Out & About #523 | Platform (Round 2) + Markham Things

​There comes a time where one must engage in a trade off between efficiency and sanity. While meticulously packing up my study setup is more than just time-consuming, the need to present myself as a proper human being to the rest of the world surfaces on occasion.

In a world where working acquaintances are widespread and unemployed vehicle-equipped companions are few, making last-minute plans almost never follow through. This wasn't a huge deal to me, since I had a few solo activities to accomplish and was more than ready to engross myself with. (Amongst these was the latest episode of Real Thai, which had aired several days prior. Of course, it had taken a considerable amount of willpower to filtrate out the spoiler screencaps.)

​Few spots in Markham are open before noon on weekends. Thankfully, Platform happens to fall within the sector of early openers.

​​I made my way over around the 9:40 AM mark, then proceeded to ease myself into one of the two small booths situated towards the back of the café. This area was not only dimmer than the table I had selected previously, but also much chillier. As these tables were camouflaged from sight from the bar area, bells had been provided to alert the counter staff of any requests.
Seeing as I had just set down my belongings, I strode up to the barista to inquire about the possibility of turning down the A/C in the back. She seemed troubled by this request.
"You can just ring the bell." came her blunt response. "I don't think so but I can ask the owner."

Of course, she never did head towards the kitchen to ask.
​Instead, she suggested to move to a (larger) table near the front, closer to the blinding UV rays penetrating through the front windows. "When it gets busy, I will have to ask you to move though." she added.
There were no outlets at my table, but the Office suite doesn't drain much juice anyway.

​A Pour-Over of Hatch's Ethopia blend was requested, along with a Western Sandwich. Its name was a tad misleading, in my opinion; the constituents of the sandwich did not feature Texan-style seasonings or cowboy-esque additions. Rather, it promised  a classic brunch buffet omelette placed between thick cuts of toasted ciabatta. Diced bell peppers, red onion, and Black Forest ham were the primary components of the omelette; at its centre was a slab of Kraft cheddar Singles that was more runny than it was gooey/stringy. 
It was odd to see the oils separating from the runny cheese mixture, then seeping into the remainder of the sandwich. Cheddar - especially heavily processed renditions of it - is arguably my least liked cheese variety, and I can't say that the scene left too positive of an impression.

Despite the synthetic yellow-orange blob, the rest of the sandwich was enjoyable. Essentially bridging the concepts of breakfast and comfort food, Western was born. One half would have been sufficient in lasting me until past lunchtime, but I ended up demolishing the entire order as the bread would have grown soggy over time.
Admittedly, I would have preferred the addition of sliced mushrooms - would it have further increased the moisture content though? As a result of the narrow serving board, bits of ham fell out during the consumption process, finding their way onto the not-so-immaculate table. Given that stains had remained from previous diners, I was unwilling to retrieve these bits. Honestly speaking, a large ceramic plate would have made my life easier; wax paper, a small wooden plank, and stained napkins should be reserved for the Insta-enthusiasts.

​The Pour-Over was a tad more astringent than anticipated. An acidic aftertaste remained following the first sip, but then gradually vanished with successive gulps. For reasons why they opted to serve it in a shallow, wide-brim mug instead of a standard cup is beyond me. There was no microfoam art to be formed, thus no need for the cappuccino-cup-and-saucer set and problematic handling.
I requested a cup of water from the barista, to which she nodded before calling out to clearly indifferent male at the adjacent table, "Do you want water too?".

More parties began to float in around the 11 AM mark. Approximately half took their coffee orders to go, while the brunchers took a seat and engaged in eating leisurely. I wasn't asked to move from my seat at this point, so I carried on with my assigned duties. A member of the kitchen staff appeared at one point to see me nearing the counter with an empty serving board, immediately receiving it with outstretched hands. Moreover, she was kind enough to offer a water refill - something that the barista had not bothered to do.

Service was relatively consistent with my last visit: The owner of the cafe had even stopped by my table for a check-in, simultaneously refill my water glass with a smile. Even when the single stall bathroom was clogged, she did not hesitate to verify its functioning status right away, without even the slightest grunt or look of displeasure.
The barista - aka the not-so-amiable part-timer - wasn't particularly observant nor efficient. Possibly the happiest response I was rewarded with came at the time of my departure: "Are we ready to go?"

I ordered a Torched Ube latte to go, and while it was unmistakably appealing to the eyes, its chunkiness and overall lack of character was a disappointment. And at $5.25, it wasn't particularly economic either.

​The eight-dollar meal kept me satiated until mid-afternoon. At Win's Seafood, a lunch combo of Fish Bond Soup Noodle (鯊魚骨湯魚蛋粉) with a side of (ever-so-crumbly) Crispy Fish Skin was ordered.

Beyond stuffed, I didn't partake in this meal, except for the Hong Kong Milk Tea. Aromatic as it was though, its profile was excessively milky and simply did not deliver its full potential.
On the other hand, the Tortoise Jelly (aka guilinggao or 龜苓膏) that we ordered to go was absolutely heavenly. The texture was a tad more rigid than Grass Jelly, and coincided with a sharp, bitter presence. A small container of ginger syrup - likely a mix of 片糖 dissolved with ginger root - was provided to neutralize the acerbic properties, ultimately yielding a soothing, herbal dessert.

​We sauntered around Markville for a short while afterwards, as per my suggestion. 

This monkey bore a striking resemblance to Jinyoung - something even he cannot deny himself.

​By this point, my appetite had returned. We drove in the direction of First Markham Place, where I took to relieving my parchedness with a cup of Hot Water from Eggette Hut (which they have been kind enough to grant without charge!). In the cards was also a Coffee Bingsoo from The Cups. Besides the very minimal mochi portion and Cherrios overload, I liked this quite a bit.

​Bake Code's 16th Avenue and Warden outpost was also visited for the first time. A Salted Egg Pineapple Bun was obtained for $3.70 plus tax.

​It proved tinier and dryer than the typical Pineapple Bun. In spite of its compactness, contained within was a decent portion of salted egg filling. Sadly, the flavours of the mixture were subdued and nowhere as discernible as 7 Baker's rendition.