Swiss Chalet - Pearson Airport Toronto

The news suggested any travelers heading to the airport today to expect delays due to heavy traffic as people going home early for Halloween celebration. What a typical media exaggeration it was! We rushed ourselves to leave the hotel and skipped breakfast just to find out that there was hardly any traffic on the road. So we arrived at the airport six hours early! Ouch!


Even the check-in counter was not open. So we had to drag around our suitcases everywhere.
As we walked around, we finally found eatery called 'Swiss Chalet'. We immediately imagine a nice cheesy meals, potato rosti or even fresh baked bread. So we went in.
We soon realised that we may have just made a big mistake. We noticed a strong and horrible musty smell of old, stained carpet and fabric on the seats and grease that has been accumulated over years. 


Oh well.. let's hold our breath, eat and go. Which exactly what we did. We quickly ordered eggs benedict, western omelette, a cup of tea and coffee. They were all delivered within less than ten minutes. Impressive speedy service.

The food were surprisingly good for a greasy spoon. Full of cheap fat, but no excessive salt was used. We would have enjoyed it more, had we were not put off by the unpleasant odor. 
Other thing that we found also surprising was the fact we had a breakfast and dessert served on one plate! Beside the chips and toast, we found a packet of strawberry jam. Interesting! We never had that before. We did not try it though. We did not think strawberry jam would go nicely with ham and cheese omelette somehow..  


Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill
Pearson International Airport Terminal 3 - Toronto

Le Saint Tropez Toronto

The best of France under one roof. The restaurant's motto that we were not too sure about. 
We were interested to dine at this restaurant as we walked pass the theatre area at King Street West. The restaurant looked busy and buzzing with the locals. There must be something special about this place.
As we got in, we were seated on one out of the last two tables available. Just in time. 

Nice atmosphere, we found. A little bit small but cozy. The table was tiny and we kept getting bumped into by the waiting staff passing by either side, but we did not mind. 


Minutes later we were given the brunch menu. Errm.. Could we have a proper lunch menu please? A question that popped out in our heads immediately. But apparently that was the actual menu. Ok.. Let's not get too bothered about it. 


We chose steamed mussels with white wine, garlic sauce and spinach and a plate of house cognac pate with crostini. The mussels were almost perfect. We could taste fresh mussels right away, but the sauce was blend. All we could taste from it was the a trace of salt. No wine, no shallots (we found chopped onions on the sauce, but no flavour), no garlic, no parsley and too little creme fraiche. The cognac pate had no hint of cognac. Again, only a trace of salt. We were not sure it was home made. 

Continue from there we had a portion of grilled salmon with tomato basil salsa, rice and seasonal vegetable and a plate of Toulouse sausages in a mustard sauce served with mashed potato instead of frites. Oh My Goodness, they were so salty! We thought we have eliminated the possibility of excess use of salt on french fries by replacing it with mashed potato. It did work. But we could not get away from the sausages. So salty we could not finish it. Honestly, Toulouse sausages sold at Carrefour would taste ten times better. So bad even the mustard sauce failed to disguise it. The salmon was ok, but since it was drenched in salty seafood sauce, it became horrible. We passed our complaints to the waiter, he was very apologetic which we did appreciate, but at the end of the day, nothing could be corrected though. Unless they change to ingredients that does not have high content of salt. It means fresh produce. 

As we were supposedly sitting at french restaurant having a fine dining experience, we would not end our meal without a cheese platter. The waiter informed us that they did not have a great selection of cheese, so he recommended deep fried brie served with fresh apple slice. So we went for that. Yet again we got disappointed. Their idea of deep  fried brie were frozen cheese fingers out of a package. At the end, the profiterole and creme brulee were the only two things that were accepted to our taste. 

Maybe this was a canadian thing that we were not used to or maybe we were spoilt by the real stuff???


Le Saint Tropez
King Street West 315 Toronto
+1 416 591 3600
www.lesainttropez.com

Rowley's Restaurant London

An old establishment with an ability to retain the quality for years that deserves two thumbs up (or more)! Traditional english food that never fail to comfort just anybody, either busy businessmen, stopping by shoppers or tourists who really want to get the taste of real english food. 


On our last visit to London, we popped in to Rowley's to have a quick lunch. We went for grilled corn-fed chicken breast with herb butter sauce and chips (of course!) and Lancaster sausage, mashed potato and gravy. Perfect to fill the tummy before we continue to shop!

Reserve a table before your visit is highly recommended.


Rowley's Restaurant
113 Jermyn Street, London
+44 20 7 930 2707
www.rowleys.co.uk

Fountain Lounge at Grand Hyatt Jakarta

Wether you fancy an afternoon tea, meeting friends and business associates or simply needing to unwind after a long day at work, Fountain Lounge is the place for you. It has great selection of irresistible cakes, finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones ready to accompany slowly infused loose leaf tea that will be prepared in such delicate way while the trio musicians playing classical numbers. 

In the evening, the classical music will be replaced by more exciting music by a group of talented singers and musicians from the Philippine ready to entertain everybody. You can make a request too!


Grand Hyatt Jakarta
Jalan MH Thamrin Kav 28-30 Jakarta
+62 21 2992 1234
www.jakarta.grand.hyatt.com

Sumire Japanese Restaurant at Grand Hyatt Jakarta

We have been to this restaurant several times in the past. We found out recently that they actually have a Kushiyaki counter. We had to try it and we did.
Few steps from the entrance we walked through an alley where we saw private dining rooms complete with tatami. Very authentic japanese deco, but sitting on the hard surface floor was not exactly our idea of fun so we continue walking until we got to the Kushiyaki counter. Similar to Teppanyaki counter with slightly higher chairs and the cooking area was covered in see through glass. So we were still able to watch the chef preparing our diner without getting the heat. Great!

We ordered the mix set menu, consisted of grilled seafood and red meat, selection of sashimi followed with salad and miso soup plus fresh fruit at the end. On top of that, we had a bowl of beef udon curry soup! Just to show how hungry we were. Not forgetting ice cold sake to go with every dish. We were in heaven! We enjoyed every part of the meal.

What we liked about this restaurant was the fact that the chef were very accommodating. We fancied fresh lobster but we were not too keen about how they serve it according to the menu. So we simply asked the chef it to cook it to our liking. They were more than happy to do it for us and turned out delicious as expected!


So impressed with the meal we had on previous day, we went there again. Though this time we chose to dine at the main dining area. We fancied having something completely different this time. Lunch box with gindara in teriyaki sauce sounded very interesting. We were right, it has everything that we wanted for at the right portion too! Perfect! Ideal lunch option for anybody with a limited lunch break.

Sumire at Grand Hyatt Jakarta
Jalan MH Thamrin Kav 28-30 Jakarta
+62 21 2992 1234
www.jakarta.grand.hyatt.com 

Millenium Hilton Hotel Bangkok

We were very fortunate to have visited Bangkok before the recent flood. We had a lovely time there although the heat really got in to us. For accommodation, our choice went to Hilton Millennium. Reasonably new hotel that has great view of Chao Praya River and has several restaurants at the premises. Very important aspect for us considering how much we love our food :)

Great choice of hotel indeed. We were welcomed by the hotel staff as soon as we reached the exit door, assisted us with the luggage and directed us to the car. Nice and comfortable BMW 5 series plus very informative driver made our over half an hour journey from the airport to the hotel enjoyable. 


The arrival at the hotel was not as smooth as the we would have expected though. As soon as we got out of the car, we were left alone. Naturally assumed that as Hilton Honors member we should check in at the designated area, we took a seat at the lounge that has huge sign for Hilton Honors and check-in desk hoping somebody would assisted. Ten minutes later somebody finally came. Not a very happy looking female staff checked us in at the end, gave us the keys and showed us where the lifts were. 


We made it to the suite at last. Extremely exhausted and still suffering from jet lag, we were happy to find our suite was clean, fresh and spacious. It came with fresh flowers, a bowl of tropical fruit and bottled water, nice little touch. The view was also great, as described on the website.

After we got ourselves cleaned up, we decided to have room service. We ordered fried rice with pineapple and some sushi. They were delivered within about half an hour and looked rather attractive. They tasted very good too!!

The next morning we decided to take a tour around Bangkok. We started with a visit to Royal Palace then Railway Market and ended at Floating Market. The heat was unbearable but the trip was well worth it. We got back to the hotel just in time before diner. Quick shower then we went up to the Yuen Chinese Restaurant. We got a nice table in the booth. The food was lovely, but too bad that the restaurant was very quiet so the staff started to hover around our table and rushing the service.

At the other occasion, we went to the posher restaurant at the hotel called Prime steakhouse. Different to their Thai speciality restaurant, Maya, Prime actually gave a nice feeling as soon as we entered the restaurant. Open plan, well decorated and well laid out dining place. It came with good size tables covered with white linen table cloths, comfortable chairs and fresh flower. Staffs were friendly too. Impressive.

We chose a table with the view of the river and started going through their menu on iPad. Yes, an iPad. We did not get an ordinary menu book, but we got an iPad. Pretty cool! 


Two hours gone by and we have devoured foie gras, tasty steak tartar made at the table and finished by chocolate souffle! A perfect sweet ending to our evening. 


If you enjoy a good steak and good selection of wine, try this restaurant and share your experience with us!


Millennium Hilton Hotel Bangkok
123 Charoennakorn Road, Klongsan, Bangkok, Thailand 10600
+66 2 442 2000
www.bangkok.hilton.com

Traders Bar and Grill at Sheraton Centre Toronto

After over a week staying in Toronto, observed the surrounding and the local habits we came to a conclusion there were three things that play a big part in Canadian society. Steak/Grill, Starbucks and Salt. Steak/ Grill and Starbucks you will find anywhere you go and salt you will find in most food. 


One example of salty meal was at Traders. A casual eatery and bar where we had our snack. We went for a portion of mild chicken wings to share to start with. The chicken were juicy indeed, but they were soaked in salt! So salty, they made our eyes water! Well.. we thought it was a one off thing (maybe the chef accidentally put too much salt), but we were wrong. Our next dishes, fish and chips and cobb salad with salmon confirmed it all. The chips were covered in salt! Well.. the salmon in cobb salad was not too bad, but it was salty enough that we did not find necessary to drizzle the dressing to season the whole plate of green salad. We literally finished a bottle of Pinot Grigio from Niagara plus three bottles of 750 ml each of Perrier to get rid of the thirst through the meal. Wowww!! We never went through so much liquid in such a quick meal before. 

Enough with salty food, we thought of sharing a cheese cake. Well.. it arrived looking rather attractive, but we were certain it was not made fresh. 

We tried the nachos too! It was super salty. That got us to realise, it must be the trick so people drink more at the bar. Certainly worked on us. 
One other thing about the bar at Traders was one particular barman. He was rudely refused to serve us drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink) at 19.40! His excuse was he wanted to close the till. Yet he served other guys next to us. He had no problem serving us before though. Not a very pleasant experience. We would not come back to that bar again!!


Sheraton Centre 
123 Queen Street West - Toronto
+1 416 361 1000
www.sheratontoronto.com

Fisherman's Wharf Toronto

This is the restaurant that we have longed to visit! What made it even better was the location. Only few steps from our hotel and the main shopping area downtown Toronto. Perfect!


The exterior of the restaurant may not look very inviting, it gives you the uncertainty feeling wether the restaurant is actually open for business. But, do not get put off by it, if you are there by noon between Monday to Friday, push the door and let yourself in, the staff await you.


The restaurant is not very big, indeed. But it is warm, cosy and decorated accordingly makes you feel welcomed. Friendly and very informative waiters are there at your disposal too.

So, to begin our seafood dining adventure we started with the oysters, of course! What a great choice, as they turned out very fresh and sweet. So impressed we had a dozen each! Not forgetting the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand to accompany those lovely oysters.

Once we were done with the starter, we continue to have the triple treat. Combination of crab cakes, shrimp tempura and lobster spring roll. Ideal choice if you are stuck with the large selection of dishes on the menu, not knowing which one you to order.

At this point we were already feeling full. But we just could not resist to try the main courses. We went for a plate of deep fried calamari and lobster fettuccine. For that, we chose a bottle of French Poully Fuisse. Great dishes complimented by great wine. But the portions were just too big, as we have to spare some space for desserts. 
A small suggestion from us beside the portion, the pasta should be served with a little less sauce. It should not come out runny or overflowed by the sauce. But, other than that, the whole meal was simply delightful.


To finish, we chose classic vanilla creme brulee and tiramisu. Creme brulee was made very well but they could have added a bit more Kahlua on the tiramisu. Still good though!


Fisherman's Wharf
69 Richmond Street West - Toronto
+1 416 - 364 - 1344
www.fishermanswharf-toronto.com

Marriot Niagara Falls Hotel Fallsview and Spa

After visiting hustling and bustling Toronto we thought why not spend a couple of days in a quieter surrounding like Niagara Falls. It will give us a chance to rest up while mesmerizing the beauty of natural wonder of the world.  We checked out potential places to stay and we came across to Marriott Niagara Falls Hotel Fallsview and Spa. We were under the impression that this hotel has the best view of the falls. So we booked the two-night package at their presidential suite! This should be quite an experience for us! We could not wait to be wow-ed.

After an hour and a half on the road, we arrived at Marriott. We found the entrance and the overall view of the lobby did not represent a five star hotel that we had in mind. We started to get funny felling about the whole set up, especially when we noticed that the staffs at the front desk were looked unhappy and not very welcoming. On top of that, our suite was not ready by the time we checked in. Not a good start. But anyways, no point moaning about it, we went to get ourselves a light lunch at Terrapin Grille. The meal was like something we get from local deli to go, fortunately, the local Pinot Grigio from Niagara helped to wash down the house salad and greasy grilled salmon. Afterward, we checked out the desserts menu. They were not very exciting either, so we ordered cheese platter instead. It came out as a combination of three cheeses in chunks with old grapes, strawberries and crackers. We found out on the last day of our stay, that the cheeses we had, were left over from breakfast buffet. In which we could not figure out was it today's breakfast or yesterday's or the day before yesterday??

Luckily, the view of the falls succeed to distract our observation towards the food that was served. 

Before making our way to the suite we popped in to the bar to have a couple of drinks. The staffs were friendly for a change, but again the whole set up of the bar looked something out of the 80's and very badly maintained.  Hygiene obviously was not the main subject here. Quite strange for a hotel business not to maintain certain standards. Such ashamed.

Now is the time to discover our Presidential Suite on the 23^rd floor that was claimed to have the best view of the falls. The disappointments continue as soon as we entered. The suite looked very antiquated overall. It was quite shocking really, since the hotel is only 14 years old. We hate to imagine how the standard room looked like. We found few light bulbs were blown here and there. No fresh flower, fruits or greeting card or even cushions on the sofa as pictured on the website. What we got instead were artificial flowers that were covered in dust and carton cups to have coffee or tea next to the wet pantry. Which raised a question, what is the point of having the wet pantry if you only use carton cups? 

Overall, the only positive parts about the suite were the bed and the scenery, when the weather is good, of course. Otherwise, all you get is an obscured view of the falls. So, check out the weather forecast before you plan your visit!

In one afternoon, we had a rather unfriendly weather, so we stayed in. We ordered a plate of nachos to nibble while watching the telly. It came out in a rather generous portion for what we paid for. Then we discover, the nachos was extremely salty and greasy. It was served in an old and burnt metal tray that was poorly disguised with baking paper. So salty it gave us an extreme thirst afterwards. Aha.. we just realised that we have not raided the mini bar. Well.. we soon realised the reason why as there was nothing to be raided. Only four cans of beer in there. So we went for tea in a carton cup instead.

The falls is marvelous, but do research for a better hotel before your stay in Niagara. We would not recommend this particular Marriot hotel simply because of poor service, poor quality of food, antiquated furnishing overall and not a very good value for money even on their special two-night special offer. Stay away from the buffet breakfast if you are health conscious. The hot food were greasy, scrambled egg was made out of powdered eggs, croissants that were hollow and undercooked, fruits were old plus cakes that you can taste it was made with artificial sugar because it leaves a bitter taste at the end. You decide!

6740 Fallsview Boulevard
Niagara Falls, ON L2G 3W6
+1 (905) 357 - 7300
www.niagarafallsmarriott.com

Annona Restaurant at Park Hyatt Toronto - Canada

On the way to find our room at the first night of our stay at Park Hyatt, we saw this lovely restaurant. We checked out their menu and we were so happy to know that the restaurant is basically open all day, they just have different menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And they serve fresh oysters! Our favourite!

We decided to have lunch there the next day. We were given a nice table by the window. There were quite few people around, gave a nice ambiance to the place. Comfortable chairs and good size table with plain white table cloth. Perfect. But we were a bit surprised to read brunch menu as it was Saturday. We checked the time and it was actually ten minutes before twelve noon. So we thought we were too early. Not a big deal, we would not mind to wait a little bit. Passed twelve noon, we asked for their lunch menu. But apparently the brunch menu is their lunch menu. How odd, we thought. We were expecting their normal lunch menu with normal meals and oysters, not scrambled eggs and sandwiches. Luckily the restaurant manager came to assist us and ordered fresh oysters from their kitchen.

About twenty minutes later, came our fresh oysters. They looked rather sad, to be honest. The colour of shells turned a bit yellow and very little meat in them. None of the oysters were off though (Thank God!)

It just because of they were so small, a dozen of them literally went within two minutes! We ordered another dozen. When they arrived, they looked just as sad. We would not dare to order some more, we turned to a portion of crab cake each. That was very nice. Very tasty, freshly made crab cakes served with watercress salad with balsamic dressing. Perfect combination. We had it with Canadian Pinot Gris from Niagara. They went down very well.

As time progressing, we noticed that the restaurant staffs were getting ready for afternoon tea. Finding ourselves still able to manage few finger sandwiches, we ordered one afternoon tea to share. Our loose leaf Earl Grey tea arrived first, then a plate of savouries followed by scones and mini cakes. Not too bad considering. But it would have been better had the scones served with fresh clotted cream and home made strawberry jam instead of something out of a pot that it was so runny and we could hardly taste any strawberry in it. 

Have not even finished the cakes and tea, one of the waiters dropped us the bill. We refused politely. We thought it was incorrect, considering this is a restaurant not an English pub where you pay when you put your order. We would ask for the bill when we are ready. Not long after, we decided to sign the bill (that was left purposely behind us) and we left. No thank you and no good bye from the staff. Made us wonder has the service industry gone completely in western society? Yet during our stay in Asia recently we found the hotel and restaurant staff where we have stayed sincerely could not do enough for us. Which one would you prefer??

On the second morning of our stay, we purposely starting the day early because we wanted to try the breakfast menu. We chose a portion of eggs benedict and canadian three eggs omelette. They both turned out delicious! Followed by a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of tea, then we were set to beat Toronto freezing morning. 

Impressed with our first breakfast, we went for another the following morning. This time we tried the west coast three eggs omelette and traditional english breakfast. The omelette was as good as the canadian, but the english traditional was slightly disappointing. The sausage was a bit greasy and the poached eggs were cold when they arrived on the table. Never mind, we cannot expect everything to turn out perfect every single time. At least, we had a healthy breakfast to start the day.

Park Hyatt Toronto - Canada

Toronto has long list of hotels located at the city centre. But, our choice went to Park Hyatt. And no kidding, the hotel is only few steps away from the famous Bloor Street West with its endless array of branded boutiques! Great shopping destination!

Alternatively, when the weather is not too friendly, you can visit the Royal Ontario Museum. That is literally around the corner of the hotel. It is apparently the largest museum of world cultures and natural history in Canada!

Location wise, we found the Park Hyatt was ideal to our need. We just wished that the rests of the hotel would be as impressive. After over 25 hours of traveling in which 20 hours of it was flying, and the rest was waiting at the airport and half an hour or so in the taxi, we finally made it to the reception desk. It was around 9PM. Check-in was quick and efficient. Though as first time visitors and extremely exhausted, we were expecting to be escorted to the room and shown around facilities in the hotel or offered some assistance would be nice. Nothing happened. Never mind, maybe it is not their custom to do so. Few minutes later we found our Park Deluxe King room on the 12th floor. Good size room, bathroom was ok, though it would have been better had they have separate shower and bath, but overall, it was clean and fresh. 

We noticed the lack in personal touch straight away, such as flower, a bowl of fruit or even a greeting card. Nor tea and coffee making facilities were made available too.

Not long after, came the porter to drop off our suitcases. Or to be precise, he dumped our suitcases on the floor. 

We knew how service industry works in most places we have visited. We can consider ourselves to be quite generous to people who provided us with service and assistance. But to grab tip, then dumped the suitcases to us that was an insult. Unfortunately we were too tired to even try to say something.

The next morning, we popped in to concierge desk to find out transport arrangement to go to Niagara Falls. Finding the concierge was occupied with other customers, we waited patiently. Tired of standing waiting for our turn over ten minutes while they were chatting away, we found ourselves some chairs that were clearly visible by concierge. About five minutes later and still being ignored, we left. Luckily when we got back to the hotel, the concierge was free and dealt with our requirement quickly. 

During our three days stay at the hotel we have tried their restaurant 'Annona' that was average, Morton’s Steak House that was rather expensive but above the average and the Roof Lounge that was small, loud and over crowded though, it has a great view of Toronto and the famous CN Tower. 

Overall, Park Hyatt is still a nice hotel in a great location that offers a comfortable accommodation, but do not come with high expectation of excellent service as you will be disappointed. Stay at the hotel but have fun somewhere else.

Park Hyatt Toronto

4 Avenue Road

Toronto - Ontario - M5R 2E8 - Canada

Phone: +1 416 925 1234

www.parktoronto.hyatt.com

Bocconi Restaurant at Hotel Amigo - Brussels - Belgium

Claimed as one of the finest Italian restaurant in town. Well, at the beginning we could not agree more. But the quality has gone down hill since they changed the chef about two years ago. The waiting staff also changed.  We have noticed new faces running the restaurant. They also either busy chatting among themselves or disappear into the kitchen. Especially past 2.30 PM – end of the service hour, they cannot wait to send you away. Such ashamed really, they have the finest location – just few steps from Grand Place, a must visit place for tourists, the restaurant should be full during lunch and diner. Yet they cannot be bothered to maintain the quality of food they offer. 

Bocconi Restaurant at Hotel Amigo
Rue l'Amigo 1 - Brussels 1000
+32 2 547 47 15
www.ristorantebocconi.com