Out & About #121 | Munching in Markham (Pt. 6): J-Town Adventures

My day started out by discovering Unionville GO's lack of public bathrooms on weekends. Hailing from an area where both trains and buses operate regularly even during weekends, it came as a surprise that the customer service building was completely locked. Then again, the size of the station is likely to only constitute a quarter of Clarkson, and even less of the Square One terminal.

We headed to Izakaya Ju in J-Town for lunch.

Contrary to what I had expected, the interior was much larger and brighter than images had indicated. The ceiling was also rather high, with spotlights pointing downwards from all directions. While the area itself was spacious, the tables proved to be the small side. (Of course, this could have been due to the fact that I was carrying a bulky, weighty backpack. Otherwise, it provided a pretty comfortable and well-lit dining experience.)

The miso soup and garden salad (with a tart yet savoury dressing likely to be made using ponzu sauce) were pretty standard. The Hokke Lunch included a medium-sized piece of grilled hokke accompanied by a generous portion of white rice. While the menu also included Saba (mackerel), it clearly distinguished between Saba and Hokke. Hokke is a specific species of mackerel, and, according to Wikipedia. is referred to as Okhotsk atka mackerel. The skin was grilled to yield the optimal degree of crispiness without charring, while the flesh was flaky and tender with a hint of butteriness.

< Pictured above: Complimentary Garden Salad and Miso Soup, Hokke Lunch, and Osaka Cha-Han (Fried Rice) >

The full album can be found HERE !

The Osaka Cha-Han, observed to be a popular item on their menu according to Zomato users, was a large bowl of just seasoned fried rice containing finely minced fried egg and takoyaki-style bite-sized octopus chunks, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and julienned pickled ginger.
Even as one who doesn't happen to be a huge fan of rice-based dishes, I found the cha-han to be surprisingly addicting. Octopus pieces were scarce, and rice was aplenty, but the sauces somehow tied the dish together to form a tasty creation. The acidity of the pickled ginger also aided in digestion.

Most of the menu items were only accompanied with a very brief description, thus the interpretation of presentation and flavour was essentially up to the customer. Perhaps we could have asked one of the waitresses for a concise explanation of the dishes, though, in the end, we simply chose to go with whichever option sounded the best.

Given the portions served, neither of the meals were really worth their price. However, they were indeed satisfying enough that I would return to try more of their lunches. I'll forever skip curry though, as it's common understanding that they likely use packaged Glico curry from the adjacent shopping centre.


As the fourth week of the Sidewalk Sale was currently taking place, we decided to browse the area after lunch.

I've heard great things about Bakery Nakamura, but was absolutely taken back when I laid eyes on the prices they were charging: the most economical of their buns sold at $2.00, while each slice of their small green tea/black sesame/tofu cheesecakes averaged at around $6.70!

Failing to resist the cuteness of the animal-shaped buns, I succumbed to purchasing a bear-shaped bun with chocolate cream filling and chocolate chips for eyes, in addition to a turtle-shaped melonpan with custard filling and a supposedly green tea-flavoured shell. Four chocolate cornets were also purchased; the chocolate cream utilized to fill the cornets and bear bun was identical.

Before heading off, a trio of Mitarashi-Dango was obtained from the Sidewalk Sale. I've never tasted dango before, but I can now confirm that the consistency is nothing similar to mochi; with the exception of the sweet-and-salty dipping sauce, it was basically a small, flavourless dough ball. I think I'll pass next time.

Having had the chance to visit Gong Cha's North York location several times, I was excited to finally give the Markham store a try. Many reviewers have negatively remarked on their sloth-like drink-making process, inconsistent quality of drinks, and lack of proper customer service. After my experience, I can confirm that all of the above three arguments hold true.

Being the first two customers to step foot into the store, we were able to take our time contemplating the new choices available. A nearby LCD screen informed me that three of Gong Cha's summer-themed citrus drinks could be sampled. But when asking for samples of all three drinks from the girl at the cashier, the response I received was a "I don't think we can do that." followed by an annoyed frown.
Both staring blankly at each other, she then asked the guys behind the bar, and returned with one of the three choices. As it was evident that I wouldn't be trying the other two, I proceeded to order one of their new releases - the Brown Sugar Oolong Milk Tea with 2J (tapioca and coffee jelly). However, not only did the girl look completely past me to welcome the older gentleman behind me, she completely disregarded the man's insisting gaze for me to order first. Indeed, this location has beyond fabulous customer service.

By this time, a good seven customers had filed into the shop and began to join the lineup. And though the orders hadn't been processed, the bartenders seemingly already had their hands. The rush soon passed, but the drinks still hadn't come out. And when they did, the lids hadn't been sealed properly.
I don't think they bothered to give my requests for 50% sugar and less ice a second glance. 50% sugar was oddly identically similar to the excessive sweetness of 100% sugar; somehow, my drink also contained more ice than a Royal Milk Tea with unchanged ice levels. I cannot recall ever having such issues in the newer North York store, and fail to comprehend the reason behind the Steeles location's horrible attitude towards customers and incapability to understand and deliver products to meet consumer demands.

In the time where the only three visible members of staff had their snail-like composure torn by incoming bubble tea goers, I pulled out the buns from Bakery Nakamura.

Quite frankly, I preferred Akko's fluffy buns instead. Though not stale, Bakery Nakamura's productions all tended to be on the dry side, despite being kept in cases with sliding doors. The custard from the melonpan was quite average, while the "melon"-shaped cookie topping quite crumbly and bore very little resemblance to a green tea-flavoured cookie. The white granulated sugar that had evidently been dusted on top post-baking also resulted in quite a mess as the bun was torn in half.
The bear-shaped bun was actually pretty yummy, if one could just ignore the hardness of the bread itself. The cream, thick and rich, did not happen to be as sweet as I had feared. There was a unique, delightful chocolatey-ness about it.
For the prices though, I think I'd be best taking my business back to Akko.

I had also wanted to include another round of Wooffles & Cream in this trip, though their Instagram account was belatedly updated with a message saying that they would be closed for the day "due to technical issues". I made no attempt to hide my overwhelming disappointment at seeing this news and cheered myself up by giving in to new Tony Moly purchases.

For the final segment of this post, I shall be dedicating my gratitude towards a particular merit-worthy friend (all while showcasing my watch tanline *cough cough*).

For those that have stuck with me and my extensive rants through the past year, you shall know that I am a faithful international IGOT7. (I mean, I even expressed-ordered their first full-length album!) And seeing that they had just made their summer comeback with their "JUST RIGHT" mini album, I took great measures to pester this friend countless times throughout his entire vacation in Asia, even going as to sending specific addresses and screenshots.

Despite his remarkably chaotic schedule, he used the very last evening of his trip to locate the specified CD shop and obtain GOT7's newest release, along with a poster! With great difficulty, both items were transported back to the Great White North, where they later made their way back to my humble abode via two very delayed bus trips. I likely haven't expressed my gratitude thoroughly enough, but I truly appreciated him taking the time and effort to do me this favour. THANK YOU, Mr. You-Know-Who-You-Are! ^ ^

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