The best Pakistani restaurants in Toronto are well-known to Canada's growing Pakistani population, but their culinary offerings often play second-fiddle to marquee fare such as Thai, Italian, French or Japanese. You can't be the crown jewel of multiculturalism and not have Pakistani restaurants dotting your street, through, and in many neighbourhoods in and around Toronto, Pakistani ex-pats have set up shop to serve biryani, qorma, daal, chana masala, and the other staples of the South Asian diet, saving you the plane trip to Karachi.

The best parks to have a picnic in Toronto prove that we don't need much to enjoy a picnic in this city — give us a patch of grass, above-freezing temperatures, and we're eager to throw down a blanket (or jacket) and feast on that sandwich like there's no tomorrow. It's no surprise then, that in season, Toronto's parks turn into meccas for the picnic junkies big and small. We lug our coolers and our babies, ready to combat anything from wasps to squirrels to the parking pains — in exchange for a few hours of gastro recreation.

The best Indian restaurants in Mississauga uphold the delicious and versatile aspects of that can be found from the bustling streets of Delhi to the overcrowded hawker stands in Mumbai. Here, each Indian restaurant has a distinct aura about it (trust me, I'm Indian) and suburban Indian cuisine, while not as easily accessible as Toronto's Gerrard Street, represents the Indian diaspora that stretches throughout the city.

The best laundromats in Toronto are as hard to find as a missing sock. There are thousands of them in the city, and most are destined to ruin your clothes sooner or later (probably sooner). But laundromats force us into the uneasy choice of convenience over quality, so we take our chances with unreliable washers and unclean dryers simply because we can walk over to the place in our pyjamas.

The best fitness clubs in Toronto are a necessity in our land of wonderful food. As we well know, there are many dining options that result in bigger curves. Fear not, friends. Our city of plenty has a bounty of fitness facilities designed to make our butts smaller (or at least perkier).

There's probably something beyond vanity that attracts us to the idea of working out. It may be the accomplishment we feel after spinning like a hamster on a wheel (I mean, a spinning bike). It may be a short workout followed by a long sauna - both make you sweat and one makes you happy with relatively little output. I don't judge, but I do, however, have you covered.

The best Chinese restaurants in Mississauga reflect the cuisine's wide array of flavours and offerings from dim sum to fusion dishes. From something simple like the warm satisfaction of clay pot rice with steamed vegetables, to comfort food like roasted duck, food offerings in Mississauga give plenty of reason to head west of Toronto for Chinese eats.

Here are my picks for the best Chinese restaurants in Mississauga.

Writing by Kunal Gulati. Photos by Morris Lum