Blog Archives

Out & About #214 | Collective March Visuals

3/31/2016

Pondering the fact that another thirty days have already passed is quite a stunning realization. Despite the amount of entries I've been documenting in this space, it felt like it was just yesterday that I was planning the much-anticipated Bang Bang trip with a good friend of mine.

Nonetheless, here are my snaps of the month! As always, food shots remain a majority, though I've tried to inject some Easter visuals as well. Enjoy!

1. Sunsets as captured from my room
2. Homemade Roasted Butternut Squash & Kale Soup (recipe coming soon!)

3. Exploring the two-level flagship McDonald's location at Yonge and Elm
(Might I add: their portion sizes are huge!)

4. Homemade Matcha Cappuccino (à la Tsujiri) + an Egg Tart from Papa John's
5. A tower of balloons bearing an intermediate resemblance to Koro-Sensei
6. Toronto Fashion Week aftermath

7. Someone's turning 50!
8. A freshly-compiled Yogurt Parfait w/ Fruit & Granola from the just-opened cultures in Metro Centre

9. CoCo's current promotions

10. Adorable bunny and monkey plushies at Indigo

Out & About #213 | Toronto Things: Exploring Scarborough

3/29/2016

With no direct route between Scarborough and Mississauga, it's rare that I ever venture past Union to explore the easterly district of Toronto. (I'm fairly convinced that my previous commute totalled a solid 2 hours and required me to catch a connecting bus at the York University terminal.)

Today was an exception: I had approximately an hour and a half to familiarize myself with the Scarborough GO terminal, as well as the adjacent buildings.

Prior to embarking on the journey, I had consumed one of COBS Bread's amazing Traditional Fruit Hot Cross Buns (an Easter-limited item!) and an equally divine Jade Citrus Mint Tea (with steamed lemonade and honey) from Starbucks.
By 12:30 pm though, I was more than ready to explore Scarborough Town Centre for food and retail options.

The tunnel/walkway connecting the TTC, regional transit systems (such as GO Transit), Scarborough Town Centre, and a pathway to the Scarborough Civic Centre was found to form a cross right at the Scarborough transit hub - quite an interesting and useful addition, if you ask me! (City Centre could learn a few things from here...)

Marching through the glass doors of STC, I immediately found myself in the food court upon arriving on the other side.
But first things first: The Disney Store.

SULLEY!!!

While Sulley plushies had completely sold out at the Eaton Centre, and at Square One prior to that, I managed to locate six - that's right, SIX!! - at STC!

They were undeniably adorable! But alas, they were beyond my reach. I settled for snapping several photos with them, then reluctantly retreated back to the food court in search of sustenance.

Out & About #212 | Crepes, Bubble Tea, and K-Beauty at Pacific Mall

3/26/2016

Inter-city travel plans normally aren't executed without deciding upon some form of schedule beforehand.
But when a series of plans fell through with a less-than-communicative friend of mine, I ended up making the most of my day by stopping over at Pacific Mall for a short while prior to heading back.

Nicola's Cafe on the upper level food court has always been the strongest contender among the other food stalls. On this recent visit, I noticed that "Nicola's" has now become "Wanda's"; I assume that this simply means they are now operating one of "Wanda's" many franchise locations, as there have been no changes to the staff members.

A Savoury Chicken and Swiss Cheese Crepe was order to share. Despite the long lineup, the dish was delivered in roughly seven minutes, and made to perfection as always.

Looking to fill the small void in our stomachs, we headed back through the middle aisle of the second floor, recalling that a new stall had popped up.

Papa Chang's is no stranger to the Markham food scene - I've heard lots about them. And while I can't compare their newly-opened "Express" eatery to their physical location on the east end of Markham, it was quite refreshing to find budget-friendly night market-like eats in shopping centre. This express location even featured a series of chair for those looking to dine away from the chaos of the central eating area.

We took to ordering the trio of fish skewers, which were seemingly decked out takoyaki-style with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, aonori bits, and katsuobushi (ie. bonito flakes).

The skewers were made to order, which ensured that the produce remained piping hot and crispy upon delivery. The battered fish was crunchy and flaky, with a fall-off-the-skewer-type tenderness that wowed and scalded our mouths as the same time. Complete with your standard array of tried-and-true toppings (plus a small amount of wasabi sauce), 棒棒魚 is likely to become my go-to snack on my next P-Mall adventure

Out & About #211 | toronto Zoo, Go For Tea, and Love Me Sweet

3/25/2016

I've been to three aquariums in my entire lifetime - with my most recent experience being the one closest to home - yet have never stepped foot into a zoo.

Until today that is.

I suppose the event that triggered the sudden urge to visit was the the birth of the baby panda cubs, Jia Yue Yue and Jia Pan Pan.

Being the exhibit located closest to the entrance, it was only rational that we made the 1-hour wait our first stop.

The wait wasn't particularly enticing, but did provide significant relief from the harsh wintry weather outside. The lineup snaked along the interior perimeter of an indoor exhibit showcasing panda facts, an interactive display, and a purple-hued creature named the Chinese Giant Salamander, and then proceeded to lead out the back door of the exhibit towards...(you guessed it) another lineup.

The second lineup was brief, but didn't boast interest levels too much. With beyond horrible yellow-tinted lighting and an extremely dark room, Da Mao and Er Shun's features were almost indistinguishable. While I was able to catch a few glimpses of bamboo-chomping from the adult pandas, the cubs were merely engaging in their afternoon nap. In other words, there was little to no action able to be captured.

In addition to the Panda exhibit, the Toronto Zoo also comprised of a vast number of other exhibits, categorized by continental regions such as Canadian Domain, Americas, African Savanna, Tundra Trek, etc. Each exhibit was set up in an environment capable of meeting the survival needs of the various species it housed, even including very mild temperatures for Indo-Malaya and dryer external conditions for Eurasia Wilds.

As always, the full album can be found HERE !

Out & About #210 | Tsujiri (Round 3), Hodo Kwaja, and MeNami

3/24/2016

Where does the somewhat-local food enthusiast take her out-of-the-province guest when she hails from an elite West Coast scene with bountiful fare options? To the hype train - that's what.

Matcha-based desserts are a staple, even if she's already tried the best-of-the-best in soft-shelled crab sandwiches and fluffy, icing sugar-topped waffles. Tsujiri's first venture into North America is well-hyped, despite the insane price tags. While my previous two visits (1, 2) were accompanied with a maximum wait time of fifteen minutes (at off-peak hours), dropping by around 4 pm on the Thursday before Easter long weekend prompted a slightly lengthier line, as well as an increased wait time of twenty-five minutes.

I still found the sundaes to be a tad tiny, and opted with the tried-and-true options: Tsujiri Shaved Ice and Houjicha Milk Float.
The staff have undeniably sped up their crafting process to relieve the demand, though the number of staff members working the floor is variable.

As always, view the full album HERE !

We then dropped by Uncle Tetsu briefly, but did not find the lineup to be particularly appealing, especially in chilly, damp conditions. Instead, I suggested the quicker option of grabbing a Matcha Madeleine from the Matcha Cafe adjacent.

Next stop was K-Town.

After picking up an extremely burdensome roll of plastic bags - core still intact - from P.A.T. and skipping over Kevin's Taiyaki, I led the way to Hodo Kwaja, a lovely Korean shop I hadn't had the opportunity to visit since last spring.

Appropriately named, Hodo Kwaja is, hands down, the place to obtain freshly-made walnut cakes (aka 호도과자 ), as well as a variety of other popular Korean street snacks.

During my last visit, I was able to spot the shop's extensive slew of machinery in action: small, wrinkly spheres were being gently removed from black, iron molds on a conveyor belt and allowed to roll down into a parchment paper-lined wire rack for cooling. While these little treats can also be obtained at a higher price point but greater convenience at Mississauga's P.A.T supermarket, the quality of the product and degree of freshness are utterly unrivalled. Crafted entirely from scratch in store, Hodo Kwaja's signature walnut cakes are distinctly irreplaceable.

There are three types of filling for these walnut cakes: Red Bean & Walnut, Mashed Potato & Almond, and Mashed Potato & Walnut - all of which are equally scrumptious and make for perfect proportions of sponginess and sweetness. I previously opted for a bag of 12 pieces, but demolished them almost instantaneously! This time around, I made to purchase a box of 30 pieces such that there would be enough to take home for sharing.

During this visit, we were also able to catch hotteok being formed and pressed on the grill, something I hadn't witnessed before. Hotteok (호떡) is a type of chewy Korean pancake commonly filled with brown sugar and grains. Though I've tried P.A.T. Mississauga's rather greasy rendition of this street food, Hodo Kwaja takes the doughy discs to a completely new level of yumminess.
Containing fillings of either Red Bean or Brown Sugar, fist-sized portions of dough are flattened and pressed onto a lightly greased surface for toasting. The process ensures a crisp, toasted exterior and a warm centre with oozing brown sugar (if you happened to choose that filling).

View the full album HERE !

Out & About #209 | Partial March Visuals

3/20/2016

March has been a particularly fruitful month in terms of visuals-gathering, probably since the weather has been more forgiving lately. (Thank goodness!)

1. Papa John's Bakery
A homey boutique that I had initially perceived to be a new addition to Mississauga's not-so-diverse Chinese bakery scene was actually revealed to be well-acknowledged contender to Akko Cake House. Our childhood favourite in Erindale has served us well over the years, but the staffing switchover held some two or three years back yielded inconsistent portions and taste; we gradually reduced the frequency of our visits.

Upon conducting another Insta-search (mindless browsing of the social media platform has now officially become part of my stretching and face-mask-drying routine), I discovered Papa John's. Google Maps informed me that it was extremely close to Hurontario and Eglinton, so I set out one lazy Sunday morning in search of fresh coconut buns.

Assuming the corner spot of a very well-hidden plaza in a residential area, the bakery would have been almost impossible to find without the aid of satellite-guided navigation tools.
Regrettably, I had not checked their opening hours prior to punching the address into my GPS - Papa John's was open from 8 AM to 7 PM on weekdays, 8 AM to 6 PM on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays. Well then.

I had no other option than to turn back and shake my head in disappointment for committing such a mistake. Undefeated, I suggested a brunch visit to the bakery the following Saturday when a friend mentioned that she had a bit of time in the morning.

Pulling into the parking lot around 11:30 AM, I immediately noticed the lack of available parking compared to the previous Sunday. Thankfully, I managed to snatch the last spot in the plaza. Not quite as lucky, a number of patrons had parked outside the vicinity of the plaza at a nearby school instead.

The bakery was bustling with action: several small families had claimed their territory at the ten small tables in the dining area and were either munching on Pineapple Bun and HK Milk Tea combos or bowls of noodle in soup. After completing my 360-degree scan of the interior, I slowly approached my bun options, equipping myself with a plastic tray and set of tongs for easy selection.

Many of my favourites were present: pineapple buns, custard buns, egg tarts (with butter tart shells), raisin twists, etc. Papa John's carried all the classic Cantonese bun varieties as Akko, in addition to offering dine-in combos.

Out & About #208 | Tsujiri Tea House (Round 2)

3/16/2016

What would life be without matcha? Let's think about this for a moment.

I can proudly declare that I've never been without green tea for a single day of my existence, whether it be the numerous varieties of jasmine green tea bags in our pantry, or the slightly pricier tins of Matcha Matsu from DAVIDsTEA. And because of my fondness for the pulverized grassy substance, it was only a short while before I found myself craving for more Tsujiri after my initial visit.

To say that not being able to try their Cream Puffs during their first few days of operation would be an understatement. Their refrigerated display case was completely devoid of any baked goods during my previous visit; quite the contrast, it was filled to the brim with O-Matcha Macarons and O-Matcha Cream Puffs this time around. I opted to take four of the crackled top-creations to-go.

Another item that grabbed my attention after a sufficient amount of hype on Instagram would be: No. 31, the Houjicha Float. While I had my doubts about the strength of the roasted tea flavour, many claimed otherwise. Noting the girl at the cashier, who, to my surprise, spoke a decent amount of English, promised uncompromised tea flavour even with the addition of milk, I chose No. 32, the Houjicha Milk Float. The medium size with matcha soft serve rang in at a whopping eight dollars - Yikes.

But by golly, it was good. Likely the priciest singular drink I've ever forked over my hard-earned wages to obtain, it surpassed Uncle Tetsu standards by far, bursting with a very-much-unexpected deep, thoroughly roasted aura. Lying right in the middle of kakigori and slushie (think of the bubble tea variety) texture, the float was icy, yet not overly watery; it was textured and flavourful, with absolutely no unnecessary frills. To top it all off, the matcha soft serve proved to heighten the distinctness of the teas even more, adding an overall cohesive quality.

Not a fan of buttercream, I opted out of the $4.75 O-Matcha Parfait.
The "Sunrise" Uji seemed to be a good item for sharing among groups though. (Honestly, you can't go wrong with kakigori when the weather begins warming up.)

View the full album HERE !

Out & About #207 | Lake House and Exploring Niagara

3/12/2016

It's time to be thankful that the worst part of winter has come and gone, generating little damage along the way.
With the exception of the rain, we've been hitting shockingly high temperatures recently. And shockingly glorious warm weather in March means impromptu road trips.

Venturing into the Western region of the province, we fueled up via brunch at a restaurant named Lake House, just off the highway in St. Catherines/Vineland.

The view of Lake Ontario was absolutely breathtaking, rather unthinkably so considering the restaurant's somewhat isolated location.

Seating ourselves at a cozy window table was the first order of matters. Natural lighting was ample, but the exterior had been strategically designed such that the occupants of the tables would be able to enjoy their meals without fear of direct sunlight penetrating their eyes. (Quite frankly though, the waterfront view would have still made it worth it.)

Maple seems to be gradually gaining fame as the next up-and-coming ingredient for the spring season. First was McDonald's Maple Latte, and now it's being incorporated with Chipotle, another well-loved favourite, to form Lake House's very own specialty maple chipotle aioli. This dressing was spotted on their brunch/lunch menu for a total of four times!

Find the full album HERE !

Out & About #206 | Tsujiri Tea House

3/8/2016

Anything containing or infused with matcha has got to be worth the hype, am I right?

As soon as news circulated that the Japanese chain would be making its way to Toronto to open their first North American location - that's right, it landed in Canada first before heading south of the border!, I knew that I'd develop instant regrets for not trying out their creations in Hankyu when in Taiwan.

Revamping the narrow space of a dilapidated convenience store, the Tsujiri transformation was heavily comprised of woodsy elements and potlights giving off harsh incandescent illumination. Seating was limited to three 2-person booths built into the wall directly across from the cashier/bar area and a somewhat spacious, socks-only tatami group table at the back; along the outer perimeter of the shop were plastic renditions of food samples, validating the franchise's East Asian origins.

On their fourth (or was it their fifth?) day of operation, I decided to drop by to indulge in the matcha-ness. At 10:35 AM, the glass door was still locked, yet members of staff were abuzz within. There was little information visible from the outside beside an inspection pass and a six foot tall menu with almost illegible font; I took advantage of a delivery to stop and ask one of the workers and was told that their hours were 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM.

View the full album HERE !

Out & About #205 | Bang Bang Ice Cream, White Squirrel, and Maker Pizza

3/4/2016

"Time flies when you're having fun." But does it really?
Roughly ten months have passed since my initial downtown excursions, and time seems to have flown by even more rapidly than I was aware of. Between early mornings, heavy intakes of caffeine, and tiring commutes, limited durations of "me-time" have been able to be salvaged at the end of weekdays and daylight hours on weekends (because chores aren't magically going to complete themselves).

After six months of failed initiations, postponing, and working around schedule changes, a much-needed meetup in the form of an excursion to Bang Bang was finally made possible.

Having been the talk of town since summer, Bang Bang Ice Cream and Bakery on Ossington is known for their yummy, sweet creations and atrociously long lines. While I don't think they've ever made it past the three-hour mark, I have heard that dedicated ice cream-goers have been patient enough to stand in the sweltering heat for over one hour!

The storefront was void of any banners that notified passerbys that they had arrived at the correct location; the sole sign was situated in one of the outward-facing windows and donned a muted gold coat.

The ceiling was much higher than when viewed from the shop's exterior. I presume that "spacious" would not be the most accurate term to describe the establishment, especially when lineups are abundant; though I found the parlour to be of a good size for its intended operations. Half of the back comprised of a commercial kitchen, while the front housed a display case filled with externally-sourced cookies, choux pastries (or cream puff shells), a painting of a deconstructed rendition of Homer Simpson, and a very large white screen for displaying videos.

With the humming of machinery and contemporary pop articulating in the background, we pondered our available options from the shelves of labelled cylindrical tubs.
Both of us had a strong desire for egg waffles - some may refer to it as a "puffle" - so it was only a matter of flavour selection.

View the full album HERE !

Out & About #214 | Collective March Visuals

Out & About #213 | Toronto Things: Exploring Scarborough

Out & About #212 | Crepes, Bubble Tea, and K-Beauty at Pacific Mall

Out & About #211 | toronto Zoo, Go For Tea, and Love Me Sweet

Out & About #210 | Tsujiri (Round 3), Hodo Kwaja, and MeNami

Out & About #209 | Partial March Visuals

Out & About #208 | Tsujiri Tea House (Round 2)

Out & About #207 | Lake House and Exploring Niagara

Out & About #206 | Tsujiri Tea House

Out & About #205 | Bang Bang Ice Cream, White Squirrel, and Maker Pizza

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