Part Deux - Friends vs Avalanche

Photo: Headshot

Friend invited me to shoot his team again, and I must be jinxing the team or something, but every time I shoot his team they seem to lose.  They played the same team as last time and lost 6-2.  I got to shoot from a couple new places which was exciting.  Shooting from above was good but perhaps next time I'll bring a flash if its not too distracting for the goalie. Still trying to work on my composition and I went to look at a few NHL pictures and they can't compare.  They have such better lighting and much better cameras to get better quality pictures.  Also there is only so limited places you can shoot from without bringing a ladder

Click here for the rest of the set

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Restaurant Review: Burrito Boyz

218 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, ON M5H1W7
(647) 439-4065

Looking for a great burrito downtown? Well this place is surely one of the most popular burrito joints in that area.  I haven't had many burritos from many stores but I can appreicate the product they serve at this location and their 2nd downtown location.  They consistantly have a large crowd, and if you are planning to go for lunch during the weekdays, I do recommend you line up outside the store around 11:30 to avoid a long line up.  So this is not a place if your in a rush, or I wouldn't even classify this place as fast food.


Photo: Menu

They have a good assortment of burritos.  I haven't been to mexico but do they have these types of burritos?  In my next photo, I got a small burrito and it comes out to $6.75.  The price is average, and for the budget eater I wouldn't say it would be a good deal.  I never got a large so I can't really tell you how much bigger it is.  The smaller is around 6 inches long.  The girl who assembled my burrito was new, but all the staff was upbeat and very friendly although there was a  ton of people waiting for their food around 6pm.  I can tell from the toppings that they do cut them at the store, and not just opened from some package.  It looked fresh as I looked over the glass window and very juicy.


Photo: Juicy Chicken Burrito

So after the assembly line, they take your burrito and grill the soft shell.  They really do stuff the burrito with alot of toppings.  The fusion of the toppings I chose was excellent and they don't go cheap on the chicken.  So every bit I had there would be meat and cheese.  I was feeling a bit under the weather, but yet I can still taste and smell my food.


Photo: All Wrapped Up

If your ever in the area, give this place a try. Don't expect alot of seating as there is only about 8-10 seats available. This place has been praised by many toronto publications, and they have a whole wall dedicated to all awards and all the times they have been in the press. Everyone I know that has been there has come out a happy customer.

I would rate this place 4/5

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Click here for the gallery

Portland Blazers wins!

Photo: Raptors vs Blazers Tip off

Tonight went to my last raptor game for the regular season. I been to 3 games this time and I was excited. I loved this team for 2 season straight and finally get to see how good my favourite basketball player is. Brandon Roy didn't disappoint. The game was at moments very awkward due to the Canada vs Russia hockey game. It was very distracting at moments where the fans would cheer and the players would have no clue. It was a easy game for the blazers and Raptors do not have a very good offense without Bosh. I was very fortunate to pick up these good seats, and then decided there was a row of empty seats in a few rows in front of ours, so we headed down there. There is a big difference and now wondering how the courtside seats are like. Click here to check out my whole set.

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Restaurant Review: Gourmet Burger Company

Gourmet Burger Co
482 Parliament Street
Toronto, ON
M4X 1P2

www.thegourmetburgerco.com

This is the most hyped up and one of the most well rated burger joints within the GTA.  They have 2 locations right now in the downtown area and is going to have another location soon near the Yonge and  Eglinton area.  This is actually my second visit to this place, but I went to the Charles St Location instead of the Parliment location.  I actually love eating burgers and had alot of them and this one rates one of my favourties, but not the best burger I've had.  I think these new burger joints that are considered gourmet burger are becoming fairly popular.  In other publications I've read, they mentioned other places but I haven't a chance to try those places out.


Photo: Store Front

If you visit their website, you can find out what they serve and the price of their burgers.  Also, you can find all the reviews that has been posted about that restaurant. First off, the prices are not cheap compared to Burger King and McDonalds.  I would say you would need about $10 for a combo, which includes either fries, sweet potatoe fries or onion rings, with either a pop or bottle of water.  My bill came out to $20 for the works combo, with a mushroom melt burger.  As you walk in you will see that the store isn't really big, and the length of the front counter is basically the length of the store, and imagine that length going out the other way like a square.  There is only seating for about 8-10 people, and I did read and noticed that alot of people eat at this location.  Overall the service is very good.  The decor is fairly modern with a very simple layout.


Photo: The Works Burger

Now onto the food.  Off the top of my head their main competitors is South Street Burger, Hero Burger and Craft Burger.  I would rate Gourmet Burger above their competitors.  I ordered the works since I love cheese and bacon.  When I first bit into this burger, I can taste the freshly grilled burger, just like the taste of something coming off the bbq.  The bun was not overly toasted and had the right amount of softeness still in tack.  The Lettuce and Tomatoes was fresh and the cheese melted into my mouth.  Usually the bacon doesn't taste that well in burgers (or at least the ones I've had recently), this one was different, it was very crispy and tasted very nice.  The burger came with sweet potato fries and they were just fried enough, and not burnt.  My girl friend pointed out that perhaps the fries can but cut a bit thicker, but most sweet potato fries I've seen has been cut like shoe strings.  While I had the the works, she got the Mushroom Melt Burger which looks amazing,  When she opened the wrapper, you can see that the burger was juicy and had lots of mushroom with sauce.  I cannot really comment on that burger but she said it was an excellent burger, but not the best she had either.


Photo: Mushroom Melt Burger

Overall, I had a very positive experience at this place.  Good thing I went around 1:30 pm today and was able to get a seat and enjoy the burger inside.  I would say in downtown Toronto, the value was average to pricey for a burger combo.  If there was one closer to me, I would most definitely visit this place more frequent.  You can see that this store is growing in popularity and there seem to be a demand.  They also have a sign which promotes the company being green and they started using biodegradable packaging.  This place I believe lives up to the hype and all the praises it gets from local media in Toronto.  If you love burgers be sure to check out this place.  The only place I would consider better is T-bones out in Scarborough, and Shake Shack in New York

4/5

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Happy Chinese New Years!

Happy chinese new years to all, even though you might not celebrate this occasion. In Toronto, it has been pretty diverse and there is a large chinese community for it to be a big event, and mentioned alot in the media in the Toronto area. Also quite frequently they mention that this is the year of the tiger.

Here are some things that are usually found around the houses with the word in the center meaning good luck. My mom told me a story why the holidays are filled with red decor, and people dressing in red and making loud noises.

The tradition follows that, during new years eve, there was a monster that comes and eats at the crops. This monster does not like the color red, so people wore red clothes and decorated their houses with red posters which drove the monster away. Also, this creature did not like loud noises, so therefore they played the drums and made alot of noises.

That is all the story that my mom told me this year, and maybe I'll be adding more and more to this as the years past along. I'm sure we can just all look this stuff on the internet and my mom did mention that was just one of the meanings, therefore there could be another.

Happy Chinese New Years to all, and may good luck come to everyone. As they say, Kung Hei Fat Choy in chinese. Check out the rest of gallery for an addition 3 pieces of decor.

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Restaurant Review: Genghis Khan Mongolian Grill

Genghis Khan Mongolian Grill
900 Don Mills Road
North York, ON M3C 1V6

A few weeks ago, a friend of my mentioned about going to eat at Mongolian Grill at Pacific Mall.  I was excited about the idea since I haven't been there for about 5-6 years.  At the time of making a reservation, we decided to try the one in North York Location, it is at the major intersection of Eglinton Ave and Don Mills Rd.  From the outside as you walk in you can see through the glass window that it wasn't busy on a thursday night at 7.  They had a LCD screen displaying their take out food and a few pictures of the inside.  The price is posted on the door as you entered, and the total bill per person came out to $27 after tip without any beverages.




Photo: Restaurant Atmosphere

If you haven't been here before, the special thing about this buffet style restaurant is that you can be your own chef and pick out what types of ingredients from meat, sauce, topping and a choice of 3 noodles.  After going through this process, you bring your food to the chef, and they cook your food with a 3 feet long chopstick on flame broil round stone counter.  As you walk in and get seated, the wait staff will explain the process of picking your food, and where everything is located.  Its very limly lit place in the eating area, and a lot more light in the buffet area.  To the left of the picture above, there is a large bar and waiting area.




Photo: Meat Selection

My First trip to the cooking area, I tried to pick out ingredients I was familiar with.  The meat and toppings was fresh, and there was always someone around cleaning the area and directing you at the end of picking your toppings and ask you to approach which cooking station.  They had the regular meat selection, pork, beef, chicken and lamb.  Toppings you can choose from, green peppers, spring onions, squid, shrimp, corn, spinach, bah choi and a few others.  They had 3 selection of noodles, udon, yellow noodle, and white noodle.  Sauces were labeled with with what was inside them, and they have spicy, mild, and regular, there was about 6 choices of sauces.  Then at last you can choose flavoring such as vinegar, what type of oil you want it to be cooked with.





Photo: My First Selection - Udon noodles, with bamboo shoots and spinach


I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the items, but the other buffet area carried very familiar food to other chinese buffets.  Crab legs, salad, chicken wings, vegetables, rice, fruits, some pastries.  One thing that stood was a chocolate fountain.  You had the option to dip, marshmallow and fruits and on the side.  The chocolate wasn't really that great and it was watered down.  Personally I'm not a big fan of buffet food and found the food to be regular and nothing really special since I can get better food when I eat at a regular chinese restaurant.


Photo: Chef cooking


After a certain period.  From looking at the photo above, you can see that their is a build up from all the sauces and ingredients that goes on the cooking surface.  They do clean the surface but not after every person.  Also to note, they add water to your selection, and most people walk to the line with a huge pile going over the bowl (not like mine) and the food will shrink.  I can say I do not know anything about cooking, so everything I put will be new.  Not sure if you are the adventurous type to pick out your own toppings.


Overall, I think if you haven't been to Mongolian Grill, its cool to experience the chef cooking around the stone table, but after the first time I saw it, its nothing that special and continued onto eating.  The restroom for males and females was clean, but it wasn't too pleasant smelling in the women's restroom.  The items you select for the chef to cook was fresh and I was pleased with that and it turned out pretty good, but there is only so much noodles you can eat.  For $27 a person, I don't believe it is a good value.  The desert table with the chocolate fountain was watery but my friends told me that it was much better last time, because the chocolate harden after you coat it on the strawberry.  The other food for desert was just average and nothing outstanding.  The staff spoke english, and the chefs was very nice to little children and customers as they were cooking their food.  This is not a place I will be visiting very frequent, maybe I'll go again in another 5-6 years.

2.5/5


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Osgoode Photo Contest

Photo: People Roaming around Osgoode Professional Development

Since I started my hobby in photography I haven't really gone commercialized or entered a contest.  Something came up and I thought it would be a good opportunity to enter.  The contest details is just showing "your osgoode".  Please have a look and tell me which one I should submit.  The concept behind this photo is to display how busy it is at Osgoode Professional Development, people always roaming around.  Click here to view the set, and check out the large size.

Let me know guys! Need your help. Deadline is tomorrow.
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Raptor's Game #2

Scoreboard - Raptors 115 - Kings 104
Originally uploaded by tebpp

Went to my second Raptors game this year and Im happy they won again. Although they beat the Kings, which they should of easily, it was a fun game to be in the Air Canada Centre atmosphere. All the seats I would consider pretty good in the Stadium.

Was in the 300 level this time, but as a basketball fan, it was a great experience. Majority of the game I was cheering for Kevin Martin but Bosh did a great job on both the offensive and defensive end. The only sad thing is that they couldn't beat this team easily.

Next time I goto the game, I would like to bring a longer lens if I sit in the 100 level to see what kind of images I can get. The lighting in the place was so bright and I can shoot really great images and stop the motion, I wish all sporting events I shoot has this great lighting. I guess thats what makes this the professional level.

Hopefully I will catch one more game this season.

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Restaurant Review: Buddha's Vegetarian Restaurant Hong Kong Style

666 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M5T 1H9
(416) 603-3811

In my last 2 reviews, I've been reviewing dumpling restaurants.  This time around I went to a restaurant at the edge of Chinatown near Dundas St W and Bathurst Ave.  This place specializes in vegetarian food and they seem to be mighty popular.  This place has been around for 19 years, since 1991.  The restaurant doesn't really spell out, please come in and is not very inviting. but as you enter the store you will notice all the customers within the place and the large abundant of people buying take out and picking up their phone orders.  The majority of their customers are asian, but about 1/4 of them are non asians. They speak in Cantonese, mandarin and English.   I believe Buddha's popularity has spawned a competing restaurant a few stores over to serve the exact same type of food, except you don't see as many customer inside and looks empty.  I am guessing Buddha can get busy since it is beside a hospital during lunch and dinner hours.

Luckily, at 5:40 tonight, it wasn't busy.  As you walk in you will notice it is very small, not alot of places to sit, also not the fanciest place. You just get your basic table and chair, white walls.  They actually have more seating in another room which you don't see until they walk you to the back.  As you walk by the back you can get a glimpse of the kitchen and some fridges and dirty dishes.  This place is really just a home turned into a restaurant on the main floor. I didn't get a good chance to take a picture of the menu, but they only have 2 pages of items they serve.


Photo: Menu (larger version click here)

I've ordered 2 items today for 2, as the noodles do come in large proportions.   I've ordered #26, Buddha Special Mixed Vegetables on E-Fu noodles (add $1) and the Soya Roll.  First came the noodles (see picture below), the vegetables included 2 types mushrooms, broccoli, dried tofu, corn, ba choi, and some other items which I'm not sure what to name.  All these toppings came with a light sauce which didn't make the noodles dry.  Once I ate the toppings they were very fresh, was not over cooked and had things very nice feeling once you bite into it.  The noodles itself wasn't very soggy from the sauce and also wasn't over cooked.



Photo: Buddha's Special Mixed Vegetables on E-Fu Noodles

Next came the Soya Roll.  The first time I had it, I thought it was amazing, I haven't tried this item at any other place, but I like the this dish very much.  The skin was crispy out the outside, and the inside was also very fresh and crunchy with mushroom and bamboo shoots. It was also only $1.70.  Next time, I'm going to try the spring roll.



Photo: Soya Roll

When the bill came, we were stuffed.  and the bill only came to $10.40.  The noodle might seem a bit pricey compared to food court noodles, but they are pretty much on par with other noodles you can get from restaurants.  Every time I went to this restaurant, it takes quite some time for them to get you the bill.  They are friendly and although a few of the ladies might not have very good english, they try to help/accomdate your requests.  Its not a fancy place to bring a first date since its not very nice place, but I did enjoy the food.  I see many tables order 5 giant plates of food alot of times for 2 people, but I am sure they are going to bring the leftovers home.  I really enjoyed the food here and will be returning back for more.

I would rate this place 3/5 because its not very nice, but if I didn't consider the decor I would rate it 4/5 because of the food.

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