Visit to The Red Bench.

Hello everyone!

Spring has sprung and that means it's... ICE CREAM SEASON! Woop! Woop!

(Yup, I'm super excited). 

This coming summer, I'm planing on visiting different ice cream shops around Toronto. 

I'll be sharing with you my experience with each shops and what I think about them. Oh! I'll be snapping photos too (but try not to drool over your screen or keyboard. Haha)!

So, first ice cream shop of the season is... The Red Bench!!! (hence the title. haha)

 This place is amazing!

Perfect for ice cream dates with your special someone, with your lovely family, or with your crazy and amazing friends.

Food experience - 5/5

My friends and I all got the ice cream sammies and they. were. incredible! First off, their cookies are out of this place, it's organic as well! It was the first time I saw a brookie cookie. I think it's brownie as a cookie? Or brownie and a cookie combined? Or cookie flavoured brownie? Or vice versa? I'm not entirely sure but I must say, it's a genius combination ever. They also have Basil Bash cookie (uh-huh, with basil in it), they have S'mores cookie, they have cookies n' cream cookie, and so much more. 

So, what I got was cookies n' cream ice cream sandwiched with brookie and cookies n' cream cookie (repeat that sentence two more times. Haha. tongue-twister right there!) topped with peanuts.

My friends got the same cookie combination but with chocolate ice cream and almonds, and the other one was with cookies n' cream ice cream with sprinkles!!

They have a lot of toppings to choose from, and choosing only one was the hardest thing I have ever done. Definitely one of the best ice cream sammies out there!!

Atmosphere/Decor - 4.5/5

This place is cozy, bright, and cute! It's an open-concept type of restaurant. You can see how they prepare your food, which can be really interesting. However, this place is not too big. I don't know what it's gonna look like during summer days cause I bet it's going to be packed! The cashier/baker/server was really nice and very friendly. The photos (featuring a red bench) on the wall added so much character in the shop. 

Price - 5/5

The pricing here is super affordable. For $6, you get a full sandwich, and for $4 you get a half sandwich (here's a friendly advice... Get the full sandwich! Seriously. You're gonna want more. Thank me later). For both price, you get to choose two flavours of cookies, one choice of ice cream, and one (why can't it be five?!) choice of topping.

p.s. If you're not a huge fan of ice cream sammies (I honestly don't know what's wrong with you. Haha. I'm kidding), The Red Bench is also known for their organic frozen yogurt, organic teas and espressos. 

You can find The Red Bench at 611 Yonge Street or just visit their website here.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! 

Do you guys know any great ice cream shops (even if it's not in Toronto)? Let me know?

Connect with me on Instagram (You won't regret it. Well, I don't know really. Or add me on snapchat: @jedidiahgc)

10

Little France.

Hello everyone!

I just want to share with you all our trip to Quebec from two weeks ago.

When we arrived, the sun was shining but it was snowing and freezing. 

I thought it's going to be warm cause back in Toronto, they had a pretty spring-y weather.

So, as you can see in some of the photos, we're only wearing light jackets (+ no socks. Haha).

You guys might be wondering what's happening in the top right photo. Let me explain...

When I pose for my fashion shoots, there's always a photo where I'm looking at the ground. 

I don't know why. I guess I just love looking at the floor? Or maybe I love looking at my shoes? Haha. Anyway, my mom and my brother imitated me and posed like so. 

What's a trip to Quebec without visiting a creperie house and buying macarons?

I'm a huge macaron lover. So, I thought to myself, why not buy some? La Maison Smith has a pretty great variety of flavours and they're macarons were as lovely as they looked. 

I've been to Quebec twice now, and we always have our breakfast here in Casse-Crepe Breton.

They're simply amazing. The staff was always great and goodness, they're crepe is so good!

I always opt for dessert crepes and not the savoury ones. What I got was with fresh strawberries, bananas, chocolate, ice cream, and whipped cream (honestly the best way to start the day!)! When my plate arrived, I was shocked cause it was so big. I was also shocked that I managed to finish the whole thing! Haha. Calories don't count y'know? 

After a long, and fun strolling around, we stopped by in this casual, coffee spot.

Actually, it's Illy and we have this in Toronto. But you know what I loved about this place?

You guessed it right! They're Kusmi teas! Ugh! They're awesome. They're tasty. And can we just all agree that their cups are so pretty? I definitely think Toronto should have this. 

We had dinner in one of the restaurants that was located in the hotel where we checked in. It's called Le Sam Bistro Evolution. We had a lovely and relaxing dinner. The place was cozy, and they honestly have the best bread and butter. Haha. We managed to order twice. Drinks were amazing, and mine was soooo beautiful. It's called White Cosmo and of course, it had a pink cosmo flower in it. 

Actually, the sole purpose of this dinner was to celebrate my brother's graduation this year (Woop Woop)! My mom likes to call it "Pre-Graduation celebration".

That's us in the bottom right photo.

The castle looking building was where we stayed at. It's pretty fancy. 

That's me and my dear mom in the bottom left photo looking cute and pretty together. 

I just noticed that our outfits actually matched. Haha. Like mother, like daughter!

That's it! 'Til next time Quebec!

Hope you guys enjoyed this post!

Let me know any recent trips you've been on in the comments below. 

15

Visit to Cacao 70.

My family and I recently visited this amazing place one Sunday afternoon. 

The weather was still chilly and while walking around Distillery District, we stumbled upon this cafe.

The room is very cozy and the staff were super friendly. Oh, might as well add that the food were amazing!

Waffle/Food Experience - 4/5

Okay, I'm a huge fan of waffles. Either a dessert waffle or a savoury waffle. The one I had (pictured above) was the "Choco-Nut Waffle". The first plan was that my mom and I would just share. But when the plate came, I think my mom only had a bite or two (sorry mom! Haha) because I finished it right away (cause who wants a melted ice cream all over their plate, right? Not me.). It was so good! It was topped with vanilla ice cream, candied hazelnuts, and drizzled with melted milk chocolate. There were fresh strawberries and bananas on the side as well (if you want to convince yourself that you're eating healthy). 

Another thing that my family enjoyed was the "Grilled Marshmallows". Making s'mores indoor is now definitely possible. The experience was fun. You get to grill (or burn) your marshmallows. Then you dip it in chocolate and make s'mores. It was fun and we totally enjoyed it.

Drinks - 5/5

I heard so many people talk good things about their hot chocolate, therefore, I ordered one. It's called the "American Style Hot Chocolate" and you can choose how sweet you want it to be. The one I ordered (pictured above) was semi-sweet chocolate. You can really tell that they used cacao for their drink (it's not the typical Nutella taste). It wasn't too sweet or too dark, just the right balance! I definitely recommend this drink if you're planning to visit!

Atmosphere/Decor - 5/5

As mentioned before, this place was really cozy. The lights were warm and they also have huge windows which add great lighting. You can see the chefs making your food because of their open kitchen concept. Which I find really cool cause you can just stare at your food and at them whilst waiting (which I definitely didn't do. Haha).

Price - 4/5

The pricing here is reasonable. You're dining in for experience, desserts, and a really good hot chocolate!

You can find Cacao 70 at 28 Gristmill Lane in Distillery District. 

I'm definitely going to be visiting again!

If you liked this post and want to see more cute places in Toronto - or maybe you have a favourite place that I can visit next time, let me know!!

15

Visit to the paper place.

Hello everyone!

It's been a long time since I made a blog post. School's getting busy

and that means less time for me to blog. But I'll try my best to organize and plan my posts. Promise!

Anyways, today was a pretty good day. 

The sun was brightly shining but the winter breeze doesn't want to go away yet.

In spite of the cold, it still was a good Sunday afternoon to walk around in Queen St. West.

I made a visit to the Paper Place. If you love stationery, scrap-booking, or doing crafts in general, you should give this place a visit. They have a huge selection of different kinds of paper like "Chiyogami", "Katazome", tissues, and more Japanese papers (no kidding). They also have a new section for Valentine's day! So if you want a unique gift to your special someone, this place might have it. Or, you can make a d.i.y. gift to make it more special cause 

most ladies (not sure about men) like presents that can't be bought from stores (in my opinion). 

 Where did you go this weekend?

Have a great week you guys!

xo

Jedi

☀

5

Visit to Christmas market.

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Downtown Christmas decoration.

As the song goes, "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

I admire all the Christmas window decorations, Christmas lights, Christmas trees (especially a humongous one), 

shiny stars, and everything that reminds you that it's Christmas time (maybe snow as well). 

The last photo that I shared with you was my favourite window decor. 

Three people singing Christmas carol, a woman looking at all the desserts on display (that could be me), 
a man trying to fix the tree (?), and a couple dancing in the room. 
Definitely looks like Christmas to me.

Are you enjoying the festive streets and decors? Cause I sure am!

xo

Jedi

☀

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