Out & About #387 | Reesor's Farm + The Guksu and Noodle

​I never fail to gaze in amazement when someone explains an impromptu weekend trip to me.
"How is it that your friends are free on such late notice?" I find myself wondering endlessly. More often than not, personal schedules clash and hangouts are forced to be postponed time and time again. Some meet-ups are were rescheduled due to work conflicts, while others because of academic priorities or previously planned vacations. The latter was the case with the ever-avid globe-trotter, orangecane.

​I suggested a trip to Stouffville, for a lack of outings - specifically farm visits - over Thanksgiving weekend had resulted from copious amounts of schoolwork. Both having returned from our journey to the West Coast, it would interesting to compare our individual experiences about the city throughout our short-term stays.
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The trip to Reesor's was ultimately delayed up to an hour due to tardy, unprecise YRT schedules, but thankfully breakfast in the form of a Goji Roll and Thai Milk Tea had been secured prior to prevent starvation.

​It was past apple-picking season by this point, and dreary, wet conditions had since replaced crisp fallen leaves. Rather than settling for a spotty, weighty pumpkin, my attention was drawn to that of unhusked corn and a bold sign that bore the words "Corn Maze".

Given that Reesor's produce originated directly from their agricultural grounds, I had expected fresher quality and lower prices. However, not only were costs higher per unit, but evident bruises and scratches were also present.
Corn husks were grimy, slightly withered, and infested with microscopic insects; peeling away the outermost layer enabled a view of small, pale kernels in meandering columns. As I had my doubts about their sweetness level, I merely picked two to take home. They emerged significantly sweeter than anticipated, though were more stout in comparison to that of the local supermarket.

​After making several rounds within the market/bakery area, we paid our three-dollar entrance fees and made a beeline for the Corn Maze entrance.

​Perhaps my decision hadn't been the wisest, for rainfall had fallen consistently over the past few days, rendering the surface soil conditions highly saturated. Differences in slope has prompted water to drain in the direction of the egress paths, but the entire area was muddy nonetheless.

"It's a beautiful skyyyyyyyy"

​An hour or so into the frazzled husk-laden labyrinth, it occurred to us that time was slipping away and lunch remained uneaten.
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The Guksu and Noodle was relatively empty at our of arrival, thus orders were processed fairly quickly. Oddly enough though, orangecane's piping hot bowl of Gogi Guksu arrived sooner than my own Cold Chogye Guksu.

​Both bowls had the option of being topped with beef or pork slices, the former ringing in at an additional dollar. As my original intentions had been to share the Soy Soo Yuk between us had been gently refuted, I inquired about whether the "thin sliced meat" mentioned in the item description could be substituted with the popular pork appetizer. The waitress furrowed her brows while glaring down at me, "No, you don't get this." she said.
"It comes with pork." she later added.
"Is it the same pork as the one in the Soy Soo Yuk?" I pointed to the appetizer section of the menu.
"No." came her blunt response, "It's a different pork."
The exact type of pork remained unclarified though.

Soon enough, we came to the conclusion that both bowls featured identical strips of the sous vide pork. The inhospitable waitress had been mistaken.

​Tender with a wonderfully charred aftertaste, it was amazing how the the soy-enhanced flavours of the meaty strips worked equally well with both hot, milky broths as well as slushy, chilled versions. The Cold Chogye Guksu was reminiscent of mul naengmyeon, comprising of a sweet-and-sour broth and chewy buckwheat noodles; the main difference lay in the amount of constituents: protein (in the form of meat) and other additional toppings were generally absent in the summertime favourite.

​I had completely forgotten about the incredibly generous portion sizes, so the remainder was neatly packed away for later consumption. The noodles had, admittedly, been a tad tough for my liking when served fresh, but emerged the ideal consistency after having absorbed a portion of the broth during transit.

The Cups was our final stop of the day. While the lineup was minimal and service was swifter than usual, the Green Grape Bingsoo was anticlimactic.

The vivid green hue that captivated my ahgase heart was revealed to be nothing more than a sickly sweet (presumably jello) coating shrouding the entire dessert. Grapes were crisp and tasty, but a little excessive when eaten between spoonfuls of melting snow ice and satiating vanilla ice cream.

​We parted ways shortly after, as more evening schedules awaited us. While orangecane headed towards her social cookoff, I swung by Cheese Garden briefly as raindrops began to fall yet again. A single Matcha Double Fromage Cheesecake was obtained such that comparisons could be conducted between Love Me Sweet's recent launch.

​Unlike Love Me Sweet's square paper box, Cheese Garden presented their cake in a delicate wooden container and two layers of parchment paper. The sturdy, fitted box ensured that the dessert would remain intact even after a given period of travelling; it should be noted that marks were deducted for the unsanded edges of the box, since shreds of the raw material fell onto the cake upon opening.

The Matcha Double Fromage consisted of three layers enveloped in a cloud-like dusting of matcha sponge crumbs: the top layer an utterly creamy frozen mascarpone, the middle a lusciously grassy green tea formula, and the bottom a paper-thin base of matcha sponge. For the long-time matcha enthusiast, it was every bit a bite of heaven.

​Cheese Garden had also included a single-sided sheet listing storage and consumption instructions for each of the menu items. For best results, it was suggested to allow five to fifteen minutes of defrosting time after removing the cake from the freezer, and consume the cake within seven days.
Personal findings concluded that five to ten minutes of defrosting time was ideal, since slicing the cake was near impossible upon immediate removal. One should allow up to ten minutes at room temperature before slicing, though beware as the cake will begin to melt instantaneously once its interior is exposed to air.

The Matcha Double Fromage Cheesecake is priced slightly steeper than Love Me Sweet's Original Dante Double Fromage, but lower than that the Chocolate Dante (which I have yet to try). In spite of its rapid dissolution, it earned itself a solid stamp of approval for distinct flavours, somewhat thoughtful packaging and ease of storage.