL

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    1. The variety of types of food is quite amazing, Christie, and lucky me I have no known food allergies. Sharing good food with good friends is priceless.

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  17. Yum! I just finished dinner, so wasn't hungry. Until I opened this up and saw the grilled salmon. If I were closer, I'd be there in a flash.
    Sharing for MLSTL

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    1. Thank you, Trisha, for your comment. The grilled salmon was very good :)

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  18. Your meals all sound so good. I am sitting here with my belly growling while reading your post. There is nothing better than good food and good friends.

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    1. A warning at the start of my post might be helpful "Read this post when you're full", lol. I agree with you, Victoria, good food and good friends are the best.

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  19. Oh, Natalie, this post made for delicious reading. It read like a restaurant review in a fancy newspaper! What a eclectic palate you have. And such a range of restaurants to choose from. Sounds like you have found 5 new places to visit regularly!

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    1. Oh, Leslie, you're so kind with your words, thank you. You're right, I've found 5 places to visit regularly. I was happy to chat with my friends and share a good meal with each of them.

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