Our premier overwater bungalow with a whirlpool and unobstructed view of Mt Otemanu at St Regis Bora Bora. The entire resort and bungalow was so beautiful and perfect!

View of Bora Bora from the plane. Absolutely stunning!

Days 5 & 6 of our Hawaii adventure in 2016! Please like and subscribe to my channel  :) 

Days 3 & 4 of our Hawaii adventure in 2016! Please like and subscribe to my channel @ExplorewithSK :) 

Name: Majang-Dong Han-u Maeul 마장동 한우 마을
Location: 509-11 Majang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Cuisine: Korean BBQ
Rating: 5/5

Whenever people ask me to list the top must-haves in Korea, the first thing I mention is Korean Han-u beef. I cannot tell them enough how important it is to try it when in Seoul because the experience is incredible! Han-u is a breed of cattle in Korea that is well known for its top quality meat. Han-u is mainly enjoyed by cooking it Korean barbecue style with many side dishes to accompany it. People usually don't use any sauces or spices besides salt because the main focus is on the flavour of the beef.

After trying Han-u at several different restaurants around Seoul, we've found the best place that serves top quality Han-u with impeccable service. Han-u Maeul is a restaurant located within the meat market, also known as Majang-Dong, that serves a wide variety of premium cuts of Han-u (1++ meats are known to be the best quality of Han-u). This restaurant is very popular, and many politicians and celebrities are known to dine here. Since this place can become extremely busy, reservations should be made in advance.

Upon entering, you are taken to your table and they serve you all the side dishes right away. When choosing a meat, you go back to the front desk area where there is a refrigerator containing all the cuts of Han-u in packages with prices, just like at a supermarket. After choosing your meat, you let them know which ones you have chosen and you can start grilling your meat right away.

1++ Han-u Ribeye Steak 꽂등심 (₩40,000)

This ribeye steak is called Flower Marbled Sirloin (Kkot Deungsim 꽂등심) due to the flower pattern of the marbling. This cut is a popular choice among many because of the wonderful fat throughout meat and reasonable prices. When you bite into the beef, you get a gush of delicious juices that has a watery consistency and not greasy at all. It is full of flavour and extremely tender. Simply amazing! For four people, we ordered 3 of the ribeyes which ranged from ₩37,000 to ₩42,000 each (approximately $42-$48 CAD).

1++ Han-u Chuck Flap Tail 살치살 (₩62,000)

This cut of Han-u (Salchisal 살치살) is thinner with tons of marbling which can be quite expensive. For ₩62,000 (~$70 CAD), the pack contained around 6 pieces of meat. This was our favourite cut of Han-u because the intense marbling gave the meat a soft and buttery texture that melted in our mouths. With each bite, there was an explosion of juices! We ended up ordering two of these packs because they were totally worth it.

It's best to cook the Han-u medium rare to get all the delicious juices!

Yukhoe 육회 

Since we ordered a lot of meat, they gave us fresh Yukhoe as service. Yukhoe is a Korean steak tartare served Korean spices and sauces.

Doenjang Jjigae 된장찌개(₩12,000)

After we finished the meat, we ordered Doenjang Jjigae (Soybean paste stew) to end off our incredible meal. The jjigae had pieces of Han-u brisket which was very flavourful and delicious.

Whenever I look back at our food journey in Korea, I could never forget the amazing experiences I've had tasting Korean Han-u beef, especially at this restaurant. It was our second time dining at Han-u Maeul on two different vacations, and they did not disappoint. They provided the best service by always making sure our side dishes were full and that we had a wonderful dining experience. It was also very kind of them to give us Yukhoe on the house. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone looking to try Han-u in Seoul because you are ensured top quality meat with outstanding service.

Name: Flaming Bull
Cuisine: Taiwanese, Asian Fusion
Location: 378 Bloor St. West
Website: www.flamingbull.ca
Rating: 4/5

Flaming Bull is a fusion restaurant that offers their take on Taiwanese dishes that are elevated in taste and style. They're most popular for their beef noodle soup, but there are other great dishes that are worth trying.

I was recently invited by Sweven Media to try Flaming Bull's Halloween dinner menu which will be available starting Friday, October 28th to 31st. The menu is a set course that consists of three appetizers (salad, soup and tacos), main course and dessert.

The interior of the restaurant was modern with a wooden theme throughout the place which was beautiful.

Seafood Salad 

They started us off with a Seafood Salad which contained a variety of seafood including shrimp, octopus, mussels and clams. The vegetables chosen for this dish went well with the seafood and were crispy and light, which was quite refreshing. One thing to note was that the clams were a bit overpowering since it was naturally more stronger in flavour compared to the octopus and shrimp.

Pumpkin Soup 

I always enjoy a hot bowl of soup to warm me up in Fall and this pumpkin soup was perfect for the chilly weather we were having! The soup was very creamy with rich flavours from the pumpkin. 

3 in 1 Tacos: Beef 

We each received a plate that consisted of three different tacos: beef, chicken and pork. The beef taco had a delicious marinade, probably soy sauce based, that was packed with flavour. 

 3 in 1 Tacos: Chicken

The chicken taco was the lighter one out of the three. The chicken was very moist and had a sauce that was light and a bit on the sweeter side. This was also very good.

 3 in 1 Tacos: Pork

The pork taco was definitely my favourite out of the three! The pork marinade and sauce topping reminded me bulgogi (Korean marinated beef) which tasted so good. I liked how they added red cabbage to add texture and balance in flavour. This is a must-have!

Torching the beef for Sichuan style beef noodle 

Sichuan Style Beef Noodle

Beef shank, AAA prime rib, vegetables stewed in
beef stock with Sichuan style broadbean paste.

I really enjoyed the Sichuan Style Beef Noodle soup. The broth was rich in flavour, yet light at the same time. The spices and herbs that were used to make this broth reminded me of Vietnamese Pho, which I absolutely love. The noodles were cooked al dente and they soaked up the soup nicely. I liked how they torched the beef for this soup because it added smokiness to the beef which was very tasty. 

 Beef Fried Rice Teppanyaki

Sliced beef, signature pan fried sauce, vegetables seasoned
with peppers and Himalayan salt served on rice.

  Beef Fried Rice Teppanyaki

The Beef Fried Rice Teppanyaki didn't really stand out to me. Although the concept was nice, it would have been better if they added more sauce and possibly use the marinated beef from the taco for this dish (that would be great!).

 Trick or Treat: Mango Panna Cotta

Homemade panna cotta, mango juice and cranberry

The panna cotta was wonderful! It was very silky and light in flavour, and the mango juice added a nice sweetness to it. Inside the panna cotta was a surprising and fun treat which you'll have to find out for yourself! 

The chocolate fudge dessert was not only looked cute, but tasted very good as well. I liked how the chocolate was rich but not overly sweet. Perfect end to our meal.

Overall, we had a great experience tasting their Halloween dinner menu. It was nice to try a variety of different dishes that were beautifully presented and had a unique twist.


[Although the dishes provided at the tasting were complimentary, all opinions are my own and not the views of the restaurant.]

Here is a video I've put together for my most recent trip to Oahu, Hawaii. All the clips shown are for Days 1 and 2 of our trip. 

If you would like to see it on YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/6NBWNPXlsqQ

Hope you enjoy! =)

Name: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
Location: 56-505 Kamehameha Hwy, Kahuku
Cuisine: Shrimp, Food Truck
Website: http://www.giovannisshrimptruck.com/
Rating: 5/5

A few hours after our first visit to Giovanni's Haleiwa location, we were getting hungry again and so we decided to drop by the Kahuku location to have more shrimp (haha). The shrimp truck was located in a busy area with other food vendors nearby. The parking lot was packed but we were able to find a spot.

There were many people ordering from the truck, but there were many tables and seats to accommodate everyone.

This time around, Kevin ordered the Shrimp Scampi Platter so that he could actually enjoy the shrimp and, boy did he love it! The shrimp tasted just as amazing as the Haleiwa location, showing consistency in both locations. Since we both ordered a platter each again, we were stuffed by the end of our meal.

Overall, I would say both locations served delicious shrimp platters, with both offering quick service and consistent flavours. I highly recommend Giovanni's Shrimp Scampi Platter because it was the best I've ever had!

Name: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
Location: 66-472 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa
Cuisine: Shrimp, Food Truck
Website: http://www.giovannisshrimptruck.com/
Rating: 5/5

I can't believe we missed out on Giovanni's Shrimp Truck the first time we visited Oahu in 2015! Giovanni's is the most raved about shrimp truck in Oahu, with visitors from all over the world stopping by to grab a bite at this popular joint. Currently, there are two locations with the original location in Kahuku and the second in Haleiwa. You can't miss the truck as it is covered in written messages and names from customers that have dined there.

On our second visit to Oahu earlier this year in May, we made it our mission to try Giovanni's at least once. Since we already made plans to visit Kaena Point State Park, we decided to have lunch at Giovanni's after our long and brutal hike (I was dying lol). The closest location was in Haleiwa which wasn't a long drive from the park.

I signed both our names on the side of the truck! If you ever visit this location, find my name! =)

Keeping it simple. Giovanni's menu included three different shrimp platters, a hot dog platter and two sides (rice and macaroni salad). Less is always more!

We were lucky that there weren't many people at the Haleiwa location. We ordered our platters as soon as we got there and found an empty table in front of the truck. The service was fast and efficient, and we got our orders in under 10 minutes.

Hot & Spicy Shrimp Platter ($14)

Covered in Giovanni's award winning hot sauce.

Since Kevin loves spicy food, he ordered their Hot & Spicy Shrimp Platter. They weren't kidding when they said it was very spicy! Although the sauce was good on it's own, Kevin said it overpowered the shrimp and was too hot for him to handle (and he can handle spice). Just looking at this picture again makes my mouth water. 

Scampi Shrimp Platter ($14)

Marinated in olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, lemon/butter and sauteed in a pan.

I ordered their most popular dish, the Scampi Shrimp Platter. The aroma from the garlic and butter was incredible and right away I knew it was going to taste amazing. The shrimp were big and juicy, and it soaked up all the garlic sauce giving it so much flavour, but not overpowering the dish. There were two scoops of rice which went perfectly with the shrimp, soaking up all the delicious sauce. 

I can honestly say that Giovanni's scampi shrimp was the best shrimp I've ever had! Although Kevin didn't enjoy his shrimp as much as I did, it wasn't the end for him. We ended up going to the other Giovanni's location in Kahuku to have their scampi shrimp again, in a span of a few hours (lol)! I will be posting my experience of that location as well.

Name: Scaramouche Restaurant
Location: 1 Benvenuto Pl, Toronto
Cuisine: French
Website: http://www.scaramoucherestaurant.com/
Rating: 4.5/5

It's that time of year again, another birthday celebration and another year older. I used to get excited about my birthday, but now since I'm nearing 30 (turning 29), it kinda scares me! I'm not saying 29 is old, but it surprises me how fast time has gone by. With that said, we should all live each day to the fullest!

Since Kevin is always busy at work on the weekdays, we decided to celebrate my birthday early on a Saturday. He told me to choose whichever restaurant I wanted to try, and so I chose Scaramouche based on the great reviews I read online. Our dinner reservation was at 6:00 PM, which was perfect for great lighting, the essentials for a foodie! If you're wondering about where to park, Scaramouche offers complimentary valet parking, or if you're like Kevin who doesn't want anyone driving his car, street parking is available as well (lol).

Once we arrived at the restaurant, we were seated near the window which had a view of the city.

Basket of bread to start our dinner off. 

Complimentary Amuse-bouche 
Smoked salmon puff pastry

Our server brought us each an amuse-bouche, a smoked salmon puff pastry, which was light and flavourful. It was a nice treat before our meals.

We each ordered a glass of Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon ($15) which went perfectly with our meal.

 Yellowfin Tuna Tartare ($24)
Soy marinade, avocado purée, radish, jicama, crème frâiche and finger lime.
Squid ink tempura crumbs and fresh coriander.

With a stunning presentation, this appetizer boasted elegance and exquisite flavours. All the unique elements on this dish brought different textures and tastes, which worked well together. The tuna was light in flavour and not overpowered by the soy marinade. The radish, jicama, coriander and finger lime added a refreshing touch. The avocado purée and crème frâiche were both light and creamy with distinct flavours. And the squid ink tempura crumbs balanced the dish out with a delicious, crunchy texture. 

Cavatelli ($22)

This appetizer was a part of their specials of the day which included cavatelli pasta and an assortment of vegetables. The pasta and vegetables were cooked al dente and had light and tangy flavours from the sauce. I personally enjoyed this dish while Kevin wasn't a fan because there were too many vegetables and no meat (haha).

Sautéed greens ($9)

A side of greens to share with our entrees.

 Lamb ($48)
Rack with crispy mustard crust. Swiss chard, pickled curry cherry tomatoes and carrot purée. 

Spicy eggplant relish and toasted walnut bread crumbs. Natural jus.

Kevin ordered the lamb and I was able to try some. The lamb was delicious and juicy, with quite a strong curry flavour on the crust. Kevin said his dish was good, but he didn't like how there were too many flavours going on at once and would have preferred a simpler dish with less sauce.

 Grilled Filet Mignon ($49) 

Triple ‘A’ Ontario beef. Mushrooms, sliced shallot, haricot vert and
crispy pressed potato tossed in parsley garlic butter. Bordelaise sauce.

I ordered the Grilled Filet Mignon cooked medium rare which came out pre-sliced into three pieces. The steak was cooked beautifully and was very tender. The Bordelaise sauce was smooth and rich in flavour, which went perfectly with the steak.

Since we had movie reservations later on in the night, we decided to go for dessert near the theatre. Overall, we had a wonderful dining experience at Scaramouche, from their fantastic service to their aesthetically pleasing dishes. I would love to go back again and try other delicious menu items!