To kill some time before the food vendors at the event were to open, we stopped by Maman to quench our thirst.
As commuters going about locating a specific shop in the Financial District, it did not help that First Canadian Place, nor the connecting Brookfield Place for that matter, had not included Maman onto their store directory. After pacing about both the lower and main floors of the building, I suggested trying the Food Terrace located on the uppermost level.
Lo and behold, Maman was present, and shown to occupy a convincing chunk of the food court.
I have had my fair share of lemonade-drinking in the past, so I was really rather surprised when the Homemade Lemonade that I received had tasted of lemon juice with little to no sugar. The modest pieces of lemon pulp and subtle aromatic essence added an interesting touch to the acidity, but the drink was still much more sour than I would have enjoyed. I was also informed that the Homemade Iced Tea had tasted "watered down".
For being located right in the food court of a busy commercial building, I had expected that their markups would be lofty enough that they did not need to resolve to plastic, disposable cups to serve customers. The fact that their products were merely distinguished by slapping a "Maman" sticker on top disappointed me greatly. It was also saddening to discover that Maman was a food court vendor, opposed to an individual coffee shop serving up unique selections (such as Lavender Hot Chocolate). The Maman hype was, unfortunately, just not worth it.
After draining the remaining liquid from the cups, we headed over to TAIWANfest. It was still quite early at that point, though due to this early arrival, we were able to catch MP Magic Power was having an open (non-ticket-holder permitted) dress rehearsal. It didn't possess as much as energy as a live performance, but was great to see nonetheless.
One of the stalls had technical issues with their cashier, and thus their opening time was delayed about another five minutes. Their lineup consequently expanded during this time. No matter though, as I was the first in line and snagged a Blood Pudding (sticky rice topped with green onions and a dusting of sweet nuttiness) and a Taiwanese Hamburger - more accurately speaking, a steamed bao containing pork belly. Both items were great and a total steal!
Given that the Lakeside Terrace could only be accessed from within the building, and that the only door providing entry to the booth was partially closed, it was another sign that Formosa was still in their preparation stage and not yet open to the public.
The un-uniformed member, presumably the manager, wasn't exactly friendly either. Upon noticing that two drinks that bore a strong resemblance to my order had emerged from the sealing machine, I inquired about whether they were the Wintermelon and Lychee Green Teas. In response, he uttered a coarse "These are mine.", before proceeding to walk away. (I mean, talk about amazing customer service!)
Far from the lacklustre expressions worn during rehearsal, the boys were brilliant stars on stage. With unceasing bursts of energy, continuously stunning performances, and a beyond-friendly atmosphere, Magic Power has officially won me over. They were destined to be on stage.