Out & About #399 | Part 2: Dear Fro + Ni-Ji

View Part 1 HERE !

"So we went to Latea Era again, because Dear Fro was packed." is something I've heard several times now.
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Is it really busy to that extent? I had thought. Situated in the same tiny plaza as Marathon and Snow Time, amongst countless other eateries, I could comprehend why weaving around the one-way entranceways and locating parking would be a headache. However, two other bingsoo-offering establishments resided in immediate vicinity. Adequate competition existed within a fingertip's reach, even if subpar and unauthentic.

​Visiting on a weekday afternoon ensured that the burden of finding a parking spot would be lifted from my shoulders, simultaneously reducing the stress associated with checking the lot's numerous blind spots for speeding drivers.

The first thing that caught my eye was the prolonged strip of icicles that had formed directly beneath the storefront. While pretty to gaze at, both of us worried for our overall safety and well-being, as there was no way to predict when one would detach from its roots and come shattering down on our heads. Temperatures had been hovering about the freezing point, after all.

We carefully tiptoed around the prospective area of danger, heaving on the door to reveal a nearly empty dining area.

The interior of the dessert shop was stunning: each section of the seating area retained a slightly different vibe. Some featured couches and low tables, while others high stools surrounding a rectangular communal table. Moreover, the entire setting was decorated beautifully with festive bobbles and garlands. Atmosphere-wise, Dear Fro - or is it "Dear & Fro"? - raked in full points. By
means of customer service, food quality, and general accessibility though, quite a significant number of deductions were made.
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Visually appealing furnishings and skillful implementation of colour were appreciated, but one needs to beware of the slippery floors (especially as heavy snowfall is just around the corner) and non-uniform floor heights. The latter is particularly important to take note of as orders are not delivered to one's tables. Instead, customers are provided LED-powered buzzers that alert them to head over to the pickup counter, Panera-style.

​Dear Fro consisted of two bathrooms: a roomy, accessible one of utmost pristineness, and a second exhibiting the exact opposite qualities. When an "Out of Order" note was tacked on the first, we were forced into the narrow sliver of a restroom that not only boasted an overflowing wastebin of paper towels, but noticeably yellowy griminess (to illustrate: urine smeared on seat).
I had a flashback of Icha Tea at this point, where in contrast to generally sophisticated seating area, the bathrooms were found to be utterly revolting. It defnitely was not to the same gruesome extent, but had the potential to be.

​We chose version 2 of the Matcha Bingsu, which was topped with green tea ice cream and red bean paste instead of questionable blocks of matcha jelly (that were apparently worth tacking on an extra dollar).  The presentation of the item was consistent with the photos circulating social media: coarse, narrow shreds of pale green shavings made up its profile.

View the full album HERE !

​Actual consumption of the bowl proved more strenuous a task than imaginable, for not only did the textured mound topple within a mere five minutes of delivery, its interior was already amidst the dissolution process. The topmost portion of the dessert was highly unstable, threatening the overall structural integrity of the toppings and paving the way for an impending landslide of red bean and green tea ice cream.

​We found ourselves hurriedly digging into the bowl to level the surface; the Leaning Tower of Bingsoo was here to stay, and the quickest remediation procedure was be to eliminate differential settlement.
Setting aside the fact that texture was essentially non-existent, one of Dear Fro's most popular picks was nothing more than a deformed mishmash of Hime ice cream and dense chunks of flavour syrup. Given its price, I could have easily scored myself a much more enjoyable - and flavourful - bowl elsewhere.

​Carbs and sugar were calling out to me, so I suggested a Honey Toast to munch on during our stay. It was informed that a fifteen-minute preparation period was needed to fulfill this order. This wasn't a problem for us, as we had planned to spend the visit leisurely. During peak evening hours though, this minimal wait time may fall victim to drastic delays.

​The Honey Toast was served warm on a small, seemingly cast iron pan, alongside two scoops of ice cream. I requested a mango substitution instead of green tea, which the girl behind the cashier agreed to accomodate somewhat hesitantly. An additional scoop of black sesame ice cream was also provided in the end, though neither could be tasted properly as the melting process occurred instantaneously.

Crisp and caramelized to perfection, the delectable blocks of sweet white bread were the only things that justified the trip to the Midland/Finch plaza. The portion size was also quite decent, making it great for sharing.

​As mentioned previously, Dear Fro ranks highly in terms of decor, though falls short in almost all other aspects. Unwiped tables boasting cup stains, tilting bowls of bingsoo, rapidly melting ice cream, unhygeinic bathrooms, and mediocre customer service were all factors that contributed to a less than exemplary experience. 

Although outlets could be found throughout the space, they were located at odd corners and heights. The Wi-Fi network, while password-secured, was highly unstable, thus causing mobile devices to frequently disconnect (or connect with limited functionality).

​All in all, it wasn't a dessert spot worth venturing out to the east end for. Save your time and gas money: head to The Cups or Soul Cafe's P-Mall location instead.

​Having already found ourselves at the Markham/Scarborough border - and myself somewhat craving sushi - it wasn't too far from one of the feedthebear's local recs.

​Situated in a dark, eerie plaza at the southeast corner of Midland and Ellsemere was Roll and Bowl. The very dilapidated storefront of Szechuan Chopsticks caught our attention first. Wincing at the griminess of its exterior and its tainted yellow covering, we quickly passed by and secured a spot in front of the sushi restaurant.
As luck would have it though, the door failed to yield as we yanked on its cold metal handle. Roll and Bowl was closed on Tuesdays.

"Szechuan?" we joked, before retreating back to the car for warmth as other options were evaluated.

​It was nearing 8pm by this point, and majority of eateries in the area were either franchises or just sounded plain unappealing. To prevent any further delay of dinner, I suggested venturing across the street to Ni-Ji.

Sharing a small parking lot with Subway and a neighbouring car maintemance/towing facility, the "Cars will be towed at owner's expense" sign posted on the side of building had me quite anxious. Approximately 10 cm of snow had remained uncleared from the asphalt grounds, masking the yellow markings one would normally adhere to align his or her vehicle.
I decided to raise the issue, or rather question its likeliness, with the waitress once inside. She waved such concerns aside, assuring that my vehicle would still remain upon termination of our meal.

​Ni-Ji's dining area curved around the northward-facing perimeter of the restaurant. Small group tables (2-4 customers) were in abundance, while a few large tables and bar stools were also made available for unpredictable customer volumes.
While undeniably chaotic at our time of entry, the turnover period proved quite speedy. The Korean-operated Japanese restaurant seemed a local favourite that catered to both adventurous East Enders  as well as the predominantly Chinese community.

​True to its description hosted on Google Maps, the quick service joint was no-nonsense (minimal decorative elements) and cozy (extremely compact in terms of seating). Very standard-looking Kikkoman soy sauce bottles and two paper placemats were found on the plastic tabletop before us.

Dear Fro's carb-sugar combo had rendered us less than ravenous, so we weren't particularly keen on ordering individual full-sized meals. Sharing a bento combo was an attractive solution.

Consisting of 10 pieces of sashimi, 4 makis, steamed white rice, tempura, and japchae, #85 was a set bento that also included miso soup and a side salad (with the onion pulp dressing I truly do not possess too much fondness for).

​Some have declared the establishment to be on the economic side of the spectrum, though I beg to differ. Prior to tax and tips, the box rang in at $20.95. For the amount  charged, I was stunned to not find better quality sustenance.
The segmented container of dry salmon sashimi, partially defrosted white fish, plain rice, and mediocre maki rolls not only left me unsatisfied, but frustrated that I hadn't think to review the opening hours of the restaurant I had wished to visit in advance.
The single redeeming aspect was the tempura: ridiculously crunchy and adequately seasoned, the only factor worth ridding was the extra grease that hadn't been properly drained away.

​Service was considerably prompt considering the heavy flow of weeknight diners. Despite this, I can't disregard the odd questioning look that was cast in our direction when we requested an extra bowl - and was provided an extra plate - for sharing.

The individual washroom stall was surprisingly spacious - about as large as Coco Curry Ichibanya and retaining similar levels of cleanliness.

​In conclusion, Ni-Ji definitely isn't the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Stale sashimi is something I cannot forgive; cramped dining spaces and scarce parking are other elements I'm not too keen on re-experiencing.

Roll and Bowl, I have my eyes set on you.