Come satisfy your sweet tooth @ Sweet Lollapalooza

Where is it: Lower level, Commerce Place, 10155 - 102 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4G8
It is right under Sunterra a tiny little shop that is easy to miss right after the food court.

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Friday Saturday Sunday

9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Closed

Their TELE:  780-436-3190

Their Current Website: CLICK HERE <he did tell me he is launching a newer and better one soon>

I first found out about this place maybe 6 or so months ago. The owner Chocolatier Brett Roy had come in at my work and being a "chatty kathy" or "asian and too friendly" I asked about his life. He went on to tell me he had a chocolate store. I was instantly CAPTIVATED. (I love choco) He had an accent and I first thought was it BRITISH? No, it was Australian and he had learned his craft there as well as travelled around the world to sample different choco and confections.

I had originally gotten a little pamphlet the size of my palm with his little storey a picture of a happy child mouth stained with choco (his daughter?) and a sample of his offerings.

I finally decided to visit this hidden gem yesterday since I saw a friend post pic of the chocolate offerings on facebook. the chocoholic in me could not resist. I HAD TO GO... well more like I really needed to find out where it was. So despite the NASTY winds yesterday I called up my brother and on our spares we went to T.H.I.S Place for some of there divine hot chocolate and then went to find the chocolate store.  Now I have had Purdy's and even Godiva's from their boutiques (godiva from calgary)  so I had a certain level of expectation.

Upon entering commerce place/ manuel life building? I used the map to find it. To be honest this little place is tucked away.

It really is just a little itty bitty store with some great chocolates. (props for their high technology yeah for the IMAC)

Here in their window some chocolate offerings with the names.

Another chocolatier? or helper brining out freshly made pieces.

cute little decorations around the little itty bitty store.

The owner Brett gave us a few samples to get a taste of his chocolate. This is great since I had never had it before and was hesitant to buy LOTS. (his chocolates are $2 a piece and some are $3 so a bit pricey but comparable to speciality shops like DUCHESS) He gave us the Earl Grey and the Teaism. THEY WERE DELICIOUS and we were hooked.

Here is ringing our stuff through. This is where he told me why he was not all into the SOCIAL MEDIA yet. AND HOW he gets BAJILLION emails asking him questions already on a daily basis. Poor chocolatier all he wants to do is make delicious and fine chocolate.

Yiba (brother) chose The Flat White which is super creamy milk chocolate. A little bite of this and you will be sent to choco heaven. The creaminess just keeps going on and on in your mouth. HE also went for Hazelnut Haze . I can't remember where I tasted something similar but it has a very satisfying crunch. Yummmm hazelnut praline is definitely in there. Yiba was a bit daring and went for the Torque  which actually had smoky chipotle pepper in it. To me it was a bit too much and made me think of steaks and pork chops. This one was a dark chocolate with some expresso. The chipotle taste came at the very end. I don't remember the name of the choco with the lips on it but it had some sort of japanese something in it.

The above pic are the chocolate I ordered and took home so Dustin could try it. (when he tried it he was dead tired he had already worked 11 hours of additional over time that week) I had the teaism again as well as the earl grey. My fav currently is the earl grey and flat white. The cherry blossom actually had cherry grand Marnier liqueur in it and I usually hate that stuff but it tastes SUPER YUMMY. I also went for the passion paradou which has a strong and fresh taste of passionfruit in t. The Valrhona milk chocolate ganache was well paired with the fruitiness of the passion fruit and this was all covered in dark chocolate.

It came in a cute little box.

I am definitely going back here a FEW MORE TIMES at least. I must try all their choco offerings.
DROOL

Child's Play: Montana's

Montana's home to awkward birthday songs and moose heads. To be honest I never would have found myself there IF NOT for their DRAWABLE table cloth and fresh mini donuts. (Its really hard to wait till capital X to get these deliciously BAD for you DESSERTS)

I have tried their apple crumble blueberry dessert THANG with icecream. Yes they lack presentation and lack decor but at least their dessert taste good. 

I love playing hangmang while I wait. It makes me less grumpy when my food doesn't arrive on time.

I always order their burger or their messy ribs. The last time I went, Dustin and I went for their burgers. They are not the best I would say compared to other BURGER JOINTS but it does hit the spot. I really despise their fries. THEY don't taste good at all, though they seem fresh there is just something OFF about them. I would rather eat MCDONALDS FRIES.

Overall, this place could be great if you have younger kids or you want some mini donuts. It is not the place to go for a date ( romantic one) unless you are into THAT stuff.... (That- country, animal head decor STUFF)

Food is ok most of the time, decor is unique and service mediocre at best.
on an upside... children eat for free on TUESDAYS

Perhaps I need to eat other things off their menu other than burgers, mini donuts, desserts and ribs. MAYBE THEN I might say I would enjoy eating there again....

OR NOT.

PRESENTATION is key to me and they do not have any!

Famoso Revisited

When it comes to chain restaurants there tends to be a spectrum in terms of food quality and service levels. I have been two three famosos now. (oliver, south edmonton common and magrath locations) My favourite thus far is the olive/ downtown location on Jasper.


These pictures are from the newer Magrath location though the Oliver square one has seen RENOS in recent months of 2013.

This is the white sauced pizza that dustin went for. We like having a white sauced pizza since these types of pizzas are MORE RARE. IN a sense you can't get this in the frozen aisle and most places have RED SAUCE.... tomato sauce. I enjoyed the potatoe slices and the silvered purple onions. The dough was a bit thick in my opinion. The dough at oliver location always seems to be thinner and lighter( which I prefer)

I went for the thai pizza with sprouts. IT was pretty good and not too spicey at all. ASIAN AND WHITE food at the same time win! I have tried this pizza at the south edmonton common branch as well but not at the oliver.

We went for their new dessert with caramel drizzle and pecans. IT was pretty good but not really worth 4.50 $  I could have easily ENGULFED it in less than a min BY MYSELF.

We went for the good old banana nutella dessert pizza. DELICIOUS. Unlike the other locations they had a pretty interesting take on their design. MORE WHIP THE BETTER in my opinion.

This meal cost us just under $50 and we were able to take about 5 slices home ( i ate them that night like 2 hours after) .

Though this location is closer since it is on the south side I prefer going to the one downtown. I just feel like they make their pizzas better , thinner , faster.

If you must go to the one downtown and then later hop over to DUCHESS for some more dessert.

Little bit of Italy: The Italian Center Shop

I am quite lucky I live very close to the Italian Center. It is a GEM of a place and perfect when you don't want to go to a chain/ generic grocery store such as superstore or walmart. This little center is located near SOUTHGATE MALL. (please refer to my Massimo blog entry about the newly opened restaurant) 

HERE ARE pics of the entrance:

Inside there is a cute little bakery section and also they serve gelato and sandwiches and coffee.

 They got tiramsu cake tiramsu in a cup.

 yum yum more pastries, stuffed with cream and goodness. their carrot cake is DELICIOUS too

 more pastries and tarts. freshly made

 they got a produce section with very comparable pricing. (though sometimes you really got to pick at it)

 here is the deli area where you take a number and wiat your turn to get your meat and cheese and other deli needs such as canned stuff as well as olives.

 cheese by the bucket full.

 they got pasta everywhere and FOR CHEAP TOO

 yummy european snacks that are affordable.

 frozen section where I get my lamb to make my stuffed counch shells. (blog entry later)

 some products I never seen before.

 deli section I love getting meat here so CHEAP so much variety.

 CHEESE cheese cheese some crazy good stuff and once again so much variety.

 olives. so many types i cannot believe the types.

 and for those that are not picky you can buy it buy the TUB.

 Dustin love this dessert.

Yum european drinks.


Yes visit this place, eat from this place THEY HAVE SAMPLES and visit their little cafe. Or if you want visit their restaurant NEXT DOOR.

Fresh : Jono's Bar on Jasper

Recently, I visited an establishment on Jasper Ave: Jono's Bar. My friend actually opened this little place up not too long ago but I just didn't have time to go. ( I am also very lazy) But on thursday night right before the Easter long weekend I ventured downtown to Jasper ave.



Location:

• 11931 Jasper Avenue ,
• Edmonton, Alberta T5K0P1

Here are some pictures:

It is conveniently located right across the complex where Earls on Jasper is and is also near Japonais Bistro.  

Jonathan (owner ) went for an ambience and sophisticated look. He chose several bold colors including my favourite: deep purple. You can tell he went out of his way to really set up this bar with new-age lightening and decor.

Currently it has two ultra-soft couches perfect for lounging but JONO said he is opting to move them to get more bar space in the future.

Other semi-casual seating area is this little strip here.

Did I mention he had a kick ass washroom. I always blog about washrooms in establishments because it is actually A REALLY IMPORTANT part. (I would hope you would wash your hands before eating or drinking....)

Though they do offer food this place is going to be known for its eclectic taste for alcohol. They also offer a mean MARTINI menu and prompts customers to make their own as well. They got drinks called: mermaid/ merman as well as purgatory(has Belvedere Vodka, Alize Gold, Sweet Vermouth and Tabasco)  I really want to try their "Kiss of Death" with Belvedere Vodka, Soho Lychee and Mango Juice.

blurry picture BUT here he is(owner) casually lounging with his collection of fine wine and imported beers. Other than being the owner he "triples" as the manager, and bartender. His dedication is quite amazing since he currently resides outside of Canada. He takes the effort to fly back almost every other weekend to tend to his bar to ensure quality and customer service.

I wanted a light beer and Jono suggested a Belgian Wit by Mill Street (located in Eastern Toronto). I am not a big beer drinker, or drinker period but this one was surprisingly fresh and refreshing. It had the aroma of orange peel, coriander and spicy yeast. Thank god it was only 5.2% in alcohol content. (asian glow ON)

Yeah to complementary popcorn, freshly popped. He is also thinking of some extra seasoning flavors. this is a great little treat to help the convo's flow and an added bonus in terms of special and unique customer service.

Some sweet looking cups to keep the bills specially bought in Vegas.

Though I had just eaten, I decided to still go for his meatballs. Surprisingly there was quite a few BALLS and it could def fill you up as an appi kind of dish/ or tapas. He has served these puppies with sauce before but due to customer suggestions he has decided to revamp and put the sauce on the side. (people like different levels of SAUCY-NESS) Though it seems there is lack of plating, keep in mind the owner is still experimenting with his menu, adding and taking away items BY DEMAND. These meatballs were really succulent and juicy. They have not only lamb but also beef and pork in it ( tri meat all the way ), There is also a hint of garlic and  had melted cheese. Biting into one of these leaves your mouth watering. I can't wait to see what else JONO will put on his menu. His "Nibbles" section  has a "Charcuteire Platter" which is fancy for nice deli and cheese platter, ginger beef( he is asian after all), dry ribs, chicken taquitos, cake of the day, cookie and ice cream (maple flavor too).

Be ready for EASY-ON-THE-EYES bartenders, good music, great ambience, and speciality wines and beers.

This place is a place to watch, definitely has the potential to be the next BIG THING despite being small in sq footage.

They were also featured in this magazine: CLICK HERE