Balzac's (Ryerson)

Cafe: Balzac's
Address: 122 Bond St.
Phone: 416-597-1700
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM - 9 PM, Sat 9 AM - 9 PM, Sun 9 AM - 7 PM
Website: www.balzacs.com

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Review

My Order: Medium Parisian Mist, $3.95

I never went to Balzac's when I was a student at Ryerson. It was always busy and packed with students and non-students. I'd rather go to other cafes where I had more space. Recently I caught up with a friend at the cafe who was still a Ryerson student and worked by Yonge and Dundas, making it a convenient meeting place.

I arrived sometime at 2 PM and as expected, it was crowded. I was lucky enough to grab a seat when a table freed up just in time. I decided to try the Parisian Mist because it sounded interesting. I liked the drink because it was sweet on its own if I recalled correctly.

Balzac's is a lovely cafe and each location has its own vintage designed poster (which you can check out here). However, expect the Ryerson location to be constantly busy for most of the time. I don't recommend trying to meet up here during peak hours.

Fat Dog Cafe & Bar

Restaurant: Fat Dog Cafe & Bar
Address: 1161 Arawa St.
Phone: +07 347 7586
Store Hours: Mon-Wed 7 AM - 9 PM, Thurs-Sat 7 AM - 9:30 PM, Sun 7 AM - 9 PM
Website: www.fatdogcafe.co.nz

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Review

My Order: Seafood Curry with Rice, $10 NZD

When I was in Rotorua, I got to stop by a popular local restaurant called Fat Dog Cafe & Bar. Their chalkboard menu was packed from one end to the other. You definitely needed the long line up that you would be waiting in to decide for what you wanted. The restaurant had a chill and fun vibe to it. It was great for groups to hang out at. They also have a back patio for you to enjoy your meal.

The Seafood Curry with Rice I had wasn't exactly amazing, but it was edible. I think I should've tried something else. I wanted to get the most bang for my buck since seafood tended to be more expensive. Though now that I think of it, seafood is a lot cheaper down south compared to Toronto...

Bareburger

Restaurant: Bareburger
Address: 111 Dundas St. W
Phone: 647-345-2273
Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 11 AM - 10 PM, Fri 11 AM - 11 PM, Sat 12-11 PM Sun 12-10 PM
Website: 111-dundas-st-w-toronto.bareburger.com

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Review

My Order: Socal, $11.85

A group of friends wanted to meet up for a movie and dinner. Originally, the restaurant suggested was on Danforth whilst the movie screening was going to happen downtown. It would be a hassle to go from point A to B. I suggested Bareburger because it was a newly opened restaurant that I saw on BlogTO and it was much closer to the theater.

Bareburger is a pleasant restaurant with a modern take on the cabin theme. They emphasize on "all Bareburger meats are free-range, pasture raised, humanely raised, antibiotic, gluten-free, and hormone-free". This is great if these points are important to you when buying meat.

I scanned through the menu to realize that none of the burgers came with fries or some sort of side. I was not happy that I had to pay $11.85 for a burger that wasn't big and had no sides. Had I done my research beforehand, I wouldn't have chose to come here. That's just the penny-pincher inside of me huffing and puffing. The burger was decent, but it didn't stand out tremendously either. I understood where the price point was coming from, but still, no fries with that??

If you don't mind paying premium for organic burgers with no sides, then try out Bareburger.

Corellis

Cafe: Corellis
Address: 46 Victoria Rd.
Phone: 09-445-4151
Store Hours: Mon-Sun 7 AM - Late
Website: www.corelliscafe.co.nz

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Review

My Order: Chocolate/Caramel Milkshake, $5.50

When I was in Auckland, I toured around the local sites. There is a small island called Devonport, which is about a 20 minute boat ride from Auckland. It's like the suburbs for us Torontonians, except on a separate island. After I climbed a huge mountain and got a gorgeous view of Auckland from a distance, I returned to the tiny strip in town by the harbour. To avoid the rain, my friend and I took refuge in a family-oriented cafe called Corellis. I ordered a milkshake for $5.50. It was either Chocolate or Caramel flavoured but I can't remember. The cup was quite large so it wasn't a bad deal.

I haven't tried anything else from Corellis but if you ever need something to eat in Devonport, you can check this place out.