Out & About #209 | Partial March Visuals

March has been a particularly fruitful month in terms of visuals-gathering, probably since the weather has been more forgiving lately. (Thank goodness!)

1. Papa John's Bakery
A homey boutique that I had initially perceived to be a new addition to Mississauga's not-so-diverse Chinese bakery scene was actually revealed to be well-acknowledged contender to Akko Cake House. Our childhood favourite in Erindale has served us well over the years, but the staffing switchover held some two or three years back yielded inconsistent portions and taste; we gradually reduced the frequency of our visits.

Upon conducting another Insta-search (mindless browsing of the social media platform has now officially become part of my stretching and face-mask-drying routine), I discovered Papa John's. Google Maps informed me that it was extremely close to Hurontario and Eglinton, so I set out one lazy Sunday morning in search of fresh coconut buns.

Assuming the corner spot of a very well-hidden plaza in a residential area, the bakery would have been almost impossible to find without the aid of satellite-guided navigation tools.
Regrettably, I had not checked their opening hours prior to punching the address into my GPS - Papa John's was open from 8 AM to 7 PM on weekdays, 8 AM to 6 PM on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays. Well then.

I had no other option than to turn back and shake my head in disappointment for committing such a mistake. Undefeated, I suggested a brunch visit to the bakery the following Saturday when a friend mentioned that she had a bit of time in the morning.

Pulling into the parking lot around 11:30 AM, I immediately noticed the lack of available parking compared to the previous Sunday. Thankfully, I managed to snatch the last spot in the plaza. Not quite as lucky, a number of patrons had parked outside the vicinity of the plaza at a nearby school instead.

The bakery was bustling with action: several small families had claimed their territory at the ten small tables in the dining area and were either munching on Pineapple Bun and HK Milk Tea combos or bowls of noodle in soup. After completing my 360-degree scan of the interior, I slowly approached my bun options, equipping myself with a plastic tray and set of tongs for easy selection.

Many of my favourites were present: pineapple buns, custard buns, egg tarts (with butter tart shells), raisin twists, etc. Papa John's carried all the classic Cantonese bun varieties as Akko, in addition to offering dine-in combos.

At $2.90, the 波羅油 (Pineapple Bun w/ Butter) and Milk Tea combo was a tasty, budget-friendly brunch option, while bakery-goers hankering for more substance could choose from noodle dishes and other larger meals.

After picking out my desired selection of buns to take home, I asked the lady at the cashier if I could actually form a combo with one of the buns on my tray. She looked at me, a tad surprised, then affirmed my request. Hot takeout drinks came in three different sizes (small, medium, and large), while cold drinks were only served in one size (medium); hot dine-in drinks were all served in Stainless steel mugs.
As the my buns were gently packed into a box and my combo order had been placed, I was handed a numbered slip of paper, likely to be called out later when the order was ready. My Black Sesame was first placed in a shallow, plastic tray and handed to me. My hot Hong Kong Milk Tea was delivered to the condiment bar at the front shortly after.

The concept of the bakery was simple enough; finding a seat was the real struggle. Luckily, a friendly couple offered to share their small, circular table with me and my (tardy) friend. The tables weren't particularly large, and seating was rather cramped. For casual conversation though, this would be the place to go.

Later on, I caught sight of their Pineapple Bun w/ Butter combos, or their order numbers anyway, being called by members of kitchen staff from what appeared to be the front of a brick pizza oven; I overheard the couple mentioning that the overtaken location had, in fact, been a former Italian pizzeria.

My friend entered the bakery some ten minutes after, eyes widening at the sight of the high number of diners and expressing disbelief at the scarcity of parking spots. She quickly made her rounds before settling down beside me with an iced Hong Kong Milk Tea and Pineapple Bun with Red Bean.

As we had both ordered milk teas, it seemed only right to compare the taste of the hot and iced versions of the drink. At first it seemed as if the temperature difference was the only difference.It was soon discovered that the hot version exhibited a lack of sweetener, while the iced variation undeniably sugary. Both cups were smooth and creamy, but, sadly, tacky as well; a generous dosage of creamer was apparent in the drinks' consistencies.

On the other hand, Papa John's buns all proved to be great! Proper portion sizes and uniform consistency were factors that I desperately missed. I also appreciated that the sweet bread was fluffy and eggy without oil overdose (/cough 康華閣 cough/). Their egg tarts were also wonderfully done, as were all the remaining goodies in my box.

In response to the many reviews that had termed Papa John's an "old school/classic" Hong Kong-style bakery, I shall admit that the cozy, family-run space mainly offers Cantonese fare. However, I do not believe it's necessary to categorize the style of dining as "Hong Kong-style"; rather, this is just what a proper Chinese bakery ought to be like. Needless to say, I'm excited to return to try more of their products!

2. Somen in Lemongrass Coconut Broth w/ a poached egg, shredded cucumber, sweet corn, nori strips, and pickled daikon and carrots

3. Homemade Latte + Egg Tart from Papa John's Bakery

4. Morning commuting visuals

5. Exploring more of Nohohon's menu: Tokyo Fog w/ Tapioca, Green Tea Oatmeal Cookie, Furano Field w/ Lychee Jelly, and Italiano and Gomoku Onigiri

6. My go-to items at Timmy's: Mocha and a Chocolate Chip Muffin

7. Trying out the freshly-introduced seasonal Maple Latte and mini chocolate viennoiserie from McDonald's

8. Mango-raspberry-spinach smoothie from the newly-opened cultures in Metro Centre
​9. More adorable Easter plushies were spotted!

10. Toronto Fashion Week took place at David Pecaut Square this week. Though I had been invited to attend this glamourous event, I opted out due to sheer exhaustion from work, much to the despair of my style-loving friend.

11. Sunny day doodles

12. Mom's homemade Banana Rice Cooker Cake

13. New purchases from DAVIDsTEA, including two packages of tea-infused shortbread cookies and a vibrant teal tumbler that I've been eyeing for some time.

DAVIDsTEA locations are frequent throughout the PATH, as well as throughout the downtown core in general, however the location in First Canadian Place particularly stands out to me. The primary factor capable of differentiating the specific underground spot is the notably pleasant service. I've passed by on multiple occasions, some for the sole sake of browsing, and others for the purpose of re-stocking my cupboard's Oolong and matcha inventory. On each and every one of my visits, I was promptly greeted at the entrance, offered samples of the Tea of the Day, introduced to new products around the store, and swiftly provided service when making purchases. 
But there's a notably friendly bespectacled member of staff with short, wavy locks and misaligned teeth that always manages to lift my mood! "He always smiles!" I had once exclaimed to a friend, "His positive attitude is seriously contagious; I feel my spirits lifted every single time I walk in and see him."

In conjunction with stunningly speedy and amiable service, DAVIDsTEA houses a substantial amount of loose black, green, white, herbal, Oolong, and mate teas, all of which have the potential to be incorporated with milk and agave for simple and easy tea lattes (with the exception of the herbals, I believe).
I've purchased matcha and oolong on a variety of occasions, but I also picked up some of their edible spring goodies this time around. The two 6-pack boxes of cookies were great: sweet, buttery, and possessing a flavourful punch of earl grey and spearmint, these boxes would constantly make appearances on this space if the price point was just a tad lower.

Can you believe that there's only one more week till Easter Long Weekend?!?! HUZZAH.​

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