Sweet Flour Bake Shop November 30, 2009

My friend and I ventured out to explore the Bloor West Village area in Toronto yesterday morning.  For someone living on the opposite side of the city, Bloor West Village is a bit of a hike but well worth the drive.  What prompted our sporadic trip, was a visit to Sweet Flour Bake Shop, a store in Toronto that “pays tribute to the cookie.”  The concept is simple.  People like the taste of fresh baked cookies.  People like to customize things.  So  Kim Gans, entrepreneur/MBA/ex-General Mills, put some innovation, imagination and fresh all natural ingredients together, the end result is a fun hot-out-of-the-oven fresh baked cookie concept. 

 

The option to customize both delights and entertains adults adn children alike.  On our expedition,we choose an oatmeal cookie base (three bases to choose from) with dark chocolate bits and walnuts.  After choosing our personalized combination, we watched in awe as the mixing and molding of our cookie began to bring our snack into shape.  2 minutes in a hot oven, we devoured a the cookie in our take away bag.   Upon paying I got a kick out of being asked “would you like a glass of milk with that?”  Of course they would ask that (the milk is organic) they are serving cookies afterall.  They also offer muffin tops (think Seinfeld) and granola that can be customized to your wildest imagination.  It is definitely worth the trip for a fresh baked cookie.  Sweet Flour Bake Shop also does gifts and catering options if you are thinking of edible gifts for this holiday season or an upcoming event.

 

via blogto.com

 

 

Sash and Bustle November 30, 2009

There is a new bridal boutique in Toronto called Sash and Bustle and I had the priviledge of attending the opening party for the store this past week.   Cynthia Martin, veteran Toronto event planner of Cynthia Martin Events, is behind this sweet little spot in the city and in my opinion, a bridal boutique of this caliber is much-needed. 

Her years of experience and her own great taste, has resulted in a store filled with bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and all the accessories - read- purses, head pieces, jewelry…. a girl would ever need to adorn her and her girls.  Sash and Bustle is located in Leslieville in on Carlaw just north of Queen and really adds some light to the rather industrial looking strip. 

I took some pictures while I was at the event to give you a peak at what you can expect when you go down to visit Cynthia’s store.  I will add a couple more pictures this week.

Fauchon Eclairs November 27, 2009

When you think of an eclair, you probably think log shaped dessert, filled with cream and covered in chocolate.  I always picture a Tim Horton’s eclair for some reason as my point of reference to this sweet treat.  I have a vivid memory of looking at eclairs in the glass case in front of the cashier at Tim Horton’s when I was a child. 

I don’t even know if Timmy Ho’s makes these things any more because the last time I set foot into one of these caffeine fueling stations must have been at least 15 years ago!  Sorry the picture below is so small but it was the only one I could find that matches my memory.

 

Fast forward to this new idea- designer eclairs by noneother than Fauchon.  I would have never expected eclairs to receive a fashion makeover like the one’s over at Fauchon in Pairs, but I guess anything is possible.  These techonocolour pastries are stunning and I am not sure how anyone could possibly take a bite and ruin the works of cream filled puffs.  Imagine a platter of these designer eclairs at an event or individual customized works of art brought out for guests or tailored to the aesthetics of a table>  I’m sure Amy Atlas would love these!

Check these out:

via histoiresdisa

via materialiste.com

via 8tokyo.com

Will Broome for Wedgwood November 23, 2009

I love the cartoon tea set that UK illustrator, Will Broome, designed for Wedgwood.  His cartoons give the tea set somewhat of a dark, Coraline (the movie) esque vibe, contrast to everything light, fluffy, social and artistic about tea.  Check out more from Will Broome on his site here or a great interview between Dazed Digital magazine and Will here.

via carrie lewis

via frill design

william broome for wedgwood via wedgwoodusa

 

 

hotel brunch buffets November 22, 2009

When I was living in Hong Kong and China it was considered quite “normal” to go to a hotel with some friends for drinks, dinner or brunch.  Hotels, known for their stylish interior decor, great service and trend setting restaurants, would often become top of mind recall when pontificating where to go to eat.  In Toronto though, hotels serve the opposite purpose for me.  I have eaten at a few of the hotels around the city and had good food but when asked where to go, a hotel would not make my top five list of places to check out in the city.  Even if I was recommending an expensive brunch, I don’t think a hotel would occupy a top five spot in this city.  

In reminiscing hotels brunches abroad, I found some great hotel brunch pictures that I would like to share. 

Warning, these photos are mouth-watering and almost motivate me enough to start checking out the Toronto hotel brunch scene which I am not sure even exists!

via flickr brady frequent traveler and eater

 

via seven stars and stripes

 

via flickr from basin bkk

 

 

via flickr from joan liu

 

 

 

via flickr brady frequent traveler and eater

idea paint November 17, 2009

This post is completely selfish in focus.

I hope to be house hunting in the near future and I keep my eyes and ears open for interesting interior decor techniques/products at all times.   I was blown away by this product when I saw it and I plan to order some to test it out when the time comes.  It’s called idea paint and it is a paint that you can put on any surface (walls, tables etc) which turns the surface into one big dry erase white board.   In other words,  you can draw and erase anything you’d like  on the surface once the paint is rolled on and dry (7 days).  Think of all the fun you could have around the house in the kitchen jotting down recipes or a grocery list on the wall, in a home office to brainstorm, in the washroom….. I freakin love this idea.  The ultimate creative product for the neat freak who hates chalk dust.

Look at some of the applications:

via reliable remodler

 

via contract magazine

via once upon a venture

via out blush

Soapy Love November 9, 2009

Very Cute.  A product from Debbie Chialtas’ glycerin soap design company, Soapy Love.  She got started in glycerin soap design while pregnant with her son and soon after opened a store on Etsy.  Each product is hand crafted in San Diego and is a great idea for a hostess gift or event favour. 

soapy love via lovely room

Chocolate Research Facility November 9, 2009

This is by far the coolest chocolate store concept I have ever seen and I am sorry that on my last trip to Singapore, I missed this thing. 

Here are all the juicy facts about this fabulously designed chocolate store- it’s called Chocolate Research Facility and it is located in Singapore’s Millenia Walk.   Singapore based design agency owner Chris Lee of Asylum Creative  launched the concept.   It’s part cafe part retail and the interior design is laboratory-esque.  What caught my attention when I first read about the concept on blog, The Dieline, is packaging of the chocolate (makes sense for a hot find on The Dieline).  The Chocolate Research Facility boasts 100 flavours like strawberry yogurt, green apple with dried pear, champagne, espresso, irish cream, Sichuan pepper to name a few and all of the chocolate comes packaged in super savvy, sophisticated, modern wrapping (see below).   The package design is so sleek, it truly embodies the value that can be created in a business through great design. 

The store caters to chocolate neophytes and aficionados alike.  Just take a look at these pictures to see what kind of experience is provided.  I am ready to hop on a plane and get back to Singapore to check the Chocolate Research Facility first hand!

inside store via oh joy

store exterior via luxury insider

inside store via we heart stuff

chocolate wrapper via the lovely room

chocolate wrapper via ministry of type

chocolate wrappers via blabber, etcetera

A brunch in the works November 5, 2009

I am getting ready to host a birthday brunch for a close friend this weekend and I am searching high and low for inspiration, themes and recipes from the blogsphere.  I am determined to put together the entire event using recipes from my favourite food bloggers. 

Today I tested a white chocolate chip and macadamia nut blondie recipe from Washington, DC food blogger, Baked Perfection.  The blondies turned out great and the smell in my house is to die for!  I ended up substituting half the white chocolate chips for a blend of butterscotch chips and peanut butter chips.  I think my friends will be delighted with the results. 

 Here is what a blondie looks like for those of you who are not familiar with this type of bar:

via baked perfection

My next task is to find a light, non-traditional birthday cake to make.  So far, I am thinking something lemon with a yogurt cream and raspberry drizzle. 

We’ll see what I come up with.