Dining Out: A Belated Birthday Dinner at Costa Sorrento

When my friend Chelsea asked me where I'd want to go for a birthday dinner over a month ago, I said, without hesitation, "Costa Sorrento." We had to re-schedule a couple times, but she, Braden, and I were finally able to meet up at Costa Sorrento for dinner this evening, where we indulged in a delightful Italian meal of daily specials. (I swear I'll make it to their permanent menu at some point, but their daily specials are just too enticing.) 

Bufala, Insalatina, Pistacchio Mortadella, Crudo, Cipolle, Focaccia: Bufala mozzarella, mixed salad, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto, pickled onions and beets, and focaccia
Insalatina di Polpo, Patate, Carciofi e Olive: Octopus with potato, artichoke, and olive salad tossed in citronette dressing
Mezzi Rigatoni al Grano Khorasan alla Siciliana: Small Khorasan rigatoni with fried eggplant, fior di latte, basil, and parmigiano
House-made peach sorbetto and chocolate gelato

It's one of those meals where every bite is met with a resounding "MMMM!" I find that Italian meals can be a little too heavy and make me feel really bloated, but this one was particularly light and refreshing and we all felt perfectly full afterwards. I took our server's suggestion of pairing peach sorbet and chocolate gelato for dessert and, I gotta say, it was INSPIRED. It's not a combination I would have ever thought of, but the tartness of the peach worked surprisingly well with the bittersweet richness of the chocolate. The night ended with a lovely chat with the owner (who recognized us from our previous visits) and a pint of my favourite green apple sorbetto to take home. Food is truly the best birthday gift.

Costa Sorrento

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0E7

(905) 604-2019

Dining Out: Mixed Mango Shaved Ice and The Wizard of Oz Shaved Ice at Miss Lin Cafe

Minji, Daniel, and I actually wanted to get bingsu for some after-work dessert, but there just aren't any good places around Markham that serve it, so Minji suggested Miss Lin Cafe for their Taiwanese-style shaved ice instead:

Mixed Mango Shaved Ice: Mango shaved ice, mango, mochi balls, milky crunch, coconut crisp, green grapes, and coconut milk
The Wizard of Oz: Matcha shaved ice, strawberries, water chestnut pearls, milky crunch, and ice cream

We decided to share the Mixed Mango and The Wizard of Oz. They were both great but we all liked the Mixed Mango more — mostly because we just like mango more than strawberry as a fruit, but partly because the combination of flavours and textures just seemed to work better together. While the shaved ice here isn't as smooth or creamy as bingsu, it does hit the spot. (It must be noted, however, that the shaved ice here is significantly better than the version at Honeymoon Dessert.) And they definitely win for the most aesthetic shaved ice I've ever had.

Miss Lin Cafe

Liberty Square

3601 Highway 7, Unit 119

Markham, ON L3R 0M3

(905) 604-5513

Dining Out: Strawberry Hearts on the Snow at Honeymoon Dessert

To celebrate the end of my cold, I went to get a little treat with Minji and Daniel at Honeymoon Dessert:

Strawberry Hearts on the Snow

I decided to get the Strawberry Hearts on the Snow, which is supposed to include their signature Vanilla Ice, Kawartha Dairy's Strawberry ice cream, fresh strawberries, and a limited edition Cherry Blossom Rice Wine Oreo. Except they didn't have any strawberry ice cream or the limited edition cherry blossom Oreo, so they had to replace them with green tea ice cream and a regular Golden Oreo. Despite the replacements and their Vanilla Ice being a little too icy (read: chunky), I gotta say, it still satisfied the frozen dessert craving. (Perhaps everything just tastes better after a two-week long cold.) Still, I think I'll stick to their Mango Pillows, which have never disappointed me...

Honeymoon Dessert

Markham Town Square

3828 Highway 7, Unit 2

Unionville, ON L3R 1L7

(905) 477-7688

Dining Out: Prosciutto, Bufala e Melone; Pizza Cotto, Peperoncini di Flume e Salsa Bomba Calabrese; Risotto Salsiccia, Carciofi e Radicchio; and Green Apple Sorbetto at Costa Sorrento

Went for dinner with Chelsea and Braden at Costa Sorrento:

Prosciutto, Bufala e Melone: Prosciutto, bufala mozzarella, and local cantaloupe
Pizza Cotto, Peperoncini di Flume e Salsa Bomba Calabrese: Fior di latte, shishito peppers, ham, and Bomba Calabrian chili sauce
Risotto Salsiccia, Carciofi e Radicchio: Carnaroli risotto with Italian sausage, radicchio, and artichokes
House-made green apple sorbetto

Absolutely spectacular. This was my second time here and I am still genuinely impressed with their offerings. We started with the prosciutto with bufala mozzarella and melon to share, knowing that this combination — besides being gluten-free, egg-free, and soy-free (Chelsea has a lot of allergies) — is always a crowd-pleaser. (And it was.) The pizza was a standout to both me and Braden (Chelsea could not partake as they don't offer gluten-free pizza) with the perfect combination of flavours and just the right amount of heat — an absolute must-try for anyone who loves white pizza and can handle moderate spice. The risotto — made for two people — was creamy and garlicky with a very mild savoury heat from the Italian sausage, a bittersweet crunch from the radicchio, and a lovely nutty, earthy flavour from the artichoke. Perhaps the most interesting — and incredibly delicious — iteration of risotto I've had. Lastly, for dessert, I wanted something light and refreshing, so I chose the green apple sorbet. And it was absolutely DIVINE. Sweet, tart, and juicy, with tiny bits of green apple in it — the most perfect summer dessert and ending to this glorious Italian meal.

All the dishes we ordered are off their daily specials menu, but I really hope that they make a comeback or make the permanent menu, especially the pizza, which might be my favourite pizza in all of Toronto. And now, I'm just gonna say it: Costa Sorrento is officially my new favourite Italian restaurant. 

Costa Sorrento

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0E7

(905) 604-2019

Dining Out: Mango Yuzu Gelato Daifuku at Savorology

Mango yuzu gelato daifuku

Mango yuzu gelato daifuku

Went to Savorology to try their new viral gelato daifuku, which is made to order. Matcha is their signature flavour, but I decided to go with mango yuzu because it is so goddamn hot out and I wanted something more refreshing (which, in my mind, equates to fruity and/or citrusy). It certainly hit the spot and the mango yuzu flavour is incredible, but I do wish the mochi wrapper was thinner and softer to make it easier to dig into (as you know, mochi gets significantly harder and tougher once it gets cold). That having been said, it does provide an excellent barrier for those who want to bite into their ice cream but have sensitive teeth, so I digress...

Savorology

3621 Highway 7, Unit 120

Markham, ON L3R 0G6

(905) 470-8898

Dining Out: Markham Ribfest 2025

I, along with Minji and Daniel (and baby Lillian), embarked on my first ever ribfest this evening:

1/4 rack ribs and sausage with sides of baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread, and mac and cheese from Sticky Fingers BBQ

1/3 rack ribs and 1/2 pound beef brisket from Big Texas BBQ

Unanimous highlights were the ribs (moist, juicy, and excellent BBQ sauce that was just sweet and tangy enough), sausages (great bite, superb flavour), and beans (good combination of sweet and smoky, not too runny or thick) from Sticky Fingers BBQ and, surprisingly, the Dubai-style chocolate strawberries (the berries were super fresh and sweet, and worked really well with the combination of pistachio and chocolate flavours while the kataifi added a really nice crunch). 

Everything else was just... mediocre. At best. While the meats we tried from Sticky Fingers BBQ were great, most of the sides were quite disappointing: the coleslaw was bland (as if the dressing was too diluted?), the cornbread (not pictured) was on the drier side, and the mac and cheese (not pictured) needed to be both creamier and cheesier. (Had we had more stomach space, I would've loved to do a compare and contrast between these sides from all five rib teams.) The majority of the ribs from Big Texas BBQ were very dry (like, some of the meat wouldn't even come off the bone), the flavour of the BBQ sauce was rather forgettable, and all the lean pieces of beef brisket were tough. Not sure if it's the cooking conditions or the actual cooks, but the five featured rib teams at this ribfest have won numerous awards, titles, and trophies, so I was expecting way, way, way better quality offerings. 

Funnel cake with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce from Fabulicious Funnel Cakes

Churros with vanilla ice cream from Victoria's Churro Cone

Dubai-style chocolate strawberries

Aside from the chocolate strawberries (a real underdog at a festival like this), the desserts were honesty quite disappointing, too. The funnel cake was way too thick and dense and not nearly crispy enough, and the ice cream on top was way too icy, as if it was made with low-fat milk. And while the churros came with much smoother and creamier ice cream, the churros themselves were hard and crunchy rather than chewy with a crispy edge. We all regretted not getting a bloomin' onion or tornado potato instead of so many desserts. Alas, we were too full to even think about getting anything else.

Surprisingly, we only spent $39.81 each on food and drink, which actually ends up being cheaper than a dinner at an average sit-down restaurant after tax and tip. So, would I go to ribfest again? Yeah, it was still fun to try different BBQ and food vendors and soak in the summery vibes and live music (the band did some great covers from The White Stripes to Letters to Cleo to Queen). But I just need to lower my expectations next time. And maybe better strategize on how to divide and conquer all the food options.

Markham Ribfest 2025

Downtown Markham

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0A2

Take Out: Key Lime Pie Ice Cream at Kawartha Dairy

The weather is finally warming up, so what's the perfect way to celebrate actual spring weather? Ice cream. (Obviously.) With my new favourite flavour, too: Key Lime Pie at Kawartha Dairy. It tastes exactly like its namesake. It's the perfect mix of sweet and tart; it's creamy but citrusy without veering into sorbet territory, and there's bits of graham cracker in there to give it a nice chew. And if you actually go to a Kawartha Dairy store, the "baby" size is like a large at Baskin Robbins so it's a pretty incredible value for $6. (No, really, this cup is huge. It can feed two people. Or one ice cream fiend, a.k.a. me.) Yes, I know that I can go to my local supermarket and get a tub of Kawartha Dairy ice cream to eat at home, but it's never the same as going out for ice cream, is it?

Kawartha Dairy

5 Alexander Rd.

Newmarket, ON L3Y 3J2

(905) 953-2881

Dining Out: Condensed Milk Toast, Deep Fried Peanut Butter French Toast Bites, and Matcha Parfait at Sugar Marmalade

Minji, Daniel, and I wanted to get some late-night dessert and Minji was craving condensed milk toast (pregnancy cravings trump all), but it was also 10:00PM on a Saturday night. So where to go? Sugar Marmalade, of course.

Condensed milk toast

Deep-fried peanut butter French toast bites

Matcha parfait

But one condensed milk toast is never enough, so we also got the deep fried peanut butter french toast and a matcha parfait (you know, for variety). I don't even wanna know how much sugar and cholesterol we consumed tonight, but MY GOD, IT WAS WORTH IT. I hadn't been back to Sugar Marmalade in years and I forgot how good they are for Hong Kong fusion desserts. I'll have to re-visit more often. You know, to make up for the lean years...

Sugar Marmalade

First Markham Place

3235 Highway 7, Unit 19-20

Markham, ON L3R 8P9

(905) 604-8211

Dining Out: Mango Strawberry Mixed Rolled Ice Cream at Roll Me Up

It has been a long time since I've had Thai-style rolled ice cream (probably two decades, honestly), so I was particularly excited to go to Roll Me Up with Chelsea for a late night dessert:

   Mango Strawberry Mixed Rolled Ice Cream

When the server asked me what toppings I wanted, I told him to decide for me, so he chose the matching mango and strawberry popping bobas and this combination was PURE DELIGHT. So, now I must come back ASAP to make up for all the years I didn't have rolled ice cream.

Roll Me Up

9325 Yonge St., Unit 18

Richmond Hill, ON L4C 0A8

(905) 508-0600

Orlando 2024 Travel Log: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida — Day 3: Apple Crumble and Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream Cone at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

We couldn't leave Universal Studios, let alone Orlando, without one last visit to Florean Fortescue's. So off we went, back to Diagon Alley, to get in the long line-up for one last epic ice cream.

Apple Crumble and Sticky Toffee Pudding ice creams in a waffle cone

My choice this time was Apple Crumble and Sticky Toffee Pudding hard-pack ice creams in a waffle cone. And y'all, this was maybe the best ice cream combination I've ever had in my life. Both flavours taste scarily accurate to their namesakes and they are PHENOMENAL — both alone and together. Like, damn, I knew it was going to be my last ice cream here, but I MADE IT WORTH IT. (Yes, even I am impressed with myself.) On another note, Minji is now obsessed with Chocolate Chili ice cream (even more so because she's pregnant) and is trying to figure out how to make it at home. 

HARRY POTTER WORLD, WE WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH.

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley

Universal Studios Florida 

6000 Universal Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32819, USA

(407) 224-4233

Orlando 2024 Travel Log: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida — Day 2: Butterbeer Ice Cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

You know what's great about Diagon Alley? It's never too early to have ice cream at Florean Fortescue's.

Butterbeer ice cream in a waffle cone

Yes, they have taken full advantage of Butterbeer's popularity and basically made this flavour into every form, including soft serve ice cream. In soft serve, though, I do think the Butterbeer flavour is a bit lacking — it mainly tastes like vanilla, which is somewhat disappointing. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly delicious and anyone that likes soft serve in general will love this, but don't expect a huge amount of that signature caramelly, butterscotchy, cream soda flavour. With it being less sweet than actual Butterbeer, though, it actually worked out perfectly as an 11:00AM, post-breakfast dessert. (On that note, the morning is actually the best time to get ice cream from Florean Fortescue's, as the line-up is at its shortest. There were only 10 people in front of us when we got there.)

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley

Universal Studios Florida 

6000 Universal Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32819, USA

(407) 224-4233

Orlando 2024 Travel Log: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida — Day 1: Chocolate Strawberry Peanut Butter Sundae at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

The Universal Studios Florida park currently closes at 5:00PM everyday for their Halloween Horror Nights event, so we knew our last stop of the day in Diagon Alley had to be Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. For those who have read the books, you will know that Harry spends a great deal of time studying at Florean Fortescue's when he lives at Leaky Cauldron for a few weeks in Prisoner of Azkaban. You will also know that aside from helping Harry with his History of Magic homework on medieval witch-burnings, Florean also gives Harry free strawberry peanut butter ice cream sundaes every half hour. So guess what we got?

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley: Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley: Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley: Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour — Chocolate Strawberry Peanut Butter Sundae

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley: Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour — Chocolate Strawberry Peanut Butter Sundaes

Despite having to wait in line for 30 minutes, Minji and I both agreed the Chocolate Strawberry Peanut Butter Sundae was entirely worth it. (And yes, we each got our own. Because it just seemed too precious to share.) It's strawberry peanut butter ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, shortbread crumbles, and a cherry on top served in a souvenir glass for $10.99, which I think is actually pretty reasonable considering the prices of most food items in the park. I do feel like they could work on the presentation of the sundae as they push the ice cream down flat to fill in the rest of the cup with whipped cream (the sample models of the sundaes look bigger with a rounded scoop and a much smaller dollop of whipped cream on top, which just looks far more aesthetically pleasing), but the combination of flavours makes up for it. There are a lot of ice cream options here, but if you're only going to get one, this is the one to get — it's indulgent, it's delicious, and it's the only one mentioned in the books. As for us, our goal is to visit here at least once a day on this trip.

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley

Universal Studios Florida 

6000 Universal Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32819, USA

(407) 224-4233

Canadian National Exhibition: Summer 2024

Over the course of nine hours at the CNE (by far the longest I have ever spent there), Minji, Daniel, and I managed to go through all the exhibitions, play roulette at the casino, buy some air plants (me) and an Italian squeegee kit (them), and eat all the extraordinarily overpriced junk food we wanted to try this year:

Dilly Ranch Twisted Pickle

Tanghulu Mochi Doughnut

Wasabi Soft Serve Ice Cream

Fruity Pebbles Fried Chicken with Lime Dipping Sauce

Ruffles All Dressed Fried Chicken with Dill Pickle Dipping Sauce

Fried Soft Shell Crab "Kaarage" with Sriracha Mayo

Crème Brûlée Soft Serve Chimney Cone

Deep-Fried Pickle Oreos

Ube Sesame Corn

Deep-Fried Pickles

Deep-Fried Hickory Corn Ribs

Deep-Fried Cheese Curds and Curly Fries

Winners for me were the twisted pickle (so good, we almost got two), the Fruity Pebbles fried chicken (especially with the lime dip — a perfect combination of sweet, salty, and tangy), the soft shell crab (amazing texture and flavour — if it wasn't $20 each, we would've gotten another one), and the Tiny Tom's doughnuts (a classic for a reason; and did you really go to the CNE if you didn't get some Tiny Tom's doughnuts?). The most disappointing was the tanghulu mochi doughnut (sickly sweet, and I thought the fruit would be more incorporated into the doughnut somehow rather than just a skewer sitting on top), the Ruffles All Dressed fried chicken (the fried chicken was decent enough, but we could barely taste the All Dressed chips), the crème brûlée soft serve Chimney Cone (the burnt sugar and custard were just sitting on top so once you get past that top layer, it's just vanilla soft serve), and the deep-fried pickle Oreos (even the thick layer of sweet deep-fried dough could not hide the fact that pickles and Oreos just do not go together). 

And in case you're wondering, all of this cost $90.34 per person (not including entry tickets and parking). I wasn't kidding when I said "extraordinarily overpriced," because we could each have had a pretty lavish steak dinner for the cost of all this junk food. I guess we really made up for not going during the pandemic years. On another note, thank you to the guy at "Fool the Guesser" who thought I was still 27. At least Minji's $10 didn't go to waste and she got a stuffed frog plushie out of it. 

Canadian National Exhibition

Exhibition Place

210 Princes' Blvd.

Toronto, ON M6K 3C3

(416) 263-3330

Take Out: Pistachio and Hazelnut Gelato at Love Gelato

Pistachio and hazelnut gelato

Went to Love Gelato (because spring means gelatoice cream frozen dessert season has begun) after work and got a double-cup of my favourite pistachio and hazelnut — my forever couple.

Love Gelato

116 Main St. Markham N.

Markham, ON L3P 1Y1

(905) 201-2918

Osaka 2024 Travel Log: Day 3 — Dotonbori Street Food Tour

We fought our way through crowds and spent way too much time waiting in queues, but it wouldn't be a trip to Osaka without a plethora of street food:

Original takoyaki

A variety platter of takoyaki

Mitarashi dango

10 yen cheese coin pancake

Sweet potato taiyaki

Melonpan with strawberry ice cream

Ichigodaifuku with strawberry cream and matcha cream

Sweet corn with strawberry soft serve

Not a single disappointing item. ONLY DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIT ANYMORE IN. 

Dotonbori

Chome Dotonbori, Chuo Ward

Osaka, Japan 〒542-0071

+81-06-6211-4542