Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill

Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill

100 Adelaide Street East

Toronto, ON M5C 1K9

(416) 366-7827

Once again, took the photos on my iPhone. But more importantly, why did it take us so long to try this restaurant???

One of my best friends recommended Starfish to us and because Howard knew that I was having oyster cravings, he took me there for my birthday dinner.

We ordered a North American oyster platter to start. These were fresh and tasty. Look at that horseradish puff ball in the middle! Once we finished all the oysters, we knew we should have ordered a larger platter.

Next time. There will be a next time.

The calamari starter blew me away. It was beautifully plated, but every piece had a purpose. We ate the calamari with the greens and diced peppers dipped in the orange and yellow sauce. If the leaves had been bigger, they would have made great taco shells with this delicious filling.

More please!

Fishcakes with a dill yogurt dressing. Again, eat everything together and the flavours just meld in your mouth.

Howard ordered the grilled Ontario heritage beef rib-eye with frites and knowing that we were sharing, our server had the dish split for us. Love it when restaurants are thoughtful and don't mind the extra plate. (Some places actually charge an extra sharing fee. Starfish doesn't!) This way we don't have to both awkwardly share from the middle of the table.

The rib-eye was medium rare like we asked, juicy and tender. The fries were incredible. I would go back for the fries alone! Who knew that we'd get the best rib-eye and fries at a seafood restaurant?

I think the pastry chef brought the desserts out for us. The sticky toffee pudding. I hear that Starfish is famous for it. Try it. You will not be disappointed. Mmm this was so good!

One more, the earl grey crème brûlée with candied orange zest and orange cookies. Strong earl grey flavours - over and beyond our expectations. 

It's safe to say that Howard and I have found our new favourite restaurant in Toronto! The service was excellent, the place was cozy and intimate, but also had a fun vibe to it. The best part is, their menu changes daily, so we can continue to visit and will be delighted with new dishes!

Couple's Christmas Cupcakes

It is Christmas Eve!

We have a family friend who is currently in Korea for EPIK. Amy keeps a blog about her experiences there and takes some fabulous photography. Well, the LDR (long distance relationship) isn't keeping her from giving her boyfriend a Christmas surprise this year! So she creatively schemed up a plot that would leave him unsuspicious for his surprise. How could we not help? Tim likes fruits on his cakes, so we make chocolate cupcakes with chocolate-orange buttercream sprinkled with candied orange zest. She mailed her Christmas card and I also picked up a gift card for her. Some stores are not available in Korea... hehe! Amy also sent me a recipe to make candied orange zest. This was my first time making them, I love how in some of the candies you can still see the texture of the orange!

Merry Xmas Tim! This is your surprise Christmas present from Amy!

Snowflake, holly, fondant message plaque, and candied orange zest!

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate-orange buttercream decorated with a small fondant heart. These hearts were featured on foodgawker!

The happy snow couple holding hands. Watch out, the snow just might melt! The fondant heart and frosting is covering the view, but you can see the couple holding hands from above!

Candied Orange Zest

Adapted from RecipeTips

2 Oranges

1/3 cup of water

1/3 cup of sugar

1. Wash the oranges thoroughly. Peel the oranges and set the orange peels them in a sauce pan of cold water.
2. Cook until the water simmers for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the orange peels from the sauce pan, drain, and place them in cold water. This cools the orange peels so that you can work with it.
4. Using a melon baller, scrape the pith (the bitter white layers on the orange peels) off and then cut the orange zest into strips.
   
5. In the sauce pan, add the 1/3 cup of water and sugar. Put the orange zest strips in the sauce pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. The strips should turn translucent and the sugar water should thicken.
6. Remove the orange zest from the sauce pan and let it cool on a sheet of wax paper. Separate the candied orange zest before it cools (otherwise they'll stick together).
7. Then, if you prefer, roll the strips in sugar until they are well covered and allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. You can eat the candied orange zest as is, or use them as sprinkles over cupcakes!