Tasting Together

This episode is a litteral roller coaster - starting on a high note as Miroki got the opportunity to check out Playa Bowls a new restaurant that opens in Toronto on June 18. They then reflect on nomad culture - and proper etiquette when camping out in a coffee shop - especially given that so many restaurants are in a tough financial spot these days. And move to entertaining - André has been itching to get out the smoker - but the price of beef is ... well insane. You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The cocktail scene has come a long way since Strawberry Daiquiris and Sex on the Beaches. Toronto has become especially rich with innovative cocktail spots, a number of which recently made it into's Canada's Best 100. Miroki was particularly thrilled to learn that Suite 115, the place that currently makes her favourite cocktail (what is it?), is among the other prestigious locations on the list.She and André catch up with Suite 115 co-founder Oliver Leung to see if they can figure out the secret sauce behind their delicious beverages, how they stand out in a sea of talented mixologists, and how they pair cocktails with their menu. Oliver also drops some deep philosophy on the difference between hospitality and service, something all folks in the industry should take notice of.You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Argentinian Malbec is, without a doubt, a cornerstone for Canadian wine drinkers...Canada is Argentina's 4th largest global export market! With Malbec World Day having recently passed on April 17th, Miroki and André are reminded about the quality that Argentine wines present for the dollar.But there is so much more to the story of Argentine Malbec. It has a rich history from when the grapes first arrived in the 1850s, evolving over the years to embrace a large range of styles from fresh and unoaked to big and powerful. More importantly, there is a cultural and social philosophy to how Argentinian folk drink wine together, something that Liz Luzza gives us a glimpse of during our podcast interview in partnership with Wines of Argentina.Whether you consider yourself a Malbec veteran, or someone who is newly curious, there is something to be learned in this lively conversation that bisects agricultural exploration of Argentina's unique high-altitude terroir, winemaking innovation, the country's dynamic cultural fabric, and food pairings, all with some live tasting notes of wines currently available at the LCBO.Wines tasted:Bodega Toro Centenario Malbec ($10.95, #12452) La Linda Malbec ($15.00 - $2.00 LTO, #11927) Luigi Bosca Insignia Malbec ($19.95, #452672) Alamos Malbec ($17.95 - $2.00 LTO, #295139) Trapiche Reserve Malbec ($14.95 – 80 Bonus Aeroplan, #614651) Kaiken Estate Malbec ($18.95 - $2.00 LTO, #58339) Doña Paula Estate Malbec ($18.35 - $3.00 LTO, #394783) Crios Torrontés ($16.95, #1834) You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trigger and content warning: In this episode, we discuss violence, which includes sexual assault.Hot kitchens. Sharp Knives. Loud voices. Cuss words. Those are the hallmarks of the back of house in a restaurant. And while there has been a level of glorification to being able to survive being toughened up the kitchens, the lines have too often crossed into abuse. A major shortcuming in the hospitality industry is its inability to take care of victims of abuse, many who remain silent for fear of being blacklisted.Such is the story of the world famous Three Michelin star restaurant Noma, and its chef René Redzepi. Already having come under fire in the past for its expoitative use of stages (unpaid work by interns), Redzepi remains in the limelight for the extreme verbal and physical abuse of his staff. Behind meticulous plates, terror reigned, leaving behind broken hospitality workers who could not speak out.Is this behaviour normal? Or are these outlier tales that get highlighted in mainstream media? André and Miroki tear off the veneer with industry veteran Chef Deron Engbers, discuss his experiences coming up as a young chef, if he's noticed improvements, and whether it is possible for real change? How will this affect diners - and do diners care?Further reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/dining/rene-redzepi-noma-abuse-allegations.htmlhttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-winemaker-norman-hardie-accused-of-sexual-misconduct/You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As comedian Ronny Chieng says, "Gong Hay Fat Choy" isn't "Happy New Year"...it's "Hope you get rich!"Whether it's Miroki's Cantonese Lunar New Year celebrations, Vietnamese Tết, or Korean Seollal, festivities are in full swing during this period. As a first generation Chinese-Canadian, it's wonderful that Baker Joe of Wai Tack Kee is keeping Miroki's shelves full of delicious traditional Cantonese snacks. His daughter Audrey Tam joins us on Tasting Together to speak about Joe's journey from Hong Kong to Canada, and how their family business brings prosperity into homes all across the GTA through nut filled dumpling pastries, pineapple cakes and lotus flower cookies.André and friends join Miroki's celebrations at Jumbo Lobster in Markham, partaking in a banquet that included sweet, succulent king crab and a lobster tower stir fried with a salted egg yolk. Corkage at this famed seafood spot only starts at $15, but Andre did ogle at their insanely high end wine list presented on a deceptively humble laminated menu. The question to always ask is...order more dim sum or try their dry aged steaks?It has been nearly 7 years since Miroki has enjoyed a family style New Year dinner. Towards the end of Lunar New Year, she will finally have the opportunity to enjoy whole steamed fish (symbolizing wealth), noodles (prosperity) and barbecue pork (riches and strength) through delicious homecooking. Will this finally inspire her to take to the kitchen and learn to cook up some dishes that connect with her roots?Wai Tack Kee: https://www.waitackkee.com/Jumbo Lobster: https://jumbolobster.ca/You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

January is generally a pretty blue kind of month, especially when the bombshell is dropped that 4000 restaurants will close by the end of the year. Emotions run high as customers and industry workers alike debate the reasons, trying to find one major factor to point the finger at. But sometimes the reasons lie in places we never consider. This is why we wanted to ask the best expert in the field. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, aka The Food Professor, brings his research based expertise to this episode to help us answer some burning questions, and peel back some layers to reveal just what is cutting into the deep web of the food industry.https://agrifoodanalyticslab.substack.com/p/canada-is-poised-to-lose-4000-restaurantsSylvain Charlebois - Faculty of Management - Dalhousie UniversityThe Food ProfessorYou can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As you tune into this episode on New Year’s Eve, you suddenly realize, “Sacré bleu! I didn’t get any sparkling wine to toast in the New Year!” Well, don’t you worry, Miroki and Andre have gotchu. From baller Champagnes tasted this year, the last great secret deal hidden in Ontario *cough* sparkling wine *cough*, fun and fancy free Prosecco, they will keep you well stocked for the celebration whether your budget is $15 or $500, while also reminding you that, no, it’s not all Champagne. Thank you for a fantastic 2025 and 3 years of Tasting Together! Happy New Year!Champagne:krug.com/en-int champagne-gaidoz-forget.com/en/welcome/11/ champagne-bollinger.comtarlant.com champagne-giraud.com perrier-jouet.com/en-ww Ontario:hinterlandwine.com rosehallrun.com featherstonewinery.ca Prosecco:bottegaspa.com/en/the-collections/wines/prosecco-sparkling-wines/Classic Penedes:albetinoya.cat/en/Also listen to:Temperatures - Baller Champagne - Tariffs - What more could you ask for? - Tasting Together | Podcast on SpotifyTaking A Toddler To France Was A Good Idea After All... - Tasting Together | Podcast on SpotifyYou can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The cider scene may be on fire right now, but if we said apple wine vs cider, I think a few of us would suddenly don our snob caps. Either thought of as too sugary, or poorly made, fruit wine has had a bit of a bad rap. But Miroki has frequented Kawartha Country Wines up in Ontario’s cottage country since 2012, and has enjoyed a delicious array of wines made of everything from blueberries, rhubarb and even pumpkin! She finally had a chance to sit down with founder John Rufa to discuss the many intricacies that not many think about when making wine with dozens of agricultural products, and how it was like to pioneer ciders in Ontario before it became cool.https://kawarthacountrywines.ca/ You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been one year since Miroki got married, and she’s been reflecting on some of the crazy decisions she made to make her wedding the best it could be. Luckily, she had the very talented wedding planner Trevor Frankfort supporting her. Now, Trevor is back with his 2nd Best Wedding Ever Competition! From venue, to food, to cake, to flowers, one lucky couple will win the wedding of their dreams. Cast your vote at trevents.ca/vote!Another competition is also underway, but with four wheels. Glenfiddich has partnered with the Canadian owned Formula One team Aston Martin, and has released limited edition bottles in honour of the team. Miroki and Andre catch up with Glenfiddich and Balvenie Ambassador Jamie Johnson to get the scoop, and also dig into whether duty free shopping for wine and spirits is worth your time and dollar.You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andre has been lamenting about summer being over, and clearly the deities heard - how has the spectacularly warm fall been affecting grape harvest for wine? Speaking of harvest season, there's lots of festivities happening, from Oktoberfest in Kitchener to the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. Discover an array of family and adult activities at the second largest Oktoberfest in the world next to Munich, learn why anything pairs with turkey and why a really old, sweet Gewurztraminer is the perfect accompaniment to the spices of a pumpkin or apple pie. More about Kitchener-Waterloo's Oktoberfest: https://www.oktoberfest.ca/Pick up some last minute Thanksgiving goodies in Hamilton: https://chatonhamilton.com/You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last November, André visited the north of Portugal in the search of great, food friendly wine. Vinho Verde - is a region that he visited in 2017 - and it made an impact on him. He felt the need to return. While this was recorded Miroki was planning her own trip to Portugal. Vinho Verde is on so many wine lists in the North - is this region really an underdog? André thinks so - but Miroki isn't convinced. Learn more about Vinho Verde - https://www.winesofportugal.com/en/discover/wine-regions/vinho-verde/Wineries visited - Anselmo Mendes - https://www.anselmomendes.pt represented by Terroir Wine Imports - https://www.terroirwineimports.com/Vino Aphros - https://aphros-wine.com/ represented by Le Sommelier - https://www.lesommelier.com/You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereviewYou can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miroki and André return from a much needed break to discuss a few things that have popped up in the news ... First - Miroki is in the final hours of a Kickstarter for her day job - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rockpapercynic/dnd-party-gameSecond - We learned that André and Miroki are human garbage dumps when it comes to what they will eat - https://www.idrlabs.com/food-disgust/test.phpLastly - Everyone is trying to figure out what is broken in the wine industry - did this article making the rounds shed any light on anything? - https://www.marketingwine.com/2025/08/06/the-enshittification-of-the-wine-industry/You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miroki had the chance to catch the recent Weird Al show at the Budweiser stage - and she had some thoughts on the hospitality offered. Miroki and André finally catch up on the same continent - and they go through what they are looking forward to about i4C. You can still grab a last minute ticket by visiting https://www.coolchardonnay.orgLast André shares a memory of his time spent with the late Nicolas Potel of Domaine Roche de Bellene who recently passed away - We offer condolences to the Potel family - and to everyone mourning this loss. You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncespleaseYou can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.