Out & About #1158 | heytea Lab Eaton Centre, Textile Museum + EATALY

Itinerary-making is an aptitude I hadn't considered grand or commendable. 

How hard is it to do logistics? One decides on the points of interest, maps them out, and determines the viability of the route based on constraints. Amusingly, discussions with others in my surroundings concluded that it was a mightier effort than most preferred to engage.

A downtown day had been hinted when cloooodles noted her next live drawing event to be at "the end of the month downtown". I was eager to align this day with my browsing partner's return, promptly introducing another time-sensitive agenda item.

The geographic boundaries of the outing were established when Hey Tea's final week of grand opening promotions was expressed as an event of interest.
In order to make all the agenda stops though, the day would need to commence early. After all, I wasn't about to miss the Textile Museum's operating hours nor desired to rush for the Wildlife Photographer exhibit.

​The proposed departure time was 8:30 AM, but ultimately leaned closer to 9:20 AM due to extenuating circumstances on my part. Thankfully, early weekend morning traffic was extremely forgiving and we arrived at the designated parking within 40 minutes.

At 9:55 AM, we spotted the queue for Hey Tea forming outside the store, then promptly joined it. During this time, staff delineated the line to prevent blockage of the mall corridors as best as possible.

​During our time in line, we were presented with promotional posters outlining the eighteen days' worth of grand opening events as well menu items limited to the heytea Lab locations. Exclusives were identified by their black cup and numbered notations of "3.3", "5", and "0".

It was only natural to opt for the lab-limited concoctions. Although I couldn't be further from an enjoyer of "cloud"-topped beverages, the element assumed a heytea signature that ought be sampled while on the premises. We agreed on trying the Rock Oolong Caviar Tea and Gongfu 3.3.

About twenty minutes passed by the time we entered into the store. Merchandise such as incense sticks, ceramic tumblers, and matcha lined the tiered wooden shelves against the wall. I attempted to pick up the items for closer inspection, but found every single article firmly glued to its underlying surface - likely to prevent theft.

As we drew closer to the cashier, I caught sight of two ice cream makers churning away. One featured Rock Oolong Caviar at $7.50, while the other Matcha at $6.50. Rock Oolong Caviar was advertised as a collaboration with Chef Susur Lee and likely assumed the most popular pick of the Toronto Lab location. Curiosity was articulated to my browsing partner, who responded with, "Do you want to try?"
I debated the inquiry at first, for having ice cream before 11 AM felt strange. We had both eaten breakfast not too long ago and would have two creamy drinks in hand in the imminent future. Alas, the opportunity was too great to pass on: I nodded in affirmation.

During the event period, each drink purchase would enable one raffle draw. While we had our eyes on the branded merchandise, we both received a 15% off voucher for use before April 5th.

Approximately ten minutes passed before we received our drinks. Seating was quite limited, but turnover was thankfully quick. We briefly hovered about the self-serve bar, which provided lids, water, and a garbage receptable, before shifting towards the pick-up area to observe the drink preparation process.

​Rock Oolong Caviar Ice Cream was the first item to be revealed. The single scoop was an admittedly modest serving. Served in a conical white cup, the milk tea-tinged concoction was topped with half a teaspoon's worth of caviar, plenty of lemon zest, and garnishes of a saltine cracker and Susur Lee decorative tab. There was tremendous appreciation extended towards its resistance against dissolution. The consistency was pliable, yet the formula did not melt easily. An intrepid first spoonful even resulted in a mild brain freeze; it was beyond me how others would indulging in heaping cups of matcha snow ice at the early hour.

​I had taken to sampling the pretentious ice cream without any expectations, but was pleasantly surprised at its complexity. Embodying robust notes of oolong that were further accentuated by the addition of lemon zest, Rock Oolong Caviar Ice Cream was delectable and decidedly unique.  Rather than an unwanted fishy undertone, the caviar contributed a subtle textural variety. The black beads did not evoke much of a distinctive taste, though attributed to a sago-like topping. Despite its small portion, the creation was undeniably innovative and worthy of trying.
The cracker did not constitute anything mind-blowing though.

​While the Rock Caviar Oolong Ice Cream was topped with lemon zest, the Rock Caviar Oolong Tea incorporated yuzu and a yuzu cloud topping. The sweeter citrus contributed an exquisite essence - an impressive complement instilling zestiness to contrast against the milky nature of the drink. It was intended for customers to dip the cracker into the yuzu cloud and enjoy with the caviar. Plain was the cracker, but interesting was this concept.

Without mixing the yuzu cloud into the underlying layer of oolong tea, the concoction was far too milky to be enjoyable. That said, incorporating all components into a homogenous solutions unlocked a formula that was incredibly unique and harmonious.

​Gong Fu 3.3 was another inventive composition. Decorated with a ring of torched meringue and unmistakably green pistachio foam (not matcha!), the creation combined black tea in an utterly unthinkable manner. Too often are pistachio-infused drinks executed poorly, however heytea's Pistachio Cloud was creamy, aromatic, and even slightly salty. One could detect pistachio without an artificial presentation. I also enjoyed the meringue a staggering amount, for it tasted like marshmallow, but did not exhibit overly cloying properties. Similar to the Rock Oolong Caviar tea, mixing well was an essential step to comprehensive enjoyment. Otherwise, the user would simply be ingesting a satiating foam without the grounded allure of assam tea.

​Both drinks leaned heavy, especially considering the early hour of sampling. Nevertheless, I found each to be distinctive and worth the visit. The Rock Oolong Caviar tea is priced the steepest at $12.90 before tax, while Gong Fu 3.3 at $10.90. Although it is acknowledged that the grant total of our visit could have easily provided a budget lunch elsewhere, the conclusion holds that the heytea Lab stopover was justified.

​We proceeded to walk off the satiation by exploring EATALY.

The former space of Nordstrom has been repurposed to house Nike, a compact, two-level EATALY, and a three-level Simons. I also caught sight of Saint Germain near the Dundas - now "TMU" - subway station entrance.​

​At 12 PM, the Textile Museum of Canada would open for operations. Prior to heading over, I proposed a detour to Cafe Foret.

​Tucked away on the second level of an inconspicuous space along Dundas, the café offered a shocking amount of seating in a bright, faux shrubbery-decked environment.

The elevator was out of service, so we briskly marched up the lengthy flight of stairs instead. Within the display case was a variety of cakes and bakery items. Assortment and prices were on par with Project Seoul - ie. expensive but easy to recreate. ​It is worth noting that, in order to prevent cross-contamination, a separate pair of tongs was used to handle the peanut-containing products. My browsing partner silently expressed approval for the allergen-friendly protocol.

​I took to an Earl Grey Financier in hopes of tying me over until lunchtime. The $3.95 specimen was regarded with high hopes, though ultimately failed to deliver. Grease oozed from the pastry. As opposed to being crunchy, the exterior was soft. Already disheartening was the utter absence of Earl Grey influence, but the fact that loose tea leaves had not been strained thoroughly elevated disappointment.

Cafe Foret emerged as a splendid study spot given its location, ambience, and abundance of seating, though paled in its gustatory offerings.

​Descending back to street level, we continued on our way towards the Textile Museum of Canada.

​The third floor galleries were discovered closed upon arrival, thus restricting our short-lived visit to the second floor.

​It didn't take long to complete the loop. The Made By Many exhibit terminated at the workshop area.

​With the assistance of museum staff, I learned how to use different types of looms to weave thread and create patterns in the resulting fabric.

​In the adjacent gift shop, my eyes fell upon a fluffy llama and drawstring bags reminiscent of my own creations back in middle school Girl Guide days.

Some of the items were crafted by volunteers, as indicated in their imperfect stitches.

Next up on the agenda was Muji Atrium. A Community Market was being held across both the Atrium and Metrotown locations, however the West Coast event featured significantly more artist vendors.

It mattered minimally to me, for cloooodles' live drawing booth was the only aspect of interest. 

​When we arrived though, a "Back in 5-10 minutes" sign was hung on the photobooth partition. Her booth partner relayed that she'd likely return around 1:30 PM.

Hearing this, I decided to head back to EATALY to relive the focaccia sandwich of my longing. Farcita Cotto was unavailable, so I took to the closest alternative of Facita Prosciutto Crudo. I'd have preferred ham or roasted turkey as the source of protein, but fresh greens and soft Stracciatella were non-negotiable ingredients.

​It was with regret that I bit into the sandwich and discovered its atrociously salty profile. While warm and crisp on the surface, the focaccia oozed grease from all sides. Damp and dense as opposed to fluffy, the sandwich was a far cry from the delightful specimen sampled at the Sherway location. Despite the delightful duo of fresh arugula and Stracciatella, the cured nature of prosciutto did not pair well with greasy, heavily salted focaccia. My greasy fingers reached for water at the earliest possibility.

Read Part 2 HERE !