Out & About #925 | Isaan Der, Robotcalypse Omescape + Hanbam Izakaya

All good trips to Markham involve a visit to LCBO. After all, it is where the "East Asian exclusives" reside.

In the days leading up to the trip, I, admittedly, had too much beer to drink. Moreover, I hadn't depleted the stash from the previous visit. A beeline was made for the compact wine section instead, first examining the VQA shelves then navigating over towards the Vintages department at the back.

​Sparkling sake was foregoed in favour of Cave Spring's Riesling Icewine and Quails' Gate Chardonnay Okanagan Valley. A bottle of Hakutsuru Junmai Ginjo was also obtained out of curiosity after having seen the bottle at many izakayas. The sleepy polar bear also took to two drinks: the ever-basic, ever-sugary Somersby ciders.

My next stop was OOMOMO. Hand masks were direly needed; unfortunately, the Mediheal ones were no longer being retailed. I took to several packs of $2.75 false lashes, a claw clip, and replacement travel bottles.

By this point, we were already late for our lunch appointment with friends. When the sleepy polar bear had failed to verify the "Avoid tolls" option on Google Maps, we had spent an additional twenty minutes looping back onto the 401 after taking the 410. The second hindrance came when I was faced with a frustrating "I forgot where I parked the car". Any other entity in my social circle would have voiced the declaration as a joke. For the sleepy polar bear though, navigation issues and common sense items are very much real, rooted issues.

Eventually, the vehicle was located. Google Maps guided us towards Isaan Der by the unconventional route of Aristotle Avenue. The relatively new, 300-metre long road wove underneath the Hwy 404 northbound on ramp, connecting to Norman Bethune Avenue/East Pearce Street. At the southeast corner of Leslie and East Pearce was a familiar stretch of restaurants. Amongst them was Isaan Der, my proposal of the afternoon.

​It was by chance that my first day on Yonge-Eglinton grounds had coincided with the eatery's ​final week of operations. Since their relocation to Richmond Hill, I had encountered many reviews from friends hailing from the area. Now, it was finally my turn.

The interior was amazing, featuring a seating area nearly three times the size of their former midtown location. A colourful ring of lights hung from the centre of the ceiling. Curtained booths and colourful lights gave off a modern, eccentric vibe.

Our party of four was seated in a patent leather booth by the window. A single menu was provided in the form of a tablet, though a QR code could be scanned for independent review of the restaurant's offerings. Since my previous visits, the assortment had seen incredible expansion, yet also noticeably steeper prices.

​The duo across took to a Pad Kee Mao with Shrimp and Fresh Noodles Pad Thai with Chicken. These plates were enormous, comprising of as much noodle as a typical Chinese restaurant entrée would. Despite depicting the greasy visuals of  乾炒牛河, the Pad Kee Mao was, surprisingly, not that greasy and extremely flavourful with distinct notes of soy. Arguably containing a greater amount of oil was the Pad Thai, whose noodles were slick but cooked to a nice, chewy texture and topped with toasted peanuts.

Without a moment's hesitation, I had pointed towards the Beef Shortrib Massaman, an undeniably costly curry at $38 before tax. Just as with the noodle dishes, the portion was gargantuan. Within a wide-lipped serving bowl was a sweet, indulgent curry broth; floating within were bits of softened onion and textured sweet potato chunks. Laid on top a sizable rib bone was a hefty chunk of meat sprinkled with fried garlic.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the dish, the short ribs lived up to their eyebrow-raising price tag by embracing impeccable, tender qualities and exceptionally modest spice levels. I enjoyed the curry with steamed white rice, though the pairing would fare better with coconut rice. That said, coconut rice was not offered at this location.

Khao Soi with chicken was too spicy for me to handle. As the sleepy polar bear proceeded to submerge the crispy noodles into the broth, I snuck a strip from the mound: It was greasy and reeked of fryer oil. A stand of egg noodle was also derived for comparison sake; deemed superior was the cooked format, which retained prominent egginess in its profile.

Thai Iced Tea was requested by 3 of 4 table occupants. The vibrant orange formula resided on the sweeter side but was nonetheless delicious. Meanwhile, the Thai Green Matcha Tea was grassier than it was reminiscent of the popular curry-side bevearge. Both versions rang in at $6.50 and were served in Tiki-like bevelled glasses, plastic (!) straws, and a partial straw covering.

Three of four ceded to deplete the entirety of our plates, thus were inclined to request takeout boxes for the leftovers. A sturdy, plastic cylindrical container was provided for my Massaman curry, while a lined paper round with a plastic lid for the Jasmine rice. Instead of a similar upright container, the staff had provided a flat, rectangular box for the sleepy polar bear's Khao Soi. Within minutes of food transfer, sauce began to escape into the paper bag bestowed upon us. To prevent further chaos, a rare plastic bag was derived from my tote and knotted tightly around the Khao Soi for security.
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​Towards the end of our stay, I excused myself for perusal of Isaan Der's indoor plumbing facilities. There, I discovered absence of hand soap and alerted the staff, who thanked me for bringing the issue to their attention. Prompt resolution was greatly appreciated. I thanked the short-haired member of staff once again upon departure from the squirrel monkey wallpaper-covered facilities.

​Up next was a 2:15 PM booking at Omescape. As a consequence of the washroom ordeal, we arrived a tad late. Thankfully, the experience would not commence until all members of the party had arrived.

​Instead of the logo-bearing access point facing Esna Park, patrons were directed to use the side - rear? - entrance. Two short flights of stairs and two glass doors separated the boisterous games space from the asphalt lot. Along with a number of escape rooms, Omescape also housed communal tables for board games, high stool for "retro" gaming platforms such as Nintendo64 and GameCube, as well as an in-house food and drink counter by the name of "Ommycup".

​One member of our party was a frequent visitor of Omescape, being acquaintances with the Omescape staff, and the 90-minute long Robotcalypse was identified as the sole unattempted escape room at the Markham location. While both the sleepy polar bear and I had our reservations towards the game length, we agreed anyway. Limited was our escape room experience record in general.

​Lockers were assigned to rooms rather than by individual players. In this sense, they were larger cubbies than the standard half-sizes observed at Escape the House (882) and Trapped (885). Prior to entering the room, we were provided a brief tutorial on Walkie Talkie usage, noting the importance of maintaining a consistent channel and clarifying our room name prior to requesting hints. In hindsight, the latter point was less pivotal than at Escape Manor, for CCTV cameras had been installed throughout the space to assist in supervision and hint provision. Hints were unlimited, but groups that completed the room without hints would earn "Elite" status.

​Within the room was an LED screen that played a cautionary video (No climbing tables or vigorously shaking props) before transitioning to game-specific content.
The starting room adopted a layout evoking a spacecraft interior. After dodging meteorites, turning gas valves, and deactivating various settings, the spacecraft would land on a robot-filled wasteland. Whlie the puzzles were quite straightforward, the lighting sequences and interactive physical elements were of superb quality. Given that there were exactly four roles to fill on the ship (Captain, Chief Engineer, First Officer, and Flight Director), our party size was ideal for the game. Some of the puzzles involved placing our hand above a sensor-affixed platform at the same time, inciting a sense of teamwork.

The second room was a dim one, with just two puzzles and one depressed-looking robot. Upon shaking its hand, an audio sequence in robot voice would sound. These recordings were present throughout the room possessed the clues to unlock the next obstacle. Admittedly, they were quite tedious to replay, as they could not be fast-forwarded or paused. Physical hints, while not nearly as technologically advanced, could be read as many times as the user required, and filtered for specific words. Perhaps it is my personal preference for visuals, but audio hints undeniably make for a slower process. 

A third room and a corridor three more puzzles, none of which were particularly challenging, but required immense focus to decipher the audio hints. Inside the fourth (and last) room was a battlefield: It was us against "evil robot Zybar". This segment was my favourite of them all! Loading up the correct ammunition and shooting lasers at stationary and moving targets in a timed setting was very much my style of gameplay, and even slightly Activate-eqsue. At the end of the battle, a curtain would fall, revealing the "good" robot and his triumphant ending speech.

Our victory had unlocked the required biohazard item to fuel our spacecraft for the return journey. We returned to the first room, fitted the hexagonal prism in its rightful slot, then manually closed the doors. After takeoff, the LED screen informed us of our success and stats: The 90-minute room had been solved in just sixty-nine!

​Those looking to extend their visit could opt for an Unlimited Board Games pass, which would include one free small drink. ​As we would be venturing elsewhere, this option was not pursued.

One half of our party departed the asphalt lot first. Meanwhile, I discussed possible bubble tea stops in the vicinity with the sleepy polar bear. After settling on the Commerce Gate plaza, I came across a U-shaped tree. 
Against my better judgement, I leaned against the tree for photos. Within seconds, sap stains surfaced on the back of my beloved Eyes on You concert tee and crossbody bag. Wipes did not help whatsoever, and rather affixed dust-like particles to the graphic lettering.
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Heaving a dejected sigh, I slipped back into the shirt and resolved to troubleshoot the situation once back home.

​At Commerce Gate, we found Kekou's uptown location and a bubble tea vendor count substantial enough to rival that of North York.

​The Alley's Yogurt Pudding Frappe was deemed disgusting from the icing sugar-cocoa milk foam to the tacky pudding base. Instead of suffering solo, the sleepy polar bear grudgingly sipped away at the monstrosity while I took my mid-afternoon needs to CoCo instead.

​We parted ways with our escape room companions in the early evening hours, then proceeded towards Yonge and Finch. It had been my suggestion, obviously, for a void for skincare persisted. Unfortunately, even M Brand had discontinued inventory restock of Tony Moly and innisfree's Green Tea line, instead replacing its shelves with Super Matcha products.

Stomach still satiated with bubble tea, my inclination to speedwalk along Yonge was foreseeable. It was my anticipation that, after the fifteen-ish minute trek, I'd be hungry enough to contemplate supper options.

​The sleepy polar bear was introduced to Upper East Food Club, which housed an identical sticker photo machine to Commerce Gate. Admittedly, I found it odd that the apparatus operated on a cash-only basis, while the vendors within the market were cashless. Despite being rudely rejected by the H Mart cashier with one-word responses, I continued to evaluate alternate possibilities with relentless determination.

Pulling open the doors to Hazukido, we were overwhelmed by a spectacular waft of buttery goodness. The cashier was more than willing to break the twenty-dollar bill, extending enough amicability to prolong our stopover.

The unanticipated visit induced procurement of three croissants and a can of Hazukido-branded Cold Brew. 

Consumed the following morning, the Cold Brew Can was refreshing and leaned towards a familiar medium-dark roast. The 350 ml can was neither a large quantity of coffee nor a particularly concentrated one, but would pair nicely alongside fresh, flakey croissants. Its price tag was reasonable: $3.95 versus Balzac's $5-and-up flavoured renditions.

​My picks spanned a White Chocolate Croffle and Butter Garlic Croissant, which rang in at $3.85 and $4.95 respectively. Again, these amounts were acceptable - nothing like the atrocious labels at Bake Code.
Half of the Croffle was enjoyed at room temperature, and the other halve toasted slightly. The room temperature edition was delicious with a delectable coating of tempered chocolate; the white chocolate was fragrant without being intrusive. Of course, buttery qualities required a shot of heat to be adequately unleashed. For those prioritizing this aspect, be mindful that the chocolate may liquefy after reheating.

Unthinkably aromatic was the Butter Garlic Croissant, exuding irrefutably pungent odours upon contact with heat. Heed my warnings though: be careful to prevent charring of the garlic toppings, for distinct bitterness will result.

A $5.69 Hazelnut Chocolate Croissant was chosen by the sleepy polar bear. Its Ferrero Rocher-like appearance sparked wariness from me, for a laminated horn fully encased in chocolate just screamed excessive. Apparently, it was decadent and worthy of a subsequent purchase.

Cash in tow, we returned to Upper East Food Club shortly afterwards. Props were utilized minimally, for their grimy nature was none too appealing. A basket within the curtained space allowed customers to place their belongings in a secure area, rather than leaving it beyond the zone of visibility.

​Frame assortment ranged from solid colour borders to beach-inspired waves and seashells to limited time designs featuring Seventeen and Treasure.
I had already had my heart set on sky blue water ripples or lavender Conus gloriamaris when the sleepy polar bear urged me to browse the other categories before deciding. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I hastily restarted the process, eventually landing on the K-idol layouts. "Ew!" exclaimed the sleepy polar bear.
Glancing over with a knowing look, I declared my original choice as final.

From this point onwards, the photo-taking segment spanned no more than five minutes. Another five would be required for the printing of photos. Two copies would emerge, in choices of either colour, black-and-white, or a mix of the two. Alternatively, larger cuts - termed "Multi" - could be obtained for the higher price point of twenty dollars.

Continuing southbound, we chanced across M Cha Bar's latest North York outpost, a raffle for the neighbouring Hippo Hippo Nails (where I won a $10 voucher), and a promotional banner for Daigyo's new Spicy Octopus pressed sandwich. What was intended to be a leisurely trek of fifteen to twenty minutes ended up requiring at least ten minutes more, as hindered by the sleepy polar bear's constant need to decelerate and wail about heel pain.
"The faster you walk, the sooner you can sit down." came my matter-of-fact reminder.

The dinner destination of the evening was another izakaya - one of the three that I had bookmarked long ago. (My other POIs consisted of Mikaku and Anju.)

Located on Spring Garden Avenue in the former space of a sushi restaurant was Danbam Izakaya. A Sailor Moon-esque logo informed of the meaning behind "danbam", as well as its evident focus on sake.

​Prior to venturing further, I had called to verify availability for two diners, and was met with a cheerful confirmation. Stepping inside assured me that the staff's words were believable: the dining floor was mostly vacant. At prime dinner time on a Saturday evening, it was shocking to find only one table was occupied.

Double-sided laminated menus were placed before us. A water jug and Stainless steel glasses were also brought to the table as we examined the printed names. I was made aware of a Happy Hour special, but dismissed it on the account that it applied to pitchers of beer instead of single person portions. Deals for pints and makgeolli were also available, though a minimum party size of four would be needed to consume its entirety.
Variety amongst the alcoholic beverages was rather basic for an izakaya, though this observation had also held true for Mikaku. Disparate from the uptown izakaya was Danbam's cocktail selection, which had spurred an initial inclination towards a Highball, then later buried upon review of our surroundings. "Why is it so empty?!" we wondered with worry.

I refused the sleepy polar bear's proposed dishes of Okonomiyaki and Seafood Pancake - they were merely commonplace, grease-filled wads of batter. A traditional Korean restaurant would have been the more appropriate destination for jeon dishes. Instead, a trio of Shime Saba, Butter Squid, and Tonpei Yaki were relayed to the waitress.

Served with a side salad of dressed, withered romaine and thinly-sliced red onion, the Shime Saba was arranged sashimi-style with pickled yellow ginger pieces residing on top. More pickled yellow ginger and a slice of lemon would be placed on the side. A small dish of soy sauce and starkly green wasabi accompanied the platter. While saturated, the smear of horseradish was essentially - and disappointingly - bland. We pushed the condiment aside, for the seared mackerel pieces bore enough seasoning on their own. Crunchy greens and well-textured mackerel proved itself a great starter.

​Butter Squid was the next dish to arrive. The tender pieces were perfumed with butter, then topped with a sweet glaze and served with scallion-topped mayo for additional creaminess. A cabbage slaw and familiar cherry tomato halves would tag along. Without a doubt, this dish incited the greatest amount of satisfaction, earning unanimous praise across the table.

Bearing the description of "Japanese style pork belly, cabbage, and egg roll", the Tonpei Yaki had been envisioned as a balanced entrée of egg, greens, and iron. Our mouths fell agape as the $21 dish emerged as a rolled egg dish topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes. It was scrumptious, but hardly the item anticipated for its price.

Leftovers were packed into a Styrofoam (gasp!) container and general purpose plastic bag (further gasps!). After at least three years of enduring flimsy biodegradable containers, the sight of Styrofoam had me bewildered. I was utterly ecstatic at the provision of a complimentary plastic bag though!

Service had been prompt and friendly throughout our stay. In this regard, it was astonishing to witness just two more tables fill up over the course of our meal. Whether ambience, sustenance, or service, Danbam had not fallen inferior to any other eatery in the vicinity, causing me to continually question its vacancy.

Bathrooms were also rather pristine, despite taking on a somewhat dated appearance with white tiling and eerie washroom odours. The facility housed two stalls and two sinks.
Toilet paper was, interestingly, positioned on the water tanks and on protruding ledges above the toilet, rather than within the dispensers. The observation led to me to ponder whether the key to the dispenser had been misplaced - an exceptionally common occurence in the world of waitressing. One of two toilets had been clogged before my usage, prompting me to take the liberty of unclogging the device before departing. Needless to say, I affirmed that the toilet seat was beaming and the plunger highly functional.

Across the street was Galleria's newest outpost. On the ground floor was a claw machine and beauty/health foods department. Three steps would lead patrons up to the main grocery section, which featured self-checkout machines along with staffed registers.

The trip terminated with a bag Honey Butter Chips, four-pack of youkan, Hime Black Sesame Ice Cream, and mugwort powder - a rare item I intend to employ for injeolmi-topped mochi bites à la Luna Bakery.

Our minds would wander as we continued routing back to the car. Saryo assumed the final stop of the day.

The Matcha and Houjicha Soft Serve was sublime: luscious and potent. I likened the matcha to be a creamier portrayal of Daigyo's uber-potent rendition, while the houjicha a toastier, silkier take on Musoshin's Houjicha Affogato.