As I lay on the bed in a tiny hostel room in Toronto, my head is spinning with tidbits of information I learned during the TBEX conference and memories of another amazing trip I’ve taken solo.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel with friends and family, but boy is there something about spending a few days alone, in a strange city with no one to please  but yourself. There’s a rejuvenation that comes with doing what you want, when you want, without the stress of making anyone happy but yourself.

I have SO much I want to share about the trip, but considering it’s midnight and I have a fairly early flight in the morning, I’m just popping in to share 3 of my favorite Toronto moments.

Thai Hungarian

Where else but Toronto would you find a restaurant with an ethnic mix like this?

I don’t know much about Hungarian food, but I’m pretty sure it’s about as opposite to Thai as you can get.

How could we not go in? If only to see the menu, which was split right down the middle.

Part of me really wanted to taste both cuisines, but I couldn’t help but order from the Thai side. It’s a rare treat when you are married to a non-adventurous eater.

My dinner date (an amazing woman I met through my blog writing) and I started with a mango salad,

and I went with a lemongrass chicken and shrimp dish in a creamy coconut sauce.

To say it was divine is an understatement. It took all my willpower not to lick the plate clean.

I couldn’t be more happy we ventured in. It was the stumble find of the trip!

Hungary Thai is located in Kensington Market.

196 Augusta Ave
Toronto, ON
M5T 1M1

 

Toothpicks of Cheese Wrapped in Maple Syrup

Of course 2 of the 3 things I’m staying up late to blog about are food. What can I say? I’m a true foodie in training.

This little gem of a bite was the star of the conference’s opening reception.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, that is a cube of cheese — Gouda to be exact — in a blanket of Canada’s finest maple syrup.

It was heaven on a toothpick, especially the Vermont Cheddar.

Unfortunately, I don’t know what this is officially called or if it even has a name, but I do know how they accomplished this feat of cheese genius!

Maple syrup reduction was drizzled in a line on a bed of snow. Then the cube of cheese — cheddar, Gouda or blue — was rolled gently allowing the syrup to wrap around it.

Keep an eye on GreenLiteBites because I WILL be making a home version of this soon!

 

The Tower

My final favorite of Toronto was the CN Tower.

As you may have learned from my Italian adventures, I’m a little bit obsessed with towers. Unfortunately in the “new world” this doesn’t mean climbing an endless amount of ancient staircases in cramped brick fortresses.

However, it’s just as fun!

The views were, of course, spectacular,

and the CN offers a variety of ways to experience the height including: the glass floor,

the outside observation deck, which was VERY windy,

and the upper skybox where I was lucky enough to see a storm rolling in.

Let me tell you from my recent experience, the tower does sway with the wind. It was quite an experience!

If you are brave enough and willing to shell out some cash, you can also experience the tower from the outside.

Yes, my friends, those are people on the ledge of the CN Tower. All I can say is, next time. This may be another for the old bucket list.

Toronto has a lot more to offer, of course, but the experiences I had between conference sessions will stay with me for a lifetime. Who says you can’t mix business with pleasure?