Montreal - Mountain Royal

Why is Imran visiting Montreal?

Being in the predicament i was in with my US Visa situation, i had not much to do but stay close to Toronto. Hence i had to come up with things to do over the weekend and be in Toronto Monday through Friday, which sucked as Canada has a lot of good places to visit, just not a whole lot doable over the weekend and close to Toronto.  One Friday night after not hearing anything from the US Consulate i decided i would go to Montreal, i bought my train tickets and made my hotel reservations at 9:00 p.m. on Friday to go to Montreal the next day.  

A little background information on Montreal

Montreal means Mountain Royal in French, that's the second thing i learned in the French language after the term "Voulez vous coucher avec moi - Giuchie Giuchie Ya Ya da da".  Montreal is about a 5- 6 hour train ride or the same time by car from Toronto.  Since taking the train was cheaper for me then renting a car, going to Montreal by train was a wise decision as Montreal is an extremely pedestrian and biker friendly city.  The parking fee like in Toronto is pretty expensive and i am glad i didn't drive.  Montreal was a French Colony till around the mid 1700 and there is a lot of French influence you still find today with majority of the people talking French and switching to English if you ask a question in English.  Due to the heavy French and English influence parts of the city are very European and it has one of the best preserved European feeling and looking towns outside of Europe referred to as Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal).

What i did?

I was in Montreal for a little less than 32 hours as i reached Saturday evening and had my train back to Toronto Monday noon. which gave me a full day and 1 night to explore the city as much as i could.  I had looked up some information on Montreal and tried to hit up the major tourist attractions to take in as much of the city i could within 32 hours.

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal or Notre-Dame Bacilica of Montreal as it is called in English is a Roman Catholic Church located in the historic district of Old Montreal.  I got to Montreal Saturday night and wanted to visit the church first thing at night, since i heard they had a light show which is a must see, unfortunately i was kind of tired and hungry when i got in and went straight for dinner. I wasn't able to see the light show as there is none on Sunday nights :(.  The church is well preserved and was built in the 1800's i don't remember much of the history because i was too busy clicking pictures and admiring the architecture during the 20 minute guided tour which is included with your CAN$5 admission, the money goes towards the restoration efforts.  

Where is Waldo?

In the picture below you can't see the gold stars in the ceiling. There are 1400 real gold stars which were painstakingly stuck by hand individually, no cheap Home Depot wallpaper was used in this place.

The Altar.

The Chapel.

Montreal - Mount Royal

Mount Royal, the mountain after which the city was named.  Mount Royal is easily accessible by public transit, you take the train to Mount Royal and then from the subway station there is a bus which will take you up the mountain and drop you off 3 kilometers (1.5ish Miles) from the top, which you need to walk as that is as far the bus takes you.  There are also trails which can be used to climb the mountain and it doesn't take more than 45 minutes to walk up the mountain. I would have trekked the mountain if i wasn't so pressed for time and wasn't being lazy.  Going to the top of Montreal will give you a 180 degree panoramic view of the city, from the Chalet Du Mont Royal.  (TT: When you get to the mountain make your way towards the Chalet Du Mont Royal, which gives you a panoramic view of the city.  There is also a Cruix Du Mont Royal (Cross on Mont Royal)  which is further up and a good 15-20 minute walk from the Chalet. The visibility from the Cross is not as good as from the Chalet, so you can skip out on the Cruix Du Mont Royal if you are tired and are pressed for time). 

Sunset.

Walk up to the Chalet.

Follow the signs for the Chalet Du Mont-Royal.

The viewing gallery.

There is also a Mountain on the Other Side. 

Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal)

Old Montreal is where you will find the majority of the locals and tourists mingle.  The streets and structures in Old Montreal are very European. The streets are cobbled and all the structures are made of stone.  There are a variety of museums and galleries in Old Montreal but perhaps the most famous tourist attraction is the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal.  As i mentioned earlier, Montreal is an extremely pedestrian and biker friendly city, with Bixi bike stands located near every major tourist attraction (TT: Old Montreal has some slopes so if you do want to bike in Old Montreal, i suggest renting a bike from the uptown locations and then making your way downhill to Old Montreal, instead of doing the opposite.  Trust me it's no fun biking uphill - I should know).  Old Montreal is a great place to walk around, to people watch and buy local produce.  There are vendors on the street selling all sorts of produce, including Maple Syrup in maple leaf shaped bottles.  

Cobbled streets.

People in Montreal don't drive a lot and lack parallel parking skills.  That space was big enough for 3 cars.

Occupy Montreal protest at Victoria Square.

Miscellaneous Stuff

People I Met

I met Tatiana on the train and we both were going to the same train station. Fortunately her hotel was across the street from mine, so we could meet up for dinner.

Dinner with fellow traveler.

Saint Dennis Street


Saint Dennis Street is located very close to University De Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) and is the place where all the college kids go to get drunk and party.  The street has a lot of nice cheap bars and hotels for the budget conscious traveler.  The street reminded me of Adams Morgan back in Washington D.C., only thing missing was a Jumbo Slice Pizza shop.  

Doesn't this look like Adams Morgan?

Paranormal Activity in French.

There was a Montreal Canadiens Hockey game going on the night i got to Montreal.  There was a light show next to the stadium which was pretty cool.  Some of the lights have their controller open to the public, so you can walk up there and direct the light yourself.

If this was Gotham City, Batman would be crazy confused.

French Rapper Le Emineme.

What I ate?


My hotel was pretty close to Saint Dennis street so i walked around the street and found this crowded Mexican place called 3 Amigo's.  All restaurants that night were pretty packed due to the home team hockey game.  I ordered the Mexican Flag which were 3 different (Spinach, Chicken & Cheese) Enchiladas with Hot Sauce, Sour Cream & Guacamole representing the Mexican Flag colors, although my dish could also be mistaken for the Italian flag as the emblem from the Mexican flag on the sour cream enchilada was missing.

Mexican Flag Enchiladas.

Poutine originated in Quebec and is considered Canadian comfort food and the hallmark dish of Canadian Cuisine.  It is basically french fries, with cheese curds and brown gravy with additional toppings that can be included at the discretion of the eater.  It was the most expensive french fries i ever ate costing me $13.  In my opinion french fries and gravy don't go good together.

Chicken Poutine.

I was walking around on the streets of Old Montreal and came across a shop where the air smelled like tasty Nutella and fried stuff.  I immediately took a detour and entered the shop and stood in line, not knowing what the place was selling with only the smell of Nutella to guide my senses.  I walked up to the counter and told the French dude while pointing to the picture "One" i paid him the money and within a minute another French dude handed me what i had ordered.  I got the deep fried dough with Nutella on top of it and I just inhaled it.  I have no idea what the thing i ate is called and it was perhaps the most tastiest thing i ate in Montreal.  If you know the name of the tasty fried Nutella goodness i ate, please let me know.

UFO (Unidentified Fried Object).

Conclusion:  Mont Royal, Montreal, Ville Marie (City of Mary) as it was originally called or whatever name you want to call this wonderful city by.  The city with its 18th century old school charm will make you forget that you are actually in Canada and on the North American continent and will have you transcended to Europe.  There will be instances where you will have to remind yourself you are west of the Atlantic Ocean.  If you want a European experience without actually going to Europe and being on a Transatlantic flight, Montreal is definitely a good city to visit.  

Niagara Falls - The Prettier Side

Why is Imran visiting Niagara Falls?

Since i was stuck in Canada i decided to explore the area and decided to drive up to Niagara Falls. My mom was with me in Toronto for the first week of my ordeal, she kept me company for a few days in Toronto and while we visited Niagara Falls.

A little background information about Niagara Falls.

I personally feel Canada is known for two things namely Justin Bieber and Niagara Falls with the latter being the more famous of the two.  The city of Niagara Falls is about a 2 hour drive from Toronto, depending on traffic and how fast you drive you can get there in an hour and a half.  Although there are day trip tours available from Toronto to Niagara Falls (tickets for which can be purchased online or at your friendly neighborhood Korean Deli in downtown Toronto at the intersection of Creepy Boulevard and Shady Way), i would recommend driving to the falls and spending a night there if possible, since the free night show is a good way to see the falls at night.  The first thing you notice when you arrive to the falls is the fresh air and the amazing quality of the air around the falls, breathing around the falls is very refreshing.  Its a nice thing that smoking is banned in the vicinity of the falls, which helps preserve the natural air quality.  There are 2 sides to the falls the American Side and the Canadian side, i had been to the American side in High School but must admit the Canadian side is way better than the American side.  Although you can see both sides from either side, being on the Canadian side to view the horse shoe falls has a different experience in itself.  The Canadian side of the falls includes the more picturesque horse shoe falls where as the American side has the smaller bridal veil falls.  

Even amateur photographers like me..

Can't take bad pictures of the falls.

At night with white lights.

TT: Parking at Niagara Falls is pretty expensive the closer you get towards the falls. If you do decide to see the Falls at night do so after 7:00 as the closest parking lot to the Falls doesn't have any parking attendants after 7:00 p.m. so you can park for free after 7:00 and save the $14 parking fee.  With the 14$ you save you can use it towards purchasing a maid of the mist boat ride ticket or send me the $14 ;)

What i did ?


Things to do at Niagara Falls

There are a lot of things you can do at the Niagara Falls national park but majority of the people come to see the falls and that is exactly what i did.  It is an amazing sight to take in as the water falls and it seems like every second the appearance changes of the falls.  Unlike man made things there isn't a opening and closing time, however sometimes when it got dark i would rush to go see the falls as i thought the water would stop flowing after 7:00 p.m. which obviously wasn't the case it is 24/7 - 365 unless it is frozen.

Trick photography.

Major Hadouken.

Diving is strictly prohibited, Kids don't try this i am a trained professional.

Maid of the Mist

I was at Niagara falls for 2 days and in all honesty 2 days is enough time to spend at the falls.  If you do go to the falls the thing to must do is to sit in the Maid of the Mist boat, which gives you an experience like no other.  There are other more expensive ways to see the falls from the sky by helicopter or a plane but no other way gives you the same kind of experience as sitting in the boat and feeling and tasting the water of the falls, which doesn't taste bad and is very refreshing and fresh.  The tickets are reasonable under $20 which is money well spent as the boat ride in itself is 30 minutes.  The boat takes you through the American side of the falls and then towards the more exciting Horse Shoe Falls. (TT: Try to sit in the lower level if you can find a spot.) Being on the boat while going towards the horse shoe falls makes you feel like you are in some adventure movie going towards a mystical island to find King Kong or Godzilla. Be prepared to get wet and soaked if you aren't careful (TT: If you don't have a water proof camera, protect it well). 

American Side of the Falls.

Canadian side in the distance.

American side from the boat.

The rainbow was perfect.

I just ate Skittles before taking this picture, Taste the rainbow.

Before driving back to Toronto, i decided to take one last spin near the falls and see it one last time, but it was crazy misty and i would have needed an umbrella as it felt like it was raining (TT: Keep the maid of the mist ponchos handy in the car so if you do encounter the same situation as me you can use the ponchos).

Crazy misty.

Conclusion: Niagara Falls is perhaps one of the most well known waterfalls in the world and perhaps one of the top 10 most visited natural wonders in North America. Whether you are a nature lover or not, seeing the water flow over the falls is definitely bound to take your breath away and make you say wow almost as if it was a programmed instinct.  If you do get the opportunity to see the falls in person it is a worthwhile investment.

Toronto - The New York of Canad-aye

Why is Imran visiting Toronto?

So what am i doing in Toronto, Canada?  I had come to Toronto to take care of my US work visa.  This trip wasn't intended as a vacation but rather a necessity for me to get my US Work Visa stamped in my passport, from the US Consulate in Toronto.  Little did i know that a routine trip to get a visa stamped would turn into such an ordeal and would have me stuck in Canada for 8 weeks and counting.  Getting selected "randomly" for a background check based on my faith and the color of my skin was no surprise for me, what surprised and pissed me off was the amount of time this was taking and the lack of correspondence i received regarding my case.  I am a pretty calm person even when faced with adversity.  My brothers wouldn't refer to me as having a Vinny Chase attitude if that wasn't the case (For people who aren't familiar with the HBO show entourage, Vinny Chase is the main character in the show, who is always calm and collected kind of like me ;).  Being stuck in Canada i had nothing else to do but wait and bum around. The only person i knew in and around Toronto was a guy i met briefly in Washington D.C. who was a student in college and lived 40 minutes to an hour away from where i was in Toronto.  So i decided the only way i could wait this ordeal out was by keeping myself busy and not preoccupying myself with this mess.  I decided i will try to enjoy Canada as much as i can without thinking about my US Visa situation.  I also decided this would be a good time to start practicing Travel Blogging as i had my first major vacation and first round the world trip planned come December.

A little background information aboot Toronto

When i landed in Toronto i didn't feel any excitement as I wasn't trying to explore the city or wasn't "vacationing".  I was on a mission to get my visa stamped from the US Consulate and be back to work the next week.  Toronto is a pretty expensive city with a cab ride fare starting at CAD $4.25 and CAD $.25 for every 29 seconds.  Since i had a hotel in downtown i decided to take the Airport Express bus to Downtown, which stops in front of every major Hotel in Downtown and it costed me CAD $20 one way, which isn't bad considering it dropped me directly in front of my hotel lobby and i had free Wi-Fi on board the bus (Travel Tip ( going forward in my blogs i will use the acronym TT for Travel Tip): Toronto Pearson International (YYZ) Airport also has a free Wi-Fi service).  Toronto is the biggest city in Canada and it certainly would feel that way for a westerner, the population of Toronto is aboot (Canadian way of pronouncing about) 2.5 million, which might be considered a lot, but for a person born and bought up in Bombay with a population of 20.5 million approximately 10 times more than Toronto i didn't feel the city was crowded enough.  I consider a city crowded when there are more people on the train than in the train.  Toronto kind of felt like a less crowded New York with all the hot dog stands and all the different languages you got to hear on the street.  You will find more people with NHL Jerseys though.  Toronto has a steady growing population of Arabs which is good since if you only eat Halal meat there are tonnes of options to choose from (TT:All Popeye's Chicken in the Greater Toronto Area serve halal food).  The streets were pretty easy to navigate and as with any major city the transportation options are pretty nice with public transit that includes, trains, buses, street cars and commuter GO trains available.  The fare was $3 from point A to Point B one way with transfers available between all public transit.

What i did?


Things to do in Toronto


I reached Toronto on a Sunday night and had my Visa appointment the next morning on Monday.  When i came back from the interview, i knew i was in for a wild slow ride which was going to test my patience and my Vinny Chase attitude of laid back-ness.  Since i already knew it was going to be a while, i decided i will start exploring the city and travelling around to get my mind off my predicament.  The first thing you notice in the Toronto Downtown is the CN Tower, you can't miss it. So i decided i will go checkout the CN Tower.  Once i arrived at the CN Tower i decided to buy the Toronto City Pass which gives you tickets to 5 tourist attractions in Toronto for CAD$60 which seemed pretty reasonable as i would have spent CAD$30 to view the CN Tower alone.  The 5 things you get to see are (1) CN Tower (2) Royal Ontario Museum (3) Casa Loma (4) Ontario Science Center (5) The Toronto Zoo, all the attractions are accessible by public transit.

CN Tower

The first ticket that i used from my Toronto city pass was that for the CN Tower.  The CN Tower is the most prominent structure in the Toronto skyline.  It was the worlds tallest structure and tower when it was built and held the record for 30 or so years until the Burj Khalifa was built in Dubai.  It still remains the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere.  The tower is apparently 550 meters tall or as the elevator lady mentioned "its aboot 147 floors"  which i highly doubt as it doesn't seem like "its aboot 147 floors"  If you have the time to do some sight seeing in Toronto, the CN Tower is a definite as you can get a 360 degree view of the city and visibility as far as 12 km on a nice sunny day.  The CN Tower also has the highest glass floors in the world where you can see through the bottom which is pretty cool and intimidating the first time around.  For the more adventurous traveler there is also the Edge Walk where you can walk on the outside of the CN Tower, it costs aboot CAD$180 and as of now i am still debating if i should do the walk.  If i do, the blog will obviously be updated with pictures and stories.

Me looking at the CN Tower like i am going to climb it like King Kong.

View from top.

I was high!!!

This is actually where the life guard for the beach sits.

Fog off.

Fog on. It was fogging amazing!!

What you don't deliver pizza on the 147th floor in aboot 30 minutes?

View from the glass look out. Dizzying.

These kids were jumping on the glass like crazy, i didn't know if i should laugh or be scared so i did both.

I started this new trend of taking a picture while doing push ups and everyone started doing it.

Ready to fight a Canadian Bear.

 

I am not a businessman, i am a business  man!!

So let me handle my business man.

Royal Ontario Museum also referred to as the ROM

The ROM is easily accessible by metro and to get to the museum you can take the metro and get down at the appropriately named station museum, if you do forget the name of the stop to get down at you will see the train station is decorated like a museum so when you look out of the train window and see mummy's and other museumy stuff, that will be the cue to get down.  The ROM is shaped like a cuboidal rhomboidal polynomial triangle shaped thing, it kind of looks weird from the outside but is pretty cool from the inside, since they have a pretty big exhibit of weapons.  Unlike the museums in D.C. which are free the ROM charges a fee which means it is less crowded than a free museum.

Chinese Delivery!!

The Last Samurai. 

Museums are dangerous, i was attacked by birds.

I was also attacked by a dead seal.

Bear with me.

This copy of the Holy Quran was 700-800 years old Ma.

700-800 year old copy of the Holy Quran.  The last page and the last sura (chapter)  of the glorious book.

This copy was probably 500 years old but still legible, amazing Ma.

Who is the Deadliest Warrior?

Can you see the resemblance to Rihanna? 

Islamic Art.

The Excalibur.

18th Century Armour made of 100% Recycled Coke Cans.

Canadian Totem Pole.

Casa Loma

How do i explain this castle to be honest i felt it was quiet a rip off, i have seen houses that are bigger than the so called castle.  The Castle is pretty rustic and as soon as you walk in the castle it smells like bengay and spider webs which may add to the rustic feeling.  Do yourself a favor and skip out on the castle if you don't have a city pass, the only reason i went to the castle was because the ticket was included in the city pass.

Welcome to this gathering ye olde Knights.

Sadly only one Knight showed up to this medieval shindig.

Showering in the Castle.

Ahh the Steam Engine Watson!! Brilliant.

View from Castle Cellar.

Ontario Science Center

As with Casa Loma i visited the science center only because i had a ticket.  Its definitely a cool place if you are between the ages of 4 -15 or are being forced to go through school.  Needless to say most of the crowd were kids and school kids with their teachers.  I felt a little awkward being the only 20 something guy in the science center.  I left the place within 2 hours by rushing through all the exhibits.

The Toronto Zoo

I haven't visited the zoo yet since its been raining and it has been pretty cold in Toronto, i am scared all the animals have already started hibernating for the winter and i wont get to see them .  I might have to go visit the zoo if i am here longer.

Miscellaneous Stuff


Rock Oasis


Bumming around in Toronto, i heard about this place called Rock Oasis which offered indoor rock climbing.  I decided to give the place a try since i had never been rock climbing.  The key is to use your legs to climb more than you use your arms. As with everything in life practice is needed to get good at rock climbing and don't expect to turn into spider man overnight.

Dundas / Yonge Square

This is Toronto's answer to Time's Square of New York.

As with Time's Square there is always something going on here.  One day there was an event to unveil the House of Marley earphones from Bob Marley's collection.  I was bumming around and saw people giving away free stuff for the unveiling.  Apparently they had Bob Marley's son Rohan Marley signing autographs, since i had nothing better to do i stood in line to meet him. This was the first time i stood in line to meet a celebrity and it wasn't crowded so my number came quick, i probably stood in line for 4 minutes. I didn't know his name till 5 minutes ago.  As with all Jamaicans Rohan is a pretty cool dude.  This is how our conversation went.

Rohan: Hey wassup maaan, what's your name?
Me: Imran
Rohan: How do you spell it.
Me: I M R A N
Rohan: What's your last name?
Me: Khan
Rohan: Just like the cricketer maaan.
Me: Yes
Rohan: My father named me after a cricketer too, Rohan Kanhai
Me: Really?? I had no idea, there was a cricketer named Rohan
Rohan: Man get out of here you don't watch no cricket maaan
Me: Naah cricket is too slow for me
Rohan: Haha, good luck man
Me: Can we take a picture?
Rohan: Sure maaan!!

Rohan Marley and Me Maaaan!!!

There is a big mall called the Eaton Centre which is a good place to people watch and escape from the cold.  Toronto has an underground city and a whole lot of major buildings and arteries are connected through tunnels.  You might not even have to leave your apartment or step out onto the road during winter, if your apartment and work is connected by the underground tunnels called PATH.  Eaton Centre is opposite Dundas square and there is always things going on there.  One day they had the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 release outside the mall and had army helicopters and hummers parked outside the mall.

Chopper outside the mall.

Hummer H1.

The Beach

I had heard there was a beach in Toronto.  I wasn't sure if i should go since it was pretty cold and wasn't sure what to expect.  I took the street car down to the beach to go check it out and to eat at a Burger Joint called The Burgers Priest.  As you can imagine there weren't a lot of people at the beach.  It was the coldest beach i had been to.  I am pretty sure the beach is crowded during summer but as of early November not so much.

Cold Beach.

I think i was the only person on the beach.

Chinatown

Unlike D.C. where the Chinatown is more like a China street.  Toronto has a pretty big Chinatown with places serving authentic Chinese food and i am not talking about Panda Express.  You can walk down Chinatown and find Chinese meat and grocery stores (aka Pet's Mart in America), acupuncture stores and even restaurants with whole cooked ducks on display.  One night i was walking down Chinatown and came across a Karaoke place with a weird name, although you be the judge.

Marquez v/s Pacquiao III

I was stuck in Toronto for the third Marquez v/s Pacquiao fight, which i really wanted to see.  I called around and found that Hoops, a sports bar in Toronto was showing the fight for a $10 cover.  I went to Hoops to check out the fight.  If you have seen the epic trilogy of fights between these two fighters, you will know how exciting their fights can be.  I personally believe Marquez won all three fights but you can judge either ways as all fights have been extremely close.  In the first fight if it weren't for the 3 knockdowns Pacquiao scored in the first round, Marquez would have had an easy victory.  The second fight was a lot more closer than the first and i don't agree with the decision to give Paquiao the victory, again if Paquiao didn't score the 1 knockdown of the fight, Marquez would have easily won.  The third fight i would have definitely given to Marquez and i personally believe Pacquiao got awarded the victory only to protect corporate profits.  Pacquiao endorses almost everything and has pretty lucrative deals with big companies whose profits are directly correlated to the fame and name that is Manny the Pacman Pacquiao - the marketing and money making machine.  If you did see the third fight you can see how skillfully Marquez timed Pacquiao and counter punched him.  Marquez is a classical fighter who is more defensive than offensive.  He is the kind of fighter who will wait for you to punch and maybe even eat a few before he counter punches you with text book accuracy.  Whereas Pacquiao is more offensive and is just crazy fast with his fancy foot work, bobbing and weaving your punches.  I was very disappointed with the victory decision for Pacquiao.

Juan Manuel Marquez introduction.

Manny the Pacman Pacquiao introduction.

Round 7 of 12.

Occupy Toronto

Occupying major cities seems like to be in vogue these days. Needless to say there were several Occupy Toronto protests as well.  I was walking past one protest one day.

Occupy Toronto.

All these people are pissed at...

the exorbitant profits made by a few within this building.

Washington Redskins v/s Buffalo Bills

Living in the Washington metropolitan area, you would expect me to have been to a Washington Redskins game or two.  Unfortunately i had not been to a Redskins game before (1) Because the Redskins are a pathetic team & (2) I really don't care about them.  Since i was stuck in Toronto i decided to go check out the game.  The game was in the Rogers Centre which is a baseball field and is also featured in the new Drake video headlines.  I bought my tickets through a site i found on craigslist and chose the will call option for pick up.  I know craigslist is shady but i didn't expect it to be so shady.  I thought i would go to the box office and pick up my tickets.  Instead on game day some random guy named John actually called me and asked me to meet him in front of Gate 14.  I was like huh?? What the heck is this.  I saved his name as John Gate 14 in my phone and called John Gate 14 when i got to the stadium.  Mr. John Gate 14 showed up at gate 14 wearing his track pants and eating a hot dog with extra onions i would like to say.  Mr.John Gate 14 gave me my tickets in an envelope which smelled like onions and mustard and to my surprise he was legitimate, my ticket worked and i was allowed to enter the game.  I guess in Canada "will call" means someone "will call" you to meet outside the stadium, instead of the box office.  Obviously the Redskins lost, the final score was Redskins 0 and the Bills 23.

My seat was pretty good.

Super Close to the action.

Before a Mexican wave or should it be called a Canadian wave?

Eid -al Adha

I was stuck in Toronto since the beginning of October.  I had the opportunity to pray for Eid-al-Adha in Toronto.  There are a lot of Muslims in Toronto and the prayer for Eid was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center with an estimated attendance of 10,000 strong.  It was really amazing to see so many people show up for the prayer.  A lot of people started picnicking after the prayer was done at the Convention Center.  My friend Rayaan came from Ajax to come pray and hang out with me, which was real nice of him to do so.

The whole convention center was packed.

Me & Rayaan.

Toronto Dominion Bank

I didn't know the TD in TD Bank stood for Toronto Dominion.  The first ever branch of the bank is located in Toronto on 1 King Street West.  The branch is open to public where you can go see the vault where all the money was kept before the global recession.  There were also tables and chairs set inside the vault.  I am assuming you can have dinner inside the vault and feel like a million bucks.  

We are broke and don't have any money.

We need a bailout.

Probably from the residents of this neighborhood.

People I Met


So i had met Rayaan when he visited D.C., through a common friend Sami.  Then through Rayaan i met Beder who is Rayaan's cousin.  Rayaan is the unofficial mayor of Toronto as he know's a lot of people and also got me introduced to a lot of people.  Before meeting Rayaan i only knew one Eritrean (Sami) after hanging out with Rayaan, i believe i got introduced to almost one whole tribe from Eritrea.

From R-L: Beder, Me & Rayaan.

Kamaal & Me.

What i ate?


Things to eat in Toronto


Being in the predicament i was i had not much to do but yelp the heck out of Toronto and eat at different places.  Below are some of my favorites.

I ate some waffles from this place called Wanda's Belgian Waffles. The waffles are photogenic and i personally felt they didn't taste as good.

Wanda's Belgian Waffles.

I went to this South Indian restaurant called Maroli on Bloor Street West, which specializes in South Indian cuisine.  I was looking through the menu and read that the butter chicken was named the "best butter chicken in Toronto" by the Food Channel.  Taking Food Channels recommendation, i ordered the butter chicken, which was one of the best butter chickens i have had in North America.  It had the right balance of sweet and spicy.  Obviously to get the full taste you have to eat the dish with the assistance of a butter nan while using your hands.

Butter Chicken and Butter Nan.

Although i like eating pretty much everything i feel my favorite cuisine is Afghan.  Afghan food is always filling, tasty and not super spicy, it has just the right amount of spicy. After visiting the Ontario Science Centre i found this place called Afghan Village in a shady looking shopping complex.  I said to myself why not.  I went to Afghan Village and ordered the Chapli Kabob with the Pulao.  The Chapli Kabob was really good and a little spicy just the way i like it.  The Chapli Kabob is basically ground beef with spices kind of like the Afghan version of a burger without the cheese, mayo and the buns.  Although in retrospect i wish i had asked for no salad and extra rice, as the rice was super fresh with sweet carrots and raisins which helped combat the spiciness from the Kabob.

Chapli Kabob.

I had yelped this Turkish Restaurant called Pizza Pide, which specializes in Lahmachun a sort of a Turkish Pizza.  It is basically a thin crust Pizza Dough with the toppings you want, generally lamb or beef.  The owner was kind enough to make me a custom made Lahmachun where i was able to try 5 different combinations.  He cooked the pizza in 5 parts, beef, lamb, chicken, spinach and spicy lamb.  The 5 slices you see represent 5 different lahmachuns in 1 pie.  I personally liked the Spinach, Feta Cheese slice and the spicy lamb.  It wasn't expensive either the whole pie costed me $10 which i feel was pretty reasonable to be able to try 5 different combinations.

Mixed Lahmachun.

Walking in downtown Toronto i came across a cafe for crepes, which was appropriately named Cafe Crepe.  I am a sucker for Nutella  on anything.  I ordered the Nutella Banana crepe which was pretty good.  The crepes are a good size filled with a generous amount of Nutella.  There were some days where i just ate the crepe for dinner as it is a pretty filling crepe.  The cafe also has other French snacks and coffees (TT: Order the crepes to eat in as you get the extra Nutella drizzle on top whereas when you order to go you get it in a crepe paper cone).

Banana Nutella Crepe to eat in with extra Nutella drizzle.

Banana Nutella Crepe to go.

My friend Rayaan took me to this Lebanese restaurant called Paramount which has a good atmosphere and serves fresh Lebanese food.  They generally have good service and are almost always crowded and busy.  They have a nice selection of manakeesh (Lebanese Pizza), shawarmas, kabobs, sweets and cocktails.  I went to Paramount almost every week and tried a lot from their menu.  I tried some of the manakeesh's they had and my favorite has to be the beef manakeesh.  The beef manakeesh costs $3.50 which is a real good deal and most of their manakeesh range in price from $2 - $5.  The manakeesh can serve as a good appetizer to share.

Beef Manakeesh.

My favorite cocktail at Paramount has to be the Paramount Special.  The cocktail consists of mixed fruits merged between layers of fresh strawberry and mango juices, topped with fresh strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, almonds, crushed pistachios, ashta cream and honey.  The drink is super thick and rich but will leave you poor if you get addicted to it, as it costs $7.  This is what they would use as the 5 dollar milkshake if Pulp Fiction was shot in Lebanon.  "I don't know if that cocktail is worth seven dollars but it is pretty darn good."

Paramount Special Cocktail.

One day i was super hungry and ordered the Mixed Grill Plate.  All Kabob plates come with garlic sauce, tahini sauce and the hot sauce (the hot sauce is awesome).  The mixed grill consists of one skewer of Chicken Kabob, one skewer of striploin and two skewers of kafta (ground beef kabob) and a piece of spicy bread.  The meat was very fresh and tasty.

Mixed Grill Plate.

In addition to the food they also have wide selection of Desserts.  I really liked their Kinafe, which is coated with sugar syrup and pistachios.  It has the most chewiest cheese center of any dessert i have had yet.  It is the Lebanese equivalent of a cheesecake.

Lebanese Kinafe.

Toronto is Shawarma central and has as many shawarma shops as hot dog stands you will find in New York.  There is a lot of places you can get your shawarma on and i tried pretty much all the shawarma establishments in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).  I wouldn't say Paramount has the best Shawarma in Toronto but it isn't bad either. I had the beef shawarma.  The beef is very tender and tasty.

Beef Shawarma.

Chicken Shawarma preparation.

They also serve warm bread.  Warning: It is extremely hot, let it cool down

Another favorite dessert of mine is the Znoud Al Sit which is only prepared and available over the weekends.  It is fried baklawa dough stuffed with ashta cream, coated with sugar syrup and crushed pistachios.  The sweet cheese just oozes out of the fried dough as soon as you bite in.

Znoud Al-Sit.

So what is so special about a number 3 meal from Popeyes (or Bubeye's if you are from Egypt) and why is it on my travel/food blog?  As i mentioned earlier majority of Popeye's within the GTA serve Halal chicken.  I decided to include it in the blog as not a whole lot of fast food chains in the D.C. area serve Halal chicken.  Obviously you got to have your fried chicken meals with extra sugary drinks such as Fanta, which is exactly what i did.

# 3 Meal from Popeye's.

There is nothing better than eating some buffalo wings on a sunday afternoon while watching football.  I heard about this sports bar called Puc-N-Wings which had well reviewed wings.  I decided to give them a try.  The wings are breaded, fried and served with a variety of sauces.  I had the medium bufallo sauce.  The wings were average, i still haven't found better tasting and unhealthier wings than Cluck - U - Chicken back at my university in Colli Park - Bubba Sparx (The home of the Terrrrrapins - University of Maryland).

Puc - N - Wings Chicken Wings.

Toronto has a lot of Roti shops.  Roti is Indian bread but in Toronto when you visit a roti shop, the rotis are stuffed with indian gravy.  Roti shops cater to people who don't know how to use their hands to eat Indian food, as the stuffed roti's can be eaten with a fork and knife.  Although i do believe you need to use your hands to eat Indian food and to enjoy all the flavor and let everyone you meet for a week know you have had Indian food.  I went to Gandhi, a cheap eat roti place which accepts only cash.  I tried the Chicken Vindaloo roti, which was super hot, fresh and spicy.  It was really filling and almost had half a chicken stuffed in it.  There are also other flavors of roti's available.

Chicken Vindaloo Roti.

Burrito Boyz is a local Torontonian burrito joint with 11 locations.  Most burrito establishments i visited toast the tortilla, making the burrito crunchy, unlike in the states where the tortilla remains chewy. The place also has sea food burritos including halibut, haddock and shrimp.  I ordered the beef burrito with the XXX Hot Sauce which gave the burrito a nice kick.  All burritos are made to order and the meat isn't precooked rather it is made after you order, which makes the wait for your tasty burrito worthwhile.  The place has won numerous awards and has one of the best tasting burrito's i have had.  I can also go as far to say their burritos are better then Chipotle (CMG), the burrito chain.  

Beef Burrito @ Burrito Boyz.

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Burrito Bandidos is another well reviewed burrito joint close to the University of Toronto.  Like majority of the burrito establishments in Toronto, they also toast their burritos.  The particular location i went to was super small and had only 3 chairs.  The place has a wall with funny news stories which are very entertaining to read while you wait for your food.  Although their burritos were good they weren't as tasty as the burritos from burrito boyz.

Beef Burrito.

Funny News story clippings.

I am not all about eating good food for cheap.  Occasionally i do like to go to nice reviewed upscale restaurants and spoil myself.  I found this well reviewed Portuguese seafood restaurant which i went to visit with my brothers friend.  Portugal being so close to Spain has a lot of Spanish influence on their cuisine.  The Cataplana is a Portuguese fish stew kind of like the Spanish Paella minus the rice.  The stew had mussels, shrimps as big as my fist, clams, squid and fresh fish simmered in a rich tomato broth.  Don't order this if you are allergic to shellfish.

The Cataplana.

I had read pretty good reviews about the Mediterranean Octopus at Adega and decided to give it a try.  I have had Calamari before but never Octopus.  When the waiter left the plate in front of me i wasn't sure if i should eat it or fight it to eat it.  After a brief bout with the tentacles I cut the Octopus and ate it, and surprisingly it didn't taste that bad.  Octopus meat is very chewy and bland.  The trick to eating Octopus is to try and get the meat from within the tentacles and not eat the suction thingies as the suction thingies are very chewy, even more so than the meat.  Needless to say i couldn't finish the whole thing as Octopus meat is surprisingly very filling.  I was asked by the waiter if i will take the leftovers to go and i politely declined.  Not because i didn't like it i just figured Octopus isn't microwaveable.

The Mediterranean Octopus.

I am not a big fan of olives but the olives at Adega were very tasty and easily edible, unlike the olives you find on a Pizza Hut pizza.

Great tasting olives.

As a pre-appetizer the waiter bought us a piece of Octopus drizzled with olive oil which was super fresh and moist.  It was kind of like a tasteless jello with olive oil.

Octopus Shots.

Anchovies as appetizer.

Seafood bisque with crab.

Nami in Toronto has one of the most freshest, tastiest and innovative sushi items you can have.  The Nami special roll consists of the traditional sushi roll with avocado, salmon and fatty tuna.  The fish was real fresh, tasty and surprisingly very filling.

Nami special roll.

Now i am not a big fan of salads but the seafood salad at Nami was pretty amazing.  The salad has all kinds of seafood in it including pieces of squid, calamari and salmon which was topped of with crunchy sweet fish eggs.

Here is one thing you don't find at many sushi restaurants - sushi pizza.  I was really curious to try the sushi pizza as it just seemed weird to mesh Italian food with Japanese ingredients.  Don't worry it isn't like what it sounds and doesn't include tomato sauce.  It is basically deep fried sushi rice topped with Salmon and crunchy fish eggs in a circular setting like a pizza.  It is almost 4 inches in diameter and isn't super big like a pizza.  The crunchiness of the rice paired with the moist raw salmon topped with crunchy fish eggs makes it a delectable innovative sushi to try.  It is a layer of crunchy, moist and crunchy with an aftertaste of yummy.   

Sushi Pizza - Yes you read it right. 

The yellow tail sashimi at Nami is a definite must try.  The fish was so fresh and tasty that it just melted in my mouth like butter on a warm pan.

Yellow Tail Sashimi.

The fried black cod was also very tasty.  Not a whole lot of spices were added to the black cod.  The fish was just fried with a simple Teriyaki glaze which gave it a tangy kick.

Black Cod.

I was in the search for the best burger in Toronto and my quest led me to the burgers priest next to the beach.  I went to burgers priest and was surprised by how small the place was.  There is no place to eat inside, just a place to order and pick up your food.  Most people get the burgers and eat it outside of the restaurant.  I had the Priest combo, the priest burger is a burger with a beef pattie topped of with a fried cheese filled mushroom.  The whole combo costed me $17 which is pretty expensive for fast food standards.  The burger wasn't even filling or big and is a 4 bite burger, it could very well pass as a slider.  The burger didn't live up to its hype as it was just mediocre and super expensive.  For $17 i better have half a cow stuffed between two buns or it isn't worthed.  The Toronto burger chains like Big Smoke Burger or Hero Burgers (which btw serves Halal burgers) have far tastier, filling and cheaper burgers in Toronto.  My verdict overrated, overpriced and undersized.

You thought i was joking about no place to eat inside.

This is how big the place is.

$17 Burger Combo.

Estiatorio Volos is a Greek Mediterranean upscale restaurant catering to the big shots wining and dining their clients in the financial district.  I like Greek food so i went to try the well reviewed restaurant.  I ordered the Exohico which not only sounded amazing it also tasted and looked amazing.  Exohico is a phyllo pastry stuffed with braised Ontarian lamb, vegetables, feta, kefaltoyri cheese served with a side of lamb jus (juice).  When the waiter bought over my food it just smelled and looked amazing, i took a minute to take in the artistic sight and dug in.  The phyllo was very crunchy and scrumptious whereas the lamb, vegetables and cheeses within the exohico were all very tender and tasty.  Dipping the cut pieces within the lamb jus gave it the extra lamb flavor.  I could probably eat 10 exohico's in one sitting and probably would if it weren't so expensive. Think of the exohico as a real expensive calzone with lamb, vegetables and cheese stuffing instead of chicken, which you dip in lamb jus instead of marinara sauce.

The Exohico looked good..

but tasted even better. 

Lahore Tikka House is a Pakistani restaurant specializing in North Indian and Pakistani cuisine.  The restaurant is modeled and designed after a Pakistani/Indian truck stop restaurant called a "dhaba".   A dhaba is basically a shack you can find across highways in India which are frequented by the hard working truck drivers and locals living close to highways.  All dhabas usually serve fresh good quality affordable food to cater to the working class.  Stepping into the Lahore Tikka House reminded me of a dhaba as it does have that ambiance to it.  The restaurant is located on Gerrard street aka Little India, there are many restaurants you can eat at on Gerrard street but none come close to the taste and price that Lahore Tikka house has to offer.

Dhaba style restaurant.

Khatiyaa - Bed of Indian villagers.

Not sure what country flag that is. 

Rickshaw.

At Lahore Tikka House i ordered the butter chicken with butter nan, lahori beef kabobs and of course Thumbs Up, the Indian version of Coca Cola (Thumbs Up is actually owned by Coca Cola).  If you don't like the sight of oil on your food then you should probably skip out on the place.  The butter chicken was a little oilier then i would have liked it although the taste was great and spicy.  The oil has a sedimentary effect on the butter chicken and settled above the gravy so you can actually remove the extra oil if you don't like it.  The food is always fresh and hot and the service is amazing because you don't have to wait a long time for your food, although customer service is lacking as no one comes asks you if you require anything else, which can be blamed on the amount of customers the restaurant receives as it is always busy.  The kabobs are pretty cheap costing $2.50 a piece, they aren't filling but they taste good and are spicy.  You can taste all the peppers when you eat the kabobs.  The butter nan was one of the best i have had in North America with the light fluffy feel to it.  The nan being fluffy serves as a good sponge to soak up all the gravy and spices. 

Best butter nan i have had in North America.

The Indian Trucker combo meal # 5.

Oily + Greasy + Spicy = Tasty.

So i am not a big coffee or milk drinking kind of guy but my friend Beder got me introduced to this hot chocolate drink which tasted absolutely amazing.  He took me to Second Cup the Canadian Starbucks and told me about this drink which he endorsed and agreed to buy for me because of the amount of faith he had in his recommendation.  It was a white hot chocolate drink which tasted even better when it was cold outside.  The drink was: White Hot Chocolate with Pumpkin Spice, whipped cream and caramel drizzle.  Sure it sounds like something the cast of Desperate Housewives would drink on set during their breaks from humping the gardener and cheating on the pool boy.  But guess what i didn't care how it sounded when i ordered it, while getting an awkward eye from the barista as it tasted absolutely amazing and served as a great warm drinkable dessert during the cold Canadian winters. 

White Hot Chocolate with Pumpkin Spice, Whipped Cream  & Caramel Drizzle.

Ritz is a Jamaican restaurant specializing in Jamaican cuisine maaan.  Their Yonge/Dundas square location serves halal meat.  When i went to Ritz i ordered the Jerk Chicken platter which was spicier than i expected.  Now i am not one to shy away from spicy food but i just wish i wouldn't have doused my rice with the Jamaican hot sauce as it was extremely spicy.  I got the jerk chicken and before tasting it i decided i would need some hot sauce as the chicken didn't look spicy enough, i guess i should have read the warning label on the hot sauce which said Warning: Very Hot!!.  The jerk chicken was very tasty, spicy and flavorful unlike other spicy food which just tastes spicy.  The chicken meat was very tender and came right of the bone when i touched it with my fork.  I would have eaten the chicken caveman style with my hands although i didn't need to because of the tenderness of the chicken.  

Very Hot Hot Sauce.

Jerk Chicken platter.

Doner Kebab House specializes in cheap, simple Turkish food.  There is nothing fancy about this place and the ambiance and feel may look uninviting, although it has one of the most tastiest shawarmas you can have.  They don't serve beef instead they serve veal which is pretty much the same thing.  I ordered the veal platter and it was one of the most simplest tastiest meals i had in Toronto, nothing fancy just a combination of plain white rice, potatoes, veal and some Turkish version of the hot sauce on top.  Keeping true to Leonardo Da Vinci's suggestion regarding simplicity being the ultimate sophistication, Doner Kebab House hits all the right notes with their veal platter.

Awesome Veal Platter.

Inside Doner Kebab House.

Tacos El Asador is a restaurant specializing in Tacos.  It is one of the few non-Korean restaurants in Koreatown.  I went to Tacos El Asador after reading good reviews about their Tacos.  The place is very small with not a whole lot of place to sit, the reason why most people order take out from this place.  I ordered 1 crispy and 1 soft chicken Taco.  The crispy taco was extra crispy with a fresh tortilla shell.  All tacos have a simple construction with salsa, cheeses, lettuce and your choice of meat.  I would prefer a burrito over a taco but at Tacos El Asador i didn't have a problem changing my preference.

Crispy and Soft Chicken Tacos.

Conclusion: As you can imagine i spent more time than i wanted in Toronto.  The city lacks a personal identity in the sense there is nothing specific about Toronto which is true Toronto.  You can mistake yourself for being in New York while walking by all the sky scrapers or you can even mistake it for San Francisco while seeing all the street cars operate on the road.  It is not a city that never sleeps as the streets seem to get empty pretty quick and the trains do stop running at 1:30 a.m. Toronto is a big city with a small city feeling.  Nevertheless it is a city that grows on you  (especially if you have been stuck for 8 weeks and counting) and no matter how hard you try not to like it, you end up liking it.