Out & About #1129 | Scarborough Eats Feat. J-Town, Once Patisserie + Linh Ahn

Read Part 1 HERE !

J-Town was impromptu stop. Crawling along Steeles towards Pacific Mall had lodged the idea in my mind and, as the driver, I could act upon such thoughts however I desired. My hiking partner did not oppose the deviation in the slightest, and so we entered into the lot, somehow finding parking with ease.

It was the first time I had stepped foot into the cultural district in many years. A part of me was astounded to find it still standing, as strip plazas redeveloping into high-rise towers has been the trend as of late. Few improvements have taken place over the years with regard to the condition of the asphalt lot, interior finishes of buildings, etc. That said, vendors have moved in and out of the space consistently. Rather than terminating and restarting leases though, majority of these outposts share a facility or operate out of the counter of another business.

A coffee and handmade goods display caught my attention. Nearby were intricate-looking desserts, ranging from colourful mochi, peach-shaped pastries, and even Sakura Cheesecake. The associated price tags were indeed shocking. Not even Patchmon's elaborate luk choup mung bean dessert and woon kati jellies had adorned such a hefty value. Meanwhile, I cannot deem the sakura cheesecake to be nearly as much labour as my own Youkan and Sakura Anko Pound Cake.

​I secured the rare bag of Momo Tea's Matsu at Sasaki Pastry. Heading over to Heisei Mart, we found more affordable renditions of sakura mochi, a wide selection of ceramics and teaware, and beverages and seasonings that were seldom seen elsewhere. 

​One of us emerged with an oriental style tea canister and Matcha Amazake, while the other two bars of Lotte Crunky. Needless to say, the chocolate bars were mine. Unfortunately, the formula was seemingly altered from the blue packaging edition, resulting in a sugar-filled headache and instantaneous breakouts.

The alcohol-free Matcha Amazake was shared after obtaining a small paper cup from Sasaki Pastry, who made an exception given that I had made a purchase previously. Viscous and brimming with rice grains, the formula tasted as one would anticipate: thick due to commercial stabilizer (ie. starch), slightly bitter due to the inclusion of non-ceremonial grade matcha, and sweet due to its name ("ama" = sweet in Japanese). Its afternotes were vaguely reminiscent of nigori sake, though not nearly as potent. Being a lover of Junmai sake though, the non-filtered sake is hardly my preference.

Next to Sasaki Pastry was Yuzu no Ki, a pastry house boasting a comprehensive array of Japanese-style tarts, cake slices, and cream puffs.

I was captivated by the Green Tea Opera Cake, which was retailed in the forms of individual slices or a whole cake. Pristine in its finishing touches and prominent in its layering, I was impressed that a 6" square had only been priced at $51.

The merchandise shelf comprised of jams, teas, and matcha accessories. Mini jars of Bonne Maman and Japanese black tea powder were the most interesting discoveries, though I refrained from purchasing any.

At long last, we arrived at Pacific Mall around 5 PM. Due to closure of the underground garage, I was prompted to park in the surface lot instead. This is important to note, as we would later learn.

​Egg waffles were the primary objective, but I couldn't skip indoor plumbing facilities. The basement level washrooms had been renovated since my last visit, now beaming and brilliant with marble tiling, dyson hand dryers, and Cintas soap dispensers. The reason for the "Washing Hands Only" sticker on each mirror remained unknown to me though.

​Two original Egg Waffles from Tung Tung set us back eight dollars. I requested two packs of Crispy Egg Rolls to take home, further incurring a cost of fourteen dollars. Having not obtained cash prior to the visit, I was thankful that my hiking partner was able to pitch her $5 bill to complete the transaction. Suffice to say, get cash before coming!

​The most notable difference was that the carrying pouches been upgraded from standard brown paper bags to sturdier, branded ones bearing circular punchouts. At the same time, the egg waffle batter had seemingly become stiffer and more satiating, alluding to a greater proportion of starch and reduced amounts of egg for plushness.

Fresh Mango Diamond Slushes were paired alongside the waffles for the ultimate snacking pair. For all the times I have resisted $8 cups at the Square One Real Fruit outposts, I finally quenched my cravings several months later.

We continued to roam the mall until all corridors had been covered. I had been certain that there was a photoism booth within the three-storey retail complex, but was unable to find it even after two trips about the ground floor. I resolved to depart in favour of the Sky City location. It was after we had arranged all items in the vehicle and were preparing to depart that a silhouette crept up on the driver's side.
The sound of knocking on my window had me turn my head in shock. An elderly man had appeared out of nowhere, beseeching spare change with open hands mimicking upturned claws. After urgently locking the doors, I waved my hand to dismiss the ask. Not only did he not retreat, he knocked again, begging in a similar manner. While I wasn't ready to leave just step, I strapped on my seat belt and drove away. Much to our relief, he neither followed us nor demonstrated further aggression. The incident served as a reminder to be vigilant of one's surroundings, and also utilize the covered parking garage where possible.

Struggling to input our next destination while actively navigating out of the Pacific Mall plaza, the skies soon dimmed to a murky navy. After three futile attempts at locating the frontage of Once Patisserie, I finally found them situated within an inconspicuous commercial plaza housing hardware and renovation products.

Having hovered by the display case for some time, the man behind us stood up to introduce himself as the (husband of the) shop owner. Once Patisserie occupied one half of Pretty Sweet Gelato, with the wife leading the baking operations and the husband tending to customers. Resuming his position behind the counter, he gladly answered our questions.
Yuan Yang was the flavour being sought, but I was regrettably informed that the creation had been a limited edition release for Hong Kong Festival.

​While the response had me in dismay, I wasn't about to depart without a purchase. My heart landed on the Earl Grey Royale, which would likely offer the closest profile to Yuan Yang. A box of 6 would eliminate payment of HST, thus I engaged my hiking partner to split the portion. Between us, we took to two Earl Grey Royale, Matcha3, Chestnut, Citrus Kiss, and Nutty Espresso. Seeing how we have travelled from Mississauga - and frankly, beyond - in search of the madeleines, the man gladly included one Almond Rose per person. He also expressed willingness to divide our purchases between two boxes for ease of distribution, then triple-checked our requests to ensure accuracy of payment. Customer service was truly flawless.

​He advised us to store the madeleines at room temperature, as transferring them to the fridge would cause them to dry out. The products should ideally be consumed within two days; for periods past three days, he advised freezing and thawing before serving. I hadn't intended on letting the madeleines remain uneaten for long though. The box's contents were excitedly unveiled upon returning home.

Earl Grey Royale
Similar to Yuan Yang, Earl Grey Royale featured a luxurious tea-infused ganache filling - silky and flavourful, without leaning into excessiveness. The exterior featured a beautiful, tempered chocolate coating, with edible flowers to further contribute to visual appeal.

A testament of true skill with a velvety, complex filling, gorgeously shiny coating, and indulgent madeleine base, it felt like I was reliving my Yuan Yang madeleine dreams in a different dimension.

Citrus Kiss
Zesty and delightful, Citrus Kiss was the perfect definition of "not too sweet", but nevertheless gratifying. The airy, tender crumb rendered it a sense of lightness, enabling enjoyment even after a full meal.

Also appreciated was the thin layer of glaze: the surface was crisp, lightly sweet, and not tacky in the slightest!

Almond Rose
The complimentary selection was sampled on the following day. At first glance, the madeleine was seemingly plain. Under scrutiny, one could identify finely crushed rose petals dispersed across a thin layer of glaze on the bevelled side. Biting into the specimen, one would pleasantly exposed to a texturally varied creation with crunchy edges and a nutty, aromatic interior. I could also detect the presence of almond flour for improved consistency. The crumb was moist, yet not excessively so. In summary, Almond Rose was simple yet scrumptious.

Nutty Espresso
Presumed to be the strongest contender in terms of complexity, Nutty Espresso was definitely the most impressive of the quad. Its surface was decorated with finely chopped pecans and a thin coating of glaze - just thin enough to coat the bevelled curves of the shell shape and give crunch, but not an extravagant amount like scones from COBS Bread, which would lead to stickiness once met with condensation.

The leavened pastry itself embraced a potent profile with magnificent notes of roasted coffee and even a lingering bitterness representative of post-cold brew intake. Cutting into the pastry led to an unexpected phenomenon: As soon as the pastry was bisected, an irresistible aroma exuded from its core. The madeleine was heavenly and irresistibly nutty on its own, which led me to contemplate the reasoning for finely chopped nuts on its surface. While likely to enhance the toasted notes of coffee, I can confidently declare that elimination of the nut component would not alter my opinion. Nutty Espresso was a winner in all facets.

​Once Patisserie priced their madeleines within the exceptionally reasonable range of $3.75 to $5.50. Each concoction was well deserving of praise, in addition to being conservatively priced according to ingredient composition and degree of labour required. I'd return in a heartbeat for any of the madeleines constituting my purchase.

Continuing on, I led the way to Claw Me Baby. Without cash on hand, I relinquished twelve dollars at the cashier to enable two 4-cut photo strips.

K-Pop Demon Hunters had amusingly made their way to the frame collection, though we adhered to the standard frames for cost efficiency.

Finally, it was time for sustenance. Instead of moving the car from Sky City to the adjacent plaza, I suggested undertaking the three-minute walk to Linh Ahn. I had received nothing but positive reviews from my peers and decided to give the Northern Vietnamese eatery a go.

In spite of the bustling parking lot, the interior of the restaurant wasn't particularly busy. At 7 PM, we were seated immediately. Laminated menus were slid in our direction. Neither of us were ravenous after snacking at P-Mall, so we opted to split S13, a compilation of assorted meats in a cast iron skillet. The number was marked on the provided notepad and handed to the green uniform-donning server.

​Preparation of the extended past the ten-minute mark, causing us to heave sighs of fatigue while waiting. Sampling the dish caused me much disappointment: It was spicy, and not just faintly.

​The combination of fresh cilantro, cherry tomatoes, bone marrow, and baguette was, admittedly, strange. None of these components were cohesive. Between the bone marrow, pinkish strips of meat, deli slices, and sodium-laden liver, we evaluated each element individually. They were passable at best and hardly anything to write home about. The steak slices were awfully chewy, despite bearing a pinkish tint. The bone marrow was greasy, pate devoid of texture but brimming with salt, and sauce fiery without being flavourful. A mediocre meal we deemed it to be.

​Washrooms were located at the rear of the eatery, with one stall allocated per gender. The women's stall was clean overall, but the greasy and wet floor demanded careful navigation. Doubling as a janitor's closet, the stall also included a mop setup that forced placement of the wastebin directly beneath the toilet paper dispenser. Consequently, one would need to exercise caution to prevent clean toilet paper from dangling into a wastebin that was nearing capacity.

Indicative of heavy reliance on monosodium glutamate, I departed with my throat growing progressively hoarse and feeling extremely dehydrated. The unexpected spice had also caused irritations to my skin and overall wellbeing. ​However, the worst was yet to come.

​I somehow pulled into the driveway with 1% phone battery remaining. The device then promptly powered off as I exited the vehicle. After dropping my hiking partner at the nearby transit centre, I returned home at long last.

There was an intense desire to sleep as soon as possible, but stomach pains began to creep up around midnight. Eventually, they could no longer be ignored. Having learned from my summer get-together, I reached for water. The intake assisted bowel movements, but only marginally. Feelings of illness incited regurgitation: Linh Ahn could not be digested. My collection of other symptoms further pointed towards food poisoning, with the pink strips of meat at the core of the concern. The eatery was permanently blacklisted as of that moment.
​
Around 2 AM, the disagreeable contents had seemingly been expelled from the body. Sixteen hours later, rest was within reach.