Out & About #383 | Weekly Visuals: Korean Chicken, Ark + Anchor + Hamilton Farmer's Market

​Today marks the conclusion of a week packed wall-to-wall with eight-hour assignments. It's only one of the many to come, as an unwavering, inhumane workload is bound to continue until exam period. But thankfully there's Reading Week to provide us with some sort of temporary relief.

I can't say I've been up to much besides the obvious errand-running, chore-tending, and commuting, so here's a weekly summation of such activities.

1) Half & Half Spicy and Fried Chicken Combo from Galleria (Feat. Spinach Salad)

This pre-made variation was definitely less meaty than the combo pack; the pieces were more reminiscent of tang sooyuk for their heavier batter to flesh ratio.

Despite my overall lack of spice tolerance, the spicy half is honestly quite addicting. The combination of a zesty punch lined with subtle sweetness is unique, and unlike anything else offered beyond KFC (aka "Korean Fried Chicken"). It isn't difficult to see why it's earned itself a solid spot in Jinyoung's heart.

2) Apple Delight from COBS Bread​
Few elements scream "FALL IS HERE!" as loudly and triumphantly as warm apple chunks and cinnamon do.

3) New purchases (both in the very diverse shade of black)

​4) Lunch in the form of a Century Grain Bun Sandwich with wilted spinach and deli turkey

5) Ark + Anchor
A long-awaited Ark + Anchor run with a fellow member of the school struggle squad enabled me to try out their Iced Latte and refamiliarize myself with de la terre's ever-amazing Herb & Cheese Croissant. The implementation of coffee-infused ice cubes was a swell way to keep drinks chilled while maintaining flavour and caffeine levels.

​London Fog - er, Earl Grey Tea Latte (since they did not carry vanilla syrup) - was a decent pick as well, or so I was told.

6) Hamilton Farmer's Market
On the note of de la terre, I briskly made my way over to their stall in the Hamilton Farmer's Market after the cafe stopover to purchase some of their carb-laden goodies. While the Herb & Cheese Croissants had been sold out, a Pain au Chocolat and Whole Wheat Croissant were still available to soothe my needs. Honestly, it's rather frustrating that the Market doesn't operate on Mondays and Wednesdays.

​Henry Brown's was also in the midst of shop preparations as I finished my bread-related business, so I hovered about the area to see if I could have a taste of their seasonal offerings before hopping back onto the HSR.

The lady behind the counter was exceptionally friendly. She hadn't minded my repeated attempts to her stall, and even provided me with generous samples from both the Hewitt and Henry Brown's Small Batch selections.

​Eventually, I settled on Organic Pumpkin Pie and Froot Loops Cereal Milk. The former retained the comforting spices of the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert in a refreshing manner, while the latter was fun yet calming at the same time. Cereal milk is a hit or miss in my opinion, and Froot Loops generally isn't my first choice amongst cereals. That being said, their hybrid product was impressive and indulgent.

​It should be mentioned that the lack of stabilizer was quite noticeable: while the flavours resisted dissolution indoors quite well, scooping was made difficult due to their evident lack of creaminess. This may have been due to the fact that the ice creams had only been inserted into the refrigerator a mere ten minutes before my visit, for I found myself prying apart chunks to consume my six-dollar purchase.

​I'd recommend it nonetheless though - it's not everyday that one will find such inventive flavours within a twenty-minute bus ride.