Cora Pizza.

pizza... I was about to play some pickup baksetball at UofT, but the courts were closed, so me and my friend Will decided to go grab something to eat instead. We wanted something close by, fast and cheap so Will suggested we go to Cora Pizza, which is right by the UofT downtown campus. Cora Pizza is a small pizza shop with the majority of its customers being UofT students. They have barely any seating available except one small table, so expect to grab a slice to go if you come here.

They serve a wide range of Pizzas, from simple slices($3.50/slice, taxes included) like Pepperoni and Deluxe to specialty ones like the Cha Cha Cha that me and Will got ($4.00/slice, taxes included). I had gotten the Cha Cha Cha before, which is covered in Roasted Chicken, Mushroom, Onions and Red Peppers. This seems to be a very popular slice and it tastes really good. The toppings, giant slices and value definitely make the pizza good here, although I found the slices lacking the proper amount of cheese (I usually love that melting, gooey cheese on my pizza!).
Cora Pizza is an awesome place for students at the UofT campus as it is so close. They are also open until 2 am on weekdays and until 4 am on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes it a great place for some late night eats, especially when your drunk and need some cheap after partying food!

Cora Pizza
656A Spadina Avenue,
Toronto, ON, M5S 2H7
416-922-1188

TTC $1 Pizza Slices.

$1 pizza... The TTC (the transit system in Toronto, for those of you not from T.O.) is selling $1 Pizza slices every Wednesday until November 4, 2009. You can buy the slices between 11 am and 6:30 pm at the stations listed below and all proceeds go to United Way Toronto. If you haven't bought a slice in the past, they are "Pizza Pizza" square slices, not the best or biggest, but if you happen to be taking the subway home, its a cheap, quick snack and of course, its for charity too!

Stations where $1 pizza slices will be sold:

Yonge - University - Spadina subway: Finch, Sheppard, York Mills, Bloor (north- and southbound), Dundas (northbound), King, Union, Queen’s Park, Eglinton West, Lawrence West, Yorkdale, Wilson, Downsview.

Bloor - Danforth subway: Kipling, Islington, Royal York, Jane, Ossington, Spadina, St. George, Bay, Broadview, Pape, Coxwell, Main, Victoria Park, Warden, Kennedy.

Scarborough rapid transit: Kennedy, Scarborough Centre.

Sheppard subway: Don Mills

Taste of Mediterranean.

shawarma... I haven't been updating much lately because I've been busy with school and also because I've just been lazy.haha, so hopefully that will change a little. I have school everyday around University and Dundas, so me and my classmate Henry have been grabbing lunch at places around the area. decided to go check out Taste of Mediterranean for shawarmas instead of getting subway (which many of us were eating for the first week or 2 of class lol). They sell shawarma sandwiches, platters, salads, roast chicken and pizza too.

We both went for the chicken shawarma sandwich (~$4.50 after tax) and they have the usual toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, pickled radishes, onions, hummus, etc). They also grill the shawarmas with a panini machine which I think always makes these wraps taste much better. The sandwich itself tasted pretty good and filled me up for lunch, although other places seem to be more generous with the chicken. One thing I didn't like was that they used some pre-carved chicken for our sandwiches. I prefer having the chicken freshly shaved off the giant spit so you know its hot and fresh. The place was also totally empty considering it was around noon and the area around University and Dundas is pretty busy.

I also noticed that they had a deal for a 7'' Halal Pizza for ~$3.00 which I will definitely have to try next time. There's so many places to get shawarmas around downtown Toronto, but this is right by my classes, so it works out.
Taste of Mediterranean
205 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario
416-850-3338

IKEA Meatball Deal.

swedish meatballs... If you've ever been to IKEA, you know that they make shopping for furniture a fun experience with their cool displays and even a full restaurant at each location. I just went to IKEA in North York to check out some beds, and also to check out a deal on meatballs that my friend Hugh has been talking about for awhile.

You can get a plate of 15 Swedish meatballs along with mashed potatoes or fries (w/ free gravy and cranberry sauce) for $2.99! . The meatballs are actually really good and this meal usually cost $5.99. You can get this meatball meal on Mondays and Tuesdays, anytime after 5 pm (the restaurant closes at 8 pm). The deal will be running until December 31, 2009.

Hugh and I both went and we each got one of the $2.99 meatball combos with mash potatoes. In addition to this, we each also got garlic bread ($0.50/ piece). The meatballs taste especially good with the cranberry sauce. The meatballs are pretty small, but 15 of them + mash potatoes or fries will definitely fill the average person up. Unfortunately we're not really average and we ended up going back to IKEA for more within 15 minutes of leaving.lol. If you want to get a soft drink, they are $1 with unlimited refills, or you can be really cheap and just ask them for a glass of water (or bring your own glass haha) as they have self serve soft drink stations.
IKEA North York
15 Provost Drive
North York, Ontario
M2K 2X9

IKEA Etobicoke
1475 The Queensway
Etobicoke, Ontario
M8Z 1T3

IKEA Vaughn
200 Interchange Way
Vaughan, Ontario
L4K 5C3

Hard Rock Cafe.

american... In most major cities and tourist spots in the world, there is always a Hard Rock Cafe to be found. Here in Toronto, it's no different as we have a Hard Rock Cafe that sits right at Dundas Square and overlooks the always busy downtown spot. Honestly though, I have never been to Hard Rock Cafe before this recent visit. My buddy, Tien, was leaving for the states for school, so we decided to go out for a night at the CNE casino and a little drinking before he left Toronto (good luck in the states man!).We headed over to Hard Rock Cafe at about 11:30 PM on a Saturday night and were quickly informed that last call for food and alcohol was at 12 AM and that they close at 1:00 AM (seemed pretty early to close for a Saturday night, and maybe that explained the emptiness of this place). As for food, we decided to share their Jumbo Combo of Appetizers ($19.95 + tax/tip). This was pretty good as it included Santa Fe Spring Rolls (they were served in some kind of Greek salad and it actually tasted really good when using the salad like a dip). The platter also came with Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings, Onion Rings, Potato Skins and Chicken Tenders. The Jumbo Combo was pretty good as it came with a bunch of different sauces for dipping as well (tangy bbq sauce, blue cheese dip, sour cream and something else). We also asked for some extra sauce, which they didn't charge us extra for. Between the 4 of us, we split this Jumbo Combo and also a Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Dinner ($17.95 + tax/tip). This was a huge disappointment! Not only was it pricey for a small half chicken, but the chicken was really dry! They made up a little for it with the mash potatoes and gravy though. The gravy was thick and dark, looking almost like chocolate sauce, but tasted awesome!
We also got some drinks, which varied in quality and price. Sophia, Tien, Nancy and I split a pitcher of Sangria ($30.99 + tax/tip). This was very fruity in flavour and pretty light, perfect for a summer night out for some light drinking. Nancy also decided to get a Sex on the Beach, which ended up being really watered down. In addition to this we also got a couple of beers (~$5/ bottle of budweiser).

This being my first time at Hard Rock Cafe, I was pretty disappointed with the quality of food and drinks here. It is a pricey place, but that is understandable considering the brand name that Hard Rock Cafe carries and the prime location they have at Dundas Square. It is a nice place though, and it has an outside patio that overlooks Dundas Square. Inside, they also have plenty of rock and sports memorabilia, which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, the combination of their varying food quality, high prices and early close time led to this sub par review.

Hard Rock Cafe
279 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON, M5B 1N8
416-362-3636

Big Papa Marketta Pasta Eating Contest.

pasta eating contest... After reading about the Lone Star 72 oz Steak Challenge that I did awhile back, my friend Nancy recently informed me about a "Pasta Eating Contest" that is happening at an Italian restaurant called Big Papa Marketta. The competition is happening on September 14, 2009 at 6:30 PM. I think I've had enough of eating challenges for now, but if anyone is interested (or brave enough!), give them a call to reserve your spot. They will be giving away over $500 in cash and prizes for the winners. They are located at 2982 Bloor St. W. and their number is 416-800-1136. There are limited spots, so sign up asap!

Green Lemon Grass.

south east asian cuisine... One of my favourite places to eat at recently has been Green Lemon Grass, which serves a wide variety of South East Asian Cuisine including Thai, Viet and Malaysian food. I had tried a bit of their curry and roti before when my aunt bought some takeout for us and from that sampling of their food I had to go back for more.

Over the couple of times that I have gone their, I have picked out my favourite dishes from this place. I have gotten the Pad Thai ($8.50 + tax/tip) from here, which is amazing. The portion of their Pad Thai is massive and is more than enough to split between 2 people (the picture does not justify how big the portion size is). It is also loaded with chicken, shrimp, eggs and served with plenty of crushed peanuts on top. Not only is it big, but it tastes really good (I'd take this over the previously reviewed one from Joy Thai any day!). Another dish that I tried and would definitely order again is the Thai Style House Special Beef Noodle Soup (Regular- $6.25 + tax/tip, Large $7.25 + tax/tip). This is like the usual vietnamese beef noodle soup (aka pho), but instead of the typical pho soup, they use a Tom Yum style sweet and sourish broth that tastes awesome!
Finally, my favourite item from this place is definitely their Curry Roti dishes ($6-$11 + tax, depending on what type of curry you choose). I've tried the Curry Beef Brisket Roti ($9.95 + tax/tip) and Curry Goat Brisket Roti ($10.95 + tax/tip). The best part about these dishes is definitely their Roti, which comes out hot, a little crispy on the outside and a mix of stretchy and fluffy when you pull it apart. I'm not sure if this is how traditional Roti is supposed to be like, but their version of it is sick! I like the flavour of lamb (or goat), but I thought there were too many bones (yeah... I'm lazy with bones) compared to the beef brisket one, although both tasted great.

Green Lemon Grass is an awesome place to go for some delicious south east asian food. The prices here are pretty cheap considering the giant portions you get (especially for the Pad Thai). It is located inside of a mini chinese mall by 16th Ave. and Leslie St..
Green Lemon Grass
Unit 8
9425 Leslie St
Richmond Hill
905-508-5328

Joy Thai Restaurant.

thai... Awhile ago, I went to grab lunch with a bunch of friends and Tyler suggested that we try a Thai restaurant called Joy Thai around Yonge and Lawrence where he worked. My first impression of the place was that it seemed very authentic with traditional type decorations everywhere, as opposed to the dozens of modern fusion Thai restaurants scattered around Toronto.

They're menu offers a pretty wide selection of Thai Food, but we all went straight for the Lunch Special deals, which comes with an Entree and a Soup (or spring roll) for $6.95 + tax/tip. Among all of us, we picked a variety of Entrees. I went with the Chicken Pad Thai, which was served with a side of salad as well. The pad thai that I requested to be a little spicy was pretty good (not the best though). Other dishes that we got were the Red Curry Chicken and the Yellow Curry Chicken. I tried some of both and I would definitely recommend the Red Curry Chicken, which tastes so good that you could end up eating bowls and bowls of rice with it. One of us also got the Spicy Chicken, which is also served with rice and salad.
Each of these lunch specials also came with Soup on the side, and we all picked the Lemon Grass Chicken Soup (Tom Yum Kai), which was awesome! I don't usually like these types of hot, sour tasting soups, but they make it really good here and you can really taste the lemon grass and lime flavours. Joy Thai is a good place for some cheap authentic Thai food, but one huge negative for this place was that the service was really slow! We waited a good 20 minutes for our food and there was no staff to be seen during much of our meal (I'm guessing they are short staffed and one or two people cook and serve the whole restaurant.
Joy Thai Restaurant
(416) 487-5144
3192 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4N 2L1

Yutopia- $2 All You Can Eat Frozen Yogurt.

yutopia... The frozen yogurt store, Yutopia, located on the main floor in Pacific Mall (Steeles/ Kennedy) is offering an end of the summer deal tomorrow, September 4, 2009 (12 pm- 9 pm). They are offering all you can eat frozen yogurt for $2 and all proceeds will be going to a local hospital. I've only seen this semi self serve frozen yogurt store, but it seems like they have some pretty cool flavours (ex. black sesame, pina colada, strawberry banana, black currant, etc.). Apparently they also had another free yogurt promotion that was posted on another blogger's site.

More info about the event here.

La Grill King.

chinese food court... After spending a day playing tennis and basketball, my friends, David and Perlman wanted to grab some food. We wanted to grab something cheap, quick and tasty and we ended going to the Chinese food court on Silver Star Blvd.. If you've ever been to a Chinese food court, you know that they are awesome for huge portions of quality chinese food for low low prices. We decided to go the La Grill King, which is basically Hong Kong style cafe (aka Cha Chan Tang), but in a food court.
I went with the Baked Pork chop rice with Tomato Sauce (I think it was $5.99 + tax), as it seemed like lots of people were ordering this. This tasted freaking good! The sauce had plenty of flavour and the entire dish was a huge portion. The only downside to this was that they should have put more cheese on the top before they baked it. To make it even better, it even came with a drink and a soup. I got a cold HK style milk tea, which I highly recommend from here. Their milk tea is super creamy and definitely better than most cold HK Style milk teas from other restaurants.
David and Pearlman decided to split the Pork chop + 1/2 Chicken meal for 2 people. This came with a large portion of just baked Pork chop with tomato sauce, 1/2 a chicken, 2 soups, 2 rices, and 2 drinks (the girl working there even let them pick Bubble Tea drinks without extra charge. The entire meal only cost $12.99 + tax. They got this meal because they wanted more variety, but they still wanted the awesome baked pork chop with tomato sauce. We left this place very satisfied and since its a food court, we don't even have to pay tip. lol.
La Grill King is clearly the busiest restaurant at this food court, as all the ones are either shut down or really dead. The Food Court is located in the corner of the same plaza that the Destiny Bubble Tea place is at (633 Silver Star Blvd., Scarborough).