Chez Piggy

Chez Piggy in Kingston is one of the two most upscale, expensive and gourmet restaurants ( the other one being Le Chien Noir). A friend and I saw on their menu online the CHARCUTERIE PLATE composed of Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio, Abner Sausage, Foie Gras Pâté, Rabbit Rillettes, Beaufort Cheese, Rhubarb Compote and Fig. Having just come back from an exchange in Paris, we were highly pumped about going to a local restaurant in Kingston , ON , Canada and savor and reminisce about Paris. The platter turned out to be more than what we expected. The Rabbit Rillettes and the Foie Gras Pate with Rhubarb Compote drizzling on top were absolute blasts, probably better than some of the places in Paris. The Rabbit Rillettes and the Foie Gras were tender, juicy, moist to the right degree and absolutely original tasting. I always think that the best -tasting food are the ones that are the simplest and most original to the extent that you can clearly distinguish what you are tasting but at the same time, be amazed at the texture and the correct composition. The Carpaccio, sausage and cheese are decent as well. The only problem I had was with the fig which was dry and untasty. Apart from that, everything on that platter mixed very well with our toasted little pieces of bread that came with. Delicious indeed. Then we ordered their special of the night : scallops with Risotto. To be honest, we both agreed that had we stopped at the platter and proceeded with the desert, our dinner experience would have been better. The scallops were fine , but the Risotto tasted not like a conglomerate of creamy rice with some seafood flavor, but hard, hard rice that did not go smoothly on the palate. We both gave up after couple bites. So much for the expensive dish. The desert was decent: French-style chocolate mousse which again tasted original and not too sugary like most of the North American deserts. Deserts should never taste sugary to the extent that they are taking away the flavor of the ingredients that go into them. In fact, some of the best deserts I have had in both Paris and here are  absolutely free of the heavy-sugar, heavy-icing and the additive sweetness . Not as good as the chocolate raspberry ice cream in Grecos but very decent for sure. We also had Sangria to pair with our food which came in nice presentation but tasted just okay. Our appetizer baby spinach salad was quite nice as well, not exactly the most refreshing but you can taste the good olive oil that went on there. 


Special note on the location and the decor of the place. I love the little courtyard you have to go through before entering the restaurant. I could only imagine in the summer when the courtyard will be converted into a dining area and how lovely that would be. However, the decor inside, shall I describe, is horrendous, not fitting at all with the reputation of the restaurant. Upscale? only when you sit down and notice the right hand side of the menu. The decor looks like 18th century Shakespearean  palace (obviously not as big) with a jarring collection of Persian Rugs, depressing art pieces and cheap-looking polygon lamps. In other words, there happens to be no consistent style at all within the restaurant. I have to say that the lay-out of the restaurant is quite beautiful and I regret that the interior decoration overshadows the lay-out in a very bad way. 


I am definitely thinking of buying their award-winning Chez Piggy cookbook. But the problem is I kind of have to find someone to cook with. Cooking for yourself , especially gourmet -cooking, is never too fun if no one enjoys with you over a beautiful glass of wine.

Kingston Sleepless Goat with a note on Toronto Royal York Library Bar

Yesterday I went to the Sleepless Goat situated near the waterfront on Princess Street, Kingston. It is known for being funky, unique and local with its variety of healthy tea selections to beer, wine and specialty coffee. But most famous of all are probably their cakes, made in their own kitchen with exotic ingredients coming out in the form of regular cakes, pies, cheesecakes etc. First time there,  I had their ginger root tea which came in an interesting meshed pouch that allows you to see into what was in the pouch. Last night, I had a great time chilling there with a friend after ditching a hockey game half way. We ordered their after-dinner tea, which i am guessing is supposed to help with digestion (desperately needed with the cakes ensued). We ordered at the beginning a slice of K2, apparently named after a mountain in Switzerland meaning the mountain of chocolate. It was made most of dark choco(my favourite type), dense with different layers, original tasting yet not too heavy. Definitely would recommend. Then, as if our chocolate binging session was not enough, we pursued by ordering a fruity cake to offset the choco heavy intensity. The second slice is called foul, which I guess is understandable based on its appearance. It is basically two layers of pastry with mousse in between. But it was absolutely delicious.Pastry was the right texture, hardness and taste. The mousse had fresh blueberries mixed in with hazelnut cream and other ingredients which i can't name. Overall, its a bit on the sweet side, but nevertheless refreshing, fruity and an explosion of creaminess. It paired perfectly with the pastry at the top and bottom.

Last Monday, I was in Toronto for the day and stayed in Fairmont Royal York. Came back at 11 pm and decided to hit their Library Bar. The bartender there, Mike is absolutely amazing. Apparently, he made into the  Top 10 list by the Toronto Life. He admits that he is more of a house guy and drinks infrequently. But he is highly creative and I guess has some talents with mixing drinks. I ordered a pomegranate and cucumber mojito  which was completely made from fresh pomegranate and cucumber. I thought it would be a weird combination at the beginning, but turned out that the pom flavor with the freshness from the cucumber made an extraordinary pair. Added with fresh mint, the mojito is among the tops I have tried. Then after some interesting exchange of words, Mike decided to let his creativity take away for my second drink. He used  fresh strawberries, drambui , Gin garnished with fresh ginger and shook them into an absolutely delicious Martini. He told me that he is a rocker and a musician who is the front singer for a band called the dirty decibels. Apparently they play in live music bars in Toronto as well.  Just wanted to share my experience that I had a great night in the Royal York and Mike is an amazing person that I would love to go back and have a chat with soon, over couple drinks for sure!

Second Entry

Yesterday went to Grecos located on Princess , Kingston. It is a beautiful spot with a nice mediterrean twist and cozy set-up. There is a bar area where you can also sit and enjoy your food. Usually the restaurant can get filled up pretty easily which is why the first time I went there, I ended up eating at the bar and actually had a nice conversation with the son-in-law of the owner. He claims that his father-in-law, probably 70,80 from what I remember, is still hands-on in the kitchen from making special dips that come with their bread (made of sweet potato, garlic and a variety of other fresh ingredients) to picking and marinating meat. Their Grecos Delicacies are qutie amazing if you want a big upgrade from a typical OPA! chain. Last night, I went there again with a friend and ordered their special of the night, lamb chop. It was supposed to be marinated and slow cooked for the day and cooked with white wine and served with a special sauce. We paired it up with Painter Lodge Red wine from California that the waiter suggested. The lamb shank turned out to be alright, could have been tender and more moist. The part with fat attached to it are absolutely delicious(which is probably true for most things we eat) and it did turn out in the end to be a bit disgusting-looking considering that the fat had been condensing for the entire meal. The wine was a bit on the sweet side, not exactly my type and I didn't feel that it went too well with the meat.  But the dip for the bread is absolutely amazing (for free too) and the desert I had in the end, chocolate raspberry turbulo was gorgeous in plating, or shall I say, cupping, and absolutely mouth-watering. I am personally a dark-choco fan and the rich chocolate with the raspberry in the middle, shaped almost like the cross section of a tongue( not the prettiest image I guess) was a burst of flavor with every bite. I would absolutely recommend it to everyone especially if you are interested in something European tasting ( it is a kind of ice cream, btw, apparently from Italy, but not Gelato, according to the waiter). All in all, it was a satisfying meal, with friendly service and nice environment. Main dish could have been better but everything else was delicious.

First Entry

This is a blog about what I have always loved and wanted to share with the world: the beautiful things in life. From a young age, I have noticed that I have a strong appreciation for arts ,music, food, fashion, or design. Putting outfits together or decorating a house (my parents were adament about having my stamp of approval on every furniture in their place) have always come to me naturally. I can't explain how I do it but I am able to form strong mental pictures of what different piece will look like when they are placed together. I especially have a knack for colors: my favourite combination is nude/neutral but with a pop of vibrant, exotic color at the most appropriate spot. During my 3-month stay in Paris, I got to explore this side of me and realized how happy it can make me feel.  I would go visit museums almost every other day; I managed to see almost all the paintings by one of my favorite painters, Claude Monet, including waiting in line on an icy cold winter day outside the Grand Palais for two hours just to get in. I spent hours wandering around the Louvre area, the Marais, and St. Germain where I would spend time in different independent book stores (English, unfortunately, my French level is way too juvenile). After coming back from Paris, it took me a while to adjust back to the Canadian life: the pop music on the radio station, the uniform streets and stores across cities, and clearly, the North American fashion style (which should blush at the word fashion). I know that there is something in me that wants out , that wants to do something different, to live the life but not live in the same way as I did before. What I found more through my international experience is that I am able now to appreciate things more instead of less. Walking down Princess street of Kingston the other day made me realize that there has been couple fortunate, fun and fruitful changes that happened to the street during the time that I was away and that Kingston maybe is not as boring I have always believed it to be. This is where the blog idea came about: to document some of the fun things, cool people, pretty trinkets that I come across and share it with whoever might come across this page. If not, it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to keep all the treasures to myself.