Out & About #1027 | Bike Share Continued, Fresh Air Fitness + Lotus Biscoff Icebox Cake

8/23/2024

Most Mondays start with sleepy entries into the morning. Mine started with a hangover after indulging in sake after the departure of Beer Garden vendors at Japan Festival.

The afternoon would see creation of an Ovaltine Matcha Latte. Put to the test was Hokusan's pricey Niju series. While the use of ceremonial matcha is excessive in my opinion, I was curious to observe differences between my go-to pick of Momo Tea's Matsu.

It was with shock that I learned the tins to be without freshness seals. A muted green hue with yellowy undertones would be revealed, followed by an extremely floral fragrance that I was none too fond of. Upon crafting the beverage, I could perceive mild notes of grassiness, though the floralness continued to overwhelm the olfactory palette. The resulting colour wasn't revolutionary, though the formula does indeed shine with milk, making it the ideal contender for the ever-basic matcha latte.

I never did understand the cult following behind Hokusan, and perhaps I never will.

Meals of the week comprised of Steamed Pork and Turnip + Choy Sum (and Furikake) over Rice, Braised Chicken and Lap Cheong with Congee, Fuzzy Melon Soup, and homemade Cha Siu.

I'd also prepare two servings of Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls - one with crystal rock sugar and another with a ginger-infused version of the syrup.

My alarm clock would be compromised the morning of my required in-office presence, leading to a mad scramble and dash for the train. Miraculously, I made it to the station and charged up the platforms just in time to catch my regular freight. "Noooooo" could be audibly heard by fellow commuters just before the doors closed.

Thankfully, the morning had proved cooler than most, keeping perspiration at bay as I blazed through my morning routine.

These cooler temperatures also encouraged further foray into the realm of Bike Share. Over the course of the morning, I'd review options for my lunchtime route, eventually settling on traversing northeast in the first half and southwest for the return route. These decisions had been intentional as to prevent a sweaty uphill return and ensure a timely return for an afternoon meeting.

With some difficulty, I pedalled up Bay Street, and was immediately faced with aggressive drivers. The vast majority rushed through right turns, obstructing the crosswalk and curb lane, and even through intersections. The lack of dedicated cycling facilities and high pedestrian volumes made for a generally unpleasant and unsafe experience. Uni-directional cycle tracks on Bay Street did not commence until north of Dundas Street, pending curbside construction activities.

I continued until Wellesley, then Sherbourne, then Bloor St E, as per my planned route. In cycling through the various high-density neighbourhoods, one could clearly distinguish the respective demographic and income levels.

In the planning stage, I had intended to dock the bike once at Castle Frank station. Along the way was a more convenient Bike Share station at Bloor and Parliament. A cycle track that gradually ramped up towards the sidewalk served as incentive to disembark briefly. Being situated at the base of a new residential tower, all docks were empty, meaning that inhabitants of the building had likely taken to the service for commuting purposes.

I continued along Bloor, but stopped within minutes due to concerns over squeaking sounds arising from the left pedal. Considering a bike swap, I docked at Castle Frank, only to undock the same bike again upon discovering the remainder to be e-bikes (extra charge) or those with peeling seats.

Interestingly, the pedals no longer squeaked as loudly upon undocking. I'd then continue along the Bloor Street overpass, which offered the typical Ontario lookout of leafy shrubs and the generally unimposing Don River. While I cannot compare directly to the Burrard Bridge, even Mississauga's Credit River featured grander scenery.

Instead of turning onto Royal Drive, which is somewhat of an on-ramp for the DVP, I mistakenly turned into the parking lot of the City Adult Learning Centre and descended onto an unpaved trail with stairs. As I ventured further, the area revealed itself as the grounds of a homeless resident: a grocery cart's worth of belongings were spotted at the lowest level of the ramp, while a clothing line for hanging laundry was spotted within metres of the DVP. Reversing with the bike was a travesty, yet survival instincts demanded swift actions.

Worry would wash over me as I weighed my route options. Ultimately, I resorted to retracing my path and found my way back to the asphalt lot, wiping my forehead and breathing a sigh of relief as concrete was spotted once more. I turned onto Broadview, which had no cycle tracks and a significant number of parked cars in the curb lane. Nevertheless, the vehicles were more willing to yield to cyclists and weren't nearly as aggressive as downtown cars. The tone of driving definitely changed west of Jarvis, however.

Despite anxious about exceeding my 30-minute ride allocation, stopping at the handful of Bike Share stations along Riverdale Park would not be an option; I continued pedalling in fear of not making it back to the office in time for my meeting.

The intersections of Danforth/Broadview and Gerrard/Broadview were familiar, given my previous respective visits to the Danforth Music Hall for Eric Nam and Issho Bakery.
Gerrard WB served to provide a breezy ride back to office, albeit some questionable sights of park tents and heavy whiffs of cannabis. There were a number of connections to other cycle-friendly streets, such as Sumach St and River St, though I wasn't keen on having to route around the Eaton Centre.

I was already perspiring by the time I had succeeded lugging the bike back up to street level. Though, the day's climate conditions were indeed ideal for cycling.

Overall, the lunchtime journey marked another thrilling ride and further confirmed that urban cycling is not as easy as in the suburbs. With the increased hazards of whizzing e-bikes, vehicles rushing through right turns, and tourist traffic in the summer seasons, the activity is hardly recreational and serves more as a method of commuting that combats TTC's incompetency. In light of the slippery seats, I also found myself gripping onto the handlebars for dear life, causing the forearms and shoulders to fatigue quicker.

After back-to-back meetings, the day came to a come with an unexpected early departure. The trek to Union would be considerably less hurried, enabling pausing for photos and freebies as well as an afternoon pick-me-up. I had initially intended to peruse the snack section from Kibo, though was informed that the End-of-Day sale would not come into effect until 6 PM. Wetzel's Pretzels nearby served as the runner-up for a gratifying carby snack.

Whilst offering relatively budget-friendly prices for toasty, aromatic pretzels, I still hesitated briefly before continuing with the transaction. The most basic pretzel would set me back $4.99 - about half as much as Pearson's horrifically dry rendition - while those featuring sweet and savoury toppings would ring in at $5.99 or $6.49. My ultimate pick of the Pepperoni Twist totalled $7.33 after tax.

The portion was quite substantial with an exceptionally enticing aroma. In spite of its greasiness, the specimen offered a crisp, cheesy surface, chewy interior, and somewhat spicy pepperoni slices - that may or may not appeal to those with low tolerances. Scrumptious was the creation, yet unlikely is it to be my go-to snack due to its oil-weeping nature and transport difficulty.

I had known about the City's Fresh Air Fitness initiative for the last two summers. Yet, not once had I been inclined to join due to the treacherous outdoor temperatures of Ontario summers. With the promise of a cool, below-seasonal conditions on Wednesday evening, my decision was made: 7 PM outdoor Zumba it would be.

After years of renovations, the Hazel McCallion Library had reopened earlier this year, the south parking garage also resuming operations with it. I had arrived at Celebration Square about fifteen minutes early, both to secure my spot on the artificial turf and determine whether the north and south parking garages were connected. I'd enter through the gates of the south garage, then make my way to the P2 level. Shockingly, not a single other vehicle was spotted beyond P1. I parked beside one of the column C pillars, then followed signage pointing me in the direction of the elevator for the Jubilee Garden. Immediately adjacent to the elevator was a coloured map depicting the aisles (A, B, C, D) and levels of the garage, as well as the connecting corridor between the garages - Aha!
A mother and daughter duo scrambled to join me in my elevator trip, also eager to engage in the evening's complimentary fitness class. With about ten minutes to spare and plenty of turf space remaining, I made my way into the Hazel McCallion Library for bathroom facilities.

Fresh Air Fitness commenced punctually with an introductory speech from a member of City staff. She welcomed the crowd, who had arranged themselves before the stage with their water bottles and pouches nearby. Unlike in Toronto, where personal space is scarce, there was at least a 0.5 m radius about each attendee, which served to facilitate lateral dance moves. The City instructors would then take centre stage, each clad in colourful Zumba attire and joined by their regular pupils. A total of five instructors would take turns teaching their songs of choice, ranging from upbeat Latin tracks to renowned Zumba favourites to even K-Pop!

Those close enough to the stage could observe the instructors' steps directly, whereas those further from the stage/with obstructed views could follow along from the screens above. The evening started off breezy, sending slight chills down my back. Of course, my internal body temperature rose swiftly while performing the choreography at its full range of motion. Perspiration was inevitable, but the external conditions made for a fun, blissful evening. Being held beyond the walls of a gym improved ventilation dramatically. I could also move freely without being bound by the static nature of my neighbours. The session concluded just before the 8 PM mark with a cooldown and extremely brief round of stretching. More thorough elongation of muscles would need to take place later on one's own time.

Before departing the scene, I obtained class details from the instructor I was most fond of, consequently learning of her regular teaching times at Meadowvale Community Centre. The location was surprisingly close to home, though the per visit fee is staggering. Adult admissions range from $11.15 to $12.38 per visit, while a monthly membership rings in at $63.14. This is substantial for a municipally-operated program, considering the fees being even pricier than LA Fitness.

I again routed into the Hazel McCallion Library afterwards - this time to obtain a physical library card. Contrasting against Toronto's yearly renewal policy, Mississauga's rendition required biyearly (every two years) in-person validation of residency. The staff seemed a bit hesitant towards issuance, and an older lady even interrupted the process to remind me of the overdue item policy. (It was as if I had ever checked out a book in my life...) Streaming old television series and audiobooks are of low priority to me, with physical reference material even less enticing. By obtaining library cards for both Toronto and Mississauga, I figured I'd double my chances at being granted Ontario Parks and Credit Valley Conservation Parks passes.

Visiting CoCo's M City location emerged as the final agenda item. An impromptu Mango Pomelo Sago order would lead me towards the base of one of the condo towers. Asphalt had been laid for the private road connections, while the pedestrian walkways and laybys poured. A minor height discontinuity would reveal itself between the (currently complimentary) short-term parking area.

My beverage was passable, but featured greater ratios of sago than mango. Much to my disappointment, pomelo pulp was, in essence, nonexistent. That said, I was elated at the sight of plastic cups (I can SEE my drink!!), plastic straws (cue the gasp), and plastic drink bags that did not involve an additional fee (cue an even louder gasp). The member of staff behind the counter informed me that bags for single drinks would not incur a charge, however purchases of two or three drinks would be subject to fees of fifteen cents and twenty-five cents respectively.

In spite of my late return home, an early commute into downtown would await me the next morning.

The day would not be as cool as the ones before, and rather quite sunny. To accommodate a 1 PM traffic engineering webinar, my lunch walk was cut short.

Along this brief sojourn, I caught sight of a pending opening by the name of Chocoberry, a colourful infographic along Yonge to distract from ongoing construction, and Cong Ca Phe's second location in the downtown core.

The St. Joseph outpost had quietly revealed its doors to the public, offering variations of coconut-infused Vietnamese coffee that were relatively reasonable in price, dissimilar to the likes of The Pho in Markham.

We routed into the Eaton Centre to confirm availability of McDonald's Ty Beanie Baby Collector Glass. Before we managed to make our way to the concourse level, our plans were derailed by an Air Canada pop-up.

The booth intended to advertise the company's initiative of complimentary snacks and beverages for Economy flights until autumn. During our stay, unlimited quantities of pretzel sticks and chocolate biscuits were bestowed upon us. Beer and wine sampling was also available!

No Bake Lotus Biscoff Icebox Cake

Driven by my recent discovery of Lotus Biscoff and inspired by Sunday Baking's No Bake Lotus Biscoff Tiramisu, a last-minute compilation of the spiced cookies and flavoured cream would engulf my Friday afternoon.

The cake would entail three layers of biscuits - dunked into Nescafe Espresso briefly - alternated with a lightly stabilized houjicha whipped cream. Upon assembling the base layer, I learned that the cookies were limited to one very swift motion for saturation, for they disintegrated readily and refused to absorb any more liquid. Given that icebox cakes rely heavily on the flavour of the biscuits used, Biscoff was a splendid choice for the application. My unplanned undertaking also shed awareness on why more rigid crackers, such as Maria biscuits, yielded distinctly unfavourable (unharmonious) results.

The cream layer comprised of unmeasured quantities of heavy cream, homemade vanilla extract (868), sweetened condensed milk mixed with Paragon's Hojicha Obsidian and Oolong tea powders, and a few spoonfuls of icing sugar. I had thankfully opted for some form of stabilizer, for espresso would seep out from the Biscoff cookies over the subsequent forty-eight hour period, compromising the concoction's structural integrity. The resulting product was somewhat soggy, but nonetheless delicious.

It was only until later that evening that I discovered Claire Saffitz's recipe for a Roasted Plum and Lotus Biscoff icebox cake. She describes the cake as being visually impressive but effortless to compile. Incorporating plums had been entirely intentional, for "plums like spicy flavours" such as cinnnamon or star anise. (I suppose my version had leaned towards the smoky side with its inclusion of tea powders.)