Over the summer it’s been jammed packed with fun in the sun, patios and lots (and lots) of feasting.  But what I enjoy the most are the dinner parties in, homemade BBQs and festivities that my friends and I host together.  There’s something amazing about planning these intimate events that really sparks my creativity and fuels my passion for food and bringing people together.

It’s amazing what a few girls, a little money, a hungry stomach, and a lot of love can do!

“It’s the little things that paint the big picture.”

I appreciate detail, a lot.   I stole this quote from a good friend of mine, and it has always stuck with me.  With everything that I do, I try really hard to add the small things – the little touches that make everything feel just right.  This is no different than the way I enjoy food; whether it be a secret ingredient so small but brings out the flavour or as simple as a garnish to enhance the visual presentation and appeal – I fall hard.

However, taste by all means is still numero uno but hey, we also eat with our eyes right?  On that note, I hope you’re hungry because here are a few highlights of my faves this summer, from my loves to your stomach!

If you know me, you’d understand how important food is to my soul!  Mmmmm… the pictures really don’t do the food justice! Enjoy! (:

Food

Jerk Deliciousness

For those who enjoy  jerk chicken in Toronto, boy do I some news for you! Jerk pork and jerk lamb is actually the best thing EVER, AND jerk pork seems to be the ‘authentic’ meat of choice!  Jerk chicken… meh.  A key part of enjoying jerk meat is the hot sauce – good thing I bought some jerk seasoning and spices home for BBQ season! :P

My Top 3 Jerk Spots in Jamaica:

1. Jerk Lamb w/ mint + festival @ Sweetwood (Kingston)
2. Jerk Pork w/ bread @ G&B Jerk Center (Buff Bay)
3. Jerk Pork + Jerk Chicken w/ yam + bread @ Scotchies (St. Ann’s Bay)

(Festivals are fried dough that you can eat as a side with jerk foods.  It tastes kinda like translated in Chinese “cow tongue pastry” – the sweet fried dough that you have with congee.)

Curry Goat

After chilling at Rick’s Cafe for some reggae and drinks, we stopped by a restaurant called 3 DIVES in Negril to have dinner.  I ordered the curry goat and it came with rice & peas and veggies.  Delicious! With a bon fire off to the side of the restaurant and a full view of the stars, I couldn’t ask for more.

Seafood & Fish

A top highlight was eating on the beach in Negril, where we negotiated with some Rastas to cook for us.  We first went to the fish market with ‘Bobby Culture’ to pick the fish we wanted and then ‘Moonshine’ fried the fish in an open fire.  It was a kinda expensive but the experience was worth it and there was something great about supporting the Rastas! lol

Fish and lobster was also had in Portland at a fancy restaurant called Mille Fleurs at Mocking Bird Hill Hotel.  Pretty good, but I would say that the lobster doesn’t beat what I’ve had in Toronto!

Patties

On most days we had jerk, but I had a chance to try out the Beef Patty w/ coco bread (ate it kinda like a sandwich) at Juici Patties (one of their chain restaurants).  Funny enough I had it for breakfast and it was a good start to my day!

Fried Chicken

On our way to Reach Falls and passing by Boston Bay, where jerk supposedly began, we somehow stumbled into a little bar/restaurant where there was only curry goat and fried chicken available.  But no jerk!  Apparently the area has gone downhill for a while now and have left.  Anyways, we opted for fried chicken!  It was pretty good and wasn’t super battered like KFC with sauce that tasted close to the canned bean sauce. lol

Ake and Salt Fish

A traditional dish in Jamaica is ake and salt fish for breakfast!  I wasn’t use to eating fish or salty foods in the morning but it was something I had to try. Ake is a fruit  (looks like scrambled eggs) and the combination goes well with the fish. Not my fave but I think you should still try it!

Tropical Fruits

Mmmm grapefruits in Jamaica were my fave! Spoiled by the B&B we stayed at in Montego Bay, we would start off every morning with a plate of fruits.  Ting!-  a carbonated grapefruit drink in Jamaica is also the bomb!

Jam-Fusion

Jam-Italian and Jam-Chinese were some of the Jamaican fusion foods that I tried.  Jam-Italian foods was Italian food that is fused with Jamaican spices.  Jam-Chinese (no pictures) was Chinese food w/ some kick!

Rum & Red Stripe

Appleton Rum and Red Stripe beer is the local favourite and helps to cool off in the hot hot weather!  New discovery is Ting! and rum! Too bad I can’t bring back some Ting!, but rum I can! Who wants a shot?

To be continued…

Bonjour! It’s Day 3 in Paris and the day has started with rain. Fortunately for us, we covered a lot of ground in the past two days so we’ll be okay!

Yesterday was an adventure and of course jammed packed with sight-seeings but for the most part food is definitely one of the highlights.

Yum Yum Pastries!

For some reason, the pastries in Paris taste incredible.  Not that I am surprised but the freshness and “the way that it flakes” (according to Belle is how you determine if a croissant is baked well) was delicious.  We had four different pastries: croissant, chocolate croissant, apple pastry, and something that taste like “creme brulee/egg tart” pastry!  Did I mention the look on Belle’s face when we saw the pastries?… scary!

Food Markets

Paris is also known to have fresh food markets at least twice a week in every district (Paris is divided in 19 of them).  We randomly came across one of these markets after getting our pastries and it was amazing!  There were fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese and random clothing and pashima scarf shops too!  Belle and I picked up one peach and one carton of raspberries to have with our pastries.  We then made our way to the Seine River and had lunch by the river side.  Simply beautiful (:

The Best Ice Cream in Paris!           

At night for one of the stops of the Fat Bike tour, we visited the Berthillion Ice-Cream shop.  It is known for being the best in Paris and I must say, C’est delicieux!  It was incredible, no words can describe.  We are going back today of course so no worries, it not the last you’re hearing about this ice-cream!

Back on Track

We are going to Nice, France again!  After trying again we booked train tickets to Nice, France and we’re right back on track with our itinerary. 

I’m off again to have breakfast and another fun-filled day!