Out & About #369 | Le Cafe Michi + Snow Time (Round 2)

Read PART 1 of Swinging through Scarborough HERE !

For over thirteen months, I've made a minimum of three attempts to make the trip to Le Cafe Michi. Each was met with failure, with reasons being that its location was out of the way or that Mondays were their single day of inoperation.

​Truth behold: feedthebear actually re-scheduled our weekend adventure for the sake of trying the longstanding Japanese restaurant. Believe it or not, we even took to reserving a table several days prior. That said, it would be an understatement to say that I was shocked when Google Maps directed us into a tiny, dilapidated plaza.
An open mind was in the midst of being maintained at this point, but initial expectations and further complications of securing a decent parking spot made this increasingly difficult. Vehicles were halted at acute angles I never thought imaginable in each of the narrow slits; a slender one-way path also meant that neither reversing nor straightening out was possible until one's path was entirely clear.

​Our reservation yielded a cramped two-person table pushed against the side of the entranceway. The walls were stained and spotty from neglected cleaning duties, the menus tattered and grimy, and the carpet splotched and coated with dust, a disposable chopstick cover, and a lone disposable cream container. The nightmare of a claustrophobic, germophobic citizen had utterly fallen upon me.

​Three waitresses circulated the floor during our stay, with one primarily focusing on the enclosed bar area located away from the dessert refrigerator and path of egress. Amongst the two that trekked over to our cramped spot near the window, one was largely expressionless and patient in describing their bestsellers; the lankier one was downright unimpressed that we found their infamous Cafe Au Lait Chirashi to be expensive.

​Social media feeds had not only glorified the run-down hole of the unhygienic eatery, but also concealed the barbaric pricing list. Our hearts had been set on one dish and one dish only, yet the single portion of Green Tea/Coffee, House Salad, Dessert - and complete omission of Miso Soup - had our eyebrows raised then furrowed. The lanky waitress almost appeared disgusted at our request for an additional cup of green tea, though surprisingly unfazed when asked to bring two sets of utensils for sharing.

"You'll need to add Green Tea or Coffee." she replied coldly.
"How much would that be?" I responded.
She flipped through the slimy laminated pages until she found the drink section. My eyes followed her index finger: "$3.25" I gasped in horror.
"Can I just have hot water?" I was almost pleading at this point. "That's free right?"
The waitress nodded, ever so unwillingly, before departing.

​Shortly after wooden spoons were lined up beside our disposable chopsticks and napkins, a small serving dish of frayed romaine and imitation crab meat arrived. I observed feedthebear's reaction as I pointed out that this was likely the House Salad: her eyes bulged slightly but remained calm nonetheless. The entire plate contained no more than a single stick of starch-leavened surimi sliced into two diagonal pieces, a quarter chunk of cucumber, the tiniest lemon slice thinkable, and a handful of wakame salad drenched in soy sauce. I picked at it with much displeasure, pondering whether our entree decision would be justified at all.

​As viewed from the perspective of one with a rather small appetite, the Cafe au Lait Chirashi was of substantial size. The bowl consisted of two layers: sashimi and sushi rice with small fragments of unagi embedded in between. A thin egg crepe acted as a permeable barrier, separating the two layers and their individual flavours (or actually, lack thereof).

Tako, maguro, salmon, and white fish lined the perimeter of the bowl, two slices each, while single bites of raw shrimp, amaebi, scallop, uni, and cucumber slices filled the remainder. All varieties of fish were acceptable: the salmon was decent, maguro was free of veins, white fish contained a reasonable amount of fats, and scallop was soft and chewy. However, none of the aforementioned species exuded an aura of freshness. The sashimi had been served at room temperature, bearing signs of extended defrosting post-slicing.

​Last but not least, it is important to draw attention to the priciest element of the bowl: the meager teaspoon-sized scoop of sea urchin, otherwise fondly known as "uni". Prime quality uni should be luscious and buttery; the consistency ought to have been silky and the aftertaste luxurious and sweet. Instead of an item reflective of this description, the uni served at Le Cafe Michi was presented in depressing, discoloured clumps. Smoothness was in absence, as was depth of flavour and texture diversity. The worst part of all was the protruding bitterness I experienced with each bite. I guess I shouldn't have been too taken back when I experienced sharp pangs of stomach pain afterwards.

​Our choice of dessert was limited to one of their cake slices, Plum Wine Jelly, or trifle/custard cups - all exhibiting equally hideous price tags. The sponge cakes appeared stale and therefore unappetizing, so we settled for Plum Wine Jelly.
The most unique option available, it was probably the highlight of the entire meal by my standards. A jiggly bowl of gelatinous, alcohol-enhanced jelly and juicy grapes was a nice way to smooth over the depressing meal. It was insufficient in dismissing the nasty dining environment, subpar service, and poor quality sashimi, but nonetheless enjoyable on its own.

The washroom was located at the back of the restaurant. Unsurprisingly, it was as cramped and unsanitary as the environment outside.

​Despite the grand efforts both of us had contributed to realize this restaurant visit, the outcome was wholly heart-wrenching in essentially every aspect. Even having only ordered one item, the bill averaged over fifty dollars and over twenty six dollars per person after tax (and before tip).
Before my eyes flashed all the numerous possibilities that could have been attained with an equal amount of spending: lunch at Miku, specialty rolls at JaBistro, a super-satisfying meal at Hub... The list went on. A portion of me was angry for having arranged for the visit at all, while another was fuming over how Michi even dared to charge such an amount with such hasty operations.

​With a breath of absolute exasperation and disillusionment, we set off towards Midland and Finch in search of something to conclude the evening on a positive note.

​Snow Time had earned itself a spot on my list of go-to dessert places for its flaky snow ice and adorable plushie additions since my fateful visit eight months ago.

​It brought me great disappointment that quality has severely plummeted since. Brown was stained and sticky from the touch of condensed milk-coated fingers, while Apeach sported navy-tinted feet and weak limbs. Furriness had disappeared from almost all the characters.
Cute companions aside, croissant taiyaki is still not on offer and fruit bingsoo cups were presented with not even the slightest shred of care.

​The half-and-half Mango Strawberry Bingsoo arrived in a puddle of stickiness and melted faster than Kekou, in spite of its chilled Stainless steel container. The synthetic mango concentrate was truly sickening, as was the condensed milk overload. A rock-hard slice of frozen strawberry buried underneath the syrupy goop was the last straw.

​Farewell, Snow Time. ochungg was right after all.

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