Out & About #210 | Tsujiri (Round 3), Hodo Kwaja, and MeNami

3/24/2016

Where does the somewhat-local food enthusiast take her out-of-the-province guest when she hails from an elite West Coast scene with bountiful fare options? To the hype train - that's what.

Matcha-based desserts are a staple, even if she's already tried the best-of-the-best in soft-shelled crab sandwiches and fluffy, icing sugar-topped waffles. Tsujiri's first venture into North America is well-hyped, despite the insane price tags. While my previous two visits (1, 2) were accompanied with a maximum wait time of fifteen minutes (at off-peak hours), dropping by around 4 pm on the Thursday before Easter long weekend prompted a slightly lengthier line, as well as an increased wait time of twenty-five minutes.

I still found the sundaes to be a tad tiny, and opted with the tried-and-true options: Tsujiri Shaved Ice and Houjicha Milk Float.
The staff have undeniably sped up their crafting process to relieve the demand, though the number of staff members working the floor is variable.

As always, view the full album HERE !

We then dropped by Uncle Tetsu briefly, but did not find the lineup to be particularly appealing, especially in chilly, damp conditions. Instead, I suggested the quicker option of grabbing a Matcha Madeleine from the Matcha Cafe adjacent.

Next stop was K-Town.

After picking up an extremely burdensome roll of plastic bags - core still intact - from P.A.T. and skipping over Kevin's Taiyaki, I led the way to Hodo Kwaja, a lovely Korean shop I hadn't had the opportunity to visit since last spring.

Appropriately named, Hodo Kwaja is, hands down, the place to obtain freshly-made walnut cakes (aka 호도과자 ), as well as a variety of other popular Korean street snacks.

During my last visit, I was able to spot the shop's extensive slew of machinery in action: small, wrinkly spheres were being gently removed from black, iron molds on a conveyor belt and allowed to roll down into a parchment paper-lined wire rack for cooling. While these little treats can also be obtained at a higher price point but greater convenience at Mississauga's P.A.T supermarket, the quality of the product and degree of freshness are utterly unrivalled. Crafted entirely from scratch in store, Hodo Kwaja's signature walnut cakes are distinctly irreplaceable.

There are three types of filling for these walnut cakes: Red Bean & Walnut, Mashed Potato & Almond, and Mashed Potato & Walnut - all of which are equally scrumptious and make for perfect proportions of sponginess and sweetness. I previously opted for a bag of 12 pieces, but demolished them almost instantaneously! This time around, I made to purchase a box of 30 pieces such that there would be enough to take home for sharing.

During this visit, we were also able to catch hotteok being formed and pressed on the grill, something I hadn't witnessed before. Hotteok (호떡) is a type of chewy Korean pancake commonly filled with brown sugar and grains. Though I've tried P.A.T. Mississauga's rather greasy rendition of this street food, Hodo Kwaja takes the doughy discs to a completely new level of yumminess.
Containing fillings of either Red Bean or Brown Sugar, fist-sized portions of dough are flattened and pressed onto a lightly greased surface for toasting. The process ensures a crisp, toasted exterior and a warm centre with oozing brown sugar (if you happened to choose that filling).

View the full album HERE !

The lady serving us was extremely friendly and talkative, and even offered us a fresh hotteok when we contemplated dining in. Of course, I also ended up purchasing a few pieces to go; she reminded me that the pancakes could be kept in the freezer for up to three months if I didn't intend on consuming them immediately, and that I should take heed to remove the pieces of wax paper that had been inserted to prevent sticking.

I initially thought that bingsoo was only served as a seasonal item during the warmer months, but she told me that it was, in fact, an item offered year-round. (Good to know! I might try that on my next visit!)

Walnut cakes and hotteok are items I tend to crave quite often, but usually aren't within easy reach (unless you count P.A.T.'s out-of-the-city location). Hodo Kwaja is a bit far for this suburban explorer, but the products they offer are worth every bit of the commute. Until next time, my love!

We walked along Bloor St. for a while longer before deciding to head uptown for dinner. Once again, my guest allowed me to take the ropes; the newly-opened MeNami was my choice.

A self-proclaimed "Udon & Sake Bar", MeNami aims to provide the same hip, urban vibe as Han Ba Tang further down south along Yonge, but with hand-pulled udon instead of Korean tapas.
The storefront is cool: an easily-identifiable sign, glass window panes, and a towering, deep emerald double-door entrance. As many other reviewers had noted, it's evident that the "industrial chic" aura resides within MeNami and its sophisticated interior design. The singular washroom boasts a wall of textbook-like pages with primary- and secondary-industry-related info, along with bathroom mirrors adopting the shape and size of storm pipe cross sections.

As there was a lack of tables, we were offered seats at the bar instead. While Han Ba Tang's bar area was rather short, MeNami's assumes a long L-shape, and provides viewing access to food preparation and cocktail creation. Situated above was a chalkboard donning the names of dishes and appetizers in various hues and fonts.

The dining area wasn't particularly enormous - it was about three-quarters the size of Han Ba Tang. However, a great deal of detail and attention had been invested in its formation to ensure that interesting decor elements were present, yet customers would not feel cramped in their eating space.

I was able to gather a significantly good view of the entire restaurant from my seat: the all-black-clad hostess making confident strides between the reception area and the kitchen, two heavily-tattooed bartenders/waiters with enviable sleek haircuts working swiftly, and members of the kitchen boiling udon and artistically plating appetizers.
And thanks to hooks conveniently situated underneath the wooden plank that was our table, I was able to focus more on my dining environment than worrying about how I would eat with a roll of plastic bags on my lap. The setup was not unlike to Khao San Road, but the illuminatation provided by fuschia LEDs made for a classier presentation; it also provided a cohesive element to the soft pink/purple tones throughout the restaurant.

View the full album HERE !

Having already scanned the menu online beforehand, my plan was to order the Black Sesame Puree Udon with Beef. Depicted as a fragrant and somewhat sweet dish, several pre-opening event attendees had commented that it was either a hit or miss.
Served in a slick pool of rich, umami-packed sauce composed of coarsely-ground black sesame seeds and topped with a generous handful of red pepper threads, this udon dish was dissimilar to anything I've ever tried before. It was an innovative mix of ideas, with toppings of baby spinach and green onions, and tender morsels of bulgogi threaded in between.

Profoundly distracted by my surroundings, I had forgotten to request that my dish to be made mild, preferably opting out the red pepper threads and pepper bits entirely. I delicately brushed off the spinach, as majority of the toppings resided on top, and munched on the saucy bed of udon. Spiciness aside, the dish was great - the aroma and texture of black sesame became increasingly evident with each bite, upping the flavour factor of the overall plate. The marinated beef strips were a also great addition. Nowhere near as sweet as other reviews had stated, the Black Sesame Puree Udon w/ Beef was a totally unique dish that combined the flavours of Korean fusion with traditional Japanese noodles.

Feeling a little less adventurous, my guest decided on the Original Kama Udon: bouncy, thick noodles served in a clear broth with wakame seaweed, two-tone fish cake, and once-crispy tempura bits. While many components of the bowl weren't capable of piquing my interest, I was, however, tempted to try the soup. Sipping a small amount from my wooden ladle, I was surprised to find that it was a bit tangier compared to traditional dashi stock. While refreshing as a whole, its ingredients weren't exactly distinguishable. The Black Sesame Puree sauce was more to my liking, though did prove to be a bit heavy towards the end of the meal.

A topic of extreme interest was the udon noodles themselves, which had supposedly utilized extensive training in Japan as a foundation. While not immediately distinguishable to those with a less-than-clarified palette, the difference between the housemade version and its chalky white-hued, packaged cousin is the lack of tackiness and extra springiness. They aren't uniformly cylindrical, nor smooth on all edges, and embody a certain flavour profile as opposed to the standard packaged blandness.

The hostess had promoted two intriguing cocktail options at the beginning of our visit, one including matcha, and the other Thai iced tea. Unfortunately, both of us were extremely full from our meals as it was, and couldn't afford to consume any more even after a short break. The appetizers, such as Beef Tataki and Corn Kakiage were also of interest to me; perhaps they shall be tried on another occasion.

MeNami was a very satisfying experience overall: our dishes skillfully combined the best of Korean fusion and traditional Japanese, and the environment was comfortable without losing sophisticated urban appeal. Dim lighting provided an easygoing atmosphere for casual banter, while the various decor elements maintained visual interest. My only complaint would be the smell of deep frying penetrating my hair and clothes.
(Side: It was observed that the woven tray used to deliver bills featured Han Ba Tang's menu at its base. Talk about The Three R's!)

Venturing back out into the cold, rainy weather, we trekked through puddles just in time to catch the bus to Richmond Hill. (Alas, my preferred express buses fail to run past 7 pm on weekdays. But thankfully, that's about to change soon!)
By the time we had reached the terminal, my hourly connecting bus had just departed. My ever-so-kind guest offered to remain with me until the next bus arrived; we hid inside SilverCity until it was time to leave, taking hostage of the air hockey table in the meantime.