Out & About #654 | Week #21 Quarantine Update Feat. Homemade Gyoza

​One of my biggest reliefs is CoCo accepting walk-in orders again.
It may not seem to be all that impressive of an arrangement, however these tiny tweaks are impressive improvements as far as conducting business in the COVID-compromised world.

Previously operating exclusively via food delivery services, such as UberEats or FoodHwy, or their proprietary mobile application, the stores are once again permitting face-to-face interactions and order placement. My local store re-configured their interior to allow for separate lineups: order placement and pick-up orders. Rigid plexiglass barriers were installed along the perimeter of the cashier, with mics installed on either side for clear communication. Tablets containing loyalty profile information were accessible by staff only; customers could no longer enter their own phone number.

​Efficiency and friendliness of staff remained consistent, and patrons awaiting their orders were respectful of social distancing protocols.

I managed to secure the franchise's August promotion of Pearl Milk Tea Smoothie just prior to a heavy downpour. The concoction was tasty, albeit a tad watery at 0% sugar.

​Back home, I unveiled a project in which I had been antsily preparing for the past few days. The pink fanatic was scheduled to make her return to Canadian turf shortly, and I was eager to welcome her back with a surprise.

 Enlisting the assistance of family and  ̶b̶o̶y̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶  now-fiancé, a Layered Matcha Cake was constructed and successfully transported to her quarantine accommodations without stirring suspicions.

​Much like the Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cheesecake, it marked my first foray into a new recipe, albeit with less research and less meticulous conversions. Its components, top to bottom, were:

• Matcha Mousse
• Rose Cheesecake
• Chocolate Fudge
• Graham Cracker Crust

I had taken to T&T's matcha powder - my cookie go-to - for foundation of the matcha mousse, though finished the layer with an even dusting of Momo Tea's Take for discernible depth and grassiness. While such measures had been undertaken, the mousse remained a tad one-dimension for my liking; likely would it have benefitted from a little custard and a little less gelatin. The same could be said for the Rose Cheesecake layer, wherein my next trial (should it ever take place) shall involve far smaller an amount of coagulant and proper Philadelphia cream cheese, as opposed to the tacky no name variety.

​Amidst my relatively mundane week came my Essentials pack from Detour.

​The trio of Bottle Neck, Bouncy Castle, and Punch Buggy were espresso roasts ranging from the light and dark ends of medium spectrum, with notes ranging from fruity to toffee.

Towards the end of the work week, I made my way over to the northeast end of the GTA, where my thirty-five-minute journey was henceforth prolonged to fifty by economic reboot, otherwise known as congestion on the highways.
​
I eventually arrived at Katsuya's Vaughan Mills location, only then realizing my shortage of cash. By some miracle, I had managed to walk away from the cutlet shop with the items orangecane and I had settled upon. The 50% off grand opening promotion had saved me. On the flip side, the location's portions proved stingy in comparison to that of other locations: not only had miso soup and sauce containers merely filled to the halfway mark, meal constituents were far smaller. With reference that a standard Katsuya meal has the capacity to over-satiate orangecane and serve as a minimum of two meals for myself, this venture was rather disappointing.

M Cha Bar, by stark contrast, upheld their reputation for premium beverages (both in terms of quality and price point) with a delectable Roasted Oolong Milk Tea and refreshing Passionfruit Yakult.

We parted ways after a rushed early supper and compact Oomomo run.

I passed the remainder of my evening at VYbE, first with a beginner Hip Hop class, then succeeded by a K-Pop Originals routine. Newly implemented at the studio were social distancing markers, mandatory completion of Health Declaration forms and advance registration, and hand sanitization.

​Masked for the entire duration of my visit, I set out for a source of coolness immediately afterwards. The first McD's relayed the heart-wrenching message of an ice cream machine malfunction, while the second at Bridlewood Mall was near impossible to locate. Once secured though, the dessert was promptly devoured in a matter of minutes - three to be exact.

​Concluding the end of the work week were grocery store runs and the coincidental encounter of Church's Chicken's grand opening promotion.

​Skin a tad saggy on the first day, the palm-sized pieces were surprisingly tastier when reheated the following day. Nonetheless, the combination of flavourful dark meat and crispy batter at a reduced cost is nothing to complain about.

​BTrust's sushi rolls are another story altogether though. I'll stick to their packaged snacks and Chinese bakery items instead.

Beyond the Layered Matcha Cake, creations of the week include:

1) Shokupan Egg Salad Sandwich

- alternatively known as the fluffiest lunch item ever.

2) Chocolate Mousse
Essentially recipe-less, the quadro-layered dessert it was a spur-of-the-moment decision/inception. Though, ingredients did not exceed heavy whipping cream, gelatin, and my trusty chocolate couverture.

3) Bran Muffins
Adhering to SK's formula for Blue Sky Bran Muffins for the vast majority, I will admit to finding this formula a tad lacking in aromatics (the endless debate of oil vs. butter) and zestiness, which I anticipate to rectify with an increased quantity of citrus medley next time around.

4) Lychee White Fungus Dessert Soup/荔枝雪耳糖水
​5) Lychee Rose Syrup

6) Banana Chips that later emerged soggy; I shall be sourcing from a more credible source next time, for utilizing misleading images ought to be considered felonious conduct for any self-proclaimed food blogger.

7) Osmanthus Jelly/桂花糕

​Although I've never found much enjoyment in layered jellies and lengthy Chinese dinners, constructing Osmanthus Jelly from scratch yielded a different response. Ingredients were few, yet specific and strictly traditional. The methodology wasn't particularly fussy either, however the process demanded patience and thorough comprehension of the intermediate steps.

With my sheer lack of familiarization of the flowering plant, I was taken back by the breathtaking result.

8) Pork, Chive & Shiitake Gyoza

With chives and lean pork on sale at the supermarket, there was but one item on my mind: Gyoza. Factors contributing to its realization were sightings of Japanese gyoza recipes about the World Wide Web.

​I soon arrived at the fact that I had purchased an insufficient number of wrappers, thus set out to formulate my own with the help of Just One Cookbook. And what a trusty source she was!

The next step is refinement of dumpling folds.