One of the hard parts of the festival is fighting the desire to have nothing but our tried and true favorites, most of which we only indulge in during this festival. We sought out dishes we haven't tried before. First up are out "main course" choices.
My older daughter was really looking forward to the Korean Village Korean Seafood Pancake, which we'd read about in a newspaper review. She really liked it, but I found it rather bland. My younger daughter and I both thought it was rather "meh." Not bad, but nothing we'd go out of our way to eat again.
So this one got one vote in favour and two neutral votes.
I was pleased to see that's Aroma! Italian Kitchen on the list. It's a place I've wanted to try that we've just never got around to visiting. They specialize in garlic dishes, which is a total winner in my books! We tried the Garlic Chicken Satay. My younger daughter loves white chicken, while I prefer dark and my older daughter doesn't like chicken in general, so white chicken meat skewers would be touch and go for our little group. I found it absolutely wonderful, as did my younger daughter. My older daughter, on the other hand, got a taste of the sauce as she was about to take a bite and was thoroughly repulsed. She couldn't eat it. So her sister happily ate it for her.
Two very positive votes and one very negative vote on the chicken satay.
Next was the Cheese Empanada from Roma Bistro. I don't think any of us have had empanadas before. I thought it was quite good. My older daughter really loved it, while it got a "meh," from my younger daughter.
One good, one very good, and one neutral vote on the empanadas.
Next, we sought out some vegetable dishes. This was a bit more challenging. There were very few we hadn't tried before. Here are the dishes we settled on.
First, we picked up some Spanakopita from It's All Greek to Me. My older daughter and I both love spinach and feta. I like Greek food in general, so my expectations were perhaps a bit high. I found it good, while my older daughter found it quite good. My younger daughter, on the other hand, didn't like it at all. But then, she doesn't like feta at all, so that wasn't much of a surprise, I guess.
Two votes for, one against, the spanakopita.
Next, we stopped at the Japanese Village for a Bean Sprout Salad with Ginger Sauce. The sprouts were nice and crunchy. I enjoyed the taste at first, but strangely, the more I ate of it, the less I liked it. Not sure how that works. The portion was quite generous and, this being our second course, the three of us couldn't finish it. Neither of the girls really liked it, though.
Two votes against, one half-vote for.
Our third choice was another Japanese treat, the Canada Maki from Kyoto Japanese Cuisine.
First off, I need to be clear. We aren't sushi types. Personally, I detest cold rice, while my kids don't like rice in general. Strangely, though, my older daughter and I have both developed at taste for California Rolls. We've tried Maki before and didn't like it. So while this was a beautiful looking offering, our expectations were rather low.
The 3 portion serving was quite generous - and perfect for us, since everything was being split three ways. It included a surprising amount of pickled ginger (which I love, but I'm the only one in the family that does), some wasabi and soy sauce. My older daughter and I were totally impressed. They were delicious. My younger daughter, on the other hand, couldn't even bring herself to try it. In fact, she chose to eat more of the Bean Sprout Salad, instead. Her sister and I split the last one, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Two enthusiastic votes for, one too-disgusted-to-even-try-it vote against.
Which brings us to the dessert course.
There were so many possibilities - and old favourites - to choose from!
First up, the Apple Crumble with Jack Daniels Carmel Sauce from On the Rocks. The crumble was quite hot - hot enough to make holding it while we made our other choices a bit of a challenge - with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. I really enjoyed it. Personally, I prefer really tart apples for a dish like this, but found it quite tasty. The girls, however, didn't enjoy it as much as I did. They both found it good, but nothing they'd go out of their way to eat. My older daughter complained that you couldn't even taste the Jack Daniels. *L*
One enthusiastic vote for, and two not quite so enthusiastic votes for the apple crumble.
Next is the surprisingly bright green Leprechaun Pie from Brewsters. Our expectations were actually rather low for this one - probably because we were put off by the colour a fair bit. It's a mint flavoured pie with mint chocolate chips. I happen to really love mint, but my kids aren't big fans of it. Still, we all enjoyed this one. My only complaint was that I found it a touch too sweet.
Three positive votes for the brilliant green pie.
Finally, we had the Custard Horn from Pazzo Pazzo. I was sure we'd had this before, but my kids told me we didn't, so we gave it a go. It was wonderful!! The pastry was light, crisp, and perfect. The filling was bliss inducing. Truly delicious.
Three enthusiastic votes for the Custard Horn.
By the time we had all these, we were pretty full (well, maybe not my younger daughter - it was a bit of a disappointment for her!), so we called it a day. Tomorrow, we come back with the rest of our tickets, and will probably indulge in our tried and true favourites!
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