Best of Queen West, Toronto: Mini Food Tour
The mini food tour I've always wanted to do finally happened last week. Hah! I'm well aware that these are not the healthiest of food choices so before you judge, let me just say, live a little, indulge and have a donut for breakfast because why not?
My food tour began in Parkdale at Glory Hole Doughnuts, at 1596 Queen St. West. We arrived with an empty stomach knowing fully well we wanted to chow down on some fluffy baked goods. GHD carries a small assortment of vegan doughnuts (yay) and their flavours change regularly, so you never know what you're going to get. My fave so far is the vegan lemon pistachio. NOM.
We walked to Kitten & The Bear next, at 1575 Queen Street West, located less than a block away from GHD. I'll never forget the first time I went here because I thought "This is what magic smells like!" Cheesy, I know but I'm sure anyone who's been here will agree with me. If you want the best scones in the city, this is where you get them. One of the owners told me they only use 5 ingredients to make their scones which is pretty awesome. Goes to show simple is best. They're also known for their amazing in-house jam which changes up all of the time. If you're looking to have Tea For Two here, make sure you arrive early because it's a tiny bakery with only 2 tables. Otherwise, just order from their take out menu and have a scone party at home!
A quick car ride down to the Queen West neighbourhood took us to Sud Forno (716 Queen St W) for just in time for lunch. We grabbed sandwiches made with their in-house breads, mine a grilled veggie sandwich with eggplant, zucchini and caramelized onion and Geoff had some salty meat sandwich that contained eggs. If you're there, make sure you grab one of their bombolone - a sweet fried bun filled with nutella or vanilla cream pastry. Make sure you look down while you're waiting for your food because the floor is totally Instagram worth. Gotta love a good #fwis.
What's a food tour without a bit of shopping? We stopped by Kit and Ace, at 779 Queen St W and fell in love with their outdoor patio. I could live here and just pop back into the store to change my outfit, which is kinda what I did because I ended up buying the grey tank you see me wearing here.
Our food tour ended at one of my favourite places in Toronto, Butter Avenue (477 Queen St W, beside Urban Outfitters). For anyone visiting TO for the first time, or anyone who hasn't been yet, you have to go! They make beautiful and sophisticated French macrons, cakes, tarts and marshmallows and in my opinion, they're the best in the city! Even my birthday cake last year was from BA. That's how good they are!
I hope you guys enjoyed my mini food tour and will love these spots as much as I do. There's so much to discover along Queen West and this is only a tiny fraction. Let me know if you have any suggestions for me to check out.
xo, Nathalie
Cottage Style Diary
It's back to reality after going on our week long cottage holiday. My hubby and I stayed at my in-laws beautiful lake view home. We woke up late on most mornings, sunbathed while drinking cocktails on the private beach, and at the end of the night, we watched the shooting stars across the clear night sky. It was exactly what I needed to recharge my creative batteries. Oh, and did I mention we celebrated our 8th year wedding anniversary?! Yay! :)
I only brought up a few pieces on my holiday, like my One Teaspoon cutoffs that are perfect with a bikini top or a cute muscle tee. My designer bags stayed at home and instead I opted for my MBMJ tote bag to carry my laptop, iPad and other necessities. I also packed a couple of bandanas because I can't seem to get enough of them these days and really, I was just too lazy to do my hair.
Now that I'm back home and I'm not fully back into the swing of work life just yet so please forgive my tardiness on getting my next series of fashion posts up on the blog. In the meanwhile, I hope you'll enjoy my cottage style diary.
Sailing With Lacoste
These images are from a series of live-posts from Insta, and I'm blogging a few days after the fact - don't judge. Let's rewind to last Friday when Lacoste took me and 5 other Toronto bloggers sailing on Lake Ontario. Yes, it was as perfect as it sounds!
The Lacoste team had handpicked shoes for each of us based on our personal style so naturally I was thrilled when I got these gold toned court sneakers. (Metallic shoes? Yes please!) I often talk about building my outfits from the ground up, starting with the shoes. My first instinct was to put together an all white ensemble but instead I went for a different kind of nautical. I paired my navy lace-up Tibi shell with a pair of high waisted Jbrand jeans for versatility - sailing in the morning and office in the afternoon. For future wears I can see these kicks going well with black distressed denim and a deep V white t-shirt. Classic.
On the boat we chatted about shoes and got a sneak peak at AW15, which looks both on-trend and comfortable with knee high leather boots and glossy patent leather oxfords. We also got a sneak peak at SS16 which had all of us really excited about what's to come - white high tops, perforated sandals and slip on sneakers. Trust me when I say I want it all! #shoehoarder
xo, Nathalie
Lacoste Sneak Peek: SS2015
Front to back, left to right: Me, Sasha (sosasha.com), Alyssa (randomactsofpastel.com), Deanne (myfashavenue.com) Stephanie (stephaniesterjovski.com), Colby with Lacoste and Jodi (jodiblk.com).
Cruise Life
Just this Friday my hubby (aka, the WoahStyle photographer) and I embarked on a little cruise of Toronto. The boat, you guessed it, Captain Matthew Flinders. We boarded at about dinner hour and by 7pm we were out to sea. Er, I mean lake... Drinks and dinner were served and the DJ played terrible music that had us laughing really hard. I'd recommend the cruise to anyone looking to do something different, anyone celebrating an occasion and of course any tourist visiting the city.
The attire of the night was all about soft pretty colours which is unusual for me but when on a cruise, I may as well dress the part. My high waisted dusty rose Stella McCartney trousers kept me warm at night when the temperature dropped on the boat and I kept the accessories simple by reaching for my nude Givenchy heels and Bambi Antigona pouch, two of my favourites. I should tell you that my Mackage leather jacket wasn't far behind and as soon as the sun went down, the jacket went on.
Thank you to the crew on the Capt. Matthew Flinders for your hospitlaty. We had a wonderful time!
xo
Givenchy Antigona Bambi clutch
Rose Gold iPhone 6+ case, Felony Case
Glasses, Armani
Bracelets, The Peach Box
Cruise c/o Mariposa Cruises
White lace blouse, Mendocino
Trousers, Stella McCartney
Nude sandals, Givenchy shark lock
Old Montreal Travel Diary
You’ll have to excuse my lateness on getting the rest of my Montreal travel diary up. To be completely honest, I threw off my entire blogging schedule while on holiday and it’s been tough to get back to the routine. Here we go!
HOTEL
My hubby and I stayed at the Le Place d’Armes Hôtel & Suites in Old Montreal knowing that was the part of the city we were interested in. The location was superb, right across the street from the Notre-Dame Basilica and within walking distance of some of the best restaurants, cafe's, art galleries and shops - including Ssense and Rooney.
Our room was equipped with a posh bathroom and one of the most comfortable hotel beds I've ever slept in. I usually have a hard time sleeping when I'm not in my own bed but I clunked right out during my stay.
The hotel itself was very clean with friendly staff. Two restaurant bars are located in the hotel, Suite 701 Lounge and Kyo Bar Japonais, but we never got around to visiting either because we were too busy exploring the city. The only annoying part of our stay with Le Place d’Armes was the street construction that had us circling the area in our car in absolute frustration trying to drive up to the hotel. Between the countless one way streets and closed roads, we were on the brink of heading back to Toronto. Their website hadn't mentioned street construction and in my opinion, it's their responsibility to notify their patrons of such things online.
EAT
Pretty much every restaurant I've ever eaten at in Montreal has been amazing, so this visit we felt pretty comfortable with whatever crossed our paths.
MAISON CHRISTIAN FAURE
We headed out to brunch at the much hyped about Olive et Gourmando, just a 5 min walk from our hotel. Much to our dismay the restaurant was closed (Sundays and Mondays) so we walked around the streets in a hungry daze before something caught our eye. We turned onto Place Royale and there it was, Maison Christian Faure, the patisserie I had just been reading about the night before!
At $18/ pp, we enjoyed a brunch that included a latte, pastry, eggs Benedict (or in my case, steamed veggies), fruit salad, and french toast with caramel. It was divine and just uploading these pictures is making me relive one of our fondest food moments on our holiday. Even the decor was as delicious as the food! Yup. I just said that.
LE CARTET
From French posh to Montreal hipster, we brunched at Le Cartet the following day. The vibe was laid back but still put together and I wished so badly that I was a freelance blogger living in Quebec at that moment because Le Cartet would be my makeshift office. Heaven!
Geoff enjoyed a dish of beans, eggs and various meats served on a cast iron skillet while I had the fruit crepe platter served with a side of yogurt and granola (which went to Geoff since I avoid dairy when possible). The food was filling and oh so good and if you're ever there, the freshly squeezed orange juice is a must have!
SHOP
After brunch we headed off to Rooney, a clothing boutique just 10 mins from our hotel. From the most amazing clothes to shoes, accessories, apothecary, magazines and books for both men and women, Rooney is an absolute must visit if you're in the area. I swore to myself (and Geoff!) that I would't be shopping in Montreal but I broke that promise when I saw the most amazing suede leather jacket in the window display.
We had the pleasure of meeting the owners while we visited and they were so friendly and passionate about clothes that I know I'll have to stop by and say hi (aka shop!) on my next visit to Montreal. They currently only have their men's collection on rooneyshop.com, but the women's category is coming soon so stay tuned.
020415 Box of Hearts
If you read my last post on the Butter Avenue spring tasting you'll know that I was lucky enough to sample some amazing off-the-menu and on-the-menu items. To clarify, you won't be seeing savoury waffles in their stores anytime soon, but the Valentine's Day treats are available for special order.
For those who haven't tried Butter Avenue macarons yet I should mention that their patisseries taste even more phenomenal than they look! I'm not just saying that because they've spoilt me with macarons but I honestly mean it. Go try them and let me know what you think! ;)
Thank you again Butter Avenue. Love you guys!! xo
Heart Shaped French Macarons and "All My Heart" cake by Butter Avenue, Toronto
Chanel perfum bottle gold foil print by I See Noise, Vancouver
020315 Butter Avenue Spring Tasting
I want to start this post by saying thank you to Calvin Su and Chef Tina Su, for inviting Geoff and I to a wonderful evening sampling their spring tastings menu. Alongside some other very talented Toronto bloggers and Instagram-ers, we joined Calvin and Chef Tina (siblings in case you're wondering) for some artisan brewed coffee, special savoury waffles and ate one of the most beautiful (limited edition) heart shaped raspberry, lychee cakes ever! It's released especially for Valentines Day btw. I hope you'll enjoy this special behind the scenes post because the magic of Butter Avenue is real and now we love it even more!
xo, Nathalie
Vacuum brewed coffee provides an excellent way to bring out the full flavours of the Vanilla & Chocolate Guatemalan coffee that was served. Each small pot took about about 10 mins to brew but we didn't mind. It was fun to watch and delicious to drink!
Being the only vegetarian there, Chef Tina still made me feel included by serving me a special dish of beautifully marinated veggies to go with the waffles. Everyone else got smoked salmon with raspberry vinaigrette.
To cleanse the palette we were served a Pink Refresher of pink grapefruit and lemon. Sweet and slightly tangy. Yum!
While the whole evening was so fun and special this is kind of where I lost it! Chef Tina assembled the "All My Heart" cake in front of us. Fresh raspberries and lychee filled with raspberry cremeux were gently placed on a cake made of creme d'amande rose and raspberry spirit. A heart shaped macaron tops off the cake that's perfect for two. After the cake was assembled we sat down for a taste and instead of a piece, an entire cake was brought out for each of us to take home! Amazing!
Along with our cakes we all got a "Box of Hearts" French macarons to enjoy for the next day. The box of 6 contains 66% dark chocolate, raspberry and vanilla caramel. It is limited edition and was available for order starting now. I'll be calling Butter Avenue to grab a few of these before they're gone. Oh - and in case you're wondering why you don't see heart shaped macarons often, it's because they're very difficult to make. That just makes them even more desirable and special if you ask me.
For Valentine's Day orders call Butter Avenue directly at their order desk at 647-341-8686.
011415 Behind the Scenes
If you follow my Instagram you'll know that I recently undertook the exciting project of converting one of our spare rooms into my dream space - the walk in closet, or dressing room as I like to call it. It's a project that needs more time and care that I could give it right now but I'm happy where it's going. I have about three bookshelves in the space to house my shoes, handbags and some magazines. You can't see it in the photos but a desk to one side offers a spot for blogging while a small love seat makes the room cozy to hang out in. Oh, and in case you're curious, my hubby really likes the space and in fact, this project was his idea! More pics to come once I complete the space. In the meanwhile, I hope you guys will enjoy my in progress post.
I've repurposed a white bookshelf to house my shoe collection. It keeps me organized since I used to have a terrible habit of leaving my shoes all over the house.
White curtains will replace the floral ones that once belonged in my teenage bedroom.
I'm thinking of replacing the dark (handbag) shelf with a white one to keep the furnishings consistent so that my accessories can stand out more. Don't mind the clutter!
Happy in my new space surrounded by the things I've worked so hard for.
010115 A New Year
I’ve never cared much for New Year’s day until recently.
2013 was a horrible year and it felt like when things were bad, they got worse. My husband and I dealt with a house fire, three car accidents (one which involved a neighbour driving his car into our driveway and hitting our parked car!), job loss and the death of two grandparents. With the approach of the new year I thought, “Fuck it. Shit happens and you have to keep moving forward”.
I was hesitant at first but with the encouragement and support of my hubby and friends, I launched WoahStyle in March 2014 and began blogging. I finally found an outlet for my love of fashion. Aside from my family and friends, fashion is something that has been very important to me my whole life. It’s a way of expression, it’s an art form and it can make a monotonous day more exciting.
The response that I received is like nothing I could have ever expected and the connections I’ve made this year have been truly remarkable. The people I connect with are the ones that inspire me so much more than fashion magazines ever did because they’re real people going after what they want with no boundaries stopping them. I’m also very fortunate to have worked with some amazing brands in 2014 who believe in my personal style and aesthetic as a stylist. Thank you.
For all of the successes that I’ve had this past year, it’s because I know that I’ve worked hard to get there. My ideas never stop and before I have one idea executed and posted, another five are waiting in the queue of my notebook and two more are popping into my head. I guess what I’m trying to say is, work hard and anything is possible in this life. Get out there and make it happen.
Thank you all for helping me make 2014 a great year. I’m looking forward to 2015 and bringing you new and exciting things on WoahStyle and improving my craft as a blogger.
Happy New Year!
xo, Nathalie
