Out & About #1002 | Successful Matcha Basque Cheesecake, Ube Butter Mochi, Meeko Meeko + J-Mart Preview

​Truthfully, I can't remember most of this week's happenings. All appeared to blur together in calamity and chaos. My non-office days had been consumed with chores and errands, while my office attendance occupied by friend- and coworker-accompanied happenings.

​Prior to the start of the work week, I ventured out for two more Smile Cookies before the promotion period terminated. The location closest to me had constructed them with even paler icing features and an excess of baking powder, causing the cookies to be cakey rather than crunchy.

Spring blossom sightings about the GTA were now more frequent than ever. Nearly every major residential street in the vicinity was home to pink, magenta, and white buds - to the point where their normalcy made me question the past weekend's decision to undertake a trip to Centennial Park.

​This year's bloom had proved resilient against rainstorms, high winds, and temperatures flittering between the single- and double-digit marks.

Capturing mid-day snacking moments had somehow escaped me, for the week's schedule was just too hectic. Meals of the week spanned: Rigatoni & Meatballs from Loblaws, Stir-Fried Pork with Garlic Hearts and Sweet Corn Kernels over Rice, leftover Minced Meat and Potatoes from last week, and a pairing of Espresso-topped Vita Guava Juice x Taiyaki from the freezer. I neither recalled the source nor its duration of freezing, but merely found the interior to be overly beany (read: dry and crumbly) and a tad salty as well.

Creations of the week included:

1) Matcha Basque Cheesecake

The timing of a non-baking friend's striking success with basque cheesecake and my failed batch of Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins had me contemplating whether I ought opt for the toaster oven instead my standard conventional oven.

Technically, the takeaway from my friend's success had been the use of an immersion blender to ensure a lump-free batter. To prevent an excess of air bubbles in the final product, she mentioned allowing the batter to rest slightly before baking.

However, my dilemma thus far hasn't been lumpiness, for steady softening of cream cheese, sifting of dry ingredients, thorough whisking, and, of course, temperature control, is often sufficient in preventing loss of uniformity.

Past attempts had seen fully cooked centres with pale surfaces, with the last trial resulting in a runny centre and messy slices. Recently confirmed was the toaster oven's tendency to concentrate heat at the top and bottom rather than distributing evenly for uniform rise. For the purposes of basque cheesecake, this format would actually function better.

Adhering to Sunday Baking's Green Tea Basque Cheesecake recipe - without a single modification! - I lined my 6" aluminum pan and baked the mixture at 400 F for about 20 minutes as directed. The cake came out jiggly but mostly set on the surface. In order to achieve a darker surface tint, I allowed the cake to continue baking for five minutes more.

At long last, I was rewarded with the basque cheesecake of my dreams: firm edges encasing a set but gooey middle layer.

​Although the grassiness of the matcha wasn't as prominent as I would have enjoyed, the texture was absolutely perfect! This trial has finally confirmed my ability to recreate basque cheesecake with ease at home, allowing for other variations to emerge at a later date. For the time being, coffee and black sesame are under consideration.

2) Coffee Basque Cheesecake

Riding on my basque cheesecake high, I decided to follow up with a coffee rendition in the subsequent days. The original plan had been to adapt Sunday's original Basque Cheesecake with undertones of coffee.

That said, the video appeared to show an overdone centre, consequently steering me back to the matcha version that had bestowed me with overwhelming success. But adjusting the proportion of a powdered ingredient for a liquid constituent is never that straightforward.

​Previous attempts to incorporate espresso powder directly into a mixture had resulted in suppressed flavours, for it appeared these shelf-stable add-ins required heat to fully unleash their potential. As such, 2 teaspoons of Nespresso Decaf was dissolved in 50 ml of water, as per packaging directions. Cold heavy cream was poured into the same flask to quickly lower the temperature of the espresso shot, as to prevent cooking the eggs in the batter. However, it later dawned upon me that the amount of heavy cream should have been reduced from 180 ml to 130 ml to account for the water used to dissolve the espresso. About one teaspoon of extra cornstarch was hurriedly dumped into the bowl - a meek attempt at rebalancing ingredient ratios, admittedly.

​The cake would bake under similar conditions: 425 F for 20 minutes, next at 450 F for 2 minutes to obtain colour, and finally at 425 F for 2 minutes to keep excessive jiggliness at bay. Realistically, the cake should have baked for longer, though one of my biggest fears remains to be overdone cheesecake.

Perhaps it was this particular concern that ultimately caused the creation's downfall.

​After transferring to the fridge to rest for about four hours, I impatiently retrieved it for sampling. The centre was horrifically soft and moisture was seen seeping from the centre. The centremost layer had not set whatsoever.

In spite of a fabulous olfactory experience, the specimen did not bear the creamy, structured consistency I had yearned for. Four more hours in the fridge did not help its case, for the seepage quantities only grew greater. Albeit delicious, the cake was an incredibly damp mass that somehow boasted just enough cohesion to be sliced - and even transported to the office the following day!

Needless to say, I was less inclined to follow-up servings; the texture was merely appalling, even if the desired complexity had been attained. Given that my inventory of cream cheese ceases to support any further trials for the time being, I shall happily retreat to other baking endeavours and note the need to decrease the overall liquid content for future variations.

3) Ube Butter Mochi

The household's partial utilization of coconut milk for Macau-Style Portuguese Chicken - extremely scrumptious, by the way - caused a container of leftover AROY-D to be tucked away for at least several days. Observing a distinct lack of intent to repurpose the ingredient, I took the matter into my own hands. An unplanned batch of Ube Butter Mochi would materialize within the next hour.​

One of my biggest woes about Butter Mochi is its inability to sustain a crisp surface for longer than a few hours. Leftovers do not keep well, yet the standard recipe yields a decently large batch. This often leads to scaling the recipe for the quantity of residual coconut milk to the best of one's abilities without calling upon an odd fraction of egg.
Similar to basque cheesecake, the incorporation of flavourings poses another challenge: too damp a batter can result in inadequate structure, while too dry a batter causes deflation and dryness. Ube extract enabled me to keeping the formula simple.

​Ingredients were roughly halved from TabiEats' 6.5-year-old tutorial, resulting in the following quantities:

• 35 g unsalted butter, melted
• 222 ml coconut milk *
•  ̶5̶9̶ ̶m̶l̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶k̶  → 59-22 = 37 ml milk *
• 1 egg
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp / 2 g vanilla extract
• 2 tsp / 4 g ube extract
• 1 cup / 113 g glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Halving the specified 400 ml coconut milk would have resulted in 200 ml, however, I had wished to deplete the entire container and decided to adjust the total amount of milk instead. The excess of 22 ml was subtracted from the specified amount of milk: 

• 118 ml / 2 = 59 ml for the halved recipe
• 59 - 22 = 37 ml milk for the roughly halved/adjusted recipe

This modification ensured that the total amount of liquid was maintained at 259 ml.

Amount of coconut milk used

Amount of glutinous rice flour used; 1 cup = 113 g

My trial batch would be baked at 375 F for 35 minutes in the toaster oven. In advance of baking, I had liberally greased and lined one of my IKEA food prep trays, which enabled greater surface area than a loaf pan and better depth than a square baking pan, which is usually used for the double batch. The butter mochi baked perfectly, forming a wonderfully crackly surface. That said, cleaning the pan was near impossible: uncoated trays seem to fail in every baking application thus far.

​The slab was allowed to cool completely before cutting, promising clean cuts and crunchy corners. At first, its wrinkly exterior hadn't earned the creation much anticipation from bystanders. Alas, the opinion differed greatly once a cross-section had been retrieved for evaluation and taste-testing.

Saturated, texturally gratifying, and astoundingly fragrant, I happily declared the impromptu mission a success, then proceeded to demolish half the slab until stomach pains gradually eased in. (Oops.)

Breezy but beautiful, the first day in the office incited a brisk stroll for coffee and sweet treats. In consideration of the cloudless skies above, I readied myself with sunglasses, my neck fan, and a trusty sunhat - complete with elastic cord in case of unexpected gusts, of course.

​A longtime coworker from my private sector days joined me on the swift saunter, remarking that I "looked like a tourist, but walked like a local". Him, along with a particularly feisty (read: invasive) colleague, struggled to keep up with me; a death grip formed about his small container of lemon Turkish ice cream from MADO.

My main destination was Third Wave Coffee, though I decided to venture further and retrace my steps to the coffee shop before heading back.

​I led the way to St. Lawrence Market, which was met with acceptable levels of food traffic. Most of the market's patrons had huddled about the food vendor counters lining the north end of the ground floor.

​Swift in my steps, my gaze swept the front of each stall before gliding to the next. I stopped only for snapping images for data collection, for there was little to intrigue me besides ideas for potential baking projects. Familiarizing oneself with the market prices of baked goods was another element of interest.

Before long, I had covered both the main and lower levels of the market and retreated back to the Front Street entrance. My two companions nearly lost sight of me mid-walk, and complained that I had "barely given them a chance to react" before zooming off to the next item that'd catch my eye.

​At last, we arrived at Third Wave Coffee. Upon entering the café, my heart was torn between the Espresso Lemonade and a milkier alternative. Deliberating slightly, I inquired of the Nitro Cold Brew, particularly with regard to which beans were currently on rotation. The staff behind the cashier had initially cited Honduras Los Robles, pointing to a roll of labels. "I can let you taste it, if you'd like." he offered.
"Oh, that'd be great!" I accepted a glass boasting bright, sparkling acidity, yet embraced the creaminess of nitro. The formula hadn't exactly aligned with the anticipated profile of Honduras Los Robles, for the descriptions of "butterscotch" and "Chocolate were nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the concoction and ordered one to go without a moment's hesitation.

"Would you mind if I take a photo of that label?" I inquired, as the bag could not be found on the merchandise shelf.
"Actually," the staff began, "It's this one." He had maneuvered around the order counter to identify the beans currently on cold brew rotation: Kenya Gichathaini.
"Ah." came my response. "That makes a lot more sense! I was thinking that the description and the sample didn't line up, but I enjoyed it either way." My declaration was met with a knowing look - a sparkling gaze that flickers across one's disposition when met with a coffee enthusiast of equal or similar caliber.

Besides the staff's superior friendliness, one of my favourite aspects of Third Wave is the ability to discuss coffee excitedly, diving into flavour notes and technical terminology without restraint. This is, of course, in addition to their excellent array of beverages and local bakery-sourced pastries.​

​During this visit, I secured a Frangipane & Rhubarb Tart. Since their phasing out of Hadrien Verrier's Hazelnut Financiers, I hadn't been as inclined to sample the items on offer. But my chosen specimen appeared promising, bearing the signature indentations of a tart mould along its circumference.

The item wouldn't be revealed until returning the office, at which point it was slid onto a mini biodegradable plate for further inspection. Discovered was an absolutely sublime pâte à sucre and a wonderful, vanilla bean-specked frangine of utmost fragrance. I was impressed - Noctua Bakery had truly outdone themselves with this creation. It also paired exceptionally with my Nitro Cold Brew, which was equal parts refreshing and rejuvenating.

Later that evening was the TD Music Celebrates Asian Heritage Month event held at Union Station. Ethan Low had been announced as one of the two performers, prompting my concert buddy to venture downtown for the complimentary performance.

​My 4:30 PM arrival in the West Wing had been later than expected, coinciding with the start of the first performer. Meanwhile, my partner of the evening had hovered about since the 4 PM mark, securing a spot in the front for us both.

Neither of us were acquainted with the identity of the first artist. The MC provided an introduction of the event, then introduced the man as Gurtêj. Shocked I was to be graced with breathtaking vocals and soulful melodies the minute he took hold of his acoustic guitar.
​His interactions with the crowd were decidedly comfortable and natural. Following his first song, he began a short story of his background as a musician. Born in New Delhi, India, he had moved to Long Island, New York at the age of five, enabled by the hardworking efforts of his father to bring his mother and himself to the States. He now works in Toronto and has been pursuing his musical career for about three years.

The rest of his set spanned self-composed songs and covers, played across the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and keyboard. With just three years of experience, I was absolutely awestruck at the versatility of the man and his ability to not only master multiple instruments but implement them in conducting creative pieces. "The Marriage Song" was a flawless piece that I could envision being performed at wedding ceremonies, while his cover of Daniel Caesar's "Best Part" was nothing short of exemplary.

Gurtêj's set constantly drew the attention of those passing through the transit terminal, turning heads until his set eventually concluded at the 5 PM mark.
Once stage preparations were complete, Ethan strode on stage and commenced his section with Gemini.

Immediately obvious to us was the change in hair colour: a platinum shade that contrasted against his usual dark, curly mane. Another observation was the difference in attitude compared to the earlier artist. Ethan appeared less at-ease with the busking-esque setup, which was understandable as many of his performance to date have been at dedicated concert venues with a fixed audience. Vocalization also seemed to be suppressed, for the audio was generally less clear than previous experiences, in spite of our position before the speaker.

Notwithstanding these factors - and the persistent need to carry my day's baggage on me - I enjoyed the show thoroughly. Unrequited will always remain one of my favourites! I did find it interesting how some of the explicit lyrics had been scrubbed clean, however.
The girl behind us was also a fan of Ethan's and had attended his show in February as well. Hearing this, I offered to snap a photo of her with the artist.

Meandering past the MC and the manager who had hurriedly whisked him away last time, we succeeded in capturing a number of shots for each of us. At the end of unplanned photo session, Ethan admitted to recognizing our faces. "I remember you two." launched us into an exchange of embarrassed gasps.

An early supper took place in the connecting corridor between the Bay and York Concourses. While I had debated visiting the TABLE Food Hall at CIBC Square, the forecast predicted precipitation. Moreover, the food options were underwhelming and I was exhausted and ready to go home.

Kibo's end-of-day sale lured me within. I debated between sashimi salad and katsu, then again between Pork Katsu and Fish Katsu bento boxes. Ultimately, the choice resided with the former, though I hadn't noted the container's starch slurry-thickened curry in place of tartar sauce.
The sauce was lukewarm and even partially separated from the potato and onion chunks underneath. Dismal were the katsu pieces, which, albeit a generous portion, had separated from its breading, lost its crunch, and succumbed to toughness. Or perhaps it had been tough to start. Alas, the meal of questionable quality was still rather affordable with Kibo's 30% off daily promotion.
Posted about the establishment was a $1 miso soup promotion with purchase of any entrée. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with juggling countless things in my hands and did not verify that the discount had been applied before payment. At the very least, I had still been provided the 30% off promotion and paid $1.37 as opposed to the original cost of $1.95.

​While browsing, a Mini Crookie crept into view. In consideration of its serving size and reasonable price point, I took one for the road. Later on, I learned of its repugnance: soggy cookie dough sandwiched inside a miserable, deflated croissant with a lob of more cloying coookie dough on top. Absolutely despicable was the concoction, to the point where I resisted instantaneous discard.

After conducting business in the vicinity, I steered in the direction of Meeko Meeko. The coffee shop-dessert parlour hybrid had taken over the former space of Presotea and the Chinese hamburger takeaway spot that had later replaced it.

The compact space connected to Foodie North had been maximized to include a seating area, coffee and merchandise shelf, refrigerated dessert display case, and comprehensive drink preparation area. It was admittedly cozy, radiating an entirely different aura than that of the popular Northern Chinese eatery immediately adjacent. The availability of hatch coffee beans and sweet bites ranging from pineapple buns to dorayaki to bunny-shaped puddings also took me by surprise.

The beverage menu was vast: It comprised of both modern café and bubble tea varieties, yet differentiated itself from the nearby The Alley with aromatic coffee, real fruit and rose petals, and unique toppings/inclusions.

I was most intrigued by the Cherry Blossom Latte, given my beyond positive experience at terima last week. The order was submitted along with a Caramel Crust Latte, Meeko Meeko's take on Dalgona. Both drinks would be requested with oat milk for an additional seventy-five cents, though social media interactions (Instagram follow) would grant a 10% off discount.

​​Although the interior was vacant at our time of visit, the single member of staff was spotted juggling many tasks at once. After taking our orders and getting to work at crafting, a number of food delivery orders would overwhelm her. The two students who had been waiting patiently behind us eventually departed, for acknowledgement seemed unlikely given the sudden influx of tasks.

While the cashier-barista was by no means speedy, she was very precise. Our beverages were prepared with exceptional care and presented neatly. The Cherry Blossom latte featured three layers: sakura syrup (with petals!) at the bottom, oat milk at its centre, espresso in the upper third, and a topping of crushed rose petals on its surface. Floral, yet not excessively so, the latte was well-balanced in terms of profile, complexity, and temperature. The chewy petals contributed a nice touch, though the substitution of oat milk hadn't emerged as silky as expected.

The Caramel Crust Latte was, in essence, a Dalgona latte, but not an overly cloying one at that. In fact, I neared the counter once more after sampling to request an additional dose of syrup. The cashier happily obliged, even asking if I wanted 50% sugar or less. An injection of 30% sweetness was perfect.

Ecstatic to discover a new, delectable addition to the Mississauga coffee scene, we departed in high spirits. I, in particular, was eager to visit again, perhaps in a more relaxed setting, to evaluate Meeko Meeko versus Don't Yell At Me's coffee productions.

The next office day started off gloriously sunny. A cool breeze filled the air, contrasting against the bountiful amount of sunshine.

​This gorgeous weather persisted until about the 2 PM mark, persisting through the duration of my lunch walk. My former marathon-running coworker joined me on the trek.

Determining Japadog's exact coordinates was my first order of business. Their food hall venture at The Well had apparently been in operation for a while, but their first standalone outpost in the city would be at the street-facing level of a new condo building around Yonge/Wellesley.

Continuing northbound for a while longer, we navigated eastward then rounded back south along Church Street. Snow Day's downtown location was spotted again, surrounded by izakayas and rainbows.

​From there, we'd continue southbound until the next POI of J-Mart. Situated at the southeast corner of Church and Carlton was the city's newest contender for imported Japanese goods, which primarily retailed food and drink items during their soft opening phase.

​Frankly, most of the outlet's shelves were still quite empty. A few bento sets and gyudon bowls graced their hot food stand, while the bulk of the store boasted imported drinks, namely small cans of coffee, and candy. A few of my childhood favourites such as chocolate-covered Muscat candies, Shigekix, and Pucho were spotted. I was most ecstatic to lay eyes on Crunky, but the pod rendition deterred me from investing in its steep price.

​I did, however, enjoy the presence of the grumpy but adorable I'm Toast handwarmer plush. The self-serve instant noodle counter was another interesting facet, intended to exude the vibe of convenience stores in East Asia.

​Before departing, a bar of meiji milk chocolate and bottle apple cider were brought to the checkout counter. Chocolate Cacao's go-to chocolate bar would be compared against Surfin in the application of dessert construction.

​Meanwhile, the acquisition of non-alcoholic cider was partly erroneous, for the label had revealed an image of beer with ample head. The bottle's contents were delicious, but too sweet and too carbonated for my liking. In the end, the bottle's contents could not be depleted before it was time to go home. Instead of emptying the pricey purchase, I brought it home, then promptly mixed it with gold tequila for an apple-y, smoky composition.

​Against my better decision, an IKEA trip was also included. Two bath towels, a set of three reusable containers, one 1 kg bag of frozen Beef & Pork Meatballs, one box of frozen Vegetable Medallions, and a plant-based Strawberry Soft Serve would depart with me. Though the Kids' Size swirl would be devoured within minutes, the remaining items would require careful placement and utilization of extra tote bags for the homebound trip.

It was with a deep sigh of relief that:

• the $1.50 Strawberry Soft Serve did not yield tragic stomach pains
• my return commute was free of any neighbours on the train

The Medallions were unveiled later that evening. Baked until their tops just began to golden, the discs are as delicious as I recalled, albeit saltier than desired.

​A few days later, the meatballs would be subject to evaluation. A lazy Saturday lunch would consist of: udon, choy sum, blanched fish cakes, homemade rosé sauce, and two styles of meatballs.

​Perfectly tasty on their own, one could not deny the drastic variance in texture between storebought frozen meatballs and their homemade counterpart. When consumed alongside my chive- and onion-containing all-beef morsels, they were revealed to be shockingly spongy and containing less meat than one would envision.

​The sole downside of my homemade edition (992) was the heavy-handed inclusion of salt. Thankfully, unseasoned udon noodles and spicy-creamy rosé sauce combatted this blunder adequately. By infusing heavy cream with gochukaru, then folding in cream cheese, salt, sugar, and a cornstarch slurry, I had succeeded in a flavourful condiment rivalling the likes of MyMy. Of course, pan-fried onions and garlic would have heightened its depth extravagantly, though I deemed the trial favourable given all-around reliance on the microwave.

​A combination of Vita guava and Asahi 0.0 would finish the meal on a vibrant, fruity note.