I SEE HUNGRY PEOPLE

Ottawa

ptpotts — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:19:14 +0000

Ottawa is a lovely, peaceful retreat for me. Running along the canal, homecooked meals at my parent’s home, checking out the latest exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature; the city is a breath of fresh air. This was the first time I visited in December and Ottawa was aglow with many pretty Christmas lights. One of the highlights of my visit was the newly renovated minerals wing of the CMN – filled with beautiful, fascinating minerals and rocks that I had never seen before, and I spent a good hour wandering around trying to find the most photogenic ones. Au revoir Ottawa, until next time…

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Killbear Provincial Park

ptpotts — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:23:46 +0000

Killbear is a pretty little park in Georgian Bay. Warm waters, sandy beaches and winding bike trails were the highlights of our annual camping trip. I’ll always remember lying on the large, flat rocks while gazing up at the endless, starry night sky. I feel so amazed at how beautiful and perfect life feels when I stare up at all these stars, incomprehensibly so far away. We’re all so insignificant, but so very lucky. I’m not religious, but I feel a universal spirit amongst the maze of constellations and planets, and that gives me a rare moment of hope.

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Restaurant Review: Laurier Gordon Ramsay

ptpotts — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:09:05 +0000

When I heard Gordon Ramsay was opening up a restaurant in Montreal, I immediately added Gordon Ramsay’s first Canadian venture to my ever growing list of ”Must Eats When In Montreal”. Smoked meat, bagels, poutine AND Gordon Ramsay in one city? Too amazing for words! So when I had the opportunity to hit up Montreal for 24 hours, the first place I went to was Laurier Gordon Ramsay.

Nestled amongst the Christmas lights of Laurier Avenue West, this former rotisserie family restaurant in Outremont was the perfect place to cozy up in on a cold December night. I’ve dined at Ramsay’s Maze restaurant in Prague and his At The London in NYC, but as I stepped inside Laurier I admired the completely different atmosphere. Unlike the elegant lounge of Maze or the five star world of At The London, walking into Laurier felt as though one was walking into a friend’s home. From the elegant black and white exterior to the warm wooden paneled dining room and solid wood tables, Ramsay kept it simple, and catered to the local neighbourhood (rule #1 from Kitchen Nightmares).

Cute Bread & Butter, Laurier Gordon Ramsay, Montreal, Canada

Little touches such as the jar of homemade pickles on each table and the metal bucket of fresh roles and logo branded butter are unique but not pretentious.While an extensive wine list makes me realize I’ll be spending more on wine then I will on my meal, with such reasonable prices (an average main is about $15 CAN) I’m enticed to splurge a bit more. Everything on the menu looks deliciously heart warming, and I finally settle on a classic French onion soup, which should be a testament of the menu’s focus on local comfort food.

French Onion Soup, Laurier Gordon Ramsay, Montreal, Canada

The French onion soup is perfection from the crusty layer of Gruyere cheese to the well seasoned beef broth and soft carmelized onions soaking the fresh croutons below, there is comfort in every bite.

The main course was even harder to select: tourtiere? Beer battered fish ‘n’ chips? Chicken pot pie? Wood planked salmon? Oh if only there was more time! However, the specialty of Laurier is their rotisserie which features grain fed, naturally raised Quebec chickens (Kitchen Nightmares rule#2: use local produce!), and so I finally decided that this is the optimal choice.

Rotisserie Chicken, Laurier Gordon Ramsay, Montreal, Canada

Now it may seem strange to compare Swiss Chalet with Gordon Ramsay, but just imagine if Swiss Chalet was actually made with real chicken. Imagine if you had this fresh, cooked to perfection chicken whose juices are held in by thin, crispy, well seasoned skin, complete with crunchy coleslaw and hand cut fries alongside silky gravy for dipping. I will now forever love Gordon Ramsay because he has made me the most divine Swiss Chalet dinner, ever.

Our group ate, drank and relaxed for about 3 hours, and not once did we feel rushed by the waiters to leave, something that I really appreciated.

With reasonable prices, local produce and a warm, inviting atmosphere, Laurier confirms one thing: Ramsay abides by his own rules, meaning no matter which restaurant of his I dine in, the experience will always be amazing.

Bolivia

ptpotts — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:42:38 +0000

When I first saw photos of the Salar de Uyuni salt flats, I knew that I had to go there. The pure, desolate landscape was unlike anything I had seen, or knew existed. The rumbling trip through the endless white desert did not disappoint. After over 1000km covered in 3 days by 4×4, I had seen everything from hexagon salt flats to a 900 year old cactus; from volcanic rock formations to hundreds of flamingoes in various coloured lagoons. The journey was rough, but well worth it, and a real reflection of my experience in Bolivia as there were many highs and lows throughout my trip. Threats of riots along with bumpy “roads” and crappy “toilets” as well as a severe lack of good food really tested my sprit at times. But despite this there were beautiful moments caught in between the modernity of everyday life and the traditional ways of the indigenous people. Mountain biking down the Death Road amongst lush greenery and waterfalls; hiking through the quiet town of Sorata nestled in the hills; discovering a farm run by an Irish nun on a mountaintop; and one of the more surprising experiences: ending up in a yoga class with Hare Krishna devotees. I love some of the shots I took – because they remind me of one thing about Bolivia: expect the unexpected.

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Peru

ptpotts — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:46:39 +0000

I had dreamt of trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for some time now. Hiking in the footsteps of the Incas to the mysterious city hidden in the clouds sounded like a fascinating and challenging experience. While there were many memorable moments from my trip to Peru: learning about the exotic biodiversity of the Amazon; strolling through the charming city of Cuzco; swimming in the freezing waters of Lake Titicaca – the highlight of the trip was still Machu Picchu. From our amazing team of porters and chefs, to listening to ghost stories and playing endless rounds of cards; conquering rocky Inca steps to nearly being run over by a llama – the whole experience is now embodied in that classic shot of Machu Picchu.

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Algonquin 2011

ptpotts — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:57:25 +0000

A new portage route, a new adventure. 62km of canoeing and 4530m of portaging in 4 days. Lots of laughs, lots of bugs, but most of all, lots of fun!

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Severn Lodge, Port Severn, Ontario

ptpotts — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:24:42 +0000

If I were to own a cottage resort, I’d envision it as Severn Lodge. Simple, cozy, clean and welcoming, I feel as though I’ve traveled back in time or stepped into a scene right out of Dirty Dancing. The former Georgian Bay Lumber Company headquarters was built in the 1800′s and after the logging era ended, was sold to a wealthy social club from Pittsburgh. In the 1920′s the resort was purchased by a group of investors who reopened it as Severn Lodge.

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Gull Lake, Gravenhurst, Ontario

ptpotts — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:13:40 +0000

Spent a gorgeous summer afternoon beaching, boating and fishing at the lovely Gull Lake in Gravenhurst…didn’t catch any dinner this time though…

I didn’t take too make photos, so I really played around with the colour on the select few. I love the photo of the kids hanging out on the dock, I wanted to make the shot feel like a memory, really luminescent…

Cool Blue

this used to be my playground

Bleeding

Frozen (2010) Review

ptpotts — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 06:08:42 +0000

I don’t scare easily, and I’m not very squeamish, but Frozen had me gnawing on my Snuggie and cursing at my TV. The tagline for Frozen was “what Jaws did for swimmers Frozen will do for skiers”, and though this is a pretty high standard to live up to, I think the film does achieve the same amount of intensity at its key moments. As a swimmer even Sharkwater didn’t disturb me as much – the moment the couple strayed from the dive group I immediately lost sympathy for them. But Frozen presents a situation that could actually happen to a skier, and in a way that doesn’t alienate the audience. At the end of a ski day, three friends, Parker (Emma Bell, The Walking Dead), her boyfriend Kevin (Dan Walker, Gossip Girl) and his friend Joe (Shawn Ashmore, The Ruins, X-Men Last Stand) convince the ski operator to let them have one last run on the hills. Unfortunately they are accidentally left behind, stranded in the middle of the ski lift, and the resort is shut down until the following weekend. Without giving too much away, I will say that the reason why Frozen works is because the characters react the way the viewer wants them to react, but with horrific results. By creating this connection, it sets up great tension between the characters and the audience as panic starts to mount and the situation worsens, unlike a typical ie. slasher film where the viewer is dismissed the moment someone runs up the stairs instead of down. Needless to say, there aren’t too many options when one is abandoned on a ski lift and it’s a great idea for a film – one location, three characters. The script is above average for this type of movie – it has to be considering the majority of the film is spent sitting on a ski chair, though there was definitely room for more development especially the relationship between Parker and Kevin. While not entirely likeable, the three characters are not your typical flat, moronic, trophy victims either. The use of gore is minimal, but extremely *agh!* effective. All I can say is, I’m never skiing without my cell phone. Directed by Adam Green (Hatchet).

Yellowbrickroad

ptpotts — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:47:52 +0000

Blair Witch meets Wizard of Oz from hell?