Out & About #1071 | Downtown Dollaramas, Brandor Coffee + Cocoa Powder Crisis

2/8/2025

Immediately heading into downtown after a back-to-back weekend of events was hardly easy.

Of primary priority was visiting Muji's Atrium location to determine whether my earmuffs of interest would reside in their two-level flagship store. From the new-old office location, the journey by foot estimated thirty minutes.
My expectations were low, given the tremendous degree of foot traffic received by downtown outposts; surely enough, the news received from a member of staff conjured dismay: "We've been sold out of earmuffs for a few weeks now, and we're not sure when stock will come back."

I thanked her, then continued on my way. Located just east of the intersection was Dollarama, thus a stopover was justified. The desired pink velvet hearts were obtained with ease and the remaining aisles were perused for items of interest.

The sheer expanse of the below-grade location was impressive, and easily overlooked should one simply be roaming at surface level. Perhaps the assortment was owed to the proximity of the Eaton Centre, a peculiar tourist destination, and Ryerson - now Toronto Metropolitan - University.
A kitchen turntable with unmarked dimensions caught my eye. Tools on my browsing partner's watchlist were nowhere to be sighted, however.

With the Yonge-Dundas mission accomplished, I hurriedly headed south, slipping into the PATH as flurries transitioned to rain.

At Neo, I spotted new winter beverages on offer: Orange Hot Chocolate and Kurogoma Hojicha Latte. Having vaguely recalled crafting the former with Tim Hortons' ever-reliable Hot Chocolate Mix and a few drops of orange extract, my attention shifted towards the latter. A pairing of black sesame and houjicha sounded interesting, but potentially competing instead of complementary and possibly excessively gritty. At-home experiments shall conclude whether these hypotheses prove true.

The refrigerated assortment of pastries beckoned a closer look. The Valentine's Day-limited entremet of Berry Kiss was quite intriguing, as was the five-layer Matcha Berry Cake. My desire for an intimate review of the cross-section led me to test the 3x optical zoom of my new phone. Suffice to say, the S24 lens did not disappoint.
Matcha and imported beer from Japan (whimsically named Far Yeast) were also spotted within their refrigerated beverage case - information worthy of retention for future reference.

Brandor Coffee is a recent name to pop up on my to-go list. Located at the southwest corner of King and University, the coffee shop is situated along a stretch of the downtown core one is unlikely to frequent unless heading southbound on University towards Union Station.

While I hadn't expected more than a sliver of a shop - think Sam James, Pilot's earlier outposts, and Goldstruck. Much to my surprise, Brandor was an extremely spacious outlet that combined a retail section with a brightly illuminated, minimalist seating area. One could depict the aura akin to Matcha Matcha, save the swap for Acne Studios-style walls instead of exposed concrete.

The boxes along the perimeter of the retail section evoked a streetwear sense - think Bata Shoe's current Art/Wear exhibit. Nearby were $420 (!!!) backpacks and $40 plastic vases that supported my observation.

I strode along the counter, carefully evaluating the beverage and baked good options before me before seeking further clarification.

Mellow Wheat had piqued my curiosity from its mention of craft beer-like qualities, however the cashier/bartender was unable to elaborate on the concoction beyond its seemingly basic constituents of "coffee" (espresso), oat milk, and a "mellow wheat syrup" - whatever that was. An eyebrow was raised in response.

"What are the most popular drink choices?" If I was to take advantage of the HST break, my one-and-only purchase ought be the best Brandor could offer.
The cashier pointed towards the "Creative Lab" series, though hinted at the decrease in demand due to the arrival of the winter season and the drinks being only available iced. Oolong and Green Plum were amongst their best-sellers, supposedly.
Frankly, none of the options were particularly attractive, for I'd be able to easily recreate them using my existing roster of ingredients at home. That said, I pointed towards the Oolong out of sheer curiosity.

A few minutes later, the plastic cup was delivered onto a black tray and accompanying branded napkin that read: Coffee is a Lifestyle.

In spite of agreeing wholeheartedly with their slogan, I will admit that the accents of faux prestige were off-putting. That said, I appreciated the spotless serving tray, along with the tapered shape of the plastic cup.

The Oolong Creative Lab was an innovative blend of Oolong Tea and Espresso (with milk + bit of 10% cream), giving rise to a hybrid style of tea and coffee. Unfortunately, not all concepts are executed to realize their potential. Tasting mainly milky without distinctive notes of oolong, I expected a comparatively prominent presence of espresso, but couldn't detect caffeine in its composition either. The steeply priced combination failed to provide olfactory stimulation and gustatory enjoyment. Moreover, there was simply too much ice, gradually weakening its already disappointing profile over the process of consumption.

Had the HST break not been in effect, I likely would have stormed right out at seeing the atrocious, unreasonable prices.

The following day, I set out in hopes of resolving my ongoing cocoa powder crisis.

A 30-day halt on American tariffs threatened my baking inventory. Meanwhile, my US-derived Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa was still nowhere to be found in Loblaws and Walmart locations near me.

Rexall showcased Valentine's Day gift bundles, along with odd finds of Sanrio and Baby Yoda plushies and Rice Krispies slabs. As expected, cocoa powder did not reside on their shelves.

Chocolate cravings were temporarily appeased with a Double Chocolate Brownie from Tim Hortons. Over lunch, I'd venture towards Waterfront, embracing the mission at hand.

Longos stocked the standard contenders of Fry's (ick!) and camino (bland!), both of which were Dutch processed and notably overpriced.

Various varieties of Biscoff cookies were a pleasant sight though.

My next stop was the former marketplace in One York. Upon nearing the storefront, I learned that the space had been rebranded as a health food store adopting the name "Nature's Emporium". Half the shop was now dedicated to vitamins, supplements, and wellness items (think incense, water bottles, and scarves), while the other primarily stocked pre-packaged snacks, organic produce, and nuts.

Even pricey organic cocoa powder had been eliminated from the shelves. I strode out with a $7.99 plus tax bottle of Dr. Bronner's Lavender Hand Sanitizer instead, having lost the duo I purchased while in Vancouver.

Similarly, Dollarama would fail to fill the void with just offerings of hot chocolate, brownie, or chocolate pudding mixes. Completely unplanned purchases of a small container of Kraft grated Parmesan and Tetley Matcha were made at $4.25 and $3.50 respectively. The latter, in spite of having been advertised as "matcha", was hardly reflective of its description. Beneath the aluminum seal were tea bags instead of the delightful, grassy stone-milled powder.

Before departing, I rounded the corner out of curiosity. Lo and behold - my 2019 go-to of The Krys had reopened! As I stood outside the familiar storefront with disbelief, silently angry at myself for tossing my filled stamp card, my coworker ordered a Strawberry Matcha Latte for the brisk walk back.

Ruthless winds prompted us to detour through the PATH, where I not only learned of CF's takeover of Simcoe Place, but the presence of snaile lockers.

These self-serve facilities were splendid additions to the downtown core, for they enabled office workers to conveniently retrieve online purchases near their place of work instead of frantically scrambling across the city for click-and-collect orders.

Nearby was fixture that could accidentally be misinterpreted as a garbage bin. Featuring three slots of different shapes and sizes, the installation promoted recycling of unwanted electronics, cables, and batteries - again simplifying errands for office workers.

A BBQ Pork Pineapple Bun from Red Sail Boat Bakery and a tub of Lavender & Grapefruit Oil Shea Body Butter would see me through the remainder of the afternoon.

Meals of the week comprised of Swiss Chalet and Congee Queen takeout, as it was in every Ontarian's interest to take advantage of the final fourteen days of the tax-exempt dining.

Full Rack BBQ Back Ribs were ordered after the realization that a Half Rack barely provided enough for a single meal. Included as part of the meal were two containers of coleslaw, one bread roll, a sizable container of Chalet sauce, and a sauce of choice. Honey Garlic was our condiment of choice, and it boasted spectacular harmony with the smoky, fleshy ribs.

A Chicken Parm Entrée Bundle was added next. The set included Garlic Bread (or the Cheesy edition for an extra ninety-nine cents), penne, and side of choice. The Chalet Chicken Soup Cup was a hearty pick from yours truly.
Save the penne, all components in this bundle exceeded our expectations. The Chicken Parm was crispy and well-breaded, yet remarkably devoid of excess grease. Meanwhile, the soup rivalled Timmies' Chicken Noodle and the Cheesy Garlic Bread far more aromatic than most fast food stops. The pasta was regrettably pasty, with a decidedly sulphureous tomato paste for sauce, but nonetheless still superior to Pizzaville's edition.

Sides of Spring Rolls and Caesar Salad joined the order as a result of complimentary vouchers received with the Festive Special orders of Christmas past. While my heart yearned for Cheese Pierogies initially, the Spring Rolls were learned to be shockingly delicious, to the point where I reheated for a second on the spot. Encased within a thin, crispy shell was an abundance of filling (carrot, chicken, and more) that paired wonderfully with the accompanying containers of plum sauce. Similar to the Chicken Parm, this appetizer wasn't greasy in the slightest!

The Swiss Chalet order lasted about three separate meals, with the Loaded Baked Potato, Caesar Salad, and Coleslaw supplementing half-filled bowls of homemade Braised Pork with Pineapple and Congee Queen takeout of Black Bean Chicken, Sweet & Sour Pork, and Wontons.

Given the relentlessness of my chocolate cravings, I summoned creativity and readily available ingredients in various forms in an attempt to quench these desires.

S'Mores Iced Chocolate was constructed using Tim Hortons' Hot Chocolate Mixed, a hefty portion of Surfin couverture, milk, jumbo marshmallows, and Honey Maid Graham Crackers.

I also wasn't one to shy away from depleting my stash of Lindt Excellence Bars and luxurious Läderach collection.

FrischSchoggi is an unbeatable classic, however equally extraordinary are the Swiss chocolatier's truffles. Two decadent, velvety bites were enough to have me hooked!

The latter part of the work week was spent running errands and battling an unexpected sore throat. Ironically, the throat and sinus pains did not emerge until the day after a visit to the doctor's clinic.