Out & About #466 | North York Trip

​The heat wave has begun - just in time for GOT7's arrival too.

In dire need of obtaining a new sunscreen, a journey to the east side of the GTA was drafted, specifically centered around Pacific Mall and its Korean beauty aisle.

​Some 50 minutes of riding across congested freeways, we made it to our first stop: Lunch at MeNami.

The feeling of visiting an old favourite is pleasant, even if it entails some unwarranted price raises.

​Never ceasing to die in popularity was the Corn Kaki-age. I also took the opportunity to suggest the Roasted Pork Belly, for the opportunity to try it last time it was delivered to the table was negated due to a high number of dishes. The greasiness of the slices were a bit overbearing for someone that rarely eats fatty fare; surging forward to aid the digestion process were tasty pickled onions.

San Pellegrino was the more economic alternative for a virgin cocktail. Confined within was the same satisfying sparkle, ringing in at $3 per 250ml bottle instead of its carefully (bar)tendered, seven-dollar counterparts.
In retrospect though, it was significantly smaller than the bottles offered at other establishments for the same price (minus Lake House).

​Our waitress, whom I recall from our visit shortly after the Kipling ceremony, deserves special mention. Despite bearing the burden of the hostess, dining floor waitress, as well as patio waitress, she remained amiable, efficient, and intuitive during the entire visit. Items were delivered with exceptional speed and grace, while requests were administered in the same agile manner.

​The next destination was where the concept of a North York trip had originated: Pacific Mall.

The Korean beauty aisle has more or less remained the same as during a certain potato's visit to the North side of the border. Solely different was Missha's relocation from their spot across from Debbie Cosmetics to the main aisle that houses Aritaum and IT's SKIN.

​Observations from this visit include:
- Tony Moly's weekday staff is often rude, but it's rare for them to utterly ignore and forget the membership discount.
- M Brand now carries BT21 character cushions; its authenticity demands a judgement call and discerning eye.
- Majority of beauty brands are holding seasonal sales to rid winter hues
- The Face Shop is officially taking in Dr. Belmeur and VDL to supplement sales
- I will remain forever weak to GOT7 as beauty brand spokespeople

I feel the need to elaborate - and possibly clarify? - on my final remark.

​Taped to the front of the store was reusable white tote bag bearing Jackson's face on one side, and BamBam's on the other. It was the version 1 release, but I was intrigued nonetheless.

​Informed that purchases of fifty dollars or more required to qualify for a free tote bag, I perused the shop in hopes being able to secure the remainder of my cosmetic and skincare needs to fulfill this requisite. My options were: splurging on more items for the sake of the tote bag, or purchasing the bag for $9.99.

Neither choice was particularly appealing, so I settled on purchasing several items and negotiating a reduced price for the tote.

GOT7 makes me weak and I cannot lie.

Heading upstairs to the second floor for Tung Tung's crispy egg rolls, I was aghast as the lady immediately before me swooped in for the last two packs of the day.
Dak Lak earned my hard-earned funds instead, in the form of an extremely bold Iced Condensed Milk (Vietnamese) Coffee.

​orangecane can never say no to bubble tea. We both comprehend this proven fact and identify with the hopeless addiction.

After One Zo announced the re-launch of Cactus Tapioca, the rest was history.
We marched forward to greather things, lined with sugar syrup and multi-coloured cold beverages.

< Pictured above and below: Honey Tea in Love w/ Caramel Tapioca, Nature Melon Lemon w/ Cactus Tapioca, Rice Sencha w/ One Zo Tapioca, and Cactus Tapioca Green Milk Tea >

It is beyond my reasoning why One Zo had ran out of icy slush drinks and Real Fruit Tea. Initially, I opted for the Sesame Rice Latte that the Spadina location had failed to serve me.
As it turns out, a Sesame Rice Latte was merely a Rice Sencha Latte with Black Sesame Tapioca. There is, oddly enough, no aromatic, seedy influence within the drink itself. I guess the girl from downtown had punched my order in accurately after all.

View the full album HERE !

​Honey Tea in Love - one of our more daring experiments - was a mild honey spring tea with lingering notes of bitter citrus. While somewhat refreshing, I would not likely re-purchase.

​The Cups for bingsoo was the last stop of the day.

By late afternoon, the sun had blared down on its citizens for over four hours. Warm and slightly sticky, we dove into The Cups for some much-needed TLC.

​Unfortunately, it seemed we were more enthusiastic than logic would permit. A Cup-sized Oreo Bingsoo and Small Mango were selected. We could finish neither, yet could not take the remaining milk mixture to go. Some twenty-something minutes in, we had scooped up as many mini Oreos and mango chunks as possible.
That was extent of my appetite, however. We had no other option than to return the melty mess to the counter.

​The day wrapped up with us looping into congested, rush-hour traffic. It had been a productive and enjoyable trip.