The Charcoal Ice Cream Cone: iHalo Krunch

Nana and I went to a trip to Toronto and one of the must-go places on our list was iHaloKrunch. While we admit it may be a bit overhyped, we still think it was definitely worth the trip there!

iHaloKrunch makes their waffle cones in-store, so it smells amazing when you walk in. The special part is that the waffle cones are BLACK. The secret ingredient? Activated charcoal.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We think we lined up for almost 45 minutes? It wasn’t too bad. The store is actually really small, and can only fit around 12 people at a time, and therefore the line-up spilt all the way outside. We thought it was really nice that they put out signs to let their customers know not to block the entrances of the other stores next to them (not the one shown above).

While we were bored, we entertained ourselves with the cute pug sitting on the bench!

P8192429.JPG

WE FINALLY MADE IT IN! See what I mean by how small it is??

P8192432.JPG

They have other ice cream and sorbet options too. Though the flavours were quite standard and we came to Toronto to try more adventurous stuff hehe. E.g. They had mint chocolate chip, strawberry, chocolate etc. (Looked really yummy though).

While standing in line I had the hardest time deciding what flavour to get (I wanted to try everythinggggg). We were debating: matcha with charcoal, ube (taro) with charcoal, matcha with vanilla? Luckily more and more people left the shop with this 3 flavour combo which we couldn’t resist getting ourselves. Ube, charcoal and matcha!

P8192434.JPG

Now, the matcha isn’t really the usual matcha that has its depth and bit of bitterness to it. It’s more of a sweet green tea flavour. As for the ube (taro), it reminds me of the artificial taro powder used in bubble teas. Though that’s understandable as it’s really hard to get that nice purple along with a strong taste from the taro alone. As for the charcoal flavour… hm can’t quite put a finger on it to describe the taste! Like.. roasted black sesame? But it’s not as fragrant. They did infuse some coconut flavour in it though!

Our favourite part of the soft serve has to be the cone. It is very addicting! We love how the cones are made in-store. However the soft serve melted REALLY fast and although they did try to put in some marshmallow fluff at the bottom of the cone, the ice cream still dripped through :'(. We had to devour the ice cream as fast as possible at a nearby park across the street!!

P8192431.JPG

Anyways, if you’re in Toronto, this is a must-try! Yummy yummy in my tummy. Though don’t be like us in trying to take a minute to snap some photos of it as it melts extremely fast!

-Love

MishNa

Follow us on our latest adventures through our instagram page!

Day 2 Harmony of the Seas Cruise Trip

Day 2 we decided to try out the breakfast in bed. We were really tired and all I can remember is Nancy answering a call and moments later opening the door… some guy walked in. I think I looked around. Half confused… And then Nancy mumbled something and turned off the lights and we went back to bed. :’D

IMG_5966

The strawberries weren’t sweet… neither was the watermelon. We had a theory that they saved the sweetest fruit for the VIPs haha. Oh! And they had lactose-free milk option for Nancy which is absolutely awesome!

PSSSST. We actually went to the gym on this day! Even ran on the track that is half inside the deck and outside! It was so nicee.

IMG_5968

LUNCH at the Solarium❗ This was a buffet place, but did I do a good job in presentation? 😀 Just kidding… not really hehe.

My favourite from this plate was…the fish (you must get the lemon slice, makes it taste much better) and the curry!
IMG_5969

This was my second plate (I won’t show you the other plates… things got a bit messy after that :p). After being on the ship and eating unhealthily I really appreciate being able to have fruits and vegetables everyday!

Next stop was taking pictures at Central park! It had beautiful flowers, Shrek walking around, and lovely live guitar playing in the background. Notice how I was still kind of pale… be prepared for the next days… I tan so easily.

IMG_5994

We finally waited till our reservation time at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant! We’ve been watching and reading about Jamie Oliver and was so excited to try this out.

It was a tight fit inside and the place soon quickly filled up.

Here’s the menu for you (actually for me to remember what I ate). Once again we learnt we could order as much as we like… ain’t no stopping us now.

IMG_6004

They started us off with this bread platter with your usual balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing on the side.

IMG_6010

Next came the cured meat platter. Perfect for sharing (a little too much for us).  Our favourites were the prosciutto & schiacciata piccante.

IMG_6016

 

img_6019.jpg

Sorry for the quality of the photos. I didn’t have my camera yet!

The caper berry provides a piquant flavour that really helped us get through that meat platter.

IMG_6005

Nancy’s prosciutto and melon is by far my favourite out of the appetizers everyone got. (Or maybe I had too much meat and cheeses that my taste buds needed something sweet). Though a definite recommend, it’s a nice light appetizer to start off.

IMG_6009

Justin got the tomato and ricotta bruschetta. He said this tasted really good. I’m sorry I’m not much help since I’m not a big fan of raw tomatoes. I know. Heartbreaking. Sorry :(. Though I love everything else that uses tomatoes!

IMG_6022

I got the crispy squid! I’m not sure why I love chewing on tentacles hmm but this was really good. The mayo had some paprika, though I felt the paprika was used more of a decorative reasoning than for flavour.

IMG_6025

Mmmm yummy. I’m actually really lucky that my friends are always the best and save the tentacles for me :3

IMG_6026

Nancy got the truffle tagliatelle (see a trend here? haha). The black truffle produces such a deep flavour. However, with the cream and all the meat and cheese and deep-fried food we had, it really made it hard to fully enjoy and finish this dish. (Yeah yeah we should’ve ordered less is what you’re probably thinking right? :p) Plus the noodles seemed unevenly cooked or perhaps cooled so that certain edges were tough.

IMG_6030

I think Brenton ordered this. Can’t remember how he enjoyed this but I shall update later!

IMG_6035

I got the dry-aged rib eye steak. Bit uneven cooking when cut into but still tender (obviously). For those who haven’t tried dry-aged beef, essentially the collagen is broken down and you’re left with a tender piece of meat. The taste is like a blend of gamey and beefiness (is that even a word?!).

IMG_6043

Look at the juices! Oh boy.

IMG_6037

Justin ordered the risotto caprese. This was by far the most disappointing dish. It didn’t live up to its “cream[iness]”. The rice was hard and just ruined the dish.

IMG_6040

Luckily Justin’s lam chops scottadita made up for it. This is the second best lamb chops I’ve ever tasted! I’m not a big fan of lamb due to the gamey taste but there was none to be found! I can’t imagine the effort they went into making this.

IMG_6041

This was our first time trying polenta and it was so salty. Unbelievably salty.

IMG_6044

This was also so salty and oily that I needed to cradle it in my hands to take a picture. We think this was broccolini (mix between broccoli and gai lan).

And that puts an end…. wait, we forgot about dessert. Crap.

IMG_6045

While on the ship you’ll have these photographers that will come around to take your pictures. This guy was especially enthusiastic (in taking Nancy’s picture huehue).

IMG_6046

The “Can we eat yet Michelle” look.

 

IMG_6047

This was a super rich brownie.

IMG_6048IMG_6049

IMG_0112

I have no words for dessert because it was a blur due to how full we all were. All I can remember is trying to pawn off which pieces we would eat to try to put a dent in it. When the server told us he had a surprise for us, we certainly didn’t imagine this!

IMG_6054

After such a big meal we needed to walk it off. here’s a view from the top! The Jamie Oliver restaurant is the glowing red sign at the bottom left corner.

IMG_6055

We booked a show to end off the night! The aqua theatre!

IMG_6070

The guy tricked us into thinking he was going to jump into the water from that height :(.

All I can think about was feeling really full and falling asleep to a movie at night….

Stay tuned weeeee.

 

-Love Mish.

 

3. Ikki Izakaya (I)

My overall score: 3.8/5
Nancy’s overall score: 3.8/5
Lydia’s overall score: 3.3/5

Ordered:
             -Takowasabi ($4.50)

   -Tuna Tartar ($10.99)

   -Motsuni Stew ($8.75)

   -TK Udon ($13.00)

   -Ultimate Shrimp Roll (We switched out the sake for some green tea. $15.00)

   -Crispy Spicy Tuna ($15.00)

GUESS WHAT. THIS PLACE HAS A GIANT MOSTU-DON FOOD CHALLENGE (Really tempting lol. If you finish within 45 minutes, you receive a free T-shirt and you don’t pay! The price is $50 in case you were wondering :p. Anyways this place is awesome for just a nice day of drinking with friends and some snacks. Not as much as a place to fill you up though!

Presentation:                    4.5/5
Very cute, simple presentation for the food. I love how they used many different types of bowls, and ways to present the food.

Health:                                  3.7/5
They had a quite a bit of vegetarian dishes than I see in some Japanese places. There were corn croquettes, tofu dishes, etc.

ikki izakaya 4

Look at the sake and alcohol!

Atmosphere/location: 4/5
Location is conveniently on Jasper Avenue, but once again the main problem lies in parking. We parked in a neighbourhood and walked over hehe.
The atmosphere was very cozy, dim lighting, love the decor and how they showcased the alcohol. It was pretty small (won’t seat many people) but that’s how Izakayas usually are! Very clean too eee :3

Cost:                                  3.4/5
It wasn’t very filling, but it is definitely meant for a drinking and light snacks place! But it would be considered bit pricey for the proportions we got. Hurray for friends to split bills :p

ikki izakaya 10

Takowasabi!!

Taste:                                3.8/5
Takowasabi: It wasn’t too chewy, and I felt it was a good ratio of wasabi and raw octopus :o. I liked wrapping it in the seaweed and having a cucumber before taking the next bite! Wish there was more though…

ikki izakaya 18

Tuna tar tar! Avocado, crisp apples at the bottom!

Tuna Tartar: It was just a fun dish: some crunch, softness of tuna and avocado, and sweetness of crisp apples. It was hard to spoon it onto the spring roll chips :/. Feel bad for making a bit of a mess… waitress spent a bit cleaning that basket thingy woops >w<

Motsuni Stew: This was yummy! This is basically pork innards, it was very soft! The stew had a bit of a bitter aftertaste like drinking ginseng soup. But I love it, reminds me of home cooking :3. Wish there was more of it haha…

ikki izakaya 24

TK Udon: inari tofu, green onions, fried onions

TK Udon: A very light wakame broth, with some pieces of fried onions that give a bit of flavour…it’s a very simple dish, but for the size and taste, it’s definitely not worth the $13… I could get a full bowl of ramen for that price.

ikki izakaya 29

Ultimate shrimp roll: shrimp, tempura shrimp, tobiko, avocado

Ultimate Shrimp Roll: I think it’s one of their better tasting rolls… It’s not something out of this world, but there’s sweetness from the sauce, and who can go wrong with tempura shrimp in the center? Don’t really notice the avocado though.

Crispy Spicy TunaVery soft on the inside. There wasn’t much flavour unless you really like heat and eat it with the jalapeno and the siracha sauce on the side~

I’m picky about the ginger served with dishes, it was odd tasting. I think they didn’t use as young ginger to make it~

Service:                              3.5/5
They were nice and friendly, the rolls took a while to make even though the store only had another couple along with us.


Peace out~

ikki izakaya 30

Girl’s Night out~

-Love Mish.

Go back

Your message has been sent

Warning
Warning
Warning
Warning

Warning.