Out & About #936 | Koreatown Updates Feat. Snow Day + Cotti Coffee

The busiest weeks pass me by with regrettable swiftness. If the mandated - albeit loosely - two days of in-office presence wasn't enough in rendering exhaustion, three back-to-back days of travelling in and out of the city were surely sufficient.

​I readied myself for the days ahead with a "Military Latte" on Monday afternoon - a delightful combination of Momo Tea's Matsu Matcha and G7 Espresso. That evening, I reached for Sayuri, my first Hakutsuru nigori. Embracing sweet, creamy, and indulgent qualities, it was undeniably more enjoyable than the Superior Junmai Ginjo. (Lucky for me, it was also more economic.)

​Driving into the city was a pain in itself, but navigating along the endlessly construction-filled corridors of Bloor Street served as another source of torture. I had signed up for a two-day First Aid training course at least two months prior, with full knowledge of its intended location but not its painstakingly early start time.

In order to arrive at the intersection of Bathurst and Bloor, I'd either suffer a two-hour commute by public transit, or roughly 70 minutes by car. On the first day, I was granted a drop-off.

​At 8:07 AM, an introductory video had started airing. I was slightly tardy, yet not as much as the others that eventually emerged at 9 AM, and even 9:30 AM! The instructor was particular about timing, instilling guilt in nearly every one of us to maintain punctuality for breaks and start/end periods.

​The first day's topics comprised of Scene Surveys, head and spinal injuries, the recovery position, CPR compressions, operating an AED, and choking. Beyond being presented with an incredulous amount of data via slideshows and short clips, we were provided many opportunities for hands-on learning. By the end of the first day, summoning a bystander from the role as a "trained First Aider" had been repeated to the point of memorization.

​Following the session, I proceeded to update my K-town records.

First and foremost was the acquisition of physical funds, for Kevin's Taiyaki operated on a cash-only basis. Next was the perusal of new and established vendors in the area.

• Thirstea remained
• A new Korean Fried Chicken shop had opened
• The former space of Put A Cone On It had become Dessert Fox
• An uncharacteristically minimalist, alcohol-licensed café had opened

At P.A.T., I secured a single unit of the Binggrae Taro Milk that had caught my attention months prior. Galleria had retailed the beverage at upwards of eight dollars for a six-pack, which was too hefty an investment for an item of unknown palatability. One carton set me back just $1.59, quenching my curiosity adequately. (Note that the member cartoon choice was not considered in my selection process.)

After a grueling ten-minute wait, a piping hot piece of Custard Taiyaki would also find its way into my hands. The pastry's insides were positively scalding, and I suffered burns on the tongue with each successive nibble. The three-dollar specimen was ultimately deemed unworthy of its asking price, for the formula within had become tacky and bland, devoid of the vanilla-laced egginess ​it once embodied.

A visit to Hodo Kwaja had obviously been slotted into the itinerary as well. Given the distinct lack of opportunities to visit the neighbourhood, I took advantage of the occasion to restock on walnut cakes and hoddeok. As with other businesses in the GTA, the menu has been subjected to a surge in prices. While I kept to my standard request of 30 walnut cakes of mixed fillings, I opted for both Brown Sugar and Red Bean Hoddeok this time around. A five-pack of Brown Sugar was priced at $15, while the Red Bean at $14; a blended option of three Brown Sugar and two Red Bean would set me back $14.50.

​At the checkout counter, I inquired of the availability of Chun Byung, knowing that the product was limited to the colder seasons of the year. The familiar face behind the counter responded that testing was underway and that there may be hope for the following day. Naturally, I made a mental note to check back.

I would then undertake the tedious commute back to the west end.

​Since the onset of COVID, I hadn't bothered with commuting into the city for leisure purposes. For the past three to four years, Miway buses had connected to Line 2's Kipling terminus instead of Islington. This was new to me, for the Islington connection had been a quick, straightforward trek with satisfactory signage. Routing to regional and other municipal service connections from Kipling's TTC station was nowhere near as effortless, and involved a seemingly ceaseless detour of stairs and a bleak, stuffy tunnel.
At the very least, the bus was punctual. I arrived back home in record time, even allowing for a full-length, at-home pilates circuit.

The next day would entail a similar commuting route, however I'd be driving both ways. All went swell until realizing that left turns onto Bathurst from Queen West were prohibited between Mondays to Saturdays from 7 AM to 7 PM. After a plethora of confusion one-way streets and Google Maps nearly leading me into an active construction zone, I pulled into the Green P lot of choice.

I would accompany fellow course-takers on their morning break for coffee at Rustle & Still, though refrained from purchasing anything for myself as frequent washroom breaks would be frowned upon.

Physical trauma would constitute the topic for the second day. Early recognition of bug bites/stings was of primary importance to me, given the rising awareness of Lyme disease. Bandaging wounds, lacerations, and amputations were less enthralling, but nonetheless critical skills.

We would practice secondary survey assessments, wrapping gauze with slings, then conclude the course with a written examination.

​Post-training excursions had been planned in the weeks leading up to the event. I had voiced aversions against early supper at 4PM and instead led the way to snack-offering eateries.

​Securing Chun Byung had been my first objective. Next was a visit to Snow Day, a recent opening made known to me by none other than the food-loving Thai ahgase.

​The interior was exceptionally spacious, with ample seating and even outlets adjacent to a handful of tables. Within their display cake were various cakes, cookies, and macarons. To the left was a self-serve water station with Stainless steel cups. To the right was the cashier and a listing of their bingsoo varieties.

My suggestions for Tiramisu and Green Grape were well received. The coworkers in presence insisted on large sizes for both options, only later to realize their limited stomach capacity for the dessert.

Tiramisu was the unanimous favourite: Topped with a slice of delectable, coffee-infused cake, layers of fluffy snow ice were alternately arranged with a cocoa-coloured, coffee-flavoured powder and sweetened condensed milk.

​Green Grape earned fewer favours, despite its generous inclusion of ripe grapes, remarkably tasty cheesecake bites, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream that hardly disintegrated over the course of consumption. Individually sealed plastic spoons was another aspect worthy of praise.

One more member joined our party shortly after 4 PM. They took to consumption of flavoured soju in Christie Pits Park after I reminded - or rather, informed - them of the city's pilot project.

We then navigated to Echo Karaoke. Each four-person room was priced at $25, with $5 for each additional person. Unsurprisingly, Echo also operated on a cash-only basis. Worth noting this time around was the stark cleanliness of the unisex washroom - probably pristine due to our early arrival of 5 PM.

​I had excused myself around 6:10 PM, for the following day marked yet another early awakening. It only dawned on me that, before embarking on the return journey, I ought to have procured a Black Sesame Basque Cheesecake slice from Snow Day for research purposes.

​Fighting fatigue, I proceeded with my downtown agenda over lunch.

A visit was paid to IKEA, then the connecting Aura Concourse. At long last, I discovered the Pokémon-filled aisle that a local had told me - and her social media following - about.

I learned of the boutique's extravagant assortment of plushies and cards, as well as regular hosting of Pokémon tournaments. Most impressive was the array of Gen 1 Pokémon, organized by colour and size across the many shelves within.

My delight towards laying eyes on an authentic Lapras could not be stifled. Similar reactions would stem from the sight of Rattata, Venonat, and countless other nostalgia-inducing creatures from my childhood. The shop's collection extended beyond the new generation favourites, stocking even the lesser known/less popular Tangela, original Articuno, Minun-Plusle duo, and even Unown!

Returning to ground level, I was about to retrace my path through the Eaton Centre when a Grand Opening promotion was spotted.

​I entered into Cotti Coffee, a bustling coffee shop with $2 drink promotions. Placing my order was relatively stress-free, though I was only informed of the thirty-plus minute wait time after completing payment.

Most patrons were advised to come back at a later point in time to pick up their drink. Meanwhile, given that I had roughly thirty minutes left of my break, I hovered about while observing the new café's operations.​

Contrary to the beliefs of the general public, slow delivery time does not always equate to poor organization. In fact, the Cotti Coffee team proceeded in an assembly line with remarkable efficiency. Roles were clearly delegated: cashier, bartenders, order facilitators, and overall manager. Within the compact preparation space, at least ten members of the team were spotted crafting drinks, restocking ingredients, documenting order completeness, and distributing the drinks to customers. Some of the orders had been placed in person, though it appeared that the vast majority had originated from app purchases. "What an ingenious way to skip the line." I thought.

In the case where patrons could no longer wait for their purchase due to other commitments, the cashier was more than willing to refund the transaction. That said, it would be preferable to have the cashier notify patrons of the average wait time before payments are made.

After thirty-five minutes, I received my Pampas Blue Coco Latte. The two-toned beverage was apparently the cafe's signature: a combination of coconut milk and espresso, with a baby blue hue paying homage to the official colour of Argentina's soccer team.

​The drink was far tastier than I expected. It balanced the nuttiness of dark roast coffee with refreshing milkiness in perfect harmony, and wasn't overly potent (read: tremor-inducing) either. Service had been friendly as well, as the staff member effortlessly switched between English and Mandarin while responding to order inquiries.

My sole gripe was the paper straw accompanying the plastic cup, for it began disintegrating long before the entirety of the drink could be enjoyed.

While the rest of the team landed themselves in a 2.5 hour-long Truth & Reconciliation seminar, I continued my unhurried trek along Dundas. BOGO matcha soft serve deals were spotted in the windows of Taiyaki NYC's former space, now transformed into the renowned Hana Don.