Out & About #651 | Week #19 Quarantine Update Feat. Bobooya + Granola

At 2:57 PM on Monday afternoon, I joined the lineup for Bobooya. Food inventory was low at home, thus making for the perfect excuse for a trip to North York.

​Katsuya's "sister brand" had secured a storefront at the densely-populated intersection of Yonge and Sheppard, south of Han Ba Tang and adjacent to Pujukan. ​With the stretch already saturated with similar pub-like establishments, it was a questionable location in terms of competition. However, given the team's success in launching specialized tonkatsu eateries throughout the GTA, I have high hopes for the new venture, which pays homage to their Korean roots.

The peculiar name was derived from their signature items: bossam ("bo") and budaejjigae ("boo"), however the true stunner was the jokbal. The fare was undoubtedly traditional, though zoning in on the niche market was an unprecedented step in the uptown dining scene.

As part of the restaurant's grand opening promotions, five menu items were granted a 50% off discount. Of these five items, only two were devoid of the "spicy" description. The full menu was more extensive, spanning Red Carbonara Bossam and BBQ Cheese Jobkal, but the cash-only event operated on a limited selection.

​Despite being fourth in line, the ordeal demanded a lengthier slot than allocated. Succeeding a 10-minute wait to reach the front counter was 25-minute wait to receive my order. Thankfully, the nearby side street offered parking, albeit enforced by the metre. For commuters, the Yonge Sheppard centre acts as a source of A/C, retail therapy, and, most importantly, toilet facilities.

My order of a Large Bobooya Bossam and Large Bobooya Jokbal was packaged neatly in partitioned, spillproof packaging - Go Topokki-style (which apparently is no longer a go). ​More often than not, my driving tendencies possess the potential for unforeseen calamities. Secure casing was greatly appreciated in this regard; moreover, the recyclable containers prove more eco-conscious than Styrofoam, though are sadly not resealable.

​At 50% off, the meal was a steal with extremely generous portions, wide array of toppings (ssam sauce and fresh garlic!), and phenomenal kimchi - dare I say, the best I've tasted in my lifetime. The quantity of romaine lettuce included was insufficient for wrapping. That said, the leaves were fresh, slightly damp, and free from visible curling or blackened edges.
Leftovers carried us through the week: While the bossam was great on the date of purchase, it grew tougher with each passing day. On the contrary, the jokbal grew tastier, attaining new depths of delectability. Reheating the slices rendered them positively tender, prompting instant dissolution.

​With all that said, undertaking a visit at full price would constitute a topic of discussion. Bobooya's asking price is mind-bogglingly steep, with two large orders totalling over eighty dollars.

​About thirty minutes behind schedule, we proceeded to our next stop: Hillcrest for Mall Run #5

Arrow appliqués dictated one-way traffic, just as Sherway had, but just like Square One, patrons were not conforming to these stickers. The variance in walking speeds in conjunction with some narrow corridors were additional sources of frustration. I took to accomplishing my Miniso business quickly, then headed over to an all-too-familiar name.

< Pictured above and below: Coffee Swiss Roll Slice, Cheddar Custard Bun, Leek and Parmesan Bistro, Chocolate Croissant >​

Premium prices for mediocre quality - Saint Germain was essentially nothing more. I had entered the premises craving Cantonese classics such as the pineapple bun and cocktail bun, however the atrocious amounts steered us in the direction of alternatives, items slightly more distinct than the average Chinese bakery bite. The Cheddar Custard Bun, priced at $1.99, was interesting in concept with a savoury slice of crinkly cheddar atop a traditional custard bun, yet poorly executed with minimal filling and an unappealing, rigid profile.

With foundations of puff pastry, there were few ways in which the Leek and Parmesan Bistro ($3.20) and Chocolate Croissant ($2.20) could disappoint. Alas, the cross-sections revealed compacted layers with a distinct absence of fragrance. The delicate flakiness of French pastries is owed to repetitive folds and obscene amounts of butter; I deemed lard the culprit in hindering the radiation of blissful buttery aromas. Fillings were of a meager quantity and average to say in the least.

​Much like other Chinese bakeries, tax was exempted from purchases comprising of six items or more.

The sole grand opening festivity was a Buy 2 Items Get 1 Free promotion, which limited customers to purchasing two identical items just to receive a third of the same variety. The bakery capitalized on the fact that most families rarely purchase more than two of the same item, with a count of three being overkill.

​​Attempting the Coffee Swiss Roll that other reviewers had remarked upon, we sourced disappointment in the too-sweet sponge base, sheer absence of cream, and distasteful deviation from uniformity. As if the specimens hadn't been lacking enough, the variation between slice thicknesses and diminutive presence of java was further off-putting.

​Our brisk stroll about the mall informed us of yet another Uncle Tetsu location. Much like the Orfus Road HQ, the menu spanned no more than the Original Japanese Cheesecake, Rusk, and Madeleines.

​After polishing off the season's most anticipated $1 Vanilla Cones, we arrived at our final stop of the day - but not without a twenty minute detour around a WB Rutherford collision.

​My return to M Cha Bar two days later was not unwarranted. Lured northbound with a BOGO 20% off coupon, we succeeded in placing our orders without too tedious of a wait.

More lenient actions were taken by the bubble tea shop on a weekday: neither masking protocols nor the maximum entry of four customers was enforced. With reference to my previous declaration, I retract the statement "(the interior) had the capacity to accommodate six, or even eight, patrons", for the gradually increasing numbers surrounding the cashier was quite the frightful sight.
I will admit that the steady stream of incoming customers was impressive given the cafe's steep prices.

​Roasted Oolong Milk Tea w/ Coffee Jelly remained amazing. Far better than Summer Heat was the Passionfruit Mango slush, which featured diced mango at its base. 

A mid-week exchange of goods served to fuel the (social distancing-compliant) social gauge. Behold a Matcha Azuki cupcake (that I would never attempt).

Creations of the week include:

1. Grape Jelly Cream Cheese - a lavender-tinted formula comprising of nothing more beyond no name cream cheese and homemade grape jelly.

2. Doenjang Butter Cookies
​Since tasting the first iteration of JustOneCookbook's Miso Butter Cookies, I had desperately wished to recreate my own. With a deficiency of miso, I readily substituted Korean soybean paste, otherwise known as doenjang. Miso is milder in comparison, as Nami notes, however the similarities remain: both are fermented forms of soybean with a wide variety of culinary uses.

​​By a slip of the hand - er, paper bag - I dumped in 30 g more sugar than specified, though this mishap eventually compensated for doenjang's innate savoury characteristics, resulting in a cookie combining the nuttiness of toasted sesame seeds and umami of soy. The edges were crisp, yet the interior a tad crumbly, in a way that allowed the complexity of flavours to shine through.

3. Black Sesame Ice Cream
...or an attempt of it anyway. Originating from a desire for ice cream and convenient fridge positioning of heavy whipping cream, I took to my second JustOneCook recipe of the week, though failed to adhere to its steps in my haste.

4. Coffee Agar Cubes (with good ol' Maxwell House)

5. Homemade Granola, because there are certain days where one opens his or her eyes with breakfast hankerings of crunchy oats and fruit (the latter I regrettably had none of).

​6. Crunchy Meringue Brownies adapted from Sunday Baking's butter-less, oil-less, flour-less Soft Chocolate Walnut Cookies
In spite of the simple ingredient list, the formula yielded a surprisingly decadent result. Minimal effort was required, though a chill time of twenty to thirty minutes was recommended. The batch persevered in runniness, so I merely tossed in the towel and settled for brownies instead.

7. Condensed Milk Shokupan
Since experimenting with the realm of kneading, proofing, and general back-breaking processes of breadmaking, I've come to rely on none other than Bake For Happy Kids. A self-trained bread connoisseur, her recipes have yet to fail me.

What did fail me though, was the Delay Cook Time setting of my oven, which failed to reach the specified temperature until halfway through (Oh teleconferences, how do I loathe thee.)

8. Fish Cream Stew with a dill-infused cream sauce and toasted strips of the aforementioned Item #7.

Returning to Square One for errands following the implementation of mask mandation in indoor public spaces, several new measures were observed in place.

 The first was a PPE vending machine positioned at the mall entry point of the Holt Renfrew parking garage. In addition to a variety of disposable and fabric masks, travel-sized squeeze bottles of hand sanitizer, gloves, or even a convenient three-part set were available for purchase.

​Second were LED screens affixed outside the food court bathrooms. Similar to the automated systems in multi-storey parking buildings, data was presented to washroom-goers with the intents of promoting distancing and preventing crowding.
It was worth noting though, that some occupants of the bathroom did not sport masks and remained within, happily chatting away.