Fight, flight, freeze, fawn

I have often heard of the fight, flight, freeze response when faced with perceived threat. During my recovery journey I have now also learned that there is another trauma response called “fawn”.

My understanding is that these trauma responses are quite literal:

Fight - when we retaliate, attempt to regain control and perhaps feel anger and aggression towards the perceived threat.

Flight - when we avoid, deflect, hide, or withdraw. Essentially anything we can do to get away from the situation.

Freeze - when we dissociate, shut down, feel numb or stuck and unable to fight or flight against the threat.

Fawn - when we people please and have difficulties saying “no” or set boundaries. In an attempt to avoid harm or conflict, we try to appease our perceived threat.

It is possible to have multiple responses when faced with danger. It’s not always just one or the other.

Please note that the following content may be quite triggering as I will be discussing my own response to the trauma I experienced. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help.

• Distress Centres of Greater Toronto: 416-408-4357

• Gerstein Distress Line (24/7): 416-929-5200

The reason why learning about this 4th response, fawn, was so important to me is because I have been having a hard time reconciling with my behaviour when I lived in an environment where I was constantly under threat. Now that I am away from the situation I keep asking myself, why didn’t I speak up? Why didn’t I fight back? Why didn’t I protect myself? Why was I so concerned with my aggressor’s happiness that I went out of my way to make this person happy? If I’m being completely honest, I looked to my abuser for approval and acceptance.

Having learned what I know now about fawn as being a trauma response, I am starting to see that my behaviour was my way of protecting myself from further harm. My mind was telling me that if I could just keep the threat happy, and convince them that I am on their side, perhaps they won’t hurt me anymore. Being stuck in a situation where fight, flight or freeze really didn’t work for me, this was my brain’s final way of trying to protect me. My instinct to soothe my aggressor was not consent for further abuse, rather it was my way of minimizing the frequency and severity of further damage.

My need for my aggressor’s approval was not because I wanted to be in this situation. I am beginning to recognize that it was because I was conditioned to associate disappointment and anger as danger, so approval is what I must strive for if I don’t want to get hurt. While I continue down my recovery journey I am working on recognizing my strength for having survived, instead of feeling shame and blaming myself for what happened. It is the aggressor’s choice to harm others. This time I have the luxury of choice too, and I choose not to let this haunt my future. The brain is a funny thing. Although I am determined not to let this define me, I still have to put in the work required to function in a healthy way going forward.

Similar to how kind and patient we are with our loved ones, please be kind to yourself. Intrusive thoughts are not real, and we can try and replace them with healthier ones.

I hope that by sharing my experience and this new information that I learned, it will bring some comfort to anyone feeling guilty about the choices they made while in a hostile situation. There is help out there and there is a way out. I am sending strength to anyone out there who needs it. You are a warrior and you are not alone.

Set Mindset vs Growth Mindset

I have been practicing my growth mindset to help with my coping and help me be more resilient when faced with challenges.

In a world that is constantly changing and evolving, having a growth mindset allows me to be more flexible and forgiving when things don’t go as planned. It’s been so instilled in me that if something doesn’t work out, it’s because I’m a screw up and somehow messed everything up. But there are things that are simply out of our control.

Set mindsets are absolute, viewed as unchangeable. Whereas, growth mindset is accepting that change is possible and new skills can be developed.

Below are some helpful growth mindset phrases to replace the set mindset thoughts with:

I try to be conscious of my automatic thoughts, to recognize the intrusive thoughts so that I can challenge them and shift them to thoughts from the growth mindset.

Seeing setbacks as complete failures (set mindset) almost always lead me spiraling to a dark place. But I have been choosing to see setbacks and challenges as opportunities for growth. They give me a chance to pivot, and I try to see them as potential for improvement (growth mindset).

I often struggle with intrusive thoughts so one reminder that I say to myself very often is: a thought is just a thought, and a thought can be changed. I try to fact check my own thoughts and ask myself if these thoughts are helpful. I then work on changing the thought to something more constructive, or I let the thought go if it’s not true or helpful to me. When I’m in my growth mindset, it allows me to cultivate more healthy perspectives, especially when faced with the curve balls from life.

Please be kind to yourself and don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to reach out and lean on your support system. There are many resources online, health care professionals, and groups available to help. Take it one day at a time, you are a warrior for fighting through this and it will get better. There is strength in reaching out for help. I hope my recovery journey helps provide some coping tools and let you know that you are not alone. We got this!

Asking for help

As a self sufficient individual, I find it difficult to ask for help. I always thought that asking for help is admitting I’m weak, or that I am not a capable person. I have been learning that this is not the case. In fact, it takes a lot of strength to recognize that you need help, and to ask for it.

Suffering from invisible mental health struggles makes it very hard for me to understand it and explain what’s going on in my head. I feel alone and that no one will understand or be able to help me, so I just suffered in silence. Since I am known as a bubbly and outgoing person, I was afraid if I show a side of me that isn’t happy all the time, that people will not want to be around me anymore. It is almost like my personality became my identity so I can’t express emotions that’s not in line with this personality I am known for.

When I finally reached my breaking point where I lost control and couldn’t continue on with this facade anymore, I realized that I needed help and support outside of my medical team. I needed at least one person to lean on and to stop self isolating. I learned the hard way (several times) that I don’t have to wait until things get critical to ask for help. It’s scary to be vulnerable and admit that I need help, but that’s really the only way I can heal and move forward.

Consider opening up to a loved one that you feel safe with. You are in control, you can choose exactly how much to share. A lot of times when we are suffering, our minds tend to catastrophize. One of the exercises I have been practicing is to see these scenarios through. What is the worst thing that can happen? My therapist often asks me “and then what?” when I list off my fears. We go through the potential outcomes and the likelihood of these situations actually happening. This exercise shows me that even in my worst case scenario, things are never as bad as I imagine they may be (when I’m not being stubborn). Thanks to my therapist I now practice this “and then what?” coping skill to ground myself.

I have hid my mental health struggles and the severity of my conditions by isolating myself, but this isn’t the way. I recently had a relapse and I feel like I had to start from scratch again with my recovery process. But this time, I am not doing it alone. I learned to ask for help, not only from the medical professionals, but people in my personal life. Turns out, my most trusted people were actually happy that I opened up to them and gave them the chance to help. I do still struggle with intrusive thoughts like I am a burden to everyone. I just remind myself that if the situation was reversed, I would want to be there for my loved ones. I am still working on being patient and kind to myself. Trying to treat myself the way I would to a loved one who is struggling. I’m definitely still a work in progress.

Please be kind to yourself and don’t give up. This healing process is not linear but we have to keep fighting. Every day I am fighting through this feeling that I will never get better and it is too exhausting. I try to focus on what I can control and use my positive affirmations like “I am doing my best and that is enough”. There are many resources online, health care professionals, and groups available to help. Take it one day at a time, you are a warrior for fighting through this and it will get better. There is strength in reaching out for help. I hope my recovery journey helps provide some coping tools and let you know that you are not alone. We got this!

Where we put our attention

It’s been pointed out to me that I’m guilty of discounting the positive and focusing on the negative. Just one of the many thought distortions I’m guilty of.

I’ve been trying to break that bond by changing where I put my attention. When it comes to rewiring the brain, it is a lot easier said than done. I’ve heard a lot of “just be happy”, “don’t be sad”, “just don’t think about it” but unfortunately my trauma, depression and anxiety won’t just magically go away. It’s frustrating to not have control over my intrusive thoughts. It takes conscious effort to challenge these thoughts and it can be exhausting.

My coping strategies

I find the following coping skills and self care practices have really helped me in this particular situation. I have been using the Calm App to help train and rewire my brain so I can change where I put my attention.

Before bed I complete the following “check-ins”:

• What are you grateful for? This doesn’t have to be a long list, 1-3 things is sufficient so it doesn’t get too overwhelming. Some gratitude prompts could be:

  • What are you grateful for today?

  • What about today has been better than yesterday?

  • What’s something you’re looking forward to in the future?

  • What inspired you today?

  • What relationships are you thankful for today?

• Daily reflection - some reflection prompts can be:

  • Which difficult emotion can you take some time to sit with today?

  • Do you limit yourself by caring about what others think of you?

  • Describe a time when you felt peaceful

  • Where in life do you want to develop more equanimity? Why?

  • What habits do you want to make or break?

There are many other gratitude and daily reflection prompts that can be found through our friend, Google, to help start this routine. I find it helps to have these questions to make me think and change my focus.

It’s not easy to re-wire the brain and I have been struggling with my mental health for a long time now and I find it really difficult at times to even think of one thing I’m grateful for. One of the many symptoms of my diagnosis is catastrophizing, meaning I always go to the worst case scenario. I also have a tendency to discount the positive and only focus on the negatives.

By “checking-in” I can challenge these negative intrusive thoughts. I will instead remember all the positive things in my life and all the things I should be grateful for. Depending on where we put our attention, we could be prolonging our suffering. I know it’s easier said than done, I am still working on this too. When I ruminate about my trauma or worry about things that are out of my control, it leads to more anxiety and panic attacks. This daily reflection and gratitude practice helps change where I put my attention and focus on the good.

Like all coping tools, this too will take practice and time. As I have been reminded time and time again, practicing these coping strategies is similar to working out in the gym. The more we do it, the stronger we will get.

I have experienced first hand that this healing process is not linear, there will still be dark periods and back sliding at times. Please be kind to yourself during those moments and don’t give up. There are many resources online, health care professionals, and groups available to help. Take it one day at a time, you are a warrior for fighting though this and it will get better. I hope my recovery journey helps provide some coping tools and let you know that you are not alone. There is strength in reaching out for help.

Lamoon Thai Cafe

Lamoon is also famously known as Nam Wan, and you could get their famous drinks in a bag at various food festivals. They were always the stall with the crazy line ups but so worth the wait. Not only are their drinks refreshing with fun and unique flavours, the drink bags are just too cute!

Needless to say, when they opened an actual storefront, I became a regular. The owners are lovely and so kind. It’s been a positive experience each time. The cafe itself is adorable and aesthetically pleasing (perfect for getting those IG lifestyle shots). There are lots of cozy spots to enjoy the food/beverage and hang out, including a super nice patio in the back to enjoy the sunshine.

They offer an amazing menu with lots of authentic items you’d find in Thailand (beverages, pastries and savoury dishes) and added their own unique twists. Since I’m all about my desserts, I will focus on the pastries and beverages that blew my mind.

Vanilla butter cake with strawberry jam

These bunnies first caught my eyes because of how cute they are. But once I’ve had a taste, I was hooked. The cake is soft and buttery, and the burst of fruity strawberry filling in the centre goes perfectly with the vanilla flavour.

There are also little pandan bunnies. For the pandan fans out there, it’s a must try!

Cookies, cookies, cookies!

All of their cookies are fresh and baked in-house (so talented!). If you’re like me and love a good soft and doughy cookie, these are the cookies for you. They are so soft and have almost a cakey texture because of how bubbly they are. As usual, the flavours are amazing. Pictured below are the: pandan with toasted coconuts on top, Thai tea with macadamia nuts, purple yam with pistachios, and taro.

Yes, I did eat these cookies all by myself. I love the soft chewy texture of the cookies and the flavours are on point. If I must pick a favourite, I’d say that the taro and pandan are tied for first place. The Thai tea and purple yam are a very, very close second. I recommend trying them all!

Coconut Biscuits with pineapple jam

I can not get enough of these cookies. I won’t get into how many bags I’ve already gone through (too many to count).

These authentic cookies are made in Thailand and imported here based on availability. Since this may not always be available, I stock up whenever I see them. They are the perfect finger food for snacking. It’s so easy to finish a bag in one sitting (or maybe it’s just my porky appetite).

The coconut biscuits are crunchy and buttery. The generous pineapple filling inside is chewy with that sweet/tartness from the pineapple. I love that they use fresh pineapple and you can actually taste the tiny strands from the pineapple chunks. The texture of the cookie and filling combined is pure perfection *chef’s kiss*

One of the reasons I am so obsessed with this particular cookie is because the filling reminds me of the Taiwanese pineapple cakes I used to eat as a child. There’s a nostalgic feeling whenever I eat them.

Sidebar: Lamoon also supports local businesses in Thailand by using their handmade rope handles for the to-go drinks, as well as introducing products such as tote bags and scarves that use pa kao ma (Thai fabric). I always love seeings locals supporting locals and this also extend our to other small businesses in all the countries that have been impacted.

Cheers!

You may have noticed the beautiful drinks in each of the photos. After all, these popular drinks are what launched this incredible cafe. Their origin story, so to speak. Below are the drinks that are shown in the pictures above:

• Lychee butterfly - lychee, soda, butterfly pea flower (this is the colorful purple drink)

• Iced matcha latte

• Pandan latte (my favourite) - this is sweetened with condensed milk but you can request to adjust the sweetness level. I personally like it less sweet so it’s more refreshing.

*Substitutions are available for the milky beverages such as oat, soy, and almond.

Lamoon Location 📍

713 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1Y5

Home “sweet” home - My favourite Vancouver desserts

I’m so happy I was able to go home for a visit this year. It’s been years since my last visit.

It was definitely a pleasant surprise to see how some of my favourite bakeries not only survived the pandemic, but have branched out with multiple locations now.

Initially I planned on listing just my top 5 favourite desserts in Vancouver. However, after a LONG deliberation, I decided that since I still can’t narrow it down to just 5 places, I should just list all the places that really wowed me! Below are my 8 favourite dessert experiences while I was in Vancouver. I mean… there’s no such thing as too many dessert options (especially when the craving hits). I broke them down to 2 categories:

1. The oldie but a goodie - I’m a repeat customer at all these bakeries when I still lived here. These are my favourite places and I visit them every time I’m back. They never let me down!

2. My new loves - I visited these places for the first time and it was love at first bite.

Category 1 - oldie but goodie

1. Thierry 📍1059 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A1

I can go on and on about all the amazing pastries here and their hot chocolate, but the thing that keeps bringing me back is the Passion Fruit Cake. It’s an airy mousse cake with the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

The new item on their repertoire gives me even MORE reason to come back. The chocolate succè (hazelnut meringue, dense chocolate mousse, tempered dark, milk and white chocolate). It’s got the chocolate, the crunch, and the creamy mousse all in one bite.

2. Beta 5 📍409 Industrial Ave, Vancouver, BC V6A 2P8

Even with new bakeries serving up some legit cream puffs, Beta 5 continues to be my favourite and my go to happy place. Not only are their cream puffs so aesthetically pleasing with creative finishing touches, they taste like perfection. The choux pastry is light and airy with the perfect crunchy shell. These cream puffs are filled with amazing combination of flavoured creams, custards and mousse.

3. Nero waffles

📍1002 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3M6

📍1703 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 1C8

These bad boys are right up there with the liège waffles (aka Belgium waffles) from Cafe Medina. I personally prefer Nero over Cafe Medina because they have a variety of flavours from sweet to savory and some of them even have delicious filling inside. These waffles are made with a brioche like dough, mixed with pearl sugar that gets caramelized when cooked. I love how they have a nice crunch on the outside and it’s soft and chewy on the inside.

4. Mister Artisan Ice Cream 📍1141 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5P2

I was lucky enough to try this place when they first opened in Yaletown. It makes me so happy to see that they’re still doing well after all these years, and the quality of their ice cream is still top notch! I have a really weird fear of getting my hands dirty when I eat, that’s why I never get my ice cream in a cone. These ice cream bars are easy to eat without ending up with sticky fingers.

The ice cream here are made with liquid nitrogen. It’s fun to watch and the result is a rich, creamy ice cream. They offer rotational flavours based on the ingredients in season.

I highly recommend trying out the s’mores bar and the Nanaimo bar. I got the half bars so I could try different flavours, but they are also available in full size bars and they are significantly bigger.

Category 2 - My new loves

1. Nemesis Coffee 📍SO many locations!

This isn’t just your typical coffee shop. They have an amazing breakfast menu, and the most important thing (for me) is their pastries from Dope Bakehouse. This in house bakery offers the best cruffin I’ve ever had. I came here multiple times during my trip because I just couldn’t get enough of their pastries.

Crossiant + muffin = cruffin love child.

The cruffin is light, flaky and buttery. It’s also filled with just the right amount of filling inside for the perfect bite ratio. As a matcha addict, the matcha raspberry cruffin was my favourite. I highly recommend this to any matcha/cruffin lovers!

2. H Tasting Lounge 📍1601 Bayshore Dr., Vancouver, BC V6G 2V4

The desserts here blew my mind. It’s located in the Westin hotel along the Seawall so it’s perfect for a nice stroll after a meal.

Each item is beautifully crafted and tastes just as good as it looks. The cotton candy and cream puffs are so creative and so much fun to eat.

They also offer an amazing brunch menu, but make sure you make your reservation ahead of time because they book up fast!

3. Angus T Bakery and Cafe 📍1036 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2T4

This newly opened bakery is already famous for their buttery croissants. They offer both savory and sweet croissants with a variety of unique flavours and fillings.

Their cinnamon buns are also top notch and worth trying at least one (or in my case it was more like 10). The sweet yeasty dough is perfectly rolled so you can actually peel it like a fruit roll up! I love how generous they are with the cinnamon. The cinnamon buns also have a variety of flavours to choose from.

4. Their there 📍2042 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M9

These mochi doughnuts got me doing my happy food dance. A mochi doughnut is a doughnut and mochi hybrid. It’s got the best of both worlds.

The size of these doughnuts may seem intimidating, but they are actually very light and airy. I polished off both of these in one sitting! It’s crazy how texturally satisfying these mochi doughnuts are. It’s got a nice fried crispy outer doughnut shell with a soft and chewy mochi centre.

There’s also a large variety of fun flavours to pick from. I tried the cereal milk mochi doughnut and the raspberry cheesecake mochi doughnut. Both were so amazing I had to order extra to take home!

I was blown away by these mochi doughnuts but they also offer savory items for breakfast and lunch. The matcha latte here is definitely worth ordering too! There’s just so much to love about this place.

Daily Affirmations

As I continue on my journey to improve my mental health, I am finding it extremely difficult to practice some of the exercises, and to utilize the tools I have learned that will allow me to function in a healthier way.

There are so many amazing tools out there. They take time, practice and sometimes, a little extra help from health care professionals to walk us through it. If you are struggling, please reach out to health care professionals. It shows real strength to ask for help!

I am realizing that the recovery process isn’t linear. With progress, there may also be some set backs. But that’s okay! Take baby steps and give yourself credit where credit is due. Even just recognizing that you need help is a huge milestone and worth celebrating.

Daily affirmation is something that I found to be extremely helpful. It is a concept that is easy enough for me to practice on my own without feeling too overwhelmed.

How did practicing daily affirmations improve my mental health? I find that it’s helped me cope in stressful situations. I am able to challenge intrusive thoughts by repeating daily affirmations that are applicable in the situation I find myself in. Now that I know I have the ability to calm myself down when I get triggered, I feel more confident in myself to cope with difficult situations in a healthier way.

Below is how I started incorporating daily affirmations to my routine. It is something that I swear by now and I do it every morning without even thinking about it anymore.

1. Routine - every morning before I start my day, I practice daily affirmation by reading a positive mantra (I included the link below of where I get them from). Try to be consistent and do not skip any days. Consistency is key.

2. Repeat and practice - I repeat the mantra to myself several times. I remind myself of the affirmation throughout the day when I notice myself being overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts.

3. Buddy system - ask a trusted friend, a family member or your significant other for help. Similar to having a workout buddy, we can hold each other accountable, and share our positive mantras of the day with each other. It’s a great way to stay connected as well.

4. Patience - be patient with yourself. Similar to working out, you won’t notice an immediate difference after one session at the gym. It will take time to train your brain.

There are mantras that I feel are more specific to myself and my trauma. I memorized them to remind myself whenever the intrusive thoughts start creeping in.

• I am not broken, I can be healed.

• I am safe, everything is okay.

• I am stronger than my depression.

• I am doing the best I can, and that is enough.

• This feeling will pass. It won’t last forever.

You too will find positive mantras that are more specific to your situation that resonates with you. I recommend keeping those at your finger tips so you can refer to them depending on the specific challenges you are facing at the time.

There are lots of free resources online that can be found through googling. I personally found it helpful to have a physical routine and to be able to see my positive affirmations every day.

If you’re a more visual person like me, you may also like to check out the “Thoughtfulls pop-open cards” at: https://www.live-inspired.com or on Amazon. I love the cute pop-open cards series. I save the ones I resonate with the most on my fridge and in my office so I can easily refer to them when I need a reminder. They can also be used as cute little bookmarks!

Another great resource is the “I Am” app you can download on your phone. I love the affirmations on this app. This app allows you to set reminders to have the affirmations pop up at various times. You can also customize widgets to your Home Screen so you can see these affirmations every time you access your Home Screen. I also love that I can save the affirmations that resonates with me the most so I can go back and read them whenever I need a reminder.

I hope that my recovery journey gives you hope. There are so many resources out there that can help strengthen our mental health. Similar to working out to improve our body physically, we also need to put in the work to improve our mental health. You may not notice a difference right away, but over time it really does get better! Remember to be kind to yourself and take it one day at a time.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is so powerful. I feel that this is almost like the “gateway” concept to so many other coping strategies and tools. I see mindfulness as a foundation to meditating.

What is mindfulness? This was the big question that was asked at the beginning of my very first group session. Here are some of the answers:

• being in the present moment. This takes practice since our minds tend to drift between the present, to the past, to the future.

• being aware of our feelings and surroundings

After many mindfulness sessions, I have memorized the definition: “mindfulness is intentionally being in the present moment without judgement and attachment”

An example of being in the present could be focusing on your breathing, taking 5 deep breaths and notice how your body feels as you do this. It could even be focusing on the texture of the soap on your fingers and the smell of the soap when you’re washing your hands. There are also some great (free) apps that can walk you through some exercises. I find it easier to have a guide when you’re just starting out. I will include some of my favorite apps at the bottom of this article.

Mindfulness is so much more than just being aware and living in the present moment. It is also:

• being open and letting go of any automatic judgments we may have associated to our experiences or feelings.

  • this will allow us to experience the moment as is

  • this will reduce triggers to emotional events

• experience each moment without attachment. Being able to let go of the past will truly allow us to be in the moment.

  • this will reduce our suffering (ruminating about negative thoughts or emotions)

I was initially intimidated by the concept of mindfulness because I’m not in tune with my emotions, and I have a hard time keeping my thoughts in check. But it’s been pointed out to me that even just the acknowledgment of this feeling is practicing mindfulness. So even if it’s something like noticing how your body is responding to a stressful situation, or recognizing the emotions you are feeling at the moment is a part of mindfulness. This definitely gave me the confidence that I can learn to practice mindfulness.

There’s such interesting science behind it too. Practicing mindfulness will eventually allow us to analyze the situation and respond in a healthier way, rather than acting on our brain’s automatic response (which may not always be a balanced reaction and may get us in more trouble).

The science I’m referring to is how our brain responds to stress.

• Amygdala - this is activated to protect us. When we detect fear or danger, the amygdala is triggered to enable us to react (flight, flight, or freeze mode)

• Prefrontal Cortex - this is the problem solving part of our brain. It helps us analyze the situation in order to make decisions, among other functions (our brain is seriously powerful)

The problem is, our prefrontal cortex can struggle when we are faced with traumatic situations. Once the amygdala is activated, it shuts down the connection to our prefrontal cortex. Practicing mindfulness will train our brain to reduce the high amygdala activity so we can use the prefrontal cortex more. We will then be able to go from the emotional fight or flight reactions, to respond in a more balanced way after analyzing a situation more calmly.

Like most skill sets, mindfulness takes time and practice. Please remember to be kind to yourself and take it one day at a time.

Below are some helpful apps that are free to use (you may have to pay if you wish to use additional functions on the app but they are super helpful even without having to pay for a subscription):

• Mindshift

• Calm

• Headspace

Wise Mind

We all have an emotional mind, a rational mind, and a wise mind. But what are they? And why should we practice Wise Mind?

When we are in the “emotional mind” this is when we are ruled by our moods and feelings. Often when we are in this state of mind, facts, logic and reasons are not important. We are simply reacting based on our emotions. Usually this happens when emotions are running high. For example, when I saw that the new iPhone came out (yay!) I got so excited that I immediately added it to my shopping cart. Credit card bills be damned.

When we are in the “rational mind” this is when we are ruled by facts, logic and reason. Feelings and emotions are not important when we are in this state of mind. Using that same iPhone example above, if I was in the rational mind, I would recognize the fact that I am not a baller, I already have the latest iPhone in perfect condition, and that I simply do not need to buy a new iPhone.

The “wise mind” is the happy middle ground between the emotional mind and the rational mind, taking into account both your urges/feelings AND the facts/logic. Again, using my same iPhone example, if I was in the wise mind, I would acknowledge my financial situation, even though I am super excited about the new iPhone with the fancy cinematic camera function. Instead of rushing to buy the iPhone right away, I would look into trading in my last phone to help with the costs, and perhaps put aside some money over the next few pay cheques before making such a large purchase.

If each of these minds were represented as fictional characters:

• The Emotional Mind: Homer from the Simpsons, or Kelly from The Office

• The Rational Mind: Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, or Spock from Star Trek

• The Wise Mind: Yoda from Star Wars

Both the emotional mind and the rational mind are important in our decision making process, but it can be detrimental if we only operate in one or the other. By finding that balance between the two, we can acknowledge our feelings while honoring the facts and reasoning.

As someone who is suffering from depression, anxiety and PTSD, it is difficult for me to operate outside of my emotional mind. I am easily triggered and driven by the overwhelming emotions and intrusive thoughts. Below are a few tips that I find helpful to get me from the emotional mind to the wise mind.

• Distraction - this will allow myself to get some distance so that my emotions aren’t running as high and I don’t do anything I will regret later. The distractions can be any activity that takes you away from that immediate thought or situation. It could be watching an eppy on Netflix, going for a walk, texting a friend etc.

• Repeating a positive affirmation that will help ground you. I have a few that I would repeat to myself such as, “you are safe”, “this feeling will pass” etc.

• Opposite emotion/action - doing the opposite of what I’m feeling. For example, I know that when I’m angry I may want to say something hurtful, so instead I will take a sip of water or walk away from the situation. Or when my depression takes over and I can’t get out of bed, I will force myself to get up for a snack just to get my body moving. I do find this one quite difficult, but when I am able to achieve this, I am usually proud of myself later when I reflect on what happened.

It takes practice to be in the wise mind, especially since our emotions can be so overwhelming sometimes. Please remember to be kind to yourself, and take it one day at a time. Being compassionate with yourself can go a long way when working on your mental health.

What is self care?

As someone who is extremely career oriented with a very goal driven personality, the concept of “self care” was foreign to me up until recently. My mental health took a very negative turn this past year due to an ongoing situation in my life.

Everything was put into question, including my self worth. My doctors urged me to practice self care and to be kind to myself while I am on this journey of finding a path forward. Not just back to the way things were, but rather a path to a more healthy way of living.

But what is self care? I spent a better part of my life trying to get validation from family, peers, colleagues and authority figures. This involves constantly trying to predict what will please the people in my life and going out of my way to do it. So now that the table is turned, what exactly do I need to make myself happy?

As it turns out, self care can be quite simple and easy to practice! The key word here is “practice”. It takes time, and involves making the conscious decision of making yourself a priority. The definition is in the term itself. It’s all about taking care of yourself (physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually).

Some quick self care steps that you can start today:

1. Physical (sleep, exercise, healthy food choices) - exercise doesn’t have to be scary. It could be as simple as going for a 10 minute walk. Taking care of your body physically doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Try taking a bubble bath at the end of a long week, putting on a relaxing eye mask to rest your eyes, going to bed early so you wake up feeling rested and ready to start a new day, or enjoying a nice breakfast in the morning to set the tone on how you start your day (it doesn’t have to be a big feast, a nice yogurt parfait is yummy and a healthy treat first thing in the morning).
   

2. Emotional - allow yourself to feel your feelings without guilt and judgement. Don’t beat yourself up for having “negative” feelings. Feelings are what they are, they’re not right or wrong. Maybe you’re feeling sad or angry about a situation, that’s okay. Acknowledge the feeling, and let it pass. Be kind to yourself. My therapist always challenges my negative thoughts by asking me, “what would you say to your best friend if they’re the ones in your shoes”. I’m always more compassionate towards others but so hard on myself. But by asking myself this question “would I say this to my friend?” It really helps me get some perspective.
   

3. Social - I find this one to be so challenging because of my people pleasing tendencies. It’s okay to say “no” and set your boundaries so you don’t burn out. Our relationship with others are important, but so is the relationship with yourself. Surround yourself with support systems, and spend time with the people you love and trust. It’s okay to ask for help if you need it. There’s no shame, you are not weak. In fact, it takes real strength to be able to recognize that you need help, and to ask for it. Similar to how we want to be there for our loved ones, they also want us to give them the opportunity to be there for us as well. Don’t shut them out.
   

4. Spiritual - this could mean going to a place of worship, dedicating time for yourself to meditate and self-reflect, journaling (I do this when I am feeling overwhelmed with emotions. By writing it down it helps me process and identify my feelings), spending time in nature by going for walks, or sitting on the beach with your feet in the sand.
   

I am by no means an expert when it comes to mental health. I have learned various coping strategies and tools from amazing health care professionals since I started this journey of recovery. This series is not intended to substitute professional medical advice. I’m hoping that by sharing my stories and what I have learned, I will be able to help others out there who are also on this road of recovery. You are not alone! Remember, be kind to yourself, and take it one day at a time.

Le Beau

Pastry Chef Olga Spivak changed the croissant game in the GTA when she opened up Le Beau in 2020.

Fun fact: Beau means beautiful in French. The name “Le Beau” was born during Chef’s Olga’s time in Paris while she was soaking in all the beauty that Paris has to offer.

With a clean, bright and minimalist interior design, it’s the perfect little spot to relax and enjoy a nice treat. There’s no shame in a little self love. What better way to do that than with some amazing food made from quality ingredients.

Even just the plain butter croissant here is enough to make you come back for more. This year alone they came up with over 200 croissant flavours! In addition to the impressive repertoire of croissants and laminated dough, Le Beau also offers a variety of chocolates, cakes, tarts and beverages.

I like to try a new item each time I visit Le Beau. So far, everything’s been spot on!

The Calamansi is essentially a lemon tart. The filling is tart and refreshing. The shell is a pate sable that is crispy and cookie-like. It’s topped with a fresh and creamy vanilla truffle.

Anytime I hear “limited quantities” I feel the need to stock up. If only I can stock up on these amazing ice kouign sandwiches. Kouign is pronounced as “queen”.

Kouign Amann is similar to a croissant but sweeter! It’s baked in a special mold and the caramelized sugar coating gives it a nice crunchy texture.

For the ice kouign sandwich, the kouign amann is still warm, and the gelato is made in house. This is only available on weekends and the gelato flavours may vary. The one in the picture is with strawberry gelato.

Le Beau may be famous for their croissants and the Kouign Amann, but every time I visit Le Beau, I have to get a mini citrus travel cake. To me, it feels like a combination of a madeleine and pound cake. I love how you can really taste the refreshing citrus flavour. The texture of the poppy seeds also add a nice contrast to the moist and buttery cake.

With such a large selection of amazing pastries, multiple visits are definitely required to try them all!

Roselle

Definitely one of my favourite bakeries in Toronto since it opened in 2015. Whenever I have friends visiting from out of town, this is always one of the spots I take them to as a must try.

Roselle offers a variety of cakes, eclairs, cookies, chocolates, pavlova and so much more! They work with fresh and quality ingredients, this includes working with fruits from our Ontario farms. They often have rotational treats depending on the seasonal fruits. Strawberry season is my favourite!

It was love at first bite with their earl grey “shorties”. The smooth and silky ganache with pieces of candied orange is sandwiched between earl grey shortbread cookies. Who knew the secret to making shortbread cookies even better is to turn it into a shortbread sandwich!

I never leave Roselle without at least a few madeleines. These buttery cakes are the perfect little treats. There are a few flavours to pick from:

• Lemon glazed

• Earl grey peach glazed

• Strawberry lemonade (seasonal)

The earl grey soft serve is definitely a must try for all earl grey lovers out there. This creamy and fragrant soft serve is so light and refreshing.

The “next level” soft serve includes: white chocolate crispy pearls, injected with house made lemon cream and a mini earl grey shortie.

Location: 362 King St. E, Toronto, ON, M5A 1K9

My top 5 doughnut places in the GTA

I’m no doughnut expert but I’ve had my fair share of doughnuts!  Having worked at a doughnut eatery means I’ve had days where I had doughnuts for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. I like to think that I’ve become quite the doughnut connoisseur.

My doughnut criteria: 

1. Dough - I prefer yeast doughnuts over cake doughnuts and I like them light and fluffy.  

2. Glaze/filling - There’s nothing more disappointing than a “filled” doughnut with only a small dollop of filling or an overly sweet glaze to overpower the doughnut. 

3. “Wow” factor - I know “taste is king” but I love a good looking doughnut!  

Toronto has no shortage of doughnut eateries but the list below are my top 5 favourite places. Trust me, they donut disappoint! 

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1. Isabella’s Mochi Donuts  

📍2066 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4E 1C9

📍4 St Patrick St, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z1

I am absolutely obsessed with mochi doughnuts. The mochi makes the doughnuts extra chewy, but in a good way. Isabella’s has such unique rotational flavours including, but not limited to: hojicha crunch, cinnamon roll, pandan, black sesame and many many more!

I don’t know what kind of magic goes into making these mochi doughnuts but they are done so perfectly that it doesn’t feel oily or greasy. Even after eating 2 in a row I still got room for more.

There’s also a fun factor involved with these. The OCD part of me loves that it’s shaped in little tiny bubbles so I can eat them in a organized way. Everything about these mochi doughnuts are just pure perfection.

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2. Glory Hole Doughnuts

 📍1596 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6R 1A8

📍1505 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4L 2A4

I cannot gush about these doughnuts enough. I commute a good hour to get myself here when I’m craving a nice pillowy doughnut. They never disappoint. They are perfectly glazed and not overly sweet that I feel the need to chug a bottle of water after eating them. 

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3. Dipped Donut 

 📍161 Baldwin St #1, Toronto, ON M5T 1L9

These doughnuts are humongo and the perfect sharing size (if you’re not a greedy porky like me that just ate everything by myself). In my defence, the dough here is so light and fluffy you can easily polish one off without feeling the weight and silent judgement of food baby. 

Dipped donuts are always coming out with new flavours! They offer some unique flavours such as, black sesame matcha, lemon lavender, pistachio rose water, etc. My personal favourite here is the London Fog. I love a good Earl Grey flavored treat!

Here we have the cookies & cream and my personal favourite, london fog. I do love how the cookies and cream one is actually a cream cheese glaze though. Yum!

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4. Cops  

📍445 Adelaide St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1T1

Good things come in small packages is definitely an accurate depiction here. These little guys are amazing! The doughnuts here are made fresh to order and there’s nothing like a fresh out of the fryer doughnut. The signature flavour is the cinnamon sugar and they offer rotational glazed flavours. I love the matcha coconut one! 

For such mini doughnuts they sure leave a big impression!  

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5. Von Doughnuts

📍713 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4J 1L2

Von Doughnut offers “grown up” doughnuts with a nice little kick to it. The “One Night Stand” has a tequila glaze, and the “Sangria” uses a red/white wine sangria glaze.

My personal favourite(s) are their filled doughnuts. The creme brûlée doughnut is filled with an amazing vanilla bean pastry cream. The “Pucker Up Sucker” is basically a lemon meringue doughnut with a yummy lemon custard. The doughnut to filling ratio is perfect and even with the filling, it’s still not overly sweet.

Check out their doughnut chart online to make sure your flavour is available that day because they rotate their doughnut flavours daily.

Hattendo

I have always been a fan of Japanese desserts. Needless to say, I’m always on the lookout for authentic Japanese bakeries that really transport me back to the days of me eating my way through Japan. Hattendo did just that.

They recently opened up a new location in Markham so there’s now another location to satisfy my cravings! Especially with the savory sandwiches available now, this really is a one-stop shop for a quick lunch or a light dinner.

Locations (some locations are temporarily closed so make sure to check with the store before heading over):

• 13 Baldwin Street, Toronto

• 50 Bloor Street West, Unit 9, Toronto

• 100 City Centre Drive, Mississauga (Square One)

• 3401 Dufferin Street, Toronto (Yorkdale Mall)

• 7357 Woodbine Avenue, Markham (NEW location!)

Hattendo’s menu does not disappoint. There’s lots to pick from, depending on your cravings! From cream buns to melon buns, savory sandos to fruit sandos and of course, the perfect little jars of pudding. Definitely something for everyone!

The menu includes some of my favourite things and captures everything I love about Japanese desserts. Light, not too sweet and the perfect portions. I had a chance to try pretty much every item on the menu and these are the 3 items that stood out for me.

Puddings

Hattendo may be known for their cream buns, but these puddings stole the show! I cannot get enough of these little pudding jars.

The pudding is so creamy and smooth. There are a few pudding flavours to choose from. I definitely recommend trying them all, but the classic caramel pudding is my favourite. It’s made with natural ingredients, no preservative or artificial flavours. Because the pudding itself is not too sweet, that extra caramel sauce balance it out perfectly.

Pudding flavours:

• Caramel pudding

• Almond tofu

• Matcha annin tofu (a combination of almond tofu and matcha. They’re a real matcha made in heaven!)

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate these super cute and sustainable packaging? These reusable jars are such a fun little bonus!

Cream Buns

These light and airy buns hold a generous amount of cream in the middle. There’s nothing more disappointing than biting into a filled bun, only to find a little dollop of filling. Hattendo has the perfect cream to bun ratio for their cream buns. You can taste the cream in each bite. These little buns are bursting with flavour!

These individually packaged buns are perfect to take on the go and for sharing.

Classic cream bun flavours:

• Custard

• Whipping cream

• Matcha

• Chocolate

• Red bean

In addition to the classic flavours, there are always interesting seasonal flavours too. I personally love citrus flavoured things so the seasonal Yuzu cream bun is my favourite. It’s not tart but the citrus is so refreshing. There are real chunks of yuzu in the buns too!

Sando

Now, let’s talk sandwiches (aka Sando). Hattendo offers a unique selection of sandwiches.

Sando flavours:

• Tamago burger

• Egg salad sando

• Fruit sando (strawberry, grape or mango)

To me, an egg salad sandwich is classic because this was something that my parents used to make for me when I was little. There was something nostalgic about eating this sando. Making the perfect egg salad sandwich is practically an art. This made the top 3 list because the egg is soft boiled so the yolk is not too dry. The mayo to egg ratio is just right so I’m not just eating mushy goo. Lastly, the sando was made with sweet milk bread. I absolutely love milk bread and can just eat plain slices of milk bread on its own. This Japanese milk bread has a slight sweetness to it and it’s so soft and airy. All of these things together equals a perfect egg salad sando!

Yang’s Braised Chicken Rice

With over 6,000 locations around the world, Yang’s Braised Chicken Rice is one of China’s biggest food chains and they’re now available in Canada! They recently opened several new locations in Ontario. Check out their website to find a location near you!

Website: http://yangschicken.ca

Yang’s Braised Chicken Rice actually really reminds me of a hearty home cooked meal. My mom is a huge fan of one pot cooking so this is definitely something I’m familiar with.

The portions at Yang’s Braised Chicken Rice are humongo. I got two meals out of this one meal combo! The chicken is marinated all the way through and so tender. My favourite part is the sauce and this one pot wonder is oh so saucy. I drizzled the sauce on my rice so each bite is full of flavour. Yang’s Chinese chicken pot recipe has been around since the 1830s, passed down from generation to generation. The chicken here is braised daily at the restaurant and each order only takes five to nine minutes to prepare. It’s the perfect quick, healthy and delicious meal if you’re under a time crunch!

Yang’s Braised Chicken Rice may be famous for their signature braised chicken and rice, but I was actually really impressed with their cucumber salad. It sounds simple, but it’s so refreshing and such a nice pairing to the braised chicken and rice. This is something my grandma used to make as a side dish too! There are lots of side dishes to pick from the menu so I definitely recommend trying them out too.

Yunshang Rice Noodle x SickKids

Sometimes I get caught up in the daily grind of things and forget just how lucky I am to be here, to be healthy and to be surrounded by some truly amazing people in my life. 

I had a lot of health issues when I was a kid. I still remember being in and out of the hospital with my mom and how scary all the wires and machines were. I was fortunate enough to have access to great medical care and I’m now able to enjoy all these food adventures and explore the world, one restaurant at a time.

SickKids is an amazing hospital that not only takes care of the kids, but they also provide comfort and support to the parents and family of the kids going through treatment. 

The founder of Yunshang Rice Noodle is a regular donor to SickKids. His son was only one year old when he was rushed to SickKids to receive treatment. He was able to make a full recovery thanks to the incredible team at SickKids. The founder is committed to giving back to this incredible organization and is passionate about bringing awareness to the important issues plaguing the health of children, and becoming educated in helping an organization that does so much for children and their families.

On July 7th 2019, the beloved Chinese rice noodle brand, Yunshang, will launch a “Pay-What-You-Can” campaign in support of SickKids to build a new hospital!

An exclusive “Support-SickKids Menu” will be available at all Yunshang locations in the GTA on July 7th. Guests are encouraged to come to any Yunshang store, order whatever they like on the menu, and pay what they can. 100% of the proceeds collected that day will go to support SickKids Foundation. Besides helping to provide children with access to high quality healthcare, this campaign will hopefully end hunger in the city even if it’s for one day. 

I’m such a fan of the rice noodles and the different broths here (the tomato soup is my favourite).

The broth itself is made from scratch daily with Canadian sourced ingredients. It’s simmered for at least 12 hours with pork, chicken AND beef bones to really get the flavourful broth without the use of MSG.

Each noodle set comes with a variety of sides dishes that are served in a cute little bento style box. I love the quail eggs and the fish tofu. The noodle set really is a full meal once you add in all the side dishes.

This exclusive “Support-SickKids Menu” at Yunshang offers a cold dish/appetizer and a drink in addition to the rice noodle set. An amazing meal for an amazing cause!

Yunshang stores open at 12PM and this campaign is for dine-in only. Remember to come early on July 7th and celebrate the day for a good cause!

For more about this great causes check out: http://yunshang.ca/sickkids_en.html

Sakura season at Cheese Garden

It’s Sakura (aka cherry blossom) season at Cheese Garden! 

Sakura’s actually one of my favourite flowers. I love the subtle pink (my favourite colour) and the cute little petals. It’s a symbolic flower of Spring, which is also my birthday season. Needless to say, when I heard Cheese Garden came out with their Sakura Spring Collection, I just had to try it!

Featuring Japanese Sakura from Kanagawa, this beautiful Sakura dessert set comes with:

1 Sakura Fraise Cheesecake

2 pieces of Sakura Yakigashi

1 Sakura Raindrop Cake

1 exclusive Sakura spoon and Sakura bag as free gifts (SO cute!)

I love the different layers of the Sakura fraise cheesecake. The cake consists of the following layers: Sakura mizu yokan, custard pudding, Sakura jam, no bake strawberry cheesecake and matcha sponge cake. The matcha sponge cake and the strawberry cheesecake go so well together! I like that the Sakura wasn’t over powering so I got to really enjoy all the different flavours.

The Sakura Yakigashi is my favourite from the dessert set. This Sakura and cranberry cookie bar is as yummy as it is beautiful. The toasted pistachios adds a nice crunch and the marshmallows gives it a nice chewy texture and added sweetness.

If only raindrops can be as beautiful as Cheese Garden’s Sakura raindrop cake then maybe I’d enjoy rainy days more. The texture of this raindrop cake reminds me of jello and it has a very distinct Sakura flavour. I can’t get over the beautiful flower sitting perfectly in the “raindrop”. It’s almost too pretty to eat!

This new and limited Sakura Spring Collection is only available from now to May 12th!

Only 50 Sakura Spring Collections are available per day at each location and limited to 1 set per customer (no reservation, first come first serve).

Available at all Cheese Garden locations: 

 📍5291 Yonge St

📍Unit G120 - 3250 Midland Ave. 

📍B58 - 4300 Steeles Ave. E (Pacific Mall) 

📍Saks Fifth Ave. Pop-up store, 176 Yonge St.  

Website:  http://www.cheesegarden.ca/ 

Tsujiri Patisserie

Location:  596 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1Z3

Website:  https://tsujiri-global.com/

Grand Opening Promo: This iconic Japanese Matcha brand will be celebrating their very first Tsujiri Patisserie store in downtown Toronto by offering FREE matcha ice cream lava cakes for the first 88 customers on March 30, 2109, starting at 12:00PM!

Tsujiri is just one of those dessert places that never goes out of style. There’s a reason why there’s still so much hype about this 155 years old Japanese matcha brand. I have been such a fan ever since I had my first bite of matcha soft serve. 

The store itself is bright and spacious with a very minimalist design. There are lots of seating available so it’s a perfect spot to catch up with friends over some matcha appreciated treats (I couldn’t resist... My blog post is not complete without at least one pun).

Tsujiri Patisserie offers unique items such as their beautiful dessert platters. Perfect for indecisive individuals (much like myself) because these platters offer a variety of treats selected by the pastry chef. 

The crunchy eclair is filled with a generous portion of Tsujiri’s delicious matcha cream. I absolutely love this combination of a crunchy eclair shell and a creamy matcha filling. These eclairs are made fresh to order, meaning the matcha cream is piped on the spot once an order’s been placed. This helps prevent the crunchy eclair from getting soggy.

The matcha ice cream lava cake will have you coming back for more! There’s a mountain of Tsujiri’s famous soft serve sitting on top of a fresh out the oven hot and ooey lava cake. I mean you really can’t go wrong with a dessert like this! So much care’s been put into this one dish. From the made to order lava cake, to the beautiful platting and the yummy mochi and chestnut, this dish is definitely a must try at Tsujiri Patisserie! 

I was lucky enough to check out a few of the Tsujiri locations when I was traveling in Japan. I can honestly say that the quality here really does match the quality of the matcha treats served in Japan. Food is always able to magically trigger specific memories for me and this lineup of matcha desserts brought me back to my adventures in Japan. Now if only it can literally bring me back!

Yunshang Rice Noodle

Location: Unit 5 - 5285 Yonge St, North York, ON, M2N 5R3

Website:  http://www.yunshang.ca/

Grand opening: March 15, 2019

Grand opening promotion: FREE Yunshang Bridge Rice Noodle sets on March 15th and March 16th starting from 6pm for the first 100 customers!!

Full disclosure, I love my noods and I can’t get enough of it. When I heard about this “Yunshang Bridge Rice Noodle” set I simply had to try it. It was everything I ever imagined and more. Based on a popular Chinese fable, this “crossing the bridge” rice noodles symbolizes affection, endearment and admiration. This is definitely a dish made with love and care. I mean, just look at it!

This instagram worthy “Yunshang Bridge Rice Noodle” set is not only esthetically pleasing, it is equally as pleasing to the tastebuds! The amount of toppings provided here almost reminds me of hot pot (which I also love). This noodle set comes with: various seafood offerings including a Canadian Atlantic lobster tail, fresh French Kiss oyster (sourced from Diana’s Seafood), sea scallop, shrimps and crab sticks. Other accompanying ingredients, such as quail eggs, beef slices, fish cakes, ham, enokitake, Chinese lettuce, and egg tofu, are also served with this epic wooden bridge. 

The broth itself is made from scratch daily with Canadian sourced ingredients. It’s simmered for at least 12 hours with pork, chicken AND beef bones to really get the flavourful broth without the use of MSG. My personal favourite here is the tomato soup but there are a variety of soup bases to pick from if tomato is not your thing. 

Fun fact: The pots used to serve the broth is not your average pot. They are specially made in Japan and are able to retain heat to keep everything hot for at least 30 mins! That’s more than enough time for a foodtography session and still be able to enjoy a steaming hot bowl of rice noodles. 

The regular noodle set here also comes with a variety of toppings (10 small side dishes to be exact) PLUS unlimited rice noodle refills!

With various locations in Vancouver, Montreal and even New York, Yunshang Rice Noodle is the largest Chinese rice noodle chain in North America and it’s continuing to grow. Keep an eye out for more more grand opening promotions in the future! As for the “Yunshang Bridge Rice Noodle”, it’ll be available for purchase at this new North York location from March 17, 2019 - March 31, 2019 for only $19.99 (limited quantity per day). 

Sugar Rush in Ottawa

Ottawa, the city where I discovered the magic of toe warmers. Winter in Ottawa really is no joke!

Ottawa has a reputation for its brutal winters but one of my favourite moments from this trip was actually lining up with my friends in the freezing cold for beaver tails and hot chocolate at the Byward Maket. In that moment I realized the true meaning of friendship. I mean, not many people would freeze their faces off just to help me satisfy my beaver tail craving! Even Ottawa winters can’t keep me from food adventuring!

This was my 2nd time visiting Ottawa and food baby enjoyed both visits thoroughly. I was hesitant about the food scene in Ottawa at first but there are actually lots of yummy places and hidden gems!

I love discovering a city through its food scene so I ate and I ate, and then I ate some more. I wanted to share my top 3 favourite dessert places because if there’s anything I love more than actually eating, it’s to force feed people the food that I love. These places are definitely worth checking out!

3. Art-Is-In Bakery 

📍250 City Centre Ave #112, Ottawa, ON K1R 1C7

This spacious, almost warehouse like, bakery offers a wide variety of baked goods and beverages. The cronuts are a must try! I just about licked the plate when I was done. I paired it with the earl grey tea latte and it was the perfect breakfast combination in my opinion!

2. Suzy Q 

📍969 Wellington St W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2X7

These doughnuts are as yummy as they are pretty! So light and fluffy. They look humongo but I can easily polish it off by myself because it’s so airy!

I love the large selection of flavours, including their “healthy” version of doughnuts like the carrot one in the picture. I love it when bakeries help me consume my daily recommended dose of vegetables. Suzy Q cares!

1. The Cupcake Lounge  

📍6 Byward Market Square, Ottawa, ON K1N 9B8

This is actually a place that I stumbled across from exploring the Byward Market. I’m so happy I did! The cupcake is moist and baked to perfection. The frosting itself is not overly sweet and the cupcake to frosting ratio is just right. I came in this cute little bakery with the intention of just having a cupcake for breakfast (yes, I eat cupcakes for breakfast). Let’s just say I ended up eating a lot more than just one!

The earl grey cupcake is my favourite! I actually got an extra one to eat on my way back to Toronto.

Over all I really enjoyed my time in Ottawa. How can I not when there are so many food places for me to eat at when I need to escape the freezing cold. The winter may be harsh but ice skating on the Rideau Canal is a pretty fun experience! But maybe next time I’ll visit in the summer time so I don’t freeze my face off.

Until next time Ottawa! I’ll be back for more food adventures!