I always thought that time only passed by quickly when I was on vacation, or during the school year when time to finish assignments and prepping for quizzes is scarce. But I've now come to a conclusion that the world whizzes by you simply because you're out of the house - and by that I mean either having fun ("going out" in the literal sense) or out to commute to work.
I've been to the general area around Union a few times already (the most recent trip being for Toronto Kpop Con), but I never had a chance to properly explore it.
The Eaton Centre is actually a shopping centre I've stepped foot in only a mere couple times, so I was considerably satisfied when I finally got the opportunity to leisurely check out what it had to offer.
(As I didn't actually take any photos while inside the mall, here are some visuals that were captured en route and from the previous day, including a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino and a Green Tea Frappuccino w/ Chocolate Chips, Peppermint Syrup, and the Caramel Crunch topping - Yum!)
I've been to the general area around Union a few times already (the most recent trip being for Toronto Kpop Con), but I never had a chance to properly explore it.
The Eaton Centre is actually a shopping centre I've stepped foot in only a mere couple times, so I was considerably satisfied when I finally got the opportunity to leisurely check out what it had to offer.
(As I didn't actually take any photos while inside the mall, here are some visuals that were captured en route and from the previous day, including a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino and a Green Tea Frappuccino w/ Chocolate Chips, Peppermint Syrup, and the Caramel Crunch topping - Yum!)
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The original plan was to head up to North York for snacks and dessert immediately following the shopping trip, but a large red sign caught my eye on the trip back to Union...
I had no idea that the renowned Uncle Tetsu's Japanese Cheesecake shop was located so close to the terminal! Having seeing endless snaps of both the shop exterior and popular cheesecake product on Instagram, along with mixed reviews on whether the wait was actually worth it or not, I couldn't resist getting in line to try the highly raved-about product and determine its value myself.
We joined the lineup around 3:00 pm, and a good twenty-something people were already waiting outside; another fifteen to twenty more were waiting inside to place their order. At first the line had still showed some signs of moving forward, however that ceased quickly.
We waited for about forty minutes before we finally made it to the glass display window. At this point I was finally able to capture a few shots of the shop, and not just simply the backs of other customers' heads.
We waited for about forty minutes before we finally made it to the glass display window. At this point I was finally able to capture a few shots of the shop, and not just simply the backs of other customers' heads.
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Slowly but surely, we made our way through the door...only to be realize that there was a snake-like line within the store that was barely moving. At least I got a good chance to take some photos of the interior of the shop in addition to catching a glimpse of how their products were created.
The Toronto store currently only carries the original Japanese Cheesecake and Madeleine Honey Cakes, but I'm hoping that the Matcha Cheesecake will arrive soon.
The Toronto store currently only carries the original Japanese Cheesecake and Madeleine Honey Cakes, but I'm hoping that the Matcha Cheesecake will arrive soon.
The total wait was about one hour, just as the netizens had stated.
To be honest, I had never felt so powerful to hold up a paper bag with the face of a bald, bespectacled ojii-san before. It was like showing off the fruits of one's labour, except that this was just an insane amount of waiting. Nonetheless, I felt the need to gloat in front of the gradually expanding lineup as we moved on to our next destination.
To be honest, I had never felt so powerful to hold up a paper bag with the face of a bald, bespectacled ojii-san before. It was like showing off the fruits of one's labour, except that this was just an insane amount of waiting. Nonetheless, I felt the need to gloat in front of the gradually expanding lineup as we moved on to our next destination.
The full album consisting of better quality photos can be viewed HERE.
We left Uncle Tetsu around 4:00 pm and slowly made our way to the Finch terminal, and onwards to a nifty little cafe called Mabu Station.
From Google Maps, it's obvious that the cafe used to occupy only one of the seating areas they own now. The space on the left was probably purchased to anticipate an increase in business when the neighbouring store closed down.
But the weird thing was: we weren't invited to dine in the other area upon arriving to find a full house.
Though I had scanned their menu briefly, I hadn't read any of the yelp reviews prior to this visit. I probably should have, as I did not expect the service I received.
To put it bluntly, their customer service was just plain lousy.
We were told that it would probably be another fifteen minutes before a table would be available, but weren't told why the other area wasn't open for dining in as yet. Slightly famished, we sat down in a small corner of the cafe usually reserved for purchasing takeout drinks and waited.
Two girls rose from their table a few minutes later; I yielded a small jump of joy.
But no one went to clean the table.
Minutes passed, and the only waitress taking orders was still absent-mindedly zooming by the cluttered table with no intention of cleaning it whatsoever.
But the weird thing was: we weren't invited to dine in the other area upon arriving to find a full house.
Though I had scanned their menu briefly, I hadn't read any of the yelp reviews prior to this visit. I probably should have, as I did not expect the service I received.
To put it bluntly, their customer service was just plain lousy.
We were told that it would probably be another fifteen minutes before a table would be available, but weren't told why the other area wasn't open for dining in as yet. Slightly famished, we sat down in a small corner of the cafe usually reserved for purchasing takeout drinks and waited.
Two girls rose from their table a few minutes later; I yielded a small jump of joy.
But no one went to clean the table.
Minutes passed, and the only waitress taking orders was still absent-mindedly zooming by the cluttered table with no intention of cleaning it whatsoever.
In hopes of getting my food a little faster, I decided to get up and relay our order to the guy behind the rack of drink glasses. Expressionless, he handed me an order form and told me to write it down.
At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this. I thought, "Is this not the waitress' job?". I later realized that was just how Mabu Station operated, consequently becoming even more amazed at how one could appear so busy despite only having a maximum of 9 tables filled. And it wasn't like customers were calling on the one girl all the time anyways - they were just on the phones most of the time!
After what seemed like a solid ten minutes, our table was ready. It was a rather dim table, situated right beside the cashier and within close proximity of the kitchen. The lighting wasn't the greatest, and background movement was constant, but at least we were finally seated.
At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this. I thought, "Is this not the waitress' job?". I later realized that was just how Mabu Station operated, consequently becoming even more amazed at how one could appear so busy despite only having a maximum of 9 tables filled. And it wasn't like customers were calling on the one girl all the time anyways - they were just on the phones most of the time!
After what seemed like a solid ten minutes, our table was ready. It was a rather dim table, situated right beside the cashier and within close proximity of the kitchen. The lighting wasn't the greatest, and background movement was constant, but at least we were finally seated.
Things got a bit better once we handed in our order sheet. It was only at this point where I finally got a chance to take in my surroundings: the decor was undoubtedly interesting, and the wall art was admittedly cool.
The items we ordered came out decently quickly, though the waitress that just got on her shift forgot to bring our water around twice. At least she was more sincere than the other girl though.
The items we ordered came out decently quickly, though the waitress that just got on her shift forgot to bring our water around twice. At least she was more sincere than the other girl though.
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The Mango and Durian Pancake Mix arrived first. They had appeared to resemble small, sturdy brightly-coloured packages on the menu, but were much softer in reality. This particular property made them difficult to cut into and even messier to eat.
The fillings consisted of an extremely large dollop of cream and small bits of mango and durian for each respective pancake. Substantially larger chunks were found in the durian one, while the mango contained more cream than mango.
Neither crepe-like pancake exterior contained any flavour, despite its excessively artificial colour; the fillings themselves weren't great, but they didn't prove to taste any more different than fruit topped with whipped cream. I would've preferred a greater amount of mango chunks in the mango pancake and, perhaps, a smaller piece of durian next time.
While waiting for the other items to arrive, we decided to try a slice of the cheesecake we had endured an hour of standing for.
The fillings consisted of an extremely large dollop of cream and small bits of mango and durian for each respective pancake. Substantially larger chunks were found in the durian one, while the mango contained more cream than mango.
Neither crepe-like pancake exterior contained any flavour, despite its excessively artificial colour; the fillings themselves weren't great, but they didn't prove to taste any more different than fruit topped with whipped cream. I would've preferred a greater amount of mango chunks in the mango pancake and, perhaps, a smaller piece of durian next time.
While waiting for the other items to arrive, we decided to try a slice of the cheesecake we had endured an hour of standing for.
It was really good: light and fluffy with just the amount of cream cheese and butter blended in. It was creamy without being rich, yet still maintained a satisfying cream cheese flavour. I had been slightly doubtful at first, given the number of exasperated reviews about the dessert being just "okay", but I'm glad I waited. Not that I'd ever wait another hour again, of course. (Unless they got matcha cheesecakes. Mmmmm matcha.)
The rest of our desserts arrived shortly.
The rest of our desserts arrived shortly.
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I have to admit that I was put off slightly by the cracked, jagged egg shells. It's highly likely that they re-use the same eggshells from the eggs from which the egg pudding was made, but I would've appreciated a modest amount of effort to make the dish appear a bit more presentable.
The pudding was on the sweet side and nothing formidable, but still good enough that I would order it again.
The Mabu Honey Toast with Ice Cream was the last to arrive, which was to be expected given its extravagance. It was constructed from a tower of lightly sugared, cubed toast, topped with ice cream, drizzled with more ice cream sauce, chocolate chips, and corn flakes, and dusted with cappuccino powder. It was almost a shame to devour it, but its alluring fragrance was too much to bear.
The toast pieces were undeniably crispy, but not to the point where they were hard and flaky. I found it amazing how they hadn't become soggy yet despite the enormous amount of ice cream that had dumped on top.
Digging further, I discovered that, sandwiched in the middle of the toast pieces, there was a warm, sugary custard.
The honey toast was great, even though it was incredibly sweet. Had they allowed for the lessening of sugar levels, this would probably be my go-to dessert to share with friends. (Does it not resemble the bubble tea shop version of dessert fondue?)
Okonomiyaki was also ordered for takeout as the desserts proved themselves worthy.
The pudding was on the sweet side and nothing formidable, but still good enough that I would order it again.
The Mabu Honey Toast with Ice Cream was the last to arrive, which was to be expected given its extravagance. It was constructed from a tower of lightly sugared, cubed toast, topped with ice cream, drizzled with more ice cream sauce, chocolate chips, and corn flakes, and dusted with cappuccino powder. It was almost a shame to devour it, but its alluring fragrance was too much to bear.
The toast pieces were undeniably crispy, but not to the point where they were hard and flaky. I found it amazing how they hadn't become soggy yet despite the enormous amount of ice cream that had dumped on top.
Digging further, I discovered that, sandwiched in the middle of the toast pieces, there was a warm, sugary custard.
The honey toast was great, even though it was incredibly sweet. Had they allowed for the lessening of sugar levels, this would probably be my go-to dessert to share with friends. (Does it not resemble the bubble tea shop version of dessert fondue?)
Okonomiyaki was also ordered for takeout as the desserts proved themselves worthy.
A stop at Coco's Fresh Tea and Juice concluded the day's adventures.
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< Shown Above: Bubble GaGa, Lemon King, and 3 Guys/Brothers Milk Tea >
The last time I had CoCo's 3 Brothers Milk Tea was during my Taiwan trip last summer, so I was beyond ecstatic upon discovering CoCo's existence within the 50-kilometre area. I can almost see myself visiting Finch a lot more frequently than before as a result of this discovery (ahahaha).
The last time I had CoCo's 3 Brothers Milk Tea was during my Taiwan trip last summer, so I was beyond ecstatic upon discovering CoCo's existence within the 50-kilometre area. I can almost see myself visiting Finch a lot more frequently than before as a result of this discovery (ahahaha).
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