For our summer vacation, my family and I took a week-long trip to Canada! We stayed in a lovely Airbnb in Burlington, Ontario and traveled to Toronto and Niagara Falls while we were there. For our first day in Canada, we just spent some time exploring the local scene at the waterfront in Burlington. For lunch, we grabbed some shawarma at La Pita Halal Shawarma and Grill right across the street from the waterfront. We got to build our own shawarma, which I’d never done before. Since I was sharing with my mom, I had to dial it back on the toppings, so we just added cucumbers, lettuce, and white sauce (probably a tahini sauce) to the base of hummus and garlic on the pita. The wrap was huge and big enough for the two of us to share (I unfortunately don’t have any pictures since I didn’t think to take them as we ate, but you can check out their website for images). Even though we hadn’t gotten many toppings, the wrap was packed with flavor. The hummus was so subtle under everything else that I didn’t quite taste it until the end when there wasn’t much meat left, and then I could taste those chickpeas. The white sauce and garlic were in every bite, which was perfect—I love it when every bite of a meal has lots of flavor and none is left dry or boring. The lamb was a little smoky and unbelievably tender, pulling apart easily. It was umami to the max! 

Later that day, my dad made dinner at the Airbnb, and then we went out for ice cream at another local spot: La Creme de la Creme. The name is charming, and so is the ice cream! When we went, the inside room was closed and they were operating out of a little window at the store front. There was a long line of people standing around the corner—clearly this place is loved around there. But the line went very fast, and we didn’t have to wait long for our cones. I got a small waffle cone dipped in milk chocolate flavored like salted caramel with cocoa pebbles on top. It was the best decision I could’ve made. Since the soft serve underneath was basic vanilla, I might have been disappointed since I don’t like vanilla, but with every bite, the dip made the ice cream taste like salted caramel chocolate. The cocoa pebbles were super sweet and crunchy, which made for a fun contrast with the smooth texture of the rest of the ice cream. The vanilla itself was a subtle flavor, not a strong vanilla, allowing me to enjoy the chocolate sweetness of the dip and topping. Overall, it was delectable!

Stick around to find out what other eating adventures I had in Canada!