Out & About #445 | Part 2: Trinity Bellwoods Park + Koreatown

Read Part 1 HERE !

​The journey for cherry blossoms continued, eventually leading us to Trinity Bellwoods Park.

​It sufficed to say that as we neared the downtown core, the greater the crowds became. At the edge of the park, where a few budding trees resided, small groups of friends had gathered beneath to set up camp for the afternoon.

​The number of blossoms outweighed that of Centennial, but the environment was undeniably less serene due to greater amounts of foot traffic. Petals here were observed to be stark white with extremely faint yellow and pink undertones.

​As we traversed southbound through the space, the number of park campers grew. Nearing the Queen Street entrance was a plethora of cherry blossom trees, and it was in this highly congested that families, friends, and couples had taken to spreading picnic blankets underneath for viewing and/or relaxing purposes.

​Little time was spent here; I merely needed to satisfy the pink petal urge before departing.
An aimless walk around the neighbourhood then commenced. The streets grew warm, as I observed, when we didn't find ourselves surrounded by delicate flowers or trekking in the shade.

​Shops along Queen West and Ossington were explored.
​
La Diperie was actually the first of the numerous stops. I hadn't realized the dessert parlour had made its way to the scenic neighbourhood until the moment my fellow traveller pointed out its turquoise storefront. Originally having likened the logo to two cupcakes, one can picture my surprise at discovering the Quebec ice cream shop's downtown outpost.

​The shop offered a plethora of tempered chocolate dips, centred around a no-nonsense base of vanilla soft serve. Being the only flavour available, it made sense that customization options had shifted to the exterior coatings and additional toppings if desired.

Up to three samples per person were permitted, so requests to try the Activated Charcoal and Honey Lavender Dark Chocolate dips were submitted. The man behind the bar was more than willing to fetch us plastic spoons for this ordeal. Activated Charcoal was interesting, albeit more reminiscent of a potent dark chocolate than smoky charcoal. Honey Lavender Dark Chocolate was extremely aromatic and richly flavoured with the essence of lilac floralness.

​Selections could be made in the form of cones (Mini, Small, Large) and cups. The latter enabled customers to eat with ease, though did not ensure complete coverage of the underlying vanilla swirls. Cones were ideal for wandering while wrapping one's tongue around a newly-obtained treat, but sadly, the creation was subject to dissolution at an alarming rate.

Within mere seconds of exiting the establishment, the soft serve has melted to a runny, sticky mess. The originally crisp chocolate coating grew damp and soggy, having been dragged down by the soft serve beneath. No more was it an icy refreshment, but a depressing situation.

The fluffy monkey is still here!!

​A few more steps around the area and we were (almost) homebound. With prominent cravings for a Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookie (or several), I suggested a final stop at Put A Cone On It.

​Having been away from the area for a solid three-and-a-half months, I was suprised to find croissants on the menu, and Spicy Black Sesame cookies not. Apparently they had been removed in favour of the more popular Black and White Sesame Cookie, which the staff generously provided a warmed-up variation to try during my stay.
Comforting and buttery laced with crunchy bits of fragrant sesame seeds, this cookie was another winner in my books. (Needless to say, it can't compare with the Matcha White Chocolate Chip ranking though.)

A heavenly Raspberry Croissant was also obtained on this trip. Should I be thankful that Put A Cone On It's coordinates are so far from home?

​At the lift of my head, a familiar orange sight caught my eye - it was CoCo!!

It was official: my beloved bubble tea franchise had finally opened up shop in Koreatown, one of my favourite neighbourhoods.
"They opened two days ago! It's their soft opening." chimed the same friendly staff member, equally as giddy.

​I couldn't pass up the opportunity. A large 2 Ladies and regular Bubble Gaga were secured for the return trip.

​This particular location housed a second-level seating area, which was dimmer than the ground floor but boasted both communal tables and smaller two-person spots for added comfort. Staff members were friendly and careful to ensure that orders were being crafted accurately during the soft opening period. It was noticed that fewer portions of pudding than tapioca had been included in the milk tea, and that both drinks were less sweet than expected for 30% and 50% sugar adjustments.

​Similar to the New Kennedy Square location, the Koreatown venture is home to a mascot - this time a sweater-donning teddy bear instead of the nose-less blue character.

A full recap of the day's adventure can be found below!