Out & About #460 | Downtown Shenanigans + Eric Nam Honestly Tour

​After heavily packed Friday, I awoke dazed and anxious to commence the sorting process for the images captured on the previous day. Unfortunately, not much progress was made when my favourite fangirl reminded me that we were due to head downtown shortly.

Over two months prior, we had cheerfully purchased Balcony tickets to Eric Nam's second Toronto show. Today was the day to exhaust those sold out second-floor access passes.

​First up was a stop at Uniqlo - a retail spot that I had suggested for the purpose of obtaining a tank top in contempt of my poor clothing choices, yet ultimately departed with a pair of reduced terry lounge shorts instead.

​Second was One Zo Tapioca's first Toronto location in Chinatown.
A three-day limited BOGO offer for "World Cup Tapioca" was taking place, and I wasn't about to miss out on the marble-like, tri-colour creation.

​The interior was obnoxiously stuffy, much to our annoyance. It was apparent that we weren't the only ones bothered by the lack of A/C: many customers took their drinks to go instead of resting within the store, while the girl behind the cashier expressed maximum discontent towards her current whereabouts.
Faulty communication caused a delay in our ordering process, eventually resulting in a Rice Sencha Latte with World Cup Tapioca and a Nature Melon Lemon with Mango Tapioca instead of our original picks of Sesame Rice Latte and OneZo Tapioca Milk Tea.

​Frankly speaking, the inner quadrants had been too hot to prompt a second glance at the drink label. Although I wondered why sesame was not making a prominent appearance in my drink, it wasn't until much, much later that my receipt informed me of the reason. The World Cup Tapioca was, undoubtedly, interesting; layers of Matcha, Charcoal, and Coconut flavour had been compressed into tiny, chewy spheres of starch. Little of the matcha and charcoal accents could be perceived during consumption. It was rather the Coconut that tasted most obvious.

​The day had caught up with us rapidly, so late afternoon hours had hit by the time we began making our way eastward.

​The day had caught up with us rapidly, so late afternoon hours had hit by the time we began making our way eastward.

Cabbagetown is home to a number of popular independent eateries, but the one that caught my attention was Kingyo.
Its exact coordinates are easy to miss when mindlessly travelling up and down Parliament. Located on a side street just a few minutes north of the Carlton-Parliament intersection is a dimly-lilt izakaya bearing the title of "Goldfish" in Japanese.

Seating is abundant, with angular booth seating along one edge of the restaurant's perimeter, bar stools towards the back, and individual tables in another section. The hostess gestured us towards one of the booths after confirming that we would comply with the two-hour dining limit. Supposedly, majority of tables had been reserved beforehand.

Illumination is extremely minimal, only attained via several street-facing windows. That said, the ambiance was quite lovely for casual conversation, albeit a bit loud when drinking games were progressing at another end.

Several menus were placed before us: individual sheets listed specials, while a black-covered book informed of fixed options like  house rolls and appetizers.

​Being indecisive after a late bubble tea splurge, we opted for the Kingyo's Appetizer Makunouchi, a bento box containing nine of the chef's selection of appetizers. My favourite fangirl also chose a cocktail to warm up the evening.

Priced at a whopping thirty dollars, I was astonished but not blown away by the large, nine-compartment tray that arrived shortly after. The male member of staff showed utmost enthusiasm at depicting each and every dish for us, in spite of his inept pronunciation.

< Pictured above and below: Milky Grapefruit, Kingyo's Appetizer Makunouchi, Spicy Choppped Tuna Battera, Frozen Matcha Crème Brûlée, and Two Colour Almond Tofu >

​The Makunouchi, in no particular ranking, consisted of: Chicken Karaage, Ebi Mayo, Pork Belly, Marinated Cucumber, Black Cod, Scallop Strips, Pork Katsu, Salmon and Yellowtail Sashimi, and one wakame-based dish that I cannot recall the name of.

Average at best were the Chicken Karaage, Ebi Mayo, and Pork Katsu. The three were tasty, but lacked a certain uniqueness. Pork Belly was a non-uniform block of layered fat and flesh: The top was very similar to Beef Jerky - yes, just as tough and shimmery - even though the middle and bottom layers were decent. The inclusion of a mashed potato base was also unexpected.
Black Cod was smoky and tender, though nowhere near JaBistro level. The Scallop Strips were tasty as well, but otherwise unmemorable.

The Salmon and Yellowtail Sashimi slices were, hands down, the most delicious component of the big bento box. Lean in appearance yet ridiculously silky in texture, the two pieces assumed our last bites.

For a dish of thirty dollars, it was an acceptable portion for those with small appetites, even when split amongst two after a vigorous bubble tea run. My favourite fangirl, on the other hand, demanded more sustenance in the form of Spicy Choppped Tuna Battera.
These rolls were accompanied by two varities of sauce: spicy and seaweed. My dining partner seemed to enjoy the platter tremendously, even if the finely chopped properties of the sashimi "patty" initially took her by surprise. The sauces weren't exactly necessary, she added, since an unspecified amount of spice (chili flakes?) had been emulsified with the tuna during pulverizing.​

Frozen Matcha Creme Brulee and Two Colour Almond Tofu were selected as the sweet conclusions of choice.
The former was extremely unique, as the surface was crisp from the torched sugar, but the body was disintegrating with each consecutive photo. Delicious it was, especially when paired with a viscous red bean sauce, fresh berries, and a squirt of airy whipped cream.

​Two Colour Almond Tofu was the lighter alternative: refreshing jelly layers and mixed berry sauce made up the bulk of the dessert. The cup could easily be consumed by one person due to its subdued but striking profile.

​Washrooms were situated at the foot of two small flights of stone stairs. A waiting area with stone decor (and several figurines) welcomed patrons at the bottom. Facilities were separated by gender; behind each door were standalone stalls offering minimal lighting. The ceiling had been crafted of tan-toned straw. On the counter were individual bottles of soap, as well as a basket containing mouthwash and other personal hygiene products. Cleanliness was kept to a minimum.

Service was impeccable throughout the entire visit. From running to find more toilet paper for the women's washroom to changing plates and refilling water glasses when necessary, all requests were tended to swift, polished manner. It was also immensely appreciated when plates were cleared immediately after consumption - meaning that attention is being allocated effectively on the dining floor.

​Soon, we began to make our way over to The Phoenix. The lengthy line was a solid indication that we had found the correct venue. We joined ochungg and orangecane in the slowly snaking parade into the concert hall.

Following my dreadful experience at Massey Hall, I had been expecting despicable treatment from the venue staff. To my complete shock, there was not a single member that showed inexplicable rudeness. The large volume of attendees was handled well and with respect. It felt great to not only be tolerated, but also be smiled upon and bid good evening on the way out.

​Two-member band Loote (plus drummer Colin) opened the show by playing ballads and rock-centric tunes for a little over thirty minutes. At 8:30 PM sharp, the trio stopped promptly and carefully cleared the stage of instruments and connection cables in preparation for Eric's arrival.

​My first Eric Nam concert was a night to be remembered. Eric Nam not only surpassed anticipations by proving himself more talented than his studio recordings, but also broke the language barrier for every single GA participant.
Some tracks were written completely in Korean, some completely in English, and others a healthy mix of both. Regardless of the language, the crowd was receptive and engaged - without being pushy - and even sang along at times.

A former ASC emcee and current singer-songwriter, Eric truly has a way with speaking. Humourous expressions and thoughtful messages filled his ments, along with constant interaction with the audience.

​Personal highlights of the night included:

•  Jamming to Eric's ballads and appreciating his astounding vocal range
•  Melting at a cloyingly sweet "사랑해요" sought by a member of the GA crowd
•  Hearing Eric humbly thank the audience for attending his show: "You guys could be somewhere else right now, but you chose to come here. Thank you."
•  Taking requests from the crowd and singing acapella versions of songs that were not included in the setlist
•  Observing Eric's distinct improvement in dance
•  "Cave Me In" was a wonderful performance; it was only a shame that recorded segments were used for Gallant and Tablo
•  Concluding the night with "못참겠어" (alternatively titled "Can't Help Myself"), the very song that encouraged me to continually follow Eric's releases

View the full album HERE !

​못참겠어 is a track that I hold dearly to my heart. It stirs up memories of past summers spent in Vancouver, leisurely waking up to catch music broadcasts and casually conversing with beloved relatives. The warm weather vibe is consistent within the sunny melody, making it an ideal wrap-up to an exciting evening.
I had whined helplessly to my favourite fangirl throughout the show - that he had not sang my favourite song and it would be one of my regrets of the night. Eric turned this statement around by uttering the alternative title "Can't Help Myself". It honestly took a few moments to click before I squealed and sang along. (The girl beside me also joined in at some point, shouting the Korean lyrics with equal enthusiasm!)

​Thank you again, Eric, for visiting Toronto again and bestowing the rest of us new Nam Nation representatives with the opportunity to hear such breathtaking live performances!!

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