Tag: Buytopia

#BUYogurtys—Buytopia.ca and Yogurty’s Fight to Keep Summer Alive!

#BUYogurtys — Buytopia.ca and Yogurty's — Grand Opening 875 Eglinton Avenue West — Froyo the Bear

Last updated on June 24th, 2020 at 09:42 am

Buytopia.ca and Yogurty’s are in denial. Someone didn’t tell them that the days have grown shorter, the nights colder, and our city kinda miserable until the weather takes a turn for the better about six months from now.

But maybe that’s why we need people in denial—to remind us of better times before we had to bundle up in layers to battle the cold, only to overheat and sweat profusely while on the subway. Before the office mysteriously cleared out at 4 PM with people frantically trying to reach the safety of their homes before night falls.

The Down Low on Froyo

For any of you who’ve yet to experience the magic of froyo, this is how it works:

  • You enter the froyo establishment and select a cup size
  • There is no one here doling the froyo out for you such as what would happen at an ice cream parlour—no, friends; you march right up to the froyo dispensers and get as much of that delicious dessert as your little heart desires! (Or as much as your cup can hold—whichever comes first.)
  • But the froyo is only part of the experience—next comes the toppings! With 86 possible flavours and 61 toppings, you’re looking at 86(61!), or 43,651,898,393,441,332,696,873,685,847,189,769,541,436,389,492,971,096,266,548,910,795,364,761,600,000,000,000,000 combinations, not including combos where you get even crazier and combine two froyo flavours in the same bowl! (They have dispensers where you can serve two flavours at once—it’s totally a thing!)
  •  Now that you’re ready to get your froyo and eat it too, it’s time to take it to the cashier and pay the piper! Too bad they charge by weight, huh? (Your mother did always warn you that your eyes were bigger than your stomach!) Good thing you have those Buytopia.ca vouchers with you, or this could get a lot more expensive!

Why You Should Get Your Froyo Fix at Yogurty’s

Yogurty’s is a Canadian froyo joint 20 years in the making, striving to supply frozen yogurt with an amazing variety of flavours and toppings. The froyo flavours have farm-fresh Canadian milk; you can choose between low-fat or no-fat, or gluten-free or kosher (all with added probiotics); and are calorie-friendly and rich in nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin B2, and potassium! Other things that make it a winning choice include:

  • Low-fat froyo® flavours like Chocolate Truffle Explosion, Oreo®  Explosion, Dulce de Leche, Salted Caramel, Triple Butter Pecan, Pear Sorbet and Coconut Madness;
  • Toppings like fresh-cut strawberries, peanut butter cups, cheesecake bites or cookie dough bites or brownie bites, add fresh whipped cream, then drizzle with gourmet chocolate  or caramel sauce;
  • A selection of dairy-free sorbets; and
  • Holiday flavours like Peppermint Snowflake, Gingerbread Cookie, and Roasted Marshmallow!

If you’ve never tried froyo, Yogurty’s is a great place to start!

How to Get Loco for Froyo

So why not be in denial like us and treat yourself to a tasty treat that’s more nutritious than several of its chilled counterparts (before all the toppings, of course)? With 46 locations across the country, you’re never far from the cool taste of froyo!

cep wrap-up logo

Paint Nite Toronto | Paint Like the BOMB, Though!

#BuytopiaPaintNite — Paint Nite Toronto — Banu — Group Shot — All the Buytopia Inner Circle Bloggers and their works of art!
Errybody got their Bob Ross on! Photo courtesy of Paint Nite Toronto

Last updated on November 12th, 2020 at 11:17 am

Banu Iranian Restaurant and Vodka Bar at 777 Queen Street West in Toronto.
Photo courtesy of Google Maps.

Once upon a time, drawing was all I’d ever do. I carried sketchbooks and supplies wherever I went, transforming my imagination into all sorts of pieces. I don’t know when I stopped, but if you’ve got a good thing going, never stop, because you never know when you’ll pick it up again.

Other than sketches in the margins of meeting notes done in ballpoint pen, my days of drawing had become a distant memory—a dream deferred, perhaps never getting the chance to see reality.

But that doesn’t mean I ever stopped thinking about it. When I daydream, it’s like an animated movie playing out in my head, all my characters playing their part in a grand sci-fi odyssey. But I never make the time to make the ideas in my cranium any more than that—mere thoughts.

Which is what made Buytopia’s invite to a Paint Nite so appealing.

CONTINUE READING: Why I Got My Paint On With Paint Nite Toronto! “Paint Nite Toronto | Paint Like the BOMB, Though!”

Buytopia.ca | Toronto Blue Jays | Take me out to the Ball Game

The Jays watching their game.
Courtesy of Keith Allison via a Creative Commons License.

Last updated on October 18th, 2020 at 05:35 pm

Escobar signs a ball and asks Patrick Burke to give it to me.

My Dad loves baseball. I don’t know whether it’s something hearkening from his days in Jamaica or a burning desire to show patriotism in his later life as a Canadian, but he’s fiercely followed the progress of the Toronto Blue Jays for as long as I can remember.

There must’ve been a time where sports played a greater role in my life as well; I remember one birthday where I was thoroughly excited that I was going to a Jays game with my Dad—on the 100 Level of the SkyDome, no less… the good seats.

I know there’re likely several Torontonians out there still reeling from the  Stanley Cup slipping through the Maple Leafs’ fingers for the 46th time—but never fear, baseball’s here!

CONTINUE READING: Why I’m down for a Jays game and a deal from Buytopia! “Buytopia.ca | Toronto Blue Jays | Take me out to the Ball Game”

G for Gelato and Espresso Bar

G... for Gelato and Espresso Bar — Blood Orange Flavour

Last updated on November 11th, 2020 at 01:27 am

Last Updated: November 11, 2020

G... for Gelato and Espresso Bar—Shant Behesnilan and Faema

G… for Gelato and Espresso Bar

Seating: Around 30

Address: 75 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON

Location: Jarvis/Adelaide

Neighbourhood: St. Lawrence

Food type: Italian fare and gelato

Shant Behesnilan is a man who’s passionate about customer service. He’s done what many only dream of—making the jump from working a safe job to working the right job.

With a family history in the restaurant trade, Shant grew up working in all areas behind the scenes at Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale, California (aka one of the favourite Armenian restaurants of the Kardashians), owned by his uncle, Ara Kalfaian.

After travelling the path of many a Canadian—go to school, get a job, pay your dues—Shant soon discovered that life behind a desk wasn’t for him and went on a quest for something different.

Originally looking to open a frozen yogurt shop, Shant was thrice denied by fate, once having lost out on a lease to Menchie’s by seconds; once seeing a Yogurty’s opening up across the street from a spot he was viewing; and when he looked one last time, up the street was G… for Gelato and Espresso Bar, a family-owned business founded in November 2011 that had astounding family recipes covered, but to take customer service to the next level, needed some outside help.

Under Shant’s new management and ownership as of fall 2012, G for Gelato has a ton going for it—a scenic view of St. James Park across the street, authentic Italian food and customer service that brings it all together.

The good thing about doing reviews for Buytopia.ca is that it gets me to find cool places in Toronto that I wouldn’t make time to visit otherwise, and I’m glad I didn’t miss out on this one!

With recipes coming from a small Italian town and brought to Toronto for our delight, G for Gelato has a lot going for it:

  • it’s ranked #1 of 4,065 restaurants in Toronto on TripAdvisor
  • all the food’s made in-house, especially the gelato made daily at 7:30 AM with hand-squeezed flavours, pasteurized for healthiness and rotated more often than your average gelato shop
  • pizzas cooked in a Moretti Formi Amalfi Vintage oven imported from Italy
  • espressos made with a Faema Emblema machine based on designs from Giorgetto Giugiaro (who’s designed some obscure cars called Lamborghinis and Ferraris to name a few)
The flavours at the Bite Me Bakery get a lot more colourful than the names listed here! Check it out!

Sarah and I had a great time getting to know Shant and his team, and I hope to visit again sometime. If you don’t happen to make it to the St. Lawrence Market area, they’re also delivering through orderit.ca, so you can get your gelato… and eat it too! (Especially if you take advantage of the Buytopia deal on until end-of-day Sunday, March 24, 2013!)

–case p.

[Disclaimer: As a Buytopia Inner Circle blogger, I get to test deals out to give you an honest review so you know what you’re getting into. Shant was kind enough to comp the delicious meal! Thanks, Shant!]

Chef on 2 Wheels | Chef Pino Padula

Dessert: Classic TAJAN Vanilla Ice cream in Affogato
Even though I don't really like coffee, I still enjoyed the heck out of this!

Last updated on May 17th, 2021 at 10:49 pm

A shot of the van Chef Pino drives to carry all the goods for his services!
He’s had to upgrade to four wheels since his start all those years ago, but everything else remains much the same!

Today we take a short break from the November to Remember series to talk about an amazing experience I had last night, which involved one of the few things that’ve paralyzed me in my tracks for years —

— cooking.

Back when my Dad used to run a restaurant, he would give me my first set of jobs ever. While I was really good at customer service and bookkeeping, there was one thing I really sucked at—and that was anything having to do with the kitchen.

No matter how hard I tried, I could never do prep work fast enough. Or cook anything right. The only thing I was good at in the kitchen was messing up. So after I got through that horrendous experience, I never got anywhere near cooking again!

So imagine my surprise when Buytopia.ca offered me the chance to get a 2-hour cooking class, where Chef Pino Padula would teach me how to make a 5-course meal, presumably without burning down the house!

Continue reading “Chef on 2 Wheels | Chef Pino Padula”
%d bloggers like this: