Royal Pho

We've found a new favourite place to eat: Royal Pho at the Meadowlands in Ancaster. I hadn't really tried pho before I ate it at this place a few weeks ago, but once I had rare beef pho here, I was hooked. We went again this week (we're almost regulars lately!), and it was delicious again. This food takes such good pictures that I decided to share. Yes, I know, another food blog, which has been the main topic on my mind lately and I just got a new camera, so of course I'm going to post about our meal outings.

Appetizers: crab & cheese wontons and salad rolls

Beautiful basil and sprouts to stir into your pho

Forgot to take the pic until the soup was half-gone; this is a small of the rare beef pho

Veggies and tofu, such fresh and colourful veggies!

My love affair with noodles knows no bounds, and finding a new place like this just feeds my addiction. I actually almost made a package of ramen this morning for breakfast. I even found a movie about noodles: Ramen Girl, which I highly recommend (except for the ending, but it is a Hollywood flick).
Today we tried the new Mr. Dumpling Express at the Dundurn Plaza, but it was very disappointing. High marks for the decor and the friendly service, and the sesame chicken, but the dumplings were sub-par (they didn't have the steamed Thai dumplings advertised on their menu, so I opted for steamed chicken), the spring rolls had a weird taste, and the excessive packaging for an eat-in meal was depressing. I don't know if we'll go back, but the prices are okay, and it's nearby, and the Szechuan Vegetables and Tofu were also okay. For a place called Mr. Dumpling, that part of the menu was supremely disappointing, mostly just the basics, and one item not even available in their first week of business. And let me tell you something, Mr. Dumpling, even if you put a pound of filling in each dumpling, if it doesn't have good flavour, then it still won't be successful. Darn, I had such high hopes for a place like that opening in my neighbourhood. I would recommend Dragon Court in Westdale over Mr. Dumpling any day of the week. There, two restaurant reviews in one blog. Whew!

Cooking Red Corn

On a recent trip to the grocery store I bought some bicoloured corn, something new to try cooking. Since the weather was so unsettled today, and I had the irrational weather theory that if I set up the BBQ it would immediately start to rain, I opted to roast the corn in the oven. One of my favourite spring/summer salads is a black bean mixture that I thought would go great with the roasted corn. A new camera has inspired me to take photos of almost everything, and a friend's food pictures of her culinary adventures are always so wonderful, that I had to try a food blog entry. Here are the pics from our nice dinner of roasted corn and black bean salad.

Bicoloured red corn from the grocery store

Corn with butter and spices, ready for the oven

Black bean salad ingredients

Salad prior to mixing

Finished plate with an egg bun and some peach chutney

 Yum! And I have enough salad left over to stuff into taco shells with extra salsa tomorrow for a quick supper prior to heading out for trivia night. Wish I could post this in taste-o-vision because black bean salad is scrumptious.