Out & About #1042 | Rainy Downtown Days + Failed Ube Flan Cake

There is probably nothing so perpetually exhausting than back-to-back office days. Recalling the once-normal five-day work weeks of pre-pandemic years, I struggled to envision how the continuous trips downtown would be possible in today's society. Transit capacity was exceeded long ago, making the new hybrid format not only more accommodating to workers but vital to managing congestion within the GTA.

Upon my arrival in the office, I learned of upcoming initiative such as a United Way Cake Silent Auction and winter clothing drive. Eager to participate in both, I began to contemplate crowd- and transport-friendly baked goods, while simultaneously considering the items at home that could be donated for better use.

The gloomy skies overhead and sporadic spurts of precipitation prompted an indoor lunch walk.

​Weaving in and out the PATH, I'd complete a series of errands, simultaneously noting new arrivals (such as Tiger's Cup Bap replacing McDonald's in Brookfield Place and Booster Juice replacing David's Tea in Royal Bank Plaza). My coworker would join me on this hurried expedition, as we'd eventually arrive at Decathlon for her pre-hiking needs.

​As predicted, the downtown outpost carried a limited assortment of apparel and fitness gear, though was generously stocked with skates and an elaborate bike repair centre.

​When the weekly team meeting concluded earlier than expected, my coworker and I made a mad dash towards Union. Both of us successfully caught an earlier train home. This early return enabled an impromptu stopover at Tim Hortons, where I attempted to maximize mobile offers in anticipation of redeeming rewards later in the month before points expiry.

​The Sheridan Centre location constantly features lineups in the Drive Thru passageways. With that in mind, I had presumed a lengthy wait in store. However, after just ten minutes, my duo of Pumpkin Spice Muffin and Iced Latte with Chocolate Milk were attained.

Having sampled the specimen last year, I approached the cream cheese filling-containing creation with high hopes and was not disappointed in the slightest. The filling would present itself in the form of a starch-based solution, as to prevent moisture seepage into the rest of the muffin; I was, by no means, taken back by the comparatively budget approach given the main clientele of the Canadian fast food chain.

The Iced Latte had been obtained strictly on the basis of earning bonus points. Coffee from Tim's is amongst the most despicable variety, thus Chocolate Milk had been used to neutralize the generally dismal concoction. Suffice to say, I could not bring myself to procure a second Iced Latte to unlock the remainder of the bonus points, simply since the profile was just off-putting.

​A drizzly subsequent office day was in store for me. The forecast had predicted intermittent droplets, though nothing beyond that. Despite gearing up accordingly in my supposedly waterproof jacket and lacing up waterproof footwear, I returned my umbrella to its storage area, thinking it'd not be needed.

The latter half of the day would comprise of a group walk through Chinatown. Light showers began to fall as I made my way towards Huron Square. Before I realized, these droplets would transform into a heavy downpour, catching most of us off guard.

A handful of participants dove into nearby stores to secure umbrellas for the outdoor sojourn. The rest of us, myself included, resolved to wait it out. Surely enough, the skies would clear shortly afterwards, making way for blue skies.

Termed the "Chinatown Study Walk", the sizable group was led from Huron Square to Chinatown Centre, then to the future development site of Alexandra Park. Tent sightings at both Alexandra Park and the nearby Randy Padmore Park did not seem to phase any members of the walking tour. In fact, a straightforward response emerged instead: "There aren't enough shelters."
​
But is that really the reason?
With homeless sightings becoming progressively common, residents now dismiss their existence to continue going about their day, instead of casting watchful glances at the scene and evaluating causes for such unseemly expansions in the neighbourhood.

We'd make brief stopovers at Scadding Court Community Centre and Market 707, noting their unique character and significance to the Chinatown community, before turning onto Augusta Ave.

Our guide shared insight on the evolution of district, as well as the evolving use of "family associations" and Chinatown Centre for weekend pop-up markets. The individual traits of Kensington, U of T grounds, and Chinatown were emphasized; afterwards, ideas would be solicited from the group for preservation - and revitalization - of Chinatown-exclusive characteristics. After all, the intent of the walk had been to identify areas that could be improved for "enhanced public realm", such as gathering spaces with public art, parks, etc., while preserving existing heritage buildings.

Upon conclusion of the walking tour, I, along with a few younger members of the group, headed back towards Dragon City Centre. From this saunter, it was learned that:

• The second floor bathrooms within Dragon City Centre are decently clean but devoid of soap
• There are two locations of Shuyi within five minutes of each other
• Daldongnae is soon to open an outpost on Spadina

While two of us obtained discounted Coffee Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly from Kung Fu Tea, the rest would head a few stores down to Hong Kong Island Bakery.

The doubly caffeinated beverage set me back just $4.80 plus tax as part of the franchise's fall promotion and was, surprisingly, quite delicious. LINE Friends merchandise was also spotted in store, ranging from tumblers to pens to luggage tags.

I gasped in horror as a BBQ Pork Pineapple Bun was spotted on a coworker's tray at Hong Kong Island. My warnings were not heeded, though my voluntary toonie received without hesitation. The bill had totalled an awkward amount of $11.70, after tax was omitted for the minimum six bun purchase.

As the cashier packaged the items, my eyes widened at the sight of a logo-embossed plastic bag.
"Did you get charged for a bag?!" I whispered with undeniable urgency, only to discover that it was utterly complimentary.

​We'd chat briefly, then return to our respective office locations just before 4 PM.

​My floor would reward me with further treats of cookies, mini chocolate cupcakes, gummy worms, and more. Needless to say, I grabbed a handful before hurrying off to Union.

Although spanning no more than one hour, the unexpected social interaction had left me energized and excited. The event had enabled interactions beyond virtual meetings, allowing for greater degrees of familiarization with those in other departments.

It was the perfect way to seal off back-to-back office days before returning home to soft friends and stretching in solitude.

Meals of the week would comprise of variations of choy sum and rice, either with Creamed Corn and Pork or Braised Pork with Daikon. Snacks revolved about imported Australian oranges (grapefruits?) and Biscoff with Häagen-Dazs Vanilla ice cream.

Towards the latter part of the week, I persuaded myself to re-enter the kitchen. A substantial hiatus had preceded the day, causing worry to line my brows as the United Way Cake commitment would now be less than two weeks away.

I landed on a recipe for an Ube Chiffon Cake with Flan. Rather than adhering to a presumably stiff custard though, I swapped in an egg tart custard and Sunday Baking's chiffon recipe. Unfortunately, results were far from desirable.

​The first blunder arose from failure to separate eggs. Rustiness had somehow led me to use a week-old carton of eggs instead of a fresh box. By this time, the yolks had become more fragile, readily bleeding into the whites upon removal of the shell. I proceeded anyways, but not without a heavy pinch of cream of tartar. Obviously, it was incapable of recovering the foamy consistency.

My ube cake was moist and dense, and oddly mochi-like as if I had added glutinous rice flour. A large void would be present at the base of each mini cupcake, summoning both confusion (me) and amusement (my coworkers).

​The second would be revealed hours later, when the inside of my tri-layer cake was unveiled to be raw and runny. The caramel was a wondrous amber, free of lumps and perfectly glossy. Unfortunately, it stuck to the bottom of the pan after cooling, irresponsive to shifting unless doused with hot water. The lighter egg tart custard and runny, compromised ube chiffon layer had also mixed in the pan. With insufficient baking time, the centre had cracked to reveal gushing insides. The edges were tasty, blending the fragrance of ube with the smooth texture of baked custard. That said, sampling too close to the centre had incited risk of food poisoning. I would spend the remainder of the evening curled up with stomach pains, likely in response to miscalculated baking times.

I was extremely discouraged, of course, with my mind plummeting into uncertainty, convinced that I had "lost my touch". My browsing partner somehow assuaged these doubts, denying my claims and inserting that it simply wasn't true.
"I believe." sounded groundless at first. But, surely enough, the vague declaration later proved itself.