The moment has finally arrived! It's time for another monthly roundup of visuals!

1. Maxim's Cafe
Prior to heading here for a family friend meet-up, I briefly skimmed over the reviews for this cafe/patisserie. The blurbs that had been posted were, unfortunately, largely negative. Many had complained of extremely poor service, but had enjoyed the cakes decently enough to order takeout and devour them elsewhere.
Considering that many Chinese-owned diners weren't renowned for having formidable customer service, I hadn't walked in expecting too much. But I suppose I had needed to lessen my standards even more.

Gently striding onto the premises, I noticed that Maxim's consisted of two sections: a plastic table-filled dining area where casual banter would take place, and a dimly-lit dining area with white tablecloths, an outdated television screen, and a wine wall hidden at the back behind a bar. This difference in atmosphere seemed rather strange to me, as it was highly likely that the customers in the back would be receiving the same service, and exposed to the same loud conversations of the afternoon tea-goers.
There was also an extensive selection of cakes and pastries in display cases near the cashier. Truthfully, they were quite average in appearance, but the vast selection had made them seem extravagant compared to other cafes.

We opted for the "Afternoon Tea Special", though the prices weren't particularly special at all. Rather, they were on par with (if not priced even higher) than more sophisticated cake shops in the Downtown Core. Slices of Green Tea Mousse Cake and Black Sesame Mousse Cake were ordered, along with a French Onion Soup.

Despite it being a rather lazy Wednesday afternoon, the three waitresses showed absolutely no signs of efficiency. It almost felt as if the pace of business dictated their rate of processing orders. It took all of ten minutes to flag one of them down to order the items, and another ten to fifteen before any items were brought to our table. And as for those complimentary drinks? Well, you can bet it required the same amount of time.
While slow service is one thing, poor attitude is of a separate matter. Names of dishes were not announced when they were crudely set down, nor were smiles present on the waitress' face. I had also taken the liberty of asking for the Wi-Fi password at some point during our short-lived stay, and was less than pleased to have a reply harshly tossed in my general direction as the girl stomped away. The truth behind the many reviews I'd read was staring me in the face.

The restaurant first caught my attention when it made its way to insauga.

"The Wilcox Gastropub" is relatively unique name. The hybrid word of gastronomy, the study of food and culture (according to Wikipedia), and pub, British-coined term "gastropub" refers to an establishment that serves high-quality food in addition to beer and basic finger food. And with a name like "Wilcox", it's hard to deny that the restaurant is heavily influenced and inspired by aspects of English culture.

The gastropub was divided into three levels: a lower level with bar and game-watching access, a main dining level with a cohesive wooden theme, and an upstairs floor presumably reserved for Wilcox VIPs. While the lower level was a spacious area that consisted of large, black booths, and had few light sources besides the overhead windows, the main dining area was much cozier, with harsher incandescent lights and only one tall window. The furniture setup also varied greatly. 

We ordered a trio of Fish Tacos to start. Tacos tend to be a messy item to devour, and not at all visually appealing when simply plated as is. The Wilcox did an unexpectedly great job of serving them in such a way that enabled them to maintain their shape and have their individual components on display.
As far as tacos go, the taste was on a whole new level: the lightly battered basa and garlicy salsa created multitude of textures, while the creamy guacamole complimented the thin layer of cheese formidably. The taco shell were small pita-like circles that were thick enough to contain all the ingredients without spilling or leaking, yet they managed to also be surprisingly soft and fluffy at the same time, contributing to the texture pool once more.

View the full album HERE !

For one of this week's most highly-advertised food truck/music event in Mississauga, details were few on the Mississauga website. Nonetheless, I decided to drop by to see what the event had to offer; while parking was scarce, I was lucky enough to find free parking from the normally fully-occupied parking lot directly across from Celebration Square.

Live band performances had kicked off when I arrived, but rather than staying to admire their musical talent, I headed straight towards the food trucks.
Chimneys had also happened to be present at Sweetery two weeks back, though I hadn't had the chance to try one of their unique, spiraled creations at the time.  They were offering both sweet (coconut and cinnamon sugar) and savoury (oil & herbs and cheddar) options; I went with the Cinnamon Sugar Chimney, sans-filling.

There was, virtually, no lineup, and only two people were ahead of me in terms of orders. However, the hollow, pull-apart stack didn't reach my hands until some five to six minutes later. I appreciated that each member of staff put effort into making sure that the finished product was of quality, though efficiency was a factor that could have definitely been improved upon.

The "roll" was thoroughly baked to ensure a fluffy interior and slightly warm exterior whose crispiness would last for hours. The product concept was great - Chimneys could be eaten while taking a leisurely stroll, and shared as a small snack. The only downsides were that the cinnamon sugar had a tendency to cause sticky fallouts, and that the amount being sprinkled on was a bit excessive for my liking. After my first bite, I was glad that I didn't opt in for Nutella or Cream Cheese Icing.
That being said, though, I'm still rather tempted to have a go at their savoury options next time they're back.

I'm a firm believer that having an artist's or group's music on repeat prior to attending his/her/their concert fully heightens the experience. For the week leading up to Magic Power's appearance at TAIWANfest, I've had their two most recent albums playing in a constant loop. Undoubtedly, I was in utmost joy when Friday finally rolled around.

To kill some time before the food vendors at the event were to open, we stopped by Maman to quench our thirst.
As commuters going about locating a specific shop in the Financial District, it did not help that First Canadian Place, nor the connecting Brookfield Place for that matter, had not included Maman onto their store directory. After pacing about both the lower and main floors of the building, I suggested trying the Food Terrace located on the uppermost level.
Lo and behold, Maman was present, and shown to occupy a convincing chunk of the food court.

Taking time to capture almost every detail of the hidden cafe, I was given quite a number of stares (or perhaps they were glares?) from the cashier. It got to the point where I almost - the key word is almost - replaced my camera into its case after getting a few satisfying images. We took a good, long look at their drink options, which had been scribbled onto a small, framed chalkboard in almost indecipherable font. Ultimately, it was settled that Homemade Iced Tea and Homemade Lemonade were the drinks of choice.

View the full album HERE !

I have had my fair share of lemonade-drinking in the past, so I was really rather surprised when the Homemade Lemonade that I received had tasted of lemon juice with little to no sugar. The modest pieces of lemon pulp and subtle aromatic essence added an interesting touch to the acidity, but the drink was still much more sour than I would have enjoyed. I was also informed that the Homemade Iced Tea had tasted "watered down".
For being located right in the food court of a busy commercial building, I had expected that their markups would be lofty enough that they did not need to resolve to plastic, disposable cups to serve customers. The fact that their products were merely distinguished by slapping a "Maman" sticker on top disappointed me greatly. It was also saddening to discover that Maman was a food court vendor, opposed to an individual coffee shop serving up unique selections (such as Lavender Hot Chocolate). The Maman hype was, unfortunately, just not worth it.


After draining the remaining liquid from the cups, we headed over to TAIWANfest. It was still quite early at that point, though due to this early arrival, we were able to catch MP Magic Power was having an open (non-ticket-holder permitted) dress rehearsal. It didn't possess as much as energy as a live performance, but was great to see nonetheless.

The World Cafe, which was composed of six vendors (hailing from both street food stalls and restaurants with physical locations in the GTA), was set to open at 6 PM. Astoundingly enough, lineups comprised of famished, festival-goers had already formed ten minutes prior.
One of the stalls had technical issues with their cashier, and thus their opening time was delayed about another five minutes. Their lineup consequently expanded during this time. No matter though, as I was the first in line and snagged a Blood Pudding (sticky rice topped with green onions and a dusting of sweet nuttiness) and a Taiwanese Hamburger - more accurately speaking, a steamed bao containing pork belly. Both items were great and a total steal!

The vendor names were not indicated on the directory, but were simply all denoted as "Taiwanese" instead.

When a friend recommended Banh Mi Boys as one of the must-go places on her Places to Eat List, I cannot deny that I had my doubts. Some few months later, I finally made the decision to embark on a trip to their new location on Yonge St., between Dundas and College.

From the extensive data that was conducted prior, it seemed that the eatery commonly experienced long lines throughout the day, and especially during lunch hours. However, users did remark that despite the length of these lineups, wait times weren't long at all.

We arrived a little after 11:30 AM to find that majority of the seats had already been occupied. A small lineup had formed near the counter, but orders were processed quickly and soon it was our turn to order.

The diner was arranged in such a way that there was one member of staff taking orders at the cashier and several kitchen employees would prepare the orders at lighting speed once the slips were relayed to them. The workers, as I had observed, were all considerably young and appeared to be no older than late 20s. This applied to the girl that took our order as well.
For someone working in such a hectic environment, she was extremely sensitive and unnecessarily mindful of the camera that was present in my hand: I had paused to snap a quick shot of the "Welcome to Banh Mi Boys" sign on the cashier display, only to have her coarsely interrogate me about the photo and confirm that she was not included in it.
Judging that the camera had been pointing downwards and towards the far left, it would have been highly unlikely for her to be caught inside the frame anyways. I have never experienced such snide remarks while dining out before, and hope that this isn't the attitude that regular BMB-goers experience on a regular basis.

Orders were called out by and handed to customers over the counter directly from the kitchen staff as customers' names were written down on the order slip. I don't believe the girl even wrote down my name correctly, as my Braised Beef Bao had been called several times under a different name until I claimed it. Great job, I-don't-want-my-photo-taken girl! (And guess what? Another Yelp user that visited on the same day actually snapped your photo and uploaded it soon after!)

< Pictured above: Kimchi Fries with Green Onions and Pulled Pork, Braised Beef Steamed Bao >

View the full album HERE !

My day started out by discovering Unionville GO's lack of public bathrooms on weekends. Hailing from an area where both trains and buses operate regularly even during weekends, it came as a surprise that the customer service building was completely locked. Then again, the size of the station is likely to only constitute a quarter of Clarkson, and even less of the Square One terminal.

We headed to Izakaya Ju in J-Town for lunch.

Contrary to what I had expected, the interior was much larger and brighter than images had indicated. The ceiling was also rather high, with spotlights pointing downwards from all directions. While the area itself was spacious, the tables proved to be the small side. (Of course, this could have been due to the fact that I was carrying a bulky, weighty backpack. Otherwise, it provided a pretty comfortable and well-lit dining experience.)

The miso soup and garden salad (with a tart yet savoury dressing likely to be made using ponzu sauce) were pretty standard. The Hokke Lunch included a medium-sized piece of grilled hokke accompanied by a generous portion of white rice. While the menu also included Saba (mackerel), it clearly distinguished between Saba and Hokke. Hokke is a specific species of mackerel, and, according to Wikipedia. is referred to as Okhotsk atka mackerel. The skin was grilled to yield the optimal degree of crispiness without charring, while the flesh was flaky and tender with a hint of butteriness.

< Pictured above: Complimentary Garden Salad and Miso Soup, Hokke Lunch, and Osaka Cha-Han (Fried Rice) >

The full album can be found HERE !

When I first received news of Aka Teppan's Grand Opening in Toronto (and Okonomiyaki fries giveaway), I was instantly propelled to see the location in order to disclose its similarities to the Markham location.

It wasn't until recently that I received such an opportunity; though the free fries deal had long expired, it did not deter my decision to pay a visit.

Unlike the distinct sign in the First Markham Place plaza, the exterior of the location on Bloor is much more subdued: it is comprised of a muted marble-like finish and only the "Aka" logo to indicate that customers have indeed found the right place.
(Side note: "Aka" is Japanese for the colour "red", thus making it appropriate for the restaurant to have a subtle, recurring dark red theme.)

We arrived just as the restaurant was opening, and was able to take in the interior decor in all its entirety before any other parties arrived. I must admit that I enjoy the dining area of this location more than the East end location. In contrast to fmp's casual dining area and all-black furniture, this store employs a mix of wooden finishes, marble-like textures, coloured projections in place of signs, and the thorough use of 赤 (the Kanji for "Aka"). My only complaint would have to be the lack of windows and natural light, as well as the excessive use of strong, overhead spotlights casting harsh shadows down below.

The bathroom is interestingly enough: it has four individual stalls (two per gender) and a general hand-washing area with four faucets. The hand towels were composed from a thick material with high absorption properties; the area was also well-lit. While awkwardness between guests may be inevitable in such circumstances, the design provides a great solution for small spaces.

The Bloor location also utilizes a differently-formatted menu with the addition of a few new items (such as Hokkaido Milk Hotpot). Their Grand Opening lunch special allowed for up to a maximum of two side dishes, a drink, or a dessert to be selected at a measly cost of 99 cents per side order.
The Grilled Chicken Teppan-Yaki Rice and Salmon Tataki Salad were ordered, with sides of Fried Pork Dumplings, and Roasted Milk Green Tea. While not a free item, an order of Okonomiyaki Fries was also added.

The full album can be found HERE !

My Roasted Milk Green Tea arrived first, followed by my side order of Fried Pork Dumplings. I had asked for less sugar in the drink, and true to the waiter's words, he had asked the kitchen to make it less sweet. It was a bit milky for my taste, but the flavour of the roasted tea still managed to shine through. The light flavours of the drink made it a perfect compliment to the rest of my meal.

The Fried Pork Dumplings had a rather thick wrapper; it was crunchy without being oily, and flavourful without being overly salty. For only 99 cents, this side order of great dumplings put many others to shame.

The day ended with this sudden craving for Thai Iced Tea, and doing a quick search enabled me to find a small almost-underground Thai restaurant by the name of PAI.

I had called in advance to place my order, as I did not have the time to account for any delays, so my Thai Iced Tea was waiting for me the minute I stepped in. The guy who had answered the phone was friendly enough, though upon arriving, the cashier was a little less than all-smiles.
Either way, I was glad to be able to be in and out of the bustling restaurant within five minutes (or even less, actually).

PAI's Thai Iced Tea was described by Yelpers as being "less sweet" than Khao San Road. I had tried neither restaurant's creation prior to this visit, so I cannot judge which of the two was better. Frankly speaking, I am not one to prefer sugar-laden drinks, and found PAI's Thai Iced Tea to be made to just the right degree of sweetness.
For $4.50 (or $5.10 with tax), I would definitely return if I happen to be in the area and developing an insane craving. (I must make a mental note to to request less ice, as one third of my cup was observed to solely contain ice after the liquid had been drained.) 

Later that day, I had intended to attend pinkberry's Grand Opening event in Square One. While the event page noted that the event would begin at 2:00 PM, the gate had still not yet been lifted by 4:00 PM. Apparently, the free froyo and artist meet-and-greet would not be taking place until later in the evening at 6:00 PM.
The original plan had been to meet up with one of my friends to enjoy the yogurt together, but it didn't seem as if Plan A would be executed as planned, as we both needed to head back before then.

Unable to wait, yet not willing to leave the vicinity until the desire for frozen yogurt had been satisfied, I suggested trying out a frozen yogurt place by the name of YoYo's. I had previously glazed over the name in earlier froyo spot searches, but was not entirely sure of the exact location.

After a great deal of confusion, and the unnecessary paying of parking, we managed to located the shop.

Obtaining one of Uncle Tetsu's unofficially-released matcha cheesecakes was actually a mission in itself.

When images of the highly-anticipated green tea concoction surfaced, I took to Front St. Foods at Union Station the moment I debarked. At 7:15 AM, only a few vendors had lifted the heavy white curtains from their stall; among them were: Hula Girl Espresso, Miche Bakery, Bacon Nation, and other coffee-/breakfast-serving stalls. The staff at Uncle Tetsu were also still making their morning preparations

I approached the girl weighing ingredients behind the counter to inquire about the matcha cheesecake, and the method to obtain an entire cake (as opposed to the halves, quarters, and eighths the original Cheesecake was being sold in). She informed me that they had been selling the matcha cheesecake only to test the market on Friday, so some users may have been able to take advantage of that. She had also replied "no" when I asked her if the matcha cheesecake would ever be sold at Front St. Foods.
I walked away in defeat, accepting the fact that I would taste no matcha cheesecake until later on in August.

That same night, I came across something of vast interest to me as I browsed my feeds. Lo and behold - the matcha cheesecake had been obtained in its entirety by another user, whom had also managed to purchase an entire original cheesecake at Front St.
This was the last straw.

I reappeared at the booth the next morning, at the exact same time. The girl that had previously spoken to me was there once again, but was occupied by preparing ingredients in the back. A younger staff member greeted me with a smile, and told me something revolutionary: Uncle Tetsu actually has two stalls at Front St. Foods, one of them being "Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake", and the other being "Uncle Tetsu Japanese Matcha Cafe".

The confusion dissolved in an instant.

The matcha cheesecake was being sold at the Matcha Cafe stall, which would open at 11:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM.

Needless to say, I made it a mission to arrive before 11:00 AM, becoming the first customer of the day to grab one of these highly coveted green tea cheesecakes.

In fact, I ended up purchasing two cheesecakes. Initially, it was a decision made purely out of convenience (heading to Bay & Dundas for a cheesecake would mean investing in TTC services again), but a part of me also anticipated the cake to be good enough to justify the purchase.

Commuting has never been much of an issue to me. Though, I suppose quite a substantial amount of Torontonians deem the "liveliness" of the area worthy enough to invest in housing.

Personally, there's just something a little too unsettling about returning home to an area where crime is common after the sun sets, where food purchases are unnecessarily marked up and sold in the smallest portions possible (even when customer service and the option of dining-in are nonexistent), and where the sole form of public transportation is a complicated, selective-transfer-based system that experiences extensive delays, cancellations, and service changes without notice. And as for the unquestionably poorly-organized Pan Am / Para Pan Am games, as well as other weekly street festivals, inhabitants would additionally have to make plans to avoid road closures, which regularly span half-days to entire weekends.

Living in TO is not for everyone, especially not time-conscious citizens. Had I not accessed and attended both Sweetery and the Waterfront Night Market on the same day via the admirably reliable TTC system, the sarcastic elements of this post would likely have decreased significantly.

The GO train ride to Union was a smooth one, but upon embarking on a route utilizing the TTC streetcar system, I was less than thrilled at having to wait nearly HALF AN HOUR for a vehicle that was supposed to make an appearance within SEVEN MINUTES. At least six 509 streetcars had pulled into and out of the terminal, some arriving at the same time due to their own individual delays. When the 510 finally arrived, and the entire batch of weekend riders took to occupying every millimeter of space within the rusty, ancient cart. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly a pleasant ride; with so many people pressed up against the windows, standing, the originally peaceful and scenic route had turned mildly irksome.

The walk did not exceed ten minutes, which was a good thing considering that the glare of the sun had become quite strong by early afternoon. As we approached the red, blue, and white tents that had been set up for Sweetery vendors, I observed that the event was much smaller than anticipated. There weren't too many vendors, and it didn't take too long before we had given the entire space a walkthrough. Presented by local vendors and several food trucks was a good variety of food, mainly sweet but some also savoury; among the available choices were shaved ice, vegan baked goods, intricately-decorated pastries, mille crepe cakes, and egg waffles.

The full album can be found HERE !

The event also had a passport-style stamp card for guests to bring around the event and earn stamps, in addition to a "Sweetery" pinata that event-goers could take attempts at breaking with wooden spoons. It was a small, engaging event, with thankfully much shorter lineups than other food festivals; while the number of vendors probably didn't exceed forty, each stall offered up unique products. Considering this is the first year the event has been held, it would be great to see it expand into a more grand (and more publicly-accessible) food festival in the years to come. My only recommendation would be to refrain from using coloured vendor tents under the glare of the sun ever again; the emerging blue-green and pink tints in my photos were not appreciated in the slightest.

It was later decided that we would also attend the T&T Waterfront Night Market. While I've heard that shuttle buses had been organized for the event in past years, that was not the case this time around. We boarded Route 172, which would deliver commuters right to the entrance of the night market, from the King subway station.