Toronto Day 3

For my last day in Toronto, Heather and I (#steaknfrenchfries) met up with her boyfriend, Chris, for brunch in Toronto's Distillery District. 

It was my first time exploring this historic neighbourhood, and I COULD NOT wait to get goin'!!! 

YIPEE!!

The Distillery District is absolutely gorgeous. Once the largest distillery in the world, it was redeveloped in the early 2000s and is now chock full of cute little cafés, trendy restaurants, art galleries and shops. 

The streets are "pedestrian only" and are made of traditional brick. Cute red-bricked factories with green windows and doors line the streets. The architecture speaks to a Victorian Industrial era, with pops of modern steel-silhouettes along the way. Twinkle lights flicker in the trees beside an old rusted-out truck. Walking around the Distillery District almost makes me feel like I've gone back in time. 

For brunch, we headed to El Catrin, an authentic Mexican restaurant. 

Can you say, Te-quil-aaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!  

Would ya just look at these two love birds??!!

We arrived a bit early, so we sat and chatted on the patio, huddled by the fire. 

And then at the strike of 11am, we were the first ones to be let in. 

The decor was IMPRESSIVE to say the least! 

I couldn't stop taking it all in.

SO MANY PRETTY COLOURS! 

There was a towering wall of hauntingly-beautiful hand painted skulls in the back. 

Giant black chandeliers dangled dangerously above us.

An astonishingly vibrant mexican mural enveloped the back wall with traditional fabric pillows beneath it. It took 3 Mexican artists 100 days to create the mural, and it is absolutely breathtaking! The ceiling and walls were raw with old wooden beams and exposed brick.

If restaurants look like this in Mexico, get me there!

We started with some bevvies! 

Heather and I both had this mexican-orangey flavoured coffee that I vaguely remember being made in a frying pan. I really wish I could remember what it was called, I can't find it anywhere! 

Apparently you're not supposed to drink it with milk, but we both did. Oops! 

I also had a watermelon marguerita. 

El Catrin has Canada's largest mescal and tequila bar, with over 120 different labels. I HAD to try one!  

I ordered my go-to all time favourite when I go out for brunch, Huevos Rancheros. 

If I'm being honest with myself, it was just alright. 

That being said, I'd have to come back at dinner time and try out the rest of the menu. 

But by the looks of things, El Catrin has a great cocktail menu and a huge heated patio.

On the 3rd Saturday of every month El Catrin hosts 'Mayahuel Nights', with guest DJs, drinks, and dancing until 2am. 

I'd definitely like to come back and check it out another time!

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering in and out of shops, eating cotton candy, and napping until it was time for me to head back home. 

Thanks for having me, Toronto!  

See you again soon :) 

Toronto Day 2

My second day in Toronto started off lazily. 

Heather and I slept in, made some breakky, and dilly dallied around her apartment while we got ready to start our day. 

All dressed and ready to go, we hit up Bloor Street W for some serious shappin'. I picked up two pairs of legging jeans that I am seriously OBSESSED with I want them in every colour!!! I'm not even just saying this, I literally hate wearing jeans they are neither comfy nor flattering and rarely fit my body, but these babies are magical!! If you're smaller at the waist and have a voluptuous bottom-half like myself, give them a try, they definitely surprised me!  

A few hours later, feeling tired and famished, we were in need of some re-fueling. So we did what any reasonable human being would do, we brunched! 

We went to Wish, one of Heather's favourite spots in Toronto. I've seen it on her Instagram a few times now and have been dying to go. 

Before even going inside, I had already fallen in love. LOOK. AT. THESE. WELLIES. They were lined up out front. How could you not fall in love???!!! 

God these booties are just so adorable I can't even stand it!!!!! 

But that wasn't the end of it. 

We slowly made our way inside through a couple of creaky, swinging doors, and what I saw next left me in complete awe. 

Guys, I've finally come home. 

I think this must be what heaven looks like.  

The decor inside Wish completely BLEW MY MIND!!! I don't think I've ever seen anything so perfect!!!! It was so shabby chic and rustic: clear trendy chairs paired with worn wooden tables, white everywhere with soft pastel hues, pillows galore and antique glass dangling from the ceiling. 

Wish restaurant is my spirit animal. 

We started off with some bubbles (boozy brunches are the best brunches!). 

Then ordered our mains. 

Heather got the arugula salad, and I the PLT (like a BLT, but with peameal bacon instead!). 

Everything was absolutely delicious.

We went in with the intention of having a "light" meal, but I ended up cleaning my plate!  

Service was a little slow, but I didn't mind! I was too busy basking in the glory of my surroundings. I can't wait to have a home/cottage/office/bathroom/life that looks like this one day.

Next, Heather was up to go grab some dessert. 

I, was not. 

"Heather, I caaaaan't. There's no more room...." 

After a little convincing, she talked me into it. After all, I AIN'T NO QUITTER! 

She took me to The Red Bench, a frozen yogurt and cookie bar.  

There's a real red bench outside and everything!

The Red Bench is a neat little place, where your cookies are custom baked right on the spot! Just pick your dough and two mixin's, and a few minutes later your cookies appear fresh from the oven! 

Let us all take a moment to imagine how delicious this little nook smells.... perfection. As soon as you walk in, the aroma of freshly baked cookies wafts in the air. Thankfully, this heavenly fragrance was enough to snap me out of my brunch coma and I was able to get my head back in the game. 

I ordered peanut butter cookies, with m&ms and toffee bits. 

The kind sir behind the counter mixed them all up.

Popped them in the oven. 

And shortly thereafter my cookies arrived piping hot in a brown paper bag! 

I'm glad Heather talked me into this one. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around downtown (we both picked up matching converse sneakers, hehe) and by the time we got home it was time to get ready for our dinner reservation. 

Our dinner destination was Weslodge, a "casually refined saloon".... hmmmm....  

The lighting inside wasn't great for photos (we ate in darkness) but the decor was very interesting! Weird portraits of medieval women holding pet ferrets and taxidermic animals dawned the walls.... creepy-cool. The crowd was young and buzzing, something I miss living in Ottawa! As weird as a "casually refined saloon" sounds, I can't think of another way to describe Weslodge!    

For a main we both ordered the orange cider braised short rib. Despite being a relatively small serving, the meat fell right off the bone and melted in your mouth. We both found that there wasn't at all a hint of orange, which we kind of expected, but it didn't really matter. We were pleased!

We finished the night with wine and dessert at another restaurant we accidentally discovered along the way (the giant wall of wine at Cibo Wine Bar lured us in like a coupla moths to a flame!), and then finally made our way home laughing and happy. 

What a great day of shopping and food. 

I love Toronto!