Out & About #211 | toronto Zoo, Go For Tea, and Love Me Sweet

I've been to three aquariums in my entire lifetime - with my most recent experience being the one closest to home - yet have never stepped foot into a zoo.

Until today that is.

I suppose the event that triggered the sudden urge to visit was the the birth of the baby panda cubs, Jia Yue Yue and Jia Pan Pan.

Being the exhibit located closest to the entrance, it was only rational that we made the 1-hour wait our first stop.

The wait wasn't particularly enticing, but did provide significant relief from the harsh wintry weather outside. The lineup snaked along the interior perimeter of an indoor exhibit showcasing panda facts, an interactive display, and a purple-hued creature named the Chinese Giant Salamander, and then proceeded to lead out the back door of the exhibit towards...(you guessed it) another lineup.

The second lineup was brief, but didn't boast interest levels too much. With beyond horrible yellow-tinted lighting and an extremely dark room, Da Mao and Er Shun's features were almost indistinguishable. While I was able to catch a few glimpses of bamboo-chomping from the adult pandas, the cubs were merely engaging in their afternoon nap. In other words, there was little to no action able to be captured.

In addition to the Panda exhibit, the Toronto Zoo also comprised of a vast number of other exhibits, categorized by continental regions such as Canadian Domain, Americas, African Savanna, Tundra Trek, etc. Each exhibit was set up in an environment capable of meeting the survival needs of the various species it housed, even including very mild temperatures for Indo-Malaya and dryer external conditions for Eurasia Wilds.

As always, the full album can be found HERE !

The day was ever-chilly, and the drafts persistent; we succeeded in completing four out of the six continental region-based exhibits were, along with the Panda exhibit, before fatigue and frozen fingers convinced us that it was time to head back. (Despite having spent majority of the day at the zoo, it was still quite amazing that we hadn't been able to complete the trails in their entirety.)

I didn't have a particular favourite, though the chamois and orangutan (both pictured towards the beginning of this post) were undeniably interesting to photograph.
Other highlights of the day include spotting a polar bear figure constructed entirely from plastic bags (a waste reduction initiative), overpriced poutine from the Caribou Cafe, and adorable gift shop finds.

Following the day's intense walking adventure, I suggested dropping by Go For Tea to refuel. To my surprise, the Scarborough location was even larger and grander than their now-shuttered Richmond Hill spot. 

We chanced upon their Afternoon Tea Time Special, which was a two-part combo that included two snacks and 50% off any of their drinks. The portions were relatively substantial, making it a great pre-dinner option.

< Pictured above and below: Popcorn Chicken + Sweet Potato Fries, Popcorn Chicken + Egg Salad, Apple Aloe Juice, and Barley Milk Tea >

I apologize for the drastic drop in photo quality - the dishes were much more appealing in person, and the portion sizes were more generous than I had expected. (The sweet potato fries were longer than my fingers!) The items were on the greasy side, but still retained a decent amount of flavour.
And contrary to the drink quality that I had been expecting, both glasses faired pretty well in terms of flavour and consistency.

As mentioned previously, the interior was beyond grand for a tea house. Stable Wi-Fi, comfortable booths, and dim lighting also made for the ideal casual conversation, hangout, or study session spot.
The only factor I found that required improvement was the service: the waitstaff weren't particularly pleasant nor did they frequent the tables enough to realize that napkins/utensils were needed. It wasn't a member of the waitstaff that had assisted me with the bill, though. Rather, it was an older lady with an elaborately long manicure and a despicably grouchy demeanour.
​"What gives?" I thought, as she handed me the receipt and a mutter of a "Happy Good Friday."

We were running low on time as we made our way back to the 401, but my sweet tooth proposed that we make a swift turn into the Shops on Yonge St. to check out Love Me Sweet.

True to the words of other reviewers, there wasn't a lineup in sight. It was a pleasant environment to reside in: wall decor was pleasant and eccentric, displaying oddly cute caricatures of popular characters on a vibrant red background and a princess-esque drawing on a separate chalkboard. The reviews also proved true that there were small samples available for trying before buying.

Time was running short, so I simply grabbed an Original Cheesecake and bolted out the door. Initially, I had planned on purchasing the Chocolate and/or Coffee flavours as well, but was told by the guy at the cashier that they were unfortunately not in stock today. Sigh.

The cake suffered a few scratches on the route back home, but still remained in one piece at its time of un-boxing. The buttery fragrance, uniformly browned surface, and stamped logo were all reminiscent of Uncle Tetsu's cult classic dessert; it even featured the infamous paper box and cheesecloth packaging!

While I've named out more than enough similarities to prove Love Me Sweet's rivalry with the well-loved Japanese franchise, the differences between the two cheesecake variations lay within the cake itself.
Love Me Sweet's rendition boasted an extremely airy texture with a subtle, yet recognizable cheesy aroma. It was fluffy, but also quite dense, causing the cake to crack and crumble upon cutting. Refrigerating the cake didn't yield any signs of improvement - it was still crumbly after 10 hours, but now the surface had dried out as well. Uncle Tetsu doesn't do that; it remains as supple as when it was first purchased.

Larger in diameter and a tad flatter, this $10 cheesecake ((or $11.30 with tax) bears 95% similarity to Uncle Tetsu. If only the airy consistency had been able to be maintained without falling apart, this would be a complete winner.

That being said, I still remain very interested in trying out the other two flavours. The dessert-loving creature within me is desperately hoping that history won't repeat itself, and the next trial will be infinitely better. But for now, I can only wait until a reason is found to venture up further north beyond North York. (While lineup-heavy, Tetsu is conveniently accessible by public transit. Love Me Sweet caters to the driving crowd.)

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