Ourfaves.com faves feed: m8ven's latest faves

m8ven's fave soup and wrap place is at Ravi Soup

m8ven — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:51:47 GMT

m8ven's fave soup and wrap place is at Ravi Soup because It's a narrow space that's often packed with hungry people at its peak hours, but the wait in line is worth it for one of Ravi's soups or wraps that he makes himself. There's even a dish called Ravi Stew, with ingredients that change according to whatever Ravi himself decides on a whim. The portions are extremely filling, and one wrap at Ravi's is equivalent to two wraps anywhere else. I also love the impressionist mural that resembles a sunset in its patio at the back.

m8ven's fave commuter art is at TTC Light Rail Transit (LRT), eastbound

m8ven — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:54:28 GMT

m8ven's fave commuter art is at TTC Light Rail Transit (LRT), eastbound because On dreary days, looking outside the window at brightly coloured graffiti art along the brick buildings piques anyone's interest and you can't help but admire the intricate detail that these artists must have put into their work.

m8ven's fave Filipino cuisine is at Barrio Fiesta

m8ven — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:55:34 GMT

m8ven's fave Filipino cuisine is at Barrio Fiesta because If my grandmothers or parents can't make it, this place is the next best thing. I like buying their snacks like ube (translated to mean "purple yam" in tagalog) and their hot meals like sinigang (a traditional stew with spinach, eggplant, and meat or fish). If you plan to eat in, they've got tables and an area where you can watch a filipino channel/movie. This place also doubles as a filipino food grocery store.

m8ven's fave chocolate chip ice cream is at Laura Secord

m8ven — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:17:52 GMT

m8ven's fave chocolate chip ice cream is at Laura Secord because Those Canadian Heritage commercials are a lie: Laura Secord went on mission to warn the British troops that the Americans were going to steal a top-secret chocolate chip ice cream recipe (fridges were another secret invention back then). Lt. Fitzgibbon was like, 'Oh, hell no!' and so they kicked Yankee ass, with much-needed help from the Natives, who also enjoyed the flavour. This is why Laura Secord's chocolate chip ice cream is much more crunchier today than Baskin Robbins'.

m8ven's fave place to buy theatre tickets at half-price is at Yonge-Dundas Square

m8ven — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:46:14 GMT

m8ven's fave place to buy theatre tickets at half-price is at Yonge-Dundas Square because There's a special booth where you can buy tickets for half-price for certain shows, like Evil Dead The Musical, Spamalot and Dirty Dancing. We paid $35 each for $70 seats, whatta bargain! BUT you must attend the show the day of purchase, and when you make your transaction, you receive vouchers (not tickets) that reserve your seats. Then you exchange these vouchers at the theatre/venue for real tickets.

m8ven's fave secret passage to avoid wind and/or rain is at York University

m8ven — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:36:33 GMT

m8ven's fave secret passage to avoid wind and/or rain is at York University because You can travel from Central Square all the way to the Chemistry Building by following a path through their basements. Explore it for yourself and this is the order you should find: Central Square's basement leads to Computer Science Bldg, then Steacie Science Library, then Petrie, then Chemistry. You'll feel a little like a lab rat, but you'll be better than the suckers above-ground!

m8ven's fave designer pumps for wide-width feet is at Winners

m8ven — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:29:38 GMT

m8ven's fave designer pumps for wide-width feet is at Winners because I am very picky when it comes to finding the perfect shoe that looks and feels good, one that I can wear for more than a couple of hours. So, I found the brand Elie Tahari, which fits the arches of my feet perfectly and makes me feel like Cinderella. I can only find them at Winners, and apparently, the only other places to find them is Holt Renfrew's (yeah, right) and Bloomingdale's (which is based in the U.S.).

m8ven's fave creepy, haunted urban legend is at Old Finch Road, near Morningside Road

m8ven — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:10:08 GMT

m8ven's fave creepy, haunted urban legend is at Old Finch Road, near Morningside Road because They say that there was a girl who haunts a bridge on Old Finch Road where she was raped and murdered, although there are many different versions of how she died. The stretch of pavement is made creepier because the further you drive down Old Finch Road from Scarborough towards Ajax, all you see are fields and farmland and nothing else to save you from the ghosts!

m8ven's fave java chip frappucino is at Starbucks Coffee Co

m8ven — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:57:26 GMT

m8ven's fave java chip frappucino is at Starbucks Coffee Co because Yes, diabetes runs in my family. Yes, this icy goodness has chunks of chocolate blended with espresso, topped with whipped cream and MORE chocolate syrup. Don't judge me.

m8ven's fave area for wedding dress gawking is at DANFORTH AND BROADVIEW

m8ven — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:50:59 GMT

m8ven's fave area for wedding dress gawking is at DANFORTH AND BROADVIEW because I hope my bf doesn't panic if he reads this, but c'mon, I have to admit that I like admiring wedding dresses. Danforth has a lot of small, lovely boutiques with eye-catching display windows.

m8ven's fave artsy building to explore is at 401 Richmond

m8ven — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:46:56 GMT

m8ven's fave artsy building to explore is at 401 Richmond because I wanted to show off the fancy rooftop patio to my friend and we ended up walking all around the building on EACH FLOOR marvelling at the artwork on the walls and the variety of businesses that are based there. Sure, we looked pretty sketchy (like we're casing the joint), but who cares? You get to see photographic essays and paper -mâché wolf masks and discover offices that house cool film festivals (like ImagineNATIVE and Reel Asian) and magazines (like THIS and C Magazine).

m8ven's fave Best City Short Cut! is at O'Connor Road

m8ven — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:18:30 GMT

m8ven's fave Best City Short Cut! is at O'Connor Road because If you're coming from the east-end, as in Morningside/Neilson/Markham and 401: take sidestreets like Milner and Progress and head west until you hit Kennedy. Then you go south on Kennedy till you hit Eglinton. Head west on Eg until you see a sign for O'Connor Road and follow it. O'Connor takes you west all the way downtown and turns into Broadview Ave., which intersects with Danforth/Bloor. It sounds lengthy, but it's a cruise compared to the congestion on 401 and DVP/Hwy 404.

m8ven's fave $15 burger and fries combo is at The Spoke Club

m8ven — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:04:02 GMT

m8ven's fave $15 burger and fries combo is at The Spoke Club because It's funny because this private club/venue would probably keel over at the thought of having "combos" on their pretentious menus, but it was honestly the best burger and fries I'd ever tasted. The fries (or pomme frites) are light, crispy and not-oily while the burger patty was made from "9 oz. House Ground 'Wellington County' Beef." It didn't need to be overwhelmed with toppings, just lettuce, tomato and onion. So, rich people aren't better than the rest of us . . . it's just their food.

m8ven's fave ice cream experience is at Sweet Fantasies

m8ven — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:45:10 GMT

m8ven's fave ice cream experience is at Sweet Fantasies because Located in the Annex on busy Bloor, it's refreshing both for its fare and its nostalgic feel. Go back to the days when a smiling face hands out your fave ice cream flavours (cash only) from a windowsill while happy, bubbly music plays overhead. On the small patio at its front, plenty of patrons young and old alike chat on the wooden picnic benches. They recently added organic ice cream to their menu. How sweet it is!

m8ven's fave Scarborough sushi joint is at Ni Ji Sushi

m8ven — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:20:18 GMT

m8ven's fave Scarborough sushi joint is at Ni Ji Sushi because it's hidden away at Midland and Ellesmere in Scarborough, but word of mouth has made this place very popular. Not only do you have great service, but there are always complementary appetizers provided as well -- edamame, mackarel, and seaweed with hot sauce.

m8ven's fave Spicy salmon maki is at Ni Ji Sushi

m8ven — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:06:12 GMT

m8ven's fave Spicy salmon maki is at Ni Ji Sushi because The pieces themselves are huge, but it's the spicy, pulverized salmon topping that punches you in the mouth.

m8ven's fave hidden computers to write essays at YorkU is at Scott Library, 133 Central Square

m8ven — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:48:39 GMT

m8ven's fave hidden computers to write essays at YorkU is at Scott Library, 133 Central Square because This happens a lot: you visit every computer lab imaginable, and all the slots are full or they don't have MS Word. There's another place where you can access computers in Scott on the library's second floor (across the bathrooms!) that is usually either open or has a shorter lineup. There's also a printer station.

m8ven's fave late-night chicken shawarma at YorkU is at York Lanes Mall

m8ven — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:26:15 GMT

m8ven's fave late-night chicken shawarma at YorkU is at York Lanes Mall because When working late production nights for the campus paper, I often found myself wandering in Falafel Hut Village around 12am-ish and their staff will always have a friendly smile on their faces. Their chicken may be microwaved, but when they wrap it up and put it together with extra hot sauce, it is dee-lish!

m8ven's fave TTC station design is at Museum Station

m8ven — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:17:27 GMT

m8ven's fave TTC station design is at Museum Station because Compared to other dingy or rundown looking subway stations, I'm glad that we have this to light up an otherwise miserable commute. It's also one of those little things that makes Toronto worthier of its reputation as a city of arts and culture.

m8ven's fave Escargots in black bean sauce is at Hua Sang Seafood Restaurant

m8ven — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:54:33 GMT

m8ven's fave Escargots in black bean sauce is at Hua Sang Seafood Restaurant because Beware: if you want to eat this delicious dish, you need to dig in with your hands. Servers provide you with long, oversized toothpicks/wooden skewers to pick out the snail. But the real star of the meal is the sauce, which has a hint of spice.