Monthly Archives: February 2020

Britannia: Britpop & Madchester Video Dance Party with Oasis Spotlight — Feb. 22

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Oasis spotlight

Bros have really let themselves go

Saturday, February 22 is shaping up to be the best night in 2020 for Brits in Toronto so far because of two main reasons: The Toronto British Expat Meetup Group Pub Quiz is happening AND Britannia: Britpop & Madchester Video Dance Party with Oasis Spotlight!

Start with one and end the night with t’other! Or you can stay in and stick t’kettle on for a luvly cuppa char, chook. Your choice.

Britannia is the ONLY Britpop Video Dance Party in North America. It’s packed with hundreds of Britpop fans getting down to the coolest UK tunes of the past and present.

This coming Saturday, at Remix Lounge in downtown Toronto, the night will feature an Oasis Spotlight = means lots of their videos will be played on the night by this Brit-related bloke, DJ Lazarus.

DJ Lazarus

“Hello? Who? Alright Gaz! You what? Can’t, mate, I’m spinning on me decks! I’ll give you a shout later, geezer! Sweet as!”

Join the common people for tunes from: Oasis, The Verve, Suede, Pulp, Blur, Supergrass, The Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, Sleeper, Shed Seven, The Boo Radleys, Wonderstuff, Ride, The Smiths, The Charlatans, Happy Mondays, Carter USM, Jesus Jones, Echobelly, Manic Street Preachers, Travis, Stereolab, Catherine Wheel, Ocean Colour Scene, EMF, House Of Love, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Kula Shaker, The Jam, Soup Dragons, The Auteurs, Joy Division, Ian Brown, Dodgy, Mansun, Black Grape, Morrissey, The La’s, The Farm, Republica, Menswear, Cast, Space, Longpigs, Echo and the Bunnnymen, Lush, Primal Scream, James, Saint Etienne, Gene, Jesus And Mary Chain, Lightning Seeds, Catatonia, Spiritualized, Adorable, Paul Weller, Franz Ferdinand, Super Furry Animals, Simple Minds, Rolling Stones, Flowered Up, The Bluetones, The Fall, New Order, The Mock Turtles, Radiohead, The Beatles, and many more.

Text and/or post pictures and requests to the video screens during the party. Include the hash tag #britsintoronto too for absolutely no prizes whatsoever, but just for shits and giggles and our undying gratitude! 🙂

All the details are here so see you then! It really is a fun night.

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Totally biased product review by me — Mistaan Sweets

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Mistaan Sweets

Chicken Karahi bought from Mistaan Sweets. They also sell the spicy Tamarind Date sauce so we used that on some roast potatoes.

There’s a great little no-frills curry place up by Finch and the 404 called Mistaan Sweets but you wouldn’t notice it if you drove by as it’s tucked away in an industrial area, hence this review. You’re welcome.

As the name implies their specialty is sweet goods and they sell a ton of those, but the curries are just as good and very authentic. There’s not much seating space but we suspect most customers just grab a takeaway for the office lunch. It is open seven days a week which is a bonus too.

They also sell a nice range of Indian sauces and pickles at very reasonable prices.

Our go-to dish there is the Chicken Karahi and it’s a decent-sized portion at a nice price of $6.99 which is not bad at all. Just ask the server for extra spice and it will suit most tastes. Nice large chunks of chicken and keep an eye out for the green chilli they throw in for fun. That has bite! We still need to try more dishes, including the Vindaloo.

This is a great little place if you’re in the hood and we give it a Brits in Toronto 4/5 stars.

Update February 27, 2020
We have raised the rating to a Brits in Toronto 5/5 stars! Just had the Chicken Vindaloo and, OMG bruv, kidding you not, the flavour is on point. Be warned though = ultra hot spice level. We’re talking a 5-tissue blow your nose level. Love this place.

Skyfall In Concert

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Skyfall In Concert

When Bond fires his gun the snare drums really kick in like pew pew pew!

If you like the music in James Bond films then you probably heard that the theme tune to the new upcoming Bond film came out yesterday.

Coincidentally, someone contacted us a few days previously via encrypted message in a secret drop box behind the Tim’s on Dundas Street West by Dufferin: Albert. Michael Albert.

Michael informed us of an exciting cinematic experience happening on February 21-22 that Bond fans and Brits in Toronto readers may be interested in. Special offer for Queen and country below.*

Skyall In Concert is at Meridian Hall (formerly Sony Centre) next week. In this concert screening, the most popular James Bond movie will be displayed on a huge screen with a full symphony orchestra playing the score, live, in sync with the film.

These kinds of events are great nights out — they give fans of the film a really unique and entertaining experience, and get to see films they love with the huge impact of a full orchestra.

This concert screening is also a great excuse for a swanky date night, and with Valentine’s Day TODAY, the timing couldn’t be better to score some tickets.

We think this 007 experience will be great!

*Michael is happy to offer Brits in Toronto readers 15% off tickets to the performances on February 21-22. To redeem the discount, please visit the website, select your desired performance, and enter the promo code: SHAKEN … as in, not stirred.

Totally biased product review by me — The Spice Tailor

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The Spice Tailor

That artfully composed photo above shows the ACTUAL curry we made using The Spice Tailor

This blog was set up in part for Brits in Toronto to find the best curries in the city. That includes restaurants and the kind you can cook yourself at home. But which are NEVER as good as the restaurants. (Ping us if you know different, we’re all ears …)

Spotted The Spice Tailor on the shop shelf and was enticed by the nice package design. Always a sucker for a photo of the person that created the recipe, so did some Googling and found out this product is the result of Anjum Anand’s hard work. She’s a TV chef from the UK, so already bonus points as we all know the best curries come from the UK.

As we’re quite lazy too, we’re very keen on products that take the hard work out of throwing a Ruby Murray together after a hard day at work. The Spice Tailor we tried (Tikka Masala) had three separate pouches included: whole spice pouch, a base sauce and a stir-in sauce. All you have to provide is the meat/seafood and veggies. We also added some more hot sauce because this particular version was quite mild to our palate.

After toasting the spices for about 30 seconds we added chicken (already cooked to save time), added the base sauce and simmered for a few minutes. We stirred in the main sauce and cooked for a further 10 minutes or so. It was really quick and easy.

The final result? A nice, tasty curry that hits the spot but may need some extra hot sauce added to it depending on your taste. We’re keen to try more in this product range and give it a Brits in Toronto 3/5 stars.

Update March 17, 2020

We’re goan in!

On the advice of Anjum Anand herself (on Facebook but we can’t remember the link so here’s proof she is an actual person) we tried the Fiery Goan Curry tonight which was definitely a notch up in the spice level and, again, flavour was on point.

So we’re happy to upgrade The Spice Tailor to a Brits in Toronto 4/5 stars.

The Toronto British Expat Meetup Group Pub Quiz is happening February 22

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Toronto Brits

Future British BFFs

Amanda got in touch and asked us to give a shout out to the first The Toronto British Expat Meetup Group Pub Quiz night of the year — no — the DECADE! It’s a biggie.

Details …

The quiz is a mixture of general knowledge and specific categories, covering all things British, Canadian and the world … and as always, there will be a theme.

DATE: Saturday, February 22

TIME: 7:30 p.m.

VENUE: Duke of Somerset, 655 Bay St., Toronto (nearest subway station is Dundas or College)

Please go to www.meetup.com and find the TORONTO BRIT MEETUP GROUP (with Amanda as the organizer)and sign up for free if you haven’t already. All the details are there.

Have fun all!