Kanda Sushi @ 7373 Boulevard Décarie, Montreal, QC

Every time I visit my sister in Montreal, we’d do a dinner date at Kanda, and yesterday her girl friend P also joined us. By the time we arrived at the resto, all three of us were starved, so appreciating our food became our first priority; never mind taking snapshots of the wide selection of dishes we’d ordered.

I think it’s safe to say that yesterday I had the best sushi of my life — allow me to place special emphasis on the super fresh hand rolls — and following what felt like a food and laughing coma, we finished off with dessert, which consisted of a few scoops of ice cream and doughnut rolls.

Apparently, one time my sister added a doughnut roll to her vanilla ice cream, and intrigued, the customers at the table next to her asked the waiter for the same dessert, which of course wasn’t on the menu. Until this day, she proudly claims that it’s her signature dessert.

La Banquise @ 994 Rue Rachel Est, Montreal, QC

The biggest fail of my life, is being born in Montreal and never having had poutine there until today, in which case the sister suggested La Banquise.

With all the dangerous options on their menu, I undoubtedly had a challenging time choosing an option that spoke to my soul. Yet as with other aspects of life, one thing’s for sure when it comes to food: being adventurous is imperative; never mind playing it safe. So whereas the sister ordered La “3 Amigos,” I decided on La Miam.

Our orders deserved two thumbs up, hands-down. A tad salty due to the mishmash of assorted meats, but the fries were definitely the highlight — a perfect mix of soft and crispy. Topped with lots of ketchup? Excellent.

I finished both plates and was on the verge of popping a button. Even the neighbouring couple did a double-take, for I had two clean plates stacked on top of each other in front of me. They’ve witnessed nothing. I could’ve devoured a third.

The Cupcake Lounge @ 6 Byward Market Square, Ottawa, ON

Whenever N and I meet, we’d hunt for sweets. It’s become our tradition. And today we ventured to The Cupcake Lounge, our favourite cupcake joint in the city, for another sugar coma-inducing experience.

If there’s something I enjoy about visiting The Cupcake Lounge, or going on a cupcake adventure in general, it’s exploring new flavours. So whereas N decided on her usual red velvet, today I tried a newbie on the menu: the blood orange cupcake. The cake itself encompassed a nice blend of sweet, tangy, and citrus. As for the buttercream icing, it was rich and creamy, but not overly sweet.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been here. The first time I visited the shop was about three years ago, where my taste buds impelled me to opt for their almond raspberry cupcake. It was hands down the most divine cupcake I’ve had thus far in my, at the time, twenty years of fruitful existence.