Out & About #1135 | 555 Boat Noodles, Mister Wheel + To Go Coffee Square One

When the need to visit the Downsview area crept up once more, I found myself contemplating lunch options in North York before heading back. Also imminent was the expiry of my Mister Wheel coupon, so I began to review eateries around the Yonge and Church/Churchill intersection.

Uninspired by ramen and abura soba (mazesoba's heavier, more satiating cousin) and eager to redeem a missed opportunity to try a culinary specialty, 555 Boat Noodles was the obvious choice.

The casual eatery had been closed during the Thanksgiving holiday, subjecting me to the grief of unbearably fiery kimchi bibimyeon at Nakwon Kisa Restaurant. While it was nonetheless a fun time reminiscing with a former colleague, the quality of the sustenance hardly justified its price.

It was just after 12 PM when we pulled into the North York area. Strolling south on Yonge, it was discovered that The Poke Box had replaced Sugar Marmalade's dingy, dim storefront with a fresh coat of vibrant, exotic pink paint. In addition, a blind box and keychain store by the name of Toys Collection had taken over the space left vacant by The Printing House.

The interior was reminiscent of Mr. Surprise at Midland and Finch, but rendered a tad more interesting with the inclusion of a high angle photobooth near the front of the store. This one merely featured a uniformly red backdrop though, contrasting sharply with the comprehensively furnished units in Taipei.

My curiosity was piqued not in the absence of my favourite blue furry monster with purple dots, and we departed the establishment shortly afterwards.

​Just one party of four had occupied 555 Boat Noodles at our time of entry. However, the compact dining floor gradually began to fill with patrons as the clock neared 12:30 PM. We were initially gestured towards a wooden booth tucked in the corner of the restaurant, but I was quick to grimace and request a spacious, well illuminated spot under the colourful mural instead. 

​Having skimmed the online menu briefly in advance, I noticed majority of items to be spicy, including their signature Boat Noodles. Although the Pork Noodles and Pork Ribs Noodles served with clear soup would have steered clear of any dietary concerns, my resolve was to sample their staple dish as intended. With a greater fondness for rice though, I opted for the Kao Lhao with Boat Soup Beef. Across the table, the entirely mild Pork Rice Noodles were requested.

To ready myself for the battle, I took advantage of the Buy 1 Get 1 Free beverage weekend offer. (Weekday visits enabled a free beverage with noodle order!)
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Thai Iced Tea and Longan Pandan Juice accompanied our picks. Additional beverages were optional, for a lofty, lock top glass bottle filled with water and Stainless steel cups allowed diners to hydrate at their desired pace. Knowing my own tolerance - or rather, lack thereof - a sweet, milky concoction was preferable if not critical to my survival.

​Adopting a yellow green hue and topped with a handful of longan flesh, the Longan Pandan Juice was true to its name but severely lacked complexity. The formula was cloying, brimming with ice, and only subtly infused with pandan. Meanwhile, the deseeded fruit was chewy and bland.

On the other hand, the Thai Tea exceeded expectations, offering a robust profile with adequate sweetness in spite of moderate saturation levels. Its hue leaned closer to iced coffee than the trademark vivid orange, yet flavour payoff was superior to nearly all of the variations tasted beforehand. I was particularly impressed to catch sight of settled specks of tea leaves residing at the bottom of the glass, for the minimal filtration boosted fragrance without contributing grittiness.

​The Small size had been chosen for both of our picks. Pork Noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวหมูน้ำใส) rang in at $14, while Kao Lhao (เกาเหลา) Boat Soup Beef at $17. Portions were exceptionally generous, for even the Small provided enough for two meals.

​As expected, the boat soup was, regrettably, too spicy for me to handle. For those with a stronger tolerance than I, the broth could be described to be complex, uniquely pulpy (with bits of pork blood as a constituent/coagulant), and unmistakably flavourful. Moreover, there were plenty of veggies and meat slices within.

​The Pork Noodles with clear soup offered far less flavour, and rice noodles were choppy to boot! That said, the pork strips and meatballs were incredibly tender and toothsome - a delightful texture contrast to my rugged chunks of beef.

​Through sniffles and swollen lips, I managed to consume all fixings save a single square of beef. Remnants of my boat noodle broth were carefully spooned into my bowl of soft white rice and transferred to a takeout container for later <s> consumption </s> confrontation.

Bathrooms were located at the foot of a steep stairwell outside the main entrance to the eatery. The stalls were clean, albeit far from accessible.

Two service staff quickly navigated between tables to facilitate orders. Our waiter was a soft-spoken soul, seemingly new to the service industry with his shy disposition and accidental misreading of orders. He had only misread his notes though, as we received the correct items without delay. The waitress who had welcomed us into the restaurant was lukewarm at first, but eventually cast a smile in our direction at the time of departure.

Trekking back to the car was a travesty. Beaming UV rays along Yonge Street kept external conditions bearable, but side streets assumed an entirely different world. Horrifically windy to the point of inciting frigidity in the cheeks and fingers, we were barely able to resist its gustiness to make our way back to the car.

​I braved the ruthless winds once more - first for Mister Wheel and then for Don't Yell At Me.

Unrecognized on the online ordering platform powered by Snappy, my wheel cake coupon could only be processed at the cashier, consequently giving rise to a fifteen-minute wait. During this time, I took note of Life4Cuts' new Christmas head accessories and discovered the disappointing operational change at LUNA: Salted Bread Rolls were now discontinued at the uptown location and exclusively offered at Davang Luna.

A minimum spend of ten dollars was required in order to utilize the coupon. Correspondingly, a total of three flavours were purchased, while the fourth was complimentary.

​My order slip was stapled to the bag:

• Red Bean / 相思紅豆 (黑芝麻); $3.99
• Taro / 芋見大甲 (葵瓜子); $4.49
• Matcha Mochi / 雪白森林 (南瓜子); $4.49
• Black Sesame / 香濃芝麻 (白芝麻); $4.49

​Each wheel cake was identified using physical inclusions, such as seeds or nuts, in addition to markings on individual paper pouches. Red Bean featured black sesame seeds on the underside, Taro was speckled with sunflower seeds, Matcha Mochi with pumpkin seeds, and Black Sesame with the interesting contrast of white sesame seeds.

​Serving as the foundation to many East Asian desserts, Red Bean was a classic filling that combined texture, mild grittiness, and subtle sweetness. I enjoyed the contrasting consistencies of smooth bean paste with softened whole beans, though found the formula a tad tacky as it cooled to room temperature. Against my better decision, we had opted to sample the wheel cakes following a forty-minute commute back to the west side of the GTA, at which point the freshness factor had been impacted severely.

Taro exuded a rosy pink hue and peculiarly bean-y profile, distinguishing itself from the starchy (and somewhat sandy), light purple profile to which we were accustomed. It lacked the delicate aromas of taro root, causing us to slot the choice near the bottom of the list.

Revealing the cross-section of Black Sesame resulted in oohs and aahs, for its intense, charcoal-like hue was a promising indicator of potency. Encased within the delightfully chewy batter was a plentiful portion of toasted, lightly sweetened black sesame paste. This variation was immediately crowned the winner.

​The procured Matcha Mochi was intended for sharing with my browsing partner. By the time the specimen had been delivered though, the custard within had congealed significantly. The increased viscosity led to rigidity, furthered by a denser batter. Accordingly, the glutinous rice flour  insert no longer featured the coveted elasticity to enable a "mochi pull".
Nevertheless, the creation was enjoyable - presumably even more so when sampled fresh. To my surprise, the matcha custard was far tastier than the original vanilla! Laced with an adequate amount of grassiness, the concoction was just enough to quench the desires of matcha lovers, successfully evading entry into the territory of overwhelming astringency.

​All factors considered, it was concluded that Mister Wheel remained superior to the local stall of Yong Le in Taipei. Although I did not undertake a comparison of the chain's Zhongshan vs. North York locations, the uniformly crisp and "Q" casing combined with brimming amounts of filling had already outrivalled the doughy, flour-laden masses of Dihua Street.

​The early evening hours saw an impromptu visit to Square One. Frankly, I wasn't particularly keen on returning to my office district before absolutely necessary, but a specific coffee outlet's Grand Opening promotion had piqued my curiosity.

To Go Coffee and I have an odd relationship. I had been aware of To Go's existence from their first location in Pacific Mall to their subsequent outlets downtown and throughout the Toronto area, but never once had I stepped foot within. The Buy 1 Get 1 Free promotion encouraged me to explore their menu.

Naturally, the shopping centre was horribly crowded on a Saturday evening. Locating parking was a travesty, as was the sheer act of placing an order at To Go. While the masses queued, a substantially-sized physical menu was passed down the line to prepare patrons for ordering time.

​The wait time to reach the counter spanned 45 minutes. During this time, both of us took turns using the bathroom; I also made a detour for Purdy's. Staff remained pleasant and helpful despite the crowd, and provided additional details about their drinks upon inquiry.

We took to a Guava Bubbly Americano and Osmanthus Oolong Lemon Tea. Another 30 minute wait would ensue before we received the drinks. Both were enjoyable, though the Guava Bubbly a tad more. Fruity with a decent dose of caffeine, the beverage constituted a splendid pick-me-up - though perhaps less ideal for consumption past 5 PM. The Osmanthus Oolong Lemon Tea did not reveal any obvious inclusion of osmanthus nor oolong, but tasted like an average lemon tea. While refreshing, it was not memorable whatsoever.

To Go's menu was exceptionally easy to understand. There were two drink sizes: Large and XL (1L). Majority of the Large drinks were priced at $5.99, and the 1L at $7.99. 75% of the menu was coffee-based, while the remainder tea-focused. Lattes and fruity Americanos trumped the availability of milk teas, distinguishing the establishment as a coffee spot as opposed to bubble tea house.

Two drinks on BOGO weekend had set us back just $6.77! Even in the absence of a grand opening promotion though, their prices were notably budget-friendly given that market price for specialty beverages leaned closer to $7-8 plus tax. (Vancouver prices were, of course, even steeper.) Having said that, I will not be foregoing the likelihood of venturing to the mall for To Go during my weekly lunch walks.

​The mall trek also informed of Bao Mama's opening in The Food District and the GTA's comparatively lavish assortment of festive decorations (versus grim and dreary BC).