Unionville Arms Pub & Grill

I've been living in York Region most of my life and sadly, I have only been to Main Street Unionville once (yes, there are times when I am a country mouse). J and I were both bored and decided to go to Starbucks for a coffee - from there, we sat and brainstormed where to go for dinner.

The problem I've always had with living in the suburbs is the lack of food selection. No, wait - it's the lack of non-Asian food selection.  If I were craving Chinese/Korean/Japanese food, I'd definitely hit up the 905. When I'm craving anything else, the options are far more restricted. Sure, there are franchises and chain restaurants, but there are times I just want something different - be it food or atmosphere.

After much hemming and hawing, J and I went to Main Street Unionville and settled ourselves into a booth at Unionville Arms Pub & Grill. The atmosphere was great. For a Sunday night, I was surprised to see the restaurant full. It was warm, friendly and had a variety of people - families, couples and everyone else in-between - including other single gals like us.

The menu is typical pub fare, so J had the roast beef dip and I had the roast beef dinner (alert: I was NOT counting calories today) with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and asparagus.  

And this is how it went...the Yorkshire pudding (which, BTW, is one of my most FAVOURITE things to eat, even though it's probably 1,000 calories a piece) was disappointing. It was cold and dense. The roast beef was good enough, and the mashed potatoes were amazing (if the mashed potatoes weren't good, this would've been an angry post). The corn was sweet, but undercooked, while the asparagus was limp and overcooked.  

I didn't try J's roast beef dip, but she said it was bland.

The service was friendly (however, our server wasn't at the top of her game). Having said all this, this is one of those rare times where I'll actually go back to the restaurant in spite of the food.  

The mood and atmosphere counted for a lot and really contributed to the experience - which, overall, was a really positive one. I would go back because of the vibe, but the food really was part of the background, and definitely not the main attraction.

Restaurant rating: Would go back occasionally.

Golden goodness a.k.a. theatre popcorn

It's the smell. That smoky, buttery smell that permeates the entire place. The calorie-laden, diet-busting, throw-out-all-the-benefits-of-eating-salad-for-five-days-straight treat, which I will describe as golden goodness that can only be found at movie theatres: theatre popcorn.

I know it's not the healthiest snack out there. And while there is no nutritional information available anywhere, it's pretty safe to say that a medium (okay, fine, large) bag of single (or double) buttered bag of popcorn is at least 800 calories - WAY more than I should ever consume in one sitting.  

(In an effort to save a few dollars during my student days, I once brought a bag of microwave popcorn to a theatre. It was NOT the same. While bringing in Kernels Popcorn can be a yummy and healthier substitute - it's still lacking somehow).

There's something so sinfully indulgent about theatre popcorn. Watching a movie without having popcorn is like going to a barbecue and only having a green salad. While it's been done (even by me), it's just not right somehow. Popcorn completes the cinematic experience.

A friend - let's call her J - and I are big fans of theatre popcorn. Actually, the way I go at popcorn is almost unladylike (I won't speak on behalf of J). I don't understand how people can eat popcorn and not get it all over themselves. I don't exactly jump into the bag, but it still manages to get everywhere. Even if I eat it one kernel at a time. (This adds to the cinematic experience).

Okay - I'm the first to admit that it's disgusting and leaves an oily film on your hand that won't go away without a proper shower. But when it's hot, fresh and fully buttered, it's almost irresistible. Almost.

(And for the record, I didn't have any popcorn tonight.)

Partners for life - ham and cheese

Mmmm....ham and cheese...Turner and Hootch, peanut butter and jam...the perfect partners in crime. Sure, egg, mushroom and mustard join the party occasionally, and it can be nice to have junior sidekicks, but ham and cheese are forever. Especially when cheese has melted and draped all over ham.  

Be it a panini, whole wheat bread, or baked Hong Kong style with cream and rice, ham and cheese are the perfect pair.

Now, I understand that ham and cheese can be too overwhelming (salty) when served on their own. But they are always the main show, the main feature.  They are the reason why rice, bread and rice welcome additions.

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to catch up with ham and cheese over breakfast with my cousins. Ham and cheese were disguised in a gummy (Cora's) crêpe. Egg and ketchup were also there.

The crêpe was okay, the egg was good, but the ham and cheese?  Divine. 

Seafood quinoa salad

I've been trying to wean my parents off white rice for awhile now (it's tough when you're Asian). They don't like brown rice, and my mother isn't a fan of anything whole wheat. Enter quinoa. I love quinoa, but I needed to find a way to make it somewhat rice like. My solution? Warm seafood quinoa salad, cooked in a saffron broth.

The result? Clean plates and request for seconds. What more can a cook want?

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients for broth
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of diced white onions
- 1/2 bulb of garlic (diced)
- 3 lobster tails
- 1 piece of salmon (approximately 1/2 pound)

Ingredients for the salad
- 1.5 cups of quinoa
- 0.5 cups of diced white onions
- 1 cup of fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
- 10 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 sweet green pepper (chopped)

Directions for broth
- Bring the chicken stock and water to a boil.
- Add onions and garlic - letting it simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add the lobster tails - they'll cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them.
- Remove the lobster tails from the broth.
- Separate the lobster meat from the shell.
- Add the shells back to the broth and let it simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Chop up the lobster meat and set aside.
- Bring the broth back to a boil - place the salmon on a strainer or a ladle and then submerge it in the bubbling broth.
- Use a fork and flake the salmon to check if it's cooked - if it's pink and flaky, remove it from the broth. Set aside.
- Reduce the heat to low.

Directions for quinoa
- Bring about 3 cups of broth to a boil
- Add the quinoa and the onions
- Wait for the mixture to boil
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook the quinoa until the liquid evaporates (approximately 12 minutes)
- Remove the quinoa from the heat and fluff it.
- Let the quinoa sit (with the lid on) for about 15 minutes.

Directions for the salad
- After the quinoa has sat for 15 minutes, add the fresh ingredients (pepper, tomatoes, and parsley).
- Add the chopped lobster and the salmon.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix everything together (the salmon should flake apart).
- Enjoy.

(I also added cooked corn - sliced off the cob).

The flip side of food

Calling myself the Hungry Dumpling implies I love food. I do. I truly love and adore food.  But my relationship with food is not without a downside. The reality is food creates energy, and when that energy isn't used up, it turns into fat. Not good.

Enter exercise.

I hate exercising. I hate exercising as much as I love food. But exercising is a must when food is involved. I write a lot about what what I eat, where I eat it and the types of things I make, but I have never written about the exercise I do so that I can continue my relationship with food.

For every blog post I write about, hours of exercise must take place to burn those calories eaten. Biking (stationary or otherwise), running, ugly power walks, and weights (occasionally).  

And when I'm not writing about something I've eaten, it's because I've been eating other foods. Like salads (minimal dressing) 6 or 7 times a week, or vegetables with a little bit of protein. As much as I'd love to sit and enjoy delicious food all the time, it's extremely important to me to have a balanced diet the rest of the time. (Not to say healthy food isn't exciting - I do enjoy the awesome salads from Longo's, but it's just not the same.)

Without exercise and a balanced diet, I wouldn't be able to eat the foods I enjoy - at least not in the long run. And that's the point of food, isn't it?  To enjoy it well into old age.

Even dumplings are worried about getting too round.