One of my favourite places in Toronto to go for afternoon tea is the King Edward Hotel. A tradition since 1903, the afternoon tea menu changes depending on the season, and the Nutcracker Tea, offered until the end of December, is not to be missed.
From 2:30pm to 5:30pm every day (except December 24, 25 and 26), tea is served at Victoria’s Restaurant in the hotel. The Nutcracker Afternoon tea is CDN $39 per person and offers delicate finger sandwiches, some of which are duck confit and smoked turkey, gorgeous pastries, including the mincemeat crumble tart and finally, my favourite, warm scones served with imported Devonshire cream and homemade strawberry preserves. And of course, there’s the tea. Only in December, you can choose the Nutcracker tea, which is infused with hazelnuts and vanilla or the Gingerbread House tea, a black tea with ginger root, nutmeg, vanilla, licorice, cinnamon and allspice.

Le Royal Méridien King Edward Hotel
37 King Street East
Toronto, Canada
+ 1 416 863 4106

Google map: bit.ly/Sob896
* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Food trucks have become very popular in Toronto over the last year, with over 12 vehicles
located anywhere in the city at any given time. And while they are all the rage, locations are often announced at the last minute.
The best way to find out where any of the city’s gourmet food trucks are located is to visit
www.torontofoodtrucks.ca, or follow the trucks on Twitter via @ontfoodtrucks.
Items served from these trucks are not strictly hamburgers and hotdogs. Options include fish tacos, Southern barbeque, brisket sandwiches, eggplant manicotti, lobster, and empanadas, just to name a few.
There’s lots of ethnic food to be had, including the Blue Donkey Streatery, specializing in
Greek cuisine, with items like souvlaki, gyros, fried calamari and feta fries, all under CDN $10; Gourmet Gringos offers tacos, arepas and homemade empanadas; and Fidel Gastro sells unique items such as the Sloppy Jose: cola braised brisket with home style baked beans and a roasted corn aioli, Sgt. Slather: BBQ pulled pork, guacamole cream and crushed tortilla chips and Cheekita Cheekita: beef cheek with pineapple salsa.

www.torontofoodtrucks.ca

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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When I’m looking to have an extra special brunch, one of my favourite spots is Dessert Trends. Here, the food is made using high quality ingredients and the presentation is just as important as taste. I’ve had everything on the brunch menu, with all items being delicious and memorable.
For meat lovers, the house made fennel and pork sausage with scrambled egg on cornbread, balsamic onion compote and a side salad is sure to please. On days when I’m not so ravenous, I go for the lemon dill scramble which comes with a buttery brioche, smoked salmon and salad. The salade nicoise is also a lovely choice, especially if I’m brunching later in the day; it comes with seared ahi tuna, fingerling potatoes, eggs, olives, anchovies, French beans and a champagne vinaigrette.
The real reason I come here, though, is for the desserts. The master pastry chef, Donald
Duong, is a classically trained French chef who has won numerous awards, having made cakes for the Queen, the Pope, the Canadian Prime Minister and several other dignitaries. The desserts and cakes are all works of art that are as delicious as they are beautiful. Rows and rows of lovely creations line the glass counter: mini cheesecakes, tarts, cakelets, I can never resist them and have also tasted most of these creations. Happily, though, different desserts rotate every few weeks, so I always get to try something new.
If you’re not able to make it for weekend brunch, I recommend visiting this place for a great cup of coffee and a splendid dessert. Afternoon tea is now also being offered in the newly renovated space upstairs, with the mandatory fresh scones, croissants and clotted cream, as well as other delectables, like melon and prosciutto sandwiches, pineapple and watermelon gazpacho, and various petit fours.

Brunch is available on weekends, starting at 10 AM. Please note this place is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

www.desserttrends.ca
154 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON
+1 416 916 8155
Google map: bit.ly/PlGkxo

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Open every day of the week, Tre Mari has been in business since 1960, offering Italian pastries, cookies, and bread, which are baked non-stop throughout the day. The bakery also features a full service hot table with lunch and dinner specials such as pasta, veal, sausage and meatball sandwiches, most plates for less than $10. The barista makes a great coffee, too.
Whenever I visit the bakery, I always follow the same pattern, taking a quick look around the bakery for an interesting find, and then stopping in front of the large display case, admiring the delicious confections. On my last visit, there were cannoli – crispy, light golden shells filled with a smooth and sweet ricotta cheese filling, millefeuille – ever so thin and light pastry layered with thick, creamy custard and icing sugar on top, lobster tails – deep fried pastry goodness in the shape of a lobster tail, and filled with crème fraiche, and chocolate marzipan logs, using a chocolate that is more bitter than sweet, which blends nicely with the almond. On this particular visit, I was torn between the cannoli and the chocolate marzipan, so I bought both. I sat down in the café and ordered an espresso, thick and earthy and not too strong. Pure heaven.
There are other Italian bakeries in the neighbourhood, some of them a bit more high end with fancy espresso machines and tablecloths, but I love Tre Mari for its simplicity and old world charm. There’s something really nice about sitting in this bakery, watching generations from the same family – grannies and grandkids – enjoying food and their time together.

www.tremaribakery.ca
1311 Saint Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Canada
+1 416 654 8960
Google map: bit.ly/GINYVa

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Te Aro is one of those cafes that offers a superb cup of coffee every single time. Whether it’s a latte, Americano, cappuccino, or espresso, I am never disappointed.
I always feel welcome when I come here: the baristas are eager to please and they know
their coffee. Patrons can linger with a paper or laptop for as long as they want. And with little touches like a water pitcher and glasses on each table, magazines, and comfortable chairs, it’s also very inviting.
Saturday mornings are packed with couples, singles, families with small children – this café has high chairs – all enjoying their favourite brew while eating scones or breakfast sandwiches.
Named after a New Zealand suburb, Te Aro is located in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood, a hip spot for shops, galleries and restaurants. Indeed, you can spend hours in this neighbourhood after enjoying a great cup of java.
All coffee is made with beans roasted on-site, and in small batches. Since its inception in 2009, Te Aro has scored top ratings in coffee reviews and is also now available in several cafes and restaurants thoughout the city, but I like getting my coffee at the source.

www.te-aro.ca
983 Queen Street East, Toronto, Canada
+1 877 558 3276
Google map: bit.ly/xiHLnt


* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Most Torontonians love their coffee and donuts and the place to go is Tim Hortons, also known as “Tim’s” or “Timmies”. This chain of restaurants, found every few blocks throughout Toronto and its suburbs, is as Canadian as the maple leaf.
Line-ups in the morning are usually right out the door at most locations, as a decent cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich won’t put a dent in your pocketbook. The coffee is actually quite good, for a fast-food joint, and they have other options besides donuts: tea biscuits, sandwiches, wraps, and soups. The restaurant prides itself on their “always fresh” policy and their coffee is served within 20 minutes of brewing.
Founded in 1964 by a Canadian hockey player, Tim Hortons is Canada’s largest fast food
service with over 3,500 stores in Canada. It also has locations in the US and many Canadian Forces bases, including Kandahar.
The most famous of its donuts are the “Timbits”, donut holes available in various flavours: Dutchie (donut with raisins, covered in a sugary glaze), Honey Dip, Chocolate, Jelly Filled, Glazed, and Apple Fritter.
Donut flavours vary from store to store, and they always have special flavours throughout the year: red glazed donuts for Canada Day and the Strawberry Bloom donut, a bloom-shaped donut, dipped in vanilla fondant with a strawberry filling and topped with strawberry-flavoured sprinkles.
To experience true Canadiana culture, every visitor to Toronto must step into a Tim Horton’s at least once.

www.timhortons.com

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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If, like me, you’re one of those people that loves to check out gourmet grocers when you visit a city, then you must go to Pusateri’s. This place is like a candy store for foodies: the freshest fruits and produce available, including my favourite heirloom tomatoes in the summer and chanterelles in the fall; a meat and deli counter that rivals anything I’ve seen anywhere, their Kobe beef is flown in daily from Japan; a bakery section that contains windows upon windows of decadent, glorious pastries, macarons, tarts, pies, cookies, anything and everything your heart desires; cheeses of every kind, fresh bread, imported delicacies and a variety of prepared foods. There is a small cafe area, where you can sit and watch the world go by - if you’re lucky enough to find a spot. No matter what time of day, this place is always packed.

www.pusateris.com
57 Yorkville Avenue, ON M5R 3V6, Canada
+1 416 785 9100
Google map: bit.ly/kC2m8B

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Located on Ward’s Island, the Rectory is a two-story, stucco residence built in 1948 and originally housed the priest in charge of the nearby island church, St. Andrew-by-the-lake. It has been a restaurant since 2003, offering a gorgeous outdoor patio, among a lovely garden. This is a great place for brunch.

www.therectorycafe.com
102 Lakeshore Ave, Ward's Island
+1 416 203 2152
Google map: bit.ly/lBBhiV

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We went there 18 months ago whilst on a short visit to the city.
Water infused with melon. Loads of different teas to try. The afternoon tea itself was served in a bento box and delicious - share it! Lots of cake and interesting sandwiches too.

The deco was so cool - mish-mash chairs and tablecloths, and china cups. We sat out in the back (old coach) with low seats and a rocking chair.

The staff were so nice and helpful. A real oasis.

696 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON; tel: 416 203 8882;
www.torontolife.com/guide/food/coffee-tea/the-red-tea-box

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