Day 28: Iberian Ham de Bellota from St.Lawrence Market

Let's put the price of this meat in perspective: I can get organic chicken for $4/lb. I can get chorizo sausage for $3/lb, and pork tenderloin for $2/lb. If I got out on a limb, I'll get a filet mignon for $15/lb. I used to be in the food business - I carried the most expensive item on almost all of my clients' deli counters. They would retail my product for around $17/lb.

How much is Iberian Ham de Bellota? I paid over $600 per pound ($611 to be exact, but what's a few dollars between friend and butcher)!!! Sure, I might have been ripped off, but keep in mind that until 2007, it wasn't even available in the US. So as I got my hands on some, I'm not really complaining.

What are my thoughts?

The first thing you notice is how incredibly oily it is. The whole piece of meat glimmers almost like it's made from fine Italian marble. You also notice the marbling of the meat,with large rivers of fat running through it. The smell... unequivocally pork.

Now when you put it in your mouth, the texture hits you - it is almost buttery. If you have been so fortunate as to have experienced tuna belly, then you'll recognize that the texture is pretty close to that. Enter the flavour - a very rich bone soup floats on the tongue and inner cheek, followed by a finale of warm sea salt.

I'll be honest, I got weak knees, and man did that feel good. Today, recall, is Day 28 of my quest, and as I started to lose hope that I would ever come close to my quintessential food, my morale has been revived - I think Iberian ham makes the short list.

I have gotten one step closer, and take a deep breath, hope revived, and ready for more. I continue down the road - it will be a long journey, but one that must be made.

On Iberian Ham de Bellota:

Jamón ibérico, Iberian ham, also called pata negra, is a type of cured ham produced mostly in Spain, but also in some Portuguese regions where it is called presunto ibérico. It is at least 75% black Iberian pig, also called pata negra (literally, black leg). According to Spain's Denominación de Origen rules on food products, the jamón ibérico may be made from cross-bred pigs as long as they are at least 75% ibérico.

Immediately after weaning, the piglets are fattened on barley and maize for several weeks. The pigs are then allowed to roam in pasture and oak groves to feed naturally on grass, herbs, acorns, and roots, until the slaughtering time approaches. At that point the diet may be strictly limited to acorns for the best quality jamón ibérico, or may be a mix of acorns and commercial feed for lesser qualities.

The hams from the slaughtered pigs are salted and left to begin drying for two weeks, after which they are rinsed and left to dry for another four to six weeks. The curing process then takes at least twelve months, although some producers cure their jamones ibéricos for up to 48 months.

The hams are labeled according to the pigs' diet, with an acorn diet being most desirable:

The finest jamón ibérico is called jamón ibérico de bellota (acorn). The exercise and the diet has a significant impact on the flavor of the meat; the ham is cured for 36 months.

Day 27: Maple Bock Strong Beer from Trafalgar Ales and Meads

Well, I know that fruit beers are all the rage (or at least they used to be), but when you taste this maple syrup brewed beer, you have to think to yourself, "what the heck were these guys thinking".

It's way too sweet, and drinking a dark coloured beer flavoured with maple syrup tricks the mind into thinking that you just poured yourself a glass of Aunt Jemima. It's also way under carbonated, so it resembles a drink that's been sitting in the fridge overnight.

The aftertaste is a bit like angostura bitters, which is better suited for gin than BEER. And the bottle cost me almost as much as a good Belgian, so not even good value.

It says on the label that it was brewed with pure maple syrup, but I have a feeling that they snuck in some maple bark... you know... just for good measure.

On Trafalgar Ales & Meads (from company website)

The Trafalgar Brewing Company (TBC) was founded by Mike and Nancy Arnold and George Hengstman in August 1993. For ten years TBC steadily built a reputation as a craft brewery specializing in uniquely brewed small batches of beer. In 2003, with the hugely successful introduction of three flavors of Mead to the Ontario market, TBC changed to Trafalgar Ales & Meads and is now recognized as one of Ontario’s most progressive small breweries. Trafalgar continues to maintain an excellent reputation for quality assurance, extraordinary beers and technical innovation.

Day 26: Celeriac (aka "Celery Root")

Celeriac is something that I have seen so many times at Loblaw, and was curious about. It's this knobbly looking vegetable, lots of dirt on it, and pretty scary looking. When you cut it, it really does smell like celery.

Melody made a soup out of it - basically, celeriac, celery, chicken stock, and whipping cream and a bit of salt and water. To prepare the celeriac, cut off the roots, and then peel it like you would a potato. It was nice... basically it's like a potato with celery flavour!

On Celeriac:

Celeriac is also known as celery root, turnip-rooted celery or knob celery. It is a kind of celery, grown as a root vegetable for its large and bulbous hypocotyl rather than for its stem and leaves.

Celeriac may be used raw or cooked.Celeriac has a celery flavour, and is often used as a flavouring in soups and stews; it can also be used on its own, usually mashed, or used in casseroles, gratins and baked dishes. It can be roasted like a potato, giving it a crispy edge.

Celeriac is not as widely used as some other root vegetables, perhaps because it is harder to prepare and clean. Like other root vegetables celeriac is pretty good at taking on the flavors of the dishes in which it is used as an ingredient. For example it can be hard to discern from a potato or a parsnip in a dish such as osso bucco.

Day 25: Sichuan Peppercorns

I know... the picture is a peanut. But I received this gift from a friend, and the most prominent flavour in here was the sichuan peppercorn. If you've enjoyed Szechuan food, you've probably had these little peppercorns that are slightly licoricey in flavour, but completely numbs your mouth if you accidentally eat one. Despite its name, it actually isn't related to pepper, but is rather the outer shell of a tiny fruit.

I've seen them used on a fish dish, which was absolutely divine inside a hot oil! Here, on peanuts, they really make your mouth tingle. On top of the sichuan peppercorns are chili peppers which just up the heat.

You can get these little peanuts from T&T

On Sichuan Peppercorns From wikipedia:

Sichuan pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or pungent like black or white pepper, or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth (caused by its 3% of hydroxy-alpha-sanshool) that sets the stage for hot spices. According to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking, second edition, p429 they are not simply pungent; "they produce a strange tingling, buzzing, numbing sensation that is something like the effect of carbonated drinks or of a mild electrical current (touching the terminals of a nine-volt battery to the tongue).

Sichuan pepper (or Szechuan pepper) is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum (most commonly Z. piperitum, Z. simulans, and Z. schinifolium), widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. Despite the name, it is not related to black pepper or to chili peppers. It is widely used in the cuisine of Sichuan, China, from which it takes its name, as well as Tibetan, Bhutanese, Nepalese, Japanese, Konkani, and Toba Batak cuisines, among others.

It is a close relative of the African spice, uzazi.

Day 24: Chinotto Soft Drink

Yes, I am searching for the quintessential food in a pop can. But this one of my all-time favourite drinks. I'm still baffled why they don't serve it at more restaurants. If they want something in a prettier can, they always could choose the San Pellegrino "Chinotto". They always have San Pellegrino "Limonata" and "Araciata"... why not Chinotto? Almost every time I ask a waiter, they always tell me, "I know... I know exactly what you're talking about and I love it too, but I don't know why they don't stock it"

Brio is a chinotto drink, and apparently on the ingredient list, it has quinine (also used in tonic water... it used to be an anti-malaria treatment). It's slightly bitter, and for some reason, it tastes so much better when drank from a straw. It could be just me!

Brio, I believe, is the Canadian version of Chinotto, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

From wikipedia:

The chinotto is a small, bitter citrus fruit that grows on the chinotto tree, which is also called the "myrtle-leaved orange tree".

The chinotto fruit is an essential flavor component of most Italian bitters (i.e., amari) and of the popular Campari aperitif. Its name is derived from China, where the tree was thought to have originated.

Chinotto soda dates back to the 1950s, and is produced in Italy by several small producers. It is predominantly consumed in Italy and Malta.

Day 23: Falafel from Paramount

Paramount is a great lebanese eatery on Yonge just north of Queen. One of the stars of my meal was this falafel... crackly on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. If a falafel is fresh, that's 80% of the work done!

Day 22: Shrimp Won Ton at House of Gourmet

Undoubtedly, one of the best wonton you'll find in Toronto is at House of Gourmet at Spadina and Dundas. Their secret (or not so secret, as they make them right in front of the street through a window) is that the wonton is fresh, not frozen. They make them right there in massive batches, by hand, and cook them, which means the prawns are fresher, they cook more evenly (vs. if they are cooked from frozen), the wonton wrapper skin is lighter in texture, and of the course, the flavour is more intense. Of course, you can only do this if you have enough volume and this place is always packed. The price is great too. The bowl in the picture has fish balls and egg noodles and is a little over $5-$6 (before tax).

Day 21: Halo Halo Ice Cream from Casa Manila

Halo Halo is a Filipino dessert which quite translates to 'mix mix' as you are given taro ice cream, with toppings on the side, and you mix them together yourself (if you see in the pictures, one is pre- and one is post-mixing. You can see why you have to mix it yourself. You would never want to be presented with the grey mush). Typical toppings include condensed milk, kidney beans, garbanzos, sugar palm fruit (kaong), coconut sport (macapuno), plantains caramelized in sugar, jackfruit (langkâ), gulaman, tapioca/sago, and even flan! So delicious. But so sweet and the serving is enormous, so it's definitely shareable. Amazing stuff!

Day 20: Capers from Renoir

Capers are a truly decadent treat. Crunchy, briny, flowery, and if you think listen carefully enough, you hear just a faint breeze of the ocean in every morsel. And so it is no surprise that these little treats go so well with seafood... a common application of these is on top of smoked salmon, the saltiness of both complementing each other. You'll also see it as a flavouring ingredient in tomato sauces, and is a key ingredient in the familiar tartar sauce.

This bottle of Renoir Non pareilles (i.e. the smallest, and also typically the most expensive) cost me a little over $2.00 including tax, and the flavour was underwhelming. All in all, I would have to try them side-by-side with another brand to be more critical. What I should try is the caper in a salt which some say is superior to those in brine (such as the one featured in this article)

The following is a paragraph from wikipedia on capers:

"Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, is a perennial winter-deciduous species that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. A caper is also the pickled bud of this plant. They are picked, then pickled in salt, or a salt and vinegar solution, or drained. Intense flavor is developed, as mustard oil (glucocapparin) is released from each caper bud. Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: Non-pareil (up to 7 mm), surfines (7–8 mm), capucines (8–9 mm), capotes (9–11 mm), fines (11–13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm).If the caper bud is not picked, it flowers and produces a fruit called a caperberry."

Day 19: Grappa Wine from Poli Distillery

Grappa is one of those after meal drinks from my investment banking days which I never would have because unlike the partners, I always had to go back to work after meals. But I decided to give it a try the other night to see what all the fuss is about.

Certainly this is an acquired taste, but I can see how it can be immensely refreshing after a large meal, the same way peppermint tea helps you digest your food.

I found the odour familiar, like pine wood - somewhat reminiscent of the times when my parents were building the cottage. The colour was brownish-yellow.

The taste was stronger than I expected, the texture disguising itself as syrupy, and it hit me with a vengeance, but when I finally came to and my mouth was conditioned to the flavour, I came to taste the peppermint and cinnamon, and and aftertaste like a very light cognac. Again, a bit of an acquired taste.

A little background on grappa from wikipedia:

Grappa is an alcoholic beverage, a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy that contains 35%–60% alcohol of Italian origin

Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (i.e., the pomace) left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. It was originally made to prevent waste by using these leftovers. A similar drink, known as acquavite d'uva, is made by distilling whole must.

In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a "digestivo" or after-dinner drink. Its main purpose was to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Grappa may also be added to espresso coffee to create a caffè corretto meaning corrected coffee. Another variation of this is the "ammazzacaffè" (literally, "coffee-killer"): the espresso is drunk first, followed by a few ounces of grappa served in its own glass. In the Veneto, there is resentin: after finishing a cup of espresso with sugar, a few drops of grappa are poured into the nearly empty cup, swirled and drunk down in one sip.

On Poli Distillery:

Founded in 1898, this distillery solely owned by the Poli family, founded in 1898 in Schiavon, near Bassano del Grappa, in the hearth of Veneto, the most typical region for Grappa production. They are one of the largest exporters of Grappa, and in fact run the grappa museum in Veneto

Day 18: Smoked Gouda Cheese from St. Lawrence Market

A cheese from Chris the Cheesemonger at St. Lawrence Market. The thing I don't like about this gouda is the texture. It's a little sticky, pasting to the roof of the mouth like peanut butter.

But in terms of flavour, the actual cheese only has a hint of smoke but a touch of maple syrup flavour rounds out the aftertaste. The colour is an appealing brownish white, like the flesh of an almond. The rind is where the smokiness really comes in, and evokes childhood memories of sitting around a campfire.

Like most cheeses, the real flavours come out after letting sit at room temperature so make you enjoy it as such.

On Gouda Cheese, from wikipedia:

"Gouda is a yellow cheese made from cow's milk. The cheese is named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands, but its name is not protected. However, the European Commission has confirmed that Gouda Holland is to be protected (although Gouda will not).

The cheese is from cultured milk that is heated until the curds separate from the whey. Some of the whey is then drained, and water is added. This is called "washing the curd", and creates a sweeter cheese, as the washing removes some of the lactic acid.

The cheese is then soaked in a brine solution, which gives the cheese and its rind a distinctive taste. The cheese is dried for a few days before being coated to prevent it from drying out, then it is aged. Depending on age classification, it can be any time between a number of weeks to over seven years before it is ready to be eaten. As it ages, it develops a caramel sweetness and sometimes has a slight crunchiness from salt-like calcium lactate or tyrosine crystals[4] that form in older cheeses.

Day 17: Duck Liver Pâté with Pink Peppercorns from St.Lawrence Market

Chris the Cheesemonger is one of my favourite stores in St.Lawrence Market - a true this gem. Great staff, huge selection, and top quality ingredients.

This pate was not entirely up to standard because it was too subtle on taste. That said, it was silky smooth in texture, not at all liver-like, slightly sweet, and little bitter nuggets of pink peppercorn plays off of the subtle saltiness.

The jelly was flavourless, so definitely they missed an opportunity to add some a sweet or winey touch to the Pâté.

Overall, okay.

From wikipedia:

Pink peppercorn refers to spice made from dried berries of the shrub Schinus molle. Jars of pink peppercorn may also be labelled "baies roses."

Day 16: Aged Asiago (Asiago d'allevo) from a large cheese wheel

The origin of this cheese is, honestly, unknown. I believe that my wife's cooking teacher procured from an unknown source, but all she knows is that it came off of an enormous wheel.

Now I'll be honest, I always thought of asiago as a grocery store type food, which is its fresh variety. Something that a place like Applebee's would stick into their crab dip to make it sophistimacated...

But what I tasted was aged Asiago (it can be aged for up to 18 months). This is something completely different. I tasted a slightly grainy and flaky texture - parmesany (if that word even exists!). As it breaks in your meat, it releases a swarm of flavours... including almonds. The aftertaste reminds me of swiss cheese. I was not expecting this from Asiago. RESPECT BABY!

From wikipedia:

Asiago is an Italian cow's milk cheese that can assume different textures, according to its aging, from smooth for the fresh Asiago (Asiago Pressato) to a crumbly texture for the aged cheese (Asiago d'allevo) of which the flavour is reminiscent of Parmesan. As Asiago has a protected designation of origin (Denominazione di Origine Protetta or DOP) the only "official" Asiago is produced in the alpine area of the town of Asiago, province of Vicenza, in the Veneto region.

Conventionally its birth is dated around the year one thousand; in fact there are rare testimonies coming from the Asiago highland related to the preceding centuries.

Day 15: Prosciutto Ham from San Daniele

I found this ham to have a bit of an overly raw flavour, a bit too close to fleshy to be comfortable. However when cooked with a bit of an acid (in my case, a red wine vinegar), the carpaccio nature wore off. The texture was slightly slimy, and the flavour aired on the side of iron-like, almost gamey.

From Wikipedia:

Prosciuttois an Italian word for ham. In English, the term prosciutto is almost always used for a dry-cured ham that is usually sliced thin and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto.

The most renowned and expensive legs of prosciutto come from central and northern Italy, such as those of Parma, and San Daniele (note, although the name of the brand of this prosciutto, it does not mean that the pig is from that region). The prosciutto di Parma has a slightly nutty flavour from the Parmigiano Reggiano whey that is sometimes added to the pigs' diet. The prosciutto di San Daniele, on the other hand, is darker in color and sweeter in flavour.

Day 14: Icelandic Lager from Olvisholt Brugghus

I like the first ingredient on its ingredient list (yes I do read ingredient lists): Icelandic Water. The bottle claims that the brewhouse is located at the most geologically active area in Iceland.

The flavour starts with a sweet honey, and finishes with a bitter hoppiness. A milky texture loiters on the tongue just long enough to let the evergreen set in (my brother describes it as "grassy"). Hard not to like this one.

On Olvisholt Brugghus (from their clearly amateurish-looking website)

Olvisholt is located in the south west part of Iceland, in the middle of the most fertile agricultural area of the country. The Olvisholt farm has been a conventional sheep and dairy farm since Iceland was settled more than thousand years ago. Today we concentrate on beer only.

On Lager (from Wikipedia)

Lager (German: storage) is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. Pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world, and includes Budweiser. While cold storage of beer, "lagering", in caves for example, was a common practice throughout the medieval period, bottom-fermenting yeast seems to have emerged as a spontaneous mutation or hybridization in the period between Charlemagne and Napoleon.

The average lager in worldwide production is a pale lager in the Export or Pilsner styles.

Breweries now use the terms "lager" and "Pilsner" interchangeably, though pale lagers from Germany and the Czech Republic with the name Pilsner tend to have more evident noble hop aroma and dry finish than other pale lagers.

Day 13: Palabok from Casa Manila Restaurant

One of my favourite Filipino foods is palabok. It uses a round rice noodle, and topped with fish flakes, shrimp, squid, egg, fish sauce. At Casa Manila (near Don Mills and York Mills), they do an awesome palabok. The flavours are dark and smoky, the seafood flavour is present but not overwhelming, the texture of the noodles is somewhere between soft and al dente (unlike Italian noodles, you don't want al dente for this recipe), and the colours are bright and inviting.

Day 12: Paramount Special Mango Juice

Paramount is a middle eastern joint a on Yonge Street, a little bit north of Queen. Shown, is a mango juice with a complete array of ingredients including: peanuts, strawberries, pineapples, kiwi, pistachios, and cheese... and some granadine at the bottom. The contrast of the colours, and the textures was refreshing.

All in all, a little bit too sweet for my liking, but for $5.99, not a bad deal.

Day 11: Chinese Donut from House of Gourmet

Called "Youtiao", one of the best breads you can get, especially 1) when it's fresh (i.e. just came out of the fryer a few minutes ago), and 2) you can dip it in stuff. The bread from House of Gourmet (Spadina and Dundas) comes out crispy on the outside, and soft and gooey on the inside which allows it just soak up all the flavours around it like a sponge. I dip it in whatever sauces I have on the plate, much like how Europeans use bread to mop up sauces in bowls. The whole plate shown here, costs $1.00 plus tax, and is probably enough for two people. I tend to dunk it in congee to get the contrast in textures.

Day 10: Colombian Coffee from Second Cup

Look at that cup of coffee on the left. Does it not look appealing? What you see behind it is a fireplace, and on the left are cars at a traffic light, and behind me, St. Lawrence Market.

This was a Colombian coffee, a little bit more acidic than I like, but with whisps of orange peel. The colour was heavy black, similar to the crude you get at Starbucks, but the flavour was lighter. Aftertaste of toasted marshmallow and caramel flan. The price was around $1.80 for a small (equivalent to a medium at Tim Horton's or a tall at Starbucks).

I love Second Cup coffee, but usually with some cream so that the fat cuts through the acid. I've also been getting used to my french press in the morning (using Second Cup roast also), but I find that much of the harshness doesn't get picked up by the water when using a french press versus a drip machine. But overall, Second Cup is a good choice for the price point.

Also I found this pretty cool coffee tasting wheel online!

Day 9: VSOP Brandy from St. Remy

VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) is a grade of brandy or cognac - somewhere between VS (Very Special) and XO (Extra Old). VSOP means that it's been stored in a cask for at least 4 years, although the wood of the cask could be more.

This particular bottle I picked up on the impulse counter at the LCBO right by the checkout. It was in the $8-$9 range, but I figured that with the VSOP label on it, it would have a standardized quality.

The smell is slightly offensive , with the overtones of petroleum. The initial taste is sweet, slightly toffee-like, the fumes of the brandy rising up your nose. But the flavour is not altogether awful, in fact, as your mouth opens up to the flavour, the grapeiness starts to come through and starts to become enjoyable as the alcohol numbs your tastebuds. A decent brandy for its price point

From wikipedia:

"Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn—"burnt wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, while some are simply coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging (and some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring)."

Day 8: Thyme Honey from Orino brand in Greece

I love the taste of honey, especially honey with a complexity of flavour that comes from the flower on which is pollenates. Beekeepers will claim that they can taste the flavour of the actual fruit in the honey, although I've never had that experience.

My mother, father, and sister returned from Greece recently and gifted me with this thyme honey, meaning that the bees hung around thyme flowers.

The colour was a lighter yellow and perfectly clear, the flavour complex, with just a hint of blueberry jam and bubble gum. It was great just on its own, or with a lighter cheese.

Apparently the Greeks have a long history of honey, and the nature blesses its lot. And of exceptional quality is honey coming from thyme. From honey-health.com:

"The solemn and prominent part honey played in the history of Greece is conclusively proven by its mythology. Ambrosia, the food, and nectar, the drink of the gods, were made of honey. The Iliad (XI. 630) refers to honey as the food of kings. The honey of Mt. Hymettus was a daily food of Athens. This mountain was covered with odoriferous wild flowers, principally thyme, and the air was scented with the fragrance of the blooms. The bees were partial to these hills. Ancient Attica, with its area of forty square miles, recorded twenty thousand hives during the time of Pericles (429 B.C.). All ancient Greek authors praised the medicinal and nutrimental value of Attic honey, "the crowning dish of all feasts." The oldest ruins in the rural districts of Greece are buildings which originally housed the hives. These stone edifices were built high, to outwit the cunning of the bears, arch enemies of bees and bosom friends of honey."

Day 7: Beef Kebabs from Paramount

Paramount Fine Foods is a Lebanese restaurant on Yonge, just north of Queen. I've walked by the place many many times, but had never actually gone in. I've always seen hordes of customers in there, just really enjoying their food. So I finally went in. The place has the aroma of charcoal, which just whets the appetite. As part of the meat platter was this beef kebab, which is freshly grilled - as you can see from the photo, they have tons of them, just waiting to be cooked. They had a hint of cinnamon flavour and the texture was soft. For me, I love to take middle eastern food, and mix it up with all the sauces and salad drippings into a big mush, which is completely unrecognizable from its original form, but the flavour is awesome, miraculously. A truly solid kebab that held its own! Freshness makes all things good.

Day 6: Calamansi Juice from Gina

Calamansi is a fruit tree in the family Rutaceae that is very popular throughout Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines, where it is most commonly used for cooking. In the west it is variously known as acid orange, calamondin orange, Chinese orange or Panama orange.

Calamansi juice is a lot like lemonade, but sweeter and doesn't have the same puckery flavour. I love this stuff. And it goes so well with seafood, as does any sour drink. In the west, it's generally weird to drink lemonade for dinner, but come to think of it, why not? It's such a beautiful complement to so many foods. The Filipinos figured this out right!

Day 5: London Pride Premium Ale from Fuller's

At a whoppin 4.7%, this Premium Ale is soft in flavour, but delivers an amazing depth of flavour. Cappucino and Dark chocolate dance on the tongue before a creamy finish. A slightly metallic aftertaste, possibly from the can itself.

On Fuller's London Pride:

London Pride, Fuller's flagship beer, was crowned the Supreme Champion at the 2000 International Beer and Cider competition. London Pride was named Champion Best Bitter at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival in 1995, and in 1979 when it also achieved the ultimate accolade of Beer of the Year. It also received the gold medal at the 2002 and 2001 International Beer and Cider competitions. Additionally, judges awarded the bronze medal to London Pride at the 2002 Great British Beer Festival in the Best Bitter category.

On Ale (from Wikipedia):

Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast.[1][2] The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which help preserve the beer and impart a bitter herbal flavour that balances the sweetness of the malt.

Day 4: Drip Coffee from Lettieri

I'd seen Lettieri around town, and it always seemed like a very cultured and high quality coffee place. I was given a cup to serve myself from the carafes in the corner. I chose the Mocha Java (dark roast) because my usual strategy is to choose the carafe with the most liquid in it (usually that is the freshest since it presumably sat there the least amount of time, although it is possible that it's also just the least popular also).

Boring was the name of the game.The flavour of this coffee was slightly more bitter than Tim Horton's, and less so than Starbucks. I do realize this leaves an enormous range, as the two do exist on opposite ends of the spectrum, but it was closer to the Starbucks side. The atmosphere was nice though, with exposed brick wall. The price was $1.58 (incl. tax) for a small, which was about the size of a medium at Tim Horton's or a tall at Starbucks. So nothing special. Would I go back for this particular drink? Sure, since the price was somewhere between Tim Horton's and Starbucks, it was decent value and a good caffeine hit. Although I think that the espressos are the major hit, moreso than drip coffee.

Day 3: Cranberry and Hazelnut Crackers from Leslie Stowe

Leslie Stowe makes some of my favourite crackers. Definitely, these weren't up to the usual standard. I liked the contrast in texture between the crunch of the cracker and the chewiness of the cranberry, and the brittle hazelnut. But the flavour of the cranberry was non-existent, and there was a lack any other distinguishing flavours, so it wasn't really a cracker that you can eat on its own.

Day 2: Duggan's #9 India Pale Ale

One of my first India Pale Ale (IPA) was Alexander Keith's, a wonderful Nova Scotia classic. But Duggan's India Pale Ale was completely different, and from what I understand, a more traditional take on what IPA is supposed to be. Slightly flowery on the nose, but then caramel and espresso on the tongue, a clinging bitterness, not at all unpleasant. A sort of heaviness from the hops on the cheeks due to the high alcoholic content. The colour is darker and forms a beautiful chewy head. When it comes down to why I like the beer so much, it's the perfect bitterness. That, I can say, is more addictive than the alcohol itself. One of my favourite beers.

But of course, Michael Duggan is a well-respected brewmaster in Canada, having co-founded Mill Street Brewery. #9 beer is an award-winning beer which I bought straight from his store on Victoria Street which opened in only 2009. You can also buy lots of different varieties at the store, in massive 2 litre bottles called "Growlers" ($4 deposit just for the jug... yes, they're that massive). But you can also get this famous #9 at select LCBOs.

From stonebrew.com:

The History of India Pale Ales: Originally developed in the late 1700's, British breweries would send beer via sail to the troops and British expatriots in India. Problem was, there was no refrigeration and the ocean voyage took nearly five months. As a result, the beer would usually arrive in compromised condition. Well, the brewers of the time didn't know as much about beer as we do today, but they did know that both hops (where we get the bitterness in beer) and alcohol act as natural preservatives. So, they came up with a brew that was intensely hopped and rather high in alcohol --- thus the birth of the "India Pale Ale."

You certainly won't find this intense hoppiness or any sort of resemblance to this description in the Alexander Keith's version. But somehow Keith's manages to pass itself off as an IPA.

Day 1: Goat and Cow Cheese from La Maison Alexis de Portneuf

Goat Cheese is light in flavour, but has a tart aftertaste. Its characteristic texture is that of a spreadable cheese. In fact, Feta Cheese is made partially from goat and sheep milk. Chevre de Neige (Alexis's name for Goat and Cow cheese) is mixed with Cow cheese, and so the flavour is milder, but the goal should be to hold its goat-like appearance and flavour. But also, this lowers the price point. Why is goat cheese more expensive? According to one capriolegoatcheese.com, it takes 8 goats to produce an equivalent amount as one commercial cow.

La Maison Alexis de Portneuf is a Quebec fromagerie, with over 150 years of tradition. The flavour was okay, a lingering citric aftertaste, and the texture was just vaguely powdery. The price was slightly lower than the other goat cheeses, and so was the redeeming feature of it.

According to typesofcheese.com

Goat cheese is a cheese that is made from goat milk. It is sometimes called ‘chevre’. Goat cheese comes in a wide array of forms. It can either be made firm or semi-firm in texture. It is usually a soft, smooth cheese which spreads easily and has a distinct flavour that is tangy like that of goat milk. The strong goat flavour is due to the hormones in the milk which can be reduced. Goat milk is highly influenced by what goats are eating as goats tend to eat more bitter plants which cows would not eat, hence the distinctive taste.