Out & About #236 | Waterfront Artisan Market and Kensington Market

​“I’m heading downtown on a Sunday.”
Only fellow commuters shall be able to identify with the pain associated with the above statement.

I generally relate weekends to two things: painfully slow drivers with little to no sense of direction and severely reduced public transit service. Combined, these factors have the potential to make for a possibly disastrous commute.

​This Sundate had been planned several weeks prior, so I wasn’t about to allow Miway’s Sunday schedule ruin the sole chances of a much-needed catch-up session. I had left the house with time to spare, though was thrown into utter shock upon discovering that my first connecting bus was scheduled to come every thirty minutes, given that no delays were anticipated. With no other remaining options, I decided to walk the full distance to my next stop, the sun blazing down upon me as I trekked across unfinished sidewalks.
Thankfully, my second bus wasn’t too tardy, and I managed to hop on before dissolving into a depressing puddle inside the shelter.

​The entire ride was lengthy, but bearable. We eventually made our way into the city roughly after an hour and twenty minutes. (Had the Electrification project already been completed though, we would have been provided a faster alternate route via the Milton train.)

​The first stop of the day was the Waterfront Artisan Market. Situated just west of Harbourfront Centre, along the makeshift beach and patio chairs, was a collection of food vendors and independent businesses.

​It was equal parts food festival, local marketplace, and buskerfest – all three elements had been incorporated to produce a medium-sized weekend event that would occupy the waterfront for several weekends throughout the summer months.
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For locals, it meant a great deal of tourists – cameras in tow of course – invading their bike lanes. For businesses along the ferry docks, it would mean spikes in income from impromptu decisions to ride the “water taxis” to the islands. For us though, it simply provided one more area to explore on our excursion. And for the first time ever, I didn’t feel as if I was sticking out like a sore thumb by slinging a camera over my neck, primarily since many families were spotted with image-capturing devices of their own.

​We walked through a portion of the marketplace first, but decided to forage for sustenance before continuing on. Freshly-grilled chorizo sausages, a heaping pile of Spanish paella, Apple Chicken Tacos, and rolled ice cream were only several unique choices amongst the vast selection of available dishes.

At first, the assortment seemed inexhaustible. Being hungry and indecisive, we just couldn’t decide upon one single item. After much contemplation, a Caprese Stax Sandwich and Blueberry Ice Cream Rolls were purchased. Since my last encounter with Chimney Stax, the team has upgraded their menu to offer savoury options served with a chewy, extra-cheesy version of their trademark pull-apart chimney rolls. Encased in a warm, crispy shell, the alternating slices of mozzarella and tomato made for an extremely yummy sandwich. The flavour was further enhanced with refreshing bites of arugula and a briny hint of basil-balsamic dressing.

Ice cream rolls have also emerged as an up-and-coming food trend as of late. Teppan Ice Cream had executed the concept somewhat poorly at last year’s Night It Up, charging a hefty $7 for the small, almost flavourless tray. The trio behind the stall at the Waterfront Artisan Market was quick to adapt the dessert to Toronto’s existing demands by including dairy-free soy and coconut milk variations for the vegan crowd. Five-dollar rolled ice cream cups could be concocted from any combination of toppings: frozen mango, blueberries, banana, and/or Oreo.

​My friend concluded that the dessert was gimmicky, though still decent-tasting. It was observed that while the ice cream managed to hold its shape initially, it melted rapidly and crumbled with each jab of the spoon.

Drinking freshly-squeezed pineapple or watermelon juice by the waterfront emerged as a good idea - that is, until the discovery that each fruit would induce a charge of ten dollars was made. Alternatively, we opted for a small cup of lemonade to share instead.

​Cravings curbed, we began to explore the nearby vendors, chancing upon yummy coconut flakes, spinach-filled granola (that tasted surprisingly amazing), and lovely handmade jewelry.

​The sun was spotted climbing higher across the sky, casting a scorching glow on everything (and everyone) beneath it. It was at this point that we boarded one of the new 510 streetcars, enjoying the A/C while making our way up to Queen Street.

For those that have read my past entries, it was no surprise that I was introducing yet another friend to my favourite bubble tea place in the downtown core. Nohohon has remained my go-to destination since its Grand Opening last June, and I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve tried out majority of their menu.

​This time around, we try a Tokyo Fog with grass jelly and Lavenderbrew with tapioca while seeking refuge from ridiculously strong UVA/UVB rays. My milk tea was, of course, as tasty as ever.

​My next suggestion was to seek out Market 707’s Petit Nuage – a cult favourite in the Instagram community. We ventured up to Dundas Street, only to discover that merely two out of the many pop-up businesses were actually in operation. As it turned out, Petit Nuage was no exception: the store hours posted on the front indicated that they were closed on Wednesdays and Sundays. (Oops.)

​Kensington Market was only a few minutes away, so we made swiftly our way over to the first Pedestrian Sunday of 2016. A very large crowd was seen populating the area – some eagerly engaged in a Muay Thai demonstration, others enthusiastically pondering potential vocabulary options before a life-sized Scrabble board. Live music and street performances were around every corner; popular street foods such as spicy grilled sausages and waffle sticks weren’t far behind either.

​Vegan ice cream was apparently another hit item of the market. Our first led us to try two tremendously rich samples of cashew-based Salted Caramel and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, while the second presented refreshing blends of unique flavours from a demure, stainless steel cart on wheels.

The creaminess of the cashew-based version had been a tad stifling in my opinion, so I was more than happy to discover Hibiscus’s lighter ice cream assortment crafted from coconut milk. As opposed to classic Chocolate and Vanilla, the café provided their own distinct medley, which ranged from sweet and spicy Chai to berrylicious Sea Buckthorn. Upon sampling I was instantly fascinated at the depth of flavour in each spoonful. Furthermore, the colourful specks present in each scoop were a clear indication that Hibiscus was indeed serving “the real deal”.

A single scoop would have vanished in a matter of seconds, thus a double scoop of Strawberry Basil and Sea Buckthorn was the final decision.

​I’ve chanced upon interesting overhead shots of Hibiscus’s vegetarian crepes on my social media feed before, though had never heard of their ice cream before this visit. Friendly service and a great quality product have now prompted me to include the café on my to-go list for future adventures in the vicinity.

The remaining hours of the day involved a short stopover at Second Cup for the sake of relieving aching soles and shoulders before journeying up to North York for dinner.

MeNami is another one of my recent favourites. Taking into consideration the low-carb diet of my dining partner, I suggested picking tapas to share instead of indulging in their handmade udon noodles. 

​Going against ordering any dishes I tried on earlier visits (1, 2), we finally agreed upon Smoked Salmon with Parsnip Sauce, Torched Saba, and Seaweed Salad after much intense discussion.
(My personal mission is to try every item on their Tapas menu, and I’m proud to declare that I’m already halfway there.)

Our orders arrived in record time, with the Torched Saba and Smoked Salmon in the lead.
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Eight slices of mackerel, each approximately 1 cm thick, were arranged on a narrow ceramic plate and accompanied with finely-sliced scallions and grated daikon. Utilizing the hot flame of a kitchen blowtorch, the saba had been delicately charred until it no longer remained translucent. While a bit blander than I would have preferred, the addition of salty-tangy Japanese radish and green onion made for a tasty, well-balanced dish that could even be enjoyed by the most health-conscious of eaters.

​Smoked Salmon with Parsnip Sauce was a dish that I had anticipated with moderate expectations, but ended up mildly flabbergasted by. On par with the melt-in-your-mouth properties of the Albacore Tuna Tataki, the fishy dish was a wonderful combination of varying textures and cohesive flavours. Its exterior was seared ever so gently before being topped off with a pinch of black pepper and a crunchy mound of salted cucumber; the six heavenly slices rested upon a generous serving of tartly sweet grated parsnip that made subtle references to ponzu-inspired elements. Truthfully, I was utterly amazed by this dish, and, being as fond of salmon as I am, would likely choose this over the Albacore Tuna on any given occasion.

​The single leafy item on our bill was the Seaweed Salad. Comprised of three different types of seaweed, the salad was much chewier and more filling than the bed of fibrous greens I had expected. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed munching on the well-textured dish, and was especially fond of the fact that it had been further tossed in a soy dressing and toasted sesame seeds for added fragrance and flavour.

Having tried the Thai Iced Tea, which they have renamed to Johnnie Black Tea on their updated menu, during my previous visit, I re-evaluated their drink menu for a vaguely fruity beverage. Sailormoon Gone Wild was depicted as a citrusy drink with a slight peachy accent, while Aloha contained aloe juice, mint, honey, and a splash of rum. Aloha was my ultimate choice, mainly due to the combination of mint and aloe.
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The final product was less minty than it was rum-like though. While the honey and aloe juice had resulted in a palette easily accepted by the taste buds of the general public, I found rum to be an odd addition. In addition, the mint flavour wasn’t particularly pronounced; the chunks of aloe could have also been a smidgen larger for improved texture. Aloha wasn’t as impressive as Johnnie Black Tea, but not a complete disappointment either. I might attempt Sailor Moon next time instead.

​Our last dish of the evening was the Fresh Fried Eggplant, an intriguing dish with glazed eggplant topped with crunchy yam strips. The vegetarian plate was an innovative twist on stir-fried peppers/deep-fried tempura, leading to its sheer demolition in just under two minutes.

​To date, MeNami has not disappointed me even once. I can only hope that this continues to be the case as I continue to explore further menu options.