Out & About #1005 | North York/Markham Errands + Pacific Mall

"Be ready by 10:15 AM." instructed my browsing partner.

Despite obvious reluctance to yet another alarm-dictated morning, I eventually conceded. It was, after all, the only way to return home before sundown - and the only way to potentially incorporate exercise into the early evening hours.
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But alas, my departure from the house would not take place until at least twenty minutes later. My 5 PM return time was at risk.

​The primary reason for an early start was the parking lot sale at MEC's North York location. As the event was scheduled to take place between 10 AM - 2 PM, we had aimed to arrive no later than noon.

​I had been avidly browsing winter jacket sales leading up to the newsletter announcement and saved two articles to my watchlist before proceeding to locate them in store.

​Upon our emergence from the underground lot, we found the parking lot sale to be much smaller than anticipated. There was a decent amount of apparel, accessories, and shoes at reasonable prices, though none that were particularly eye-catching (or needed, for that matter). The remaining sizes were also mostly XL or beyond.

​After slipping into (and quickly out of) a pair of ill-fitting plum-hued leggings, I headed towards the second floor for perusal of outerwear.

​While lilac and lavender made frequent appearances in the previous seasons, I was ecstatic to discover a wide array of styles in royal purple this year.

I narrowed my search to three contenders: a lightly lined rain gear to a padded, two-tone waterproof parka to a puffy, Michelin Man-esque down jacket. Ultimately, I settled on the latter two, but considered deferring the purchase to see whether further sales would occur.

​We would depart empty-handed, but with sizing knowledge acquired.

Lunch at Wendy's was the original proposal, but closure of the eastbound 401 on ramp from Leslie southbound had incited a detour. Exceptionally familiar to me was the Leslie/York Mills plaza, given my past attendance at Studio Bon, and I suggested driving through to determine the presence of POIs.

"Anything of interest?"
"Hmmm let's try that!" I pointed to a storefront with capitalized white Serif font.

Shawarma was not an item in which I regularly indulge. Rare are the instances that I am without a planned lunch, and even rarer are the opportunities to share those bowls or wraps in my herb-hating household.

Boustan appeared to offer a Middle Eastern take on the fast casual cuisine, including elements such as falafel and baklava on their menu.
Posted on the door of the Lebanese restaurant was a banner listing various daily specials. My gaze darted towards the bottom, where the weekend specials were specified. Thankful was I to have recalled it being Sunday, for Veggie Bowl Saturday would not have appealed to me in the slightest.

​Both of us took to the Junior Mixed Shawarma Bowl, which included beef and chicken shawarma over a bed of rice with a complimentary side salad. At no extra charge, one could request half-and-half portions of Pilaf, Rice, and Garlic Potatoes, as well as an unlimited number of sauces.

My Pilaf-Rice bowl would be cloaked with an abundance of Hummus, Garlic Sauce, and Boustan Sauce. Meanwhile, my browsing partner opted for Garlic Sauce with a base of Rice-Garlic Potatoes. Both bowls were presented in under ten minutes; the container edges were extremely saucy, as was the paper bag they had been stacked within. In fact, the contents of the container had been slathered so extravagantly, any applied pressure would have lodged the meat shavings onto the lid.

​Unlike a handful of past experiences, the meat was flavourful and not the teensiest bit dry. I also enjoyed the hummus and garlicy rice-and-pilaf combo extremely; the specimen had far exceeded the expectations set forth by Me Va Me. Tabbouleh's fresh, herby presence would have been preferred in place of coleslaw, though the seventy-five cent surcharge drove the desire away. The pickled turnips were crunchy, yet not nearly as pickled or included in as great a quantity than optimally deemed. Nevertheless, Boustan had provided a gratifying meal, with even leftovers for later meals.

I stabbed at two small pieces of Garlic Potato out of curiosity. They were interestingly soft morsels with a noticeably sweet aura.

​Upon wrapping up the late-ish lunch, a brief stopover was conducted at Longos. An icy Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade from Starbucks would serve to relieve me of heat for the next segment of the drive.

The scorching summery temperatures were brutal, but a lack of A/C even more so.

First Markham Place would see yet another visit for follow-up errands. We witnessed astoundingly low volumes of vehicular traffic, locating parking in the asphalt lot with ease.

​In contrast were the staggering number of patrons within Claw & Kitty. Not only was nearly each machine occupied, but the toy carts normally stationed in bulk at the front of the store had been depleted completely. My mission would be brief, for the goal was to utilize the remaining four points from our previous visit towards a Cinnamoroll plush for my coworker.

​Finding BT21 and SKZ Zoo plushies in the redemption bin was quite the surprise though.

​The next order of business was replacing dated household items and upgrading existing kitchen storage systems. Immediately adjacent to Oomomo was 大多百, humourously adopting the name of "The Best Shop" as its English counterpart.

​Comparable to a Chinese Walmart, the shelves were lined with budget electronics and homeware items - usually economic but not necessarily ergonomic or durable. There were even separate sections dedicated to electronics and and beauty.

I had no intentions whatsoever to invest in equipment that had not undergone QC procedures. Manually-operated plastic tools would be the focus of the trip, namely a new washbasin to replace my cracked one.

​Beyond locating a properly-sized basin, a 2 for $5 promo was chanced across. Needless to say, I couldn't resist an extra-large sieve and washbasin with handle (for my next construction-induced water shutoff).

​Oomomo would also be browsed afterwards. There, I learned of the availability of individual mesh and food covers (which were previously only available in sets of four on Amazon) and UCC 114 being priced cheaper than both T&T and the lesser known 117 blend.

​Meiji chocolate bars were priced higher than J-Mart (at $3.50 instead of $2.99) but on par with other grocers in the neighbourhood.

​Finally, in search of nostalgic egg waffles, we headed southeast towards Pacific Mall.

​Tung Tung's stall in the food court is no longer a well-kept secret amongst locals. Their growing popularity over the years prompted recruitment of English- and Mandarin-speaking staff members, and even expanded operations to have four members on the griddle at any given point in time.

​In response to inflation, the pricing list was updated accordingly. The standard Egg Waffle is now priced at $4.50, with two orders available for $8. Variations supporting add-ins are also available for fifty cents more: Chocolate (with Kirkland Chocolate Chips), Pandan Coconut, and Sesame were spotted on rotation on the rack for $5 each.

​After relinquishing my $4.50 fare, I hovered nearby the cashier and observed other patrons in silence. Enthusiasm could be seen on the faces of those that received their orders. No longer was the main demographic Chinese-speaking locals, for the crowds spanned a broad range of ages and ethnicities. That said, there was a great deal of amusement when a Caucasian lady approached the cashier inquiring for a "fresh" batch of egg waffles. I stifled a snort overhearing the request, for it was common knowledge that that the best batches were those that had cooled slightly, not those that would be soggy if immediately shoved into a paper bag.

​We continued to roam the vicinity, leaving no corridor untravelled as per my browsing partner's desires.

​Identical promotions were found on the top level's 大多百; across the corridor was CIYO - practically the same associated beauty boutique as the First Markham Place outpost but with a larger selection in a standalone store format, and distinctly higher visitor volumes.

The upper level had also been renovated to support expansion of Ding Dong Snacks from the main level. Now rebranded as "Ding Dong Exotic Sweet", the store features a number of imported treats from the UK and Korea in addition to retaining their original assortment of preserved Chinese snacks (think Dried Mango and Cuttlefish with Black Sesame Seeds).

Nearby was the arcade at which I had relished in old-school DDR and classic skee-ball. Since my last visit, the interior had been revamped completely to remove the dilapidated game installations. In place of my favourites were new and shiny claw machines, which garnered more disappointment than elation.

At least four more unmanned claw machine booths were spotted on the lower level, offering fraudulent Pokémon plushies at ostensibly steeper token exchange rates. Suffice to say: Claw & Kitty still reigns superior of all the claw machine outings I've undertaken to date.

​Consistent with mid-COVID observations, the vast majority of retailers on the main floor had vacated, leaving just one aisle of interest.

​As we neared the end of our trip, the frequent sights of Mango Diamond Slushes were undeniable. Patrons had taken to combatting mercury levels with fresh fruit blended with ice, convincing that I, too, would benefit from the purchase.

​My browsing partner acknowledged the desire, and we returned to the upper level once more. Crispy Egg Rolls from Tung Tung would also be procured before departing.

​As a final stop, we strolled through the narrow passages of Ichiban Living on the basement level.

​The shopping experience was unquestionably less desirable than Oomomo, for the walls were barren, merchandise area poorly illuminated dim, and corridors devoid of music. However, the sight of identical products at distinctly lower price points had us awestruck. Containers and cases that had been purchased at $3.50 per piece were retailed at just $2 some 7 kilometres away. For every purchase of ten items, one additional product would be complimentary. The sole downsides were the absence of a loyalty program and cash or debit payments.