Halifax: A 'Cheesy' City

I headed out East this week for a work trip, mostly full of meetings and driving.  It's not my first time out East, I've been around Nova Scotia before with family. I've seen the token tourist places, and even the not-so-token tourist places (one of my grandfather's houses is actually now a museum, how's that for making one feel old!?!?) I didn't even consider making a post after my trip because I didn't think there would be the time for me to really discover anything new.

Favourite find on this trip.  Obladee.

It's a small but trendy wine & cheese bar on Barrington St in downtown Halifax.  I was there on a Tuesday night and the place was packed! I can only image the crowd on a Friday evening.

They offer a vast selection of wine by the glass (or bottle) and an amazing selection of cheese and charcuterie. We let our waiter bring over a platter of  his personal favourites.  (Tie in to my last post: one of the recommended cheeses was goat gooda!)   The customized cheese board was perfect for our group of 4 as a late night snack.

By the very different crowd I saw at Obladee you could tell this place is appealing for many different types of nights. It's a great spot for after work drinks with co-workers, a great place to go on a date, or an awesome spot for a night out with your group of girlfriends. I wish there was a place like this closer to home.

The best part, prices were more than reasonable.  : )

A Day at Kensington Market

I love to travel.

It doesn’t have to be anywhere exotic, not even further than a few street blocks over, but more than anything I love to explore new areas. Since it will be a costly venture to book a plane ticket every few weeks, I decided exploring different areas in my very own city of Toronto would feel just as rewarding as when I get to explore during my travels far away.

Would you believe I have lived in Toronto my entire life, and never been to Kensington Market!?! Well, now I’ve been. If you’ve visited this area of the city I don’t need to sell you on what a fantastic day out this will prove to be. If you haven’t, you should! (Map included) And I’ve got a few suggestions based on my weekend adventure.

Suggestion 1: If you don’t need to take a car….don’t. Parking is sparse and streets are crowded. Plus, if it’s nice enough to walk around the market for the afternoon then biking or the ttc will do just fine.

Suggestion 2: Do any grocery shopping for the week AFTER you’ve visited Kensington market, you likely won’t need much at your local Metro once you’ve spent the afternoon here. My favourite spots include My Market Bakery which had a fantastic selection of fresh breads (go early in the day!), Global Cheese which has a vast variety of fresh cheeses (my pick of the week was goat gouda) and Essence of Life Organics which had a great selection of organic fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products....pretty much, any type of food you can think of.  

Suggestion 3: Try a restaurant. There are fantastic Thai, Mexican and Italian restaurants all throughout Kensington market. Most of the places are small and admittedly, look a little dodgy, but the pricing isn’t bad and the food is authentic. There is a listing of all the places to eat on the website.

I can’t wait to spend another weekend here. I think it’s more enjoyable in warmer weather, so my next visit may have to wait until next spring. There are dozens of places I didn’t get a chance to go into so if you have a favourite spot in Kensington, I’d love to know so I can check it out on my next visit.