A Night on the Town

So some exciting news…I got an LTO! That stands for long-term occasional position, aka I am supply teaching in the same class for an extended period of time. I am so excited (and feeling so blessed) to have been given this opportunity, and I am looking forward to planning, getting to know the staff more, and then meeting all my students. That’s already more about my work than I think I’ve ever shared on this blog, but I wanted to share so much because it melds everything that I love in life into one lovely opportunity to nurture creativity.

To celebrate, Kelvin came to pick me up from school and we headed downtown for some yummy food. We made a pit stop first at the relatively new Kingston Olive Oil Co.

In addition to over a dozen types of balsamic vinegar, the store was full of many different types of olive oil. We tried a number of them with the bread samples they provided and ended up getting an infused olive oil – California Garlic – to take home with us. We only had a little taste, but already the aroma was overwhelming. We couldn’t resist!

We wandered around the area a bit longer, then headed to one of our favourite restaurants – Le Chien Noir – for dinner. It can be a bit on the pricier side to eat here, but thanks to a gift certificate from my wonderful co-workers, this meal was on the house!

To start, we ordered one of their daily specials – a swordfish tartare on a bok choy leaf with heirloom carrots and lotus root chips. They were heavenly. We even recommended it to the table beside us! The swordfish had a good weight to it, and it was so fresh and flavourful. The chip added this much needed crunch that just tied everything together.

Because we were feeling particularly adventurous, we each also ordered one single oyster. We were both very hesitant, but after our first oysters, we were sold. We each ended up ordering another one! I discovered I like clean, sweeter oysters. Green Gables for the win!

Our main courses were definitely up to par with the rest of our meal. I had the burger (cooked to medium, as you can only with local meat). Everything came together deliciously and I was happy I made the right choice. Earlier that night, I had a really hard time choosing between the burger and the chicken (fried mac and cheese!!).

Kelvin opted for the boar chop (a smaller portion but great value and the perfect size considering all the other things we had ordered). He loved the flavour and the spatzle and was also thoroughly happy with his meal. The only thing to note was that the apple salsa (?) was a bit spicy.

We’ve been to Le Chien Noir a number of times in the past few months, but this was by far our best experience this year. We still have some money left on our gift card…and we will be back to enjoy more oysters…but this time for 30% off during happy hour.

The Black Hole that is Costco

It is virtually impossible to go to Costco and come out empty-handed.

Pretty much right after we got married, Kelvin and I went to Costco to sign up for our memberships. Since then, we have been going to Costco on a weekly basis. Sometimes we spend a little, sometimes we spend a lot, but always, we leave with something wonderful for our home.

These bowls we actually bought before we got our membership (we went in with some friends…), but we have been using them so much that we wanted to share the goodness with the rest of the world. Kelvin was hesitant to buy them because they were so fruity-looking, but I convinced him otherwise. He has since changed his mind. He uses them all the time.

We love them because the box came with four different bowls that nest into each other for easy storage. The big plus is that they each have lids, which are so handy for transporting the bowls to potlucks and what not. They’re still at Costco for some ridiculously low price (I want to say $19.99). Trust us, they’re a steal.

Fuji Sushi – Another option for AYCE

For the longest time, if we wanted to have all you can eat Japanese food, we had one option and one option only. Sakura at Frontenac Mall. This is no longer the case, thanks to the (relatively) new Fuji Sushi, which has opened up in Cora’s old location in Clocktower Plaza. For under $14, you can fill yourself up with fish and other good things for lunch.

I’ll be honest – my first impression of Fuji was not good. We arrive on a Sunday before 12:00 and waited around for their 12 noon opening. By 12:03, the lights were still off and we were wondering whether to pack up and leave. At 12:05, a car pulls in, and the entire wait staff spills out to “welcome” us in. And by welcome, I meant they silently unlocked the door, went inside, and ignored the fact that we were sitting right by the entrance. Minus 10 points.

We were still in shock from the strange series of events that just occured, but we entered nonetheless and were seated at a booth. Most of the food was not ready yet, our waiter informed us, because they just opened. Okay…Needless to say, we were not impressed.

All that aside, the food is decent and the selection on the menu is not bad for the price. We ordered items from all over the menu – hand rolls, teriyaki, maki, special rolls, tempura – and they came to us fairly quickly once the kitchen was fired up. Definitely better quality than Sakura (we probably will never go there again…) Below are a few shots we took on our first visit. One item that we really did enjoy (that we didn’t snap a picture of) was the mixed vegetables dish. Really good, clean, teppanyaki-ed vegetables. Plus I love zucchini :)

Green tea ice cream with deep fried banana (I am a sucker for deep fried banana)

We forgot to take a picture before devouring these…Spicy salmon (average) and salmon hand roll (good fish:rice ratio)

Tempura with slightly strange batter

Special rolls. The one with mango in it was not bad, but otherwise this cannot compare to Jina.

Again some decent sushi.

So, for those of you craving AYCE in Kingston, please drive the extra few kilometres to Fuji instead of settling with Sakura. It’s at 841 Norwest Road, right by the mall. I promise you will get better food.

And for the record, Jina will forever be our first pick for sushi in Kingston.

Mr. & Mrs. Tang

For the past year, Kelvin and I have been planning our wedding. Finally, this Sunday, June 2, we tied the knot! It was a wonderful time had with our friends and family and we were so happy that the day was bathed in love, laughter, and God’s presence. We drove back to Kingston from Toronto on Monday morning and the transition began. On Tuesday morning, we sat down together and “synced” our moleskine agendas – a ritual that we will be doing every Sunday night from here on in – and last night, we finished off the last of our unpacking and house cleaning. Now, we are looking forward to the process of adjusting to life together as a married couple. Over the next few weeks (or months), we will be doing a series of posts about our planning process, vendors, and all those little details, but for now, here are two photos taken by Kelvin’s cousin.